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This decade has been called, "The Mormon Moment," the time that America's largest home-grown religion finally comes into its own as a part of the Christian tapestry. Even some LDS quirks seem to be turning into positives. Shifting sexual mores have made Mormon polygamy and sacred undergarments a matter more of slightly kinky fascination rather Puritan disgust. And after expressing big disapproval over Big Love, Church leaders shifted strategies and met the hit musical, the "The Book of Mormon," with bemused acceptance, praising it "for really nailing the Mormon sweetness, niceness, and sense of do-gooderness," and filling theater programs with their own advertisements.
In an effort to reassure Evangelical voters, presidential candidate Mitt Romney inserted the phrase "the same god" into his domestic policy debate against Barack Obama, and Billy Graham's website showed solidarity by removing Mormonism from a list of "cults." Since then, Mormon missionaries have been quoted as saying, "Even Billy Graham says we are Christians." Over the course of 2012, the LDS Church promoted "I'm a Mormon," a multi-million dollar marketing campaign seeking to portray Mormonism as mainstream. And on December 10, 2013, the Mormon church renounced and denounced a part of its racist past.
But do Mormons and Evangelicals worship the same god? How mainstream are their beliefs?
Dr. Tony Nugent, retired professor of religious studies, has compiled a list of twelve teachings that Mormons tend to downplay. Dr. Nugent calls each of these beliefs "questionable." A quick read suggest they also are far from mainstream.
1. The American Continent Was Originally Settled by Ancient Near Easterners.
The story of the Book of Mormon (BoM) is that the American continent was originally settled by people from the ancient Near East who came across the ocean in boats between 5000 and 2500 years ago. This includes four groups: the Jaredites, who came from Mesopotamia after the fall of the Tower of Babel (3rd Millennium BC), and three groups of Israelites who came in the 6th Century B.C.—Lehites from the tribe of Manasseh, Ishmaelites from the tribe of Ephraim, and Mulekites from the tribe of Judah. Contrary to this view, archaeological, historical, and genetic evidence indicates that the American continent was originally settled by Mongoloid people who came over the Bering land bridge during the last Ice Age and who are the ancestors of today's Native American people.
2. Native Americans Are Descendants of Ancient Israelites.
Much of the BoM story focuses on two groups of Israelites in the New World, the Nephites and the Lamanites, descended from two of the sons of Lehi of the tribe of Manasseh. These groups fought continually, but when Christ came from heaven after his ascension to visit them in AD 34, they all believed in him and stopped fighting. However, in the 3rd and 4th Centuries AD, when the Lamanites stopped believing in Christ, these peaceful relations ended. Their renewed hostilities culminated in a great religious war in AD 385 at the hill Cumorah in upstate New York, in which the Lamanites were victorious and 230,000 Nephites were killed. The few surviving Nephites soon died, and the surviving Lamanites became the "American Indians."
Among the problems with this scenario are that there is no evidence that any Native American groups are Semitic, but rather that they are Mongoloid; there are no surviving traces in their cultures of ancient Israelite customs, language, or religion; and there are no traces of their supposedly former Christian practices and beliefs.
Then from where would Joseph Smith have gotten this story? The mistaken idea that the American Indians descend from the lost tribes of Israel was, in fact, a very popular idea in the United States in the early 19th Century. The closest parallel to Joseph Smith's version of the idea is found in Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews, published in 1823, just four years before Joseph started working on the BoM. The many specific parallels between these two works have often been noted. How might Smith have known about this work? From Oliver Cowdery, one of Smith's scribes in the translation of the BoM and whose family attended the church in Vermont where Ethan Smith was pastor at the time he was writing his book. In her 1945 work, No Man Knows My History, Fawn Brodie writes, "Thus where the View of the Hebrews was just bad scholarship, the BoM was highly original and imaginative fiction." (Brodie, p. 48)
3. Dark Skin is a Sign of God's Curse, White Skin a Sign of God's Blessing.
In the BoM dark skin is a sign of God's curse, while white skin is a sign of his blessing. When the Lamanites displease God, "because of their iniquity….the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them" (2 Nephi 5:21). Later, when the Lamanites become Christians, "their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites" (3 Nephi 2:15). Other racist passages in the scripture have simply been changed by Mormon authorities—e.g., 2 Nephi 30:6, which originally referred to conversion to Christianity bringing about a "white and delightsome people," now reads, as of 1981, "a pure and delightsome people." As for black people, Joseph Smith taught that they are cursed as "sons of Cain." Brigham Young, the successor of Joseph Smith, stated: "Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so" (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10). Since blacks were a stigmatized race in Mormonism, black men were denied ordination to the priesthood in the LDS Church. While the LDS Church, under pressure, finally granted black men the priesthood in 1978, the racism in their Scriptures remains as offensive as ever. Note: The doctrine that black skin is a punishment was renounced by the Church hierarchy in December 2013.
4. The BoM is Based on a Historically Accurate and Believable Ancient Work.
Mormon authorities teach that the BoM is a translation from ancient records written in a "Reformed Egyptian" script on metal plates between the years 2500 BC and AD 421. Among the many reasons for doubting this claim are the following:
- Many different animals, plants, & manufactured goods are reported in the BoM story as being present in the New World during this time period. There is apparently no credible evidence that any of the following were present in the New World during this time period: cows, horses, oxen, asses, goats, sheep, pigs, honeybees, elephants, barley, wheat, silk, iron & brass metallurgy, steel, metal coins, swords, chariots, wheels, compasses, and metal plates inscribed with writing.
- Many passages in the BoM repeat Old and New Testament biblical passages word-for-word. But how would Nephi, for instance, who lived in the 6th Century BC, know passages in Old Testament books such as Malachi, written after his time, and in the New Testament, written 600-700 years later?
- Analogously, why would distinctively Christian practices and beliefs, including the establishment of a "Church of Christ," the practice of baptism, and belief that those not baptized are damned to be tortured in hell for eternity, be found in ancient records said to have been written before the beginning of the Christian Era?
- In the second verse of the BoM Nephi says, "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."(1 Nephi 1:2). Later in the work Moroni says that his record is "in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian" (Mormon 9:32). These are problematic statements. First of all, the term "Jew" refers to the people of the tribe of Judah and those from the other tribes who joined with them, starting with the period of the Babylonian exile (which is after Lehi's family has left Jerusalem). In addition, there is no biblical or other evidence that Israelites of the 6th Century BC spoke Egyptian or wrote using any of the forms of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
5. Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Mormon from Gold Plates.
The Mormon story is that the Nephite military commander and prophet Moroni buried a history of his people, written on "gold plates," in the hill Cumorah in AD 421. 1400 years later, on the night of September 22-23, 1823, Moroni, now having become an angel, visits 17-year-old Joseph Smith in his bedroom and tells him where the plates are buried. It happens to be just 3 miles south of where Smith lives. He goes there and sees the plates in a stone box, but as soon as he tries to take them the angel forbids him. He returns to the same spot on the same night of the year for the next two years, without success. Then, by looking into his seer-stone or "peep stone," a chocolate-colored, egg-shaped stone which he had found when digging a well in 1822 and used to find lost and buried treasure, Smith learns that to be successful he must marry Emma Hale and take her with him to Cumorah. So on Sept. 22, 1827, he and Emma conduct a "black magic" ritual: at midnight, dressed entirely in black, they drive a black carriage drawn by a black horse to the hill. Joseph unearths the box and takes the plates, along with some magical eyeglasses made out of stones (called "interpreters" and "the Urim and Thummim") with which to decipher the "reformed Egyptian" language in which the texts on the plates are written. According to Smith, the plates were "six inches wide and eight inches long and not quite as thick as common tin;" they were "filled with engravings in Egyptian characters and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole;" and the stack of metal pages stood about six inches high.
Smith's main translation process involved putting the interpreters (or his "peep-stone") in a hat, putting his face in the hat (he didn't need to view the plates themselves), and dictating to a scribe. After 116-initial pages of translation were lost by Smith's scribe Martin Harris, Moroni supposedly took away the interpreters, and Smith was forced to rely on his old and trusty peep-stone. Smith's translation was completed at the end of June 1829, and the BoM was first published by E.B. Grandin in Palmyra, NY, in March 1830. Where can we see these marvelous gold plates? We can't, because Smith gave them back to Moroni.
6. There Are Testimonies to the "Gold Plates" from 11 Credible Witnesses.
But, say Mormon texts, there were 11 "witnesses" to the gold plates! These witness statements are printed at the beginning of each copy of the BoM. Three witnesses declare that an angel of God showed them the engravings upon the plates, while the eight others claim that that Joseph Smith showed them the plates with their engravings, which they also handled. Regarding the first three witnesses, Martin Harris said he had "never claimed to have seen the plates with his natural eyes," but only with "spiritual eyes." Oliver Cowdery was a relative of Smith's, served as his scribe in translating the BoM, and was accustomed to having otherworldly visions. He told Smith that he had seen the gold plates in a "vision" even before the two of them had met. The third, David Whitmer, later said that the angel he saw "had no appearance or shape," that he merely had the "impression" of an angel.
A few years after the BoM was published these three witnesses were excommunicated and harshly denounced and insulted by Smith. He described Whitmer as "an ass to bray out cursings instead of blessings." He denounced Cowdery as "too mean to mention" and the leader of a gang of "scoundrels of the deepest degree." He said Martin Harris was "so far beneath contempt that to notice him would be too great a sacrifice for a gentleman to make."
Regarding the other eight witnesses, one of them was Joseph Smith's father, two of them were his brothers, and the other five were close relations of David Whitmer. All the Whitmer family witnesses were later excommunicated, although David eventually rejoined the church.
7. Ancient Prophecies in Mormon Scriptures Foretell the Coming of Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith, Jr. couldn't resist the temptation of injecting a self-serving prophecy of himself into the BoM. In the section of the book supposedly written in about 600 BC an Israelite by the name of Nephi reports that the biblical patriarch Joseph uttered this prophecy: "A seer shall the Lord my God raise up," and "his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father" (2 Nephi 3:6,15). Here we have a prophecy like a riddle, the answer to which is, of course, Joseph Smith, Jr. and Sr. Not satisfied to have this prophecy of himself and his father only in the BoM, Smith goes further by adding nearly-identical verses to the text of the Bible. In the last chapter of Genesis in Smith's Inspired Version of The Holy Scriptures, the Lord says to Joseph just before he dies in Egypt: "That seer will I bless…..and his name shall be called Joseph; and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you." This and the many other "prophecies" in Mormon scripture are cases of what is known in biblical scholarship as a vaticinium ex eventu, a "prophecy after the fact." And it is one where the ulterior motive of the perpetrator of the hoax could not be more evident.
8. Joseph Smith Restored What Catholics Removed from the Bible.
What is the basis for this and the many other Mormon additions to the Bible? As explained in 1 Nephi, these are needed because the "Great and Abominable Church, which is most abominable above all other churches," traditionally understood in Mormonism as the Roman Catholic Church, has "taken away" from the Bible "many plain and precious things." But in fact this couldn't have been the work of the Catholics, because there's no sign of these omissions in the Hebrew Bible, written several hundred years before there were any Christians or churches! It must have been the nefarious Jews who did it, which would explain why so many of the passages Joseph Smith identifies as having been removed from the Bible and which he restores are its Old Testament (< Hebrew Bible) references to Jesus Christ. Take parts of the 6th chapter of Genesis in the Inspired Version: God says to Adam, "Turn unto me….and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ" (Genesis 6:53). And then "Adam cried unto the Lord, and was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water; and thus he was baptized" (Genesis 6:67).
9. The LDS Church's Theological Doctrines Are Not Significantly Different from Those of Mainstream Christian Denominations.
In the last few decades LDS authorities have made a major effort to downplay its distinctive teachings (and practices) in order to present as a "mainstream" Christian denomination. These distinctive doctrines include the following: (The last two were taught by Joseph Smith but are not official doctrines of the LDS church.)
- God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate divine beings (Mormonism is anti-Trinitarian).
- In his pre-mortal existence Jesus Christ, the literal Son of God the Father, was the LORD (= Jehovah/Yahweh) of the Old Testament
- Humans have pre-mortal existences as spirit-children of God the Father and a Heavenly Mother.
- Humans can become angels, and angels can become humans, e. g., Adam used to be St. Michael (refer to Temple Endowment ceremony), Noah used to be St. Gabriel, and the Nephite man Moroni became the angel Moroni.
- Matter has always existed, so the Creation was not ex nihilo.
- There is no "hell" in the traditional Christian sense but rather a spirit prison where wicked spirits are cleansed in preparation for their resurrection.
- A deceased person who was never baptized can get to the Celestial Kingdom as a result of a proxy baptism in a Mormon temple.
- The highest level of the Celestial Kingdom is reserved for couples who have been "sealed" in a Mormon temple for a life of "eternal marriage."
- God the Father used to be a human living on the earth (Joseph Smith, "King Follett Discourse," 1844)
- Humans can become Gods (be exalted) in the future and dwell in the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom. (Joseph Smith, "King Follett Discourse," 1844)
1o. "If ye abide not that covenant [plurality of wives] then are ye damned."
Since the 19th Century the LDS church has denied that polygamy is a part of its core doctrines, and many Mormons deny that Joseph Smith was a polygamist. However, the doctrine of "plural marriage," referring in this case to a man having more than one wife (polygyny), was revealed to Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, IL, on July 12, 1843, and was enshrined in 1876 as Section 132 of Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), one of the LDS Church's scriptures. At the same time Section 101 in the early edition of the D&C, specifying the rule of monogamy, was removed. In this new "revelation," God declares plurality of wives as essential for attainment of godhood (article 20), that those who reject it are damned (article 4), and that if Emma Smith rejects Joseph's other marriages he will destroy her (article 54). This revelation was kept secret from the general church membership until Brigham Young made it known in 1852.
The principle of plural marriage in Mormonism has its roots in 1832, when Joseph Smith told his innermost circle that "he had inquired of the Lord concerning the principle of plurality of wives, and he received for an answer…that it is a true principle, but the time had not yet come for it to be practiced." At about that time, when Joseph and Emma had become boarders at the home of John and Elsa Johnson in Hiram, Ohio, people in the neighborhood suspected that Joseph was having a sexual relationship with their daughter, 15-year old Marinda Nancy Johnson. According to a statement by Marinda's brother Luke Johnson, on March 24, 1832 "a mob of forty or fifty…entered his room in the middle of the night….he was then seized by as many as could get hold of him, and taken about forty rods from the house…they tore off the few night clothes that he had on, for the purpose of emasculating him, and had Dr. Dennison there to perform the operation; but he refused to operate. The mob…poured tar over him, and then stuck feathers in it and left him." Early the following year 16-year-old Fanny Alger moved into the Smith house as a domestic servant, and in February or March Joseph took her as his plural wife. He kept this secret from Emma, but in 1835 she caught them in flagrante delicto and ejected Fanny from the house. This incident led to a severe rift between Smith and his collaborator Oliver Cowdery, who referred to it as "a dirty, nasty, filthy affair."
These conflicts apparently did little to alter Smith's course of action. "Joseph continued to take plural wives throughout the 1830's in Ohio and Missouri, and he married with even greater frequency in Nauvoo in the early 1840's." In his lifetime Smith "married at least thirty-three women, and probably as many as forty-eight." (Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven, pp. 5, 119-121)
Mormons who are taught that Joseph was a "devoted husband" (see the LDS Church's website) should be reminded that Emma Smith never accepted the principle or the practice of plural marriage. After Joseph's death she did not join the Mormons moving west to Utah, led by the polygamist Brigham Young. Instead she stayed behind and joined the anti-polygamist Reorganized LDS Church (known today as the Community of Christ). While the practice of polygamy has been forbidden in the LDS Church since the "1890 Manifesto," it is still enshrined in the revealed Scriptures as necessary for obtaining "godhood."
11. Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Abraham from Egyptian Papyri.
In July of 1835 a man by the name of Michael Chandler brought some Egyptian mummies and papyri which had been excavated near the ancient city of Thebes to Kirtland, OH, and sold them to Joseph Smith. Although Smith had no knowledge of the ancient Egyptian language or writing, he nevertheless "translated" some of these papyri, and in 1842 published the results along with three "facsimiles" (with interpretations) as the Book of Abraham. In 1880, thirty-six years after Smith's death, this work was incorporated as Part 2 of the LDS Church's scripture known as The Pearl of Great Price. In Smith's "translation" the patriarch Abraham tells a story of traveling from Chaldea to Egypt, where a priest lays him on an altar to sacrifice him, but he is miraculously saved by an angel of God; he gives a discourse about the universe, time, and stars, including the star/planet Kolob, which is closest to the throne of God; and he provides a polytheistic paraphrase of the first two chapters of Genesis which substitutes the word "Gods" for the biblical "God" and "Lord God."
Many prominent 19th and 20th Century Egyptologists have examined the Joseph Smith papyri, including the one from the Egyptian "Book of Breathings" which is thought to be the specific papyrus which Smith translated as the main text of the Book of Abraham. All the papyri are inscribed with hieratic funerary texts, and the "Book of Breathings" is dated to the 1st Century BC or AD, 2000 years after Abraham supposedly lived. It is the unanimous opinion of the many Egyptologists who have examined the papyri that the text of Smith's Book of Abraham, together with his related interpretations of the papyrus "facsimiles," bear no resemblance whatsoever to the papyri texts. The Book of Abraham is, in the words of these renowned Egyptologists, an "impudent fraud" (A. H. Sayce, Oxford Univ.), "absurd" (W. M. Flinders Petrie, London Univ.), a work by an "absolutely ignorant" person (James H. Breasted, Univ. of Chicago), a work whose "explanations [of the facsimiles] are completely wrong" (Richard A. Parker, Brown Univ.), a "pure fabrication" (Arthur C. Mace, Metropolitan Museum of Art), a "work of pure imagination" (S. A. B. Mercer, Western Theological Seminary).
12. Joseph Smith Was a Highly Ethical, Honest, Truth-Seeking, Law-Abiding Person.
Although Joseph Smith was clearly very charismatic, there is considerable evidence that the official Mormon view of his pure moral character is a fiction. When Smith became famous as the "Mormon Prophet," people who knew him from his early years were aghast, and they express their feelings in the following signed affidavits:
Mrs. S. F. Anderick: "Jo was pompous, pretentious…claimed he could tell where lost or hidden things and treasures were buried. He deceived many farmers."
Isaac Butts: "I have frequently seen Jo drunk. He had a forked witch-hazel rod, later a peep-stone with which he claimed he could locate buried money or hidden things."
W. R. Hine: "I heard a man say who was a neighbor to the Mormon Smith family, that they were thieves, indolent, the lowest, meanest family he ever saw or heard of."
Joseph Rogers: "Farmers said he as a terror to the neighborhood and that he would either have to go to State prison, be hung, or leave the county, or he would be killed. Jo contrived in every way to obtain money without work. The farmers claimed that not a week passed without Jo stole something. I knew at least one hundred farmers in the towns of Phelps, Manchester, and Palmyra, N.Y., who would make out that Jo Smith the Mormon prophet was a a liar, intemperate and a base imposter…He could read the character of men readily and could tell who he could dupe."
Mrs. Sylvia Walker: "They [the Smith family] were the lowest family I ever knew. They worked very little and had the reputation of stealing everything they could lay their hands on….When Jo told his neighbors about finding gold plates no one believed him nor paid any attention to it, he had humbugged them so much."
On August 1, 1831, Joseph Smith received a revelation which became Section 58 of Doctrine and Covenants. Verse 21 of that section states: "Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land" (D&C 58:21). This revelation is at odds with his own life history. Beginning at least as early as 1826, when he was 25 years old, until his death, Smith was continuously in trouble with legal authorities. In his lifetime Smith had to defend himself in forty-eight criminal cases and had a total of over 200 suits brought against him. His troubles with the law caused the parents of his first wife, Emma Hale, to disown their daughter. Many of Smith's trials are attributed by Mormons to religious persecution. However, his legal troubles predate his religious proclamations. Smith's first known trial, on March 20, 1826, in East Bainbridge, NY, he was arrested, jailed, charged, and convicted of being "a disorderly person and an imposter" and "falsely pretending to discover lost goods."
The questionable beliefs and teachings outlined above, as well as others not discussed, have created problems for Mormons, their leaders, and the LDS Church from the religion's beginnings until today. The Church does not allow members to openly and independently investigate or question its core beliefs or historical claims, or to challenge its leadership or core values. It does not allow hard-to-swallow doctrines to be discussed with potential converts before they have digested simpler ones (called "milk before meat"), nor for these doctrines to be publicly disseminated. When members do these things, and do not leave the Church voluntarily, they are "disfellowshipped" or excommunicated. Witness the famous modern-day 1993 case of the "September Six."
"Lying for the Lord" is the term some ex-Mormons use for the Mormon practice of not telling the whole truth or dissimulating when necessary to further the image and interests of the Church. In the 19th Century, when the clash between Mormons and mainstream Christians was more overt, deception was more overt as well. Examples often cited are the denials by LDS leaders and members when they were charged with condoning and practicing polygamy ("plural marriage"). Since polygamy became illegal throughout the United States in the mid-19thCentury, church leaders such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Heber Kimball, as well as members who practiced polygamy were breaking the law, so that secrecy and denial were considered necessary to protect the church. At times deception assumed the status of a religious duty. This stance led to perjury by LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith and others during the Reed Smoot Congressional Hearings of 1904-7.
The historical necessity of self-protective deception creates a conundrum in that the Mormon religion strongly values honesty both in private life and in its public image. Yet the issue of deception in Mormonism runs deeper than a matter of "situational ethics." Consider the following statements by Mormon leaders:
Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth president of the LDS Church (1970-72): "If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false." (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p. 188).
Orson Pratt, elder and member of the original Quorum of the LDS Church: "The Book of Mormon…must be either true or false. If true, it is one of the most important messages ever sent from God to man…If false, it is one of the most cunning, wicked, bold, deep-laid impositions ever palmed upon the world, calculated to deceive and ruin millions" (Introduction, Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, 1850).
Should Mormonism be founded in an elaborate hoax, as much evidence suggests, then deception is not just an occasional practice, but the foundation structure upon which the entire edifice of the Mormon religion has been erected. Mormons of good faith are then inescapably caught between the demands of doctrine and their core moral values of honesty and integrity.
More about Mormonism:
Mormon Church: Dark Skin a Sign of God's Curse No Longer
Does Mitt Romney Think He's a Jew?
Are Mormon Underwear Magic Between the Sheets?
Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and freelance writer, and the author of Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light. Dr. Tony Nugent is a symbologist and retired professor of religious studies.


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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
On the Sewing Table
It's been a busy couple weeks, readers. I know I've been a little absent around these parts, but much has been happening behind the scenes! I've been frantically prepping for the filming of my next Craftsy course. The Bombshell Dress class was a big success, and Pip and I have been scheming day and night to make the next one even better. Can you guess the subject? I am super excited for this online course--it will have an exclusive pattern designed by yours truly in a wide range of sizes.
I also spent the weekend at my editor's house revising the second pass of my book. She put me up in her cozy guest room, fed me, and even lent me hand-knitted socks to wear.
More to come! What's on your sewing table, dear readers?
49 comments:
Christmas dress for my 6 year old. Just need to put the zipper in...ReplyDelete
Can't wait to see your next venture! On my sewing table ... I am still trying to gather the fabrics for the Layer Cake Crinoline. Cotton Organdy is hard to find it seems. Finally snagged some in black from E-bay, but then needed to order some Bemberg lining to match. I am anxious to get it done - but this will give me time to finish the dress that goes with it. Guess they go hand-in-hand.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 13, 2011 at 10:13 AM
Just finishing a hand sewn wrapover skirt, then going to work on some 1930's loungewear. My cat took up residence on the remains of faux silk, left over from repurposing some curtains, very stylish! XReplyDelete
i'm working on my second pair of clovers (or 5th pair, if you count all my previous muslins. yikes!). they are going to be red and i am very excited for red pants in my future.ReplyDelete
can't wait to see what the next course will be! that wool looks lovely. i haven't even made up my bombshell dress yet - i bought the course, but i'm holding out for the perfect fabric before i start anything!
I just finished a skirt and I'm starting a blouse from a 1950's pattern. It looks tricky, sigh, we shall see how it goes. But what I SHOULD be trying to do is make my father some Pajamas for Chanukkah. I'm just selfish, I suppose...ReplyDelete
I have a top and cardigan set cut out and a 1/2 finished pair of ponte knit slacks, but what is actually on the sewing table right now...Christmas and Hanukkah gifts that need to be wrapped!! Sewing has been postponed (LOL) I'm thinking of spending New Years Eve in my sewing room with old movies playing (YEAH!).ReplyDelete
- AlaskapsychDecember 13, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Still sewing purses and wallets as Christmas presents!ReplyDelete
- AlaskapsychDecember 13, 2011 at 10:42 AM
ps: super excited to see the book and new class!ReplyDelete
My sewing table has just welcomed some velvet pants! I am making the toile right now, super important since I have never made pants (they might be the one thing that sort of scare me), shorts but never pants. But I have had such an awesome vision of some velvet plaid pants. So I'm doing it!ReplyDelete
Great news!ReplyDelete
On my desk there is a fabric ready to be cut to become a dress from a vintage German sewing magazine called Neuer Schnitt. Infct, I made a blog post about it today! I hope you visit. :)
- AnonymousDecember 13, 2011 at 10:54 AM
I'm working on a secret pattern testing project, plus knitting up oodles of Christmas gifts! I'm hoping to squeeze in a Christmas dress for myself, but I'm not TOO optimistic about finishing on time! :)ReplyDelete
ooohhh! super excited for your new course! I'm just finishing up a blouse at the moment and then want to jump right into a 1933 tunic dress for the holidays!ReplyDelete
On my sewing table, just finished an embellished umbrella that will go on my blog tonight, and I'm half way through a completely impractical and frivolous apron which I'm hoping to wear to cook my Christmas dinner, trying to finish that this week. Can't wait to see your next venture! xReplyDelete
How exciting! And hand knit socks, your editor loves you.ReplyDelete
I can't wait till your next online-class *o* I learned so much of your first one! Thank you so much.ReplyDelete
I'm working on a empire waist dress with a lot of chiffon.
Just finished a cute red dress with a peter pan collar. Very christamasy! Have made a muslin for a New Years Eve dress in fifties style in sari fabric.ReplyDelete
Oh, please do tell: What will do you for your next course??
that sounds lovely...I'm adapting a vintage pattern that I purchased for a big fluffy flouncy girly skirt. It may be a disaster but I'm willing to try lol :)ReplyDelete
I just finished cutting out all the pieces for a blazer type coat, my first attempt. But I'm really hoping that beautiful coat Pip is sitting on is a clue to your next class--please teach me the ways of beautiful coat making!! I will be your pupil, and you will be my master--master Gertie. ;)ReplyDelete
My sewing table contains a maternity shirt that is mostly done, but turned out way too big. Who knew it was possible for something maternity to be too big? Sadly, I'm now too tired to work on it, so it will probably stay there until I'm no longer in need of maternity wear. D'oh.ReplyDelete
Can't wait to see what you bring us on your next online course. I loved the Bombshell and you are such a fantastic tutor.ReplyDelete
I'm working on some self drafted patterns at the moment and trying to fit a vintage kimono sleeved dress (which is proving a nightmare)
Costumes for a show set in 1950. It will keep me busy over the holidays!ReplyDelete
My lovely British Blue cat is often on my sewing table along with lots of other things like paperwork that do not belong there! It has just occurred that the New Years resolution is to clear the paperwork but my lovely cat can stay. Also need inspiration to get going again !ReplyDelete
Happy Christmas :)
How wide, Gertie? (RTW 34, erring on the bigger side rather than the smaller, please?!)ReplyDelete
On mine, is the second set of underwear to go under the matching Christmas dresses that are next on the list. These dresses needed some serious fluff, so I made a half-slip crinoline, a full crinoline (which is basically just a sleeveless tiered dress) a regular slip, and ruffle-butt panties under it all. I just finished the hair bows that match the dress and the clippies that match the bows, and I have the patterns already altered. The shoes and tights that go with them are set aside... it's just a matter of getting everything sewn up while working around the needs of a seven-month old baby and a three-year-old toddler!
A quilt for my sister and a pair of grey pants that need repaired.ReplyDelete
Pip, like kitties everywhere, knows a warm, comfy fabric when she feels one! As for my table... I have fabric & material to make hubby some custom jeans. Now, if I can only get him to stay in one place long enough to get his measurements... (Without him being horizontal & asleep, I mean!)ReplyDelete
Way too much! Vogue 8280, Vogue 1102, vogue 1161, a Maxi Dress, a boy's grandpa cardigan, a stuffed sausage dog...too excited to pick one, so naturally I start them all and end up in a sewing paralysis.ReplyDelete
I think I will go for the skirt first...ReplyDelete
On my sewing table just finished Christmas gifts: 2 matching reversible Dr. Seuss aprons for the pre-school grandkids, a standmixer cover and matching double-sided apron for my daughter-in-law, and a special order Nook cover for my son.ReplyDelete
Now I need to spend some time on something for myself. Oh, Collette, I'm coming over to order!
On my sewing table is a pattern for a fleece jacket that is waiting to be shortened, a box of ribbon that I was digging through to set up a pic for my blog, oh, and yes, always a cat (usually Little Miss Muffet).ReplyDelete
Can't wait to see your new Craftsy pattern and class!
Ooh, I am excited to see what the new sewing course is! Your projects are always gorgeous.ReplyDelete
I'm making up Simplicity 2444 in a gorgeous emerald-colored linen (seriously, best linen ever. It handles like silk dupioni. I don't question it, for fear it will vanish back into the aether). I hope to have it ready in time for our first wedding anniversary on the 28th!
Piles of stuff on my table. Sigh! I think an office cleaning is in order for the New Year, although last year I spent a week cleaning and once it was DONE I spent a week staring at it, unable to get any momentum. I just can't win. k.ReplyDelete
At the moment my sewing table is mostly covered in Christmas presents for the kids, there is a tiered skirt in there somewhere though and a couple of retro patterns from the 40's and 50's that I desperately want to make.ReplyDelete
I wanna go hang out at Melanie Falick's house!!ReplyDelete
- LadybirdrockDecember 14, 2011 at 6:37 AM
Thanks to a little you tubing (thanks Gertie) awesome red circle skirt, partly for a costume as a 50s cigarette girl & partly just to have a kick ass naval style skirt. Inspired!ReplyDelete
All I want for Christmas is my polkadot bombshell dress, currently draped on my ironing board, waistband half completed. I am loving the course and just finished watching the instructions on doing the boning... Hilarious. I don't think you are as good with wirecutters as you are with fabric. Do you think I will finish in time to wear the dress on Christmas day (it is summer down here in Australia)? So pleased you are doing another Craftsy course. My guess is the subject might be a coat. Whatever it is, I will be doing it!ReplyDelete
a muslin for a blouse for my miss19 and i'm about to cut out a 2nd tunic for myself. Am also teaching miss19 to piece patchwork squares together for a baby quilt she wants to learn how to make for friends.ReplyDelete
on my sewing table there´s a skirt that used to fit me well, but as it was so simple to put together I fiddled around with the darts to make it nicer, and now it doesn´t fit me anymore. Stupid! Well, back to some more fiddling...ReplyDelete
I'm just finishing up the last of my client orders and then I can finally start on Christmas presents (pajamas for all the little ladies in my life and fabric flowers for the grown-up ladies) and a New Year's Eve dress for myself. Yippee! I've got pictures if you're interested at poldapop.blogspot.comReplyDelete
I saw the Lady Gaga special on Thanksgiving night she had on a wonderful yellow couture coat. I love love love it. Could not find yellow melton in my local store so purchased yellow fleece and using Kay Whitt's Sew Serendipity classic tailored jacket for the pattern.Can't wait to get started. need to find lining. have you tried to put your arm in the sleeve of fleec jacket and NOT have your sleeve twist or bunch up when putting it on. big drag.ReplyDelete
I'm dying to know the subject of your next course! When will you tell us? :-|ReplyDelete
Sewing wise, I am taking a pattern-drafting course and we just about finished learning skirts, so I'm sewing... skirts. I am in the process of finishing up a 10-gore skirt with flare starting at the hip. I also sewed some mouse-toys for my friend's kitten. Next up will be a self-drafted skirt of a design of my choosing. I'm thinking of using a hip yoke, two front pleats that start at/below the hip, and small patch pockets above the pleat.
BTW this might interest you: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/02/lizzie-miller-model-fat
- AnonymousDecember 14, 2011 at 5:24 PM
After a long break from sewing (years), my next project is a sloper. Exciting, right? After that, though, some vintage patterns await me. I'm so happy to have discovered your blog. You've given me a lot of useful info for my first vintage project. Thanks! DianaReplyDelete
OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT.ReplyDelete
my cat loves herself some nice, silk crepe de chine, but luckily this time it was a linen cotton blend... from Japan.ReplyDelete
There are mostly cats on my sewing table. I just finished my Hateful Dress tonight and finished my daughter's Christmas dress and Hanukkah skirt over the week-end.ReplyDelete
I've always known that the true test of fabric quality is to start laying it out to cut it, then start the one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand... countdown for the cat to come running to "help me" cut it out.ReplyDelete
Happens every time -- if it's the good stuff, the cat is there before the fabric is completely unfolded :-D
Unfortunately, that is always followed by the wails from the bathroom after he gets locked inside!
I finished the Bombshell Dress from your Craftsy course, so it's no longer on my sewing table (thanks for all the guidance!!). Next in line is a super simple pajama pants pattern, and after that... I really want to make a jacket or a coat! But, instead I'll likely be making more holiday gifts. ;)ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
What isn't on my sewing table! My cat also likes to sit on my fabric as I am sewing it -- I toss him off, but he jumps back on. Again, I toss him off, and then he ends up on my lap as I sew. He ends up winning, and I continue sewing with him on my lap. Working on several skirts in different fabrics -- 2 differnt style skirts. Underlined two, and lined two skirts, still trying to decide whether to underline and line my 5th skirt. Just cut out a pair of pants -- my second attempt at making my first pair -- wish me luck!ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Gene Set Not Found
A gene set named 'PID_ps1pathway' was not found in MSigDB.
It is possible that the gene set has been deprecated or reorganized into other gene sets in the current version of MSigDB. For information on gene set changes introduced in different MSigDB versions, please check our Release Notes.


text:
Libretto: Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni
Conductor: Enrico Dovico
Stage director: Václav Věžník
Sets: Ladislav Vychodil
Costumes: Josef Jelínek
Chorus master: Adolf Melichar
Choreography: Otto Šanda
State Opera Orchestra
State Opera Chorus
Premiere: September 15, 1995
The Persian fairy-tale Turandot from the dervish Mokles's 17th-century collection The One Thousand and One Nights has inspired numerous poets and composers. Giacomo Puccini worked on Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni's libretto, based on Carlo Gozzi's play, in the final years of his life, when he was fighting cancer of the larynx. Just as in the case of Madama Butterfly, he diligently strove to gain thorough knowledge of the culture and songs of an exotic, faraway land (in this case China). Puccini died before he managed to complete the opera: the task was undertaken by his friend and pupil Franco Alfano, who drew upon the 36 pages of sketches left by the composer.
The opera was premiered on 25 April 1926 at Milan's La Scala, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who paid tribute to the late Puccini when in Act 3, after the words "Liu, poesia!", he laid down his baton, turned to the audience and announced: "Here the opera ends, because at this point the maestro died". Alfano's finale was only included in the next performance. The cruel and beautiful Princess Turandot tests her wooers with riddles and when they fail they are duly executed. Only Prince Calaf succeeds, and his love ultimately overwhelms Turandot's coldness.
The opera is staged in Italian original version and Czech and English surtitles are used in the performance.
Photo: Dan Jäger
Duration of the performance: 2 hours and 40 minutes, 2 intermissions
Sunday February 1, 2015
Thursday March 19, 2015
Wednesady April 8, 2015
Turandot Anda-Louise Bogza
Kalaf Michal Lehotský
Timur Oleg Korotkov
Liu Jitka Burgetová
Emperor Altoum Lubomír Havlák
Ping Jiří Brückler
Pang Richard Samek
Pong Václav Sibera
Mandarin Roman Vocel
Prince of Persia Lubomír Havlák


text:
The largest crowd in Nationals Park history showed up today to witness an opening day game that was filled with promise, but was ultimately jinxed both on and off the field.
On the field, some fine performances by the young Nationals roster were eclipsed by dropped balls, errant throws, and hit batsmen, leading ultimately to a 9-8 loss at the hands of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Meanwhile, Teddy Roosevelt fans who eagerly anticipated the 4th inning President's Race were dissapointed when Thomas Jefferson emerged alone from the center field gate to grab a big lead from the start.
When Abe Lincoln and George Washington followed him out, several paces behind, the question on everyone's mind became "Where the heck is Teddy?"
The answer came after Jefferson turned the outfield corner, where Teddy was waiting for him in the stands along the 1st base line. Jefferson paused, and Teddy presented him with a bouquet of red balloons in honor of Jefferson's 266th birthday (who knew?).
That's when "That Cat" emerged from behind Teddy, jumped from the stands, and tackled Tom.
Lincoln and Washington ran past him, with Abe easily taking the tape for the first official presidents race victory of 2009.
Teddy never got out of the stands.
That Cat is no stranger to the Nationals presidents race, having first interfered last season, when he attacked Teddy in April and again in June.
Could it be that the panther has joined forces with Teddy to undermine the other presidents? Has Teddy given up on winning to simply play the spoiler? If the reaction of fans around me was any indication, this would not be a popular move. The fans want a clean race. They want to see Teddy get a shot at victory in 2009!
The 2009 season is underway.
Photos courtesy of Flickr user afagen and Luis Albisu


text:
Bella may prefer Edward to Jacob, but when it comes to Kristen Stewart, she's Team Alien all the way.
In a recent interview with Weekly World News reporter, Tap Vann, Kristen revealed that she has always had an unusual connection to aliens – and now has several of them living her Beverly Hills home. Vann suggested to Kristen that it might not be safe (or legal) for Kristen to keep aliens, but she said that she felt more comfortable with beings from other planets, than with people here on earth (particularly tabloid writers). Kristen ran into the aliens at Club Space in South Beach, where they were literally dancing up a storm. All the aliens seem to be male – though it's hard to tell because they don't have bodies.
Many Twilight fans are scared that Kristen will be harmed by the aliens, but Kristen isn't concerned at all. "Compared to werewolves and vampires, aliens are a lot nicer, a lot less violent and a lot funnier. "They really know how to make a girl laugh!" Just last week the aliens pulled a prank on Robert Pattinson – they abducted him, took him to the moon and "bothered" him until he stopped saying the word "bothered." Kristen was rolling on the floor laughing when they brought him back to earth.
Although the majority of Twilight fans are on Team Edward, and the rest on Team Jacob, Kristen feels strongly that Bella shouldn't be with either one. "Bella should be on Team Alien, like me." Kristen went on to say that "Bella can attract the best-looking vampire and the best-looking werewolf in her high school and I know she could capture the attention of at least a few decent-looking humans as well, but what really would turn her on is hooking up with a couple of aliens, particularly red aliens without bodies."
Kristen feels that it is ridiculous for girls to have only two choices: vampires or werewolves. Aliens are gentle, caring and they all have such big, beautiful eyes. "And I like the fact that I don't have to deal with a guy who sucks blood or who occasionally gets covered in gnarly hair and howls at the moon. That's boring to me."
Kristen's four aliens – Ethu, Orsi, Lhuc and Xip – are with her at all times and are looking forward to being on the set of her new movie, "On The Road," based on the Jack Kerouac novel. Ethu said he was a beatnik at heart and remembers playing bongos with Ken Kesey at Area 51 back in 1959.
There are persistent rumors that Kristen is in a romantic relationship with Robert Pattinson. His publicist won't confirm or deny the relationship, but she did say that ever since R-Patz learned about the four aliens living in Kristen's house, he has become insanely jealous and… bothered.
Weekly World News has confirmed that Ethu, Orsi, Lhuc and Xip will each have cameos in the final installment of the Twilight saga.


text:
Thomas ERTL Collection Part 1 – Classic Characters – WoodenRailwayStudio
Go directly to all of my Thomas and Friends Video Remakes – Click Here
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Go directly to the Fun Facts and History about each engine – Click Here
Go directly to My Thomas and Friends Episodes I have made – Click Here
About WoodenRailwayStudio:
Like many of you, Thomas and Friends videos were watched on a daily basis. My parents purchased many of the different trains and accessories which I still have. I use these trains along with some vintage pieces I find to make my Thomas videos.
Please visit my Thomas & Friends youtube channel to view all of my videos which include:
Thomas and Friends Video Remakes
Thomas and Friends Guess the train video series
My own scripted and produced Thomas videos
Thomas and Friends collection's videos
Thomas and Friends unboxing videos
Thomas and Friends character discussion videos
And more.
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text:
Arrow Takes on the League of Assassins!
Arrow surprised fans - at least those who hadn't already been spoiled by the head of The CW, no less - with the reveal that the masked Canary taking down the scum in The Glades was actually Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), who was presumed dead after the Queen's Gambit sank all those years ago. But no one was more shocked than Oliver (Stephen Amell), who ended up stranded on an island - and apparently an Amazo freighter - for years because of the same accident.
Arrow's Stephen Amell teases Oliver's quest to get public support
"It was the first time in the present day that Oliver was thrown a curveball that he wasn't expecting," Amell tells TVGuide.com. "He was absolutely positive that Sara Lance was dead. It's the first time that we've really seen Oliver thrown for a loop. As a result, he's vulnerable, which was an exciting thing for me in the episode and going forward. He has no way of dealing with Sara Lance. He has no plan. Then the revelations about where she's been and what she's capable of now, it's an onslaught of things that he is not ready for."
Since Sara Lance arrived in Starling City, the League of Assassins has been tracking her down, as evidenced by the foot soldier they sent after her whom she killed. But the League won't give up so easily. In fact, three members of Ra's al Ghul's organization come crashing back into her life this week. "They jump through his front window," Amell teases. "Of course, when he sees the League of Assassins and he sees someone dressed a member of the League of Assassins, he thinks it's Merlyn [John Barrowman], so that creates a whole other group of problems for him. It's like seeing a ghost and then you have to fight that person."
But that same spirit of Merlyn that nearly cost Oliver his life will be ever present since Al-Owal (Homeland's Navid Negahban) will be among those sent to track the Canary down. "He's formidable," Amell says. "He actually references in the episode that he's the one that trained Merlyn."
Arrow's Colton Haynes: Will Arrow and Roy's partnership work?
It's the arrival of the League that, Amell says, makes this the most intense episode they've ever done. "There have been episodes with more reveals and more surprises, but top to bottom, Episode 5 is our best episode," he says. "It's a new level of action for us. I don't know what clicked, but we have three separate fight sequences that are probably the best stuff that we've done. Three of them! It's exciting."
But the episode will also have a lot of heart since Sara has refused to tell her family that she's back in Starling City. "Despite the fact that he thinks that she should, he's not going to betray her trust in that way and tell them," Amell says. "If she wants to, it's going to be her decision. We haven't really crossed that bridge yet in terms of how it will affect Oliver and Laurel [Katie Cassidy]. It certainly adds another layer into an already pretty layered situation."
Sara's past, however, is a bigger mystery which will slowly be revealed throughout the hour. For the first time, we'll actually get a flashback from someone else's perspective, as we see what happened to Sara after the Gambit sank that lead her to become the ruthless woman that she is today. Amell notes that Oliver's own time on the freighter has started to piece together the larger puzzle - which includes the hozen, the misshapen skeletons and the Russian he met last week. "We're about to find out what all of that stuff means, but the biggest issue for Oliver is that Sara is on the freighter," he says.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW. Will you be watching?
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)
View original Arrow Takes on the League of Assassins! at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
- Arrow's Colton Haynes: Will Arrow and Roy's partnership work?
- Arrow's Stephen Amell teases Oliver's quest to get public support
Other Links From TVGuide.com


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SamCart Review – The Best Ecommerce Software
While many online shopping carts feature a template for checkout pages, SamCart allows you to customize the look and feel of your pages. The templates include testimonials, guarantees, and other trust features to help improve your conversion rates. Depending on your style and colors, you can even make minor changes to the templates to make them more appealing to your customers. It also offers seamless integration with 750+ e-commerce tools, including PayPal and BigCommerce.
If you sell a physical product, you may want to consider installing an integrated checkout page like SamCart. This will eliminate the need to create a separate checkout page. The checkout page will act as the Sales Funnel for your customers. Additionally, you can include multiple payment options in one page, which makes it easier for customers to purchase your product. This is especially useful if you sell digital products, such as digital downloads. SamCart makes it easy for customers to shop on your website without leaving your site.
SamCart makes it easy to customize the template. SamCart's toolbar points you to everything you need to edit your store. Simply enter the basic information about your products and upload any digital products that you wish to sell. You can personalize your checkout pages by adding testimonials and custom sections. Customers can pay using a variety of payment methods, including PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. You can also set up installments and accept payments with a credit card.
One-click upsells can be a great way to increase your average order value if you sell digital products. Pre-purchase order bumps in SamCart make it easy for you to convert a single sale into multiple sales. For example, a single burger can become a series of orders. This feature is similar to how fast-food chains offer combo-menus for their customers. They make up for this gap by encouraging people to buy more.
Apart from incorporating the most popular payment methods, SamCart integrates with several other 3rd party apps. It can automate tasks, automate marketing strategies, and track customer behavior. It also provides a wealth of knowledge for both salespeople and marketers. SamCart is a great tool for any business, whether you sell physical products or digital products. It can even sync with a membership account or email. Aside from that, Samcart also has the ability to integrate with your whole website.
Support is available to users via email and live chat. SamCart's knowledgebase is available to help you with any issues or questions you may have about the software. They have more than one million members and are always available to help. SamCart offers a knowledge base and a support forum for users to ask questions. So, if you're struggling to figure out how to set up your site, you can benefit from SamCart's help center.
Another advantage of SamCart is that it has subscription saver features. This feature allows you to manage your recurring income without having to set up multiple payment options. Despite the convenience of SamCart, some customers may not be willing to pay, and they can request chargebacks or cancel their credit cards. This can result in a loss of recurring income. Customers can choose to pay what they want, rather than paying you for each purchase.
As a result, it is important to understand the pricing plan for SamCart before signing up for a plan. SamCart branding is included on the cheapest plan. This does not mean that you should spend too much. SamCart's price is well worth the benefits you get. The company's customer service is outstanding. And they'll also offer you unlimited email support. You can also take advantage of the resources library.
A/B testing is also available in SamCart. SamCart allows you to test every aspect of your checkout page, and track which variations convert the best. You can also create new variations and disable the ones that aren't working. Split-testing is important in growing a business, and one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do this is by doing A/B testing. SamCart's A/B test feature can be used to identify the best-selling products and those that will make you more.
SamCart's Grow and Scale plans are better suited for small businesses. They include an affiliate center and CRM interfaces. The Launch Plan is sufficient if you only need a cart to sell a single product. This plan is great for a small business and can result in good conversions. It's also easy to use with its intuitive user interface and multiple support channels. You don't need to rely on third party integrations or pay more for a higher-end plan.


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These are perfect for Planning or Scrapbooking. These can also be used as Dashboards or however you choose.
Images are printed on Premium Unicorn Paper
Image colors may vary depending on your screen resolution but are very close to the colors you see listed above. If you have any questions please message me.
Happy Planning and Shopping!


text: WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration is promising to change the way travelers can ask to be removed from its no-fly list of suspected terrorists banned from air travel. The decision comes after a federal judge's ruling that there was no meaningful way to challenge the designation, a situation deemed unconstitutional. In response, the Justice Department said the U.S. will change the process during the next six months. As of late last summer, about 48,000 people were on the no-fly list. The government's policy is never to confirm or deny that a person actually is on the no-fly list, citing national security concerns. In most instances, travelers assume they are on the list because they are instructed to go through additional screening at airports or because they are told they can't board their flights to, from or within the United States. The no-fly list is one of the government's most controversial post-9/11 counterterrorism programs because of its lack of due process, long criticized because people cannot know why they were placed on the list and lack a way to fight the decision. Changing how people can challenge their designation could amount to one of the government's most significant adjustments to how it manages the list. "It's long past time for the government to revamp its general procedures," said Hina Shamsi, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Shamsi is among the attorneys who represent 13 plaintiffs who sued the federal government over the current policy, saying it violates their constitutional right to due process. Earlier this summer, a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, agreed with them. The Portland case is one of five around the country challenging some aspect of the terror watch lists. So far, the government is offering few details about upcoming changes. In a court filing earlier this month, it said it will "endeavor to increase transparency for certain individuals denied boarding who believe they are on the No Fly List." One of the plaintiffs in the Portland lawsuit, Abe Mashal, was unable to print his boarding pass before a flight out of Chicago four years ago. A counter representative told him he was on the no-fly list and would not be allowed to board. Mashal was surrounded by about 30 law enforcement officials, he said. Mashal appealed the same day but six months later the government responded, "no changes or corrections are warranted at this time." He appealed the decision in May 2011. Nine months later, the government said its ruling was final. The appeals process, known as redress, was started in 2007. The government receives tens of thousands of applications a year, according to court documents. But 99 percent of those complaints are unrelated to the terror watch lists, the current director of the Terrorist Screening Center, Christopher Piehota, said in a November 2010 declaration related to a California no-fly list lawsuit. At the time, Piehota was deputy director of operations at the center, which determines whether someone is appropriately on a terror watch list. In 2013, 752 redress complaints were shared with the Terrorist Screening Center, according to information provided by the government in a separate federal lawsuit out of Virginia. Formal complaints led the U.S. to remove 100 people from a broad terror watch list, the no-fly list and a separate list of people who require additional screening at airports, the government said. It described the 752 complaints as just 1 percent of the total redress requests, indicating it received about 75,000 that year. The screening center considered only 227 requests in 2009. After a near-miss terror attack on Christmas Day that year, the government revamped its watch-listing system and lowered the standard for the no-fly list. The number of people banned from air travel surged from about 3,400 at the end of 2009 to about 48,000 late last summer, intelligence officials have told The Associated Press. After someone complains under the process, the government conducts a review. Once complete, the applicant is given a redress number to use when booking air travel reservations. Often this is done to resolve problems for people with similar names as someone on a terror watch list. Mashal, a Marine veteran who is now a dog trainer, said being on the no-fly list has cost him business clients and stopped him from attending a wedding, funeral and graduation. After three years of avoiding air travel, Mashal purchased a ticket last summer. He was able to print his boarding pass at home, which he said was the first sign he might no longer be on the list. In 2013, he flew in June and October without incident. But he said he never knows what to expect. "It's always something I have to think about now, because nobody knows why I got put on the list, and nobody knows why they took me off," Mashal said. "It's always on my mind." The Justice Department said it would reconsider Mashal's and the other Portland plaintiffs' requests after making its changes to the redress process. A judge will determine whether that is an appropriate response.


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text:
May 30, 2022
Last modified: May 30, 2022
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Clarenville is a thriving community located on Newfoundland and Labrador's east coast. Nestled in the beautiful Shoal Harbour River Valley, the town is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty.
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text:
Rules under consideration by federal regulators could require clearinghouses to back up Treasuries pledged as collateral in the $693 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market with credit lines, according to industry executives.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, moving to toughen safeguards in a market blamed for worsening the credit crisis, is weighing a regulation that would mandate Treasury collateral be subject to a "prearranged and highly reliable funding arrangement," according to documents on its website. Federal Reserve officials told banks and exchanges that the language means bonds must be covered by credit lines, according to three industry executives briefed on the matter.
"CME estimates that liquidity facility costs would approximately double" if the rule is passed, according to a letter that CME Group Inc., owner of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, sent to the CFTC. "These increased costs would likely either be passed on to end customers or cause many clearing members to exit the customer clearing business entirely."
While Treasuries are considered to be among the safest investments, policy makers are concerned liquidating them will require too much time during a crisis -- up to a day, according to a government official familiar with the Fed's thinking. The 2008 financial crisis showed even that can be too long during times of stress. Back then, the Fed was forced to give out more than $2 trillion in emergency aid.
'Some Cost'
"This requirement is that a clearinghouse be able to take your collateral if you post it -- Treasuries or anything else -- that they have rapidly available ways of transforming that into cash," Gary Gensler, chairman of the CFTC, said during an interview in New York today. While he doesn't envision the rule putting a dent in the Treasury market, "there is some cost to the clearinghouses," he said.
Gensler said the CFTC's four commissioners will finalize the rule tomorrow by private vote. Changes to its wording are possible up until that point. Barbara Hagenbaugh, a spokeswoman for the Fed, declined to comment.
The CFTC is working with the Fed on the rule because the central bank has a regulatory role, mandated by the 2010 Dodd- Frank Act, to oversee systemically important financial institutions such as the major U.S. derivatives clearinghouses. International regulators last year set broad standards for how clearinghouses treat the collateral they hold against a member default.
No Guarantee
The revised treatment of Treasuries as collateral would also apply when they are pledged to protect futures trades at U.S. clearinghouses.
While the CFTC vote would finalize the detailed version of the mandate, it wouldn't guarantee the Fed's interpretation prevails. Fed officials will accompany the CFTC during oversight and enforcement reviews of derivatives clearinghouses, and central bankers could insist on proof that lines of credit back the Treasuries posted as collateral, according to one person familiar with how the process works.
The Dodd-Frank Act required most swaps to be backed by clearinghouses for the first time after the contracts helped cause and intensify the credit crisis of 2008. That means swaps users will have to post $800 billion to $4.6 trillion in additional collateral at clearinghouses to meet the new regulations, according to estimates from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee.
Sweeping Changes
Stiffening funding requirements for Treasuries would be the latest in a series of actions taken by regulators to rein in the swaps market, frequently to the dismay of traders who say the rules make it unreasonably difficult to do business. The goal is to avoid meltdowns like the ones in 2008 that triggered American International Group Inc.'s $182 billion bailout after the insurer couldn't make good on its trades and almost destroyed the world's biggest banks.
CME Group, the operator of the world's largest futures market, said the proposal risks damaging the perception of U.S. national debt as easy to buy or sell, according to a Sept. 16 comment letter to the CFTC from Kim Taylor, president of company's clearinghouse.
"To assert that U.S. Treasuries can only be considered 'liquid' to the extent that they are utilized with pre-arranged and highly reliable funding arrangements is to assert that the liquidity of U.S. Treasuries is 'zero,' which seems unnecessarily extreme," Taylor said in the letter.
Most Natural
Treasuries are the most natural form of collateral for banks and their customers to use to back derivatives trades, CME Group's Taylor said.
"Treasuries are normally very easy to convert into cash on a same-day basis" even if "the cash need not arrive until the end of the day," Darrell Duffie, a finance professor at Stanford University, said in an interview. While CME Group survived multiple rounds of margin calls over a single day after the 2008 bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., one of the largest derivatives dealers at the time, "I suspect it was a tense day," Duffie said. Having assured access to cash in place of Treasuries could be important for the industry, he said.
The Futures Industry Association, a trade and lobbying group for the banks that act as brokers in the industry, asked the CFTC to allow Treasuries to be pledged without any financial backing, according to a Sept. 20 comment letter to the CFTC.
'High Quality'
"U.S. Treasury securities are generally deemed to be 'high quality liquid assets,' as defined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, i.e., unencumbered cash or assets that can be converted into cash at little or no loss of value in private markets," the FIA said in the letter.
Clearinghouses, which are capitalized by their bank and brokerage members, are meant to lessen the effect of a default by requiring collateral and marking positions daily so losses don't snowball. Initial margin is pledged to fund a potential default while variation margin is required when positions lose value. If investors can't meet their margin calls, the positions are liquidated.
CME Group increased the size of its credit line to a maximum of $10 billion from $7 billion, the company said yesterday. Banks including Deutsche Bank AG, Citigroup Inc., Barclays Plc and Wells Fargo & Co. have agreed to loan the money, which CME Group could use during times of stress.
CME's Collateral
Even the new credit line is less than the $14 billion exposure that CME Group has to its largest bank clearing member, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked to not be named because the details are private. CME Group doesn't disclose how much of its collateral is made up of Treasury securities.
Laurie Bischel, a CME Group spokeswoman, declined to quantify the company's exposure to potential losses in the event its biggest member defaults. She said the collateral held at the clearinghouse is sufficient to cover the two biggest member defaults.
CME Group said in its letter to the CFTC that it may be unable to secure a credit line exceeding $10 billion. The total committed credit facility market is made up of 1,800 arrangements that total about $1.2 trillion, with only 12 of those equal to or exceeding $10 billion, the company said.
"The obstacles to CME obtaining committed liquidity facilities large enough to cover its liquidity requirements will only be exacerbated in the future as the cleared OTC market grows, which in turn will increase CME's liquidity resources obligations," the exchange operator said.
In a sign of the interwoven nature of the derivatives market, the banks that tend to provide lines of credit to clearinghouses are also the same firms that are required to post collateral there.


text:
In the morning
The sun does rise
Spreading warmth, beauty
Across the skies.
Mine to behold
Mine to see
Mine to be part of
Forever, into eternity.
~ Patrice
© Patrice Clarkson – 2017
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I first heard of the Mortimers when I asked Nana her grandparents' names so I could start a family tree. Her grandmother was Mary Mortimer from Cavendish, Victoria on the banks of the Wannon River. Mortimer was not a name I was familiar with while growing up in Hamilton or a name mentioned with regard to relatives, but I soon found Mary's birth at Mt William, her parents James and Rosanna. I also managed to find her siblings, but not without some searching as it seems that with each birth registered, the spelling of the Mortimers' names changed particularly Rosanna's.
I was trying to form a picture of them, but like the family, Mary married into, the Haddens, they were not ones to get in the newspaper, commit crimes, buy land, or all those other ways that can help tell a story. Some of my other ancestors, such as the Harmans, seem to get a mention everywhere. Both the Mortimers and the Haddens were labourers, station hands and the like and they worked hard and more to the point, they kept to themselves, a trait that continued through the generations.
James Mortimer married Rosanna Buckland in 1844 in Cookham, Berkshire. They immigrated on the "Bombay" which arrived in Port Phillip in December 1852. They had four children aged one to eight. In total, 24 passengers died on the voyage, typhoid the most common cause. The ship was quarantined on arrival.
Mary was born at Mt William station in 1853, and the remaining children were born at Cavendish. James worked at Mokanger Station near Cavendish and was a ploughman when Mary married William Hadden. Mary also worked at Mokanger as a servant and William Hadden worked as a station hand as did his father, Charles. Mokanger station was one of many runs owned by the Chirnside brothers, Andrew and Thomas.
The next reference I found of James Mortimer was his death on November 3, 1895. An application for probate was made by Cavendish store owner, Robert Young. James' occupation at the time of his death was a carrier and his total assets were to the value of £86.
I don't know if Rosanna was dead or alive at this point. I have never been able to find a record of her death which has proved a little frustrating. Even trying all variations of her name, and there were many, I have come up with nothing.
Some variations found so far:
Rosannah BUCKLAND – England Births & Christenings, 1538-1975
Rosanna BUCKLAND – England/Wales Marriage Record 1844, Cookham, Berkshire, England
Roseanna MORTIMER – 1851 Census, White Waltham, Berkshire, England
Rosannah BUCKLEN – birth record of Harriet, 1862 Cavendish, Victoria. Family name listed as Mortimore
Rosanna BUCKLIN – birth record of Henry, 1868 Cavendish, Victoria. Family name listed as Mortimore
Rossana BUCKLIN – marriage certificate of Mary Mortimer and William Hadden 1870 Cavendish, Victoria.
Rosannah BUCKLAND – death record of Annie Mortimer, 1879
At the entrance of the Cavendish Old Cemetery, a plaque lists the names of those buried without a headstone. Five Mortimer names are listed:
MORTIMER, Baby of Mr H Mortimer – 1891
Mrs MORTIMER – 1898
Mrs MORTIMER – 1899
"Mortimer 1895" would be James. Could Rosanna be one of the Mrs Mortimers? If so, it would have to be "Mrs Mortimer 1899" as "Mrs Mortimer 1898" would most likely be Caroline wife of Stephen Mortimer, Rosanna, and James' son. Caroline died in 1898.
Just when I thought this was as exciting as the Mortimers were going to get, I found two newspaper articles. The Portland Guardian & Normanby General Advertiser reported on July 22, 1862, that John Mahoney had faced the Hamilton Police Court charged with firing a gun at bullock driver, James Mortimer with the intent to do grievous bodily harm. On October 2, 1862, Mahoney's trial was heard by His Honour Mr Justice Williams.
The court heard James Mortimer was a bullock driver for the Chirnsides. Heading to a sawmill near Hamilton, he was passing through a public section of the Mt Sturgeon station when confronted by Mahoney. Using what the prosecution described as "very colonial epithets", Mahoney accused James of removing a part of the fence. James told him he was a fool, but Mahoney said he would make him fix the fence. James' reply was "…it would take a better man than you to do that". It was then that Mahoney produced a pistol and shot at James, missing him. Mahoney was found not guilty.
These two articles have given me a better idea of James' character and helped confirm his work for the Chirnsides. Given his location at the time of the incident, and his intended destination, he could not have come from Cavendish, but probably one of the Chirnsides' other runs, Mt William Station. Mary Mortimer's birth certificate gives her birthplace as Mt William, so this must mean the Mt William station. Therefore James was there from 1852 to 1862. Interestingly, the year of the Mahoney incident is the same year in which the Mortimers appear in Cavendish. Maybe James decided to move across to the Chirnsides' Mokanger station near Cavendish to avoid further run-ins with John Mahoney. We will never know. He would not have told anyone.


text:
Our new collection features the new ultra flex sole. This deconstructed sole is thirty percent lighter than usual, has the same characteristics of a hard-wearing welted shoe but uses a lighter weight leather insole and sole. Half lined, this new range is finished in a soft, special reverse calf Castorino suede that has a very fine nap.
1 Item


text: This is a Master Airscrew Injection-Molded Fiberglass Filled Nylon Propeller. Excellent for Any Type of Application, from Training and Sport Flying to Serious Competition. FEATURES: NASA Airfoils and Constant-Pitch Designs enable this Propeller to deliver more Thrust at Lower RPM. The Latest in Engineering Technology used for this Updated Design. Lower Noise and Accurate Balance Available in a Wide Array of Sizes to Suit Every Application. Propeller is totally fuel-proof. INCLUDES: One Black 11x7 Fiberglass/Nylon Propeller SPECS: Center Hole Diameter: 1/4" approx. Propeller Diameter: 11" Propeller Pitch: 7" REQUIRES: Depending on the engine crankshaft size, the propeller may need to be reamed to a larger size using GPMQ5005 (SAE) or GPMQ5007 (Metric). COMMENTS: Four-stroke engines are typically higher torque engines and should use the larger props indicated in the range. Recommended prop ranges will vary depending on your particular engine and airplane. The Chart below represents average prop usage and should be used as Only a General Guideline. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions included with your engine. Engine Size 2-Stroke 4-Stroke .049-.051 5.5x4, 5.5x4.5, 6x3, 6x3.5, 6x4 N/A .09 -.10 7x4, 7x5, 7x6 N/A .15 7x6, 8x4, 8x5, 8x6, 8x7 N/A .20 -.25 8x6, 8x7, 9x4, 9x5 9x4, 9x5, 9x6, 9x7 .29 -.35 9x6, 9x7, 9x8, 9.5x6, 10x4, 10x5, 10x6 N/A .40 9.5x6, 10x4, 10x5, 10x6, 10x8, 10x9 11x6, 12x6 .45 -.50 10x8, 10x9, 11x4, 11x5, 11x6, 11x7, 11x7.5 N/A .60 11x5, 11x6, 11x7, 11x7.5, 11x8, 11x9 11x8,11x9,12x6,13x6 .71 -.80 12x6, 12x8, 13x6, 13x8, 13x10, 14x8 N/A .90 13x6, 13x8, 13x10, 14x6, 14x8 11x9,12x8,14x6 1.08 14x8, 14x10, 15x8, 16x6 N/A 1.20 14x8, 15x8, 16x6 14x8,15x8,15x10,16x8 1.5 16x8, 16x10, 18x6, 18x8 N/A 1.8 18x8, 18x10, 20x6, 20x8 N/A 2.1 20x8, 20x10 N/A 2.7 -3.0 22x8, 22x10, 22x12, 24x8, 24x10, 24x12 N/A


text:
I'll be honest: I have rolled my ankle more than once while wearing Dansko clogs. And yet, as soon as one pair wears out, I buy another.
Putting aside the risk of injury for a minute, I do find my clogs comfortable. Indeed, they are marketed as foot-healthy comfort shoes. These particular clogs are shoes of choice for many people whose jobs involve lots of standing, such as nurses and chefs.
But are comfort shoes always more healthful? Not necessarily, according to some foot doctors.
Buying shoes from a store specializing in comfort shoes doesn't guarantee that they will be comfortable or good for you.
What makes a shoe a "comfort shoe"? Generally speaking, it means cushioning under the foot and supportive features such as arch support. Birkenstock sandals, another comfort line, have a molded foot bed with an indented heel cup and a bump under the forefoot — the metatarsal pad, which deflects pressure away from the ball of the foot. "They're a really comfortable choice for many people," says Erika Schwartz, a podiatrist with DC Foot and Ankle.
But for others, not so much. You know what they say about if the shoe fits — well, not all comfort shoes are comfortable or healthy for every foot.
A small study of people with osteoarthritis of the knee found that walking in clogs and so-called stability shoes was harder on the knees than walking barefoot or in flip-flops. This suggests that certain supportive shoes can alter your gait in a way that's unhealthy for joints above the ankle, at least temporarily and in people with arthritis.
"What are the best shoes to wear? I hear this question 20 times a day," says Selene Parekh, an orthopedic surgeon at Duke University Health System.
Parekh says to look for a shoe that's supportive and comfortable — for you. That may not mean spending nearly $200 on a pair of loafers marketed to fit what one shoemaker calls the "anatomical footbed."
If you are having foot problems, the best thing to do is figure out the type of foot you have and how you walk. Do you pronate — rotate your foot so that the inner edge of the sole bears the bulk of your weight? How high or how flat are your arches?
When a patient comes in with foot pain, Parekh looks at the wear pattern on her shoes. If the inner part of the sole is worn, he'll look for flat feet overloading that area. Outer-sole wear may indicate high arches. More wear on the heel or under the ball of the foot can show whether a person is a heel-striker or a forefoot-striker when he walks.
These wear patterns are not problems in and of themselves. "If you don't have pain, your walking pattern is fine," Parekh says.
If you do have pain, a foot expert — either a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon or a podiatrist — can help you understand shoe features to look for and to avoid. For example, if you have bunions, you want to look for a more box-shaped toe, Parekh says, "to not compress that part of the foot."
What about minimalist shoes, designed to honor the form and function of the foot? They are the antithesis of the comfort shoe: Advocates say that cushioned supportive shoes encourage runners to land on their heels, which can lead to bad form and chronic injury.
However, minimalist shoes are not right for everyone. "We've seen enough patients with Achilles tendon issues and stress fractures from running in these," Schwartz says.
And whether the purported benefits hold true for walking and standing has not been nearly as well studied.
People with high arches — that is, people like me — are more likely than flat-foot types to roll an ankle in clogs, Schwartz says. That's because arch height can affect which part of your foot bears the most weight as you walk.
Properly aligned ankles sit directly over the heels. Feet are pronated when the heels tilt out from the body and the ankles roll in — picture young children on ice skates — a characteristic that is often linked to flat feet. When heels tilt in and the ankles roll out, the feet are supinated; this often occurs with very high arches.
An orthotic insert that raise the outer edge of the foot can help stabilize a supinated foot within the clog, Schwartz says. (Pronated feet can benefit from arch supports.)
Orthotic inserts, whether purchased at the drugstore or custom-made, are designed to correct the alignment of the foot and ankle, which helps maintain proper positioning of the knees and hips and even the lower back.
Clinical studies of orthotics demonstrate their usefulness in many serious foot problems, such as diabetic neuropathy. For the rest of us, with more everyday aches and pains of life on our feet, there's less applicable research.
A 2008 review of research on easing foot pain found one small study in which custom orthotics helped people with high-arch, supinated feet. For other conditions, such as bunions and plantar fasciitis, the evidence was equivocal.
Orthotics can be helpful, but "the vast majority of people don't need custom orthotics," Parekh says.
"In my experience, cheap orthotics really work just as well as custom-made ones for the most common problems," says Katherine Margo, a family physician at the University of Pennsylvania.
Foot experts recommend shopping at shoe stores with experienced staff who take the time to do a good fitting. Schwartz sends her patients to high-end running shoe stores with a description of what to look for and what to avoid.
About my clogs? Parekh says their oversize shape allows "freedom of the foot" — a good thing. They're comfortable and cushioned, which helps with standing on hard surfaces for long stretches. "The problem is," he says, "no ankle support."
I'm nonetheless loath to part with them. I'll just avoid hiking in them — and be super careful on uneven surfaces.


text:
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
4 sandwich rolls (such as Italian or Kaiser), split
3 tablespoons jarred pickled jalapeþos, finely chopped
8 ounces shredded turkey
1/3 cup very thinly sliced onion
2 ripened Mexican Hass avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
4 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Spread beans on the bottom halves of the rolls; sprinkle with pickled jalapeþos.
Layer turkey, onion, avocado, tomato, and cheese on top. Cover with the remaining roll halves. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sandwiches; place another skillet, bottom down, over the sandwiches. Toast for 4 minutes per side or until
the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Makes 4 servings
Sandwiches are called "tortas" in Mexico, and Americans are discovering what Mexicans have known all along one of the best sandwich ingredients is avocados. Here's some inspiration from south of the border.


text:
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Category Archives: scholarship
"I'm back" and then back again, still looking for the sweet spot
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Posted in blog, scholarship, science writer, scientist Tagged Andrew Sullivan, David Schultz, Dish, KSJ Tracker, Paul Raeburn, Smithsonian Magazine Leave a comment
Overbye's teaching moment about scientific discovery and uncertainty
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