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About a month or so before deer hunting season opens, a lot of folks tend to start asking what the best deer hunting cartridge is. I'm not sure if the curiosity is driven by folks shopping for a new rifle or if it's just folks who are about to dip their toes in deer hunting for the first time. Nevertheless, the question comes up and most of the answers tend to be the respondents go to cartridge. While that's all well intentioned and good to see folks helping each other, I thought it would be good to look at several different cartridges used by folks and consider their limitations. After all, hunting deer across open plains is very different from hunting deer in a densely wooded forest.
Before diving into the details, I want to set a few parameters. First, I'm going to look at rifle cartridges. I'm aware some folks hunt deer with pistol cartridges. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience in that arena and I'm not sure where to begin with it.
Next up, I'm going to consider the maximum effective distance to be where a cartridge falls below 800 ft-lbs of remaining energy based on commonly available advertised ballistic data. Frankly, I don't have experience with most of the cartridges I'm going to cover. I also think that is a well accepted limit by the hunting community.
I'm also going to provide the distance at which the cartridge drops more than three inches. This number should be less than the maximum effective distance for a number of the cartridges I'm going to cover. This number should be considered the effective distance of a cartridge when fired from a rifle with a non adjustable sighting system. My reasoning is that this distance is the maximum distance at which the shot doesn't require a hold over above the back of a deer. Frankly, this is the maximum distance I would be confident taking a shot with that cartridge without having an adjustable sighting system.
The final parameter I am going to apply is an assumption of a 200 yard zero and a 1.5″ sight height. I'm going with the 200 yard zero assumption because it tends to be a fairly common zero around hunters and provides a longer trajectory distance in which the projectile doesn't deviate more than 3″. It's worth noting that many hunters rely on a 100 yard zero predominantly because they lack access to a gun range with rifle ranges that extend beyond a 100 yards. If this happens to be your case (as it is mine), then know that the 3″ elevation deviation trajectory range will be shorter than the ranges I list in this post. Perhaps I will compare the difference between 3″ elevation deviation trajectories using a 100 yards zero versus a 200 yard zero at a later date.
With all of that out of the way, let's explore the data with these parameters for a dozer or so different deer cartridges.
800 ft-lbs Range
3″ Trajectory Range
5.56mm NATO 75 grains .214 25 yards 50 yards
243 Winchester 90 grains .218 525 yards 250 yards
6.5mm Creedmoor 143 grains .293 875 yards 225 yards
270 Winchester 145 grains .270 925 yards 250 yards
7mm Remington Magnum 162 grains .287 1150 yards 250 yards
30-30 Winchester 150 grains .226 200 yards 150 yards*
30-06 Springfield 178 grains .268 950 yards 225 yards
300 Winchester Magnum 178 grains .268 1075 yards 250 yards
7.62x39mm 123 grains .183 225 yards 150 yards*
303 British 150 grains .220 525 yards 225 yards
35 Reminton 200 grains .223 375 yards 150 yards*
45-70 Government 325 grains .221 400 yards 125 yards*
Discussion time, starting with the 5.56mm NATO. I opted to look at the 75 grain 5.56mm NATO because it was the only one that exceeded a .2 sectional density. The more common 55 grain and 62 grain variants have a .157 and .177 sectional density respectively which I personally think are too low to consider for medium sized game applications. I'm certain some folks will disagree, but I'm sticking to my guns on this. Sectional density is correlated with penetration and a .2 sectional density is as low as I'm comfortable with when it comes to using small bore cartridges for hunting medium sized game. An interesting thing to note is that with a 200 yard zero, this cartridge deviates more than 3″ somewhere between 50 and 75 yards before reaching the 200 yard zero distance. One could use a 100 yard zero and get a flatter trajectory path out to 150 yards, but either way the remaining energy in the projectile drops below 800 ft-lbs of remaining energy somewhere between 25 and 50 yards regardless of the zero. In my opinion, this cartridge is suitable hunting deer at extremely short distances.
The 243 Winchester is a staple among many deer hunters. Loads for this cartridge will vary from 80 to 100 grains. The lighter 80 grain projectiles fall just short of the .2 sectional density limit I would use for medium sized game with a .193 sectional density. Every hunter using this round will have to make up their own mind as to whether or not to use the lighter projectiles. With that in mind this cartridge packs enough energy to be effective to just beyond 525 yards and remains relatively flat out to about 250 yards. These characteristics make it suitable for short and medium range deer hunting scenarios with the right rifle and scope combination.
My primary choice for medium game hunting, the 6.5mm Creedmoor can commonly be found loaded with projectiles weighing as little as 120 grains up to 143 grains all of which have a larger than the ideal .225 sectional density for medium game hunting. While it's not as flat shooting as the 243 Winchester it does remain relatively flat out to 225 yards and retains enough energy for medium sized game all the way out 875 yards. These characteristics make just about any hunting load suitable for hunting deer out to relatively long distances.
It's near impossible to have a conversation about deer hunting cartridges without somebody bringing up the tried and true 270 Winchester. Projectile weights for this cartridge are very similar to the 6.5mm Creedmoor projectile weights. However, the slightly longer diameter means a slightly lower sectional density that 6.5mm projectiles. Even so the sectional density on all of the projectiles commonly found on the 270 Winchester cartridge remain well above the ideal .225 sectional density. The 270 remains relatively flat to 250 yards and retains enough energy for deer to 925 yards making this cartridge amongst the flattest and longest reaching for medium sized game I've explored so far.
The first magnum cartridge of the batch explored is the 7mm Remington Magnum. The projectiles commonly found loaded in this cartridge leave no room for doubt as far as sectional density is concerned. Additionally, this cartridge remains flat out to about 250 yards and retains enough energy for taking medium sized game out to 1150 yards. While this is the effectiveness of this cartridge dwarfs the others explored so far, it also offers more recoil than the others. This is something those considering getting in the magnum cartridge game should keep in mind.
Quite a few folks use the 30-30 Winchester for deer hunting. Looking at the ballistic data of this cartridge with a 200 yard zero, I quickly realized that using this zero on this cartridge results in an elevation deviation greater than 3″ at just 25 yards. That leads me to believe that a 100 yard zero is a much better match for this cartridge that I have zero experience with (hence the asterisk and italics on the entry for this cartridge on the table). Using a hundred yard zero, this cartridge provides a relatively flat trajectory out to about 150 yards and retains enough energy for medium sized game out to about 200 yards. These characteristics make this cartridge suitable for short range deer hunting.
In my opinion, the 308 Winchester is the most commonly used cartridge by deer hunters. It also seems to have the widest selection of projectiles loaded in it which are marketed for medium sized game hunting. I'm a leery of the loads with projectiles lighter than 150 grains as they fall below the .2 sectional density limit I place on small bore cartridges. Even so, there are plenty of loads with projectile weights ranging from 150 grains to 180 grains which are suitable for deer hunting. Ballistically, this cartridge is extremely similar to the 6.5mm Creedmoor I've already explored. As such, it is essentially suitable for deer hunting at essentially the same distances.
In a lot of ways, I think the 30-06 Springfield is to the 308 Winchester as the 270 Winchester is to the 6.5mm Creedmoor. The analogy isn't perfect, but it feels pretty close to me. Loads for the 30-06 use essentially the same projectiles used in 308 Winchester loads. As such, I remain leery of loads lighter than 150 grains due to the lower sectional density. This cartridge tends to remain relatively flat out to 225 yards and carries enough energy to take deer out to 950 yards.
Trying my hand at another imperfect analogy, the 300 Winchester Magnum is to the 30-06 Springfield as the 7mm Remington Magnum is to the 270 Winchester. Basically, 300 Win Mag (as it is commonly referred to as) loads use essentially the same projectiles as the 308 Winchester and the 30-06 Springfield. However, I can't recall seeing a projectile lighter than 150 grains. Some loads use even heavier 200 grain projectiles. Like the 7mm Rem Mag, the 300 Win Mag stays relatively flat out to 250 yards. It doesn't quite retain energy as far as the 7mm Rem Mag, but it does retain enough for medium sized game to 1075 yards. Also like the 7mm Rem Mag, the 300 Win Mag is going to pack quite a bit or recoil.
A cartridge that comes up from time to time is the 7.62x39mm. I'll be honest, I might be more hesitant about this cartridge that I am about any other on this list. The primary reason for this is the low .183 sectional density of the typical 123 grain projectile loaded in this cartridge. While the sectional density leaves a lot to be desired, it does remain flat enough (using 100 yard zero) out to 150 yards and carries more than 800 ft-lbs of energy just beyond 225 yards. From a trajectory and energy point of view, this cartridge is pretty similar to the 30-30 Winchester.
The 303 British isn't a cartridge I hear about very often. Not only do I not have any experience with it, but I've also never really looked into it before. Nevertheless, it's a rare outlier that has come up in conversations. The .22 sectional density of a 150 grain projectile loaded in the 303 British is good enough for medium sized game applications. In terms of trajectory and energy retention, the 303 British shares a lot in common with the 243 Winchester. It's relatively flat out to 225 yards and retains enough energy for deer out to 525 yards. Like the 243 Winchesters, this is a good candidate for short to medium range deer hunting with the right rifle and scope combination.
The first and only medium bore cartridge we are exploring is the 35 Remington which is an outlier in conversations like the 303 British. This is also the third cartridge we have explored that I think is better suited to a 100 yard zero as it would deviate more than 3″ at around 75 yards on its trajectory path to a 200 yard zero. With a 100 yard zero, this round is relatively flat out to 150 yards and carries more than 800 ft-lbs of energy out to about 375 yards. These characteristics lead me to believe this cartridge is very well suited to hunting deer at short distances and could push into medium range with the right equipment. I somewhat see this cartridge as a beefed up 30-30 Winchester.
Last, but not least, in this exploration is the good ole 45-70 Government (known in some circles as the 1895 Marlin). Like the 35 Remington, this is the first and only big bore cartridge we are looking at. Some of the lighter projectiles found in loads for this cartridge dip below the .185 sectional density limit suggested for hunting medium sized game with large bore cartridge. However, there are a good number of projectiles around 325 grains or larger that push the sectional density into a comfortable range. Like some of the other cartridges explored in this post, the 45-70 is probably better suited to a 100 yard zero as it's trajectory can deviate much more than 3″ before approaching a 200 yard zero. With a 100 yard zero, the cartridge remains relatively flat out to 125 yards and retains enough energy to bag deer out to 400 yards. As such, it seems to be an excellent choice for hunting medium sized game at short distances and can push into medium distances with the right rifle and scope combination.
We've only begun to scratch the surface of deer hunting cartridges. There are plenty more suitable for this application. I hope readers don't take this exploration as a comparison to determine what cartridge is best. Rather, I hope readers see there are differences between cartridges making them more suitable for some hunting situations than others. The other key takeaway is that regardless of cartridge selection, hunters may be limited to engaging suitable game at short distances by the sighting system on the rifle rather than the cartridge. In some cases, cartridge selection may also influence the zero distance.
There are plenty of more experienced hunters than me. As such, please remember that everything in this post is simply my opinion based on my experiences with a small subset of the cartridges explored. Take everything I've written with a grain of salt while I hope it's sparked the curiosity to learn more.
Categories: Hunting
Tagged as: Deer Hunting
Low Powered Variable Optic or Red Dot Sight
The Philosophical Fighter says:
I've hunted with a 243 for years, but I may switch to 30-06. I had a recent shot where my 243 didn't drop the buck and I lost him. A heavier, higher-powered round may have knocked him down.


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MotoGP Brakes For Beginners
With a possible top speed of 356kph (that's about 220mph for you non metric folks) your brakes are probably pretty important to you.
With Italian company Brembo onboard since 1978 they've got our boys in leather covered.
So let's take a look at what makes Brembo's brakes capable of being MotoGP's stopping power of choice across the entire grid.
What are they made from?
For those new to this technical stuff there are four main components to the braking system:
and Master Cylinder
Brembo manufactures both the discs and the pads from carbon which can provide some serious stopping power and consistency throughout an entire race.
Recent statistics show these brakes allow a MotoGP bike to go from 300kph to under 100 in about 5 seconds using only 300m of track.
This does equate to less durability with carbon brakes only lasting about 1000 kms.
Before the use of carbon, the discs were steel and the pads an organic material.
There are several differences when using the carbon discs and pads over the traditional steel including weight, temperature issues and durability.
For example, carbon pads weigh just 50gm each (2 per caliper) compared to the organic material brake pads which weigh 125gm each.
Brembo's braking systems also include the master cylinder and calipers. The calipers are machined from a block of aluminium providing consistency in structure and performance.
Levers allow the rider to apply brakes but also allow them to make some adjustments as they are riding.
Brembo also provide the popular thumb master cylinder system.
What is a thumb master cylinder system?
This basically makes it possible for the rider to use the rear brake with their thumb via a small lever on the left handlebar.
This was originally developed in the 90s to assist Mick Doohan following a serious injury to his right leg which saw him unable to operate the brake lever with his right foot.
It has been used over the years by other riders following injury including Rossi in 2017.
Many riders use it as a type of traction control in certain braking conditions and it has proven beneficial for riders with larger feet during right hand turns to operate the brake with the lever instead.
It also adds another variation available to the braking system to suit each rider's personal preferences such as Dovizioso described recently while with Brembo's development team.
"The force you can apply with your finger on the thumb master cylinder is a great deal less than what you can apply with your foot. That is why I only use it when the bike is at the maximum lean angle."
He goes on to explain it is most useful to him when leaning right.
Other riders use this braking option to avoid skidding when cornering so it really does add to the personalisation of braking for the riders.
Temperature issues
There are differences in handling carbon brakes over the steel version when it comes to temperature. Carbon brakes need to heat up to the correct temp for optimal braking functions and consistency for the rider.
Once at their ideal temperature, between 200C and 800C, they are second to none in terms of performance – remembering above how quickly these types of brakes can stop these powerful machines.
Where a track puts a higher demand on the brakes and temperatures across the discs exceed this it can lead to deterioration of the brakes' performance.
Enter what is called a higher mass disc (340mm rather than 320mm and standard 27mm thickness or "high-mass" 37mm thickness) providing more surface area for the pads to make contact giving more durability on high demand tracks.
Currently, according to the rules of the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme), Motegi Japan is the only track where the riders must use the higher mass brakes.
However, unofficially several other tracks are known to be difficult on brakes such as Sepang, Red Bull ring and Catalunya. Phillip island's low temperatures (due to its location) provide the opposite issue and keeping temperatures up was the problem.
So if temperature is a factor what happens in cold or wet conditions?
Until recently it was an automatic return to steel discs and organic pads.
However, in 2017 Marquez won in Misano, Italy using carbon discs in the rain and dramatically changed the established view that riders should automatically switch to steel discs in the wet.
Just a few months later and we saw Dovizioso become the second rider to win and the first nine riders cross the finish line in Motegi, Japan using the carbon brakes in a very wet race.
Dovizioso proved it was no fluke when he won again in Valencia 2018 in the wet with carbon brakes.
It seems with the progression of technology and development from the Brembo team it is now possible to keep to the high-performance carbon brakes in the wet.
So what do brakes like these cost?
With a price tag of about $20,000 (that's without taxes and shipping mind you) for a set of brakes they are not your average purchase. Not to mention this style of brake is only available to MotoGP teams.
Teams purchase what is called a season package for around $120,000.
This package as outlined in the FIM rules is intended to cover the basic dry weather front wheel braking needs for one rider per season. It consists of:
3 left-hand + 3 right-hand calipers
3 master cylinders
10 carbon discs
28 carbon pads
Where certain sizes or the higher mass brakes are mandated these are also included. Teams can purchase more brakes from the approved list throughout the season without limit.
Recently Brembo announced it has designed a version suitable for road bikes. They have no price tag yet and need careful maintenance but they will soon be available to distributors.
Relevant rules
There is to be no ABS.
ABS or Anti-Locking Braking systems are designed to prevent rear wheel lock up during braking and therefore maintaining contact or traction with the track surface.
When we let it sink in that these bikes do not have this feature it really is outstanding that they manage to complete a race at all!
FIM are very clear about this point in the rule book that the only input is from the rider manually.
There are allowances for them to have levers etc configured to suit the riders preferences and can use the brakes from the available options as they like but they receive no electronic assistance (hence Dorna unifying the software in the IMU and ECU to prevent teams creating settings that mimic ABS).
The IMU system is an inertial measurement unit and tells the bike what it is doing such as the pitch, yaw and acceleration.
It takes in data and measurements, sends the results to the ECU (electronic control unit) which uses this information to help operate functions like braking control from the riders input, acceleration launch control and helps control wheelies
So, while they can use the rear brake at certain times to provide a sort of traction control it is quite astonishingly the skill of the rider and the set up of the braking system that allows for this.
An example of such braking skills is outlined in this statement given by Andrea Dovizioso leading up to the French Grand prix in 2018:
"If the rear [tyre] starts to lift then you have to ease pressure on the brake; this is bad. You have to try and brake hard and strong and if you have to let-off then you'll lose a metre. You have to push your weight to the rear of the bike as much as you can: if you use all your muscle strength you can stabilise the bike and brake to the maximum."
Rider Choices
Like with tyre options, riders can set up their brakes to suit their own style of braking.
At present they have about ten different options available to them where brakes configurations are concerned.
Brembo will work with the riders to develop ways to make the braking system as responsive to the rider's style as possible.
Not only is the rider counting on the brakes themselves, they are relying on the levers and brake lines to carry the messages correctly giving consistency and accuracy each and every time they pull that brake lever.
This is a very difficult demand for Brembo to deliver since the engagement point changes with the temperature of the brakes and, as Andrea Dovizioso points out he likes to have almost no play in his lever before the brakes engage and may adjust this up to eight times a lap to maintain consistency in his braking technique.
Dovizioso has used Brembo's brakes for over a decade and stated recently about his relationship with Brembo "Racing with an Italian motorcycle and Italian brakes makes getting good results even more satisfying."
So that's it.
The basics on Brembo's MotoGP braking systems and how they provide the stopping power for some of the fastest machines on the planet.
Now you can impress your fellow fans with your understanding of carbon braking systems in MotoGP.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Is Mediation Appropriate for Couples Who Want to Reconcile?
What do conflict coaching and mediation have in common? Like mediation, the conflict coaching process is voluntary, confidential and involves a neutral facilitator to address ways to resolve conflict; but divorce mediation helps two or more people arrive at mutual agreements whereas conflict coaching helps one party understand and manage conflict.
Who Is Making the Decisions in Your Divorce?


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Today in History, April 22, 2013
Today is Monday, April 22, the 112th day of 2013. There are 253 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On April 22, 1970, millions of Americans concerned about the environment observed the first "Earth Day."
In 1864, Congres
In 1864, Congress authorized the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.
In 1889, the Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims.
In 1912, the United States Chamber of Commerce had its beginnings with a National Commercial Conference held in Washington, D.C.
In 1930, the United States, Britain and Japan signed the London Naval Treaty, which regulated submarine warfare and limited shipbuilding.
In 1938, 45 workers were killed in a coal mine explosion at Keen Mountain in Buchanan County, Va.
In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces began invading Japanese-held New Guinea with amphibious landings at Hollandia and Aitape.
In 1952, an atomic test in Nevada became the first nuclear explosion shown on live network television as a 31-kiloton bomb was dropped from a B-50 Superfortress.
In 1994, Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, died at a New York hospital four days after suffering a stroke; he was 81.
In 1997, in Peru, government commandos stormed the Japanese ambassador's residence, ending a 126-day hostage crisis; all 14 Tupac Amaru rebels were killed, all 72 hostages were rescued.
Today's Birthdays:Singer Glen Campbell is 77. Actor Jack Nicholson is 76. Singer Mel Carter is 70. Author Janet Evanovich is 70. Country singer Cleve Francis is 68. Movie director John Waters is 67. Singer Peter Frampton is 63. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 62. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 59. Actor Ryan Stiles is 54. Baseball manager Terry Francona is 54. Comedian Byron Allen is 52. Actor Chris Makepeace is 49. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 47. Actress Sheryl Lee is 46. Actress-talk show host Sherri Shepherd is 46. Country singer-musician Heath Wright (Ricochet) is 46. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 42. Actor Eric Mabius is 42. Actor Ingo Rademacher is 42. Rock singer-musician Daniel Johns (Silverchair) is 34. Actress Michelle Ryan is 29. Actress Amber Heard is 27.


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Additional sources on publishing ethics:
Ministry of Science and Education:
Standard uredničkog rada: Uredničke odgovornosti i prava
https://mzo.hr/sites/default/files/migrated/standard-urednickog-rada.pdf
Etički postupnik za urednike
https://mzo.hr/sites/default/files/migrated/eticki-postupnik-za-urednike.pdf
COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics www.publicationethics.org
COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers
International standards for editors and authors
Kleinert, S. & Wager, E. (2011). Responsible research publication: International standards for editors. A position statement developed at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010.
https://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standard_editors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf
Wager, E. & Kleinert, S. (2011) Responsible research publication: International standards for authors. A position statement developed at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010.
https://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standards_authors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf
ARRIVE Guidelines
Percie du Sert N, Hurst V, Ahluwalia A, Alam S, Avey MT, Baker M, et al. (2020) The ARRIVE guidelines 2.0: Updated guidelines for reporting animal research. PLoS Biol 18(7): e3000410. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000410
https://arriveguidelines.org/
Declaration of Helsinki
https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/
Journal "Psychological Topics"
University of Rijeka,
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Then there were four awards on display. . .
NANTWICH railway station became a prize winner in the Cheshire Best Kept Stations competition for the fourth time in October, and the award - designed as a railway station totem (the proper description for a station nameplate) - was fixed to the station wall in a ceremony on the up platform on March 16.
While not winning the Best Kept Station in Cheshire award - that went to Frodsham - Nantwich won the Cheshire East award for the best kept station in that half of the county. The Cheshire West and Chester award for the best kept station in that half went to Northwich.
The totem-fixing ceremony was attended by a number of "high-ranking personnel" - the Mayor of Cheshire East, Cllr Roger West; the MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Edward Timpson; the Mayor of Nantwich, Cllr Arthur Moran; the Leader of Nantwich Town Council, Cllr John Lewis; and the Organiser of the Cheshire Best Kept Stations competition, John Hulme.
Present for Nantwich in Bloom Committee were the Chairman, Alderman Doug Butterill; the Secretary, Sue Hughes; the former Secretary, Connie Jones; and committee members, David Smith, Hilary Slack and Malcolm Elliot.
Representing Arriva Trains Wales Ltd, Cardiff, who manage Nantwich Station, were Geraint Morgan, Community Affairs Manager, and Shelley Hall, the Nantwich Station Manager who is based in Shrewsbury.
He thanked Shelley Hall who arranged lots of litter picking and tidying on a weekly basis. He gave the credit for everything else to Geraint Morgan. There were more trains stopping at Nantwich - he believed numbers were up by 17% - and he liked to think that the work the committee had done had helped to facilitate this.
Cllr West said: "I love coming down to this part of the county because I live about 30 miles away. I don't hesitate to come down - I am always in Nantwich and Middlewich, a lovely corner of the county and it's fantastic.
"I am very proud of Cheshire East, a lovely county to live in, and Nantwich is one of the jewels in the crown of Cheshire East. And on top of that you have won the award for the best kept station for Cheshire East, and deservedly so. Looking around, it's fantastic. So you should all be very proud of what you have achieved. I think Poynton, where I live, has won it a couple of times – but due to improvements by the rail networks it's not looking so good these days.
Pictured with the award after the ceremony are, left to right, Ald Doug Butterill, Cllr Arthur Moran, Cllr Roger West, Edward Timpson MP, John Hulme, Cllr John Lewis and Shelley Hall.
"I would particularly like to thank Nantwich Town Council and especially the Town Mayor, Arthur Moran, who I know very well indeed, and we get on very well, I think, and the Leader of the Council, John Lewis.
in Bloom and I know from there that the volunteers here work tirelessly to keep this station as attractive as it is. You have done a super job.
The Mayor continued: "Well done. I know these things don't happen with five minutes work and talking about it. You have got to get out here and get it done, and it's lovely to see, as always, the town council getting themselves involved and supporting it.
John Hulme said: "Cheshire Best Kept Stations is 10 years old this year. It all started when I had my own station at Plumley. When I retired and did the things that I wanted to do, I carried on with the awards.
"Why are they important, particularly in our community? The stations are the first and last impressions for lots of visitors and I think a number of people here know that I visit Nantwich probably four times a year as a holidaymaker by canal boat.
"I came here in about 2006 and took one look at the station. I have got to say that it looked pretty dismal so I went knocking on the town council's door and you came up with a scheme that has worked. I think the reason that is has worked is because you have got the town council, Cheshire East, and – perhaps more importantly – the volunteers of Nantwich in Bloom Committee who keep it running.
The plaque marking the Cheshire East award for 2011 was added to the previous three awards on the station wall by Doug Butterill. The four awards are: 2008, Best Kept Gardens; 2009, Community Award; 2010, Best Kept Gardens; and 2011, Cheshire East Award (best kept station in East Cheshire).


State Comptroller Kevin Lembo spoke at a unity rally for Democrats in Minuteman Park in Hartford, Conn. on Saturday August 18, 2018.
The first votes in the 2020 presidential campaign are almost a year away, but it's already clear health care is going to be among the top issues. Whether it's Medicare for All or a smaller-scale option, nearly all the many Democrats aiming for their party's nomination are planning an overhaul of some sort.
While the threat of lost coverage is real, encouraging action at the state level means change for the better doesn't have to wait until after the 2020 cycle. As tolls and marijuana take center stage, a bill under consideration in Hartford could not only improve coverage but help fulfill some of the unrealized promise of the 2010 health care law.
Among the ideas strongly considered during the ACA debate was known as the public option, and it would have entailed a government-run insurance plan that anyone could buy into. Some people would find it preferable to whatever private plans were available, other would stick with what they had, but everyone would have more choices, and competition would help keep prices down.
For a variety of reasons, the federal public option was not part of the final bill. Now, the idea is back in Connecticut in a bill supported by state Comptroller Kevin Lembo.
The bill would open up the health insurance plan available to state workers for anyone in a small business, from one to 50 employees. Within a few years, the plan would extend to individuals not connected to a business.
The state already has a similar partnership open to municipalities, and dozens of towns, cities and school boards take part. By broadening the pool, the plan can open opportunities that would never be affordably available to smaller groups seeking coverage.
A public option extended to businesses and individuals would operate on the same principle.
Republicans have raised concerns about costs outweighing the amount that comes in from premiums, and Lembo acknowledged that's a worry, at least initially. Within a few years, the system would likely stabilize, he said. Startup costs would pay off with a healthier, less volatile system in the long run.
Health insurance remains out of reach for too many people in Connecticut, and a public option would make the state a leader in health policy. Opening a reliable path to obtain insurance while encouraging existing carriers to improve their products to compete is a win for everyone. The state needs to pass the public option.


Jesus has done so much for me every day!
Where there's trouble, he makes a way!
He took away my sin for in love in exchange!
By his wonderful grace, I'm forever changed!
I glorify and bring thanks to his mighty name!
He took away my sin and I'm never the same!


Middlesbrough 86 Project, organised by Theatre is Real Life Productions, is a heritage, sport and education project which celebrates the fight back from the brink in 1986 by Middlesbrough Football Club.
Brian Debnam has provided chief consultancy and fundraising strategy in the planning stage of the project. Whereas Maria Zolotonosa is assisting in managing the delivery of the project.
The project is being organised by the Middlesbrough 86 Partnership, a group of representatives from major cultural organisations in Middlesbrough including Teesside University, the Dorman Museum, the Captin Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough Libraries and Theatre Is Real Life. The project uses the celebration of the town's football history to evoke community spirited recollection, providing opportunities for learning, participation and skill training across a diverse community.
A series of events are designed to assist people in recollecting their memories and stories about football and permit a new generation of young people to learn about their heritage. Since August we have collected more than 40 recordings and have gathered enough memorabilia to form an exhibition in one of the town's biggest museums. The participating organisations are each holding free events about the history of football in Middlesbrough, allowing members of the public to directly participate and learn in a fun and meaningful way.


American Samoa's exclusion from Regulation CC places a substantial financial burden on those living in American Samoa.
To amend the Expedited Funds Availability Act to clarify the application of that Act to American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Amends the Expedited Funds Availability Act to apply it to American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Extends by two business days, for American Samoa and the Commonwealth, any time periods established for large or redeposited check, repeated overdraft, reasonable cause, or other emergency exceptions to the 30-day funds availability requirements for deposits in an depository institution account by a new depositor. Extends by one business day any deposit which is both deposited: (1) in an account at a depository institution located in American Samoa or the Commonwealth, and (2) by a check drawn on an originating depository institution which is not located in the same commonwealth or territory as the receiving depository institution.


text:
On Biblical Inerrancy
April 5, 2019 By M.G. Piety in Culture, Philosophy, Religion, Uncategorized Tags: Authentic Pauline Epistles, Bart Ehrman, Biblical Interpretation, Billie Holiday, Epistles by Paul, God Bless the Child, Greeks on Passion, John Stuart Mill on Christian Revelation, Meaning of "Sinister", Misquoting Jesus, New Testament on Homosexuality, Oxford Annotated Bible, Paul on Homosexuality, Paul on Women Preaching, Romans 1:26-27, United Methodist Church, United Methodist position on homosexuality	Leave a comment
The United Methodist Church, one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States , voted on Tuesday, February 26th, to affirm its official stance that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." Not all Methodists agree with this view, of course, as is detailed in an article on the vote in The New York Times. Many do, though, hence the outcome of the vote. And Methodists are not the only "Christians" who consider homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching. People who hold this view usually justify it by pointing to specific passages in the New Testament that appear to support it. The question is: Does the New Testament unequivocally condemn homosexuality?
Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that the Bible is inerrant. What are the implications of that? That means, it would appear, that the Bible can't be wrong in either descriptive or prescriptive terms. What does it mean, though, to be "right" in those terms? Is the primary purpose of historical narrative to present an accurate reconstruction of past events, or is it to guide readers, or listeners, to teach them something about human folly, human weakness and frailty, with the aim of making humanity's future better than its past? Is an "accurate" historical narrative one that gets the facts right or one that presents them in a way that will be optimally instructive?
My concern here is not so much with the descriptive nature of biblical narrative as with its prescriptive nature. People who believe in biblical inerrancy often do so because they believe the Bible is God's speaking directly to humanity and that that message contains rules for how we are to behave. Even if it were the case that the Bible was God speaking directly to humanity, it would not solve the problem of determining what God meant in a particular instance because all communication is meaningful as such only after it has been interpreted, and any interpretation undertaken by people who are assumed to be marred by sin is going to be problematic. "Love your neighbor" seems fairly uncomplicated and yet for some people that means forcing their neighbor to pull himself up by his own bootstraps, while for other people it means positively assisting their neighbor in his efforts to stand on his own.
The idea, however, that the Bible is God speaking directly to humanity is foolishness. God speaking directly would be God speaking directly and not to some specific people who are then tasked with recording the divine message and passing it on to the rest of humanity. The Bible is, by definition, God speaking indirectly to humanity through the agency of specific individuals (and many more individuals, it appears now, than was originally supposed). That, in itself, does not mean the Bible cannot be inerrant, but it does complicate the task of determining what God's message is.
Add to this the fact that much, if not all of the Bible was undisputedly written long after the events it records and in many instances in a language other than that of its source. Jesus communicated with his followers in Aramaic, so even ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ώς σεαυτόν, let alone "love your neighbor as yourself," are not Jesus's original words. Imagine for yourself the potential for alteration that is unavoidably associated with the translation of a message from one language to another and then the passing down of that translation orally from one generation to another for thirty, forty, fifty, or even a hundred years before it is actually written down. Anyone who has ever played a game of "Telephone" knows how badly a message can be mangled even over the course of a single evening, to say nothing of a period that transcends a generation.
Add to that the fact that it is now clear, as Bart Ehrman and others have argued, that portions of the texts of the New Testament were not merely inadvertently changed when, of necessity, they were copied by hand, but deliberately changed to make them more unequivocally reflect evolving church doctrine. Such a practice might seem sinister at first, but it is merely a result of the fact that even the earliest copyists of the writings that eventually became the New Testament realized that the texts they had inherited were themselves interpretations, products of other human hands, inevitably marred by mistakes and misinterpretations that they, with their changes, endeavored to put right.
Paul is now widely believed by scholars not to have said that women shouldn't preach, that that injunction appeared in a letter that he didn't even write, but which was erroneously attributed to him. In fact, quite a number of writings that have traditionally been attributed to Paul are now widely believed not to have been written by Paul but by later adherents to the new Christian faith.
But assume, for the sake of argument, that we have the original texts of the New Testament in their pristine and unadulterated form. Even that would not relieve of us the burden of interpretation. Even that would not eliminate all possibility of error in our interpretations. Take, for example, Matthew 13:12: "For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Revised Standard Version).
To him who has what? What does that passage mean? Is it a reference to how wretched is humanity that it would so order itself that the rich get would get richer and the poor get poorer? That's how Billie Holiday interpreted it. Does it refer to love, so that it means the more love a person has, the more love that person will receive? That's how I used to like to think of that passage. It makes sense to me that loving people would tend to be more loved than those who were less loving.
But then one day I became curious and decided to find out what the Greek term was that was translated as "has" in that passage and learned to my surprise that among the many meanings of that term, ἔχω, listed in the online edition of the Liddell-Scott dictionary of ancient Greek, was "to possess mentally, understand." So the passage might actually mean something like "to him who understands more understanding will be given," etc.
That meaning actually fits best both with what appears to be the meaning of the preceding passage where Jesus talks about the importance of having "ears" to hear his message, as well as with the line that immediately precedes it (i.e., Matthew 13:11) where Jesus says to his disciples "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven." That is, because they understand Jesus's basic message, they will understand his individual parables and hence gain more understanding with each new parable.
Of course it is possible that the passage means all three of these things at once. That's part of what the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard referred to as "the genius of language," that the same combination of words can have multiple meanings.
What, to pick a passage that is more apposite to the recent decision of the leaders of the United Methodist Church to continue to condemn homosexuality, is the meaning of Romans 1:26-27.
Therefore God gave them to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
The Oxford Annotated Bible says
[a]lthough widely read today as a reference to homosexuality, the language of 'unnatural' intercourse was more often used in Paul's day to denote not the orientation of sexual desire but its immoderate indulgence, which was believed to weaken the body (the due penalty).
That makes sense because it sounds like the Greek position more generally, or at least the position of many Greek philosophers and Paul was an admirer of Greek philosophy. Passion, they believed, was suspect because it led to excess and excess is generally bad. Moderation, the Greeks believed, was to be aimed at in all things.
So what does the passage mean? Does it refer damningly to a lack of restraint? Does it mean that excessive indulgence in the pleasures of the flesh is "unnatural" and "shameless"? Does it mean such unrestrained physical passion is bad. Or does it mean only heterosexuality is pleasing to God?
I'm inclined to the former interpretation because a lack of restraint and excessive indulgence in almost anything tends to be self destructive. God's creatures have a sacred duty to preserve and protect themselves. The main crime, according to Paul, of the people to whom Romans 1:26-27 refers was that they had turned away from God. They did not see themselves as God's creatures. "did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking" (Romans 1:21).
A creator that loves its creatures would not want them to engage in self-destructive behavior. By the same token, however, a creator that is defined as love would presumably approve of the love its creatures had for one another. It seems not only bizarrely arbitrary, but directly counter to what most people like to think of as the core message of Christianity that God would condemn love because it was directed at a purportedly inappropriate object. Such a view doesn't seem divine. It seems, on the contrary, all too human.
Unfortunately, much of what goes by the name "love" is not genuine love, but actually the instrumentalizing of one person by another, the use of one person merely as a means to another person's sensuous or egoistical gratification. But that sad practice has no direct relation to sexual orientation. It is as pervasive in heterosexual relationships as in every other purportedly loving relationship including those between friends, siblings, and even parents and children.
Of course it is possible that Paul really did mean to condemn homosexuality as such. Human beings throughout history have condemned certain things as "deviant" simply because they were not the norm. That is the origin of the pejorative connotations of "sinister," a Latin word that simply means "left." There was a time when purportedly good, God-fearing Christians believed left-handed people were in league with Lucifer.
Fortunately, few Christians believe that now. They abandoned that view, presumably, because someone actually thought about it a little and decided that it would be inconsistent with Jesus's teachings to condemn people simply because they were different.
So if Paul actually meant to condemn homosexuality as such rather than simply to condemn unrestrained physical passion, that would appear to be a place where he erred in his understanding of Jesus's teaching. We don't have to assume that's what he meant, though, at least not in that passage. It isn't actually all that clear what he meant. We have to try to figure that out for ourselves.
Even for those who believe in biblical inerrancy, the Bible is very far from a comprehensive set of specific rules for how to live. Human existence is just too complex; novel situations are constantly springing up. No set of rules for how to live can cover every conceivable situation. What is needed in order to give human beings instruction in how to live are not specific rules, but general ones.
"Christian revelation was intended," asserted John Stuart Mill way back in the nineteenth century (Utilitarianism, chapter 2) "to inform the hearts and minds of mankind with a spirit which should enable them to find for themselves what is right, and incline them to do it when found, rather than to tell them, except in a very general way, what it is."
I'm inclined, sometimes, to think of Biblical inerrancy as consisting in the inexorable quality of scripture to reveal what lies deepest in people. My mother, whose parents were both ministers in the Assemblies of God church, once said that in her experience religion made good people better and bad people worse.
Don't be quick to judge the meaning of scripture. Even if the truth is always there somewhere its substance is arguably rarely obvious. One must look deeply into any text in order to divine its true meaning and nowhere is this more true than with the Bible, hence James's admonition that one must "persevere" when attempting to understand it (James 1:25). Even people who believe in biblical inerrancy must look long and hard into the "mirror" of the New Testament if they want to divine God's message to humanity there.
So look long and hard into the mirror of what you assume to be God's word. If what is reflected back to you is anger and condemnation, then look again. Look again and keep looking.
Persevere in your looking until what is reflected back to you is love.
(An earlier version of this essay appeared in the March 11, 2019 edition of Counterpunch under the title "On Biblical Inerrancy: Some Reflections for United Methodists and Other "Christians.")
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