1. This document builds on the responses to the consultation on future approaches to quality assessment in universities and colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It sets out the revised operating model for quality assessment to be implemented in England and Northern Ireland from 2017-18, the transition arrangements during 2016-17 to support such implementation, and plans for a range of pilot activities during 2016-17.
2. As part of their respective statutory responsibilities, the higher education funding bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland sought views on future approaches to assessing the quality of education in the universities and colleges they fund or are considering funding. The review was intended to consider what kind of quality assessment arrangements would be necessary as we look towards 2025 and the next decade of the sector’s development. The analysis of responses to the consultation revealed broad agreement with the proposals, together with a number of suggestions for refining them.
3. It is intended that the high-level elements set out in this document will be taken forward in Wales in a similar way to the approach adopted in England and Northern Ireland, but the detailed operating model for quality assessment in Wales will be the subject of a separate consultation by HEFCW under its new powers in the near future.
4. This document also sets out plans for a range of pilot activities that will take place during 2016-17 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in some cases Scotland. The sector representative bodies will lead this pilot activity where it relates to the development of the external examining system.
5. Some activities in the new operating model will be undertaken by the relevant funding body. Other elements are more appropriately delivered under contract by one or more external organisations with relevant expertise and experience. We will undertake an open procurement process for these contracts through the Official Journal of the European Union.
6. As we have designed the revised approach to quality assessment, we have sought to address a number of cross-cutting issues:
- A UK-wide system – the revised approach to quality assessment provides, at the level of principle and key features, a shared approach in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will continue to work with the Scottish Funding Council in areas of particular UK-wide importance.
- European quality expectations – the revised operating model has been designed to be consistent with the new 2015 European Standards and Guidelines and, after further design work at a more detailed level, to meet the requirements of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and the Register Committee of the European Quality Assurance Register.
- The role of students – The funding bodies will continue to work with students and their representative bodies to ensure that they are actively involved in designing and implementing quality assessment arrangements, and providing evidence about their own academic experiences in the context of a particular provider.
- The Home Office’s requirements – The revised operating model to be implemented in England and Northern Ireland, and the transition arrangements to be put in place during 2016-17, meet the Home Office’s requirements for educational oversight.
- The Government’s Green Paper – We continue to work closely with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to ensure that the quality assessment arrangements implemented by HEFCE in England align seamlessly with the Government’s proposed reforms as set out in its higher education Green Paper. The content of this document is, in part, a product of that process of work, which we expect to continue.
The revised operating model for quality assessment
7. One of the strongest and most consistent messages to emerge from the review period was that the growing diversity of providers and provision in the sector means that ‘one size’ of quality assessment can no longer ‘fit all’, and that future quality assessment arrangements should seek to encourage innovation in learning and teaching, rather than driving providers towards risk-averse activities and homogenised provision.
8. The approach for implementation is therefore designed to be proportionate, risk-based and grounded in the context of each individual provider and its students: it will target regulatory scrutiny and activity on those issues and providers that represent greater risk to the student academic experience or to the reputation of the sector as a whole. It will do this in a way that makes better use of existing arrangements, strengthened where necessary, and encourages continuous improvement within providers.
9. More broadly, the approach is underpinned by the view that ‘quality’ is an inescapable part of an overall approach to regulation that cannot in future be considered separately from the broader context in which an individual provider operates. In particular, the refocusing of regulation around the student interest demands ‘intelligent’ regulation that provides the assurances that matter to students – on degree standards, student outcomes and the academic experience – and makes it impossible to separate out scrutiny of ‘quality’ from other tailored regulatory activity and intervention.
10. We believe that this tailored approach will significantly reduce the regulatory cost and burden for many providers as it removes the need to prepare for repeated and routine ‘one size fits all’ cyclical quality reviews against the baseline requirements. It is also designed to encourage creative and context-specific approaches to the design and operation of a provider’s own quality management arrangements, rather than engendering a compliance-focused quality culture. Critically, the proposals ensure that the autonomy of providers is preserved.
11. The components of the revised operating model for quality assessment are set out in the sections that follow.
Baseline regulatory requirements
12. The set of baseline regulatory requirements will include the following elements:
- The framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Specific elements of the current UK-wide Quality Code.
- The financial sustainability, management and governance requirements of the relevant funding body.
- The Higher Education Code of Governance, or other equivalent designated governance code.
- The expectations of consumer law as expressed through the Competition and Markets Authority guidance.
- Student protection measures as expressed through the Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s good practice framework and the Northern Ireland Public Service Ombudsman equivalent, and HEFCE’s Statement of Good Practice on higher education course changes and closures.
- The provider’s mission and strategy for its higher education provision.
13. The external reference points that comprise the baseline regulatory requirements already exist in the regulatory landscape and are developed and used by a range of organisations and bodies. It is important to note here that we are not seeking to take responsibility for these components, but to draw together the existing material that is important in assessing whether a provider is ready to enter the higher education sector, and to present this transparently and coherently for providers and for students.
14. We will work with sector and student representative bodies to convene a UK-wide standing committee to provide sector-led governance arrangements for the baseline regulatory requirements. We see this as an important element of a co-regulatory approach.
Gateway into the higher education system
15. There will continue to be a rigorous test of a provider’s readiness to enter the higher education sector. A provider will be reviewed against the baseline regulatory requirements set out in paragraph 53, and this process will include an independent peer review visit to the provider by trained academic and student reviewers.
16. The Gateway process will also fulfil a developmental function. It will identify the areas for development for a provider to progress through a developmental period (see paragraph 70) and be considered ‘established’ at the time of its next review visit. This development activity is likely to focus on the necessary steps for a provider to establish mature academic and corporate governance arrangements.
17. As now, the relevant funding body will reach a judgement about the provider’s readiness to enter the sector, drawing on all the Gateway evidence, including from the peer review visit. It will also identify any further development needed over the following years, and the support available during this period. We intend that these arrangements for entry to the higher education system be designed and operated in such a way as to avoid unnecessary barriers or bureaucracy or cost.
Developmental period: enhanced monitoring and scrutiny
18. The framework for quality assessment is designed to deliver a period of enhanced scrutiny for providers new to the system. We will avoid using the term ‘probation’ and will instead refer to this as a ‘developmental period’ of enhanced scrutiny and support for recent entrants to the sector.
19. This ‘developmental period’ will last for four years in the first instance. During this period a provider will:
- Undertake the developmental activities identified as necessary when it first entered the sector, including completing any action plan put in place at that time.
- Undergo an Annual Provider Review process, as set out in paragraph 92 in relation to established providers.
20. At the end of the four-year period, a provider will receive a further independent peer review visit to re-test the quality aspects of the baseline regulatory requirements. The relevant funding body will use the evidence from the review visit and evidence that it has collected through successive Annual Provider Reviews, to judge whether the provider’s own arrangements for safeguarding quality and standards and for providing broader assurances about its activities are sufficiently mature and reliable for it to move into a category requiring less intensive regulatory scrutiny (that is, to be deemed ‘established’).
Review for established providers
21. The revised approach to review for established providers has the following components:
- Verification of a provider’s methodology for its own review processes, as a one-off transition mechanism, to ensure that these are focused appropriately on delivering continuous improvement in the student academic experience and in student outcomes.
- An Annual Provider Review process, tailored for operation in each country, that brings together the scrutiny of data, student views and other intelligence, and the information collected through the relevant funding body’s annual accountability processes.
- A re-focused periodic Assurance Review visit, conducted by the relevant funding body, to test the basis on which a governing body can provide assurances about the provider’s activities in this area. We will put in place support and guidance for governing bodies as they undertake this role.
When investigation and intervention are necessary
22. The relevant funding body will consider and, if appropriate, act on concerns about the integrity of standards, or the quality of the student academic experience. Such concerns can be reported directly to the relevant funding body by stakeholders, including external examiners, students, and other regulatory bodies. This arrangement will replace the current Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Concerns Scheme from 2016-17. Where further investigation is considered necessary, this will include a tailored independent peer review visit to the provider, using trained academic and student reviewers as appropriate.
23. The Annual Provider Review process operated by the relevant funding body (see paragraph 92) may also identify areas of a provider’s activities that require further investigation and, if appropriate, intervention. In these circumstances, where there is evidence that prima facie serious or material issues have not been successfully addressed in a timely manner by the provider, the same process for investigation will be adopted.
Degree standards and their reasonable comparability
24. We will continue to use the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications as a clear written expression of academic output standards. It will be a component of the baseline regulatory requirements (see paragraph 53) and will continue to provide a shared approach to setting standards across the UK system at threshold level.
25. We also wish to investigate a range of approaches designed to improve arrangements for the maintenance of degree standards and their reasonable comparability. In particular, we believe that it would be beneficial to the sector and its stakeholders to consider further strengthening the external examining system. We believe that this would enhance the role of the external examining system as part of the future quality assessment system, and would be highly desirable in its own right. However, we wish to develop this area in a way that is credible to the academic community and respects the autonomy of providers.
26. We will therefore support the sector representative bodies to explore different approaches to training external examiners. The focus of the training will be to ensure that external examiners are clear about their role and have the requisite technical assessment skills. They will then be better able to provide reliable judgements about the standards set by institutions and the measurement of student achievement against them, such that standards are maintained over time and are reasonably comparable.
27. We will also support the sector representative bodies to explore different approaches to the calibration of standards. The intention is to establish a simple mechanism to bring together examiners from a subject community to compare their students’ work and to judge student achievement against the standards set in order to improve comparability and consistency.
28. We will also commission the sector representative bodies to undertake detailed research into the range of classification algorithms currently in use, and to determine a sensible range of possible algorithms according to the desired pedagogic and other outcomes.
International aspects of quality assessment
29. A UK provider should remain fully responsible for academic output standards, student outcomes, and the quality of the student academic experience, wherever its students are based or however they study. In practice, this means that the arrangements set out in this document – at the entry Gateway, through the development period, and for established providers – will apply on exactly the same basis to programmes delivered internationally, whether with a partner or not.
30. We have also concluded that it would be helpful to develop our understanding of the maturity of the quality assessment arrangements in other countries, and the extent of the local scrutiny that UK providers undergo when operating in these jurisdictions. We therefore intend to develop further strategic engagement with governments and agencies in countries where UK providers are active. This activity will provide a better understanding of quality-related developments in specific countries, and a platform for developing mutual recognition of quality assessment arrangements.
31. In addition we will preserve a number of aspects of the current arrangements for the review of UK providers’ transnational education activity.


text:
Private William McCarter of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry, Irish Brigade, is best known for his memoirs My Life in the Irish Brigade. The Irishman’s account of the Battle of Fredericksburg, in which he was wounded, is amongst the most vivid of that engagement (for an account of the 116th Pennsylvania’s experiences on that day see a previous post here). McCarter also told the story of the brigade’s fateful charge in the July 29th 1886 edition of The National Tribune. The piece was illustrated by the paper’s artist ‘Klem’, and includes a number of portrayals of the Irishmen on the day of battle that may be of interest to readers.
All the regiments of the brigade are now in line on Sophia street (the first street running parallel to the river), anxiously awaiting further orders. The enemy’s shells are flying thick, dropping and exploding in every part of the city with telling effect among our troops. Gen. Meagher again rides up, this time accompanied by two Orderlies carrying quantities of green boxwood. By his orders each officer is handed a bunch, with the request to present to each man in the ranks a green sprig to place on his cap before going into battle, as an emblem of the Emerald Isle. Few, perhaps none, of the surviving members of the brigade kept, or thought of preserving, the little green sprig; but the one given to myself I can show to-day, or rather the remains of it, sealed up in a bottle, as a relic of that bloody day.
It was now evident that this assault, like the preceding one, would be a failure; yet our shattered and bleeding ranks held their ground, determined to fight to the last. Our cause was just, and “Irish blood was up.”
Next came my own turn. When in the act of ramming another cartridge home, to send it where I had sent several others- into the ranks of Cobb’s brigade, a ball struck me in the right arm near the shoulder. A stream of warm blood rushed out of the wound, saturating my clothing down to my feet, the shattered arm dropping powerless by my side, and my musket on the ground. Dizziness and partial loss of sight followed, and I fell unconcious on the field, while my more fortunate comrades as yet continued to blaze away at the foe.
References & Further Reading
McCarter William 1886. ‘Fredericksburg: As Seen by One of Meagher’s Brigade’ in The National Tribune July 29th 1886.
McCarter, William (edited by Kevin E. O’Brien) 2003. My Life in the Irish Brigade: The Civil War Memoirs of Private William McCarter, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry

domain: library


text:
Okay, so I found this pin and thought this would be great for a hot afternoon. I don’t have a link to the pin right now because I can’t get the pinterest is being updated right now. 😦 However, this one is pretty simple. All you need is lunch meat of your choice (turkey, ham, chicken, etc.), I decided to use turkey, Laughing Cow Cheese spread (any flavor will do, I’ve used swiss and chipotle flavor), cucumber, and flour tortilla (again use whatever size you want). I also think it’s easier to use the thin sliced lunch meat.
All you do is take the flour tortilla and spread a slice of Laughing Cow Cheese (if you like extra cheese like I do, then use 2, or if you want to mix different types of Laughing Cow Cheese then use two), I used swiss and and chipotle flavor together, but my boyfriend just used swiss. Then take a couple of slices of cucumber and dice it into smaller pieces and sprinkle it on top of the cheese. Next place a few pieces of the lunch meat on top of the tortilla, and roll it up. Now you have a nice summer lunch meal! We’ve eaten these quite a bit and done quite a few variations. Made one with ham and turkey. Even made one with just cheese. Nice to enjoy on a hot day.
Spread the cheese and sprinkle with cucumber. Add the meat.
This is something I’ve fixed a lot this summer.

domain: food


text:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 11:00 a.m. forecast by the National Hurricane Center calls for a tropical storm Dorian will reach almost hurricane power when it approaches Puerto Rico on Wednesday and puts the entire East Coast on the path of the fourth tropical storm for the season.
Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are under hurricane surveillance and tropical storm warnings for Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as the Dorian tropical storm approaches. The Dorian tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of nearly 50 mph on Tuesday morning and is expected to intensify over the next 48 hours, passing near or south of the U.S. on Wednesday just under the force of the hurricane.
"There is still no significant change in the previous forecast path or reasoning" published in the last piece of advice.
This means continuing the trail south of Puerto Rico and then interacting with the eventual drying of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night.
The big question in the forecast is how strong the storm will interact with the land and mountains on Thursday as it moves past Spain. Interaction can break the storm. In addition, there is plenty of dry air behind the island, which can act in addition to storm erosion.
If these factors do not have a strong impact on Dorian, then we will face a tropical storm moving through the Bahamas to South or Central Florida over Labor Day weekend. If it breaks down, remember that moisture continues to flow to Florida.
The latest correction of the Dorian Tropical Storm forecast keeps it stronger for longer, but holds on to the hurricane as it passes through the Caribbean.
The Hunter Hunter aircraft found less than expected storm Monday night. The dry air surrounding the storm will stop it from growing rapidly. Many models, including the EURO, weaken the low open wave on Wednesday night before closing at the Greater Antilles.
RELATED: How fast can you evacuate? It depends on where you live
While watching closely #TropicalStormDorian all residents of the East Coast must prepare for heavy rain. This includes cleaning clogged areas or debris around your house and gutters to prevent water damage to your property. #FLPrepares
̵1; FL Emergency Management Department (@FLSERT) August 27, 2019
The islands are already feeling the impact
The storm knocked out energy in Barbados at night, where crews began clearing trees early Tuesday and repair the power grid. Jackie Marshall-Clark, spokesman for Barbados Light & Power, said on state television that many communities in the northern region of the island are without electricity.
Government officials said that by Tuesday morning, public transport would resume and business would reopen.
Home Secretary Edmond Hinkson said that Dorian "is said to be weakening and this is great news, but we are not at risk yet."
The storm was expected to erupt between 3 and 6 inches of rain in the Wind Islands, with isolated quantities of 10 inches.
Tropical storm watches were in effect for Dominica, Grenada, Saba, St. Eustatius and parts of the Dominican Republic from Isla Saona to Punta Palenque and from Samana to Puerto Plata.
In St. Lucia, Prime Minister Alan Chastenet said "we expect the worst" and announced that everything on the island of nearly 179,000 people would close on Monday night before the storm, but that it remained under the power of the hurricane in the beginning on Tuesday.
Bottled water ran out in Puerto Rico in some grocery stores as people rushed to buy supplies, including generators and filled their cars with gas. Many are worried about a power outage and heavy rainfall on an island still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit in September 2017. Some 30,000 homes still have blue eaves like roofs, and the power grid remains fragile and prone to interruptions. during brief rains.
"The biggest problem will be the rain," says Roberto Garcia, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Puerto Rico.
On Monday, the Government of Puerto Rico's Vanda Vazquez signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and providing a list of all new equipment purchased by public agencies since Hurricane Maria.
"I want everyone to feel relaxed," she said. "Agency directors have been preparing for the last two years. Maria's experience was a great lesson for everyone. "
She said public schools would close Tuesday afternoon and that at least one cruise ship canceled its voyage to Puerto Rico. She said those without a proper roof could stay in one of the 360 shelters around the island.
Also Monday, a new tropical depression formed between the American coast of Ias and Bermuda. It was located about 365 miles southeast of Cape Hateras, North Carolina, moving east at 2 mph with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It was expected to become a tropical storm by Tuesday evening and continue to the spirit of the US east coast this week en route to Canada's North Atlantic provinces.
Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax – All Rights Reserved.

domain: geography


text:
The Most Handsome Chinese Actors In 2022. In our generation, not only the pretty girls but also handsome men are appreciated. We also welcome a variety of movie stars. So which actor is handsome enough for you to be your boyfriend? From their good looks to those charming eyes; you can tell each of them is a gifted actor who can express what on-screen characters want (and need) to say better than anyone else. We all know Xiao Zhan and Simon Gong, but what about some other actors you may not have heard of? Let’s look at some of the most handsome Chinese actors you might want to get to know in 2022.
The Most Handsome Chinese Actors List
Chinese actors have become a popular choice for Hollywood films. But the best-known Chinese actors are not necessarily the most handsome. Here we list some of the most handsome Chinese actors who will be popular in 2022.
Deng Lun (born February 14, 1991) is a Chinese actor. In the 2010 tv series The Four Greats, he made his screen debut. He has since starred in films such as The Four Greats 2: The Return of the King (2013); The Four Greats 3: Our Time is Up (2014) and One Night Surprise (2015). In 2016, Deng starred in The Left Ear’s historical romance drama. Which earned him critical acclaim and the “Most Popular Actor” award at the Shanghai Television Festival Awards.
Huang Xiaoming is a supermodel and performer from China. He was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, on July 7, 1981. He received his diploma from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music’s Theater Program. In 2005, Huang was recommended by a friend to join the entertainment industry and started his acting career in 2006.
He is best known for his roles in ” The Three Kingdoms,” “My Lucky Star,” “The Ultimate Winner,” and “The Rise of Phoenixes .”He is also known as one of the most handsome Chinese actors worldwide.
Wu Jing is a Chinese artist and filmmaker who is most recognized for his martial arts movies. He is the founder of China’s largest production company, Pegasus Motion Pictures, and the director of The Wolf Warriors 2, one of China’s highest-grossing domestic films. Wu Jing began his career as a martial arts actor and stuntman in 2002. He made his acting debut in the film Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of the Qing Dynasty (2002). He then starred in several other martial arts films; including Shaolin Warriors (2005); Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010) and The Founding of a Party (2011).
Weilong, popularly called Yang Yang, is a Chinese action star who debuted in the movie “Love Without Distance” in 2005. (2000). In 2002, he gained widespread popularity for his role as Hong Chengguang in the TV series “The Story of a Noble Family .”In 2004, he starred in “The Legend of Zu,” earning his first acting award at the 4th China TV Golden Eagle Award. Since then, he has starred in much successful television series and films such as “The Legend of Qin” (2009), “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils” (2010), “You Are My Sunshine” (2011), and “Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky” (2014).
Yang Yang (born February 14, 1984) is a Chinese actor, singer, and model. He is best known for his roles in the television series My Fair Princess III (2003), The Founding of a Republic (2009), and Happy Women’s Day! (2018). Yang’s birthplace was in Qingdao, Shandong province. He attended the Shandong Xinhua Middle School and later transferred to Beijing Film Academy, where he studied acting. He began his career by appearing in small roles in various television series produced by China Central Television (CCTV).
Zhai Tian Lin
Zhai Tian Lin is a Chinese singer and actor brought up in 1992. He is known for his role as the male lead in “The Legend of Mi Yue,” where he played the role of a young Mi Yue. His father is a good entrepreneur who runs an investment company. His mother was formerly a television host but now works as an actress. He has two older sisters: Zhai Tian Hui, an actress, and Zhai Tian Xin, who is not in the entertainment industry. Zhang Tian Lin made his screen debut as Shao Xuan in the 2011 romantic comedy film Love You You, directed by Xiao Feng, starring Zhang Yishan and Yuan Shan Shan.
Lu Han is a Chinese artist, vocalist, composer, and model born on April 20, 1990. Lu Han is a musician and songwriter in addition to his playing profession. He began his career in 2008 when he was cast as the lead role in the television series “Eternal Love” alongside Yang Zi. He rose to fame in 2012 after playing the male lead role in the popular idol drama “Love Me If You Dare .”He played the lead role that year with “So Young.”
Wang Leehom (Wang Lihong)
Wang Leehom (Wang Lihong) is a musician, artist, filmmaker, editor, and scriptwriter of Chinese descent. He first gained fame in Taiwan and Hong Kong after his debut in the 1992 film The Wedding Banquet, which he also co-produced. He has since gone on to star in many critically acclaimed films such as Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), The Banquet (2005), Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012) and more recently the Netflix original series Marco Polo.
Wang Yibo is a Chinese action star who has been in several films. He is best known for his role in the TV series “Tiger Mom,” “I Love My Wife,” and “The Story of Yanxi Palace .”His first acting experience was in 2010 when he played the role of Jin Yuhao in “The Legend of the Condor Heroes.” In 2011, he played the role of Hua Mulan in another TV drama, “Mulan: The Return of the Warrior.” He portrayed Li Yuanzhong in “My Fair Princess III” in 2012. Later that year, he starred as Dongfang Bubai/Buda in “The Legend of Zu .”In 2013, he played Xiao Wangzhi/Wang Jingwei in “The Story of Yanxi Palace,” which was adapted from the novel by Yu Wo.
However, his most famous work is the legendary Chinese BL series “The Untamed”. His iconic role of Lan Wangji is his most famous television appearance. The series also starred Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian. The series were a live action adaptation of the BL novel by MXTX, Chinese BL author, The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.
Yibo has been participating in the famous Chinese dance program Street Dance of China for two seasons as a captain. He won both seasons. He is known as a professional dancer, motorcycle cyclist and skateboard lover.
It has been a fun experience to watch The Most Handsome Chinese Actors in 2022. We feel that my standards for handsome actors have increased in the meantime. We find it quite challenging to rank them because there are so many talented actors out there, but at the same time, it is still possible. Hope you will enjoy this post.

domain: celebrity


text:
O Heavn’ly Poet, Pray for Us
Roman Triptych: Meditations
by Pope John Paul II
40 pages, $19.95
Available in bookstores
When he was a boy of 13 or 14, Karol Wojtyla had an outdoor thinking spot he liked to retreat to, alone. It may have been near a pond or in the woods.
He never spelled out the coordinates of any such place in particular, so how do I know this? I’ve been basking in Roman Triptych/Meditations, the only verse he both wrote and published during his pontificate. To re-read it on the first anniversary of his death is to be taken back to an old, foundational corner of this great man’s heart. And it is to recognize the place as a quiet, secluded refuge — one in which a cursory survey of the topography turns up unexpected artifacts that point, indirectly but unmistakably, to Jesus Christ as the answer to the question that is human life itself.
The book is a breath of easy air, too. So spontaneous are the thoughts recorded here, so softly refracted through the filter of this apostle’s expansive intellect, that absorbing it unhurriedly is like taking a stroll with old Dr. Wojtyla, your favorite philosophy professor, on his day off. You walk along, pausing at a few points of interest along the way. At each, he surprises you by expressing, with startling transparency, a childlike sense of wonder.
Three poems are here. In “The Stream,” John Paul the outdoorsman guides us along a brook. He’s intent on finding out its mysterious and unseen source. In “A Hill in the Land of Moriah,” he ponders the Biblical story of Abraham, called by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, and what it reveals about God’s love for us. And, most intriguingly, in “Meditations on the Book of Genesis at the Threshold of the Sistine Chapel,” he mulls his forthcoming absence from one of his favorite indoor places in the world.
“Those entrusted with the legacy of the keys gather here, letting themselves be enfolded by the Sistine’s colors, by the vision left to us by Michelangelo,” he writes. “So it was in August, and again in October, in the memorable year of the two Conclaves, and so it will be once more, when the time comes, after my death.”
Here, as in his earlier poetry, Wojtyla glides between detached, ontological abstraction (“How can we break beyond the bounds of good and evil?”) and private, first-person openings of the heart (“Let me wet my lips in spring water”) — and back again — without so much as a stanza break. We saw this in the verse he wrote as a young man minding the silence of his mother’s grave and, later, as a seminarian seeking God’s will amid the violence and chaos of Nazi-occupied Poland.
When he left us last year, we knew that this Holy Father was as gifted a thinker and as devout a disciple of Christ as ever sat in St. Peter’s chair. But we could only guess at his private interior life. Thank God he brought out one last burst of poetry before taking his leave. One literary critic, commenting years before this collection came along, wrote of the poet Wojtyla: “Thought itself seems to be the most vivid and authentic experience for him. His poems are really about solitude to a large extent, and the self being known, one on one with God in the act of contemplation.”
Talk about a sign of contradiction. The best traveled, most closely observed priest, evangelist and apostle in Christian history loved nothing more than simply getting alone with God. Well, okay. Maybe he loved, just as much, proclaiming God’s Gospel. In Roman Triptych: Meditations, he does both. Just as he did everywhere he went. Just as he’s doubtless doing right now in some eternal thinking spot thronged with saints and angels.
David Pearson is the
Register’s features editor.
- April 2-8, 2006

domain: literature


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From the Open-Publishing Calendar
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Indybay FeatureRelated Categories: East Bay | Police State and Prisons
Killer Cop Preliminary Hearing Update from Week Three: Murder Charge Should Stand!
report from inside court room
Oscar Grant Report
NEXT IMPORTANT COURT DATE: 9am THURSDAY, JUNE 18th - MEHSERLE ARRAIGNMENT
Oakland Court House 1225 Fallon St at 12th and Oak
Day 6: Court began where it had left off the week before: defense witness and BART Officer Tony Pirone being questioned by defense attorney Michael Rains. Rains began the day with a verbal complaint about court starting at 8:00 AM because he claimed he was not ready. Judge C. Don Clay told Rains the prosecutor was ready and that court would start on time. Pirone began his testimony ... [full June 3rd hearing notes below]
Day 7: The final day of the preliminary hearing began with a motion by defense attorney Michael Rains to be able to call two further witnesses: Jackie Bryson, one of Oscar Grant’s friend who was on the platform with him the night he was murdered and a “taser expert” who was meant to testify to Johannes Mehserle’s state of mind at the time of the incident and his training previously with the taser. Judge C. Don Clay did not allow ... [full June 4th hearing notes below]
Killer Cop Preliminary Hearing Update from Week Two
Killer Cop Preliminary Hearing Update from Week One
Download PDF (80.3kb)
Justice for Oscar Grant III:
The People vs. Johannes Mehserle Preliminary Hearing
Notes from Days 6 and 7 Inside the Courtroom
On Wednesday, June 3rd the preliminary hearing in the trial of former BART officer Johannes Mehserle for the murder of Oscar Grant III continued. Court began where it had left off the week before: defense witness and BART Officer Tony Pirone being questioned by defense attorney Michael Rains. Rains began the day with a verbal complaint about court starting at 8:00 AM because he claimed he was not ready. Judge C. Don Clay told Rains the prosecutor was ready and that court would start on time. Pirone began his testimony by describing the scene at Fruitvale BART when he arrived around 2 AM the night of January 1st, 2009. He said that Oscar Grant was cussing repeatedly at him calling him a “punk bitch” and that many other people on the platform were also cussing and yelling that he was “not a real cop.” Pirone went on to say that he identified Oscar as being the leader of the group because he was the one who was repeatedly asking, “why are you stopping us?” Pirone stated he pushed Oscar against the wall because he was not cooperating but did not elaborate on what this non-compliance was except that he kept asking why they were being stopped. Pirone then said he pulled his taser out because Oscar “kept coming at him” even though there was no evidence of this movement in the video footage. He spent part of his testimony describing the way the taser was fitted to his belt—no doubt trying to establish some part of the defense claim that Mehserle only meant to “tase” Oscar. Pirone testimony about the taser, though, seemed to undermine the defense. He described in detail how the taser is mounted to the weak side of an officer’s belt and how an officer must release the safety to remove the taser from the belt. This shows how ridiculous it is to assume that an officer could mistakenly reach for a taser and accidentally get a gun instead when to remove the taser requires and extra activation step. Pirone said that after pulling out his taser the young men complied with the order to get against the wall. Officer Marysol Domenici then took over the scene and Pirone went back onto the train to get the other guys he thought were involved in the fight. At some point in all this Pirone claimed that Domenici lost control and that the young men were coming at her. When asked why he did not press his emergency button when this occurred Pirone stated he “knew back-up was on the way and did not want to jam up the radio.” Pirone also said he went to the front of the train and spoke with the conductor who said the men on the wall were the ones who were fighting. Pirone then ordered Mehserle and Officer John Woofinden to arrest the young men for a 248pc that is a misdemeanor charge. Pirone went on to say that Oscar and Michael Greer were resisting this arrest, yelling and doing their best to hit the officers. None of this is evident on any of the videos submitted into evidence. Pirone used this supposed “resisting arrest” behavior to justify his actions in the video footage which shows him coming over to Oscar and putting his knee on Oscar’s neck as he lays prone on the ground with Mehserle positioned directly above Oscar’s legs.
Rains finished his line of questioning by having Pirone go over what happened when Oscar was shot and immediately afterwards. Pirone stated the Oscar did not have his hands behind his back and that Mehserle muttered something about wanting to “tase” him because he could not get a hold on his hands to handcuff him. Pirone then stated that Mehserle yelled, “Get back! Get back!” before discharging his gun. Judge Clay earlier had ruled this testimony about what Mehserle was saying inadmissible because it is hearsay but some deal was worked out with the prosecution to allow it in on this day. Pirone then said that when the gun went off he thought the taser had malfunctioned but when he saw that Mehserle had fired his gun he said “Oh, shit” to himself. Pirone said he then looked over at Mehserle and saw a look of shock on the officer’s face. Pirone ended his defense testimony by stating that Mehserle approached him after the shooting and said “I thought he had a gun” about the unarmed Oscar Grant which appears to undermine the idea that Mehserle was intending to use his taser. Overall, Pirone’s testimony highlighted the aggressive, leadership role he played on the platform that night in escalating the situation into violence and then being part of the police cover-up of what really happened.
Assistant District Attorney David Stein then cross-examined Pirone. He began his questioning by displaying the video shot by Tommy Cross on the flat screen TV in the courtroom and going frame by frame through the shooting of Oscar Grant. Stein froze the frame immediately after the shot rings out and asked Pirone what he sees and Pirone admitted that Oscar’s two hands are behind his back. Pirone’s testimony was then concluded for the day and continued the following day on Thursday, June 4th.
Notes from the Courtroom Day 7
The final day of the preliminary hearing began with a motion by defense attorney Michael Rains to be able to call two further witnesses: Jackie Bryson, one of Oscar Grant’s friend who was on the platform with him the night he was murdered and a “taser expert” who was meant to testify to Johannes Mehserle’s state of mind at the time of the incident and his training previously with the taser. Judge C. Don Clay did not allow these witnesses to testify stating that only Johannes Mehserle can testify as to his own state of mind and anyone else trying to do so would be speculating. Assistant District Attorney David Stein continued with his cross-examination of BART Officer Tony Pirone. Stein proceeded to read back previous statements Pirone had made in court as well as in statements he gave voluntarily early in the investigation. These statements contradict each other and when asked about this Pirone responded by saying ‘I gave four voluntary statements and I don’t remember everything I said.” Examples of some of the contradictions were that Pirone said in a statement that Mehserle did not say anything after shooting Oscar but testified in court that Mehserle said that he thought Oscar had a gun. When pressed Pirone also could not recall the comment he made earlier about Mehserle saying he was trying to tase Oscar and said he did not remember making the taser comment. Stein then asked Pirone if he made the taser comment for the first time in court because he knew that it was going to be the defense strategy for explaining the murder. Pirone denied this. Then Stein went on to ask Pirone why he did not call in an officer involved shooting when he spoke to his supervisor after the shooting. He said, “It is not part of the protocol that I’m aware of” which appears ridiculous given the severe nature of Oscar’s wounds and the need for an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Stein also questioned Pirone about his use of racial slurs. Pirone explained that Oscar was cussing at him so he did say “bitch ass” which is clearly audible on the tape, but would not admit to using the “n” word. He went on to say if he used this language it was only because Oscar had used those words towards him and he was shocked that someone felt like they could talk to a police officer that way. The video was shown again and Pirone is visible yelling, “bitch ass” at least twice in Oscar’s face. Stein closed his cross-examination by asking Pirone “isn’t it true that you posed more of a threat to Oscar Grant than he did to you?” to which Pirone responded a flat “no.” However, the video shows Pirone repeatedly acting forcefully and aggressively towards Oscar and his friends so he is clearly being dishonest about who was the bigger threat that night.
The next witness to be called by the defense was a forensic image analyst named Michael Schott. Schott, a former member of law enforcement, said he had synchronized all of the videos that were taken. He went on to state that at certain angles the videos could appear distorted. He used this argument to try to undercut the eye witness testimony of Karina Vargas who said in court the first day of the hearing that she was within ten feet of Oscar and the officers when everything happened but Schott said that because of her image on other videos she was only within 53 feet. Schott then went on to talk a lot about his process of synchronization. Judge C. Don Clay began to lose patience with this line of testimony because he said that he can use his own eyes to see the video and did not need an expert to tell him what he saw. He informed Rains that he had five more minutes to question Schott and that Stein would only have 5-7 minutes to cross-examine Schott. Stein said he had no questions for the witness. The key information that came out of Schott’s testimony was that the entire incident from the time the young men were pulled off the train to the time that Oscar was shot was 12 minutes, certainly not enough time for full blown chaos to develop in the way the officers have described.
The final witness to testify was BART Officer Tony Foreman. He was called in after the shooting to interview Mehserle. He arrived at the Lake Merritt interview room at 3:30 AM on January 1st and spent five and a half hours with Mehserle that night and was in contact with him each day until his arrest on January 13th. Foreman stated that Mehserle never admitted to shooting Oscar by mistake and never stated that he was going for his taser. Mehserle did say, “I thought he had a gun, he was going for his pocket.” From this testimony it is clear that Mehserle’s defense team has put forward the taser argument only in recent months as a way to explain what happened and not from any real evidence of any of the interviews Mehserle gave police investigators about his actions that night.
The preliminary hearing ended with Stein reviewing the purpose of the hearing: to determine if there is sufficient cause to bind the defendant with the charge of murder. The elements of murder are that there was a killing and that there was expressed or implicit malice (intent to kill). Stein went back to the video evidence and eyewitness testimony to show that Mehserle did shoot Oscar with malice. As part of his wrap up Stein talked about the video showing that Mehserle looks at his gun holster then pulls his gun and looks down at his gun - he is looking at what he is doing - this shows intent because it was being done by an officer who is trained to use a gun. Stein also pointed out that Mehserle shot Oscar in the center of his body, not his leg or other part of his body, which shows his intent to kill. Rains went on to close by stating that the evidence actually shows there was no malice on the part of Mehserle. Judge C. Don Clay then issued his decision. The judge said that it was clear from the preliminary hearing that the charge of murder should stand and that because Mehserle did not take the stand there is no way to know his state of mind though it appeared and that the defense was unable to prove his state of mind was any else but intent to kill. He also said it is clear that Oscar Grant was unarmed and that the defendant is not claiming self-defense and that there is no evidence that this was an accident. Judge Clay also stated that from the evidence Oscar Grant did nothing to warrant deadly force. In the end it boiled down to the fact that Mehserle did not take the stand and so the arguments about his state of mind by other witnesses at the time of the murder were completely irrelevant. Judge Clay rightly pointed out with regards to the idea that Mehserle thought he was using a taser it seems unlikely given the fact in the videos he is shown grasping the gun with both hands. The judge also stated that, “I have no doubt that Mehserle intended to shoot with his gun and not his taser.” With that Judge Clay confirmed Mehserle’s three million dollar bail and dismissed the courtroom.
The next step for Mehserle is to be arraigned at 9 AM on Thursday, June 18th. The charge of murder for an on-duty officer is unprecedented in California history. This is an important victory in the journey to win justice for Oscar Grant and to get Johannes Mehserle convicted and put in jail for a very long time.


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We expect that the self-proclaimed "master race and sex" to at least make half-decent websites... Former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn has been charged with lying to the FBI, has pleaded guilty, and is cooperating with the special counsel's investigation into Russia's interference in last year's election.President Trump provokes hostility in the United Kingdom by sharing views from a far-right fake news outlet, which the White House defends as a simple promotion of border-security.Keep up to date with all the interesting world news and current events that relate to Rational Wiki's mission here.The most popular entries are found at Best of the world and the older entries found in the archives.Unsurprisingly, a think-tank funded by Google and other private tech companies believes consumers will likely remain safe.California Flat Earth believer will launch self in home made rocket on Saturday, 11/25/2017, hoping to take pictures of curvature or lack thereof in a later flight. Cancelled for now due to "bureaucratic" and mechanical problems.Well, they finally fixed their mistake; now all couples--married or unmarried, same-sex or opposite-sex--are covered equally by the state's domestic violence laws.This is surprisingly progressive news out of the Deep South, especially since all parties involved, even the state's Attorney General, agreed that it should happen; the only dispute was over the best way to do it.
to place Julian Assange as Australia's ambassador to the USA.An outbreak of mumps in New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, is now officially out of control and a national epidemic.Authorities are blaming low vaccination rates among 10-29 year olds - a "missing generation" thanks at least in part to anti-vaccine panics in the 1990's and 2000's.In a non-binding national postal survey, Australia votes overwhelmingly in favour of same sex marriage. The majority voted yes in 133 out of 150 electorates.To the surprise of absolutely no-one, it turns out Wiki Leaks collaborated closely (and secretly) with the Trump family during the 2016 US presidential election.

domain: news


DEEP BLUE CONNECTION
Updated: Oct 29, 2020
In this film starring Zoe White, filmmaker Sabine M. Probst sets the stage for the soon-to-be marine scientist, diving instructor, and surfer to tell her story and communicate her deep love for the ocean in hopes that other people will grow an appreciation just as deep. This film is a powerful reminder for surfers everywhere of the importance of conserving our oceans, not just for us and our enjoyment but for future generations of all living beings.
About Sabine M. Probst-
"I am a documentary filmmaker and photographer with a strong focus on environmental and outdoor sports topics. It allows me to be in my favorite places and to hopefully bring awareness to the problems those places are facing."
Sabine's statement about the film-
"After I filmed my first film about the sea and its problems THE OCEAN INSIDE US, and saw the impact it had on people watching it, I felt the urge to make another film about the ocean. But this time show more of the beauty which there is to save.
I have seen a lot of different places of this world, a lot of beaches, forest, lands. It hurts to see that in so many of those places trash is lying around and that they are getting destroyed.
So many of us seem to not care about the environment as much as we should.
With DEEP BLUE CONNECTION, I really focused on the beauty the ocean has to offer.
I could not have wished for a better protagonist than Zoe. She fit the idea I had for the film so well. During the shoot you could really feel the connection she has to nature, especially the ocean. It is her workplace, but also her place to have fun and to relax.
Zoe has this great connection to the ocean. I hope after watching DEEP BLUE CONNECTION more people want to experience this connection to nature."
"My one message to everybody out there about the ocean would be to think of it as your mother, but also as your child. It is the one thing that has given you life, it sustains all of us. Without the ocean we would not be able to survive. But we should also think of it as our child, making sure with every step that we do we can make sure that it is thriving and healthy, and that it is protected for future generations.“ - Zoe White


Debate on a new bill that would suspend federal funding to Planned Parenthood for one year is expected this week while another congressional hearing takes place to review the organization's practices.
The bill by Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) is the first concrete effort since the August recess to defund the organization that has come under scrutiny since an anti-abortion group released undercover, edited videos of employees discussing fetal tissue donation.
More than 40 Republicans, going against the wishes of GOP leadership, have said they will not agree to any budget legislation that does not defund Planned Parenthood. A budget agreement must be made by the end of the month.
The bill scheduled for debate Wednesday would put a moratorium on funding for one year to allow for investigation of the organization. It would be lifted if Planned Parenthood agreed to stop performing or paying for abortions.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing Thursday to discuss stricter enforcement and penalties for existing legislation that bans partial-birth abortion. This follows a four-hour hearing last week on Planned Parenthood methods, although nobody from the organization was invited to testify.


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German property investor Zamberk Real Estate Ventures (Zrev) has acquired a retail park in Lower Saxony, Germany.
The vendor in the transaction was retail park and convenience centre investor, Mitiska Reim, which sold the property on behalf of its First Retail International 2 Fund.
Financial details were not disclosed.
Located in the city of Braunschweig in north-central Germany, the retail park comprises a gross leasable area of 8,100 m2 across seven units, with anchor tenants and parking for 180 cars.
Welcoming the acquisition, Joseph Zamberk, managing director of Zrev, said: ‘I am pleased to include this asset in our long term ‘family’ portfolio, having stabilized the scheme and its leases over the last couple of years.’
Stefan Klug, investment director Germany of Mitiska Reim, said: ‘Over the past 22 months, we have actively managed this retail park so that the weighted average lease term now exceeds 10 years, which made this a stable and attractive asset for divestment.’
Mitiska has a portfolio comprising 71 properties totaling around 728,000 m2 GLA in 11 countries, across continental Europe.


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domain: chemistry


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While still part of Massachusetts, the town was granted as Baker's Town after Captain Thomas Baker in 1736. After New Hampshire became a separate colony, the town was re-granted with the name Stevenstown. Additionally known as Gerrishtown and New Salisbury, the name Salisbury was taken when the town incorporated in 1768.
Orator and statesman Daniel Webster was born in what had been Salisbury in 1782. His birthplace is now located in the newer city of Franklin.
Salisbury is located about 20 minutes northwest of Concord, which is considered the local area for shopping, dining and entertainment. Salisbury is part of the Merrimack Valley School District.
Nice lot and location. 1990 Manufactured Home with two bedrooms one full bath. Open concept kitchen, dining room and living room. New metal roof, brand new septic will be installed prior to closing, new flooring, fresh paint, new water heater, repair/painted shed. Plenty of parking. Nice level lot to enjoy! This is a must see!
Listed by Jan Wickens and Jessica Robichaud of Bean Group / Franklin
Think back in time and wonder what it might have been like in 1760 at the construction of this Revolutionary War era colonial on 19+ acres of land. This early post and beam colonial still stands proud featuring 3-4 bedrooms, 1.25 baths and a rebuilt ELL which houses the family room. Full walk up attic, 3 season enclosed porch, beaver pond and sugar maple groves. Property is fully surveyed and 5 of the acres is a separate lot which already has a 2 story 2 car garage, driveway and electric. This is a Fannie Mae Homepath property.
Listed by Christy Goodhue Mank of Christy Goodhue Real Estate, LLC
Open concept and freshly painted makes this house move in ready! Charming 2 BR ranch offers single level living at it's finest. Basement could be finished for your family room or leave it as is for storage space. Pellet/wood stove hookup in basement, and generator ready with exterior outlet. Oversized covered porch provides entertaining space or a nice quiet place to enjoy the scenery. Large level lot surrounded by stonewalls. 2 acres abutting snowmobile trails, ATV trails and more. Nearby hunting, fishing and hiking. Easy access to highways, 15 minutes to the Tilton Outlets, and nearby Concord.
Listed by Crystal Ashman of Coldwell Banker Classic Realty
New price! 34.87 acres with a country log home, perfect for nature lovers, hunters and those who enjoy peace, quiet and privacy. Acreage is half wetlands and half wooded with possible timber value. A seasonal view of the hills and peeks of sunrise from the back deck. Log home with rustic wood accents, exposed beams, open layout, mudroom, large bedrooms and in-law suite over the garage. Two wood stoves will keep you toasty all winter! With some tlc, this log home will be the perfect nh retreat. Price adjusted for quick sale. Old college road is a dead end, self maintained road.
Listed by Kristin Angeli and Marybeth Angeli of Angeli & Associates Real Estate
Plenty of house 3 Bedrooms, 1 1/2 Baths. A finished basement, where you can have game night, or send the kids with their friends. All of the work has been done. An open kitchen for those family dinners. All this on 5 acres, where there are deer, and turkeys. Property has mature fruit trees, apple and peach, as well as blueberry bushes. Add this to your list so you can call this house home.
Absolutely Charming New Englander! This property has private village frontage on Old Coach Road and also has commercial subdividable frontage on Route 4. A perfect small farm or just a quintessential New England home with some land and privacy. This New Englander style home with 2 full floors and walk up attic has an eat in country kitchen with terrific pantry and plenty of room for updates. Formal dining room and living room are open to the kitchen. Perfect sized office off the living room. Family room and full bath finish off the first floor. Upstairs has 3-4 bedrooms and walk up attic. Hallway has beautiful hardwood floors and staircase with original features. Back outside there are two porches, good sized attached barn, pole barn/large outbuilding, small shed, gorgeous gardens with large established raspberries, asparagus, rhubarb and more! Beautiful grounds and small pasture are terrific to just enjoy them for their charm or use for a small to medium sized village farm. Seller makes about 10 gallons of syrup every year! The seller will include equipment to do so to any buyer who would like to continue to collect and produce syrup. Close to Concord and Franklin, and all sorts of outdoor recreation! A must see!
Listed by Rachel Dethomas of Coldwell Banker LIFESTYLES - Warner
***PRICE REDUCTION!*** Step back in time and see this lovely antique post and beam Colonial built in 1795, boasting three bedrooms, two baths, and a second floor family room with a separate staircase and a barn currently run as an Antique Shop, this building could be used for any business or office, of your choice! This incredible antique home still carries many of its original features such as; Indian shutters, wide pumpkin pine floors, paneling, vintage pantry cabinets in the kitchen, built-in's, a six panel, four foot front door with window lights, lots of antique hardware the original three level staircase built by a well known cabinet maker, Summer Kitchen and a full walk-up attic for storage. The home has been carefully maintained in order to insure the homes antique integrity. Salisbury is about 25 minutes from Concord, 20 minutes to the New London area and Route 89 and Route 93, close to shopping and and is a paradise for many outdoor activities, such as skiing and snowmobiling due to the area trail system and easy access. This is a beautiful antique home and is a rare find, in it's preserved condition located just across from Salisbury's "Old Center", it's brimming with history and is a wonderful opportunity for a new owner!
Listed by Maria Laycox and Charlene Dyment of BHHS Verani Concord
24 Franklin Rd, Salisbury. A large, antique colonial known as the "Andrew Pettengill House" having +/- 3816 sq.ft. of living space and situated on +/- 3.5 acre lot per town records. Home has 3 bedrooms, 4 baths, seven fireplaces and a large 3 bay attached garage with unfinished space above for expansion. Located on a partially fenced yard, close to the center of Salisbury and the Crossroads Store. Home is being sold AS IS, and is subject to addendums.
Listed by Jim Knowlton of Keller Williams Hopkinton
Charming Country Cape on over 14 acres of land!! Three bedroom two bath home with two car attached garage AND an additional detached four bay garage. Open concept kitchen and living with wooden cabinets, wood ceiling beams, wide pine flooring and pine woodwork throughout and brick hearth. Three season porch off the back with large windows for amazing views of the pond. Formal living room or may be used as a dining room. Laundry room and full bath on first floor level. Bedroom with oversize closet on the first floor. Two additional spacious bedrooms on the second floor. Basement is mostly finished into a large family room with another hearth, laundry room, bath and bonus room. Two car garage with plenty of space for storage above. Detached oversize four bay garage. Location is very serene and you have the opportunity to enjoy nature all around you but still within a reasonable commute to Concord, Lakes Region and/or New London area. This is a must see home!!
Listed by Jan Wickens and Jessica Robichaud of Bean Group / Franklin
Circa 1778 Abraham Fiefield 16 acre Homestead. This Historic Country Estate was Built when Abraham returned from The American Revolutionary War where He fought at the Battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington. Quiet Pastoral Setting Located 1 Mile Between Historic Salisbury Heights & the Blackwater River Bay area. 1800s Pastures Revealed Mt Views, now w/cutting. Early Colonial Features Intact but w/Modern up to date Systems, all on a Full Basement. 60' Carriage Barn w/ 3 Season Screened Family Rm, 2 Car Garage, 24' Heated Workshop w/Storage above & Drive in Basement Below. Mature Landscaping & Stonewalls. Lovingly cared for inside and out. A Unique & Rare Property. Pride in Ownership Abounds. 18 miles to Concord, 12 miles to I93, 14 miles to New London & I89
Copyright 2017 Northern New England Real Estate Network, Inc. All rights reserved. This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX Program of NEREN. Subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice. This web site is updated daily.


Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Document Type: ||Postprint|
|Title: ||Asymmetry of domain forward switching and multilevel relaxation times of domain backswitching in antiferroelectric Pb0.99Nb0.02(Zr0.84Sn0.12Ti0.04)0.98O3 thin films.|
|Authors: ||Jiang, A. Q.|
Lin, Y. Y.
Tang, T. A.
|Issue Date: ||Apr-2007|
|Citation: ||A. Q. Jiang, Y. Y. Lin, T. A. Tang, Q. Zhang, Asymmetry of domain forward switching and multilevel relaxation times of domain backswitching in antiferroelectric Pb0.99Nb0.02(Zr0.84Sn0.12Ti0.04)0.98O3 thin films, Applied Physics Letters, 90, article 142901 April 2007|
|Abstract: ||Pb0.99Nb0.02(Zr0.84Sn0.12Ti0.04)0.98O3 thin films demonstrate a double hysteresis loop characteristic of antiferroelectric behavior with film thickness at above 150 nm, but only one branch of the loop is present in films that are 90 nm thick. The relaxation time of domain backswitching from ferroelectric into antiferroelectric is multistaged in a range of 100 ns–100 ms, but it is less than 100 ns in the films without Sn and Nb dopants. Electrical modeling of the films composed of elementary regions with inhomogeneities of dielectric constant, conductivity, and polarization embodies the essence of charge injection for the compensation of local backswitching field of domains.|
|Appears in Collections:||Staff publications - School of Applied Sciences|
Items in CERES are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


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Catco Realty Management (Owner) – Request for approval of a site plan amendment to change the use of 6,400 square feet of office space to medical office uses at 30 Harvey Road, Lot 35-98-32, Zoned PZ.
Request for a site plan amendment to change the use of a previously approved industrial warehouse and office building and to add additional second floor office space at Harvey Road, Lot 35-98-48, Zoned PZ.
(Owners) – Request for approval of a site plan and lot consolidation for a restaurant and a proposed 93-unit workforce housing development, consisting of three 3-story apartment buildings and associated site improvements at 206 Route 101, Chestnut Drive, and Bow Lane, Lots 20-22-14, 20-99-1, 20-99-2, 20-99-3, and 20-99-4, Zoned CO.
for a commercial ground-mounted solar farm at Shirley Hill Road and NH Route 114 in Goffstown, NH.
Appointment to other Boards / Commissions


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Product Code : 02
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She has three teenagers in three different schools who have three different afterschool activities — soccer, dance and horseback riding — in three different parts of town. And she’s the driver.
“At home I wouldn’t do this,” said Madeleine Lyrvall, the jovial wife of Swedish Ambassador Björn Lyrvall. “They would all ride the bus or bike … and so would we. We bike to work at the Ministry [of Foreign Affairs]. And everyone wears a helmet,” said the safety-conscious Swede.
Like her husband, who served as director general for political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm before coming to Washington, Madeleine also spent many years working in the ministry as a diplomat. Among other areas, she worked on security and defense issues and, more recently, human rights, including gender equality and children’s rights. Now in the U.S. since 2013, she’s traded in her Foreign Service hat for a different set of duties.
Anna, their oldest child, is 16, attends Edmund Burke School and loves travel soccer and riding at Meadowbrook Stables. Mimmi, who turns 15 in November, is a student at Washington International School and dances at Joy of Motion studios. Fredrik, 12, goes to Washington Episcopal School and is an avid soccer player. “It’s like having three teenagers because Fredrik is very mature,” the proud mother notes.
“It is a treasure to be a mother,” Madeleine told us. “It is a privilege to have them.”
But she admits that while they are having an “intense and wonderful time, teenagers are challenging.”
Madeleine herself has previous experience living in the United States as a teenager. In high school, she was an exchange student in San Jose, Calif. Then, after earning a master’s degree at Lund University in Sweden, she returned and received another master’s from the University of California in Berkeley before earning a third master’s from the London School of Economics. That’s when she went home to Sweden and started her own diplomatic training, which led to a long career in the Foreign Service.
Her husband’s postings include Leningrad, Moscow, London and Brussels, where he served in Sweden’s Permanent Representation to the European Union.
Having observed both cultures, Madeleine said that one difference between young Swedes and their American counterparts is that Swedes tend to have more responsibility yet more freedom. “Boyfriends are not as big a deal at home and relationships are not as important as they are here. Otherwise, there are more similarities than differences,” she told us in the sunroom of the Swedish Residence on Nebraska Avenue, next to Japan’s residence and just down the street from American University.
“We don’t have separate boys’ and girls’ schools. They have physical education together and dance together, learning to respect each other,” she continued, reflecting on growing up in Sweden, which enjoys a generous Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education to its people.
“Children are treasured in Sweden,” Madeleine said. “From nursery through university, school is free. We have lots of wonderful playgrounds and access for the children to culture.
“We are not socialist. We are a welfare state,” she added. “Everyone has the same health care. Adults pay, at most, $150 for the year and after that, everything is free. Children are free up to age 18.”
Madeleine also noted that Swedish mothers and fathers each have the same 18 months of maternity and paternity leave, with 80 percent of their pay included. “We have come a long way regarding equality between men and women. Women are economically independent with legal rights,” Madeleine explained.
She also takes particular pride in Sweden’s Nobel Laureate tradition in literature, medicine and science, whose awards are also celebrated here in D.C. each year. In the commercial realm, Sweden’s own numerous advances in science and technology include Volvo, the automotive group that’s world-renowned for its safe, innovative cars. “Volvo has always been close to my heart since they are made in Gothenburg, my hometown,” Madeleine said.
More recently, Sweden has become renowned for being one of the few European countries — alongside Germany — to take in large numbers of asylum seekers from war-torn nations such as Syria, absorbing the largest number of refugees in relation to its population of all the European Union member nations.
The Scandinavian nation prides itself on being the world’s conscience and serves as a counterweight to the populist, anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping EU countries such as Hungary and even fellow Nordic neighbors such as Denmark. While the liberal open-door policy has inevitably provoked some political backlash in Sweden, it has also infused the predominantly white, Christian nation of nearly 10 million with religious and ethnic diversity.
“Sweden has been considered one of the ‘blondest’ of all countries,” Madeleine observed. “Sweden was a very homogeneous country. Yet thanks to Sweden being an open and welcoming society, we are a multicultural society today.”
That multiculturalism is one of the many similarities that Sweden shares with the United States.
“More similarities between our two countries are that we are both creative nations. We are the third-biggest exporter of popular music in the world,” Madeleine told us.
“We have a modern, open, innovative culture with ties to the U.S. that are very strong and go back a long time,” she said. “We are also a trading nation, starting with the Vikings. We export more than we import,” she added, noting that over 300,000 Americans have jobs that were created by Swedish companies. “In 2013, President Obama visited Sweden. His visit was a fantastic start for our Washington posting.”
While Madeleine has enjoyed the professional and personal benefits of a life in the Foreign Service, it has its drawbacks. “There is the strain of moving and all the logistics, but it’s a fun kind of life. And now that we have the internet and Skype, we can keep in touch so easily with family and friends.”
The Lyrvalls moved their entire house over from Sweden to furnish the private quarters here. The residence’s official first floor was already furnished and remains the same. Otherwise, “IKEA has most everything else we might want,” Madeleine noted.
In addition to the iconic ready-to-assemble furniture designer, Sweden is famous for its coffee blends, although Madeleine admits she has a preference for American teas and takes peppermint bark home with her when she visits for the Christmas holidays.
“My husband and I both like to cook — so do our children. Our favorites to make are fish and traditional Swedish meatballs. We have a wonderful embassy chef, Frida Johansson, who works out of the kitchen downstairs while we use the kitchen upstairs in the private quarters,” Madeleine said.
Six years in Brussels, their most recent foreign posting, and now Washington have been “fascinating” for this family of five that spends their free time in D.C. going to the theater. They see anything from modern plays and opera to works by Shakespeare and famed Swedish writer Liv Strömquist, their personal preference.
“Our children love it here. It is a fantastic opportunity for them to experience all that life in Washington has to offer, including the many world class museums, music and art,” Madeleine said.
In fact, the country’s sleek embassy in D.C., known as the House of Sweden, has also earned a reputation as a local center of arts and culture — and one of the few embassies to enjoy a scenic location along the Georgetown Waterfront.
“If we have a free weekend here, we love to take a long walk with our dog Melvin, a Bichon Havanese, or a trip to the gym with the whole family. Washington is a beautiful city and so green with all its parks. I’d like to be outdoors for breakfast through dinner,” Madeleine laughed. “I love to get in our hammock. We have a tennis court too and all of us play but none of us are very good.”
About the Author
Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.


Honor X40 GT
In the first place, the specification of the Honor X40 GT includes a 6.81-inch TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 × 2388 pixels. The display’s aspect ratio is 19.9:9, and the pixel density is 385 PPI. Also, the refresh rate of the display is 144Hz. Above all, it runs on a Snapdragon 888 processor with 8GB/12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
The phone runs on the Android 12 operating system with Magic UI 6.1 on top of it. It has a 4800 mAh non-removable battery with 66W fast charging.
The Honor X40 GT sports a triple rear camera setup; a 50MP wide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP lens for depth sensing. In contrast, the front camera gets a 16MP shooter.
The phone measures 166.1 x 75.8 x 8.5 mm and weighs 199.5 grams. It is available in Racing Black, Phantom Night Black and Titanium Empty Silver colours.
The pricing of the Honor X40 GT might start at Rs. 24,099 in India.
The Honor X40 GT was announced on October 13, 2022.
|Phone Name||Honor X40 GT|
|Launch Date||October 13, 2022|
|Price in India||Rs. 24,099 (Expected)|
|Status The stage of a phone within its life cycle.||Announced|
|Dimensions||166.1 x 75.8 x 8.5 mm|
|Colours||Racing Black, Phantom Night Black, Titanium Empty Silver|
|Type||TFT LCD capacitive|
|Screen Size||6.81 inches|
|Resolution||1080 x 2388 pixels|
|Refresh Rate||144 Hz|
|Pixel Density||385 PPI|
|Colour Depth||16 Million|
|Chipset||Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)|
|Clock Speed||1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 + 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55|
|Operating System||Android 12|
|User Interface||Magic UI 6.1|
|Rear Camera||Triple: 50MP with f/1.8 aperture + 2MP with f/2.4 aperture + 2MP with f/2.4 aperture|
|Primary Features||HDR, Panorama|
|Front Camera||Single: 16MP with f/2.5 aperture|
|Charging||66W Fast charging|
|GPS||Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS|
|Wi-Fi||Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, WiFi Direct|
|Bluetooth||Yes, v5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD|
|USB||USB Type-C 2.0, USB OTG|
|Number of SIMs||2|
|SIM Type||Dual Nano SIM|
|Network Support||2G, 3G, 4G, 5G|
|Sensors||Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Fingerprint (side-mounted)|


Dealing with the loss of Sept. 11 was subconscious for artist Don Voss.
“I was not trying to create a piece for 9/11,” Voss said. “I wasn’t thinking about anything. It was a doodle.”
Voss’ artwork, a wash of greens with figures arranged in a city skyscape, was presented to a crowd of nearly 100 students and community members Monday afternoon. Voss created the work six months after 9/11, but says the reference to the tragedy was unintentional. He said a friend saw the piece and told him it looked like New York City.
“People heal in different ways,” said Mike Ellis, executive director of the Lory Student Center. “For some, it’s expressing themselves through art. For others, it’s viewing art.”
The piece, “Community,” was dedicated to the LSC Transit Center as a commemorative piece to the 9/11 attacks.
“I don’t think it’s the actual piece of art,” junior speech major Ben Weikert said about the piece, “it’s what the art does to people. I think it’s great.”
Ellis said that the lack of intention in the piece is important in “Community.”
“I think (the artwork) is very powerful,” Ellis said. “Even more powerful was that it was a subconscious act of doodling.”
Voss said the greens in the piece represent healing, and that there is a sense of “the spirit of people and endurance” in the work.
“The Twin Towers and buildings (in the piece) resemble people,” Ellis said. “Buildings are people.”
Voss said he tried to sell the piece but decided instead to dedicate it.
“It couldn’t be sold,” he said. “It needed to be given.”
Voss, the general book manager at the CSU Bookstore, said that he approached Ellis about plans for the Sept. 11 anniversary.
“I went to Mike and said I had this piece,” Voss said. “I wanted it donated in the name of others.”
The piece also was dedicated to the student union of the University of Oregon in 2004.
Ellis hopes that the piece will help people take a moment out of their day to reflect on the tragedy.
“(‘Community’) is intentionally placed for visibility and to offer a place to reflect,” he said.
Graduate student and director of the Curfman Gallery Stan Scott helped organize the dedication. He said one of his jobs was “choosing the ideal location” for the piece, which hangs near the entrance of the bookstore.
“We wanted a feeling of rebuilding and renewal,” Scott said.
Ellis said the location was chosen because the lounge area offers a quiet place to reflect. He also said many students would see it because it is in a high-traffic area.
There are plans for a plaque to be hung with the piece giving information about the artist, the artwork and the purpose for the piece.
“I think the best way (to commemorate 9/11) is to remember,” Weikert said. “(The artwork) will be there for years.”
Staff writer Tiffany Heien can be reached at email@example.com.


text:
Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic believes itis far too early to write off Arjen Robben’s career at the club.
The Dutch winger made a big-money move from Chelsea last summer but has only made five starts for Real.
However, Mijatovic maintains that Robben can still play a major role for the club.
“He is only 23 and he has a lot of quality,” he said.
“This is not something that doesn’t have a solution – we need him to relax a little, because it has not been easy mentally for him.
“It is too soon to say that we have made a mistake. We need more time. Robben will be very useful.”


Kendrick Lamar squares off with Don Cheadle in cinematic "DNA" video
Don Cheadle shows up for an interrogation that doesn’t go as expected.
One of the highlights from Kendrick Lamar’s new album DAMN. has officially hit the Net, and it’s just as powerful as the song itself.
Kendrick tweeted the music video for the Mike WiLL Made-It-produced “DNA” on Tuesday afternoon, and the video has star power from award-winning actor Don Cheadle.
The video begins with a handcuffed K. Dot hooked to a lie detector test, as a suited Don Cheadle (the original Kung Fu Kenny, via Rush Hour 2) comes inside to interrogate him. But something quickly goes wrong. The result sees Cheadle and Kendrick confronting each other across the interrogation table, trading rap hands like they’re sharing the stage. The video then takes another unexpected turn.
The video’s storyline is still abstract, but now we have a bit more context for Don Cheadle’s recent tweet of a Kendrick Lamar stage pass.
DAMN. is expected to debut at no. 1 on the Billboard 200, with an estimated 475,000 equivalent album units.


O.C. Parks hopes to select a vendor to complete harbor upgrades, commit to 50-year lease.
DANA POINT — We might soon know who will be selected to bring a planned revitalization of Dana Point Harbor to life as O.C. Parks released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to three pre-qualified development teams Oct. 19. The selected vendor will enter into a public-private partnership, or PPP, with Orange County to realize and manage the planned harbor revitalization.
Identities of the pre-qualified development teams were not released during the statement of qualifications period; vendor information was also absent from the RFP announcement.
Clarity on who will be selected to execute the county’s harbor revitalization plans could be revealed as early as March 16, 2017, when the pre-qualified vendors must have their respective proposals submitted to O.C. Parks.
Submitted proposals must include information of project costs, construction timeline, architectural designs and renderings, parking and circulation plans, operational schematics, and financial feasibility.
The RFP deadline is exactly one year after the county released its Request for Qualifications (RFQ). A decision on who will execute and manage a revitalized Dana Point Harbor will be made after the March 16, 2017 deadline. No timeline was announced as to when the decision would be made.
County officials stated whoever is selected would be involved with all facets of the revitalization project – including managing the upgraded harbor area once work is completed.
“The county envisions entering into a master ground lease with a development team, to plan, design, permit, fund, construct, renovate, market, operate and manage the harbor. At the conclusion of the RFP process, the Board of Supervisors will select a development team to successfully revitalize the Harbor,” O.C. Parks staff said in a released statement.
The county will take several actions during the RFP process, including a pre-proposal conference with the development teams to answer project questions.
Orange County staff will recommend a development team after proposals are submitted and evaluated. If the preferred vendor is selected, then the Board of Supervisors will direct county staff to negotiated option and lease agreements.
Plans to revitalize Dana Point Harbor have been in play since 1997.
About six years later the county awarded a property management company an RFP contract through 2018. An initial five-year deal worth about $7 million eventually ballooned to a maximum $13.1 million obligation, according to an Orange County Grand Jury report released in 2014.
The report blamed bureaucracy and detractors for consistent delays of Dana Point Harbor’s revitalization. At least 20 years will have passed before the soon-to-be-selected vendor begins substantive work on the revitalization project.
“The 12 Guiding Principles set the criteria for the Harbor Revitalization making it difficult to rehabilitate the Harbor. Of primary importance is that the Harbor is to remain an affordable entity for all County residents,” the 2013-14 Orange County Grand Jury report on Dana Point Harbor’s revitalization stated.
A 23-member task force created by the Board of Supervisors in 1997 established 12 principles to guide revitalization of Dana Point Harbor. The principals focused on limiting commercialization of the harbor, maintaining the area as a family-friendly destination and fostering an environment for local yacht clubs to thrive.
“There is to be no commercialization of Dana Island. Therefore, measures that would or could increase revenue such as parking fees are stymied. The hotel cannot foresee becoming a five star hotel, because of the constraints of the [California Coastal Commission],” the report continued.
Current construction work has been limited to the roadways adjacent to the harbor despite the county breaking ground on the revitalization earlier this year.
The full RFP can be viewed online.


text:
Dare to Live
“I set before you life or death, blessing or curse.
Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live.”
As Moses speaks these words to the Hebrew people,
they are in a liminal space. An in-between space.
They are about to cross over the river and enter a new land.
And they will have to figure out how to survive.
Choose life? Of course!
Who doesn’t want to live? But how?
The poet Rumi writes,
“Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.”
We build barriers against love.
Likewise, have we been building barriers around life?
What keeps us from loving?
What keeps us from living?
the choice of life and the choice of which gods to serve are intertwined.
We can have life. In fact, we can lead a lot of different kinds of lives!
And we can have a lot of different kinds of gods.
But there is one God who leads to genuine life.
Loving the true god is choosing life, well-being,
wholeness, goodness, and prosperity (however you measure prosperity).
Swearing off the false gods, the false ways, is the way.
It is the only way because there is no god but God.
What do we have to let go of to grab on to this one god?
What do you think the Israelites needed to leave behind
so they could enter this new place?
Or the leaders of the latter-day kingdom of Judah, to whom the book of Deuteronomy was presented as a call back to covenant faithfulness?
What do they need to give up so they can be
present, just, open, and kind?
And what do we followers of Jesus have to give up to enter a new space?
A new life?
I am hooked on this question.
Moses lets no one off the hook. We have to make a decision.
“I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life.”
I want to choose life; I really do,
but no one taught me how!
Nobody told me that my life choices deprive other people of life.
Nobody told me how people were treated when they made my clothes.
Nobody told me about the history of race in my community and my neighborhood.
What do I need to give up to get to a new place?
No one taught me how to stinking live in a way that brings life!
I am part of these complexes that bring death.
And I want to choose life!
I want to cross over the Jordan River.
But everything I have breathed in has come from a place of death.
Of dry bones. Of desert spaces. Of wastefulness.
The culture at large teaches us to be mindless,
to ignore the consequences of the choices we make.
I want to say yes.
I don’t know how to say yes. Do yes. Be yes.
How do we practice life?
Moses tells us,
You can practice life by loving God,
obeying God’s voice, and committing to God.
Obedience in Hebrew is: shama (שָׁמַע).
It means to listen and to give your attention.
Are we listening to God?
Or are we just going along with the ways of Pharoah?
Loving God requires us to actively consent
to be opened to what God’s love requires of us.
Loving God means opening to God’s grace
and the possibility of living a different way.
To love is to open.
To obey is to listen openly.
To commit is to make an active offering to something new.
how do I reject death and greed and survival at the cost of another?
it takes active resistance
we speak up about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender dignity
because there are churches doing the opposite
there is a baptist church in Florida
making their members sign homophobic statements
it is important to say
we choose life
we want life for you
flourishing for you
you as you are
queer trans black brown white big bodied small bodied nerdy awkward loud quiet
we chose life
life for the trans community
life for the black community
life life life
we chose life
in a nation
that spends more on war than education
we travel abroad to help people but what about traveling locally
to help those who are dying in our backyard
life for the non-binary kids
and life for the disabled kids
and life for those with speech impediments
and you who never had someone to sit with at lunch
i choose life for you.
show me what life looks like for you.
how i can support life for you.
i love you
i will give up my life for you.
sign a petition
buy fair trade
buck the system, buy nothing, give and get stuff for free
i will learn pronouns for you
study queer history
say the name of Tyre Nichols over and over until no other black boys have to die on the street
we can all watch the movie Fruitvale Station and see how senseless the murders of black bodies have been
we will learn our history
we will change our life
to enter a new space
we have to be willing
to give up
that which separates us from lovegodgraceoneanothersoftnessjusiceintegrityandverdancy
we are leaving the desert
entering the promised land
but still life and history are violent
and still full of colonizing and unjust possession of lands and bodies
and god is saying no more
i am sick of opening the newspaper
to another dead young one
i am ready for a new space, no matter what it costs me
it requires something of us
we have been cultured for another land
and if we are to enter a new place, we have to learn new customs.
Learn. Love. Listen.
Listen to our God.
Listen, our god is the god of the exodus,
the god of bucking the system,
of rejecting the low wages and slave labor
that pharaoh uses to make a profit.
Instead of profits, god makes prophets
who say people be dying.
Rita Hester, a transgender woman in Boston.
Killed by death
Death dealing systems seek out and destroy that which is beautiful.
But God say, No! No more death!
Today is the day for lifelifelife
Today no one else will die.
Today, God looks into the eyes of Pharoah
and says, let my people go.
And Pharaoh says no
But still Moses goes
And starts a protest and brings on a resistance movement
And a liberation sit-in of people not working.
God and Moses use as many ways as possible to say
No more death!
Today is the day for life.
This way is for you.
This is what God wants for you
as you rest in this in-between place,
halfway between life and death,
at the edge of the Jordan River,
the desert behind you, the Promised Land before you.
It is okay to linger here,
where death and life intermingle.
Let yourself be loved in places of death.
Let yourself be embraced in places of sadness.
It is not easy to journey to a new place.
It is not easy to welcome life. even.
It changes everything.
Let yourself be loved. Here.
Let yourself be love. Here.
God is with you in the borderland.
God is present. Yes.
This quiet, present God is also the bold God of signs and wonders.
The God who led the people out of Egypt.
The God who parted the Red Sea.
Our God is the God of the Resurrection.
Things happened with our God, both in the quiet remaining of the weeping disciples and the bold appearance of the living Christ.
God has made the bold choice. In the Exodus.
God has made the bold choice. In the resurrection of Jesus.
God charges us to make the bold choice.
Sometimes we assume the Exodus (or the Resurrection) is this really big thing.
But sometimes the bold choice is a soft thing happening in our lives.
A phenomenon that could not be captured on video, media, or headlines.
If we recast it softly, maybe we can find, in our own lives,
moments that were in fact a soft exodus, a soft resurrection.
A moment when we said, No more.
Or said, This is not okay.
Or, God is choosing something for me, steering me.
Or, I entered a new land. Or, I let go of what was possessing me.
When was there a moment when you moved through that liminal space?
God chose life; we chose life; life chose us.
This choice upends everything.
Faith is a dare. Right now.
God is daring us to step out into the unknown.
God lays down the challenge.
Dare to live.


text:
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on screening for latent tuberculosis infection in adults. The Task Force recommends screening among adults who are at increased risk but do not have symptoms of tuberculosis. To view the recommendation and the evidence on which it is based, please go to http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/latent-tuberculosis-infection-screening. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the September 6 online issue of JAMA.
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