WordPress - Is It Right for Your Business Website?
Although it began as a blogging platform nearly 13 years ago, WordPress has developed into a premier content management software (CMS) platform that allows users to create, edit, organize and publish content directly to their websites. This has led to a growing popularity; in fact, it now powers 25% of ALL sites across the web… and this 25% isn't just made up of small companies either; websites such as Time Magazine, Sony and CNN all use some form of WordPress. Other solid CMS options? WordPress' next two closest competitors – Joomla and Drupal combine to power less than 5% of all websites.
So no question WordPress is popular, but why?… and more importantly, is it the right choice for your website?
Here are 5 reasons you should give WordPress some serious consideration.
WordPress is considered one of the easiest and most intuitive CMS systems available. Since it started as a blogging platform, WordPress' interface is geared towards quickly and efficiently publishing content – not getting mired down in all the code. I often tell clients that "WordPress has done to web design, what Microsoft did to personal computing"… it just makes it easier, and allows your creativity and content to shine.
Much of WordPress' power and ease of use comes through the use of thousands of free and premium "themes." In some cases, "off the shelf" themes can fully meet the needs of a business, however there is usually at least some degree of customization required to create a truly unique and brand-specific experience for a company's website. This customization usually takes the form of modifying the theme's underlying styles (i.e., CSS) and/or extending the theme's functionality through the use of plugins.
A theme's core functionality can be greatly extended through the use of plugins. So what are plugins? Plugins are essentially bits of software that can be downloaded and "attached" to your WordPress install. There are thousands of plugins to choose from, and like themes, there are both free and premium options.
If you want your WordPress web site to do something cool… there's probably a plugin for that! There are plugins that help optimize for SEO and speed, automatically install AdWords and Analytics tracking codes, support cool visual and interactive features, allow you to add web forms and databases, harden security… and the list goes on and on.
At their core, search engines work by analyzing a website's content and determining relevance for a specific search term. Since the code that WordPress uses is easy to read and simplistic in nature, search engines can scour your page for relevant content and return results quickly. WordPress also allows you to include SEO-optimized content quickly and easily. Ultimately, this means that your website content will be more easily indexed by search spiders and you have a great chance of ranking in the natural search results.
Next to usability, this is probably the best features of WordPress. There is no need to pay expensive upfront costs to start your website; all you need is a domain name and a web hosting provider and you are ready to go! Just because it's free, though, doesn't mean it isn't updated regularly; a large network of technology pros are constantly keeping WordPress up to date… including core platform functionality, security enhancements, new themes, and new plugins!
As time goes on, your business will grow (hopefully!). This growth could result in a need for multiple employees to create web content. WordPress can accommodate. By creating multiple users, you can ensure that everyone has a unique ID and password, allowing you to keep track of which users created what pages or blog posts. You can even set permissions, so that certain employees CAN create content but CAN'T publish it without your review and approval. This ensures that you don't have to waste time micromanaging your website.
So are there any cons to using WordPress?
As much as we love WordPress, we're not blind to the fact that there are some potential cons and cases where it's just not the most appropriate choice.
The biggest potential downside to WordPress in our mind is, ironically related to one of its strengths – it's reliance on themes. Relying solely on the "off-the-shelf" look, feel, and functionality of a popular theme can result in your site looking just like everyone else's site – not a good thing as you try to differentiate your brand.
The fact is, creating a truly unique and brand-specific website will require some level of technical/development skills. It's worth the investment to engage an experienced design and development resource who can ensure a solid, mobile-responsive website that addresses YOUR unique needs for functionality and branding.
A "build it and ignore it" approach to WordPress website development is a sure way to get yourself in trouble. WordPress is a dynamic development platform that requires a bit of ongoing care. Updates to WordPress, themes, and plugins are continuous (read "continuous" as at least 1-2 updates being pushed out on a weekly basis). While it's not difficult to update things, it IS VERY IMPORTANT to stay on top of these updates. WordPress often gets a bad rap for security vulnerabilities… the fact is, 1) WordPress is just the biggest target, and 2) the vast majority of security issues come when folks don't stay current with updates.
Need a hard-core web application?
In the coding world, technologists often differentiate between "websites" and "web applications" (although that line is blurring more and more). WordPress is usually a solid choice for client-facing websites, but NOT for designing data-intensive web applications. When developing web applications, for example, an inventory management system, point-of-sale system, an ecommerce site with 1000s of SKUs, etc., a full-stack web application framework is usually preferred. WordPress is not the best tool for the job in these cases.
At the end of the day, we think WordPress is impossible to beat for the typical business website. Just be aware that it will require some level of expertise and TLC to ensure success!
If you need help with your next website masterpiece, we'd be honored to help! You can visit our WordPress Design page for details and inspiration!


text:
How Poisonous Is A Coral Snake Bite?
Coral Snakes / By reptilelink
Coral snake venom is neurotoxic and may result in a variety of neurologic symptoms. Descending paralysis leading to respiratory failure is the main cause of death in untreated coral snake envenomations. Coral snakebites may leave no wounds.[1]
Do Coral Snake Bites Hurt?
What Is The Color Pattern Of A Coral Snake
What Is The Rhyme For The Colors On A Coral Snake?
How Do I Identify A Coral Snake?
What Color Is The Head Of A Coral Snake?
What Snake Has The Same Colors As A Coral Snake?
What Does A Coral Snake Symbolize
What Does It Mean To See A Coral Snake?
What Do Snakes Mean Spiritually?
What Do You Do If You See A Coral Snake?
What Happens If You Touch A Coral Snake?
What Do Coral Snake Eat
Do Coral Snakes Eat Mice?
What Do Coral Snakes Like To Live In?
Where Do Coral Snakes Like To Hide?
Do Coral Snakes Eat Fish?
How Can You Tell A Coral Snake
What Snake Is Mistaken For A Coral Snake?
What Is The Old Saying About Coral Snakes?
How Do You Tell The Difference Between A Coral Snake And A King Snake?
What Looks Like A Coral Snake But Is Not Poisonous?
How To Distinguish A Coral Snake
What Is The Difference Between A Coral Snake And A False Coral Snake?
What Snake Mimics The Coral Snake
What Snake Is Similar To Coral Snake?
Why Do Scarlet Kingsnakes Resemble Coral Snakes?
At first, mild pain may be the only symptom of a coral snake bite. Within 90 minutes, a feeling of weakness or numbness may occur in the bitten extremity. Other symptoms may appear up to 12 to 24 hours after a bite.[2]
Appearance Coral snakes are brightly colored with red, yellow, and black rings that encircle the entire body. The wide red and black rings are separated by narrow yellow rings. The head has a blunt, black snout followed by a band of yellow. The tail is black and yellow.[3]
Coral snake or king snake? Their coloration is similar so it's tough to tell, but remember the rhyme, "red touch yellow, kill a fellow." Don't pick snakes up![4]
Identification: Body is marked with wide bands that completely encircle the body. Red and black bands are separated by slightly narrower yellow bands; red bands often have black speckles. Think of the colors of a stoplight – if you see yellow bands touching red bands, stop![5]
See also Do Coral Snakes Eat Fish?
A careful observer can generally differentiate between these three species by the order of the bands and the color at the front of the head. Coral Snakes have a black head while their mimics tend to have red on the end of the head.May 14, 2019[6]
The scarlet king snake sports the same distinctive banding pattern as the coral snake, and in the same colors. King snakes are often killed because they're mistaken for coral snakes. The difference, and it's a minor one, is in the order of the, black, red and yellow bands on the snake.[7]
Coral Snake Dream Meaning – — JaviDreamsMeaningsjavidreamsmeaning.com › … › Snake Color Dream Meanings[8]
Vipers and rattlesnakes suggest worries over something or someone who is unhealthy for you. Boa constrictor snakes indicate you are being choked, restricted or smothered by someone. Coral snakes are about being internally conflicted over an issue or decision.Sep 30, 2017[9]
Snake Symbolism & Spiritual Meanings Of Snakes
Snakes symbolize a variety of things: wisdom, protection, rebirth, fertility, healing, renewal, and primal energy. Just like snakes shed their skin, seeing a snake or dreaming of them is a sign of rebirth and renewal; they also symbolize the nurturing earth.[10]
Fortunately, coral snakes are not aggressive. People are usually bit when they accidentally step on one or unknowingly place their hand near or on one. If you see a coral snake, back away from it. Two harmless and helpful snakes – the scarlet king snake and Florida scarlet snake – mimic the coral snake.[11]
The snake's neurotoxic venom causes rapid paralysis and respiratory failure in its prey; however, according to the National Institutes of Health, it can take many hours for symptoms to appear in humans. Additionally, there is often little or no pain or swelling in humans from a coral snake bite.[12]
They like to live under logs, in leaf litter, and in moist rotted wood and mulch. Coral snakes feed on other smaller snakes, both harmless and venomous. They also eat lizards, especially small skinks. They are also known to be cannibalistic, occasionally feeding on other coral snakes.[13]
See also Is The King Snake Venomous?
These colorful snakes prefer to eat frogs, mice, insects, lizards and small birds.Sep 3, 2018[14]
Habitat. Coral snakes that live in forested or jungle areas spend most of their time burrowed underground or in leaf piles, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology's Animal Diversity Web(ADW). They like marshy and wooded areas, but also live in the scrubby sandhills of the Southeast United States.[15]
Coral snakes spend most of their time in burrows under rocks or in piles of rotting leaves. You're most likely to encounter them in the southeastern and southwestern United States.[16]
Coral snakes eat other small snakes and lizards as well as frogs, birds, insects, and sometimes fish.[17]
Identification: Body is marked with wide bands that completely encircle the body. Red and black bands are separated by slightly narrower yellow bands; red bands often have black speckles. Think of the colors of a stoplight – if you see yellow bands touching red bands, stop![18]
Both Scarlet Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis elapsoides) and Scarlet Snakes (Cemophora coccinea) also possess red, black, and yellow or white banding that can closely resemble the appearance of Coral Snakes.[19]
The little mnemonic we learned as kids about the coral snake is "red touch yellow, kill a fellow."[20]
Kingsnakes have smooth, shiny scales and are often red, black, and yellow. The red and black bands usually always touch each other. Coral snakes are brightly colored and usually have black, red and yellow bands. The red and yellow bands usually always touch each other.Feb 18, 2022[21]
Two non-venomous species (Scarlet Kingsnake and Scarlet Snake) also have red, black, and yellow (or white) color patterns and may be confused with the Coral Snake.[22]
See also How Many Coral Snake Bites A Year?
Both Scarlet Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis elapsoides) and Scarlet Snakes (Cemophora coccinea) also possess red, black, and yellow or white banding that can closely resemble the appearance of Coral Snakes.May 14, 2019[24]
A coral snake has a black snout, while a false coral snake has a red one. Coral snakes have yellow bands in addition to red and black bands. False coral snakes have only red and black bands. Coral snakes are longer.[26]
The scarlet kingsnake, Lampropeltis elapsoides, copies the stripe patterns of deadly coral snakes, Micrurus fulvius, so well that people use mnemonic rhymes to tell them apart, such as: "If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow; if red touches black, you're all right, Jack." The species live side by side across much …Jun 11, 2014[27]
Both types of snakes once lived in the North Carolina Sandhills area, which allowed the scarlet kingsnake to become a mimic of the coral snake. But, something unexpected happened around 1960 that caused the coral snakes to disappear from the area—no one knows why, but it left the kingsnakes without a model to copy.Jun 12, 2014[30]
[1]https://www.acep.org/toxicology/newsroom/Oct2020/coral-snake-envenomations-just-keep-breathing/
[2]https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx%3Fhwid%3Dth1330
[3]https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/Coral%2520Snake%2520Info%2520Sheet.pdf
[4]https://floridahikes.com/how-to-identify-a-coral-snake%23:~:text%3DCoral%2520snake%2520or%2520king%2520snake,Don't%2520pick%2520snakes%2520up!
[5]https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/snakes/coralsnake.shtml%23:~:text%3DIdentification%253A,bands%2520touching%2520red%2520bands%252C%2520stop!
[6]https://www.oriannesociety.org/science-of-scales/coral-snakes-and-their-mimics/%23:~:text%3DA%2520careful%2520observer%2520can%2520generally,the%2520end%2520of%2520the%2520head.
[7]https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2019/04/20/venomous-florida-snakes-vs-harmless-lookalikes-know-difference-coral-snake-king-snake-rattlesnake/3528321002/%23:~:text%3DThe%2520scarlet%2520king%2520snake%2520sports,yellow%2520bands%2520on%2520the%2520snake.
[8]https://javidreamsmeaning.com/dreams-snakes/color/coral-snake/
[9]https://guycounseling.com/snake-means-symbolizes-dreams/
[10]https://www.yourtango.com/2020333991/snake-spiritual-meaning
[11]https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-mtblog-2012-09-avoid_being_bitten_by_a_coral-story.html
[12]https://www.livescience.com/43938-coral-snakes-colors-bites-farts-facts.html
[13]https://www.sugarlandtx.gov/405/Coral-Snake
[14]https://www.realtree.com/the-realblog-with-stephanie-mallory/watch-coral-snake-eat-copperhead
[16]https://www.havahart.com/articles/identify-rid-poisonous-snakes-yard
[17]https://wildernessclassroom.org/wilderness-library/coral-snake/
[18]https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/snakes/coralsnake.shtml
[19]https://www.oriannesociety.org/science-of-scales/coral-snakes-and-their-mimics/
[20]https://floridahikes.com/how-to-identify-a-coral-snake
[21]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/coral-snake-vs-kingsnake-5-key-differences-explained/
[22]https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/Coral%2520Snake%2520Info%2520Sheet.pdf
[26]https://a-z-animals.com/animals/false-coral-snake/
[27]https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2014.15397
[30]https://phys.org/news/2014-06-mimicry-scarlet-kingsnake-snake-coral.html
What Does A Coral Snake Look Like
Are Coral Snakes Deadly To Humans?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
#include <stdio.h>
#include "hiddata.h"

/* ######################################################################## */
#if defined(WIN32) /* ##################################################### */
/* ######################################################################## */

#include <windows.h>
#include <setupapi.h>
#include "hidsdi.h"
#include <ddk/hidpi.h>

#ifdef DEBUG
#define DEBUG_PRINT(arg)    printf arg
#else
#define DEBUG_PRINT(arg)
#endif

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */

static void convertUniToAscii(char *buffer)
{
unsigned short  *uni = (void *)buffer;
char            *ascii = buffer;

    while(*uni != 0){
        if(*uni >= 256){
            *ascii++ = '?';
        }else{
            *ascii++ = *uni++;
        }
    }
    *ascii++ = 0;
}

int usbhidOpenDevice(usbDevice_t **device, int vendor, char *vendorName, int product, char *productName, int usesReportIDs)
{
GUID                                hidGuid;        /* GUID for HID driver */
HDEVINFO                            deviceInfoList;
SP_DEVICE_INTERFACE_DATA            deviceInfo;
SP_DEVICE_INTERFACE_DETAIL_DATA     *deviceDetails = NULL;
DWORD                               size;
int                                 i, openFlag = 0;  /* may be FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED */
int                                 errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_NOTFOUND;
HANDLE                              handle = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
HIDD_ATTRIBUTES                     deviceAttributes;

    HidD_GetHidGuid(&hidGuid);
    deviceInfoList = SetupDiGetClassDevs(&hidGuid, NULL, NULL, DIGCF_PRESENT | DIGCF_INTERFACEDEVICE);
    deviceInfo.cbSize = sizeof(deviceInfo);
    for(i=0;;i++){
        if(handle != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE){
            CloseHandle(handle);
            handle = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
        }
        if(!SetupDiEnumDeviceInterfaces(deviceInfoList, 0, &hidGuid, i, &deviceInfo))
            break;  /* no more entries */
        /* first do a dummy call just to determine the actual size required */
        SetupDiGetDeviceInterfaceDetail(deviceInfoList, &deviceInfo, NULL, 0, &size, NULL);
        if(deviceDetails != NULL)
            free(deviceDetails);
        deviceDetails = malloc(size);
        deviceDetails->cbSize = sizeof(*deviceDetails);
        /* this call is for real: */
        SetupDiGetDeviceInterfaceDetail(deviceInfoList, &deviceInfo, deviceDetails, size, &size, NULL);
        DEBUG_PRINT(("checking HID path \"%s\"\n", deviceDetails->DevicePath));
#if 0
        /* If we want to access a mouse our keyboard, we can only use feature
         * requests as the device is locked by Windows. It must be opened
         * with ACCESS_TYPE_NONE.
         */
        handle = CreateFile(deviceDetails->DevicePath, ACCESS_TYPE_NONE, FILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE, NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, openFlag, NULL);
#endif
        /* attempt opening for R/W -- we don't care about devices which can't be accessed */
        handle = CreateFile(deviceDetails->DevicePath, GENERIC_READ|GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ|FILE_SHARE_WRITE, NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, openFlag, NULL);
        if(handle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE){
            DEBUG_PRINT(("opening failed: %d\n", (int)GetLastError()));
            /* errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_ACCESS; opening will always fail for mouse -- ignore */
            continue;
        }
        deviceAttributes.Size = sizeof(deviceAttributes);
        HidD_GetAttributes(handle, &deviceAttributes);
        DEBUG_PRINT(("device attributes: vid=%d pid=%d\n", deviceAttributes.VendorID, deviceAttributes.ProductID));
        if(deviceAttributes.VendorID != vendor || deviceAttributes.ProductID != product)
            continue;   /* ignore this device */
        errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_NOTFOUND;
        if(vendorName != NULL && productName != NULL){
            char    buffer[512];
            if(!HidD_GetManufacturerString(handle, buffer, sizeof(buffer))){
                DEBUG_PRINT(("error obtaining vendor name\n"));
                errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_IO;
                continue;
            }
            convertUniToAscii(buffer);
            DEBUG_PRINT(("vendorName = \"%s\"\n", buffer));
            if(strcmp(vendorName, buffer) != 0)
                continue;
            if(!HidD_GetProductString(handle, buffer, sizeof(buffer))){
                DEBUG_PRINT(("error obtaining product name\n"));
                errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_IO;
                continue;
            }
            convertUniToAscii(buffer);
            DEBUG_PRINT(("productName = \"%s\"\n", buffer));
            if(strcmp(productName, buffer) != 0)
                continue;
        }
        break;  /* we have found the device we are looking for! */
    }
    SetupDiDestroyDeviceInfoList(deviceInfoList);
    if(deviceDetails != NULL)
        free(deviceDetails);
    if(handle != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE){
        *device = (usbDevice_t *)handle;
        errorCode = 0;
    }
    return errorCode;
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */

void    usbhidCloseDevice(usbDevice_t *device)
{
    CloseHandle((HANDLE)device);
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */

int usbhidSetReport(usbDevice_t *device, char *buffer, int len)
{
BOOLEAN rval;

    rval = HidD_SetFeature((HANDLE)device, buffer, len);
    return rval == 0 ? USBOPEN_ERR_IO : 0;
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */

int usbhidGetReport(usbDevice_t *device, int reportNumber, char *buffer, int *len)
{
BOOLEAN rval = 0;

    buffer[0] = reportNumber;
    rval = HidD_GetFeature((HANDLE)device, buffer, *len);
    return rval == 0 ? USBOPEN_ERR_IO : 0;
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */

/* ######################################################################## */
#else /* defined WIN32 #################################################### */
/* ######################################################################## */

#include <string.h>
#include <usb.h>

#define usbDevice   usb_dev_handle  /* use libusb's device structure */

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */

#define USBRQ_HID_GET_REPORT    0x01
#define USBRQ_HID_SET_REPORT    0x09

#define USB_HID_REPORT_TYPE_FEATURE 3

static int  usesReportIDs;

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */

static int usbhidGetStringAscii(usb_dev_handle *dev, int index, char *buf, int buflen)
{
char    buffer[256];
int     rval, i;

    if((rval = usb_get_string_simple(dev, index, buf, buflen)) >= 0) /* use libusb version if it works */
        return rval;
    if((rval = usb_control_msg(dev, USB_ENDPOINT_IN, USB_REQ_GET_DESCRIPTOR, (USB_DT_STRING << 8) + index, 0x0409, buffer, sizeof(buffer), 5000)) < 0)
        return rval;
    if(buffer[1] != USB_DT_STRING){
        *buf = 0;
        return 0;
    }
    if((unsigned char)buffer[0] < rval)
        rval = (unsigned char)buffer[0];
    rval /= 2;
    /* lossy conversion to ISO Latin1: */
    for(i=1;i<rval;i++){
        if(i > buflen)              /* destination buffer overflow */
            break;
        buf[i-1] = buffer[2 * i];
        if(buffer[2 * i + 1] != 0)  /* outside of ISO Latin1 range */
            buf[i-1] = '?';
    }
    buf[i-1] = 0;
    return i-1;
}

int usbhidOpenDevice(usbDevice_t **device, int vendor, char *vendorName, int product, char *productName, int _usesReportIDs)
{
struct usb_bus      *bus;
struct usb_device   *dev;
usb_dev_handle      *handle = NULL;
int                 errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_NOTFOUND;
static int          didUsbInit = 0;

    if(!didUsbInit){
        usb_init();
        didUsbInit = 1;
    }
    usb_find_busses();
    usb_find_devices();
    for(bus=usb_get_busses(); bus; bus=bus->next){
        for(dev=bus->devices; dev; dev=dev->next){
            if(dev->descriptor.idVendor == vendor && dev->descriptor.idProduct == product){
                char    string[256];
                int     len;
                handle = usb_open(dev); /* we need to open the device in order to query strings */
                if(!handle){
                    errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_ACCESS;
                    fprintf(stderr, "Warning: cannot open USB device: %s\n", usb_strerror());
                    continue;
                }
                if(vendorName == NULL && productName == NULL){  /* name does not matter */
                    break;
                }
                /* now check whether the names match: */
                len = usbhidGetStringAscii(handle, dev->descriptor.iManufacturer, string, sizeof(string));
                if(len < 0){
                    errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_IO;
                    fprintf(stderr, "Warning: cannot query manufacturer for device: %s\n", usb_strerror());
                }else{
                    errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_NOTFOUND;
                    /* fprintf(stderr, "seen device from vendor ->%s<-\n", string); */
                    if(strcmp(string, vendorName) == 0){
                        len = usbhidGetStringAscii(handle, dev->descriptor.iProduct, string, sizeof(string));
                        if(len < 0){
                            errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_IO;
                            fprintf(stderr, "Warning: cannot query product for device: %s\n", usb_strerror());
                        }else{
                            errorCode = USBOPEN_ERR_NOTFOUND;
                            /* fprintf(stderr, "seen product ->%s<-\n", string); */
                            if(strcmp(string, productName) == 0)
                                break;
                        }
                    }
                }
                usb_close(handle);
                handle = NULL;
            }
        }
        if(handle)
            break;
    }
    if(handle != NULL){
        errorCode = 0;
        *device = (void *)handle;
        usesReportIDs = _usesReportIDs;
    }
    return errorCode;
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */

void    usbhidCloseDevice(usbDevice_t *device)
{
    if(device != NULL)
        usb_close((void *)device);
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */

int usbhidSetReport(usbDevice_t *device, char *buffer, int len)
{
int bytesSent, reportId = buffer[0];

    if(!usesReportIDs){
        buffer++;   /* skip dummy report ID */
        len--;
    }
    bytesSent = usb_control_msg((void *)device, USB_TYPE_CLASS | USB_RECIP_DEVICE | USB_ENDPOINT_OUT, USBRQ_HID_SET_REPORT, USB_HID_REPORT_TYPE_FEATURE << 8 | (reportId & 0xff), 0, buffer, len, 5000);
    if(bytesSent != len){
        if(bytesSent < 0)
            fprintf(stderr, "Error sending message: %s\n", usb_strerror());
        return USBOPEN_ERR_IO;
    }
    return 0;
}

/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */

int usbhidGetReport(usbDevice_t *device, int reportNumber, char *buffer, int *len)
{
int bytesReceived, maxLen = *len;

    if(!usesReportIDs){
        buffer++;   /* make room for dummy report ID */
        maxLen--;
    }
    bytesReceived = usb_control_msg((void *)device, USB_TYPE_CLASS | USB_RECIP_DEVICE | USB_ENDPOINT_IN, USBRQ_HID_GET_REPORT, USB_HID_REPORT_TYPE_FEATURE << 8 | reportNumber, 0, buffer, maxLen, 5000);
    if(bytesReceived < 0){
        fprintf(stderr, "Error sending message: %s\n", usb_strerror());
        return USBOPEN_ERR_IO;
    }
    *len = bytesReceived;
    if(!usesReportIDs){
        buffer[-1] = reportNumber;  /* add dummy report ID */
        (*len)++;
    }
    return 0;
}

/* ######################################################################## */
#endif /* defined WIN32 ################################################### */
/* ######################################################################## */

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This unique one story two bedroom, 2 bath cottage (duplex) offers over 1,300 square feet of living space and comfortable porch.
You'll enjoy a comfortable living room, dining room and fully appointed kitchen with granite counter-tops, breakfast counter, refrigerator with ice maker, microwave, Keurig, dishwasher and laundry area with full size washer and dryer. Just off the living room is a large screened back porch with outdoor seating.
In addition to the main living areas there are two bedrooms. The master suite has a large master bath with garden tub, separate glass enclosed shower and double vanity. Adjacent to the main living areas you'll find another full bath and bedroom. Other features include 10 foot ceilings, ceiling fans, central heating and air conditioning, and lots of storage areas.


The Upholstered Beds Ashbury Queen Headboard by Kincaid Furniture at Story & Lee Furniture in the Leoma, Lawrenceburg TN and Florence, Athens, Decatur, Huntsville AL area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.


text:
The Printing Factory Lofts housed in the old Rolph Clark Stone printing factory, one of four loft conversions on Carlaw Avenue, once the heart of East Toronto industry
History of the Printing Factory Lofts
The eight-storey Printing Factory Lofts, one of the first of a new generation of developments to kick off the current rise of Carlaw Avenue, was completed in 2010 and contains 254 units, as well as townhouses on Boston Avenue. The original warehouse facade stands as a reminder of the avenue's industrial past while anchoring its future of glass-clad condos.
The front of the Printing Factory Lofts on Carlaw Ave. is now a rather cool blend of old and new
The east Toronto loft conversion won the 2011 Paul Oberman Award for outstanding achievement in the the field of architecture and design. It also won a 2011 Pug Award in the 7th Annual People's Choice Awards for Architecture and received an honourable mention 2011 Toronto Urban Design Awards. Not bad at all!
The stately Classical facade of the Printing Factory Lofts has been preserved
Converted by Beaverbrook (now Averton Homes) in 2008-2010 and designed by Chandler Graham / Montgomery Sisam Architects. There are 254 units ranging from studios to 3 bedroom living spaces – featuring individually controlled heating and air-conditioning, exposed concrete ceilings, individually controlled hot water tank, hardwood or exposed polished concrete floors, solid core entry doors with chrome lever hardware and privacy viewer, balcony or terrace with either swing doors or sliding glass and barbecue hook-up, and exposed metal duct work. The bathrooms in the suites are stunningly designed and constructed. They boast porcelain tile floors, 5-foot soaker bathtubs, designer-selected metal finish accessories, vanity mirror above sink, and brand name polished chrome faucets.
Lofts in the original Rolph Clark Stone building enjoy exposed brick walls
Originally built to house the printing presses of Rolph Clark Stone, 201 Carlaw Avenue has been a Leslieville landmark since its completion in 1913 when this Queen Street East community was at the heart of industry in Toronto. The Printing Factory project blends the original 3-storey podium factory building with a new 8-storey glass tower addition and new stacked townhouses along the eastern edge of the site, fronting onto Boston Avenue.
The view of the loft complex from the inside the Printing Factory Lofts' courtyard is very different from what you see from the front
The existing factory building has been fully converted into residential loft units. To further maintain the industrial character of the printing factory, original features of the building were restored throughout including the Carlaw Avenue façade with the ghosted remains of the Rolph Clark Stone sign. Enter the classical main entrance portico that opens to a grand wooden staircase below vaulted ceilings… your jaw will drop, trust me.
The Printing Factory Lofts' lobby has one of the most gorgeous staircases in all of Toronto
The original "sawtooth" industrial skylights were fully integrated into the two storey loft units on the top floor of the original factory building. Landscaped courtyards, private yards and street frontages were designed to integrate the industrial podium into the surrounding neighbourhood and conceal two levels of underground parking. Along Boston Avenue, an unused rail spur has been reclaimed, creating a wide expanse of green amenity space.
The "sawtooth" skylights as they appeared over the Rolph Clark Stone factory floor, and as they appear now integrated into the upper level lofts
This loft conversion project created a variety of living options for the new residential community springing up along Carlaw Avenue, in a vibrant section of Queen Street East. The lofts include one, two and three bedroom units within the tower, live/work studio lofts in the original building and family-sized town houses along Boston Avenue. By offering a wide variety of size and style of units, the project offers living options for singles, couples and families and contributes to the diversity and dynamism of the surrounding Leslieville neighbourhood.
Those same sawtooth skylights as they appear inside the Printing Factory Lofts
The Toronto Lithographing Co. opened under the proprietorship of Gorrell, Craig & Co. at 33 Wellington Street East in 1878 offering lithographing, engraving, and electrotyping services. A.H. Gorrel & Co. became the proprietors 1879-1880, and Daniel T. Corrie and Charles F. Bennett were the proprietors 1881-1883. From 1883 William Stone was the proprietor; with John Douglas Wright 1883-1885, and Frederick William Heath and William Crowley Jephcott from 1886. In 1884 the company moved from Wellington Street to 60 York Street where it remained for one year before moving to 26-28 King Street East.
The lithography department of the Toronto Lithographing Co. in 1898
In 1891 the firm moved to 13 Jordon Street, and on January 6, 1895 the facility was destroyed by fire. The following year the Toronto Lithographing Co. re-located in a new building at 459-467 King Street West at Bathurst Street. In 1909 the Toronto Lithographing Co. became Stone Ltd., with William Stone as president, and Frank Stone as vice-president and managing director. In 1917 the company merged with Rolph & Clark Ltd. to form Rolph Clark Stone Ltd., with Frank Rolph honourary president, William Stone president, Thomas J. Clark vice-president, Frank A. Rolph 2nd vice-president and managing director and treasurer, and Frank W. Stone general manager and secretary.
An ad for the Toronto Lithographing Co. from around 1896 when they had moved to King Street West (at Bathurst) after a fire destroyed their Jordan Street building.
The company started out printing a variety of books, maps, posters, and other material, and began printing postcards about 1898. Toronto Litho's leading Toronto rival was Rolph, Smith and Co., which merged with Stone Ltd. to form Rolph Clark Stone in 1917. While an essay in the periodical Industrial Canada (1967) dates the present building to 1913 (when it was commissioned by Rolph, Smith and Company), it was first recorded in the tax assessment rolls in 1916. By the later 20th century, Rolph Clark Stone Limited was described as one of Canada's largest graphic arts companies.
Rolph Stone Clark ad from sometime after WWI
Note that the Printing Factory Lofts were actually built when it was just Rolph, Smith and Co., in 1913. It was 4 years after the company moved into the building at 201 Carlaw that the merger happened and it took the name Rolph Clark Stone. Many write the name as "Rolph-Clark-Stone" but the remains of the sign above the door does not appear to have the hyphens.
Rolph Stone Clark did work for some pretty big names
The property at 201 Carlaw Avenue was included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties in 2007 for its cultural heritage value or interest. The Rolph Clark Stone Limited Building has physical or design value as a representative example of an industrial building from the World War I era with a high degree of craftsmanship. The long west façade facing Carlaw Avenue is treated in the Classical manner with a centrally placed frontspiece containing the main entrance to the complex.
The Printing Factory Lofts as it appeared in the early 2000s – note the sales banners on the front of the Garment Factory Lofts
The contextual value of the Rolph Clark Stone Limited Building relates to the structure's role in maintaining, defining and supporting the industrial character of Carlaw Avenue, where the Toronto Hydro-Electric Power Station at #369 Carlaw is also recognized on the City's heritage inventory. Tell me that the pair of Wrigley buildings just south of Dundas should not also be added to the heritage list…
The Printing Factory Lofts as it appears today at 201 Carlaw
The heritage attributes of the Rolph Clark Stone Limited Building are found on the principal façade, the first three bays on the south elevation (before the wall is stepped back), the flat roof above the latter walls and, on the interior, the entrance lobby and staircase. The preserved lobby staircase really is amazing.
in some of the Printing Factory Lofts you can still see the concrete structure
The structure rises two stories above a raised base with window openings at the north and south ends of the west façade. Clad with red brick, the building is trimmed with brick and cast stone. A cornice with stone coping extends along the west wall and wraps around the south elevation to mark the flat roof. The west façade is organized into three sections with an elevated frontispiece in the centre. The frontispiece is divided into three bays by two-storey fluted piers with Corinthian capitals. At the base, a trio of round arches has stone surrounds, with the main entrance is entered through the centre arch (unfortunately the original doors had to be replaced).
The main entrance of the Printing Factory Lofts with the two-storey fluted piers with Corinthian capitals flanking stone arches. Gorgeous Classical architecture.
Three tall flat-headed window openings are placed in the second storey of the frontispiece beneath an entablature with a stone cornice. The remains of the painted sign reading "ROLPH CLARK STONE" is still visible on the entablature. The west façade extends 18 bays on either side of the frontispiece. Symmetrically placed flat-headed window openings have stone sills, and stone band courses link the window heads. At the north and south ends of the west elevation, secondary entrances are set in arches with Classically-detailed stone surrounds.
The remains of the painted sign reading "ROLPH CLARK STONE" is still visible above the entrance to the Printing Factory Lofts
Situated in Leslieville, the Printing Factory Lofts is in an area that's bordered by the waterfront to the south, The Beaches to the east, the Danforth to the north, and the downtown core immediately to its west. Decades removed from its beginnings as the city's industrial hub, Leslieville and Carlaw Avenue underwent years of gentrification and revitalization to become one of Toronto's most chic and popular neighborhoods.
One of the lovely rooftop terraces belonging to an upper level unit in the original part of the Printing Factory Lofts at 201 Carlaw Avenue
Over the last few years, the area has seen the erection of a number of condominium buildings, and the subsequent emergence of an urban lifestyle that is the envy of most other parts of the city. The neighborhood is a vibrant community that is teaming with restaurants, bars, lounges, eclectic shops, and cafes. Leslieville now boasts new construction combined with a touch of history, making it a unique neighbourhood.
Polished concrete floors and mushroom columns in some of the Printing Factory Lofts
In short, the Printing Factory Lofts is where it's at, period. It doesn't get much better than authentic loft living in one of Toronto's hippest and most vibrant neighborhoods.
Carlaw Avenue in 1948, showing the Rolph Clark Stone printing factory across from Palmolive and south of the Wrigley buildings. Note the Garment Factory Lofts have not yet been built.
Current Printing Factory Loft Listings


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Friday, May 22nd, 2015
Give Me Some Space
It's not like we haven't attempted space treaties before. The last time was back in the 1970s when there was an effort to keep individual nations from claiming celestial bodies as their own. Every nation without a space program signed the treaty, and every country that could actually get to space told those people where they could go (to infinity and beyond). But times have changed and more private companies are looking to the heavens for the next big profit center. In Quartz, Tim Fernholz provides some context and a look at the Congressional bills that have space experts worried about an extra-terrestrial land grab. May the Force Majeure Be With You.
In Ruins
"It makes Rome blush. When you approach the site, it rises out of the desert like some sort of a mirage out of a fairy tale." That's how one archaeologist describes the Roman-era ruins in Palmyra. And ISIS just took over the city. The LA Times with 5 reasons why Palmyra's ruins are so important.
"Hello, everybody, I'm Huang Xi. Huang like a cucumber, Xi like a watermelon ... That wasn't a joke." NYT Mag's Christopher Beam looks at the state of stand-up comedy in China, where it's catching on, even if people still aren't sure quite when to laugh. (So our cultures have more in common than we thought...)
+ "It's a place that forces me to reach for comparisons from fiction: It's Lord of the Rings, I tell people. It's Mordor crossed with the Shire." In SB Nation, Eva Holland takes you on a climb that can best be described as Unclimbable.
+ "Today he stands alone as the record-holder for most retractions by a single author, at a breathtaking 183, representing roughly 7 percent of all retracted papers between 1980 and 2011. His story represents a dramatic fall from grace, but also the arrival of a new dimension to scholarly publishing." From Nautilus: How the Biggest Fabricator in Science Got Caught.
+ "My guest today is me." Here's a weekend listen. Mark Maron interviews Terry Gross on Fresh Air.
All Warm and Fuzz
"Our community has been completely transformed. The fact that these officers are out here, with these kids, every week, makes the difference." Let's take a brief detour from the onslaught of negative stories about police-community relations and head to Fresno where those relations are better than ever.
Let Them Eat Water
Even if you live a long way from California, our drought is still your drought. "California farmers produce more than a third of the nation's vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. To do that, they use nearly 80 percent of all the water consumed in the state." So if I'm gonna convince my kids to take shorter showers, you're gonna have to ease up on the almonds. From the NYT, here's a guide to your contribution to the California drought.
Ceci n'est pas une Wallet
The Eiffel Tower was closed to the public for six hours while workers staged a walkout to protest the rampant surge in pickpocketing gangs.
+ "It's scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods." In France, it will soon be illegal for large supermarkets to throw away edible food.
A May-Decemberists Romance
"Everywhere, the line between fan and performer was paper-thin. The approach was anarchic and participatory: the idea (at least theoretically) was that anyone could get a band together, learn to play, and maybe even press a record and take the show on the road" The Atlantic's Deborah Cohen on geeks with guitars and how indie rock changed the world.
+ This makes me remember ten things about the night I brought my 7-year old son to see the National at the Greek Theater in Berkeley
Do As I Say?
Following a report that he molested several young girls as a teenager, reality-television star Josh Duggar apologized and quit Family Research Council. It just goes to show you that you can try to raise your kid right -- with 26 siblings, religious extremism, and reality TV cameras everywhere -- and they'll still have issues...
The Third Degree
Earlier this week, Tanishq Abraham earned 3 college degrees. And that's a pretty notable achievement considering that he's only 11 years old. He calls the degrees baby-steps towards his real goal. "If all goes according to his plans, the boy will grow up to become a Nobel Prize-winning doctor and medical researcher, then a U.S. president." With all those degrees, you'd think he'd be smart enough to avoid politics.
Dogs are known as man's best friend. But according to some recent research, they might also be our oldest friends. It turns out that dogs' ancestors may have split from wolves as much as 40,000 years ago. (Cats didn't want to start hanging out until there was the possibility of going viral.)
+ Pac-Man still looks young, but it just turned 35. (It pays off to eat all that fruit.)
+ Shake Shack thrills the market with the possibility of Chicken Shack.
+ Ever wonder how doctors train to give prostate exams? (And just like that, I'm fine with the robots taking our jobs.)
+ From The Wrap: Are Kanye West's Ties to the Kardashian Clan Destroying His Brand? (Of course. Why should he be any different than the rest of us?)


*Aqua colour vinyl* As the story goes, young Louis sent a couple of remixes of Syncom Data's wicked 'Beyond the stars' cut to the fellas themselves and landed himself a record deal with SD records immediately. From that fruitful incident comes this four track EP of raw analog grit and rough rockin techno funk that fits in perfectly with the Syncom Data aesthetic. From the opening of 'beyond the stars (syndom lock mix)' it's apparent this fella knows what he's up to, churning up some prime techno ready to do some damage on the right floors, while 'f*cked up' presses on with another floor ready belter. The flipside contains the devastating strains of 'heat of the storm mix' straddling some mental techno funk rhythms, while final cut 'old skool' leaves us floored with an effortlessly cool and calculated darkside techno anthem cut loose from the streets of Rotterdam and ready to cause some jacking action in a dark room somewhere near you. Class.


Last week one of our fishing clients asked, what do you consider a trophy Sailfish? I thought about his question for a few seconds but really didn't have a quick answer. I was aware the world record Sailfish weighed around 221 lbs, but catching a fish that size has become increasingly rarer. Another reason for not having a quick answer to his question was not knowing if my friend had caught a Sailfish in which he undoubtedly believed to be a trophy.
Logically the question posed could be answered very simply based on the health, length, and weight of the sailfish, but I think there is more to it than just that.
I reflected back on past experiences, those perfect Cabo mornings heading out beyond lands end with the sun rising slowly up from the Sea of Cortez. The gentle breeze of the ocean on our faces making our way to the fishing grounds on the Pacific side. I am not alone, my Son Kaden who has just graduated from High School has joined me for his first deep sea fishing charter in Cabo, Mexico. The Skipper and First mate instructed us to keep our eyes on the horizon of the sea, helping them spot Billfish on the surface. It wasn't long before First mate David spotted two Sailfish a few hundred yards off the port side.
Fish on, I screamed as Kaden jumped up grabbing his fishing pole with both hands. The Sailfish made several acrobatic leaps into the air pulling line from the reel as it fought to be free.
My son was grinning ear to ear telling me over and over how awesome this experience was to him. The beautiful blue Sailfish was landed and brought onboard the boat for a quick photo shoot and then quickly released back into the water. The joy felt at that time is hard to express in words. I know my son Kaden, and myself will never forget the experience we had on that morning.
So what constitutes a trophy Sailfish. The answer is simple. The Sailfish should be healthy, and big, but you also need to consider the quality, and size of the smile on the face and or faces of all those involved in the experience of catching that trophy Sailfish.


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New lung screening trial launches in Leeds
People at high risk of developing lung cancer have the chance to take part in a pioneering screening trial, which has just been launched in Leeds.
The Leeds Lung Health Check, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, will test if screening for early signs of lung cancer can save lives whilst being cost-effective.
The multi-million pound project, developed in partnership between the University of Leeds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Leeds City Council, will involve 7,000 people who smoke or have smoked.
CanTest Associate Director Richard Neal, Professor of Primary Care Oncology at the University of Leeds and a GP in the city, is the primary care lead for the project.
Professor Neal said:
"This trial is likely to be a game-changer in how lung cancer is diagnosed for many people, as it gives us the chance to diagnose them at an early stage when effective treatments are available. GPs understand this and that is why every practice in the parts of the city where we are doing this trial has signed up. That is quite remarkable."
In 2016, 4,500 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in Yorkshire, and 3,340 people died from it. In some areas of Leeds, the lung cancer incidence rate is double the national average.
The Leeds Lung Health Check will take place in 'hot spot' areas of the city, where people are more likely to get lung cancer. GPs will invite pre-selected patients who smoke or have smoked to take part in a lung function test and a CT scan to detect very early signs of lung cancer.
The checks are being carried out in mobile units. These will travel to community locations, such as supermarket car parks and shopping centres, so people can take part more easily.
Patients who take part in the Leeds Lung Health Check will be monitored and compared with a matched group of people who do not take part, to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention at detecting cancers and saving lives.
© CanTest 2019.
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For furniture or artifacts damaged by fire, flooding or transit, Gregg Perry Conservators will travel the eastern United States, eastern Canada, Great Britain and Europe to provide estimates for insurance purposes, condition reports and treatment proposals. Object examination can be handled on-site or in our conservation studio. A condition report is prepared outlining the object's issues, current condition overall and percentage of damage. Next, a treatment proposal is submitted outlining our recommendations for treatment, and will contain what work is to be preformed with associated fees and the deposit amount required to commence. A treatment report will be provided to the client with photo documentation. A list of shippers for transportation will be provided to the client.


I've been a little loony over the moon for the past several years. I follow its stages and path every month, becoming almost giddy when it's time for the full moon, finding a perfect vantage point to photograph its appearance. Just a few months ago, I discovered Wright's Field out in Alpine, a pleasant wide, open field with trails leading out to big boulders and shrubby trees with views of the mountains. I kept that place in mind for future full moons.
About 4:30 in the afternoon on New Year's Day, I slipped away from the party at our friends' house in Alpine and drove out to Wright's Field. I was excited because the first moon of the New Year was to be a super moon; the lunar body would be at its perigee, its closest point to Earth. Normally, we see the moon from an average of 238,855 miles away. The super moon is roughly 16,000 miles closer.
As I approached Wright's Field, the sky was dense with clouds, but I was still hopeful as there was still some light peeking out low on the horizon. Besides, a super moon exudes much more light than a regular one. I walked out onto the trail to a higher point as the sky filled with more clouds. Just as it was starting to get a little too dark for my comfort, I pointed the compass on my phone to where the moon was supposed to come up. I waited and walked around a little more, glancing back towards the mountains every minute or so. Finally, I saw three streaks of orange light appearing behind the bluish clouds.
It was getting much darker by then, so I made my way back down on the trail to my car, keeping track of the moon's progress. Suddenly, the moon appeared nearly clear as day, obliterating the darkness around it. The clouds streaking across its face could not blot out the moon's brightness. It was nearly orange in color—and it was ginormous. Trees looked like small plants underneath its glare.
Nearly an hour later, back at my friends' house, I continued to shoot pictures of the moon as it climbed higher in the sky. Normally, the moon is simply a round disk as it rises higher, but this super moon was still so large in appearance that I could still see the Man in the Moon. My friends brought out their telescope so that we all could look through it. We oohed and aaahed at the sight of the craters on the moon. From one of the biggest craters, we could see lines running out from it from the impact of the meteor eons ago.
The year 2018 will be a good one to keep your eyes on the sky, as there will be several astronomical oddities taking place, the first one being a blue moon. Once in a blue moon means that a second full moon appears within a month. That will happen on Jan. 31. What's more, it will also be a super moon, just like the first full moon's appearance on New Year's Day.
With good photography, the super moon on Jan. 31 will appear humongous, as did the one that started off this year. It is best to find a good vantage point for such a sight. Mt. Helix, of course, is one of the best. From high points in El Cajon, you will be able to see the Super Moon peeking above the mountains to the east. Wright's Field in Alpine is a nearly perfect vantage point, but you have to wait a little longer for the moon to rise up over the mountains.
The moon will rise at 5:51 p.m. on Jan. 31, and the sky will be somewhat dark because the sun will have set at 5:20 p.m. On the evening before, however, the moon will be 99.9 percent full, with the sun setting at 5:20 p.m. Sufficient light will remain in the sky to enable you to watch the moon come up with a pink or orange tint if the sky is clear of clouds.
To make matters even more interesting, during the time of this full blue moon, a lunar eclipse will take place in which the sun, Earth and the moon are aligned, putting the moon in Earth's shadow. The sunlight refracting through Earth's atmosphere gives the lunar surface a reddish hue, an effect known as a blood moon. But here in San Diego and all of the United Sates, except for Alaska and Hawaii, we won't be able to see that astronomical event.
For a truly good photograph of the full super blue moon on Jan. 31, a DSLR camera is most often recommended with a lens up to 600mm. A trick of professionals is to photograph the moon above a building, a city skyline, or even some trees.
It is also possible to get an extremely good image with a zoom camera. The rule of thumb for photographing the moon is the same as for a DSLR. Even more surprising, the smart phone can yield beautiful images of the super moon. It's a matter of focusing on the correct light balance. Tap the screen and hold your finger on the moon to lock the focus. Then slide your finger up or down to darken or lighten the exposure. The mood of the moon changes with each light gradient.
If nothing else, just get out and see the first month of 2018 end with this history-making super blue moon.


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England Arkive The General Election 2017 June Eight
The Humanion Free Advertisement Supporting Barnardo's Fostering Campaign
Join Debbie Douglas and Lydia Bright in Supporting Barnardo's Fostering Campaign 2019
We find more children are being taken into care with fewer foster carers to look after them as we launch Barnardo's 10th Annual Fostering Campaign 2019, which are fronted by The Only Way Is Essex Actor Ms Lydia Bright and Ms Debbie Douglas. The fact is this that the number of children in care in England has risen by 27 per cent in the last 10 years, against which we urgently appeal for more people to consider fostering. In the past decade, Barnardo's foster carers have looked after thousands of children, giving them the best chance to have a happier and positive future.
However, we are concerned that there are not enough suitable foster families to take care of the increasing numbers of vulnerable children in care. Increasing child poverty, a lack of early intervention and support for families before they reach crisis point and a heightened awareness of abuse and neglect are among the complex reasons more and more children and young people are being taken into care. But figures from Ofsted show that the number of approved carers has dropped by 950 in just one year. If, these trends continue it will become, even, more difficult to find good foster placements for vulnerable children. Join In and Support Our Annual Fostering Campaign 2019.
The NHS England Calls for Applications From Female Healthcare Scientists to Apply for Its Leadership Development Scheme: Deadline May 10
|| March 13: 2019 || ά. Female healthcare scientists are invited to apply for the NHS England's Leadership Development Scheme, aimed at mid-career healthcare scientists to develop leaders and increase their impact within their Trusts and beyond.
Led by the NHS England's Chief Scientific Officer, the CSOWISE Healthcare Science Leadership Development Programme for the NHS England Scheme provides support for 32 healthcare scientists over 12 months through a leadership development programme, that includes mentoring, alongside, communication and leadership skills training.
In addition, successful applicants will have the opportunity to attend the Chief Scientific Officer conference and become WISE role models, helping to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps. The initiative was launched in partnership with WISE, the campaign for gender balance in science, technology and engineering, on International Women's Day at the NHS England Chief Scientific Officer's Annual Conference.
The 2019 scheme was formally announced by Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE, the Chief Scientific Officer for England, who, in support of the WISE campaign, has taken on the role of WISE Lead Ambassador, working in collaboration with a team of female leaders to encourage women and girls to value and pursue science, technology, engineering and maths.
Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE, the Chief Scientific Officer for England, said, "The initiative was a unique opportunity to inspire the next generation of female healthcare scientists to gain leadership, knowledge and experience. We are delighted to partner with WISE and launch this prestigious opportunity on International Woman's Day for a fourth year.
Science and innovation play a crucial role in patient-centred service transformation and are vital to delivering new frontiers in areas, such as, Genomic Medicine and tackling anti-microbial resistance. Ensuring our healthcare system operates at the limits of science, this Programme recognises the significant contribution women make to technology and engineering, providing a global contribution to science in health and inspiring the next generation of scientists."
Ms Helen Wollaston, the Chief Executive, WISE, highlighted the impressive impact from the previous fellowships and said, "The ripple effect of the WISE Fellowship has surpassed all expectations. We are delighted to be expanding the number of women involved in the programme. We look forward to using their stories to inspire more girls to see how choosing scientific subjects at school can lead to a career where they will make a real difference to people's lives."
Applications are open now. The deadline for applications is May 10: noon. To find out more or apply visit the WISE website:::ω.
Children's Funding Cut by a Third Per Child Leaving Thousands at Risk of Falling Into Crisis: Over 1,000 Children's Centres Have Closed Since 2004 While 760 Youth Centres Closed Since 2015
|| February 26: 2019 || ά. Shocking new figures from the UK's leading children's charities have today showed the funding available for children's services has fallen by a third per child in England since 2010. The new analysis of official figures by Action for Children, Barnardo's, NSPCC, the Children's Society and the National Children's Bureau, has identified 'kids' cuts hotspots' across England, where local councils have faced the biggest real-term drop in this funding. Councils in London have suffered the largest cuts, with the top five worst-hit boroughs are all in the capital.
Westminster tops the list with funding slashed by more than half, 51%, followed by Tower Hamlets, 49%, Camden, 49%, Newham, 46% and Hackney, 46%. Yet, the problem stretches far beyond London. Areas, such as, Manchester, 45% drop, Nottingham, 43% and Birmingham, 43%, also, made it into the country's top twenty 'kids' cuts hotspots'. Councils are facing a £03 billion funding gap for children's services by 2025, with many services having already been stripped back or shut down. Over 1,000 children's centres have closed since 2004, while 760 youth centres have shut since 2015. The charities are warning that thousands more children and young people could fall into crisis, if, these cuts continue.
Ms Julie Bentley, the Chief Executive of Action for Children, , said, "Children's services are at breaking point and these alarming figures reveal the true scale of the devastating and dangerous funding cuts made year after year by successive governments. Every day at Action for Children we see that children's services can be a lifeline for families, from helping mums suffering with post-natal depression or families struggling to put food on the table, to spotting children quietly living in fear of domestic abuse or neglect.
Thousands of families across the country rely on these services to step in and stop problems spiralling out of control. With the number of child protection cases and children being taken into care at their highest for a decade6, it's unthinkable to continue forcing councils to make crippling cuts to services. Without urgent cash from central government, thousands more children at risk of neglect and abuse will slip through the cracks and into crisis."
Despite cuts to funding for children's services, many councils have sought to protect this area as best they can, with spending falling by less than the funding drop. Councils, may be, making up the difference by drawing on reserves or slashing spending on other areas but the charity alliance stressed neither approach is sustainable in the long term.
Mr Nick Roseveare, the Chief Executive of the Children's Society, said, "Vulnerable children are continuing to pay the price as councils face a toxic cocktail of funding cuts and soaring demand for help. This shocking analysis lays bare the enormous scale of this funding challenge, which is making it near impossible for councils to offer vital early support to children and young people to prevent problems escalating.
Funding cuts are not only an inhumane economy, they are, also, a false one. The reductions in early help for children they lead to simply intensify the need for more costly interventions further down the road like taking children into care as they face growing risks, including, everything from substance misuse and mental health problems, to repeatedly going missing, and being sexually or criminally exploited.
The Government now faces a stark choice at the next Spending Review: either continue to leave councils short of the money they need to keep children safe, or address the funding gap and give some of our most vulnerable young people hope of a brighter future."
Mr Javed Khan, the Chief Executive of Barnardo's, said, "We have long warned about the 'perfect storm' in children's social care. In every community children face growing challenges, from knife crime and gangs, to cyber-bullying and online grooming, to a crisis in mental health. It's, even, harder for families struggling to make ends meet. And in many areas the services they once relied on just aren't there anymore.
As a result, far too often families are reaching crisis point, with rising numbers of children being taken into local authority care. At Barnardo's we see the impact of this failure to step in early. Children are suffering from trauma, affecting their education, health and happiness, with lifelong impact.
That's why we're calling on the Government to provide additional funds so that communities can support local children and parents in need of help. But we, also, need to spend those resources wisely. That's why Barnardo's is taking a radical new approach, working with national and local partners and investing our own resource to co-design and deliver services that change children's lives and the system around them, for the better."
About Action for Children: Action for Children helps disadvantaged children across the UK through intervening early to stop neglect and abuse, fostering and adoption, supporting disabled children and by campaigning tirelessly to make life better for children and families. With over 550 services the charity improves the lives of more than 300,000 children, teenagers, parents and carers every year.
About the Children's Society: The Children's Society is a national charity, that works with the most vulnerable children and young people in Britain today. We listen. We support. We act. Because no child should feel alone.
About the National Children's Bureau: The National Children's Bureau is a leading children's charity working to build a better childhood for every child. We champion children's right to be safe, secure and supported, by using evidence and our expert knowledge to influence government policy, and help practitioners to do the best job possible, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people.
About Barnardo's:Last year 301,100 children, young people and families were supported by Barnardo's through more than 1,000 services across the UK, such as young carers, care leavers, foster carers and adoptive parents, training and skills or parenting classes. We work to transform the lives of the UK's most vulnerable children and every year we help thousands of families to build a better future. But we can not do it without you.
About the NSPCC: The NSPCC is the leading children's charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. We help children who have been abused to rebuild their lives, protect those at risk, and find the best ways of preventing abuse from ever happening.:::ω.
The First Major Study on Community Hospitals: Policy Makers Need to Focus on Social Value to Patients and Communities
|| January 27: 2019: University of Birmingham News || ά. Researchers at the University of Birmingham's Health Services Management Centre and Third Sector Research Centre in collaboration with the Community Hospitals Association:CHA and Crystal Blue Consulting, led one of the first major studies to explore the role of community hospitals, patient experience and the relationship community hospitals have with their local community. Although, previous studies have suggested a link between the history of place, hospital, health and community, this Study is the first to demonstrate these findings across multiple community hospitals in England.
The University's commitment to patient and public involvement ensured that key stakeholders, including, the Community Hospital Association, staff, patients, carers and the public, were involved in the design and delivery of this study. The Study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research:NIHR. National mapping identified 296 community hospitals with beds in England in 2015, although, detailed data were available for 267. Analysis of the 267 sites showed that community hospitals with beds typically were: small with less than 30 beds, in rural areas and led by general practitioners, in-house doctors and nurses provided step-down and step-up in-patient care for frail, older inpatients and a range of additional local, intermediate and generalist care services.
They were, also, historically, embedded within and valued by their local communities, had complex models of ownership and provision and provided a valued, relational model of care based on integrated, multi-disciplinary working. However, this picture was constantly evolving in response to external demands. Significant recent changes included a reduction in inpatient beds, withdrawal of GPs, increased 'step-down' referrals from acute hospitals and increased level of care needed by patients.
People said that it felt different being a patient in a community hospital compared with elsewhere: it felt more like home because of its location and familiarity, environment and atmosphere and the relationships between staff, patients, families and the community. People described a holistic and personalised approach to care, which was, particularly, valued as admission to hospital was, often, associated with difficult changes in personal circumstances.
Relationships among and between patients, their families, staff and community members and relationships among all these people and their environments were an intrinsic factor in people's rehabilitation and recovery. When considered together, four particular aspects of care, functional, interpersonal, social and psychological, point to community hospitals as providing a relational human, caring, attentive model of care. This relational model of care was facilitated through a closeness to home and community, for patients, their families and staff; the co-location and integration of a range of intermediate, generalist and personalised services; the small size, familiar and homely environment of community hospitals; and their connection to and integration with, the local community.
However, these elements were all in flux; for example, functional aspects of patient experience were changing as patients were drawn from an increasingly wide geographical area, whereas, in other cases, the interpersonal aspects were challenged by pressures on staff, recruitment challenges and growing pressures on beds.
Communities support their hospitals in four key ways: Giving time, volunteering; Raising money, financial donations and fundraising; Providing services, services and activities within and outside the hospitals, for patients, their families or for the hospital in general and Giving voice, considerable frustration was expressed about the ability of communities and individuals to influence strategic decisions in the NHS.
The voluntary support, that communities provide to their community hospitals adds to and is, an integral part of the 'social value' of community hospitals. However, there are considerable variations between the different hospitals studied, levels and forms of voluntary support between community hospitals, within hospitals, regular, active volunteer involvement and overtime, voluntary income, membership and general patterns of engagement are reducing.
The Study concluded that community hospitals represented a significant community asset, with a strong sense of community ownership. Their provision of local, accessible health and social care services has significance, particularly, in more isolated rural communities.
Through addressing the three Study questions, new understandings of community hospitals have been provided. These understandings take us beyond the individual questions of what a community hospital is and how it is experienced, supported and valued, to new understandings of what community hospitals mean.
Community hospitals mean more to communities, inclusive of patients, carers, staff, volunteers and other local residents, than, simply, a place to receive health care. The study highlighted three particular inter-related meanings: i: Local, integrated intermediate and generalist care, that brings together primary, community and secondary health care and health and social care, statutory, voluntary and community provision in one accessible location; ii: An embedded, relational model of care, that stems from the embeddedness of community hospitals, not only to their local health-care systems but, more fundamentally, to the histories, geographies and social relations of the communities in which they are based and iii: A deep sense of reassurance, that comes from the physical proximity and presence of the hospital but, also, from the different forms of interaction with it and the sense of ownership, that this inspires.
Professor Jon Glasby, of Health and Social Care and the Head of School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, said, "Our study shows how community hospitals are contributing to 'community value' through important functions within the communities, in which they serve. Their provision of local, accessible, integrated health and social care services has an important practical and symbolic significance, particularly, in more isolated rural communities. When difficult decisions are made about funding and future service provision for community hospitals, therefore, policy makers need to take into account a broader notion of value, focusing, equally, on the 'value' to patients and communities as on the money ."
Dr Helen Tucker, the President of the CHA, who's organisation was part of this Study, says, "The CHA views the Study and the Report as an important contribution to the planning and management of health care services, offering new knowledge and evidence on the role, that community hospitals have to play across the whole health and care system and, also, within their communities. It is hoped that the evidence will be of value to all concerned with community hospitals and, in particular, commissioners, providers, patients and their communities.''
The Study of community hospitals was a multi-methods study, with three phases. Phase one involved national mapping and construction of a new database of community hospitals, through dataset reconciliation and verification. Phase two involved nine case studies, including, interviews and focus groups with patients, carers, staff, volunteers, community stakeholders and managers and commissioners. Phase three involved analysis of Charity Commission data on voluntary support.
The lead authors of this study include Ms Deborah Davidson, Ms Angela Ellis Paine, Professor Jon Glasby and Mr John Mohan at the University of Birmingham's Health Services Management Centre:HSMC and Third Sector Research Centre, together with others from the University of Birmingham, the Community Hospitals Association and Crystal Blue Consulting.
The Health Services Management Centre:HSMC at the University of Birmingham is one of the UK's foremost centres for research, evaluation, teaching and professional development for health and social care organisations. HSMC has established a unique reputation as a 'critical friend' of the healthcare community and strives constantly to bridge the gap between research and practice.
The Third Sector Research Centre:TSRC aims to enhance the knowledge of the third sector through independent and critical research, giving us a better understanding of the value of the sector and how this can be maximised.
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.
The National Institute for Health Research:NIHR is the nation's largest funder of health and care research.:::ω.
NICE Recommends New Treatment to Benefit Thousands of Adults with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
|| January 20: 2019 || ά. Thousands of patients to benefit as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence:NICE recommends Venetoclax with Rituximab for adults with relapsed or refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia:CLL. CLL is the most common form of Leukaemia, with approximately 3,500 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK. It is estimated that 1,000 people will be eligible for Venetoclax in the first year.
Venetoclax, also, known as, Venclyxto and manufactured by AbbVie, will be offered in combination with Rituximab to adults with relapsed or refractory CLL, who have received, at least, one prior therapy. The most common first line treatment for CLL is chemotherapy and there are limited options after relapse. Venetoclax is an oral treatment taken once a day. The dose is gradually increased from 20mg to 400mg in the first five weeks and is given in combination for a maximum of two years. Rituximab is administered after the person has had 400mg of Venetoclax for seven days.
At the first committee meeting in September 2018, NICE did not recommend these two drugs due to uncertainties in the evidence. Following further data submissions and clarification from the company, NICE concluded Venetoclax Plus Rituximab in this circumstance is cost-effective.
People will be able to access these two drugs from January 18, just four months after the treatment's marketing authorisation was granted in October 2018. Since April 2016 new arrangements with the Cancer Drugs Fund mean that NICE can aim to publish final guidance within 90 days of licence.
Mr Meindert Boysen, the Director of NICE's Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, said, "We are very pleased to announce another treatment option for people with relapsed or refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia will be available on the NHS.
This is exciting and very important to people with relapsed or refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia where there are limited treatment options. I urge companies to seize opportunities for earlier engagement as part of our new appraisal process, so we can support access to these kind of treatments at an even faster rate."
The list price for a 112-pack of 100mg Venetoclax tablets is £4,789.47, however, the treatment is available to the NHS at a discounted price through a confidential commercial arrangement.:::ω.


Laura Elizabeth is a fantastic designer who wants to "teach design to developers." Her story from consulting to products is fantastic, and her method for building buzz and tension around her course worked perfectly. This is a fantastic case study for people who consult, but want to move into selling online courses or selling products.
This is the first of a 2-part series called Educational WordPress!
Over the next 2 episodes, I talk to two of of the biggest names in a WordPress LMSs and WordPress in the educational space. Today, it's Chris Badgett.
Chris Badgett is a software company owner, a world traveller, and first and foremost, an educator. In this episode, we get to talk all about empathy, teaching, and scratching your own itch. He offers some great insight on running a company, connecting with customers, and how there are some things you can't outsource.
Want to get early access to ad-free episodes, extended interviews, video tutorials and more? Check out our Patreon.
Shawn Hesketh is a good friend of the show and an excellent educator and mentor. His widely popular site, WP101, teached thousands of folks how to use WordPress. In this episode, we get pretty deep into the woods on how he built WP101, and in typical Shawn fashion, he imparts some great advice all along the way. This one is a little longer that usual, but it's packed full of fantastic content, including his recording setup.


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Miami Beach in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
First Church on Miami Beach
By J. Makali Bruton, May 25, 2019
1. First Church on Miami Beach Marker
First Church on Miami Beach. . . . First Church established on Miami Beach . 1921 . . In appreciation to Carl & Jane Fisher who gave the land on which this church was built . 1920 . This historical marker is in Miami Beach in Miami-Dade County Florida
First Church established on Miami Beach
In appreciation to Carl & Jane Fisher who gave the land on which this church was built
Location. 25° 47.429′ N, 80° 7.996′ W. Marker is in Miami Beach, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. Marker is at the intersection of Lincoln Road and Drexel Avenue, on the left when traveling west on Lincoln Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miami Beach FL 33139, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jackie Gleason (approx. 0.2 miles away); Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium (approx. 0.2 miles away); Egyptian Filling Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Barbara Baer Capitman (approx. half a mile away); Simón Bolívar (approx. half a mile away); José Martí (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Barbara Baer Capitman (approx. half a mile away); Carlos J. Finlay (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miami Beach.
Categories. • Churches & Religion • Man-Made Features •
2. First Church on Miami Beach additional marker
The Miami Beach Community Church
4. The Miami Beach Community Church, currently under renovation
More. Search the internet for First Church on Miami Beach.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 2, 2019. This page originally submitted on June 2, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Querétaro, Mexico. This page has been viewed 48 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 2, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Querétaro, Mexico.


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Propionibacterium is a gram-positive, anaerobic, rod-shaped genus of bacteria named for their unique metabolism: They are able to synthesize propionic acid by using unusual transcarboxylase enzymes.

Its members are primarily facultative parasites and commensals of humans and other animals, living in and around the sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and other areas of the skin. They are virtually ubiquitous and do not cause problems for most people, but propionibacteria have been implicated in acne and other skin conditions.  One study found the Propionibacterium was the most prevalent human skin-associated genus of microorganisms.

Members of the genus Propionibacterium are widely used in the production of vitamin B12, tetrapyrrole compounds, and propionic acid, as well as in the probiotics and cheese industries.

The strain Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii is used in cheesemaking to create CO2 bubbles that become "eyes"—round holes in the cheese.

Pathology
Propionibacterium spp. are commensal bacteria that can occasionally cause infectious diseases. The most studied of these infections is acne vulgaris, caused by Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes). It is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by the blockage of pilosebaceous units causing inflammatory lesions, non-inflammatory lesions or a mixture of both on the face, neck and/or chest. Acne vulgaris cannot be defined as an infectious disease since the bacteria is found on a vast majority of individuals without causing lesions. C. acnes colonize the skin only under certain favorable conditions. In most cases, C. acnes get trapped under the comedones where they proliferate to form micro-comedones, not visible to the naked eye, which can later form structures such as closed comedones (white heads) and open comedones. These comedones can rupture, releasing the follicular material inside the dermis. The cause of this rupture was thought to be the indirect effect of fat metabolism by the bacteria, however it was later found that bacteria are directly involved in comedome rupturing by producing factors such as proteases, hyaluronidases and neuraminidases which might be involved in thinning of the epithelium. C. acnes can also produce immune factors such as proinflammatory cytokine inducing-factors and chemotactic factors, and can induce host complement pathways.

References

Propionibacteriales
Bacteria genera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


* The following was spoken at the marriage of Mr. Wolf Steppacher, of Pontotoc, Mississippi, to Miss Caroline Meyers, of this city, by request of Mr. Marcus Cauffman, the uncle of the bride. This custom, of holding addresses at the wedding ceremony, is very common in Germany, and it was at the request of Mr. C. that we for the first time spoke on such a ceremony. We give it to our readers, who are not familiar with this custom, as a simple piece of advice, on an occasion which doubtless all unmarried people will be glad to enjoy, sooner or later.
You are about to enter into the state of marriage, in which each of you assumes new relations both to each other and society, <<80>>which are to endure during all your life, as long as the Lord of spirits permits you to dwell on earth. Hitherto both of you were free to choose another mate from the rest of the world; but henceforth you vow to be to each other friends in joy and in sorrow, and to travel the round of earthly existence hand in hand, and heart linked to heart. Think, therefore, well of the nature of the engagement which you are going to assume, and do not esteem lightly the weight of the obligation which will rest upon you from this moment. I shall not admonish you to love one another; since it is for this very reason that you cherish the kindest mutual affection, that you have invoked the aid of our holy religion to bless your union in the assembly of Israelites, who like yourselves avow love and fealty to the sole God who rules all in heaven and earth.
Reflect, then, that it is before the Searcher of hearts you avow fidelity to each other, to be true and faithful on all occasions, and to bear together the trials which will in the course of nature assail even the happiest. Imagine not that the joy of this hour will last for ever; think not that the vigour of youth will always impart strength to your limbs; or that sickness and sorrow will never reach you. To expect this, would be to suppose that the common lot of mankind is not to be yours; and sure I am, that you have told this already to yourselves in the recesses of your soul, though perhaps your lips have not given utterance to your apprehensions.
But, even in the ordinary calm and in the highest prosperity which our existence is capable of, there are constant occasions for the exercise of domestic virtues, which when observed will render the married state one of happiness, but which neglected will envelope it with the clouds of sorrow. The husband must consult his wife's wishes, she must obey his directions in the government of the family; he must be indulgent, she yielding; he should counsel with mildness and moderation, she acquiesce in all his opinions even if she occasionally fancies that her views are the best, and look upon him in all things as the one she ought to obey, excepting only when it regards the higher obligation which she owes to her God, in which no husband's injunctions can be an excuse for transgressing the requirements of <<81>>religion.
In short, husband and wife must not only be loving and affectionate when strangers are there to observe them, but in the retirement also of their domestic fireside, when no eye save that of the All-seeing is upon them, should they be like one soul dwelling in two bodies. God created our first mother that she should be a help suitable to her spouse whose existence preceded hers in the order of creation; and thus her daughters should seek their highest happiness in the marriage state by helping their husbands in all things; by assisting them with advice; by assuaging them with a pleasant reception on their return home from the cares which business or harassing occupations so often inflict, and to be to them an unwavering friend, though all the rest of mankind should forsake them.
Reflect, also, that it is not merely to gratify the feelings of love which now animate you both, that you have a right to invoke the name of the Lord to hallow your union. For if this were all, the civil law of the land could declare you man and wife no less than the servant of your faith. But such a marriage, you justly think, would lack the sanction of religion,—religion, the soother of our sorrows, and the only source whence the pleasures of life derive their highest value. You then wish to be united not as mere citizens of the commonwealth but as followers of the Law of Moses, and you, bridegroom, are going to espouse this your bride after the ancestral manner by means of a golden ring in the presence of Jewish witnesses, according to the law of Moses and Israel, not alone the written word of the Bible, but also the institutions of our people, under which we have always administered the precepts which the Scriptures contain. As a son, therefore, of Israel you claim this daughter of Jacob as your chosen wife, and as such she accepts from your hand. the token of union, by which she pledges herself to be yours, and yours only, in feeling no less than in person, till death severs the link which now is to make you one.
Do you understand, both of you, the importance of this public declaration? Perhaps you do; still bear with me a little while, whilst I endeavour to illustrate it in your presence, and I trust that you will respond to it inwardly with a sincere affirmation. You stand, <<82>>then, now in the presence of God to make a covenant with one another, to love and cherish each other mutually, to bear together whatever mishaps or pleasures may be decreed to you, and to contribute all that is possible to promote each other's happiness.
Hence has sprung the good old custom for the parties to fast on their nuptial day, in order to make it a day of atonement and serious reflection and repentance for themselves. But a day of forgiveness of sin it only can be when, as the annual period of atonement, the wrong is sincerely repented of, and a resolution is adopted to sin no more. No man passes through the active turmoil of life without transgression; the best, therefore, has a necessity of being forgiven, and must humble himself before God to entreat a remission of iniquity. If, however, a new life is commenced with the day of marriage; if it is really the beginning of a renewed love of God in our hearts, we may justly regard it as a means of reconciliation with our heavenly Father, whom in the wantonness of youthful feeling we may have often forgotten in the hours of our joys or neglected in not seeking his aid when darkness rested on our souls. Resolve, then, to let your future days be distinguished by an active love of the Creator sad a sincere endeavour to observe his precepts.
Should your union be blessed with children, regard them not as exclusively your own; but as pledges entrusted to you by the Supreme for you to watch over, to see that they grow up in his fear and his service. Instill early into their minds that as Jews you were born, that as Jews you were married, and that as such you devote them to the same faith for which our nation has laboured so long, has suffered so much. Speak yourselves of the <<83>>pleasant concerns of everlasting life in their presence; and show them, by a careful heeding of all your duties, that the religion of God is the highest good in your estimation. In this manner alone can your future offspring "rise up and call you happy," to use the words of the philosopher King of Israel, and thus only can you accomplish the obligation you assume in being united according to the law of Moses and Israel.
In whatever situation you may be, remember that you are of the children of Jacob; wherever your future walk may be, honour your religion by a uniform holy life, and a bold avowal of, its principles. It has all the sources of consolation which man requires in his earthly existence; it refers all to God, who is ever near us to aid and assist us in all times of trouble and affliction; and never for a moment think to hide your faith as something to be ashamed of, from the eyes of strangers. Should your brothers in hope be assailed, defend them; should they be ill-used, protect them; should they require assistance, aid them; should they be misguided, instruct them; and do in your own persons whatever is required to magnify the name of God, and increase the respect which the world at large will ultimately feel for our heaven-born law.
As regards your conduct towards each other, I need say but little, for this has, without question, been long since impressed on your mind. But I may still exhort you, bridegroom, to cherish an unbroken attachment for your chosen companion, in the words of the Bible, יהי מקורך ברוך ושמח מאשת נעוריך "Let thy fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." (Prov. v. 18.) Her honour should be your honour, and never in thought even be for a moment unfaithful to her, who should be the joy and ornament of your house. There may be dark moments which may overshadow the peace of your domestic circle; but if this should ever unfortunately be, fly to your God for aid to assist you in the trial, and light will again chase away the darkness, and the brilliance of renewed affection will again illumine your dwelling.
And you, beloved bride, reflect well that שקר החן והבל היופי אשה יראת ה׳ היא תתהלל "Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; the <<84>>woman only that feareth the Lord will be praised." (Prov. xxxi. 30.) The heyday of youth will pass away, ere many years will have elapsed, and approaching age will rob your cheek of its bloom, and your eye of its lustre. What will then chain to you the husband who is no longer the ardent lover? Nothing but the cheerfulness of the mature matron, the God-fearing wife, who labours in all "the walks of the house," to make his life happy, and to render easy for him the toils and hardships inseparable from our mortal state.
If you both act thus towards God, your fellow-men and yourselves, you may joyously look forward to the future,—all is well, all will be well; this earth may then fade away from your sight, but reunited will you stand before the mercy-seat of the Lord to receive your reward; and in the mean time your days will glide along in tranquillity, whether you are wealthy or of narrow means, for peace will dwell in your hearts, and God's blessing will surround you. That this may be your lot is my sincere prayer; and now let us pronounce the blessings before this congregation by which you may be united in that bond which God has ordained for his children as the happiest lot on earth.