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In-Depth Jewish Heritage Tour of Israel (including Eilat), 14 nights
This In-Depth Jewish Heritage Tour of Israel begins on Wednesday and features the best of Israel with a focus on Jewish heritage and culture. This is an excellent tour for individuals who seek an in-depth perspective of Jewish history and religion.
Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, Rosh Hanikra, Galilee, Safed, Golan Heights, Tiberias, Beit She'an, Beit Alpha, Gan Hashlosha, Jerusalem, Qumran, Masada, The Dead Sea, The Negev Desert, Timna, Eilat , Mitzpe Ramon, Sde Boker, Tel Aviv.
This same tour is also offered as a 12-night duration including Eilat; a 9-night duration (Friday Arrival-2nts Tel Aviv – 2nts Galilee – 5nts Jerusalem) ; or an 11-night duration (Wednesday Arrival -4nt Tel Aviv – 2nts Galilee– 5nts Jerusalem).
Wednesday, Day 1
Ben Gurion Airport/ Tel Aviv
On arrival at Ben Gurion Airport our representative will meet you and assist with your transfer to your hotel.
The balance of the day is free.
Thursday, Day 2
Tel Aviv B
We begin our visit of Tel Aviv at Independence Hall where the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence took place. Continue to Latrun located half-way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to visit Yad La'Shiryon (the Armored Corps Museum), Israel's official memorial site for fallen soldiers.
Visit the new and exciting "Mini Israel" Park with over 350 miniature models of the most important sites and buildings in the county. On Kibbutz Hill we find the Ayalon Institute, once an ammunitions factory for the Haganah (the Jewish underground). The remainder of the day is at leisure.
Overnight in Tel Aviv.
Friday, Day 3
Tel Aviv (Shabbat) B
Our tour of Tel Aviv continues this morning as we head to Beit Hatfutsot located on the campus of Tel Aviv University in Ramat Aviv. Also known as the Diaspora Museum, the museum traces the history of communities of the Jewish Diaspora throughout the ages. Drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, the center of business and entertainment in Israel. Stop at Rabin Square.
Next is the old port city of Jaffa where we visit the ruins and walk along the restored artist's quarter. Visit the large outdoor market, Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, located between Allenby Street and the Carmel Market, with some time for shopping and exploring lively Shenkin Street nearby.
Saturday, Day 4
The day is at leisure to attend Shabbat services or relax on your own. Overnight in Tel Aviv
Sunday, Day 5
Tel Aviv/ Caesarea/ Haifa/ Acre/ Rosh Hanikra/ Lower Galilee B/D
We drive north to Caesarea to see the excavations of the Crusaders' city, the aqueduct and the amphitheater which has been restored as a popular concert venue. Proceed to Haifa for a panoramic view from Mt. Carmel and visit the Af Al Pi Chen Museum, which displays the only remnant of the 116 ships that participated in the enormous struggle to bring Jews to Israel during and after World War II.
Proceed to Acre (Akko) in Galilee, the holiest city of the Baha'i faith, for a walk along the harbour and local market. Continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra where you descend by cable car for an exhilarating two minute ride down the 210 foot cliff into the limestone grottoes, a natural wonder and a fascinating site.
Dinner and overnight in Galilee.
Monday, Day 6
Lower Galilee/ Safed/ Golan Heights/ Upper Galilee/ Lower Galilee B/D
We head to Safed, the center of the Kaballah movement (Jewish mysticism) where you will visit the Yosef Caro (Rabbi Joseph Ben Ephraim Caro) and the Ari Sephardic Synagogue (Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria), the most important synagogues in the city, and have time to stroll around the bustling Artist's Quarter. Later enjoy a jeep tour through the lush landscape in the Golan stopping at an observation point over the strategic city of Kuneitra and the Syrian territory.
Proceed to Tel Facher where you will find the remnants of a Syrian base to learn about one of the fiercest battles in the history of Israel. Next is Banias Springs, a nature reserve and archaeological site emerging from the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. Continue to the historic site of Tel Hai, and meet with a Kibbutz member who will tell you about their unique lifestyle.
Tuesday, Day 7
Lower Galilee/ Tiberias/ Beit She'an/ Beit Alpha/ Gan Hashlosha/ Jerusalem B
Our day begins in Tiberias, located on the western shores of Galilee, where we visit the grave of Moses Ben Maimon, known as one of the most important Jewish pilgrimage sites. Proceed to Beit She'an to see where excavations uncovered the remains of 20 settlements dating from the Neolithic/Chalcolithic period.
Stop in Beit Alpha located in the Beit She'an Valley to see the beautiful mosaic floor dating back to the 5th century and remarkably still very much intact. Continue to Gan Hashlosha (Sachne) National Park. We end the day driving via the Jordan Valley towards the Holy city of Jerusalem, stopping at Mount Scopus to say the "Shehechiyanu" blessing before entering the holy city.
Overnight in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem (Old City) B
Our tour of the Old City begins at Mount Zion with a visit to the Tomb of King David at the remains of the former Hagia Zion Church. We continue to the four Sephardic Synagogues located in the Jewish Quarter. Descending into the Kotel Tunnels adjacent to the Western Wall we learn the story of how the Jews lived during the period of these two temples. Next is the Davidson Center, located near the Western Wall. Walk through the Roman Cardo to the local and colourful Arab Bazaar.
Enter through the Jaffa Gate, one of the eight gates of Jerusalem's Old City walls to the Tower of David, an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate housing important archaeological artefacts relating to the history of Jerusalem. The Tower of David Museum is located in a series of chambers in the citadel with exhibits depicting the 4,000 year old history of the city.
Thursday, Day 9 Jerusalem (New City) B
Optional viewing of the Bar-Mitzvah ceremonies celebrated at the Kotel (Wailing Wall) before continuing to Mea Shearim to learn about the unique lifestyle of the ultra Orthodox communities. A short drive takes us to Mount Herzl and then to Yad Vashem, the somber and moving memorial to the Holocaust.
Later we stop at Ammunition Hill, the site of one of the bloodiest battles during the Six Day War now converted into a national memorial site and museum. Drive by the Knesset, Israel's parliament located in Givat Ram to see the five meter high bronze Menorah. Then to the remarkable Israel Museum, located on a hill in Givat Ram, and housing the Shrine of the Book and the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. Nearby is the Holyland Model of Jerusalem, a 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are at leisure.
Friday, Day 10 Jerusalem/ Qumran/ Masada/ Dead Sea/ Jerusalem (Shabbat) B/L
We drive through the Judean desert to the Dead Sea and stop at the archaeological site of Qumran in the West Bank where the famed Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to the fortress of Masada and ascend by cable car to the top of the mountain.
Tour the ancient fortress and visit the remains of the palaces, synagogues, the bathhouses and the walls before descending. Stop for lunch and then experience floating in the unsinkable waters of the Dead Seas and perhaps a mud bath infused with a high salt and mineral content, all of which are essential for the body, before returning to Jerusalem.
Saturday, Day 11
Jerusalem (Shabbat) B
The day is at leisure to enjoy on your own.
Sunday, Day 12
Jerusalem/ The Negev Desert/ Timna/Eilat B
We travel south through the Negev Desert to Timna to see the world's most ancient copper mines and dazzling stone formations. Afterwards, we head to Eilat. On arrival we visit the Coral World Underground Observatory, one of the largest seaquariums in the world.
Overnight in Eilat.
Monday, Day 13
Eilat or optional day tour to Petra, Jordan B
The day is at your leisure to enjoy Eilat on your own. Alternatively you may choose to take an optional day tour to the city of Petra (Jordan).
Tuesday, Day 14
Eilat/Mitzpe Ramon/Sde Boker/Tel Aviv B/L
We depart Eilat for Mitzpe Ramon, a town in the Negev Desert established in 1951 as a camp for the workers building the road to Eilat. Stop to gaze at the impressive Ramon Crater, known as makhtesh, which is 38km long, 65km wide and 450 meters deep. Next is Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev established by a group of discharged soldiers and best known as the burial place of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion.
Stop for a camel ride experience and a visit to an authentic Bedouin tent. Learn about Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. Continue to Hatzerim, a kibbutz 8km west of Beersheba established in October of 1946. Nearby is an Israeli Air Force Base and Israeli Air Force Museum, where you will be able to view the planes and equipment and hear the story of this brave fighting force. Afterwards drive back to Tel Aviv.
The evening and dinner are on your own. Overnight Tel Aviv.
Wednesday. Day 15
Tel Aviv/Ben Gurion Airport/Departure B
Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your flight home.
Tours are guaranteed outside 14 days of departure. Bookings made within 14 days of departure are on a request basis. Extended stays are optional and can be arranged.
This same tour is offered as a 9-night duration (Friday Arrival-2nts Tel Aviv – 2nts Galilee – 5nts Jerusalem) or 11-night duration (Wednesday Arrival -4nt Tel Aviv – 2nts Galilee– 5nts Jerusalem).
We can also custom-design tours of any size according to your individual requests.


Safety Pin Brooches have become all the rage in recent years as a lovely gift for newborn babies. This brooch elevates the trend to another level with its Biblical and Kabbalistic phrases that are engraved on the brooch so as to provide protection for the newborn baby. The center of the brooch features an eye with a turquoise pupil; another Kabbalistic symbol of protection.


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"When you belong to the King, how can you discern the difference between the Devil's condemnation and the Spirit's conviction? How can you determine if you are in the bogus courtroom or the real one?
questions are raised about the extent of God's forgiveness.
–Edward T. Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007-8), 221.
"No doubt you have wronged other people in your life and they have forgiven you. That is certainly an expression of the grace of God. But don't use the experience of human forgiveness to understand the forgiveness of God. Remember: we have been enemies of God. We still find the seeds of rebellion in our hearts everyday; we didn't even seek God and beg His forgiveness, yet He is pleased to forgive.
One common feature of all world religions, except for the religion revealed in the Old and New Testaments, is that the gods demand some kind of human penance when they are wronged. Human beings must pay the gods back by giving more money, adhering to proper rituals, going through some form of self-punishment, or practicing some means of works righteousness.
When religions are shaped by the way people treat one another, such a system is unavoidable. The psalmist knows this. He knows that all other gods keep records of who has been naughty and who has been nice. But God is holy, and his forgiveness is holy. Nothing can compare to it. As a result the psalmist says, 'If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared' (Ps. 130:3-4).
–Ed Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 194-5.


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Embark on the trail to an authentic faith.
About Phil LaBelle
Love Rather Than Violence
John tells us that some Greeks—some foreign born practicers of Judaism—have made their way to Jerusalem to take part in the upcoming feast of the Passover. While there, they seem to have heard about Jesus and his teachings and the miracles he has done. Maybe they saw him when he came into the city riding the donkey amid the shouts of "Hosanna!" Perhaps they overheard someone at the local coffee shop talking about Jesus raising of Lazarus from the dead, which happened just couple of days before. Regardless of how they found out about him, these people know they want to meet Jesus in person. So they seek out Philip, the most Greek sounding name out of the lot, and make their request. "Sir," they say, "we wish to see Jesus."
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Philip finds Andrew, and they in turn go and speak to Jesus. Instead of replying to their request—John doesn't tell us if those Jewish Greeks met with him—we hear Jesus respond that the hour has come for him to be glorified. He then uses a metaphor from agriculture to tell us what he means, describing how a grain of wheat—a single seed—gets buried in the earth and dies. If we stop and think about it, we know this about seeds in general. Seeds of any kind—be they apple, sunflower, or pumpkin—dry out and are useless, unless, of course, they get planted into the ground. And once they get planted something miraculous happens. With moisture and sunlight, a single pumpkin seed can produce a whole vine full of new pumpkins—anywhere from six to twelve per seed. In turn, each of these pumpkins themselves will produce about 450-500 more seeds. Through the single seed dying, a tremendous amount of new life results.
Continue reading Love Rather Than Violence
Stones, Dragons and Vineyards
I have to begin today with some background in order to help us understand our gospel. Matthew almost certainly writes to a Jewish Christian audience living in or near Palestine, and that these early Jewish believers were experiencing intense persecution from the Jewish religious authorities. A number of aspects in the gospel point to this audience, including the focus on the Torah—the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures—along with a number of symbols and allusions to Jewish history. Jesus can be seen throughout the gospel as partaking in the tradition of Moses, and Jesus' teachings and miracles keep hearkening back to that leader of the Exodus.
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However, Matthew's Jesus also often gets very confrontational with the religious leaders, likely because his readers are also experiencing that conflict. Jesus has been in their sight for some time, and now it's reaching its climax. It's the Monday of Holy Week in our reading. The day before, Jesus rode on that donkey, and was hailed with praises and waving branches. On this Monday, he comes into the temple and has been asked by whose authority he teaches. The leaders are trying to trap him, of course. But Jesus is a bit tricksy himself, and asks them an unanswerable question too. He then tells a parable that those religious types know casts them in a bad light, and they can't say anything. Our reading this morning is how Jesus continues speaking to these leaders.
Continue reading Stones, Dragons and Vineyards
The Desert's Great Gift
The great gift of deserted country to us is solitude, the chance to be alone before God. This gift may also be the desert's greatest terror, however…. We are left by ourselves, and suddenly we are faced with the question of what that self really is…. The desert lacks everything except the opportunity to know God." — David Resenberger
The Reason to Hike
It had nothing to do with gear or footwear or the backpacking fads or philosophies of any particular era or even with getting from point A to point B.
It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way."
Cheryl Strayed from Wild
Facing Death in the Desert
On Faith
All of my reading on desert and wilderness spirituality speaks of the necessity of dying to self. No one wants to do this, of course. No one wants to see the image they have of themselves—their identity and all they hold close—to be destroyed.
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And yet, if they want to grow, if they want to become the people God wants intends for them to be, death is on the docket.
This quote from Kerry Walters puts it well. He's been looking at the ideas of Simone Weil and Catherine of Genoa as they ponder the need for death. He writes of Catherine's thoughts, "When the soul lands in the purgatorial desert, the painful process of dealienation begins. In the desert, the self progressively loses its destructive attachment to [according to Catherine] 'the things of the intellect, will or memory, and in no manner tends more to one thing than to another. Quite still and in a state of siege, the me within finds itself gradually stripped of all those things that in spiritual or bodily form gave it some comfort.' … Weil and Catherine, as well as may other chroniclers of the desert journey, remind us that recreation is frightfully agonizing—not because the God of the desert enjoys inflicting pain, or even because there's intrinsic value in suffering, but because the pretender self's alienation is so engrained. Entrenched habits are stubborn, addictions recalcitrant. Once a foothold is established, the grow cement-hard. Purgative death in the desert is violent because nothing less can crack the casing of a soul enmired in entropy." (Soul Wilderness, pg. 81)
I know it's not what I want to experience, and yet I also know that unless I die to the false self—the one that relishes in praise from others—I will never truly grow. I don't want it, but I know it's the only way that leads to true life.
Why We Need Wilderness
The mountains comfort me with the promise that if the heat down here becomes less endurable I can escape for at least two days each week to the refuge of the mountains—those islands in the sky surrounded by a sea of desert. The knowledge that refuge is available, when and if needed, makes the silent inferno of the dessert more easily bearable. Mountains complement the desert as desert complements city, as wilderness complements and completes civilization.
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A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to go there. I may never in my life get to Alaska, for example, but I am grateful that it's there. We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope; without it the life of the cities would drive all men into crime or drugs or psychoanalysis."
—Edward Abbey from Desert Solitaire
Trails in our Lives
Trails can be found in virtually ever part of the vast, strange, mercurial, partly tamed, but still shockingly wild world of ours. Throughout the history of life on the Earth, we have created pathways to guide our journeys, transmit messages, refine complexity, and preserve wisdom. At the same time, trails have shaped our bodies, sculpted our landscapes, and transformed our cultures. In the maze of the modern world, the wisdom of trails is as essential as ever, and with the growth of ever-more labyrinthine technological networks, it will only become more so. To deftly navigate this world, we will need to understand how we make trails, and how trails make us."
Robert Moor from On Trails.
John Muir on Trees
God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools."
"A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease."
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."
From John Muir.
On Limestone
What most moved W.H. Auden about limestone was the way it eroded. Limestone's solubility in water means that any fault-lines in the original rock get slowly deepened by a process of soft liquid wear. In this way, the form into which limestone grows over time is determined by its first flaws. For Auden, this was a human as well as geological quality: he found in limestone an honesty—an acknowledgement that we are defined by our faults as by our substance." —from The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane
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Waiting in the Desert
In the Desert the most urgent thing is — to wait.
The desert does not take kindly to those who tackle it at breakneck speed, subjecting it to their plans and deadlines. It soon takes its revenge and makes them pay dearly for their presumption. Instead, the desert welcomes those who shed their sandals of speed and walk slowly in their barefeet, letting them by caressed and burnt by the sand.
If you have no ambition to conquer the desert, if you do not think you are in charge, if you can calmly wait for things to be done, then the desert will not consider you an intruder and will reveal its secrets to you.
—Alessandro Pronzato
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The Rambling Priest
Phil LaBelle is a husband, dad, and Episcopal priest. He loves hiking, films, reading, cooking, photography, and writing. He serves as the rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Southborough, MA where he lives with his family and beagle.
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Palestinian social development deteriorated significantly in 2001 into what is now a humanitarian crisis. Until measures are taken that impel Israel to desist in its military policies of siege, economic strangulation and assault against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, the crisis will continue.
Israeli occupation forces and settlers have killed 934 Palestinians since September 2000 and 602 Palestinians in 2001. In the same period, Israeli forces injured fully one per cent of the entire Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza (WBG). Throughout 2001, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Palestinian people struggled to maintain the level of social development in the Occupied Territories despite Israeli siege and assault. The PNA, working in conjunction with individual Palestinians, have slowed the inevitable slide into what is now a humanitarian crisis brought on by Israeli occupation forces. Palestinian social development deteriorated significantly in 2001. Until measures are taken that impel Israel to desist in its military policies of siege, economic strangulation and assault against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, the decline in Palestinian social development will continue.
The Palestinian economy has suffered under the Israeli siege. The economic production came to a standstill in 2001 and, by the end of year, 50% of the Palestinian population was below the poverty line, an increase of nearly 100% since September 2000. Palestinian real GDP declined by 12% in 2001 and 19% since September 2000. Gross National Income (GNI) losses as a result of Israeli closure reached USD 2.4 billion by the end of 2001.
Unemployment had risen to 28%, although World Bank estimates place it at 33% in June 2001 with the addition of natural population growth. A recent survey of household incomes by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in July and August 2001 indicated that 10.1% of West Bank households had lost all sources of income since September 2000 and 47.7% report a loss of over 50% of their usual income since the beginning of the uprising.
The impacts of the Israeli siege are especially difficult for disenfranchised groups. Nearly a third of those killed by the Israeli army and settlers are under the age of 18. According to the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), many Palestinian children suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) including symptoms like isolation, stomach pains, bedwetting, aggression, sleeping disorders, headaches and eating disorders. As a result of increasing unemployment and lack of access of male workers to Israeli labour markets, the burden of economic production and support of the family has fallen on the shoulders of women. The combination of traditional patriarchal norms with the overall absence of Palestinian men–be it through work overseas, imprisonment or unemployment—leads Palestinian women to suffer the brunt of poverty and responsibility over the household. Besides worrying over their children, women suffer increased domestic violence.
Amid a chorus of Israeli complaints that the Palestinian National Authority is "not doing enough," Israel has done everything in its power to undermine the ability of the PNA to act. This has included hundreds of invasions into Palestinian controlled areas, the wholesale destruction of Palestinian infrastructure, and the re-occupation of many areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that were under PNA control as a result of agreements reached since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
In the health sector, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has responded to financial difficulties on the part of patients by reducing or waiving fees. Because of lack of mobility, the MOH implemented a strategy of "decentralisation" whereby local health clinics were given additional authority. In addition, the MOH worked to increase medical funding through both PNA clinics and NGO clinics. Strategies employed by the MOH to confront the health crisis included the purchasing of drugs on credit from local suppliers, coordination of medical efforts with national and international NGOs, the promotion of home care, and the development of mobile health teams.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has worked to prop up the ailing educational sector. At the beginning of 2001, the MOE developed a Committee for Emergencies along with an Emergency Plan to disburse USD 13 million to cover operating costs, rehabilitation of schools, counseling and remedial education, first aid and fire equipment for schools.In addition, the MOE worked in conjunction with municipalities and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to decentralise school authority and reorganise students and teachers across districts in response to the siege. In response to the inability of schools to cover costs, many teachers have worked through 2001 with reduced wages in order to keep schools open.
The response of everyday Palestinians to the crisis has also been significant. A Birzeit University study found that more than 80% of households used expenditure reduction as a means of coping with the economic crisis. More than half the population delayed or refinanced payments of debts and liabilities. Other household coping strategies included reducing consumption, intensification of household production, selling of assets, borrowing to pay for expenditures and refinancing of existing loans. Other reactions to the crisis include a re-introduction of agricultural production to prop up food stores and the sending of relatives overseas to work for remittances.
Social development is under attack in the Palestinian Territories. With the refocusing of world attention on terrorism following the September 11 attacks, the PNA has come under increasing global pressure to curb Palestinian militants. Yet in the face of this pressure, the PNA and the Palestinian people have suffered Israeli military and economic onslaught for 15 months. Promoting social development in Palestine requires action on the part of those who have the most significant impact on social development in Palestine. Israeli actions since the beginning of 2001 have clearly illustrated Israel's power to determine and destroy social development in Palestine. For the current crisis in Palestinian social development to subside, the international community must recognise Israeli state violence against Palestinian civilians. Intermediate measures should include the deployment of an international protection force for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. A viable, prosperous and sovereign state in the Occupied Territories is necessary to improve social development in Palestine.
 See http://www.palestinemonitor.org/factsheet/Palestinian_killed_fact_sheet.htm. Information made available from ongoing monitoring by the Health Development Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) is also available through http://www.hdip.org.
 Freedom of movement here includes both personal movement and movement of goods.
 Collective punishment is outlawed by the 4th Geneva Convention Article 33, which states, "Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited." Quote taken from UNSCO "UNSCO Closure Update Summary: Impact on the Palestinian Economy of Confrontation, Border Closures and Mobility Restrictions, 1 October to 30 June 2001," 2001, p. 2.
 Ibid. p. 1. Figure is an UNSCO estimate from late in 2001.
 Bocco, R., M. Brunner and J. Rabah, "International and Local Aid during the second Intifada," Graduate Institute of Development Studies: University of Geneva, report done in collaboration with the Jerusalem Media & Communication Centre (JMCC), July 2001.
 Figures on GDP, GNI and unemployment are from World Bank Draft Report "One Year of Intifada - The Palestinian Economy in Crisis," World Bank, November 2001.
 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, "Impact of the Israeli Measures on the Economic Conditions of Palestinian Households (3rd Round: July-August, 2001)" PCBS, 2001, p. 5. Available at http://www.pcbs.org.
 B'Tselem: the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, "No Way Out: Medical Implications of Israel's Siege Policy," B'Tselem: Jerusalem, June 2001.
 Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) "Healthcare Under Siege II: The Health Situation of Palestinians During the First four months of the Intifada (28 September 2000-28 January 2001)", p. 12. See www.upmrc.org.
 B'Tselem, "Not Even a Drop: The Water Crisis in Palestinian Villages Without a Water Network," B'Tselem: Jerusalem, 2001, p. 6.
 ICRC Press Release, 26 February 2001.
 Dima Al-Samman, head of the Media Department at the Ministry of Education as quoted in a Palestine Media Center Press Release, 16 July 2001.
 World Bank Draft Report , op.cit. footnote 6, p. 48.
 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. See www.pcbs.org.
 Palestinian Media Center Press Release, "The Impact of Israeli Aggression on Palestinian Education," 16 July 2001.
 Bisan Center for Research and Development, "Draft Youth Issues Policy Paper: Ramallah-Al-Bireh District," submitted to TAMKEEN: Civil Society and Democracy Strengthening Project: Ramallah, November 2001.
 Fecci, J., "The Al-Aqsa Intifada: The Unseen Consequences of Violence on Palestinian Women and Children," Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, February 2001. See www.washington-report.org/backissues/010201/ 0101009.html.
 Giacaman et al. "For the Common Good?: Gender and Social Citizenship in Palestine in S. Joseph and S. Slyomovics" eds. Women and Power in the Middle East, University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 2001, p. 129.
 Since December 2000, the Israeli government has frozen tax receipts to the PNA. As a result, the Palestinian Authority faced a 76% decline in revenues between the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001. Word Bank Draft Report, op. cit. footnote 6, p. 25.
 A remarkable example is the invasion and trashing of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics by the Israeli Army on 5-6 December 2001. See www.pcbs.org.
 Birzeit University, "Public Opinion Poll 3," February 2001.
 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) Survey, July 2001. See www.pcbs.org.
 UNSCO, "Report on the Palestinian Economy," Spring 2001, p. 29.
 World Bank Draft Report, op.cit. footnote 6, p. 40.


Twisteezwire Coil Link Necklace. Step-by-step lesson plan.
Make colorful and simple wire coil necklace with Twisteezwire.
Hook coil links together to form a necklace to wear or make a larger garland to decorate for the holidays.


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Q: Given $f(x)= \frac{1}{4}(x+4)^2-2$ Find vertex, $ y$ intercept etc. Given $f(x)= \frac{1}{4}(x+4)^2-2$
Find: vertex, $y$-intercept, $x$-intercepts (if any), axis of symmetry
What I have so far:
Vertex: $(-4,-2)$
$y$-intercept: $(0,2)$
$x$-intercept: $2$
Axis of symmetry $x=-4$
If you could please tell me if these are right or not that would be great. If they are not right please correct them and tell me why they are wrong.

A: Consider $y=a(x+4)^2-2$. Let $Y=y+2$ and $X=x+4$. Then $Y=aX^2$.
This means that the curve $y=a(x+4)^2-2$ is a translation of the curve $Y=aX^2$: the origin $(0,0)$ in $XY$-space goes to the point $(-4,-2)$ in $xy$-space.
Thus, the vertex of $y=a(x+4)^2-2$ is at $(-4,-2)$, the symmetry axis is $x=-4$, etc.

A: Everything is right except for the x intercept(s). Try moving the -2 to the Left Side, and then simplyfying to get x in terms of square roots.

A: Because the function is in parabola vertex-form the vertex is at $\left( -4,-2\right)$
The axis of symmetry is about the $x-$value of the vertex, because the function is a vertical parabola.
$$ \therefore x_{axis}=-4 $$
for the $y-$intercept you need $f\left( 0\right)$
$$ f\left( 0\right) = \frac{1}{4}\left( 0+4\right) ^2-2 $$
$$ f\left( 0\right) =\frac{4^2}{4}-2 $$
$$ f\left( 0\right) = 4-2 $$
$$ f\left( 0\right) = 2 $$
For $x-$intercepts the line $y=0$ intersects the function $y=\frac{1}{4}\left( x+4\right) ^2-2$
$$\therefore \quad 0=\frac{1}{4}\left( x+4\right) ^2-2$$
$$ 2= \frac{1}{4}\left( x+4\right) ^2$$
$$ 8= \left( x+4\right) ^2$$
$$ x+4=\pm\sqrt8 $$
$$ x=-4\pm\sqrt8 $$

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text:
My new Instagram
I don't use Instagram too often, though I did have a few photos on there – Until a week or so ago when I noticed my Instagram account had been deleted, without me receiving any notification of why.
Apparently thousands of Instagram accounts are deleted every day, a lot of them for no real reason. Yes Instagram has community guidelines, and they want to make it a safe space for everyone, and that's a good thing. So they don't allow naked photos, etc. And a lot of accounts are deleted for breaking these guidelines. Fair enough.
But a lot are also deleted for having one or two images that may look a little 'pornographic' or 'sexually inappropriate.'
The fact that Instagram didn't even notify me, or tell me what was the problem, so I could rectify it, shows not very good customer service I don't think. I recommend Instagram should have a bit better customer service, otherwise soon if too many people are having accounts deleted for no apparent reason, eventually a different image sharing platform will come to dominate… And Instagram will go the way of Myspace (Lol, remember MySpace?).
My Instagram account was probably deleted because someone randomly complained about it, even though I made sure not to have any actual inappropriate photos on there.
But what should you do if someone tries to destroy your building, to make themselves feel good?
Build a new building, bigger, better, stronger, and more interesting than the one before, that's what.
That's why I've made a new Instagram account, with even more photos.
It can be viewed here, with the username: leodalemalemodel.
This Instagram account has no photos that could be counted as Adult content, and is for my modelling portfolio only. And to share cool and inspirational stuff.
Sure I'm a male escort. But I'm a male model as well. I'm a lot of things.


The Stanford's Map of the environs of Paris is from a fascinating series of reproductions from our Edward Stanford Cartographic Collection archive.
The text reads 'Stanford's map of the environs of Paris shewing the fortifications.' It is dated September 1st 1870 (nineteen years before the Eiffel Tower was erected).
The map covers the centre of Paris (indicated in pink) and extends well outside the present day Boulevard Périphérique, the course of which is indicated on the map by the old city walls. Coverage of the north includes St Danis up to Montmorency. The East includes the Château de Vincennes, most of Champigny-sur-Marne to the north-eastern Bondy. Coverage of the south shows Villejuif down to Forêt Domaniale de Verrières. In the west the map takes us beyond the northward bend in the Seine to include all of the Bois de Boulogne, the Parc de St. Cloud all the way up to St-Germain-en-Laye.
This reproduction has been taken from the original cartographic scale of [1:60,000] on an 18.5"x23" map.
This is the A3 paper version.
Various districts of the city, as well as surrounding villages are named. No street names are shown. The map has no legend but topographic artistry shows elevated areas and other details.
This lovely map will appeal to anyone interested in this great city.


text:
Nicolas de Thou, né à Paris en 1528, mort à Villebon-sur-Yvette le  fut un membre éminent du clergé français, évêque de Chartres de 1573 à 1598. Il célébra en 1594 le sacre du roi Henri IV en la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.

Biographie

Né à Paris, fils d'Augustin de Thou († en 1554), président à mortier du Parlement de Paris en 1535, frère de Christophe de Thou (1508 - 1582), premier président du Parlement en 1562, oncle de Jacques Auguste de Thou.

À partir de 1547, il servit en la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris puis devint par une bulle papale du  évêque de Chartres. Sa position d'évêque l'amena à avoir un rôle de premier plan dans la Huitième guerre de religion entre les trois  Henri qui vit le pouvoir passer de Henri III à Henri IV.

Son antipathie pour la Ligue catholique a rendu sa position difficile lorsque les habitants de Chartres, ralliés à cette ligue, fermèrent les portes de la ville aux troupes du roi Henri III le , et accueillirent Charles de Mayenne pour tenter de faire reconnaître Charles de Bourbon comme roi sous le nom de Charles X.

Nicolas de Thou temporisa et reçut le  Henri de Navarre. Le , il participa à l'assemblée des évêques de France qui déclara : « nulle, injuste et suggérée par la méchanceté des ennemis de la France » la bulle d'excommunication d'Henri de Navarre du pape Grégoire XIV.

Le , il assista à l'abjuration d'Henri IV à basilique Saint-Denis. Puisque Reims était toujours sous la coupe de Charles de Mayenne, Chartres fut choisie pour le couronnement. Renaud de Beaune, archevêque de Bourges et nouvel archevêque de Sens réclamait l'honneur d'oindre le roi, Nicolas de Thou se fit nommer représentant de Nicolas de Pellevé qu'il venait de nommer archevêque de Reims pour procéder au couronnement.

Le sacre eut lieu le  avec une huile miraculeuse de l'abbaye de Marmoutier à la place de celle de la Sainte Ampoule.

Nicolas de Thou meurt le  à Villebon-sur-Yvette.

Publications
Nicolas de Thou a laissé différentes écritures pastorales et un livre intitulé Cérémonies observées au sacre et couronnement d'Henri IV, roi de France.

Sources
 Old Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14707a.htm, à partir de :
 Cayet, Chronologie novennaire, bk. VI ; Fisquet, La France pontificale : Chartres (Paris, 1873).

Références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Liste des évêques de Chartres

Liens externes

Personnalité française du XVIe siècle
Naissance en 1528
Décès en novembre 1598
Évêque de Chartres

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
India isn't going to save Apple
India isn't going to save Apple from its slump.
On Tuesday, Apple released its quarterly earnings — which included the company's first annual decline in revenue in fifteen years.
On a subsequent call with analysts, CEO Tim Cook was positive about the prospects of India, the world's second-largest smartphone market, for Apple's future.
"Our iPhone sales in India were up over 50% in fiscal 2016 compared to the prior year, and we believe we're just beginning to scratch the surface of this large and growing market opportunity," he said.
But don't expect it to transform Apple's fortunes any time soon.
India isn't the next China
Apple didn't break out specific sales figures for India. But according to research firm Counterpoint, it shipped just under 2.5 million iPhones in FY2016, up from 1.6 million in FY2015. That's a very healthy 55% growth year-on-year — but it's a drop in the ocean compared to Apple's global sales. For context, it sold 45.5 million iPhones in the last quarter alone.
In short: Apple's iPhone sales have been in decline year-on-year for three straight quarters now, AND India doesn't look likely to save it.
Stephen Lam/Getty ImagesApple CEO Tim Cook.
India is a huge market. 250 million phones are sold in the country every year, Counterpoint research director Neil Shah told Business Insider — but only 125 million are smartphones, with an average selling point of $125.
The market just isn't as mature, and the total possible addressable market of high-end smartphones is just 8 to 10 million sales a year. That's a drop in the ocean compared to bordering China, where Apple shifts a far heftier 60-million-odd devices annually.
However, iPhone sales in China have been dropping alongside revenues, and it has always been a difficult market for foreign tech companies to crack. "Everyone wants to have eggs in different baskets," Shah says — hence the interest in India. But market conditions just aren't right yet.
"If you have a product portfolio from $80 to $800, then India is a great market for you." If you're Apple, and your flagship device starts at $600 — not so much.
"People are ready to buy iPhones but they're ready to buy cheaper iPhones"
The Indian market is developing, and opportunities could arise for Apple — if it plays its cards right.
AppleThe iPhone 7.
By 2018, Shah estimates there will be close to 400 million smartphone users in India, some upgrading to their third of fourth smartphone.
Apple stands a better chance with these customers in the years ahead — but only if it lies the groundwork now. "It cannot just ignore the market," Shah argues, or potential Apple customers will become "attuned" to the Google Android ecosystem, and be more resistant to switching platforms.
By then, the premium smartphone market should be significantly larger — 40 or 50 million sales on an annual basis. Assuming Apple manages to get a 60% market share, that works out at 20 or 30 million sales. It's far larger than what it currently shifts in the country — but still half that of China.
Shah reckons the smart move would be for Apple to launch a budget handset tailored to markets like India. If it launches a cheaper iPhone for emerging markets it can go after scale," then drive revenue via its services — an area of increasing focus for the company. "It has to tweak its portfolio and the pricing of its product."
Significantly, the Apple devices being sold in Apple aren't even necessarily particularly modern. 45% of iPhone sales in India are for the iPhone 5s or below: "People are ready to buy iPhones but they're ready to buy cheaper iPhones," Shah says.
"Market potential has not been as great there"
CEO Tim Cook has previously acknowledged that India — while it has potential — has some way to go before it reaches a similar level of maturity to China or elsewhere. "The smartphones that are working there are low end, primarily because of the network and the economics, the market potential has not been as great there," he said back in April 2016. "But I view India as where China was maybe seven to ten years ago from that point of view, and I think there's a really great opportunity there."
As Apple's revenue declines for the first time in fifteen years, some investors and analysts are asking where future growth will come from. Apple clearly sees potential in India, and wants to big up its potential.
But it's no substitute for China just yet.
Here's what Cook said about India in his opening remarks, via Seeking Alpha:
"Looking ahead, we're seeing some very exciting developments in India. Reliance Jio is rolling out a a first of its kind all-IP network in India with 4G coverage in 18,000 cities and 200,000 villages across the country. They're offering a free year of service to purchasers of new iPhones and we're partnering with them to ensure great iPhone performance on their network. Our iPhone sales in India were up over 50% in fiscal 2016 compared to the prior year, and we believe we're just beginning to scratch the surface of this large and growing market opportunity."
And here's a follow-up question the exec received on the subject:
James D. Suva – Citigroup Global Markets: A strategy question for Tim and then more of a financial question for Luca. Tim, you'd mentioned in your prepared comments a little bit about India and we've been doing a lot of work talking about the opportunity in India. And we get a lot of pushback talking about disposable income metrics and lots of things like that, yet the population being so large, can you talk a little bit about, do you see that India could at some point be as big of an opportunity as China? And it appears that the legal rules have kind of prevented you from going in a lot, but it looks like that's changing. Can you just kind of give us a little more clarity on India?
Tim Cook – Apple: Yeah, thanks for the question … On India, I think it's important to look not only at per capita income, which may be what you're looking at, but sort of look at the number of people that are or will move into the middle class sort of over the next decade. And the age of the population, if you look at India, almost 50% of the population is under 25. And so you have a very, very young population.
The smartphone has not done as well in India in general. However, one of the key reasons for that is the infrastructure hasn't been there. But this year or this year and next year, there are enormous investments going in on 4G and we couldn't be more excited about that because it really takes a great network working with iPhone to produce that great experience for people. And so I see a lot of the factors moving in the right direction there. I also think the government is much more focused on the infrastructure and on creating jobs, which is fantastic, because you really need the kind of infrastructure and the technology to do that.
Will it be as big as China? I think it's clear that the population of India will exceed China sometime in probably the next decade or so, maybe less than that. I think it will take longer for the GDP to rival it, but that's not critical for us to have a great success there. The truth is, there's going to be a lot of people there and a lot of people in the middle class that will really want a smartphone, and I think we can compete well for some percentage of those. And given our starting point, even though we've been growing a lot, there is a lot of headroom there in our mind, and so we are working very hard to realise that opportunity.
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text:
Intel invests additional $475 million in Vietnam plant
Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 15:57 GMT+7
U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp's logo is seen on their "smart building" in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, Israel December 15, 2019. Photo: Reuters
HANOI -- Intel Corp has invested an additional $475 million in its plant in Vietnam to improve technologies and boost production of its 5G products and core processors, the U.S. chipmaker's local unit said in a statement on Wednesday.
The move takes Intel's total investments in Vietnam to around $1.5 billion, it said.
"Intel Products Vietnam is an important part in Intel's supply chain," general manager Kim Huat Ooi said, explaining the decision to invest more in facilities and human resources in Vietnam.
Vietnam has become an increasingly crucial part of the global technology supply chain, with companies such as Apple and Samsung seeking to diversify their production to minimise the impact of a Sino-U.S. trade war and after the Southeast Asian country has been able to contain the spread of the coronavirus so far.
Vietnam sells 23mn metric tons of steel products in 2021
Intel Vietnam plant
Besides not being subject to content control, foreign OTT service providers are not paying tax in Vietnam
The rice mill is the biggest of its kind in Asia
The Southeast Asian country exported more than 14 million metric tons of steel products in the year
In addition to their talents, the good looks of the star players at the VBA are a draw for fans
In Vietnam, old street photographer resolves to pursue career until last breath
'Le Quang Liem [the old man's name] is my senior because I am a photographer too'


text:
The Sufficiency of Scripture Part 1
Written by: MacArthur Jr., John Posted on: 04/10/2003
Source: CCN
GC 80-18
"The Sufficiency of Scripture" Part 1
Selected Scripture
As you know, we are studying 1 Timothy, but I have been hesitant in these next couple of Sundays to get back to 1 Timothy until all of our folks are back. We have many who are away over this particular holiday season. And so, I have postponed getting into chapter 2, which is a vital chapter, for at least a couple of weeks. Not only because of scheduling but also because of a second reason, and that is there has been something on my mind for the last month or so and it's sort of burning in my heart and I need to spend a couple of Lord's days just sharing my burden with you. And so, this morning and next Lord's day morning, I want to speak to you on the subject, "The sufficiency of Scripture...the sufficiency of Scripture." I really believe this is a vital vital subject. In fact, I trust that even after the messages have been given and you've heard them, you'll pick up the tapes because I think these are things that you will want to refer to again and again and give to other people. I'm not going to tell you my perspective on things, I'm not going to try to deal with the sufficiency of Scripture from a philosophical viewpoint, or an experiential one, but what I want to do is have us look together at the Word of God and see what it says about its own sufficiency. And as a church and as people whose lives are built upon the foundation of the Word of God, this is a very, very important study.
Now something in particular has triggered my interest in this study and I'd like to speak to that, if I might, for a few moments. There is, I believe, a strong and pervasive and somewhat subtle strategy unfolding today among those who call themselves "evangelical Christians." This is being masterminded by the arch enemy, Satan, and sadly being bought into by many many people in evangelical churches. This subtle strong strategy basically is an attack on the sufficiency of the Word of God. Now in all times and seasons, the Word of God is under attack. And we have to be somewhat careful and somewhat wary and somewhat watchful to discern how it's being attacked. I believe presently the attack on Scripture is primarily coming from those who deny its sufficiency for all matters of faith and conduct. One of the great statements of theology, of traditional evangelical theology is that the Scripture is adequate for all matters of faith and conduct. That is being attacked today.
Let me briefly describe what I mean by that with some illustrations from various angles. First of all, in the last few years in the church, there has grown to be among church leaders a great preoccupation with what I would call "worldly management technique." With all of the books being written on successful corporations and successful styles of management and leadership and so forth, the church has perked up its ears and gone after that really as if it were the very life of the church. There are many who bow, as it were, to the gods of worldly management technique. Churches are learning those kinds of methods as if they were the keys to building the Kingdom of God. And in a very subtle way, this is an attack on the adequacy of Scripture, as if to say, "Knowing the Word of God and understanding its principles and the principles taught therein related to the growth of the church is not adequate and we must go to the management techniques and the systems of success the world uses in its corporate environment and transfer those to the church if we want the church to really grow and develop." I believe this is a subtle attack on the sufficiency of the revelation of God for the matter of the growth and development of the church.
Secondly, another angle that I've been recently concerned about is that there are many people who feel the Scripture is not a sufficient diet for the saints of the church and there must be along with it a certain amount of entertainment. And churches are spending a lot of money to entertain people. We have developed because of our penchant for entertainment in our society a sort of a Christian celebrity list. We are heavy into entertainment which is costing the church when you include Christian TV entertainment, billions and billions of dollars of the Lord's money. And it is, in a sense, a concession to those people who do not believe that the teaching and the study and the learning and the application of the Word of God is an exciting enough diet. In fact, there are many people who seem rather bored with the things of God revealed in Scripture and are really in desperate need of some entertainment. And there is in that, I believe, an attack on the sufficiency of the Word of God to bring to the life of believers all that is needed not only for the matter of spiritual battle but for the matter of joy and fulfillment in life.
Another area of great distress to me is the area of, I suppose what we could call, mysticism, or the occult. I believe in evangelicalism, if you look closely and you'll hear more of this on Tuesday night when you hear from Dave Hunt, but I believe if you look closely at evangelicalism today, you will find in many places people becoming preoccupied with the occult. They don't think that's what it is, but in fact that is indeed what it is. They are reaching into the world of mediums and demon spirits and the devil himself because they are searching for supernatural power, supernatural experience, ecstatic experiences. They are searching for miracles and signs and wonders. There are schools now teaching courses in signs and wonders. There are people saying that we can never reach the world with the gospel unless we can raise the dead and heal the sick and call down fire from heaven and do all kinds of supernatural things. Peter Wagner recently said at the American Association of Bible Colleges Convention, quote: "The simple gospel is no longer adequate without signs and wonders," end quote. We cannot reach the world, he is saying, with just the Word of God. We have to have signs and wonders and he is talking, along with many others, about finding the power source and delving into supernatural powers to do miracles and create these signs and wonders.
There are those who are today advocating Christian montras, a chanting kind of thing. There are those offering formulas for confronting Satan, formulas for dealing with demons, positive confession and visualization techniques where you sort of visualize something as a reality, whether it's your healing, your new car or the girl you want, a new house, or reaching a certain group for Christ, or developing a ministry, you get into this heavy kind of self-hypnotic visualization technique. These kinds of things are all forms of occult magic. They are being practiced to gain supposed divine power but the power they gain is the power of the enemy.
In fact, this could be called "the new religious science." We have now developed an evangelical science of the mind. Many of the people are getting into Eastern and Hindu thought thinking they're...they'll be able to capture the power of the Eastern world if they can get themselves into the paradigm of their kind of thinking. There's a preoccupation with this mysticism. Psychic power is cultivated. People are claiming authority over the devil, authority over demons, authority over disease. They're going around in the name of some supposed psychic power commanding not only Satan and his forces but disease, sickness, negative circumstances and other things.
Further, another category in which we see this kind of abandonment of the belief of biblical sufficiency is in the matter of marriage and family, for one. There was a time when we believed that the Bible gave us adequate insight into marriage and the family. That if we studied the Word of God, we would be able to live life in the family to its fullest, that marriage could be all that God ever intended if lived by biblical principles. Families can be all that God ever intended if lived by biblical principles but now there is a proliferation of tricks and gimmicks and sex techniques and just a plethora of things that are added to the Scripture to try to deal with family problems. And in an underlying and subtle way, they are making the comment that the Bible is to one degree or another insufficient or inadequate.
It used to be that we could accept what the Bible said in sociological areas, whether it's homosexuality or the role of a woman. Now we're hearing that the Bible is rather unsophisticated and cannot comment on these contemporary sociological issues because of its lack of sophistication. And so there is an insufficiency in the Bible's ability to deal with contemporary sociological phenomena. This is coming on a wholesale level into the church, particularly marked in the area in the liberal church homosexuality, in the more evangelical church in the redefining of the role of women away from the traditional biblical teaching.
But perhaps as dominant or more dominant than any of these themes is this area of psychology. Psychology today is making inroads into the church that really are frightening. In fact, there is in the evangelical church what is fast becoming a wholesale exodus from the traditional land of biblical theology into the new promised land of psychology and psychotherapy. Churches that once and for always would hire pastors and evangelists and teachers are now hiring psychologists. Pastors that once would go to seminary and learn the Word of God or Bible college and master the Scripture are now going to schools of psychology to study human wisdom in dealing with the problems of mankind. This again is a subtle way of saying the Bible is insufficient. When coming to grips with these deep seeded emotional anxieties of man, we cannot expect the Bible to speak in any sophisticated way to those problems. Seminaries are changing their curriculum dramatically. For the first time in the history of the church, seminaries are hiring psychologists on their staff to teach, psychiatrists to teach, they're teaching psychology, they're adding more psychology courses in many places, diminishing the biblical content of their curriculum. Colleges are doing the same thing. Churches are doing it. It's a wholesale exodus.
And to this sort of encroaching mysticism and preoccupation with supernatural powers and science of the mind and visualization techniques and hypnosis and all of this self-image stuff comes this psychology and together it is creating the new God of the church. And I can look back to our own law suit where we were literally mocked for being so primitive as to assume that the Bible could give people help when they had severe problems. The world has been saying the Bible cannot help and now sad to say, the church is chiming in and agreeing that the Bible is inadequate to deal with psychological problems. In fact, I would go so far as to say there are many advocating today a psychological salvation in place of the new birth. There is nothing in this more than a pseudo-evangelical humanism. This preoccupation with self-esteem and self-love and self-fulfillment and self-actualization that psychology has brought into the church knows no biblical counterpart.
And just to put things in perspective, the church inevitably...inevitably, buys into these things and in fact, the world will more readily admit the error of these things often than we will. For example, in the Los Angeles Times on the eighteenth of this month, you perhaps read an interesting article about a recent convention of psychiatrists, psychoanalysts and psychologists in Phoenix, Arizona, the largest convention, 7,000 people apparently attended. And for the first time in the history of the world, the leading psychoanalyst, psychologist and psychiatrist of the world got together. Men like Carl(?) Rogers, Albert Ellis, R.D. Lang, Bruno Bettleheim(?), Joseph Walpi(?) and Thomas Szaz, those are the most famous names in the world in terms of techniques and methods of psychotherapy. They were all there.
And the article was really amazing. It said, for example, "The heroes were there to evaluate where psychotherapy has come in 100 years and where it might be going." Except, they really couldn't agree on either. Lang, one of the famous ones, known for his work on schizophrenia said, "He couldn't think of any fundamental insights into relations between human beings that had resulted from a century of psychotherapy." He couldn't think of any? The 7,000 practicing and student psychotherapist, psychiatrist and social workers who attended various sessions were undaunted by the debates and differences of opinion. Obtaining autographs was the priority for many.
One of these leading psychoanalysts said, "The best therapy he had found for his anxiety was to hum a tune." And the sad thing about that is that the church has bought into that as if it is the savior of man. Nobel prize winner Richard Fryman(?) said, quote: "Psychoanalysis is not a science." What did he mean by that? He meant that there are no rules to guide it, it's a whole lot of human opinion. New York University professor, Paul Veets(?) criticized Christianity and he criticized the Christian church for its tendency to do what he called "buying high and selling low" in regard to social science. He said, "The church is eager to adopt popular trends of thought at the very time the secular professionals are beginning to criticize them." In fact, he put it this way, "It is a matter of climbing on the bandwagon just about the time it's slowing down," end quote.
We tend to do that, to jump into movements that are just about dead because they have proven a washout even to the people in the world who started them. But here we have in our contemporary Christian church, these things making tremendous inroads. I am absolutely amazed at the inroads of mysticism, science of the mind, occultism, psychology and these other things into the church, the college, the seminary environment and the pooh-poohing of biblical theology and biblical sufficiency.
Now all of this, I believe, is not some small problem. I believe it is a serious and sinful view of the Word of God. I believe it is the sin of the church to believe the Bible to be inadequate. J.I. Packer in his little book on the Word of God puts his finger on the problem in a paragraph that says this: quote: "Certainty about the great issues of Christian faith and conduct is lacking all along the line. The outside observer sees us as staggering on from a gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like so many drunks in a fog, not knowing at all where we are or which way we should be going. Preaching is hazy. Heads are muddled, hearts fret, doubts drain strength, uncertainty paralyzes action. Unlike the first-century Christians who in three centuries won the Roman world and those later Christians who pioneered the Reformation and the Puritan awakening and the evangelical revival and the great missionary movement of the last century, we lack certainty," end quote.
And the reason we lack certainty is because we have a sinful view of Scripture. We do not any longer seem to believe that the Bible is sufficient for the life and conduct of the church. That is a sin...a sin of monstrous proportions, to deny the sufficiency of the Word of God.
Now how can we answer this? How can we come at this? And I could take another couple of hours to delineate to you the problem, but I want to deal with the solution. You'll hear more about the problem on Tuesday night. But can we go to the Bible and find in it that which is sufficient for all of life and conduct? And the answer, I believe, is a resounding yes. And the proof is the testimony of the greatest authority in the universe, none other than God Himself. And what I want you to see today and next Lord's day is God's own testimony to the sufficiency of the Word of God. Now we're going to set our attention next Lord's day on one single passage and that will be Psalm 19. But...and I think that's the single greatest passage on the sufficiency of Scripture in all of the Bible, but this morning, I want us to simply look at a myriad of passages that will strengthen our understanding of this vital truth.
Now I'm going to give you a lot of Bible passages, I don't expect you to look them up. But this is very, very important and very foundational. So I want you to at least write them down and be sure you get the tapes so you'll have them for future reference. But don't try to follow me in looking them all up, you might get lost. I'll tell you the ones that are important to turn to.
A good starting place to give us a sort of a general feeling of what we want to get into would be in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. And I want to mention one verse to you and quote it and then I want to comment on it. Second Corinthians 3:5...2 Corinthians 3:5, listen to what it says, very short so listen carefully: "Our sufficiency is from God." Did you hear that? "Our sufficiency is from God." Now we could preach off of just that statement at great length. Our sufficiency is not from men. Our sufficiency is not from human wisdom. Our sufficiency is not from human resources. Our sufficiency is from God. Our sufficiency...what does that mean? That means our capability of living life in God's plan to the maximum is from Him.
In other words, we--because we are Christians--live in an environment in which the resources for life are divine. Okay? They're divine. We live at a sphere, at a strata, at a level which human wisdom does not feed...for which human wisdom cannot provide resources. Now I want you to understand in what I say this morning that I am not saying that there's nothing outside the Bible that has any value. There are many things that have value. God's common grace, that is the grace of God on all men, will create certain things in our human environment that are very helpful. But when it comes to the matters of spiritual life, all we need to know is revealed in the Word of the living God and ministered to us by the Spirit through that Word. And outside the Word of God we do not have to look for a sufficiency that is not provided in the Scripture. That is the sin. It is not to say that there's nothing in the world that isn't helpful. There are many helpful things in the world. But those matters which have to do with spiritual life and conduct and ministry are in the Word of the living God and they are sufficient...they are sufficient. Our sufficiency as believers is from God.
So we don't say, "Well, this is a problem that we can't handle...Oh, this...boy, you've got a spiritual problem the Bible doesn't deal with, you better...you better find some power source out there, you better get into sort of actualization or visualization or psychotherapy or psychoanalysis or, boy, we just can't handle this one." If it is a spiritual issue, if it has to do with the life of a believer, if it has to do with the life of the church, if it has to do with the soul of man, the struggles of man, those things that are in his life that bring difficulty, the Bible can deal with those things and does, it is sufficient.
Another verse in 2 Corinthians is in chapter 9, in fact it's parts of two verses, verses 8 and 10. Second Corinthians 9:8 says, and listen to this, just listen to what I say carefully and I want you to mark in your mind the superlatives..the superlatives. In fact, why don't you open your Bible to 2 Corinthians 9:8 so you can underline them. Watch the superlatives here...2 Corinthians 9:8. "And God," and there again is our sufficiency, God is our sufficiency, He is our source, "God is able," there are no limits on His ability, "to make all grace," now there's the first superlative, "all grace," not just some grace, not just most grace but all grace. "He is able to make ALL grace ABOUND" there's another superlative, another word that speaks of a superlative indulgence. "He is able to make ALL grace ABOUND toward you that you...here's another superlative...ALWAYS," not sometimes, not most of the time but all the time, "will have ALL sufficiency," there's another superlative, "will have ALL sufficiency," not in some things, a few things, or most things, but in what?..."in ALL things."
I mean, it's an absolutely amazing statement. And anybody who goes around saying, "Well, you know, the simple gospel just isn't enough. The Word of God isn't enough. I've got to have this and this philosophy and this human wisdom and this approach," doesn't understand that that is a sin against the claim of God Himself to be able to make ALL grace ABOUND toward you so that you ALWAYS have ALL sufficiency in ALL things, and again, you will ABOUND, another superlative, and here comes another one, to EVERY good work, or to ALL good works. Absolutely unlimited superlatives.
And then verse 10 adds, "Being enriched in ALL things, or in EVERY thing to...here it comes again...ALL bountifulness which causes us thanksgiving to God, causes us to give thanksgiving to God." The superlatives here are staggering, absolutely staggering.
Now when somebody comes along and says the Bible is just not sufficient...boy, this is an issue the Scripture can't deal with. "Well, the Scripture can't go into that culture, boy, we've got to have some kind of supernatural power, boy, the Scripture's not adequate." or when somebody says, "Well, we just don't have the answers in Christianity for those deeper kind of problems," we fly in the face of the testimony of God in this very passage itself. Our God is able to provide the resources for all our needs. Our suffic
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1-30 Number lines! 7 different designs, including one with no pictures. Bright, colorful and helpful for students when using in mathematical tasks.
These number lines have dotted cut lines to make it easy to simple print and slice. Counting in 5 and 10 patten is visible using different colors.


text:
Beyond Obamacare
Originally published in the New York Times
WE need death panels.
Well, maybe not death panels, exactly, but unless we start allocating health care resources more prudently — rationing, by its proper name — the exploding cost of Medicare will swamp the federal budget.
But in the pantheon of toxic issues — the famous "third rails" of American politics — none stands taller than overtly acknowledging that elderly Americans are not entitled to every conceivable medical procedure or pharmaceutical.
Most notably, President Obama's estimable Affordable Care Act regrettably includes severe restrictions on any reduction in Medicare services or increase in fees to beneficiaries. In 2009, Sarah Palin's rant about death panels even forced elimination from the bill of a provision to offer end-of-life consultations.
Now, three years on, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Paul D. Ryan, has offered his latest ambitious plan for addressing the Medicare problem. But like Mr. Obama's, it holds limited promise for containing the program's escalating costs within sensible boundaries.
The Obama and Ryan plans are not without common ground; both propose an identical formula for capping the growth in Medicare spending per beneficiary. And both dip into the same toolbox (particularly lower payments to providers) to achieve a reduction of nearly $1 trillion in Medicare expenditures over the next decade from projected levels.
That's where the agreement ends. Mr. Ryan believes that meeting the goal over the long term requires introducing more competition into Medicare through vouchers to purchase private insurance.
But Ryan's approach was rendered toothless when the issue's brutal politics forced him to retreat from his initial tough plan to simply cap the growth in government spending on Medicare and stick the inevitable overage onto beneficiaries. Under his revised plan, private insurers would be required to offer the same level of benefits as traditional Medicare, meaning that any savings would have to come from unidentified efficiencies (the ever-popular "waste, fraud and abuse").
If the cap was breached — as it almost certainly would eventually be — Mr. Ryan blithely says, "Congress would be required to intervene." Fat chance; Congress regularly does the opposite when it rolls back caps on payments to doctors and hospitals.
Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's hopes for sustained cost containment are pinned on a to-be-determined mix of squeezing reimbursements, embracing a selection of the creative ideas that have spewed forth from health care policy wonks and scouring the globe for innovations.
To Mr. Obama's credit, his plan has more teeth than Mr. Ryan's; if his Independent Payment Advisory Board comes up with savings, Congress must accept either them or vote for an equivalent package. The problem is, the advisory board can't propose reducing benefits (a k a rationing) or raising fees (another form of rationing), without which the spending target looms impossibly large.
That's the view of the bipartisan Medicare trustees, whose 2012 report stated: "Actual future Medicare expenditures are likely to exceed the intermediate projections shown in this report, possibly by quite large amounts."
To be sure, health care cost increases have moderated, in part because of the recession and in part because Medicare has been tightening its reimbursements. But those thumbscrews can't be tightened forever; Medicare reimbursement rates are already well below those of private providers.
Let's not forget that with the elderly population growing rapidly, even if cost increases for each beneficiary can be contained, Medicare would still claim a rising share of the American economy.
Medicare needs to take a cue from Willie Sutton, who reportedly said he robbed banks because that's where the money was. The big money in Medicare is not to be found in Mr. Ryan's competition or Mr. Obama's innovation, but in reducing the cost of treating people in the last year of life, which consumes more than a quarter of the program's budget.
No one wants to lose an aging parent. And with price out of the equation, it's natural for patients and their families to try every treatment, regardless of expense or efficacy. But that imposes an enormous societal cost that few other nations have been willing to bear. Many countries whose health care systems are regularly extolled — including Canada, Australia and New Zealand — have systems for rationing care.
Take Britain, which provides universal coverage with spending at proportionately almost half of American levels. Its National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence uses a complex quality-adjusted life year system to put an explicit value (up to about $48,000 per year) on a treatment's ability to extend life.
At the least, the Independent Payment Advisory Board should be allowed to offer changes in services and costs. We may shrink from such stomach-wrenching choices, but they are inescapable.


text:
About Cornerstone Associates
Cornerstone Associates is an experienced developer and builder of residential properties since 1985 and a longtime resident of Newnan, GA. Known for a high value of cluster home and subdivisions, along with commercial office developments, the Cornerstone difference is evident in the careful planning and consideration that is a hallmark of their properties. Cornerstone is committed to excellence and customer satisfaction and has received numerous awards for their innovation and craftsmanship.
Cornerstone has built or developed over 350 properties in metro Atlanta, ranging from entry-level homes to million dollars plus residences, and lakefront homes to mountain cabins and office condominiums. Many of the floor plans have been custom drawn by a team of specialist and framed and landscaped by Cornerstones own in-house craftsmen. Many of these properties have unique common areas that invite neighbors to join together in an inviting environment that builds community.
Philosophy:
Cornerstone Associates is committed to developing and building communities that increase in value over time and provide families with a carefully planned neighborhood.
Meet the builder:
Tommy Sweet is the builder and President of Cornerstone Associates. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech, Bachelor of Industrial Engineering. Tommy has served as the Vice President of the Metro South Chapter of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and has previously served on the GAHBA Development Council. Tommy is known as a man of integrity and vision, committed to his family and faith.
Newnan Views:
Newnan Views provides a unique opportunity to live in a walkable community in the heart of Newnan with two city parks, shopping, dining, a theatre, and Linc Trail adjacent to the community. Owners and guest will enjoy the lasting benefits of intown living in the heart of Newnan.
Newnan is a community that is growing quickly and there is an emerging opportunity to build a beautiful townhome development that will tie into the community and closeness that downtown Newnan will stand to offer.
alex@newnanviews.com
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text:
Fashion, News
Rami Al Ali to postpone his next Couture collection
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Rami Al Ali has decided to not present a new Couture collection in July...
Sadly, several of the year's major events have either been postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the fashion industry has been hit hard.
A slew of brands have had to shut down their factories resulting in slower production and the cancellation of collections slated for the Autumn-Winter 2020/21 season; or launch virtual shows for the first time such as Chanel.
For Rami Al Ali, the namesake label has decided to not present a new Couture collection next season.
Due to the global health crisis, the Syrian designer will instead, extend the offering of his last Spring/Summer '20 Couture collection (showcased in Paris last January). This is a major move in the brand's bid to reduce its environmental impact and promote a sustainable future.
"We took the decision to not create a new collection this season as we want to be more mindful about our production," says Rami Al Ali. "Fashion is the most adaptable industry, and very much the mirror of the society."
Whilst the next Rami Al Ali Couture collection is still yet to be confirmed, make sure you watch this space.
Now, take a look at when Rami Al Ali joined forces with Messika.
The 10 best Chanel looks at the Oscars
Kylie Jenner and Stormi opted for a Kuwaiti designer for the Kardashian Christmas party
Buro Loves, Fashion
This go-to fashion destination pops up on Ain Dubai, Bluewaters Island
Jewellery and Watches, News
Tiffany & Co.'s 'Vision & Virtuosity' exhibition celebrates 180 years of artistry and innovation
It's #WorldOceansDay: Here are 6 brands helping our oceans
Roni Helou celebrates the launch of new online shop with photo virtual shoot


A huge house, a fraternity, aproximatly 20 guys and a huge mess, of course! I'd nerver seen a kitchen like that, only in a caricatural serie. But actually american series are quite like a american life style, life of a fraternity style.
I have to share a bathroom with a lot of hears, empty glass of beer all around the house, thinks like that. And I'm the only girl to leave here, so the looking are quite cold, because I'm in a men territory, and I'm not a beautiful with a big chest, and the most important point, I'm not very friendly because I'm too shy and my English is so bad.
But I can look the real life of a young American student (a student with money I guess), a sort of good experience I think. More difficult than the last year but more constructive for me. Fabien have already speak with a lot of guy and he was invited in a party, but not me. I sleep that all. I'm so dumb!


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text:
Vaccine access codes meant for low-income communities are being misused across Bay Area
By Liz Kreutz
Vaccine access codes for low-income communities being misused
MARIN COUNTY, Calif, (KGO) -- As California works to create a more equitable vaccine distribution plan, it is hitting another snag.
Appointments reserved for people hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic are being snatched up by people they aren't intended for. It has to do with vaccine access codes -- meant for low-income communities of color -- that are being shared and misused across the state.
VACCINE TRACKER: Here's how CA is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine
In the Bay Area, the codes are being shared in affluent neighborhoods in Marin County. ABC7 News heard from three different people -- all of whom asked to remain anonymous -- who received an access code for the Oakland Coliseum vaccination site in Alameda County. The site is one of two vaccination centers set up by the state in partnership with the federal government.
One man, who is in his mid-30s, said the text message sent from a friend said there was a surplus of vaccines at the site and so they were opening up appointments to anyone.
"While to all of us it sounded somewhat plausible, it sounded also very unlikely," he said.
VIDEO: UC Berkeley epidemiologist shares COVID-19 predictions for 2021
The head of epidemiology at UC Berkeley's school of public health offered up some guesses about what life could be like in the spring, summer, fall and into 2022 as coronavirus vaccines become more widespread.
His instincts were right. While he was able to get an appointment, he canceled it last night after learning he was indeed taking a spot away from someone else.
The codes are actually meant for people who live in areas disproportionately impacted by the pandemic - Areas like Marin County's Canal neighborhood, which is made up largely of Latinos and low-income essential workers.
Omar Carrera is the CEO of the Canal Alliance. He's frustrated he didn't even know about the codes and say it's just another reminder of the inequities of the pandemic.
"I didn't know anything about it, so forget about the community," Carrera said. "Of course the ones who are on top of the news, the ones with access to technology, the ones who have connections with the people with information are the ones who are benefitting from it."
WATCH: ABC7's virtual town hall addressing COVID-19 impact on Latino community
ABC7 News has partnered with the Latino Community Foundation to present, "Race and Coronavirus: A Bay Area Conversation" a virtual and interactive town hall addressing the impact of COVID-19 on Latinos.
According to data from the state, Latinos make up roughly 15% of those vaccinated so far in California, despite accounting for roughly 40% of the state's population.
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom reiterated his commitment to vaccine equity and expressed his own frustration about people misusing these access codes.
"We're going to go away from group codes to individual codes and we're working with the counties on that," he said. "We don't like to see those abuses. We've been highlighting those abuses."
RELATED: Gov. Newsom provides update on CA's vaccination efforts
Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for California's Office of Emergency Services, which helps operate the Oakland Coliseum site, said they will begin using individual access codes starting March 1. In the meantime, they are disabling many of those codes, working to better check people at vaccination sites and are asking anyone who receives a code to not misuse it.
Ferguson said the idea that the code helps extra vaccine doses from going to waste is inaccurate. He said the state intentionally sets aside a certain amount of appointments for community groups to use. And even if there are any extra vaccine doses, the state still does whatever they can at the end of the day to make sure it gets into the arms of an essential worker.
If you have a question or comment about the coronavirus pandemic, submit yours via the form below or here.
societyoaklandoakland coliseumvaccineshealthcoronavirus californiacoronaviruscovid 19 vaccinehealth caremarin county