Words. I love words. I delight in their sound, their definitions, and their histories. I adore them strung together in harmonious poetry and harrowing stories of prose. I am captivated by the way they encapsulate memories for future reminiscing.
Most of all I am in awe of the power of words, in particular the power to encourage and build up. But, with the power to build up, also comes the ability to crush.
While I strive to develop and grow my muscles of encouragement through words, I openly confess that many times I have used my words to crush…sometimes intentionally, other times unintentionally. Those experiences create opportunities for me to use words to apologize and ask for forgiveness. Sometimes I just need Holy Spirit duck tape over my mouth so I leave words unsaid.
My darling husband, Eric, on the other hand is a man of few words. He has taught me how delicious the choicest words can be. You see my husband does not have a gift of gab, but he has impeccable timing with the few words he does use.
When I was younger I had a vision of marrying someone incredibly romantic and elegant with their words. Someone who had a passion for stories, letter writing, and who would cherish words like I did. If I am really honest, I selfishly wanted someone who would pour words over me to feast upon day in and day out. So…not such a realistic vision.
Then there came Eric. I was surprisingly smitten with his lack of words. You see there was no meaningless flattery, or BS, or competitive conversation coming from his lips. The words that he chose to use were purposeful and marinated in meaning. They arrived to my heart warm and tender, juicy flavorful words, bringing a deep satisfaction.
The words that Eric gives me, they are absolute treasures. I am so richly blessed as his wife, to receive a greater portion of his words than any other soul walking this planet.
There are still many moments when I selfishly want more. I want more of his words covering me as we drift off to sleep. I want morning words to light my day with the kiss of a sunrise. I want "just because" words at unexpected times.
I also have the habit of matching Eric's words in responses multiplied and magnified. If there is one person who gets the majority of my words, it's my darling husband. He faces hurricanes with the winds of hundreds of thousands of words. I praise God for giving Eric so much patience with me, and for the gifts of Eric's timely responses.
There are many times I send words out into the world and to receive nothing in return. A card, a text, a call, a letter, an email, a blog, a post, a gift, all without response. Now it is not that my sole motivation is to receive a response, but I am human so sometimes the response is definitely a factor.
What a gift and a treasure a response is!
To have that follow-up and receive feedback that the work that was put into shaping the thought, writing the card, crafting the letter, was valued. This is meaningful beyond words.
The part that makes a reply a gift, is the voluntary effort and the choice made by the giver of the response. It is not something they had to do, but that they chose to do.
Last week we experienced another setback on our farm. It happened the morning that my daughter and I were scheduled to leave to go visit my Mom. It needed to be dealt with ASAP and my husband was busy at work…which left me to deal with the mess, focus my thoughts on problem solving, and a big distraction from getting ready to go.
I tried my best to get things to a state manageable to be covered until my husband got home from work so we could leave. I have to admit that the problems at home consumed my thoughts for most of the drive which made me not the greatest travel buddy for my daughter.
I was so uneasy leaving without things being in an order that felt satisfactory to me, but I knew I just couldn't cancel on my daughter and my mom. There was just a conflicting sorrow in my heart, splashed with a bit of guilt and regret. There was probably some fear seeping in as well wondering what would happen next.
When I called my husband that evening, to check in and follow-up his words were so gracious and he prayed for me in a way that was a rich blessing to my heart. Before I feel asleep that evening this text message came in.
Thanks for all the work you do to keep us going.
I can't tell you the number of times in the past week I have looked at that text message and have been encouraged by it. I even made sure to lock it in my phone so I don't delete it by accident.
What a gift his response was!
There are so many times that I have allowed something said to me, done for me, given to me, sent to me, go without response. So this message is perhaps for me more than anyone else, but I have been challenging myself to be more generous with the gift of a response.
When it comes down to it, the gift of a response is an action of gratitude, expressing thankfulness.
What is my response to that?
Is my response to the Lord a gift? I am grateful and generous and filled with gratitude towards Him.
There is certainly nothing that I can do to earn or reciprocate a gift of infinite magnitude. But am I giving a beautiful offering of what I have, of what I can do, to the Lord?
I think of Mary in John 12 & Mark 14, taking a richly expensive perfume, pouring it on Jesus feet, and wiping them off with her hair. What a generous gift of a response to the love that had been shown to her! So lavish was her action that it was said to have filled the house with the fragrance of the perfume.
Are our homes filled with a fragrance of gratitude?
What choices can we make today to respond with the gift of gratitude towards the Lord for the gifts He has given us?
How can we give the gift of a gracious response to those whose lives interact with our own? What words can we choose to use? What actions can we apply?
May we all see greater value in the gift of our responses as we go about the journey of our daily lives.
Lord, thank You for the gift of Your response to us. Lord, Your love, Your grace, Your forgiveness, are gifts of indescribable and priceless value. You listen to us, hear us, care for us even when we respond so poorly to You. Lord, may we be humbled by Your gifts to us.
In our humbling, may we find a welling up of gratitude and thanksgiving that would spring forth in our words and actions with a lavishness that leaves our lives offering a sweet fragrance to You. May a powerful praise rise up within us, that then refreshingly showers all around us as we seek to give the gift of response to those in our lives.
Help us to use the words and actions of our responses to build one another up. In the name of Jesus whose words and actions generously give us life. Amen.
I enjoyed reading this! I, too, am married to a man of few words and there are days when I want more and get frustrated. But thank you for the reminder of the timeliness of a response. Such a good reminder. Love you, Julie!
Sue, I understand that frustration too, because I have certainly experienced it. There are so many times where I have wanted much more than I have received. It's really a challenge for myself to be grateful for what I do receive. When I reflect and look back, the few words that do come are so cherished to me, rightly said at the right time. May we press on together in gratitude, and the comfort of know we are not alone. You truly are a beautiful treasure!


text:
<?php

namespace FantasyDataAPI\Test\Injuries;

use PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase;

use FantasyDataAPI\Test\MockClient;

use FantasyDataAPI\Enum\Score;
use FantasyDataAPI\Enum\Stadium;

class UnitTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
    /** @var MockClient */
    protected static $sClient;

    /** @var \GuzzleHttp\Message\Response */
    protected static $sResponse;

    protected static $sEffectiveUrl;
    protected static $sUrlFragments;

    /**
     * Set up our test fixture.
     *
     * Expect a service URL something like this:
     *   http://api.nfldata.apiphany.com/developer/json/Injuries/2013REG?key=000aaaa0-a00a-0000-0a0a-aa0a00000000
     */
    public static function setUpBeforeClass()
    {
        static::$sClient = new MockClient($_SERVER['FANTASY_DATA_API_KEY']);

        /** \GuzzleHttp\Command\Model */
        static::$sClient->Injuries(['Season' => '2013REG', 'Week' => '17']);

        static::$sResponse = static::$sClient->mHistory->getLastResponse();
        static::$sEffectiveUrl = static::$sResponse->getEffectiveUrl();
        static::$sUrlFragments = explode('/', static::$sEffectiveUrl);
    }

    public static function tearDownAfterClass()
    {
        static::$sClient = null;
        static::$sResponse = null;
        static::$sEffectiveUrl = null;
        static::$sUrlFragments = null;
    }

    /**
     * Given: A developer API key
     * When: API is queried for 2013REG Injuries
     * Then: Expect that the json format is placed in the URI
     *
     * @group Unit
     * @small
     */
    public function testFormatInURI()
    {
        /** key 5 should be the "format" based on URL structure */
        $this->assertArrayHasKey(5, static::$sUrlFragments);
        $this->assertEquals( static::$sUrlFragments[5], 'json');
    }

    /**
     * Given: A developer API key
     * When: API is queried for 2013REG Injuries
     * Then: Expect that the Injuries resource is placed in the URI
     *
     * @group Unit
     * @small
     */
    public function testResourceInURI()
    {
        /** key 6 should be the "resource" based on URL structure */
        $this->assertArrayHasKey(6, static::$sUrlFragments);
        $this->assertEquals( static::$sUrlFragments[6], 'Injuries');
    }

    /**
     * Given: A developer API key
     * When: API is queried for 2013REG Injuries, Week 17
     * Then: Expect that the Season is placed in the URI
     *
     * @group Unit
     * @small
     */
    public function testSeasonInURI()
    {
        /** key 7 should be the Season based on URL structure */
        $this->assertArrayHasKey(7, static::$sUrlFragments);
        $this->assertEquals( static::$sUrlFragments[7], '2013REG');
    }

    /**
     * Given: A developer API key
     * When: API is queried for 2013REG Injuries, Week 17
     * Then: Expect that the Week is placed in the URI
     *
     * @group Unit
     * @small
     */
    public function testWeekInURI()
    {
        /** key 8 should be the Week based on URL structure */
        $this->assertArrayHasKey(8, static::$sUrlFragments);

        list($week) = explode('?', static::$sUrlFragments[8]);
        $this->assertEquals( $week, '17');
    }

    /**
     * Given: A developer API key
     * When: API is queried for 2013REG Injuries, Week 17, NE (optional team parameter)
     * Then: Expect that the Team is placed in the URI
     *
     * @group Unit
     * @small
     */
    public function testTeamInURI()
    {
        /** this resource has alternate options, so not using the class setup to test them */

        $client = new MockClient($_SERVER['FANTASY_DATA_API_KEY']);

        /** \GuzzleHttp\Command\Model */
        $client->Injuries(['Season' => '2013REG', 'Week' => '17', 'Team' => 'NE']);

        $response = $client->mHistory->getLastResponse();
        $effective_url = $response->getEffectiveUrl();
        $url_fragments = explode('/', $effective_url);

        /** key 9 should be the Week based on URL structure */
        $this->assertArrayHasKey(9, $url_fragments);

        list($team) = explode('?', $url_fragments[9]);
        $this->assertEquals( $team, 'NE');

        $client = NULL;
        $response = NULL;
        $effective_url = NULL;
        $url_fragments = NULL;
    }

    /**
     * Given: A developer API key
     * When: API is queried for 2013REG Injuries
     * Then: Expect a 200 response with an array of Injuries, each containing a stadium
     *
     * @group Unit
     * @small
     */
    public function testSuccessfulResponse()
    {
        $this->assertEquals('200', static::$sResponse->getStatusCode());
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
GOP strategist: 'Was Donald Trump Jr. dropped on his head as a child?'
During an appearance on CNN this week, GOP strategist Ana Navarro joined in the dumbfounded reaction emanating from media figures after revelations of Donald Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign — details which he as admitted to himself.
"When I read his statement where he was admitting that he had met with this Russian lawyer for the purpose of receiving information against Hillary Clinton, I thought, 'My God, this kid was dropped on his head as a child!' " Navarro said on CNN's Tonight with Don Lemon.
"How could he possibly be admitting this?" she asked, later adding, "Because he knew there was an email out there."
"The sheer amount of contacts and meetings that none of them remember between Trump World and Russians involved with the Kremlin is astounding," she continued.
"This stinks to holy hell! And it's time that Republicans stop thinking narrowly and start thinking broadly about defending the American democracy and the integrity of our elections. This is the most important issue facing us."
Although she's Republican, Navarro has been one of President Trump's most outspoken critics on cable news and social media. This past weekend, Navarro got into a Twitter dust-up with Trump Jr. after she criticized Ivanka Trump for sitting in for her father at the G20 summit.
"Given choice b/w Pres. Donald or Pres. Ivanka, I'd take her. After all, she's smart and eloquent and knows how to make champagne popsicles," Navarro tweeted on July 8.
Trump Jr. immediately responded to the tweet and came to the defense of his sister. "She is VERY smart & eloquent," he tweeted. "You can belittle her all you want w your snark, but we all know 1 on 1 she way out of your league."
Watch the CNN segment in the video below:
Related Items:Ana Navarro, CNN, Don Lemon, Donald Trump Jr., Hillary Clinton, Twitter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pursuant to article 13 of the Italian law no. 196/2003 - "Code concerning the protection of personal data" (hereafter referred to as the "Code") – the Province of Ravenna, in its position as 'Data Controller', must provide information about the use of your personal data.
The handling of your personal data for institutional purposes by the Province of Ravenna, as a non-commercial public body, does not require your consent.
To ensure the efficiency of the service, your personal data may be used for technical tests and checks.
With regard to the purposes described, personal data handling is carried out by means of manual, computerised and telematic tools using logics that are closely correlated with the above-mentioned aims and guarantee the safety and confidentiality of the personal data.
Once the aims have been achieved, the personal data will be deleted or transformed into an anonymous format.
Providing personal data is optional, but if it is not provided, it may not be possible to offer the services described under point 3 ("Aims of data handling").
companies providing services to the Province of Ravenna, which have been appointed as data handlers and which guarantee the same level of data protection.
e) of the entities or categories of entity to whom the personal data may be communicated or who may get to know said data in their capacity as designated representative in the State's territory, or persons in charge of the data handling.
c) certification to the effect that the operations described under points a) and b) have been notified, also regarding their contents, to the entities to whom the data was communicated or disseminated, unless this requirement proves impossible or involves a manifestly disproportionate effort compared to the right that is to be protected.
b) to the handling of personal data concerning him/her, where it is carried out for the purpose of sending advertising materials or direct selling, or for market research or commercial advertising purposes.
The personal data controller is the Province of Ravenna, with head office in Ravenna – Piazza Caduti per la Libertà 2/4 , postcode 48100.
In order to simplify transmission and shorten response times, requests should be made in writing to the Province of Ravenna – Ufficio Turismo, Via della Lirica 11 – 48100 Ravenna , or Fax 0544 506024.
The Province of Ravenna has jurisdiction for complaints regarding accommodation prices (Emilia-Romagna Reg. Law no. 16/2004).


Anything else you can think of that we keep doing over and over as players? Aside from standing in fire.
So, it's probably worth noting that I'm not referring to the kind of officer that you see in the little video above, this post is instead going to be about guild officers as opposed to Russian police that don't want to be eaten by wolves. I'm sure you can see the similarity though. Guild officers go through a lot to keep the guild running, especially good ones. I think a lot of players don't appreciate what the leaders of their guild go through in order to make it function cohesively, or at least as cohesively as possible. Continue on to read a little about what your officers do for your guild and how you can help them out – hint – it doesn't involve cake.
Band of Thorns (BoT) is looking for a few skilled raiders to round out their 10 man teams. They're looking for a couple more melee dps (enhancement shaman preferred), a couple healers (not paladin), and one or two ranged (mage, lock or a boomkin would be nice, but aren't those mythical creatures?).
The majority of BoT has been raiding/playing together since Vanilla/BC. They went 9/12 heroic in ICC (before cataclysm) and are 5/12 in the first tier of Cataclysm content, as of this posting. Raid times are currently 9pm server Tuesday/Friday.
All raiders are expected to show up to raids on time, be properly gemmed/enchanted/flasks, and have fun. Raids, and guild chat in general, keep a pretty light and fun atmosphere even when they're getting serious for a kill. So, although they'd love you to read Elitist Jerks (or similar) to know your class, please don't be one.
Their website is available at bot.wowstead.com, or contact Minmon or another officer in-game if interested.
Need to fill your roster? Feel free to email me at contact (at) alternateimage (dot) com with your information.
My guild is a very friendly, casual guild with a longer history and has had great success in previous tiers of raiding. We got hit hard by the end of expansion blues. Several of our more active players and officers took extended breaks, a few players quit wow, others had some real life issues take them out of raiding for a span. Several months ago, raiding almost completely stopped. We went from a 25 man guild progressing dutifully through ICC to not having the online members to fill a 10m ICC. At this point, we had downed 8/12 bosses in Icecrown in 25m and I believe our 10m group was 11/12. We were often tied or close for 3rd horde progression on our server. Admittedly, not a power-house server, but we were making progress. Even as we were doing fine, set to continue, the series of personal burn-outs and real life priorities reduced us to 1 of 6 active officers.


It is not often an opportunity comes along to help lead a city as extraordinary as Edwardsville. Now, after a week on the job, I am excited to introduce myself as the new City Administrator. My wife Beth Ann and I have three adult children who all live in the greater St. Louis area. My family and I have had the distinct honor of serving our nation for the past 28 years in the United States Air Force. I have served in many different locations and commanded numerous organizations within the Air Force, recently retiring as a Colonel from Scott Air Force Base.
I have heard many great things about the outstanding city of Edwardsville and my wife and are excited to be a part of this community. My goal is simple, to "Make a Difference." Our community is safe and we enjoy a high quality of life with exceptional schools, quality residential choices, and a vibrant business environment. My vision aligns with Mayor Patton's in which we work to find smart ways to grow while supporting the local businesses and institutions which give our community character. Our goals are to preserve the foundations and improve the quality of life for the residents of Edwardsville, protecting our property values, creating a dynamic business climate, while keeping taxes low.
It is my honor and privilege to serve this incredible city and the terrific residents and businesses of Edwardsville. I would like to thank the Mayor and City Council for entrusting me with this position. I am 100% committed to excellence, ensuring the city provides highly effective, efficient, and quality services to our entire community. I look forward to working together with everyone and meeting the people of this great city.