Long before the mid-7th century CE Muslim/Arab Conquest of the eastern Mediterranean coast, known as the Levant, the Jews inhabited the area known today as the Golan Heights. Modern-day Ramat ha Golan (Golan Heights or the Golan) is the western section of the Biblical region of Bashan, dating to the time of Moses, who defeated the local ruler and allotted the land to the tribe of Manasseh. Many Jewish communities were established on the Golan plateau at that time. In the 9th Century BCE the combined forces of the Jewish tribes of Judah and Israel defeated the Aramean armies in the Golan.
Various wars ensued over the centuries and many countries conquered the area. Historically, the Golan was Jewish long before Arabs arrived there. In the 1st century BCE, the Hasmonean Jewish king, Alexander Yannai, regained control of the Golan from the Nabateans, securing it as part of his extensive kingdom. In the Talmudic period before the Muslim Conquest (633 CE) there were more than 100 Jewish sites and 25 synagogues in the Golan, according to modern archeological discoveries.
The Golan Heights is tiny, 690 sq miles, roughly the area of Ocean County, NJ. Its size belies its strategic value. 4,000 feet in elevation, the Golan towers over Israel's Hula Valley. Today it is the center of international outrage by the United Nations and many other organizations and nations.
When Turkey was defeated in WWI, the Ottoman Empire's 4-century hegemony over all the land in the Levant ended (1517-1917). Before the end of the war, Britain and France decided to divide the disintegrating Empire into defined areas for their own economic and strategic benefit via the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the San Remo Conference. This was part of the European colonization scheme which was in vogue at the time. "Countries" were created which eventually became the states of Lebanon, Syria including the Golan (French mandates), Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine (British mandates). The League of Nations awarded the mandates without regard for tribal and racial characteristics of the natives.
Syria became a state only in 1945 and French troops remained for another year. It attacked Israel in 1948, together with five other armies, but Israel wasn't defeated. Syria continued shelling the fertile Hula Valley from the Golan's strategic heights. In 1967, Syria again attacked Israel, in concert with Egypt and Jordan. Israel conquered the Golan in the ensuing defensive war, ending Syrian rule there after only 19 years. Israel has controlled the Golan since then for more than 70 years, virtually annexing it into Israel in 1981.
To summarize, Syria was invented by the French only in 1917 and was sovereign over the Golan Heights for only 22 years (1945-1967). It has been part of Israel for 51 years, since the Six Day War of 1967. So which country has a better claim to the Golan, Syria or Israel?
Why poke the hornet's nest? This query begs the question, Why change anything? Israel has a right to the Golan historically by the presence of Jews there since antiquity. Syria, on the other hand, was created by the British in the 20th century for its own purposes. Perhaps most important, Israel won control in the Golan in a defensive war. In fact, boundaries resulting from warfare are perhaps the most common basis for borders between nations.
What was so bad with the status quo? Iran has been breathing down Israel's neck from Lebanon via its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, for decades. From the part of the Golan inside Syria, Iran's forces threaten Israel. With Israel's legitimacy in the Golan recognized by the world's greatest power, it can better defend itself against Iran.
Premature US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan is a needlessly provocative move that violates international law and does not enhance Israeli security. What's premature about it? It's been more than 70 years since Israel won the Golan in a defensive war. Provocative? International law has been turned inside out to delegitimize and denigrate Israel. This recognition by the US is needed, overdue, and enhances Israeli security.
Recognition will make things actively worse for the peace process. There is no viable peace process with the Palestinian Arabs in the near future, or even beyond that. The Palestinian Arabs want "all," not "part" of the Land of Israel.
For the Palestinians, this is a dangerous precedent, because Washington is legitimizing a unilateral Israeli move. It's the opposite, just like moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem was a realistic wakeup call. The Arabs need to face the fact that the US backs Israel's moves because it's good for the US.
This move "yanks the rug out from under US policy opposing Russia's annexation of Crimea." No one can realistically oppose Russia's annexation because Russia is the regional power there. Likewise, Israel is the regional power vis a vis the Golan.
The move will make Syria and Iran all the more likely to push harder for the Golan. Nonsense. Syrians will fight Israel as long and as hard as they can, regardless of Israel's actions. It's the Jews, baby.
Iran and Hezbollah would see annexation as additional justification for terror operations. It would do nothing whatsoever positive for Israel's security. See previous answer. No additional justification is needed for Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel. Nothing whatsoever positive for Israel's security? Nonsense!
Recognition was timed to help Netanyahu at the polls. Nothing new. Bush (senior), Clinton, and Obama did the opposite and pushed to defeat Netanyahu in his election campaigns.
In conclusion, Israel has the best claim to the Golan Heights and is strengthened by US recognition of that fact. The US also benefits because it is standing up for its greatest ally in the region, an ally which is fighting every day against the Iranian regime, which also seeks to destroy the US.


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How Michael Jordan Achieved a Net Worth of $1.65 Billion
ByGarrett Parker Posted on May 17, 2018 November 29, 2022 Updated on November 29, 2022
Michael Jordan is known around the world as the Greatest Professional Basketball Player of All Time. He amassed 6 NBA World Championships during his storied career, and also played on the United States Olympic Basketball Team. He was on more than a dozen NBA All Star Teams and was named Most Valuable Player in both the regular NBA season and the NBA Finals.
All that hardware gave him a head start to building his current net worth of more than $1.65 billion, of which $350 million was added just last year. When you look at how Jordan built his fortune, you will find a specific strategy and focus that you can learn from and maybe apply in your own life.
First, Jordan focused on becoming great as a basketball player rather than focusing on the money. During his playing days for the Chicago Bulls, there was considerable controversy about whether or not management was paying him relative to his value to the organization. His final season with the Bulls paid him just under $34 million, but when you compare that to today's NBA salaries it is mediocre. Over the course of his NBA career it is estimated he took in $90 million before taxes.
One reason he could literally afford to be patient is because early in his career he struck up a deal with Nike in what would become the world's most in-demand brand of athletic shoes – the Air Jordans. Starting in 1984, Nike agreed to pay Jordan $500,000 in cash per year for the first seven years of the deal. He also picked up Nike stock options that would add $7 million to his total net worth. But that was only the beginning. Once the Air Jordan brand was released in 1985, sales would run up to more than $100 million a year. That $100 million figure was what Jordan netted in 2017 after total Nike Jordan brand sales of an estimated $3.1 billion.
But Jordan would not agree to endorse any offer. In general he has limited himself to a few select brands, including Wilson basketballs, Hanes underwear for men, Gatorade, and McDonald's. As he has gotten older, he is even more select about how he markets his brand.
The third leg of his net worth triad is his ownership of the NBA Charlotte Hornets. Jordan is a native North Carolinian, and becoming an owner would provide a much needed boost to the team's image as well as Jordan's total net worth. That figure is $350 million – in a single year. The 2018 total value of the franchise is just over $1 billion. When he initially became an owner of the team he had to come up with $175 million of his own money to cover the team's debts, but it is clear that was a shrewd investment given his current return on the money.
When you look at the three legs that are largely responsible for his fortune, you see they are all related to what he does best – play basketball. But it is not just about him being a great basketball player but his overall knowledge of the sport of basketball (college and professional). He made only a small part of that total net worth from playing the game. He took his experience and was an important part of the design of his shoes because he knew the demands of playing an 82 game regular schedule and the playoffs – one year after another.
And Jordan is also a very good businessman. Owning an NBA team can be a roll of the dice because you never know if the potential of a player will translate into wins on the court. The Charlotte franchise has not fared well as a winning team, yet the team's value has skyrocketed over the last few years. The reason? Part of it is the team continues to improve, but another part of it is the NBA brand generates advertising revenue from television and other advertisers. If there is one thing Jordan knows about it is the value of a brand.
Expect Jordan to make another move that will continue to build his net worth. The triad has lost a leg as he has been retired for some time, so he may get involved with the sale of the Carolina Panthers either as an investor or part owner. Wherever he shows up on the sports radar, you can be sure the money is following him.
How Oprah Winfrey Achieved a Net Worth of $3.1 Billion
ByGarrett Parker July 2, 2018 November 29, 2022
Oprah Winfrey is a household name throughout the United States. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that she has a high net worth, so much so that she can be…
Read More How Oprah Winfrey Achieved a Net Worth of $3.1 BillionContinue
What is Lance Armstrong's Net Worth Today?
ByGarrett Parker February 9, 2019 November 29, 2022
Lance Armstrong is a professional road racing cyclist and an athlete from the United States as popularly known. He is also a public speaker and author. Lance Armstrong net worth has been a question for…
Read More What is Lance Armstrong's Net Worth Today?Continue
How Millie Bobby Brown Achieved a Net Worth of $3 Million
ByAllen Lee November 8, 2019 November 28, 2022
From the moment Stranger things aired, people have been going crazy for Millie Bobby Brown. That makes sense. After all, she's a very talented young woman, and frankly, the show is outstanding. It wasn't her…
Read More How Millie Bobby Brown Achieved a Net Worth of $3 MillionContinue
How Fredrik Eklund Achieved a Net Worth of $30 Million
ByAllen Lee February 5, 2022 November 21, 2022
Securing the bag is everyone's dream, while getting a net worth of $30 million is another. It is no surprise that Hollywood stars like Fredrik Eklund will want to net millions and live lavish lifestyles….
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The 10 Richest Game Developers In The World
ByAllen Lee May 4, 2021 October 18, 2021
There are millions of gamers around the globe who come together to play in online contests or single-player mode. The gaming industry has been one of the most expansive and rapidly growing sectors because of…
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The 20 Richest Authors in the World as of 2022
ByDana Hanson October 7, 2022 October 6, 2022
No one would have thought that writing could make millions, if not billions, of dollars. To be an author, all you need is a pen and a book. The good thing about writing is that…
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


mikeym started a topic Linux and the NVidia GTX 660?
Mostly I am using kdenlive to render 1920x1080 videos, and occasionally use other applications such as handbrake, avidemux, h264enc and xvidenc (where the latter two are based on mencoder, where I believe mencoder support has stopped).
Well in that kind of tasks you don't really need discrete graphics card(there's no app using nvidia' s nvenc or amd video codec engines). Integrated intel and quicksync should be enough, alltough I'm not sure is there yet quicksync support for linux in handbrake.
What kind of rendering are you doing? If you are using blender geforce can speed up rendering.
I have the GTX 660 card with proprietary drivers and it works perfect. I have had zero issues with it, play many steam/Wine games.
If you mean tearing while watching a movie with KDE it helps to disable KDE fx (alt+shift+f12) and use OpenGL for output in case of huger problems, best something like XBMC.


GOM Player 2.1.28.5039 0 out of 5 based on 0 ratings.
Added the MPEG2 source filter with improved search quality and playback error.
Fixed a synchronizing error with video and audio in some TS files.
Added MPEG source filter options to the preference.
Fixed a calculation error of the average frame in the Gretech ASF Source filter.
Fixed a sound issue of the Gretech Audio filter.


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El Colegio de Artes y Ciencia de la Universidad de Nueva York (en inglés: New York University College of Arts & Science), es una facultad universitaria de la Universidad de Nueva York que se dedica a la enseñanza en programas de pregrado en artes liberales. Esta facultad opera la estación de radio WNYU-FM 89.1, que transmite a toda el área metropolitana de Nueva York. La facultad dirige varios clubes de periodismo estudiantil con el Instituto de periodismo Arthur L. Carter, incluyendo los periódicos Washington Square News, Washington Square Local, NYU Local y los periódicos literarios Washington Square Review y The Minetta Review. La facultad está asociada (pero no afiliada oficialmente) con la revista cómica del campus The Plague; que inició su trayectoria en 1978. La facultad patrocina algunas tradiciones para estudiantes como el Apple Fest, el Violet Ball, el Strawberry Festival y el desayuno semestral de medianoche, donde los administradores de asuntos estudiantiles sirven desayuno gratis a los estudiantes antes de los exámenes finales.

Esta facultad también cuenta con un historial de sociedades secretas, en 1832 se formaron la Sociedad Filomática y la Sociedad Eucleana; de la cual Edgar Allan Poe fue un invitado ocasional. Cuando se disolvió la Sociedad Filomática, sus miembros restantes formaron el Club Andiron en 1904. El Club más selecto y famoso de este campus es La Sociedad del Dragón Rojo, fundado en 1898 y activo al día de hoy.

Sociedades
La Sociedad Filomática (en inglés: Philomathean Society) de la Universidad de Nueva York era una sociedad literaria estudiantil fundada en la Universidad de Nueva York por los estudiantes en 1832. La Sociedad compartió su nombre con otras sociedades universitarias, incluida la Sociedad Filomática de la Universidad de Pensilvania. La Sociedad tenía como rival a la Sociedad Eucleana. Si bien ambas sociedades prohibieron la membresía en su sociedad rival, los primeros registros muestran que los primeros miembros a veces fueron expulsados o renunciaron para unirse a la sociedad rival.

La Sociedad Filomática, recopilo sus propia biblioteca y aumentaba el plan de estudios para una mayor instrucción de los estudiantes. La Universidad le dio a la Sociedad sus propias habitaciones en el edificio principal de la Universidad. Edgar Allan Poe era un invitado habitual de la Sociedad Filomática y la Sociedad Euclidiana, y vivía en la Plaza. La sociedad se disolvió en 1888.

La Sociedad Eucleana (en inglés: Eucleian Society), fue una sociedad literaria estudiantil fundada en la Universidad de Nueva York en 1832. Originalmente tomó el nombre de Sociedad Adelfica. Después de un debate, se eligió el nombre Eucleiano en honor a Euclea, la diosa del honor, el prestigio y la buena reputación. La sociedad se dedicaba a promover las artes literarias y sus miembros mantuvieron debates de una hora, precedidos por lecturas de ensayos, discursos y poemas; publicando algunos de ellos en reuniones anuales o de aniversario. En el siglo XX, los euclidianos publicaron tres revistas literarias: The Knickerbocker, The Medley y The Geyser. Según los registros esta sociedad dejó de existir alrededor de la década de 1940.

Véase también

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Universidad de Nueva York
Instituciones educativas establecidas en 1832

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Canada to require security checks for North Korean migrants
Canada says it will require migrants to be cleared by its intelligence agencies to be allowed in, after more than 1,000 North Koreans arrived in recent months amid the death of their leader Kim…
Canada says it will require migrants to be cleared by its intelligence agencies to be allowed in, after more than 1,000 North Koreans arrived in recent months amid the death of their leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother.
The new rules apply to North Koreans already in Canada and those who arrive starting in January, according to Canadian Press, which cited federal officials.
Some of the latest arrivals have been awaiting their visas and travel documents for months, according to an analysis by New Democrat lawmakers.
The two Korean-Canadian groups, which are focused on helping refugees from North Korea, had expressed concern about the reported delays in processing the petitions of North Koreans arriving in Canada, the Times of Vancouver reported.
Vancouver lawyer Andre Bibeau told the paper: "To be honest, the fact they're requesting security clearance for North Koreans on arrival is a big surprise to us."
He said it was unknown how the verification would be done, nor whether it would be done at the airport or in border crossings. Bibeau said he hoped the process would take one to two months and that the government would issue a call for bids for a "speciality service provider".
The newspaper reports that an official of the International Protection Division of the Canada Border Services Agency said: "This is not a mandate new initiative. The vetting is well established at the port of entry, and this is an extension of that process."
A spokesperson for the Public Safety ministry said the changes were not required before other countries, including China and the US, similarly required their nationals to be vetted.
"The federal government had previously been following the guidance for the issuance of passports of all foreign nationals following the adoption of enhanced risk assessments, which was specifically for the arrival of foreign nationals within Canada," their statement said.
"The federal government is legislatively directed to ensure that Canada is well-equipped to receive foreign nationals who have been fingerprinted, subject to a thorough background screening process, when returning to Canada from international departure."
The move to require a security check before admitting a North Korean sparked criticism from Amnesty International Canada, which said the government's efforts to vet those applying for protection should be suspended until the proper measures are in place.
"This government seems to be introducing policies without first determining the security concerns they could pose," said Maggie Donald, Canada's director.
A government spokeswoman said North Korean nationals already in Canada could, with a court order, be denied entry. The federal government said this was done "as a safety and security measure" to stop the unlawful entry of North Koreans.
Government officials told the federal public safety and border services ministers that bringing in another security check would allow the Canada Border Services Agency to focus its resources on those already in Canada.
Categories entertainment Tags boxing, chemistry, clinical trials, science and technology, vaccination and immunization, video recordings, downloads and streaming
Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' film director 'arrested' for illegal gun possession
Brazil's far-right presidential candidate won't be vaccinated


Chikako Ide was born in Kobe, and studied at the Osaka College of Music (1999-2005). When the graduation, she perform to the college graduation concert and new member concert in Hyogo. In 1998, she got gold prize in the Hyogo high school solo competition.
Currently she is actively taking part in solo and chamber music performances in Japan. She has frequently participated in master classes both at home and abroad,including the music festival in Kusatsu and the Courchevel summer course.
She has studeid piano under the tutelage of Kayoko Kanazawa, Ikuyo Nakamichi, Shinya Okahara.


Click Here to send me an email to receive updates on the reels I am selling, website changes, and Zwarg information.
Have you got a valuable Zwarg reel in your tackle box?
I encourage anyone to send me pictures of your Zwarg reels and request a bid.
And... remember to include your name and address!
with his collection of Otto Zwarg custom made fishing reels.
These reels are secured in a bank deposit box.
this new book also includes many pictures of Zwarg, reels, family, shop, etc.
Robert, is a former Director and Treasurer of the Otto Zwarg Company, and says he can attest to the "accuracy and detailed information Pinardi has compiled," on Joe's Old Lures message board.
Terry calls it a "must have for all reel collectors" on Joe's Old Lures message board.
Salmonfisher03 from Denmark says "it was worth waiting for," and is a "great book" on the ORCA Orcaonline message board.
"This is the story of Otto Zwarg, a remarkable man who crafted world-renowned custom made fishing reels, which are now very rare and are eagerly sought by collectors.
"He began life in Berlin, Germany, served in the German army during World War I, became a dentist and immigrated to America in 1922. He found work with Edward vom Hofe, a renowned maker of high quality fishing reels in New York City, reels which are also highly sought by collectors.
"Vom Hofe went out of business at the beginning of World War II, and gave Zwarg the right to produce their reels under his own name. He began making reels in 1946 in Brooklyn, NY and moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1947."
plate of a salmon reel."
Learn the fascinating story of these famous reels and the remarkable Otto Zwarg. Here's how to order the book.
Thank you for your interest in Otto Zwarg.
Copyright 2015 Norman J. Pinardi, All Rights Reserved, web site content and photos of Zwarg reels.


NEW YORK – October 10, 2018 – Banks are charging non-customers more than ever before to use their ATMs, according to the latest Bankrate.com checking account and ATM fee study, which has surveyed non-interest and interest checking accounts and their associated ATM fees for more than 20 years. The average surcharge assessed by the ATM owner for an out-of-network transaction has risen for the 14th consecutive year, from $2.97 to $3.02, and has increased 53% over the last decade.
The good news is, the fee charged by the accountholder's own bank for using another institution's ATM has decreased from $1.72 to $1.66, and more banks are decreasing this fee than increasing. Furthermore, 32% of the banks surveyed are offering free out-of-network withdrawals to their customers on at least one account, the most the survey has ever found.
In total, the average cost of an out-of-network ATM withdrawal – the surcharge, plus the fee charged by your own bank – is $4.68, down a penny from last year's record high. This all-in cost has risen 36% over the past decade.
Overdraft fees are also down a tick to $33.23 from $33.38 last year. However, this is still the second highest on record, and despite the decline in the average fee, the number of fee increases outnumbered decreases in the survey. The most common fee remains $35 for the 10th year in a row.
These fees vary by region, as well. For instance, Detroit has the highest average out-of-network ATM fee of the top 25 major metro areas ($5.28), while St. Louis has the lowest ($4.25). Patrons in Philadelphia are burdened with the highest average overdraft fee ($35.30), compared to San Francisco whose overdraft fees are the most lenient ($31.44).
Forty-one percent of non-interest checking accounts are free by default, up from 38% each of the past two years, but down from 73% a decade ago. The average monthly service fee ($5.57) is the lowest since 2014, and the average balance required to avoid the fee ($631) is the lowest since 2011. Fifty-seven percent of non-interest accounts will waive the monthly fee, including 40% that will do so based on direct deposit. Altogether, 98% of non-interest accounts are either free or can become free.
On the other hand, just eight percent of interest checking accounts are free without stipulation. While 74% will waive the service fee ($14.35, on average) with a minimum balance requirement, the average threshold is a hefty $6,319. Another 1 in 6 will waive the fee with direct deposit. Interest earnings on checking accounts remain negligible, with the average yield up to .07% from .06% last year, but down from .24% a decade ago.
Just 2.5% of all accounts assess a fee on debit card transactions at the point-of-sale, and in all cases, this is only for PIN-debit transactions. These fees range from $0.35-$2. Among accounts surveyed, signature-based debit transactions are never assessed a fee.
The survey group consisted of a total of 10 banks and thrifts in each of 25 large U.S. markets; 1 interest and 1 non-interest account, as well as their associated ATM and debit card fee policies, were surveyed from 244 institutions offering checking accounts; 238 interest and 239 non-interest accounts were surveyed between July 12 – August 10, 2018.
Bankrate.com provides consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life's financial journey. For over two decades, Bankrate.com has been a leading personal finance destination. The company offers award-winning editorial content, competitive rate information, and calculators and tools across multiple categories, including mortgages, deposits, credit cards, retirement, automobile loans and taxes. Bankrate aggregates rate information from over 4,800 institutions on more than 300 financial products. With coverage of over 600 local markets, Bankrate generates rate tables in all 50 U.S. states.


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Gallery | About | Contact | Home
Nicole is a classically trained oil painter. Working in a representational style, her subject matter is often focussed on a series. An example of this can be seen in her highly sought after Koi paintings, the latest being The Legend of the Koi, a piece that is brimming with symbolism. She is excited to introduce her newest series, Reflections, which acknowledges the beauty of natural elements.
Also known for her portraits, Nicole was gratified to be chosen as one of three featured portrait artists in the award-winning documentary, Healing Portraits Project. This award-winning film explores the experience of three different exiles, hoping to influence their journey of healing through the painting of their portraits.
Nicole's work has changed greatly over the years and continues to evolve with each painting. Her favourite quote about her work: "Regardless of the subject, your work has soul!"
Nicole lives in Burlington, Ontario. Before becoming an oil painter, she obtained an Honours Bachelor of Music, an ARCT, piano performer and an MEd. Her focus on the visual arts began in earnest after a very fulfilling career in music and education.
She is a graduate of the Academy of Realist Art, Toronto, where she studied with Juan Martinez among others. From this strong foundation, she then continued to hone her craft working with artists she particularly respects. Her work has garnered international awards, has been featured in several art magazines and graces the homes of collectors both in Canada and the US.
Nicole holds juried membership in a number of local and international art organizations and is a strong supporter and contributor to the local art community.
"I love to paint and am very grateful to have become a painter. I love that each new painting moves me in a different direction and hope that this will always be so. As a life-long learner, I celebrate continual exploration recognizing how it energizes my creativity. As such, my subject choices are eclectic in nature and reflective of my personal connection to the message."
Exhibitions (Selected)
Colour and Form Society, 70th Open Juried Exhibition 2022
Federation of Canadian Artists, Exhibition, juried exhibit 2022 Summer Pleasures
Federation of Canadian Artists, Exhibition, juried exhibit 2022 Spring Thaw
Federation of Canadian Artists, Exhibition, juried exhibit 2022 Small Exhibition
The Artist's Mark 2018, 2019, 2021, BFAA Juried Exhibit
FCA, Juried Exhibit:"Show-Up Show", 2021
Ontario Society of Artists, Online Juried Exhibit, 2020
Women's Art Association of Hamilton, Juried Exhibit, 2019
Beyond the Valley Studio Tour 2019, 2021, 2022
A Second Act, Lachowskyj Exhibition, 2018
Solo Exhibit "The Portrait, A Timeless Token of Respect and Love", Fireside Lounge, BFAA at AGB, 2018
Dundas Museum "Keeping It Real!" 2017
Associations (*juried membership)
*American Women Artists, with distinction, www.americanwomenartists.org
*Federation of Canadian Artists
*National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society
*Oil Painters of America www.oilpaintersofamerica.com
*Portrait Society of America www.portraitsociety.org
*Women's Art Association Canada
Women's Art Association Hamilton
Burlington Fine Arts Association (BFAA) www.burlingtonfinearts.com
Hamilton Artists Inc. www.theinc.ca


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Q: Send data securely from C# to a MySQL database I'm using Unity 3D to create a simple game. I am generating some data in the client and i would like to save the data in a MySQL database.
I am currently sending the data from the C# Script to a PHP Interface that stores the data in a MySQL database.
But there are too many security gaps:

*

*The apk-file is readable

*User can read the methods and functions. He could mainpulate data and send it to the php-file

I have no idea, how i can solve this problem.
If i am encrypt the information, the user can read the apk-file and can see, how i encrypt the information. And see there, he could maipulate data. :D
I hope someone can give me some tips.

A: Just send a JSON text to PHP
Inside your PHP use this:
$json_str = file_get_contents('php://input');
$json_obj = json_decode($json_str);

$ID= $json_obj->ID;

//Insert MYSQL Codes

This is will decode the JSON you have sent from your C# and the rest is up to you

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Felonies are serious crimes with serious penalties including imprisonment for more than one year, substantial fines, or both. If you or a family member has been charged with a felony, Jonathan A. Bartell, Attorney with Margaret W. Wong & Associates is well qualified to defend you and protect your constitutional rights. The firm is based in Cleveland and represents clients statewide. Contact an Ohio immigration lawyer, day or night, for a free initial consultation.
You should know that if you have been charged with a serious felony such as murder in Ohio, you could face the death penalty. According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, there are currently 204 inmates on death row who are awaiting execution. Other felonies may carry several years in prison, or even life imprisonment.
Many felonies have minimum sentencing guidelines that give judges and prosecutors little leeway to negotiate. Jonathan Bartell is familiar with all federal and state charges, as well as the tendencies of many of the prosecutors and judges who may hear your case. He will explain and defend your rights, discuss the facts of your case, and advise you on a legal strategy to fight the charges in court or plea bargain to a lesser charge or alternative punishment. Mr. Bartell will stand by you throughout your case and attempt to achieve the best possible outcome against these serious charges. Do not hesitate to learn more about what he can do on your behalf, whether you reside in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina or anywhere else in the U.S.
Not a U.S. citizen? A conviction on a felony offense can trigger deportation proceedings for immigrants. Ohio immigration attorney, Jonathan A. Bartell, stands ready to defend anyone against serious criminal charges. Call today or e-mail the Jonathan A. Bartell, Attorney with Margaret W. Wong & Associates today for a free consultation. Russian, Thai, and Laotian spoken fluently. The Cleveland based law firm of Jonathan A. Bartell, Attorney at Law proudly serves clients in Columbus, Cincinnati, Canton and statewide. It also provides nationwide representation for immigration cases and can make appearances at U.S. embassies in foreign countries on behalf of its clients.


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PROGRAM BY REGION
Ten To Watch
Scholars Spotlight
Scholars News
Five Years Later: Applying Research Skills to Finding Equitable Solutions in Public Health
Photo credit: Meg Kumin, University of Kansas
The last several months, Alex Kong has had a front-row seat to some of the biggest advances in medicine, as the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day, he has been tracking development of vaccines and therapies against the virus, and he is seeing the "blisteringly fast speed" at which research and development is occurring.
"This disease has very much invaded every aspect of my life," says Kong, an Amgen Scholars alumnus. "It's tiring at times, but it's also empowering to be able to follow along with what pharmaceutical companies are doing to address the pandemic, as well as to think about and to actively provide guidance on what more they can be doing when it comes to ensuring that everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they can make, can access the medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics that they need."
Working at the Access to Medicine Foundation in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Kong has brought his lab and clinical experience to global health policy. He leads research and development analysis for the Access to Medicine Index. The Index tracks and incentivizes companies to focus on developing and delivering products with people in low- and middle-income countries in mind. This fall, he will be transitioning to a Ph.D. program in International Health at Johns Hopkins University.
But global health was not always his focus. Growing up, Kong loved to take apart machines, and that fascination with the world grew to chemistry and biology in high school. "I found infectious diseases to be the most fascinating of all, seeing an elegance in how such small pathogens could cause so much damage and a brilliance in how scientists targeted individual processes and parts to destroy the entire machinery," he explains.
Kong decided to pursue pharmacology at the University of Kansas, and participated in the Amgen Scholars Program in 2015 at Washington University in St. Louis the summer after his sophomore year. A high point of the program for him was meeting scholars and members of the biotech community at the Amgen Scholars symposium at UCLA. He recalls a "Willy Wonka-esque tour" of Amgen headquarters: "I was awestruck and envious at how much protein they could express and purify at a time."
2015 Amgen Scholar Alex Kong was one of several Scholars at Washington University who volunteered for "Science in the Park," an outreach event that reached 300 elementary-aged students with various interactive science demos. Here, Kong was experiencing the non-Newtonian, slime-like liquid called oobleck.
"Pharmacy school, and a handful of exceptional mentors like my first undergraduate research PI, helped me to bring this passion further by connecting the dots with how diseases worked, how to target them, and what this meant for those afflicted with these diseases," he says. "Scientific discovery was always a driving factor, but being able to devote myself to a field that could help a lot of people was what breathed life and meaning into that passion."
Kong went on to be Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where he received a master's degree in pharmacology. After that he returned to Kansas to complete his pharmacy program through clinical rotations in pharmacies around the state. "During this time, I thought more seriously about how my interests in global health and health policy had developed in the years following the Amgen Scholars Program," he says. "While I still loved the sciences, I wanted to give careful thought to the possibilities of an education and career in global health."
His work at the Access to Medicine Foundation the last couple of years has solidified his passion in global health policy. But though he shifted from a research career to a policy one, Kong says that he "still leans" on his clinical and basic science training on a near-daily basis. "I never imagined that I would be where I am now five years ago," he says. "I am both physically and professionally quite far from where I expected I would be at this point in time, but I'm so glad that I am where I am, and the path that I have taken is a reflection of values that I've always held."
One of the biggest lessons he has learned from and since Amgen Scholars, he says, is the importance of resilience. "While some of the best feelings come from discovering something new and being able to share that with others, some of the most rewarding experiences come from failure. And when you're in research, you face failure on a regular basis," he says. "But you keep trying: you troubleshoot, you identify the bits that aren't working or could be better, you get it to work, and you come out of it as a better problem solver and with more perseverance than you can imagine. Regardless of what field you end up in, that resilience is going to be one of your most valuable assets."
Heading to Johns Hopkins this fall, Kong hopes to continue his work to ensure that there's strong, sustained activity in research and development for poverty-related diseases, and that the newest and most effective products are options for those with the greatest need. "It's a very, very exciting time to be working in global health," Kong says. "I am hopeful that this same energy and the lessons learned from this pandemic can be applied to other areas of global health to radically transform the way research and development is done and to bring access to the center of the conversation."
A Summer Science Virtual Tour
Five Years Later: A Bold Drive Toward Improving Human Health
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The delicious sublime sweetness of juicy cling peaches compliments the earthiness of the roasted vegetables in this couscous salad. This hearty winter salad is more vegetable heavy than the light leafy summer ones that we enjoy during the warmer months. You can turn this salad into dinner itself or a packed lunch; otherwise it makes a delicious side dish at any holiday table.
Sweet and savoury is one of my favourite classic flavour combinations. Here's where a little kitchen alchemy can turn carefully selected yet simple ingredients into incredibly delectable dishes. I find peaches to be quite an interesting ingredient in that regard. In savoury dishes, they may probably not be an everyday ingredient but once tried, it's a combination that is unequivocally acquiesced. In this hearty couscous salad, they impart just the ideal sweet respite, bringing a refreshing flavour to complement the earthy vegetables amped by the spiciness of harissa.
Fresh peaches disappear from the grocery store shelves all too quickly though, even before the summer comes to an end. Thankfully, they can be preserved and canned, ready to be enjoyed at any time. In fact, canned cling peaches are preferred here as they retain their shape, texture and flavour much better when roasted. The California cling peaches that we get here in Canada are packed within 24 hours of picking, in fruit juice concentrate with no added preservatives. Hence, they retain much of their delightful flavour and nutritional value which means we get to enjoy them all throughout the year.
Couscous makes a good base for this winter salad. If you're unfamiliar with couscous, it is basically pasta that is broken up into little granules. It cooks almost instantly, which is great. In fact, it does not require any cooking at all, just rehydrated in hot water or vegetable broth. I used gluten-free corn couscous in this recipe. I was able to find it at my local grocery store in the healthy foodstuffs aisle. You can use regular or whole wheat couscous too. For other gluten-free options you could use quinoa or millet although, contrary to couscous, they would have to be cooked.
This recipe is really quite versatile. So, take the freedom to be creative – you can add other veggies like aubergine (eggplant), red onions, butternut squash or pumpkin, cauliflower and how about some cooked lentils for some extra protein. In any case, don't leave out the peaches; they are the centre piece of this dish. This salad really is far greater than the sum of its parts. It is sure to spark interesting conversations among your guests if you decide to serve it at your holiday table.
Watch the recipe video to whet your appetite!
Preheat oven to 200°C [400°F]. Place the carrot, zucchini, bell peppers and grape tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and the harissa. Toss to coat evenly. Place the vegetables on a baking tray. Place the peaches on the tray with the cut-side down. Disperse the garlic cloves in between the vegetables. Roast for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the thyme leaves to the broth. Once the vegetable broth reaches a rolling boil, turn off the heat. Add the couscous and stir. Leave covered for 10 minutes or until couscous has absorbed all the water and is tender.
Make the vinaigrette by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Fluff the couscous with a fork and let it cool.
Cut the roasted peach halves into small cubes. Combine the roasted vegetables, peaches, olives and parsley with the couscous. Drizzle on the vinaigrette. Toss and mix well.
Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Garnish with some more parsley.
Love this recipe? Pin it for later.
Full Disclosure: This blog post and recipe video is sponsored by California cling peaches. We only endorse products and services that we like, enjoy, use and that we believe, based on our experience, are worthy of such endorsement. We value the trust of our readers and subscribers. We believe in honesty of relationship and opinion. The views and opinions expressed on this blog and in the video are 100% ours.
I think Couscous is such a comforting food. This looks great, too!!!


text:
package org.redhelix.server.data;// org.apache.olingo.server.tecsvc.data;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.data.ComplexValue;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.data.Entity;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.data.EntityCollection;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.data.Property;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.data.ValueType;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.edm.EdmPrimitiveType;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.edm.EdmPrimitiveTypeException;
import org.apache.olingo.commons.api.edm.EdmPrimitiveTypeKind;
import org.apache.olingo.server.api.OData;
import org.apache.olingo.server.api.uri.UriParameter;
import org.redhelix.server.data.DataProvider.DataProviderException;

public class FunctionData {

  protected static EntityCollection entityCollectionFunction(final String name,
      final List<UriParameter> parameters, final Map<String, EntityCollection> data)
          throws DataProviderException {
    if (name.equals("UFCRTCollETTwoKeyNavParam")) {
      final List<Entity> esTwoKeyNav = data.get("ESTwoKeyNav").getEntities();
      EntityCollection result = new EntityCollection();
      final int endIndex = parameters.isEmpty() ? 0 : Short.valueOf(parameters.get(0).getText());
      result.getEntities().addAll(esTwoKeyNav.subList(0,
          endIndex < 0 ? 0 : endIndex > esTwoKeyNav.size() ? esTwoKeyNav.size() : endIndex));
      return result;
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCollETMixPrimCollCompTwoParam")) {
      return data.get("ESMixPrimCollComp");
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCollETMedia")) {
      return data.get("ESMedia");
    } else {
      throw new DataProviderException("Function " + name + " is not yet implemented.");
    }
  }

  protected static Entity entityFunction(final String name, final List<UriParameter> parameters,
      final Map<String, EntityCollection> data) throws DataProviderException {
    final List<Entity> esTwoKeyNav = data.get("ESTwoKeyNav").getEntities();
    if (name.equals("UFCRTETKeyNav")) {
      return data.get("ESKeyNav").getEntities().get(0);
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTETTwoKeyNav")) {
      return esTwoKeyNav.get(0);
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTETTwoKeyNavParam")) {
      final int index = parameters.isEmpty() ? 0 : Short.valueOf(parameters.get(0).getText());
      return index < 0 || index >= esTwoKeyNav.size() ? null : esTwoKeyNav.get(index);
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTETMedia")) {
      final int index = parameters.isEmpty() ? 1 : Short.valueOf(parameters.get(0).getText());
      final List<Entity> esMedia = data.get("ESMedia").getEntities();
      return index < 1 || index > esMedia.size() ? null : esMedia.get(index - 1);
    } else {
      throw new DataProviderException("Function " + name + " is not yet implemented.");
    }
  }

  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
  protected static Property primitiveComplexFunction(final String name,
      final List<UriParameter> parameters, final Map<String, EntityCollection> data,
      final OData oData) throws DataProviderException {
    if (name.equals("UFNRTInt16")) {
      return DataCreator.createPrimitive(name, (short) 12345);
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTString")) {
      return DataCreator.createPrimitive(name, "UFCRTString string value");
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCollString")) {
      return data.get("ESCollAllPrim").getEntities().get(0).getProperty("CollPropertyString");
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCTTwoPrim")) {
      return DataCreator.createComplex(name,
          DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyInt16", (short) 16),
          DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyString", "UFCRTCTTwoPrim string value"));
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCTTwoPrimParam")) {
      try {
        return DataCreator.createComplex(name,
            DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyInt16",
                oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.Int16).valueOfString(
                    getParameterText("ParameterInt16", parameters), null, null, null, null, null,
                    Short.class)),
            DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyString",
                oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.String).valueOfString(
                    oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.String)
                        .fromUriLiteral(getParameterText("ParameterString", parameters)),
                    null, null, null, null, null, String.class)));
      } catch (final EdmPrimitiveTypeException e) {
        throw new DataProviderException("Error in function " + name + ".", e);
      }
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCollCTTwoPrim")) {
      return DataCreator.createComplexCollection(name,
          Arrays.asList(DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyInt16", (short) 16),
              DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyString", "Test123")),
          Arrays.asList(DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyInt16", 17),
              DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyString", "Test456")),
          Arrays.asList(DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyInt16", 18),
              DataCreator.createPrimitive("PropertyString", "Test678")));
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTStringTwoParam")) {
      final String parameterStringRaw = getParameterText("ParameterString", parameters);
      final String parameterInt16Raw = getParameterText("ParameterInt16", parameters);

      // ParameterString is not provided
      if (parameterStringRaw == null) {
        return new Property(null, "value", ValueType.PRIMITIVE, null);
      } else {
        try {
          final EdmPrimitiveType edmInt16 =
              oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.Int16);
          final EdmPrimitiveType edmString =
              oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.String);
          final Short parameterInt16 =
              edmInt16.valueOfString(parameterInt16Raw, null, null, null, null, null, Short.class);
          final String parameterString = edmString.fromUriLiteral(parameterStringRaw);
          final StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
          // if parameterInt16 <= 0 return an empty string
          for (short i = parameterInt16; i > 0; i--) {
            if (builder.length() != 0) {
              builder.append(',');
            }
            builder.append('"');
            builder.append(parameterString);
            builder.append('"');
          }
          return new Property(null, "value", ValueType.PRIMITIVE, builder.toString());
        } catch (final EdmPrimitiveTypeException e) {
          throw new DataProviderException("Invalid function parameter.");
        }
      }
    } else if (name.equals("UFCRTCollCTTwoPrimTwoParam")) {
      String parameterStringRaw = getParameterText("ParameterString", parameters);
      String parameteInt16Raw = getParameterText("ParameterInt16", parameters);
      EdmPrimitiveType edmInt16 = oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.Int16);
      EdmPrimitiveType edmString = oData.createPrimitiveTypeInstance(EdmPrimitiveTypeKind.String);
      try {
        Short parameterInt16 =
            edmInt16.valueOfString(parameteInt16Raw, null, null, null, null, null, Short.class);

        if (parameterStringRaw == null) {
          ComplexValue complexValue1 = new ComplexValue();
          ComplexValue complexValue2 = new ComplexValue();

          complexValue1.getValue().add(new Property(null, "PropertyInt16", ValueType.PRIMITIVE, 1));
          complexValue1.getValue().add(new Property(null, "PropertyString", ValueType.PRIMITIVE,
              name + " int16 value: " + parameterInt16));

          complexValue2.getValue().add(new Property(null, "PropertyInt16", ValueType.PRIMITIVE, 2));
          complexValue2.getValue().add(new Property(null, "PropertyString", ValueType.PRIMITIVE,
              name + "string value: null"));

          return new Property(null, "value", ValueType.COLLECTION_COMPLEX,
              Arrays.asList(new ComplexValue[] {complexValue1, complexValue2}));
        } else {
          String parameterString = edmString.fromUriLiteral(parameterStringRaw);
          List<ComplexValue> complexValues = new ArrayList<ComplexValue>();
          short counter = 1;

          for (short i = parameterInt16; 0 < i; i--) {
            ComplexValue complexValue = new ComplexValue();
            complexValue.getValue()
                .add(new Property(null, "PropertyInt16", ValueType.PRIMITIVE, counter++));
            complexValue.getValue().add(new Property(null, "PropertyString", ValueType.PRIMITIVE,
                name + " string value: " + parameterString));
            complexValues.add(complexValue);
          }

          return new Property(null, "value", ValueType.COLLECTION_COMPLEX, complexValues);
        }
      } catch (EdmPrimitiveTypeException e) {
        throw new DataProviderException("Invalid function parameter");
      }

    } else {
      throw new DataProviderException("Function " + name + " is not yet implemented.");
    }
  }

  private static String getParameterText(final String name, final List<UriParameter> parameters) {
    for (final UriParameter parameter : parameters) {
      if (parameter.getName().equals(name)) {
        return parameter.getText();
      }
    }
    return null;
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
and thus ... XKCD links and a certain on-line game
http://www.homestarrunner.com/trogdor.html
I'm not going to tell you what my high score on the Trogdor game is.
Comprehensive guilt by tangential association
If there is anything the recent dust-ups surrounding a certain megachurch/denomination have shown me as I survey the internet it's that partisans are partisans. More to my point, the partisans for and against Mars Hill seem animated by a praxis of comprehensive guilt by tangential association. I've seen enough of this from the pro and con teams that I'm confident in saying it's the weakness and moral failure both sides have in common. Throwing around Proverbs 18:17 as a prooftext just further proves the point. The proverb isn't being used as a caution that we may not be getting the whole story and should consider things further, it's being used to prove that whoever is using that proverb as a prooftext is trying to use the Bible to make you agree with them.
Makes me wanna play the Trogdor video game ... .
Practical Theology for Women: Things that Undermine Complementarianism
http://www.theologyforwomen.org/2012/02/things-that-undermine-complementarian.html?showComment=1329610711043#c6477539321966332773
Problem number 1 is calling this debate a gospel issue. Now it's true that the interplay between husbands and wives in the home is a TESTIMONY of the gospel as it reflects the nature of Christ's profound love for the church. But being a testimony of the gospel is not the same as being the gospel.
Yep. And this got me thinking about Schlatter's remark that the gap between faith and obedience happens when the message of God is replaced with a doctrine about God. And what doctrine about God do some complementarians like to introduce to establish the need for an obedience and as a "gospel issue"? Oh, that's right, the eternal subordination of the son. A doctrine about God isn't the same as the message of God.
finished a composing commission
Over the last couple of weeks I completed a composing commission and wrote a piece called "Sunday Morning", a suite for treble viol and guitar. There may be a few revisions needed for the viol's part but the suite has been finished and I am happy with it and, more importantly, the guitarist who comissioned the work is happy with it. It will be wonderful if the musician who plays the treble viol likes the piece, naturally and I am hoping for the best there.
I am also relieved that I have been paid for the commission and this lets me keep a roof over my head for another month! If January 2012 was marked by the publication of my Guitar Sonata in F minor by Periferia Sheet Music then February 2012 has been marked by a composing commission that I have completed. I hope more commissions come my way in the future!
Back in 2010, as long-time readers may recall, I completed a commission that called for an hour's worth of Christmas music arranged for oboe, cello and guitar. That arranging commission was an important project for me, my first paying commission to create music. This recent suite for treble viol and guitar has been my first composing commission and it, too, has been exciting. I plan to continue working on chamber music that matches the classical guitar with strings, woodwinds, brass, and anything else I can think of. I've even dabbled with writing a divertimento for clarinet, guitar, and celesta.
So besides the happy occasion of another part of "The Wounds of Discovery" getting published on Mockingbird as part of my series Batman: The Agony of Loss and the Madness of Desire I can also happily report that I have completed a composing commission this month. This is not exactly financially lucrative work but it is very satisfying work for me. Who knows? Perhaps it may become more financially lucrative at some point down the road. In any event I keep looking for a normal day job and if I manage to keep a roof over my head by writing about cartoons and creating chamber music for classical guitar that's pretty cool.
Batman: The Agony of Loss and the Madness of Desire part 4c has just gone up
http://www.mbird.com/2012/02/batman-the-agony-of-loss-and-the-madness-of-desire-part-4c/
Part 4c in "The Wounds of Discovery" has just gone up and in it I focus on the Riddler.
PsyBlog: The Dark Side of Creativity
http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/02/the-dark-side-of-creativity.php
PsyBlog discusses how creative people tend to be, you know, more creative. The down side is they tend to be better liars, more arrogant, less interested in empathizing with people, and are more likely to cheat and justify cheating.
The New Yorker: The Brainstorming Myth
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all
A longish piece on how brainstorm inhibits rather than promotes creativity in comparison to the work of individuals.
There have been times when I have attempted to brainstorm on projects and discovered brainstorming doesn't work. Brainstorming seems to need to include people who are all already present. I have tried brainstorming by email and it pretty much doesn't work. You're better off in the pursuit of what is called "free writing". Over the last year I've tried brainstorming on my essays for the DCAU and almost nothing has come of it. By contrast, if I just run ideas by DZ about what I'm thinking of doing I will, when he has time, get very positive feedback.
What the New Yorker article explains at some length I can summarize in a rather short sequence of sentences. DZ and I can bounce ideas off of each other because we've established a collaborative relationship, the kind editors and writers have. The relationship is by its nature primed toward productivity but also, and more importantly, constructive criticism. Writers talking with writers bring a different set of dynamics that do not necessarily (ever) lead to a similar kind of creative synergy. If writer A comes up with an idea then writer B, guided as he or she will be by his/her own interests and interpretive lenses, will tend to default to what he/she sees through those lenses rather than open up the alternatives. An editor, by training and habit, is more likely to consider these things.
So over the last year I have found myself hitting brick wall after brick wall in writing about the DCAU and the solution for dealing with these brick walls was not brainstorming but simply plowing through the difficulties. I didn't need a bunch of new ideas or many outside ideas, I needed to strip away things that were too simple and too obvious.
Let's take Superman as Christ-type. Too simple and too obvious to make sense of the majority of actual stories about Superman that work. It doesn't adequately explain why Superman and Luthor are such compelling foils for each other. Reframe the combat in terms of Superman as the ideal America and Luthor as the real, corrupt America and everything falls into place. As I put it at some length in my Mockingbird series, Superman can be more than an American icon but he can't be less than an American icon. A lot of bad writers, editors, and fanboys want to skip to Superman as Jesus without considering whether or not this is a sustainable case beyond cosmetic narrative similarities.
Let's take Batman. It could be said that Batman is the peak of human mental and physical potential. That's true. But as I've been discussing at great length what motivates Batman is not his strength or intellect but his unshakable experience with grief, loss, and powerlessness. Artificial contrasts between Superman and Batman might posit that Superman is the Christ-type and Batman is the pull-yourself-up-by-your-batboots kind of hero. Of course that fails to account for the entire Bat-mythos. Bruce gets trained by dozens of people, relies on many people for help and wisdom, and makes a point of cooperating with Commissioner Gordon. What at first glance could appear to be a contrast has turned out, over the last eight decades, to not be so big a contrast after all.
In criticism you can begin with the obvious but to accomplish criticism that is more helpful you have to go beyond the obvious. For instance, let's take a certain big and well-known church that some people say has cult-like tendencies in leadership and discipline. There are a lot of people who will say this is founded on a personality cult connected to the leader. Well, does that really explain how a disciplinary process can become controversial? Not really because arguably the entire Christian faith can be explained as emerging from a cult of personality that surrounded Jesus and His teaching.
However, if one were to propose that a truncated theology of sin in which sin is seen as springing from pride and not from fear or lack of impulse control; if one were to propose that a reductionist view of sin as things people knowingly do has the potential to distort and influence disciplinary and counseling activity in a community then there's at least the start of an explanation. After all, a personality cult will tend to reflect strengths or weaknesses of the personality, couldn't it? It becomes important to not merely note that personality cult dynamics can happen but to give some attention to practical views in action.
A reductionist view of sin, motives for sin, and consequences of sin could lead an authority to conflate non-disclosure with deceit, for instance. Running with such a premise without examining it will lead to some disastrous approaches to disciplinary protocol and precedent--it will literally not matter what kind of procedures or checks and balances are in place if everyone works from a hamartiology that assumes all sin is knowing defiance of divinely sanctioned authority motivated by pride.
An equally importnat observation from the research that has proven brainstorming is not effective in gaining its intended goal is to note that group think dominates. Brainstorming and group discussion narrows rather than expands creative thought. The groups tend to come up with fewer and less workable or compelling ideas because the group dynamic kicks in. People tend to reinforce the same handful of ideas whether or not those ideas even make sense. Questioning those ideas gets considered to be acting up. Now I know some people who think that's how it must work in certain church settings but it's also how it works in certain blog settings, ironically enough. Not really ironically enough, if we think about it, but there are paradoxes afoot.
So if you are in a moment where you're trying to figure something out and are thinking of brainstorming ideas with people you probably don't need to. If you know someone you trust and respect and want to talk with that one person about ways to think outside your box, however, that's good. Proverbs says that in many counselors there is victory but notice the proverb doesn't say you call up a committee meeting! One of Peter's few great pre-resurrection moments was not necessarily when he was part of the team but when Jesus asked him personally, "Who do you say that I am?"
Theology for Women: Using the words Gospel, grace and Jesus in context does not make you a gospel-centered Christian
http://www.theologyforwomen.org/2012/02/using-words-gospel-grace-and-jesus-in.html
Pretty much as usual Wendy reflects on things I find well worth thinking about. It is possible to use the buzzwords of Christianity while failing to grasp what they mean at a practical level. Thus a Christian can intellectually grasp the doctrines of grace (jargon, right there). A Christian can use words like "Gospel", "grace" and Jesus in all sorts of settings without actually displaying much spiritual fruit.
It can be very easy to grasp doctrines without managing to grasp how they can inform and enrich one's Christian life. Neither the Calvinist nor the Arminian has any advantage in being gracious toward other people in the real world. A person can be a monergist and from that adherence to monergism be arrogant because he is so "grateful" for the "grace" given to him that the unregenerate person or that apostate synergist has.
The synergist may believe the monergist is utterly wrong and take pride in participating in the soteriological process without realizing, as Orthocuban put it so succinctly, that properly understand even an orthodox/Orthodox synergist would remark that the part "we" bring to synergistic salvation is so small compared to the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts it is as though we contributed nothing. Paradoxically the monergist and synergist are capable of exactly the same egotism regarding their salvation but each deludes himself or herself into believing this egotism isn't within them because they don't affirm the doctrine of the other, that arrogant person who happens to subscribe to a soteriology that isn't the right one.
As a friend of mine once put it, the Calvinist legalist thinks that because he wants your behavior to change to prove you already are saved that he's not as bad as the Arminian, whom he assumes believes you must change your behavior so that you may be saved. One of the mundane tragedies of Christian life is that, as any encounter Jesus had with almost any Pharisee will demonstrate, having the right doctrines and behavioral guides does not ensure a healthy faith or life in itself.
When advantages founder due to stupid leadership
http://jsbangs.com/2012/02/14/what-orwell-got-wrong/#comments
My friend J. S. Bangs blogged a bit about what Orwell got wrong in some of his writings and that inspired a brief conversation about whether or not the Soviets actually had an initial advantage in military tech. Josh S. pointed out that the Soviets ultimately did not have a lead in military tech or the space race. I piggy-backed on that observation to point out that the reason the Soviets took an early lead included not only their utterly cavalier and contemptible use of human resources but also the simple reality that when you have massive deposits of platinum and titanium in the regions you control (which the Soviet Union had) you have more raw materials from which to build aircraft and space-travelling machines.
Yet in the long run the obvious advantage in natural resources through a geological advantage of metal deposits and a geographical advantage of controlling cultures and peoples with a long history of working with such metals stops being an advantage if you treat those people as expendable. How many sets of skilled laborers were obliterated by Stalinist purges?
So, anyway, a link and some thoughts about how a nation that had advantages in natural resources didn't manage to benefit from it so much because of stupid and tyrannical leadership.
Mars Hill on church discipline--my concerns about competence and precedent remain unchanged
http://marshill.com/2012/02/13/a-response-regarding-church-discipline
Over at get GetReligion.org ...
http://www.getreligion.org/2012/02/cult-of-the-sex-pastor/
There's been some discussion of the Slate coverage of the Mars Hill disciplinary situations. I must confess that when I realized I was getting linked to by Slate I was nervous and disappointed. Sure, it's "big time" to get linked to by Slate but once I actually read the coverage I realized that Slate linked to me in a way that indicates nobody read what I actually wrote.
I didn't accuse Mark Driscoll of employing cultic leadership disciplinary tendencies. My numerous actual criticisms of Driscoll are all over this blog. In the blog entry Slate linked to I explained at some length that I had doubts about the competence and good will of counseling pastors at the time I didn't renew my membership at Mars Hill. I also shared my concerns from that time that if a more careful approach to discipline and a more balanced hamartiology were not embraced in approaching discipline weren't taken up that some kind of disaster was on the horizon. Furthermore I explained both positive as well as negative experiences interacting with Mars Hill pastors in dealing with some long-standing relational conflicts. This is, to put it mildly, not a purely academic distinction!
Now that Mars Hill has taken some time to add more comments and clarifications in response to coverage here:
I figure I should take some time to further comment on what I've written as distinct from what a bunch of bloggers and linkers have claimed I have written. But first a few thoughts on things shared in the Mars Hill posting.
With over 550 Community Groups and growing, much responsibility is placed on our lay leaders and local pastors to faithfully administer discipline. By and large, the process adheres to biblical standards, is healthy and loving, and results in restoration. It is also rare. Out of 5,417 members, we currently have nine church discipline cases in process, which represents 0.17% of our members.
When I left I shared my conviction, which has not wavered, that in such a setting community group leaders must have training comparable to that of pastors or they will not be qualified to exercise all their responsibilities. I became concerned over time that community group leaders in such a setting were simply not competent to do the things necessary to be what they were, functionally little pastors. I was aware when I left that there were Mars Hill pastors who agreed with this assessment of the situation. I note, again, that Andrew's story has not actually been proven false in its essentials. People have been asked to accept that Andrew has misled or ommitted in his account. That may be but I'm no more obliged to avoid the thought that Mars Hill may be doing the same thing.
That being said, we do wish to clarify one detail. In one of the cases, regrettably, a letter that was meant to be privately read aloud to a small group of about 15 people in close community and friendship with Andrew was instead posted to that group's private online community page. There was never a letter sent to the church as a whole. The tragedy of this whole situation is that what was once a private and discreet matter is now on a grand stage, and those who were misinformed as to the actions of the church in this matter are now complicit in doing the very thing for which they have wrongly criticized us.
My concern, as I've expressed it over the years, is that Mars Hill has a habit of pursuing meteoric growth at a rate that is faster than the competency of its infrastructure can handle organizational communication. Since that has been one of my core criticisms I haven't wrongly made such a criticism in light of Andrew's case. That Mars Hill has to publicly field this issue just proves my criticism has had some warrant. I have also taken pains to express reservations about the competency of counseling pastors at Mars Hill; the consistency and clarity of disciplinary precedent and procedure; and even this clarification from Mars Hill proves that my concerns have been legitimate ones. Unlike bloggers and members of the press I privately expressed these concerns four years ago as I opted to not renew my membership.
My goal then, and now, is to provide constructive criticism that may, if possible, help the church engage the issues of organizational communication and disciplinary procedure and precedent in a more competent way. I even shared a long account of how some MH pastors made a personal situation much worse and how another MH pastor made the situation much better. That Slate linked to that account with a couple of words indicating that I was accusing Driscoll of having cult-like leadership tendencies only demonstrated to me that people at Slate didn't bother to read what I wrote when they linked to it. That is, to put it mildly, disappointing.
Since I expressed uncertainty whether Andrew's account was whole or accurate I don't feel any conviction that how I have blogged about the situation has been irresponsible.
[Updated 2/16] In both cases that have been brought to light, things did not go as they should have, and well before they were ever written about in a public setting by bloggers and journalists, Mars Hill leadership stepped in to investigate because we take the care of our people seriously. As a result of this investigation, we are taking steps to streamline our church discipline process to ensure that it is applied in a biblically consistent manner across all of our churches. In addition, in two separate instances, we have removed the staff members involved and they are no longer on paid staff or in formal leadership in any capacity at Mars Hill Church. Again, we began taking these actions months ago, prior to any public exposure.
As a large church that is growing fast, we place much faith in our local and lay leaders. They initiate, oversee, and complete the church discipline process. In almost all cases they serve admirably and do a great job of serving the church and our members. Our central leadership, which includes Pastor Mark Driscoll, is not involved in the discipline process, as it is handled at a local level. We're reviewing our current church discipline cases to make sure all our local leaders are operating within the spirit of love intended to be present in our existing policies. [bold is emphasis mine in both cases]
This, again, proves that when I shared my concerns about the competence of people handling church discipline four years ago that this was a legitimate concern. I have been pointing out in a couple of settings that there has been no reason at all to suppose Driscoll himself was directly involved in disciplinary cases. He's busy promoting his book and doing things like reacting to Justin Brierley or trying to get us to think T. D. Jakes has convincingly repudiated modalism, prosperity teaching concepts, or Word-faith stuff. He's been functionally a kind of pope for a few years who is not directly involved in a lot of the actual running of every aspect of the campuses.
A number of people have refused to accept this and while I am sure they will continue to disbelieve my claim that Driscoll is not involved in local church discipline this clarifying statement from Mars Hill confirms what I've been trying to point out for about a month and a half. But for anyone who just looks at all the available information about how Mars Hill gets run only a person biased by a direct, personal encounter with an angry Mark Driscoll can actually claim that a case like Andrew's would have been personally attended to by Driscoll.
For Driscoll to personally take an interest in slamming a specific person in a church disciplinary setting means that person has to be a hugely high profile person able, at some level, to precipitate a potential church split at least as Mark would perceive that person. It wouldn't be necessary for that person to actually cause a church split, just to be perceived as someone having that level of influence in the organization. Andrew couldn't possibly have been such a person and he certainly won't be one now that he's not a member. So all that is to say I'm not even remotely surprised to read that Driscoll isn't involved in campus disciplinary cases as a rule. Duh. I've been saying this for a while now and some folks don't want to believe me.
Of course that staff were removed from their positions because they screwed up the disciplinary process simply confirms the concerns I raised years ago that not every case of church discipline or counseling seemed to get approached by those who had either competence or good will in the situations into which they became involved.
As I've been spelling out here in this post and this blog generally, these revelations simply prove the points I made privately years ago I've got no regrets sharing publicly that the situations at hand that Mars Hill has attempted to clarify just prove that my actual concerns (not the concerns Slate thought I had) have been confirmed as legitimate.
Now if staff were removed for their role in, say, Andrew's disciplinary case, wouldn't now be a good tmie to revisit the question (or visit it for the first time) of whether or not the involvement of such staff tainted the disciplinary process where Andrew was concerned? Since I already blogged my belief that it would be better for a couple of guys to eat crow (or, as MH clarifies things, lose their jobs) for a misapplication or miscarriage of church discipline an implication of such a correction would involve reassessing whether justice or injustice was carried out in the cases where staff or leaders had a propensity to misuse or abuse authority.
As a large church that is growing very fast Mars Hill should trust lay leaders ... but if the goals and responsibilities for what community group leaders are supposed to do remains consistent then the lay leaders are not being asked to be truly lay leaders but unpaid deacons and pastors. With this in mind it may be many community group leaders who might otherwise have been given simple tasks have been asked to take on pastoral responsibilities for which they are not yet qualified. It may be that in most cases things are fine but how can anyone be sure this is because the community group leaders are qualified for the sorts of pastoral roles they are effectively asked to fulfill on a weekly basis? It could be that things are fine because sheer dumb luck, to use a very non-theological term, has favored Mars Hill throughout this time.
As I explained at length about my own story some Mars Hill pastors made my situation vastly worse and another pastor made it vastly better. I am disappointed that people who have linked to my blog entries about Mars Hill seem to have not been careful readers; seem to have read just one blog entry as though that were somehow my comprehensive statement on the subject of Mars Hill; and seem to have read my writing as though it were some simple advocacy for former Mars Hill members or a campaign against Mars Hill church as a whole.
I've made no secret that I believe Driscoll is irresponsible in his use of Old Testament texts and that he continues to have a weakness for using ad hominem and reductio ad absurdum ploys on anyone he disagrees with while refusing to accept that he can be subject himself to these irresponsible rhetorical devices in public discourse. He has a history of dishing out what he refuses to take. This does at some point have to stop. Nevertheless, as I have blogged at some length here I do not take as given that any old person who used to be at Mars Hill and is no longer is actually a good person or is being honest.
When I stopped renewing my membership I was not under church discipline, I left on very good terms, I love my friends and family who are at the church, and I have been eager to offer what I believe is constructive criticism where I feel it's needed. I also spent about a decade connected to the church and know things about the church culture that not all bloggers pro and con know about Mars Hill. I disagree with Driscoll on stuff but I refuse to entertain the paranoid conspiracy theory that anything that goes wrong at Mars Hill must have Driscoll's fingerprints on it.
The reason I share my personal history as someone who left on good terms and not under church discipline is to explain a larger point, when I do care enough to write about the church I used to call home I'm not doing it as a person who would be considered to have left Mars Hill under discipline or as someone who tried to be divisive on the way out. The very serious concerns I had I shared privately. I left with many concerns but I also went to a church that fits where my personal convictions had been moving for years. So my Mars Hill friends who know me best will know that the process of discovering my convictions were more Presbyterian than the kind held by Mars Hill took a while. I didn't want to keep being in a church that constantly has to reinvent the wheel every few years and has no organized set of precedents or procedures for situations that come up.
Let me put it this way, if the story of Mars Hill were compared to some point in the Exodus narrative this is the part where no competent local judges have been appointed, no organized case law has been established, and things are getting messy. I don't need to presume malice on the part of people who, I sincerely believe, just have no idea what they're doing. Their committment to church growth and denominational expansion has come at the severe price of not having a competent set of procedures and precedents for church discipline. I don't say that intending it to be derogatory, it's just an observation I've made having been a part of or having observed the life of this church since 1999. When Mark Driscoll used to joke "We don't know what we're doing" I never laughed because I was awkwardly aware of how true that was. If the clarifying remarks about the disciplinary situation of Andrew tells me anything it's that they still haven't quite figured out what they're doing yet.
Since I was never sure Andrew's story was the whole, true story (though even now Mars Hill has said nothing that demonstrates that the majority of Andrew's claims are actually false) I don't think I have anything to retract in what I've said. I do, however, think that I have grounds to say that a number of blogs that have linked to me seem to have completely misunderstood what I've actually been saying. When people link to what I've said in a way that suggests none of them actually read what I wrote I figure I should post my own clarifying statement. Now there are people who read what I wrote and have demonstrated they know what I actually said. My blogging cohorts at Phoenix Preacher, for instance, actually read what I actually wrote! Other folks, up to and including Slate, not so much.
Now Proverbs says that the first person to speak seems right until the cross-examination. This proverb is not really saying that the person who does the cross examination is right, which is how many people prooftexting from a proverb would have us believe, it means that more Christians ought to go watch the Kurosawa masterpiece Rashamon. Just because Mars Hill and Andrew are both certain they are telling us the truth doesn't mean either of them are. We're not in a position to know that for sure out here on the internet. I don't have to doubt the sincerity of either side to wonder if I should really take the statements of both sides at face value. In fact it could be that almost nothing about the two accounts actually contradict each other. It doesn't matter who quotes Proverbs 18 about the first side seeming right, the heart is deceitful above all things can be a warning that everyone could be wrong about a few things in the midst of being certain. Being wrong feels pretty much the same as feeling right.
Since the recent clarifications from Mars Hill happen to fit concerns I raised privately four years ago I'm willing to revisit those concerns. It's as close as Mars Hill is likely to come to conceding that some of the actual criticisms of Martian disciplinary procedure and precedent (as distinct from allegations of abuse or cultic tendencies) have had some merit. Mars Hill, don't be so eager to pursue growth you grow the church in a few months past the point where your revised disciplinary procedures stop being effective again. What just got published indicates that even if Andrew were needing the disciplinary shunning approach that got issued, Mars Hill has kinda sorta maybe conceded that staff or leaders at Mars Hill involved in implementing some kind of discipline (in some vague way) either lacked clear instruction, organizational competence, or impartiality needed to implement church discipline in a way that didn't go haywire.
A church can only go so long with the philosophy of "love means never having to say you're sorry". This is still a situation where it's not really possible to say that either Andrew or Mars Hill are really "in the right" about anything. I don't have to assume either side is lying to have doubts about whether or not the stories aren't being filtered. I saw in my own case how a number of pastors assumed the worst about me and others without bothering to explain things. But there was a pastor who assumed the best about me and the other people I was in conflict with and things got worked out very well. For the pro and con sides of Mars Hill it would seem that posting at the speed of the internet before researching things and thinking things through makes both sides look bad. Yes, both sides. I submit that a careful reading of the relevant materials to this much-blogged-about situation doesn't present anyone in a particularly flattering light. As I've said before and will probably say again, this is disappointing but not surprising.
David Fitch on what Neo-Anabaptists and Neo-Reformed can learn from each other
http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/can-we-neo-anabaptists-and-neo-reformed-just-get-along-my-interview/
David Fitch discusses what the New Anabaptists and the Neo-Reformed can learn from each other. Sounds fine to me. It's funny that a certain preacher identified as a new Calvinist or neo-Reformed is in most crucial senses anabaptist but pretends to himself he's Reformed.
City of God: Protestant Art & Literature
http://www.cityofgodblog.com/2012/02/protestant-art-and-literature/
A short entry in which Andrew over at City of God blog shares proposals by Peter Escalante about how Catholics do not, in fact, make better art than Protestants. If anything Protestantism served a necessary iconoclastic role (literally and figuratively) that revolutionized Western arts to the point where even "secular" art must be considered as a thing that was possible because Protestantism altered the rules of the game of art in the West.
Whether or not you agree it's an interesting and fun line of thought to consider. The polemic boils down the sauce too much as during the Reformation there were the beginnings of secularist critiques of Rome and religion generally that began to take some shape. Polemics tend to boil down the sauce too much in many cases but if the reductionist approach leads to some actual discussion that's not "always" bad. It's just necessary to jump from the salvo to a serious consideration of details and case studies.
I have been suggesting at this blog that more good art comes from higher liturgical settings simply because the churches that have that approach have historically had a bigger incentive to fund more art. Most of it won't be that great but the ratio of stuff that is great will increase just because more money is getting thrown at the arts. But at another level when there is a liturgical warrant for incorporating more art into church settings there's more reason to encourage the arts.
This has nothing to do with Catholicism or Protestantism as such. After all, nearly every musicologist and music historian who deals with Western music as a whole would say the pinnacle of Western music is not Palestrina but Bach, or Beethoven maybe. Tradition and history by themselves don't have to inspire great art, they can become the straitjackets in which art does not develop.
Link: HT Fearsome Tycoon: When STDs are untreatable
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/when-stds-are-untreatable/253075/
Of course Christians traditionally prescribe a set of risk-reducing behaviors that would substantially curtail the likelihood of getting an untreatable sexually transmitted disease. It's not a 100% failsafe in every case but it's reliable enough that it works. It is, however, considered "impossible" by lots of people. Of course it's not really "impossible" it's simply so undesirable it's off the table of any consideration for a lot of people. Well, life, health, sickness and death are all matters of opportunity costs.
I linked to my essay about Mr. Freeze earlier so why not have a blog post about untreatable veneral diseases? Happy Valentine's Day, by the way.
my little Valentine's day post, a repost
http://www.mbird.com/2011/11/batman-the-agony-of-loss-and-the-madness-of-desire-pt-3/
Today's that day again. What better way to consider Valentine's Day than to repost a link to my essay "Heart of Ice, Heart of Wrath" about Mr. Freeze in Batman: the animated series?
Link: The Swede plays the first movement of my sonata for oboe and guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Ryh6HPxLk
This link is to the first movement of my sonata for oboe and guitar that the Swede posted a few years ago. As yet the entire sonata has not been premiered so it would be pretty cool to have the entire 18-minute, four-movement sonata for oboe and guitar get a premiere. I look forward to that possibility. While I'm preparing to record and film my Guitar Sonata in F minor I can at least point you, if you're curious, to a filmed performance of at least part of one of my compositions.
And here's the link to the Swede's page. He's got a project he's working toward of recording all the songs of John Duarte that could use some support. I'm, alas, not even remotely in the situation to fund such a project but I want to mention it as a long-term goal the Swede has for those who would be willing to finance recording Duarte's songs.
http://www.swedesguitar.com/
Guitar Sonata in F minor
http://www.periferiamusic.com/en/shop/detail/product/742-guitar-sonata-in-f-minor
Time for another semi-scheduled self-promotional post. As of January 2012 my Guitar Sonata in F minor has been published by Periferia Sheet Music. If you've been dying to play a roughly six minute long sonata allegro form in F minor this is the piece for you!
I wrote this sonata back in the year 2000 during a period where I was "between jobs" as the euphemism goes. I don't know about the rest of the world but the dot com bubble had burst early in Seattle and people were just starting to get the idea that maybe there'd been a dot com bubble in some places.
I had recently immersed myself in the late works of Beethoven and Shostakovich. It seemed like a fun challenge to compose a sonata form in F minor because it struck me as something that Beethoven would have done if he had been a guitarist. We guitarists know all too well there's never really been a Beethoven of the guitar but if there were a Beethoven for the guitar he or she wouldn't have let a key like F minor be an obstacle. The very difficulty of the key would be a catalyst for inspiration. That's how I like to think of things, anyway; that's how I did think of things when I wrote the sonata years ago. I am planning to work out audio and video recordings of the sonata this year so if you can't just look at notes on the page and know what they sound like, fear not, I plan to have realizations of the score later this year.
So that's the general backstory of my writing a six minute long sonata allegro form in F minor for solo guitar. it was very fun to write and it is fun to play when you have the chops to keep it in the zone of the ideal tempo. 160 is the ideal. Anywhere between 152 and 168 bpm is still okay. There's a tempo that seems awesome and practical when you're 27 that you realize, at 37, could stand to be toned down a bit.
and thus ... XKCD links and a certain on-line game...
Practical Theology for Women: Things that Undermin...
Batman: The Agony of Loss and the Madness of Desir...
Theology for Women: Using the words Gospel, grace ...
Mars Hill on church discipline--my concerns about ...
David Fitch on what Neo-Anabaptists and Neo-Reform...
Link: HT Fearsome Tycoon: When STDs are untreatabl...
Link: The Swede plays the first movement of my son...


text:
Wed, June 29, 2011
New Pirate Adventure Coming to Walt Disney World
by Jean Volante, Floral Event Manager, Disney Floral & Gifts
What if Disney could bring the magic of the parks and big screen into your very own Walt Disney World resort room? Well, our creative team at Disney Floral & Gifts found a way to do just that with a new guest experience called "A Pirate's Adventure" and it's going to be available for sale soon.
You may be familiar with our "In-Room Celebrations," which feel like Mickey and the gang have come to your Walt Disney World Resort room to create a personalized celebration just for you. Well this new offering is actually an "adventure" prepared by Captain Jack Sparrow. The story is that Jack was chased by a band of pirates and ducked into your room to hide his treasure. The pirate code states the treasure shall be yours if you can solve the riddles he left behind and find the key to unlock his treasure chest. Then the treasure chest will be yours to do with what you will.
Ken Malquist, show director for Disney Floral & Gifts, says it's a great experience for the entire family. "You know, when we watch kids play, some of their greatest adventures takes place in their bedrooms, building forts and playing dress-up. So we took this concept and came up with a storyline to place the guest in an imaginative, yet authentic adventure," Ken said.
There's much more to share about this experience, but for now, know that "A Pirate's Adventure" will be available for sale late Summer 2011 with delivery to the Walt Disney World Resort Fall 2011.
Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for first photos of the experience, information on pricing and more.
Share New Pirate Adventure Coming to Walt Disney World
Topics: Celebrations
What is Pirate Mountain???
Robin on June 30, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Th "Pirate Mountain"Will be done by Jan 2011 ???
Julia on June 29, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Stop teasing us with the small stuff when are you guys going to announce "Pirate Mountain"? We know its being built in the new park in China – so when do we get it?
Timothy on June 29, 2011 at 12:33 pm
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