text:
The Sundown Kid: A Southwestern Shabbat
August House is delighted to announce the release of The Sundown Kid: A Southwestern Shabbat, a 32-page LittleFolk picture book by noted children's author, Barbara Bietz. The story is told from the perspective of a young boy whose family moves across the country to a small desert town in the Southwest, where they are the only Jewish family in the area. This unique, eye-opening adventure portrays the value of perseverance, hospitality, and kindness in building a sense of community. Above all, the story champions the pioneering ideal of establishing friendships in foreign places and staying true to your beliefs.
The family prepares for their departure by packing all of their precious belongings, including Papa's kiddish cup and Mama's big soup pot. When they arrive they're greeted by the local sheriff at the train station and soon make friends with the shopkeepers, the town blacksmith, and their new horse Clara. Although they cherish their new friends, on each Shabbat, Mama laments all of the leftover soup. Being accustomed to providing for a full house of relatives, she doesn't know a recipe that will serve only three people. Her son, affectionately called "Little Buckaroo" by the townspeople, sets out to renew her joy by sharing their tradition of hospitality with their new friends and neighbors.
Barbara said she loves using the format of a picture book to tell the story of The Sundown Kid since everyone can enjoy a picture book, no matter how young or old they are. "Sometimes I think we forget that," she said in a recent interview. In creating this timeless, historical tale, her goal was to showcase the incredible strength and genuine heart of the pioneer families who relocated to distant lands in order to make better lives for their families. In a way, her book is a testament to the enduring qualities of those communities that are still alive today.
One important aspect of The Sundown Kid is the book's attention to detail. Both Barbara and award-winning illustrator John Kanzler wanted the illustrations to accurately portray the history, culture and religious traditions of pioneer families in the West. In a show of appreciation for John's sensitivity to correctness, Barbara pointed out that, "As we compared notes, we both had a lot of fun looking at old photographs and things like that." In the end, the finished book is sure to be a future award-winner, with the combination of richly illustrated Western scenes and charming prose.
Barbara hopes that families and teachers will share the story of The Sundown Kid: A Southwestern Shabbat with young children and use it to discuss the important role that religious traditions play in strengthening communities. She and John collaborated on the project hoping that it will be enjoyed by a broad audience, especially with the "ageless" ability of picture books to reach across generations to connect people of all ages. Ultimately, The Sundown Kid is a reflection of the unique contribution that families make in building bridges and creating stronger communities.
Barbara Bietz


Are you anxious about invasive dental procedures to straighten your teeth? Well, not anymore. At Southern Cross Smiles, we offer the world's most advanced clear aligners treatment - Invisalign.
Our trained and experienced cosmetic dentists are specialized in this most advanced orthodontic treatment.
The noteworthy benefit of Invisalign is that – there are no complexities of wires, braces or brackets. The treatment involved customized, transparent and quality removable aligners for the perfect teeth straightening.
With us, be assured to get all these benefits and more for the best Invisalign treatment.
In your initial consult, we will assess the suitability of Invisalign treatment for you.
Impressions of your teeth with be taken and a treatment plan prepared in liaison with Invisalign.
Customised aligners will be fabricated and issued by Invisalign which you will wear over a period of time and in a set sequence.
Usually we will see you every 6-8 weeks. Your teeth gradually start to move and new set of aligners will be issued to work towards the final goal of a perfect smile!
At the end of the treatment, our dentist will discuss the option of a retainer to maintain that smile.
Invisalign will cost you almost similar to the treatment of traditional braces. However, as oral conditions differ with every individual, our doctors can tell you the exact price after a thorough assessment of your specific requirements.
We offer FREE initial orthodontic consult to all our patients.
What else to avail from our dental clinic?
With our passion for quality service, Southern Cross Smiles offers the most reliable Invisalign treatment in Docklands and its surrounding suburbs in Melbourne.


Shake gin, lemon juice, egg white, cream, orange flower water, and sugar well with ice. Strain into tall 14 oz. glass half-filled with ice. Fill glass the rest of the way with club soda. Garnish with lemon slice.
Considered a variation of the Ramos Gin Fizz.


text:
EDITORIAL: Shift ends for city chief
Best of luck to David Michaels as he joins WellSpan York Hospital's emergency management team.
EDITORIAL: Shift ends for city chief Best of luck to David Michaels as he joins WellSpan York Hospital's emergency management team. Check out this story on yorkdispatch.com: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/editorials/2019/02/08/editorial-shift-ends-city-chief/2806108002/
York Dispatch Editorial Board Published 5:16 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2019
Thumbs up: Best of luck to David Michaels as he joins WellSpan York Hospital's emergency management team.
He deserves it after 28 years of service to the citizens of York City – first as a firefighter and most recently as chief of the department.
"It's going to be nice," Michaels said late last month on the eve of his retirement. "I'm not going to have a pager every night."
The 51-year-old was hired right after he graduated from York College in 1990. He was a firefighter for 10 years before getting promoted to lieutenant. Eight years later he was promoted to assistant chief, then deputy chief in 2010. He took over as fire chief in April 2012.
More: York City Fire Chief David Michaels retiring
The final year of his tenure saw an expansion of the department — including 18 new hires since last August — but also tragedy with the deaths of two firefighters during a building collapse in March 2018.
PHOTOS: York City Fire Chief David Michaels welcomed home after final shift
Newly retired York City Fire Chief David Michaels greets area firefighters with a handshake and a hug as family, friends and community members gather to honor him at his home following his final shift in York City, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Michaels has been chief since 2012, and has been with York City Department of Fire & Rescue for 28 years. Dawn J. Sagert photo The York Dispatch
Newly retired York City Fire Chief David Michaels, left, is greeted by his wife, Barb Michaels, upon his arrival home following his final shift in York City, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Michaels has been chief since 2012, and has been with York City Department of Fire & Rescue for 28 years. Dawn J. Sagert photo The York Dispatch
Newly retired York City Fire Chief David Michaels is driven home by Deputy Chief Chad Deardorff as area firefighters, police, family, and friends standby to honor him upon his arrival home following his final shift in York City, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Michaels has been chief since 2012, and has been with York City Department of Fire & Rescue for 28 years. Dawn J. Sagert photo The York Dispatch
Area firefighters, police, family, and friends greet York City Fire Chief David Michaels at his home following his final shift in York City, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Michaels has been chief since 2012, and has been with York City Department of Fire & Rescue for 28 years. Dawn J. Sagert photo The York Dispatch
Newly retired York City Fire Chief David Michaels talks to a neighbor as area firefighters, police, family, and friends greet Chief Michaels upon his arrival at his home following his final shift in York City, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Michaels has been chief since 2012, and has been with York City Department of Fire & Rescue for 28 years. Dawn J. Sagert photo The York Dispatch
Barb Michaels, left, and her husband, newly retired York City Fire Chief David Michaels, embrace upon his arrival home following his final shift in York City, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Michaels has been chief since 2012, and has been with York City Department of Fire & Rescue for 28 years. Dawn J. Sagert photo The York Dispatch
Firefighters Ivan Flanscha, 50, and Zachary Anthony, 29, died March 22 when a wall collapsed at the former Weaver Piano & Organ Co. building at 127 N. Broad St. Their deaths were the department's first line-of-duty fatalities in more than 40 years.
Michaels said the firefighters want to continue to honor the fallen, and the best way is for the department to keep doing what they do.
"We're never going to forget that, it's always going to be part of our history," he said.
Thumbs up: Congratulations to the York Young Professionals for 20 years of helping up-and-coming movers and shakers make local connections.
It celebrates this notable milestone on the heels of equally impressive growth – attendance at its monthly gatherings has doubled in five years to 80, and its total membership is now about 200.
The group does more than just establish professional connections, according to President Laurin Gross — it helps create roots in the community.
More: York Young Professionals celebrates 20 years of creating roots, connections
"A lot of people build long-lasting friendships," she said, adding that if they want to explore what York County has to offer, they now have people who will join them.
All job fields are welcome, and though there's no age limit, members must be 21 to join and typically average between ages 25 and 35. Anyone who feels they would find value in the group can become a member.
More information about membership can be found at yorkyp.com.
In memoriam: York City lost another trailblazing leader late last month.
Wm. Lee Smallwood — the first African-American city council president, former head of the York chapter of the NAACP and military veteran — died Jan. 30 at the age of 73 after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.
The news followed the Dec. 9 death of longtime York City Councilman Ray Crenshaw, a pioneer who helped break down racial barriers in the community and fought for equality and justice, say those who knew him.
More: Wm. Lee Smallwood, York City's first African-American city council president, dies at 73
Wm. Lee Smallwood attends his last York City Council meeting, Thursday, December 27, 2007. Smallwood is leaving the Council after 28 years of service. John Pavoncello photo (Photo: York Dispatch)
Sandra Thompson, the current president of the local NAACP, said Smallwood left a legacy for future generations of African-Americans, "to say that they can attain what he had
attained, they can aspire to the same positions because he achieved it."
Both gentlemen will be missed.
Read or Share this story: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/editorials/2019/02/08/editorial-shift-ends-city-chief/2806108002/
EDITORIAL: How seriously do York County officials take elections?
OP-ED: Join Women's March for York
EDITORIAL: A lion of the Civil Rights movement
OP-ED: On Prohibition's 100th anniversary, should we expect the same fate for marijuana?
EDITORIAL: York JCC shows the right level of caution by increasing security
OP-ED: We can't afford another war

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Honors and Awards Descriptions
The United States Association for Computational Mechanics recognizes outstanding research contributions in computational mechanics through the following awards:
* John von Neumann Medal
* Belytschko Medal
* Thomas J. R. Hughes Medal
* J. Tinsley Oden Medal
* Gallagher Young Investigator Award
* USACM Fellows Award
The first of the awards, the John von Neumann Medal is the highest award given by USACM. It honors individuals who have made outstanding, sustained contributions in the field of computational mechanics generally over periods representing substantial portions of their professional careers. The medal is normally awarded every two years at the time of the National Congress of the Association.
The Belytschko Medal is given in recognition of outstanding and sustained contributions to computational solid and/or structural mechanics (CSM). These contributions shall generally be in the form of important research results that significantly advance the understanding of theories and methods impacting CSM. Industrial applications and engineering analysis that advance CSM shall also represent accomplishments worthy of recognition. [This award replaces the former USACM Computational Structural Mechanics Award.]
The Thomas J. R. Hughes Medal is given in recognition of outstanding and sustained contributions to the broad field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These contributions shall generally be in the form of important research results that significantly advance the understanding of theories and methods impacting CFD. Industrial applications and engineering analyses that advance CFD shall also represent accomplishments worthy of recognition. [This award replaces the former USACM Computational Fluid Mechanics Award.]
The J. Tinsley Oden Medal is given in recognition of outstanding and sustained contributions to computational science, engineering, and mathematics. These contributions shall be given in the form of important research results that significantly advance the understanding of theories and methods of computational science, engineering, and mathematics that have a broad applicability to computational mechanics. [This award replaces the former USACM Computational and Applied Sciences Award.]
The Gallagher Young Investigator Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments, particularly outstanding published papers, by researchers of 40 years or younger. Eligibility requires that the nominee not turn 41 in the year the award is presented. The awardee will receive a silver medal, a cash award of $1500, and a plaque which carries a citation of the work for which the awardee is recognized.
The Gallagher medal and cash award are supported by John Wiley & Sons in recognition of Richard H. Gallagher, the founding editor of the "International Journal of Numerical Methods in Engineering."
The Fellows Award recognizes individuals with a distinguished record of research, accomplishment and publication in areas of computational mechanics and demonstrated support of the USACM through membership and participation in the Association, its meetings and activities. All recipients shall be members in good standing of USACM. Multiple awards may be given at two-year intervals.


It's officially fall, and apples abound. Why don't you pull up a chair and join me with a cup of coffee or tea - or cider, perhaps? - and a slice of this authentic Italian torta di mele (apple cake), made gluten-free just for you (and me)?
We'll sink into contentment as we peruse the pages of an incredible, unique book. A cookbook that doesn't just give you recipes and a little story here and there but actually transports you to another place and another time at Fattoria Poggio Alloro - a family farm in Tuscany - season by season, month by month.
Sarah Fioroni, the chef, cooking instructor and sommelier who brings us this feast of a book for the eyes, mouth and mind, won't disappoint you with this treasure she shares. Stay tuned to the end of this post to find out how you can win a copy of "A Family Farm in Tuscany: Recipes and Stories from Fattoria Poggio Alloro "
I was delighted when my good friend and college roommate, Ginny from Cooking with Chopin, Living with Elmo, asked me if I'd like to participate in this world blogging book tour of "A Family Farm in Tuscany ." Ginny's lovely and talented mother, Kathy Shearer of Shearer Publishing, is the publisher of this cookbook.
... and more, but Sarah manages to bring the reader into her world. She fills the pages with her family's story beginning as sharecroppers on the farm to purchasing the farm and making it their life - an organic, self-sustaining farm, business, retreat and home. She shares a rich culture, history of the area and gives us a generous glimpse into life on the farm and in the restaurant every month of the year while at the same time sharing recipes she and her family prepare that month.
It's the ultimate cook-by-the-season book, using local foods. In fact, the main ingredients are nearly all produced on the farm - down to the honey and saffron. They even make their own pasta, olive oil and wine available for purchase.
I'm not the only one in the family enjoying this book. My husband's great-grandparents came to the U.S. from Italy, so he has had several moments of relaxing through the pages with great interest himself. I've walked into the room on several occasions to find one or both of my daughters flipping through it, as well.
It's so much more than a cookbook. It's a journal. A memoir. Travel guide. Picture book. It's a lesson in history and culture of an area many of us dream of visiting one day.
Much of it is naturally gluten-free (hello, fennel salad ... be still, my heart!) but when it isn't as in this cake, or the pasta dishes, you can just switch out the flours or the type of pasta. This recipe is purely Sarah's with the exception of the gluten-free substitutes of flours and ground chia seed, which are entirely mine.
Combine the eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer. (Caneel's note: I used paddle attachment.) Beat at medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until pale lemon in color and thickened. Gradually add the flour, milk, and butter, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl after each addition. Beat at low speed until each ingredient is blended, then increase speed to medium high and beat for 3 minutes. Add the baking powder and vanilla and beat an additional 2 minutes to blend well.
Bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and apples are lightly browned.
Remove from oven and cool for 10- minutes. Remove the sides of the springfom pan. To serve, cut the warm cake into slices, then scatter powdered sugar over each serving. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each serving, if desired.
If you can't wait until you get the book to find out more about Fattoria Poggio Alloro, you can visit their website here. I also understand the farm will also have their pastas, wine and olive oil available for purchase in the United States through this website, which will be live later this week. If you want to follow more of Sarah, you can see her book tour schedule and ask her questions on her Facebook page here.
Be sure to stop by Ginny's blog here to see what other bloggers all over the world have to say about "A Family Farm in Tuscany," and what recipe they chose to prepare from the book.
This giveaway is for one copy of "A Family Farm in Tuscany: Recipes and Stories from Fattoria Poggio Alloro " and the entry period begins today, October 29, 2012 and will end on Monday, Nov. 5, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CST. The winner will be picked through the Random Sequence Generator on Random.org.
1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite food season (only one comment per person will be counted this way, and this counts as one entry).
2. "Like" Mama Me Gluten Free on Facebook (if you already "like" the blog on Facebook, that also counts as an entry) and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
3. Follow @MamaMeGF on Twitter (if you already follow, that counts as an entry), then leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
4. Share this giveaway on Facebook with a link to this post, and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
5. Share this giveaway on Twitter: "I want to win A Family Farm in Tuscany @MamaMeGF! http://bit.ly/UXlrRC " and then leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
7. "Like" Sarah's page on Facebook and then leave a comment here telling me you've done this.
You must leave a comment on this post for each of things if you want an entry for each one. Only one comment per item per person will be counted. In other words, if you comment more than one time saying you "like" Mama Me on facebook, only one of those comments will be counted, etc. On the other hand, if you only leave one comment saying you did all of these things, you will only get one entry rather than seven.
********Be sure to leave a contact email if you are posting anonymously or don't have a way to contact you listed in your profile!
*In the interest of full disclosure, Shearer Publishing provided a copy of this book for my review. I was not compensated in any other way, and the opinions of this book and recipe are entirely my own. In addition, the book for the giveaway is provided by Shearer Publishing.
What say you ... do you choose to make your tarts with a shortbread-type crust or a pie-type crust? Me? I like both.
Even though it's more traditional to make a shortbread crust for many tarts, I went the pie-type crust route for these tarts for the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally. I just really wasn't ever completely satisfied with my incredibly crumbly (but still tasty) pie crust made for the green tomato pie in the pie crust challenge.
Many thanks to Charissa of Zest Bakery for challenging us to do tarts this month for the rally. Be sure to stop by Charissa's lovely blog and check out her amazing cheddar apple tart. Hello, Fall and hello, yum! I'll be sure to be trying that one (with Colby Jack since I'm allergic to the cheddar I do so adore). When you're there, don't forget to stop by and see the other incredible tart recipes the rally participants have baked up for you this month.
If you aren't already familiar with the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally where a group of us experiment with ratios that give us independence in the kitchen, you can check out my rally page here, where I have links to all the rally posts.
I've been wanting to make a Tollhouse pie since we went gluten free four years ago but haven't done it yet. Just as I love chocolate chip cookies, I love Tollhouse pies - it's like eating a gooey mess of warm chocolate chip cookie dough! Making a smaller version into these "tarts" was the perfect excuse to give that pie I'd been missing a try. For the filling, I mostly used a copy I found in my mother's cookbook years ago, but made it a little different by adding some vanilla and switching the walnuts out for pecans.
Because I used a pie-type crust, I used Ruhlman's ratio for pie crust which is 3 parts flour: 2 parts fat: 1 part liquid. I've had success in the past with gluten-free pie crusts using cream cheese, so I used some cream cheese as part of the fat in this recipe. The flour blend I use in this recipe gives a sweeter, nutty taste to the crust that goes well with the chocolate. I used a stand mixer for the crust, but feel free to use a food processor or pastry cutter.
Note: This crust makes enough for one 9-inch pie/tart or 10 tarts in a muffin tin. If you use the entire filling proportions, you'll have some left over that you can make a shallow crustless pie/tart in.
Blend butter and cream cheese together into flour and salt using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer (or use a food processor or a pastry cutter by hand) until crumbly, then add the water, continuing to mix just until it begins to come together, then form the dough into a ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
When ready to use, form into 10 balls about 1.5 inches in diameter and press into muffin tins. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and set aside to cool.
In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy.
Add flour, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla and beat well until blended.
Add pecans, then stir in chocolate chips.
Pour into crust-lined tins (see note above - if you have extra filling left you can make a crustless shallow pie).
Bake until set, about 40-45 minutes.
Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or ice cream for a real treat, but they taste great cold, as well. Refrigerate leftover tarts.
Be sure to visit Charissa's tart recipe and check out the other rally participants this month, as well!


LEEDS UNITED defender Pontus Jansson has taken to Twitter to express his "shock" at the club's new badge.
The Championship outfit have become a laughing stock on the social media site after their radical design was slammed by furious fans.
A petition calling on owner Andrea Radrizzani to scrap the updated crest soared past 50,000 signatures in less than five hours.
And Swede Jansson admitted in his native language that he was in a state of shock after seeing the new design.
The crest - updated to mark the club's 100th anniversary next year - depicts the 'Leeds Salute' and is the result of a six-month process.
Leeds plan to use the new badge on their kit from next season onwards, and managing director Angus Kinnear said: "In the past year we have worked very hard as a club to re-engage fans and the wider community across Leeds.


It's time to return into the bleepy, chaotic world of Modular Techno. Made exclusively from a huge system of Eurorack hardware and lovingly chopped and snipped into loops and one shots ready to be dropped straight into your DAW.
Over 200 loops featuring some incredible and unusual synth sounds ranging from the trademark chromatic, bleepy sound to tuned, key labelled synth riffs with rich, crunchy depth and sizzling harmonics.
Over 100 one shots with everything from the weirder FX sounds to warm bass notes, deep powerful kick drums, unusual percussion and crisp snares.
We've pushed our modular system to its full potential to get the most exciting and useable sounds possible with an aim for you to be able to layer them up like a sonic jigsaw puzzle and take your productions to the next level.
Modules from the likes of Make Noise, Mutable Instruments, Audio Damage, Tiptop Audio and many more make up the list of heavy hitters used in this pack.
This pack is the perfect extension from volume one and together they make up an extremely powerful collection of unique sounds.


text:
SIARI UNIME
14.a Contributo in Rivista
14.a.1 Articolo su rivista
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a crucial role in conducting Search and Rescue (SAR) operations off the Libyan coast, assisting almost 120,000 migrants between 2014 and 2019. Their activities, however, have been increasingly criticized. The accusation that NGOs facilitate irregular migration has escalated into investigations by Italian and Maltese courts and various policy initiatives restricting non-governmental ships and their access to European ports. Although all NGOs investigated to date have been acquitted, the combination of criminal investigations and policy restrictions that has taken place in Italy since 2017 has severely hindered non-governmental SAR operations. Given the humanitarian repercussions of reducing NGOs' presence at sea, the merits and shortcomings of the arguments underlying the criminalization of non-governmental maritime rescue warrant in-depth research. To that end, this article fulfils two interrelated tasks. First, it provides a genealogy of the accusation against NGOs and the ensuing combination of legal criminalization, policy restrictions, and social stigmatization in restraining their activities. Second, it uses quantitative data to show that empirically verifiable accusations like the claim that NGOs serve as a pull factor of migration, thereby causing more people to day at sea, are not supported by available evidence. By doing so, our study sheds new light onto the criminalization of humanitarianism and its implications.
From "Angels" to "Vice Smugglers": the Criminalization of Sea Rescue NGOs in Italy
Eugenio Cusumano;Matteo Villa
From "Angels" to "Vice Smugglers" the Criminalization of Sea Rescue NGOs in Italy - Cusumano-Villa2021.pdf


text:
My School Choices
By Eric Shierman
In: Education
Friday September 28, 2018
No Comments yet, we're awaiting your thoughts
Three things have kept the issue of school choice on my mind this week. First, the Cascade Policy Institute put on an excellent panel discussion on Tuesday which you can view here.
Second, I began reading David Garrow's exhaustive 1,472 page Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama. An interesting fact that grabbed me was that the issue which first attracted Obama's passion was education reform. In 1985, he was hired by the Developing Communities Project to network with local churches and organize the south shore of Chicago's laid off steelworkers against the banks that had foreclosed on several mills. Obama quickly realized this was a lost cause, and his mission crept to other means of improving the economic development of these old, middle-class black neighborhoods. He turned his eyes toward K-12 education, and Obama's first serious policy fight was to take on the Chicago public school system in 1987.
He lost. This loss convinced him that community organizing was a hopeless means of change. To take on powerful interests that hold black students behind, like teachers unions, Obama decided he had to take on the reigns of political power himself.
The rest of his political career would be marked by eloquent speeches calling for local control of schools followed by surrender to the interests of the education industrial complex that controlled his party. Obama ended up offering little tangible hope and change for America's system of K-12 education, but the very fact this was his central policy vision in the 1980s when he was quite a radical left-winger speaks to how school choice, the most efficient means of delivering true local control of our schools, is a significant market-orientated reform that has promising potential for broad, mass appeal, cutting across the racial boundaries of today's politics.
Third, I cannot help but think about what choices are available to my own son, pictured above, who just turned 6 months old. Actual school choices for Alexander are still years away, but I'm starting to plan ahead. In doing so, I think of the choices that my parents made. When the Estacada School District first taught me to read in the fall of 1980, Eagle Creek Elementary was my parents' only real option. The nearest private school then was Damascus Christian School. That would have required a 20-mile daily commute, and my parents did not think they could afford to both pay taxes and tuition. Also, my parents saw little indication this new parochial school actually offered a better education.
By 1986 my parents' calculations had begun to change. During those six years, Estacada's economy collapsed with the bursting of the commodity price bubble by Paul Volker's efforts to fight inflation. The price stability that we have enjoyed for the past three decades came at a high short-run cost that was behind both the shut down of logging in my hometown and Chicago's steel mills. Back then, Oregon's schools were entirely funded by local taxes, and the Estacada School District had insufficient funds to operate when I was in the 7th grade. My school had to close in the middle of the academic year; so I ended up watching the Iran-Contra Hearings on OPB instead of going to school. Another major event in the Shierman family's life in the fall of 1986 was our becoming an American religious statistic, joining the mass migration from ethnically motivated mainline Protestant churches to the more theologically motivated evangelical churches. For us, that meant leaving the Lutheran Church for Good Shepherd Community Church.
Now suddenly, my parents had two reasons to prefer Damascus Christian School over Estacada Junior High. My local public school struggled to even keep its lights on, and our new evangelical faith prompted my parents' desire to separate me from the secularizing influences of John Dewey's pedagogy. The cost of the private school tuition then seemed worth it, and my parents were willing to make the financial sacrifices needed to make this choice possible. It, of course, helped that my father was not employed in the timber industry. He made less than Oregon's median household income in the 1980s, but a stable income was better than what most of my friends' parents had as the deep recession was later replaced by the ESA listing of the Spotted Owl. America would enjoy a Reagan recovery. Chicago did too, but Estacada didn't.
I, however, demurred, finishing middle school with my local school district's shoestring budget. My friends were in Estacada. My parents raised the stakes for high school, bribing me with a trip to Washington D.C. if I'd agree to enroll at Damascus. I truly embarked on a life as a political junkie when I sold out my friends for a trip to see our nation's capital.
In the fall of 1988, I arrived on the campus of Damascus Christian School and suddenly encountered things I'd never see at a public school, even in a conservative community like Estacada. It wasn't just the novelty of prayer in school. To my delight, I stepped into a highly politicized environment. Before Damascus, I had an interest in politics, but I didn't have strongly formed partisan or policy views. So that summer I had weighed the merits of George H.W. Bush and Michael S. Dukakis without a rational basis to fully support either. At Damascus everyone had a clear basis to support Bush: Roe v Wade and the presidential role in appointing Supreme Court justices, but the biggest thing on [our parents'] ballots that everyone was talking about was Oregon's Measure 8, the Oregon Citizens Alliance's referendum to repeal Governor Neil Goldschmidt's executive orders banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in state agency hiring.
On the day of a major Yes on 8 rally in Salem, the school allowed its students to skip classes to attend. There I saw a scene that remains wedged into my formative memory. A contingent of counter-protesters was peacefully standing off to the side, but their very existence prompted some rather unchristian behavior from people on our side who hurled hate at people they called "faggots." The counter-protesters responded by throwing condoms at us. No one from Damascus was a party to the shouting fest, but when I was struck in the forehead with a Trojan branded glob of latex, it was my baptism of fire into America's Culture War. Measure 8 passed with 52.7% of the vote.
In the next election year, I was a junior at Damascus and a bona fide religious conservative. There were several ballot measures we liked: this year's Measure 8 was an outright abortion ban. Measure 10 was a parental notification law, but the one we focused our efforts on was Steve Buckstein's Measure 11, the school choice initiative. We waved his signs to morning commuters on HWY 212 before school; we waved them during lunch and after school. I don't recall meeting Steve personally back in 1990, but my entire school volunteered in his coalition of school reformers.
With only 32.2% of the vote, that Yes on 11 campaign was soundly defeated, but it's important to understand that it was more than just the public school lobby that defeated school choice in Oregon. The other side of the Culture War did too. If my parents were either unable or unwilling to pay my private school tuition, I would not likely have been consumed with Christian identity politics at the age of 16 or any other age thereafter. Had Measure 11 passed in 1990, we would likely have far more Oregonians today with a rigorous Biblical education as I had. There are people who see the secularization of a public school education as a good thing and oppose school choice for this very reason.
These people ought to be careful about what they wish for. Such secular humanists often profess a high value for education, but they have a hard time understanding why so many other people don't. Such opponents of school choice might recognize me as a fellow intellectual, but they have no means of explaining why I like to read books but no one else whom I grew up with does, the fellow Generation Xers of Shady View Lane, an unmaintained gravel road in rural Clackamas County, one of many such neighborhoods filled with mobile homes and poor grammar.
None of these boys and girls I grew up with became progressives. They are still on the conservative side of America's Culture War, but they are uninformed culture warriors. Emily Ekins recently published elaborate research for the Democracy Fund on how the worldview of Trump supporters who attend church regularly differs from their more secular counterparts. Some key findings were:
Donald Trump voters who attend church regularly are more likely than nonreligious Trump voters to have warm feelings toward racial and religious minorities, be more supportive of immigration and trade, and be more concerned about poverty.
Statistical tests indicate that Trump voters who attend church regularly are significantly more likely than nonreligious Trump voters to have favorable attitudes toward black people, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, Muslims, and immigrants, even while holding other demographic factors, such as education, constant.
Religious Trump voters have higher levels of social capital: They are far more likely to volunteer, to be satisfied with their family relationships and neighborhood, and to believe the world is just and that people can be trusted.
Perhaps regular readers of the Oregon Catalyst might recognize from my past writing how a religious upbringing has inoculated me against an irrational fear of foreigners. What today's progressives need to realize is that many people who voted no on Measure 11 twenty-eight years ago had an irrational fear of religious education. While today I have a deep love of mathematics, formal reasoning, and empirical economics, my first love, intellectually, was Christian apologetics. That was my gateway into critical thinking. When one grows up questioning all the natural history museums, insisting that the Earth is only six thousand years old, such a person develops the habit of mind that does not accepts popular thought at face value. This isn't the only means of becoming a truly independent thinker, but it's one that worked for me. School choice is ultimately about giving people the freedom to find an education that works best for them.
Today, the Estacada School District has shut down Eagle Creek Elementary and the facility is being used by a homeschooling co-op. This kind of "micro school" is a new choice emerging for parents that my wife and I are currently looking into for our son. We like the independence of homeschooling but want to also ensure Alexander is fully socialized into interacting with large groups of people his age. The Cascade Policy Institute is currently working on an education savings account plan for Oregon that will help accelerate this kind of innovation. If the defenders of the status quo can be overcome, such a reform's passage would likely be the greatest public policy achievement in my lifetime.
Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there.
2015's Forward-Looking Celebration of School Choice
Cascade's School Choice Beginnings
School Choice Results Trend Positive in New Study
Tennessee Special Needs Kids Get Choices in Education


Disturbance and subsequent recovery have been key factors in the dynamics of coral reef populations, but in the Caribbean, there has been a steady decline in the abundance of hard corals accompanied by increased abundance of algae. This characterization overlooks the observation that at some sites for which there are quantitative data, the abundances of octocorals (sea fans and sea plumes) have increased. Closer inspection of those data reveals that octocorals have also declined at times, but unlike hard corals, they recovered and are now more abundant in at least some locations than 30 years ago. The change in abundances of these organisms would appear to due to the greater resilience of octocorals. The damage inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the south shore of St. John, U.S. Virgin Is. provides a window into these processes. Abundances of hard corals on these reefs have been monitored for the past 30 years and the octocorals have been followed for the past 4 years. Colonization of the newly opened space on the reef will be studied to determine if further shifts in abundances can be expected and to understand the basis for the greater resilience of octocoral populations. Characterizing the resilience of octocorals relative to hard corals will have implications for the fate of Caribbean reefs in a world subject of increasing levels of stress. This will be of importance to policy makers and managers, because hard corals and octocorals provide substantially different ecosystem services. In addition to its impact on our fundamental understanding of reef processes, the grant will support the training of graduate students.
Coral reefs have been recognized to be disturbance driven systems for over 50 years and disturbance has been considered to be important in maintaining diversity of reef communities. However, the past 30 years has been characterized by declines in the abundances of scleractinians, often associated with acute events such as hurricanes and bleaching events. A knowledge of the effects of disturbance and subsequent recovery that occurs during these events is critical to understanding the changes in reef structure that have occurred in the last 30 years. At sites for which there are data, changes in the relative abundance of scleractinians and octocorals appear to coincide with disturbance followed by octocoral recovery and a lack of scleractinian recovery. This change must reflect changes in larval supply, settlement, and/or survival, and those differences should be greatest following disturbance. The effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the south shore of St. John provide the opportunity to characterize recruitment following disturbance and identify the processes that may limit successful recruitment on contemporary reefs. Data are already available on the abundance of octocoral and scleractinian species over the past 4 years, and annual censuses have provided data on octocoral recruitment and survival and species level characterizations of octocoral abundances. Recruitment and survival are also being related to spatial complexity of the habitat at the scale of mm and cm and the effects on hurricane driven changes in that spatial complexity will also be assessed. The frequency and intensity of disturbances will at the least continue at historical or greater levels. The comparison of data from before and now after disturbance will provide a powerful assessment of the resilience of octocorals and scleractinians and the role of recruitment and recruit survival in their relative resilience. Thus the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria provide a window on the nature of future reefs.
Note: This project is closely associated with the project "Ecology and functional biology of octocoral communities". See: https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/562086.


Put a spring in someone's step with this gorgeous selection of coffee treats. Carefully curated and assembled in a choice of a re-usable picnic / gift basket or a variety of luxurious boxes, this gift hamper is sure to please the coffee enthusiast in your life.
Two (2x) Robert Gordon designer pottery white hug me mugs.
La Petite Hawthorne coffee mocha organic chocolate (70g).
Totara Cottage chocolate espresso (150g).
So high, I can touch the sky!


text:
Q: Regex causes browser to crash? I know this has been asked countless times, and I have checked almost all the answers on Stackoverflow but I can't get this one to work correctly.
When a user enters a URL to an image on my site, I want to check if the URL is valid before appending the image to the DOM.
Here is what I'm using currently:
function isValidURL(textval) {
  var urlregex = new RegExp("^(http|https|ftp)\://([a-zA-Z0-9\.\-]+(\:[a-zA-Z0-9\.&%\$\-]+)*@)*((25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[0-1]{1}[0-9]{2}|[1-9]{1}[0-9]{1}|[1-9])\.(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[0-1]{1}[0-9]{2}|[1-9]{1}[0-9]{1}|[1-9]|0)\.(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[0-1]{1}[0-9]{2}|[1-9]{1}[0-9]{1}|[1-9]|0)\.(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[0-1]{1}[0-9]{2}|[1-9]{1}[0-9]{1}|[0-9])|([a-zA-Z0-9\-]+\.)*[a-zA-Z0-9\-]+\.(com|edu|gov|int|mil|net|org|biz|arpa|info|name|pro|aero|coop|museum|co\.uk|[a-zA-Z]{2}))(\:[0-9]+)*(/($|[a-zA-Z0-9\.\,\?\'\\\+&%\$#\=~_\-]+))*$");
  return urlregex.test(textval);
}

This has been working fine for sometime until I tried to enter the following URL into the textfield and it just keeps crashing the whole browser!
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/11/2595F03200000578-2949888-image-a-64_1423695120362.jpg

I know that URL works fine and I created a JSFiddle to test it here http://jsfiddle.net/Lg0an1hz/
Now try entering the URL into this updated version of the same fiddle http://jsfiddle.net/Lg0an1hz/1/
My whole browser crashes!
Can anyone please provide me with the correct regex to make sure a URL is entered. In fact, I just really need to check that whatever the user entered begins with a http://, https://, or a www. I don't think theres any other start to a URL unless someone knows better.

A: Try this out <jsfiddle> :
function isValidURL(textval) {
 var urlregex = new RegExp("^(http[s]?:\\/\\/(www\\.)?|ftp:\\/\\/(www\\.)?|www\\.){1}([0-9A-Za-z-\\.@:%_\+~#=]+)+((\\.[a-zA-Z]{2,3})+)(/(.)*)?(\\?(.)*)?");

  return urlregex.test(textval);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


(For age 8 to 12) This camp provides a hands-on, educational way for children to master the art of bicycle riding. Boy and girls welcome! Groups are formed determined by ability. Under the supervision of American Inline coaches, campers receive instruction in balance, braking, steering, shifting, pedal cadence, negotiating obstacles, climbing and descending hills, safety and rules of the road. Daily activities include group and private instruction, riding confidence courses and short tours on the bike path when ready. Some bike groups may ride as far as the Lincoln Memorial. In addition to improving skills, this bike camps gives children a chance to socialize and interact with their peers getting away from the TV and into the great outdoors. Participants receive a camp T-shirt and sticker. Bring bike without training wheels, helmet, bike gloves, hydra-pack and or water bottles, lunch and snacks in cooler with ice packs and labeled with name. Staff to participant ratio: 1:6. Ages 8 -12. Prerequisites: Participants must be 8 years old at time of camp and be able to ride confidently for extended periods of time without the assistance of training wheels.
(For age 8 to 12) This camp provides a hands-on, educational way for children to master the art of bicycle riding. Boy and girls welcome! Groups are formed determined by ability. Under the supervision of American Inline coaches, campers receive instruction in balance, braking, steering, shifting, pedal cadence, negotiating obstacles, climbing and descending hills, safety and rules of the road. Daily activities include group and private instruction, riding confidence courses and short tours on the bike path when ready. Some groups may ride as far as the Lincoln Memorial. In addition to improving skills, this bike camps gives children a chance to socialize and interact with their peers getting away from the TV and into the great outdoors. Participants receive a camp T-shirt and sticker. Bring bike without training wheels, helmet, hydra-pack and/or water bottles, bike gloves, lunch and snacks in cooler with ice packs and labeled with name. Staff to participant ratio: 1:6 Ages 8-12. Prerequisites: Participants must be 8 years old at time of camp and be able to ride confidently for extended periods of time without the assistance of training wheels. Optional AM and PM Care Available. PM Extended day activities include swimming at Washington-Lee HS (two/three days per week, depending upon pool availability at the time we submit reservation in May) plus arts & crafts activities, kick ball or various other activities including watching age appropriate videos in the case of inclement weather.


text:
package widgets

import (
    "fmt"
    "readit/render/elements"
    "readit/render/graphics"
    "math/rand"
)

type Button struct {
    WidgetCore

    textureUp, textureDown graphics.Drawable
    pressed bool
}

func CreateButton(x, y, width, height float32) *Button {
    textureUp := elements.CreateTexture("sword.png")
    textureDown := elements.CreateTexture("chest.png")
    button := Button {
        WidgetCore: WidgetCore{x: x, y: y, width: width, height: height},
        textureUp: &textureUp,
        textureDown: &textureDown,
    }

    return &button
}

func (b *Button) Dispose() {
    b.textureUp.Dispose()
    b.textureDown.Dispose()
}

func (b *Button) Render() {
    fmt.Println("Button.Render() x",b.x,"y",b.y,"w",b.width,"h",b.height)
    dx := (rand.Float32() - 0.5) * 20
    dy := (rand.Float32() - 0.5) * 20
    if b.pressed {
        b.textureDown.Render(b.x + dx, b.y + dy, b.width, b.height)
    } else {
        b.textureUp.Render(b.x, b.y, b.width, b.height)
    }
}

func (b *Button) OnKey(modifier, key int) bool {
    return false
}

func (b *Button) OnMouseClickDown() bool {
    b.pressed = true
    return true
}

func (b *Button) OnMouseClickUp() bool {
    b.pressed = false
    return true
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Statistics have shown that their are approximately 72 marijuana users, 31 people abusing prescription drugs, 11 cocaine addicts, and 5 people using hallucinogens that live in Shipman, Illinois.
There will also be close to 9 people arrested for drug charges and around 6 DUIs in Shipman this year.
When you have realized that you need aid with a substance abuse problem you have made the first and most difficult step on your path to recovery, however the next step of seeking that help can be a intimidating task if you do not know where to look. This page contains a list of public, private, non-profit, and gay drug rehabilitation programs and addiction specialists near Shipman, Illinois.
Shipman is located in Macoupin County and contains the following zip codes: 62685.


text:
Home All posts Thomas Warton
Thomas Warton
Thomas Warton : biography
Thomas Warton (9 January 1728 – 21 May 1790) was an English literary historian, critic, and poet. From 1785 to 1790 he was the Poet Laureate of England. He is sometimes called Thomas Warton the younger to distinguish him from his father Thomas Warton the elder. His most famous poem remains The Pleasures of Melancholy, a representative work of the Graveyard poets.
Warton was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, the son of poet Thomas Warton, the Elder, and younger brother of Joseph Warton. As a youngster, Warton demonstrated a strong predilection toward writing poetry, a skill he would continue to develop all of his life.
In fact, Warton translated one of Martial's epigrams at nine, and wrote The Pleasures of Melancholy at seventeen.
His early education was given to him by his father. At sixteen years of age he enrolled at Winchester College, later moving to Trinity College, Oxford. He graduated from Oxford in 1747, where he subsequently became a Fellow. Warton was selected as Poet Laureate of Oxford in 1747 and again in 1748. His duty in this post was to write a poem about a selected patroness of the University, which would be read to her on a specially appointed day.
Warton was appointed Professor of Poetry at the university in 1757, a post that he held for ten years."He was ordained and eventually served as professor of poetry at Oxford from 1757 to 1767."
In 1771 he was appointed rector of Kiddington in Oxfordshire, a post he held until his death.
In 1785, he was appointed Camden Professor of History, as well as poet laureate. He was a friend and rival of Samuel Johnson, and his poetry was greatly influenced by earlier English poets such as Chaucer, Drayton, Fairfax, and Spenser.
Among other important contributions, Warton, along with his brother, was among the first to argue that Sir Thopas, by Geoffrey Chaucer, was a parody. Warton contributed to the general project of the ballad revival. He was a general supporter of the poetry of Thomas Gray—a fact that Johnson satirized in his parody "Hermit hoar, in solemn cell." Among his minor works were an edition of Theocritus, a selection of Latin and Greek inscriptions, the humorous Oxford Companion to the Guide and Guide to the Companion (1762); lives of Sir Thomas Pope and Ralph Bathurst; and an Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Poems attributed to Thomas Rowley (1782).
Various works
– an anthology of verse and Oxford wit
A sonnet by Warton
To the River Lodon
Ah! what a weary race my feet have run Since first I trod thy banks with alders crowned, And thought my way was all thro' fairy ground, Beneath thy azure sky and golden sun; Where first my muse to lisp her notes begun! While pensive Memory traces back the round, Which fills the varied interval between; Much pleasure, more of sorrow, marks the scene. Sweet native stream! those skies and suns so pure No more return, to cheer my evening road! Yet still one joy remains, that, not obscure, Nor useless, all my vacant days have flowed, From youth's gay dawn to manhood's prime mature; Nor with the muse's laurel unbestowed.
Chambers' Book of Days
Poetry, criticism and historical works
In 1749, Warton penned The Triumph of Isis, a poem in praise of Oxford and the many students who had received their education there. Published anonymously, The Triumph of Isis rebutted William Mason's Isis, an Elegy published the previous year, which was anything but flattering to Oxford.
Following the success of The Triumph of Isis, Warton wrote Newmarket, a Satire, which was followed by a collection of verses. His complete poetical works were included in an anthology that has been reissued. by Robert Aris Willmott.
Warton's first major academic work was Observations on the Faerie Queene of Spenser, published in 1754. He is, however, best known for the three-volume The History of English Poetry (1774–81), which covered the poetry of the 11th through the 16th centuries. Although the work was criticized for its many inaccuracies, it is nonetheless considered a highly important and influential historical tome.
In 1782 he wrote The History and Antiquities of Kiddington, an early example of English local history.Warton, T. The History and Antiquities of Kiddington. 3rd edition (1815) in
As a poet, Warton was more inclined toward light and humorous verse, odes and sonnets. His sonnets helped to revive the form, which had fallen out of fashion.
He is remembered for his interest in primitivism, which was an important stage toward romanticism.
a. The River Lodon referred to by Warton is the stream running through the Parsonage House of his childhood, in Basingstoke. The Loddon rises west of Basingstoke and is fed by springs in the town; it joins the Kennet at Reading.
Previous articlePaul Bourget
Next articleHélène Cixous


text:
Omarion breaks his silence on his ex and Lil Fizz's relationship
Still unbothered.
Omarion has maintained his silence surrounding his ex-girlfriend Apryl Jones hooking up with friend and B2K bandmate Lil Fizz. However, Maybach O has finally given his opinion on the couple's relationship.
"I don't feel no ways, I don't feel any way about it," he said during an interview with VladTV. "I think that if they're happy, then they should be happy. I think they should change the narrative, though."
Page Six reports that the "narrative" in question stems from the current season of "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood," where both Apryl and Fizz have been accused of disrespecting Omarion and Fizz's ex, Moniece Slaughter.
Omarion continued, "She's still the mother of my children. When something affects her, it affects my kids, and that affects me. But what she does is, you know, live your life! I think people should do whatever makes them happy. I think they should change the narrative."
Omarion and Apryl split in 2016. They have two children together, son Megaa Omari Grandberry, 5, and daughter A'mei Kazuko Granberry, 3.
Apryl and Fizz have been receiving side eyes left and right. Meek Mill recently called out their relationship on social media after Apryl uploaded a photo of her and Fizz on Instagram, along with a caption that said, "My goal is that someone sees my page and decides to grow strong, live YOUR life, and not give a f—k." Meek responded in Apryl's comments and said, "Y'all outta pocket for this move. No disrespect." She then replied, "No disrespect. But you tried to talk to me. And that's not out of pocket…..?"
Apryl shared intimate details of her relationship with Fizz last month on Instagram as well. She said "Why y'all so mad? I'm getting the d—k I want. I love it, oh my God. It's the best d—k of my life. It really, genuinely is. I can't really be mad. I can't not be happy because I think that the happiness comes from being happy and y'all trying to really make me mad, but I don't know how to be mad. I'm not a mad person."
Check out Omarion's interview below.
B2K's The Millennium Tour generates career-high $5 million in revenue
Fans react to Omarion outlining rules for B2K reunion tour


text:
Eastside Broadcasts
LogoCentral
Class of 2019 gets ready to graduate.
Senior Perspectives: Congrats Class of 2019
Eastside talked to everyone from the Class of 2019 superlative winners to the presidents of various clubs to hear their take on their four years in high school. Read on to hear what they have to say!
Senior Perspectives: Cassie Cuddihy
Cassie Cuddihy, For Eastside
In my time at East, I have been a very active member of the student body throughout various aspects of student life. My involvement in programs such as the music department, theater department, Interact Club and academic honor societies have enriched my experience at East. Through years of experience in these programs, I have accepted numerous leadership positions. In the music department, I assumed the roles of East Singers Co-President and Voce Co-Officer. These positions have taught me how to work effectively and respectfully with my peers. I believe that these skills will accompany me on my college journey.
At East, I have had the opportunity to make many friends. It is amazing that as a senior, I am still meeting new people every day. While involved in activities in D-wing such as choir and theatre, I have acquired better communication skills and teamwork. Additionally, the experiences that I have been able to go through with people whom I now consider my closest friends are unforgettable.
One thing that I will miss most about East is the support from certain teachers that I have received throughout the past four years here. I always felt supported and cared for by my teachers. East is unique because the faculty works to better the lives of the student body by constantly going the extra mile: whether that means staying after school to help students understand a concept or taking time to help a student with a need for assistance.
Reflecting on my past four years at East is bittersweet. While thinking about my time at East, I can recall countless incredible opportunities that I have been offered both academically and through extracurricular activities. I am not only grateful for these, but sentimental. The memories that I have created as a Cougar have truly shaped me as a person and set a foundation for the person I will continue to be in college and beyond.
Senior Perspectives: Breakdancing Club
The Breakdancing club is famous not only for their amazing moves, but also for the camaraderie that the group fosters. Over the course of their late nights choreographing in preparation of MCD, the group becomes family. Speaking on behalf of the whole group are Matt Lee ('19) and Brian Lore ('19), two of the senior officers of the club.
Senior Perspectives: Best Male Best Friends
How did you guys meet and what was your first impression of each other?
Matt Lee: I met Brian in Second Grade in elementary school and I thought he was…very short–and then, bro, you had a temper, bro.
Brian Lore: Man, I was angry back then. I was angry. Matt was…like the new kid so at that point everyone was doing that new kid thing like "oh, let's be friends." I didn't really have a lot of friends back then so I was just like "hey…"
How do you guys spend your time together?
ML: Dancing
BL: Yeah, dancing
ML: Getting bubble tea
BL: Basketball, talking about people, like, making fun of people.
ML: We also work out together…I think we both get influenced by each other when it comes to the gym.
What's the best trait of your bro?
BL: This fool is like super dedicated and super passionate to taking care of his friends and making sure the people around him are happy. He puts happiness and having fun as a group as his number one priority and it's really honorable…he's really always the one that involves me in things and gets me out in the public.
ML: My turn
BL: Don't get emotional.
ML: Man, I don't get emotional. Pause…This fool is loyal, like he throughout all my friends from elementary school to now, he stuck with me throughout the whole time. And I can be really annoying–
BL: Uh huh, yeah.
ML: He stuck with me a long time and he nourished me to be a better person. And he's a natural-born leader…He's also very emotional, but he doesn't really show it…It's been an honor to see him grow from an introverted kid to an outgoing person.
What's one embarrassing thing about your bro?
ML: One?
BL: Yeah, one?…I'm not gonna hit him too hard, but I think it was like in middle school — I hope he's gonna be embarrassed by this – it was Halloween and we had spent like the whole night together, we got a crap ton of candy…like, pillowcases full of candy. We go home to share it and I'm like, 'I have to go home. Like, dinner's being served right now, my mom's really mad at me.' And he goes to his door, locks it, closes it and sits on it and says 'no! You are not leaving.'
ML: I had no friends, bro.
BL: It was locked for like thirty minutes.
ML: Besides his mickey mouse ballspot…this fool cried a lot on the playground in elementary school…he missed a soccer ball…and just started balling his eyes out.
What does your friendship mean to you?
ML: Brian has been my pillar of support and he will be my pillar of support. I keep telling him he's gonna be the best man when I get married. It's because of all of the stuff that we've been through…I feel like when you have a huge fight with somebody and you can go past that, that's when you become close friends. But when we get physical, emotional and just completely neglect each other for months, and then you realize 'it doesn't feel right,' and we bounce back from that, that's how you know you're best friends. People say you can have multiple best friends, but that's not true, he's my do or die.
BL: I mean he hit it on the horn where like you say that people are best friends, they say it because they're such good friends but like no, [of]everyone I know, I can say that this is the greatest friend I have…he's gonna be my best man there's no question about it and through all the stuff we've been through together…fights, times when we didn't even talk to each other, maybe not because we were fighting but because we got separated because of classes, but like, when you bounce back from that…it really puts things into perspective as to what your friendship really means. I could say pretty easily that I'd give my life for him in a second…I'm gonna do anything in my power to help him out.
Senior Perspectives: Funniest, Class Clowns and Wittiest take on Hot Wings
The winners of funniest (Caleb O'Neill, Paloma McMurtry), wittiest (Saurabh Shah, Shir Goldfinger) and Class Clown (Ally Leomporra, Brandon Weinstock) take on the spiciest wings at P.J. Whelihan's Pub, while simultaneously sharing their hot takes. Watch the video above to see what these seniors have to say about anything and everything!
Senior Perspectives: Best Female Friends
How did you first meet?
Zoe: Oh my God, I'm going to start crying…We both met at Breakdancing Club in sophomore year.
Maya: Neither of us really felt like we had a certain place to be in Breakdancing Club. It was more like we would both end up wandering around, and then we'd be like, "Oh, you do that [club] too?" And one day I got bored and I asked her to teach me choreography…
Zoe: And the rest is history.
Maya: The rest is history.
Zoe: And then every time from then on that I came to Breakdancing Club, it was like, "Where's Maya? Where's Maya?" I would always look for you.
What were your first impressions of each other?
Maya: At first, I'd heard about Zoe…and I always thought that she was super super cool, that she was way too cool for me…I almost was afraid to talk to [her], because I was like, "What if she doesn't like me? She has so many friends. She's just way too cool for me."
Zoe: As soon as I started talking to you, you were so giggly and friendly that I feel like our personalities just meshed immediately. I — I just loved you immediately.
Maya: Aww, I loved you immediately too. It was literally love at first move you showed me.
Zoe: This sounds like a Best Couple interview.
Maya: Is it not? Is that not why I'm here?
How do you two spend time together?
Zoe: Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, we go out and get way too much food.
Maya: It's usually bubble tea.
Zoe: It's always bubble tea, and then we over-order —
Maya: And we both go into literal food comas.
Zoe: We also like to do things that foster [creativity] with each other, so whether it's going shopping for clothes or little craft-type things, we both like to do that as well.
Maya: When we're not hanging out, we're texting about, like, everything.
Zoe: I think yesterday, I was like, "Maya, I just ate too many yogurt pretzels. I think I'm gonna vomit. What's up?"
Maya: I had, at that exact moment, eaten an entire tub of raw cookie dough.
What are the best traits of the other person?
Maya: She brings out the best in people…Not just me, I see the way she interacts with other people — she constantly empowers them, and she constantly makes them feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. She's just constantly positive, always has a good word to say about anything, but she's honest. And that's not a bad thing…if she feels like something is a certain way, she will tell you, which is always something I need to hear.
Zoe: I feel the same way…I was trying to put what you just said into words…Also, you fostered a lot of creativity that I didn't know I had…Especially with fashion choices and things like that, I'm very simple, and I often am not bold enough to do things, and you're like, "Zoe, just do it. Stop being so boring." And I'm like, "You know what? I will!"…You make me realize that I can do other things, that I can take a leap, that I can — I can do anything.
What's something embarrassing about the other person?
Maya: The thing is, we're both so embarrassing in public. Like together. Like it's gotten really bad.
Zoe: Oh, yeah…We don't have a filter anymore.
Maya: It's beyond inappropriate.
Zoe: There's also something we've been doing recently where we just go — [blows kissy noises]
Maya: [blows kissy noises back]
Zoe: Across the room. If there's people between us? Sandwiched.
Zoe: It honestly means everything to me.
Maya: It means everything to me…I mean, best friends is one thing. We think of ourselves as so much more than that.
Zoe: Especially with college coming up and everything, we're really realizing that this is a friendship that will last a lifetime.
Maya: Oh yeah. Because we're only five minutes away from each other.
Zoe: My bed is your bed…we're going to be together all the time. I can't imagine my life without you.
Maya: I can't imagine my life without you.
Senior Perspectives: Dani Lazarus
Dani Lazarus, For Eastside
Before classes even started, my experience at East began with pre-season practice with the cross-country team. I am not exactly one who jumps out of bed ready to go; yet, on day one of the July pre-season practice, I was told to meet at East at 6 a.m., ready to run. As an incoming freshman, unfamiliar with anyone on the team, I was nervous as to what to expect. I certainly did not expect that the running team and my coaches would soon become my support system and encouragement for the next four years.
The East running teams became a huge part of my daily life. Learning to juggle classwork and sports was always a challenge, but I always knew the importance of being involved. When the cross-country team embraced me on day one of practice, it was clear: the more I gave to the school, the more I would enjoy my high school experience. My participation in SGA and Blood Drive, Spirit Week dances and Powder Puff games provided me with some of my favorite memories. Often times being on the "sideline" was just as fun, like when my friends and I dressed up to cheer on the basketball and hockey teams during playoff games.
Every day for the past four years, I have entered East with a backpack filled with running clothes for practice after school and another backpack filled with books weighing probably twice as much as I do. Despite my years of training and hours of running, I am still completely out of breath after climbing three flights of stairs to get to class, needing at least ten minutes to recover. Still, I wouldn't change these past four years for anything, and in terms of advice to incoming students, get involved. I guess it can be best summed up by a quote from a classic high school movie: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Senior Perspectives: Boys' Swim
If there is one word to describe the boys swim team, the word is iconic. From bleaching their hair every season to celebrate their successes to parading down the hall, the swim team exhibits the very epitome of brotherhood. Representing the swim team are Charlie Hess ('19), Jack Watson ('19) and Anthony Cheng ('19). They sat down with Eastside to reminisce on their four years as part of the team.
Senior Perspectives: Belles
Senior Belle members, Julia Langmuir ('19), Jackie Cotter ('19), Audrey Harasaki ('19) and Amanda Kahn ('19) look back at their time in Belles and D-wing. The girls have so much appreciation for all that the music department has given them. Watch the video to hear more about their favorite memories.
Senior Perspectives: Saurabh Shah
Saurabh Shah, For Eastside
Well, this is weird.
I remember being a freshman "reading" senior perspectives, never believing I'd ever get to the point where I'd write my own. And here I am, three years later, typing out this perspective in stat while willfully ignoring Ms. Barnes, which will I'll inevitably regret. I'm not entirely sure what to write about, but some advice in the style of Mr. Myagi seems appropriate. So, listen up, Daniel-San, this might help you out some day.
Wax On (Freshman year):
Let's talk about freshman year. This is your year to explore, just try out everything. Join random clubs, try a sport regardless of how athletic you think you are. Just try out new things. School work will never again be this easy, so now's your time to figure out what you like.
Wax Off (Sophomore and Junior Year):
Time to widdle down that long list of extracurriculars and really apply yourself. School is gonna get harder. You need to decide what you truly enjoy and what's going to help you in the future and get rid of all the excess (wax off). Now it's time to go for depth, not breadth.
Sweep the Leg (Senior Year):
The climax of high school, senior year is that final karate tournament where you'll be put to the test. College decisions will come back. You'll feel like they swept your leg. But you gotta get up and crane kick those mothertruckers.
I wanna see your baby browns, DANiel! (College)
Senior Perspectives: Best Couple
Q: How did you guys meet?
Lily: We had a couple mutual friends and so we kind of learned about each other and became friends. And then we were friends for a couple weeks and then we went on our first date. This was freshman year in January/February.
Q: What were your first impressions of each other?
Mitchell: I always thought she was a really nice girl and kind of quiet, which I was kind of into because I was pretty quiet too.
Lily: Yeah I thought he was super shy and I never thought that he'd approach me because everyone said he was so shy. And it's true, he is really shy.
Q: What did you do for your first date?
Mitchell: I think we went to the movies. I actually don't remember the movie name.
Lily: Yes, we went to the movies and we shouldn't have went. We just talked the whole time.
Mitchell: We sat in the back corner.
Lily: Mostly talking.
Mitchell: And it was mostly old people who went to the movie. It probably would have been better to go to a dinner and we could have just talked.
Q: What do you guys do together?
Mitchell: We kind of just hang out on the weekends. We'll go to Shake Shack a lot.
Lily: We love getting burgers.
Mitchell: Yeah, that's our favorite place. We go swimming sometimes in my pool. We go to the beach occasionally.
Q: What are each other's best and worst traits?
Lily: I would say [his best traits are that] he's really driven in whatever he does, for football he left East his junior year just to make sure he had a better position and could play more, so whatever he does he is really focused on, which I think is really admirable. And he's also just really polite, especially to my family and stuff, it's a big thing for me. He's always just so polite to everyone of my friends so I really like that. [But he] can be really stubborn, like sometimes he sees a certain way and he can't see another way.
Mitchell: I think her best trait is probably her smarts and her organization. She's really on top of things and that goes really well with me cause I'm pretty disorganized. So she's a nice check in my life. I also like how she's a rule follower and she's really sweet. And the traits I don't like are that she's oblivious sometimes, like she's the brightest person ever, but sometimes she can be a little bit oblivius and not see the answer [that is] right in front of her.
Q: What's something embarrassing about each other?
Mitchell: One time, our freshman year, we went on a bike ride and I accidentally crashed into her and pushed her over and she got a huge scrape on her leg.
Lily: This was one of our first dates.
Mitchell: And [the scar is] still there. I was so embarrassed. It was a really embarrassing moment for me.
Lily: Another time, when we first started dating, he invited me over to swim at his pool. I'm in the pool and he's walking to come in and he just [slips] on the deck.
Mitchell: Oh yeah, I slipped so bad.
Lily: He just fell on his back and it was so funny. He's so clumsy.
Mitchell: That was also pretty early on in the relationship.
Q: What does your relationship mean to you?
Lily: I would say [it means] so much just cause we basically grew up together. From freshman year to now, now we drive now we're both adults, but we met when we were kids so we definitely grew together… which I think is really important. And we're just best friends, even if we weren't dating I think we'd be best friends.
Mitchell: It means a lot to me, I think it's a big part of my life too. It's somebody that's always there, [she's] always reliable, she's always going to be there no matter what happens in life, [I'll] always have someone to go to, even as just best friends.
Q: What do you see in the future of your relationship?
Mitchell: Well we're going to college pretty close to each other, she's going to St. Joseph's and I'm going Drexel so we're going to be in Philly, only a bus ride away, so we're going to try to keep our same hangouts and hang out pretty often.
Lily: [We'll] find a new burger place. I'm excited to find new restaurants to go to.
Senior Perspectives: Robotics
The Robotics Club, renowned for not only its success at world championships, but also for its commendable teamwork, has brought East great pride. Officers Dimitri Fifis ('19), Michael Ryan ('19) and Cameron Lund ('19) give insight into their past four years as members of the robotics club and talk about how robotics have shaped their future career goals.
Senior Perspectives: Julia Langmuir
Julia Langmuir, For Eastside
At every East back-to-school night, freshman orientation and school tour over the past four years, I have given incoming parents and students the same advice I received freshman year: try everything. I remember being told that the best memories East students would make would occur after 2:30 p.m., and my experience over the past four years has proved that true.
The community of support fostered at East, whether it is from faculty, family or other students is the aspect of the school that I will miss most. It's hard to believe that the anxious yet enthusiastic, wide-eyed, 15-year-old version of myself made decisions that have molded my entire high school experience. The abundance of opportunities provided at East, although overwhelming at times, has changed my perspective on different subjects, introduced me to new friends and allowed me to learn more about myself than I could have in any regular classroom. The memories I will treasure most are those that happened outside of the regular school day: marching with the band, rehearsing with Belles, practicing for Mr. East and writing lesson plans with the Women in Science Club.
Although my four years of high school are coming to a close, I know that these experiences and this environment will launch any student leaving East into a prosperous future. Ultimately, I've learned that East is a school full of potential. Whether you find your niche and run with it or explore every one of your interests, these halls are full of opportunity, and for that I will always be grateful.
Senior Perspectives: Best Co-ed Friends
How did you first meet? What were your first impressions of each other?
Emily: Sixth grade, we had a bunch of classes together.
Matt: I saw that she was really cool and athletic, so I knew we'd have a lot in common.
Emily: You were just funny; we had a lot in common, so like similar interests, and we just kind of meshed really well.
Emily: We do everything together. We go out to eat all the time…We go to a lot of concerts in the summer. We literally do everything together.
Emily: He's so funny, and he's so nice and understanding.
Matt: We just understand each other.
Matt: Her height.
Emily: I could say it, but it's probably not school-appropriate, so we'll skip on that one.
Matt: A lot.
Emily: It's everything.
Matt: It's pretty cool [to be voted Best Co-ed Friends] because everyone knows us and everyone knows that we're best friends.
Emily: It's kind of like validation that it's a real relationship, and other people see it too, and it's not just us.
Senior Perspectives: Seth Treiman
Seth Treiman, For Eastside
Throughout high school, we are often told that these last four years leading up to adulthood will be some of the most formative years of our life. Coming into high school, I doubted this idea and just thought high school would be just another typical phase of my life. But now, I can say that the connections I made at East have taught me so much more about myself, others and the world than I thought was ever possible.
As a whole, East taught be about myself by constantly holding a mirror in my face. Whether talking to a teacher about a paper or applying notes from a director in D-Wing, this mirror is a great tool to learn about yourself and how you function. To those who haven't yet, discover this mirror and use it to your advantage because knowing yourself, and acknowledging your flaws is the first step to self-improvement.
Having a strong connection with yourself is very important, but having connections with others is equally important. East has such a diverse environment and different actives bring all types of people together. Specifically, my time in D-Wing has brought me together with people that I would never have even thought about talking to had they just been in a regular academic class with me. If you aren't in an activity with a diverse collection of students, join one! If you're sitting next to someone you don't know in a class, try to talk to them! East is difficult, the more people you know in a class, the more perspectives you can get on the material. You may not resonate with how the teacher teaches, but if your friend does, they can hopefully explain it to you in a different way.
My friends, my teachers and my experiences have given me so much information about everything, and I'm very grateful for what East has shown me- both the good and the bad. In just four years, I have learned so much academically, artistically, socially and emotionally. When we leave in June, I will be happy to move on, but eternally grateful for the four years spent here. East is tough in so many aspects, and it will wear you down, but being worn down reveals what's truly inside. You don't have to love East, but you should come out after four years with plenty of love for how you went through high school.
Senior Perspectives: Girls' Volleyball
Not only are the girls on the senior volleyball team teammates, but they are also best friends. They rely on each other both on and off the court. Hear them as they look back on their last season together.
Senior Perspectives: Jackie Cotter
Jackie Cotter, For Eastside
Looking back at the last four years feels like re-reading a book from childhood and picking up on a billion tiny things you never understood before, making it much more special. Although high school presented me with the most challenging moments thus far, I know now that without those moments, I would not be who I am today.
I spent the majority of this time on stage. Although I eat, sleep, and breathe performance, my heart lies in the entirety of art. One of the most pivotal moments in my life was joining the Stage Crew. From there, my love for painting flourished and I jumped at every chance to be creative. This year, I had the opportunity to help design and paint the theatre and film murals: an idea that would be laughable to freshman year Jackie. As officer for Belles, Co-Mime Company Manager, and Thespian Society Co-Vice President, I delved even further into creative exploration. Despite the difficulty my involvement in the arts presented me, some of my fondest memories are overcoming those challenges. I will never forget intermittently memorizing lines as Eulalie and learning the synonyms for nebulous (hazy, vague, or indistinct). Or rushing to get all of the paint off my body between crew calls and the opening night performance. Or late nights practicing trombone, assigning bell parts, and even making a puppet.
It is easy to get caught up in the pressure. However, there comes a moment, after you have poured your entire heart into a project, when it all makes sense. The moments happen when I see a familiar face around D-Wing after a particularly challenging day. They happen when you find yourself laughing to the point of tears in a mime rehearsal, or when a chord in the middle of a choir song gives you goosebumps. They happen whenever you realize just how lucky you are to have the opportunities to do what you love and to have the support of a community who wants to see you grow.
From all of the things that Cherry Hill High School East has taught me, the most important is that life is not about each individual person. I would advise anyone who still has time remaining in their high school journey to not get caught up in themselves. High School, especially at East, gives you the chance to collaborate with new people every day– to see the world through the perspective of others. It is with this in mind that I have dedicated the rest of my life to taking what I love and using it to tell the stories of others. With my whole heart, I am grateful for the opportunity to explore myself and push the boundaries of my capability.
Eastside • Copyright 2020 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in


What is Hiatus Hernia ?
A hiatus hernia occurs when the upper part of your stomach pushes up through your diaphragm and into your chest region.
What are the symptoms of Hiatus Hernia?
What is the treatment of Hiatus Hernia?
A laparoscopic fundoplication is the procedure of choice. In this procedure with the help of Laparoscopy(key hole surgery) the gastroesophageal junction is dissected , the hiatus hernia is repaired with sutures/mesh depending on the size of the defect in the crura followed by a wrap at the top end of the stomach around the bottom of the oesophagus to form a new valve thus preventing the reflux.


The story of 15 year old Malala Yousafzai has touched the hearts of many people around the world. Malala lives in the Swat Valley in north Pakistan. In defiance of the rules imposed by the Taliban, Malala attended her father's school, and encouraged other girls to do the same. On 9 October a Taliban gunman attempted to assassinate Malala as she was returning home on the school bus. She was very seriously injured and received emergency surgery in Pakistan before being flown to England. As a result of the expert care she has received at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham she is making an amazing recovery. We pray she will be fully restored.
For some years Malala has spoken for women's rights within her community, and especially the right of girls to receive a school education. She is a remarkable example of outstanding ability and courage. Malala knew the risks she faced from violent men in her remote community yet she refused to be intimidated by them and be silent. She has spoken publicly, written a blog for the BBC and made a film to highlight the plight of girls growing up in the Swat Valley. This has brought her national and international recognition. The man who shot her was determined to silence her but, hopefully, his evil action will only hasten the day when all girls in Pakistan will be free to go to school and enjoy other freedoms.
During his ministry Jesus challenged the religious leaders of his day who were also imposing man made rules on people. They were more concerned about their own power and prosperity than they were about the people. Jesus was very different. Great crowds came to listen to him and he healed many people. Seeing his popularity growing the religious leaders decided to silence him. They brought false charges against him and handed him over to the Romans who ordered that he should be crucified.
How did Jesus respond to his enemies? He did not gather his followers together to fight and defend him. Instead he continued to speak the truth and did not retaliate. When he was dying on the Cross he prayed for his enemies, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." The Roman Empire fell many years ago, but today people of many nations continue to find new life through Jesus as they receive him as their Saviour and Lord.
World War II was the deadliest conflict in history. Some 100 million people were actively involved and more than 50 million people were killed. Many died in the most appalling circumstances including Jewish men, women and children who died in the Nazi concentration camps and those killed by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were, however, some striking examples of human kindess. They remind us of God's amazing mercy to us in Jesus. Out of love for us he died to make us, who are by nature God's enemies, his friends.
Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton. His B-17 was seriously damaged, having been hit by flak and German fighters. The compass was damaged and Charlie was flying deeper into enemy territory. As he struggled to fly the B-17 he realised there was a German ME-109 fighter alongside him. When the B-17 had flown over a German airfield a pilot, Franz Steigler, was ordered to take off and shoot it down. When he got near the B-17, he couldn't believe his eyes. He had never seen a plane so seriously damaged and still flying. The top gunner was dead and the tail gunner seriously wounded.
Franz flew alongside the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown who was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane. Franz knew they had no idea where they were going, so he waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees and then escorted and guided the stricken plane as far as the North Sea. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away to return to his base. He told his Commanding Officer the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the real story to anybody.
More than 40 years later, Charlie wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved him and his crew. After some years he traced Franz. They met at a 379th Bomber Group reunion in the USA, together with 25 people who were alive because Franz didn't fire fired his guns that day. When asked why he didn't shoot them down, he said, "I didn't have the heart to finish those brave men. I flew beside them for a long time. They were trying desperately to get home and I was going to let them do that. I could not have shot at them. It would have been the same as shooting at a man in a parachute." Both men died in 2008.
We have recently enjoyed some beautiful autumn days. The summer was not great but the seasons move on. The beauty of autumn is striking as the leaves change to reds, yellows and browns and the low sun brings out the depth of their colours. The early morning mists clothe the world in a gentle mantle of beauty. Autumn is one stage in the annual cycle of this beautiful planet on which we live. Earth is a tiny speck in a massive universe, but is uniquely beautiful.
Many of us today live in urban areas in which the beauty of creation is not so easy to see. We are surrounded by buildings and roads, traffic and noise. Life is busy and frantic. One of the blessings of some big cities, like London, is the parks to which office workers can escape for a few minutes at lunch time and mothers can take their children to play. The parks are oases of peace and beauty in the concrete jungles men have created. Parks and fields and hills and streams remind us of God. Wherever we live it is important to find time to be still and to look up and around.
The hymns we learned as children in school or Sunday school have a profound simplicity and speak into our adult world. "All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all." God's creative power embraces all things. He is the source of all that is bright and beautiful in a world in which, sadly, many things are dark and ugly. He made the great things and the small things. None of us is so small that we are insignificant to him. This amazingly complex world reveals the perfect wisdom of God's heart and mind.
When we catch glimpses of God's glory revealed in his creation we spontaneously respond with awe and worship. We are responding to the One who gave us life. "He gave us eyes to see them and lips that we might tell, how great is God Almighty, who has made all things well!" He is the same God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, his Son. During his ministry Jesus showed his love for people as he healed and restored all who came to him. We, too, can come to him in our pain and despair and experience his wonderful love for us.
The abduction of 5 year old April Jones has shocked the nation. Bryn-y-Gog estate is a quiet residential area in Machynlleth, a small town in North Wales. We have friends who live in Bryn-y-Gog. It is a place where you would assume it was safe for young children to play outside. The realisation that their daughter had been abducted devastated her parents and sister and brother. The immediate response of neighbours and friends was to join in the search for her. By the next day hundreds of volunteers from many places had joined with the police and mountain rescue teams to scour the town and countryside.
On Sunday 700 people gathered at St Peters Parish Church for a service of prayers and readings. There are times in life when many of us feel a deep sense of our need for God's help. Desperately sad things happen, which we are powerless to change. Very bad things happen, which reveal the inner struggle we all experience with our sinful nature. In our helplessness we need to know that there is someone who sees and knows, who loves and cares, and who is able to help.
In Psalm 121 the psalmist asks, "I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?" His answer is, "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Machynlleth is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The mountains have stood as silent witnesses to the desperate search for April. They have no power to help, but remind us of God himself. The help we need comes from the One who created the mountains, the omnipotent, all-powerful Lord. He always watches and cares and he is able to help us in our sadness and grief.
Jesus showed a deep love and care for little children. When mothers brought their children to him he said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Then he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Little children are very trusting, and sometimes people wickedly betray that trust. But childlike trust in Jesus is something we all need. We don't understand the sad and tragic things that happen, but we can bring our sadness and grief to him and know that he cares and will help us.