Jerry Steiner, CEO of Arvegenix, and Toni Kutchan, Vice President for Research at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center discussed new research in the field of bioenergy on St. Louis on the Air.
While the typical American may be considering how to use alternative fuel in the form of an electric car or investing in a "smart home" system, big industry is also looking for ways to reduce CO2 emissions through the use of alternative biofuels.
While the promise of ethanol-as-alternative-biofuel has waned due to its impact on food prices and lack of efficiency, groups of local researchers and businesses in St. Louis are looking for other biofuels that could meet the needs of big industries like aviation and aerospace.
Toni Kutchan, Vice President for Research at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, said that sorghum, Camelina sativa and pennycress are non-agricultural crops that researchers are harvesting for oil and biomass to use for fuel.
Pennycress, for example, is a "weed" that Missourians can find growing road-side. Jerry Steiner is the CEO of Arvegenix, a local company leading the development of Pennycress oil for use in biodiesel fuel. He said that plants like pennycress can fill a void left by the promise of ethanol.
Pennycress could be planted in fields between the harvest of soybeans and corn.
Thlaspi arvense, known as field pennycress.
"We're not taking away land that can be used for food production but we produce a cover crop that holds and protects the soil and at the same time a feedstock that can have a better than 80 percent greenhouse gas reduction in the forms of renewable diesel or renewable jet fuel," Steiner said.
Research and development like this is catching the eyes of those at even bigger companies, such as Boeing. John Tracy, Boeing's Chief Technology Officer, said that his company is seriously considering biofuel sources such as pennycress as they look at the next 20 years of jet fuel use.
Local researchers and companies are looking into new, alternative biofuel sources to fuel big industries like aerospace and aviation. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh discusses some of the most viable ideas out there.
When: Thursday, May 12 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
The FBI is warning that aiming laser pointers at flying aircraft is a serious offense punishable by years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.
At a press conference Monday, St. Louis officials said that pilots typically report several laser strikes per day.
Doug Reinholz is a helicopter pilot with the St. Louis Police Department. He says the light from laser pointers can be blinding to pilots, particularly at night.
"It's equivalent to like a flash of a camera if you were in a pitch black car at night," Reinholz said.
Police in St. Louis County are investigating another laser strike on aircraft.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a green laser hit a police helicopter flying over the Webster Groves area Thursday night. Pilots could not find the source of the laser beam, and no arrests have been made.
The U.S. Attorney's Office announced today that Brian David Monday has been indicted for allegedly pointing a green laser beam into the cockpit of an in-flight airplane and helicopter on Nov. 4, 2011 in St. Charles.
The 30-year-old Monday of St. Charles was indicted by a federal grand jury and is facing one felony count of interfering with an airplane and a helicopter.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000 if convicted.


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The original item was published from 12/10/2020 9:31:03 AM to 1/15/2021 10:42:02 AM.
[ARCHIVED] Driver's License Office Still Open
Services are booked three months out at the Kootenai County Vehicle Licensing Offices. However, appointments for driver's license and identification renewals are open with dozens of options.
Idaho is one of two states that separate the two offices. The Idaho Transportation Department provides the equipment and computer system for motor vehicle and driver's identification licensing. On the county level, the Assessor's Office essentially manages the cars (registrations), and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office handles the drivers (licenses).
This can be confusing for residents.
The Post Falls office of vehicle licensing has been closed since November due to COVID-19 infection and reopened just in time for a new positive case at the Coeur d'Alene office. However, both the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene Driver's License Offices have never halted operations due to possible exposure.
"We've had complaints that go to the commissioners office about people not being able to get their driver's license because they're booked out for two months," KCSO Capt. Kevin Smart of the Services Support Division said. "This is a misconception. If you actually look at QLESS for a driver's license, we have at least 20 open appointments from Dec. 22 on."
Confusion has especially been noticeable from new residents in the community who are accustomed to joint departments.
"It creates a lot of hardship because we are two separate entities," Smart said. "We function separately and independently of each other."
Smart said there had been some small pushes to combine the departments, but they have not come to fruition.
The Coeur d'Alene office is separated by one doorway on Government Way, but it is still open. The Post Falls location, which is in an entirely separate building, is also available for drivers' assistance.
Smart recommends the public schedule an appointment through QLESS several weeks in advance to license expiration.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home / Bible Commentaries / Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible/ Psalms
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Psalms Psalms 19
Gray's Commentary
Treasury of David
Scott's Notes on the Psalms
Psalms 18.
David praiseth God for his manifold and marvellous blessings.
Title. לדוד יהוה לעבד למנצח lamnatseach leebed Jehovah ledavid. To the chief musician. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.] After David had subdued his enemies, and was in peaceable possession of his kingdom, in grateful commemoration of the numerous favours of Divine Providence towards him, he composed this excellent psalm, that the memory of such goodness to him might be perpetuated throughout all generations. Bishop Hare has compared this psalm throughout with the other copy of it, 2 Samuel 22., and Dr. Kennicott has collated the Oxford Hebrew manuscripts of both in his second Dissertation upon the printed text. To these, therefore, we rather refer the reader, than fill our notes with the observation of minute differences. The psalm begins with a solemn acknowledgment of God, as David's all-powerful protector and only refuge in danger, when he needed salvation from his enemies, Psalms 18:1-3. He then describes the distresses that he had been in, Psalms 18:4-5 and the wonderful manner by which God, in answer to his prayer, was pleased to deliver him; in which the terrors and dreadful effects of the divine vengeance are described by the sublimest images and loftiest expressions, so as to surpass all imagination: Psalms 18:6-19. He next proceeds to the mention of his own integrity, in his adherence to God, and strict observance of the law of Moses; declaring, that God's conduct towards himself, in thus rewarding him according to his righteousness, was agreeable to the settled method of his providence; and that all good men might expect from him the constant marks of his protection and favour: Psalms 18:20-27. He then gratefully ascribes all his military power, strength, and prudence, his successes, victories, the enlargement of his dominions, and the destruction and submission of his enemies, to the favour and goodness of God: concluding the whole with a solemn thanksgiving for the mercy that God had shewn him, and the settlement of the crown and kingdom of Israel on his family for ever: Psalms 18:28-50.
Psalms 18:2. The Lord is my rock, &c.— These words, by which David expresses his security under the protection of God's providence, will appear to be well chosen, if we consider that under Saul, when he was driven into banishment by him, he was forced to conceal himself in rocks and caverns, and to retreat for his safety to steep hills and precipices, rendered by nature almost inaccessible. See 1 Samuel 19:24; 1 Samuel 24:2. He further declares, that God is his buckler, or shield; or who, as the shield in the soldier's hand, protected him from danger in those perilous wars in which he was engaged with his enemies. He adds, The horn of my salvation: i.e. He who by his power saves me from the destruction which my enemies intend; a metaphor taken from the horns of animals, which are their ornament and strength; by which they protect themselves, and assault those who oppose or injure them. The horn is frequently used by the sacred writers, and by the Arabians, to denote riches, strength, dignity, and power. See also Hor. Carm. Lib. 3: Od. 21 and Epod. 6: This verse contains a continued chain of metaphors, and is a sublime paraphrase on the first commandment; declaring that God, the God of Israel alone, was the foundation of the Royal Psalmist's confidence, and the author of his security and happiness. Dr. Chandler and Patrick.
Psalms 18:4. The sorrows of death, &c.— The whirlpools of death in heaps rolled over me. Chandler. In the parallel place of Samuel, it is, The waves of death compassed me. Dr. Delaney observes, that nothing can be a finer emblem of a host of men, in their several ranks, than the waves of the sea, succeeding one another in their natural order; and when we consider them pressing forward to the destruction of their adversaries, they may very properly be termed waves of death. The next clause is literally, The torrents of Belial made me afraid: i.e. "The forces of wicked men came down upon me like a torrent of water; as though they would have swept me away by their violence and fury; like an irresistible flood carrying all before it; and filled me with sudden terror." It is to be observed, that, by this translation, the two clauses in this verse properly correspond to each other.
Psalms 18:5. The sorrows of hell, &c.— The nets of Hades, &c. Chandler; with whom Houbigant and Mudge agree; for, by this rendering, the clauses again in this verse properly correspond. By the cords and toils of hell, he means, such as would have sent him into the state of the dead, if he had been taken by them. For he adds, The snares of death prevented me; i.e. "Deadly snares invaded me, and came on me unawares; so that I had no power or opportunity to prevent them." See Psalms 18:18 and Chandler.
Psalms 18:7-15. Then the earth shook, &c.— In this, and the eight following verses, David describes, by the sublimest expressions and grandest terms, the majesty of God, and the awful manner in which he came to his assistance. The representation of the storm, in these verses, must be allowed by all skilful and impartial judges to be truly sublime and noble, and in the genuine spirit of poetry. The majesty of God, and the manner in which he is represented as coming to the aid of his favourite king, surrounded with all the powers of nature as his attendants and ministers, and arming, as it were, heaven and earth to fight his battles, and execute his vengeance, are described in the loftiest and most striking terms. The shaking of the earth, the trembling of the mountains and pillars of heaven; the smoke which drove out of his nostrils; the flames of devouring fire which flashed from his mouth; the heavens bending down to convey him to the battle; his riding upon a cherub, and rapidly flying on the wings of a whirlwind; his concealing his majesty in the thick clouds of heaven; the bursting of the lightnings from the horrid darkness; the uttering his voice in peals of thunder; the storm of fiery hail; the melting of the heavens, and their dissolving into floods of tempestuous rains; the cleaving of the earth, and disclosing the bottom of the hills, and the subterraneous channels or torrents of water, by the very breath of the nostrils of the Almighty;—are all of them circumstances which create admiration, excite a kind of horror, and exceed every thing of this nature that is to be found in any of the remains of heathen antiquity. See Longinus on the Sublime, sect. 9., and Hesiod's description of Jupiter fighting against the Titans, which is one of the grandest things in all pagan antiquity, though, upon comparison, it will be found infinitely short of this description of the Psalmist; throughout the whole of which God is represented as a mighty warrior, going forth to fight the battles of David, and highly incensed at the opposition which his enemies made to his power and authority. When he descended to the engagement, the very heavens bowed down to render his descent more awful; his military tent was substantial darkness; the voice of his thunder was the warlike alarm which sounded to the battle; the chariot in which he rode were the thick clouds of heaven, conducted by cherubs, and carried on by the irresistible force and rapid wings of an impetuous tempest; and the darts and weapons that he employed were thunder-bolts, lightnings, fiery hail, deluging rains, and stormy winds! No wonder that, when God thus arose, all his enemies should be scattered, and those who hated him should flee before him! It does not appear, from any part of David's history, that there was any such storm as is here described, which proved destructive to his enemies, and salutary to himself. There might indeed have been such a one, though there is no particular mention of it; unless it may be thought that something of this nature is intimated in the account given of David's second battle with the Philistines, 2 Samuel 5:23-24. It is undoubted, however, that the storm is represented as real, though David, in describing it, has heightened and embellished it with all the ornaments of poetry: see Chandler, Delaney, and Lowth's 9th Prelection.
Psalms 18:8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils— Or, There ascended into his nostrils a smoke, as the words, literally rendered, signify. The ancients placed the seat of anger in the nose, or nostrils, because that passion, when it grows warm and violent, discovers itself by the heated vehement breath which proceeds from them. Hence the physiognomists considered open wide nostrils as a sign of an angry fiery disposition. This description of a smoke arising into, and a fire breaking forth from the nostrils of God, denotes, by a poetical figure, the greatness of his anger and indignation. Fire out of his mouth devoured, means that consuming fire issued out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it, we render the next clause; but the words do not mean that fire proceeding from God kindled coals, but that burning coals issued from his mouth; and it should be rendered, Living coals from his mouth burned or consumed around him. Chandler.
Psalms 18:9. He bowed the heavens also, and came down— He made the heavens bend under him, when he descended to take vengeance on his enemies. The Psalmist seems here to express the appearance of the divine Majesty in a glorious cloud, descending from heaven, which underneath was substantially dark, but above bright and shining with an amazing lustre, and which, by its gradual approach to the earth, would appear as though the heavens themselves were bending down, and approaching towards us.
Psalms 18:10. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly— i.e. As it is immediately explained, Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. God was in the storm, and, by the ministry of angels, guided the course of it, and drove it on with such an impetuous force, as nothing could withstand. He rides in the whirlwind, and directs the storm." Angels are, in a peculiar sense, the attendants and messengers of the Almighty, whom he employs as his ministers in effecting many of those great events which take place in the administration of his providence; and particularly such as manifest his immediate interposition in the extraordinary judgments which he inflicts for the punishment of sinful nations. See Psalms 103:20; Psalms 104:4. The cherub is particularly mentioned as an emblem of the Divine Presence, and especially as employed in supporting and conveying the chariot of the Almighty, when he is represented as riding in his majesty through the firmament of heaven:
——Forth rush'd, with whirlwind sound, The chariot of paternal Deity; Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, Itself instinct with spirit, but convoy'd By four cherubic shapes.
Paradise Lost, b. 6:
This seems to be the image intended to be conveyed to us in the place before us: He rode upon a cherub, and flew upon the wings of the wind; i.e. The cherub supported, and led on the tempest, in which the Almighty rode, as in his chariot. This is agreeable to the office elsewhere ascribed to the cherubim. Thus they supported the mercy-seat, which was peculiarly the throne of God under the Jewish economy. What confirms me in this sentiment is, that God is expressly said to make the clouds his chariot, Psalms 104:3 and to ride upon a swift cloud, Isaiah 19:1.; so that riding upon a cherub, and riding a swift cloud, is riding in the cloud, as his chariot, supported and guided by the ministry of the cherubim. The next clause in the parallel place of Samuel is, And he was seen upon the wings of the wind. The word rendered was seen, might be translated, appeared as a warrior, or fought upon the wings of the wind; which conveys a noble representation of God, as riding in his chariot directed by cherubs, and borne up by the swift wings of a tempest, as a mighty warrior going to engage in battle for the assistance of his favourite king: in which view the passage is more striking than in the Psalms; where, however, we should observe, that, though we use the word fly in both clauses, yet the original words are different; and the verse might be rendered, He rode upon a cherub, and flew; yea, as an eagle he rapidly flew upon the wings of the wind; the latter expression conveying a stronger image than the former. See Exodus 19:4. Deuteronomy 32:11 and Chandler.
Psalms 18:11. He made darkness his secret place— His tent. Chandler. God is frequently represented in the sacred writings as surrounded by clouds. See Psalms 97:2. Deuteronomy 4:11. This representation in the place before us is peculiarly proper, as thick heavy clouds, deeply charged, and with louring aspects, are always the forerunners and attendants of a tempest, and greatly heighten the horrors of the appearance; and the representation of them, as spread around the Almighty for his pavilion and tent, is truly poetical and grand.
Psalms 18:12. At the brightness that was before him— At his lightning his clouds swelled, and burst out into hailstones and coals of fire. Schultens, Chandler, &c. The meaning is, that at the brightness or lightning which proceeded from God, his clouds fermented, i.e. being rarefied by the heat, swelled and boiled over. Thus Hesiod represents the whole earth, the currents of the ocean, and the great sea, as fermenting and boiling, when Jupiter threw abroad his thunder and lightning. See Theog. ver. 695, 696. In the former part of this description, the clouds are represented as condensed, heavy, and louring, ready to burst out with all the fury of a tempest; and here, as beginning to disburthen and discharge themselves, by the eruption of the lightning in fire, flames, and hailstones, mixed: the abrupt manner in which the burning coals and hailstones are mentioned, points out the sudden and impetuous fall of them. The word גחלי gachalei, rendered coals, signifies living, burning coals. Where the lightning fell, it devoured all before it, and turned whatever it touched into burning embers. Chandler.
Psalms 18:13. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, &c.— The former verse mentioned the lightning, with its effects: this gives us the report of the thunder, and the increasing storm of hail and fire which attended it; and the omission of the hail and fire after the thunder, would have made it a sort of brutum fulmen, harmless thunder, and almost disarmed the artillery of the Almighty of its vengeance. I cannot, therefore, but wonder, that some learned men should imagine, that these words were here taken unnecessarily from the former verse by careless transcribers. It is indeed said, that the fire and hail in this last verse are omitted in the parallel place in Samuel. This is true; but then the whole description there differs from this in the Psalms; as the reader will see by comparing the two places together. See Chandler, and Kennicott's Dissert. vol. 1:
Psalms 18:14. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them— Yea, he sent out his darts, and scorched them: he brandished his thunder-bolts, and dissolved them; i.e. the heavens. Schultens. Dr. Chandler approves of this version of Schultens; only instead of scorched, in the former clause, he renders it, made the heavens overflow: the word פוצ putz, is used to denote the inundation caused by rivers overflowing their banks, and the pouring down of large showers from the heavens; and, as applied to the heavens, here, means, that by the thunder and lightning the clouds were made to overflow and fall with such violence, as that the heavens themselves seemed to be dissolving down in rain. Lucretius finely compares the dissolution of the clouds in rain, by the heat of the sun, to the melting of wax by fire, lib. vi. v. 510. The Greek and Latin poets frequently speak of thunder and lightning as the arrows of Jupiter. See Chandler, and Schultens, Orig. Heb. vol. 1: p. 131.
Psalms 18:15. Then the channels of water were seen— This is a description of the effects of the earthquake, by which the earth was riven or rent in sunder, and such clefts made in it, that the subterraneous passages of the waters were discovered by the eruption of vast quantities of water proceeding from the breaches of it, as have frequently been the effects of violent earthquakes. In that great one which happened at Jamaica in the year 1692, in some places out of the clefts issued forth whole rivers of water, spouting up a great height into the air, which seemed to threaten a deluge even twelve miles from the sea; in others, there were formed new lakes of water covering a thousand acres. Many other instances of the like sort might be mentioned. These dreadful eruptions of water may well be called the channels, or rather torrents of water, or of the sea, which discovered themselves as the effect of the earthquake. The Psalmist adds, The foundations of the world were discovered; i.e. such large and deep chasms, or apertures, were made by the violence of the shock, that one might almost see the very foundations; or, as Jonah calls them, the bottoms, or rather the extremities of the mountains, in the bottom of the sea. These may be well called the foundations of the world, as their bases run deep into the earth, and thereby add greatly to the security and stability of it. Chandler. Dr. Delaney, in his first volume, b. i. c. 11. of his Life of David, has made a judicious and pleasing comparison between this description, and a fine passage of much the same kind in the first Georgic of Virgil, to which we must refer the reader.
Psalms 18:16. He sent from above, &c.— This may either denote, in general, that God aided and assisted him by his divine power, or that he sent his angels from heaven, to protect and rescue him from the many dangers that surrounded him; which he figuratively calls drawing him out of many waters; afflictions and great calamities being frequently represented by deep waters and floods in the sacred writings. See Chandler, and Lowth's 6th Prelection. Theodoret observes, that the Psalmist tells us what waters he means by the next words: He delivered me from my strong enemies; i.e. from Saul and other his persecutors.
Psalms 18:18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity— i.e. "came on me suddenly, unawares, when I was unprovided and helpless; and must have destroyed me, had not God upheld and supported me when I was in danger of perishing." God was to the Psalmist for a staff, to support him. What a staff is to one who is ready to fall, the means of recovering and preserving him, that was God to David in the time of his extremity.
Psalms 18:19. He brought me forth also into a large place— The Psalmist expresses himself much in the same manner, but with an addition which explains the nature of the phrase, Psalms 31:8. Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room. David was several times shut up in close confinement in rocks and caverns. In opposition to this, he says, God had brought him into a large place; had set him at liberty, and placed him in such happy circumstances, as that he could live and act with the utmost freedom, without any constraint of his enemies, or danger to his person. It may also be observed, that the eastern writers denote any person's condition in life by his steps or goings. Hence, narrow or straitened steps denote a state of distress and great affliction; and large unconfined steps, the contrary state of prosperity and plenty; so that he praises God for advancing him to great honour and prosperity, by settling him on the throne, and enabling him to conquer all his enemies. See Chandler, and Schultens on Job 18:7.
Psalms 18:20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness— In this and the five following verses, David declares his own integrity, and that he had not departed from, but conscientiously observed, the precepts and commands which God had given him by the law of Moses; and that therefore God, in the deliverance which he had vouchsafed him, and peaceably establishing him on the throne of Israel, had testified his approbation of him, and abundantly rewarded him. His behaviour to Saul was exemplary; and there is no instance in this period of his life that can be alleged against him, in which he violated the known precepts of religion and virtue, enjoined by that constitution which he was under; and therefore, conscious of his integrity, thus far, he glories and rejoices, that God, who was witness to it, had thus bountifully rewarded it.
Psalms 18:23. I kept myself from mine iniquity— The affix י jod, my to the noun עון avon may probably be merely supplemental, and not point out any particular sin to which David was especially inclined. The Chaldee paraphrase renders it, He was the saviour of my soul from sin; and the Syriac version, I preserved myself from sin; or, if it was intended to point out any such sin, it may be difficult to determine what it was. David certainly was of a warm, eager, hasty disposition: this appears throughout the whole of his character: and when his passions were raised, and in the heat of his temper, he was liable to be transported into unjustifiable proceedings; yet we find that in this respect he had wonderfully the mastery over himself. This appeared in his whole behaviour towards Saul; and though, in the affair of Nabal, he vowed a cruel revenge for an outrageous affront, he immediately grew cool when reason took place, and blessed God that he had been preserved from executing the purpose which he had formed. This violence of temper may be what he calls his own iniquity; which he had learned to conquer, and from the guilty effects of which, he reflects with comfort that he had been enabled to keep himself. Chandler.
Psalms 18:25. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful— In this and the two next verses, David lays down the general method of the procedure of God's moral providence and government, which will be in the issue agreeable to the moral character and conduct of men themselves. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful: similar to that of our Lord: Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. With an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; an invariable friend to his integrity; just to reward it, and faithful in all thy promises to encourage it. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; the lover of purity, righteousness, and truth, and ever acting towards those whose character this is, according to the perfect rectitude and unspotted purity of thy own nature. But with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. The word עקשׁ ikkesh, rendered, froward signifies one of a perverse disposition, who twists and twines himself just as his humour, passions, and interest lead him; or a crafty wily person, who accustoms himself to all the arts of deceit. With one of this character, the Psalmist says of God, Thou wilt shew thyself froward; as we render the original: it properly signifies to wrestle, and should be rendered, "Thou will shew that thou canst wrestle with, and supplant them too." The meaning therefore is, that God will deal with designing, crafty, perverse men according to their deserts, disappoint them in all their subtilest devices, and cause them to fall by those very wiles by which they endeavour to deceive and ruin others. See Leviticus 26:23-24. Chandler, and Schultens' Instit. Ling. Heb. 482.
Psalms 18:28. Thou wilt light my candle— i.e. Advance me to honour, and increase my prosperity; and make me continually joyful by thy favour. Nothing more usual among the Oriental writers than the representing any person or family by a lamp enlightening the whole house. See 1 Kings 11:36; 1 Kings 15:4. Job 18:5-6.
Psalms 18:29. For by thee I have run through a troop, &c.— David mentions this as one instance of God's lighting up his lamp; or his purpose to advance him to the greatest splendours of royal majesty: his beating the troops of his enemies, and his reducing some remarkable city or fortress; both of them circumstances which render men glorious in the eyes of the world. David soon after his settlement on the throne drove the Jebusite garrison out of Jerusalem, and reduced the city to his obedience, making it the future capital of his kingdom. And I think he must refer to these actions, or to his two victories over the Philistines, mentioned 2 Samuel 5:17; 2 Samuel 5:25 because I apprehend this Psalm was composed soon after he had introduced the ark into Jerusalem. David's habitual piety should be here remarked; as he ascribes all his successes to the assistance of God, and in the two next verses celebrates—The unerring rectitude of his Providence: As for God, his way is perfect, in every thing just and kind:—The truth of his promises; the word of the Lord is tried, free from deceit, as gold refined by fire, and certainly to be performed:—And that powerful protection which he affords to good men; He is a buckler, a sure defence to all those who trust in him. To this he could bear witness from his own experience; and therefore he breaks out in that just acknowledgment, Psalms 18:31. Who is God, save Jehovoah? or, who is a Rock,—who can give absolute security from all dangers, save our God? He then goes on to enumerate the particular favours which God had bestowed on himself, and the various perils that he had been in, under which he experienced the divine protection. Chandler. Dr. Delaney advances a conjecture, that David composed the greater part of this Psalm after the deliverance he obtained from Saul's messengers, when they were sent to his house to take him, and when he was let down by Michal out of the window, and escaped over the garden-wall: But, as we think the above interpretation of Dr. Chandler very satisfactory, we shall only refer such of our readers as are curious to enter into the subject, to the above quoted part of the Life of David. Some render the latter clause, By my God have I taken a fort.
Psalms 18:32. It is God that girdeth me, &c.— The form of speaking here seems to be taken from the military belt which officers wore as the emblem of authority and valour; and the meaning is, that God distinguished him by inspiring him with a superior spirit of courage, and the highest resolution and fortitude in war. He maketh my way perfect, means, he directeth me to those methods which secure my success. A man's way in the pursuit of any end is perfect, when the means that he uses to attain it are proper and direct, and will finally render him successful in it: and thus God made David's way perfect, as he gave him the surest directions how to act, and prospered him in all his measures to support the dignity of his crown and government. Chandler. Green renders it, He maketh my warfare complete: and he endeavours to prove on Psalms 2:12 that the word דרךֶ derek is frequently used in this sense.
Psalms 18:33. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, &c.— i.e. "Hath endowed me with agility and vigour, and made me swift to run, so that I can easily ascend the highest hills." This was reckoned a very honourable qualification among the ancient warriors; who, as they generally fought on foot, were enabled by their agility and swiftness speedily to run from place to place, give orders, attack their enemies, defend their friends, or for any other purposes that the service might require of them; many instances of which we have in the battles of Homer and Virgil. See 2 Samuel 1:23. 1 Chronicles 12:8. This qualification was peculiarly useful to David, as the country of Judaea, and some of those wherein he was obliged to make war, were very mountainous and steep.
Psalms 18:34. A bow of steel is broken by mine arms— My arms have bent the bow of steel. Chandler. He makes my arms to be like a brazen bow. Houbigant and Mudge: but Dr. Chandler's rendering is more agreeable to the Hebrew. In the foregoing part of the verse, the Psalmist acknowledges that God taught his hands to war, of which he gives an instance in the latter; that his arms were able to bend and draw together even a brazen or steely bow, and to use it in his wars against his enemies: this was an argument of great strength. The story of Ulysses' bow, which none of the suitors were able to draw, is well known. See Odyss. lib. 21. ver. 409. Dr. Delaney, speaking of the excellency of this composition, observes, "What is very singular, David had found out the secret of most effectually perpetuating his own praise, by perpetuating that of his Maker: while he labours to make the praises of God glorious, he makes his own eminent above that of all other mortals. A single instance will evince this: we never should have known that David was one of the swiftest and strongest of mankind, if his own thanksgivings had not told us so; if he had not blessed God for giving him the swiftness of the hart, and the strength to break a bow of steel. It has been observed by writers of all times, how much dignity a graceful mien and person have always given to kings and commanders. David had these advantages added to his other accomplishments, beyond most men. We cannot help forming to ourselves some idea, however imperfect, of the persons whom we admire, and mine of David's person, continues Dr. Delaney, hath, I own, been modelled by that of Claudian's Stilico:
The moment we behold you, we admire; The radiant eye proclaims the valiant chief; The limbs so siz'd and shap'd as poets paint Heroes and demi-gods, less finish'd forms. Thro' every city as you pass rever'd, All rise respectful, and with joy give place. CLAUD. de Laude Stil. lib. 1:"
I would just observe, that the radiant eye, &c. in this version of Delaney's, by no means expresses the beauty of Claudian's Celsi nitor igneus oris;—the fiery splendor of his lofty brow.
Psalms 18:35. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation, &c.— i.e. "The salvation which thou hast afforded me, hath been my constant protection and security; and thy gentleness; i.e. (as I think the words may be rendered) that gentleness, forbearance, and freedom from the spirit of malice and revenge, with which thou hast blessed me, hath increased my greatness; referring to his conduct towards Saul, which God approved and highly rewarded." Chandler.
Psalms 18:36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me— See the note on Psalms 18:18. "Thou hast brought me out of my distresses; given me great prosperity:" and my feet do not slip: i.e. my happiness continues unmoved.
Psalms 18:39. Thou hast girded me with strength unto battle— "Thou hast inspired my forces with resolution and vigour, and thereby hast subdued under me those who rose up against me: i.e. my enemies, who joined in battle to oppress me."
Psalms 18:40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies— As for mine enemies, thou givest me their back. Houbigant. Mudge, &c. The word ףּער oreph, rendered neck, signifies the back part of the neck, and therefore is equivalent to back, as the LXX also translate it. Thou givest me their back; that is, puttest them to flight. See Exodus 23:27.
Psalms 18:42. I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets— As the mire in the streets I trampled them down. Chandler. I beat them flat. Mudge.
Psalms 18:43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people— From that conflict between the tribes, or the civil war, which was raised by Abner in favour of Ishbosheth, and from the invasions of the Philistines, who attacked him soon after his succession to the kingdom; and thereby put him into peaceable possession of the throne, and made him the head of those nations, which were become tributary by his victories over them. See 2 Samuel 8. 1 Chronicles 18.
Psalms 18:44. The strangers shall submit themselves unto me— The Hebrew is literally, The sons of the stranger have lied unto me; "The foreign nations that I have conquered have promised me their obedience, and, dissembling their hatred and hostility, have submitted to my government; offered me their service, and paid me through compulsion the tribute that I demanded of them." Nothing can argue a more wretched and servile subjection than to be forced to compliment a conqueror at the expence of truth and liberty; and with a lying mouth, and treacherous heart, to give him assurances of fidelity. Chandler.
Psalms 18:45. The strangers shall fade away, &c.— "They shall either lose their courage, and all power to resist, and their prosperity shall decay, and come to an utter end; or they themselves shall fall and gradually perish, till there be few or none of them left to oppose me." See Isaiah 1:30; Isaiah 40:7. Exodus 18:18. Psalms 37:2. It is added, They shall be afraid out of their close places. Grotius's comment is, "They shall suspect their safety in the very places they flew to for refuge." The verb חרג charag, is used only in this place in the Old Testament. The force of it seems to be, to be straitened; and the meaning of the clause, "They are straitened and distressed in the places where they shut themselves up, so that they are forced to surrender them into my hands." See Chandler, and Schultens.
Psalms 18:50. Great deliverance giveth he, &c.— Literally, He magnifies the salvations of his king; they are such as are great and wonderful in themselves, and as they add a dignity and lustre to the king, on whom they are bestowed; there being nothing which can tend more to advance the honour, and heighten the reverence due to a prince, than to consider him as the favourite of Providence, highly distinguished by the divine protection and care, and delivered by it out of numerous dangers which threatened his prosperity and life; except we had that prince's thorough sense of the greatness of his obligations, and his piety in the grateful acknowledgment of them. David was eminent for both. Chandler. I would just observe, in conclusion, that though the passages, Psalms 18:42, &c. in which David speaks of himself as being made head of the nations, allude primarily to his victories; yet, in the secondary sense, they allude to his Divine Son, and to the conversion of the Gentiles to his faith; in which sense they are applied by the apostles themselves. To his seed for evermore, in this verse, must also be applied to the Messiah, whose kingdom shall never have an end.
REFLECTIONS.—David may here be called the servant of the Lord, as representing him who took upon himself the form of a servant when he was made in the likeness of men; and his dangers were greater, and his deliverances far more glorious, than those which the king of Israel experienced.
1. The Psalmist, in the person of the Redeemer, expresses his confidence in God, his love to him, and constant dependance upon his salvation in every time of trouble.
2. He magnifies the glorious interposition that he had experienced under the most dangerous and threatening circumstances, when his soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death; when ungodly men, mighty as the stormy waves, Jews and Heathens, conspired to destroy him, when pains of hell tormented his spirit, and death in its most horrid shapes seized on his body; in that hour when the powers of darkness summoned their collected force to shake the confidence of the great Mediator, then, with strong crying and tears, he made supplication and was heard. The trembling earth, and rending rocks, bespoke the wrath of God against the murderers of his Son, and swift vengeance soon awaked to overtake them. Judgments, sudden as the lightning, terrible as thunder, and consuming as fire, fell upon the devoted city and people where he was crucified; the very foundations of their commonwealth were razed, and desolations spread on every side. Note; More terrible judgments await the sinner in the day of God; when all who have rejected, like those Jews, his great salvation, and by their sins have crucified the Son of God afresh, will see him bow the heavens and come down to take final and eternal vengeance on his enemies.
3. He speaks with exultation of his deliverance, and the glory to which he was advanced. God drew him from the hands of his enemy, delivered him from the power of Satan, and loosed the bands of death, raising him from the grave triumphant, and causing him to ascend to his right hand in glory, because he delighted in him. Note; God delights in his Son, and all who are members of his body mystical are interested in the same divine regard; and, however deep the afflictions with which they are now exercised, the faithful shall shortly be exalted with their triumphant Lord and Saviour.
4. Though David's cause was righteous, and his heart simple before God, yet is our most righteous Saviour more particularly adverted to here. His exaltation and glory is the reward of a righteousness absolutely perfect; for in him was no sin, nor guile found in his mouth. Note; They who have an interest in Christ, have a right to his merits: but while his afflicted and faithful people are saved, and they who suffer with Jesus are glorified together with him, the froward and perverse, the proud, self-righteous, and unhumbled, shall be brought low, and feel the wrath of an offended God.
5. David had experienced many dark providences, many dark nights of spiritual affliction, and many foes without, as well as fears within; but all vanished when God, his help and strength, lightened his darkness, and gave him victory over all his enemies. The Son of David found deeper distress, and greater foes; yet, though his eyes were sealed in death, and his burning light gone out in obscurity, he awaked, and, like the sun, shone brighter in glory, when the dark cloud had passed over him. God helped him, (for, as man, he needed divine support,) and none of his enemies could stand before him. He ascended up on high, and led captivity captive, having spoiled principalities and powers; and now he reigns in glory everlasting, exalted in the most eminent sense to be head of the heathen, all power being given him in heaven and in earth; and in a peculiar manner he is the head of his church, gathered out of all the nations of the world.
In the view of these mercies the Psalmist exalts the Divine Majesty, blessing and praising him for such exertions of his power and faithfulness. And Jesus thus thanked his Father, for hearing and helping him; and in his church unceasing praise will be for ever given for this great salvation, both of the head and of the several members.
Coke, Thomas. "Commentary on Psalms 18:4". Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/psalms-18.html. 1801-1803.


A *black hole is a region of Space-time exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing—not even particles and electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from inside it.
Insight: Black holes* were discovered not by direct observation but rather anomalies surrounding them. Because of the nature of black holes with such strong gravitational forces that they even trap light coming out of them, they cannot be observed with conventional instruments (light analysis). Instead, astrophysicists have discovered anomalies in the paths of objects surrounding them (planets, asteroids, comets….) and by studying these gravitational anomalies they were able to deduct the presence of black holes without seeing them and forge subsequent theories….
The discovery of black holes is inspirational when it comes to business: interacting directly with the concern subject (e.g. a business or person) to find clues will always be subject to obstacles (lies, hides, traps…). However, looking around for clues is more likely to reveal the true nature of a business or person.
Because the event has been consistently true on many occasions, it is assumed that the event will continue to be true with a high probability of outcome (this probability can be assessed).
Therefore, I'm willing to take the risk.
Image: Creative commons. An imaginary number* is a complex number that can be written as a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit i, which is defined by its property i2 = −1. The square of an imaginary number bi is −b2. For example, 5i is an imaginary number, and its square is −25.
Insight: An important field of mathematics deals with so called imaginary numbers* with practical applications in areas such as microelectronics; as a matter of fact most of our modern devices (e.g. mobile phones) exist because of these algorithms. This field makes outrageous assumptions which defies the fundamental rules of mathematics: assuming that the square root of a number can be a negative entity. Yet, by setting accurate reasoning on this single impossible outcome, an entire field of mathematics was developed and the outcomes of the predictions are undoubtedly correct to the point of being the basis of modern electronics!
What this field of mathematics clearly demonstrates is that it is possible to come up with accurate outcomes even based on inaccurate assumptions. The key is to know (and keep track) that the assumption is incorrect but that the logic surrounding it is correct. It is a very powerful trick to reveal hidden outcomes which would otherwise remain invisible by applying conventional logic.
This mindset can be applied to business: sometimes businesses have to deal with complex happenings that don't seem to have any apparent solutions. Yet, looking at problems from another perspective and anticipating changes to come based on impossible assumptions can help to forge strong strategies.


text:
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Adam Murray pleased with Mansfield Town's new goalkeeping duo
John Verrall
Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray believes he has got his ideal man after bringing Scott Shearer to the club on a free transfer.
The veteran goalkeeper, who has been promoted seven times over the course of his career, becomes the Stags 11th new addition of the summer, and Murray is delighted to have got the deal over the line.
"He's somebody that is technically very good," the 33-year-old manager said to the club's official site.
"His distribution is superb, he's a huge character and he knows how to win. He's been in winning changing rooms and he knows what it takes to get out of this league. He's an individual that sets standards.
"He's been competitive and successful at this level, which is obviously a big thing for us. He's at an age now where I feel we could have a number one here for the next few years who will give us that stability and the experience that I think has been missing.
"The number one jersey was obviously a big one for us and that's why we didn't rush it. With the whole package put together and everything Scott brings to the table, this is the right one."
Shearer is not the only goalkeeper who Mansfield have brought into the club this summer.
The Sky Bet League 2 outfit have also recruited the experienced Brian Jensen on a free transfer, with the former Crawley Town man acting as a player and a coach at One Call Stadium.
"It's an area that I've been very mindful of over the past couple of years as we've never had a full-time goalkeeper coach, so to be able to be able to get a dual role for a package that I feel is right for the club and to bring someone in of Brian's stature and experience and intelligence football-wise, is brilliant for us," Murray added.
"It makes us very, very strong in that area now. Brian played at League 1 level last year and he's somebody that has played at the highest level. He's had a great career and comes here with a wealth of knowledge and experience and his contacts in the game are ridiculous.
"So to be able to bring him on board, both from a playing and coaching point of view, will be a major piece of jigsaw."


2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP), C6H4N2O5, is a cellular metabolic poison. It uncouples oxidative phosphorylation by carrying protons across the mitochondrial membrane, leading to a rapid consumption of energy without generation of ATP.
Dinitrophenols as a class of compounds, of which there are six members, do not occur naturally but are all manufactured compounds.
2,4-Dinitrophenol is a yellow, crystalline solid that has a sweet, musty odor. It sublimes when carefully heated and is volatile with steam. It is soluble in water (sparingly) (its crystalline sodium salts are also soluble in water), cold water (sparingly), ethyl acetate, acetone, chloroform, pyridine, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, alcohol, benzene, and aqueous alkaline solutions (Merck, 1989). It forms explosive salts with alkalies and ammonia, and emits toxic fumes of nitrogen oxides when heated to decomposition (Sax, 1989). It is incompatible with heavy metals and their compounds.
Commercial DNP is primarily used for scientific research and in manufacturing. It has been used at times to make dyes, other organic chemicals, and wood preservatives. It has also been used to make photographic developer, explosives, and pesticides.
In living cells, DNP acts as a proton ionophore, an agent that can shuttle protons (hydrogen ions) across biological membranes. It defeats the proton gradient across mitochondria and chloroplast membranes, collapsing the proton motive force that the cell uses to produce most of its ATP chemical energy. Instead of producing ATP, the energy of the proton gradient is lost as heat. Cells counteract the lowered yields of ATP by oxidizing more stored reserves such as carbohydrates and fat.
DNP is often used in biochemistry research to help explore the bioenergetics of chemiosmotic and other membrane transport processes.
DNP is considered an important environmental contaminant by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. It has been found in 61 of 1400 priority sites that need clean-up of industrial waste. It can enter the air from automobile exhaust, burning of certain industrial substances, and from reaction of nitrogen in air with other atmospheric chemicals. The major site of degradation is the soil, where microorganisms metabolize it.
However the effects of DNP on anaerobic micro-organisms are still largely undetermined. Some studies suggest there is anaerobic toxicity due to a reduced methane production.
DNP was used extensively in the 1930s in diet pills after Cutting and Tainter at Stanford University made their first report on the drug's ability to greatly increase metabolic rate. DNP acts as a protonophore in the mitochondrial membrane, uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation and making ATP energy production less efficient. In effect, part of the energy that is normally produced from cellular respiration is wasted as heat. This inefficiency is proportional to the dose of DNP that is taken. Thus, as the dose increases and energy production is made less efficient, the metabolic rate is increased (and more fat is burned) in order to compensate for the inefficiency and meet energy demands. Interestingly, the factor that limits ever increasing doses of DNP is not a lack of ATP energy production, but rather an excessive rise in body temperature due to the heat produced during uncoupling. Accordingly, DNP overdose will cause a fatal fever. Concerns about dangerous side-effects and rapidly developing cataracts resulted in DNP being discontinued in the United States by the end of 1938. DNP, however, continues to be used by some bodybuilders and athletes to rapidly lose body fat. Fatal overdoses are rare, but are still reported on occasion. In 2007, a German woman died after ingesting DNP.
While DNP itself is considered by many to be too risky for human use, its mechanism of action remains under investigation as a potential approach for treating obesity. Currently, research is being conducted on uncoupling proteins naturally found in humans.
^ McFee RB, Caraccio TR, McGuigan MA, Reynolds SA, Bellanger P (2004). "Dying to be thin: a dinitrophenol related fatality". Veterinary and human toxicology 46 (5): 251-4. PMID 15487646.
^ Miranda EJ, McIntyre IM, Parker DR, Gary RD, Logan BK (2006). "Two deaths attributed to the use of 2,4-dinitrophenol". Journal of analytical toxicology 30 (3): 219-22. PMID 16803658.
^ Harper JA, Dickinson K, Brand MD (2001). "Mitochondrial uncoupling as a target for drug development for the treatment of obesity". Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 2 (4): 255-65. PMID 12119996.
Food Standards Agency (June 17, 2003)). "Food Standards Agency issues urgent advice on consumption of 'fat burner' capsules containing DNP". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2,4-Dinitrophenol". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.


text:
Weblinks for Stage 55
NOTE: CSCP is not responsible for the content of external sites.
HOW MANY KISSES?
Catullus, Poem 7
To find out about Catullus' life and works, click here.
Listen to the poem
Recited in Latin, this is how the poem (Catullus, Poem 7) was heard 2000 years ago.
English Translations
English Translation (with Latin text) 1
of How Many Kisses (Catullus, Poem 7) by Daniel San.
of How Many Kisses (Catullus, Poem 7) by H.J.Walker
English Translation 3
of How Many Kisses (Catullus, Poem 7) by A.S.Kline.
Lesbia is the subject of 25 of Catullus' 116 surviving poems, and these display a wide range of emotions, ranging from tender love (e.g. Poems 5 & 7), to sadness and disappointment (Poem 72), and to bitter sarcasm (Poem 8), following the often unsteady course of Catullus' relationship with her. Lesbia's rather poetic name is considered by many to be a false name for the notorious Clodia Metelli - the woman laid into by Cicero in his defence of Caelius (see the Anthology extract entitled "Clodia").
The names Lesbia and Clodia are metrically interchangeable, and so when Catullus read aloud his poem to his girlfriend he could have used her real name, Clodia, but then could have easily substituted her nickname "Lesbia" when he published them.
One can estimate that this poem was probably written sometime between 67-57 BC when Catullus was aged around 20-30.
Clodia aka Lesbia: 1
A detailed and descriptive biography of Clodia, the probable real name of Catullus' girlfriend "Lesbia". Remember, however, that while the website takes it as certain that the two women are the same - and indeed this is highly likely - this is still unproven.
Clodia aka Lesbia
Hyperlinked biography from Wikipedia.
Many insights into the life of Clodia can be found in this review of a new book about her.
Libya was never an "official" geographical area in Roman times; instead the designation "Libya" referred to the Greek colonial city of Cyrene and the area around it known as Cyrenaica (which became a Roman province in 75 BC). The term Libya was derived from the ancient Egyptian name of one of the local tribes in that area. However, to the Roman public and especially Roman poets, Libya sometimes meant North Africa in general and even the whole continent of Africa. (In the same way that to many non-British, "England" is a catch-all term for the United Kingdom, irrespective of whether they actually mean Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland etc).
This above link takes you to a map highlighting the province of Cyrenaica ("Libya"); and here's a second map with all the other provinces labelled for reference.
harena = sand = arena
Did you know that that the English word "arena", as in a building for spectators, comes from the Latin harena meaning "sand"? It's because sand was sprinkled on the floors of amphitheatres to soak up the blood of gladiators and wild beasts that were forced to fight, often to the death, for public entertainment. The link shows the Roman amphitheatre at Nimes in southern France where sand is still placed on the ground for "modern" bull-fights.
Silphium or Laser
Good webpage describing the now-extinct plant that once grew around Cyrene. It was probably a type of Giant Fennel.
Cyrene
Detailed historical account of this north African city.
Here's a collection of labelled photos of this now-ruined city; these are some clearer, but unlabelled, photos.
Oracle of Jupiter Ammon at Siwa
More on this oracle (famous throughout the Greek world, less so the Roman) at the temple of Ammon, the Egyptian god identifed with Zeus/Jupiter, which stood in the oasis of Siwa in the Libyan desert - and hence, to Catullus, aestuosi or sweaty.
Photos: the ruins of oracle-temple still lie within the Siwa oasis, a welcome haven from the encroaching sandy desert.
Oracle of Jupiter Ammon at Siwa 2
More detailed tour of the temple.
However, the explanation that oracles could "see into the future" is... er... wrong! See following note on oracles.
Oracles are often said to have predicted the future. However, this is a misconception, or indeed "trap", that the oracles themselves would no doubt have wished people to fall into - for reasons in ascending order of popularity, prestige and pecuniary offerings... that's money (kerrr-ching!). Oracles couldn't predict the future - no-one can (can they?), they only gave advice and suggestions of what may occur which, on later reflection, may have seemed like a prediction! They were notorious for their ambiguity.
The most famous instance of this comes down to us through a Delphic prediction given to Croesus, king of Lydia. In 550 BC, Croesus was preparing to invade the Persian Empire when he consulted the Oracle about his chances for victory. After sacrificing 300 head of cattle to Apollo, he had gold and silver melted down into 117 bricks, which were sent to Delphi, along with jewels, statues, and a gold bowl weighing a quarter of a ton. With these gifts, Croesus sent his question of whether he should attack Persia.
The Oracle answered that, if he crossed a river, "Croesus will destroy a great empire." Encouraged by this response, he invaded Persia, only to suffer a decisive defeat. The Persians invaded and then conquered Lydia and captured Croesus, who thereafter bitterly denounced the Oracle. He sent his iron chains to Delphi with the question, "Why did you lie to me?" The Oracle answered that the prophecy had been fulfilled: Croesus had destroyed a great empire -- his own!
What are Oracles?
Simple explanation with good links to some of the most famous.
Can't quite remember the facts about the "head-honcho" (a word of Japanese origin, not Roman unfortunately) of the Roman gods? After this reminder, take a look at one of the best paintings of Jupiter/Zeus ever done. (It's by the great French artist J-A-D. Ingres, 1811,Musee Granet, Aix-en-Provence, France)
Battus
This is as good as the online information on this first king of Cyrene gets; it omits, however, that after his death he was worshiped as a hero and his tomb stood in the centre of the his city.
This poem is written in a poetic form or "meter" known as hendecasyllables.
Find out more in the section LATIN POETRY: Meters, Rhythms & Scansion on the Verse Authors page.
How Many Kisses: an interactive resource
Interactive text with a separate literary and cultural Question & Answer section. Created by Godfrey Evans of Chelmsford County High School.
CAN SHE BE FAITHFUL?
Catullus, Poem 109
Recited in Latin, this is how the poem (Catullus, Poem 109) was heard 2000 years ago.
A close, neat translation by Tony Kline, 2001. He has decided to leave the Roman term of endearment, mea vita (literally my life), untranslated, presumably in the belief that it has more poetic force in the original Latin.
Slightly freer English version by Rudy Negenborn, 1997.
English translation by H.J. Walker, 1998.
The poem is undoubtedly addressed to - although given the content probably never recited in person to - Catullus' girlfriend "Lesbia".
For analysis on "Lesbia", see the Anthology selection above entitled HOW MANY KISSES? (Catullus, Poem 7).
Can She Be Faithful: an interactive resource
Interactive text with a separate literary and cultural Question & Answer section created by Godfrey Evans of Chelmsford County High School.
This poem is written in a poetic form or "meter" known as elegiac couplets.
CONFLICTING EMOTIONS
Catullus, Poem 85
Recited in Latin, this is how the poem (Catullus, Poem 85) may have been heard 2000 years ago.
English version of Catullus 85 by H.J. Walker, 1998.
English version of Catullus 85 by Rudy Negenborn, 1997.
The poem - a famous and much-praised couplet - is undoubtedly addressed to Catullus' girlfriend "Lesbia".
A little bit of fun and learning!
Martial, Epigrams XII.46(47)
To find out about Martial's life and works, click here.
Scroll down to poem XII.46 for Martial's epigram entitled "Contradictions" in the Anthology.
Translated by T. Apiryon.
Scroll to the final poem (XII.47) on this page of quotes from Martial.
and Martial's not talking about girlfriends...
as indicated by the masculine gender of the adjectives.
Fresco from a tomb at Paestum, Italy.
With or Without You: U2
It's a "classic" in it's own right. U2's song "With or Without You" from 1987 echoes Martial's sentiments. This link takes you to the video posted on YouTube.
OVID PICKS A FAVOURITE
Ovid, Amores III.2.1-14
Since the Anthology selection is just the beginning of a longer poem, you'll have to read the remainder (via the links below) to discover if Ovid gets his girl!
To find out about Ovid's life and works, click here.
Pretty faithful translation by A.S.Kline (2001) of the whole of Ovid's poem (Amores III.2).
Prose translation by Julian May(1930).
The English playwright Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, wrote this translation c.1580-90. Scroll to Book 3, Elegy 2.
Ovid's Amores ("Loves") was his first major work begun c.25 BC; only his revised 2nd edition survives, comprising 50 poems, divided into three books. The elegies (poems written in elegiac couplets) follow the ups and downs of the poet in love, the girl of his desires - although not named in this poem - is Corinna.
As you'll see in this extract, the poet-in-love (which we shouldn't necessarily regard as Ovid himself) is a slick talker with a great range of chat-up lines! And this is exactly what was original about the Amores: previous love elegies had shown the poet-in-love as a clumsy, shy, not-very-good-with-girls type of guy. Ovid's poet-in-love is a skilled operator in the field of "lurve".
It's a day at the incredibly popular races for our poet, and although not explicitly stated, it's the Circus Maximus he's off to.
CHARIOT-RACING & THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS.
Click the above link and scroll down for chariot-loads of images & info.
sacro de carcere
Ovid perhaps refers to the starting-stalls as "sacred" because there appear to have been three temples just behind them - as illustrated in this mosaic from Piazza Armerina in Sicily which undoubtedly depicts the Circus Maximus in Rome.
Here's a less dusty photo from further away.
So, who's the girl?
In this delightful and vivid poem, the object of the poet's affections remains a mystery. Initially, she seems to be by herself, but she's neither a prostitute nor an easy-pick-up of low-morals - the poet's social respect for her indicates this. Neither would any respectable girl be at the races unchaperoned, nor would any married lady be so shockingly adulterous as to take her lover to such a public place. Given Ovid's sense of mischievous fun, there are perhaps two alternatives, both of which rely on the poet never in fact speaking any of his words out-loud - he's merely fantasizing:
1. The girl is a married and accompanied by her husband - whom the poet silently mocks in line 82: "Hey you, whoever you are(!)... You may be sitting on the other side of this lady, but just watch it...don't lean on her like that!" yep - Ovid's taking the p.
2. The girl is, in fact, the poet Ovid's wife. He's in love, besotted - even at the races! All together now...ahhhhh!
This interpretation is indebted to Peter Green.
Ovid Picks a Favourite: an interactive resource
Interactive text with a separate literary and cultural Question & Answer section. Excellent resource created by Godfrey Evans of Chelmsford County High School.
Horace, Odes I.V
To find out about Horace's life and works, click here.
Pyrrha: 1
Recited in Latin, this is how the poem (Horace, Odes I.V) would have been heard by the Romans.
Another recital of Horace, Odes I.V; however, audio cuts out after line 13.
Faithful translation that sticks close to the Latin (noticeably, only omitting to translate flavam in line 4). By A.S.Kline, 2003.
Super, modern yet literal translation by Helen, a recent sixth-form student at Malvern St James School in Great Malvern, UK. You can even listen to it being read aloud.
English Translations 3 & 4
Two poetic, free translations by Eugene and Roswell Martin Field, 1920. To get to the right page, go to the 'jump to' box in the top right hand corner and type in '72'.
Rather lovely, if oldey-worldy, translation by John Milton from 1673.
Odes I.5: the Rip-off
A modern (1980) reworking of the poem for our times! Entitled "An Old Malediction", meaning an old curse - referring to the ex-girlfriend - it's by the prize-winning American poet, Anthony Hecht.
Pyrrha - whose name means "fiery-red" - seems to Horace representative of the type of beautiful and deceptive woman who was dangerous to him in his youth, and this poem is the result of that recognition.
Note how Horace plays with contrasting sensations of light and dark, dry and wet, warmth and cold, as well as employing what first appear as two contradictory images of Pyrrha, first as flame and then as a storm out at sea. Horace's susceptibility to Pyrrha is reinforced by the use of complementary metaphors for his own experience (shipwreck) and Pyrrha's nature (beautiful but treacherous weather). In addition, in using images of moisture to describe both the boy who is perfusus liquidis ... odoribus ("drenched with liquid perfumes") in the first stanza, and the uvida ... vestimenta ("wet clothes") of Horace's own shipwreck in the last stanza, Horace links himself with the boy.
For more insights look at the following link, from which this note takes its ideas.
A New Interpretation of the Pyrrha Ode
Very interesting and useful article based on the thoughts and opinions of Latin students and teachers from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.
More interpretations
She's like the Wind - Patrick Swayze
A similar sentiment to Horace's ode is found in the 1988 hit song "She's like the Wind". Rather than the sea, the girl in the song is compared to the wind - sometimes gentle ("She leads me through moonlight")...sometimes harsh ("Only to burn me with the sun").
multa...rosa
As today, in Roman times roses were associated with beauty and love; they were the flowers of Venus.
The painting, "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli, Zephyr, the gentle West Wind, blowing roses upon Venus (c.1490, in the Uffzi, Florence).
A more modern interpretation of roses and beauty is in the poster for the acclaimed 1999 film American Beauty.
sub...antro
As well as a natural cave (which could be a tad uncomfortable for the lovers), Horace may mean an artificial cave or grotto, of which wealthy Romans were particularly fond, sometimes having them built into their gardens. They would have had running water and been fitted out with furniture and statues. The one illustrated here is the remains of the Nymphaeum or Grotto of Egeria just outside Rome.
There may also be an illusion to the famous Roman lovers, Aeneas and Dido, who made love in a cave, as well as the hero Odysseus and Calypso who also got cosy in a cave (painting by Jan Bruegel, c.1600).
flavam religas comam: In classical times, a girl tying up her hair was a sexual come-on; today, in western society the opposite action is a provactive signal - i.e. shaking your hair out - preferably in slow motion!
Sailors who survived shipwreck sometimes dedicated clothes they were rescued in to Neptune and commemorated this event on a votive tablet.
The following votive tablets, while not dedicated to Neptune by sailors, are good examples of the types and sophistication of classical votive tablets...
tabula votiva - Greek
The Greeks and Romans commonly offered small items of some worth to the gods either in hope of, or in thanks of, deliverance from some afflication. This painted plaque is a famous, rare example of a painted "votive tablet". Dating to 540 BC, this so-called Pitsa plaque comes from a cave sanctuary at Pitsa near Sikyon in Greece and shows a sacrifical procession. In the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
tabula votiva - Roman
A silvered bronze tablet depicting Jupiter standing on a bull, surrounded by attendant deities. In the National Museum of Hungary, Budapest.
tabula votiva - modern
Modern votive offerings to be hung on the walls in some Roman Catholic and Greek orthodox churches.
maris deo - god of the sea 1
This Greek statue is one of the most famous of all ancient statues due to its almsot complete preservation, its being of bronze and its strking pose. Found in the sea near Artemision, presumably lost in a shipwreck whilst being shipped to Rome - it could be of the god of the sea - Poseidon (Neptune to the Romans) in which case he would be holding a trident; otherwise it is Zeus, in which case he would be holding a thunderbolt.
Famous Roman mosaic of Neptune being pulled in his 4-horse chariot over the sea. He holds his trident and a small dolphin just to let you know who he is! From Chebba, 2nd-century AD; in the Bardo Museum, Tunis, Tunisia.
Awesome photo (even if it is digitally enhanced) of a Neptune statue set against a stormy sky. By Kris Kros, 2006
Temple of Neptune
Map of Rome showing the approximate location in the Circus Flaminius (an open space not as the name would suggest a race-course!) of a known temple to Neptune in Rome. One supposes that most of Neptune's temples were near water or the sea.
The most famous temple of Neptune (Poseidon) in the Greek or Roman world was that of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, south of Athens. Built around 450 BC, it stands on a dramatic promontory above the Aegean, and was a welcome sight to sailors returning home to Athens.
What's inside a temple?
A computer-animated movie showing the inside of the Parthenon, Athens. Although larger and more elaborate than most temples with its interior columns and huge gold-and-ivory cult statue, it nevertheless gives an idea of the impresiveness of ancient temples. However, we also know that paintings & tapestries covered the inside walls of some temples, whilst statues and other types votive offerings filled the spaces. Temple exteriors - columns and steps - were likewise known to have been adorned with offerings! So some classsical temples were not quite as neat and clean-cut as we are often led to believe.
Pyrrha: an interactive resource
This poem is written in a poetic form or "meter" known as Asclepiads.
ALCYONE FEARS FOR HER HUSBAND CEYX
Ovid, Metamorphoses XI
Ovid, Metamorphoses XI, lines 415-429, 439-443
Listen to this almost complete recital (lines 1-15) of the Anthology selection; i.e. lines 415-429, 439-440 of Metamorphoses XI.
Literal translation by A.S.Kline.
The Anthology extract starts at "Nevertheless, before he set out..." continuing to "empty tombs"; resuming at "But if no prayers..." until "together we shall be borne over the waters".
The Anthology extract tells of Ceyx, king of Thessaly, and Alcyone his loving wife who despairs at his decison to set out on a long, dangerous sea-voyage. Alcyone's hysterical reaction can be appreciated when you realise that in classical times, a sea-voyage was a highly dangerous means of travel... a brief explanation why can be found on the following link:
While Alcyone's and Ceyx's love for each other is touching, the real tragedy of the story (and the requisite "metamorphosis" that allows Ovid to include the story in his poem) lies in the continuation of the tale after the Anthology extract - you can read the full version in the following link:
Alcyone & Ceyx: the conclusion
In summary, Ceyx's ship is shipwrecked and, tragically, he is drowned. Alcyone dreams her husband's death and on waking rushes to the seashore and finds his body borne in on the tide. Distraught, she is pitied by the gods and transformed into a halcyon (an ancient play on the name Alcyone and hals the Greek for "sea") - a bird known today as the kingfisher. The gods also resurrect Ceyx, and turn him into a kingfisher too. Alcyone and Ceyx, as two kingfishers, fly together eternally.
The phrase "halcyon days" - meaning a happy and carefree time - derives from Alcyone's name and refers to the ancient belief that for seven or fourteen days each December, around the winter solstice, the seas became calm to help halcyons lay their eggs in their floating nests
Alcyone & Ceyx: an interactive resource
Roman beliefs on kingfishers
Pliny the Elder in his Natural History Book 10, 47, writes a rather contorted description of halcyons or kingfishers. You can read the full version below, but a summary would be: "Kingfishers, slightly larger than a sparrow and azure-blue in colour, with a long, slender beak. They are rarely seen except at the setting of the Pleiads and around midsummer and midwinter. The time at which they breed is called the "halcyon days"; at this time the sea is calm and navigable, particularly so around the island of Sicily. The build their nests seven days before the shortest day, and lay their eggs seven days after it".
Halcyons/Kingfishers according to Pliny the Elder
Here's Pliny's description of kingfishers from his work: Natural History Book 10, 47.
The Kingfisher
There are, in fact, many types of kingfishers, but the most common one in Europe is the originally-named "common kingfisher". Check-out the last picture on the webpage which gives you a good idea of its small size.
Pliny - reflecting other Greek and Roman beliefs, as evidenced in the myth of Alcyone and Ceyx - apparently mixes up the characteristics of the Common Kingfisher with another distinct type of kingfisher, the Pied Kingfisher.
The Pied Kingfisher
Pliny also refers to a second type of kingfisher that lives by the sea - apparently referring to the Pied Kingfisher which can sometimes be found around the Mediterranean Sea. As this article states, the fact it can eat in-flight means it can hunt over the sea or in estuaries that lack the perches required by other kingfishers.
Coral - aka Halcyon/Kingfisher nests
The Romans' belief that the kingfishers nest at sea may have derived from pieces of broken coral seen floating on the sea (and perhaps being pecked at or just rested upon by kingfishers). The photo in this link is of a type of coral today known as alcyonium in reference to this tale.
Alcyone & Ceyx: alternative version
A slightly later, alternative account of the tragic couple appears in the collection of myths called the Bibliotheca by "Apollodorus":
Alcyone was married to Ceyx, son of Lucifer. They perished by reason of their pride; for he said that his wife was Hera, and she said that her husband was Zeus. But Zeus turned them into birds: her he made a kingfisher (alcyon) and him a gannet (ceyx). [Bibliotheca 1.7.4]
Alcyone - beseeching Ceyx not to set sail
18th-century print by Jean Michel Moreau.
Alcyone - seeking Ceyx on the seashore
1915. By English Classicist artist Herbert James Draper; private collection. Note the kingfishers, into which she will be transformed, painted over her head.
Alcyone - discovering the body of Ceyx
1768 by Welsh artist Richard Wilson. In the National Museum Wales, Cardiff.
Alcyone - discovering Ceyx & metamorphosis
Oil painting by Carle Van Loo, 1750.
Alcyone & Ceyx - the Globe theatre
Photo of Alcyone and Ceyx from a theatre production of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The water is a real pool, built for the performance!
Alcyone - metamorphosing into a kingfisher
2006. Digital image by Goldkat.
Alcyone & Ceyx - metamorphosing into kingfishers
2004. Photo of a theatrical performance of Ovid's Metamorphoses by Guilford College in North Carolona, USA.
Alcyone transformed - a kingfisher
This poem is written in a poetic form or "meter" known as dactylic hexameters.
LOVE WILL NOT LET THE POET SLEEP
Petronius, fragment
Up to 57 fragments of Latin prose and poetry have been attributed to Petronius, the author of the satirical novel The Satyricon. There is no standard numbering sequence to the fragments but, for reference, the fragment selected for the Cambridge Latin Anthology is numbered LIII (53) in the widely-available Peguin translation.
To find out about Petronius' life and works, click here.
English Translation by H.E.Butler, 1909
I lay on my bed and began to enjoy the silence of the night scarce yet begun, and was yielding my wearied eyes to sleep, when fierce Love laid hold of me, and, seizing me by the hair, aroused me, tore me, and bade me wake. 'Canst thou, my servant,' he cried, 'the lover of a thousand girls, lie thus alone, alone, hard-hearted?' I leapt from my couch, and barefoot, with dishevelled robe, started on my errand, yet never accomplished it. Now I hurry forward, now am loth to go; now repent me that I have returned, and feel shame to stand thus aimless in mid-street. So the voices of men, the murmur of the streets, the song of birds, and the trusty watchdogs all are silent; and I alone dread the slumbers of my couch and follow thy behest, great god of love.
English Translations - in print
The Penguin Classics series has the 57 fragments of Latin attributed to Petronius included at the end of its main title, The Satyricon - well worth a read and a laugh!
"If this is not great poetry, it is at least one of the most perfect specimens of conventional erotic verse in all ancient literature. If we except a very few of the best poems of Propertius, Latin Elegiacs have nothing to show that combines such perfection of form with such exquisite sensuous charm. It breathes the fragrance of the Greek Anthology.
Quoted from H.E.Butler, Post-Augustan Poetry (1909).
God of love - more often than not passionate, sexual desire. Known to the Greeks as Eros, he was originally portrayed as being born at the beginning of time and a major cosmic force over both gods and men (Hesiod, Theogony). Later writers, inlcuding the Romans, softened his edges, made him a son of Aphrodite (Venus), and turned him into a bit of a cheeky chappy!
Eros/Cupid: Greek sculpture
From the Greek island of Delos, this sculpture, dating c.100 BC, portrays Aphrodite (Venus) and little, winged Eros (Cupid) playfully(?) warding off goat-footed Pan who's trying it on! In the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
Cupid: Roman wall-painting
Cupid riding the back of a crab! Originally from Pompeii, now in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples.
Cupid: Roman mosaic
Cupid riding a dolphin; mosaic from Fishbourne Palace, UK.
More images of Cupid
...together with his lover, Psyche (meaning "soul"). Wonderful collection of images from all periods of art.
~ amor: ROMAN IMAGES OF LOVE
The Kiss: Roman statue
Marble statue (perhaps of fabled lovers Cupid and Psyche) from the Aventine Hill in Rome and now in the Capitoline Museum, Rome.
Here's a full-length photo of the pair.
The Kiss: Roman relief sculpture
Roman sarcophagus depicting lovers kissing. From around Rome, now in the north forecourt at Cliveden House, UK.
The Kiss: Roman mosaic
Famous mosaic of two lovers, dating 310-340 AD, from the Villa at Piazza Armerina in Sicily.
The Kiss: Roman wall-painting
From the inn of Salvius in Pompeii; now in the Archaeological Museum, Naples.
The Kiss: Roman statuette
Painted terracotta bust (200-100 BC) from Centuripe in South Italy. Now in the British Museum.
The Kiss: Neo-classical statue
Cupid and Psyche having an intimate moment. Sculpted in 1793 by Antonio Canova; now in the Louvre, Paris.
A beautiful detail of the heads.
The Kiss: Contemporary computer-graphc art
Tremendous cgi of Cupid and Psyche by Remy; 2005.


Multiple skins and various body groups for most of the models. Sub-optimal rigs for the cyclops, fogling, katakan, botchling, sylvan, werewolf and Johnny models. The jaw on some of wild dog body groups is a little wonky. I also included the cave troll from a previous release which now also has a rig.
Chort and Katakan models originally ported by MoogleOutfitters.
Feb. 23, 2016, 12:16 a.m.
Feb. 23, 2016, 10:35 a.m.


text:
General Article Page
MTV News Round-up 23/01/2004
*** Fatboy Slim will take his Big Beach Boutique dance party to Brazil this year. After headlining two beach parties in Brighton in recent years, Norman Cook's third outing will take place on Flamengo Beach in Rio De Janeiro on March 7. Between 200,000 and 500,000 partygoers are expected at the event.
*** Details of tickets sales for this year's Glastonbury Festival have been revealed. All tickets will be personalised to prevent unauthorised reselling, and there will be checks at the gates upon entrance to the festival. Tickets go on sale on April 1, and cost 112. Glastonbury takes place from June 25-27.
*** Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman has broken his silence on 2003 winner Michelle McManus, branding her "rubbish". "The winner was rubbish and I think her low sales probably reflect that. She won't even last six months," Waterman is quoted as saying. He famously stormed off the set of the Pop Idol final when Michelle was named the winner.
*** Ryan Adams is unlikely to play scheduled gigs in Brighton, Birmingham and London after falling off stage in Liverpool and breaking his arm. He has also cancelled forthcoming dates in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain.
*** Javine Hylton has signed a big promotional deal with Coca-Cola. The sultry 'Popstars: The Rivals' finalist will promote the fizzy drinks giant's new bottled water Dasani as part of the 7 million campaign to promote the drink in the UK. Javine will bag 100,000 for her promotional duties.
*** Kerry McFadden spent a day and a half in hospital after suffering a panic attack brought on by worry that she may become "Britain's most hated woman" after appearing in I'm A Celebrity'. "I've never felt anything like it," she said. "I began throwing up and couldn't stop. It was really scary. I felt dreadful."
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text:
Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Politics
Before Nielsen's abrupt resignation, hardline Trump adviser Stephen Miller was reportedly handed total control of border policy
Stephen Miller talking to reporters about President Donald Trump's immigration system in December 2017.
Multiple reports indicate the White House adviser Stephen Miller has orchestrated a hardline shake-up of the Department of Homeland Security.
Kirstjen Nielsen announced her resignation as secretary of homeland security on Sunday, with President Donald Trump reportedly concerned that she had not taken tough enough stances.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the president recently told Miller he was in charge of all immigration and border affairs.
With illegal border crossings at an 11-year high in February, the Trump administration has renewed attempts to crack down on migration from Mexico.
US border and immigration policy is now said to be under the control of one of the most hardline anti-immigration members of the Trump administration, following the weekend's abrupt resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
On Sunday, Politico reported that the White House adviser Stephen Miller was behind a government-wide bid to tighten migration policy. The site said he lobbied for the replacement of government officials with those who share his views and telephoned mid-ranking officials at several government departments to angrily demand that they do more the halt the illegal movement of migrants into the country.
"There's definitely a larger shake-up abreast being led by Stephen Miller and the staunch right wing within the administration," a person close to Nielsen told the publication. "They failed with the courts and with Congress and now they're eating their own."
CBS News also reported that Miller was behind a planned overhaul of the Department of Homeland Security, where President Trump reportedly didn't believe the outgoing Nielsen shared his anti-migration stance.
Trump visiting a new section of the border wall with Mexico in Calexico, California, on Friday.
With illegal border crossings at an 11-year high in February, the Trump administration is doubling down on its pledge to stop migrants from crossing the United States border without permission.
Nielsen's resignation came two days after Trump unexpectedly withdrew his nomination to head the Immigration and Customs Agency, Ronald Vitiello, saying he wanted someone "tougher" in the role.
According to administration officials cited in The Washington Post, Miller had been a staunch critic of the nominee, with Trump's decision to ditch him seen as a sign of the 33-year-old adviser's expanding influence.
Miller seen as Trump hosted a discussion on border security and safe communities with state, local, and community leaders in the White House Cabinet Room on January 11.
The president even told Miller recently that he would be in charge of handling all immigration and border affairs, The Post said Friday.
The outlet said Miller had recently encouraged the president to take a more confrontational approach with Mexico and supported his threat to close the legal ports of entry on the US-Mexico border.
Miller has long been regarded as one of the strongest anti-immigration voices in the administration and the architect of the controversial child-separation policy.
The policy, which received widespread international and domestic condemnation, saw children who had entered the US illegally separated from their parents at the border and held in detention facilities.
In an email last week to the conservative Daily Caller website, Miller said there would be an "aggressive effort to utilize every existing authority in statute" to curb illegal immigration.
Miller said the White House was "systematically reviewing all authorities that are already on the books, both in terms of cracking down on illegal immigration and […] the abuse of our legal immigration system."
NOW WATCH: I spent a day with Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border
stephen miller Kirsten Nielsen Immigration


In a Wall Street Journal op-ed ("Why Illinois Got Out of the Hedges," op-ed, Feb. 1), Marc Levine criticizes the hedge fund industry, asserting that its "strategies seem better suited to generating publicity than great returns." While I respect Mr. Levine's opinion and his dissatisfaction with the Illinois State Board's portfolio, many of his pension investor colleagues seem pleased with how hedge funds help them better meet the needs of the workers, retirees, and taxpayers who rely on their success. Hedge funds improve portfolio performance and diversify risk, important reasons why 72 percent of investors recently reported that their portfolios met or exceeded expectations in 2017, according to a new report from independent data provider Preqin.
While hedge funds may not fit into everyone's portfolio, they continue to be an important tool for keeping the retirement income promises made to America's workers. The firms that I represent participate in one of the world's most intensely competitive industries, work hard to achieve the complex objectives of our clients and, we believe, have largely succeeded.


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Breaking Bad: Seasons One and Two Review
Breaking Bad is an AMC drama about Walter White,(played by Bryan Cranston) a 50 year-old chemistry teacher who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. With the prospect of a few more years of life at the most, White is distraught at the thought that his family will not be left with anything after he passes away.
White's brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, is a DEA agent in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the show is set. After hearing Hank talk about the methamphetamine problem in the area, White asks to go along when a meth lab is being busted. Later, White approaches a former student and proposes the idea of cooking crystal meth in order to get some quick money. The student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, quickly agrees.
The cancer diagnosis is the final straw for White in many ways. He has led a life of conformity and fear (something that he states outright in numerous discussions with other characters). He has been less than successful—settling for a life as a high school teacher as his former friends went on to successful careers as highly paid chemists. One story-line that gets some play during the first two seasons details how White's former partner and fellow chemist took formulas that they developed together and launched a company, becoming extremely wealthy in the process. White has always given off an accepting and good-natured exterior, while probably cursing himself at the same time.
As he embraces the role of cooking meth, and accepts the fate that he is not long for the world, he also starts lashing out at the kind of arrogant, self-serving behaviour from others that he always accepted in the past. White swings so far in the other direction, however, that by the end of season two, it's hard to characterize him as anything but a nasty piece of work (albeit conflicted about the recent decisions he has made). He is barely able to maintain his cover in front of his family, completely alienating his pregnant wife Skyler as season two draws to a close. But as with all great drama, despite the things White has done, most viewers will still find him likeable and will root for him in most situations.
White and Pinkman start at the bottom of the meth food chain, working with two-bit punks, then nastier individuals, and finally hooking up with big-time distributors. With great dialogue, superb character development, and a few strong themes throughout, every episode and scene ratchets up the tension and results in a fantastic viewing experiences. Whether White and Pinkman are involved in a showdown with some drug-world nasty, or there is a taut moment involving personal interactions of the main characters, the result is entertaining and always pushes the narrative forward.
How people deal with fear and pain, and the fact that the consequences of what people do can be wide ranging are two of the strongest themes in the show.
Every character is dealing with their own demons, and they all keep secrets from the people who should be able to help them the most. Walter White is the most obvious example. A secretive person to start with, White does everything in his power to prevent his family from discovering how he is making money to pay for his cancer treatment. White's wife, Skyler, starts contemplating an affair with her boss, and begins sneaking the occasional cigarette, even though she is pregnant. Another character, Sklyer's sister Marie, shoplifts. Marie's husband, Hank, harbours a great deal of fear about his job, but hides it behind the bluster of his stereotypical, loud, guffawing, good 'ol boy exterior. But even as people go into themselves to deal with their suffering, the things they do to salve the pain often affects others as well.
Another theme that receives a lot of play, is how people in despair often feel that there is nothing more to lose. The horrible realization is that things can always get worse, and there is no limit to human suffering. This is very reminiscent of the Paul Bowles book Let it Come Down, in which the main character moves to Morocco after a failed life in Britain, and slowly spirals into a nightmarish situation.
Religious and Apocalyptic Themes
The writers of the show inserted religious imagery into various scenes in the second season. This reviewer saw many more examples than I was aware of (they seem obvious after someone points them out). The fear of some viewers is that there will be a sharp turn towards religious themes in the third season, and this may result in thinly veiled attempts at preaching right and wrong and a complete change in the show. At the same time, the religious imagery fits in with the dual nature of most of the characters—all of them are battling personal problems in some way. And none of them seem to be able to find solace in their friends and family.
There is an apocalyptic ending to the second season that has many wondering what direction the show will take in the upcoming third season. Will White start recognizing how far off the rails he has really gone? Will he finally have to pay in some, real, consequential way for all the misery he has caused?
Only time will tell. White's character goes so far over board in his behaviour, committing numerous murders, and choosing not to help someone as they lay dying, that you have to assume that there is going to be some kind of reconciling. Some kind of horrific realization of what he has turned into, followed by redemption seems like a possibility in the coming season.
I don't particularly like the cold open in which they often (but not always) give a glimpse of what is going to happen later in that show or later in the season. Of course, as the writers of the show say, it doesn't always go in the exact direction that the little glimpse might lead people to believe. But, the show is too good to need something like that.
In the world of cinematic and literary police forces, writers usually choose to depict them as incompetents or geniuses. In Breaking Bad, it's hard to believe that the police have not been able to draw a straight line to White and his rather blundersome attempts at becoming a local drug distributor. However, the power of the show means that most viewers won't give this much thought.
The performance of Bryan Cranston as Walter White is one of the driving forces behind the show. He puts on a stunning performance in the first two seasons. Like may great performances, you truly feel that he was made to play this role. But as with all great acting, it's only a fantastic script that allows such a performance to come through.
Breaking Bad does a great job of dealing with suspension of disbelief. This is largely down to the great storylines, dialogue, and performances from the actors. The absurdist humour that comes through also helps dispel those "as if" moments that could destroy a show that didn't have the same level of quality as this one.
After 2 seasons and only 20 episodes, this show is already a classic. For fans of Breaking Bad, the much anticipated season three can't begin soon enough.
Read a review of season 3 of Breaking Bad
Posted by Ken at 9:41 PM
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