Visiting a new church is hard.
We'd like to make it easier.
Please note that though we are next to Bangerter Hwy, you can't access (or see) the church from it. If you are taking Trax, the Jordan Valley stop is a short walk from the church building.
When you arrive you can park in our parking lot or on the streets next to the church.
We love kids at JVC! Most of all, we want our kids to never know a day without Jesus. We've designed a series of "stepping stones" to help your children participate in the life of the church. You can decide which (if any) of these step you'd like your kids participate in. And even when kids "participate" in our worship service with their sounds and squirms we love having them with us!
All those who help out with children have gone through a background check process.
For our youngest kids (ages 0-2) we have a nursery available for the entire service. We have the same childcare workers each Sunday so your kids get used to seeing their faces. The nursery is located in the main hall; just look for the signs when you enter the building.
Stepping stones (ages 3-6) is the next step to help your child worship with us. After our children's message, you can take your kids to Room 3 for the remainder of the service. We have snacks, and the kids participate in a short worship service made just for them. This helps them get used to what we do in the main service.
Kids are great imitators; we like including kids in our worship service so they can see others worship God. In each service we invite the kids up for a message just for them. We also have snacks and activity packs that help engage your children during the service.
We were made to worship, and our worship changes us. This is why we want every part of our worship to be centered around God and his love. We can think of no better thing for us to be changed by! In our service we will read God's word, sing songs inspired by God's word, pray to God, and listen to a message about God's word. Our worship is a blend of new and old. By using texts and tunes from various continents, countries and cultures we are reminded of our part in the larger story of what God is doing in the world.
We'd love to connect with you! After our service, please fill out a connect card located in the seat back and drop it in one of the offering boxes. We will simply send a thank you note for visiting. When you fill out the connect card, please take a book from our resource wall as our gift to you. If you want, you can connect online below. Feel free to then grab a book when you visit.
Thank you for connecting! Don't forget to grab a book off our resource wall.


Lately, I've been feeling disconnected from God. Today I went out on a walk during lunch because it was such a beautiful day and I couldn't let that go to waste since the rest of my day was going to be spent inside. As I'm out on my walk I began to think about how disconnected I feel and why. Then I grab my phone and start to look at my facebook wall. Oops. I thought about reading my Bible, but didn't really feel like it. Facebook opened and right as I began to read my wall, I felt prompted to exit the program. I did. I decided it's time to try to connect with God again. I opened my Bible and picked up where I had left off, John 5.
Two thoughts were wondering through my mind as I walked. Eternal life is knowing God. This denotes relationship. The other thought was that of my counseling classes. The purpose of counseling is for the counselor to help a person overcome a place in life where they are stuck. This requires understanding. A counselor must first do his/her best to understand the client. This requires a genuine concern for the other person, communication skills, and the actual process of talking about the problem and getting to know the individual.
Knowing God. Understanding others. Knowing. Understanding.
A verse of scripture halfway through the chapter caught my attention. It is one I've heard before and understood from a perspective of ideal, but not too much, from one of experience. "The Son (Jesus) can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing, and in the same way." Even Jesus only did what God was showing him to do. I imagine this requires a close personal connection to the Father. This requires knowing the Father. This requires understanding who God is and what He is doing. Knowing. Understanding.
As I read through the rest of the chapter, Jesus blasts the religious leaders because they don't have life, they don't believe Jesus was sent by God, and they don't know God because they don't have a clue as to what God is up to. (They think their rules are more important than healing people.) He reminds them how they should know God and Jesus as Messiah, but he makes it clear that they don't. They would understand what he was about, if they knew Him.
When parents raise their children with love, active involvement, the child's best interest always in mind, selflessness and maturity, children grow in a safe environment where their needs are usually met. They mature with a real sense of trust in their parents because they've looked to them for support and they've received it. Their parents have demonstrated they can be trusted with their answers and guidance in life. This is not to say the parents have been perfect, but that they have been consistent and dependable. This environment and these relationships allow the child to grow and mature in ways that God intended and purposed. It doesn't mean they never have problems or struggles, but that they can meet those challenges and overcome them.
When parents raise children and treat them as if they are a burden, look out for their own interests first, are not actively involved in their lives except when forced to be, continually put the kid's needs aside because of their own desires, and act like children raising children, the child's growth, maturity and general outlook on life will reflect such. They will often have severe emotional issues. They will struggle with learning to cope with even basic life problems. They may hoard food. They will often cry a lot. They will find whatever way they can to meet their need without regard to others. Additionally, they will most likely find it very difficult to ever develop a trusting relationship.
It's sad, but true. I've seen the difference in kids. You can often see it in their actions and in their reactions. The differences in these two types of children and parents are great.
In these two scenarios I've described, the difference is the parents. In our biblical example, there is no difference. God is the same to both Jesus and those religious leaders. The difference is in understanding. The difference is in how they see their God. Do they see him as one who loves them and they can trust? Or do they seem him as one whose love is infinite and can always be trusted?
I imagined myself as a little child walking a path. When I see God as one who loves me completely and can always be trusted, I reach out my hand and HOLD THE FINGER OF GOD as we walk together along the path. I know He is the perfect Father. The last few weeks though, I've been a little five year old wandering a path by myself. Now mind you, I'm familiar with the path, but often become disoriented and distracted. Looking back, I know God has been there watching me, protecting me from harm, but I certainly wasn't aware of it at the time.
When I reach out and HOLD THE FINGER OF GOD as a little child with complete faith and trust, I know I am walking in safe boundaries. I know God will lead me to better places. I am excited about the journey and not just the destination. All that I need will be provided. I have companionship that will never leave me.
I want to walk every day and HOLD THE FINGER OF GOD. Do you?
PS - As a parent, if you are struggling in your relationship with your son or daughter or they are wayward, my examples are not necessarily an indictment on your parenting. You may want to reflect and ask God what responsibility you hold, but in no way am I accusing parents for the wrongdoing of their children. I purposefully used the word "usually" because parenting is not a science. It is an art. And it involves the free will acting of more than one person. Besides, there is no perfect parent, except our heavenly Father.
As we have moved into a new form of church, I thought we had the answer. After all, as I saw it, our previous conventional form of church encouraged people to be passive spectators by sitting back, listening, and receiving. Not just that, but we even asked people to give money each week so that the "professionals" could perform this sort of service for them. That whole system reaked of "What am I getting?"
Our new form of church, simple and organic, is face to face, interactive, and levels the playing field between "professionals" and regular folks since we have no professionals leading our churches. We have a system that gives great opportunity for EVERYONE EVERY WEEK to give, not just receive. We try to remind each other about 1 Corinthians 14:26 which gives us instruction for this "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church."
So there you have it. New form of church = fixed problem of consumer/spectator Christianity, right?! Wrong.
I've heard it a few times in the past month or more from folks that enjoy and are great participants in our simple and organic house churches. "We're not getting anything out of our times together." "I'm not getting fed."
The writer of Hebrews is dealing with this problem in Hebrews 5:11-14. People are staying stuck in dependence on someone else to feed them simple truths. The Bible often uses an analogy of being a baby or infant in Christ for someone who is new to or young in the faith. The "I'm not getting fed" comment is interesting. In life, who needs someone else to feed them? Babies. Infants. How silly would it be if my mom at near 60 years of age started googoo gahhing me at 36 years of age while feeding me my mashed potatoes by a spoon to my mouth like a little baby?! How crazy is that picture?! As I matured, mom taught me how to use a fork and a spoon to feed myself. At first, of course, she fed me milk through a bottle. I even learned how to hold that myself for a while. But, once we moved on to solid food and I grew teeth, I eventually learned how to feed myself. So now when we come to dinner, I don't have to worry about getting fed. I already know how to do that for myself.
So does that mean we never teach anyone who has been a Christian for more than a couple of years? Of course not. Do you ever feed another adult food? Sure you do. But, not in the same way as you do a baby. You don't have to googoo gaga anymore. You don't have to spoon feed them. You don't have to force it down their throat the way you think is best. You simply offer them some.
Here's how we do it our house. "Would you like some bread?" "Yes, thank you. Could you pass the butter too?" It is a give and take proposition, where we offer some truth and the mature individual considers it, ingests what seems good to them (tested by the Holy Spirit, of course) and offers their own take. (I like that, but with butter too!) This is how healthy adults feed each other. We don't need to hire a professional chef to give us a great show and feed us way beyond what we could hope to do ourselves (though that might be nice on occasion, I love those Japanese Steakhouses!), but in our day to day, week to week meeting together and sharing life, we can feed each other in mature, adult appropriate ways. That way, when we come together, our thoughts and expectations are not on what am I going to get out of this today, but rather how am I serving and feeding others?
Do we "attend" church to get something out of it? (as in a consumer mindset) Or are we getting the family together to celebrate and share life together? A consumer goes places, buys things, and invests their time for a payoff. They want to see a reward for their payment. But, a family member gathering with the family to share life simply goes because they love the people, they enjoy their times together, they are committed to these people, and they know life is simply better together than apart. It is better for everyone. Our meeting together also gives us great opportunities to serve each other. The Bible talks a ton more about giving to each other than it does in meeting together. In fact, there are only a couple of places in the New Testament that even admonish us to meet together. I think this is because meeting together isn't the point. Loving each other, encouraging each other, confessing to each other, giving to each other, helping each other, praying for each other, teaching each other, all of these things are why we meet! We meet to give. Obviously, a by product of everyone meeting to give is that we also receive. But, that's not why we meet. We meet to give.
What do you think about these concepts? Does the form of church even matter? Are you going to give or to receive? Does this challenge your previous ideas or thoughts about what church is or supposed to be? How do you plan to change something in your life?
The "Body of Christ" is a metaphor the Bible uses to describe the functioning of God's people on earth. As Christians, we represent Christ to each other and to the world. Each of us have our own particular gifts, passions, and abilities which God has given us to equip each other and to impact the world in which we live. Full-Body Functioning refers to the value that everyone does their part. It is our vision that this happens both in our meetings, in our shared life together, and is taking place when we each go throughout our personal lives and interact with the rest of the world. The unique setting of simple and organic house churches, both allow for, and encourage participation by every member at every level.
The following lists contain some very practical examples of this idea in action.
* A leader may facilitate a meeting in such a way that maximizes participation by everyone.
* Teaching is discussion oriented so as to allow input from everyone.
* When seeking to make decisions, everyone's input is requested and encouraged.
* We ask and expect the Holy Spirit to direct our meeting.
* Talkers listen. Listeners talk. Others ask questions.
* Different members may be asked to participate in leadership for bible discussion, children's lesson, prayer times, or whatever need may arise.
* Everyone is free and encouraged to bring needs, questions, and ideas to the group.
* Anyone may request that the group consider a service project.
* Anyone may ask why we do or don't do certain things.
* Anyone may bring an idea up for discussion.
* Everyone is encouraged to bring prayer needs, service project ideas, and event recommendations.
* Prayer-chain can be started by anyone at any time.
* Different service projects spark something different in everyone.
* Sometimes we want to do something out of the ordinary with our group.
* Express God's love to everyone at work, school, community, family, and friends.
* Love their wives as Christ does the Church. Parent & disciple their own children.
* Bring Jesus and therefore hope to people through serving them and building relationships.
* Represent Christ to their community through their morals and upright relationships.
These are all things that we value much in working together as a team and each of us fulfilling our God-given roles in loving others.
What would you add to the list? What would you add to idea? How do you see things in relation to team work and/or full-body functioning?
For over a month, my motivation for a lot of things has been waning. I asked myself, "what is wrong with me?" Over that time, I recognized it and thought to myself, "this too will pass." I thought for a while that it was just a phase and I just needed to wait and it would pass. I hoped it wasn't the weather for it was a bit too soon to let the cold weather get to me. We still had 3 or 4 months of cold weather on its way. I was hoping it was my dieting and workout routine since I had been working hard at losing 20 lbs (almost there) and I knew that would be over soon. I wondered if it had to do with my life circumstances changing in the past few years and it was catching up to me. I wondered if organic church life was impacting my life in ways that I hadn't expected, if maybe it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Overall my relationship with my wife and daughters is as good as it has ever been, so that couldn't be it.
In the past few weeks, I had shared my concern with others. I talked about it in our house church. I talked about it with my wife. I talked about it with my accountability partners. I talked about it with a house church coach I know. But, somehow I missed talking about it with the most important Person I know. My motivation to read God's Word and/or to pray had been gone as well. So I guess I figured, "what good would it be to talk to God about it, I don't really want to." But after spending a half hour or so on the phone with the previously mentioned house church coach, I realized that the most important thing I could do would be to talk to God about it. I needed to get straight with God and share my honest feelings and struggles with Him. Somehow that conversation encouraged me enough to actually do it.
Yesterday, I opened my heart to God and I told him exactly how I felt. You know what? He listened and he responded with love and affirmation. He directed me to read Hebrews. As I read, I remembered how great Jesus was… correction, how great Jesus is. He is above all. He is greater than the angels. He is greater than man. He is greater than all of creation. He is above all.
In Him, there is mercy. In Him, there is grace. In Him, there is life. What I needed more than anything was to be reminded in a real and personal way, how great Jesus really is.
My life contains many good things. I have a wonderful wife. My daughters are a blessing beyond measure. I have some great friends. I really miss my Congo family right now and am looking forward to Christmas! I have a nice home. I am driving my dream car. I am working with a great group of people in a profession that helps people. I am following God's call to plant churches. All of those things are really good. But, they all become devoid of much meaning without Jesus in my life. If my purpose is not found in God, then the rest is all for me. How self serving is that? It matters not how much we receive from others, but much more in how much we give to others.
I needed a new, fresh revelation of Jesus in my life. He loves me so much. He longs to display mercy in my life. He longs to give me grace. He longs to lavish his love on me.
I think it is interesting how I and many other Christians can talk so much about how Christianity is about a relationship with God and then we get caught up in outward religiosity ourselves. Can I just get caught up in Jesus loves me?!!
Now comes my confession though. As I read my Bible this morning, looking for something else, God brought something to my attention. If you read my notes/blogs and/or prayer newsletters, you will know what I'm talking about. Maybe you haven't thought of it in this way, but I was convicted this morning.
You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around. So my counsel is: Don't worry about things – food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body – and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. Look at the birds! They don't worry about what to eat – they don't need to sow or reap or store up food – for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Will all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothes? Look at the field lilies! They don't worry about theirs. Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you. O men of little faith? So don't worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all those things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.
This last line is one I need to constantly remind myself. I live so much of my life thinking about tomorrow. Some call that being a visionary. Maybe.
But the Word didn't say don't think about tomorrow. It said don't be anxious about tomorrow.
Why? To be anxious about tomorrow demonstrates a lack of faith in God today. It reveals my lack of trust in the God that loves me so.
I admit, I've worried about my finances. I've worried about church finances. God has convicted me not to worry. He has convicted me to trust Him. He loves me so. He will provide what I/we need.
There is so much more I could write. But, I will conclude here today.
Know this. God is still speaking. I am listening again. His grace and mercy are greater than my need. He loves me. He loves me so.
Yesterday I felt desperate. Then I felt discouraged. I wanted to talk about it last night when my emotions were in a swirl, but I didn't want to talk about it last night while my emotions were in a swirl and regret saying something or sound too whiny either. In these moments, I try to remember, "this too will pass."
In the afternoon, I was preparing a rough draft of our financial budget for our house church network. (For my pastor and parachurch ministry friends out there, I know I've said enough, you understand completely.) However, for those who don't understand, here are a few tidbits. When you start looking at the total amount given and you start looking at what could help you reach the next level as a church/ministry or in our case as a house church network and things don't even come close to matching up, it's easy to have some intense emotions connected to that. The increased part of that for me is the type of idealism that we are trying to reach. We want to create a church system whereby most of our money goes to help those in need. We want to give away more than we use. And of course, we are still in an infant stage, but this is also where precedent can/must be set in many ways. What do we stand for? What are we about? What do we hope to accomplish? What is our vision? I believe WE ARE living those things out for the most part, it just doesn't show up on paper in black and white. Which, I suppose is fine, but it has it's emotional struggle attached to that for me. The question I'm left with is, "how do you live in a church paradigm where your intent is to help the needy instead of using it on yourself in the form of salary, building, and programmatic needs, when you have salary, building and/or programmatic needs?" This is the tough question we are dealing with. And it carries with it a lot of emotion. To be honest, I feel responsible for the failure because my family needs it's portion through a part-time salary to maintain our own survival mode of life. I do see light at the end of the tunnel. My wife may go back to work next school year. I'm going to start a Master's program to be a school counselor that should take 2-3 years. Our house church network will conceivably grow. The economy will pick up. But, all of those things are still in the future.Today, I feel desperate.
Then later in the evening I was reminded of where we are as a people learning how to love one another. In the midst of a nice, friendly discussion learning about organic church, a heated and emotional conversation took place that left me wondering why are we doing this? One of my goals in starting a house church network is to see increased depth of relationship and truly loving one another in Christian community. While I will not say that our flare up was in opposition to this truth (in many ways it was the result of depth of relationship), it still left me wondering. My mind wandered to the other situations that I've experienced with members of our house church network that made me wonder,"is this increased Christian community or is it the same old, same old?" I began to get discouraged.
One reality of depth of relationship is an example of when a couple gets married. I know a greater depth of relationship has this great appeal to it, but with that comes a whole new reality. Consider when a bride is getting to know her new husband. At first, the socks on the floor aren't that big of a deal. But, after some time, somehow it becomes a big deal. Does she still love him? Why, of course. Does he still love her? We think so. But, now the harsh reality of depth of relationship causes them to figure out how to love one another. Sounds rather simplistic and unimportant, but socks left on the floor of a relationship over time lead to harsh emotions of feeling uncared for and/or even abandoned in a relationship. Common, practical patterns of behavior lead to conflict and/or emotional struggle for two people trying to experience a deeper sense of relationship. The rubber has met the road.
The discouragement comes when we forget these realities are inevitable. The encouragement comes when we remember that these are opportunities for growth, for responding to a person's expressed needs, and being reminded of how very much our interactions and lives affect others. Another problem we have is telling a person we have a problem with that we have a problem with them. We think if we sweep it under the rug, it'll be okay. We think if we just talk to someone else about it, we'll feel better. We think if we can try to just manipulate things behind the scenes, we will get our way. The truth is all of these things cause damage. They can destroy a relationship. The best thing we can do is to simply tell someone what our problem with them is and ask how we can do things differently. Remember, problems are created by two. Someone does something I don't like, then I respond in a certain way (emotionally or in my mind, even). Therefore fixing the problem needs the work of two people. Perhaps someone can change the way they do things or perhaps they don't need to, but you just need to understand why they are doing what they are doing. Perhaps a little of both is necessary. Perhaps a lot of both is necessary. The key here is to be willing to share the offense you've felt with the person who offended you in a kind way, seeking a solution that will increase your relationship. Of course, it takes two to reconcile. But, as much as it is within your power, seek to live at peace with everyone. SEEK! That takes effort and initiative, not passivity, not avoidance, and not manipulation.
Wow! And to think last night, I was desperate and discouraged. Today is a new day! Even now as I've worked through these issues through blogging, I feel much better! I feel great hope! I know God will help us through as we seek His direction and guidance. I am reminded of his grace and mercy and how much we all need it. I hope you have experienced that as well and are helping others to experience it through a depth of relationship that speaks volumes and volumes of love for others!
Have you ever wondered if what your doing is making much of a difference? That is something that I've done alot of over the years. Of course, that question was much more difficult for me to deal with when I wasn't following God's call on my life.
Today, it's different. I question and wonder if all I do is making a difference. But today, I know I'm following God's direction in my life. Not only have I followed the call to plant a church, but I've seen that church reach an important goal of muliplying into 3 churches. Another great aspect of that are the stories I hear from folks in those churches. Great levels of depth of relationship. Folk gettin real with each other and with God. Leadership being exercised. The church being the church. Is there much to be done? Are the churches yet being and doing everything they could or should?
Of course not, but neither is/does my 4 year old daughter. She is cute as all get out and brings me much joy, but she is not a finished product. She still struggles with being away from mom for any period of time. She hasn't even considered the aspects of reproduction (thank God for that!) She can read some (or at least memorize the words my 8 year old taught her -which is an amazing lesson in itself, my 8 year old teaching my 4 year old how to read - that makes a daddy proud and dumbfounded :) but she can't read or understand some more difficult texts. She doesn't have a clue about relationships yet, but she knows she holds a key to my heart.
Now that I think about it, there is much to be thankful for in our church planting efforts. We are still very much in our infancy stages, yet some very good things are happening. I guess my wondering this morning has to do with the finished product aspect and the one responsible for getting there.
I've been reading Organic Leadership by Neil Cole. It had a great reminder for me/us last week. God is not calling us to be "successful" in the eyes of the world (even the modern church world) but he's calling us to be faithful, fruitful, and to finish strong. We've only just begun.
Thank you for reading. Now my question for you is what do you want to see happen? What has God put in you to partner with Him to make an impact in the world?! How will you respond to God's great love for you?!!
Shawn is consumed with knowing, loving and following Jesus. God has led him to plant a network of simple and organic house churches in the Springfield, Ohio area after eight great years of youth ministry experience in a conventional church.


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Arcadia Data > Blog > Big Data Ecosystem > A Good Data Lake Starts with a Good Blueprint
July 12, 2016 - Shaun Ahmadian | Big Data Ecosystem
A Good Data Lake Starts with a Good Blueprint
Big Data is making a lot of promises to the enterprise, but there are many challenges when it comes to building infrastructure that is flexible, scalable and capable of delivering the high level of performance that emerging applications require.
So where to begin? As with any architectural construct, the best place to start is with a good blueprint.
Commonly, the central construct of Big Data is the data lake. More than a repository, more than an analytics engine, the data lake is where raw, unstructured data is turned into actionable intelligence. But that's not a magic, one-step process. For this reason, your enterprise needs to think very carefully about how the data lake is designed and executed. Failure to start with a well-crafted blueprint could have serious consequences not only in the short term – such as with the quality of the analytics – but in the long term as part of the overall success of the big data strategy. Done right, your data lake architecture can span the gap between raw data and the broad range of end users who use it to answer their questions (and question their answers).
Based on our experience working with customers driving business value from Big Data, the data lake is best viewed as a sequence of three operational zones connected by a pair of transition phases. The function of each zone is not just to enhance the value of data assets coming in, but also to build workflows, establish access and security parameters, and systematically increase the exposure to a larger community of business users.
The Landing Zone
Data's initial contact with the data lake is the Landing Zone. Quite naturally, the Landing Zone must be efficient at ingesting data from external sources, but it also needs the capability to track data provenance, document producers and provide a place for data to sit while your enterprise figures out what to do with it.
Just as important is what not to do in the Landing Zone. There should be no modeling at this stage, nor any attempt to gain further understanding other than where the data came from and who provided it. As such, the Landing Zone should be integrated with ETL and MDM platforms, StreamSets being a good example for developing ingestion flows and landing your data within the lake. Some visual discovery and analytics might be helpful along with vertical-specific toolsets for regulatory and compliance purposes. Access should be limited largely to the data team, with heavily monitored role-based access control (RBAC) security firmly in place. Until your enterprise has a firmer handle on what this data is and what value to assign to it, the fewer people touching it the better.
Another 'don't' in the landing zone is 'don't select, summarize, scrap or suppress' the data. And Hadoop makes it easier and cheaper to retain the data than ever, leaving room for these decisions to be made later by others.
From here we enter the first transition. At this stage, the data team can reach out to data producers to more fully understand the source and then implement initial filtering using any number of policy-based mechanisms. At the same time, the data team begins standardizing column and data names, establishing data formats and giving it other forms of structure. But still, there is no modeling or correlating.
The Curated Zone
Then it's on to the Curated Zone. This is where limited access is granted to others in the data value chain, such as use-case experts and related systems-level personnel. This broader access will still require RBAC security.
Exploration and data discovery are key functions at this point. Advanced analytics tools like Spark and R are a great way to look for relationships and patterns, and perform hypothesis testing. Data wrangling tools such as Trifacta or Paxata help with data transformation and cleansing. Visual analytics tools such as Arcadia Data are critical because the Curated Zone is where data-driven applications are built and tested. And since data applications are intended for use elsewhere in your enterprise, they will need to be field-tested and qualified for full production environments.
The next transition is all about moving these data applications downstream into the final Production Zone. This can be done at the user's request or once the data team decides the time is right based on usage levels and other metrics. The transition requires specialized toolsets to model the final stages of the application, create OLAP cubes and other derived data forms and apply all the finishing touches that the app needs for widespread consumption.
In all likelihood, this Curated Zone is where today's Database Administrators will operate, except now they will be known as Data Application Administrators or something similar. Their primary tasks will be to ensure security, performance, modeling, end-user authentication and workload management, essentially serving as the 'last mile' data professional to touch the now-refined data before it is released for general consumption.
The Production Zone
Finally, the data can be made available to a large number of internal and external users. Of course, access to the Production Zone is still limited to the applications and data that individual users are authorized to see. Application level security is much more paramount, so leverage tools that provide the flexibility to control visibility based on roles and policies within the Big Data platform without redefining them in multiple applications (or locations).
Since most users will be accessing the Production Zone on a daily basis, perhaps even multiple times per day, it must be architected around ease-of-access, speed, interactivity, and reliability. Web-based access to applications that are integrated with your enterprise security (eg: AD/LDAP or SAML) are ideal. By removing barriers and making it easier for more people to access the refined datasets & data applications, will in turn increase the opportunities for reaping the benefits (i.e. – ROI) of your Big Data architecture.
Properly designed, the data lake serves much the same purpose as a natural or man-made lake: hold back the flood waters to allow the local environment to flourish. With wave upon wave of sensor- and device-driven data about to hit your enterprise, the only way to keep from being washed over is to hold back the torrent in a smart enough way that you can convert it into a nice steady stream.
With a well-crafted blueprint in hand, your enterprise will not only be able to establish a functional and scalable data lake quickly, but a more effective one as well.
Shaun Ahmadian is senior solution architect at Arcadia Data. Follow him on twitter @ssahmadian

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For over 30 years MG Tennis has been playing an active role in the promotion and development of tennis in Central Florida. Long time supporter and active member of the Greater Orlando Tennis Association, MG Tennis has participated in and hosted numerous events throughout the city promoting new innovating ideas to attract people to tennis.
All of us at MG Tennis strive to provide superior tennis services to all local and visiting tennis enthusiasts, by offering high quality tennis instruction, organized activities, top of the line retail products and lots of fun on the courts! Come visit us soon to see what's going on and join in on the fun! We look forward to seeing you, your friends and family enjoying this great game of tennis for a lifetime!
Enroll online for our Junior Tennis Classes! Classes offered throughout the school year!
Join us at the Lake Cane Tennis Center for our Junior Tennis Classes! We offer classes for the beginner level player to advanced competitive player.


At CompuTask we pride ourselves on taking a human approach to our work, and taking the time to really understand our customer's needs. So if you would like to talk with us about your IT requirements and business demands, we're more than happy to meet you in person at your convenience.
If you would prefer to send us an email, please do fill out the email form below. We will always reply to you within 24 hours.


Bug description: Wrong drop rate. These items are part of the other four clamshells (6 total) that are use to summon Clawlord Kril'mandar for the Lobstmourne item. The other four has 100% drop rates while these two has around 40%.


text:
package com.vmware.vim25;

/**
 * @author Steve Jin (http://www.doublecloud.org)
 * @version 5.1
 */

public enum VirtualMachineConnectionState {
    connected("connected"),
    disconnected("disconnected"),
    orphaned("orphaned"),
    inaccessible("inaccessible"),
    invalid("invalid");

    @SuppressWarnings("unused")
    private final String val;

    private VirtualMachineConnectionState(String val) {
        this.val = val;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Safari Camps and Getting to Gorongosa National Park
The Gorgeous Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique
Travellers who want to get back into nature for a while will delight in the choice of safari camps and accommodation in Gorongosa Mozambique. All the camp information below and how to get to this one-of-a-kind National Park in Sofala Province. What we love about the accommodation in this serene setting is that guests can choose to be totally immersed in the wilderness or to be entertained in the lodge as a luxury base with excellent facilities.
Gorongosa is a miracle as it has completely returned to being a healthy refuge for all wild things since years of abuse in the form of war, hunting and poaching. The fauna and flora are back to normal, while ecotourism principles around people and planet are succeeding with the added touch of plenty of scientific research, education and training for all who are part of the park and its future.
Gorongosa Safari Camps and Various Accommodation Options for Safari Lovers to Mozambique
Wild Camp
Adventure deep into the heart of the gorgeous Gorongosa National Park for the wildlife experience that exceeds all expectations. For this conservation area is a story of rejuvenation and revival from days of civil war, hunting, poaching and simply out, ecological abuse. Today, the park is a sanctuary for wildlife, plants, birds, all manner of tiny creatures and splendid ecosystems from vast grasslands and woodlands to riverine forests, mountain water ways, wetlands, and drier areas.
An escape to experience this world is best enjoyed in the recently added Wild Camp, a timeless experience in nature with contemporary facilities yet a wild approach to living. Off the grid solar lighting, outside showers and toilets, evening campfires and outside dining all contribute to an adventure in the greats safari outdoors to commune with the wildness without and within. Talented chefs add to the glamour of being in the wilds with excellent meals produced in the bush setting.
Guests are treated like celebs despite the rustic chic design and theme of Wild Camp. The best of both worlds, indeed. Stunning canvas tents offer comfy first-rate beds, ensuite bathrooms under the sun and stars, solar lights and USB ports, select décor and sumptuous bedding. Meet around the fire at night and share stories about your days in the wilderness, walking, game driving and more.
Gorongosa Wild Camp offers an intimate authentic wildlife education with incredible activities that take guests into the heart of a diverse and magical destination: walking safaris are an ideal way to get stuck into the beauty of the park and allow the pro guides to interpret the natural events around you, animal tracks, trees, insects, and connections in the wilds and how humans are part of this too. Game drives, outings to the mountain and to the coffee projects and community areas are also fantastic excursions to see the park in all its holistic achievements of nature and ecotourism successes.
Camp Fire at Gorongosa National Park, in the Wild Camp accommodation
Dining under the stars at Wild Camp in Gorongosa
Mizumu Camp
A stylish campsite made for those with enough funds who care about nature and the environment and want to contribute to saving both planet and communities who rely on such natural resources. Ecotourism initiatives are vital to succeed these days when conservation of wildlife is at the crux of safari experiences. Gorongosa is a biodiversity hotspot that deserves a camp like Mizumu with its subtle luxury and awesome facilities made for comfort in a wild setting in Africa.
Find this camp nestled on the on the Mussicadzi River hiding within the surrounding riverine vegetation with as little impact as possible on nature. The tents are so elegant and so camouflaged, raised on timber decks to see for miles and to be like trees in their design. They are connected with attractive walkways to each other and the central living area where guests gather to indulge in fine wining and dining around a blazing log fire under the stars.
Due to open in 2023, Mizumu Tented Camp comprises only 6 designer canvas abodes for coupes or single safari enthusiasts. There is even Wi-Fi in the heart of the wilds here, but no one really needs it as the movie is playing out before your eyes everyday in nature's drama here in the heart of Gorongosa. Chill out around the swimming pool between game drives, nature trails and other thrilling wildlife outdoor activities. All-inclusive bush packages include meals, drinks, stunning accommodation, game drives and bush walks, transfers to the airfields and park fees too!
Rated as one of the best places to visit in the entire world by Time Magazine! Mozambique Travel takes you there in style with a special deal made for your customised experience in this one-of-a-kind national park.
Montebelo Safari and Lodge
A stunning safari lodge located in Sofala province, central Mozambique, in the southern reaches of the Great African Rift Valley, introducing guests to a thrilling experience within the 4000 km2 area of the Gorongosa National Park.
Book your bed in a destination offering bungalows, garden suites and villas, a camping area, a restaurant, swimming pools, a gift shop, playground, designer meeting room taking 140 people and lovely relaxing areas. Take time to explore the extensive web of trails for safaris, as well as walking areas and gardens. Our half board package deals give you the freedom to eat at the restaurant when you feel like it or to create a meal in your villa in your super kitchenette and sit on your deck to enjoy the garden.
Most accommodation units offer double beds, mosquito nets, air conditioning and private bathrooms with showers. Watch wild warthogs and monkeys snacking in the gardens while myriad birds flit about in the shady trees. Brilliant safaris conducted on open land cruisers last approximately 3 hours from 6 am (morning safari), 10 am (midday safari) and 3 pm (afternoon safari). There is the option of a full day safari, including lunch, but for a minimum of 4 people.
Guides are very professional and from the region so have an excellent knowledge of the animals and the park. Each safari includes a stop of about 15 minutes for a snack with coffee and drinks.
As the park is completely flooded during the rainy season (the resort generally closes from November to February) the tracks have been built only in the southern part of the park and go from the lodge to Lake Urema and its surrounds. Enjoy trails through the area with the dense forest (preferred by elephants) and the open areas next to the lake where the herbivores and water birds are numerous, and it is not difficult to see lions, hippos and crocodiles. What a pleasant and peaceful stay in a very beautiful place where nature, with the help of man, has returned to its wilderness and its richness of animal and plant life.
We love to assist our guests to find the best package deal for their needs and we also love to add on a beach experience if that is what suits your holiday fancies! Chat to us today to secure your wildlife safari experience at Montebelo Safari and Lodge in Gorongosa.
Getting to Gorongosa Mozambique
Most travellers from abroad will fly to Mozambique via Johannesburg. You can then fly directly from Johannesburg to Beira (3 hours from Gorongosa) or connect through Maputo and continue on to Beira or to Chimoio (2 hours from Gorongosa). Several international cities also offer direct flights to Maputo. From Maputo, you will then have to take a connecting flight to Chimoio or Beira.
These are some cities that offer direct flights to Maputo en route to Gorongosa: Airline schedules are subject to change, so please check with your travel agent or the airline.
Most tourists who are flying internationally have to fly through Johannesburg. From Johannesburg, you can fly to Beira on Airlink or Mozambique Airlines (LAM), which is a 3-hour drive from Gorongosa.
Your will take a short flight from Johannesburg to Beira.
There are direct flights to Maputo from Lisbon and many African cities several times per week. From Maputo, you can fly to Beira on Mozambique Airlines (LAM), which is a 3-hour drive from Gorongosa. Or, you can fly to Chimoio on Mozambique Airlines (LAM), which is a 2-hour drive from Gorongosa.
From Maputo, you can fly to Beira (3h 30m-4h drive to Gorongosa) or Chimoio (2h-2h 30m drive to Gorongosa). You may have to stay in Maputo overnight if you miss your connection.
Your next leg is a short flight from Maputo to either Beira. It is a 3h 30m-4h (200 km) drive from Beira and a 2-hour drive from Chimoio (135 km) to Chitengo, the main camp inside Gorongosa National Park. Request a transfer in advance and our park staff will be happy to meet you at the airport and drive you to the park in an air-conditioned shuttle van. Contact us to request a transfer. Keep in mind, the park closes at 6pm, so we can't pick up travellers after 2:30pm in Beira or 4pm in Chimoio. LAM Mozambique Airlines flies to both cities, and Fastjet also has flights to Beira from Maputo.
If your plane arrives too late to book a transfer the same day, you will need to stay in Beira or Chimoio overnight.
There are four border crossings between South Africa and Mozambique. The main border crossing is the Lebombo border (known as Ressano Garcia on the Mozambique side), on the N4 (SA) / EN4 (Mozambique) that links Johannesburg and Maputo. See more border information below.
Lebombo Border to Maputo: From the main border crossing of Lebombo,drive 80 km on the EN4 – a high-quality tar road – to Maputo. You will cross two toll plazas between the border and Maputo. In Maputo, take the EN2 toward the EN1. There are plenty of gas stations and restaurants in Maputo if you need to refuel.
Maputo to XaiXai: In Maputo, take the EN1 north and drive 220 km to XaiXai. In the town of XaiXai you'll find several gas stations, restaurants, banks and a central market. If you're looking to stop over for a night, the lovely XaiXai beach is only 12 km from town.
XaiXai to Maxixe: Continue on EN1 north anddrive 255km to Maxixe. Maxixe is a bustling town with plenty of small shops, restaurants, and outdoor markets. You can also find banks and gas stations here. If you're looking to stop at the popular beach destination of Praia do Tofo, you will need to turn off the EN1 approximately 25 kilometers before Maxixe onto EN101 (Av. de Maguiguana) and continue 50 km toward Inhambane. In Inhambane, follow signs for Tofo Beach and the road will turn from tar to dirt/sand as you approach Tofo. Here you can enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving with whale sharks and other tropical marine life.
Maxixe to Vilanculos: Continue on EN1 north and drive 244km to Vilanculos. If you would like to check out one of the most popular beach resorts in Mozambique, just turn off the EN1 when you see a prominent sign for Vilanculos. The beach is only 18km off the highway. Here you can stay in a variety of accommodations – from high-end beachfrontresorts to rustic backpacker hostels. You can do beach activities on the mainland or do day and overnight trips to the Bazaruto Archipelago. This is a good place to stock up on fuel and other amenities as there may not be any reliable gas stations between here and Inchope. If you will be self-catering, this is the best place to do major grocery shopping, as there are only local markets near Gorongosa.
Vilanculos to Inchope: Drive back to the EN1 and head north for 403km toward Inchope. The first major landmark you will cross is a large bridge over the Save River. The tar road to Inchope is not well maintained in some areas and you have to be very careful to drive slowly and avoid potholes. You will pass through the small town of Muxungue where vendors sell the fruit and vegetables that are in season. You will arrive at the town of Inchope where Mozambique's major highways, the EN1 and the EN6, intersect. There are many fuel stations throughout central Mozambique, except for the road from Vilankulos to Inchope. The distance is approximately 400km with limited fuel stations.
Inchope to Gorongosa National Park: Go straight through the intersection, continuing on the EN1 for 42km. About a kilometer down the road on the left side, there is a BP gas station where you can refuel. Be sure to fill your tank as there is no fuel for sale inside Gorongosa National Park. As you continue on the EN1, you will cross a bridgeover the Pungue River – the views are fantastic! Continue on until you see a large sign for Gorongosa National Park – turn right onto the dirt road. Continue on the graded dirt road for 11 km until you reach the park entrance gate.Now your safari begins! Continue on the road inside the park for 18km and watch for sable antelope, bushbuck, and baboons as you make your way to the reception desk at Girassol Gorongosa Lodge and Safari where you will pay your park entrance fees and get information on the park.


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National Abortion Federation Never Reported Gosnell's House of Horrors
Eric Scheidler Apr 18, 2013 | 1:51PM Philadelphia, PA
The National Abortion Federation (NAF) holds itself up as the gold standard of providers of so-called "safe, legal, and accessible abortion care."
But when the notorious Kermit Gosnell—currently on trial for murder in Philadelphia, in case you haven't heard—unsuccessfully applied to become an NAF member in late 2009, the evaluator who visited his facility said it was the worst one she had ever seen, yet she never reported the horrific conditions in Gosnell's "House of Horrors" to authorities.
It's also worth noting that Gosnell worked one day a week at Delaware Atlantic Women's Medical Services, which was an NAF-certified clinic at the time the Gosnell grand jury report was released in January 2011.
NAF on "Developing Cultural Competence in Reproductive Health"
Today the Pro-Life Action League begins an occasional series examining several of the most revealing documents on the NAF website, beginning with "Developing Cultural Competence in Reproductive Health" [PDF] published in 2004, which gives recommendations from a seminar held in Seattle on April 6, 2003 at which the keynote speaker was the now-infamous Dian Harrison, former CEO of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.
Most of the contents are not surprising. The NAF recommends, for example, that its member clinics discover which ethnic groups/language groups are in their area and provide forms and instructions in the clients' native language.
Of particular note, however, is NAF's concern is for women who are "underserved" in health care. In fact, a brief look at the 25 page document finds 19 references to "underserved women", most of which are refer to the area of "reproductive health care."
On page 5, the report expresses worry about the "disparities in access to reproductive health services that continue to persist and [plan] to develop remedies to close the gaps".
Are there disparities in access to reproductive health services among women of color?
Yes there are. According to the report (page 4) "…Latinas are roughly two and a half times as likely and black women are more than three times as likely as white women to have an abortion" (page 4).
In other words, in abortions these women are overserved. How is it possible to have a group of women underserved in "reproductive health care" when they have 2 ½ to 3 times more abortions?
All the barriers listed for these women accessing health care—location of clinics, language, ability to pay, feeling comfortable with clinic personnel from different backgrounds, etc.—seem to have been more than adequately overcome for Latina and African-American women to have such a high abortion rate.
Yet the NAF is encouraging more changes to reach these "underserved" women until the disparities in reproductive healthcare are removed. Frankly, in order to do that they would need to decrease their attempts at reaching out to women of color. Yet the NAF wants to increase their outreach to these women. Hence, the title of this post, based on Proverbs 27:20a (NIV):
"Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither"…is the NAF.
LifeNews.com Note: Eric Scheidler is the executive director of the Pro-Life Action League and the son of the famous pro-life activist Joe Scheidler. He has led efforts against Planned Parenthood's new abortion business in Aurora, Illinois.


Japan has always been a great destination for food lovers seeking something out of the ordinary. Insanely fresh seafood, exotic ingredients, and cooking styles that have been perfected over hundreds of years create a serious culinary buzz for food-minded visitors to Japan. Tokyo is certainly the headliner of the Land of the Rising Sun, but Osaka offers an arguably more accessible and exciting eating scene. Considered a bit more friendly and laid-back than Tokyo, Osaka has a strong culinary history and an almost overwhelming menu of eating choices. From snack food stalls serving octopus-based pastries and fried snack foods to sushi and seafood restaurants worthy of a Michelin star, Osaka offers months of gastronomical adventures.


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Coastal Community Relief
About The Communities
A Williams-Mystic
Alumni & Friends Project
Since 2004, The Williams-Mystic Coastal and Ocean Studies Program has collaborated with Grand Isle, Louisiana and the Grand Calliou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw during its southern Louisiana field seminar. Below you will find more information about each of these communities.
Williams-Mystic students, faculty, and staff in front of the Hernandez Family home in Grand Isle, LA.
Grand Isle, LA
Chris Hernandez, Grand Isle's Town Supervisor of Highways, has raised his family on Grand Isle, an island he loves. Chris has served as an essential centerpiece for the Williams-Mystic Louisiana field seminar for decades, introducing hundreds of Williams-Mystic students to the beauty of Grand Isle, the town's work to improve resiliency in the face of climate change, and the strength of a community that will never stop fighting for their home.
Grand/Caillou Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Dulac is home to many members of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe, a strong, vibrant tribal community living along Bayou Grand Caillou. Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar is a fierce advocate for her tribe and her community, working tirelessly to protect her ancestral home and vital heritage from the increasing impacts of climate change. Recently featured in the National Geographic Presents: IMPACT with Gal Gadot, Chief Shirell is also a critical partner for the Williams-Mystic Louisiana Field Seminar teaching students about the environmental justice issues faced by coastal indigenous tribes, the depth of tradition and care contained within her tribal community and the other indigenous communities of Southeastern Louisiana, and the power of hope and hard work in the face of challenge.
Chief Shirell talking with Williams-Mystic students about the significance of Prevost Cemetery through the community's history.
Williams-Mystic students gift Chief Shirell a certificate of appreciation for sharing her wisdom, insight, and expertise with their class.
Chief Shirell was recently featured in National Geographic Presents: IMPACT with Gal Gadot, a documentary series following the work of six women doing impactful work in their communities. From National Geographic: "Meet Chief Shirell, the first female chief of her southern Louisiana tribe. Her ancestors have lived on the land for hundreds of years, and they are now expected to be among the United States' first climate refugees. Chief Shirell can't stop the storms, but she is impacting the legacy of her ancestors, the lives of her community today and the future of her people."
Katrina Tree
This live oak has served as a gathering place for generations of the Hernandez family. After Hurricane Katrina, almost all of Hernandez's neighborhood suffered intense damage, and many homes, including the home of his father-in-law, were entirely destroyed. However, this live oak stood strong, and acted as a place of refuge for the community as they rebuilt. In the wake of Ida's devastation, miraculously, the tree remains as a symbol of hope, family, and resiliency in a community that remains strong.
Chris talks to Williams-Mystic faculty and students about the symbolism of this important family tree that survived Hurricane Katrina.
The tree is still standing post-Hurricane Ida.
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Butcher Bird Studios created this wonderful video about the work of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy and our partner wildlife tracker/photographers Denis Callet and Johanna Turner. It was featured in the Descanso Gardens exhibit "Growing Habitat: L.A.'s Wildlife and Descanso."
I have long been fascinated by the profound impact indigenous American cultures have had on Mexican culture and identity. My interest began as a child, when I learned about my own cultural and ancestral ties to this continent. I was taught to take pride in the great accomplishments of Mesoamerican civilizations, and have since enjoyed learning all that I can about the indigenous influences on Mexican cuisine, language, dress, music and food.
The importance of a whole-grain, plant-based diet is something I am also passionate about. Mexican food's origins in the native American "corn cultures" has taken on a profound importance for me, and my roots in this continent have grown deeper. As I hope to reveal in this essay, indigenous influences on Mexican culture all contain within them clues to the origin, history, and modern identity of people of Mexican descent.
An analysis of the many indigenous influences on Mexican culture must naturally begin by considering the very reason we exist upon this continent -- our genetic origins in the Americas. Many Mexican people have strong ethnic links to this indigenous heritage.
The most comprehensive genetic study of the Mexican population to date was conducted by researchers from UC San Francisco and Stanford University, along with Mexico's National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN). This study, published in Science Magazine and entitled "The genetics of Mexico recapitulates Native American substructure and affects biomedical traits," identified tremendous genetic diversity within Mexico, reflecting thousands of years of separation between local populations.
The researchers discovered clear, genetic remnants of ancient empires that crossed seemingly remote geographical zones. "We were surprised by the fact that this composition was also reflected in people with mixed ancestries from cosmopolitan areas," said co-first author Moreno-Estrada, a life sciences research associate at Stanford. "Hidden among the European and African ancestry blocks, the indigenous genetic map resembles a geographic map of Mexico."
This study revealed profound implications for the field of medicine, as genetic differences between so-called "Latino" populations can result in vastly different outcomes and predispositions related to health. I believe, however, that the significance of these findings reaches beyond the merely scientific.
The long and ancient presence of many of the ancestors of modern day Mexican people demonstrates the primary reason for the existence of all of the various indigenous influences which will be examined in this essay: Mexican people are, to a large degree, native to the Americas. The culinary, musical, linguistic, and various other cultural aspects of indigenous origin within Mexican culture are therefore a direct result of this fact. Taking the above information into account, it makes sense that Rodolfo Acuña stated in his book "Occupied America" that "The primary culture of Mexico and the Americas is Indian."
Mexican culture shares a common heritage as being one of several indigenous American "corn cultures." The Mexican cuisine which is so much a part of our culture has it's foundation in a healthy, plant-based, indigenous diet. Indigenous cuisine has historically contributed to the health and wellness of native American peoples, and for that reason is being reclaimed today by modern Mexican Americans in the United States.
Mexican people have a very ancient and intimate relationship with corn. For more than 10,000 years, Mexican farmers selectively bred and domesticated maize from its ancestor, a wild grass called teosinte. Teosinte, from the Nahuatl "teocintli," or "sacred corn" is different from our modern corn. Over centuries, ancient Mexicans selectively picked the largest of the teosinte kernels and bred from it the first ancient forms of maize.
This domesticated whole grain spread throughout North America along what is now the U.S. Interstate Highway 10, bringing the associated maize culture with it. (Acuña p. 3) Evidence supports the theory that Mesoamerican farmers transported corn seeds to the American Southwest, due to the similar and intact cultural aspects and symbolic significance which it played in native ceremonies and rituals. (Acuña p. 3) The cultivation of corn also spread from Mexico into South America, and could be found in modern-day Peru as early as 450 AD. (Acuña p. 3) As it spread throughout different lands, corn was bred with incredible diversity and adapted to numerous climatic conditions. As whole grains elsewhere in the world, corn took its place as a primary and staple food.
Corn was often grown together with beans and squash in a system known as the Three Sisters. Indigenous people who followed the traditional diet composed primarily of vegetables, corn, beans, squash, fruit, wild plants, fish and game, enjoyed abundant health and longevity, absent of the current epidemics of degenerative disease which so often plague their modern-day descendants in the U.S.
When Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they were amazed to discover that the Aztec lifespan exceeded their own by at least 10 years. (Jackson) The benefits of a traditional diet and lifestyle can still be seen in traditional people such as the Tarahumara, or Raramuri people of Mexico. The Raramuri are arguably the best endurance runners on Earth, and it is well documented that those following a traditional diet were almost completely free of many common degenerative diseases. High blood pressure and obesity were unknown to them, and their cancer rates were extremely low. In fact, it is only since the introduction of modern processed foods such as top ramen, chips and soda, that the Tarahumara have had to invent names for diseases like "high blood pressure."
The traditional Native American diet based on corn and corn products such as tortillas, tamales, cornbread, pupusas, pozole and atole remains the basis for much of the modern cuisine of Mexican people. The foundation of these foods reveal a diverse, healthful, indigenous diet which is a direct link to our Mexican roots as America's original corn culture. The integrity of this central aspect of Mexican cultural heritage, however, is in jeopardy. According to Acuña the "European invasion (of the Americas) put the corn cultures in danger of extinction. This threat continues today (because) genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are invading the native corn."
Considering the strong and central influence of indigenous foods on Mexican culture, it should come as no surprise that many of the most common words in Mexican Spanish for food, along with many other words, are of indigenous, primarily Nahuatl origin. As with culinary influences, these linguistic aspects of Mexican culture set it apart as truly indigenous and American. Words, names, and expressions of indigenous origin contain within them the story of who Mexican people are, and where they came from.
Nahuatl words in the Spanish language, which are the most common words of indigenous origin used in Mexican Spanish, include an extensive list of words that represent animals, plants, fruits and vegetables, foods and beverages, and domestic appliances. In the Nahuatl language, many of these words end with the suffix "-tl." This word ending was hispanicized into a "-te" ending in Spanish. For example, the word "axolotl" became "ajolote." Spanish words for animals, plants, foods or other objects which end in "-te" most likely derive from the Nahuatl language.
Examples of how inextricably linked many common words and names of native origin are with Mexican culture may be seen in the following examples of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin. The Spanish word for avocado, "aguacate" is derived from the Nahuatl word "ahuacatl." Atole, the maize porridge so common within Mexican culture came from the Nahuatl word "atolli." The Spanish word for peanut, "cacahuate" and for sweet potatoes, "camote" are also nearly identical to their original, indigenous pronunciations.
The common Mexican name for a young boy, or a "chamaco," comes from the Nahuatl word "chamahuac," describing the same. A "chapulin" is both the Nahuatl and Spanish word for a grasshopper, while the well-known word for chewing gum, chicle, is very similar to it's Nahuatl counterpart of "tzictli." One of the most defining and characteristic food items in Mexican culture, the chile pepper, closely matches it's Nahuatl counterpart of "chilli." Even the popular restaurant chain Chipotle owes it's now famous name to the word of indigenous origin, "chilpoctli," which is a type of red chile.
Most people in Mexican culture have grown up hearing the description of someone or something being "chiquito." Surprisingly, this word as well derives from the Nahuatl "tzitz quit," meaning very small. Chocolate closely resembles the word of it's origin, chocolatl, while a comal, or a griddle, is easily recognizable as originating from the Nahuatl "comalli." Copal, used so prominently by Aztec dancers, is another native word for the incense made from tree resins. Coyote, the native dog species of the Americas, derives from the word coyotl.
The Mexican Spanish slang word for a friend, "cuate," comes from the Nahuatl "cuatl," meaning twin, or a buddy. Similarly, a "tocayo," or a namesake, derives from the word "tocayotl." Elote, or corn on the cob, which is so often sold by street vendors, is also a Nahuatl word, as is guacamole (ahuaca-molli). A molcajete, the volcanic stone mortar used to create guacamole, derives from the word "molcaxitl," which is used to create sauce (molli) out of peanuts, chocolate, chiles, and other ingredients.
The famous nopal cactus, which features so prominently on the Mexican flag, is pronounced "nopalli," while another well-known cactus, peyote (peyotl) is also a word of Nahuatl origin. The pre-Colombian stew pozole (potzolli) is a well-known hangover remedy used after a night of drinking too much of the alcoholic drink mescal (mexcalli) or tequila. Tamales (tamalli), or tomatoes (tomatl) come from crops grown in a milpa, or a field. Huarache sandals derive from a Purepecha word, kwarachi.
In "Saints and Citizens", Haas refers to the "California vernacular", the vernacular Spanish that Indigenous people learned in the missions and that was spoken by the troops in California. It contained elements of other indigenous languages spoken in Mexico and "had traces of Indigenous speech and experience from the long colonial history of conquests that the military had undertaken."
The experience of traveling out of Mexico through indigenous lands and into California and the Southwest, where many modern Mexican Americans now live, is written in the language picked up along the way. These words, which are unique to Mexican culture, are evidence of a people with their own unique and storied history and identity that is largely native to America.
Many traditional styles of clothing and dress in Mexican culture have indigenous cultural roots, and are still worn today among modern Mexican people. The regional influences on the clothing, the designs, and even the materials used in the production of traditional clothing items all reveal interesting facts and histories behind them.
Most pre-Columbian clothing that remains today and which is still worn is women's clothing. These include such items as cloth belts called fajas, and tunics known as huipils, a type of tunic, and a type of short poncho called a quechquemitl. The quechquemitl used to be worn directly on the upper body of a woman, but is today worn over a blouse. Huipils are often embroidered with beautiful floral and geometric designs, and are popularly worn by women today.
Young Mayan girl wearing a huipil.
Another garment of indigenous origin is the rebozo. This is a long, rectangular shawl used as a wrap, and also as a way to carry children or other objects tied to the body. The rebozo is a mixture of indigenous, Spanish, and Asian influenced garments, and are woven with multicolored designs using threads of different colors.
Charles Lummis, founder of Arroyo Seco Foundation, wearing a serape in the old Californio style.
In addition to clothing, other woven items common to Mexican culture contain aspects of indigenous origin, such as blankets, hats, and backpacks. The designs for these items are often woven into the fabric or embroidered. The materials for these items may be made with various native fibers, as well, including those made from cotton and the agave plant.
Just as with language and food, traditional Mexican clothing reflects the history and roots of our culture. The rebozo, for instance, is a mixture of pre-Hispanic, Spanish, and Oriental influences which reflect the history of Mexico's indigenous people being conquered by Spain -- a land which itself was dominated by "Oriental" or Islamic civilization for many centuries. Reflecting upon this history and heritage as expressed through clothing enables us to understand the development of our modern identity.
Pre-Columbian musical influences still are present in modern Mexican American culture. Much of the traditional Mexican Son music, for instance, which has influenced musicians in the United States was created as a mixture of Spanish and local indigenous musical styles. (Ilich) The musical and instrumental style reflecting the greatest indigenous heritage, however, would be that which accompanies Aztec dance.
Martin Espino is a musician and composer of authentic pre-Columbian style music.
The dance style now known as Aztec dance originated on the periphery of what was once the Aztec Empire, and often recreated or reenacted the battles against the Spanish during the Conquest. (González Torres) Aztec dancers adopted Spanish military titles for it's dancers, and depending on the group, might honor a patron saint of Catholicism. (González Torres) Thus, as with the food, dress, and linguistic influences which have passed on to Mexican American culture, Aztec dance has within it living elements of the historical events which formed our identity, and which derive from a primarily indigenous foundation.
Various other cultural customs have carried over to Mexican culture from indigenous, pre-Columbian times, and continue to influence and shape our culture today. The holiday of Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a direct link to the indigenous past, and is becoming embraced by the larger American community which is influenced by the strong Mexican American presence in California and the Southwest. Day of the Dead has been merged with the Catholic All Souls' Day, providing yet another example of the means by which indigenous culture adapted and persisted in the face of the Spanish conquest.
Folk beliefs and practices often carry strong indigenous undertones. Curanderos, or traditional healers, utilize herbs and other natural remedies to heal. Native spirituality, Roman Catholic prayers, and elements of Moorish and Spanish herbalism and religion are all combined by curanderos to treat both the physical and the spiritual cause of illness.
The belief in witchcraft can also be traced to indigenous Mexican folk religion. Naguals, shape-shifting brujos or sorcerers, can transform themselves into animals and use their power for either good or evil.
A person's tonal or daysign can determine which animal represents the positive and negative aspects of their nature, and which animal a person may share a spiritual connection with. In Rudolpho Anaya's book Bless Me, Ultima, the curandera Ultima shares a spiritual connection with an Owl, which represents her soul.
Even scary stories told to children have their origins in pre-Columbian Mexico. The story of La Llorona, "The Weeping Woman" who's ghost cries along the river searching for her lost children, is often used to keep children from wandering out at night. The story of La Llorona derived from the Nahua myth of Chocacihuatl.
In the Nahuatl language, choca means to cry, and cihuatl means woman. Chocacihuatl was the spirit of the first woman who died in childbirth, and her cries could be heard along the banks of Lake Texcoco. The skulls of Chocacihuatl and her lost son floated in the air and hunted any traveler who crossed their path in the darkness of night. The unfortunate person who saw these things could be sure of misfortune or death.
In first discussing the ethnic roots of Mexican people in the beginning of this essay, the UC San Francisco, Stanford University, and Mexico's National Institute of Genomic Medicine's landmark study of the genetics of Mexico was cited to demonstrate the Native American ethnic heritage within much of the Mexican population. It is as a direct consequence of this ethnic heritage that other indigenous cultural aspects are still in place within Mexican culture; if only sometimes a bit under the surface. The various indigenous influences on Mexican food culture were shown to have their foundation in the indigenous American corn cultures which developed in Mexico and which spread civilization. Due to this culinary heritage, modern Mexican Americans are returning to their ancestral foods for the health benefits they provide. Clothing, music, and other cultural customs whose roots can be traced to indigenous times all share one common theme: their survival within Mexican culture are living examples of it's unique origins and development here in North America and Mesoamerica.
Acuña, Rodolfo. Occupied America: A History of Chicanos. New Jersey: Pearson, 2015.
Aguilar, Mario. The rituals of kindness: The influence of the Danza Azteca tradition of central Mexico on Chicano-Mexcoehuani identity and sacred space (PhD). The Claremont Graduate University, 2009.
Craft textiles in Mexico Introduction - Historical Precedents. Veracruz, Mexico: Universidad Veracruzana. June 1, 2010.
González Torres, Yolotl. "Conchero's sanctuaries and pilgrimages". INAH and University of Colorado, Boulder. May 28, 2012.
Gorney, Cynthia. "A People Apart." National Geographic, November 2008.
Haas, Lisbeth. Saints and Citizens: Indigenous Histories of Colonial Missions and Mexican California. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2014.
Ilich, Tijana. "Music of Mexico - Son, Ranchera, Mariachi." About Entertainment, 2015.
Jackson, Mark. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Medicine. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Laws, Rita. "Native Americans and Vegetarianism." Vegetarian Journal, September 1994.
McDougall, Christopher. "The Men Who Live Forever." Men's Health, June 28, 2006.
Moreno-Estrada et al. The genetics of Mexico recapitulates Native American substructure and affects biomedical traits. Science, 2014.
Over the years, I have realized the increasing importance of living according to the seasons, and have felt the peace that comes from harmonizing ourselves with the cycles of nature. I am happy to have discovered Mara Freeman's wonderful book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit, just in time for the transition to autumn - my favorite season.
This book describes the seasonal traditions, legends, recipes, plant uses, and many ancient customs of the Celtic peoples for every month of the year, and has become a treasured reference book for me to connect more deeply with the Earth and nature-based wisdom of my Irish and Scottish ancestors.
Awareness of life as an unfolding spiral is something that, sadly, we have lost today. In the modern world progress is seen as a linear upward march. If we do not consistently improve and achieve, we think there is something wrong. But through consciously aligning ourselves with sacred time by attuning our lives to the spiral of the Celtic year, we are accepting the invitation to the grand dance of the universe, in which our partners are the sun, moon, and stars and every living thing. With this greater sense of connection to the flow of the cosmos, we find a greater appreciation of the present moment and can now enjoy the journey instead of grimly fixing our sights toward a distant goal on an ever-receding horizon. By embracing a "spiral attitude" toward life, we can gracefully take each step of the dance as we are led joyfully along by what the great Irish hero Fionn McCumhaill once called 'the music of what happens'"
It is not only within the Celtic tradition where we may attune our lives to the spiral year and to sacred time, but within all traditions. There is knowledge and macrobiotic wisdom to be found in all cultures and ancestries.
Let us again live according to sacred time and the seasons of the Earth! Let us share with our families, friends, and community the peace and well being that comes from living orderly lives.


This is the Great Sabbath, when God rested in the tomb from the work he had done to redeem the world. As the Sabbath marked the completion of God's work at the beginning of the world (Genesis 2:1-3), so this greater Sabbath marks the accomplishment of the new creation.
O God, creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
The Lord almighty bless (+) us, and direct our days and our deeds in his peace.


At University Alliance, just like our universities, our approach is about putting solutions, innovation and enterprise at the core of everything we do – for the wider public and economic benefit of the UK.
We conduct, promote and disseminate research and analysis into matters related to higher education, including higher education policy, to inform and improve public and political discourse about the value of universities and the public benefit they deliver.
In taking a non-partisan, non-political approach we are able to bring together thought-leaders and experts from across the sector as well as government, industry and other charities to identify solutions that will sustain a world-leading, enterprising and innovative higher education sector.


I left five years of iOS experience for this sweet piece of Finnish hardware, but have run into a few challenges that can't be addressed by the Microsoft Store staff (I tried), and am asking for your help so I don't have to go back to the bordom of iOS. I suspect some of the issues below are user issues and hopefuly you true geniuses can assist.
No playback location of where an album last left off?
No gapless playback of music?
Unified volume? Rings, Applications, etc. My Voicemail seems to always be at 0. Bluetooth variesvery frustrating.
No WAV support for Cisco VMs?
Thank you in advance to anyone that can knock off a bullet point.
I've been browsing the forums and as I am looking to move back to a windows mobile oS (I have been palm,palm, wm, wm, webOS, android). But some of these I'd like to see addressed better. I can almost live with a pause between music (really shouldn't HAVE to), but WAV support is a must for me. Anyone with any updated comments on how to get WAV's to play (and not to contact IT, I am IT, and we have one choice in our phone switch).
Some of those such as gapless music playback, scrubbing (scrolling through music timeline), and WAV support are just not supported right now.
Generally for me the volume of various things remembers the last setting I used. My music usually pauses and picks up where I left it. If you completely stop playing an album it will not pick up where it left off.
It might be a security concern but some have used phoneconvert.com which you forward the attachment to and it converts it into a new format and sends you a link to listen to the VM.
whats the last dot means? I have both app and does that a lot, but never happen to miss launch whatsapp.
The last bullet point is an interesting one. When I go into "Music + Videos" from the start tile, the album is grey/blank and says "paused". When I click on the album, WhatsApp launches...pretty odd bug to say the least.
Thank you for the constructive reply and direction to phoneconvert.com. I will have to dig into their T&Cs. For "bedtime" mode, I have just been using good old airplane mode when at home. Unfortunatly, this doesn't work well when traveling and need to be available to be reached by a select few/family. In iOS this is accomplished by setting people as VIPs and Do Not Disturb.
As you have the most informative responses, can you shed some light on accessing videos shot on the camera roll? Are they completely blocked off to applications by the OS, or is there a setting I have overlooked?
Abu Bakr Hussain likes this.
This would be brilliant of them, but hijacking Music + Videos means there is an issue with WP8. Microsoft's Connect site is not accepting bug report for WP8...anyone know where one can report bugs?
I've been seeing a ton of these threads lately, and I agree with you - these people should just stay on iOS.
I really don't understand why people are leaving iOS to try Windows Phone, and then complaining when WP isn't EXACTLY LIKE iOS.
If Apple's products are serving your needs, use them. Why would you switch?
It's like someone who has never driven a stick shift buying a car with one just because they're "bored" of automatic. It makes no sense.
mrshamoozoo and conanheath like this.
Because there is kid on the cross road shouting "Lumia 920 is the new iPhone"
Oh don't start. These are legitimate concerns. He's simply looking for features found on his old mobile OS, its not a "omg why isn't WP not exactly like IOS" whine thread.
Fact of the matter is even older users coming from Symbian would've had the same issues. I'm still looking for a silence scheduler but I've come to accept that its just a WP limitation at this point. Other newer users obviously wanna ask around first before they throw in the towel and decide if they're going back to their old platforms.
As it stands, WP is attracting a lot of new users because it's a fresh design and the fact that Nokia has come on-board. WP will be getting a ton of old Symbian users migrating to WP in addition to switchers from iOS/Android and they're bound to be disappointed when they realize that there are some key features missing from the platform.
The experience isn't the same for everyone of course, some will only find a couple of features missing from what they normally use and wouldn't be enough to sway them back to their old camp and others might find a long list of missing items.
I myself am still missing Profiles, Silence Scheduler, Call and SMS Blocker to name a few. I've looked high and low for apps that would do this but as I understand this is just a limitation of the platform right now as Microsoft hasn't enabled app developer access to these features. Which is really an injustice because they haven't implemented these features native to the platform either. It's like how there's no native access to instagram on WP (no official app, no wp integration) and yet instagram refuses to allow third party apps to sign-up/upload directly.
So as it stands, just as thousands of instagram users are unable to use instagram on WP. There's a bunch of us stuck with no way of making our phones do what other phones can (block calls/sms, silence by schedule etc).
To the OP: so sorry for derailing your topic, but I would uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp if I were you. That's a bug and doesn't happen on my device. It's the first instance I've read of that happening on a 920.
Last edited by V J; 01-02-2013 at 04:25 PM.
12Danny123, Muessig, uktivo and 9 others like this.
VJ, thank you for stating the purpose behind the post. Frankly, my post should be one of encouragement as people are moving to the WP platform. The outrage and messages of "go back to where you came from" are quite a surprise and one which doesn't foster the type of community I suspect WP would like to develop. Thanks to those who had thoughtful and meaningful responses. People such as myself inquiring about features/functions are positive for WP. If it is coming up more and more, great! Perhaps there should be a post or page dedicated to some of the finer points behind making the move to WP, and not xenophobic responses.
This is my first post and I will dedicate it to people like you that recommend others to stay at their last platform. You guys are a disgrace for the community.
I am currently an android user, and have been for 3 years and will be making the leap next week to the Lumia 920. I have watched a lot of video's, forums and sites. I know that there are some consequences. So Tylerjp, this is the first thing you should realise(I think), as I remind myself this every time I find something that is lacking in WP.
The OS is only 2 years old and is at its second iteration. So compare this to iOS2 or Gingerbread. It 's going to have flaws. Your issues are legit, but I think it will be worth while to wait and see what Microsoft has in store. They update the OS, they have provided WP7 major updates, so you will receive them as well sooner or later and most of the issues that you said will be handled.
I can't help you much till next week, but I 'd say, stay right where you are and the people saying that people should leave the platform, you leave it yourself as you are bad advertisement for the platform.
Residing, LikeWaah, 12Danny123 and 3 others like this.
Firstly, welcome to Windows Phone!
I think some of the objection comes from the ever so slightly patronizing tone of your posts. My first thought was that English may not be your first language, if that is the case, then it's a common mistake when just trying to be polite.
Either way, I hope you love your Lumia 920 even though it may be missing a few things you are used to. There are lots of other cool things that you are yet to discover, so hang in there, the known problems are the easy ones to fix, but you can't fix boring.
If you can't help the OP move on to another thread. Telling this person to go away isn't helping anyone. This person is looking for help with some very specific concerns. To the OP the BP's listed are common concerns for many. Sounds like you might be coming from BB. The items on your list haven't been addressed in WP at this time. Here is a thread that might give you a heads up on some things that are missing from WP.
When you have a chance add your personal requests to the list.
English is my first language, and I can see where my initial post could be construed as patronizing, but it was surprise. I had done a fair amount of research prior to making the jump on release day, but didn't come across these annoyances.
This being said, I continue to be impressed by the 920 and recommend it to friends.
If you tap and hold the FF or RR you will scroll through.
Hmm... Not sure on this one what you want. If you pause a song then start it again it will start from the same place. Things like podcasts will also start from where ever you paused them at no matter what until you get to the end of the podcast. On a podcast it is obvious that you wouldn't want to start over but on an album how is the music player supposed to know that you don't want to hear the song again?
I'm not sure what music you are listening too I don't have gaps in my music. Are you sure you are using it correctly?
There are no apps for this at this time. Something simple where I could silence the phone with a timer would be great.
I don't use WhatsApp but we have many threads about people having issues with it. Keep in mind WP8 has only been out for a couple of months. Still in its infancy with room to grow. As updates roll out options will be added and at least some of what you want is possible. Did you knoe we have already received an update with WP8. Not bad barley a month old and we are already receiving an update with features added.
Last edited by Dave Blake; 01-02-2013 at 08:35 PM.
As it stands, WP is attracting a lot of new users because it's a fresh design and the fact that Nokia has come on-board. WP will be getting a ton of old Symbian users migrating to WP in addition to switchers from iOS/Android and they're bound to be disappointed when they realize that there are some key features missing from the platform..
I am one of those Symbian\Nokia users.. I've been using it for over 6 years and naturally I am very comfortable with it. I bought a Lumia 900 (ATT) a little after it came out to test it out and see how it compares to my 808, and I felt like I had to make way to many sacrifices to switch from Symbian to WP, and I am not talking about the camera.
So.. for me personally a 920 will feel more like a downgrade than an upgrade from the 808. Yes.. I love the UX, and I really like IE .. but its just not enough for me to say .. oh ya.. that is a perfect replacement for my 808. I am not saying that Microsoft won't make WP more appealing to people like me, but for now I feel like the Symbian user base Nokia has/had is probably more likely to go towards Android than WP, simply because they are kind of similar in terms of UX.
I would never switch to Android.. at least not until they have that VM in there.. it just feels like a hack job.. almost like they knew Redmond had something big and they wanted to get their OS out there first so they don't get blown away..
I am just saying.. Nokia was Nokia long before Microsoft came into the picture, and what V J posted is a true, there are a lot of Symbian users out there that have been with Nokia for just as long and switching to WP is not as straightforward as some might think. If you are a new user, like the OP, then you have a very different perspective to what an "old" Nokia/Symbian user might have.
And yes.. my post may be "trollish" but that wasn't my intention really.. just being honest.
My N9 is sitting right here on the table beside me. I seen a 909 once but never owned one. In my opinion Symbian hardware just couldn't push the software. The 909 I played with for 10 minutes was finally able to really push the OS. Nokia built a device for Symbian that worked then walked away. Its a shame really buy I believe Nokia new Symbian is dead and that WP has the room to grow into the future.
In my opinion Symbian hardware just couldn't push the software.
I made it couple of months ago. I've been using my 808 alongside the ip5 since the 5 launched and I can tell you that Symbian holds its own against ios 6 .. it even does certain things better.
Its a shame really buy I believe Nokia new Symbian is dead and that WP has the room to grow into the future.
Oh yes.. Symbian is in "zombie" mode right now, so there really is no future for the platform. WP is in its infancy.. and it looks like a winner.. but it will take some time. I am also doubtful if they would have made it without Nokia..
But I can tell you with certainty that WP will never control the market the way Symbian did in the late 90s early 00s.. my best case prediction for the platform is around 30% market share at its peak.
weis and Dave Blake like this.
Cisco voicemails - the user is probably set up with Cisco IP communicator at work or something similar and they want to be able to listen to voice mails left on their work number. Back in October my employer converted our building to VOIP and Cisco is the underlying base for it. If someone leaves me a voice mail a .wav file is attached to an email that goes straight to my inbox. It's tied into my voicemail box so if I delete it in Outlook it will also delete it on my voicemail. The .wav files come in handy because you can forward messages to co-workers who then only have to double click on a .wav file to hear the message.
I use a Jabra Supreme UC which acts as the headset for my softphone at work and my Lumia 920. When I'm not on a call with someone at work I'm streaming music from my phone. It's very handy.
Because IOS boredom is what MS is banking on. MS needs to be listening to these people to make additions to WP8 if they really want to gain marketshare. I am thankful they are coming over here and asking questions instead of just jumping ship back to IOS. Be more helpful.
tylerjp and Dave Blake like this.
Want to go Paperless in my office just ordered SnapScan 1500 how to send to Skydrive?
I have some great app ideas, but I don't want to do the coding. What do I do?


Oak Creek Parke is a small south/southwest Austin community of approximately 330 homes. Entrance into the neighborhood can be found from either Slaughter Lane by way of Wolftrap Drive or Brodie Lane by way of Aspen Creek Parkway.
Developed and built in the decade from 1991 to 2000 mainly by Newmark, Doyle Wilson and Centex home builders, these handsome, stately homes have a minimum 3 sides masonry. Time has allowed the neighborhood trees to mature and provide lots of beauty and shade for the Oak Parke residents. Homes range from approximately 1,700 to more than 3,700 square feet in size and are found in both single and two-story floor plans.
Oak Parke residents enjoy the convenience of their community swimming pool, picnic facilities, playground and basket ball & volleyball courts. Its location so near to Bowie High School also offers tennis courts and a track to area residents when not being used by the school. Austin's nature-filled Veloway for skating and biking is found within a short distance. Also nearby is the Circle C Metro Park with hiking trails, soccer fields and disc golf.
In addition to having easy access to major roadways to get across town, residents enjoy many shopping, dining, banking, medical & other services options. Just northeast of Oak Parke at the corner of Slaughter Lane & Brodie, you'll find two banks, a major grocery store, a gas station, drug store and a multitude of restaurant choices. To the northwest at Escarpment Village, you'll find more banking, another major grocer, more dining, entertainment and medical services. Lots of choices, lots of convenience make Oak Creek Parke a great little neighborhood.


When was Brächa Design founded?
How many people are employed by Brächa Design?
What kind of leather does the company use?
The products are made in Indonesia, on the island of Bali.
How I can contact the customer service?
Which countries does Brächa Design deliver to?
I recently ordered a bag or wallet, but there is something wrong with them. Who should I tell?
Is it possible to place an order from other countries other than the Netherlands and Indonesia?
Yes, it is possible. With the exception of sale products, which are only available for orders from the Netherlands and Indonesia. You can contact our support team for more information on info@brachadesign.com.