text:
I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.John 15:5a
Here Christ repeats His foregoing words almost verbatim. He wants to be sure to impress on His disciples that they must look to Him alone and adhere firmly to Him. “For I,” He says, “am the Vine, as you know, and you are My branches.” As though He were saying: “No one will ever alter this relationship. No, God has, as you heard, ordained that I, and no other, am to be the Vine. You dare not investigate and search further for any other vine or suppose that you or others might be true branches in God’s sight if you are not grafted in Me, the only Vine there is.” For Christ foresaw very well, as I have said earlier, what would happen in Christendom, how both raging tyrants and false teachers would oppose this doctrine and many would falsely call themselves the vine and the branches. In fact, this is what most of us have done up to this time. Thus the rabble of barefoot friars have publicly and impudently set up their Francis with his rule as the vine. They have elevated him and his works to the level of Christ in every respect. They have taught: Whoever would be a true branch and bear perfect fruit must follow in the footsteps of Francis and observe his rules.
There always have been, and always will be, innumerable people of this stripe who assume that name and appearance. Christ Himself said that they would “lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24). For they gleam and glitter far more beautifully than Christ with His true branches. “In comparison,” Christ would say, “I appear, not as a vine but as the stalk of a wild thornbush, and you as a thorn hedge. But do not take offense at this or be misled by attractive outward appearances and fine words. For I, and I alone, must be the One planted and placed by God Himself as the Vine; and you, if you hold to Me and remain in Me, shall be the only true branches, even if the devil and all the world say otherwise.” It is necessary to repeat this reminder, since no one understands or believes this unless time and adversity demonstrate how many people and how many different kinds of people band together against this Vine and how few there are who endure and remain in Him. This is the first point.
In the second place, Christ speaks the words “He who abides in Me, and I in him” (John 15:5) against the false Christians, to inform us that a person is not a true branch in Christ by his natural strength and works. For the branch is not manufactured; it grows and it must be of the nature or species of Christ the Vine. The vine and the branches are not assembled or grafted, as is done with a little twig or shoot on a dry stem; but the branches must be of the proper type—they must grow from Christ. For the mere name does not make you a Christian, nor does the fact that you live among Christians, as the apostle Judas and others did. People may dwell among Christians, pray, fast, partake of the Sacrament, and conduct themselves outwardly as Christians, so that they cannot be excommunicated; but in spite of all this they are not true branches. They are strange and withered twigs of thorns among the grapes, although they excel the others in appearance. But it will always be true that he who is a Christian must have emerged and grown naturally from Christ the Vine.
Here it is not possible to make or carve. The mock bishops who consecrate Easter cakes, the monks, and nuns imagine that they make people holy with their tomfoolery, when they smear on their chrism, trim their tonsures, and don their cowls. But this is not making and carving; it is fraud and hocus-pocus pure and simple. A Christian and a true saint must be a divine work and creation, the creature of a Master who with a single word can make everything out of nothing, and make it complete and perfect. No human effort, rule, or order can do this. For even if an abbot teaches and trains a monk for a long time, the final product will, after all, be no more than a human being as he has been created—a human being endowed with a free will and reason, and made up of flesh and blood. To be sure, he is clothed and adorned in a different way with works; but in spite of this his nature remains unchanged. He is still a knave, and his nature and his thoughts are no different from what they were before. For he still drags the old Adam around with him; but he has pulled a mask over the old Adam and has feigned a different way of living, and different works. These are all human works, just as a school-teacher trains and schools a child with works but cannot make another creature or form. This only the Creator can do with His own hand and power, and without human aid.
And it is done in this manner: When I am baptized or converted by the Gospel, the Holy Spirit is present. He takes me as clay and makes of me a new creature, which is endowed with a different mind, heart, and thoughts, that is, with a true knowledge of God and a sincere trust in His grace. To summarize, the very essence of my heart is renewed and changed. This makes me a new plant, one that is grafted on Christ the Vine and grows from Him. My holiness, righteousness, and purity do not stem from me, nor do they depend on me. They come solely from Christ and are based only in Him, in whom I am rooted by faith, just as the sap flows from the stalk into the branches. Now I am like Him and of His kind. Both He and I are of one nature and essence, and I bear fruit in Him and through Him. This fruit is not mine; it is the Vine’s.
Thus Christ and the Christians become one loaf and one body, so that the Christian can bear good fruit—not Adam’s or his own, but Christ’s. For when a Christian baptizes, preaches, consoles, exhorts, works, and suffers, he does not do this as a man descended from Adam; it is Christ who does this in him. The lips and tongue with which he proclaims and confesses God’s Word are not his; they are Christ’s lips and tongue. The hands with which he toils and serves his neighbor are the hands and members of Christ, who, as He says here, is in him; and he is in Christ.
Behold, with the words “He who abides in Me, and I in him” (John 15:5) Christ wants to indicate that Christianity is not brought in from without; it is not put on like a garment, nor does it consist in the adoption of a new manner of living, which, like monasticism and self-chosen sanctity, is concerned with works. It is a new birth brought about by God’s Word and Spirit; there must be an entirely new man from the bottom of his heart. Then, however, when the heart is born anew in Christ, fruits will follow naturally, such as the confession of the Gospel, works of love, obedience, patience, chastity, etc.
Here Christ wants to exhort His disciples to be sure to remain in His Word, which makes true and regenerate Christians—Christians who bear much fruit from the Vine and are on their guard against every other kind of doctrine, which perverts the Word and presumes to make the tree from the fruit, or grapes from thistles and thorns, which, of course, is impossible, since like begets like. Even if a person teaches this for a long time, slaves over it, and exhausts himself with works, human nature is not changed. You must have the true nature and type to begin with; you will not accomplish anything by slaving and by wearing yourself out. For the two things are and always remain widely separated: the one is called human fabrication; the other, natural growth. It always happens that what we ourselves fashion requires greater and harder effort; yet it does not prosper as well as that which has grown naturally. For this moves, stands, lives, and acts of itself as it should. “Thus,” Christ says, “all other doctrines must concern themselves with fabricating something out of works. Yet they can never carry it out. But if you remain in Me as natural branches on the Vine, you will surely bear good fruits, and many of them.”
For apart from Me you can do nothing.John 15:5b
This is a brief conclusion and a clear explanation. “Apart from Me,” says Christ, “that is, if you do not remain in Me and become regenerated Christians through Me, you will do nothing, try as you will.” But how can Christ make such an exaggerated statement? How can He be so offensive? could it be possible that all the pious and excellent people there were at that time among the Jews, and all there may still be among the Christians, accomplished nothing? Could all their efforts have been in vain? Is it not true that they performed, and still perform, many more works, and greater ones, than the poor, wretched, little flock, which can boast of nothing but of this Christ? Oh, these are offensive and blasphemous words to the ears of the great saints—the holy Jews, the Pharisees, and others, such as St. Paul in his fine and irreproachable righteousness according to the Law, the spiritual and devout hermits of our time, the Carthusians and other monks, and I myself at one time! They strive with great earnestness for piety; they want to go to heaven. Or look at the heathen. See how well they have governed lands and people, established law and order, maintained peace and discipline, fostered knowledge of many kinds. As a result, the whole world praises and admires their wisdom. Furthermore, we read that some heretics lived a much stricter life and performed greater works than the true Christians. I am thinking of the Cathari and the Encratites. The forty-day fast was also introduced by heretics, and it is said of the Turks that many among them lead a very ascetic life and perform wonderfully great works: fasting, giving alms, etc. And now all factions cry out against us and our doctrine for not devoting ourselves to this as they do. They say that we do not have the Spirit, because we do not live as they do. How, then, can Christ say here: “Apart from Me you can do nothing”?
As said before, the answer to this question is: Here Christ is not speaking of physical or worldly life and conduct, as the scoffers misinterpret Him; He is speaking of the fruits of the Gospel. For when He created the world, He commanded and empowered man to rule physically over beasts, birds, and fish, to maintain home life, to rear children, to cultivate the fields, to rule over lands and people, etc. It was not necessary for Christ to give instruction about this, for it was implanted in nature and written in their hearts. Furthermore, all books, with the exception of Holy Writ, are derived from that source and spring. Therefore Christ’s words and doctrine must not be interpreted as though He had wanted to teach and ordain anything in addition to this or to institute anything better. Christ is speaking exclusively of His spiritual kingdom and government, in which God Himself dwells, reigns, and works through His Word and Spirit toward a spiritual, eternal life. For this is God’s own realm: to baptize, to preach the Gospel, to administer the Sacrament, to console and strengthen timid and grieving consciences, to terrify and punish the wicked with excommunication, to perform works of love and mercy, and to endure the cross. All this is done because thereby we please God, are His children, are redeemed from sin and death, and have eternal life. The secular realm can do nothing at all to achieve this end, for it all must end with this life.
“In this kingdom,” Christ says, “you are nothing and can do nothing unless you are and remain in Me.” Yes, all that the world undertakes, contemplates, and is able to do counts for nothing before God; as, for instance, the zeal, the spirituality, and the self-chosen worship of all the Jews, Turks, and the pope’s saints. Nor can any schismatic spirit who has fallen away from Christ ever teach or do anything that is right; he only leads both himself and others farther away from Christ. Take, for example, the Anabaptists of today with their fanaticism. They only baptize people out of church and contend against the Spirit, as is finally seen by their fruit. Nor can all monks and monastic orders who teach and practice their work-righteousness ever come to Christ or bring a person to true knowledge. They cannot counsel and console a conscience, deliver from the smallest sin, or bear any Christian fruit. Consequently, whatever they do is lost, even though the works are numerous, important, and arduous. The more they torment and torture themselves, the less they accomplish. I can testify to this on the basis of my own experience. For more than twenty years I was a pious monk, read Mass daily, and so weakened myself with fasting and praying that I would not have been long for this life had I continued. Yet all this taken together cannot help me in even one little crisis to be able to say before God: “All this I have done; now please consider it, and be gracious to me.” What else did I achieve with this than to plague myself uselessly, impair my health, and waste my time? Now I must hear Christ pass this judgment on it: “You did this without Me; therefore it is nothing and has no room in My kingdom. It can avail neither you nor others for eternal life.” Yes, I myself must now stamp and condemn it as sin committed in idolatry and unbelief. I must be terrified when I think of it. Still everyone clung to this and regarded it as the way to salvation. For such a purpose all the world, eager to purchase such holiness and merit, is ready to give and donate. And this holiness was shamelessly offered for sale—signed, sealed, and delivered.
Thus a fearful judgment is decreed here against all life and activity—no matter how great, glorious, and beautiful—if it has no connection with Christ. Then it can do nothing and be nothing. It is great and highly esteemed before the world, for it is regarded as excellent and precious work. But here in the kingdom of Christ and before God it is truly nothing, because it has not grown out of Him and does not remain in Him. For it is not His Word, Baptism, and Sacrament; it is our own fabrication, which we have chosen and exacted apart from the Word. Therefore it cannot bear fruit or pass muster before God; it must be exterminated like a rotten and withered tree without sap and strength. As Christ says later (v. 6), it must be cast into the fire. Therefore let others carve and make whatever they can without Him, until they have fashioned a new birth out of their works and a tree from the fruit. What they will do, please God, is to verify this verse, and it will all amount to a big zero.
But who believes that this verse could be so comprehensive and damn so many people? Or that the world is so full of false Christians and saints? But this proclamation is addressed to us, lest we run and toil in vain, as St. Paul admonishes in 1 Cor. 9:26. We must see to it that we are always found in Christ, that is, that we hold to His Word and let nothing tear us away from it. Then the true and enduring fruit will surely follow. It is a mighty comfort and bulwark for a person to know that his life and works are not in vain but are pleasing to God and are called true fruit, and for him to be able to say with all his heart: “I was baptized in the name of Christ. I did not invent this Baptism or institute it through my monastic order or rule, nor did it come into being by human choice. No, Christ my Lord Himself is the author; this I know for certain. In the second place, I know and profess before all the world that by the grace of God I believe in that Man, and I am resolved to remain with Him and to surrender life, limb, and everything rather than deny Him. In this faith I stand and live. Then I go forth, eat and drink, sleep and wake, rule, serve, labor, act, and suffer all in the faith in which I am baptized; and I know that this is good fruit and is pleasing to God.”
The life of such a person and whatever he does, whether great or small and no matter what it is called, is nothing but fruit and cannot be without fruit; for in Christ he has been born into a new existence, in order that he may constantly be full of good fruit. Everything such a person does becomes easy for him, not troublesome or vexatious. Nothing is too arduous for him or too difficult to suffer and bear. By way of contrast, the others, who do not have faith and who presume to make good fruit themselves, never have such comfort, even though they torture themselves intensely and perform many important works and more than others perform. They do everything with a heavy heart. Consequently, they can never be happy or have the assurance that what they do is pleasing to God. Thus everything they do is wasted and lost. Therefore it is true that whatever is done without and apart from Christ amounts to nothing and is altogether corrupt, useless, and worthless. On the other hand, everything that counts is done in Christ and is altogether rich, perfect, and precious fruit.
But the world with its pseudo saints and its sects cannot understand this. They say: “What kind of Christian can such a person be? All he can do is to eat and drink, work in the home, tend the children, guide the plow, etc. That much I can do just as well and better!” Ah, one must make a distinction between what a Christian does and what the heathen also do, and not be so quick to designate everything as fruits of the Christian life! Judged by such common task as those performed by father and mother, child, servant, husband or wife, the heathen would fare better than we. Therefore we must have something different and out of the ordinary—something beyond what the common man does, as, for instance, entering a cloister, lying on the ground, wearing a hair shirt, or praying day and night without ceasing. Such work they call a holy life and Christian fruit. And they are quick to deduce from this that rearing children, doing domestic work, etc., is not a holy life. For they look solely at the outward appearance of the works and are unable to judge by the source of these work and their origin in the Vine. And who does not know that monasticism with its work appears greater when it is appraised by its outward shape and form, and not by the nature of its origin?
But now Christ says that only those works are good fruit that are done by people who are and remain in Him. And all their life and everything they do is called good fruit, even if it were something more menial than when a farm hand loads and hauls manure. This is incomprehensible to those people; they consider such work—as they see them before their eyes—ordinary pagan task. Among Christians, however, there arises a very great difference between what they do and what a heathen or someone else—apart from Christ—does, even if the work is completely identical. For the work of the heathen do not spring and grow from Christ the Vine. Therefore they cannot please God or be called Christian fruit. But since the work of Christians proceed from faith in Christ, they are all true and useful fruit. The Christian is just like the lamb, of which it is said that everything about it is good and useful, not only the flesh, the hide, and the bones but also the urine and the droppings.
It is true that a Christian is not as impressive with his works and fruit as a schismatic spirit or an eccentric, for he does not choose any particularly striking works but confines himself to the ordinary tasks that come up in everyday life. The trouble is that the world is unable to see that these are works performed by a new person in Christ. Therefore one and the same work becomes different even in one and the same person, depending on whether it is performed before or after he has come to faith in Christ. Previously he was a thistle and a thorn; for he was not a part of the Vine and for this reason was unable to bear fruit, and all the works he performed were lost and condemned. But now that he is a Christian, the same work is a fine and precious grape—not because it was done in this or that manner, but because it issues from the good Vine, which is Christ.
Therefore the point is to judge the work by the motive behind it, not by the kind of work it is. What is done—whether great or small, much or little—is not important; all depends on the source and fountain from which the works flow. Here Christians live and are active in a manner that is different and apart from the life and activity of all other people on earth. For here comes Christ and draws the dividing line. To him who occupies himself with self-designed works He says: “Your deeds are nothing; they are futile.” “Well,” you say, “have I not read Mass daily for so many years? Have I not abstained so long from eating meat? Have I not mortified my body? This ascetic life has been extremely hard for me. Is it possible that so many great and arduous works should be nothing?” “To be sure,” says Christ, “these can be called great and arduous tasks; but I declare that they are absolutely nothing, for they all have been done without Me.”
On the other hand, there may be some poor maiden, such as the Virgin Mary, who never performed any work that stood out above the works performed by others. With regard to her, Christ pronounces the judgment: “Lo, this maiden has not performed any of your great and arduous works; yet her life abounds in good works, for hers are works that are done in Me. For this reason I prize them as precious gems and will praise and reward them before God and all the angels. But your works shall be fit for nothing else than to be cast into the fire like thorns and thistles, for they are not done in Me.” And it will not help you to cry out that you are treated unjustly, or to make excuses and pretend ignorance; for He will say: “Why did you ignore My words, which foretold this and also warned you to be on your guard against all activity that excludes Me? Why did you not draw the clear and cogent conclusion that no one can do anything without Me?” Therefore one must learn not to look at works as a cow looks at a door; one must learn from what kind of heart and person they proceed. If the person is in Christ, then the work, be it as big or as little as it will, is a good fruit; for whatever remains in Him must bear much fruit, and all such works are precious grapes, even though sin creeps in now and then and there are false steps. For this is the manure with which he can fertilize his field, so that even his shortcomings must redound to his good and not to his hurt.
On the other hand, in the case of the other saints—monks, Turks, and heathen—not only the public sins are condemned; but even their best works, because of which they think they merit heaven, are rejected and, together with them, are sentenced to be burned. And this judgment against them is fair and just. For what devil induces us who are called Christians and are baptized to renounce Baptism and Christ and to seek for ourselves works of our own apart from Christ? Those who do this do not want to live, work, and act like other, ordinary Christians; they want to attract open-mouthed admiration on the part of the public with their special, novel, and self-chosen deeds. The schismatic spirits say: “We see no special work or fruit of the Spirit in those who know nothing to teach but Christ. One must really put forth strenuous effort by looking morose, wearing gray garments, owning no property, or, like the monks, by fasting, mortifying the flesh, and not eating and drinking as others do.” Such a life is outwardly very impressive, and the rabble, is quick to say: “What are our clergy and their followers in comparison? These are saintly, Christian people who forsake all, wear gray garments, etc.” In this way they let themselves be duped and turned away from Christ. And it serves them right. Do you not hear Christ declare here that you are not to look at and judge by such external appearances of works but by the stem and the root from which they grow? Therefore you should first inquire: “Why do you look so morose? Why do you wear gray clothing? Why do you set yourself apart from others?” They reply: “Well, one must really do one’s utmost and withdraw from the world if one wants to be saved.” There you see the donkey with its long ears! You abominable hypocrite and seducer, how will you bear fruit apart from and without the Vine? A morose mien will never take you to heaven. You must be in the Vine first. He must be the source of growth. Hence such works of yours are lost; they are null and void, because they are apart from and without Christ. Yes, on top of this, they are against Christ.
Quoted from Luther Works Volume 24 – and here is a reading of Eduard Ellwein´s selection of Luther´s commentary to this verse in German.
In this confidence and faith we sing, praise and confess another hymn of the church:
1 The church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word:
from heav’n he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.
2 Elect from ev’ry nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with ev’ry grace endued.
3 Though with a scornful wonder
men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping,
their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.
4 The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
to guide, sustain, and cherish,
is with her to the end;
though there be those that hate her,
and false sons in her pale,
against both foe and traitor
she ever shall prevail.
5 ‘Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace forevermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest.
6 Yet she on earth hath unionSamuel J. Stone (1839-1900)
with the God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.

domain: literature


text:
Darren Barker def. Daniel Geale by split decision, 113-114, 116-111, 114-113
Last night, Daniel Geale took on Darren Barker in the main event of an HBO Boxing After Dark triple-header. In a dramatic fight, it was Barker who took the win, claiming a split decision victory over Geale.
Check out Geale vs. Barker fight video highlights right here, courtesy of ESPN.
A win over Geale would have been impressive for Barker no matter what, but this performance was particularly dramatic. In round 6, Barker was dropped by a body shot. Not only did he somehow make it back to his feet, he went on to dominate the rest of the fight, arguably winning every round after the knockdown. For his part, Geale never seemed able to find his rhythm again after coming so close to finishing Barker off. An excellent, dramatic fight that deserves to be seen.
Next up in major boxing action is Abner Mares vs. Jhonny Gonzalez, this coming Saturday August 24 on Showtime. Join Bloody Elbow for Mares vs. Gonzalez fight coverage all week.

domain: news


text:
This is an original puzzle game. You have atoms connected to each other by lines. You can activate any atom that has at least 2 atoms of the same color connected to it. Activates atoms and the connected ones disappear. Your goal is to eliminate the whole structure. Some atoms have special functions. You'll be told what they are when they appear for the first time.
Played 97,428 times

domain: chemistry


– This week’s WWE NXT Level Up was taped last Tuesday from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Byron Saxton and Sudu Shah were on commentary, while Kelly Kincaid did ring announcing.
– Xyon Quinn defeated Tank Ledger. Quinn started the match with a show of disrespect. Ledge continues to improve. Quinn hit the cartwheel and splash but Quinn came back with the elbow and DVD, then the forearm for the pin.
– Kelly Kincaid interviewed Amari Miller backstage, asking about Elektra Lopez. She acknowledges Lopez is dangerous, but says she’s not the only one with attitude. Miller is here to climb the NXT ladder and beat people like Lopez.
– Elektra Lopez defeated Amari Miller. Lots of back & forth action here. Miller later went for the corkscrew splash from the corner but Lopez got her knees up. She then hit the Elektric Shock for the pin to win.
– Damon Kemp defeated Dante Chen. This was another back & forth match that carried on, with fans rallying for Chen at times. Chen went for a springboard at the end but Kemp caught him in mid-air, then hit a German suplex. Kemp finished Chen off with his backbreaker Uranage for the pin to win.
Below are clips from this week’s NXT Level Up episode:
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.


text:
Finding was part of the TeamLease Services' biannual 'Employment Outlook' report
The sector is forecast to witness 14.19% job growth with railways, waterways, air freight and warehousing recruiting the most
The logistics sector is likely to add 149,000 new jobs between April and September of this fiscal thanks to a growing online seller base in smaller cities, says the TeamLease Services' biannual 'Employment Outlook' report.
The report estimates that the logistics sector will witness a growth of 3%.
"The logistics sector employs around 8.24 million people as of second half of 2018-19. The penetration of e-commerce companies to tier-II and -III cities has created an increased demand for talent in this sector," said Teamlease Services' head of industrial, manufacturing and engineering vertical, Sudeep Sen,.
The sector is forecast to witness 14.19% job growth with railways, waterways, air freight and warehousing recruiting the most.
With 31,480 new jobs, Mumbai tops the list of cities with maximum opportunities that the logistics sector can offer followed by Delhi with an addition of 28,510 new jobs in the same period. Hiring sentiment will see an increase of 5% in Tier-II cities while Tier-III towns and rural areas will see a growth of 2% each.
The hiring outlook for mid-level employees however, is expected to grow by 4% and the same at entry and junior levels is expected to grow by 3% each.
The report added that attrition rates in the logistics sector will not be significant as against 17.27% that the sector saw in October-March, 2018-19.


text:
Syrians flee to Lebanon as violence continues
Hundreds of people in Syria have begun fleeing into northern Lebanon to escape the increasingly violent crackdown against pro-democracy supporters.
The nation has been rocked by pro-democracy protests which have been put down violently by the security forces, with human rights groups reporting more than 450 people killed since the start of the demonstrations on March 15.
Syrian troops continue to spread to towns and cities where protesters in recent days or weeks have staged demonstrations.
Residents in the Syrian border town of Tall Kalakh say troops encircled the town overnight after another demonstration and were preventing people from entering.
They say troops opened fire, wounding several people.
"They are allowing people out but not in," said Yahya Merii, 50, who crossed into Lebanon with his wife and two children.
"A demonstration was held on Wednesday afternoon and the security forces opened fire, injuring several people. We also heard gunfire exchanges in the town at night but we don't know who was involved."
Those fleeing Tall Kalakh, located about two kilometres from the border, were mostly women and children.
They carried mattresses and other belongings as they entered Lebanon through Qubeya, an unofficial border crossing in the Wadi Khaled region located in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar.
Mahmood Khazaal, the former mayor of the border village of Al-Muqaybleh, said by late afternoon 2,000 people had fled and were being housed with relatives and friends in the Wadi Khaled region.
"A few people arrived last night but the pace really picked up this morning beginning at 8:00am (local time)," he said.
"I have welcomed 18 people into my house," he added. "No-one is being left without a roof over their head.
"Most of those fleeing have family in the Wadi Khaled region."
Further south, Syrian forces were reportedly still in the city of Deraa. At least 30 people are said to have been shot dead in the city since Monday.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says there is a key difference between what is happening in Syria and what took place in Libya.
The United Nations agreed to impose a no-fly zone over Libya after Moamar Gaddafi threatened to wipe out rebel forces.
But the UN Security Council has failed to agree on a statement condemning the violence in Syria.
Mr Rudd says the actions of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have been extreme, but he has not gone as far as Mr Gaddafi.
"The turning point in the case of Libya was when Gaddafi effectively declared that he was going to wipe out the opposition within Benghazi," he said.
"In terms of that parallel declaration from Assad, it has not happened yet."


text:
Forever Fern for a Friend
My Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator Team has started doing technique classes on Zoom once a month. They’ve been so much fun! For years I had a Technique Class every month. We made a 4″ x 4″ card showing the technique and then created a card using the technique. My file of 4″ x 4″ technique cards is huge – and there are a couple cards that I forgot to add. Take a look.
The products you can see in the photo will tell you how long ago this was created. But the techniques still work with current products.
The first two months of techniques with our demo team, we made fun fold cards, so I looked through my technique file to refresh my memory about some of the “old” techniques. And here’s the one that caught my eye.
How fun is that background? And it’s not difficult at all. I’ll be sharing the details and “how-to” Thursday, September 3 at 7 p.m. on my Stamping with Buffy Facebook Page. Please tune in for the demonstration! If you want to play along, the ink, paper, and embossing folder/powder I used is in the supply list. You can, of course, change any of the colors. You’ll need a light, medium, dark, and darker ink, an embossing folder, Versamark Ink, and an an embossing powder.
For the fern parts, I stamped the various images in Mossy Meadow, Pear Pizzazz, and Cajun Craze. I also cut a few of the leaves from Gold Foil Sheets. The sentiment – also from Forever Fern – is stamped in Cajun Craze on Whisper White Cardstock, then punched with the Pretty Label Punch. (OOPS! I forgot to move this punch to my “retired” shelf, so I grabbed the first punch I picked up. But there are lots of other punches and dies that will work just as well.)
Don’t forget about the Starter Kit Promotion this month. You can read about it in my post on Tuesday. It’s a fabulous deal – two extra stamp sets, precut card pieces, embellishments plus $125 in product of your choice and a code for a free Paper Pumpkin kit – all for just $99. (Ok, you don’t have to read the post now, I guess.) Join my amazing team of demonstrators here.
So my husband is finishing his last class for his doctorate. Monday was his “last first day of school.” At least for now. He keeps saying he’s finished with school, but I don’t believe him. He loves to learn and has an Associate’s Degree, a Bachelor’s Degree, four Master’s Degrees, and soon his Doctorate. Actually, he already has a PhD, so two doctorates. The man is a thermometer. His last class was supposed to be in person in Atlanta, but because of Covid-19, it’s on Zoom. Oh. My. Goodness. How many of us have been participating in Zoom meetings and online classes and conventions for months? He’s two days in and already complaining about having to sit in front of his computer all day. He’d make a horrible crafter – because how many of us have gotten caught up in hours of YouTube videos and Pinterest boards and more until we realized it was time for dinner? Silly man. But I guess a doctoral class is a little more “heady” than our fun videos, so I can cut him a little slack.
Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!
Stunning and congrats to Mike!!!
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Thanks, Peggy! It’s fun, and it’s one of those techniques that’s almost impossible to mess up. 🙂
LOVE this card Buffy. It is stunning. That background could stand all by itself it is so pretty. What is Mike’s doctorate in???
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Thanks, Jackie! And I think he’s getting a DMin. He’s also working on a PhD. Or a ThD. I can’t keep up. 😂
Beautiful card. I can’t believe how big your technique ring is! Congratulations to Mike! He is amazing!
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Thank you. The ring is the result of several years of classes!
Too bad you aren’t doing the technique on YouTube. I’d love to watch. As for the ring of technique cards, I still have mine, and just recently went back through all the techniques. Yes, many are still usable and fun. Congrats to Mike and his “final” class. Right! He is a sponge, and might I say, very intelligent, Love this card. It is gorgeous.
I’m actually going to record on zoom and Facebook. I can send you the link (I’ll turn off your video/audio unless you want to be in the video!!). I also am planning to post it on YouTube too. Whew. One good thing about COVID-19 is I’m being pushed to reach some goals I hadn’t set a timeline for.
Such a gorgeous card, Buffy! I just love the textures and colours. Many congrats to Mike on his accomplishments! It’s amazing how much he’s done. Imagine if we crafters earned degrees – with everything we’ve learned (techniques, fancy folds, all about inks, etc) – we should make up our own degrees! LOL
Thanks, Deborah! This is one of my favorite backgrounds. And I’ll pass the kudos on to Mike. (I love the idea of degrees for crafting!)
Pingback: Poinsettia Petals for a Blue Christmas | Stamping with Buffy

domain: hobby


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The Suffolk County Legislature is set to vote on a $268.7 million police contract next week.
Newsday says the eight-year pact was approved by a legislative committee on Thursday.
The contract calls for lowering the starting salary for new recruits to $42,000 a year and increasing the time for reaching the maximum salary from five years to 12 years.
New officers also would contribute 15 percent toward health insurance premiums.
According to the budget office, the contract would save the county $43 million by avoiding retroactive pay.
The contract was negotiated by the county executive’s office and the police union without arbitration.
More breaking news
- Speculation swirls over Fed language on rate hike
- Once-troubled reverse mortgages poised for rebound
- LIREDC seeks state funding for 43 projects
- Hofstra awarded $2.5M STEM grant
- PM Pediatrics opens second Westchester site
- Q&A: Moke McGowan, LI Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
- Retailers brace as Congress debates online taxes
- LI gas prices fall 2.5 cents
- Apple iPhone 6 pre-order demand overwhelms supply
- NY tax receipts rise despite growing income gap

domain: finance


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Three individuals and two teams from Imperial College London have won prestigious prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
The individual Research and Innovation Prizes include academics working on molecules for medicine and technology, new disease detectors and catalysts for renewable resource futures.
Two teams, involving international collaborations focusing on chemical tools to understand glycobiology and revolutionising hydrogen peroxide production, have also won in the new category of Horizon Prizes, awarded to those who are opening up new directions and possibilities in their field, through groundbreaking scientific developments.
Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Scientific discovery opens fascinating new frontiers, and we are proud to recognise those whose discoveries push the boundaries of knowledge and its application, and motivate others to follow in their footsteps.”
Professor Matthew Fuchter (Department of Chemistry) – Corday-Morgan Prize
Professor Fuchter won the prize for the development of chemistry-led approaches to interrogate function in chemistry, materials and medicine. Professor Fuchter also receives £5000 and a medal.
His work involved inventing and constructing new molecules for use in a wide range of technologies and medicines. His efforts have produced molecular therapeutics that have entered clinical studies for the treatment of cancer, and novel light-emitting materials that could one day appear in commercial organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. His team’s expertise in molecular design, synthesis and characterisation is key to their ability to work on such diverse research topics.
On receiving the prize, Professor Fuchter said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this award from the RSC, which recognises not just my success, but the hard work of my research group and collaborators. I am especially delighted with this prize in particular, since it was established by Sir Gilbert Morgan, an important alumnus from the Royal College of Science (precursor to Imperial College London). Like me, he also had an interest in azo dyes!”
Dr James Wilton-Ely (Department of Chemistry) – Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Award
Dr Wilton-Ely won the prize for contributions to the application of metals in biological sensing and medical imaging. Dr Wilton-Ely also receives £3000 and a medal.
Dr Wilton-Ely's research group have designed sensitive and selective probes for monitoring carbon monoxide (CO) in cells, which can be an indicator of disease. They have also combined this with a measure of the viscosity of cells, an innovation that could allow relatively low-cost equipment to be used to provide information on both these markers of disease.
The group are currently working with cancer researchers to explore the role of CO in immune suppression, which could lead to more effective cancer treatments.
On receiving the prize, Dr Wilton-Ely said: “This award reflects the work of many individuals in my group over the years and I am particularly delighted that it recognises our work on biological carbon monoxide detection. This is an area we have been exploring with collaborators in Spain and within the Department of Chemistry, which has taken our research into biological and medical imaging.
“It is fitting that the award is named after Imperial’s Nobel Prize winner, Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson, who also explored the reactivity of carbon monoxide with metal complexes, in the context of catalysis. In fact, as a PhD student, I worked in the lab next to Sir Geoffrey’s office, occasionally receiving some complaints on the loudness of our music!”
Dr Ceri Hammond (Department of Chemical Engineering) – Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prize
Dr Hammond won the prize for the development of traditional and sustainable catalytic processes using heterogeneous catalysts. Dr Hammond also receives £5000 and a medal.
Transitioning to a sustainable society by substituting fossil resources for renewable alternatives requires the development of ways to rearrange chemical bonds. This is the focus of Dr Hammond's research, whose group works on developing catalysts; compounds that speed up chemical reactions, but which are not used up during the process.
By developing new kinds of catalysts, the group is able to do new types of chemistry so that important industrial products can be made from renewable waste materials instead of non-renewable fossil resources.
On receiving the prize, Dr Hammond said: "I am honoured to be a recipient of the 2021 Harrison-Meldola award, and for the recognition reflected by this prestigious award from The Royal Society of Chemistry.
"I am grateful to all those who have supported me to this stage, including my colleagues at Imperial College London, my collaborators, previous co-workers and most importantly the members of my research team – both past and present – for all their effort and hard work."
GlycoTrackers team – Chemistry Biology Interface Division Horizon Prize: Rita and John Cornforth Award
The international team receives the prize for the development of chemical precision tools for the new era of quantitative glycobiology.
Every cell in the human body is covered by a layer of sugar molecules called glycans, which are involved in processes that are essential for life. However, small changes in glycans can have a profound impact on metabolism or on mounting immune responses against pathogens.
The GlycoTrackers team has developed a set of chemical ‘precision tools’ that allow the direct mapping of glycans by taking a detailed look into the activity of glycosyltransferases – molecular machines that build glycans. The team has been able to directly profile which glycans are modified by which glycosyltransferases within a cell. This technology could give scientists the capacity to characterise changes in cell surface glycans during the formation of diseases such as cancer.
Imperial team members include Professor Stuart Haslam (Life Sciences), Dr Aristotelis Antonopoulos (Life Sciences), and members of the Chemical Glycobiology Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, which include Dr Ben Schumann (Chemistry), Dr Anna Cioce, Dr Zhen Li, Mia Zol-Hanlon, Beatriz Calle and William Browne.
On receiving the prize, they said: “We are honoured to be part of a team of incredible scientists from all over the world who brought a two-decade-old idea to fruition: the development of chemical tools to decipher the functions of individual glycosyltransferase enzymes in the living cell.
"The RSC Horizon Awards are an amazing scheme to highlight a collective achievement in a project that would not have been possible without the power of interdisciplinarity and thrived on the contributions of every single team member.”
HPNow Team – Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division Horizon Prize: John Jeyes Award
Led by scientists at Imperial College London, Chalmers University, University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark, University of Calgary and BASE Life Science, the team receives the prize for scientific and engineering breakthroughs that have enabled hydrogen peroxide synthesis to become a commercial and industrial reality. This new method allows hydrogen peroxide, an environmentally friendly chemical for treating water, to be made on-site and on-demand.
Before now, most hydrogen peroxide had been produced at high concentrations, with transportation proving to be a hazard risk. However, this new electrolyser is able to be inserted into the water at treatment plants, delivering hydrogen peroxide on-site in an energy saving manner.
The resulting company, HPNow, has installations in over 15 countries around the world, treating water at both hospitals and agricultural sites. The company has also opened an emission-free hydrogen peroxide production plant in Spain which uses solar power. Through this, the team are hoping that this technology will inspire more decarbonisation in industry.
After receiving the prize, Dr Ifan Stephens, from the Department of Materials at Imperial, said: “We feel incredibly honoured to be amongst the first recipients of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Horizon Prize. Since our work was such a collaborative effort, we feel the format of the prize – where it is awarded to the entire team – was particularly appropriate.”
Article text (excluding photos or graphics) © Imperial College London.
Photos and graphics subject to third party copyright used with permission or © Imperial College London.
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La Paloma (violin duo)
Title: La Paloma (The Dove)
Composer: Sebastian Yradier, arr. David Gable
Instrumentation: Two Violins
Printout: 4 pages
Note: Written around 1850, the habanera La Paloma was destined to become a world-wide sensation, but sadly not before the composer’s death in 1865. Even today, a century and a half later, La Paloma remains a classic of the genre. Melodic material intros arrangement is shared between the two parts.


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Original screen has been replaced with a new LCD with various colour modes. (Press the brightness wheel to change the colour). Shell has been replaced with a new clear one so it looks like new.
Brand new buttons and D Pad. All battery contacts have been cleaned and replaced where necessary.
Check out my shop for more moded retro consoles. This item is in the category "Video Games & Consoles\Video Game Consoles". The seller is "stem_gaming" and is located in this country: GB.
This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.


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Dunham Apologizes for Odell Beckham Jr. Comments
Last week, Girls star and creator Lena Dunham had a conversation with comedian Amy Schumer, where they discussed what it is like to be a woman in the entertainment industry and deal with sexism on a regular basis. However, the conversation took a strange turn when Dunham and Schumer discussed their experiences at the Met Gala last year. Dunham’s comments sexualized and projected her own insecurities onto the unsuspecting Odell Beckham Jr., who had the misfortune of being seated next to her at the Met Gala.
“I was sitting next to Odell Beckham Jr., and it was so amazing because it was like he looked at me and he determined I was not the shape of a woman by his standards. He was like, ‘That’s a marshmallow. That’s a child. That’s a dog.’ It wasn’t mean—he just seemed confused.
The vibe was very much like, “Do I want to fuck it? Is it wearing a…yep, it’s wearing a tuxedo. I’m going to go back to my cell phone.” It was like we were forced to be together, and he literally was scrolling Instagram rather than have to look at a woman in a bow tie. I was like, “This should be called the Metropolitan Museum of Getting Rejected by Athletes.”
Now, while I am certain that we all have objectified very handsome, famous men who we do not know and likely will never know personally, Dunham’s comments ring narcissistic at best and clueless at worst. Many on Twitter and in the media criticized Dunham for her comments, as they harkened to a long history of white women over-sexualizing and lying on black men in public.
It's even more disgusting when you take apart the stereotype of black men being oversexed, hypersexualized beings.
— X (@XLNB) September 2, 2016
While it seems to me that this instance is simply a misstep on Dunham’s part (I imagine that she was probably just trying to be funny when speaking to Schumer), it should be noted that in many cases in the past, black men lost their lives over the public lies and accusations of white women.
After an extensive dragging on Twitter and in the media, Dunham issued a long apology on Instagram, acknowledging the racial undertones of her comments. Dunham actually reached out to Twitter user, Xavier (quoted above). He is a writer and director who tweeted at and informed Dunham of the racist history behind comments like hers. Dunham responded to X’s tweets, which is great, but Dunham’s response warrants a question: why has she refused to listen to the critiques of her work from black women, who have been vocal about her race issues for years?
In any case, Dunham apologized for accusing Beckham of ignoring her, while he had in fact done absolutely nothing to her besides not give her the attention she believed she deserved. She conceded that she was wrong to ascribe misogyny to a man who had not even said a disparaging word to her. While I do believe that women may (accurately) sense sexism in a man’s actions or inactions, ultimately no one owes anyone time or attention.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 3, 2016
Good on Lena for listening to her critics and apologizing to Beckham. As a public figure, her words matter, and historically, what white women say about black men in public can have dire consequences for their career and even their lives. This exchange was mostly another example of Dunham’s obliviousness when it comes to issues of race, but as this story shows, nothing said in public is absent the context of history.
Photo Credits: Flickr

domain: celebrity


Campbell Creek Trail
Commute to Downtown Anchorage
Most errands require a car.
Campbell Creek Trail has a Walk Score of 48 out of 100. This location is a Car-Dependent neighborhood so most errands require a car.
This location is in the Taku/Campbell neighborhood in Anchorage. Nearby parks include Campbell Creek Greenbelt Park, Bancroft Park and Wickersham Park.
Nearby schools include S.A.V.E. High School, Anchorage Gymnastics Association and Continuation School.
The closest grocery stores are Alaska Halal Grocery, Lucky Market and K & L Distributors Inc.
Nearby coffee shops include The Coffee Coach, Loca-Mocha and Sis's Cafe and Catering. There are six restaurants within a 15 minute walk including Arctic Roadrunner, The Peanut Farm and Trapper's Creek Smoking Co.
Campbell Creek Trail is near Cuddy Family Midtown Park, Bancroft Park and Conner's Lake Dog Park.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from Campbell Creek Trail.


Aruba ClearPass goes to Washington
Well, close to Washington. Actually, we’ll be at Protect 2016 in National Harbor, MD where we’ll be using HPE’s biggest security event to unveil some interesting new features within ClearPass that bridge the gap between network and security focused IT staff.
ClearPass OnConnect – For starters there’s a new model for deploying NAC that does not require the use of AAA. The network team can setup wired switches to use SNMP enforcement as users and devices connect onto a network. The security team gets a simpler way to meet compliance demands without a complicated deployment that involves having users configure supplicants and agents.
Adding a layer of access control doesn’t affect the user experience either. The user gets asked for their login and password, a device assessment is performed and SNMP is used to place the user and device into an appropriate VLAN. No agents, no heavy lifting.
The best thing about ClearPass is that it supports both this new model and - tried and true - AAA and 802.1X enforcement when needed for wired and wireless deployments. As laptops, smart devices and IoT converge on your networks in greater numbers you’ll need a solution that scales to meet changing needs.
ClearPass Extensions – Because the network and security teams may have approached NAC, guest access, BYOD, and IoT controls in different ways we often see disparate solutions that cannot share and leverage each other. A visitor registration service that does not provide a way to give users guest access is an example. An MDM solution that does not share device context with an NAC solution for “network policy” enforcement can be another shortfall in a workflow.
Extensions give our customers a simple way to integrate ClearPass with another vendors’ solution via a small purpose-built piece of code that gets uploaded into a repository that sits within ClearPass. The use of APIs are then used to exchange data between ClearPass and the third party solution.
In fact, make sure to check out blogs from Sine (visitor registration), Kasada (multi -factor authentication) and Skyfii (analytics). They’re three of first vendors that have created Extensions for their customers.
In summary here’s how we help bridge the gap:
- Identify: All devices are fingerprinted and categorized using ClearPass’ built-in profiling feature. And, ClearPass also gives the security staff context about the users that are connecting as well. It’s good to know what devices are connecting, but better if you can associate devices with users.
- Enforce: We give organizations a starting point for protecting the network that doesn’t involve a lot of configuration. Cisco, HPE, and other wired switches can play a role in the enforcement of policies within any environment.
- Unify: We give you ways in which existing and future security, services and point solutions can leverage one another to provide a coordinated defense in any wired, and wireless deployment. Automated workflows now take the place of manual interaction.
Thanks for your time. For more information about OnConnect and Extensions make sure to check out our website.
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Join us for Clarendon’s Finest Strawberry Festival. This has been an annual staple to Clarendon for decades and we intend to keep it that way. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Seating is limited so get here early. Doors open at 4:00 pm.
The menu will include the following:
- Carved Ham
- Potato Salad
- Deviled Eggs
- Baked Beans
- Coffee, Lemonade, Iced Tea or Water
- Strawberry Shortcake OR Strawberries & Ice Cream
Carry out will be available upon request.

domain: food


The agency and its contractors are not scheduling any full construction or maintenance closures along state highways from Friday afternoon, May 27, through Monday night, May 30, to limit impacts on holiday weekend travel. They do, however, ask drivers to prepare to slow down and merge safely when approaching and traveling through existing work zones.
For those who are traveling out of town this weekend, ADOT offers these holiday weekend safe driving recommendations:
- Buckle up and obey speed limits
- Check your vehicle, including tire pressure
- Get some rest before traveling. Fatigue is a serious safety risk
- Avoid distractions. Don’t text while driving
- Don’t park in areas with grasses and brush. Hot vehicle components could start a fire
Motorists also should pack extra drinking water and other items including blankets, a first aid kit, flashlight, extra batteries, a fully charged cell phone and charger, snacks, baby diapers if necessary and a small tool kit.
And whether staying in town or heading to higher elevations, never drive while impaired. Arrange for a designated driver or ride service if necessary. The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says that Impaired Driving Deployment activities will be taking place during the Memorial Day Weekend throughout the state by 85 law enforcement agencies, including specially trained drug recognition experts (DRE’s) who will be working DUI Patrols.
Drivers can find real-time highway conditions on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at www.az511.gov. ADOT also provides highway condition updates via its Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT. When a highway closure or other major traffic event occurs, the free app available at www.adotalerts.com will send critical information directly


James Reid was a New York gunsmith best known for his “My Friend” knuckleduster revolvers, but before he devised the idea for those he was working in New York City making traditional style revolvers. This particular one is a Number 2 pattern example, a .32 caliber, 7-shot rimfire revolver.
These were manufactured in violation […]
By 1932, the competition for the new US emiautomatic service rifle had been narrowed down to just two designs: John Pedersen’s delayed blowback toggle action and John Garand’s gas-operated action. Both rifles were chambered for Pedersen’s .276 caliber cartridge, and used 10-round en bloc clips. Twenty samples of each were made and sent out […]
In late 1940, the US military opened a competition for what would become the M1 Carbine – a rifle that needed to use the .30 Carbine cartridge and weigh no more than 5 pounds (2.27kg). No fewer than 9 companies and designers entered the first round of competition in April 1941, including John Garand, […]
Finnish red guard militia members posing for the camera some time during the civil war (click to enlarge).
The woman at the front right has a Winchester 1895, almost certainly of Russian contract origin in 7.62x54R. The others appear to have Type 30 Arisaka rifles, which would have been sold to Russia by Japan […]
Savage made more than a quarter-million pocket pistols in .32 and .380 caliber, but never commercially marketed a .25ACP design. They did design such a “baby” pistol, though, beginning in about 1912. Despite a significant tooling investment, only 40 were ever made (perhaps because they could not be made cost-competitive with other competing guns). The […]
In 1914, a long-standing strike of mine workers against the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company was ended by the Colorado National Guard in what is known today as the Ludlow Massacre. As part of their preparations, the Guard emplaced a Colt 1895 “Potato Digger” machine gun on Water Tower Hill above the striking workers’ camp. […]
This revolver looks like it is a Smith & Wesson DA from the early 20th century, right down to the S&W grips. However, it is actually a Spanish Eibar-made copy, and you can tell when you take a close look at the patent markings atop the barrel. Instead of “Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Mass, USA”, […]
I am often asked what is the coolest new thing in firearms technology…and the answer isn’t anything having to do with the actual gun design. Our guns today are mechanically the same as they were in 1950. What has improved markedly are materials and optics. A Glock is just another simplified Browning tilting-barrel action, […]
T.W. Cofer was a Virginian gunsmith who made revolvers for the Confederate cause during the Civil War – although he never had a formal contract with the CSA. His pistols were sold privately to individual soldiers, and in at least one case bought in bulk by a unit commander.
One thing that makes Cofer stand […]
One of the less common accessories for Colt percussion pistols is the original factory shoulder stock. And far less common still is the factory stock made with a canteen inside it! The stocks were made of two pieces of wood pressed together over a pewter drinking water canteen in the center of the stock. Very […]


EVELYN RAMIREZ – for the trolley system
“Take a ride on the trolley and let it transport you to a world full of adventure and discovery!”
It’s like when Daniel Tiger and his friends take the trolley in “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”. Each ride is an opportunity for them to explore new places and meet new friends.
On Nov. 3, Mayor Jerry Dyer introduced “The Hop”, a new trolley system that aims to connect more residents to downtown Fresno. The trolley is revolutionizing the way residents and visitors travel throughout the city.
With its cool design, free fare, free Wi-Fi, and eco-friendly features, not only is this a great addition providing a convenient way to get around, but it is also contributing to reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
The trolley, which was introduced as part of the city’s sustainable urban transport project, operates on low-emission technology, making it an environmentally-friendly choice for commuters as well as reducing congestion and traffic on roads.
The trolley system will also bring several benefits to businesses by stimulating local economic growth, improving access to key areas and attracting more tourists and customers. It makes it easier for people to visit and support businesses.
The trolley’s route covers key areas of Fresno, including the downtown area, shopping districts, and entertainment venues. Passengers can hop on and off the trolley at various stops conveniently located throughout the city, allowing them to easily access popular destinations and attractions. Whether you’re visiting Fresno for the first time or are a long-term resident, this new trolley system offers a fun memorable experience.
In an interview with Fresnoland, Karen Carrillo, president of Associated Students, Inc. at Fresno State, noted that The Hop will be a way to connect commuter students to the downtown nightlife.
“Something I hear so often when commuters come to Fresno State is, ‘What is there to do in Fresno? Where’s the fun? Where can I go for the nightlife?’” Carrillo said. “And the first thing that I always brag to them about is ArtHop, it is the nightlife, it is the thrift stores, it is your favorite coffee shop.”
Although buses could have been improved, there must be factors to play such as cost, flexibility, or the existing infrastructure. The trolley system has a unique charm and can enhance the aesthetic appeal of the city. And although The Hop currently only connects to seven stops, Dyer said that the service will be expanded if a larger demand is seen over time.
With its bright and vibrant exterior, the new trolley has quickly become a recognizable symbol of Fresno’s commitment to sustainable mobility.
As a college student, this will be easily accessible for me. I enjoy thrifting and going out. I am looking forward to going downtown with my friends. We are hopeful that Fresno will continue to strive, improve, grow and be an amazing city.
ASHENS LIMON – opposed to the trolley system
Mayor Jerry Dyer unveiled a new mode of transportation in Fresno dubbed FresnoHOP, which is now available for public use.
FresnoHOP is a free trolley system that aims to connect more Fresnans to downtown Fresno. The service would run Thursdays from 5 p.m. to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will make stops at Fresno State at Campus Pointe, the Brewery District, the Cultural Arts District, Tower District, and Fresno City College.
The Fresno City Council vote that narrowly kickstarted the planning for the system was passed in late 2022. The plan drafted by Mayor Jerry Dyer was justified as a way to give young people an incentive to explore downtown Fresno and its Cultural Arts District.
Dyer has also been recorded claiming that this system would provide a safe method of transporting individuals who were drinking to safely get home without having to risk driving.
The FresnoHOP system would only have the capacity to carry 32 people at a time, with stops coming in one-hour intervals. The trolley’s obviously dysfunctional and under-planned design demonstrates that these vehicles are merely being used to decorate Fresno rather than actually give its people a trustworthy, operational transportation system that isn’t solely made for drunk adults. There is no real reason for this new system of transportation to exist but to waste city funds. The quarter of a million being spent on each trolley (not including its annual costs) could have easily been put into our current widely used FAX bus system.
The core idea of giving people a safe means of transportation in itself is a good idea. In particular, having these trolleys run so late at night is something that could easily help benefit Fresno. However, I feel that there is no reason, besides aesthetics, why the mayor didn’t implement this into even any one of the FAX buses. Currently, FAX buses will run at the latest until 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sundays for select buses.
Critiques brought up by the community included questions like if this might encourage people to drink dangerously. Mayor Dyer has made it clear, time and time again, that this system is to help discourage drunk driving. Although it also brings up the question, what about the younger teens or families wanting to use this system?
Community members are also asking if this plan is even sustainable. In the meeting that approved this plan last summer, treasurer of the FAX bus drivers union, Alfredo Molina, questioned who will be driving these trolleys. In this meeting, the trolley system was announced to not be operating under the city’s transportation system, indirectly affecting the jobs of all FAX bus drivers.
This impromptu system creates no real improvement for the transport needs of Fresno citizens. A system made for intoxicated adults is something completely unnecessary and could potentially be dangerous.
What about the young people wanting to use this system, the families? How will this be sustainable in the long run, and who will be driving these buses? Why can’t we make some of our current buses stay out til midnight, or even better, make the FAX buses free like we are these trolleys?
Question after question is being brought up as this confusing and random new service develops. Mayor Jerry Dyer should look at the communities that rely on the FAX bus system when discussing new means of transportation instead of thinking up thoughtless ideas made to put a pretty bandage on the real issues affecting the community.
Editor’s Note: There’s always two sides to everything, and that stays true for FresnoHOP. We asked the young people of The kNOw Youth Media to share what they think about Fresno’s newest transportation system.


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For fans, sport is an opportunity to relax, sit down, turn on the TV, and take enjoyment out of a match.
For betting agencies, sport is an opportunity to seize control of a once innocent past time, directly or indirectly influencing the minds of punters. Ad after ad throughout a sport-filled television timeslot has riddled the idea of enjoying sport for the game itself: more and more fans being concerned with the resulting profits from the match. This advertising of gambling hit a peaking point in 2013, when betting spruikers were detailing live odds during sports broadcasts. Public outrage to this issue led to new rules banning live odds during sports broadcasts. The man at the centre of this saga was bookmaker Tom Waterhouse, public enemy number 1 for gambling advertisement activists.
Waterhouse’s continual presence during Channel 9’s coverage of the NRL was widely criticized, and resulted in a large amount of complaints from the public. He was painted as the poster boy for gambling immorality and constant public disgust. Anti-gambling campaigns forced Waterhouse to significantly reduce the amount of advertisements publicized by his company. Consequently Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her government cracked down on gambling advertisements during sports broadcasts, TV agencies and betting agencies agreed to new rules banning live betting odds during sports broadcasts.
So why was it that these gambling advertisements caused such an outcry from the public, which ultimately created media regulation for betting agencies? There are three main reasons, and both circulate around morality.
Firstly, Australia has a gambling epidemic. Australians are amongst the worst gambling countries in the entire world, and statistics show that over 300,000 people in the country have a gambling problem. Gambling addicts are constantly put into positions of heavy debt, which can then result in further criminal activity to help fuel the addiction. For a country that constantly seeks to reduce that number, and try to change the stigma surrounding gambling, a constant barrage of gambling commercials does not vie as the solution.
Secondly, the effect on children. Sport is a universally shared love by all different ages. From a young age, kids will be watching sport, to support their team, as a bonding experience with friends and family, and simply to enjoyment the sport they love by watching it on television. Children will respect all aspects of their favourite sport, the players, coaches, referees (well, possibly, lets not go too far) and teams. So when constant gambling advertisements are paraded in front of them while their favorite sport is on, the child forms an association between the two. Gambling regulations restrict commercials being directed to children and portraying children, however, no matter how minimal the amount of advertising they view, they will surely take in some of the advertising.
The last reason has to do with space and place. When people watch sport, they want to feel comfortable during the game. A ‘break’ in the match, should be a break, where the audience doesn’t have to concentrate and think about the match. The bombardment of gambling advertising from Tom Waterhouse left many feeling claustrophobic during broadcasts, and their sense of space constricted: many opting to switch off the Television. Thus the amount of viewers watching free-to-air sport was reduced, which was something that was actually against the whole purpose of having that sport on the television, so people could view it.
The events that unfolded in 2013 were a turning point in the government stamping the foot down on the regulation of Gambling advertisements. The over-exaggerated amount of these gambling messages from betting agencies- namely Tom Waterhouse- unified a majority to lobby against the gambling paradigms at currently exist in Australia. Sadly for Waterhouse, he personified the whole gambling industry, and created a target on his back.
Waterhouse’s company has now re-invented himself under a new name, William Hill, the former name untenable. The majority of Australians hate the betting ads but are powerless to completely stop them. They keep reinventing themselves with different betting strategies.
Though 2013 gambling advertisement saga is a prime example of how a public armed with ammunition, can successfully defeat the big corporations: in this instance changing media regulations towards gambling.
- ABC News. (2013). Tom Waterhouse: you will see less of me on TV. [online] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-31/waterhouse-apologises/4724560

domain: sociology


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domain: geography


Astronomy and Geophysics, Vol. 44, No. 5, Pages 20-22, October 2003
Solar activity levels in 2100
1Physical Sciences Division, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge,
2Global Seismology and Geomagnetism Group, British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, U.K.
3Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, U.K.
4Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, Sodankylä, Finland.
We consider the likely levels of solar activity in 2100 by analysing the previous history of long-term solar and geomagnetic activity indices. We make use of superposed periods of similar variations in atmospheric cosmogenic radiocarbon that have occurred during the last 11 000 years, as derived from various proxies such as tree rings. This leads us to conclude that solar activity is peaking at about the present epoch, and we expect solar activity in 2100 to resemble that in 1900 when a small minimum in solar activity took place, rather than increasing as has occurred in the last 100 years. The occurrence of major geomagnetic storms will decline to about one-third of the present level.
© 2003 by the Royal Astronomical Society, U.K.
On-line access (might require subscription): here.
To cite this article: Clilverd, Mark A, Clarke, Ellen, Rishbeth, Henry, Clark, Toby D G & Ulich, Thomas (2003) Solar activity levels in 2100. Astronomy & Geophysics 44 (5), 5.20-5.22. doi: 10.1046/j.1468-4004.2003.44520.x


Buy an Axon, Axon II, or Axon Mote and build a great robot, while helping to support SoR.
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Please forgive my interjection, I'm a total noob as far as robotics is concerned, but have been a mech eng for the past 25 odd years! From the stats given for the valve in question, I would say that its the orifice size thats holding back the flow to the air to the muscle, not the response timing. The other issue I can see is the muscle itself, if its like the other pneumatic muscles I've seen, then the initial flow and pressure feeding it will simply be wasted on inflating it, rather than actually moving it. Like an innertube in a tyre, it requires a certain volume of air before it meets the required resistance to actually build pressure. I think that a small, rigid actuator may be the way to go, due to the fact of it not having to contain a specific volume of air, before it starts to move. Given enough orifice diameter, and a suitable bore and stroke of cylinder, and as little resistance to airflow as possible, even relatively low pressures should result in a fast, powerfull movement of the actuator.Hope this helps, or at least gives food for thought!
http://www.alphacontrols.co.uk/pdfs/alpha/solenoid%20valves/ACLSM31%20&%2041.pdf...any of the smaller valves on this page suitable??They have larger orifices, and higher flowrates, however they dont seem to operate at 5v, and not sure of the overall weights, as they're not listed.nb: they are available with 6v solenoids!edit: what size is the inlet orifice on the muscle?? Would it allow for using 2x of the solenoids you have, in parallel, doubling the flowrate and orifice size??
http://www.solenoidvalvesuk.com/catalogue/filecatalog/H%202010.pdfOk, 3 way, range of orifice sizes, still rated to reasonably good pressure even at 2mm+ orifice diameter, and nowhere near as heavy as brass/ alloy valve bodies....any of these take your fancy?...or just use 2x of the ones you have in parallel?!


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Hello Awesome Album, Bye Bye Bass: Wu & The Side Effects Album Launch
2 Kolegas has become one of my favourite music venues in this city, with it’s earsplitting sound system, chilled outdoor area and tasty chuan’r. They’re even catering for the football fans with a big screen showing all the games for the next few weeks. After noise-control regulations stopped Wu & The Side Effects from playing outside last weekend, I’ve been waiting not so patiently all week for their album release gig. But sadly what should have been a night of celebration was marred being bassist Checo’s last gig with the boys before heading back to the US.
To escape last weekend’s noise issues, this week the music moved back inside. This venue is notorious for it’s late starts and true to form the night kicked off around 11pm with Amazing Insurance Salesmen. You’ve probably seen Jean-Sébastien around town in one of his many (is it 5 now?) bands. Tonight he was wearing his rock guise, joined by Maikel on bass and MaoMao on drums. They played nearly an hour of their blues driven rock, including the extended jams and solos I’ve come to expect from them. A little birdy told me these guys are heading into the studio and we should see an album release before the end of the summer. I’m really looking forward to hearing how they’ll condense their free-flowing jams into the album format.
I don’t get what was up with the crowd tonight? There were a decent size group watching, but they just didn’t seem to be getting into the music? Just standing around like wallflowers at the edges of the room with their drinks. Maybe because they were the first band, maybe they hadn’t seen these guys before, maybe the football was distracting? Who knows, but the crowd was somewhat subdued compared to the last times I’ve seen these guys play.
The boys of the night, Wu & The Side Effects took to the stage next. I was lucky enough to get my hands on their new album a couple of weeks ago to help BD out with a totally biased review. I love the album and have been hanging out to see it performed live. These guys are known their for huge stage presence, they really know how to use every inch of the stage and Wu and Checo barely stood still the whole set. They gave us exactly we’ve come to love from these guys, classic, dirty, bluesy grooves, sexy growling vocals and constant tempo twists and turns. About halfway through, Mo ze German drummer treated the crowd to impressive drum solo, letting the boys out front chill for long enough to share a cigarette.
They played all my favourites from the album, Train, 天煞孤星 (Lonely Star) and Besieged On All Sides. The crowd were enthusiastically moshing along and heckling the band (Checo “Thanks for coming!” Fanboy “How do you know we’re coming?!” Checo “That’s right, you’re not yet!”) That is until they played the slower tune 自由填词时间 near the end of the set, when the crowd seemed to disappear outside. The tempo was amped up again on the last couple of songs, but the crowd barely returned. For me it was a disappointing end to what had up til then been an awesome set.
The Buyi boys were on hand to support their Ningxia brother Wu Kejia and the ended the night with their usual tight set. I’m a fan of these guys, but they’re not doing anything to grab my attention right now. Each time I see them it’s the same songs, and I just don’t see the passion and excitement in their faces I do with other bands in the city. Yeah, Ok, they have been around for 15 years, but that’s no excuse to let things slip. I’d like to see some new stuff from these guys sometime soon!
So in the transient nature of this city’s music scene another band has succumbed to losing one of it’s members heading home. I don’t know how they will replace Checo and I’m not sure they can. Let’s hope we see him back in the ‘Jing sometime soon! In the meantime check out the new album for 10 totally infectious psychedelic rock tunes that demand to be listened to turned up loud!

domain: artistic


text:
Inspired by the flavors of French onion soup, this strata also features a layer of crumbled tofu. It makes a satisfying vegetarian lunch accompanied by fresh sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
12 ounces French bread, cut into (1/2-inch) cubes (about 10 cups)
3/4 cup drained, crumbled water-packed firm tofu
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
How to Make It
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; cook 12 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add chard; cook 5 minutes or until chard wilts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool.
Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, milk, and next 5 ingredients (through bread) in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Place half of bread mixture in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top evenly with tofu, half of chard mixture, and 1/2 cup cheese. Top evenly with remaining bread mixture, remaining chard mixture, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove strata from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake strata, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
I would make this again. It was time consuming the night before but the next day there is no prep work so it pays off. The onions took me 30 min to caramelize, but i used a standard size frying pan. Having cooked with chard before, i added 1/4 cup fresh chopped oregano and 2 large cloves minced garlic to the chard mixture. I also used rosemary bread & added 1/2 cup extra cheese. It was very melty though so i am not sure if it needed it. Tofu is often used as an egg replacer, i am guessing this was to reduce cholesterol in the recipe.
Eat Well. Lose Weight. Live Healthy. Delicious and healthy recipes customized for you!


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It looks great,,no instructions at all.dont know how i will do the horn,no way on my car..also the top part of wheel feels like i can bend it in half,not strong at all..need to make it stronger..i am sure in one year it will fall apart.
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42 reviews 4.5 out of 5 stars


text:
At a local Women Winning event we wrote about in June, national activist Dr. Loretta Ross pointed out that justice is about the development of healthy children, families, and communities — and reducing the economic, cultural, and geographic barriers that limit what people can become.
This “Melanated Main Street” issue showcases how neighbors and cultures are working together to create better conditions. The term “melanated” was chosen intentionally for this issue, suggested by outreach director Crystal Brown as a replacement for the BIPOC label that is not universally accepted as a descriptor of identity.
The stories in this magazine, and at our wider selection of stories at womenspress.com, are about neighbors who are working to remove barriers so that everyone in a community is valued and supported.
Alfreda Daniels tells the story of how the Brooklyn Center community rallied together after the killing of Daunte Wright, inspiring philanthropic funding for an 18-month process of racial reckoning.
Neighbors associated with Zeitgeist in the Hillside area of Duluth conducted 13,000 one-on-one conversations to share stories about needs and solutions related to mobility, safety, and health care.
The four members of the LinkingLeaders partnership connect regularly as part of their leadership roles with different organizations that serve Minnesotans who are Native, Latine, Black, or Asian American.
Many of us grew up with a Main Street that represented a center of connection for shopping (transactions) and interacting (building relationships): an actual street, or downtown
area, or food-and-arts marketplace.
With this theme we set out to find out how we are starting to better recognize, honor, and address the conflicts and joys of living in a state that is a melting pot of cultures.
The stories remind us of the hearts at the center of communities that work — the diversity of purpose, function, entrepreneurial spirit, and civic engagement that leads to a sense of personality and pride.
Reading this month’s magazine, we hope you see the potential for growing more of what Nikki Pieratos of Tiwahe Foundation described: “Having a relative wherever you go.”
Find a growing library of stories about our visits to Greater Minnesota communities at tinyurl.com/CALLhometownvalues
Table of Contents
Greater Minnesota — Sharing Neighborhood Stories in Duluth
Changemakers Alliance — Re-imagining Public Safety
Identity — When Cultures Combine: LinkingLeaders
Perspective — Anisa Hagi-Mohamed’s Affirmations
Action = Change — Cake Therapy: Baking the Way to Change
Thoughts — “A Home Away From Words”
Buy Local — Harnessing Communal Energy
Pets — A Touch of Klass