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The 906th Air Refueling Squadron  is an active United States Air Force unit.  It is an active associate squadron and part of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

The squadron was first activated in United States military buildup just before World War II as the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron participated in the Antisubmarine Campaign of the American Theater of Operations.  As the 406th Bombardment Squadron it also served in the Aleutian Islands Campaign of the Pacific Theater of Operations and several campaigns in the European Theater of Operations.  The squadron was unusual in that it received campaign credit in three different theaters of operation.

The 906th Air Refueling Squadron was activated as part of Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent force.  It maintained aircraft on alert throughout the Cold War.  The squadron deployed aircrews and aircraft to support combat operations in Southeast Asia from the mid 1960s through the early 1970s.  It also supported numerous contingency operations from its bases in the northern United States and forward operating locations until moving to Scott in 2009 and becoming an active associate unit of the Illinois Air National Guard.

Mission
The 906th operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions.  It is an active associate unit and the airmen of the 906th operate and maintain the aircraft of the 126th Air Refueling Wing and fly with the 108th Air Refueling Squadron of the Illinois Air National Guard.

History

World War II
The first predecessor of the 906th Air Refueling Squadron was established as the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron.  It was assigned to the 3d Bombardment Wing, but was under the operational control of the 42d Bombardment Group, to which it was assigned the following year.  The squadron drew its cadre from the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron and was equipped with a mixture of Douglas B-18 Bolos, Lockheed A-29 Hudsons, and a few Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific until early May 1942.

Aleutian Campaign

Following Pearl Harbor, military planning called for Alaska to be defended by units based in the Zone of the Interior, which would deploy only their air echelons, which would move forward to Alaska as they were needed.  The 42d Bombardment Group was tabbed as one of the units to deploy combat elements to Alaska. The Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands showed that permanent units were necessary for Alaskan defense. However, because of other demands, only the 406th and the 77th Bombardment Squadrons of the group deployed to Alaska, where they were attached to the 28th Composite Group. The squadron continued antisubmarine operations in the Gulf of Alaska and detachments of the squadron flew combat missions during the Aleutian Campaign from forward bases on Adak and Amchitka with North American B-25 Mitchells, attacking enemy targets on Dutch Harbor that helped force the withdrawal of enemy ships and on Kiska until the Japanese withdrew from the island. The squadron returned to the Continental United States in late 1943 and was briefly assigned to Fourth Air Force.

Combat in Europe

The squadron moved on paper to the European Theater of Operations in November where it was organized from crews and aircraft formerly assigned to the 479th Antisubmarine Group.  The 406th received its cadre at RAF Alconbury from the ground echelon of the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron and the air echelon of the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron, which had been disbanded at RAF Podington. The squadron was equipped with modified B-24Ds that had been stripped of armament except for the tail turret. The aircraft were painted gloss black overall and the openings left by the removal of the gun turrets from their bellies were used by agents being dropped by parachute. In addition, plexiglass bubbles were added to the cockpit side windows to improve visibility for the pilots.

The unit flew its first Carpetbagger mission to drop supplies to members of the Resistance in Occupied Europe under the guidance of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in early January. In April the squadron moved to RAF Harrington, which was near RAF Tempsford, where the RAF was engaged in similar activities. Carpetbagger missions also began to include the infiltration of agents with most missions flown over occupied France and the low countries.  In August 1944 the squadron transferred its personnel and equipment to the 858th Bombardment Squadron of the 492d Bombardment Group, which assumed the Carpetbagger mission.

When the 492d took over the Carpetbagger mission, its 858th Bombardment Squadron, which was engaged in psychological warfare against Nazi Germany, joined it at RAF Harrington. The 406th moved on paper to RAF Cheddington and took over the dozen Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 858th. These aircraft used laminated paper leaflet bombs that burst at one to two thousand feet above the ground and could accurately deliver 80,000 leaflets. As the squadron assumed its new mission in August 1944, the pace of missions accelerated to about eight per night.  Squadron strength expanded to 24 aircraft and the B-17s were replaced by B-24s by the end of the year. The squadron flew these missions over France, Germany, Norway and the low countries.  After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, the squadron continued flying missions for the Office of Strategic Services. Just under two billion leaflets were delivered by the night leaflet unit.

In July 1945, the unit returned to the United States, where it was redesignated as a very heavy bombardment squadron.  The war in the Pacific Theater ended and the squadron was inactivated in October 1945.

Strategic Air Command

In 1959 the Air Force assigned the 906th Air Refueling Squadron to Strategic Air Command (SAC), which organized it at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota in June, where it was assigned to the 4136th Strategic Wing. The 4136th wing was established by SAC in a program to disperse its Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The squadron received its first Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker on 23 September 1959 and was judged to be combat ready on 31 October. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.  This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The 4136th (and later the 450th and 5th wings) continued to maintain an alert commitment until the end of the Cold War.  The 906th refueled B-52s participating in Operation Chrome Dome, the airborne component of SAC's alert force, until Chrome Dome was terminated in 1968.  The squadron's ground alert commitment was increased in the fall of 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when all available aircraft assumed an alert status.

In February 1963, The 450th Bombardment Wing assumed the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the discontinued 4136th wing. The 4136th was a Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing, which could not carry a permanent history or lineage, and SAC wanted to replace it with a permanent unit.   The 906th was assigned to the newly activated 450th wing. In 1966 the squadron was awarded the Saunders Trophy for outstanding refueling operations.

In 1962, SAC organized four Post-Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) squadrons and equipped them with Boeing EB-47 Stratojets.  The establishment of Boeing EC-135 airborne command post aircraft at SAC headquarters and at each of its Numbered Air Forces resulted in the inactivation of the less capable B-47 units by 1965.  The communications relay mission of the B-47 units was assumed by the 906th and 28th Air Refueling Squadrons, which received a variety of EC-135s for this mission.  By the mid-1960s, improved accuracy of Soviet ballistic missiles made underground Minuteman missile launch control centers more vulnerable, so the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) was created to provide a survivable launch capability. The ALCS was eventually installed aboard all PACCS aircraft assigned to the 906th.  Launch crews came from the 91st Strategic Missile Wing.  In April 1970, the squadron's ALCS aircraft were transferred to the new 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The squadron deployed aircrews and aircraft to support the Spanish, Great Lakes and Alaskan Tanker Task Forces. It engaged in worldwide operations supporting combat operations in Southeast Asia from 1968 through 1975 through participation in Operation Young Tiger and support for Operation Arc Light. Afterwards it continued to support forward based tanker task forces. Due to normally supporting the European Tanker Task Force (ETTF) and Pacific Tanker Task Force (PTTF) simultaneously along with home operations, it adopted the slogan "The sun never sets on the 906th". It supported combat operations in Southwest Asia from 1990 through 1991.

Air Mobility Command
In 1992 the air force reorganized its major commands.  As a result, the 906th's parent 5th Operations Group was reassigned to Air Combat Command as a bomber unit, while the 906th became an element of Air Mobility Command (AMC) and was assigned as a geographically separated unit to the 43d Operations Group at Malmstrom Air Force Base.  During this time, the squadron included not just the normal operations personnel, but also maintenance and other support personnel. For 1992 and 1993, the squadron maintainers were recognized as the Best AMU (Aircraft Maintenance Unit) in all of AMC. In December of 1992, they received a no-notice tasking to deploy to Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal, and departed organically (no other airlift support) within 24 hours. At Lajes they were the lead unit along with KC-135As from K.I. Sawyer AFB, MI. They were part of Operation Restore Hope supporting humanitarian efforts in Somalia, enabling US-based airlifters to deliver supplies more efficiently. During 1993, they converted operations from the KC-135A to the KC-135R. From January to March 1994, they deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch. While deployed, the squadron flag was reassigned and they became Detachment 1, 43d Operations Group until transfer of all personnel  and aircraft out of Minot later in 1994. The squadron was assigned to the 319th Air Refueling Wing one of three "super tanker wings" at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, where it became the second of four tanker squadrons assigned to the wing's 319th Operations Group.

Under AMC control, the unit supported Operation Deny Flight, the United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995 from Pisa Airport, Italy and Istres Air Base, France. It supported Operation Uphold Democracy, the United Nations action to remove the military junta and restore the elected president of Haiti in 1995.  In 1996 the squadron deployed planes and crews to Riyadh Air Base, Saudi Arabia for Operation Southern Watch, the Southwest Asia Task Force operation to monitor and control airspace in southern Iraq. It also deployed for the sister operation patrolling northern Iraq, Operation Northern Watch.

For three months in the summer of 2000, the squadron was forced to operate from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida as the Grand Forks runways underwent a nine million dollar renovation.  For the first time in ten years, following the 9/11 attacks, the squadron once again placed aircraft on alert as part of Operation Noble Eagle and also began support for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.  Toward the end of the following year, the squadron began to deploy forward in what became Operation Iraqi Freedom, the war in Iraq.

AMC began to prepare for the end of air refueling operations at Grand Forks in preparation for the arrival of Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. As a result, it began to inactivate or transfer the tanker squadrons stationed there.  On 2 October 2009 the 906th moved without personnel or equipment from Grand Forks Air Force Base to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, where it was assigned to the 375th Air Mobility Wing as an active associate unit with the 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard. The 375th maintains administrative control of the squadron, while the 126th has operational control.  The airmen of the 906th operate and maintain the aircraft of the 126th wing's 108th Air Refueling Squadron.

Lineage
406th Bombardment Squadron
 Constituted as the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940
 Activated on 15 January 1941
 Redesignated 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 April 1942
 Redesignated 406th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 1 June 1943
 Redesignated 406th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 2 November 1943
 Redesignated 406th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943
 Redesignated 406th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945
 Inactivated on 17 October 1945
 Consolidated with the 906th Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985 as the 906th Air Refueling Squadron

906th Air Refueling Squadron
 Constituted as the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 9 March 1959
 Activated on 1 June 1959
 Consolidated with the 406th Bombardment Squadron on 19 September 1985
 Redesignated 906th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991

Assignments
 3d Bombardment Wing, 15 January 1941 (attached to 42d Bombardment Group)
 42d Bombardment Group, 25 February 1942 (attached to 28th Composite Group after c. 6 June 1942)
 41st Bombardment Group, 12 February 1943 (remained attached to 28th Composite Group)
 Fourth Air Force, 11 October 1943
 Eighth Air Force, 2 November 1943
 1st Bombardment Division, 21 November 1943 (attached to 482d Bombardment Group, 4 December 1943 – 21 February 1944)
 VIII Air Force Composite Command, 26 February 1944 (attached to 328th Service Group 27 February 1944 – 28 March 1944, then to 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional), until 5 August 1944)
 VIII Fighter Command, 1 October 1944
 1st Air Division, 30 December 1944
 492d Bombardment Group, 5 August 1945 – 17 October 1945
 4136th Strategic Wing, 1 June 1959
 450th Bombardment Wing, 1 February 1963
 5th Bombardment Wing, 25 July 1968
 5th Operations Group, 1 September 1991
 43d Operations Group, 1 June 1992
 319th Operations Group, 30 January 1994
 375th Operations Group, 2 October 2009 – Present

Stations

 Fort Douglas, Utah, 15 January 1941
 Gowen Field, Idaho, 4 June 1941
 Air echelon operated from Paine Field, Washington, from 8 December 1941
 Paine Field, Washington, 21 January 1942
 Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 20 July 1942 – 1 November 1942
 Air echelon operated from Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, from 7 June 1942
 Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, 15 November 1942 – 18 October 1943
 Operated from Adak Army Air Field, Aleutians, Alaska Territory 25 July 1943
 Operated from Amchitka Army Airfield, Metlakatla, Annette Island, Alaska Territory, 13 August – c. October 1943

 Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 23 October 1943 – 2 November 1943
 RAF Alconbury (Station 102), England, 11 November 1943
 RAF Watton (Station 376), England, 7 February 1944
 RAF Harrington (Station 113), England, 1 April 1944
 RAF Cheddington (Station 113), England, 10 August 1944
 RAF Harrington, England (Station 179), 16 March 1945 – 6 August 1945
 Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 14 August 1945
 Kirtland Field, New Mexico, 17 August 1945 – 17 October 1945
 Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, 1 June 1959
 Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, 30 January 1994
 Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, 1 October 2009 – present

Aircraft

 Douglas B-18 Bolo (1941–1943)
 Martin B-26 Marauder (1941–1942)
 Lockheed A-29 Hudson (1942–1943)
 North American B-25 Mitchell (1943)

 Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1943–1945)
 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1944–1945)
 Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker (1959–1993)
 Boeing EC-135 (c. 1966–1970)
 Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (1993–present)

Awards and campaigns

See also

 List of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons
 List of Martin B-26 Marauder operators
 B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces
 B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces

References

Notes
 Explanatory notes

 Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force
Military units and formations established in 1959
Units and formations of Strategic Air Command
1941 establishments in Utah


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TV | Let's Chat Great British Bake Off Ice-Cream Gate & Innuendo Tarts
Add Comment baking , Lifestyle , watching Edit
This week on the Great British Bake Off it is all about Pies and Tarts. An episode which is sure to be filled with innuendos aplenty but is unlikely to beat the controversy of last weeks ice cream drama. While on the topic of last week I'll add my two cents... Watching events unfold I was aghast, my hand over my mouth in amazement and shouting at the T.V. at the controversy of it all. How could they let Iain go? Why didn't Diana say something? It all seemed so unjust. But then I went on to twitter to see everyone else's reaction and all six of the related trending topics and I saw that Sue Perkins had tried to rectify the situation by explaining just how long Iain's baked Alaska had been out of the freezer for - a whole 40 seconds. It took awhile for the nation to accept this during which Diana was given a pretty hard time. Then came the news that she had suffered a fall during filming and would not be back this week as well as losing her sense of taste and smell potentially permanently. I began to feel really bad for Diana, and the lack of empathy the producers had when they put together the footage in the way that they did knowing full well that Diana wouldn't be in the next episode either. Knowing also that an elderly lady would be targeted by the public and the media as some sort of villain. It's easy to forget that what we see on our screens is almost always a constructed reality and not a true representation of events. It's fun to be outraged at the events of Bake Off, but I think a lot of us were left feeling guilty about how we treated an elderly woman who made a simple mistake of moving someone else's ice cream without knowledge of how dire the consequences would be.
But bake to the episode at hand! I know very little about pastry having never made a pie or a tart myself but apparently "The real challenge is knowing when to take the tarts out" says Sue. In Essex where I live this inuendo would have a completely meaning, in fact I think we should be more worried about keeping the tarts in. Here's my round up of the bakers signature bakes, complete with my favourite innuendoes!
Luis had a good Tropical tart, as you'd expect because he has made it clear over the last few weeks that he's a damn good baker and has quickly risen to the top end of the group. "I think its got a wobble" he stated as he took his egg tart out of the oven, which I'm not sure if a good or a bad thing perhaps its personal preference (I'm trying to lose my wobble). Paul also complimented Luis on his "thin sides and bottom".
"I knew it was going to be tight" - Ooer! Kate was pushed for time with her tart leaving it in the oven until the last minute. Her choice to turn up the oven had me wondering if she was heading for a burnt tart disaster but actually it worked out pretty well with custard "in the bottom and on top".
When Nancy discussed her chocolate tart with the judges Paul replied "I like that Nancy" while looking at her with a slight 'come hither' look. It's clear where Paul's preferences lie.
Martha's pistachio, apricot and honey custard tart look to me remarkably like a quiche with sliced tomato on top? Mary said the flavour was too tart (for a tart?). Martha was left emotional after the signature bake bringing the first tears of the episode.
Chetna followed a traditional indian recipe for rice custard tart with mangoes and raspberries. It looked very good and she was praised by the judges although Paul had some advice about the rice. Chetna is fast becoming one the the tent's best bakers after a slightly wobbly start.
There were concerns about "leakage" with Richard and he required a "steady hand" for his fig and orange tart. Unfortunately Mary didn't think the orange flavour came through very well and the judges didn't seem impressed. Richard was one of my favourite bakers with a pencil behind his ear but he needs to do better in the next challenges to secure his position at the top end of the group.
Lastly was Norman who explained "Icing sugar gives it a nice finish" while 'decorating' his tart just after the cameras had panned across everyone else delicately decorating with fruit, piping icing etc. Norman's supposedly exotic Tarte au Citrone "looks a mess" stated Paul as he explained it "should be clean, sharp neat". However Norman was complimented on his fantastic flavour despite his not poor presentation. I have a soft-spot for Norman and they way he defies Paul and Mary but I will be very surprised if he survives for another week.
Following the signature bake was the confusing part of the show where Mel or Sue visit a small town to find out about baking from somewhere around a century ago. I like to use this time as a good break for checking Twitter, a bit like an ad break. Also if I wanted to see testicles I'd watch 'Embarrassing Bodies'.
The technical challenge involved making mini pear pies. This slightly unappetising dessert involves a poached pear wrapped in layers of pastry which none of the bakers seemed to have any knowledge of. Most had either never poached a pear before or not done in a very long time. During this challenge I was pleased to see the bakers discuss where they were putting their trays in the fridge thus avoiding any disaster à la Iain or Howard (custardgate last year). My favourite pear innuendoes include Luis' "nice soft pears", Martha "observing the other bakers' pears" and Chetna's "well flavoured pear". Wrapping the poached pears in pastry seemed to be the difficult part for the bakers which Martha described as being like "mummifying". Richard had admitted he was "flying blind" and on "a voyage of discovery" and it showed as he failed to wrap his pears, and the limp pastry unravelled and sunk to the bottom of the pear during baking. Paul called Richard's pears a "mess" outright and the look on Richard's face suggested he knew that he would be coming last in the challenge.
The Showstopper challenge this week was to make at least three-tiers of pies. Some stayed safe choosing only to bake the minimum requirement of tiers while others - I'm looking at you Luis - decided to push the boat out and bake more.
Kate explained she "doesn't want to go in with the hand straight away" (to be honest I'm not quite sure what she was referring to) while putting her pie together but ended up with a "great looking pie" compliment from Paul. Looks like Kate's safe then as she's had successful bakes all round this week.
Mel enacted a big bad wolf as she stated "I'm looking forward to blowing your pie" to Martha regarding the Three Little Pigs themed tiers in a strange innuendo that didn't make much sense. Mary was complimentary as she said it 'looks a lovely little pie' while Sue called it 'a three man job'. The judges thought Martha had interesting filling but her pies were unfortunately over baked.
"Fat bottoms" were a worry for Nancy as she opted to sculpt her pie crust by hand rather than using a tray. She mad three variations of apple pies, but they were "too dry inside" according to Paul.
Chetna's fusion pies caused Paul to crown her the "flavour queen" pushing her even further up to the top of the bakers while Richard redeemed himself with his Autumn pie feasts. Luis was let down by the pastry of his slightly confusing fruit topped Four Seasons meat pies, disappointing for a Northerner.
That brings us to Norman's 'pieful tower' which, as expected, left the judges disappointed. Unsurprisingly it was Norman's time to leave this week but he did well to last as far as he did and I'm looking forward to watching him on the Extra Slice. With Bake Off finished it is now time for a re-run of American Pie on ITV2 which is a strangely coincidental and brings another wave of pie-related innuendoes with it.
Did you enjoy bake off this week? Are you glad to see Norman leave?
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"We in the U.S. know that the M-16 is superior to the AK ... it's more durable," said Army Col. Stephen Scott, who's in charge of helping the Iraqi army get all the equipment it needs to outfit its forces.
"The Iraqis have embraced that ... and the fact that it is U.S. manufactured and supplied. They are very big on U.S.-produced [foreign military sales] materials," he said in an interview with military bloggers this month.
So far, the U.S. military has helped the Iraqi army purchase 43,000 rifles - a mix of full-stock M-16A2s and compact M-4 carbines. Another 50,000 rifles are currently on order, and the objective is to outfit the entire Iraqi army with 165,000 American rifles in a one-for-one replacement of the AK-47.
"Our goal is to give every Iraqi soldier an M-16A2 or an M-4," Scott said. "And as the Iraqi army grows, we will adjust."
Scott added the mass of AK-47s from various manufacturers floating through the Iraqi army's inventory could cause maintenance and reliability problems. Getting both U.S. and Iraqi forces on the same page when it comes to basic weaponry is part of the argument for M-16 outfitting.
"I'm also a fan of AKs," Scott said. "But keep in mind most of these AKs have been sitting around in bunkers or whatnot for 30 or 40 years [and] are in various stages of disrepair."
A variety of U.S. troops, including SEALs, Marines and Soldiers - and even civilian contractors - are training Iraqis on the M-16 and M-4 throughout the country. One civilian trainer told Military.com during a brief interview in Iraq that the Iraqi soldiers are a little behind the average American trooper when it comes to learning the various parts and breakdown of the M-16, but they're enthusiastic and quick learners on the range.
After seeing some of the firing range training himself, Scott added that he "asked the Iraqis how they liked the weapon and they said it was far superior, it was more accurate ... and more reliable."
"I think the transition is almost transparent from those older AKs," he said.
A system that registers each rifle with the individual who receives one that uses biometric data such as thumb prints and eye scans is meant to address concerns over U.S. weapons winding up in enemy hands. A July 2007 Government Accountability Office report concluded that as many as 190,000 weapons delivered to the Iraqi army were not accounted for and could've wound up in terrorist caches.
That's something Scott isn't going to allow on his watch.
"These Iraqi soldiers know that this weapon becomes part of their person," he said. "And they also know that they are responsible and accountable for that weapon."
And from the looks of it, Iraqi soldiers aren't willing to hand them over to the bad guys.
"Most of the soldiers think they will be just like the Americans, and that is making them very happy," said Capt. Rafaat Mejal Ahmed, the Iraqi 1st Division weapons and ammunition officer, in a Marine Corps release. "They think the modern technology will make them more powerful."


In 2011, 27 baby American baby girls were named Khaleesi.
It means 'Queen' in a fictional language from 'Game of Thrones' .
2. Artemis is usually associated with what celestial body(s)?
3. The name of this gas comes from Greek for "water-former."
5. The Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia, is part of what museum?
7. Can you name the two male leads in "The Cable Guy" ?
Wolves have the highest kill rate of all of earth's land predators at 85%.
wild dog that achieves it, not lions, not cheetahs and not wolves.
falcons record a success rate of 47%.


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"I was so anxious to meet God, I used to weep from morning til night. Even while working in my office, tears would involuntarily flow from my eyes and my office papers were spoiled by tears. I could not sleep at night. I would ask, "O God, what is happening?" At home, my family could not understand what was happening - I had recently been transferred from the place of my parents and everyone thought the tears were due to this. What can other people know of the condition of one's heart? Once the enigma of the mystery of life enters the heart, a person knows no peace until it has been solved." (Portrait of Perfection: A Pictorial Biography of Kirpal Singh, p. 1)
"I will cry to Thee, and keep crying, till the milk of Thy kindness boils up." - Rumi
"My child, wash Christ's feet with your tears, and He will in turn wash away your sins." - Athonite Father Tichon
"Ask for your share of the divine nectar and it shall not be withheld from you. Indeed, those who have turned from the peaceful hearth that is their due, to move through the gloomy houses of men to dispense it, have done so because of the dark flood of secret tears that break daily through the banks of human life." - Paul Brunton (Notebooks, Vol. 12, Part 2, 5.42)
"A shadow cast by the light of oncoming Grace sometimes appears as a fit of weeping. Without outer cause, the tears stream without stop or else sadness wells up without mitigation…He may be one of the fortunate ones who can call down upon themselves the workings of Grace. When he feels the urge to weep for no apparent reason he should not resist, as it is a sign of the working of Grace upon him. The more he yields to this urge the more quickly he will progress." (Ibid, 5.283, 303)
"I have dropped in a heap on the earth, crying, in the hope that I will feel a touch of his hand. I have fallen like a fish into deep water in the hope that the Friend will catch me in his net...If only in the middle of the night in place of these flowing tears I had you in my embrace." - Hafiz (The Illuminated Hafiz)
"The child cries and [the mother] comes to give him something to eat and again goes away. Again he cries until nothing satisfies him but the mother taking him in her arms. When you want nothing else Other than Him, He comes. Just as mothers always have pity, grace for the child, so it is with Master's Love. With His little thought, you weep like anything. Do you follow?" (Kirpal Singh, unpublished talk)
Sri Ramakrishna:
"Cry to the Lord with an intensely yearning heart and you will certainly see Him. People shed a whole jug of tears for wife and children. They swim in tears for money. But who weeps for God? Cry to Him with a real cry."
'Where does the strength of an aspirant lie? It is in his tears. As a mother gives her consent to fulfill the desire of her importunately weeping child, so God vouchsafes to His weeping son whatever he is crying for."
"It is necessary to pray to Him with a longing heart. The kitten knows only how to call its mother, crying, "Mew, mew!" It remains satisfied wherever its mother puts it. And the mother cat puts the kitten sometimes in the kitchen, sometimes on the floor, and sometimes on the bed. When it suffers it cries only, "Mew, mew!" That's all it knows. But as soon as the mother hears this cry, wherever she may be, she comes to the kitten."
Kirpal also spoke to this latter point:
"If you wish to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, it is best to go through the water and not the dry desert sands. The dry sand is the way of the intellect, while the water is the flow of your tears. That is the best way to meet Him. Through weeping and wailing in the love of God or of your Master, you will meet Him very fast. Without weeping and wailing, no one has met God. God Almighty is controlled by the true devotee." (Sat Sandesh, July 1975, p. 27)
Swami Sivananda on Ramakrishna:
"When I first began to visit Sri Ramakrishna, I often felt like crying. One night at Dakshineswar, by the bank of the Ganges, I wept to my heart's content. In the meantime the Master had been asking for me. When I returned to his room, he said: 'You know, if you weep before the Lord, your tears wipe out the mind's impurities of many births, and his grace immediately descends upon you. It is good to weep before the Lord.'"
"St. Seraphim of Sarov is said to have sat on a rock and cried bitterly for three years over his sinful nature, imploring God for mercy. This is not just ignorant, self-pity, but true repentance of the broken heart." - Padre Pio
"My anguish of soul continued unceasing, day and night. The torment swelled into the same uninterrupted prayer even in sleep or when other people were about, although then something kept me from giving any outward sign. But as soon as I was back in my room, almost before I could shut the door, the tears would overwhelm me. There were moments when the pain of being separated from God cast me to the floor, and in the silence of the night I would weep for hours over my dreadful loss. The whole of me - mind, heart, even my body - contracted into a single, tight knot. And when the weeping exceeded a certain limit, the earth - the whole visible world - disappeared from my consciousness and I was alone before God." (Elder Sophrony, We Shall See Him As He Is, p. 162)
"Jesus wept." - John 11:35
"There is a palace that opens only to tears." - Zohar
"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." - Psalms 126:5
"There is nothing so whole as a broken heart." - Hebrew mystical saying
"Wouldst thou make obeisance to thy master, my heart? He is there at every step, on each side of thy path: the welcome offered thee is thy master, the agony inflicted on thee is thy master. Every wrench at thy heartstrings that maketh tears flow is thy master." - Bengali verse
"O my friends, I wish that no one should be a victim of such a state of agony as is mine because of intense longing due to separation. If it were possible to take hold of this feeling of intense longing, I would have covered my Lord with it so that He should also know what intense longing is, and His eyes would also shed tears of blood and fire in the pangs of separation. But alas! this is not possible. I am full of pain and the feeling of intense longing is too much for me. Perhaps my mother gave birth to me so that I should suffer this intense longing. O my God, in my love for You, I am like a nightingale singing songs of lamentation, which bring tears of blood to my eyes." - Hafiz, Philosophy of the Masters, Series Two
A contemplation;
"So many tears you have shed in samsaras realms
When separated from your dearest friends,
The teardrops from your eyes
Would overflow the basins of the oceans." - Nagarjuna
"Which is greater, the tears that were shed from existence to existence while wandering this samsara, crying red and weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing, or the waters in the four great oceans?" The Buddha gave the answer that the tears shed were truly greater."
"Long have you repeatedly experienced the death of a mother. The tears you have shed over the death of a mother while wandering this long, long samsara, crying and weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing, are greater than the waters in the four great oceans."
"Long have you repeatedly experienced the death of a father...the death of a brother... the death of a sister...the death of a son...the death of a daughter... loss with regard to relatives... loss with regard to wealth...loss with regard to disease. The tears you have shed over loss with regard to disease while wandering this long, long time, crying and weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing, are greater than the waters in the four great oceans."
"Why is that? From an inconceivable beginning comes birth. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are being reborn repeatedly. Long have you thus experienced distress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries, enough to become disenchanted with all fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be released." - Buddha (Samyutta Nikaya, Part II, XV3)
Suffer the little children….
"When the child refuses to be comforted by anything except the mother's presence, she comes. If you want to know God, you must be like the.. baby who cries till the mother comes."
"There will come a day when you will feel totally helpless, a mere pawn of destiny, and then you will begin to realize that God alone is your haven of security." (Paramhansa Yogananda, Journey to Self-Realization)
"When one cries one's inside become cleansed, just as water cleans the outside. I said: "I am unable to do what you tell me to do. I simply do not know how. The only thing I can do is cry." She said: "By this all will be achieved." (Atmananda, a devotee of Anandamayee Ma, Death Must Die)
St. John describes God's purification with the following metaphor:
"This purgative and loving knowledge or Divine light whereof we here speak acts upon the soul which it is purging and preparing for perfect union with it in the same way as fire acts upon a log of wood in order to transform it into itself; for maternal fire, acting upon wood, first of all begins to dry it, by driving out its moisture and causing it to shed the water which it contains within itself. Then it begins to make it black, dark and unsightly, and even to give forth a bad odor, and, as it dries it little by little, it brings out and drives away all the dark and unsightly accidents which are contrary to the nature of fire. And, finally, it begins to kindle it externally and give it heat, and at last transforms it into itself and makes it as beautiful as fire....It drives out its unsightliness, and makes itself black and dark, so that it seems worse than before and more unsightly and abominable than it was wont to be. For this Divine purgation is removing all the evil and vicious humours which the soul has never perceived because they have been so deeply rooted and grounded in it; it has never realized, in fact, that it has had so much evil within itself....This enkindling of love, however, is not always felt by the soul, but only at times when contemplation assails it less vehemently, for then it has occasion to see, and even to enjoy, the work which is being wrought in it, and which is then revealed to it. For it seems that the worker takes his hand from the work, and draws the iron out of the furnace, in order that something of the work which is being done may be seen; and then there is occasion for the soul to observe in itself the good which it saw not while the work was going on. In the same way, when the flame ceases to attack the wood, it is possible to see how much of it has been enkindled." (St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul)
The metaphor of burning wood, driving out impurities, is found not only in the Christian tradition, such as in previous passage of St. John of the Cross, often copied by Fenelon, Madam Guyon, and others. In the book Tales of the Mystic East one finds the following story:
"Sheik Shibli, accompanied by some of his disciples, was one day idly watching a piece of wood that was burning slowly on the top of a cooking fire. As the log was wet, the heat was driving drops of liquid from it at one end. After a moment or two of reflection, Shibli said to his disciples:
"How can you who profess to have deep love and devotion for the Lord, truly say that you are burning in the pangs of separation from Him? I see no tears of sadness or longing in your eyes. To all of you I say, that you should take a lesson from this dumb and humble piece of wood. See how it burns and how it weeps."
Fenelon succinctly states, "One does not begin to know and to feel one's spiritual miseries until they begin to be cured" - meaning that the disturbing and painful states that arise or are illumined as the spirit makes its way through the knot of self or egoic conditioning, are in fact signs of cure and not the opposite. Tears inevitably follow.
"Tears of soft divine emotion are the panacea for all yogic ills." - Shri Atmananda Krishnamenon (Notes on Spiritual Discourses, 622)
Paul Brunton writes:
"It is better for his real progress that his eyes should fill with tears of repentance than with the tears of ecstasy." (1)
"There is no entry here for the proud, the conceited, the self-pedestalled. They must first be humbled, shorn, and shamed. They must drop to the ground on their knees, must become weeping beggars and wounded mendicants."
"They believe it is possible to attain truth without tears, without discipline, and without training."
"Since the very "I" which seeks the truth and practiced the meditation is itself so illusory, it cannot attain what it seeks or even practiced with success, unless it also receives help from a bigger source. Only two such sources are possible. The first and best is the Overself's direct grace. This must be asked for, begged for, and wept for. The next best is the grace of a master who has himself entered into truth-consciousness."
"When a spiritual teacher is asked to accept a student, he tries to discourage the seeker, because he knows by personal experience what a long and painful road it is…The essence of this path is the giving up of the "I," the ego, which means that in a crisis the heart must weep tears of blood. Deep wounds are made, which only time can heal. They will be healed someday and when the storm of hurt feelings goes completely, a great peace arises."
"A shadow cast by the light of oncoming Grace sometimes appears as a fit of weeping. Without outer cause, the tears stream without stop or else sadness wells up without mitigation."
"He may have to weep for a mere glimpse of the soul. But this got, he will certainly weep again for its return. For he knows now by unshakeable conviction and by this vivid demonstration that the durable realization of the Soul is what he is here on earth for."
"He should become as a child at the feet of his divine Soul, humbly begging for its grace, guidance, and enlightenment. If his ego is strong, prayer will weaken it. Let him do this every day, not mechanically but sincerely and feelingly until the tears come to his eyes. The quest is an integral one and includes prayer alongside of all the other elements."
"Veneration is even more essential to the aspirant than erudition. Nobody need be ashamed to weep, for example, even despite his metaphysical training if he weeps for exalted things or in compassion for others or for the sacred presence. So long as he has not reached the last goal so long is he an aspirant. And so long as he is an aspirant he must be ready to weep for God, to yearn for divinity and to shed tears over its absence from his consciousness; in short, to feel. Indeed the acutest intensest feelings must be possessed and not killed off. Without them a man will never realize the goal. For God is to be felt in the profoundest possible manner, not as a cold intellectual concept."
The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Vol. 12, Part 2, 3.12, 5.42, 5.283, 5.122; Vol. 14, 7.130; Vol. 16, Part 3, 12.72; Vol. 12, Part 2, 2.11; The Wisdom of the Overself, Second revised edition,1984, p. 429
"To meet your creator you have to cry. The tears in your heart will wash your heart, so it becomes innocent, as it always has been. As you have to wake up to the state of presence and to being, so you have to wake up to your soul, which is in the heart. You are a soul - this is your true image, the divine spark from the eternal fire, which journeys in the dimension of time towards the timeless...You are moved; you are touched by the Beloved; you are seen by the Friend...and you are blessed." (Aziz Kristof (anadi), Transmission of Awakening (Delhi,India: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), p. 116, 140)
"When I was very young I went to the town where Siva first appeared to Manikovachagar. When I sat in the temple tears flowed down my face. Tears like this are often a sign of grace. When your tears are for God rather than for worldly things, the mind and the heart are purified. If you want God so much that you cry when you call on Him, He will surely come to you. When a baby cries, its mother comes to feed it. When a devotee cries because he is hungry for grace, God sends the grace to nourish him." (Lakshmana Swami, Living by the Words of Bhagavan)
"It is noteworthy that God is very ready to comfort and satisfy the soul in her needs and afflictions when she neither has nor desires consolation and satisfaction outside of him. The soul possessing nothing that might withhold her from God cannot remain long without a visit from her Beloved." (St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, Stanza 10:6)
"The saints have said that this is not a path of dryness. We have only to think of our Beloved, and tears of longing start to flow from our eyes. The mystics have described this as one of the signs of a true lover of God. When we are fortunate enough to meet the Master, to taste a little of his divine love, to become saturated with that love, then tears of love, repentance, and confession begin to flow, we become aware of how we have wasted our lives. Rabi'a Basra, the great eighth century mystic, was once asked if God came to her first and then she started her prayers, or if she started her prayers and then God came to her. She replied, "I can only say this: when tears start rolling down from my eyes in sweet remembrance of the Lord, then the clouds have come and the rain will follow." Our tears pave the way for our ultimate communion with the Lord, and we can never be satisfied until we are fully drenched in His love."
"Remember He has taken a vow never to leave or forsake us until he takes us to our eternal Home. But we should also realize that we must go through the stage when we feel abandoned, when we must feel that the Master has deserted us. This is one of the features of the path of mystic love. [Similarly Brunton writes: "It is not only by the experience of feeling at times the presence of God that an aspirant may develop inwardly: it may also happen by the equivalent non-experience, by feeling quite deserted by God, quite left alone! This - the "dark night of the soul" - is just as essential." (Notebooks, Vol. 15, Part 1, 3.71) ] We must go through this stage without a grumble on our lips, for this stage is in reality a gift from the Master himself to help us grow. Ultimately, it is for our benefit, for our own salvation. There is a divine purpose behind everything the Master does. We may have to spend a lifetime of tears to get his love. We cannot demand the gift supreme from our Beloved. The gift descends at the appointed hour." (Sant Darshan Singh, Spiritual Awakening, p. 186-187, 307)
"When rain comes the clouds precede. If there are no clouds, there is no rain. If a fruit-bearing tree has blossoms, there is hope for fruit. If there are no blossoms, then there is no hope for fruit. The blossoms and the rain clouds are the foreshadow of the fruits and the rain. Similarly, in feeling separation, crying for God, your heart becomes full. Tears rain down like anything. This is a foreshadow to show that you are nearing God. God is coming to you."
"A symbol that in your love you are drawing closer to Him, is that you will feel separation. You will hanker to see Him. Your heart will become full and tears will roll down your cheeks. These are the symptoms to show that the fruit is ripening. These things are the blossoms. Ultimately when the fruit comes, you are for the Master and the Master is for you...The time will come when you will say, "who is living in this body? Am I?" You will see the Master in there. When you fold your hands, they will be the Master's hands, not yours. (2) That is the ultimate fruit of the goal."
"A Mohammedan Saint was asked whether he first saw God and then said his prayers, or whether God came after his prayers. He said, "God comes first, then I pray." He was asked how he knew that God had come. He said, "When my heart becomes full, my eyes begin to shed tears, I then think that He has come, that He is dragging me from within, then I pray."
"Just as a man has been stabbed and feels pain, so should you feel pain for God. If that is not developed, we are nowhere. We are wasting our human lives." (Sant Kirpal Singh, Morning Talks, p. 31-32)
"Hafiz, perhaps in pursuit of the pearl of union, you would form an ocean from your tears and drown in it." (The Illuminated Hafiz, p. 113)
"I wish that I had wept so much in my longing to meet the Lord that the tears from my eyes had swelled into a river, and every tear drop had turned into a spiritual pearl. Then I would have placed all those pearls before the altar of my Beloved."
"Look at the nurses who feed babies with their milk. They give the infant scarcely any milk unless it cries for it, because the milk in the breast of the nurses does not flow out unless the child attracts it by its cries. In the same manner so long as a devotee does not cry while praying to Him, the ocean of the Lord's grace does not surge out."
"Man's work in this world is nothing but to cry in intense longing due to separation from the Lord. Look at the infant. It cries as soon as it is born. It comes into the world crying. Therefore, just as a light burns throughout the night, in the same manner you should shed tears after midnight in longing for the Lord, and continue weeping and asking for His Light. Just as the wick of a lamp is trimmed, similarly you should trim the wick of your head (ego) so that the light in you increases. In other words, as soon as you learn to sigh while weeping, there will be a flood of light inside. God values the tears of His lovers as He does the blood of His martyrs...Tears in the eyes and pain in the heart are the two pillars between which we pass to go within." - Rumi (from The Philosophy of the Masters, Series Two)
"He who spends not the midnight hours, weeping and waiting for the morrow, he knows ye not, ye heavenly powers." - Goethe
"One thought of faith is the basis
which leads one to the way through many a rebirth.
Pitiful indeed am I who know nothing of the Enlightenment
piling up one heap of dust over another wherever I go.
Wild grasses grow green when the season comes,
the flowers bloom in mad profusion day after day.
Longing for the Home and yet not knowing how,
the tears flow and the kerchief is wet."
(The first of the 'Oxherding Pictures' in Zen, the "Awakening of Faith")
"I reached forty, the age when one is not supposed to be bothered any longer by doubts. One night, I decided to take another look at The Lotus Sutra. I got out my only lamp, turned up the wick, and began to read it once again. I read as far as the third chapter, the one on parables. Then, just like that, all the lingering doubts and uncertainties vanished from my mind. They suddenly ceased to exist. The reason for the Lotus's reputation as the "king of sutras" was now revealed to me with blinding clarity. Teardrops began cascading down my face like two strings of beads - they came like beans pouring from a ruptured sack. A loud involuntary cry burst from the depths of my being and I began sobbing uncontrollably. And as I did, I knew without any doubt that what I had realized in all those satoris I had experienced, what I had grasped in my understanding of those koans I had passed - had all been totally mistaken. I was finally able to penetrate the source of the free, enlightened activity that permeated Shoju's daily life." - Hakuin (Norman Waddell, trams., The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin, p. 33)
"The master, frustrated in his attempts to resolve the feeling of doubt which weighed so heavily on his mind, became deeply disheartened. Signs of serious illness appeared. He began to cough up bloody bits of sputem. He grew steadily worse, until death seemed imminent. He said to himself, "Everyone has to die. I'm not concerned about that. My regret is dying with the great matter I've been struggling with all these years, since I was a small boy, still unresolved." His eyes flushed with hot tears. His breast heaved violently. It seemed his ribs would burst. Then, just at that moment, enlightenment came to him - like a bottom falling out of a bucket. Immediately, his health began to return, but still he was unable to express what he had realized. Then, one day, in the early hours of the morning, the scent of plum blossoms carried to him in the morning air reached his nostrils. At that instant, all attachments and obstacles were swept from his mind once and for all. The doubts that had been plaguing him ceased to exist." (Norman Waddell, trans., The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei 1622-1693 (San Francisco, CA: North Point Press, 1984), book jacket)
"A devotee achieves communion with God by floating through the flood of his own tears...That eye is very fortunate through which pearls of tears are shed in remembrance and of the Beloved. That heart is blessed which is being burned in the fire of separation from the Beloved, because the tear-drops from the eyes, falling on the ground of the heart, are responsible for bringing forth the blossoms of the mysteries of God. Just as the merciful rain produces multi-colored flowers on the earth, similarly, the eyes that are drenched with tears of remembrance of the Lord bring forth flowers of spirituality. Hence, the status of love is very high." - Hazur Baba Sawan Singh (Philosophy of the Masters, Series Two )
"No one has been united to his Beloved through mirth. Whoever has attained communion with Him has done so after shedding many tears. If it were possible to meet the Beloved while laughing and in a state of comfort, why should one suffer the anguish of separation? The people of the world are happy, they eat and sleep. Kabir alone is unhappy, he is awake and crying." - Kabir (Ibid)
RAIN: In Tamil literature a rain cloud is a well-known example or metaphor that symbolizes the capacity of God or the Guru to bestow grace. How to receive that grace?
Swami Shantatmananda offers one suggestion:
"Devotees would often come to Sri Ramakrishna to seek spiritual advice. They would often lament that they don't feel a deep love for God. All their spiritual practices appear superfluous and quite often they experience dryness of heart. Sri Ramakrishna would console them and advise them that one of the most potent ways of advancing in spiritual life is to practice the discipline of prayer...Sri Ramakrishna would say that to weep for God or to intensely feel separation from Him, one should establish first a loving relationship with Him. This is possible through prayer because in prayer a devotee tries to converse with God. He tries to express all his feelings and by constantly practicing this discipline, it is possible to slowly form a definite relationship with God. When this matures, it will manifest more and more as Vyakulata or longing or a deep desire to realize Him. In fact, this will ripen to such an extent that one would shed tears during prayers." (SundayGuardianLive, June 2020)
This article has explored both a stage and an integral part of the path of bhakti, or loving devotion, but is not exclusive to that path alone. (3) As the sage Atmananda Krishnamenon has said, "The head and the heart are not watertight compartments." (4)
Sant Darshan Singh, when asked about the copious tears shed by Sant Kirpal Singh, replied, "Yes, but at what stage?!" Yet Sant Kirpal Singh, late in life said, "Even now, when I remember my Master (Sawan, which means rain), I shed tears." Thus 'rain' is both a stage and inherent part of the path:
"The first tears of repentance are tiresome. The second ones are those of theoria (i.e., contemplation). The tears of divine love are not at all tiresome, but fill one's heart with joy." (An Athonite Gerontikon, p. 365)
Rain may fall on anyone, anywhere, at any time. It is not meant as a technique an ego can use, but a natural response to inner ice melting through the fire of divine grace, invoked by the yearning and prayers and struggles of the earnest devotee. This loving grace may fall "as the gentle rain from Heaven," or express itself in a torrent, either way causing a response to emerge from the eyes and heart of its recipient. For most of us, it is life-giving, as necessary for our growth as food and water. May you be so blessed.
"One time we were sitting with the Beloved Master [Kirpal Singh]. He looked at us and said, "You know, you people don't know how lucky you are to have a real Master, a true Master, a perfect Master - one who will never leave you or forsake you till the end of the world." He told us, "Rest assured, I will take you back Home. Don't you have any doubt in my words." Often times Master would be shedding tears of love. "These are the tears of love for you all," He would say." (The Ocean of Divine Grace, 1976, p. 141)
Two Stories
"Ryokan [a Zen monk who called himself "Ryokan, the Great Fool"] was one day invited home by his brother. The brother and his wife wanted Ryokan to reprimand their delinquent son. Thus after a long while Ryokan came to see his brother, and stayed there overnight. He, however, did not say a word to reprimand his young nephew, and was about to leave for his mountain the next morning. The nephew was lacing old Ryokan's straw sandal when he felt a warm wet drop fall on his hand. He looked up in spite of himself, and saw his old uncle Ryokan looking down at hm with tears in his eyes. Ryokan, without uttering a word to his nephew, returned home to his mountain. From that day, however, his nephew changed to being good." (A Flower Does Not Talk, p. 137-138)
For over a thousand years the Holy Mountain, as Mt. Athos is known, has been an island center of prayer and meditation for a serious couple of thousand monks living in isolated monasteries and primitive retreats. Rough roads, no cars or phones ensure isolation.
"Father Maximos told us another story in his usual casual manner:
"During the first year I was a monk on Mount Athos, there was some kind of a misunderstanding between a young hieromonk and his elder. The young hieromonk was very upset because he heard a rumor that his elder was planning to change his work schedule. Being young and inexperienced he started bad-mouthing his elder. The rest of us, naive and younger than he was, would not waste a moment. We went straight to the elder and reported him. The elder's reaction was 'I'll take care of him during vespers. I will make him feel so much shame he won't know where to go and hide his face from the rest of us.' We thought he was really going to reprimand him."
"I remember it was Saturday before vespers. The elder walked down the steps from his cell, which was on the second floor, and called for this hieromonk. 'Come to the sanctuary. I want to talk to you,' he said to him somberly. 'Holy Mother of God, the rest of us murmured among ourselves. 'Alas to him.' The elder was going to take care of him right inside of the sanctuary. All of us were tense, waiting for the developments. We expected to hear raised voices and reprimands as the elder scolded him. I happened to be inside the sanctuary helping with the service as I had just been made a deacon. And what do you think I witnessed? As they entered the sanctuary, the sixty-five-year-old elder fell on his knees in front of the twenty-five-year-old monk, kissed his feet, and asked for forgiveness. 'I am sorry, my brother,' he said to the young monk, 'I must have done something to cause you grief. Please forgive me.' The other of course was shattered and began sobbing while asking forgiveness from the elder. By the grace of God, tranquility was restored in the monastery and a valuable lesson was offered to all of us."
"Father Maximos paused in reminiscience. "You know there was more to this story. On Monday I visited Elder Ephraim [another charismatic elder and spiritual guide to Father Maximos] at Latounakia. His hermitage was hours away from our monastery. The moment he saw me he became inquisitive. 'What happened on Saturday night at the monastery?' he asked me. 'What do you mean?' I replied, pretending I had no idea. 'During my prayers,' he explained, 'I saw an angel putting a golden wreath over the head of your elder. Something must have happened.'" (Kyriakos Markides, Streams in the Desert, p. 73-74)
(1) Mysteries of Tears by V.P. Rajiv, Kerala:
"There are great secrets and mysteries behind tears which the physiologists cannot explain still. In ordinary cases tears are considered as the sole property of children. Tears come at times of happiness, gratitude, etc. which fall under the category of noble emotions as far as the human values are concerned. But from the religious point of view tears are more the property of the devotees, of course depending on the sincerity of their quest for the Lord. In spiritual life repentance and the devotion to God, especially that noblest type of devotion of the gopikas which made them reach right up to the portals of death due to separation from the Lord, are the causes of tears.
The tears of pure devotion come from the outer corners of the eyes and have no saltish taste. But tears of mere human emotions are saltish in taste and come from the other parts of the eyes. [Ramana Maharshi also said this: "Tears flow from the outer canthus of the eye of a man when he is very happy and from the inner canthus when he is sad." (Face to Face with Ramana Maharshi, p. 254)]. Kirtans are the best means for the production of devotional tears. Sri Ramakrishna used to remark on the scarcity of even one drop of tear for God while gallons of tears are shed for worldly material wants. It is a most blessed experience to weep for the sake of God. Anandamayi Ma used to shed tears out of devotion during bhajans. It is believed that whenever and wherever the chantings and kirtans of Sri Rama are going on upon the earth, Hanuman, the humblest devotee of Him, used to be present with tears of devotion then and there.
Tears of repentance due to intense devotion to the Lord are the greatest purifiers of the heart and the most expedient means for installing the Lord therein. Through tears of pure devotion to the Lord one can even attain the state of jivanmukta." (internet post)
Tears and Samadhi, by Shree Atmananda
"A great man has said that a devotee goes into samadhi with tears in his eyes and that a jnyanin comes out of samadhi with tears in his eyes. But I say that this is not yet the whole truth. One can very well both go into and come out of samadhi with tears in his eyes. This is definitely higher than the former experiences. The experience of the devotee was the result of contemplation (bhavam) of his ishta-deva. The second was the result of a short contact with the ultimate Truth. The third is the characteristic of the sahaja state of the established Jnyanin." (Notes on Spiritual Discourses, #971)
from An Athonite Gerontikon
"It was midday. Outside of the chapel of St. Ephraim, I felt for the first time a special kind of tears and asked myself: 'what are these tears?' My soul felt full of divine love and in answer to my question I heard a voice both within me and without: 'Kneel. As the bridegroom rejoices upon seeing the bride so has the Lord rejoiced with you." (p. 366)
(2) Similarly to the quote of Kirpal Singh, ("the time will come when you will say, "who is living in this body? Am I?" You will see the Master in there. When you fold your hands, they will be the Master's hands, not yours,") in more philosophical language Paul Brunton wrote: "The ego to which he is so attached turns out on enquiry to be none other than than the presence of World-Mind [i.e., God] within his own heart. If identification is then shifted by constant practice from one to the other, he has achieved the purpose of life." (Notebooks, Vol.6, 8:1.127)
(3) from Talks with Ramana Maharshi:
D. Hair standing on end, sobbing voice, joyful tears, etc., are mentioned in Atma Vidya Vilasa and other works. Are these found in samadhi, or before, or after?
M. All these are the symptoms of exceedingly subtle modes of mind (vrittis). Without duality they cannot remain. Samadhi is Perfect Peace where these cannot find a place. After emerging from samadhi the remembrance of the state gives rise to these symptoms. In Bhakti Marga (the path of devotion), these are the precursors to samadhi.
D. Are they not so in the path of jnana?
M. Maybe. There is no definiteness about it. It depends on the nature of the individual. Individuality entirely lost, these cannot find a place. But even the slightest trace of it being present, these symptoms become manifest. Manikavachakar and other saints have spoken of these symptoms. They say tears rush forth involuntarily and irrepressibly. I had the same experience when staying in Virupaksha cave.
(4) Shree Atmananda:
"When you reach the Ultimate by following the path of pure jnyana, you experience deep Peace and Happiness expressing itself sometimes in the form of gushing tears and choking voice. This is not an experience of the head, but of the heart in you. On the other hand, there are many instances of Sages like Padmapada and Vatishvarattamma who have reached the Ultimate through the heart, and heart alone, directed to their Guru - the Absolute - with deep devotion. They have subsequently guided aspirants to the Truth, even on the Jnyana path, most successfully. Thus it is clear that what one experiences through either path is the same Reality, the one through the head and the other through the heart."
"The disciple who takes the Guru to be the formless Ultimate, is taken to the right Absolute. However, the disciple whose sense of discrimination is less developed, but who has a deep devotion to the person of the Guru, may well take the Guru to be the form. His love and devotion compensate abundantly for the lack of discrimination, and he is easily taken through the form to the formless, and thence to the Absolute even without knowing it. Revered Vativishvarattamma - an illiterate woman devotee near Cape Commorin, who became a reknowned sage by her sincere and earnest devotion to her Guru (Amma-svami, who was a great yogin Sage) - is a standing testimony to this class of Sages. Though the disciple directs his love to the person of Guru, the reciprocation comes from the impersonal which is the abode of love. When your limited love is directed to the Guru, who is love unlimited, the limitation of your love vanishes immediately."
"Love is the expression of the Self through the heart, and the heart is always wet. It takes you straight to the Self or Atma and drowns you in it. Language is dry and is the expression of the Self through the head or reason. It takes you only to the brink of Atma, and leaves you there, till the heart rises up to wet reason and ultimately to drown you in love. So when you begin to discuss love, it is impossible to proceed with the discussion when the heart wells up." (Notes on Spiritual Discourses, #'s 583, 690, 401)
Sri Ramana Maharshi:
"On scrutiny, supreme devotion and jnana are in nature one and the same. To say that one of these two is a means to the other is due to not knowing the nature of either of them. Know that the path of jnana and the path of devotion are interrelated. Follow these inseparable two paths without dividing one from the other."
"Only if one knows the truth of Love, which is the real nature of Self, will the strong entangled [ego] knot of life be untied. Only if one attains the height of Love will liberation be attained. Such is the heart of all religions. The experience of Self is only Love, which is seeing only Love, hearing only Love, feeling only Love, tasting only Love and smelling only Love, which is bliss."
"The end of all wisdom is love, love, love." "Love is verily the heart of all religions."
Ramakrishna Paramahansa:
"Pure knowledge and pure love are one and the same thing. Both lead the aspirants to the same goal. The path of love is much easier."
Just so, all tears are good. If a basic sincerity is there, moreover, an artificial division of "worldly" and "spiritual" tears may in the end be unjustified. The quality may change as a person matures, but as they all bring one closer to the fount of one's heart, and dissolve the encrustations of ego, all welcomed in love. As Charles Dickens wrote, in Great Expectations:
"We need never be ashamed of our tears."
This line comes as Pip is finally leaving London with the hope of becoming a proper gentleman. When he sees his friends Joe and Biddy and is overcome with nostalgia, he begins to weep. He goes on to say: "I was better after I had cried, than before — more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle." It's a sentiment that rings true even after 160 years.


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text:
Culture Madeleine Holden October 16, 2019
Fellas, Is It Gay to Save the Planet?
As we careen toward more possible human extinction, the association of environmentalism with femininity and homosexuality seems more and more absurd. And yet it persists!
Stephen, a 23-year-old Canadian, is telling me about an otherwise uneventful opening shift at his job as a barista that turned ugly when serving a burly male customer. "We were chatting, and he asked why I had a bowl full of coffee grounds," he explains. "I told him it was because we compost them." At this point, Stephen says the man "freaked," and his previously friendly demeanor shifted. "He said I was a 'fairy' for caring about the environment, and he was kind of angry about it."
Jeff, a 34-year-old political consultant in Nebraska, says he's had his masculinity similarly questioned because of the small hatchback he drives for environmental reasons. "I live in a college town with a lot of truck-driving country kids, and when I was using my Honda Fit as an Uber driver, I'd get comments like, 'Pretty manly car' and 'Do you like them small?'" Cam, a 39-year-old Torontonian working in the energy sector, says his decision to carry reusable bags and cups provokes much of the same: "It's mostly at work, from dominant white men with conservative mindsets, comfortable in their bubble. They'll say stupid shit like, 'Nice purse' or 'That's a pretty cup, does it come in men's?'"
As we careen toward more than two degrees of global warming, near-term social collapse and possible human extinction, the association of environmentalism with femininity, homosexuality and a certain kind of weak heterosexual masculinity seems more and more absurd, and yet, it persists. Recent studies confirm that not eating meat is still seen as unmanly, that men eschew reusable shopping bags to avoid looking gay and that men who feel emasculated compensate by harming the environment. Meanwhile, one of the far right's favorite insults is "soy boy," a term that mocks urban liberals with green lifestyle markers like plant-based diets.
To better understand the perverse idea that it's gay to save the planet, I spoke to more than 30 people who say they've been at the receiving end of these views. One of them is Josh, a 31-year-old IT worker in South Louisiana, who is often made fun of for his tote, reusable bottle, occasionally vegetarian diet and lack of desire to drive a truck. "It's just constant microaggressions," he explains. "I live in a big oil area so this stuff happens constantly — the truck thing is probably the most consistent."
Several others confirm that cars are viewed as an important marker of masculinity and that environmental choices are seen as feminine or gay. "I get a lot of smirking and mocking tones when people realize I drive a Prius," Felix, a 23-year-old phlebotomist in Oregon, tells me, and Andrew, a 33-year-old in Maryland with an intimate knowledge of car culture, verifies that this sentiment is widespread. "Tons of car dudes just irrationally hate Priuses," he explains. "They're still using them as punchlines, with lots of 'dirty hippie car' jokes in there." He also tells me that hypermilers, a subculture of car enthusiasts who focus on minimizing fuel consumption, receive similar treatment. "The vast majority of car dudes look down on this kind of thing," he adds, "calling it 'gay' and using F-slurs."
There's a Hilarious Ongoing Meme War Between Ford and Chevy Truck Owners
People who forego cars altogether fare even worse. Zack Furness, associate professor of communications at Penn State Greater Allegheny, has experienced much of this scorn as a cyclist. "During the years I was a bike commuter in Pittsburgh, I'd say the most common slur I'd hear yelled at me — always by men who saw themselves as inconvenienced for a second by my existence on 'their' roads — was 'faggot,'" he says. "During the course of writing a book about bike advocacy, I interviewed tons of people, and the majority of men I spoke with had similar experiences."
Many of my respondents stress that they live in conservative areas and negative comments about green behavior almost always come from conservative men. "I've been accused of being a vegan lefty socialist type entirely as a 'pulling technique' to impress women," says Paul, a 41-year-old statistician from the U.K. "Like I'm playing some sort of bizarre long con whilst simultaneously being married." This is a familiar trope on the right: Men supposedly have nothing to gain from feminist and green politics, and therefore, guys who champion these causes must be trying to get laid.
Diet is another key area where masculinity is policed. "When I was vegan or vegetarian, the number of inane conversations and dumb comments I had to endure about eating 'bird food' or 'sissy food' were off the charts," Furness explains. "Any sensitivity toward animals and overt gestures toward environmentalism are seen as unmanly." Paul agrees: "My masculinity is definitely questioned all the time. Sometimes it's presented as some sort of faux concern, like, 'You look so pale, weak, ill — you're barely a man anymore!'"
The link between masculinity and meat is fascinating, and Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, has long been committed to examining it. "Masculinity is always being constructed by cues from other men," she told The Week, in reference to a study about how men communicate about veganism. "There is homosocial bonding in sharing expectations about what men eat."
But there is a longer, older association between gender and nature more generally. In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir charts the way in which men men marveled at (and feared) women's apparent bond with nature in pre-agricultural times, but toppled women from this venerated position once they developed advanced agricultural techniques, mastered the use of tools and conceived of private property. "In woman are incarnated the disturbing mysteries of nature, and man escapes her hold when he frees himself from nature," she writes. Current critiques of environmentalism echo this link when they deride care for nature as feminine and contrary to growth and progress.
But avoiding social collapse and human extinction is in everyone's best interest, regardless of gender, so the association of masculinity with environmental apathy or degradation is concerning and makes little sense. Some think the solution is to rebrand environmentalism as masculine, such as the authors of an aforementioned study who suggest that "eco-friendly marketing messages and materials can be designed to affirm men's masculinity and give them the confidence to overcome their fear of being judged as feminine." This is already occurring with the advent of products like the Dad Bag, a reusable shopping bag designed to aesthetically appeal to men.
Others, though, believe that this doesn't go deep enough, and that traditional masculinity needs to be fundamentally reconfigured or abandoned before it can be compatible with green politics. Furness says that "masculinity is largely defined in contrast to, or as a negation of, every kind of attitude and disposition — such as empathy, thoughtfulness, sensitivity and intelligence — that would actually make for a better world." If he's right, then environmentalism needs more than a masculine rebrand; it needs to be understood as an urgent ethical imperative for everyone, and one that trumps reductive gender performances.
After all, what good are Ford F-150s and 80-ounce steaks on an uninhabitable earth?
Madeleine Holden
Madeleine Holden is a lawyer and freelance writer based between Berlin and New Zealand. She writes about relationships, sex, gender and whatever the hell else she feels like for MEL.


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In the hustle bustle of modern living, one always looks out for a sanctuary of peace. The Higher Taste, a restaurant by ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Foundation, provides you just that, a perfect retreat with a wholesome multi-cuisine experience.
You can walk in here after a soothing visit to the temple and then be soothed further by good food.
The restaurant is a perfect blend of tradition and modernity in all its aspects, be it the cuisine, plating or the ambience. The contemporary design, state-of-the-art infrastructure, warm lighting, the comforting devotional songs in the background make this an ideal place to dine with the family.
The fine diner provides two options to its customer; either to self-serve at the buffet (except that jaljeera, the welcome drink, soup and rotis are served on the table) or the ala carte style where people can spend quality time together, dining on the high backed upholstered couches and chairs and ordering at will.
The buffet serves different dishes on different days and has a special menu on weekends with varieties of North-Indian, South-Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines. The menu each day includes soup, six salads, four starters and 16 main course dishes and 12-15 Indian, baked and continental desserts. The style and presentation of the food is also commendable.
soul. The food is served on wooden planks on the table.
These planks have been beautifully carved with fine finishing and space for the cutlery so that they could be neatly placed and people can easily choose them while dining. What is unique about The Higher Taste is that it is innovative and always has something new to offer.
It is totally customer driven and gives a variety of choices to the food lovers, every time they walk in.The Higher Taste, an initiative of devotees of ISKCON Bengaluru has also introduced Sattvic Bento meal boxes which are customised meal boxes for breakfast, lunch, hi-tea and dinner. These include salad, starters, a vegetable dish, dal, basmati rice pulao, Indian bread, papad/pickle and dessert.
The Higher Taste also celebrates several food festivals throughout the year like Dilli Ka Swaad, Tastes of India, Karavali Food Fest etc.The Hare Krishna Festival from October 2 to October 4 will have special items like Gauranga potato and other specialities of the ISKCON temples across the globe.
It brings together the taste of all the special items under one roof so that the devotees can have the feel of having visited all the ISKCON temples across the globe.
Last but not least, the Navratri Food Festival which is celebrated from October 13 to October 22 will have Navratri specialities.
The food served is tested in the in-house food lab and the customer feedback is also taken. The foods served at the restaurant are based on the Sattvic principle and are cooked without onions and garlic.
The Sattvic foods can be easily adapted to any cuisine across the world.
Higher Taste © 2017 All Rights Reserved.


Rice Husk Ash as a Supplementary Material for the Production ...Extensive research in the past three decades has allowed the introduction of rice husk ash (RHA) as a supplementary material in cement-based products, whereby significant improvements in strength and durability can be achieved, also contributing to ecological demands. This paper investigates ... RHA blending will reduce the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) content and can improve strength and density due to more effective particle packing, and significantly diminish alkalinity.
Mixing process influence on thermal and rheological properties of ...mixing process influence on thermal and rheological properties of NBR/SiO2 from rice husk ash. Ana Maria Furtado de Sousa ... The purpose of this study was to investigate the incorporation of nitrile rubber (NBR) via a latex system with silica sol, employing two mixing methods, co-coagulation and spray drying.
Rice Husk Filled Polymer Composites10 May 2015 ... rice husk Composites. Many studies on the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of RH filled polymeric composites and how these incorporation affects various thermosets, thermoplastics, and elastomers have been ...... maintain or improve properties. A processability study was conducted to investigate the fusion behavior of filled impact modified pvc-U using Brabender Plasti-Corder with fitted mixing head. The processability study showed that as the.
bioresources.comuntil a constant weight was achieved. Composite preparation. Both compounded pvc and rice husk powder were mixed as specified in Table 1 at 170C with a residence time of 10 min on a two-roll mill. sheets obtained from the two-roll mill were placed in a rectangular steel mold. A hydraulic oil-heated press with a pressure of 250kN was used for the compression molding. The temperature of the press platens was maintained at 170C for 15 min. The 3-mm thick sheet was obtained.
(PVC-U) Containing Rice Husk and an Impact Modifier - Polymers ...It was then dried in an air oven at 105 °C for a period of 24 hours to expel moisture prior to blending. Later, the dry blending of pvc-U, rice husk and other additives was carried out in a heavy-duty laboratory mixer for 10 minutes. The blend formulations, which were based on typical commercial pvc window, are summarized in Table 1. Once mixed, the dry blended compounds were directly fed into a laboratory scale two-roll mill to form a sheet. The nip setting of the mill was set at 2 mm.
Study on Physio-Mechanical Properties of Rice Husk ... - SciPress Ltd.1 Jul 2015 ... The bulk density of the rice husk ash/polyester resin composite decreased with the addition of the rice husk ash, and the water absorption also found to be increased ... mechanical properties of bamboo fiber and pvc foam sheet composites. They observed that tensile strength, flexural stress, flexural strain ... various percentages of rice husk ash & polyester resin has been weighed in the bowl and then materials were mixed very carefully with a stirrer for about 15.
Effect of Rice Husk Particle Size on Tensile and Density ... - CiteSeerX10 Sep 2013 ... This study is to measure the effect of various rice husks' particle size on density, tensile strength, Young's modulus and elongation at break of Ppvc composite. rice husk was grind before being sieved to particle sizes of 60 µm, 60 µm < particle size 80 µm, and 80 µm < particle size. 100µm. ... Chloride (pvc) sheet was obtained from Polymer Laboratory, Faculty of Applied Sciences,. Universiti ... The Ppvc and rice husk (80:20) was mixed and poured.
Tensile Properties of Aminosilane Treated Rice Husk/ Recycled ...There have been many approaches in utilizing rice husk as fillers in polymer composite. However, recycled pvc has not been reported to be used in pvc/rice husk composites yet. In this research, a good interfacial interaction between rice husk and recycled polyvinylchloride has been achieved by incorporation of aminosilane as coupling agent. The aminosilane treated recycled polyvinyl chloride was mixed with rice husk and then fabricated by using hot compression moulding.


text:
Now That's Pulp: Blurbs to stories in the February 1945 issue of Strange Detective Stories:
The Japs had Steve Pulos and Matt Mercer's left arm when -- six thousand miles from the South Pacific -- three more of the little yellow men threatened to take Matt's kids if he didn't fork over the missing piece of rice paper which would bring terror and wholesale slaughter to half a million Yankee fighting men -- and cold, deadly terror to our biggest war producing center... (Day Keene, "So Sorry You Die Now!")
"My wife," I told the detective, "is asleep. She's nervously worn out...." But only that thin door stood between him and the dead body of the girl I once had loved.... The same fragile barrier that was keeping me from that last grim walk to the electric chair.... (Cyril Plunkett, "Deathwatch")
Instead of his girl and his best friend meeting Nick at the station, he found a hackie who took him for a murder-ride and threw in the cab and the corpse free...with no questions answered! (Ken Lewis, "Homecoming in Hell!")
Uncle Caleb collected antiques -- strange ornaments, vases, candelabra and oddities of mystic meaning -- but before the night was out he had a record collection of corpses on his hands. (Larry Sternig & W. Fredric Kruger, "The Fatal Flower")
Lollie and Beau were two kids the world had forgotten -- thrown together by Big Jumbo.... But when the cops found Jumbo looking like one of his own hamburgers, it took them no time at all to remember Beau -- an Beau remembered nothing! (Robert Turner, "Coffins for Two")
Gladly would those three men and the woman have traded their stolen fifty thousand dollars for a glimpse of civilization.... But the lonely, remote hill night was filled with strange noises that whispered, over and over again, "Murderers....will die before dawn!" (Talmage Powell, "Kill Once -- Kill Twice!")
Stranded and alone, Mike and Diane looked upon Pa Grubb as a good Samaritan when he offered to take them home with him for food and bed.... But they found, too late, that the price for accommodations at that remote farmhouse was payable in blood and terror! (Steve Herrick, "Bargain in Bones")
I've Been Reading: This week I finished Michael Fairless's collection The Roadmender, a strange blend of Christian and nature writing and my FFB this week. I also went on an Edgar Rice Burroughs kick, reading three minor books by him -- The Efficiency Expert (a mainstream romance-detective novel that took place in Coincidence City), The Scientists Revolt! (a 1939 SF novella that was revised by magazine editor Ray Palmer [uncredited] and eventual release in book form in 2013; no great shakes), and Official Guide of the Tarzan Clans of America (a once rare pamphlet that is now available to read on the internet; interesting in a gosh-shucks, gee-whiz way). Although Neil Gaiman is credited as the author of the graphic novel How To Talk To Girls at Parties, the adaptation of Gaiman's story was done by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, who did appear to veer too far from Gaiman's original concept. And finally, I've been catching up with Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples' Saga graphic novels, having polished off Volumes Four through Seven this week; this series deserves all the accolades it has received. I'm currently reading F. Paul Wilson's Panacea (part of his Secret History of the World cycle; the sequel, The God Gene, is in the chute for next week) and Sarah Pinborough's psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes -- one book is by the sofa and the other is by the bed and I'm too damn lazy to carry a book from one room to the other, so I'm switching back and forth.
Conspiracy Theorists: David Hogg, an outspoken seventeen-year-old survivor of Florida's Parkland shooting, has been targeted as a "crisis actor" and worse by conspiracy theorists. It has reached the point where his family has been getting death threats. He realizes that all the wacko theories floating out there are actually aiding him in getting his message out there. As for the wackos themselves? "I feel for those people, honestly. They've lost faith in America. But we certainly haven't. And that's OK, because we're going to outlive them."
Smart Marketing: The San Diego Girl Scout Council is investigating a scout photographed selling Girl Scout cookies in from of a marijuana dispensary. Evidently, selling in a "commercial area" is not allowed although we've all seen these young ladies hawking cookies at shopping centers. The business in question, Urdn Leaf, posted the picture on its Instagram account, inviting customers to stop by and buy some cookies. I wonder how many boxes she sold.
Happy Valentine's Day: A Texas woman was arrested for theft at a Corsicana grocery store. In an effort to hide the drugs hidden in her underwear, the woman defecated on her stash, which consisted of 2.3 graams of crack cocaine, a crack pipe, and a Valentine's Day card, because nothing says love like pooping on a card for your beau.
Of Course: They should arm teachers. How can they write on the blackboard is they don't have arms? (I'm dating myself. Do they even have blackboards anymore?) On the other hand, the thought of my high school English teacher, Helen Poland, packing a gun terrifies me.
And Not a Drop to Drink...: Miami is one of eleven major cities that would most likely run out of potable water according to UN-endorsed predictions. Of the 500 largest cities in the world, fully one-fourth of them have what is termed "water stress." In Miami's case it is because salt water from the Atlantic continually invades the city's main aquifer. The remaining ten cities on the list are (in no particular order) London, Tokyo, Cape Town, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Mexico City, Moscow, Istanbul, Cairo, and Bangalore.
Round Trip: On this day in 1616, Galileo Galilei was formally banned by the Church from teaching or defending the idea that the Earth rotated around the sun. Truth is a hard-won thing.
Happy Birthday!: Buffalo Bill Cody, were he still alive, would be 172 years old today. Here's a song about him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo9Xy8V1IKk
Gas: There are three "cheap" gas stations near me. Each station seems to follow the pricing of the others. Last week, one of them jumped up five cents in a twenty-minute period. Another recently jumped up ten cents. The prices always waver but seem to rise faster than they decline. As a mere mortal, I cannot figure out the logic behind these daily spurts and starts. I understand it is supposed to be tied to fluctuations in supply and cost from the sources, but really? I'm leery.
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MUSIC FROM THE PAST: LAZY DAY
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
OVERLOOKED TELEVISION: JEEVES AND WOOSTER
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO NICE
JOHN D. MACDONALD SPEAKS
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: LOUISIANA HAYRIDE
NAPOLEON AND UNCLE ELBY -- THE 1948 STRIPS
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: THEN HE KISSED ME
FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE ROADMENDER
UNDERAPPRECIATED MUSIC: CLARK KESSINGER
OLD-TIME RADIO: THE BURNS AND ALLEN SHOW -- WITH ...
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: A WELL RESPECTED MAN
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: UP WHERE WE BELONG
OVERLOOKED FILM: GENUINE: THE TALE OF A VAMPIRE ...
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: SH-BOOM
OCTAVIA BUTLER ON CHARLIE ROSE, A 2000 INTERVIEW
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART
CYNTHIA DOYLE, NURSE IN LOVE #71 (AUGUST 1963)
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: WINTERWOOD
FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE DESCENT OF THE SUN
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BILL CRIDER (1941-2018)
A LETTER FROM KURT VONNEGUT
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: TELL HER NO
COMICS ON PARADE #4 (JULY 1938)
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: THING-UMMY-BOB
FORGOTTEN BOOK: SHRINE
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: WEAR YOUR LOVE LIKE HEAVEN
OLD-TIME RADIO: SUPERMAN MEETS THE CAPED CRUSADER
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: BLACKJACK DAVEY; & THE HOUSE...
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WHO...
OVERLOOKED TELEVISION: THE PATTERN (1951)
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: JAMBALAYA
LEE CHILD TALKS TRAVIS MCGEE
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: THE SONG OF ERIN
"CRIME ON THE RUN" -- APPROVED COMICS #8 (JUNE 1954)
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: GROUND HOG
FORGOTTEN BOOK : MARCIA OF THE DOORSTEP
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME
SUSPENSE: TRACK OF THE CAT


Category Archives for "Men's Fashion"
As everyone knows, the first impression is the best impression. So to grab everyone's attention men's Fashion is now a trend to express themselves as a handsome, confident and stylish person with a great personality. Fashion is a word that itself has many concealed perspectives. Men's Fashion works within a lot more tight framework than Women's Fashion. People follow fashions because of different reasons relying upon their lifestyle, personality, and way of expressing themselves. Some of them are fashionable as their profession. The following style is vital to express your personality. When you are youthful you need to communicate before others and to demonstrate your personality. A good dress sense can give you much more confidence and presumption.
Your fashion or design sense can characterize you. They are an outward show of your internal identity. They likewise can be changed by mindset. Fashion can be tastefully satisfying to the spectator and the individual wearing them. They can boost confidence and help somebody to feel progressively manly. To have the most recent trends can be satisfying to a few people and can likewise be their primary explanation behind working. It makes you feel better about yourself.


text:
ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible
2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers
Learn More About English Standard Version
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Israel Demands a King
1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
Samuel's Warning Against Kings
10So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
The Lord Grants Israel's Request
19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, 20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."
Explore 1 Samuel 8 by Verse
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