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Chapter 5: History as Revelation
The Bible Today
by C. H. Dodd
We have now reviewed briefly the contents of the Old and New Testaments, as the record of several centuries in the history of a community. This record the Church offers as a revelation of God. (Here we resume the argument where it was left in chapter 1, and continue it in view of our survey of the biblical literature in chapters 3 and 4.)
We may take this to mean, in the first place, that in the changing and developing thoughts of the biblical writers about God, man and the world, we have a movement of the spirit of man towards a fuller apprehension of the truth, under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth. In the process, as we have seen, comparatively crude and inadequate ideas are gradually replaced by ideas more worthy of their objects. We may think of it as a process of education. God, who is the source of all truth, communicated to men, stage by stage, as they were able to digest it, an increasing measure of knowledge about Himself. In this sense the Bible is rightly described as containing a 'progressive revelation'.
But that is not all. The Bible is not simply an account of a development of thought. It is also a history of events, in which, and particularly in certain crucial events, we are invited to trace the manifest working of the divine providence. 'The mighty acts of the Lord (Psalm 106:2, etc.) is a biblical phrase which stamps the whole. The God of the Bible is a 'living God'. (The phrase occurs at least ten times in the Old Testament and sixteen times in the New.) He reveals Himself in the movement of events. What we are dealing with is not simply a history of revelation, but history as revelation.
The word 'history', as we commonly use it, has two distinct meanings. It means both the course of events, and a record of the course of events. This ambiguity is in the nature of the case. There was published not long ago a lighthearted historical skit entitled 1066 and All That, which, behind its nonsense, contains more sense than might appear. It starts with a definition of history: 'History is what you can remember.' That is exactly what history is. It consists of remembered events. Not everything that occurs is an historical event, capable of entering into an historical record. The occurrence must have sufficient interest to give it a place in the memory of those who experienced it. Not only so; it must have sufficient public interest to remain imprinted on the corporate memory of a community. This corporate memory may take the form of oral tradition and legend, or of commemorative monuments in stone or the like, or, finally, of written and printed records. But no event gets into such records unless it was an interesting event; that is to say, an event which had meaning for some sufficient number of people. An historical event is an occurrence plus the meaning which it had for some portion of the human race.
It is in this sense that we speak of history in the Bible. It reports events which are historical in the fullest sense, because they are laden with meaning; and these events are narrated in such a fashion as to bring out clearly the meaning which they bear. According to the unanimous view of the biblical writers, the meaning of the events resides in a meeting of man with God. It is this which gives character to the history. By this I do not mean merely that the idea of a meeting with God colours the thought of the biblical writers about events; but that the course of events itself was what it was because it bore this meaning for those who participated in it. As we have seen, it was because the prophets interpreted the history of their time in this sense that the history of succeeding centuries followed the course it did. And it is so all through the Old and New Testaments.
This means that the biblical history is controlled by a factor which belongs to the realm beyond history. The importance of the 'natural' factors which go to make history is never ignored -- factors physical, geographical, biological, economic, and so forth. In fact, among ancient literatures, the Bible is rather exceptionally informative upon many such matters. But at the crucial points it is made clear that a factor beyond the natural is impinging upon the natural factors and directing their outcome. This 'super-natural' factor cannot be explained away without re-writing the Bible and falsifying the witness of its writers. Here is the real crux of belief in the supernatural. Miracle-stories lie on the fringe. Discussion of them falls into place when we have settled accounts with this central feature of the whole record: an encounter with that which transcends the whole natural order of things: the meeting of man with God.
As we follow the biblical record, we observe that the encounter with God is apt to take place when a man finds himself involved in a situation of unusual tension in the real world. The prophet is a 'public man'. His encounter with God is not private experience withdrawn from contact with workaday things, like that of the mystics and sages of many religions. The pressure of public movements and events upon his spirit is the occasion of the encounter with God which lays its compulsion upon him, and the truth which the encounter forces upon his mind is public property.
It is true that the encounter is often described in terms of what we call 'religious experiences', sometimes of abnormal experiences, like visions or auditions. The prophet 'sees' what is invisible to the bodily eye; 'hears' words spoken when no human speaker is present. This fact sometimes causes difficulty to readers in the modern world. It is certainly true that visions and auditions may be no more than illusions. To infer (as some have done) that all such experiences are illusory -- that Isaiah's vision was due to hysteria, or the conversion of Paul to an attack of epilepsy -- is clearly illegitimate. Most of the prophets are embarrassed by the presence of 'false prophets' whose mental processes are not distinguishable psychologically from their own; and yet they remain serenely convinced that God really has spoken to them.
The Bible indeed offers rich material to the psychologist who wishes to examine the varieties of religious experience; and it is possible to exhibit the psychological mechanism of the prophetic consciousness in a fascinating way. But when the mechanism has been exposed, nothing has yet been said about the validity of the experience, or about the truth of the interpretation of life which it conveyed. Precisely that in it which was individual and creative eludes our analysis.
Two things however it seems possible to say about the validity of the prophetic experience. First, when the prophets say, 'I saw the Lord', or 'The Lord said unto me', or 'The Spirit of the Lord came upon me', we can see that the experience to which they refer was an element in a total experience of life which was rational and coherent, forming a logical unity in itself. We can see it clearly enough in prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, whose biographies are in large measure open to us. Their visions and auditions were not aberrations, unrelated to their experience of life as a whole. These were clearly the kind of men of whom it is credible that they did meet with God, whatever psychological form the meeting may have taken.
Secondly, the personal experience of the prophets is also organically related to the course of history in which they played a part. It enabled them to give an interpretation of the situation which could stand up to the facts. Not only so; the effects which flowed from their intervention in history were congruous and commensurate with its alleged origin in an encounter with God. We have seen that the impact which the prophets made upon their time brought about momentous consequences) affecting the whole subsequent history of mankind in an important way. It is therefore unlikely that the experience which impelled them to speak and act as they did was a delusion, whatever the temporary form in which it may have been embodied. The prophetic experience is, in some way, of the same stuff as history itself.
I should apply this not only to the prophetic experiences of the Old Testament, but also to the somewhat similar experiences which determine the New Testament interpretation of events: I mean the appearances of the risen Christ to His followers. Here we have one strictly first-hand witness. Paul is the one New Testament writer who, speaking in his own person, expressly claims to have had an encounter with Christ after His resurrection. He goes bail for a large number of other witnesses, whose testimony is in some cases indirectly reported in the Gospels and the Acts, and he appeals confidently to their unanimity. (I Corinthians 15:3-11) When therefore he speaks of his meeting with Christ, he is not speaking of some private, incommunicable experience, but of an experience which he shared with others, an experience of 'public' facts. Turning to Paul, then, for a first-hand description of what it meant to meet the risen Lord, we observe that he speaks in terms which recall the language of the prophets. If Isaiah says, 'I saw the Lord', Paul also says, 'Have not I seen the Lord? (Isaiah 6:1; I Corinthians 9:1). If Jeremiah says, 'The Lord appeared of old unto me', Paul says, 'He appeared unto me also'. (Jeremiah 31:3; I Corinthians 15:8 [In Greek the verb is identical.]) If Ezekiel says, 'The hand of the Lord God fell upon me', Paul says, 'I was arrested by Christ Jesus'. (Ezekiel 8:1; Philippians 3:12) Isaiah describes in strange and impressive symbolism his vision of the glory of God. Paul, more simply but not less impressively, speaks of 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ'. (II Corinthians 4:6)
It seems clear that, upon one side at least, the New Testament experience of an encounter with the risen Christ was analogous to the prophetic experience. If we raise the question of its validity, the same tests may be applied. Paul's meeting with Christ is of a piece with his total experience of life. It is no aberration. We know Paul very intimately from his letters. They reveal a singularly coherent personality; and this coherence depends to a marked degree upon the reality of what we call his conversion. Paul says he was 'arrested' by Christ. Well, he was certainly arrested by something, to some purpose; and the effects of that 'arrest' in the whole of his career were congruous with their alleged cause. Moreover, the remoter effects in history -- the rise of the Church, the highly original character of its community-life, its astonishing early expansion and its no less astonishing spiritual and intellectual achievement -- were congruous and commensurate with that which the apostles declared to be the starting-point of it all: their meeting with the risen Christ, in whom they saw the glory of God. It is unlikely that all this was based upon a delusion.
I do not suggest that the apostolic witness to the resurrection of Christ can be entirely reduced to terms of prophetic experience. Clearly there are fresh and unprecedented elements in it. To see the glory of God, as Isaiah saw it, in visionary symbols of a smoking altar served by winged seraphim, is not the same thing as for Paul to see 'the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ', who was a known character in history, recently put to death. But it is in the features which the apostolic witness shares with the prophetic witness that we can best assess its weight.
The corroborative evidence which is adduced in the Gospels to show that the tomb where Jesus was buried was untenanted on Easter Day is secondary. It is indeed more serious and impressive than is sometimes allowed for in modern discussions. But in itself it could not be conclusive. On the one hand, if you could prove up to the hilt that the tomb was empty, you would still be far from establishing the apostolic faith that Christ was 'raised at the right hand of God'; and if, on the other hand, it could be disproved, that faith would not be refuted, since it rests upon more immediate data.
At its centre, the apostolic witness speaks of an encounter with God in Christ, which was like the prophetic encounter with God at least in this: that it provided a satisfying interpretation of historical events (the events of the life of Jesus as part of the history of Israel), and that it set in motion new and powerful historical forces. In assessing its weight, we are concerned with the question of the validity of religious experience and its organic relation to the actuality of history.
In both Testaments, then, everything turns upon an encounter of man with God. In reference to this encounter the biblical writers employ a characteristic formula: 'the Word of God'. The expression is obviously a metaphor; for a word, properly speaking, is the product of certain physiological processes which we cannot attribute to the Eternal. But it is a singularly appropriate metaphor, and could hardly be replaced. By means of words, and normally by no other means, one person can affect another without infringing his personal independence. I can affect another person by various kinds of direct action, to the point of compulsion; but in doing so I trespass to that extent upon his prerogative as a person (it may or may not be right or necessary at times to do so: that we need not discuss). If however I speak to him, and he hears, then of necessity he makes some kind of response -- even if it be the negative response of pointedly ignoring me. The particular response is for him to determine. In any case he is affected by that which I have spoken and he has heard, while his freedom of choice remains intact. A conversation between two persons is an event in the lives of both, and in certain circumstances may be an event from which incalculable consequences flow in the world of actual, concrete facts. The word has proved a creative factor in history, on however small a scale.
Something of this kind is suggested by the biblical expression, 'the Word of God'. God makes an approach to man in a way that commands his attention and elicits a response of some kind, positive or negative. The response is not forced. Man remains free. But in proportion as he responds the Word proves a creative factor in history. As we have seen, the approach of God to men usually takes place at the point where they are keenly aware of the world-situation in which they are living. The Word of God comes, characteristically, as an interpretation of the situation, carrying with it an obligation to act. The 'inspiration' of the prophets is essentially a power of insight into the situation as expressing a meaning which is God's meaning for His people.
The Word of God, then, is the supra-historical factor which we have noted as entering into the course of history and directing it. It came to Abraham, to Moses, to prophets and apostles, not as a mere 'inner light', but as the interpretation of a situation, requiring action in that situation. Over against the evil in the situation, it came as judgement; for through the Word of God the disasters which are the necessary consequences of persistent wrong-doing are understood as His judgement upon sin. It came also, through the response of those who heard it, as a word of rescue and renewal. Thus the pattern of history as a divinely directed process was established.
The judgements and deliverances took place within the experience of a particular people: the 'chosen' people, the 'elect' of God. The idea of a chosen people has been perverted into horrible doctrines of racial and national domination, which have brought it into discredit. Yet the idea cannot be eliminated from the Bible. In recent times it has often been suggested that it may be rationalized, in the sense that the Hebrew people had a 'natural genius for religion', as the Greeks had a natural genius for philosophy, and the Romans for government -- and, one might no doubt add, 'God's Englishmen' for empire-building (or is it shop-keeping?), so that we can all feel comfortable about it.
We do not however gather from the prophets the impression that they supposed their people to possess a natural genius for religion. 'Ah, sinful nation! a people laden with iniquity! a seed of evil-doers! rebellious sons!' (Isaiah 1:4) These are only a few specimens of the rich vocabulary of vituperation with which the prophets assailed their contemporaries. Nor is the case different in the New Testament. It is never suggested that the Church of God's 'elect' consists of people with a natural genius for religion. Quite the contrary. 'The Son of Man came not to call the righteous, but sinners.' (Mark 2:17) And there have always been Christians, and those not the worst sort, who would confess that they had a natural genius for atheism -- but for the grace of God. We cannot eliminate that suggestion of a free act of God which is inherent in the idea of 'choice'.
God's choice, however, is (as the prophets are at pains to point out) not an act of favouritism, conferring privileges arbitrarily denied to other peoples. It is election to special responsibility. (Amos 3:2) To be God's chosen people means to be immediately exposed to His Word, with all the momentous consequences that flow from hearing it. That is as true of the Church in the New Testament as of Israel in the Old. (Cf. I Peter 4:17: 'It is the time for judgement to begin from the house of God . . .first from us. . . .') Of course there are privileges in hearing the Word of God, and belonging to His people; though they are hardly of such an order as to commend themselves to the homme moyen sensuel. But primarily, to hear the Word of God makes a man responsible before Him; and the people of God consists of those upon whom such responsibility has been laid.
We cannot pretend to explain why the fateful destiny of hearing the Word of God should have been laid upon this particular people. But the 'scandal of particularity', as it has been called, is inseparable from an historical revelation. History consists of events. An event happens here and not there, now and not then, to this person (or group) and not to that. And so the revelation of God in history came to one people and not to others, with the intention that through that people it should extend ultimately to all mankind. We cannot explain this particularity; but it is no more surprising than 'the possibility, admitted by men of science, that life has appeared only on this planet; and the certainty that only one species of terrestrial life has attained to reason, only a small minority of that species to civilization, and only a minority of that minority to a civilization progressive and scientific'. (I quote the words of Dr. Clement Webb in an article in the Journal of Theological Studies, vol. 44, p. 250.)
To return, then, to the main line of argument: the Bible tells how the Word of God descended upon a people, and through their varying response wrought out a course of events moving to a climax. The whole process is reviewed, briefly and conclusively, in the opening verses of the Gospel according to John, commonly called the 'Prologue' to that work. (What follows is not intended as a complete exegesis of John 1: 1-14. 'Word' is in Greek logos, and logos means also the rational principle immanent in nature and the human mind. The logos-doctrine of the Fourth Gospel is related to this Greek idea, but primarily its logos is the 'Word of the Lord' and it is on this side that it is directly related to the O.T.) It starts with the creative Word -- which we have already met with in the first chapter of Genesis:
In the beginning was the Word;
And the Word was with God;
The same was in the beginning with God.
Through Him all things came into existence;
And without Him nothing came into existence.
This Word pervaded the world, as the source of life and light; but the world remained unconscious of its presence.
Then the Word, which was immanent in the entire universe, 'came' to a particular people:
He was in the world;
And the world was made through Him;
And the world did not recognize Him.
He came to His own place,
And those who were His own did not receive Him.
That summarizes briefly the whole tragic history of Israel;
the coming of the prophets and their rejection by a recalcitrant nation. But it was not all failure:
As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be children of God.
These are the 'Remnant' of whom Isaiah spoke, who maintained their witness to the Word of God through national apostasy, persecution and disaster.
But even the Remnant proved inadequate to the responsibility laid upon them; the history of Israel under the Old Covenant remained inconclusive. Then there was a fresh incursion of the eternal Word into history:
The Word became flesh,
And dwelt among us;
And we beheld His glory --
Glory as of the Father's only Son --
The eternal Light, which is the glory of God, is diffused through the universe ('The whole earth is full of His glory', as Isaiah heard the seraphim sing). It was revealed partially and relatively, in the religious institutions of Israel, as they increasingly conformed to the truth declared by the prophets. But now at last it was focused in the unity of a single Person, whose whole being, character and action completely embodied all that the Word of God means. It is a fresh approach of God to man; this time a final approach, conveying a decisive challenge.
The principle of 'particularity', which we have noted as inseparable from a revelation in history, has thus worked itself out to its logical conclusion. The ultimate locus of revelation is neither nation nor community, but a Person, who lived in Palestine and 'suffered under Pontius Pilate'. In His historic mission He gathered up the issues of a long past, and through His death and resurrection became the living centre of a new community, which has no final frontiers, in time or space, but those of the human race itself.
But in what sense are we to understand the life of Jesus Christ as the Word of God incarnate? We may once again approach the question from the standpoint of the prophetic interpretation of history. In history (the prophets said) the Word of God comes to men, in judgement and in renewal, calling for a response. From this point of view we may conceive the rôle of Christ in history somewhat in this way.
First, Christ uttered the Word, with final authority. His 'I say unto you' is the counterpart of the prophetic 'Thus saith the Lord' -- with a significant difference. His whole teaching, as we have seen, sets up an absolute standard by which we are judged, but which also inspires a new kind of life. Not only so; His very presence among men, His attitude towards them, His action in critical human situations, constitute, no less than His sayings, a Word of God to men; for they embody concretely that which He taught about God, His character, attitude and action. 'Christ was the Word, and spake it.'
The Word of God, thus spoken, demands a response: indeed, it becomes an effective force in history only through such response. And here, secondly, Christ Himself offers, representatively, the final response. This representative character, as we have seen, is a large part of what the title 'Christ', or 'Messiah', means. When at the crisis of His fate Christ prayed, 'Not my will but thine be done', (Luke 22:42) He was making the response on behalf of us all, in advance, at a moment when there was no one else to make it; and making it with absolute finality.
The apostolic writers with complete unanimity lay their finger upon this one point -- the obedience of Jesus -- as the vital centre of all that He did for us. 'Through the obedience of the One', says Paul, 'the many will be made righteous'; (Romans 5:19) while the Author to the Hebrews puts into the mouth of Christ the words of an ancient Psalm: (Hebrews 10:5-10)
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire,
But a body thou didst furnish for me.
Holocausts and sin offerings thou didst not choose.
Then said I, 'Behold, I come --
In the volume of the book it is written of me --
To do thy will, O God'.
-- and then he comments, ' -- by which will you have been sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ'. Here, in fact, lies the value of Christ's death: not in the physical fact of His dying, but in the perfect obedience which it expressed, releasing, as it were, the whole force of the will of God to work in history for the salvation of men.
But if the death of Christ is the seal of His perfect human obedience, it is also the climax of His revelation of the being and character of God, as absolute love. Consequently it is in the death of Christ, as the Fourth Evangelist again points out, that the glory of God is most completely revealed, (John 12:23-32) or in other terms, the Word is most fully made flesh.
Here, then, we have the perfect meeting of God with man, towards which the whole course of events was tending. It is at last realized in the unity of the single Personality; and henceforward this becomes the centre about which the whole movement of history turns. And thus the coming of Christ completes the biblical history, and seals its character as a course of meaningful events which are the 'mighty acts' of God, and also His 'Word' to men.
We have now to observe that the whole story is set in a framework which is not, in the same sense, historical. It has a prologue, which is the Creation; and an epilogue, which is the Last Judgement. These first and last things can be spoken of only in symbols. They lie, obviously, outside the order of time and space to which all factual statements refer. They are not events (as the historian knows events), but realities of a supra-historical order. In referring to them the biblical writers make free use of mythology.
The distinction between history and myth is clearly marked. From Abraham to the end of the apostolic age the story is historical: it consists of actual events, directly related to the general course of history in the world. The events are sometimes seen through the medium of legend, and they may be presented in a form which leaves the actual occurrence less clear than the symbolical significance which is assigned to it. (It is important to observe that a real event may be given symbolic value, while in other cases a myth may be created to serve as a symbol.) But it is history, as the first and last things are not. Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge and the Building of Babel are symbolic myths. The Last Judgement and the End of the World, if they are not in the strict sense myths, have a similar symbolic character. The symbolism in all these cases is drawn largely from myths current among the Hebrews and other ancient peoples; but the meaning attached to the symbols -- and this is the important point -- is derived from the prophetic and apostolic interpretation of history. The implication is that what history had shown to be true of the dealings of God with one particular people is true of His dealings with all mankind, and indeed with the whole universe. I will now try to illustrate this in detail.
The story of the Creation in the first chapter of Genesis is, as we have already had occasion to remark, subsequent to the work of the great prophets, and it arises out of it. Its writer has projected upon the universe that which he has learned from God's dealings with Israel. He saw the state of his people as a chaos of darkness, turbulent and ungoverned. The Word of God came through Moses and the prophets, throwing light upon the darkness and creating order out of chaos. So it was, he says, in the Beginning. God spoke to primeval chaos: 'Let there be light!' He 'called the things that were not as if they were', (This is Paul's striking phrase in Romans 4:17) and they began to be.
This account of creation includes the statement that man was made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) But that is not all there is to be said. The prophets were acutely aware that Israel, which might be expected to know and obey God as 'naturally' as migratory birds follow their annual course, (Jeremiah 8:7) or a domestic animal recognizes its master, (Isaiah 1:3) did nothing of the kind. Israel's behaviour was 'unnatural', belying their origin and destiny. It must be the same (they concluded) with mankind in general. If Israel is sinful, so are other peoples; and yet they are part of God's creation, which was 'very good'. It would be 'natural' for them, in view of their origin, to obey the will of their Creator, but they do not. To express this idea, they made use of a very primitive myth (the original meaning of which may have been quite different): the story of how Adam (Hebrew for 'Man') and his wife Eve (Hebrew for 'Life') were induced by a highly mythical Serpent to disobey a command of their Maker, and in consequence were exiled from their home. (Genesis 3) It is the tragic fate of Israel projected upon mankind as a whole. The Word of God that drove man out of Paradise is the word of judgement that sent Israel into exile, now given a universal application.
The third of the great myths is that of the Deluge. (Genesis 6:9. 17.) We have recently been told that archaeologists have found evidence for the Deluge as an historical event: the vast bank of mud that it deposited is still there, somewhere in Mesopotamia, 'to witness if I lie'. No doubt there was a very destructive flood in Mesopotamia in the distant past; and it is quite possible that dim memories of it coloured the Babylonian story of the adventures of Ut-napishtim, which again may have coloured the Hebrew story of the adventures of Noah. But it has very little to do with the widespread primitive myth of a supernatural deluge over the whole earth.
The biblical writer has used this old myth to set forth in symbol the idea of God's judgement coming upon man in disaster, but leading up to a new creation. For in the story Noah emerged into a world swept clean by the judgements of the Almighty, and entered into a 'covenant' with his God.
God spake unto Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 'And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the fowl, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you.' (Genesis 9:9-10)
As Adam is all mankind, so is Noah all mankind; and the story stands as witness that God's covenant, though historically it was made with Israel, is applicable to the whole human race, and indeed to all created life -- a truth finally established in the universal Gospel of the New Testament.
The story of the Building of Babel is the last of the myths of the 'first things'. (Genesis 11:1-9) It is very likely that the idea of a tower whose top should reach heaven was suggested by the vast 'sky-scraper' temples whose ruins are still strewn about the lands of the Euphrates valley. It may be, as some have suggested, that the story of the dispersal of the builders preserves a remote memory of the break-up of some prehistoric empire. But all this concerns only the dramatic detail of the story. Essentially the story of men who defied God by trying to build up to heaven is the same as the Greek myth of the rebellious Titans who piled mountain upon mountain to storm the dwelling of the gods. Their dispersal is the judgement of God upon human arrogance and ambition. The story is a kind of doublet of the story of the Fall.
It serves, however, in its present setting in the Book of Genesis, to provide a background for the call of Abraham. It is out of the mass of sinful humanity, the descendants of these discomfited rebels against God, that Abraham is called. Thus the story of Babel makes a transition from the mythical to the historical. It serves to characterize mankind as lying under God's word of judgement at the moment when His creative word came to Abraham, to make a covenant and to found a people.
Thus the stories with which the Bible begins may be regarded as adaptations of primitive myths by writers who used them as symbols of truths learned in history. Nominally they refer to pre-history. In fact, they apply the principles of divine action revealed in the history of a particular people to mankind at all times and in all places. They universalize the idea of the Word of God, which is both judgement and renewal.
Much the same may be said of the conception of the Last Judgement. It is impossible to think of Doomsday as a coming event in history. An occasion which gathers together at once all the generations of men who have ever lived is obviously outside the order of space and time in which history takes place. We are dealing with symbol. The idea of the 'Day of the Lord'-- God's triumph at the end of history -- formed part of Israel's outlook upon the future from a very early date. It underwent extensive development and elaboration in late Jewish apocalypses, and their imagery is freely used by New Testament writers.
But the centre of the Christian idea of the Day of Judgement is most simply stated in Paul's words, 'We must all stand before the judgement-seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10) We have seen that the prophetic conception of God's word of judgement in history received a profound re-interpretation in the events of the Gospel story. As Christ moved among men, displaying pure goodness in all His words and actions, men found themselves judged; and this judgement became most acute when He went to His death, because there the glory of the divine goodness was most completely disclosed. Judgement was there seen to be a by-product of actions whose aim was purely positive and creative, being the expression of the love of God. This has been put with perfect clarity in the Fourth Gospel:
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. . . . This is the judgement: that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. (John 3:16-19)
This is an interpretation of history: it tells us what happened when Jesus came among men. And this is what gives meaning to the expression 'the judgement-seat of Christ'. Behind the symbolism of Doomsday (often fantastic to our minds) this is the truth: that the verdict upon history, and upon all the actors in it, is pronounced simply by confrontation with the Word of God, made flesh in Christ. Those who had stood under His judgement in history, and acknowledged its finality, knew that He must be judge of quick and dead. As the myth of the Creation and the Fall universalizes the experience of Israel in history, so the symbolism of the Last Judgement universalizes the experience of those who found themselves judged by Christ.
One thing remains. The Word of God, as we have seen, has always two aspects: it is the word of judgement, and it is the creative word of renewal. This twofold character is exemplified all through the history of the people of God, and it is taken up into the symbolic myths of the 'first things': (The mysterious words addressed to the 'Serpent' in Genesis 3:14-15 were taken by early Christian interpreters to imply a veiled promise of the coming of a Saviour. Then in the story of the Fall a word of renewal would balance the word of judgement. This would be in harmony with the general pattern, but there seems no suggestion of it in the actual words of Genesis, which speak only of a 'ding-dong' fight between man and the 'Serpent'.)the Deluge is balanced by the covenant with Noah; the destruction of Babel provides the background for the call of Abraham. What of the 'last things'? Once again, judgement is balanced by renewal. Doomsday is followed by the 'new heavens and new earth', (II peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1) the 'restoration of all things'. (Acts 3:21)
Here we are in a realm very far removed from this order of space and time. Yet even here man's experience of God's ways in history gives him some inkling of what lies beyond. When the ultimate state of mankind is symbolized by 'the holy city, New Jerusalem', (Revelation 21:2) we have a hint that the values which long strove for expression in the little Jewish community gathered about its ancient city, are finally realized in the 'new heavens and new earth'; and when its foundation stones are said to be inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles of Christ, (Revelation 21:14) we conclude that the foundation of the Church in history is acutely relevant to the consummation beyond history. Little more can be said. We are in the presence of things beyond all human experience, and the Bible is notably reticent about them. One expression sums up the ultimate meaning of it all, if full weight is given to both noun and adjective: 'life eternal'. Of its character little is said, except that 'we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is'; (I John 3:2) but this assures us once again that the life of Jesus, once lived in history, the Word made flesh, is the key to the furthest reaches of human destiny under the providence of God.
The 'prehistoric' myths, we have seen, have the effect of universalizing the meaning of the history of God's people: all mankind is comprehended in the fall of Adam; all mankind (and the lower creation) is included in the covenant with Noah. Similarly, the Last Judgement is universal. The logic of the biblical revelation seems to demand an equal universality for the final 'restoration of all things'. One New Testament writer alone explicitly draws the conclusion. Paul brings to a close his penetrating analysis of the biblical history, in Romans 9 - 11, with the pregnant sentence, 'God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all (Romans 11:32) As every human being lies under God's judgement, so every human being is ultimately destined, in His mercy, to eternal life. (This 'universalism' has never been generally accepted in the Church, though it has been held by some theologians of credit in antiquity and in modern times.) The thought moves him to awe-struck praise of the divine Wisdom:
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! . . . For of him, and through him, and unto him are all things. To him be glory for ever. (Romans 9:33, 36.) 'Unto Him are all things.' It is not only the whole human race that enters into the new creation: for, as Paul puts it elsewhere, it is God's purpose 'to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth'. (Ephesians 1:10) The entire created universe is to be 'redeemed' and 'reconciled' to its Creator, (Romans 8:22-23; Colossians 1:20.) 'that God may be all in all'. (I Corinthians 15:28) This is the final meaning of the entire process in time.
Such is the supra-historical framework in which the historical revelation is set. Its effect is to universalize the meaning of the revelation which was given to particular people at particular times. The Word which was spoken through the prophets of Israel and made flesh in Palestine in the first century, is the same Word by which the man and his world were created, which is also the Agent of final judgement upon the quick and the dead, and the Mediator of eternal life to all men. It follows that whatever is said in Scripture about God's relations with men is not to be understood in any restrictive or exclusive sense. If the Bible records that God entered into covenant with Israel, or with the Church, by which He promised them certain blessings and laid upon them certain obligations, that is solid matter of fact, verifiable and datable in history. But it does not carry the inference that the rest of mankind is outside God's covenant, incapable of receiving His blessing, and under no obligation to Him. On the contrary, we can be sure that God speaks to all men everywhere in judgement and mercy just because He did, verifiably, so speak to His 'chosen' people in history. God's law, which in its final form is the Law of Christ, is not an optional code of behaviour for an intimate circle of peculiar people. It is the eternal moral law to which all men, as God's creatures, are responsible, and by which their actions in history are ultimately judged.
We should now be in a position to set down certain very broad principles, as foundations for a religious Weltanschauung, or view of life, to which our study of the Bible seems to lead.
1. God is to be met with in and through the world of things and events. We are not called upon to deny this world, or to withdraw from its urgent realities. If we take our stand within the actual, concrete order of history to which we belong as human beings, we encounter God.
2. God speaks to us, however, from beyond this world. There is no question, in the Bible, of a God who is merely 'immanent' in the processes of nature with their invariable laws. Certainly, the Word of God is 'in the world' which He made. God is revealed in nature. But He transcends nature. His word 'came' to men, on occasions which can be dated and localized, and verified by their historical consequences, and each occasion is unique. The 'general revelation' of God in nature is to be understood in the light of His 'special revelation', the key to which is the 'Word made flesh' in Christ.
3. The initiative lies with God. Modern writers have spoken of the Bible as the record of man's search for God, and so in part it is. But the Bible itself recognizes what is at least as common a trait of human nature -- man's avoidance of God. (When God walked in the garden in the cool of the day, Adam and his wife hid themselves. Their children are apt to follow their example.) What is chiefly set forth in the Bible is God's search for man. The Word of God comes often 'out of the blue', breaking in upon men's way of life. As God is not bound by the uniformities of nature, so He is not bound by conditions of preparedness in us. This is most strongly emphasized in the New Testament. It was 'while we were yet sinners' that 'Christ died for us'.
4. The Word of God enters history both as judgement and as power of renewal. This two-beat rhythm is characteristic. It excludes both the optimism which thinks we can 'join the great march onward' without paying the reckoning for ancient wrongs; and the pessimism which cannot get over the damnosa hereditas of the irrevocable past.
5. God calls for a response from man, which is obedience. There can be no proper relation between the Creator and man His creature which is not a relation of sovereignty on the one part and of obedience on the other. That is why the final utterance of God's Word in Christ is described as the coming of His 'Kingdom'; and why Christ's response of perfect obedience countersigns His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and becomes the turning-point of history.
Finally, as we survey the whole process of revelation, we are led to a conception of the life of man in this world as directed by a purpose, which is that of a Mind bent upon the creation of good; making use to that end of a wisdom of infinite subtlety and a power of unlimited resource; respecting the freedom which He has given to His creature; and using history to make Himself known to man and to win his obedience. Such is the conception of God which emerges from the biblical history as a whole. In the New Testament it is summed up, in view of the culmination of that history, in the proposition, 'God is love'; (I John 4:8, 16) with the implication that such love has at its disposal sufficient power and wisdom to attain its ends.
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Blu-ray News – Lost in Space/Criterion Amazon pre-orders, plus new Robert Wise films from Olive & Orphan Black: S3
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All right, we just have a couple of things for you today...
First up, all those Criterion October titles are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com – just click on the titles here (or on the images below): Mulholland Dr., My Own Private Idaho, The Brood, A Special Day, and Kwaidan. Both Universal's Back to the Future: 30th Anniversary Trilogy ($49.98) and the Back to the Future: The Complete Adventures – Limited Edition ($99.88) are available for pre-order as well. [Read on here…]
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All right, we've got more new release news for you…
First, Criterion has just officially announced their October Blu-ray and DVD release slate, as follows: Look for Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho (Cat #277 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 10/6, David Cronenberg's The Brood (Cat #777 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Ettore Scola's A Special Day (Cat #778 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 10/13, Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan (Cat #90 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 10/20, and David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. (Cat #779 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 10/27. You can see the cover artwork below. [Read on here…]
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Bazar is a village in the Zaqatala Rayon of Azerbaijan.  The village forms part of the municipality of Çobankol.

References

External links

Populated places in Zaqatala District

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Week 2 of my vacation begins today and I'm luxuriating in a week with nothing to do but hang out with family and friends, relaxing and reading, knitting and quilting, and maybe doing a bit of local sightseeing and movie going. In other words – blogging may be sporadic. For today, though, how about some pictures to illustrate just how wonderful our Christmas was?
Dale and I at our Christmas Eve gathering. Thanks to Tom for taking one of us together – that doesn't happen very often.
Christmas Eve should include singing – and we are very lucky to have some talented musicians in our circle of friends.
What is it Elf says? The best way of spreading Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. He didn't say anything at all about the singing being on-key, thank goodness.
I'm pretty sure this was Dale's favorite present this year – a shirt that combines Lincoln and The Beatles from Jessica. Please to note the mimosas with paper straws. Mmm.
My brother-in-law, Randy and his wife Mary had Christmas dinner for 14 of us and it was wonderful. Christmas goose and wild duck and grilled venison along with delicious wild rice and (my absolute favorite) Mary's butternut squash and apple casserole. Mary sets a beautiful table and there is something so warm and wonderful about being in their log cabin on this special night.
And finally, all of us at Christmas dinner. I love my family and feel so lucky to have spent time with (most) of them on this holiday. I hope you all had a peaceful and beautiful Christmas.
Carole, I love the pictures! Thanks for sharing them with your blog fans and I wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2015!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful holiday – full of warmth, family, and love.
Your family is the epitome of holiday joy. Look at all the smiles, the warmth and love that radiates in all your pictures.
Continue to enjoy your wonderful ending to the year.
It looks like you had a wonderful holiday! That log cabin is such a perfect setting for Christmas.
Your pictures do show how wonderful your Christmas was, full of all the best things. Thanks for sharing and enjoy a totally wonderful week of vacation!
what a wonderful time y'all had! (and great photos to keep those memories fresh) … so glad you get to carry all the merriment into this week, too!
What a blessed and fulsome Christmas. Enjoy your week and we'll see you when we see you.


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David Harbour's 'Stranger Things' SAG Victory Speech Has Crowd On Its Feet
Posted January 30th, 2017 by Jax Motes
If Trump was mad about Meryl Streep's Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, he must have been steaming out of his ears like Tom after Jerry tricked him into swallowing a bottle of hot sauce if he was watching the Screen Actors Guild Award. (Which he really should know better than to do, but hey, he watches and live tweet SNL every weekend…)
The night took on a strong political– and by political, I mean liberal– tone from the start and things didn't let up. Considering that the entertainment industry naturally attracts creative people who largely skew liberal, that shouldn't be surprising. And speeches that reflect these views delivered at awards shows is nothing new. They've pretty much been a part of the whole process since awards shows were invented.
At last night's ceremony, held at the Shrine Auditorium, one speech in particular had the crowd on its feet and that was delivered by David Harbour, who plays police Chief Jim Hopper on Netflix's 'Stranger Things', after the freshman series took the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Harbour accepted on the cast's behalf, saying:
"This award from you, who take your craft seriously and earnestly believe, like me, that great acting can change the world is a call to arms from our fellow craftsmen and women to go deeper and, through our art, to battle against fear, self-centeredness and exclusivity of our predominantly narcissistic culture. And through our craft, cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society by revealing intimate truths that serve as a forceful reminder to folks that when they feel broken, and afraid and tired they are not alone.
"We are united in that we are all human beings, and we are all together on this horrible, painful, joyous, exciting and mysterious ride that is being alive.
"Now, as we act in the continuing narrative of 'Stranger Things,' we 1983 midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts — those who have no homes — [and] we will get past the lies, we will hunt monsters and when we are lost amidst the hypocrisy and casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will as per Chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak, and the disenfranchised and the marginalized and we will do it all with soul, with heart and joy.
"We thank you for this responsibility."
Indeed, one of the appeals of 'Stranger Things' is that the heroes of the narrative are outcasts. The awkward young heroes, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Will (Noah Schnapp) are D&D playing, AV Club nerds who are bullied at school and call to mind the casts from classic films like 'Stand By Me', 'The Goonies' and 'The Monster Squad'. Even Will's relatively normal older brother, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) is an outcast because he has to work to support his family, unlike his wealthy layabout classmates. Eleven recalls outsider characters like 'Carrie' or Charlie from 'Firestarter' who are tormented despite their extraordinary gifts. And fans created a cult around Barb (Sharon Purser), the level-headed, straight-laced (i.e. uncool) best friend of Nancy, who resisted the pressure to join the popular kids, when Nancy caved, and as a result was killed. There are even teases that Will might turn out to be gay.
The 'Stranger Things' ensemble beat out those of 'The Crown', 'Downton Abbey', 'Game of Thrones' and 'Westworld'.
After last year's outcry over the lack of minority nominees at the Academy Awards, the SAG Awards swung in the opposite direction, with wins for 'Hidden Figures' (Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture), Denzel Washington (Lead Actor – 'Fences'), Mahershala Ali (Supporting Actor – 'Moonlight'), Viola Davis (Lead Actress – 'Fences'), and 'Orange Is The New Black' (Ensemble Cast In A Comedy Series).
In one conservative victory, Republican Clint Eastwood's 'Hacksaw Ridge' won for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture.
'Stranger Things' Season Two will hit Netflix sometime this summer.
Do you feel that 'Stranger Things' victory is a blow for underdogs? Or is this all just entertainment?
"We will get past the lies. We will hunt monsters. And when we are at a loss amidst the hypocrisy and casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will, as per Chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy what we have envisioned for ourselves and the marginalized. And we will do it all with soul, with heart, and with joy. We thank you for this responsibility!" #DavidHarbour gave an impassioned speech tonight while accepting the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. #sagawards #davidharbour @sagawards #cnnsagawards #strangerthings ( via @millermobley)
A video posted by CNN (@cnn) on Jan 29, 2017 at 7:27pm PST
Chief Jim Hopper
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Ewen Bremner Reveals Details About His 'Wonder Woman' Role And Teases Plot
What Three Films Influenced Rian Johnson's Take On 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'?
TV Recap: 'The Big Bang Theory: The Opening Night Excitation'
'BattleBots' Renewed For A New Season On Discovery And Science Channels
'Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Carnage Of Krell' – Recap
12 New Images Preview The Third Episode Of 'Titans', "Origins"


Moving into a new home or apartment can undoubtedly be stressful – rarely do we realize just how much stuff we've accumulated until tasked with packing it into a series of boxes, and it can be overwhelming to figure out where to begin. But moving doesn't have to induce a panic attack and, with these helpful tips, might even be fun.
Unless you have a photographic memory, you probably don't recall every item you own, even with a meticulously maintained home inventory. Go through your closets, drawers, cabinets and bookshelves to determine what to keep and what you can live without. Then you can organize things into donation piles or host a yard sale to rid yourself of the items which you no longer want, minimizing what you'll need to pack. While you're at it, revise your home inventory and consider updating appraisals or getting items appraised where necessary.
Moving day is exhausting and, chances are, you won't get everything unpacked in one day. Pack toiletries, a towel, sheets, pajamas and at least one change of clothes so, when you decide to call it a day you can shower, sleep in a freshly-made bed and awake refreshed to tackle a new day of unpacking. Planning ahead in this way will save you the headache of searching through boxes to find life's every day necessities.
Use your new floorplan to help determine what goes in which room and pack accordingly. This is exceedingly important if you're upgrading or downsizing your space. Use multicolored sticky notes to color-code your belongings by room before placing them in boxes. (This will also help identify where furniture, lamps, paintings and other standalone items will go.) And, by using the same color to label the boxes, it'll aid in finding them in the back of a crowded moving truck. In addition to labeling boxes with the rooms in which they belong, unpacking becomes easier if its contents are listed the outside. If you're using movers, another option is to number each box, then list its contents in a notebook so you aren't advertising to strangers where your valuables are.
Because that's what friends are for! Host a packing party and treat your friends to dinner, drinks and conversation while they help you pack boxes or treat them to a night out for helping you load and unload the moving truck. If you've reached an age when that's no longer a viable or reliable option, professional movers can be a great time saver who will make quick work of getting your stuff from point A to point B. Many aren't as expensive as you might expect, but be sure to check their qualifications, online reviews and that they are properly insured before hiring them.
Moving is a great and convenient time to assess all of your belongings and determine how much insurance coverage you would need in the event of damage, theft or another unforeseen loss. No one wants the added stress of worrying about replacement costs so be sure to notify your insurance agent before your move to discuss any necessary changes to your coverage limits.
These tips will set you on your path to an easy move. It's up to you to determine your next chapter.


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Sweet Home H.S. Coach John Faller remembered as great coach and greater person
Tributes pour in from school officials, other coaches and former players
Remembering legendary high school coach John Faller remembered
By: Ed Reilly
AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — Tears, shock and sadness are filling the hearts of many people as well-known, retired Sweet Home High School football & lacrosse coach John Faller died unexpectedly at age 70.
"Coach Faller was incredibly successful on the field for his wins and losses, but his greatest success is in the character of the people who live on," said Sweet Home Central School District Superintendent Anthony Day.
During a four-decade career, Coach Faller inspired thousands of students and became one of the most winning high school coaches in WNY history.
He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
Faller retired from coaching in 2017.
A makeshift memorial is now growing at a panther statue located by the Sweet Home High School athletic fields.
The statue was built with funds that were raised with the assistance of Coach Faller.
Superintendent Day said the school district is still making plans for a future memorial to honor the coach.
However, from now until Coach Faller's funeral, a single light will be turned on at the football/lacrosse fields at 7 p.m. to remember the coach - as that is the time his teams would normally take the field, explained Superintendent Day.
7 Eyewitness News Reporter Ed Reilly spent the day talking to people about the legendary coach.
Nominate an athlete, coach, manager, or fan!
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It is the brand name of a combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, two drugs that belong to a group of drugs called antibiotics.
This medication works by stopping bacterial growth.
It is manufactured by Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., a subsidiary of Pharmaceutical Holdings Corporation. The US Food and Drug Administration originally approved this medication in 1973.
This prescription medication is used to treat bacterial infections of the intestines, urinary tract, and ears. In addition, this antibiotic treats pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii and infections which cause traveler's diarrhea.
For the treatment of urinary tract infections, the usual recommended dosage is 1 or 2 tablets every 12 hours for 10 to 14 days.
Do not breastfeed a baby when taking this antibiotic since it is excreted in breast milk and has the potential to harm the breastfed baby.
Do not use this antibiotic if you are pregnant because it can cause urinary tract defects or club feet to the unborn baby.
It is the brand name of a drug called ciprofloxacin, that belongs to a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones.
The US Food and Drug Administration originally approved this fluoroquinolone in 1987.
It works by killing the bacteria that cause infections.
This prescription medication is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and sinus infections.
Note – avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds since this fluoroquinolone can make you sunburn more easily.
The dose of this fluoroquinolone will be different for different sufferers. Follow your healthcare provider's orders or the directions on the label.
It is unknown whether this medication is safe to take during pregnancy. Therefore, before taking this fluoroquinolone, women should let their healthcare provider know if they are pregnant.
What doctors do know is the fact that this fluoroquinolone passes into breast milk, therefore, it is not safe to take if you are breastfeeding.
Bactrim (active ingredients – sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) is a medication that belongs to a group of drugs called antibiotics. It is used to treat bacterial infections in different parts of the human body. This antibiotic works by stopping the growth of the bacteria causing the infection.
Cipro (active ingredient – ciprofloxacin) is an antibiotic which fights pathogenic bacteria in the body. It is used to treat different types of bacterial infections.
According to a 2002 study, efficacy and safety outcomes were similar in people treated with these antibiotics.
Regarding their price, the average retail price for 100 tablets of Bactrim 400mg/80mg is $155, while the average retail price for 100 tablets of Cipro 500mg is $605.


Fighting Evolution Wrestling is 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Coral Springs High School, 7201 W. Sample Rd. in (South Florida) Coral Springs.
FEW Heavyweight Champion Showtime JB Cool, Lea Nox, The Guadalupe Brothers, Snakemaster Abudadein, Reggie Rhythm, The Hardhittas, Red Velvett, The Elite (Ace Mayham and MDK) and more.
Fighting Evolution Wrestling is 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Coral Springs High School in (South Florida) Coral Springs.


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Tag: Coffee or Die
The legal form of cannabidiol (CBD) is not marijuana. It's extracted from hemp, a plant in the cannabis family, that contains less than 0.3 percent THC – not near enough to get you high. Numerous studies show hemp and its CBD component offer many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties that rival ibuprofen, cardiovascular and immune system support (due to omega-rich fatty acids), as well as sleep and mood enhancement.
My latest contribution to Coffee or Die magazine tells the story of former Army Ranger, Coby Cochran. Coby's early struggles with PTSD and its associated complications led to the birth of his company UnCanna, which makes some of the best CBD product in the industry. UnCanna is leading the charge to convince Congress and the DOD to lift restrictions on CBD use for active military personnel. A link to the story appears below.
How UnCanna is Destigmatizing CBD for the Veteran Community
Coby Cochran, owner of Colorado-based , is a former U.S. Army Ranger with 10 years of active duty under his belt. He was also a member of Team 8 in the 2012 Best Ranger Competition. To most, his outward appearance indicated a young, physically active guy who had everything going for him.
By Feature Stories, Lifestyle, Veteran Affairs Black Rifle Coffee Company, CBD, Coffee or Die, Veterans
A Tribute to Rosie and the Greatest Generation
Tim Cooper, Family 1st Defense
In Search of the Real Rosie the Riveter
Do you remember Rosie? She was a young woman in her mid-20s when the U.S. was pulled into World War II in 1941. The iconic poster of her flexing her bicep and clenching her fist has captured the imagination of millions of patriots for more than 75 years.
During World War II, Michigan was home to the largest bomber manufacturing plant in the world. At that time, women stepped up in unprecedented numbers to staff this plant — and others around the country — to fill the vacancies left by the men fighting overseas. These women who belonged to the Greatest Generation, became collectively known as "Rosie the Riveter."
My latest contribution to "Coffee of Die" magazine pays tribute to Rosie and recounts the incredible story of the Willow Run bomber plant in Ypslanti, MI.
By Feature Stories, Women Coffee or Die, History, Women
Meet the Dead Reckoning Collective
A Fresh Voice in the Veteran Community? Meet Dead Reckoning Collective
dead reckoning ( ded ˈrek(ə)niNG) noun – a method of establishing one's position using the distance and direction travelled, rather than astronomical observation. ( Collins English Dictionary) While most associate "dead reckoning" with seafaring navigation, the method is used to plot courses over land as well. It would therefore be familiar to U.S.
By Uncategorized Black Rifle Coffee Company, Coffee or Die, Dead Reckoning Collective, DRC, Veterans


so I popped those into a glass of water to grow on.
I haven't grown any this year although I have the seeds.
A nice ice lolly made with home made blackcurrant cordial.
The mange tout in the tunnel that I thought were red pods are yellow pods and almost ready for picking, they have lovely red and mauve flowers.
Sweet potatoes, they have just gone in, there is a story to these, back in January I pre-ordered Onions, Potatoes Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes from Sutton's, the potatoes and onions arrived at the allocated time, the Asparagus I spent a couple of weeks chasing them on the phone being told they were running a few weeks behind, eventually they came, Sweet Potatoes were due end of May, May came and went and no sign I phoned them, I was told there was a delay because of the late spring and they would be sent out end of June, June came and went no sign of them, I phoned again and was told they were being dispatched, next I know I received a cheque refunding my money and a later telling me there suppliers had let them down and they would send me sweet potatoes next year free of charge. That's isn't much use to me this year, I got straight on to Thompson and Morgan and they had some as plants not slips so ordered them, they have an excellent root system and I hope in the poly tunnel I will manage to get a harvest from them. Needless to say Sutton's is now off my list.
The courgettes have been chopped and sliced and are now in the dehydrator.
All that's left is to walk the dog, have dinner shut up the poultry have a shower then my day is finished.
wow you have been busy. I need to get out and tidy my tomato plants, they have gone wild.
What a busy day, you make me tired to read it! What do egg shells do for tomatoes?
Suttons seem to take ages to send things out don't they! Thomson and Morgan also do the Tesco boost thing were a £5 voucher becomes £15 so that can make things a bit cheaper as I find them quite expensive. Tidied my tomato plants tonight as well. Well the indoor ones. The 60 outdoor ones can wait until the morning!
Mmmmm, did you take time to breath, You certainly leave me breathless.
....and that was a good and productive day, much better than ours are at the moment because we are currently swamped by high temperatures and high humidity which is slowing us down almost to a stop!
People tell me I'm busy, but you've fitted my 4 days work into one!
Busy busy. I saw some broccoli, cauliflower and carrot prepared veg when I visited Tesco the other day reduced to 6p a bag. I couldn't pass that up so bought four bags, split them all and froze them for emergencies when I don't have any veg of my own to use. That's very naughty of Suttons, they should have just told you they were having problems with their suppliers from the start. Glad you managed to get some plants in the end.
Great haul. I like the look of the bacon buttie best, especially with brown sauce.


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Paulita David
Director of Multicultural Strategies at McPherson, Former Head of Multicultural at Google
As director of multicultural strategy at McPherson Strategies, Paulita David brings deep diversity and inclusion expertise with multicultural consumers, including what motivates them, what matters most to them, and how they live in America today. Paulita joined McPherson following a decade at Google, most recently as Head of US Multicultural. She has worked with today's most prominent brands, helping them make impactful connections with today's multicultural consumers. In turn, she also led Google's efforts to inspire and educate multicultural consumers and connect them more closely with the brands they love. Paulita put "multicultural" on the map for Google and for the Industry, dramatically changing how Google approached the multicultural consumer. Under her leadership, she founded the Multicultural team, which focused on helping companies cater to the African American, Asian American and LGBTQ communities. Read More >
Beyond working with Agency heads, C-Suite executives and brand leaders, Paulita engaged Google's engineers to completely redesign the online diversity and inclusion experience. Because of her efforts, Google now more frequently includes non-English languages. When multilingual users search for items such as "election booths" and "polling locations," Google now posts those results in users' preferred language.
In just a year and a half, Paulita built a global sales team devoted to offering dedicated in-language support across all of Google's platforms – from YouTube to search and display. Clients from non-profit organizations to automakers and more can now reach US-based users who need Spanish or Mandarin search, display, and video campaign support. Today, more than 100 Fortune 500 clients, and dozens of agencies, use this program to launch their latest multicultural campaigns. These organizations now reach their consumers in the language they prefer, and during the moments that matter most.
Previously, Paulita led a sales team focused on IAC, one of Google's largest partners. She also ran Strategy & Operations for the Americas Sales Team, and Google's internal creative agency known as Creative lab. Prior to Google, Paulita led a global strategy team at the Seiden Group, a marketing and brand strategy agency.
Paulita holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern. She lives in New York City with her husband and son. Read Less ^
Marketing in a Multi-Cultural World
Paulita built the Multicultural Consumer team for Google. She was in charge of helping Fortune 500 companies use Google products to engage with Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, and the LGBTQ community. She is well-versed in Multicultural Marketing and can speak to strategy, demographic shifts, and overall Marketing goals. In addition, her background includes working at a Brand Strategy Firm, receiving an MBA in Strategy, Operations & Marketing from Northwestern (the #1 Marketing program in the country), and a year spent in the Marketing org at Google.
New Audiences in America
The demographic shifts in this country are impressive. Currently, 40% of the population are Multicultural, and within the next 15-20 years, the number will have grown to 60%. The millennial population is already over 50% Multicultural and the demographics of the under 18 population is even more diverse. To be a successful company in the US right now and in the future, you need to understand New Audiences in America.
Women in Leadership/Being a Latina Executive
Paulita spent ten years at Google working her way up to various executive roles. She was often the only woman in the room, and always the only Latina. She was an active participant in the Women @ Google org, a founding member of the Latino Executive Committee, and the Executive sponsor for the Hispanics at Google org in NYC.
"Paulita was a dynamic and inspirational speaker who exceeded all expectations. Her speech before 600+ business leaders at Wisconsin's largest economic inclusion and workplace diversity event brought the crowd to it's feet for a standing ovation. She even took the time to get to our community and make sure she understood our objectives and expectations before she arrived in town. She was also super friendly and easy to work with. If you're looking for someone to help make the case for diversity and excite your audience, then Paulita is your speaker!"
- Urban League of Greater Madison
Debra Lee
Chairman & CEO Emeritus, BET Networks
Maryam Banikarim
Head of Marketing, Nextdoor & Former Global CMO Hyatt, Gannett, NBC Universal & Univision
Tony Byers
Former Director, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Starbucks
Maggie Chan Jones
Forbes 15th Most Influential CMO in the World, Entrepreneur, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate


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Interim Release Software
What is an "Interim Release"?
As part of ongoing software development, interim versions of HydroCAD are sometimes made available for evaluation and comment. Unlike a typical "beta release", our "interim release" software is carefully tested and is believed to be free of bugs. However, it is still a work-in-progress, and has not received the same level of testing and review as a final public release.
Interim release software is typically distinguished by a version number that has two digits after the decimal point, like 9.11. A full public release will have no more than one digit, such as 8.0, 8.5, 9.1, etc. The version number is shown in the title bar of your HydroCAD software, and is printed on the page heading for each report.
Who gets the interim release software?
Interim release software is typically made available to customers on an annual Deluxe Support contract. Since these releases should only be used for a limited time (until the next public release) we limit the distribution to customers who have already made a commitment to using the latest HydroCAD release. Use by others would entail a commitment to continued updates that they may not wish to make.
Can I purchase an interim release?
No. Interim release software is provided only to customers who are already on a paid Deluxe Support plan at the time the update is released. If you purchase a Deluxe Support plan after a release is issued, you will have access to any subsequent releases, but not to the earlier release.
How is the interim release delivered?
We will send an email to eligible Deluxe Support customers when an interim release is available. The message is sent only once for a given release. The information is not posted or available anywhere else. Based on the email, recipients may download and install the software. Interim release software is not available on CD.
How do I use an interim release?
An interim release installs and runs just like a regular release. However, a message will appear each time you start the program to remind you that it is not a final release. To prevent constant reminders, you may select "do not show this message again."
For the latest information pertaining to your interim release, click the "Details" button on the warning screen, or start HydroCAD and select Check for Update on the Help menu.
Are there time limits on an interim release?
Interim releases are designed to operate for only a fixed period of time (typically 6-12 months after release). This time limit is intended to prevent the indefinite use of an interim release, which should be used only until the next interim release or the final public release is available.
Sixty days before the the interim release expires, you will get a reminder every time you start the program. This message can be suppressed only by installing a newer release, or by returning to your previous full release.
If you are on a Deluxe Support plan, and your interim release has expired, you may have overlooked an update that was already shipped to you, or a subsequent interim release that was sent by email. Customers not on Deluxe Support can purchase updates individually.
Are there other drawbacks to using an interim release?
Like all HydroCAD updates, each interim release is able to open project files created by any previous version of HydroCAD. This means that interim release users can generally open any file they receive.
However, project files created by an interim release generally cannot be read by any earlier version of the software. This is because the new .HCP project file will contain information that is unknown to the earlier software. As an interim release user, this will limit your ability to send project files to other HydroCAD users, since only a few of them will be using the same interim release.
Note: It is possible to send files to an earlier version, but only if you avoid (or remove) any of the items listed under "Calculation Enhancements" in your "Changes" file.
If you depend on the ability to routinely send project files to other organizations, an interim release is not recommended. But you should never have any problem opening files that you receive. For further details, read about file compatibility.


The lower back is generally referred to as anywhere below the ribs and above the legs. The lower back supports the body and can be easily injured when lifting, twisting, or moving abruptly. A majority of people will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives but fortunately most pain can be relieved within a few weeks with conservative treatment.
Lower back pain can be experienced as a symptom of a herniated disc or lumbar spinal stenosis but is more commonly the result of overuse or an injury. Older individuals are more susceptible to injury as the muscles, bones, and tissues of the back begin to lose strength and flexibility. In rarer cases lower back pain can also be experienced as the result of arthritis, a broken vertebrae, or osteoporosis.
Rest is often the best initial course of action as a majority of lower back pain sufferers do not require aggressive treatment. Your doctor may recommend a short period of rest followed by a slow transition back into activities.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) may be taken over the counter to reduce initial inflammation and pain. The above at home treatment recommendation may also be followed. If pain persists, contact a medical professional to receive a pain treatment plan designed for you.


An elegant dining destination on the Santa Ana Pueblo.
: Honoring its setting on the Santa Ana Pueblo without hamming it up, this resort restaurant stands a pioneer on Albuquerque's burgeoning fine dining scene. With giant picture windows and an exhibition kitchen to enliven the serene, Southwestern-themed dining room, it specializes in tableside rotisserie service --- a seasonal prix-fixe feast centered around the likes of spiced and marinated buffalo, duck breast, chorizo and jumbo shrimp. But lovely surprises abound on the à la carte menu as well, from blue corn-crusted quail in chipotle-bacon gravy to roasted root-vegetable terrine with toasted pine nuts and port-apple jam. Desserts are equally inventive and elegant; candied lemon and mint ice cream garnish a blueberry clafouti here, while red chile adds kick to a chilled slice of chocolate marquise there. The wine list isn't quite as extensive or diverse as one might expect for a restaurant of this caliber, but it's sprinkled with its share of charming finds.


I've been a Realtor on the Peninsula for over 25 years and my family has been here since the Yankees burned the records…I've lived here all my life and I know the market here as well or better than any agent you'll find.
Born in Newport News in 1952, Phil grew up on Main Street in Colonial Yorktown. He graduated from York High School in 1971, and Averett College in 1975 with a Business Management and Marketing degree. In 1977, Phil obtained his Real Estate Salesman license and began his real estate career with Abbitt Realty. In 1980, Phil successfully completed the required courses and testing to obtain his Real Estate Broker's license. From 1982 to 1993, Phil owned and managed Shirley and Bowditch Realty. In 1993, Phil associated with Better Homes and Gardens. In 2000, Better Homes and Gardens was bought out by GMAC and Phil terminated the association. Today, Phil Bowditch is an independent broker and maintains an office in historic Hilton Village.
Phil lives in the Riverside area of Newport News with Lee, his bride of 22 years. His son Gray attends Hampden-Sydney College and his daughter Lisa is a senior at Hampton Roads Academy. Phil attends St. Stephens Episcopal Church and is presently on the Board of Trustees of the Yorktown Waterman's Museum.


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You are here: Home / Arts / Movie Review: 'Please Give'
Movie Review: 'Please Give'
June 4, 2010 By Adam Mehring
Please Give (Sony Classics)
There's nothing so extraordinary about Please Give, the latest from female-centric filmmaker Nicole Holofcener, and that's precisely the point. The film is a reflection of real women working through real issues in our real world—really.
Holofcener crafts intensely believable characters in an atmosphere imbued with authenticity, and she does so with delightful ease. Whether her sharply-penned creation provides a means for entertainment or enlightenment, or a reason for its valid scrutiny at all, is another matter entirely.
The film follows two family units that intersect on morally uncomfortable grounds. Middle-aged married couple Kate and Alex (a dependably superb Catherine Keener, and Oliver Platt) await the passing of an elderly neighbor in their building so that they can knock through and expand their own square-footage. Their neighbor, named Andra (Ann Guilbert), is cared for by her two granddaughters: the tepidly jaded Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) and the decidedly aloof Mary (Amanda Peet).
You'd think this set-up might cause a rift between the neighbors, but it doesn't (nor does it create much narrative traction). All parties seem attuned to the idea that Andra will soon die, and that Kate and Alex will commandeer her empty roost.
Though Andra is not exactly on the brink of death, she is a damaged, bitter woman whose soul has moved on long ago. Her misery extends into her caretakers, her granddaughters, like a stale musk wafting through an arid room. Rebecca repurposes it into her own scent of gloom, while Mary builds a fake-tan outer shell and ignores the stink.
Meanwhile, Kate and Alex are quite in the habit of repurposing others' belongings. They own a furniture store, and they acquire new inventory from the possessions of the recently deceased. Kate cautiously stalks through apartments, watched by the bereaved, searching for treasures among trinkets and knick-knacks.
Kate feels like she is living a contradiction: eager to do some good in this world, just as she financially benefits from the death of others. (Alex is unmoved.) Rebecca, also anxious to locate some meaning in life, is smothered by a blanket of pessimism. Her sister Mary floats on a cloud of superficiality, failing to make important human connections. And Kate's teenage daughter Abby (Sarah Steele) is a victim of that same superficial drive, plagued by pimple flare-ups and improperly-fitting jeans.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are your real women, working through their real issues in our real world. Really! Every word of it is believable—these people could very easily live down the street, give or take an existing apartment complex—but the summation is rather unremarkable: a mélange of middle-class melancholia—the sort of thing we go to the movies to escape. So even if the limber narrative of Please Give contains enough substance to think about, you may not feel so inclined to dwell.
If nothing else, Please Give acts as an insightful examination of what it means to be a woman, a concept so distorted by Hollywood that its redefinition is both crucial and commendable. The film opens by quite literally squashing the notion that a woman's value is primarily derived from her physical attributes. A protracted montage of breasts being pressed between mammogram plates is both queasying—it quickly clears the air of any sexual anticipation—and also humbling: that this part of the female anatomy, so often exploited for sexual appeal, is just as soon a vessel for disease, for cancer.
It turns out, according to Please Give, that it should be admired as both, as well as everything in between. It's okay that the world is not a completely moral place, Kate. It's okay to stop and smell the roses (or, in this case, see the colorful autumn leaves) every now and then, Rebecca. And it's fine to indulge in a pricey pair of pants once in a while, or slather yourself in bronzer and skin creams; by all means, feel empowered by your body! But Mary, showing love for others (not sex, but love) as your sister does is essential. And Abby, learn from your mother's big heart; pimples fade, but compassion helps us survive.
According to Please Give, there is (refreshingly) no single ideal that a woman should aspire to (for men, the jury's still out). It's about embracing life exactly as it is, from its rottenest to its holiest, from the shallows to the depths. It's not perfect, and that's all right. Just try and please give a little along the way.
Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener.
Rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity.
Runtime is 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Showtimes @ The Charles» Watch the Trailer» Visit the Website»
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Jordan Peele's much anticipated follow-up to "Get Out" has arrived in theaters. Alan & Chris review Peele's sophomore effort "Us" along with a World War I documentary by filmmaker Peter Jackson. In the Silver Screen news section of the show that follows the hosts share their thoughts on the recent passing of Agnes Varda at the age of 90. Rounding out this episode are recommendations of films that are worth checking out that might have slipped in under your cinematic radar.
Recommendations: "Dragged Across Concrete", "Beautiful Boy"


Somehow, we missed this news earlier this month.
Looking for information about yesterday's fatal collision in Lancaster uncovered news of a woman who was killed while riding her bike in the same city on Monday, August 13th.
According to the Antelope Valley Times, the victim, identified only as a Hispanic woman in her 50s, was riding north in the bike lanes on Sierra Highway below Oldfield Street when she was struck and killed.
The paper reports that she attempted to cross the five lane Sierra Highway, unexpectedly swerving left in front of an oncoming driver traveling in the same direction.
She was taken to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries.
A statement from the sheriff's department said it doesn't appear that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, nor was excessive speed.
As always, the question is whether there were independent witnesses to the crash. Drivers who drift to the right or fail to see a bike rider often assume the victim must have swerved in front of them, when that's not always the case.
Anyone with information is urged to call traffic investigators at the Lancaster Sheriff's Station at 661/ 948-8466.
This is at least the 33rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th that I'm aware of in Los Angeles County.
The Antelope Valley News reports that a young Lancaster woman was killed in a collision with a school bus on Monday.
Twenty-two year old Alexandria Romero was riding west on Avenue G at Sierra Highway when she reportedly rode through a posted stop sign into the path of an out-of-service school bus traveling at 50 mph.
The driver attempted to brake, but was unable to stop in time, striking her bike with the right front of the bus. Romero was pronounced dead at Antelope Valley Hospital; at 50 mph, a collision with a bus — or anything else — is unlikely to be survivable.
Comments to the story speculate on why she failed to observe the stop sign.
Unfortunately, there's no way to know why she didn't stop at what should have been a highly visible intersection. It's possible that she may have been careless or distracted, or could have been able to stop due to a mechanical failure or some other reason. Or she could have misjudged the speed of the bus, and thought she had time to make it across the intersection.
I'm always suspicious of any reports that a cyclist ran a stop sign or red light in the apparent absence of independent witnesses. While it doesn't seem to be the case here, drivers have an inherent interest in blaming the victim in any fatal collision.
This is the 52nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th in Los Angeles County; it's the first fatal bike collision in the Antelope Valley in 2012.
Thanks to Antelope Valley bike advocate Michele Chavez for the tip.
In a related story, I've received word that a woman who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run collision in Santa Clarita last week may have died of her injuries, but have been unable to find any confirmation. If anyone has any information on that collision or the condition of the victim, please let me know. Thanks to grrlyrida for the heads-up.
Once again, cyclists are collateral damage on the roads of Southern California.
According to a report from the L.A. Sheriff's Department, a husband and wife from Valencia were seriously injured when two vehicles collided in the middle of a Lancaster intersection.
Approximately 20 cyclists were participating in a group ride organized by a local bike shop. As they crossed the intersection of Avenue L and 4th Street West Avenue L and Division Street around 8 pm, a PT Cruiser struck a minivan that was traveling next to them, forcing the van into the couple's path.
Despite wearing a helmet, the husband suffered head trauma and is in critical condition in a local hospital; the wife is listed stable condition with moderate injuries. Neither has been publicly identified.
The group followed all rules of the road; we were barely into the ride, just starting out, less than a mile from starting. A car ran a red light and exactly as Opus shares, no one, no action, could have prevented this with the exception of the driver of the car that ran the light at high speed.
Even if the 2 cyclists were off to the side of the road, it is possible with the speed of the car at cause, and the trajectory of the car it hit, no "spot" was safe to be. In fact, different angle and the rest of us could have been hit.
Be safe, fellow cyclists, as none of us set out on Saturday morning with anything other than the camaraderie of a group ride in mind. Do whatever you can to raise awareness with your group. No doubt someone from our group will reach out for help, to help this family.
Again, the ride was at 8am, not 8pm. Daylight, morning, not evening. Should be safe right? Perhaps cameras at stop lights aren't such a bad thing, at least, to capture cause when something like this happens, since all too often these events are at intersections.
Whitney offers an interesting suggestion.
Even with the removal of red light cameras in Los Angeles and other cities in the Southland, there are still thousands of traffic control cameras installed at the busier intersections.
It shouldn't cost much to expand that system to cover most major intersections, not just to monitor traffic, but to provide evidence to police, attorneys and insurance companies in the event of a collision. Maybe that's something that could be funded by the legal and insurance professionals who have a financial stake in determining exactly who is at fault in serious wrecks.
And Whitney and Opus raise another good point. Chances are, no one could have avoided a collision like this. Sometimes events occur so swiftly that escaping is not an option.
However, it's important to remember that similar tragedies have resulted to death and serious injuries to other drivers, pedestrians, people waiting at bus stops, customers and employees in nearby businesses, and even people in the presumed safety of their own homes. Once a vehicle goes ballistic, there's no way to control who or what it hits, or who gets hurt as a result.
This is not proof, as some will undoubtedly suggest, that bicycling is dangerous.
But rather, that cars are — especially in the hands of dangerous, careless and/or speeding drivers.
My heartfelt prayers for the victims, and all their family and loved ones.
Update: I'm told that the husband, Nathan "Bud" Tippee, has died of his injuries. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any confirmation in the press, but that's not unusual; the press often doesn't follow-up on stories involving critically injured traffic victims. If I get any more details, I'll let you know.


Credit: scribbletaylor via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Bogotá, Colombia, Aug 12, 2015 / 06:01 am ().- Two Colombian bishops indicated on Thursday that while the divorced and remarried are not excommunicated, that still doesn't mean they are able to receive Communion – in an attempt to clarify recent confusion.
At an Aug. 6 press conference, Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez of Bogota explained that while the divorced and remarried remain part of the Church and are not excommunicated, they are impeded from receiving Eucharistic Communion.
The archbishop indicated this after various media reports misinterpreted the statements made by Pope Francis at his Aug. 5 General Audience, in which he discussed the divorced and remarried.
Pope Francis had said that the divorced and remarried "are by no means excommunicated, and they should absolutely not be treated as such: They are always part of the Church," while adding that "such a situation contradicts the Christian Sacrament" of marriage.
Some media outlets focused exclusively on the Pope's words assuring that the divorced and remarried are not excommunicated, and ignored his statement that the situation contradicts marriage.
This statement, he added, is nothing new in the Church.
Excommunication is, in fact, a medicinal penalty, and an excommunicated person cannot have a ministerial participation in worship; celebrate or receive the sacraments; or exercise ecclesiastical offices, ministries, or functions.