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- About Us
- Nano-Social Network
- Nano Consulting
- My Account
April 10th, 2007
Nobel laureate Sir Harold Kroto, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Florida State University and a fellow of the Royal Society, will address faculty, staff, students and guests during the keynote presentation of the College of Dentistry's fifth annual Research Day, to be held April 13.
Kroto's presentation, "Science, Society and Sustainability," will begin at noon in Room 101 of the UF Cancer & Genetics Research Complex and is available for viewing online as a live Webcast on the college's Web site, www.dental.ufl.edu.
Kroto received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1996 for the discovery of C60 buckminsterfullerene, a new form of carbon that provided the foundation for modern nanoscience. He is a thought-provoking speaker with insights on sustainability and the role of science, engineering and technology in facilitating a sustainable society.
|Related News Press|
Nanometrics to Present at the 19th Annual Needham Growth Conference December 22nd, 2016


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Best-selling in Religion & Beliefs
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About this product
- DescriptionThe Hebrew Bible is littered with stories concerning these practices and beliefs, yet the specific correlation of ancestor veneration and certain biblical land claims has gone unrecognized. This book remedies this in presenting evidence, both biblical and non-biblical, for the vital and persistent impact of ancestor veneration upon land claims.
- Author BiographyFrancesca Stavrakopoulou is Lecturer in Hebrew Bible, University of Exeter. Her research focuses on ancient Israelite religion, Judahite kingship, and history and ideology in the Hebrew Bible. She is the author of King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice: Biblical Distortions of Historical Realities (De Gruyter, 2004).
- Author(s)Francesca Stavrakopoulou
- PublisherBloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Date of Publication14/10/2010
- GenreChristianity: Bibles & Liturgy
- Series TitleThe Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
- Place of PublicationEdinburgh
- Country of PublicationUnited Kingdom
- ImprintT.& T.Clark Ltd
- Width155 mm
- Height235 mm
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domain: literature


text:
Argh. I referred to this article the other day. It’s the one where she argues that women who have the ability to be CEO’s and so on should do so, because to chose to stay at home if you have the opportunity to do otherwise is to undermine feminism. You’re letting the men win, so to speak. My issues with this argument are many, but I want to start by saying, I see her point. In the context of our economy, if women continue to opt to be the ones who stay at home with the kids (often, as the handsome fella pointed out, because they are being paid less than their male counterparts), it is difficult to change the landscape of the workplace. It is difficult to have the argument that working conditions need to be adapted to accommodate working mothers. The conversation absolutely needs to happen, and minds need to be changed. Got that.
Where I disagree is in her assumption that CEO’s are the best you can be. I don’t mean that I think motherhood is the epitome of a woman’s life- I don’t believe that at all. Being a mother is important work but it’s not THE most important work, ever. But arguing that becoming a CEO is the best a woman can do is automatically accepting the capitalist context. I’ve been on about this all week. It is difficult to have conversations about equality when really you are having a conversation about economics, but aren’t acknowledging it. This woman is buying into the idea that the best place to be is at work- regardless whether you are a man or a woman or whatever, and that therefore there should be equality in the workplace. I argue that the whole concept of the workplace is flawed, and that it traps us all in lives of veritable slavery, and perpetuates inequalities to boot. Every time I get into an argument about how stay at home moms should be fairly compensated, I come back to the heart of it: this culture has a really fucked up way of valuing work. See: salary variance between CEOs and teachers. End argument.
Friedan and many feminist scholars before and after her have maintained that equality, security, and human dignity are impossible to achieve without earning one’s own money. Without economic independence… she cannot escape an intolerable relationship, and she cannot pursue an independent existence if she prefers to remain single. The feminist concerns that women are enabled to have self-determination and independence are, of course, entirely valid. However, when they are framed only in the context of participation and prevalence in the market economy, they are trapped by the confines of the Empire paradigm where personal economic power is the only security… A domestic partner can be intolerable and repressive, so too can be a job… if a wife, say, is reliant upon her husband’s paycheck, he, in turn, is dependent upon the vicissitudes, or even the whims, of his employer. They are both vulnerable if their life skills are limited to whatever they are able to do for a paycheck. They are more stable if the paycheck is only a small percentage of the livelihood, and life skills, increased self-reliance, community and family networks supply the rest.
- Shannon Hayes, Radical Homemakers
So what’s the answer to all this? I don’t really know. But here’s what I think: I think a society that values work that contributes to the well being of the community will immediately make long strides toward equality in the “workplace.” What does that mean? Well, there is “work” that needs to be done in any community- work of getting food, or growing it, and preparing it, and making the vessels to hold the food, and clothing, and shelter, and tools, oh and being healers and leaders and caregivers and all those social sort of positions. Those are all important things that have to get done. And when you do one of those jobs (believe me, I know from experience), there is a sense of satisfaction that is hard to meet by shuffling papers around a desk all day.
Now, if you live in a community where everyone has a “job” that is contributing to the overall well being of the community- why do they need to get paid at all? They’re doing valuable work, right? They’re contributing? And a healthy society will have excess to take care of those who are say, unable to contribute the same amount of others, because everyone would work to their ability and inclinations. Oh I know, this is all very idealistic, but I am simplifying. I’m writing a blog post, after all, not a damn dissertation.
Think about it this way. Before we hit the industrial revolution, and even for a while after that, this whole “housewife” notion was more or less non existent, except in the highest classes, and that was another issue entirely. For the majority of people, both partners contributed fairly equally. You could make arguments that there was inequality between man’s work and woman’s work, because there was- there was no reason for men to always be the default decision makers except for that whole patriarchy thing. But in terms of actual amount of work, and what they got out of it- well, if you were a farming family, each member had their tasks, and they did them. There weren’t all these arguments about whether or not stay at home moms were being fairly compensated. The family worked as a unit toward the overall success of the family. It wasn’t your money and my money- everyone was contributing, and whatever money came out of that went back into the family. In terms of nothing more than how much time and energy each person contributed, things were (broadly) fairly equal.
This discussion of fair compensation is largely a result of industrialization- of taking people out of the home, to go work for a salary. Well, then you have issues. The man goes and works in a factory all day and brings home a salary, the woman stays home and cares for the household, which meant at that time making a lot of the clothing, mending, making food from scratch, and a lot of other difficult tasks, in addition to the stuff we still have, like cleaning up and taking care of the kids. Still not a huge problem (aside from the obvious division on gender lines). Everyone contributing.
Then you get the housewife thing. After World War 2, there was such an influx of consumerism- of people being able to afford all those labor saving devices and so on. Suddenly your job as a woman was more or less to sit around all day doing nothing. Again, making sweeping generalizations and ignoring the people who still had to have two incomes to survive. Now you have a problem. The man goes to work and brings home a salary, and because she doesn’t have much of anything else to do, the woman’s job became to take care of the man- no longer as an equal partner, with important work of her own, but basically as an accessory. Of course we had feminism. And women got themselves into the workplace. And now you have no choice, because to afford to live you need two incomes.
But imagine another possibility: imagine both partners contribute to the success of the whole (the relationship, or family, or what have you). The handsome fella and I would both be thrilled to death to spend all of our time doing things that contributed to our success as a unit, be that producing all our own food, making our own tools, making clothes, maintaining our shelter, what have you. It’s only because we have to pay rent and taxes that we need “jobs”. Without those we’d both be equal: we’d each work according to our ability and inclination, and divide the tasks we don’t like so much equally. It’s what we’re trying to do now anyway, only the jobs get in the way, and we end up arguing about money.
So take it a step further, and imagine everyone works like this. You are equally contributing in your family based on your abilities and inclination. And in turn you are equally contributing to your community. Rent and taxes cease to be an issue- everyone has space, everyone is provided for, because you aren’t spending your time doing something completely pointless in exchange for money. You’re spending your time doing things that need to be done- taking care of the elders in your family, and making tools, or whatever it is that is your contribution. What are taxes for other than the things we could all do together if we weren’t so busy producing nonsense things?
Again, over simplification. But not insane. More and more and more I hear other people voicing the same thing, coming to the same realization. We’re all shackled to this machine, to use the cliche. And so long as we’re still all forced to strive for that intangible- the economy- still working not for the good of the community, but for money- these conversations about equality are going to go nowhere. Because at the end of the day, the highest value is placed on the work that supposedly contributes to the economy. To the CEO, not the teacher.
And that’s not good for anyone.
*** A lot of these ideas I’ve had rattling around in my head for years, and a lot of them were crystallized by reading Radical Homemakers, by Shannon Hayes. So I have to give her credit for that.

domain: sociology


text:
The Board of Directors of Malta International Airport plc met on 1 June to discuss and approve the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006 and proposed a gross final dividend of 3c38 per share for approval by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 13 July 2006. Those shareholders as at close of business on 18 July for settlement on 21 July 2006 will be entitled to this dividend, which is expected to be paid by 31 August 2006.
During the year ended 31 March 2006, MIA’s total operating income at Lm16.7 million was only marginally higher than the previous year’s figure despite a drop in passenger departures and lower revenue from the retail outlets. This rise is therefore attributable to the increase in the aeronautical charges during the financial year being reviewed. These have since increased further from the start of the financial year on 1 April 2006. In the review of performance within the preliminary statement of results, the Directors attribute the drop in passenger volumes to three main factors:
(i) the absence of passenger traffic coming from the cruise business during summer 2005 compared to the previous year;
(ii) the weak performance of the tourism industry and
(iii) a reduction in travel from local residents as a result of an increase in taxation on air travel.
Operating costs excluding the charge for depreciation increased by 3.5% to Lm9.4 million mainly as a result of the significant rise in utility charges and also a rise in staff costs in line with agreed collective agreements with the unions. The Directors explained that during the year the Company maintained a tight control over its key operating costs. The charge for depreciation dipped by 2% to Lm1.6 million.
The marginal rise in income and the increase in operating costs resulted in the Company’s operating profit decreasing by 3% during the year to Lm5.7 million. The operating profit margin stood at 34.4%, down from 35.7% the previous year. Interest payable increased slightly to Lm1.04 million. MIA generated a pre-tax profit of Lm4.9 million during the year ended 31 March 2006, 4.6% lower than that recorded during the comparative period. After deducting the tax charge, profitability attributable to shareholders amounted to Lm3.08 million, a 4.5% drop from the March 2005 profit of Lm3.2 million. The earnings per share is 4c55 (March 2005: 4c76).
The gross dividend of 3c38 is identical to the final dividend distributed last year. Coupled with the interim dividend paid in December of 3c85 per share, the total dividends for the March 2006 financial year-end have remained unchanged at 7c23. The drop in profitability increased the payout ratio to 103.3%.
The Company’s assets as at the end of March 2006 amounted to just over Lm50 million with shareholders’ funds edging 0.4% lower to Lm21.6 million. Based on the total number of shares in issue of 67,650,000, MIA’s net asset value per share stands at Lm0.319.
In the Review of Performance, the Directors explained that despite the difficult year during which passenger throughput decreased and costs increased, the Company continued to pursue its long-term strategic objectives.
During the year MIA took an active part in promoting travel to Malta especially the Company continued to pursue its long-term strategy to take active part in promoting travel to Malta especially from underserved destinations and together with Government agreed on an incentive scheme open to all airlines for specific European routes. Meanwhile, the Company has also continued with its efforts to encourage carriers and the local air freight community stakeholders to explore the possibility of using the Airport as an air cargo hub. The Directors noted that discussions are in hand to enlarge the cargo facilities areas opened last year and they feel that there are good prospects that the development of cargo and courier services in and out of Malta will pick up in the coming years.
With regards to the cruise and fly business, MIA, in association with VISET Malta p.l.c., participated once again in various promotional activities and a cruise liner is expected to be operating out of Malta for most of summer 2006 with good prospects that it will continue operation also for autumn 2006. The Company also noted that there is also the possibility of a second ship operating also out of Malta next year.
On the retail side, the Company explained that following the increased terminal space required by the Schengen Agreement, MIA will have an opportunity to enhance and enlarge the shopping facilities, which should help in offsetting the drop in sales registered in alcohol and tobacco products.
MIA is continuing with its efforts to develop the land opposite the Air Terminal and reported that it is currently seeking prospective investors to develop the Mediterranean Business Park. The Company stated that it is increasing its efforts to seek to conclude a deal or separate deals with one or more interested parties in the best interest of the Company, which is viable to the prospective investor but at the same time, which also adds value to the core business of MIA.

domain: news


text:
13 Mar Hip-Hop Battle Performance Series
Step 1: Join a crew.
Step 2: Learn a ridiculously awesome hip-hop routine.
Step 3: Battle it out onstage!
Then, wild standing ovations as you kill it like the Kinjaz facing the Jabbawockeez on “World of Dance.”
Okay, maybe not *quite* to that level…but you know, nothing wrong with dreaming. In real life, it takes years of ongoing, focused rehearsals to create the super-precise visual harmony that you see professional dance crews show off during reality TV shows. That kind of teamwork is serious business. We know y’all don’t have time for that, and frankly, neither do we. But wouldn’t it be fun to get a taste of what it’s like to put together a group hip-hop routine and duke it out onstage??
And so, the inaugural Philly Dance Fitness Hip-Hop Throwdown is born.
Three of our incredibly talented instructors — Brittany, Jody & Ricky — will direct the headlining student routines in this debut show, which will be held on Thursday, May 2 at the Ruba Club in Northern Liberties. In addition to these team pieces, the show will include a few improv dance battle interludes plus guest appearances by local pro hip-hop performers.
As for the student teams, don’t be intimidated by the references to pro crews — no prior hip-hop experience is required for our battle. We’ll choreograph the routines so that dancers of ALL levels can shine. If you’ve had a blast dancing through one of our ongoing weekly hip-hop classes, you’ll fit right in. Of course, with only four rehearsals, the finished product won’t look as sophisticated as the pros, but we’ll make up for that in our imaginations…
Rehearsals begin the first week of April and the finished pieces will be performed at our “Hip-Hop Throwdown” from 8 – 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 2. Please make sure you can attend all the rehearsals and the final show as any absences will impact the entire group’s progression.
So…ready to battle? Space is limited so sign up now to stake your rightful spot onstage!
Tuesday Hip-Hop Performance Series — Join Team Ricky – This crew is FULL but we’re still seeking dancers for the THURSDAY and SUNDAY groups!
- Learn a routine set to “Wow” by Post Malone
- 9 p.m. on Tuesdays in Rittenhouse (1624 South St)
- April 2, 9, 16 and 23
- Learn a routine to “WTF” by Missy Elliott
- 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays in Midtown (1301 Locust St, 2nd Floor)
- April 4, 11, 18 and 25 (*The April 25 rehearsal will be held at 1015 S. Dorrance Street due to a previously scheduled studio conflict in Midtown)
- 10 a.m. on Sundays in Fairmount (2511 W. Girard St)
- April 7, 14, 21* and 28 (*Since April 21 is Easter, this rehearsal may be rescheduled if it works better for the group to have this date off. Alternative dates could be Mon. April 15 or 29 at 9 p.m. in our Midtown studio. This will be determined within the group after the first rehearsal.)
Can’t make this show but still itching to perform? Stay tuned for more performance series starting in late June to prepare jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballet and pointe routines for the Philadelphia Dance Day showcase on Saturday, July 27.

domain: artistic


text:
Solitaire - Classic Card Games - Play the Iconic Classic Soltaire Game
One of the most simple but enjoyable and addicting games you can play is solitaire. The goal of this infamous one-player card game is to use up all the cards. You do this by forming certain arrangements and sequences. Furthermore, it’s one of the card games that many people enjoy before video games started booming. If you’re one of those who missed playing this classic card game, then you’ll enjoy playing this free Solitaire – Classic Card Games.
Published by nerByte GmbH, what makes this card game great is it’s based on the classic solitaire we all used to play. Therefore, it has the same rules, gameplay, and appearance. Of course, not all of it is the same, as this solitaire game also brings new things to the table. Let’s discuss this casual card game in more detail.
Playing This Classic Solitaire Game
As mentioned earlier, Solitaire – Classic Card Games is based on the iconic solitaire game that many people used to play on a computer. It follows the same rules and gameplay, as well as uses the classic cards. Klondike, which is another name for solitaire, is the most popular one-player card game in the world. The gameplay is straightforward. Just use up all the cards and place them all on four slots located in the upper left.
Those slots represent the four suits in a card diamond, heart, spade, and clover. To put the cards there, they need to be in order. So the Aces need to go first followed by twos, then threes until you reach the kings. There will be seven cards placed on the board with 6 of them having cards beneath and the remaining are placed on a deck. You can choose to draw one or three cards from the deck, depending on the rules you use. Overall it’s a simple card game that you’ll definitely get the hang of quickly.
What’s New with this Classic Card Game?
Though it’s fun playing the classic solitaire game, it would be even better if there are at least new things with this game. Fortunately, this classic card game offers that. The gameplay is the same but there are added features to make it more interesting. For instance, it has intelligent hints that you can activate automatically. Apart from that, there are unlimited undo, as well as daily challenges to complete.
These things add a bit of excitement to this solitaire game, so you don’t just play Klondike. You also get to enjoy other new features that make the classic game even more fun to play.
Classic Card Game Features
- Play the classic solitaire game
- Enjoy new features like unlimited undo and hints
- Complete the daily challenge
- Customize the card faces, background, and card backs
- No need to have WiFi to play
If you enjoy playing casual card games, you should also try other similar games. You can try playing Card Game 29 or Rummy – Free. Both are fun casual card games that are as entertaining as solitaire, so give them a try now by downloading them here in Games.lol.
How to Install
on the website.
on your computer.
games and enjoy!
Minimum System Requirements
You can install Games.lol on any PC that meets the following requirements:
Windows 7 or above
Intel or AMD
At least 2GB
5GB Free Disk Space
OpenGL 2.0+ support

domain: entertainment


This Page offers new version 81.85 ForceWare reference drivers for NVIDIA graphics accelerators running under WinXP and Win2K (thanks Kennett). The WHQL Certified drivers add support for new cards, mixed vendor support for NVIDIA SLI, performance enhancements for dual-core CPUs, and more.
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ZhETF, Vol. 119,
p. 199 (January 2001)
(English translation - JETP,
Vol. 92, No. 1,
available online at www.springer.com
PHYSICS OF THE ATPASE MOLECULAR MOTOR
Pikin S., Haase W.
Received: June 22, 2000
PACS: 87.16.Nn; 87.16.Dg; 64.70.Md
A physical description of rotary molecular motors is given. The fundamental relations between dynamical characteristics of the motors are found and their basic macroscopic parameters are evaluated. The role of molecular chirality is explained. The membrane nano-structure and the ionic subsystem are discussed more precisely as elements of the motors. The stochastic features of the thermal noise-assisted processes occurring in the motors are manifested.


text:
Initial Holiday Weigh-in and Recipe #1
Nov 18, 2014
Alright! Lets do this! Here is Brett's initial weigh- in and words of wisdom for the 2014 Fitness Together Newtonville Holiday Challenge.
5 min Prep time and 30 mins to cook, VIOLA!
Dinner Day 1 at Trainor household
Broiled Pesto marinated chicken from Trader Joes (already marinated) with roasted brussel sprouts and baby carrots. Place chicken on baking sheet or double uped tin foil (this is what I did) and place it under broiler (@ 400 degrees) for about 6 mins on each side. Cut brussel sprouts in half toss with EVOO, sea salt and pepper, add carrots. The veggies will take about 30 mins at 400 degrees - be sure to stir them once or twice as to not burn top layer. Double up on the veggies, this will satiate you and its DELICIOUS! It you like garlic, through some garlic over the veggie too :)

domain: food


text:
It's no secret that Disney's 'Frozen' has become somewhat of a phenomenon since its release last year. The film won two Oscars - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song - and many critics consider it to be the best Disney animation since the studio's renaissance era.
Not accounting for inflation, 'Frozen' was recently named the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Even if you were to contend that it doesn't deserve the label when considering price increases at the box office and differing production budgets, it is still undoubtedly the most popular animation to emerge in recent years.
Naturally, once the film was heavily lauded, some began to say that it was overrated. While it's fair that, with high expectations, people may feel let down following the hype around the film, there are still a number of reasons why 'Frozen' can easily stand alongside some of the most popular Disney classics.
The love of a family
'True love' has been at the heart of almost every Disney film, but 'Frozen' added a twist to the frequently seen concept. In this case, the love that ran the deepest in the film (despite an engagement rather early on) was between sisters Anna and Elsa.
Elsa isolated herself through fear of hurting her younger sister, while Anna couldn't understand why the person she used to be closest to was now so disinterested. The plot revolved around the pair learning to embrace their differences and to reunite in traumatic circumstances.
Similarly, this form of family love was also at the heart of the character Kristoff, who unreservedly cared for his adoptive family of trolls. He also treated his reindeer, Sven, like a sibling, singing to him that 'reindeers are better than people'.
The love of the family resonated far more than any of the romantic relationships in the film.
Comic sidekicks run the risk of verging on irritating in animated movies, but Olaf was one of the main appeals of 'Frozen' to many viewers. The snowman's love of warm hugs and naivety about what happens to snow in heat was a great, if somewhat uninventive, plot point. His loyalty to Anna was an endearing trait that coined one of the best lines in the movie - "some people are worth melting for". The character's humour appealed to adults and children alike.
Who's the real villain?
'Frozen's' villain doesn't become overtly apparent until a fair way into the film, which makes you wonder whether the real antagonist of the tale is the everyday tribulations we face in life. Many of the film's themes resonate with the viewer - from Elsa's concealment of her true self, and subsequent isolation from the rest of the world, to Anna's desperation for love and companionship, a lot of the feelings seen in the movie are universal.
Being able to empathise with characters has long been an appeal to older viewers and the themes explored in the film are certainly ones that would provide life lessons to children.
Timing is everything
Released in the UK in December, 'Frozen' was the perfect movie to get people into the festive spirit. It capitalised from both the adult and children's market and was the 'go to' movie to get people into the spirit of winter, with the season perfectly captured in the frosty Arundel.
The film's successful reign at the box-office, possibly due to seasonal influences, lasted a lot longer than expected and the movie's popularity was again boosted by sing-a-long re-releases.
'Frozen's' soundtrack wouldn't be out of place in a Broadway show. The musical numbers are strong, theatrical, and tell more than meets the eye.
Oscar winning 'Let It Go' perfectly captures Elsa's transition from a concealed, scared princess, to a young lady who embraces her abilities. It shows the moment when she decides to release her fears and to move forward with her own life, where she doesn't need to hide.
Likewise, 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?' and 'Love is an Open Door' are ridiculously catchy, while 'In Summer' fits Josh Gad's voice perfectly. The songs provide a great mix of comedy and strong vocals, only made better by the accompaniment of a number of Easter eggs and in-jokes during the performances.


text:
Certainly, the song performed”Jim Crow” from the 1800’s famous for his ignorance and the derogatory minstrel was a white man by the name of Thomas Rice. Depicting the black man with racial slurs and discrimination and stereotyping performances before audiences…Nevertheless, this name came into existence creating the law ” Jim Crow Act”state and locally. This was enacted in the United States, to be sure that this act was a legal way of discriminating against blacks mainly in the southern states. Clearly, this act deprived blacks from the same conditions as whites. Besides this, the “Black Code” also was created of controlling the slaves even those freed under the abolishment of slavery afterwards. In other words, making sure that blacks is limited to freedom and making them inhuman and “still” subservient to whites. Looking back at this particular era in life it does not seem as if much has changed. I, personally, agree with author , publisher, civil rights litigator and legal scholor”Michelle Alexander, stating that ” The Jim Crow act is revised. No doubt of the ” New Jim Crow Law, still existing today. Briefly stating her views of warehoused blacks in prison; through ” War on Drugs” was one geniciode of government. .After all, their labor is no longer needed in the globalized economy. Thus upon their release they are considered ex-felons which limits their progression as a considerate and productive citizen.
mmr40 on A Conversation with My Da… mmr40 on Can females actually understan… captdouger on A Conversation with My Da… captdouger on Can females actually understan… courtneyjdanko on Visual Nature of Society


text:
"The featured pendant is cast in .925 sterling silver and showcases a 15mm round disc with a boy-shaped cutout at the center. The charm is then finished with a ring bail so it can be worn as a pendant or as an additional charm for your bracelet, necklace, or other accessories.
Your purchase will include a 30-Day Exchange or Money-Back Guarantee, Free US Shipping, & an optional .925 Sterling Silver chain in the length of your choice. Please email us for more details regarding this listing."
.925 Sterling Silver
Approx. 1.2 grams
Total Length - Approx. 18mm (0.7")
Charm - 15mm (0.6") in Diameter
Chain Width - Approx. 1mm
Chain Length - 16 to 24 inches
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domain: design


text:
Best books for 8 year old girls
Books for eight-year-old children ( books)At GeekDad we are committed to helping you raise geek generation 2. The social science is in, vocabulary is a major predictor of cognitive development in your children. Reading to them is a great way to get them using the language centers of their brain. Reading aloud to your kids can be a blast. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Contact wiredlabs wired. So what books should geeks be reading to their kids?
10 best books for 8 year olds
Besr Clements. Milne, Tigger and their advent. Long reads. She gets help from a neighbor boy and a group of girls from school who are bitter rivals until Ellie helps them work together.Harold uses his powerful crayon to transport bedtime into balloon rides, and a trip to Ma. Andrew Clements. Wrede Goodreads Author? This starts him on an escalating path that has Shredderman thwarting everything from vandalism to espionage.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is the tale of a beloved toy finding its way back to the arms of a child. New pupil Dinah finds that all the pupils at her new school are so obedient they mindlessly repeat the headmaster's every word. Children's book lists dor from Snuggle Puppy to The Stand. Yes, drawing.
To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes. To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn't find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search.
is teaching textbooks common core aligned
Waaaaay back when I started this book blog in , I read a lot of chapter books for girls ages At the time, I had two little girls I now have three and we enjoyed reading early chapter books together and still do. The problem we ran into was that all the books for girls were about cupcake making, fashion design, or magic kittens. I love cupcakes, fashion, and magical felines and so do my girls. We own oodles of these types of books and read them regularly.
Mar 22, PM. But snoopy teachers never stopped a ninja on a mission. Nov 20, AM. Morris 4.
Read it to them before they read it for ysar, and reengage the wonder as your children discover Hogwarts for themselves. Bill Watterson? We definitely do. Short and Tall by Ellie B.Stuart Little is the story of a mouse-shaped boy on an adventure. Frog and Toad are best friends who love to share experiences. Models values of compassion, caring and fiendship. Aug 24, AM.
Share Share Tweet Comment Email. Le Guin 4? Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later. Update newsletter preferences.

domain: library


KYN61-40.5 air-insulated metal-clad withdrawable switchgear which as same as unigear Z3.2.
It is designed as withdrawable module type panel which is fitted with VD4-36E, VD4-40.5 withdrawable vacuum circuit breaker.
KYN61-40.5( same as unigear Z3.2) air-insulated metal-clad withdrawable switchgear( hereinafter as "switchgear") is a kind of MV switchgear.
It is designed as withdrawable module type panel, and the withdrawable part is fitted with VD4-36E, VD4-40.5 withdrawable vacuum circuit breaker manufactured by Cooper Nature company. It can also be fitted with isolation truck, PT truck, fuses truck and so on. It is applicable to three phase AC 50/60 Hz power system, and mainly used for the transmission and distribution of electrical power and control, protection, monitoring of the circuit.
Standards and specifications:
IEC60694 The commo n technical requirements of high voltage switchgear and controlgear
IEC62271-200 A.C. metal enclosed switchgear and controlgear at the rated voltage of 1kV~52k V
IEC62271-100 High voltage switchgear and controlgear-Part 100:Hi gh voltage A.C. circuit breaker
GB3906 3.6~ 40.5kV alternating current metal enclosed switchgea r and controlgear
GB1984 High voltage alternating current circuit breaker
GB/T11022 The commo n technical requirements of high voltage switchgear and controlgear
DL/T404 3.6~ 40.5kV alternating current metal enclosed switchgear and controlgear
a. Ambient temperature: Maximum temperature:+40℃ Minimum temperature: -15℃
b. Ambient humidity: Daily average RH no more than 95%;Monthly average RH no more than 90%
c. Altitude no higher than 2500m;
d. The air around without any pollution of duty,smoke,ercode or flammable air,steam or salty fog;


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Arts of Asia explored the collection of contemporary Chinese ink painting in the Brooklyn Museum collection in their September-October 2018 issue. Fung Ming Chip's ink painting and seals are featured, please see below for the full excerpt on Fung.
Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting at the Brooklyn Museum
By Susan L. Beningson
"The Brooklyn Museum permanent collection contains three handing scrolls by Fung Ming Chip, including Post-Marijuana, Sand Script, Struck by Lightning, Rubbing Script, 2012 (2014. 57.1), and Song of the Nightwalker, Time Script, 2012 (2014.57.3), as well as four seals carved by the artist (2015.70.1-.4). Through his radical deconstructs and Fung has created more than 100 of his own unique script styles. The Brooklyn Museum collection highlights the artist’s diversity and creative process by including three variations of his calligraphy: sand script, rubbing script and time script. He first writes with water on a blank sheet of Xuan paper. The characters become visible only after he applies a layer of dark ink over it. Where the water has already saturated the paper, the ink is only partially absorbed, leaving enigmatic traces of characters which float on the surface of the composition. In Post-Marijuana, Sand Script, Fung’s dark calligraphic swirls create rapidly rotating columns that churn the air with tornado- like intensity. The artist uses the technique of “flying white” where the traces of the individual hairs of the brush can be seen as ink starts to dry, to augment the dramatic curve of the painting. Raking beams of light using paler ink radiate at steep angles above and below this centre band and through the other swirls, creating a dynamic and three-dimensional composition. The streaming light and dark ink are layered over more traditionally written characters that are revealed in fragmented pieces, that are vaguely legible throughout the composition. These shadow- like characters are reminiscent of the interaction of the positive and negative space on the seals carving has played in his calligraphic practice. In Post-Marijuana, Sand Script, the play of light focuses the viewer’s attention on the images as they ebb and flow in rhythmic pulsating layers of ink, focusing on the visual experience rather than the meaning of the text.
Fung Ming Chip is the rare artist who carves his own seals and then uses them in unconventional ways to frame the abstracted calligraphic forms in his paintings. The seals are sometimes impressed in places that make them the focal point of the painting, rather than the calligraphy itself. He carves his seals in unusual forms, like the Seal in Shape of a Gourd (Seal A) or Seal D (2015.70.4), where the edges both extend past and are carved into the usual square boundaries. Their playful shapes and meaning do not conform to traditional norms, as seen in the Tianhuang Seal in the Brooklyn Museum collection."
Learn more --


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The use of additive manufacturing in medical applications has become more prevalent over the last decade. Studies have proved that reconstruction plates with a mesh structure enhance the biocompatibility and bone-ingrowth formation. However, limited studies have been reported in the customization and in vivo clinical assessment of mesh implants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the surgical treatment and implant fitting accuracy using three different reconstruction plates. Fifteen goats were divided into one control and three experimental groups (Groups 1, 2, and 3) with five in each group. An experimental segmental defect was created on these animals and was adopted with customized electron beam melting reconstruction titanium plates with mesh in Group 1 and without mesh in Group 2 and commercial reconstruction plate in Group 3. All the animals were subjected to radiographic analysis before and after surgery. The subjected animals were sacrificed after 3 months and the electron beam melting reconstruction plates were compared with the commercial plate based on clinical and histology analysis and implant fitting accuracy. Both the electron beam melting reconstruction plates (with mesh and without mesh) and commercial plates survived the three months post-operation, revealing good wound-healing with new bone formation and without any foreign-body reaction. The electron beam melting reconstructed plate with mesh (Group 1) was found to have a better implant fitting when compared to the other two groups. The average discrepancy between Groups 2 and 3 was not significant. Certainly, the commercial plate (Group 3) was found to have the least accuracy as compared to other electron beam melting reconstruction plates (Group 1 and Group 2). Custom design electron beam melting fabricated reconstruction plates possessed better functionality, aesthetic outcome, and long-term biocompatibility when compared to commercial plates. Animal results indicated that the electron beam melting plates with mesh (Group 1) were superior in comparison to the other two groups due to its ability to provide better bone-in-growth and osseointegration on its porous microstructure.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

domain: medical


Last week (9-12 January), Las Vegas hosted the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Typically used as a platform for tech companies to showcase their latest consumer and business gadgets, this year’s edition featured, for the first time, a full smart city conference programme and dedicated exhibit area.
“As the launch pad for innovation that changes the world, CES presents a perfect stage for city planners and decision makers to explore these world-changing technologies because of the diversity of technologies and industries in attendance, including mobile, transport data and sensors, digital health and more,” commented Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association, which produces the show.
Some of the top announcements included:
Quanergy and Cisco to deliver connected roadway solutions
The company that provides LiDAR, or light detection and ranging sensors, Quanergy, announced that it will work with Cisco to better link people, processes, data and connected devices allowing cities to use data analytics to gain new insights and make more informed decisions related to driver and pedestrian safety as well as traffic flow. The two companies have already implemented an initial project in Las Vegas–that was live streamed during the event–that focuses on pedestrian safety. The sensors track the flow of pedestrians and, in the future, will also track cars and buses.
“With the insights gained from [this project] we’ve already seen the significant advantage that greater sensing and perception capabilities can have on transport systems that are integral to any thriving city,” said Michael Lee Sherwood, Director of Information Technologies for the City of Las Vegas.
E-bike pilot to be launched in San Francisco
Motivate International, the operator of the Bay Area’s regional bike share system, said that it will add e-bikes to its fleet, beginning with 250 in San Francisco this April. The pedal-assist e-bikes will help riders by boosting their pedal power, so that they can get up hills more easily and ride for longer distances. The new offering will integrate with the Bay Area’s existing and standard pedal-powered Ford GoBike.
“E-Bikes will give Bay Area residents and visitors one more option when travelling around San Francisco,” said Alix Bockleman, Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). “[It] will help make San Francisco more liveable and reduce congestion and household transport costs.”
Vish Palekar, CEO of GenZe, which helped in development, said the e-Bikes–with a top speed of 29 km/h–are ideal for hilly cities as they make local and short-distance cycling easier. “Our e-bikes can go anywhere a conventional bicycle can go, including shared lanes and cycling paths–allowing riders to commute greater distances with no traffic and zero emissions.”
Bosch awarded for microclimate monitoring system
Bosch won the CES 2018 Innovation Award in the smart city category for its new microclimate monitoring system. Called Climo, it has been produced to assist cities to manage air-quality parameters in real time and, according to Bosch, at a lower cost.
The system, developed in collaboration with Intel, combines sensors and software to deliver a range of air-quality data, covering key air pollutants over wireless and 3G connections. It also provides data from environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, light, sound, pressure, and pollen.
Bosch said the system can be used by cities in a variety of ways including traffic-flow management and can send tips and information to the local population, particularly asthma or allergy sufferers, to let them know whether it is better to stay indoors or avoid a certain part of the city.
More than 3,900 exhibitors showcased technologies that spanned more than 255,000 net square metres of exhibit space across Las Vegas. Organisers said it was the largest show floor in CES’ 51 year history. The Smart Cities Marketplace drew city officials, policymakers, industry innovators and more.


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That Reminds Me is a conversational memoir by Hollywood biographer and award-winning author Norman Zierold. Rather than a chronology of his life, the author engages the reader in a conversational manner, relating various episodes from his life that come to mind, one triggering another. There’s never a dull moment!
Norman Zierold’s charmed life started humbly in the Amana Colonies of Iowa. All that changed after Norman joined the Navy. The war came to an end and Norman used the GI Bill of Rights to attend Harvard, where he graduated cum laude. He then earned a graduate degree in English Literature at the University of Iowa.
While looking for work he was given the opportunity to teach English in France. One of his jobs was enjoying English conversations with the son of the President of France. They even invited him to watch the coronation of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on television at their personal residence. Other meetings with cultural luminaries ensued.
Upon Norman’s return to the States he headed for New York, where he worked his way up to becoming the editorial director of Theatre Arts Magazine. Eventually he went to Hollywood to fulfill his lifelong calling to become a writer and published several noted Hollywood biographies: The Child Stars, The Moguls: Hollywood’s Merchants of Myth, Garbo, Sex Goddesses of the Silent Screen; and two true-crime accounts, Little Charley Ross: The story of America’s first kidnapping for ransom, and Three Sisters in Black, which garnered a Special Edgar Allen Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He also wrote a science-fiction novel titled The Skyscraper Doom.
In the late 1960s, when Barbara Walters was an anchor on NBC’s Today Show, she interviewed Norman on his recently published book, Little Charley Ross. He describes a humorous account of what happened as they were preparing to go on air. Before the segment was about to begin Barbara was pressing her leg against Norman’s under the table in what seemed to him a suggestive fashion. He wondered if she might be coming on to him and didn’t know what to do. She asked him if he felt that, and he sheepishly said he did. She then explained that this was the signal for him to quickly finish his sentence during the interview so they could break for a commercial. Norman felt relieved. After the interview they had a private chat off camera about Judy Garland since Norman had written about her in The Child Stars, and Barbara’s then husband, Lee Guber, had produced one of Judy’s world tours. They had met and Judy’s issues about her mother came up. Barbara had her own opinion about Judy’s relationship with her mother, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what she said and Norman’s take on it.
In addition to Barbara Walters, Norman met many cultural icons of the day, like Andy Warhol, Shelley Winters, Anthony Quinn, Mae West, Groucho Marx, Roddy McDowall, Jackie Coogan, Rex Harrison, Anais Nin, Tennessee Williams, E.E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, a president of France, the gifted composer Francis Poulenc, and TM founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to mention a few. Norman spent many months with Anthony Quinn helping him edit down his thousand-page biography into something publishable. It did very well.
In the early 70’s Norman took up the practice of Transcendental Meditation. He found it so satisfying he became a teacher and taught the TM technique to several hundred people. Since 2002 he has been living in Fairfield, Iowa, and works in his retirement years as a part-time publicist in the communications office at Maharishi University of Management.
WHERE TO ORDER THAT REMINDS ME
Sit down with Norman Zierold and enjoy a fascinating conversation. Order copies of That Reminds Me from Amazon or Barnes & Noble in the US. Release date is January 12, 2013. Also available in Canada, the UK, Europe, Germany, Russia, and Brazil in paperback, and Amazon’s Kindle worldwide.
Diane Vance interviewed Norman Zierold at Revelations Café for The Fairfield Ledger, which came out March 12, 2013: Fairfield author talks about recent work. In case you can’t access the full article online you can see what it looks like here: Fairfield author talks about recent work – By DIANE VANCE – Fairfield, IA – Fairfield Ledger. I also posted it here: Diane Vance and Norman Zierold discuss his new memoir, That Reminds Me, at Revelations Café.
Tony Ellis wrote a feature article in the March 2013 issue of The Iowa Source, Iowa’s Enlightening Magazine: Norman Zierold: A Charmed Life: Celebrated Hollywood Author Reminisces on Six Decades of Extraordinary Encounters. You can also download a PDF of the article on Norman Zierold as it appears in The Iowa Source.
An edited version of Tony’s article later appeared in Britain’s National Transcendental Meditation Magazine—Transcendental Meditation News • June 2013 • Vol. 19 • No. 7 • Pages 12 and 13, titled, The Hollywood Biographer Who Found Bliss (Page 7 of PDF).
Here’s a great article about Norman Zierold in The Chronicle of Higher Education: Notes From Academe: The Spokesman Who Kept Calling.
Here’s a comprehensive article Norman Zierold wrote for Healthy Referral on THE REMARKABLE DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION.
Norman Zierold was interviewed by KMCD host Steve Smith for the MUM Spotlight show on January 10, 2013. Click here to listen. (17:23)
Norman Zierold will be interviewed on 100.1 FM KRUU in Fairfield. The show, Writers’ Voices, airs Friday, January 11, 2013, 1:00–2:00 p.m. CT, and replays Monday, January 14, 2013, 8:00–9:00 a.m. CT. Tune in: Listen Live.
This great description posted by host Monica Hadley says it all: From Iowa, Around the World, and Back Again with Norman Zierold. “That Reminds Me: A Conversational Memoir” by Norman Zierold, takes the reader on an exuberant journey, both outward and inward, from pre-Depression-era Iowa (the Amana Colonies), to Europe, NYC, Hollywood, and back again to Iowa (Fairfield, that is.) Join Writers’ Voices hosts Monica Hadley and Caroline Kilbourn to learn from Norman the inside stories that only the author of such Hollywood biographies as “Garbo”, “The Child Stars”, and “The Moguls” would know. How did a boy from the Amanas come to rub elbows with the rich and famous of the mid-20th century? And what brought him back to Iowa?
Update: If you missed it, the Writers’ Voices Archives now has Norman’s interview (59:51) posted there as well as on monicahadley’s Audio page. And KRUU station manager James Moore created a permanent link to the interview here: http://www.kruufm.com/node/14926. KRUU’s website was rebuilt. The interview is now posted on the Writers Voices website.
A third interview took place at a book signing in the Maharishi University of Management Library on Saturday afternoon, March 2, 2013. Rustin Larson talked with Norman Zierold about his conversational memoir, That Reminds Me. Download and enjoy this very entertaining interview. (87 MB)
A fourth interview took place on KHOE, the MUM campus radio station. Author and M.U.M.: Publicist Norman Zierold, interviewed by Dean Cathy Gorini and station manager Stan Stansberry on his newly published book “That Reminds Me.” Listen online here: http://link.mum.edu/NormanZierold.
Stan says: [This is] “a real-life adventure conversational memoir by our esteemed Norman Zierold. [Norman takes us from] “his hometown Amana Colonies, to the U.S. Navy, to New York City, to Hollywood, to finding Transcendental Meditation, teaching TM, and to the campus of Maharishi University of Management. Along the way he interviewed and hob-nobbed with famous New York and Hollywood actors, writers and people like Barbara Walters.” mp3 63 min, 18MB.
Here is the latest interview on KRUU FM with Producer, Writer & Host, Cheryl Fusco Johnson of The Studio: Small Town Boy to Hollywood Biographer: Norman Zierold’s Memoir, THAT REMINDS ME, July 14+16, 2014. You can listen here at this archived link: The Studio – 20140715-Norman Zierold.
How did small-town Iowa boy Norman Zierold become a Hollywood biographer, recording the stories of movie moguls, child stars, and famous actors? Even more exciting than his tales about the many celebrities he’s encountered is Norman’s own story. Lucky us! Norman’s recorded his journey from shelling peas beside cooks in his family’s Amana colonies restaurant to rubbing knees with Barbara Walters on TV. This week on The Studio with Cheryl, Norman discusses the mentors and experiences that inspired his life choices. Learn about his life and about THAT REMINDS ME, his stream-of-consciousness memoir (and what a consciousness it is!), by tuning in to The Studio with Cheryl and Norman this week.
Enlightenment, The Transcendental Meditation Magazine, has posted an article on Norman in Issue 16 under My Story: From Utopia to Hollywood and Back. In this column meditators share their stories of how they started the Transcendental Meditation technique and what kinds of positive changes have occurred in their lives.
The book has been updated with chapter headings, a table of contents, and a list of praise for the book, including a cover quote from filmmaker David Lynch, which reads: “What a creative and entertaining way to tell a story of a life and a time! Congratulations, Norman — a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.”


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Eco - Reversible
Sky Kids Bikini
The reversible Sky bikini made with eco-friendly fabrics for girls is a new silhouette with boleros and a high-waisted bottom. With a localized pattern, Agua Bendita is inspired by tapestries, wall hangings, tiles, and mosaics that contrast with hand-painted vases. Flowers such as jasmine, plumeria, and romdoul.
This drop mixes textile inspiration with botany for a Maxi Boho proposal. Canvas, sky, lime, dijon, peppermint and rose.
Aine is the gold of the sun. Made with 81% Recycled Polyester and 19% Elastane.


Rug Cleaning by Prolux Carpet Cleaning in Earlsfield, SW18, Wandsworth
Rug cleaning is another high quality service Prolux Carpet Cleaning delivers.
Area rugs come in many shapes, sizes and materials. They are without a doubt quite handsome. A fancy rug is the perfect way to complete the room interior in style. Many of the rugs are also very expensive and unforgiving when it comes to washing and maintenance. Just take into consideration the work and care that goes into the regular washing of a standard Persian rug with the opulent colors and the intricate fiber structure. To circumvent the possibility of harm, the trouble of having to take the carpet for a wash and the fact that results from regular cleaning methods are doubtful, have to prompt you to decide for a professional grade rug cleaning in SW18 Earlsfield (Wandsworth SW17, SW12, SW18, SW15, SW11). Just with all other steam cleaning treatment of fabrics, this is the most caring and risk free way to attain lasting and observable cleaning results.
Our expert and skilled SW18 Earlsfield teams clean without using abrasive rubbing, tough chemicals your much loved fine rugs. Our scientifically based methods are safe and gentle. They remove the dust stuck in your rugs, mats, and hallway runners. Prolux Carpet cleaning services provide professional assistance for both commercial and residential clients.
Prolux Carpet Cleaning professionals in Earlsfield SW18, Wandsworth deliver a full range of rug maintenance services - pre-vacuuming, steam shampoo, sanitizing, deodorizing, dry dusting, etc.
The cleaning of rugs is essential not only to keep their face but also to prolong their life span. Rugs have different structure than carpets. Their pile is usually lengthier and thus grit and dirt sink in and amass.
Using inappropriate vacuum machines could be very detrimental to your rugs. Unintentionally you might be crushing your rug's high-quality yarn into useless strings to just fill up your vacuum bag. The longer you wait, the worse your carpet will look.
Entrust us to get your carpets back to their previous look. We use the latest technologies in rug vacuum and steam cleaning. The washing agents we use are self-neutralizing and eco-friendly. No deposits or nasty stinks remain after the last rinse procedure.
Our cleaning systems not only suck out filth and soil deposits, but also eradicate spots made by spilled drinks, chewing gum, grease, munchies, colorings and fiber aging.
We, at Prolux Carpet cleaners Earlsfield safely and efficiently get rid of spots from your carpets.
Please note: There is a minimum charge of £50 ((50 Pounds) per visit. You can combine services like rugs and upholstery, carpet and area rugs, carpets and curtains, rugs and hard floors, mattresses and carpets cleaning to add up or to exceed the minimum amount to get your money worth.
In addition, parking fee and traffic congestion charges may apply.


Get your kid those signature Nike styles and stripes with the NSW Swoosh Patch Hoodie. Made from ultra-soft and durable cotton-poly blend fabric, this fleece hoodie wicks away sweat for a clean, dry fit. Resistant to cold weather elements and perfectly suited for every-day use, the NSW Swoosh Patch Hoodie from Nike has your star kid looking on point, all-day! Long sleeves offer additional coverage for a warm, snug fit. The front pocket lets you safely stash away small necessities. 60% cotton/40% polyester. Imported.


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SEEK OUT THE HAPPINESS IN ALL OF LIFE'S CRAPPINESS
You’re just ten seconds away from a brighter, more centered, supremely fabulous you! No matter what challenges life throws at you—from relationship roadblocks to everyday stressors to unexpected forks in your path—happiness guru Karen Salmansohn is here with colorful “thought interventions” to teach your old brain some new tricks. With witty sayings, inspiring philosophies, colorful graphics, and a dose of cheeky tough love, Instant Happy is the perfect inspirational self-help book for people who don’t have the time or patience for self-help books.
So next time you’re feeling stressed, stuck, blue, pissed off, or pissed on, simply flip open a page in Instant Happy to kick yourself out of that negative feedback loop and into a positive thought pattern. Karen’s no-BS tone, quick-acting humor, and contagious optimism will soon have you ready to take on the world.

domain: psychology


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MY DEAR SISTER,
The subject of this letter is one of vital interest to every Christian. It is, therefore, of the utmost consequence, that it be both well understood and diligently practised. It seems hardly necessary to urge prayer upon the Christian as a duty. Every true Christian must feel it to be a soul-exalting privilege. It is his breath; without it, he can no more maintain his spiritual life, than animal life can be sustained without breathing. Prayer is an intimate communion with God, by which we unbosom our hearts to him, and receive communications of his grace, and fresh tokens of his love. What Christian, then, whose soul burns with divine love, will be disposed to apply to this holy employment the cold appellation of duty? Yet, God sees so much the importance of prayer, that he has not only permitted, but commanded us to pray. Our Lord frequently directed his disciples, and us through them, to "watch and pray." He also teaches us to persevere in prayer: "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." The apostle Paul is frequent in exhorting Christians to pray: "Pray without ceasing." "I will that men pray everywhere." "Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." "I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men." "Continuing instant in prayer." The duty of prayer is also enforced by the example of all the holy men whose biography is given in Scripture. Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, and all the prophets, were mighty in prayer. So were also the apostles. But, above all, the Lord Jesus, our blessed pattern, has set before us a life of prayer. You will find it very profitable to read the lives of these holy men, but especially that of our blessed Saviour, for the special purpose of noticing how much they abounded in prayer. Our Lord never undertook anything of importance, without first observing a special season of prayer. Oft we find him retiring into the mountains, sometimes a great while before day, for prayer. Indeed, on several occasions, he continued all night in prayer to God. If, then, it became the Lord of life and glory to spend much time in prayer, how much more, such weak and sinful creatures as we, who are surrounded with temptations without, and beset with corruptions within! Prayer is necessarily so intermingled with every duty, that the idea of a prayerless Christian is an absurdity.
Prayer not only secures to us the blessings which we need, but it brings our minds into a suitable frame for receiving them. We must see our need, feel our unworthiness, be sensible of our dependence upon God, and believe in his willingness to grant us, through Christ, the things that are necessary and proper for us. An acknowledgment of these things, on our part, is both requisite and proper; and, without such acknowledgment, it might not be consistent with the great ends of his moral government for God to grant us our desires.
Prayer is the offering up of the sincere desires and feelings of our hearts to God. It consists of adoration, confession, supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving. Adoration is an expression of our sense of the infinite majesty and glory of God. Confession is an humble acknowledgment of our sins and unworthiness. By supplication, we ask for pardon, grace, or any blessing we need for ourselves. By intercession, we pray for others. By thanksgiving, we express our gratitude to God for his goodness and mercy towards us and our fellow-creatures. All these several parts are embraced in the prayers recorded in Scripture, though all of them are not generally found in the same prayer. The prayer of Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, commences with adoration, and proceeds with supplication and intercession. The prayer of Daniel, in the time of the captivity, commences with adoration, and proceeds with confession, supplication, and intercession. The prayer of the Levites, in behalf of the people, after the return from captivity, commences with thanksgiving and adoration, and proceeds with confession, supplication, and intercession. The prayers of David are full of thanksgiving. The prayer of Habakkuk consists of adoration, supplication, and thanksgiving. The prayer of the disciples, after the joyous return of the apostles from the council of their persecutors, consists of adoration, a particular rehearsal of their peculiar circumstances, and supplication. The apostle Paul particularly enjoins "prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving." If you wish to learn how to pray, I would advise you to look out and study all the prayers recorded in Scripture. Although most of them are probably but the substance of what was said on the several occasions when they were offered, yet you will find them much better patterns than the prayers of Christians at the present day. There is a fervent simplicity about them, very different from the studied, formal prayers which we often hear. There is a definiteness and point in them, which take hold of the feelings of the heart. The Lord's prayer furnishes a comprehensive summary of the subjects of prayer: and you will take particular notice what a prominent place is assigned to the petition for the coming of Christ's kingdom. This shows that, in all our prayers, the glory of God should be the leading desire of our hearts. But, it is evident that Christ did not intend this as a particular form of prayer, to be used on all occasions; although it includes all that is necessary. We are so made as to be affected with a particular consideration of the subjects in which we are interested. We find our Lord himself using other words to suit particular occasions; although the subjects of his prayers were all included in this. The same thing, also, we observe in the practice of the apostles and early Christians. This is only intended as a general pattern; nor is it necessary that all the petitions contained in the Lord's prayer should ever be made at the said time.
Prayer must always be offered in the name of Christ. There is no other way by which we can approach God. There is no other channel through which we can receive blessings from him. Jesus is our Advocate and Intercessor. Our blessed Lord, speaking of the time of his glorification, says to his disciples, "Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." This, however, does not forbid us to pray directly to Christ, as God manifest in the flesh, which was a common practice with the apostles.
When the power of prayer is properly understood, it becomes a subject of amazing interest. I am persuaded there is a vast amount of unbelief, in relation to this matter, among Christians. If it were not so, the chariot wheels of God's salvation would roll on with mighty power. There would be a glorious movement in every part of the world. The Spirit of the Lord would be shed forth like a "mighty rushing wind." The promises of God to his people are so large and full, that the utmost stretch of their faith cannot reach them. The great and eternal God has condescended to lay himself under obligation to hear and answer the prayers of mortal worms. If we collect the promises relating to this subject, we shall be astonished at the amount of assurance which is given. So confident was David on this point, that he addresses God as the hearer of prayer, as though that were a distinguishing trait in his character. Again, he says, "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." Solomon says, "The prayer of the upright is his delight;" and again, "He heareth the prayer of the righteous." The apostle James Bays, "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." The apostle Peter says, "The eyes of the Lord are open to the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers." And Christ himself has assured us, in the strongest possible terms, of the willingness of God to give spiritual blessings to those that ask for them. He says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall he opened." But, as if this assurance were not sufficient to convince us of this most interesting truth, he appeals to the tenderest sympathies of our natures. He asks if any father would insult the hungry cries of his beloved son, when fainting for a morsel of bread, by giving him a stone; or, if he ask an egg, to gratify his appetite, will he give him a venomous scorpion, to sting him to death?[B] He then argues, that if sinful men exercise tender compassion towards their children, how much more shall our heavenly Father, whose very nature is love, regard the wants of his children who cry unto him. Is it possible to conceive a stronger expression of the willingness of God to answer the prayers of his people?
[Footnote B: The scorpion is a little animal, of the shape of an egg, whose sting is deadly poison.]
And these precious promises are confirmed by striking examples, in every age of the church. Thus, Abraham prayed for Sodom; and, through his intercession, Lot was saved. His servant, when sent to obtain a wife for Isaac, received a direct answer to prayer. When Jacob heard that his brother Esau was coming against him, with an army of four hundred men, he wrestled all night in prayer, and prevailed; so that Esau became reconciled to him. Moses prayed for the plagues to come upon Egypt, and they came; again, he prayed for them to be removed, and they were removed. It was through his prayers that the Red Sea was divided, the manna and the quails were sent, and the waters gushed out of the rock And through his prayers, many times, the arm of the Lord was stayed, which had been uplifted to destroy his rebellious people. Samuel, that lovely example of early piety, and the judge and deliverer of Israel, was given in answer to the prayer of his mother. When the children of Israel were in danger of being overthrown by the Philistines, Samuel prayed, and God sent thunder and lightning, and destroyed the armies of their enemies. Again, to show their rebellion against God, in asking a king, he prayed, and God sent thunder and lightning upon them in the time of wheat harvest. In order to punish the idolatry and rebellion of the Israelites, Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not for three years and six months. Again; he prayed that it might rain, and there arose a little cloud, as a man's hand, which spread and covered the heavens with blackness, till the rain descended in torrents. Again; when wicked Ahab sent a band of men to take him, he prayed, and fire came down from heaven, and consumed them. Hezekiah, upon the bed of death, prayed, and God lengthened his life fifteen years. Jerusalem was invaded by the army of Sennacherib, and threatened with destruction. Hezekiah prayed, and the angel of the Lord entered the camp of the invader, and in one night slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand men. When all the wise men of Babylon were threatened with destruction, because they could not discover Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel and his companions prayed, and the dream and its explanation were revealed. Jonah prayed, and was delivered from the power of the fish. It was in answer to the prayer of Zacharias, that the angel Gabriel was sent to inform him of the birth of John the Baptist. It was after a ten days' prayer-meeting, that the Holy Ghost came down, on the day of Pentecost, "like a mighty rushing wind." Again; while the disciples were praying, the place was shaken where they were assembled, to show that God heard their prayers. It was in answer to the prayers of Cornelius, that Peter was sent to teach him the way of life. When Peter was imprisoned by Herod, the church set apart the night before his expected execution, for special prayer in his behalf. The Lord sent his angel, opened the prison doors, and restored him to the agonizing band of brethren. And when Paul and Silas were thrown into the dungeon, with their feet fast in the stocks, they prayed, and there was a great earthquake, which shook the foundations of the prison, so that all the doors were opened.
But the faithfulness of God to his promises is not confined to Scripture times. Although the time of miracles has passed, yet every age of the church has furnished examples of the faithfulness of God in hearing the prayers of his children. But these are so numerous that it is difficult to make selections from them. However, I will mention a few. When the Arians, who denied the divinity of Christ, were about to triumph, the Bishop of Constantinople, and one of his ministers, spent a whole night in prayer. The next day, Arius, the leader of his party, was suddenly cut off, by a violent and distressing disease. This prevented the threatened danger. Augustine was a wild youth, sunk in vice, and a violent opposer of religion. His mother persevered in prayer for him nine years, when he was converted, and became the most eminent minister of his age. The life of Francke exhibits the most striking and signal answers to prayer. His orphan house was literally built up and sustained by prayer. If you have not already read this work, I would advise you to obtain it. It is a great help to weak faith. Mr. West (afterwards Dr. West) became pastor of the Congregational church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, while destitute of vital piety. Two pious females often lamented to each other that they got no spiritual food from his preaching. At length, they agreed to meet once a week, to pray for his conversion. They continued this for some time, under much discouragement. But, although the Lord tried their faith, yet he never suffered them both to be discouraged at the same time. At length, their prayers were heard. There was a sudden and remarkable change in his preaching. "What is this?" said one of them. "God is the hearer of prayer," replied the other. The Spirit of God had led Mr. West to see that he was a blind leader of the blind. He was converted, and changed his cold morality for the cross of Christ, as the basis of his sermons. A pious slave in Newport, Rhode Island, was allowed by his master to labor for his own profit whatever time he could gain by extra diligence. He laid up all the money he earned in this way, for the purpose of purchasing the freedom of himself and family. But, when some of his Christian friends heard what he was doing, they advised him to spend his gained time in fasting and prayer. Accordingly, the next day that he gained, he set apart for this purpose. Before the close of the day, his master sent for him, and gave him a written certificate of his freedom. This slave's name was Newport Gardner. He was a man of ardent piety; and in 1825, he was ordained deacon of a church of colored people, who went out from Boston to Liberia. Instances of surprising answers to prayer, no less striking than these, are continually occurring in the revivals of religion of the present day.
With the evidence here presented, who can doubt that God hears and answers prayer? But, the objection arises, "If this doctrine be really true, why is it that Christians offer up so many prayers without receiving answers?" The apostle James gives some explanation of this difficulty: "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss." It becomes us, then, seriously and diligently to inquire how we may ask aright so as to secure the blessings so largely promised in answer to prayer. In relation to this subject, there are several things to be observed:
1. We must sincerely desire the things which we ask. If a child should ask his mother for a piece of bread, when she knew he was not hungry, but was only trifling with her, it would not he proper for her to give it. Indeed, she would have just cause to punish him for mocking her. And do we not often come to the throne of grace, when we do not really feel our perishing need of the things we ask? God sees our hearts; and he is not only just in withholding the blessing we ask, but in chastising us for solemn trifling.
2. We must desire what we ask, that God may be glorified. "Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." We may possibly ask spiritual blessings for self-gratification; and when we do so, we have no reason to expect that God will bestow them upon us.
3. We must ask for things AGREEABLE TO THE WILL OF GOD. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us." The things that we ask must be such, in kind, as he has indicated his willingness to bestow upon us. Such are, spiritual blessings on our own souls; the supply of our necessary temporal wants; and the extension of his kingdom. These are the kind of blessings that we are to ask; and the degree of confidence with which we are to look for an answer must be in proportion to the positiveness of the promises. Our Lord assures us that our heavenly Father is more willing to give good things, and particularly his Holy Spirit, to them that ask him, than earthly parents are to give good gifts to their children; and he declares expressly, that our sanctification is agreeable to the will of God. The promises of the daily supply of our necessary temporal wants are equally positive. What, then, can be more odious in the sight of God, than for those who profess to be his children to excuse their want of spirituality on the ground of their dependence upon him? And what more ungrateful, than to fret and worry themselves, lest they should come to want? We may also pray for a revival of religion in a particular place, and for the conversion of particular individuals, with strong ground of confidence, because we know that God has willed the extension of Christ's kingdom, and that the conversion of sinners is, in itself, agreeable to his will. But we cannot certainly know that he intends to convert a particular individual, or revive his work in a particular place; nor can we be sure that the particular temporal blessing that we desire is what the Lord sees to be needful for our present necessities.
4. We must ask in faith. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the winds, and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." A difference of opinion exists among real Christians, as to what constitutes the prayer of faith spoken of by the apostle. Some maintain that we must believe that we shall receive the very thing for which we ask. This opinion is founded on some promises made by our Lord to the apostles, which those who hold the contrary opinion suppose to have been intended only for them. I shall not attempt to determine this point; nor do I think it very important which of these theories is embraced; because, in examining the history of those persons whose prayers have received the seal of heaven, I find some of them embraced one, and some the other; while many who embrace either of them seem not to live in the exercise of prevailing prayer. The main point, therefore, seems to be, that we should maintain such a nearness of communion with God as shall secure the personal exercise of the prayer of faith. Two things, however, are essential to this: (1.) Strong confidence in the existence and faithfulness of God. "He that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (2.) The prayer of faith must be dictated by the Holy Spirit. Faith itself is declared to be "the gift of God;" and the apostle says, "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered." "He maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God." When this wonderful truth is made known, we are no longer astonished that God should assure us, by so many precious promises, that he will hear and answer our prayers. We are called the temples of the Holy Ghost. If the Holy Ghost dwell in us, to guide and direct us in all our ways, will he forsake us in so important a matter as prayer? O, then, what a solemn place is the Christian's closet, or the house of prayer! There the whole Trinity meet in awful concert. The Holy Spirit there presents to the everlasting Father, through the eternal Son, the prayers of a mortal worm! Is it any wonder that such a prayer should be heard? With what holy reverence and godly fear should we approach this consecrated place!
5. We must ask in a spirit of humble submission, yielding our wills to the will of the Lord, committing the whole case to him, in the true spirit of our Lord's agonizing prayer in the garden, when he said, "Not my will but thine be done." If I had a house full of gold, and had promised to give you as much as you desire, would you need to be urged to ask? But, there is an inexhaustible fulness of spiritual blessings treasured up in Christ; and he has declared repeatedly that you may have as much as you will ask. Need you be urged to ask? Need you want any grace? It is unbelief that keeps us so far from God. From what has been said on this subject, I think you may safely conclude that your progress in the divine life will be in proportion to the real prayer of faith which you exercise.
But I come now to give a few practical directions respecting the exercise of prayer. Several things are necessary to be observed by every one who would live near the throne of grace.
1. Maintain a constant spirit of prayer. "Pray without ceasing." "Continuing instant in prayer." "Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." "And he spake a parable unto them, to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." The meaning of these passages is not that we should be always upon our knees, but that we should maintain such a prayerful frame, that the moment our minds are disengaged, our hearts will rise up to God. Intimately connected with this is the practice of ejaculatory prayer, which consists of a short petition, silently and suddenly sent up from the heart. This may be done anywhere, and under all circumstances. Frequent examples of this kind of prayer are recorded in Scripture. It has also been the practice of living Christians in all ages. It is a great assistance in the Christian warfare. It helps us in resisting temptation; and by means of it, we can seek divine aid in the midst of the greatest emergencies. To maintain this unceasing spirit of prayer is a very difficult work. It requires unwearied care and watchfulness, labor, and perseverance. Yet no Christian can thrive without it.
2. Observe staled and regular seasons of prayer. Some professors of religion make so much of the foregoing rule as to neglect all other kinds of prayer. This is evidently unscriptural. Our Saviour directs us to enter into our closets, and, when we have shut the door, to pray to our Father who is in secret. And to this precept he has added the sanction of his own example. In the course of his history, we find him often retiring to solitary places, to pour out his soul in prayer. Other examples are also recorded in Scripture. David says, "Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray." And again; "Seven times a day do I praise thee." And it was the habitual practice of Daniel, to kneel down in his chamber, and pray three times a day. But this practice is so natural, and so agreeable to Christian feeling, that no argument seems necessary to persuade real Christians to observe it. It has been the delight of eminent saints, in all ages, to retire alone, and hold communion with God.
With regard to the particular times of prayer, no very definite rule can be given, which will suit all circumstances. There is a peculiar propriety in visiting the throne of grace in the morning, to offer up the thanksgiving of our hearts for our preservation, and to seek grace for the day: and also in the evening, to express our gratitude for the mercies we have enjoyed; to confess the sins we have committed and seek for pardon; and to commit ourselves to the care of a covenant-keeping God, when we retire to rest. It is also very suitable, when we suspend our worldly employments in the middle of the day, to refresh our bodies, to renew our visit to the fountain of life, that our souls may also be refreshed. The twilight of the evening is also a favorable season for devotional exercises. But, let me entreat you to be much in prayer. If the nature of your employment will admit of it, without being unfaithful to your engagements, retire many times in the day to pour out your soul before God, and receive fresh communications of his grace. Our hearts are so much affected by sensible objects, that, if we suffer them to be engaged long at a time in worldly pursuits, we find them insensibly clinging to earth, so that it is with great difficulty we can disengage them. But, by all means, fix upon some stated and regular seasons, and observe them punctually and faithfully. Remember they are engagements with God.
For your devotional exercises, you should select those times and seasons when you find your mind most vigorous, and your feelings most lively. As the morning is in many respects most favorable, you would do well to spend as much time as you can in your closet, before engaging in the employments of the day. An hour spent in reading God's word, and in prayer and praise, early in the morning, will give a heavenly tone to your feelings; which, by proper watchfulness, and frequent draughts at the same fountain, you may carry through all the pursuits of the day.
As already remarked, our Lord, in the pattern left us, has given a very prominent place to the petition, "THY KINGDOM COME." This is a large petition. It includes all the instrumentalities which the church is putting forth for the enlargement of her borders and the salvation of the world. All these ought to be distinctly and separately remembered; and not, as is often the case, be crowded into one general petition at the close of our morning and evening prayers. We are so constituted as to be affected by a particular consideration of a subject. General truths have very little influence upon our hearts. I would therefore recommend the arrangement of these subjects under general heads for every day of the week; and then divide the subjects which come under these heads, so as to remember one or more of them at stated seasons, through the day, separate from your own personal devotions. Thus, you will always have your mind fixed upon one or two objects; and you will have time to enlarge, so as to remember every particular relating to them. This, if faithfully pursued, will give you a deeper interest in every benevolent effort of the times. The following plan of a daily concert of prayer was, some years since, suggested by a distinguished clergyman in New England. It gives something of the interest of the monthly concert to our daily devotions.
SABBATH. Sabbath duties and privileges; -- as preaching, Sabbath-schools, family instruction, &c. Eph.6:18-20.2 Th.3:1.
MONDAY. Conversion of the world; -- the prevalence of peace, knowledge, freedom, and salvation. Ps.2:8. Isa.11:6-10; 62:1-7; 66:8, 12.
TUESDAY. Our country; -- our rulers, our free institutions, our benevolent societies; deliverance from slavery, Romanism, infidelity, Sabbath-breaking, intemperance, profaneness, &c. Ez.9:6-15. Dan.9:4-19
WEDNESDAY. The rising generation: -- colleges, seminaries, and schools of every description; the children of the church, the children of the ungodly, and orphan children.
THURSDAY. Professing Christians; -- that they may much more abound in all the fruits of the Spirit, presenting their bodies a living sacrifice, and offering gladly of their substance to the Lord, to the extent of his requirement; that afflicted saints may be comforted, backsliders reclaimed, and hypocrites converted; that Zion, being purified, may arise and shine. Isa.62:1. Rom.1:8. Col.4:12.
FRIDAY. The ministry, including all who are looking forward to that office, and also the Education Society.1 Thess.5:25. Luke 10:2.
SATURDAY. The Jews. Isa.54:8.59:20. Ezek.36:27. Rom.11:11-31. Also, our friends.
3. Observe special seasons of prayer. Before engaging in any important matter, make it a subject of special prayer. For this you have the example of the blessed Jesus. When he was baptized, before entering upon his ministry, he prayed. Before choosing his twelve apostles, he went out into a mountain, and spent a whole night in prayer. The Old Testament saints were also in the habit of "inquiring of the Lord," before engaging in any important enterprise. And the apostle Paul enjoins upon the Philippians, "in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." Also, whenever you are under any particular temptation or affliction; whenever you are going to engage in anything which will expose you to temptation; whenever you perceive any signs of declension in your own soul; when the state of religion around you is low; when your heart is affected with the condition of individuals who are living in impenitence; or when any subject lies heavily upon your mind; -- make the matter, whatever it is, a subject of special prayer. Independent of Scripture authority, there is a peculiar fitness in the course here recommended, which must commend itself to every pious heart.
In seasons of peculiar difficulty, or when earnestly seeking any great blessing, you may find benefit from setting apart days of fasting, humiliation and prayer. This is especially suitable, whenever you discover any sensible decay of spiritual affections in your own heart. Fasting and prayer have been resorted to on special occasions, by eminent saints, in all ages of the world. The examples recorded in Scripture are too numerous to mention here. If you look over the lives of the old Testament saints, you will find this practice very common. Nor is the New Testament without warrant for the same. Our Lord himself set the example, by a long season of fasting, when about to endure a severe conflict with the tempter. And he has farther sanctioned the practice, by giving directions respecting its performance. We have also examples in the Acts of the Apostles. The prophets and teachers, in the church at Antioch, fasted before separating Barnabas and Paul as missionaries to the heathen. And when they obtained elders in the churches, they prayed, with fasting. Paul, in his epistle to the Corinthians, speaks of their giving themselves to fasting and prayer, as though it were a frequent custom. You will find, also, in examining the lives of persons of eminent spiritual attainments, that most of them were in the habit of observing frequent seasons of fasting and prayer. There is a peculiar fitness in this act of humiliation. It is calculated to bring the body under, and to assist us in denying self. The length of time it gives us in our closets also enables us to get clearer views of divine things. But there is great danger of trusting in the outward act of humiliation, and expecting that God will answer our prayers for the sake of our fasting. This will inevitably bring upon us disappointment and leanness of soul. This is the kind of fasting so common among Roman Catholics, and other nominal Christians. But it is no better than idolatry. Most of the holidays which are usually devoted by the world to feasting-and mirth are very suitable occasions for Christians to fast and pray; and this for several reasons: (1.) They are seasons of leisure, when most people are disengaged from worldly pursuits. (2.) The goodness of God should lead us to repentance. Instead of spending these days in mirth over the blessings we have enjoyed, we should be looking into our hearts, to examine the manner in which we have received them; humbling ourselves on account of our ingratitude; and lifting up our hearts and voices in thanksgiving for them. (3.) The first day of the new year, birth-days, &c., are very suitable occasions for renewing our past lives, repenting of our unfaithfulness, making resolutions of amendment, and renewing afresh the solemn dedication of ourselves to God.
When you set apart a day of fasting and prayer, you ought to have in view some definite and particular objects. The day should be spent in self-examination, meditation, reading the Scriptures, confession of sin, prayer for the particular objects which bear upon your mind, and thanksgiving for mercies received. Your self-examination should be as practical as possible; particularly looking into the motives of your prayers for the special objects which bear heavily upon your heart. Your confession of sin should be minute and particular; mentioning every sin you can recollect, whether of thought, word, or deed, with every circumstance of aggravation. This will have a tendency to affect your heart with a sense of guilt, produce earnest longings after holiness, and make sin appear more hateful and odious. Your meditations should be upon those subjects which are calculated to give you a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the abounding mercy of God in Christ. Your reading of the Scriptures should be strictly devotional. Your prayers should be very particular, mentioning everything relating to the object of your desires, and all the hindrances you have met in seeking after it. Carry all your burdens to the foot of the cross, and there lay them down. Your thanksgiving, also, should be very minute and particular, mentioning every mercy and blessing which you can recollect, with your own unworthiness, and every circumstance which may tend to show the exceeding greatness of God's love, condescension, and mercy.
4. Come to the work with a preparation of heart. The best preparation at all times is to maintain an habitual spirit of prayer, according to the first direction. But this is not all that is necessary. We are unavoidably much occupied with the things of this world. But when we come before the great Jehovah, to ask his favor and seek his grace, our minds should be heavenly. When you go into your closet, shut out the world, that you may be alone with God. Bring your mind into a calm and heavenly frame, and endeavor to obtain a deep sense of the presence of God, "as seeing him who is invisible." Think of the exalted nature of the work in which you are about to engage. Think of your own unworthiness, and of the way God has opened to the mercy seat. Think of your own wants, or of the wants of others, according to the object of your visit to the throne of grace. Think of the inexhaustible fulness treasured up in Christ. Think of the many precious promises of God to his children, and come with the spirit of a little child to present them before him.
5. Persevere in prayer. If you are seeking for any particular object, which you know to be agreeable to the will of God, and your prayers are not heard, you may be sure of one of two things: (1.) You have been asking amiss. Something is wrong in yourself. Perhaps you have been selfish in your desires; you have not desired supremely the glory of God; you have not felt your dependence: you have not humbled yourself sufficiently to receive a blessing; or perhaps you regard iniquity in your heart, in some other way. Examine yourself, therefore, in all these particulars. Repent, where you find your prayers have been amiss. Bow very low before God, and seek the influences of his Spirit to enable you to pray aright. (2.) Or, perhaps the Lord delays an answer for the trial of your faith. Consider then the encouragements which he has given us to be importunate in prayer. In the eleventh chapter of Luke, our Lord shows us that our friends may be prevailed upon to do us a kindness because of our importunity, when they would not do it on account of friendship. And in the eighteenth chapter, he shows us that even an unjust judge may be persuaded by importunity to do justice. Hence he argues the importance of persevering in prayer; and adds with emphasis, "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will avenge them speedily." Again; look at the case of the Syrophenician woman. She continued to beseech Jesus to have mercy on her, although he did not answer her a word. The disciples entreated Christ to send her away, because she troubled them with her cries; yet she persevered. And even when Christ himself told his disciples that he was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and compared her to a dog seeking for the children's bread; yet, with all these repulses, she would not give up her suit; but begged even for the dog's portion -- the children's crumbs. When by this means our Lord had sufficiently tried her faith, he answered her prayer. So likewise persevere in your prayers, and "in due time you shall reap, if you faint not!"
Your affectionate Brother.