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In Memory of Rav Prof. David Weiss Halivni, z"l: An Exploration Through and Beyond One of His Talmudic Comments
July 1, 2022 by Aryeh Bernstein
Since hearing the news Wednesday morning of the death of Rav Prof. David Weiss Halivni, z"l, my teacher and my shul rabbi during a formative stage of my life, I have been flooded with memories and reflections, some deep, some charming and playful. I don't feel ready yet to organize them nor to transmit them in ways that honor his positive impact on me and the community without, God forbid, alienating or injuring those who were impacted less positively. Rav Halivni was extraordinary in certain ways, but was also, like all of us, complicated. For now, I would like to honor Rav Halivni, z"l, and offer a small boost to his neshama's 'aliyah, by sharing one small teaching of his from his magnum opus, Mekorot UMesorot, his breathtakingly ambitious, source-critical commentary on the Babylonian Talmud. I hope that through this teaching, we will get a clearer view into the massive implications of Rav Halivni, z"l's, scholarly position that the Talmud was edited over time and in various locations, that the stammaim were late, and that not everyone in the Talmud, no matter how great, knew everything else that appeared in the Talmud. We will look at one short, innovative comment (hiddush) of Rav Halivni's from Mekorot UMesorot on Nashim, p. 634-635. This, the first volume of the eventual eight, was written before Rav Halivni had fully committed to his proposition that the anonymous voices of the Talmud (which he dubbed the "Stammaim") were later than all the named Sages or to other aspects of his redactional theories. I heard him say more than once that if God granted him the strength and time to finish his commentary on the Talmud, he hoped to go back and re-do Seder Nashim properly. Nevertheless, in these early grains of his theory, we can witness his explosive creativity and remarkably sensitive feel for what Talmudic teachings are supposed to sound like and when something strange is afoot. We will conclude with some personal, halakhic ruminations on the sugya at hand.
A Surprising Teaching of Rava
The Talmud records a surprising ruling of the great, 4th generation, Babylonian sage Rava, that when someone indentures another person as an indentured servant ('Eved 'Ivri, "Hebrew slave/servant"), the indenturer does not have the power to forgive the debt (Kiddushin 16a):
"Rava said, this is to say, the body of a Hebrew servant is owned and if a master relinquishes his deduction, his deduction is not relinquished."
"אָמַר רָבָא זֹאת אוֹמֶרֶת עֶבֶד עִבְרִי גּוּפוֹ קָנוּי וְהָרַב שֶׁמָּחַל עַל גִּרְעוֹנוֹ אֵין גִּרְעוֹנוֹ מָחוּל."
This seems strange. Logic/s'vara would indicate that since any creditor can waive a debtor's debt, they should be all the more able to waive this debt, of someone who is more destitute and desperate than an average debtor, someone so destitute that they had to indenture themselves to pay off the debt with labor. Moreover, Rishonim (medieval Talmud commentators, eg, Tosafot, Bava Metzia' 99a, s.v., "דלא", Rashba on Kiddushin 16a) struggling with Rava's teaching have already pointed out that Rava can't really, fully, mean that the body of an indentured servant is owned (גופו קנוי), because the Mishna explicitly says the opposite in several places. Contrasting indentured servants with enslaved people, the Mishna teaches in three separate contexts that indentured servants ('Eved 'Ivri) can enact business acquisitions on behalf of the indenturer whereas slaves ('Eved Cana'ani) cannot do so for those who enslave them (Ma'aser Sheni 4:4, 'Eiruvin 7:6, Bava Metzia' 1:5). The third case is the simplest to understand: if an indentured servant finds a lost object, it belongs to them; if an enslaved person finds a lost object, it belongs to the slaver. These are explicit mishnayot teaching that an indentured servant ('Eved 'Ivri) is not owned and maintains legal agency. How can Rava say the opposite?
A fourth mishna might heighten the problem. Bava Metzia' 8:3 lists various characters who can function as legal messengers to acquire a loan on behalf of a borrower. The mishna ambiguously includes an עבד/'eved, without specifying whether it's referring to an indentured servant or a slave. In the Talmud Yerushalmi, the 2nd generation amora Rabbi El'azar interprets this mishna as an indentured servant/'eved 'ivri ('Eiruvin 7:6/24c, Kiddushin 1:3/60a), while Rabbi Yohanan interprets it as referring even to a full slave/'eved Cana'ani. The same dispute plays out between first-generation Babylonian sages in the Talmud Bavli (Bava Metzia' 99a), Sh'muel saying that the ambiguous mishna refers only to an indentured servant/'eved 'ivri, while Rav says that it could refer even to a full slave/'eved Cana'ani. To recap, three mishnayot explicitly teach that a "Hebrew servant/עבד עברי", an indentured servant, is still an independent economic agent, not the property of their indenturer, but someone working off a debt, and some early amoraim thought that a fourth mishna does so, as well.
Because of these powerful and (for the first three) uncontroversial early sources, the Rishonim find themselves forced to say that Rava doesn't really mean what he says and they significantly defang his teaching of its legal import. Instead, they interpret him to mean that the only way in which an indentured servant is like someone who is owned bodily is that the indenturer cannot waive the remainder of the debt. In the language of the Rashba:
"'Rava said, this means that an 'eved 'ivri's body is owned' — that is to say, vis-a-vis redemption, in that [the indenturer] cannot waive the remainder [of the debt] without a written document."
אמר רבא זאת אומרת עבד עברי גופו קנוי. כלומר לענין פדיון, דאינו יכול למחול לו גרעונו אלא בשטר…
Legally speaking, with the goal of harmonizing these texts, the Rishonim's gutting of Rava's teaching seems necessary, legally "correct". But it sure doesn't sound like what Rava says. It sounds like he's making a more sweeping, far-reaching statement. One of Rav Halivni's most persistent teachings was that when Rishonim have to stretch plain reading in order to reconcile one text with others, some rupture is likely present in textual transmission; something might be lost in transmission that may be able to be restored via source criticism.
Rava's Source: A Surprising Baraita
Recall that Rava's teaching began "that is to say/זאת אומרת", a common Talmudic phrase to introduce an amoraic teaching deriving a legal implication from an earlier, authoritative source: the earlier text taught X; that is to say Y farther-reaching implication. In our case, the source in question is a baraita introduced a few lines earlier about methods of emancipation:
"It is taught: And one acquires oneself via money, via the equivalent of money, or via a document."
תָּנָא וְקוֹנָה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּכֶסֶף וּבְשָׁוֶה כֶּסֶף וּבִשְׁטָר.
Rava understood this baraita to refer to 'Eved 'Ivri/Hebrew servant, and therefore concluded that, short of paying off the rest of the debt, if such a person needs a legal document of manumission, then it must be that they are considered legal property and cannot be freed orally in front of witnesses. The style of this baraita is immediately recognizable from similar texts in the Mishna and other tannaitic collections. The content, however, is bizarre and divergent from other tannaitic sources. The Mishna taught the following methods of manumission for an 'Eved 'Ivri (Kiddushin 1:2):
"A Hebrew servant…acquires oneself via years or via the Jubilee or via the deduction of money."
עֶבֶד עִבְרִי…וְקוֹנֶה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בַּשָּׁנִים וּבַיּוֹבֵל וּבְגִרְעוֹן כֶּסֶף.
Rav Halivni points out two difficulties:
If, as the baraita teaches, a legal document is a method of manumission for an 'eved 'ivri, why does the Mishna not include it? He notes that Rishonim already raise this problem and easily shows how their forced resolutions are unconvincing.
When the baraita includes money among the methods of manumission, why doesn't it use the phrase "deduction of money/גרעון כסף"? That's the terminology for paying off the remainder of the debt in the Mishna we cited, as well as numerous other places throughout tannaitic literature (Mekhilta of R. Yishma'el, Mishpatim, Nezikin 3; Mekhilta of RShB"Y on Exodus 21:7-8; Sifra, BeHar 8:5; Sifre Devarim 118). Prior to search engines, this is a display of Rav Halivni's total mastery of Rabbinic literature, to hear the absence of a conventional turn of phrase.
I will add another problem: this baraita does not appear in any other tannaitic collection, nor, as far as I can find, in the Talmud Yerushalmi. At the time Rav Halivni wrote this comment, the field of Talmud scholarship tended to accept that there were other tannaitic texts beyond those recorded in our collections, and some of them were recorded in the Bavli. These are the many Bavli baraitot without prior witness. Over the next generation, the field of Talmud scholarship, led by Rav Halivni's colleague, Prof. Shamma Friedman, ייבדל לחיים טובים וארוכים, largely came to doubt the existence of tannaitic texts outside the extant collections and came to view unparalleled Bavli baraitot as later Babylonian constructions. unparalleled in strongly in a direction. At the time of Rav Halivni's writing on Seder Nashim, a baraita unattested in tannaitic collections was not itself grounds for suspicion. For us, though, today, I suggest that our baraita is already suspicious just because it has no parallel. Be that as it may, for a tannaitic teaching to diverge from the Mishna as strongly as our baraita does, but not to be known or to show up in tannaitic disputes, seems strange to me.
As a reminder, our baraita teaches that one achieves manumission via money, via the equivalent of money, or via a document.
וְקוֹנָה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּכֶסֶף וּבְשָׁוֶה כֶּסֶף וּבִשְׁטָר.
The second of these methods, the equivalent of money, in this context, also smells like a Bavli addition. Rav Halivni notes that the Tosefta at the beginning of our chapter teaches how a woman can be married via money:
"Via money, how so? If he gave her money and said to her, 'You are married to me', 'You are betrothed to me', 'Behold, you are a wife to me', behold, she is married to him."
בכסף כיצד נתן לה כסף אמר לה הרי את מקודשת לי הרי את מאורסת לי הרי את לי לאינתו ה"ז מקודשת.
The Bavli's version of this Tosefta (Kiddushin 5b) adds the phrase "or the equivalent of money/או שוה כסף". Printed editions of the Tosefta then add these words, as well, which are missing from Tosefta manuscripts.
What is left, then, is a baraita that teaches,
"And one acquires oneself via money or via a document."
וְקוֹנָה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּכֶסֶף וּבִשְׁטָר.
Rav Halivni's Big Hiddush: The Baraita Was Not about Indentured Servants
Here we find Rav Halivni's creative insight, tempered in a caveat that he likely would have done without later in his career, when his theory was more fully developed:
"Were it not for the gemara, I would say that what is being spoken about in this baraita is a full slave/'Eved Cana'ani, and this language is precisely the language of an early mishna"
ולולא הגמרא הייתי אומר שהמדובר בברייתא זו הוא עבד כנעני, ולשונה היא ממש לשונה של המשנה עתיקה.
Rav Halivni is suggesting, explosively, that while Rava and everyone after him thought that the baraita was referring to indentured servants/'Eved 'Ivri, it was actually referring to full slaves/'Eved Cana'ani.
What does Rav Halivni mean by "early mishna"? The Mishna teaches the following about the methods available to a full slave/'Eved Cana'ani for manumission (Kiddushin 1:3):
"A Canaanite slave…acquires oneself via money by other people, or via a document by himself; the words of Rabbi Meir.
And the Sages say: via money by oneself, or via a document by other people, so long as the money belongs to others."
עֶבֶד כְּנַעֲנִי…וְקוֹנֶה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְכֶסֶף עַל יְדֵי אֲחֵרִים, וּבִשְׁטָר עַל יְדֵי עַצְמוֹ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר.
וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, בְּכֶסֶף עַל יְדֵי עַצְמוֹ וּבִשְׁטָר עַל יְדֵי אֲחֵרִים, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיְּהֵא הַכֶּסֶף מִשֶּׁל אֲחֵרִים:
For Rabbi Meir and the Sages to have this dispute, they presumably would have had before them a prior, sparser mishna simply teaching:
"A Canaanite slave…acquires oneself via money or via a document."
עֶבֶד כְּנַעֲנִי…וְקוֹנֶה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְכֶסֶף וּבִשְׁטָר.
They disagreed about the conditions in which these mechanisms can effect manumission and the final Mishna incorporates their dispute into the text of the earlier mishna. But this earlier, skeletal, mishna is detectable. It is also precisely our baraita, without the Bavli gloss of "the equivalent of money/שוה כסף". Seeing our baraita as the early mishna about 'Eved Cana'ani, the meaning of which Rabbi Meir and the Sages disputed, eliminates all of our mysteries:
The Mishna didn't include documents among the methods of manumission for indentured servants because documents aren't methods of manumission for them; they are only a method for full slaves, who are fully possessed by their slavers;
The baraita doesn't include the term "deduction of money/גרעון כסף" to describe indentured servants paying off the remainder of their debts because the baraita was talking about full slaves, not indentured servants. Full slaves aren't debtors and can't pay anything off.
It is not true that this baraita appears nowhere else in tannaitic literature; we were just looking in the wrong place. It appears as the skeleton of Mishna Kiddushin 1:3, about full slaves (with a typical Bavli gloss).
In footnote 8, Rav Halivni notes that he subsequently found an earlier scholar, Haim Shaul Horowitz, who also sensed that the baraita would make more sense in reference to 'Eved Cana'ani, but didn't elaborate.
Rava Was Smart, Though; Why Did He Think this Baraita Was about Indentured Servants?
What most scandalized many traditionalists about Rav Halivni's scholarship was the confidence — arrogance, they objected — to assert that our Sages got the text wrong, that he knew something that Rava didn't. Indeed, Rav Halivni doesn't address here why Rava would have mistakenly thought that the baraita was about 'Eved 'Ivri, but we should, which will require some speculation. Many academic scholars criticized Rav Halivni for indulging in speculation; I think that his practice of this honored path of learning is one of the best aspects of his scholarship, a seat of a different kind of understanding from proof, but no less important, as long as it is recognized as such. As tiny people standing on the shoulders of giants, I think we can offer a plausible suggestion that by Rava's time, so much discussion and teaching based on the dispute between Rabbi Meir and the Sages had proliferated that their dispute couldn't be "unseen" or "unknown". Once they asked about the second order questions over mechanics of how an enslaved person can have money to give or can receive a legal document, an early mishna simply teaching that they can pay money or receive a document, with no further detail, seems reckless, even primitive, and therefore illegible. I suspect there's something more in early Amoraic development of the laws of slaves and indentured servants that I'm missing. צ"ע.
Was Rava Even Issuing a Ruling?
Rava encountered a strange, skeletal, tannaitic teaching about some kind of servant/slave earning manumission via money or a document, ruled out reading it as addressing slaves/'Eved Cana'ani, and read it, instead, as referring to indentured servants/'Eved 'Ivri. In response to that early teaching, he teased out an implication:
"this is to say, the body of a Hebrew servant is owned and if a master relinquishes his deduction, his deduction is not relinquished."
"זֹאת אוֹמֶרֶת עֶבֶד עִבְרִי גּוּפוֹ קָנוּי וְהָרַב שֶׁמָּחַל עַל גִּרְעוֹנוֹ אֵין גִּרְעוֹנוֹ מָחוּל."
Rav Halivni notes that this statement is not necessarily a legal assertion. Rava may well have been encountering this strange baraita and teasing out what it would imply, highlighting how contrary or radical such an implication would be. Rishonim understand "this is to say/זאת אומרת" teachings in this sense elsewhere: in their language, "'this,' but he doesn't reason so/זאת ולא סבירא ליה". Tosafot interpret at least one other "this is to say/זאת אומרת" teaching of Rava's in this way (Yoma 6b, Tosafot Zevahim 33a, sv הגה"ה מכלל). Rav Halivni raises this possibility and rejects it because the anonymous voice of the gemara (the stamma) elsewhere says that Rava's position is that "A Hebrew servant's body is acquired/ע"ע גופו קנוי" (Kiddushin 28a and Bava Kamma 113b). I suggest that Rav Halivni rejected his own suggestion too quickly. Those two gemarot may show the stam reading Rava as ruling when he says, "this is to say", but that doesn't mean that that's what he was doing. More importantly, though, the stam is not necessarily committed to what it's saying in those two cases. It may not be asserting anything legally, but offering a suggested framework for resolving a dispute about a different topic, for the sake of the give and take, לשקלא וטריא בעלמא, להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה. These two sugyot require further study. I can't help but wonder: had Rav Halivni lived to rewrite Mekorot UMesorot 'al Seder Nashim, would he have returned to his suggestion that Rava never even ruled that an indentured servant's body is acquired and therefore, by implication, the indenturer cannot simply waive the remainder of the debt? That we can never know; death has cruelly cast us eternally in the dark. Nevertheless, in his memory, I would like to suggest it: Rava was encountering a bizarre baraita and spelling out, incredulously, the surprising implications such a strange text would make.
If Rav Halivni was correct about the p'shat of this unusual baraita and if I'm correct about the p'shat of Rava's teaching, then my instinct is validated that it would be very discordant with Torah, tannaitic literature, and legal reasoning/s'vara to say that an indenturer lacks the authority to summon witnesses and waive the remainder of the debt: why should a more destitute debtor be more stuck in a more exploitative debt relationship than less destitute debtors? It was discordant; the tannaim never taught such a thing, and maybe neither did Rava, who was perhaps, actually shocked by the notion.
Making Moral, Halakhic Sense of the Rule that Stuck Around
I would like to move beyond the scope of Rav Halivni's genre of teaching and offer halakhic reasoning. Even if the genealogy of a halakha is a case of broken transmission, its staying power may reflect a wise idea that deserves longevity; after all, other texts get overruled. The Rishonim limit Rava's teaching to the particular law that an indenturer must write a legal document of manumission in order to free an indentured servant before the debt has been fully paid. In no other way may we liken labor debtors to slaves. I am suggesting that this requirement, while seeming to be an impingement on the freedom of the indentured servant, is actually the opposite. Let's consider how.
Jeremiah 34:11-16 (the haftarah for Parashat Mishpatim) describes a corrupt owning class population who, after finally releasing their indentured servants in accordance with Torah law, sinfully re-enslaved them. I've long wondered what the mechanisms were through which the indenturers managed to re-indenture their former debtor servants. It occurs to me that if someone is indentured to someone else and then the indenturer just says "You're free" one day, even if there are witnesses, it's probably, socially, too easy for that same indenturer to say a month later, "that was just for a break; you've got to come back now" or otherwise to assert domination and continuing hold on the formerly indentured person. Another formerly indentured person now tries to hire out as a day laborer and the prospective employer says, "Hey, wait a minute, aren't you Reuven's indentured servant? I can't hire you and get mixed up with him!" Then the freed person says, "No, he freed me!" and the employer says, "yeah, that's what they all say; the last thing I need is a problem with the law or with that other person I might need to do business with." Maybe the indenturer needs to gain some social capital with progressives and makes a gesture of freeing his indentured servants, but subtly communicates within the Chamber of Commerce that he didn't really free them. Then no one hires them and the workers go back and willingly re-indenture themselves to the original indenturer, who now has his social capital and his servants, able to say that they "chose" their dependent status. We don't have to look too hard to find myriad examples of these phenomena today.
Requiring a document enables the freed person to show it anywhere and have total clarity that they are not indentured to anyone. When there are relationships of power and domination, enabling contexts of exploitation, it is imperative to demarcate the end of their reach. Rav Halivni's source critical analysis can lead us not to over-read a strange text, flattening it to mean, against precedent and reason, that labor debtors should be seen as fundamentally stripped of their agency, God forbid. The core law preserves the agency and freedom of debtors, even as exploiters try to crush them. It would be a textual error to confuse debt with slavery, to allow debt to be treated like slavery. ישראל אם לאו נביאים, בני נביאים הם: stumbling on such an error admits only one kind of stringency: the stringency that will ultimately protect the debtor from the abuses that law-violators will try to get away with, in the face of the prophet, the court, and God.
May the memory of rabbi, my teacher, HaRav Prof. David ben Ephraim Betzalel Halivni, z"l, be for a blessing.
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Archive for New Jerusalem
Book of Revelation, More Sacred Subterfuge
Posted in agnoticism, Atheist, belief, Bible, Christianity, culture, faith, freethought, Government, history, life, politics, random, thoughts with tags "St" John's far-out trip, biblical prophecy, end times, foreign aid to Israel, New Jerusalem, Revelation, second coming on July 11, 2011 by chouck017894
There is a modern myth circulating in United States political circles that is based upon taking the New Testament's "prophecy" called Revelation as inescapable destiny, and thus believe that the contemporary nation of Israel, established May 14, 1948, will play a deciding role when "end times" judgment is levied upon Earth. It is known that the book Revelation was actually written c. 135-137, and its declared author was "St" John the Divine, who, inexplicably, has never been authenticated. Oddly, Revelation begins in letter form, "John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace." (1:4) And, peculiarly, the book ends like Paul's epistles to the same churches, with the "grace" of Jesus being invoked (22:21).
The locale for the alleged transmission of Revelation to John was on the island of Patmos off the coast of the Roman province of Asia. It was there that the risen Christ supposedly appeared to John and instructed him to write to those seven particular churches to tell them about future conditions (chapters 2 and 3). Chapters 4 and 5 had John whisked off to heaven where he sees god enthroned and holding a sealed scroll which can be opened only by the "lamb" standing beside god's throne, a figure who bears the marks of sacrifice. Chapters 6 through 19 relates a sick orgy of gory violence, which then launches into god's judgment of the world. Predetermined is a new creation (chapter 21), and the "New Jerusalem" is to descend like a "bride of the lamb." The ending, chapter 22, is rampant with typical religious name-calling and contemptuous imaging, assuring the reader that outside the gates to the new city "…are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." The same stock-in-trade hate rhetoric is still being used by religious bigots today. Apparently the isolationist city of New Jerusalem is destined to have for its next door neighbors the rowdy citizens of Hell.
The timeframe in which the writing of the New Testament's final book occurred is pertinent to understanding the alleged "prophecy" that it depicts. (In spite of it placement, Revelation was not the last book written: the book of Hebrews was written later, c. 137-140.) The late appearance of Revelation upon the scene followed upon the Jewish insurrection in Jerusalem under Bar Cocheba (132-135), an insurrection that spread to Cyrene, Egypt, Cyprus, and Mesopotamia. The Roman's were pissed. And Roman authors were responsible for all the New Testament writings. Thus the character of the mild teacher Jesus became presented as gradually transforming psychologically through the early gospels to culminate as the harsh judge presiding over the elimination of all faith systems except what the authors represented. It should be noted also that the format of Revelation borrowed heavily from the Old Testament book of Daniel, which the priests of Yahweh in Jerusalem happened to have reworked from a Babylonian poetic epic.
The long recounting of planned godly rampage which makes up the tale of Revelation thus concludes with Jerusalem, the seat of Jewish faith, being whisked off the Earth and a "New Jerusalem" being plunked down far from heaven to replace it. How the expected Christian rapture is equated with all the soot and ashes and bones and desecration upon which the New Jerusalem is to be put in place is another unanswered divine mystery. Perhaps it is simply because the book of Revelation was written in the heyday of the Roman Empire which accounts for the city of Rome being spared a similar replacement policy.
A large percentage of Christian evangelicals in the US believe that the second coming of Jesus (do they mean the early gentle teacher or the later death-dealing judge?) hinges upon the Jews gaining and maintaining control over the so-called "Holy Land." Thus in the US we have fanatic believers such as newly installed (January 2011) Republican congressman from Florida, Daniel Webster, using Revelation logic to advocate doling out excessive "aid" to Israel because, as he put it, "…if we stop helping Israel, we lose god's hand and we're in big trouble." This was aired on "Good Life 45," a televangelist TV program and replayed on YouTube. Somehow that assessment of god's character is more in keeping with the Republican characteristic of cutting backroom deals for personal gain and political domination. The political power merchants in Israel smile and shrug at such Religious Right interpretations in the US, and humbly accept the "help" of $2.4 billion a year while laughing up their sleeves. This is the political savvy that makes Israel the top recipient of foreign aid money from the United States—while the poor of our own nation are callously disregarded.
Revelation's Bumpy History
Posted in agnoticism, Atheism, Atheist, belief, Bible, Christianity, culture, faith, random, religion, thoughts with tags Apocalypse, Apocrypha, Bible and number 7, body of Moses, judgment day, New Jerusalem, Revelation, Zodiac on August 7, 2010 by chouck017894
The late appearance of the New Testament book Revelation upon the Christian scene, penned c. 135-137 CE, followed closely upon the occurrence of the Jewish insurrection in Jerusalem under Bar Cocheba (132-135). It was a Jewish insurrection which spread to Cyrene, Egypt, Cyprus and Mesopotamia. With this NT book's late appearance there is presented an inexplicable psychological change in the character of Jesus from a mild and peaceful teacher into a harsh judgmental figure. Missing in the new book of Revelation was any attempt to attract or convert Jews to the struggling cult: the emphasis was focused instead on the establishment of a new Jerusalem, a situation that is picturesquely achieved at the end of the lumbering tale (Revelation 21:10). There is strong but veiled anti-Jewish anger expressed in this tale written during Roman Empire times, and it is revealed in the contention that it is a new Jerusalem that is to be purified and lowered from Heaven; it is not Rome that is to be cleansed and lowered back to Earth. It should be noted that the work is addressed to a definite group of seven churches, all in the Roman Province of Asia.
It is also worth noting that the description of the new Jerusalem asserts that it is to have a wall surrounding it with twelve gates—three each along the north, east, south and west. As in the Old Testament tales, where the number twelve is a prime clue in the story, it is a covert way of referring to the Zodiac—as are numerous other descriptions in Revelations. And clearly the symbolism used, such as the number seven, is common to all Creation myths: 7 angels, 7 horns, 7 stars, 7 seals, 7 vials, 7 plagues, 7 candlesticks, 7 churches, 7 spirits before the throne, and the great beast with 7 heads. These are not unique to the book of Revelations, for the very same symbols are to be found in the OT book of Ezekiel (4). Another example of Zodiac plundering opens chapter four where a throne is beheld; "…and one sat upon the throne." The one sitting upon the throne was said to have the look "…of a jasper and a sardine stone and there was a rainbow round about the throne in sight like unto an emerald." The mention of these stones—jasper, sardine stone, and emerald—happen to be the gem symbols for Pisces, Gemini and Cancer. This type of borrowing continues throughout the book.
Much of the symbolism used in Revelation happens to have been common to Apocalyptic tradition of that era, and doubtlessly parts of it were also drawn from ancient Babylonian or Persian mythology. The Apocryphal vision presented in Revelation was likely also stirred by the old Hebrew tales of Moses (legends which were not canonically approved). In the unapproved Moses tale it tells of a "war in heaven" which was allegedly fought between angels and Satan's horde over possession of Moses' physical body after his death. The elements of Revelation made the book a divisive work from the start, with many finding its style and brutal scenes as starkly out-of-place with the earlier books of Gospel.
Unfortunately, by the time of "saint" Irenaeus (flourished 170-190), the book began being presented as a prophecy of God's intention for the world or his plan for the church. The third century theologian, "saint" Dionysius of Alexandria. c. 260, said of Revelation: "Even if I do not understand, I yet conceive some deeper sense to lie in the words. Not measuring and judging these things by private reasoning but giving the chief right to faith, I have supposed it to be too high to be comprehended by me." But not all Christian cult theologians were so willing to abandon rationality. For example, by 340 the Christian Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem omitted the book of Revelation from his canon. In 370, however, Bishop Epiphanius of Salamis (Constantia) of the Island of Cyprus reinstated the book for use. But then in 375 the Bishop of Nazianzen, in SW Cappadocia, struck the book form his canon. And in 380 Bishop Philastrius, bishop of Brescia (Lombardy, Italy) omitted Revelation from his canon. Even "saint" Jerome (about 390) expressed doubt about the book being attributed to John the presbyter. (The general uniformity of style indicate that was by a singular author, however.)
Even the later reformers such as Martin Luther (1483-1546) and Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) were doubtful of the book's authenticity. In general those who attribute the Fourth Gospel to "saint" John deny that Revelation could have been written by him.
The message in the Judgment Day tale is defined by local color found in the Roman Empire of the time, and references to contemporary events and issues clearly indicate that it was meant for its own age. Without doubt the author was strongly connected to the Christian cult circles in Asia, and his purpose was to send forth a message of intimidation and warning to insurgent Jews that Christ would soon be manifest and cleanse the world (the Roman world) of unbelievers.
At the closing of Revelation, John allegedly beheld "…a holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." This happens to have been lifted out of Gnostic lore of Creation, not some revelation of the new church being the "bride" of the world's savior.
Time has shown (over 2000 years) that the things allegedly foretold in Revelation is not applicalbe to the world we know today; its imagery simply is not relvant, and more importantly, it holds no spiritual value.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Метки: Демократия, Культура, Модернизация, Общество
Brown S.A., Gilson C. Five minutes with Jeffrey C. Alexander: Interview. // EUROPP, 23.04.2013.Text in web.
Five minutes with Jeffrey C. Alexander:
"Southern European countries are not just experiencing an economic crisis,
but also an identity crisis"
Is there a 'dark side' to European modernity? As part of our 'Thinkers on Europe' series, EUROPP's editors Stuart A Brown and Chris Gilson spoke to Jeffrey C. Alexander about his views on modernity, the European integration process, and the importance of cultural and political symbols to European democracy.
You've written about the 'dark side' of modernity. What is the dark side to European modernity?
Well the dark side is the disappointing, dangerous side to modernity, not to mention the murder and wars. There's a strong narrative of progress that's associated with the idea of modernity, although it depends when you think modernity started. You might start with the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, or the Scientific Revolution, but I wanted to put "The Dark Side of Modernity" together to crystallize the idea that there has always been a dark part that offers a kind of counterpoint to the light part. And in Europe of course we think of the first half of the 20th century as a devastating period both in terms of the birth of total war and genocide.
I describe modernity as 'Janus faced'. The god Janus was a Roman god that was associated with the creation of order in the universe, but there was also the idea that disorder was always close behind. So he was a god whose face was split and looked in both directions. They often put images of Janus over doorways, arches, and entrances to indicate that even when you're moving through something, you're also drawn back into the chaos.
How important are cultural and political symbols to modern European democracy?
I think they are important to European democracy. I've helped develop something called 'cultural sociology' and I think that symbols, narratives – even rituals – continue to be fundamental to the possibility of a social order in modern times. Of course Europe itself is a symbol – there's already a word 'Europe' – so that's very significant. We don't just talk about Britain, or France, or any other country, we also talk about Europe in its own right. In contrast to some other countries, a lot of people in the UK often talk about Europe as if the UK isn't part of it, so you can see the importance of symbols in that regard.
I also think that Europe as a project, as the European Union or the euro, has had a problem developing common symbols. That's been part of its difficulty in providing a sense of solidarity across nations among ordinary citizens, not just the elites. I believe that attachment to common symbols is the way that people experience a connection to each other. I certainly think that has an impact on the problems with the euro, which is a major symbol. Even though it's an economic and material object, it's also a symbol and it's been under a lot of pressure. The elites are the ones who introduced the euro, of course, and I think the struggle for the euro – as people say, to 'save the euro' – has to be understood on a non-economical level. It's a struggle to save the symbol of the euro, which represents the idea that the states of Europe can be attached to each other through a shared economic fate.
In terms of how symbols are generated from the bottom up, one thing I've been struck by since I've been living in the UK – whether you consider it part of Europe or not – is the impact of football. I think football and sports generate an awful lot of the common symbols that people share. The players are moved back and forth through different teams, and you find people with favorite teams from all over the continent. People who support Manchester United, for example, are supporting players from all over, not just from Manchester. Then there are European competitions, such as the Champions League. So I think that sports are possibly one way in which symbols are generated from the bottom up.
You've previously developed a theory of 'cultural trauma'. Could the austerity policies that are being implemented in southern Europe be considered a form of cultural trauma?
Absolutely. The point of my theory of cultural trauma is that there is a subjective, cultural, and political process that happens – not just a physical or material event. So you might have a war, but then that war has these long-term, open-ended repercussions which are then patterned by social struggles and social innovations. The EU was a response to a trauma construction after World War Two, and it was obviously an extremely constructive one. After World War One the trauma process was such that it separated European countries and turned them into even more enduring enemies, but there was a different kind of trauma construction after World War Two.
Now Europe is experiencing a real traumatic episode, which I think has reached this level of trauma because people are extremely frightened. They're frightened about the core of their identity: certainly the southern European countries are not just experiencing a terrible economic crisis, but also an identity crisis about who they are and what the relationship towards their neighbours should be. The hatred of Germany that you find in Greece and even in Spain is pretty frightening, too. I think all of these developments have to be carefully processed.
Is the lack of a single European culture a fundamental limitation of European integration?
Well I wouldn't agree with the premise that there isn't any common European culture. I think that there are overlapping common cultures: there is a lot that Europe has in common. When you look at it from the American perspective, there is this dialogue between something called 'Europe' and something called the 'United States', and Europe gains, in fact, a lot of its identity from differentiating itself from the United States – and vice versa. But of course within Europe there are centuries and centuries of intense war and economic competition. Just look at the relationship between France and the UK: it's filled with conflict. I think of the effort of the EU as not only a political and economic effort, but as an aim to create a deeper common culture.
So there's an open-ended, dynamic relationship. The idea of a Europe of nations is the only possible solution here: there's a common thing called 'Europe', but there are also nations. There's a play off between difference and commonality. But it is a danger right now, in this economic crisis, as to whether there is enough non-economic solidarity to have people willing to make sacrifices for other Europeans. Inside of the UK or Germany, for example, there are a lot of regional variations, but there's enough national identification to allow that to happen. Is there enough shared symbolism and common culture to allow there to be that kind of solidarity within Europe? I think the jury is still out on that.


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ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Renée Elise Goldsberry Nominated for Tony Award! - ABC Soaps In Depth
ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Renée Elise Goldsberry Nominated for Tony Award!
Mike Coppola/Getty Images Portrait
Congratulations to ONE LIFE TO LIVE fan favorite Renée Elise Goldsberry (Evangeline), who earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her work as Angelica Schuyler Church in the Broadway smash hit, Hamilton!
The actress posted a photo of herself and daughter Brielle after the nominations were announced, writing, "I am so grateful for her and for all of God's perfect blessings! I am so humbled by this nomination. And I am high on all this love…"
Watched the Tony noms with my baby girl this morning! I am so grateful for her and for all of God's perfect blessings! I am so humbled by this nomination. And I am high on all this love...
A photo posted by Renee Elise Goldsberry (@reneeelisegoldsberry) on May 3, 2016 at 6:37am PDT
Another OLTL alum is up for a Tony as well, with Jonathan Groff nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his own work in Hamilton! Daytime fans might recall he briefly played troubled high school student Henry Mackler on the soap.
The 70th annual Tony Awards are scheduled to be held on Sunday, June 12. Good luck to them both — and all the other nominees — on the big night!
For more on your favorite OLTL alums, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine!
Happy Anniversary to ONE LIFE TO LIVE — Relive Four Decades of Drama in Llanview!
Mark Lawson Opens up About His GENERAL HOSPITAL Appearance
Who Is Dustin Phillips on GENERAL HOSPITAL? — That's OLTL Actor Mark Lawson!
Jessica Tuck Reflects on Megan and Jake's Final Embrace on ONE LIFE TO LIVE (EXCLUSIVE)


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Patangpuluhan is een bestuurslaag in het regentschap Jogjakarta van de provincie Jogjakarta, Indonesië. Patangpuluhan telt 6172 inwoners (volkstelling 2010).

Plaats in Jogjakarta

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Do we have a list of available / supported scopes to be send during an authorization flow 'on behalf of a user'?
Are there other scopes available?
Would it possible to update the API documentation, so it is clear what is supported?
Update: Discovered yesterday that the scope "search" has been removed.
Hmm. Not sure what happened to my answer...... I thought I had already answered this.
I believe you don't need to specify any scopes for the moment. It will "default" appropriately. Did you try not placing any scopes?
Eventually (soon) we will support a variety of scopes based on the permission system.


A midlife crisis isn't since terrible as its painted. The viewpoint to face it alone is a lot more terrifying. Let's have it all sorted away to be able to prevent this dilemma.
The answer to the concern above is pretty that is simple try to find pleasure. Well, many of them do. Let's speak about some exceptions first then get back to those that want absolutely nothing but become delighted.
I question you may satisfy just one Ukrainian girl in her 40's without kids. A lot of the single mature ladies that are ukrainian divorced and also have kiddies. Thus, if you're dating A ukrainian mature woman and her young ones (or kid) are under 18 (or even 20), the chances that she is looking for a paternalfather are actually high. We cannot say that this is certainly bad. It's not! She really loves her kids and there's absolutely nothing strange about any of it. The real question is whether you are quite ready to become someone's stepfather or not. You'll want to realize that children will likely be of a great value for her. Isn't it time to aid your new family members economically? Won't you are feeling jealous about her? If not, all things are fine. You have got nothing to concern yourself with.
Now, let's see how to make an adult Ukrainian woman happy. Ukrainian ladies dating is certainly not hard. Unlike 25-years-old girls, they don't appearancefor a prince. They value respectful relationships.


This year, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Chase Festival in Heidelberg as head DJ. I've had that position at DJam for the last decade, but Chase is a different proposition – a considerably larger event with nearly a thousand attendees, and one of the highest profile Lindy Hop events in Europe, so it was very flattering to be invited to take up such a role.
Part of my job was to prepare music for competitions, which is simultaneously fun and stressful. It's a huge responsibility – you need to find music which challenges dancers, but brings out the best in them, entertains the audience, preferably without being too obvious and using the same old songs time after time after time. Lindyhopper's Delight, for example, is an amazing competition tune, but so well-known by now that most experienced dancers could probably hum it backwards. Yes – I will use it, but I try not to rely on songs like that.
Luckily for me, the Chase team are extremely experienced and polished at running these competitions, and I wasn't caught out by anything like that – but experience has taught me always to prepare well.
Read MoreC Jam Blues — and Who Needs a Rhythm Section?


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Mr. Joseph Nickolas Kroboth
September 22, 1944 - August 9, 2020
Sadly, on August 9, 2020, I unexpectedly lost the love of my life and my true soulmate, Joseph Nickolas Kroboth in Naples, Florida. Joseph was born on September 22, 1944 in Troy, New York to Adolf Anthony Kroboth and Anna Maria Neudecker. He moved with his mum and brother Alfred to New Lebanon, New York in 1952, graduating from New Lebanon High School with the class of 1962. Joseph learned his great work ethic from his mum Anna, helping her in their grocery store and gas station, and then working with her and his stepdad Victor Zeiter at The Ski Lodge Restaurant. He was known by many as "Joe Ski Lodge, The Bouncer." During the week, he worked at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in CT on the assembly line. He decided to further his education by attending Albany Business College and then transferred to Siena College where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Business, graduating in three years. He was hired by one of the top eight accounting firms in the country, Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co., where he worked until l973 when he founded County Concrete Corp. He started with six mixers and a portable batch plant that he set up in Cheshire, MA. He needed a new site, so Don Conway offered his property on Hubbard Avenue in Dalton, where he settled permanently building his concrete Kingdom. In 1978, he started Northern Foundations, Inc. with a crew of three, one used pick-up truck, and used panels doing excavation, foundations, and flatwork. In 1981, he and James H. Maxymillian purchased Vincent Sand and Gravel, Inc. and formed Pittsfield Sand and Gravel, Inc. They later purchased Bushika Sand and Gravel in Cheshire. In 1991, Joseph purchased the redi-mixed assets of Berkshire Concrete Corp, a division of Petricca Industries. Joseph was extremely dedicated to serving his customers with a quality product and the best service possible. He truly enjoyed encouraging employees to find happiness and success in their career and to be a part of the Team. During these years, Joseph kept the Team busy by developing Walden Village, Kathy Way, Beechwood Estates, Lenore Development, Karen Dr, Kara Dr, Giovina Dr, and his final project, Amy Court, which he was working on at the time of his death. In 2008, Joseph and his wife Amy decided to sell County Concrete Corp's redi-mixed assets and the sand and gravel operations. They continued to operate Northern Foundations, Inc. with their son Adam until closing the doors in 2019 due to the labor shortage in Berkshire County. Joseph liked to work hard, but he also found time to enjoy the fruits of his labor enjoying trips to Las Vegas to attend the World of Concrete conventions, voyages abroad, and the US with his families and good friends. They traveled all over the world with their close friends, Thomas and Barbara Garrity every year since 1985. Joseph and Amy enjoyed twenty-nine years as member of The Country Club of Pittsfield, playing golf, tennis and platform tennis. For the last twenty years they were fortunate to escape the cold winters of the North and work from their home in Naples, Florida. Besides his beloved wife Amy, whom he shared 42 years with, Joseph leaves a brother Alfred, a daughter, Elizabeth A. Haines of Texas, two sons, Joseph C. Kroboth (Michelle) of Pittsfield, Adam J. Kroboth (Kayla) of Pittsfield, and seven grandchildren, Kaleigh, Ashlyn, Brendan, and Emme Lyon of Texas, and Logan, Owen, and Ella Kroboth of Pittsfield. He was predeceased by two daughters, Anne Marie and Kathleen Kroboth. Funeral Notice: At his request, there will be no formal funeral services for Mr. Joseph Nickolas Kroboth.
Sadly, on August 9, 2020, I unexpectedly lost the love of my life and my true soulmate, Joseph Nickolas Kroboth in Naples, Florida. Joseph was born on September 22, 1944 in Troy, New York to Adolf Anthony Kroboth and Anna Maria Neudecker. He... View Obituary & Service Information
The family of Mr. Joseph Nickolas Kroboth created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories.
Sadly, on August 9, 2020, I unexpectedly lost the love of my...
Send flowers to the Kroboth family.


This young kaiju may not be big enough to destroy big buildings just yet, but he is a master sandcastle crusher! He just loves terrorizing beaches, practicing for the day when he is ready to tackle the big cities.
Custom T-Con the Toyconosaurus with details sculpted using sculpey/apoxie sculpt, painted with acrylics and finished with varnish. Comes with a detachable sculpted flamingo pool ring and wooden base with sculpted sandcastle and decorative sand.


The new Whistles collection ought to get Stateside ladies stoked about the English high-street brand's nascent expansion into America. Dudes, for that matter, can join in on the excitement, too—there were a few polished looks from the new Whistles menswear label interspersed through the show this evening. But the women's clothes were the main story here, and a fine story it was. The strongest looks had a sensual simplicity—a little cream-colored dress, cut away at the waist and through the back; a culotte jumpsuit in black, with deep slits under each arm; a slouchy one-shoulder top in white, paired with matching, equally fluid pants. Linen pieces trimmed in raffia fringe made more of an overt statement, but exuded a similar sense of ease. Laser-cut leather is emerging as a big trend here in London, and the Whistles take on the look was executed with flair; the only qualm, really, is that these looks seem likely to die in the closet after a season, or perhaps two. Some women may not mind that, given that Whistles is a sticker-shock-free zone. But the brand's best clothes always seem meant to endure—an appealing quality, regardless of price. Good-looking pieces, designed and produced to last: That's something to get excited about.


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What is top spin in snooker?
What is top spin in pool?
How long can a top spin?
Does topspin bounce high?
What is a stun shot?
Top spin occurs when you apply the cue tip above the centre spot of the cue ball. The higher the strike the more top spin that is applied. You may sometimes hear top spin referred to as "follow" this is due to the fact that the cue ball will follow through after striking the object ball.
Top spin is imparted to a ball by hitting it above the midpoint of its vertical plane as it faces the shooter. Top spin is spin in the direction a ball naturally "wants" to take in reaction to friction from contact with the pool cloth. Because of this, a ball sliding on the cloth will rapidly pick up follow.
How do you top spin?
To generate topspin, you want to brush up on the ball using a low to high swing path. Place the ball between the net cord and your racquet. Then, using a low to high swing path, "brush" the ball off te net cord and over the net. Done correctly, you will see ball rotate forward with topspin.
27 hours 9 minutes and 24 seconds
Two toy companies have teamed up to make a spinning top which can keep on rotating for more than a day. Fearless Toys (Israel) and Breaking Toys Ltd (USA) have broken the record for the Longest-running mechanical spinning top (prototype), with a head-turning record time of 27 hours 9 minutes and 24 seconds.
Competitive utility. The topspin shot is very effective on hard surfaces. The ball spins forward and descends toward the ground quicker, so it can be hit with more force compared to another type of shot. On most court surfaces, topspin also makes the ball bounce higher.
What makes a good masse cue?
Massé cues will use a leather tip because you still need grip to impart all that spin. A lot of massé cues will have a larger tip (14 mm). Some jump cues will, but most stay around 13 mm.
What is a stun shot? Stun means pure sliding, where there is no topspin or bottom spin. With a stun shot, the CB has no top or bottom spin when it hits the OB. For a straight in stun shot, the CB stops in place and transfers all of its energy to the OB. This is called a stop shot.
What is Freeport Tx known for?
Does Sharla like Shulk?


PAIR WITH: Pair with our Apex MTB Short, offering the same performance-minded minimalism. Also, pick up a pair of our Apex MTB bib short liners to keep you comfortable each hour spent on the trail. The Apex Bib Short Liner features our Ascent level Cytech E.I.T. Liege Carbonium chamois and unique rear pocketing system to allow you to ditch the hydration pack on those 1-3 hour adventures.


The interested candidates may submit application to Administration Unit, on or before 7th May 2018. Shortlisted candidates will be notified for selection interview to be held on 10th May 2018 from 9.30 am onwards at NPRDC conference hall. Further clarification may be obtained at 17715967.
Applications are invited from Bhutanese Nationals between the age of 18 to 50 for the post of Sweeper, ESP category of RCSC for Agriculture Machinery Centre, AMC, Paro.
The applications should be submitted to the administration section on or before 7th May 2018 before 5 PM.
All government offices and businesses throughout the Kingdom will remain closed on Friday, 20 April 2018, to allow the electorate to vote for their choice for National Council Candidate of their respective dzongkhags.


Students will be starting our Ecology potion of this class...CH 20.
CH 20 TEST is on Thurs 4/11 for period 1, and on Friday 4/12 for periods 3-8.
Students are working on CH4...REPRODUCTION.
Asexual reproduction WS, meiosis drawing WS, vocab (ch4), practice test... all due wed 12/19.
HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY BREAK!!!!!!
Students are working on CH2 sect 3 and 4.
Potato Activity WS, photosynthesis/temp WS, and Controls/variables of colored light assignment are due Tues 12/4.
Vocab, WS 2-4 Cell energy, and crossword puzzle are due Wed 12/5.
Test is on thurs 12/6.
Students are working on Ch 3.
Vocab, Ch 3 Rev, and Practice Test are due Tues 11/6 for periods 3 and 4. Due Wed 11/7 for periods 1,5,6,8.
The powerpoint(notes) will be given as a paper copy to every student.


This week's highlights are the direct opposite of previous week… a real color boost!
Please, help me find this week's most interesting, beautiful, funny or artistic photos on Expono. Send your tips to Magnus and don't forget to favorite, rate, or comment the photos you enjoy as I believe feedback is truly appreciated.
Last week's photo highlights are dark, gritty and atmospheric photos only to be "lit up" by a caricature by Magdiel Rivero. Help me find this week's most interesting, beautiful, funny or artistic photos on Expono. Send your tips to Magnus and don't forget to favorite, rate, or comment the photos you enjoy as I believe feedback is truly appreciated.
I've gotten quite a few questions about how views are calculated. The short answer: Views are unique. Bound to session id or user id. It's not like Youtube where a "view" equals a page refresh and can be gamed. A "view" is also only counted for images viewed in medium size or larger. Views of thumbnails and small size of images are not counted.
Here are some of the photos from the global pool of favorites from last week. Help me find the most interesting, beautiful, funny or artistic photos on Expono. Send your tips to Magnus and don't forget to favorite, rate, or comment the photos you enjoy as I believe feedback is truly appreciated.
A couple of months ago I wrote a post about how you can use Google's Ajax Feed API to create a slide show showing photos from Expono. Creative coder Martin Jonsson took that idea further and created a WordPress Plugin for it, making it extremely simple to post photos from Expono or any other Media RSS enabled site.
After you have installed the plugin you only have to type the following shortcode to include a slideshow in your blog. The plugin offers a lot of parameters and options. I suggest you head over to martinj.net for the most recent documentation about how to use the plugin.
Example: How to display the latest public photos uploaded to Expono.
I suggest you copy the link behind your RSS icon on your favorites page to get the correct URL. If you want to do it manually you have to replace my username and user_id with your own.
Ok.. that's it.. have a great weekend!
We thought it would be fun to highlight a couple of photos every week. The idea is that you favorite photos you would like to see "highlighted" on the blog every week. From the global pool of public photo favorites we pick a couple and post them. Beautiful photos, interesting photos, photos that tell a story, funny photos, etc.. we really don't have to set a limit here and now. If you got some ideas about this or photos that we need to highlight, send me a message on Expono.
Starting next week, we'll post a couple of favorites from this week (April 5th – April 11th).
In the meanwhile enjoy these favorites!
We hope you've had a great Easter Weekend so far and are ready for some good news!
We are introducing Expono PLUS gift codes which let you purchase upgrades to yourself or a friend. We even got volume discounts.
To celebrate this we're offering up to 40% discount on products! Just enter coupon code HAPPYEASTER2010 in the Expono Store to receive 20% off the complete order.
If you have a subscription today and purchase a 1-year subscription you won't loose your remaining time. You will extended your subscription by another year. If you got 6 months remaining and purchase another 12 months. You will get 18 months remaining.
The best thing is that you can finally purchase an upgrade to a friend or a family member. All purchases results in a receipt with a unique serial number which can be redeemed by anyone who got an account here.
If you decide to purchase a 3-year subscription which is already at 20% discount with the HAPPYEASTER2010 discount code, you will save 40%! It's a super deal!


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IOWA FOOTBALL
49ers draft Iowa QB C.J. Beathard: 'They won't regret it'
Chad Leistikow
If any further evidence were needed that the NFL Draft is unpredictable, there's this: Quarterback C.J. Beathard became the first Hawkeye off the board in 2017.
Beathard was selected in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 104 overall pick Friday night.
The Franklin, Tenn., native becomes the highest-drafted quarterback to have played for head coach Kirk Ferentz, outpacing Ricky Stanzi (fifth round, 2011) and Jake Rudock (sixth round, 2016).
Beathard (6-foot-2½, 219 pounds) threw for more than 5,500 yards and racked up 40 touchdown passes while compiling a 21-7 record as a starter at Iowa.
"They won't regret it," Beathard told Bay Area media in a conference call Friday night.
He joins a franchise that is building from the ground up and will be part of a shaky 49ers depth chart at QB that includes 2016 Chicago Bears backups Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley.
"We're bringing him in here to develop him and give him a chance, but just like any other position, everyone competes," new 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Brian is our starting quarterback and, right now, Matt Barkley is our second. And I look at him to come in and be our third, with us only having three on the roster.
"He's a leader. He's tough. He processes very well. He's extremely accurate and he lives and dies football."
49ers general manager John Lynch traded picks with the Minnesota Vikings to move into the third round to nab Beathard.
"At the end of the day, we felt like it was worth it," Lynch told media, "to be able to go to bed knowing that we had a (quarterback) that we liked."
Beathard was the sixth quarterback taken overall in the draft, a huge jump up the board compared with the pundits' prognostications. Beathard was expected to be a sixth or seventh round pick, according to NFL.com.
"He has the kind of size you want," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said during his network's broadcast. "He doesn't have the big arm. He can beat you rolling out, scrambling around, making some plays with his legs.
"When he was in that pro(-style) offense, he was a winning quarterback. I think he's a career backup. ... An insurance policy."
At some point Saturday, Beathard will likely see three former Hawkeye teammates selected. Cornerback Desmond King, defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson and tight end George Kittle are still waiting for their names to be called.
Eighteen cornerbacks were selected in the first three rounds, and none on them were the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award winner. King, a two-time all-American who returned to school for his senior season despite an eight-interception season as a junior, was projected to go as early as the second round.
The Hawkeyes' all-time leader in career starts (51) and No. 4 in interceptions (14) projects as either a cornerback or safety at the next level, with his excellent ball skills and sound tackling ability.
Johnson, a first-team all-Big Ten Conference performer last season, was expected to go in the third or fourth rounds.
Kittle should be one of the next tight ends selected. Six tight ends have been chosen, and Pro Football Focus and NFL Network's Mike Mayock have him as the No. 5 overall player at his position.
Saturday's fourth through seventh rounds begin at 11 a.m. CT, with five minutes allowed per pick in Rounds 4-6 and four minutes in Round 7.


The external genitalia problems are cumbersome problems for both doctors and parents, as these abnormalities have a consequent impact on future generations. However, the affected young infants are unaware of the consequences due to immature emotional state. Further, the feeling of being different and inferior in affected young patients could give rise to negative emotions including depression, insecurity, anxiety, powerlessness, etc. These all factors collectively could cause a mental imbalance in the affected children. The present review article is focused on the latest updates in the area.


Tag Archive | "recover from the holidays 50km"
Here is a photo of the official medal, or is that finisher's wood, from the 2010 Recover from the Holidays 50km trail ultra marathon that took place on December 31, 2010.
A very unique and desirable finisher's medal for sure.
The race takes place in Huntsville, Alabama at the Huntsville Cross Country Running Park.
Thanks to Chris Estes for sending in the photo of his newly acquired bling.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Azure.Core;
using Azure.Core.TestFramework;
using NUnit.Framework;

namespace Azure.Developer.LoadTesting.Tests.Samples
{
    public partial class LoadTestingSamples: SamplesBase<LoadTestingClientTestEnvironment>
    {
        [Test]
        [AsyncOnly]
        public async Task CreateOrUpdateTestAsync()
        {
            string endpoint = TestEnvironment.Endpoint;
            TokenCredential credential = TestEnvironment.Credential;

            // creating LoadTesting Client
            LoadTestingClient loadTestingClient = new LoadTestingClient(endpoint, credential);

            // getting appropriate Subclient
            LoadTestAdministrationClient loadTestAdministrationClient = loadTestingClient.getLoadTestAdministration();

            #region Snippet:Azure_Developer_LoadTesting_CreateOrUpdateTestAsync

            // provide unique identifier for your test
            string testId = "my-test-id";

            // all data needs to be passed while creating a loadtest
            var data = new
            {
                description = "This is created using SDK",
                displayName = "SDK's LoadTest",
                loadTestConfig = new
                {
                    engineInstances = 1,
                    splitAllCSVs = false,
                },
                secrets = new
                {
                    secret1 = new
                    {
                        value = "https://sdk-testing-keyvault.vault.azure.net/secrets/sdk-secret",
                        type = "AKV_SECRET_URI"
                    }
                },
                enviornmentVariables = new
                {
                    myVariable = "my-value"
                },
                passFailCriteria = new
                {
                    passFailMetrics = new
                    {
                        condition1 = new
                        {
                            clientmetric = "response_time_ms",
                            aggregate = "avg",
                            condition = ">",
                            value = 300
                        },
                        condition2 = new
                        {
                            clientmetric = "error",
                            aggregate = "percentage",
                            condition = ">",
                            value = 50
                        },
                        condition3 = new
                        {
                            clientmetric = "latency",
                            aggregate = "avg",
                            condition = ">",
                            value = 200,
                            requestName = "GetCustomerDetails"
                        }
                    },
                }
            };

            try
            {
                Response response = await loadTestAdministrationClient.CreateOrUpdateTestAsync(testId, RequestContent.Create(data));

                // if the test is created successfully, printing response
                Console.WriteLine(response.Content);
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(string.Format("Error : ", e.Message));
            }
            #endregion
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Heart Wood, a beautiful soft pink, is Dulux Colour of the Year 2018. We've identified a global need for homes to feel even more nurturing than before – and this is where Heart Wood comes in.
It's the 15th year of Colour Futures – the trend research where we identify one hero paint colour that is relevant in homes around the world. This year's colour is Heart Wood (10YR 28/072), a beautiful warm pink chosen by the colour specialists at Dulux Global Aesthetic Centre.
Inspired by the new palettes for 2018? The Dulux Visualizer app can help you to see how colour can transform your walls. Colour Futures 18 coming soon!


text:
BoLS Overview: Gates of Antares Rulebook
Join us as we take a look at the new Rulebook for Gates of Antares – the latest from Warlord Games!
Hey BoLS Readers, AdamHarry back with another Overview! This time I'm focusing my lens of concentration at the new game from Warlord Games: Beyond the Gates of Antares. I've already unboxed their starter and now I want to run through the Rulebook. I touch very lightly on the ruleset and mostly focus on the rest of the "stuff" in the book, So check it out:
via Warlord Games
Gates of Antares Rulebook $48.00
At 260-pages, this full-colour hardback tome contains everything you need to know in order to get started exploring the brand new Science Fiction universe from the creator of Warhammer 40,000…
Beyond the Gates of Antares lies a universe vast beyond comprehension, a universe of human endeavour stretching eons into a dark and turbulent past, a universe of embattled civilisations possessed of unimaginable power. Across millions of worlds rival empires are locked in a struggle for dominance, driven by intellects that are as much machine as human, the omniscient integrated machine intelligence of a society and a time very different to our own.
This is the universe of the Seventh Age of Humanity and the setting for our game. Our game is called Beyond the Gates of Antares because that is where our adventures will take us. We will travel through Antarean dimensional gateways to the galaxy spanning empires of the PanHuman Concord and Isorian Senatex, and further to the myriad worlds of the Determinate and beyond. We will board the glittering space borne cities of the Vardari, the great mercantile powers of Antarean space, and we will confront foes as implacable as the Ghar and as merciless as the Renegade NuHu Shards.
Beyond the Gates of Antares was originally conceived as a game and that is where our journey begins. However, our game is only the first step upon a path that promises to take us to new stars and undiscovered worlds which inhabit a living, breathing universe, and one that we intend to realise fully in the form of campaigns, background expansions and – in time – much more in order to explore the many different aspects of our setting.
Book Contents:
A break-down of all of the game rules, easing you into the new system
An extensive Terrain section, outlining dozens of different terrain types to be found in the Antarean universe
An Armoury section, featuring entries (and blueprints!) of the various weapon technologies used in Antares
More advances rules for using Mounted Units, Vehicles, Buildings and more
A section detailing just a handful of the different creatures which inhabit Antarean space
6 Matched Scenarios, and 6 Narrative Scenarios
Full Army Lists for 6 factions
A detailed timeline of Antarean Space, including Star Map and dedicated sections for each specific faction
Quick Reference Sheet, Weapons Summary, and Templates Section to the rear of the book
As I was flipping through this book I couldn't help but think about a few things. The first thing that came to me was, "the production values are great for this product." I've done more than a few unboxings and this book, as far as materials goes, is up at the top. It's hardback, looks nice and the paper is not the cheap stuff. Plus it's heavy which is a sign of a dense book. Thankfully the table of contents is laid out very well so it's easy to find things – another plus in my opinion!
The next thing that came to me was just how much "stuff" was crammed into this book. Not only did you have ALL the backstory for EACH of the 6 factions, you also had full army lists, rules and an Armory section! Basically this is a fully flushed out universe – and it's got a solid core to grow from!
Another thing that jumped out at me was all of the little things that really add to the experience of playing in this universe. For example, I love it when I see a map of the star systems or of a planet. It just shows the creators of the game went that extra step of mapping it out on paper to make it a "real" place – like you could actually visit those places and be able to find your way around.
This book really reminded me of some of the early editions of Warhammer 40,000 in terms of layout. And it makes sense because Rick Priestly wrote it! The fact that you have a single tome with everything you need to play (rules and army construction wise) combined with the history and the "why" of the setting is great. I don't think it's possible for some of the larger games systems out there to start over or reset to this format, but it works perfectly for a new game and has an added benefit of being something you can grow the rest of your game from.
Overall, I like this rulebook. I think Gates of Antares is a solid game system and this Rulebook does a good job of legitimizing and solidifying it as a well thought-out game system. As a side note, I'm building and painting up the Ghar from the Starter Box Set. I mentioned this already so I won't rehash that but I wanted to say it's been a breeze. I can't wait to start playing this game now!
Gates of Antares gets the Thumbs-up from me! But you should go check it out and form your own opinion…and then let us know in the comments below! AdamHarry, OUT!
Gates of Antares Sci-fi Videos Warlord
Warlord: Beyond the Gates of Antares Pre-Orders LIVE!


text:
Great Memories
Excerpted from Buccaneers Review: A countdown of the Buccaneers' five greatest regular-season games of the last decade
Last November's win over Washington was certainly a thrilling contest...was it one of the Bucs' five greatest games of the last decade?
(Note: The following story was featured in Volume 1, Issue 2 of Buccaneers Review, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' ground-breaking new game program. Buccaneers Review has reinvented the game program with magazine-style presentation, in-depth and current analysis of both teams and dozens of pages of fresh content every issue. On Sunday, the Buccaneers will give a free copy of Buccaneers Review to every ticket holder who attends the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.)
They are the ones you still talk about. The ones that keep you coming back for more.
When they're over, you find yourself stumbling out of Raymond James Stadium in a happy daze, or dancing unashamedly around your living room furniture. You've saved the clippings, taped the highlights and committed the biggest plays to memory.
They are the great ones, the most memorable games in a sport that produces outsized drama every Sunday. The ones that turn a team around, or prove its worth against "superior" talent, or simply make you forget any other disappointments of the season for a little while.
You know what we're talking about. You remember Derrick Brooks forcing Ahman Green to fumble and Chidi Ahanotu recovering to set up Martin Gramatica's go-ahead field goal. You may even remember the date: November 12, 2000. Heck, just about any Bucs-Packers game in Raymond James Stadium from 1998 through 2002 was a thriller.
Or how about the Bucs falling behind 15-0 in their inaugural game at Raymond James Stadium on September 20, 1998? Do you remember Dave Moore reaching out with one hand, all alone down the right sideline, to haul in an apparently overthrown TD pass, sparking a 27-point comeback in a 27-15 victory? Of course you do! Nice opening, RayJay!
Those are the games we're talking about, the highest peaks in a decade full of drama and success. Our goal is to pick the very best from among those great games.
Our goal, to be exact, is to name The Five Greatest Buccaneer Games of the Last Decade.
The Bucs' current era of success can be traced back to the second half of 1996, as the sweeping changes put in motion by new ownership began to take effect. After an 0-5 start, Tampa Bay won six of its 11, germinating hope that sprung full-bloom from the ground with the memorable 5-0 start of 1997. Since then, the Bucs have had six playoff seasons, three division titles, two NFC Championship Game appearances and one Super Bowl victory. We're going to identify the greatest afternoons – and in some cases evenings – during that run.
A few ground rules.
We are considering regular-season games only. Otherwise the playoffs of 2002 would pretty much dominate the list. These are the games that got the Bucs there. 2. We are considering only Buccaneer victories. Yes, there have been some thrilling games that went the other way, but do you really consider them among your fondest Buc memories? Let the Colts reminisce about Monday night in 2003, and let the Raiders keep fond memories of that one-week aberration in 1999. 3. Context is very, very important. The Bucs' 35-0 crushing of Cincinnati to end the 1998 season was entertaining, but it failed to win Tampa Bay a playoff berth thanks to an Arizona victory later that day. Great games are made greater by their overall importance to a playoff run. 4. Context, on the other hand, isn't everything. There are few regular-season games in Buc history more important than the 15-0 road win over the Bears in the 2002 season finale, but that game featured two back-up quarterbacks, five field goals and a lot of sloppy play. On the flip side, there are two games in the ensuing top five that did not belong to playoff seasons, the lesson being that a great game is sometimes too great to ignore.With that, we present to you, in reverse order, The Five Greatest Buccaneer Games of the Last Decade.
5. September 8, 2003: Bucs 17, Eagles 0.
We start off with a contest unlike any of the others on the list. It was neither particularly close nor ultimately important to a playoff race. It was, in fact, the season opener to a 6-10 season.
But when was the last time you woke up on the morning after a game and felt better about the Buccaneers than on the Tuesday morning that followed this Monday Night Football extravaganza?
The Bucs were defending Super Bowl champions, the jewel that is always featured on the opening weekend of the next season. And yet the deck was stacked against the champs. The opponent was Philadelphia, the team the Bucs beat in the previous NFC Championship Game, the game that blew up Veterans Stadium. The location was not Tampa but the Eagles' gleaming new replacement for the Vet, Lincoln Financial Field. Emotions were running high in Philly.
There were fireworks. There was a laser display over a darkened stadium. There was even Sly Stallone leading a cheer. "I've never seen a pregame like that," Bucs Coach Jon Gruden said. "This place was juiced."
The Linc threatened to boil over early in the fourth quarter when, four minutes into the game, the Eagles had a first-and-goal at the Bucs' one. The ensuing moments would set the tone for the game, but not in the way the Eagles expected. After three marvelous stops by the Bucs' defense, the Eagles brought out their field goal unit but holder/quarterback Koy Detmer pulled up and threw a pass to tight end L.J. Smith, who dropped it.
After that goal-line stand, the Bucs allowed only three first downs and no points before halftime, making Martin Gramatica's 23-yard field goal stand up. The second half turned into the Joe Jurevicius Show.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Brad Johnson lofted a fade pass to Jurevicius in the left corner of the end zone. The receiver was well covered by Lito Sheppard, but he used his 6-5 frame to out-jump Sheppard for the ball, narrowly getting his feet inbounds on the landing. The play was challenged and upheld.
That was enough to secure the victory for the Bucs, whose defense was feeling the moment. Said DT Warren Sapp: "Once we got it rolling, you know how we are. We're like sharks and piranhas with blood in the water." Sapp would also catch a 14-yard pass as a tight end to set up another Jurevicius moment, this one among the greatest catches anyone has ever seen. On an out thrown a bit behind him at the two-yard line, Jurevicius reached back and tipped the ball up and over defender Troy Vincent, then spun 180 degrees and dove into the end zone and over Sheldon Brown to catch the deflection for another touchdown.
The game, coupled with its predecessor the previous January, reversed the Bucs' hang-up with the Eagles. "I make the analogy of Rocky and Apollo Creed – they're both knocking each other out," said Lynch, riffing on Stallone's appearance. "They had us down for awhile and now we've knocked them out."
It also made many Bucs think their 2003 team was going to be even stronger than in 2002. Alas, it was not to be.
4. November 1, 1998: Bucs 27, Vikings 24.
Like the last one, this game also came during a non-playoff season, though it did contribute to a second-half run that almost finished in the postseason. What made this one special was, again, the opponent. The Vikings invaded Raymond James Stadium with a 7-0 record and one of the most explosive offenses the league had seen in years, led by Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Robert Smith and a massive offensive line.
The Bucs, at 3-4, seemed overmatched, even considering the growing reputation of their defense. In the end, it was Tampa Bay's offense that made the difference, somehow rising up after a 9-3 loss at New Orleans to score 27 points, rack up 246 rushing yards and never opt for a punt. That's right, zero punts on the day, and not because they were giving the ball away in other manners. The Bucs had zero turnovers on the day, too.
Local columnist Hubert Mizell called it, "Rembrandt football. Masterpiece theater. Exhilarating entertainment." The Bucs provided the first bit of excitement by going for it on fourth-and-seven from the Vikings' 31 on the opening drive. The message: Every point is critical on this day. The result: a 10-yard pass to Warrick Dunn and a first down, leading to the game's first touchdown minutes later. In all, there were six possessions in the first half, all ending in scores, leading to a 17-17 halftime tie.
The Bucs didn't exactly stymie Cunningham, who made a series of stunningly athletic plays and put the Vikings up 24-17 with a touchdown pass to Jake Reed in the third quarter. But Tampa Bay's defense finally made the game-changing plays in the fourth quarter, beginning with an interception by Derrick Brooks on a play on which blitzing linebacker Alshermond Singleton hit Cunningham's arm. The turnover led to a Martin Gramatica field goal and a 24-20 deficit with 12 minutes to play.
Minutes later, Brooks and Ronde Barber dropped Cunningham for a sack to force a punt that led to the game-winning drive. Fullback Mike Alstott, who combined with Dunn to give the Bucs two hundred-yard rushers in the same game for the first time ever, bulldozed for a six-yard touchdown on third-and-one, then iced the game with a 37-yard run a few minutes later.
It may not have been the most explosive shootout in team history (read on), but it was a game with no margin for error. The Bucs walked that thin line, and ended up handing Minnesota their only loss of the regular season. "It was a shootout today," said Cunningham. "Whoever had the ball last was going to win, and they did."
3. August 31, 1997: Bucs 13, 49ers 6.
Surprisingly, this is the second season-opener on our list. This time, however, its significance cannot be overstated.
The Bucs thought they were a much-improved team after their strong finish to 1996, but it's safe to say that national attention, for the time, was lagging behind. Dunn and the Bucs would end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated after their 5-0 start, sporting the team's new red-and-pewter look, but here at the end of August the San Francisco 49ers, fresh off their 14th straight season of double-digit victories, were the marquee attraction.
By the end of the game, the 49ers would be without two of the brightest lights in their marquee, however, as both Steve Young and Jerry Rice would suffer significant injuries. That was an unhappy side effect of an otherwise joyous celebration – the coming-out party for the Buccaneers' defense.
San Francisco would still go on to finish 13-3 in this season, winning their next 11 after leaving Tampa, but the win would also propel the Bucs to their first winning campaign and playoff berth since 1982 and the first of nine straight top-10 defensive rankings.
Rice went down in the second quarter, grabbed from behind by Sapp as he tried to go wide on an end-around. Young, and his replacement Jeff Brohm, went down early and often – seven sacks, led by Sapp's 2.5 – and Young would eventually leave the game with a concussion.
San Francisco did take a 6-0 lead into halftime, though, and held onto it through most of the third quarter, before Michael Husted finally hit a 40-yard field goal just before the final period.
Alstott, in his pile-driving heyday, would do the rest. He gained 119 combined rushing and receiving yards, none bigger than the 26 and 14-yard catches that brought the ball down to the 49ers' one-yard line five minutes into the fourth quarter. San Fran expected another Alstott bull-rush from there, but QB Trent Dilfer instead rolled out and threw a touchdown pass to Moore, giving the Bucs a four-point lead.
Reggie Rusk and Tyrone Legette – two names that stand as mere footnotes to the Bucs' defensive giants of the last decade. It was Rusk, however, who tipped a Young pass and Legette who intercepted it on the next series (Young had come back in when Brohm, too, got injured). Sapp took Young down one more time on the next 49ers series and the dominating day had its finishing touches.
The Bucs legacy was just starting to grow. "This team grew up today," Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks said.
Sapp then summed it up, as per usual: "[It was] perception against reality. The perception was this powerhouse team from San Francisco was going to come in here and steamroll us and we weren't going to let it happen."
2. November 13, 2005: Bucs 36, Redskins 35.
What can we say about this game that isn't still fresh in your minds? How about this: We may have this game to thank for Alstott's decision to return for another season in 2006.
The victory also got the sliding Bucs back on track and solidified Chris Simms' claim to the starting quarterback job. And it included perhaps the gutsiest coaching decision in franchise history.
The Bucs had dropped three of four after a 4-0 start to 2005 and had lost starting quarterback Brian Griese to a knee injury in Game Six. Simms' first two starts were losses, including a disappointing defeat in San Francisco to the presumably overmatched 49ers. Simms, however, had looked fairly good in defeat the following weekend against Carolina and was positively bullish against the Redskins.
Even without starting receiver Michael Clayton, Simms threw for 279 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Behind that effort and two astounding Alstott dives into the end zone, the Bucs built a 14-3 first-half lead, only to see Ladell Betts return a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. It was 21-13 Bucs at halftime, but Betts' second TD, on a 14-yard pass from Mark Brunell, gave Washington a 28-21 lead 10 minutes into the second half. Simms tied it up with a touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard.
The Redskins went up again on Clinton Portis' fourth-quarter touchdown, and the Bucs' hopes came down to one last drive directed by Simms. The young passer got the ball to the Washington 30 with a minute left, then lofted a deep pass over the middle to wide receiver Edell Shepherd. Shepherd caught the ball with a dive over the goal line, presumably tying the game with 58 seconds to play.
However, the Redskins, eager to block the tying extra point, where flagged twice in a row for jumping offside. Head Coach took the first penalty on the ensuing kickoff, but when Washington jumped on the next snap and blocked Matt Bryant's kick, he changed his mind.
"After the second penalty I wouldn't have been able to wake up tomorrow morning not knowing what we could have done with Mike Alstott," he said. "I didn't think about passing it. If we're going down, we're going down with our best player."
So Gruden called for another handoff to Alstott, and this time the bruising fullback stayed on the ground, twisting and spinning for just enough yardage to score the game-winning two point conversion.
Said Alstott: "You have to gamble once in a while, and when it happens and it is successful, it's always great." It was, in fact, one of the greatest of the last decade. But not the greatest. That belongs to number…
1. December 18, 2000: Bucs 38, Rams 35.
Here's the opening line from one report on this heart-stopping Monday Night Football contest: "Put this game directly at the top of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' list of greatest games ever."
Nothing has changed since that memorable night to render that statement untrue, at least in the regular season. This one simply had everything: A foe with a runaway offense, an out-of-the-blue offensive explosion by the Bucs in return, multiple lead changes, bizarre and unforgettable plays, enormous playoff implications and a revenge factor the size of Raymond James Stadium.
Eleven months earlier, the Bucs had lost the NFC Championship Game in St. Louis on a last-minute Rams touchdown, despite holding The Greatest Show on Turf about 20 points below its usual game average. Tampa Bay had nearly upset its way into the Super Bowl by proving that the immovable object was greater than the unstoppable force.
That made the rematch a must for Monday night, and the Bucs and Rams didn't disappoint, topping an incredibly MNF season with perhaps the show's greatest game of the year. The Rams were able to impose their style of play this time but, improbably, the Bucs beat them at it. There were 834 yards of offense and 46 first downs (448 and 27 for Tampa Bay), six lead changes and enough drama in the fourth quarter for a season's worth of games.
Barber intercepted Kurt Warner's second pass of the game to set up a Martin Gramatica field goal. After that, the two teams blasted away at each other with nothing but touchdowns, including three by Dunn.
The Bucs led 24-14 at halftime and 31-21 at the end of the third quarter, but no lead was ever safe against Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Warner hit Holt three times on the opening drive of the fourth quarter and finally handed off to Faulk for a nine-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to three. The Bucs answered with a long drive but Dexter McCleon intercepted King in the end zone and Warner found Holt for a 72-yard touchdown two plays later.
The Bucs took over for their last chance with 2:22 on the clock, trailing by four. Cue perhaps the single most memorable regular-season play in team history. On second-and-10 from the Tampa Bay 35, King handed off to Dunn, who was grabbed immediately deep in the backfield by defensive end Kevin Carter. Unable to escape Carter's grasp, Dunn went sandlot, pitching the ball back to King, who faked out a pair of tacklers and ran around right end to midfield. He was hit late by linebacker Michael Jones, tacking on 15 more yards, which put the Bucs at the Rams' 35 with 1:33 to play.
WR Reidel Anthony made an acrobatic, spinning catch at the one-yard line 30 seconds later. On second-and-goal, Dunn took a handoff and started left, then suddenly cut upfield and leapt over several tacklers to score the game-winning touchdown. The victory wasn't yet complete, however. Holt dropped a deep post pass that could have gone the distance moments later, and Lynch then sealed the deal with an interception at midfield. The win clinched a playoff berth for the Buccaneers, who could have been all but eliminated with a loss.
It was a game no one who witnessed it will ever forget. It was the Greatest Buccaneer Game of the Last Decade, and maybe ever.
No, we didn't forget that one. When you're picking five games out of a possible 160, some tough decisions had to be made. Below were some of the toughest cuts. If any of the five winners are unable to perform their duties as Greatest Games of the Last Decade, these would be the first to step in.


What does Conversion Look Like?
"Salvation is a sovereign work of God. Biblically it is defined by what it produces, not by what one does to get it. Works are not necessary to earn salvation. But true salvation wrought by God will not fail to produce the good works that are its fruit" (John MacArthur).
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
15 "Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You'll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can't produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you'll recognize them by their fruit.
Look at the good works described in 22-23. What is the surprise in this text?
Previous: Previous post: What is the Gospel?


text:
Q: Determine the matrix of a rotation about a given vector. I've been asked to find a matrix for the transformation $T: \Bbb R^3\to \Bbb R^3$. The transformation $T$ is a rotation about a vector $(1,1,1)$ with an angle of $-\frac{3\pi}{2}$ according to the right hand rule. My only idea is that the transformation in some way could be described as a composition of the elementary rotations in $\Bbb R^3$.
Any tips are greatly appreciated!

A: Take a vector $v$ with norm $1$ which is orthogonal to $(1,1,1)$; for instance, $v=\left(\frac1{\sqrt2},-\frac1{\sqrt2},0\right)$ (the answer will not depend upon the choice of $v$). Let$$u=\frac{(1,1,1)}{\|(1,1,1,)\|}=\left(\frac1{\sqrt3},\frac1{\sqrt3},\frac1{\sqrt3}\right)$$and let$$w=u\times v=\left(\frac1{\sqrt6},\frac1{\sqrt6},-\frac2{\sqrt6}\right).$$On the other hand, a rotation with angle $-\frac{3\pi}2$ is the same thing as a rotation with angle $\frac\pi2$. So, $T(u)=u$,$$T(v)=\cos\left(\frac\pi2\right)v+\sin\left(\frac\pi2\right)w=w,$$and$$T(w)=-\sin\left(\frac\pi2\right)v+\cos\left(\frac\pi2\right)w=-v.$$If$$P=\begin{bmatrix}\frac1{\sqrt3}&\frac1{\sqrt2}&\frac1{\sqrt6}\\\frac1{\sqrt3}&-\frac1{\sqrt2}&\frac1{\sqrt6}\\\frac1{\sqrt3}&0&-\frac2{\sqrt6}\end{bmatrix}$$(the columns of $P$ are the vectors $u$, $v$, and $w$, by this order), and if $M$ is the matrix that you're after, then$$P^{-1}MP=\begin{bmatrix}1&0&0\\0&0&-1\\0&1&0\end{bmatrix},$$since $P^{-1}MP$ is the matrix of $T$ with respect to the basis $\{u,v,w\}$and this matrix is precisely$$\begin{bmatrix}1&0&0\\0&0&-1\\0&1&0\end{bmatrix}.$$Therefore\begin{align}M&=P\begin{bmatrix}1&0&0\\0&0&-1\\0&1&0\end{bmatrix}P^{-1}\\&=\begin{bmatrix}\frac13& \frac13-\frac1{\sqrt{3}}&\frac13+\frac1{\sqrt{3}}\\ \frac13+\frac1{\sqrt{3}}& \frac13& \frac13-\frac1{\sqrt{3}}\\ \frac13-\frac1{\sqrt{3}}& \frac13+\frac1{\sqrt{3}}& \frac13\end{bmatrix}.\end{align}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Roll out the red carpet to children coloring books operating via tablets and smartphones. The game app combines all the best features ever created for kids' development.
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Apple Reportedly Working on a High-End Standalone VR Headset
VR Storytelling Competition at Encounters Short Film Festival
By Rebecca Hills-Duty	 Last updated May 9, 2017
The year 2017 will be the second year that the Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival has included virtual reality (VR) entries. The VR experiences are part of the VRgins program, which for the first time, will have a cash prize available to creators who make innovative use of VR to tell a story.
The contest is titled Immersive Encounters and it will be the first time the festival has offered a competitive VR program. The festival is looking for a creator who will take advantage of the unique storytelling possibilities offered by VR, and not just concentrate on the technical aspects. A cash prize of £1,000 GBP is on offer to the winner.
The VRgins program will be offering a dedicated VR cinema which will be showing films and experiences in VR, augmented reality (AR) and 360-degree video, and filmmakers and VR content creators are being encouraged to submit their work for consideration for inclusion.
Encounters Festival Director Rich Warren said of the VRgins program: "VR, AR and 360 are fast becoming hugely popular and increasingly accessible formats, with this new content strand we're looking for creative filmmakers. There's tremendous potential for this to become a very powerful tool in filmmaking and we're really excited to see what comes of it."
Creators who wish to submit their work for the festival can do so through the Encounters Film Festival official website up until the 23rd May, after which the festival organisers will decide what will be included in the week-long festival programme which will take place on 19-24th September, 2017, in Bristol, UK.
VRFocus will bring you further information on VRgins at Encounters Film Festival as it becomes available.
Encounters Film FestivalImmersive EncountersVRgins