CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - Why is an obscure figure of the Bible relevant for us today? Why does the Catholic Church, on the Second Sunday of Advent, present John the Baptist for our reflection?

Saint John the Baptist commands our interest because he is a witness. By his witness, he reminds us that we are called to be witnesses. And in any age, to be a witness is challenging.

The witness of John the Baptist begins with his birth.

The miraculous circumstances of his conception and birth direct our attention to the mysterious and transcendent.

An angel announces his birth to a woman well beyond childbearing years. His father is struck dumb for his disbelief. As an infant, John, leaps in his mother's womb when he is in the presence of the Messiah's mother.

Upon his birth, he is given not his father's name, but rather the name, John, which translates "Yahweh is gracious". With the giving of this name spoken by the angel, John's father, Zechariah, recovers his power of speech.

Thus the miraculous circumstances surrounding his beginnings give witness to a sacred world, a world reaching beyond time and space.

As an adult, his chosen surroundings bear witness to a different reality.

John is a man of the desert. He totally separates himself from the world in order to give testimony of another world. Within his solitude he is able to hear the voice of God.

Between the center of Judea and the Dead Sea exists one of the most austere deserts of the world. John the Baptist made this place his home.

"For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God" (Baruch 5: 7).

John's manner of dressing bears witness as well. He does not clothe himself in the garments of the leaders of his day. And just as his location is counter-culture, going against the prevailing wisdom of his day, so also is his dress.

Through his garment of camel's hair, John shows how important it is to be simple and detached from the things of this world.

Riches make a soul soft and incapable of the rigorous walk of faith. Obsession with the latest fad clouds our minds and prevents us from focusing on the things that are really important.

John's food also bears witness. The gospels tell us that he eats locusts and wild honey. Like his living conditions and his dress, his food is also simple.

People cannot resist a witness like John.

Many people provide messages that they themselves do not live up to. But John not only preaches a message, he is the message. Because his beliefs and his actions are one and the same, people listen to what he says. He is an authentic witness because he himself is authentic.

John's preaching is a witness of the truth.

His message is effective because he is completely empty of himself. He does not preach himself. He points to someone beyond himself.

"One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1: 7-8).

Like Paul who comes after him, John is completely lost in the One whom he proclaims.

For this very reason Jesus cries out to the crowds: "I tell you, of all the children born to women, there is no one greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he" (Luke 7: 28).

John, the great witness, preaches the truth of Christ to the massive crowds.

These are people who are hungry for the truth. They are tired of the burdens imposed upon them by their own leaders, the Pharisees, and the foreign leaders represented by King Herod.

The human soul cannot be kept locked up in the body by repressive systems that continue to lie.

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Luke 3: 4-6).

To those seeking the baptism that John offers the people in the waters of the Jordan, God gives the multitudes an opportunity to repent of their sins. John's baptism is a testimony of the baptism that will eventually come through Jesus Christ.

John's ultimate witness comes in his death. John is a man who is one with his mission and his message. His is incapable of denying either one.

In any age the truth will always meet opposition. Jesus makes this very clear to those wishing to be his disciples. In any age, there are those who hear only what they want to hear. In any age, there are those who will do anything in order to continue living a lie - even kill.

King Herod personifies those human beings who from the beginning of time until the end of time, choose to live a lie, rather than the truth.

From the depths of the dungeon, John's martyrdom is a testimony that every disciple of Jesus must never be afraid to proclaim the truth.

Saint John the Baptist, a difficult personage of the Bible to understand and perhaps even to relate to, is very relevant for us today.

He is a great witness precisely because he is the link between the Old and New Testaments. He is the last of the prophets who announces the coming of the Messiah. He is the first of the disciples who proclaims his coming: "Behold, there is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1: 29).

John the Baptist is still relevant for us because as in any age, our age has an urgent need for disciples like John the Baptist.

Our world has an urgent need for witnesses.

We must witness that our identity is centered on true spirituality, and that our morality derives from that spirituality.

We must witness that our faith challenges many of the values of the dominant secular culture.

We must witness that our traditions have great meaning for us.

We must witness that challenging commitments offer firm principles by which we may live our lives.

We must witness that adherence to traditional morality often comes at a considerable personal cost: perhaps of losing family, friends, even jobs.

We must witness that what we have found in Christ Jesus is true, real and worth living out to the ultimate consequence.

We must witness that our seeking solely for lasting happiness as the meaning of life is an indictment of the falsehoods of past generations.

We must witness by striving for personal holiness, authenticity and integration. Witness has no room for complacency, hypocrisy, or self-indulgence.

To be a witness in this way is not an easy task. We may stumble and fall many times. However, the Lord will magnify our frail efforts into enormous accomplishments for the fulfillment of his salvific plan.

Advent is a special time of the year. Let us come closer to Christ so that we can become a witness like Saint John the Baptist.

----- Father James Farfaglia is a contributing writer for Catholic Online and author of Get Serious! - A Survival Guide for Serious Catholics. You can visit him on the web at www.fatherjames.org and listen to the audio podcast of this Sunday homily.

Pope Francis Prayer Intentions for March 2015
Universal: Scientists: That those involved in scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.
Evangelization: Contribution of women: That the unique contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.

Comments

It is not accidental that the Bible, from beginning to the end, uses marriage as a metaphor and a symbol to reveal the plan of God for the whole human race. Marriage was God's plan from the beginning as we see in the first book of Genesis. Throughout the Old ... continue reading

"A sower went out to sow. And, as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for ... continue reading

How we interpret the Bible is of immense importance! It directly affects what we believe about Christ, the Church, and our faith, but it is also related to many of the grave problems in our society and the world. Yet, despite the gravity of this situation, we have good ... continue reading

We celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. It is one of many opportunities the Catholic Church year offers to each one of us to consider the creature called time, receive it as a gift, and begin to really live our lives differently. This is one of ... continue reading

On the Solemnity of the Feast of Christ the King, the Sunday which marks both the end of the Church Year and the end of the Year of Faith, inaugurated by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis greeted thousands of the faithful and presided over Holy Mass and the ... continue reading

Becoming a House of Prayer is the best discipline we can take on. St. Ephraem of Syria states that Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy ... continue reading

If this day you only knew what makes for peace- but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your ... continue reading

In Jesus Christ, the Kingdom has been inaugurated. Upon his return it will be made complete and fully manifested in a new heaven and a new earth. We are members of the Body of Christ which makes it present here and now - as seed and sign for a world which is in labor. ... continue reading

On this Feast of the Presentation of Mary, let us make the choice to surrender ourselves to the same Lord who Joachim and Ann honored when they presented their dear daughter in the temple. Their daughter, Mary, became the Second Eve. The New Creation was born through ... continue reading

I got off the subway at Termini station and went up to the busy streets of Rome. I had to walk past the place where all the prostitutes gathered. I looked down at the street and began to pray in fear. Suddenly I heard a feminine voice say, "Be a man!" ... continue reading


Q:

How to update a field's value?

Like the field_get_items function, is there a function to update a field's value? I want to update a field of type user reference.

A:

In this example I load a node and change the value of a field called field_context and then saves the updated node:
$node = node_load($nid);
$node->field_context[$node->language][0]['value'] = 'foo';
node_save($node);

Use var_dump to show what fields your node contains.


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18-Nov-2015

A Brief History of British Chesterfield Sofas

Chester Sofas and the 4th Earl of Chesterfield

According to recent research it is believed the term Chesterfield was given for the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Philip Stanhope, who ordered a piece of elegant but comfortable furniture within the 18th century. Apparently Philip Stanhope ordered a leather Chesterfield Sofa known for its distinguishing deep buttoned and quilted upholstery.
Lord Philip was known throughout the century as a much-admired politician alongside a well-known author, as a result he became a trendsetter.
Lord Phillip Stanhope wished for a piece of furniture to be built that would offer a gentleman luxury and comfort. His requests demanded a sofa that would allow him to sit upright without wrinkling his garment whilst providing utmost comfort. This is the original purpose behind why British Chesterfield sofas were designed to have deep buttoned upholstery, equal heights for the arm and back and the nail head trim.
Over the last 200 years Chesterfield has become of the most popular and iconic pieces of furniture in the world. Chesterfield sofas are well known for providing high-end interior and elegance to homes. Throughout recent years Chesterfield sofas have made significant changes to meet consumer needs. There have been a variety of styles and designs introduced from sizes to covers. However the main characteristics of the sofa still largely remain to this day.

The Modern Day Chesterfield Design

Originally, the chesterfield design was upholstered in leather, but it was not necessary that way. In fact, softer fabric was also available and in the earlier part of the 20th century, the genuine leather for the chesterfield sofas became a distinctive mark of status and quality. Manufacturers of luxury seating realized that most popular and expensive pieces of furniture have to be constructed in genuine leather. This trend thus continued throughout the years to the modern day chesterfield sofa designs.
All of the models and colour schemes that follow since the chesterfield sofa was created have all been directly influenced by the original design over the past 200 years. Since 200 years ago, it has graced the royal palaces, hotels, restaurants, prominent office and luxurious homes. With that it became synonymous to style and elegance all throughout the world, a status symbol of the elite and most definitely one of the most sought-after addition in modern day home and business offices. With its refinement and elegance, the British Chesterfield sofa is sure to still be in-demand in the centuries to come.


Mondeo Water Leaking Through Passenger Side Wing Air Vent

3 posts in this topic

I haver had a water leak coming inside the car at the passenger side wing. There is a what looks like an air vent - that can be seen up behind the fuse box in the passenger foot-well left had side. I have taken the wing off and sealed up all of the welds. I'm running out of ideas. My car is 2000 x plate Mark 2 Ford Mondeo. I love the car and just want to get the leak fixed!.

I was thinking of filling the air vent with expanding foam as I can't see were the leak is coming from without possibly removing the full dashboard.


Structural basis for the resilience of Darunavir (TMC114) resistance major flap mutations of HIV-1 protease.
To understand the origin of the apparent low sensitivity to mutations exhibited by Darunavir, the binding energetics of this inhibitor to the HIV-1 protease was studied. Our research indicates that the observed effectiveness of Darunavir against the wild type HIV-1 protease is due to an extremely high affinity towards the wild-type and a relatively mild effect to the I50V and I54M mutations is due to low affinity towards the inhibitor. Good affinity of Darunavir accounts for the additive effects of well accommodation at binding site, good ligand-receptor electrostatic and van der waals energy while, the low susceptibility to I50V and I54M can be rationalized in terms of flexibility in the binding site residues that do not permit drug accommodation to the binding site distortions created by the mutation. The major flap mutations I50V and I54M lower the binding affinity of Darunavir by altering the position of binding site residues in 3D space. It decreases the electrostatic and van der waals interaction energy and further reduction in total receptor-ligand interaction energy. The results summarized in this paper emphasize the importance of shape complementarity and protein flexibility analysis of binding residual interactions in drug design. These data together with an interaction energy and flexibility analysis have established rigorous guidelines for the design of new and more powerful inhibitors. The principles learned from the HIV-1 protease can be applied to other design problems.


Q:

Condition on closures implies discreteness of topology.

I'm supposed to prove that if $(X, \tau)$ is a topological space such that $\overline{A \cap B} = \overline{A} \cap \overline{B}$ for all $A,B \subset X$, then $\tau$ is the discrete topology.
My first ideas were to try proving that $\{x\}$ is open for all $x \in X$, or proving that $A$ is closed, whichever $A \subset X$ is. I would show some work, but I couldn't manage anything so far. I mean, looking at extreme cases using $A$ or $B$ equal to $\{x\}, X \setminus \{x\}, X$ or $\varnothing$ didn't gave me anything useful.
Can someone give me ideas? Thanks.

A:

For some $x \in X$ suppose that $X - \{x\}$ is not closed.  Then clearly $\overline{X - \{x\}} = X$.  Then we have that
$$
\emptyset \;\; =\;\; \overline{ \{x\} \cap (X - \{x\})} \;\; =\;\; \overline{\{x\}} \cap \overline{X - \{x\}} \;\; =\;\; \overline{\{x\}} \cap X
$$
but this is a contradiction.  Therefore we must have that $X - \{x\}$ is closed.


+---------------------------+
| EXTERNAL SOURCE REFERENCE |
+---------------------------+
redis windows port
  - https://github.com/MSOpenTech/redis/tags/Win2.6.8
zookeeper c library
hiredis

+----------+
| features |
+----------+
- supports linux, windows
- event driven
- multi-thread client support
- zookeeper integration for gateway lookup
- gateway affinity


5.30.2011

A video camera on the exterior of the International Space Station captured this image of space shuttle Endeavour a little less than an hour after the two spacecraft undocked. Photo credit: NASA TV

Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth for the final time on Wednesday, June 1, completing a 16-day mission to outfit the International Space Station. If Endeavour lands Wednesday, it will have spent 299 days in space and traveled more than 122.8 million miles during its 25 flights. It launched on its first mission on May 7, 1992.

During the 16-day mission, Endeavour and its crew will delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.
Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station at 11:55 p.m. Sunday, ending a stay of 11 days, 17 hours and 41 minutes at the orbiting laboratory.

Landing is scheduled for 2:35 a.m. on Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center.

5.29.2011

The recent spell of low solar activity is over. Sunspots are popping up across the solar disk and one of them, C- and M-class solar flares are to expect. So far none of the blasts has been geoeffective, but this could change as the active region turns toward Earth in the days ahead. Today, 29th May , there was a CME showing that solar activity is ramping up.

5.27.2011

A University of Alabama at Birmingham archaeologist has discovered a hidden world in Egypt.

Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., an Egyptologist and assistant professor of archaeology at UAB, used infra-red satellite imaging to discover 17 lost pyramids as well as more than 1,000 tombs and 3,100 ancient settlements.

The European Space Agency, Arianespace and the European Commission announced today that the launch of the first two satellites of Europe's global navigation satellite system is planned to take place on 20 October.

This will be the first of a series of Galileo satellite launches by Arianespace from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

The announcement follows a detailed review held on 12 May, under the chairmanship of the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) and with the participation of Arianespace and industrial prime contractors, which concluded that the space and ground elements will be ready for a launch in October.

This microscope photo shows whole spheres and partial fragments of orange volcanic glass, of the type recovered from Apollo 17 sample 74220 from which the lunar melt inclusions were recovered. The largest sphere in the center is 0.2 millimeters across. Credit: NASA

A team of NASA-funded researchers has measured for the first time water from the moon in the form of tiny globules of molten rock, which have turned to glass-like material trapped within crystals. Data from these newly-discovered lunar melt inclusions indicate the water content of lunar magma is 100 times higher than previous studies suggested.

The inclusions were found in lunar sample 74220, the famous high-titanium "orange glass soil" of volcanic origin collected during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The scientific team used a state-of-the-art ion microprobe instrument to measure the water content of the inclusions, which were formed during explosive eruptions on the moon approximately 3.7 billion years ago.

5.26.2011

A new, colorful collection of galaxy specimens has been released by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mission. It showcases galaxies of several types, from elegant grand design spirals to more patchy flocculent spirals. Some of the galaxies have roundish centers, while others have elongated central bars. The orientation of the galaxies varies as well, with some seeming to peer straight back at us in the face-on configuration while others point to the side, appearing edge-on.

Infrared light has been translated into colors we see with our eyes, such that the shortest wavelengths are blue and the longest are red. The oldest stars appear blue, while pockets of newly formed stars have yellow or reddish hues.

5.25.2011

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will orbit and explore asteroid 1999 RQ36 for more than a year before closing in and collecting a sample of pristine organic material that may have seeded Earth with the building blocks that led to life.

OSIRIS-REx will rendezvous with asteroid 1999 RQ36, extend a sample collecting device and return at least 60 grams (a little over 2 ounces) of pristine material to Earth for analysis. (Image: NASA/GSFC/The University of Arizona)

The OSIRIS-REx mission is budgeted for approximately $800 million, excluding the launch vehicle.
The target asteroid – named 1999 RQ36 after the year it was discovered – measures 575 meters (one-third of a mile) in diameter. 1999 RQ36 is a time capsule from the early solar system rich with organic compounds that may have seeded life on Earth.

People sometimes like to see things that aren't there, in some youtube accounts images from SOHO and Stereo are discussed as having UFO footage on them.

An example is the 21th May sungrazer comet , that mislead people not well informed, to think they are seeing a UFO going toward the Sun.

This kind of speculation does not help people to learn .

In wikipedia about sungrazing comets:

A sungrazing comet is a comet that passes extremely close to the Sun at perihelion - sometimes within a few thousand kilometres of the Sun's surface. While small sungrazers can be completely evaporated during such a close approach to the Sun, larger sungrazers can survive many perihelion passages. However, strong evaporation and tidal forces they experience often lead to their fragmentation.

NASA has reached an important milestone for the next U.S. transportation system that will carry humans into deep space. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced today that the system will be based on designs originally planned for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Those plans now will be used to develop a new spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).

5.24.2011

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft is proving itself to be a prolific planet hunter. Within just the first four months of data, astronomers have found evidence for more than 1,200 planetary candidates. Of those, 408 reside in systems containing two or more planets, and most of those look very different than our solar system.

In particular, the Kepler systems with multiple planets are much flatter than our solar system. They have to be for Kepler to spot them. Kepler watches for a planet to cross in front of its star, blocking a tiny fraction of the star’s light. By measuring how much the star dims during such a transit, astronomers can calculate the planet’s size, and by observing the time between successive events they can derive the orbital period -- how long it takes the planet to revolve around its star.

5.23.2011

China has announced plans to put its own space station in orbit by 2020. The 60-tonne construction will be one-seventh the weight of the ISS and will focus on scientific experiments. However, military involvement with the project is causing concern.

Artistic rendition of a proposed Chinese space station, courtesy of the Chinese Society of Astronautics

Beijing’s Space City research center is opening its doors to the media, as China has announced its intention to build a rival to the International Space Station.
While some see Chinese advances in space travel as a potential threat, the country’s officials are keen to stress the spirit of co-operation, which they say is behind China’s space program.

An international team, including NASA-funded researchers, using radio telescopes located throughout the Southern Hemisphere has produced the most detailed image of particle jets erupting from a supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy.

5.19.2011

We are living on exciting times , hundreds even thousands of possible planets are being discovered almost every day in other stars opening our mind to the possibility of life somewhere in the vast universe.

But closer to us, much closer, there are places where life can be present , and what a important discovery it would be!

German geologists inspecting the Hoba meteorite in 1929. Image courtesy of Marmet-Meteorites.com.

One morning in 1920, Mr Jacobus Hermanus Brits, a farmer from Grootfontein in northern Namibia, was ploughing in his Hoba West Farm land with an ox when the plough came to a sudden screeching halt as it jammed up against something just below the surface. He began digging thinking he would find a large rock to pull out, and while he did find a rock, large turned out to be an understatement.

As Mr Brits kept removing soil covering the rock he soon realised this was no ordinary stone. To begin with it gave off a metallic sound when he hit it with his spade, and then there was the size; after much digging around it he finally uncovered the top, a square shape measuring almost 3 meters on each side.
When it was finally fully excavated it was found to be a solid piece of metal measuring 2.85 x 2.95 meters, with a thickness ranging from 0.75 to 1.2 meters.

5.18.2011

This artist's conception illustrates a Jupiter-like planet alone in the dark of space, floating freely without a parent star. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astronomers, including a NASA-funded team member, have discovered a new class of Jupiter-sized planets floating alone in the dark of space, away from the light of a star. The team believes these lone worlds were probably ejected from developing planetary systems.

The discovery is based on a joint Japan-New Zealand survey that scanned the center of the Milky Way galaxy during 2006 and 2007, revealing evidence for up to 10 free-floating planets roughly the mass of Jupiter. The isolated orbs, also known as orphan planets, are difficult to spot, and had gone undetected until now. The newfound planets are located at an average approximate distance of 10,000 to 20,000 light-years from Earth.

"Although free-floating planets have been predicted, they finally have been detected, holding major implications for planetary formation and evolution models," said Mario Perez, exoplanet program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

One of the planets that revolve around the star Gliese 581 dwarf could be "habitable" with climate conducive to the existence of liquid water and life, according to a study that a team of climate scientists has just published. Astronomers want to determine whether any of the 500 exoplanets discovered are able to harbor life.

UC Berkeley's SETI survey will target the most Earth-like of the 1,235 Kepler Objects of Interest. Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center, W.Stenzel

Now that NASA’s Kepler space telescope has identified 1,235 possible planets around stars in our galaxy, astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, are aiming a radio telescope at the most Earth-like of these worlds to see if they can detect signals from an advanced civilization.

The search began on Saturday, May 8, when the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope -- the largest steerable radio telescope in the world -- dedicated an hour to eight stars with possible planets. Once UC Berkeley astronomers acquire 24 hours of data on a total of 86 Earth-like planets, they’ll initiate a coarse analysis and then, in about two months, ask an estimated 1 million SETI@home users to conduct a more detailed analysis on their home computers.

5.16.2011

A misreported April Fool’s joke sparked panic on the internet over a comet discovered by a Russian astronomer. Conspiracy theorists believe that the Elenin comet is an alien spaceship and demand that the scientist discloses data hushed up by NASA.

5.14.2011

Thermal and visual imagery was recently collected from high above California’s Mojave Desert through a NASA-funded airborne study designed to aid in detection of caves on Earth, the moon and Mars.

“This is important because once we develop techniques for detecting caves on Earth, we can then apply these techniques to looking for caves on Mars,” said Judson "Jut" Wynne, a doctoral candidate at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and a researcher at the SETI Institute.

Wynne, project manager of the study, said caves may be a source of shelter for astronauts establishing colonies in the harsh conditions of the moon and Mars, and are the best place to search for evidence of life on Mars.

5.13.2011

A rare number of Hot Jupiter planets orbit their stars in a direction opposite to the star's rotation. This violates basic ideas of planet and star formation. Now, new research may explain how these planets flipped their orbits.

Artist's conception of an exoplanet in a retrograde orbit. Credit: ESO/A. C. Cameron

More than 500 extrasolar planets - planets that orbit stars other than the Sun -have been discovered since 1995. But only in the last few years have astronomers observed that in some of these systems the star is spinning one way and the planet, a “hot Jupiter,” is orbiting the star in the opposite direction.

5.12.2011

New images of the Nili Fossae region are helping scientists understand unique geological features in the area. Methane in Mars' atmosphere is enhanced over Nili Fossae, leading some scientists to believe that the gas is produced there. The origins of the Mars methane could be geological or perhaps even biological.

Newly released images from ESA’s Mars Express show Nili Fossae, a system of deep fractures around the giant Isidis impact basin. Some of these incisions into the martian crust are up to 500 m deep and probably formed at the same time as the basin.

5.11.2011

A comet just discovered by amateur astronomer Sergey Shurpakov is diving past the sun today, and it will probably not survive. Bellow the movie of the death plunge recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.

A Hubble visible light image of the Crab Nebula inset against a full-sky gamma ray map showing the location of the nebula (croshairs). Credit: NASA

The famous Crab Nebula supernova remnant has erupted in an enormous flare five times more powerful than any flare previously seen from the object. On April 12, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope first detected the outburst, which lasted six days.

Theprophecyis based ontheallegedpredictionsBendandiRaffaele,aself-taughtscientistandastronomer(died1979)who discoveredfournewplanets99 years agoandwhowas also interested inseismography.
Raffaele Bendandi (Faenza, October 17, 1893 – Faenza, November 3, 1979) was an Italian pseudo scientist. During the Fascist period was appointed Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy. Later he was forbidden from Mussolini to publish forecasts on earthquakes, otherwise it would have been sent into exile. His theory is based on the fact that the Moon as the other planets of the solar system, including the Sun, are the cause of the movements of the earth’s crust.

5.10.2011

Beginning their return from the moon to an April 27, 1972, splashdown, Astronauts John Young, Thomas Mattingly and Charles Duke captured about four seconds of video footage of an object that seemed to look a lot like Hollywood's version of a spacecraft from another world.

Image above: High-resolution, digital scan of a full frame from the original Apollo 16 film showing the object in question (top center) and its position relative to the moon. Reflections in the window are also visible (left and right). Credit: NASA

Research shows that increasing wind speeds and wave heights could be linked to climate change. However, not all recent and extreme weather events are due to changing climate. A separate study indicates that the record heat in Russia recorded in 2010 was a fluke, and unrelated to climate trends.

Surfers, kiteboarders, and other ocean joy-riders might be pleased with this latest bit of news. Wind speeds and wave heights have been increasing over the past quarter century, a result possibly linked to warmer waters caused by climate change.

5.09.2011

The Torino Scale is a "Richter Scale" for categorizing the Earth impact hazard associated with newly discovered asteroids and comets. It is intended to serve as a communication tool for astronomers and the public to assess the seriousness of predictions of close encounters by asteroids and comets during the 21st century.

5.05.2011

You may have heard the news: Comet Elenin is coming to the inner-solar system this fall. Comet Elenin (also known by its astronomical name C/2010 X1), was first detected on Dec. 10, 2010 by Leonid Elenin, an observer in Lyubertsy, Russia, who made the discovery "remotely" using the ISON-NM observatory near Mayhill, New Mexico. At the time of the discovery, the comet was about 647 million kilometers (401 million miles) from Earth.

5.03.2011

Since the dawn of the space age, humanity has sent 16 robotic emissaries to fly by some of the solar system's most intriguing and nomadic occupants -- comets and asteroids. The data and imagery collected on these deep-space missions of exploration have helped redefine our understanding of how Earth and our part of the galaxy came to be.
But this fall, Mother Nature is giving scientists around the world a close-up view of one of her good-sized space rocks -no rocket required.

5.02.2011

Efforts to reach the martian moon Phobos have long been outshined by missions to the Red Planet itself. Now, scientists in Russia, Canada and the U.S. are preparing their own missions to the largest moon of Mars.

Mars actually has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. They might more properly be called satellites, however, because they are extremely small, only a few kilometers in diameter. In fact, some scientists think Phobos and Deimos could be asteroids that somehow ended up orbiting Mars instead of crashing into the planet, or they could be leftovers from the time of planetary formation. Another option is that the moons are fragments of Mars, blasted off the planet’s surface by a large asteroid or comet impact.

5.01.2011

New observations of '55 Cancri e' indicate that the planet is 60 percent larger in diameter than Earth, but eight times more massive. The data also indicates that 55 Cancri e orbits so close to its star that it is baked to a temperature of 4,900 degrees F.

A planet that we thought we knew turns out to be rather different than first suspected. A revised view comes from new data released by an international team of astronomers, who made their observations of the planet "55 Cancri e" based on calculations by Harvard graduate student Rebekah Dawson (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics). Dawson worked with Daniel Fabrycky (now at the University of California, Santa Cruz) to predict when the planet crosses in front of its star as seen from Earth. Such transits give crucial information about a planet's size and orbit.


/*
 * This file is part of SpongeAPI, licensed under the MIT License (MIT).
 *
 * Copyright (c) SpongePowered <https://www.spongepowered.org>
 * Copyright (c) contributors
 *
 * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
 * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
 * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
 * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
 * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
 * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
 *
 * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
 * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
 *
 * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
 * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
 * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
 * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
 * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
 * THE SOFTWARE.
 */
package org.spongepowered.api.event.cause.entity.damage.source.common;

import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;

import org.spongepowered.api.entity.Entity;
import org.spongepowered.api.event.cause.entity.damage.DamageType;
import org.spongepowered.api.event.cause.entity.damage.source.EntityDamageSource;

public abstract class AbstractEntityDamageSource implements EntityDamageSource {

    private final DamageType apiDamageType;
    private final boolean absolute;
    private final boolean bypassesArmor;
    private final boolean scales;
    private final boolean explosive;
    private final boolean magic;
    private final boolean creative;
    private final double exhaustion;
    private final Entity source;

    protected AbstractEntityDamageSource(AbstractEntityDamageSourceBuilder<?, ?> builder) {
        this.apiDamageType = checkNotNull(builder.damageType, "DamageType cannot be null!");
        this.absolute = builder.absolute;
        this.bypassesArmor = builder.bypasses;
        this.scales = builder.scales;
        this.explosive = builder.explosion;
        this.magic = builder.magical;
        this.creative = builder.creative;
        if (builder.exhaustion != null) {
            this.exhaustion = builder.exhaustion;
        } else if (this.absolute || this.bypassesArmor) {
            this.exhaustion = 0.0;
        } else {
            this.exhaustion = 0.1;
        }
        this.source = checkNotNull(builder.source, "Entity source cannot be null!");
    }

    @Override
    public Entity getSource() {
        return this.source;
    }

    @Override
    public DamageType getType() {
        return this.apiDamageType;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isAbsolute() {
        return this.absolute;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isBypassingArmor() {
        return this.bypassesArmor;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isScaledByDifficulty() {
        return this.scales;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isExplosive() {
        return this.explosive;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isMagic() {
        return this.magic;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean doesAffectCreative() {
        return this.creative;
    }

    @Override
    public double getExhaustion() {
        return this.exhaustion;
    }

    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public abstract static class AbstractEntityDamageSourceBuilder<T extends EntityDamageSource,
            B extends EntityDamageSource.EntityDamageSourceBuilder<T, B>>
            extends AbstractDamageSourceBuilder<T, B>
            implements EntityDamageSourceBuilder<T, B> {

        protected Entity source;

        @Override
        public B entity(Entity entity) {
            this.source = checkNotNull(entity, "Entity source cannot be null!");
            return (B) this;
        }

        @Override
        public B reset() {
            super.reset();
            this.damageType = null;
            return (B) this;
        }
    }
}


Q:

How to get Prism RegionManager to add two views instead of only one

I'm using the Composite Application Guidelines (Version 2, Feb 2009).
I've built the Shell with one region, a Bootstrapper and an Employee Module with two views, both of which I want the RegionManager to add to one region in the shell.
However, only the last view added to the RegionManager is displayed in the region.
What do I need to change so that both views are shown in the Shell's region?
namespace EmployeeModule
{
    public class EmployeeModule : IModule
    {
        private readonly IRegionManager _regionManager;

        public EmployeeModule(IRegionManager regionManager)
        {
            _regionManager = regionManager;
        }

        public void Initialize()
        {
            _regionManager.RegisterViewWithRegion(Infrastructure.RegionNames.MainRegion, typeof(Views.EmployeesView.EmployeesView));
            _regionManager.RegisterViewWithRegion(Infrastructure.RegionNames.MainRegion, typeof(Views.EmployeesListView.EmployeesListView));
        }
    }
}

A:

Well, I'm not sure your solution is not exactly correct; it's definitely ugly. I believe the problem you are running into is that you are marking a Grid or a Canvas as a region. This is fine, but the elements will cover themselves up in those cases unless you are able to specify X and Y offsets for a Canvas or Column/Row for a Grid.
Prism provides three types of adapters for regions. See MSDN.

ContentControlRegionAdapter. This adapter adapts controls of type System.Windows.Controls.ContentControl and derived classes.
SelectorRegionAdapter. This adapter adapts controls derived from the class System.Windows.Controls.Primitives.Selector, such as the System.Windows.Controls.TabControl control.
ItemsControlRegionAdapter. This adapter adapts controls of type System.Windows.Controls.ItemsControl and derived classes.

What this means is that you can use regions on top of any ContentControl (controls that display one Content element), Selectors, that display multiple content elements and have a concept of a selected item, and ItemsControl, which is just a control that displays multiple objects.
I believe the solution to your problem is then to use the ItemsControl, which will automatically size itself to display all your Views.

A:

Allow me to answer my own question:
The above RegionManager code works fine.
You have to take the width and height properties off of the UserControl element in your views, otherwise they cover each other up.


The present invention relates generally to structures providing expandable storage space on vehicles and more particularly to an expandable wardrobe or closet install able in an operator""s extended cab on a truck.
Truck cabs, even the now popular extended cabs, have limited interior space to accommodate driver, passengers, luggage and sleeping quarters. Many features designed to add to the comfort of driver and passengers compete for the limited available space.
Within the limited space available, truck cab interior layouts maximize the use of available space. The allocation of space to one use has necessarily prevented use of the same space for other purposes. For example, if space has been used for a closet or wardrobe, there is less space for a sleeping compartment or other features. In addition, it is difficult to anticipate user preferences regarding the allocation of space in the cab interior. Some drivers desire extra closet space, while others want more sleeping space. Indeed, user requirements may change from trip to trip depending on the demands of a particular journey. From one trip to the next the user may need more, or less, space.
Accordingly, there is need for increased flexibility in the allocation of truck interior space, which is under the control of the end user. There is a need for example, for a closet or wardrobe which can be adjusted in size depending upon demand.
According to the invention there is provided an expandable wardrobe for location along an interior wall of a vehicle passenger space. The expandable wardrobe comprises an anchor wall having two vertical edges, the anchor wall being positionally fixed against the vehicle interior wall and providing a back wall to the wardrobe. A pair of opposed sidewalls are provided with each sidewall having two vertical edges, and each of the pair of opposed sidewalls being hingedly mounted along one vertical edge to a different vertical edge of the anchor wall, leaving one vertical edge of each of the opposed sidewalls free. A free wall is hingedly mounted between the free vertical edges of each of the pair of opposed sidewalls to enclose a variably sized space. A doorway through the free wall into the variably sized space provides access to the space.
While the preferred use of the enclosed space is for a wardrobe or closet, other uses for such an enclosed space are conceivable, such as an enclosure for a temporary shower. Additional effects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description that follows.


WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s eldest brother Thomas D’Alesandro III, the former mayor of Baltimore, died Sunday at age 90.

D’Alesandro, nicknamed “Young Tommy,” passed away due to stroke complications, according to the Baltimore Sun.

He was a one-term mayor from 1967 to 1971, leading Baltimore through a period of racial strife in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 assassination, which led to riots in Baltimore and other American cities.

During his tenure he’s credited for appointing African-Americans to top positions within his administration.

D’Alesandro and Pelosi’s father Thomas D’Alesandro Jr. – called “Big Tommy” or “Tommy the elder” – had also been the mayor of Baltimore, bringing major league baseball back to the city.

“Big Tommy” also served Maryland as a member of Congress.

The 79-year-old Pelosi is the youngest – and the only girl – in the seven-sibling D’Alesandro clan.

And as the first female speaker of the House has outranked both her late father and her late brother in political prominence.

“My husband Paul and our entire family are devastated by the loss of our patriarch, my beloved brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III,” Pelosi’s office said in a statement. “All his life, Tommy worked on the side of the angels. Now, he is with them. With his commitment to his family and public service, his life has truly blessed America.”

Pelosi is currently out of the country, leading a Congressional delegation to Jordan, her office announced Saturday.

“With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey’s incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Among those on the trip are House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who has become the face of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, and New York Rep. Eliot Engel, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee.


Confirmatory factor analysis of a short form of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations.
The 48-item Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) was designed to assess three dimensions (task-oriented, emotional, and avoidant) of self-reported responses to stressful circumstances, but results from factor analyses suggest four factors. The present research used confirmatory factor analysis to verify the four-factor structure for the 21-item CISS short form in samples of 1,628 undergraduate students and 390 community-dwelling adults. Factors corresponding to task-oriented and emotional scales were orthogonal and were well defined by their seven constituent items. The avoidant scale was split into two three-item parcels that describe specific avoidance behaviors (contact a friend and treat oneself) rather than broad response categories. In the undergraduate sample, depression and anxiety correlated negatively with the task-oriented scale and positively with the emotional scale. In the community sample, the emotional scale was positively correlated with neuroticism and negatively correlated with extroversion and agreeableness, whereas the task-oriented scale was negatively correlated with neuroticism and positively correlated with extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. It was concluded that the task-oriented and emotional scales have potential as measures of two types of responses to routine stressors.


Guissou D – Wynnewood, PA

Guissou Dabiri started with Performance Fitness in May 2014. By August she was ready to tackle nutrition. In September she went all in by challenging herself more at her training sessions and really focusing on her nutrition habits.

Guissou described her experience this way: “Thank you for all you do. You run a great program along with fantastic and realistic advice. In half an hour, you gave me nutrition advice, which I was able to start immediately.”

A few months later she added: “…my daughter and I are now wearing the same size. In fact, she gave me a pair of her pants that are too small for her in the legs. They fit me! She is quite skinny, by the way. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Here results? She lost 14 pounds, 9 inches, and decreased her body fat by 22%!

What’s Performance Fitness like?

Let’s talk about your goals…

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

1418 Manoa Rd.
Wynnewood, PA 19096
610-649-4900

Build a strong body, skyrocket your confidence, and fall in love with fitness


6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost anone.

10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and acut off his right ear. The servant’s name was bMalchus.

11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the acup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,

13 And led him away to aAnnas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.

14 Now aCaiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

15 ¶ And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.

16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.

18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

19 ¶ The high apriest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.

20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.

22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by astruck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?

23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.

25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?

27 Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.

28 ¶ Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the apassover.

29 aPilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?

30 They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.

31 Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:

32 That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.

33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?

34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

36 Jesus answered, My akingdom is not of this bworld: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

37 aPilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a bking then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a cking. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the dtruth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had asaid this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no bfaultat all.

39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now aBarabbas was a robber.


Suarjaya enggan merinci tugas dokter residen ini selama di RSUP Sanglah. Dia menegaskan sedang melacak orang yang sempat kontak dengan dokter residen tersebut.


7-(4,6-Dimethoxypyrimidinyl)oxy- and -thiophthalides as novel herbicides: Part 1. CGA 279 233: a new grass-killer for rice.
A series of novel types of 7-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy- and -thio-3-methyl-1 (3H)-isobenzofuranones were discovered at Dr R Maag AG. From the thio-isobenzofuranyl series, CGA 279 233--BSI-proposed common name pyriftalid--was chosen for further development as a grass herbicide for use in rice. General synthetic approaches to these new phthalic acid-derived compounds are given, with emphasis on the synthesis of pyriftalid and its physico-chemical behaviour.


Archive for March, 2011

Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

In a time of revolution and upheaval, and following possibly the most violent century on record, it seems almost laughable that there could possibly any real hope of bringing peace into the world. Yet Jesus seems to think that there are peacemakers and that they have some special relationship with God. So what is it that these peacemakers do and why such a special relationship with God?

The first thing we need to come to grips with is our understanding of peace. The definition we commonly accept, the absence of war, is woefully lacking in-depth and has little to no relationship to the Biblical understanding of peace. We have become so accustomed to wars, both global and local, that we have accepted the absence of bullets flying and rockets falling as somehow constituting peace. By such a definition the blessed peacemakers would be those who get the bullets and rockets to stop. When I was a child and through my teenage and early adult years, the United States and the Soviet Union were not shooting at each other. Yet there was no peace. We called that time, The Cold War. Nobody really felt that we were at peace. During elementary school we had regular drills on what to do in case of nuclear attack. Our neighbors actually built a bomb shelter in their back yard. It was not a time of peace.

The most commonly known biblical word for peace is the Hebrew word shalom. It means far more that just the absence of bullets and rockets. When you great someone with shalom you are pronouncing that you pray their world is one filled with the joys, blessings, and contentment that can only come with a right relationship with God. True peace is about healthy relationships of openness, trust, and love.

The ultimate blessing of Shalom is when you are at true peace with God. This is not a concept that is readily considered in our world. Most people seem to assume that since they are not in a fighting war with God that they must be at peace with God. After all, God would never be mad with us would He? Isn’t the idea of an angry God an ancient, superstition born out of ignorance? Not according to the Bible. Because of our sin we are literally at war with God. We fight against the reign of God in our lives. We worship anything but God. We act as if things are fine because we are not standing on the mountaintop shaking our fist at God and He is not hurling lightning bolts at us from the heavens. Yet the Bible says that “since we have been justified though faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:27 Prior to coming to faith in Christ we are not at peace with God. We were still God’s enemies. Yet out of His love for us, while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us so that we can have true peace, peace with God as out Father.

So how does this fit with the blessed peacemakers of The Beatitudes? If you have peace with God you have something that you should be sharing with others. You become and ambassador for Christ. Consider what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God as reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God”

So the peacemakers are those who are giving their all to see that people are reconciled to God. Why are they called sons of God? Because they are following in the footsteps of the Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was given the ultimate ministry of peacemaking on the cross. There is nothing more important that you can do for someone than to help them find ultimate peace with God through Christ. That doesn’t mean that efforts to stop the bullets and rockets are waisted. They are extremely important. But we should never settle for the lack of such things as being true peace. We humans are so very prone to accepting something that falls short of the God’s best design for us. We accept the good and fail to experience the great.

If you have been reconciled to Jesus, then you need to be a peacemaker and give yourself to the ministry of reconciling others to Him. If you have not been reconciled with God, the with Paul, I implore you to do so. You will never have ultimate peace in your life until you do.

On Sunday I received my boarding pass for the first three-hour leg of my flight to Manaus, Brazil. I have to tell you I was a bit disappointed when I realized I had a middle seat. Part of the disappointment is that I know somewhere there is a computer program that always figures out how to put the three largest guys in the same row together. But being generally adaptable, I shrugged and knew I would sleep anyway.

After I arrived at the training center for church planters I could only laugh about my middle seat. The first man I spoke with was a church planter from far up the Rio Negro, the largest tributary for the Amazon River. He has the nickname, “jungle-boy”. In part because he is all of 5’2″ and skinny. But more because three years ago he was lost in the jungle for four days before finally making his way close enough to a village that he could make contact with people. In order for Jungle-boy to get to the training center he first had to paddle for 2 hours in a dug out canoe to get to a larger tributary. There he got in a small motor boat for 3 hours, then a larger boat for 2 more hours and finally a bus for 7 hours. That’s him on the left of the picture with the striped shirt.

Along with about 80 other people, all of whom had similar travel stories, he came to learn more about Jesus and improve his ability to minister to people in need. These indigenous church planters come to the center just outside Manaus twice a year. They come hungry for the truth of God’s Word and for the fellowship of their fellow laborers. They don’t have seminary degrees or even Bible College training. Most of them came to faith in Christ because the Presbyterian Church of Manaus sends large boats up and down the river to provide medical care, food, clothing, education and the message of Jesus. Once coming to faith they continued to grow and now are planting churches in the very villages they grew up in. Most of them make less than 100 dollars a month but they are delighted to serve others and share the hope of the Gospel. They will never be mega-church pastors. Most of their villages are only 50 to 70 families. The next closest village would be a couple of hours away on foot or canoe.

After spending the day training these amazing people, I was asked to teach in the city for three hours in the evening. The audience was completely different. These were not villagers from up and down the rivers but instead people who live and work in Manaus, a city of 1.8 million people. They were 40 Bible College students who are working towards becoming pastors and missionaries. They packed into a room that in the states we would feel crowded with half as many people. All of them have regular jobs and included at least one lawyer and a couple of I.T. guys. Yet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights they gather from 7 to 10 to learn about the Bible and ministry. They were so engaged and had so many questions that we went till 10:30! In fact the regular instructor had to call a halt to all the questions and bring and end to the evening. There were no students looking at their watches for the time to leave. None of them left early. All of them were extremely grateful that I came and talked with them.

What struck me was that in both settings these folks counted it a privilege and a joy to dig into God’s Word and be trained to serve others in Jesus name. They couldn’t get enough. Their questions and comments reflected people who wanted to do their best and invest themselves completely in whatever the Lord had for them. They understood the life and death nature of this thing we call ministry. But they also laughed and joked like people with no cares in the world. These are followers of Jesus who are aware of how far they have come because of Jesus and they want to bring as many people along as they can. They are all about serving the Lord and others. No body is worried about their career, or image, or how to spend vacation, or complaining about how stupid their boss is or how unfair their company is or that they had the middle seat. None of them feel cheated in life. Instead they seem to really count it all joy that they share in the life, ministry, and even hardships that come from the fellowship they have with Jesus.

The Church Planters at the Training Center with me in the front middle

Worship during one of the church planter training sessions. Different language, same God

Felipe Santos translating into Portuguese for me. He was amazing as always

People often ask me about my hobby of doing Bonsai. What got you interested? Why do you do it? There are a couple of reasons that all merged together one day several years ago.

First of all there is the plane fact that Bonsai trees are flat-out amazing. When you see a three-foot tall pine tree that under normal circumstances would tower 60 feet over your head, who doesn’t stand in a little bit of awe. So ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated by the science and the beauty of Bonsai.

Second, as I was doing a year-end inventory of my life and character I really sensed that one of the things I needed to work on was patience combined with perseverance. By that I mean that willingness to wait on something that would a long time and the drive to stick with it for years if need be. I have had far too many 80% finished and sensed that the next step God wanted me to take in the development of my character could be learned through Bonsai. It actually fits far better than I ever imagined. One of the things I have learned about Bonsai is that no tree is ever finished till it is dead. Now I have “finished” several trees, especially in the early days. At one point my wife asked if I was growing trees or collecting empty pots. She asked this as she looked at the collection of a half-dozen pots, that sat like ceramic grave stones, in honor of the trees that once lived in them. But once I learned to keep them alive and thriving it became apparent that you never finish with a Bonsai. It is always growing till it dies.

That idea, that you are never finished with it, it is always growing till it dies, is one of the many lessons of the Christian walk that I have seen paralleled in growing my trees. As a follower of Jesus, I will never be a finished product until the day the Lord calls me home and completes the transformation of my character in one dazzling moment. Any Christian who is not regularly working on his or her growth in Christ does not understand that in this life we are never a finished product. We are always being pruned and shaped by the Lord.

Another aspect of Bonsai that I find wonderful is that you can Bonsai any type of tree. Lots of people think that Bonsai is a particular type of plant. They think of a pine or juniper and The Karate Kid snipping a piece of one of Mr. Miagi’s trees. The fact is, Bonsai is the art of making a tree small enough to grow in a pot. Bonsai literally means, “tree tray” or tree in a tray or pot. So I have pines. junipers, Ficus, azalea’s, elms, boxwood, and holly trees all of which have been “bonsaid” and are growing in pots on even on slabs of marble. That brings up another lesson in faith. There is no one single picture of what I Christian is. There is amazing variety in the material that God works with. Christians come in all sorts of colors, ethnic and language groups and from every conceivable culture.

The Chinese Elm to the left is usually a 40-60 foot tree. It is about 30 inches tall and I may even make it a bit shorter. It loves colder climates and drops all it’s leaves in the winter. Six weeks ago it looked like a dead stick. With Spring arriving I have to trim the leaves back every week.

The landscape to the right is a group of Ficus. It stays green year round and when we get a frost I have to bring it inside. The marble slab that it sits on is about three feet wide.

This is my newest project. It is a holly that I dug out of our yard after working with it from time to time for about three years. Eventually it will move out of the training pot and into a shallow ceramic Japanese pot. I love the windswept look and plan to make it even more dramatic.

What should be the same about all Christians and is true of all Bonsai, is that ideally they look like smaller replicas of the original. The ultimate goal for me when someone looks at one of my trees is not that they say, “oh a Bonsai”, but that they say, “that looks just like a real tree”. The ultimate goal for me when someone looks at my life as a Christian is not that the say, “oh a Christian”, but that they say, “that looks just like Jesus”

When I cut a branch off a tree, or wire the trunk to move in a certain direction, or cut off a bunch of leaves, it always has the purpose of conforming that tree into the ideal, full-grown, mature tree. Paul says in Romans 8:29 that we are being conformed into the image of Christ. That is the reason for the struggles, hardships and joys we have. It is to make us more like Jesus. When the Lord cuts something out of your life, when he forces you to grow in a certain direction, when he cuts a bunch of unnecessary decoration from your life, it is always with one goal in mind. It is to conform you to the ideal of a full- grown, mature follower of Christ. One who people will look at and say, “that looks just like Jesus”.


Measure Overview

Action Steps

Complete Hydraulic Model

Submit FEMA Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)

Respond to FEMA Comments

Resubmit FEMA LOMR

FEMA Approval of LOMR

Why is this measure important?

Technical Services Drainage projects that are within a FEMA floodplain will remove the mapped floodplain after the drainage infrastructure is completed. Residents that are within a FEMA floodplain are generally required to pay flood insurance on their homes. By removing the FEMA floodplain from the maps, residents will not be required to pay for flood insurance as part of their mortgage. Removing a mapped floodplain will save County residents thousands of dollars every year.

100%

FY18 Target

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Trend Analysis

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(2008)
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff,
v.
Roman WROCLAWSKI, Defendant.
No. 07-00302M.
United States District Court, D. Arizona.
June 5, 2008.

ORDER
MICHELLE H. BURNS, United States Magistrate Judge.
This matter arises on defendant Wroclawski's renewed request for release pending extradition proceedings. An initial detention hearing was scheduled and commenced on November 6, 2007, and was continued at defendant's request to December 11, 2007. During that hearing, defendant argued that the following special circumstances entitled him to release: (1) that the charges against him were politically motivated, (2) that he represents a low flight risk, and (3) that the government of Poland unreasonably delayed prosecution. This Court denied release finding that defendant's claim of political motivation had not been sustained, that the prosecution in Poland appears to have been commenced within the statute of limitations, and that defendant had not presented clear and convincing evidence that he is not a flight risk. (Doc. # 22.) Defendant's extradition hearing is still pending.
On March 18, 2008, defendant requested new counsel, and that request was granted (Doc. # 38). Defendant's new counsel then requested that this Court re-open the detention hearing based upon evidence of special circumstances, that had not been presented before, which would entitle defendant to release. That request was granted, and the detention hearing commenced on June 4, 2008.

Procedural Background:
On October 29, 2007, a Complaint For Extradition was filed in this Court charging the defendant with the crimes of embezzlement and credit fraud arising in the Republic of Poland, and requesting that a warrant be issued for the defendant's arrest. (Doc. # 14.) An arrest warrant was issued; defendant was subsequently apprehended and brought before the Court. The Complaint For Extradition was accompanied by a copy of the governing Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty ("MLAT") between Poland and the United States. That MLAT provides the mechanism for obtaining assistance in locating and transferring an individual charged with a criminal offense to the Requesting State (in this case, Poland). (MLAT, art. I).
The crimes charged against defendant by the Republic of Poland are alleged to have been committed between November, 1993 and March, 1994. (Doc. # 14.) To summarize, count one charges defendant with conspiring with other individuals to fraudulently obtain approximately $350,000 in bank credit, in violation of the following Articles of the Criminal Code: Article 286, para. 1 of the Criminal Code, in connection with Article 294, para. 1; in connection with Article 297, para. 1, in connection with Article 11, para. 2. Those Articles provide for a potential sentence of between one and ten years' imprisonment upon conviction. Counts two and three charge defendant with embezzling various items from his companies, Roman, and Roman American Car, in violation of the following Articles of the Criminal Code: Article 204, para. 2 in connection with Article 58. Those articles provide for a potential sentence of between six months and sevenand-a-half years' imprisonment upon conviction.
Defendant was originally charged with these offenses on December 15, 1994. Subsequent decisions and amendments to the charges occurred on September 6, 1995, December 19, 1998, May 5, 2004, April 27, 2005, May 5, 2005 and August 8, 2005. (Doc. # 14, Exh. 2.) The Regional Court IX Criminal Department in Lublin issued a provisional arrest on September 14, 2005, based upon "justified suspicion that [defendant] left Poland purposefully in order to abscond from law enforcement authorities and avoid the threatening severe penalty of imprisonment." (Id.)
Article 8 of the Extradition Treaty provides that extradition will "not be granted when the prosecution or the enforcement of the penalty for the offense for which extradition has been sought has become barred by lapse of time according to the laws of the Requesting State." As is applicable here, Article 101 of the Criminal Code provides that prosecution must commence within 15 years for crimes punishable by five or more years, and within 10 years for crimes punishable by three or more years. Once proceedings are commenced within the limitations period, Article 102 provides that for offenses punishable by in excess of five years, the crimes cease to be punishable after the expiration of ten years. (emphasis added.)

Evidence Presented During Detention Hearing:
Defendant was the 1982 World Champion Greco-Roman wrestler for his native country Poland. Since coming with his family to the United States in 1993, he has established himself in the national wrestling community as a one of a handful of elite Greco-Roman wrestling coaches. Defendant has coached, and is currently coaching Olympic Greco-Roman wrestlers. These athletes, and other coaches of the United States National Wrestling Team, believe defendant's coaching talent is needed to help train the U.S. team for the Olympic trials, and for participation in the upcoming Olympics in Bejing, China. Defendant presented nine witnesses who testified in more detail on this subject during the detention hearing.
Jeff Funicello, an Olympic wrestler who resides in Arizona, testified that defendant has been his coach for fourteen years, that he has participated in Olympic trials in three prior Olympics, and that the 2008 Olympics will be his fourth attempt making the Olympics and winning a medal. He is participating in the Olympic trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 14th, and believes defendant's coaching is "invaluable" to his success. Defendant has never charged him a fee for his services, and Funicello believes defendant coaches purely for his love of the sport and competition. Funicello also testified that defendant is involved in coaching members of the U.S. Armed Services who are also elite athletes in training for national and Olympic wrestling competitions.
Rulon Gardner also testified by phone from his home in Utah. Gardner first met defendant in 1995, and started training with him and Jeff Funicello when they were Arizona State University students. Gardner testified that defendant never charged a fee for his service. Gardner qualified and participated in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Defendant coached Gardner at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where he won the gold medal. Gardner testified that defendant's coaching is unique in that there are only a handful of U.S. coaches that have his level of experience and skill in the Greco-Roman style, as the style has a history in eastern bloc countries. Gardner's winning the gold in 2000 was unprecedented, in that he defeated a Russian contender who had not suffered a defeat in 10 years, and was the international champion for 13 years. Since the 2000 Olympics, Rulon Gardner and Sgt. Dremiel Byers have combined for 2 world titles and 2 bronze medals. Gardner is now a teacher, coach and international speaker who is scheduled to be one of the United States' broadcasters at the Olympics in Bejing.
Tony Maccaroli, the father of Luke Maccaroli, testified that his son Luke is being coached by defendant, and has been for the past four years. During defendant's tutelage Luke has placed second in Nationals, is a two-time state champion, and is considered among the top 100 Greco-Roman wrestlers in the nation. Maccaroli attributes 70% of his son's success to defendant's coaching. Maccaroli believes defendant's coaching is critical to his son's preparation and attempt to make the 2012 Olympic team.
Bob Cavaliere, a current U.S. Wrestling Team freestyle coach, testified that the Eastern Europeans and the Russians have historically dominated Greco-Roman wrestling, but the U.S. athletes are making inroads. Last year the U.S. team won the world championship, and Cavaliere believes that credit for the U.S. Greco-Roman style wrestlers' success should attribute to defendant's coaching.
Heath Sims, a Greco-Roman wrestler currently living in Temeculah, California, competed on the national team for 15 years. Defendant began coaching him in 1993. Sims participated with Rulon Gardner in the 2000 Olympics. Sims testified that he traveled to over fifty countries trying to find and train with the best coaches, and that he ultimately did find that "best coach" in defendant. He believes that defendant was responsible for him making the 2000 Olympic team. Sims currently owns a martial arts gym in Temeculah. He indicated that it is a ten-year personal, financial and physical struggle to prepare and qualify for an Olympic team, and it would be unfair to the athletes currently training to prevent their coach from training with them during their potential "one-shot" at the Olympics.
Art Martori, the past president of the U.S. Wrestling Federation, and current owner of SunKist (ph) Kids, testified that he has known defendant since 1995 and considers defendant one of the best coaches of his particular style of wrestling in the world. Martori is one of the coaches of the U.S. National Wrestling team, and testified that although approximately 99% of wrestlers practice "freestyle" wrestling, there are seven Greco-Roman wrestlers on the team, including Funicello from Arizona. Martori believes that defendant's coaching has been instrumental in the U.S. teams' winning of the national championship, and that without his coaching assistance during the Olympic trials and Olympic competition, the U.S. team would be "hurting." Martori also indicated that although defendant is not paid for his coaching services, he is compensated by the team for room and board when traveling.
Sgt. Dremiel Byers, a Sargent in the United States Army, testified by phone from Ft. Carson, Colorado. Byers is a seven-time U.S. national wrestling champion, the 2002 world champion, and a member of the Army World Class Athletic Program. In 2002 he was named the U.S. Army Athlete of the Year. Defendant has been coaching him since 1997, and has even traveled to Ft. Carson many times to assist in his training. Byers is also currently training for the Olympic games, and Byers writes, in a letter submitted to the Court at the detention hearing, that defendant "may well be the difference between my attempting to win and actually doing that at the nearing Olympic trials.".
Joe Seay testified by phone that he is a head coach for the U.S. National Wrestling Team and has known defendant since 1993. Seay coaches freestyle wrestling, and indicated that the team has won national titles in Greco-Roman style wrestling, and believes that defendant's coaching is, in part, responsible for that success.
Steve Fraser, also a national head coach for the U.S. Wrestling Team, did not testified, but wrote a letter to the Court, stating, in part, as follows:
I am a 1984 Wrestling Olympian Champion. I am present preparing our team for the Olympics. I am addressing the talents and reputation of the World Champion Roman Wroclawski, a gentleman and friend who has been of huge help and assistance to our Olympic contenders. Roman has been there for us, for our team and for others involved in this sport since his arrival to the USA. He was instrumental in the success of Ruland Gardner, Gold Medalist.
Roman has `students' waiting for him to be released. There are Olympic Trials set for mid June. Our sport will only benefit from Roman's coaching; it will likely be hampered by his continued incarceration....
This is about the Sport of Wrestling and our Country's hopes for Olympic success.
Rich Bender, the Executive Director of USA Wrestling, writes in a letter submitted to the Court at the detention hearing: "Roman has students waiting for him to be released. Roman's students will be at a disadvantage by his continued incarceration. It is unlikely that Roman would be a flight risk should you Order his release from custody pending the Extradition Hearing; Roman has devoted a large portion of his life to wrestling and our sport needs him. And, the time is critical."

Applicable Law on Release:
The federal statute that implements the United States' extradition treaties with other nations, Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 3184 et seq., does not provide for bail. An international extradition proceeding is not considered a criminal case, and therefore the Bail Reform Act, Title 18 U.S.C. 3141 et. seq., does not apply. Kamrin v. United States, 725 F.2d 1225, 1227-28 (9th Cir.1984); United States v. Hills, 765 F.Supp. 381, 385 n. 5 (E.D.Mich.1991). In fact, in foreign extradition cases, it is well established, that there is a presumption against bail. Wright v. Henkel, 190 U.S. 40, 63, 23 S.Ct. 781, 47 L.Ed. 948 (1903); Beaulieu v. Hartigan, 554 F.2d 1, 2 (1st Cir.1977); United States v. Leitner, 784 F.2d 159, 160 (2nd Cir.1986) (per curiam); Salerno v. United States, 878 F.2d 317 (9th Cir.1989). "The demanding government, when it has done all that the treaty and the law require it to do, is entitled to the delivery of the accused on the issue of a proper warrant, and the other government is under obligation to make the surrender..." Wright, 190 U.S. at 62, 23 S.Ct. 781.
Bail may be granted in extradition cases, however, only upon a showing of "special circumstances." Id. at 62-63, 23 S.Ct. 781. Special circumstances do not include, standing alone, the fact that the defendant is considered a "tolerable bail risk." Matter of Russell, 805 F.2d 1215, 1216-17 (5th Cir.1986); Leitner, 784 F.2d 159; Hu Yau-Leung v. Soscia, 649 F.2d 914 (2nd Cir.1981). Cases in which the courts have held that special circumstances were not shown include: United States v. Williams, 611 F.2d 914 (1st Cir.1979) (the discomfort of sitting in jail and an arguably tolerable bail risk not special circumstances); Russell, 805 F.2d at 1217 (the need to consult with one's attorney concerning pending civil litigation or extradition proceedings not special circumstances); In the Matter of the Extradition of Sidali, 868 F.Supp. 656 (D.N.J.1994); United States v. Hills, 765 F.Supp. 381 (E.D.Mich.1991); In re Heilbronn, 773 F.Supp. 1576, 1581-82 (W.D.Mich.1991) (public interest a medical doctor served did not make the "normal rules of extradition" inapplicable to him). Cases in which special circumstances were found include: Hu Yau-Leung v. Socia, 649 F.2d 914 (defendant was 16 years old and there existed no suitable detention facility); In the Matter of the Extradition of Kamel Nacif-Borge, 829 F.Supp. 1210, 1221 (D.Nev.1993) (court released defendant on a 12 million dollar bond based upon an interpretation of Mexican law allowing release on bail if he posted security in the amount of 80% of the tax debt).

Application of Law to Facts:
This Court finds that special circumstances do exist in this case, based upon the following factors[1]: (1) defendant's contribution to the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States and the U.S. athletes' need for his coaching assistance in the process of training for and participating in the upcoming Olympics, (2) the unexplained fact that the Polish government did not seek the extradition warrant until nearly 11 years after defendant was first charged in this case, (3) the fact that defendant has lived openly and notoriously in this country since 1993[2] and during this time applied for political asylum, (4) the fact that defendant poses a very low flight risk, and (5) the fact that Article 102 of the Polish Criminal Code, on its face, indicates that after a 10 year passage of time since the filing of criminal charges, a defendant may not be punished for the crime.[3] More than 10 years had passed since the initial filing of the criminal charges. Thus, the continued detention of the defendant may be contrary to Polish legal authority.
The government cites In re Heilbronn, supra, as persuasive authority to detain defendant, for the reason that, the government argues, it is the case most analogous to this one. That case is distinguishable, however, in many respects. The government of Israel had sought extradition of defendant Heilbronn, a medical doctor, on charges of fraud. The extradition warrant was issued in 1991, just one year after the charges were filed. Also, the defendant had been arrested on the charges in Israel, was granted bail, and then fled the jurisdiction. The defendant had argued that his status as a medical doctor at a clinic demonstrated special circumstances because of the public need for his services. The Court found however, that defendant had accepted the job at the clinic after he had jumped bond and knew that Israel was going to seek extradition, and furthermore, that the clinic representatives had expressed hesitation, under the circumstances, at allowing the defendant to work at the clinic. 773 F.Supp at 1582.

CONCLUSION
This case presents a unique combination of circumstances, not found in other reported cases, that together constitute the kind of special circumstances contemplated by the United States Supreme Court in Wright, and in other reported cases. For these reasons, the Court will grant defendant release pending his extradition, on conditions set forth in open court at the Status Hearing scheduled on June 5, 2008, at 1:30 p.m.
NOTES
[1]  A collective approach can lead to a finding of special circumstances. In re Molnar, 182 F.Supp.2d 684, 689 (N.D.Ill.2002) (citing U.S. v. Taitz, 130 F.R.D. 442 (S.D.Cal.1990))
[2]  At the detention hearing held on December 11, 2007, numerous letters were introduced by defendant that were sent back and forth between defendant and representatives of the Polish government during the 1996-2004 time-period, at his address in Phoenix, regarding the criminal charges (Doc. # 22).
[3]  It is not entirely clear when the government of Poland first "charged" the defendant. In the Request for Provisional Arrest and Extradition, dated June 21, 2006, there is an indication that: "Decision on presentation and subsequently on amendment of above-mentioned charges to Roman Dominik Wroclawski were issued on December 15, 1994 ..." A fair reading of this language implies that he was first charged in 1994, although subsequent amendments may have been filed.


Structure determination of the nonlinear hydrocarbon chains C9H3 and C11H3 by deuterium labeling.
A systematic deuterium labeling experiment is presented that aims at an unambiguous determination of the geometrical ground state structure of the C(9)H(3) and C(11)H(3) hydrocarbon chains. Cavity ring-down spectroscopy and special plasma expansions constituting C/H, C/D, and C/H/D are used to record optical transitions of both species and their (partially) deuterated equivalents in the 19,000 cm(-1) region. The number of observed bands, the quantitative determination of isotopic shifts, and supporting calculations show that the observed C(9)H(3) and C(11)H(3) spectra originate from HC(4)(CH)C(4)H and HC(4)[C(C(2)H)]C(4)H species with C(2v) symmetry. This result illustrates the potential of deuterium labeling as a useful approach to characterize the molecular structure of nonlinear hydrocarbon chains.


American Horror Story actress Billie Lourd accepted the Disney Legends Award on behalf of her late mother, Carrie Fisher, Friday. While Billie couldn’t accept the award in-person at the D23 Expo in California, she penned a heartfelt speech.

“As far back as I can remember, my mom and I have been Disney fanatics,” the 24-year-old actress wrote, “I was so obsessed with Ariel that I wanted to change my name. We went to Disneyland so much that I now realize she might have even loved it more than I did.”

She went on to address how much the award would have meant to her mom, E! News reports.

“Becoming part of the Disney family was truly an amazing moment for her,” she continued, “She secretly always wanted to be a Disney princess, so getting to be a Disney princess and a Disney legend would have been her ultimate dream. I wish I could be there to accept this award on her behalf, but unfortunately, I am currently working on American Horror Story. I am beyond grateful to Mr. Iger and everyone at Disney for this incredible honor. Thank you again, and may the force be with you always.”