Kicking off the 3rd annual "Wild Pawpaw Watch Thread!
Hard to believe this is the third year.
The purpose of this thread is to document the progress and productivity of wild pawpaw (Asimina triloba) patches.
Anyone and everyone who has pawpaws growing in their area is welcome and encouraged to contribute.
Here in TN, we have had a crazy-warm second half of February. (Also crazy-rainy.) We've actually had a couple of days reach 80 degrees. Have not had any frost in a couple of weeks at least.
Bradford Pears and Chinese Magnolias are blooming as of a couple of days ago. Daffodils, etc are up and blooming.
Sooooooooo.....are the pawpaws blooming yet?
Last Sunday (2/25) I checked the "mother tree" in Nashville that I always keep an eye on. The flower buds were definitely in action but not open yet. The size of small blueberries. The flower "stem" (peduncle I believe is the term) was quite elongated on most flower buds.
This tree has always had early-ripening fruit, so perhaps it's ahead of other trees. I haven't been able to look at my local wild patches yet.
We have some cool nights coming up, forecast around 32F, but I don't see anything that would harm the flowers. Last year we had some 20F nights in March that really zapped things.
Fingers crossed for no late freezes.
Observed some more trees in Nashville area today.
Rhodes are in a wooded area. Flowers not nearly as far along as the tree mentioned above.
This is good, because we have a few nights below freezing coming up. Regardless, however, nothing severe that would do much damage, I think.
Took some more cuttings today. Going to be busy with a lot of grafting later.
Was out at the local patch yesterday. Could've been my mood but overall things didn't look so great. Just not a lot of flowers or even flower buds, it seemed. Weather has been unusually cool for the last few weeks with multiple nights below freezing. I think things are rather delayed, compared to some recent years at least. Definitely not in full swing yet. Upcoming weather is still pretty cool and wet for about 2 weeks.
I know i predicted doom and gloom last year and was somewhat wrong (crop was down for sure from 2016 though).
But this year i'm really concerned due to the bizarre weather we've had: freakishly warm late February, then a much colder March overall, and now even in the early days of April we just hit around 30F 2 nights ago and have a sub-30F low predicted Saturday night.
Add a fair amount of rain to the mix, and it's hard to envision many flowers being successfully pollinated or even alive.
Thx for writing. I've read a lot about the Paw paw and I wish it would survive and fruit in zone 10.
Yep they're a fun fruit and just an interesting and pretty tree.
I have been super busy this spring and really haven't been out in the woods much. I've been tending my newly planted pawpaw orchard and doing grafts on potted trees, etc.
However, I managed to get out into the big wild patch yesterday...if you've never seen a big patch of wild pawpaws, it's quite a sight. Just something so fairy-land-ish about it. Gorgeous.
I was very happy to find that 3 of my cleft grafts from last spring have survived and have put on growth. I also planted probably 100 seeds in various spots in the woods. I've never planted seeds in the ground, so i'm very keen to see how this goes.
I also threw 2 new grafts out there - a Mango and NC-1. I've learned a good bit more about grafting and hope these will take.
There are definitely lots of "freeze-dried" flowers on the trees from all the late freezes this year, BUT i did see a few fruits about the size of grapes. So, perhaps not a total loss this year.
Winter weather in Raleigh was only super cold the first half (got down to 4 degrees) and kinda normal the second half. At least we didn't have the hard freeze like we did in April of 2017. Here on the south side of town the weather has been very dry, ten miles away they are flooding. There are no wild pawpaws in the woods around my house so nothing for me to contribute there. I do have one tree that was won in a raffle that claimed to be a wild variety but now that it is fruiting I think it is just an un-named cultivar and that they meant "native" when they said "wild". All the other pawpaws in the garden are seedlings of named cultivars. One of them is my 'super producer', always making more fruit and larger fruit than all the others. This year, due to the dry weather I am spending a lot of time keeping them watered, so far so good.
Sounds like I'm following your footsteps a bit by doing seedlings of named cultivars (plus some grafts).
How do the fruits compare to the parent in terms of flavors, texture, size, etc?
Oh, and how many years did they take to produce?
The conventional wisdom is seedlings are inferior, but I tend to think that if you're starting with named cultivars, especially if both parents are named varieties, then you're probably going to end up with something pretty good.
It's cool that one of your seedlings is so prolific.
Triloba - I don't know the parentage. A local nursery obtained the fruit from a research orchard where all the trees were named varieties. There aren't many wild pawpaws in this area so I doubt any of them crossed with wild plants. The story I heard is that the orchard was multiple acres big so more than likely all the known named varieties were there.
I've tasted a lot of pawpaws and though there are differences, those differences are minor - at least to my palate. I can taste differences in fruit taken from the same branch of the same tree. I think how the fruit is harvested and handled after harvest impacts the flavor more than the variety.
My sunflower pawpaw have two fruits... lests see if they stand untill the end!
So back to the wild crop updates...... despite the wacky and cold spring weather, looks like the wild crop will actually be pretty good this year.
Look at these gorgeous clusters!
I did 3 grafts in the wild this year and so far they're looking really good. Only 3 of my previous years' grafts have survived: PA Golden, Taytwo, and Wells. This year I grafted Mango, NC-1, and Rebecca's Gold.
Infortunately all my small ruits falled. Too much cold and rain i think, but i was happy to see that my tree started to get polinated flowers.
Glad you're finding the positives.
Wild crop this year isn't looking too shabby. Overall in the few patches I frequent, I would say production will be better than last year.
2 of 3 wild grafts I did this year seem to be successful, and I also tried planting some seeds in the woods for the first time.
Varmints dug up a lot of them, but as of a week or so ago, I had 2 successful sprouts coming up. I need to get some chicken wire or something around them if I really want to ensure their survival.
Also I have 2 grafts going strong using scions from 2 wild trees that I selected (1 is possibly a grafted tree of unknown variety). So that's kind of cool. Hope to plant them here in my "orchard" in the spring.
We'll only one of my wild grafts took after all.
Several seeds I planted in woods have come up and have a few leaves. So fun! Who knows how many will survive to maturity.
But the big news is I have my first fruits of the season!
I spotted a pawpaw tree in the side yard of a house in town. I knocked on the door and the homeowner had no idea it was a pawpaw tree or even any kind of fruit tree. She was very kind and let me pick a few fruits. They are smallish but better than nothing!
The main wild patch I tend is not ready. Fruits still hard.


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Otani Trading or, in Japanese, Otani Shokai, was founded in 1923 in the city of Niigata, the biggest Japanese city facing the Sea of Japan. The founder of the company, Shozo Otani, had a keen interest in modern industrial products and the company's activities ranged from wholesaling and retailing pumps, electric motors to V-belts and many other industrial products. The company was incorporated in 1950 and a new head office was built in 1975. In 1974, second generation Masao Otani, currently company chairman, had already taken over the management of the company. New divisions for plant equipment, technical design, and maintenance were established successively.
A new chapter was opened in 1997 with the inauguration of the Otani Flower Division near Tokyo's Narita Airport. Today, the Flower Division of Otani Trading imports flowers and foliage from more than 25 countries around the world. The company has grown into one of the major cut flower importers in Japan with its own building near Narita Airport. In 2005, third generation Albert Wetzler and fourth generation Robert Wetzler took over the management to lead the company into a new era of growth. Also in 2005, a Food Division was established in Tokyo with the purpose of exporting and importing food products from and to Japan. Otani Trading now employs over 100 people in 7 locations inside and outside Japan.
In order to handle the ever increasing quantities of flowers, the Flower Division, in 2011, moved part of the operation into a new state-of-the-art distribution centre near the South Gate of Narita Airport. With our own cooling, repacking, and distribution facilities, along with a modern IT infrastructure, we are set to offer competitive services to all our suppliers and customers.
Flowers are produced and consumed in almost all corners of the world. Matching supply and demand is our daily business, involving countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Production cost differences and opposite flowering seasons of the two hemispheres are the two major driving forces of the international flower trade. Add to this the ever growing availability of air and sea cargo space and you know why this industry is flowering without an end in sight. As a rule of thumb, the best flowers are supposed to be grown in high-altitude areas near the equator. This gives countries like Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malaysia a clear advantage. Nevertheless, depending on the type of flower, countries like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile in the South, or Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and China in the North, play important roles in the international flower trade. Orchids are produced in large quantities in South-East Asia but, when it comes to foliage production, the situation is different again. Countries like Costa Rica, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and China all play important roles. Please have a look at our map showing major countries of supply.
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The Soca River it known for its comprehensive offer of various activities and experiences, especially suitable for adrenaline seeking tourists. Beside the typical rafting and kayaking tours, there is so much more to see, try, and love. The best place to start is Bovec, the town that offers the most for tourists.
The first thing to try might be hydrospeed. Bovec offers this just as readily as rafting and kayaking, for it is a very attractive adventurous activity. It combines the thrills of many other activities – it offers close connection to the river, quick and dynamic floating along with the flow, and all the features of group-friendly activities that excite families and friends. For hydrospeed, Bovec has multiple offers and providers, all of which have trustworthy guides and perfect plans for unforgettable tours. Above all, it is an unusual experience that will stay in the memory and call you back for years to come. Without hydrospeed, Bovec would certainly be a bit more boring place.
Soca canyoning is not that unusual, it is, after all, just as popular and frequently promoted as other common activities. But it is still a bit detached from all the bustle on the river. That's because Soca canyoning is really done in the canyons of the tributaries, not the River Soca itself. That makes for a unique impression that can enrich the experience of the adventurous tourists. It is certainly not usual to embark on an exploratory adventure down the canyons of an unknown stream. There will be many obstacles on the way, all natural, challenging, and intriguing. They are fun to overcome, they combine swimming, climbing, jumping, even tobogganing down the natural slides. Soca canyoning is the best choice for those convinced they had tried it all!


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Profiles of Millenarian & Apocalyptic Movements
Christian Zionism Study
Tagged: Christian, Israel, USA, Dispensationalism, Rapture, Evangelical, Conversion, Judaism, Zion, Jerusalem
Summary of movement
Christian Zionism is a millenarian movement that draws adherents from different denominations and persuasions within the Christian faith. It is primarily made up of those who hold a Protestant evangelical perspective. Zionism is broadly understood as the belief that the Jewish people have a right to return to Israel. Christian Zionism is a particular belief in the Jewish right of return, based upon the Old Testament covenant made by God with Abraham. The term 'Christian Zionist' was first used by Theodor Herzl at the First Zionist Congress in 1897 (Hedding 2010). The most commonly quoted bible verse relating to this covenant is Genesis 12:3. God tells Abraham "I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed".
View of the Old City of Jerusalem. Source: ©2005 Wayne McLean
The millenarian aspects of Christian Zionist belief have proved controversial. Christian Zionists believe that the return of Jews to their homeland heralds the beginning of the biblically prophesied 'End Times'. The conversion of Jews to Christianity is considered by many Christian Zionists to be a vital element in this process. Numerous prominent Christian Zionists have sought to distance themselves from these views. However, others (including the Southern Baptist Union of the United States) have openly declared their adherence to these beliefs.
Christian Zionism is a belief system without a formal structure. However, there exist high-profile leaders and established bodies that seek to represent the views, aims and objectives of Christian Zionists. Chief amongst these is the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ). This body seeks to "connect the global church with the nation of Israel… We are here to affirm to Israel and to the nation that God is a covenant-keeping God" (ICEJ video: 0:55).
ICEJ: Over 30 years blessing Israel
The ICEJ defines its mission in terms of bringing Christians into relationship with Jews in the Holy Land. It also undertakes education of Christians globally through its offices in 86 countries (ICEJ). These outreach efforts result in drawing huge numbers of Christians to the Holy Land each year. Particularly noteworthy is the annual Feast of the Tabernacles held in Jerusalem. This is a celebration of a Jewish holiday bringing together Christians and Jews with a common purpose: to uphold the significance of Israel as both a nation-state and as a symbol of the truth of biblical prophecy.
Christian Zionists can be found in significant numbers across Europe and Latin America. However, the most sizeable population of Christian Zionists exist in the United States (Sturm 2017a: 2). Hundreds of American churches, particularly Protestant evangelical congregations, focus their worship upon Old Testament prophecy and the role of the Holy Land in fulfilling this prophecy. Prominent Christian Zionist leaders among these churches have included the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Rev. Tim LaHaye and Pat Robertson (Clark 2007: 184). However, Christian Zionism is not limited to those churches and leaders considered part of the traditional American conservative religious right. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a supporter of the Zionist cause (Sundquist 2005: 110). Christian Zionist belief in the United States brings together Christians from a variety of backgrounds. "A poll conducted by Pew Forum of Religion and Public Life in July 2006 found that 42% of all Americans believe 'Israel was given to the Jewish people by God' and that 35% believe that Israel is 'part of the fulfilment of biblical prophecy about the Second Coming of Jesus'" (Clark 2007: 5). These figures demonstrate the strength of support for Israel among American Christians. American evangelical Christians are considered to have been the key driving force behind the international Zionist agenda over the past half-century.
History/Origins
The roots of the Christian Zionist movement can be traced back through seventeenth-century Protestantism to the earliest Christian communities (Ariel 2006: 74-5). The amillennial leanings of many modern Christian groups began to emerge in the 4th and 5th centuries. At this time, believers began to expect the return of Christ in a remote (rather than an immediate) future.
"According to [this] view, the church has replaced Jesus on earth and has a mission to instruct its followers and ensure their salvation. However, millennial groups, which expected the return of Jesus to earth, came about during the Middle Ages, drawing on messianic passages in biblical tracts, such as Daniel and the Revelation of John, and predicting the imminent end of the world-as-we-know-it" (Ariel 2006: 74-5).
Following this tradition, modern Christian Zionism began to flourish in Victorian British non-conformist Christian communities.
Christian interest in the return of Jews to their homeland was heightened in the nineteenth century among British Protestants who began to interpret biblical texts in a more literal manner. They viewed Jews as the descendants of biblical Israelites and heirs to the covenant between God and Abraham (Ariel 2006: 75). This belief in the modern-day applicability of the covenant stems from literal interpretation of Genesis 12:1-7:
"Now the Lord said to Abraham, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
So Abraham went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him… And they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abraham passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him."
The 'land of Canaan' corresponds roughly to present-day Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and parts of Syria and Jordan (Tubb 1998: 5). The fulfillment of this biblical promise is viewed by Christian Zionists as being the pre-requisite for Christ's return to earth. For this reason Christian Zionists have actively lobbied for both the return of Jews to modern-day Israel and for an end to the existence of the territories administered by the Palestinian Authority.
"Christian Zionists question any peace process in the Middle East designed to solve the Arab-Israeli dispute over Palestine. They oppose the Middle East peace process because they oppose a physical division of Jerusalem or of Israel. That is, they denounce the principle of exchanging land for peace, which is at the heart of any negotiated peace process…. [they] oppose the idea of a Palestinian state located on territory which, [they] argue, the Bible says should be in Israel's possession" (Kiracofe 2009: 174).
This religiously-motivated refusal to entertain any compromise pertaining to control of land in Israel/Palestine has been interpreted by Tristan Sturm as a performance of 'outsider' nationalism so bound up in religious belief that the two cannot be separated (Sturm 2017a: 2).
With the British occupation of Palestine during WWI, British Christian Zionism began to become as much political as religious. Palestine was controlled under a British mandate from 1920 – 1948. This mandate was legitimised by the League of Nations in 1922. The Mandate was part of a system designed to provide administration to parts of the defunct Ottoman Empire, which had controlled the Middle East since the 16th century (Cleveland and Bunton 2016: 159).
Map of Mandatory British Palestine in 1946, with major cities. Source: ©2015 Bolter21
The Balfour Declaration was written a short time before Palestine came under British control. From the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to the most prominent British Jew of the time, Lord Rothschild, it laid out British intentions with regard to the Holy Land:
"Foreign Office,
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Arthur, Lord Balfour" (Cleveland and Bunton 2016: 230).
Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl Balfour. Source: public domain
According to historian Donald M. Lewis, the Balfour Declaration is regarded as "the single most significant political development in the history of Zionism between the first Zionist Conference of 1897 and the United Nations' vote in 1948 establishing the state of Israel" (Lewis 2010: 1). However, controversy continues to this day regarding what was actually promised in the Balfour Declaration. Numerous commentators have pointed out that the language of the declaration is deliberately vague. Victoria Clark has suggested that those involved in its drafting were well aware of the document's "moral ambiguities" (Clark 2007: 121). Numerous motivations underpinned British support for the creation of a Jewish homeland. Prominent among these was the Protestant belief in the Jewish return heralding the beginning of events predicted in the Old Testament (Lewis 2010: 6).
More pragmatically though, political alliances were at stake. British Prime Minister Lloyd George wished to erode French political influence in the Middle East. He also "calculated that by promising the Jews a British-sponsored homeland in Palestine after the war he could place them in Britain's debt forever" (Clark 2007: 121). The nineteenth-century British self-conception as an 'elect' nation, destined to play a role in the fulfilment of biblical prophecy, was also a factor motivating the British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland (Lewis, 2010, 20). This final factor has over the past century dissipated almost completely within Britain. Christian Zionism is no longer a significant religious or political force in the UK. However, many Americans have adopted a similar belief in their nation having a role to play in fulfilment of biblical prophecy (Lewis 2010: 20).
Few Jews supported the idea of a Jewish homeland at the time of the Balfour Declaration. Theodor Herzl had been championing the cause for decades but many of his fellow Jews opposed the idea. Edwin Montagu, then British Secretary of State for India, rejected Zionism on the grounds that to create a Jewish homeland would "imply that his sort weren't one hundred per cent British" (Clark 2007: 115-6). At the time, most European Jews shared this perspective. However, the horrific events of WWII were to bring about a seismic shift in how 'European' many Jews felt. Once the state of Israel was created in 1948, Jewish migration from Europe to their newly-created homeland increased exponentially from what had been allowed under the British mandate. It has been estimated that 170,000 Jews had immigrated to Israel by 1953 (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).
While holding to the central tenets of the Christian faith, Christian Zionists differ from other Christians in one key way. They consider themselves 'dispensationalists' rather than adherents of 'replacement theology'.
'Dispensationalist' thought is the millenarian branch of Christian belief. This branch holds that the return of Christ will be heralded by the 'rapture'. The rapture will involve true believers being snatched from earth to meet with Jesus in an other-worldly realm. Turmoil, violence and misery will rule on earth for seven years. This will be caused by natural disasters, by war and by dictatorial regimes. Jesus will then return to earth with his true believers to reign for a thousand years. For Christian Zionists, the rapture will be preceded by the return of Jews to the Holy Land, and the conversion of Jews to Christian belief (Ariel 2006: 76). However, many Christian Zionist bodies have sought to distance themselves from elements of dispensationalist theology. This is largely due to hostility within Israel towards Christian groups seeking to proselytise amongst the Jewish population. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has sought to distance itself from these beliefs by stating on its website:
"Christian Zionism is not based on prophecy or end-time events. Most Christian Zionists would agree, however, that Israel's re-emergence on the world's scene, in fulfilment of God's promises to her, indicate that other biblically-predicted events will follow" (Hedding, ICEJ).
The Western Wall of Jerusalem. Source: ©2010 Sheepdog85
By contrast, replacement theology is the belief that the Christian church is the "continuation and heir of biblical historical Israel and that Judaism has no further purpose in God's plan for humanity" (Ariel 2006: 87). Replacement theology forms the views of significant segments of Christianity, including the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches of the Middle East (Kiracofe 2009: xii). Reference to the Catholic Church as 'the People of God' by various Popes in speeches and encyclicals can be understood as evidence of Catholic belief in replacement theology (Benedict XVI). However, certain Christian theologians have sought to distance themselves from this thinking, particularly in light of the events of the Holocaust (Soulen 1996).
Each tradition has a history of hostility toward the other. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem interprets replacement theology in the following way:
"Christian Zionism differs with Replacement Theology which teaches that the special relationship that Israel had with her God in terms of her national destiny and her national homeland has been lost because of her rejection of Jesus as Messiah, and therefore the Church has become the new Israel. The Church has then inherited all the blessings promised to Israel but the judgments and curses still conveniently remain over the Jewish people" (Hedding, ICEJ).
The dispensationalist theology of Christian Zionism was condemned in a 2006 letter signed by the Anglican, Catholic, Syrian Orthodox and Lutheran Churches' leaders in Jerusalem. Known as the Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism, it stated that:
"The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it places an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today. We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation" (Electronic Intifada 2006).
The hostility of these Christian leaders towards one another is underpinned by competing desires. A majority of those who hold a belief in replacement theology desire a negotiated peace to be reached in the Middle East. However, many dispensationalists believe that a negotiated peace is a betrayal of biblical prophecy. Instead, they desire Israel's total control of the Holy Land. Dispensationalists hold that God created the Jews to be a blessing to the world and that every empire which has persecuted the Jews throughout history has fallen. Modern Christian Zionists believe "this will be the fate of America as well if the people do not bless Israel in every way possible. However, if America cooperates with God in blessing Israel, America will not only be blessed but will also see Israel become a blessing to all nations" (Phillips 2014: 22).
Millennial Beliefs
Christian fundamentalism became firmly established in Britain, Europe and the US in the early twentieth century. Fundamentalist beliefs became manifest in the publication of The Fundamentals between 1910 and 1915. These volumes served to formalise the doctrine of fundamentalist Christianity, and gave rise to widespread use of the term 'fundamentalist.' This burgeoning movement within Christianity was spurred on by two major events in 1917: the capture of Jerusalem by British forces and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Both impressed believers within fundamentalist Christianity as being 'signs of the times', indicating an imminent fulfilment of biblical prophecy (Kiracofe 2009: 72).
Although no such fulfilment occurred, events throughout the twentieth century continued to be interpreted by millenarian Christian groups as significant of the coming 'End Times'. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was viewed by Christian Zionists as being the historical event of greatest importance in heralding the fulfilment of biblical prophecy. Furthermore, the survival of the state of Israel, surrounded by hostile Arab nations, has been interpreted as a miracle almost as significant as the establishment of Israel itself.
Together, these geopolitical events have been understood by Christian Zionists as the first two steps in God's plan for his world (Clark 2007: 3).
The 'End Times', which are believed by Christian Zionists to be heralded by the establishment and survival of the state of Israel, are commonly referred to as 'the Rapture'. While the chaos of war, famine and natural disaster breaks out on earth, true believers will be taken to a heavenly realm. Existing in peace with Jesus, they will return to the earth once the tribulations have ended. At this time Christ's rule over earth will commence, with "Jerusalem serving as the capital of the entire world" (Ariel 2006: 77). World events are monitored closely by evangelical Christian groups for signs that the 'End Times' are imminent. RaptureReady is perhaps the most prominent monitoring service, providing "commentary on world events that relate to bible prophecy" (RaptureReady).
Articles on RaptureReady examine such events as the September 2017 bombing of a chemical weapons facility in Syria by Israeli forces. It is claimed that such events mean readers should 'get ready for the rapture. Believers are one major step closer to going home.' (Olsen RaptureReady) Alongside reporting of current events, readers of RaptureReady will find articles examining the varying degrees of favour with which US Presidents have treated Israel; and articles signed off with the Hebrew 'Shalom b'Yeshua' – Peace in Christ. As one of the most prominent 'End Times' monitoring services, RaptureReady is imbued with Christian Zionist theology throughout its reporting.
Pastor John Hagee preaching on the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus
The necessity or not of converting Jews to Christianity as a pre-cursor to the Rapture is a contentious issue among Christian Zionists. While some assert that Jews as God's chosen people need to be saved through conversion, various prominent Christian Zionists have disclaimed any belief in such a necessity (Clark 2007: 235 and 248). Among them is Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Eckstein has raised millions of dollars for Israel from American Christian Zionists. However, he has been criticised by Orthodox Jews for ignoring the implications for Jews of Christian Zionists' 'End Times' prophecies (Clark 2007: 232). It has been pointed out that the refusal of some prominent Christian Zionist leaders to engage in discussion of the issue of conversion may be due to political expediency, Israeli authorities being hostile to groups engaging in such activities (Clark 2007: 248). However, among Christian Zionists the belief is common that Jews will not be saved due simply to their status as God's chosen people within Old Testament prophecy. Conversion is considered by many Christian Zionists to be necessary for Jews to be a part of Christ's reign on earth.
In a New Yorker profile of the former US Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, Ariel Levy accompanied a group of American Christians Huckabee was guiding around the Holy Land. Numerous members of this group "politely admitted that they had no doubt that most Israelis, and anyone else who had not accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, would be spending an eternity in Hell" (Levy, 2010). The professed love of Christian Zionists for Israel and the Israeli people is seen by some as a contradictory element within the evangelical Christian belief system. According to academic Dan Hummel, tension over the necessity of converting Jews as a pre-cursor to the Rapture has resulted in Christian Zionists engaging in "theological gymnastics" in order to align their "evangelistic impulses" to convert Jews to Christianity with their Zionism – i.e. their love of Israel and the Jewish people (Hummel 2017).
Historian Donald M. Lewis has sought to bring a balanced perspective to this inflammatory debate, suggesting that it needs to be remembered that the evangelistic impulses of Christian Zionists are not limited to Jews (Lewis 2010: 13). However, the focus of the millennial belief system of Christian Zionists upon Israel undeniably brings a particular prominence to the role of the Jewish people within this millenarian theology.
Modern-day Christian Zionism exists in many countries throughout the world. By far the largest population of those subscribing to this belief system reside in the United States. The overwhelming majority of Christian Zionists belong to evangelical churches of the South-East and South-Central American 'Bible Belt'. (Ariel, 2006, 84) Christian Zionist religious traditions and practices are therefore carried out within the parameters of the Protestant evangelical tradition. Such a tradition places a strong emphasis upon Bible teaching and Old Testament prophecy. It must be noted, however, that not all evangelical Christians are Christian Zionists. Nor are all Christian Zionists from the evangelical tradition. Christian Zionism is a belief system which draws adherents from a variety of backgrounds and traditions.
Although the majority of Christian Zionists identify as evangelical Protestant Christians, many have adopted practices which do not originate in the Protestant tradition. Such practices are drawn from Judaism and include the observance of the Sabbath on Saturday. Tristan Sturm has suggested that this is a part of Christian Zionists viewing themselves as "proto-Jews on earth" (Sturm 2017b).
Many evangelical Christian congregations in the United States that consider themselves part of the Christian Zionist movement have partnered with Israeli settler communities for which they raise funds. The raising of such funds is seen as being in accordance with the biblical teachings of the evangelical Protestant tradition. These funds enable settler communities to provide higher standards of healthcare and education to their residents than would otherwise be available. However, the fundraising efforts of American congregations have been criticised for providing support to settlement communities which are considered illegal under international law (UN Security Council, Mearsheimer and Walt 2007: 138).
Many Christian Zionist congregations and groups organise guided tours to the Holy Land. These tours are designed predominantly to provide support to Israelis. Like the raising of funds, these solidarity visits are understood as being central to the Christian Zionist belief system (Phillips 2014: 21). One particular Israeli settlement, Ariel, receives an average of fifteen visits per year from Christian Zionist groups. (Phillips 2014: 27).
A Christian perspective on visiting the Holy Land
Christian Zionist beliefs have proved controversial not only for their emphasis upon the 'End Times', but also for their political ramifications. Jewish scholar Yaakov Ariel has argued that:
"Especially in America, Christian Zionists have turned into a pro-Israel lobby that uses its political power to promote policies favourable to the interests of the Jewish state. The decades following the Six-Day war were marked by massive American support for Israel in terms of money, arms and diplomatic backing. For many conservative Christians in America, their pro-Israeli stand was an appreciation of the importance of the State of Israel for the advancement of history. It was, at the same time, a fulfilment of America's historical role, as well as going hand-in-hand with American interests" (Ariel, 2006, 81-2).
There exists a strong relationship between Christian Zionists, the American political elite, and Israeli national leadership (Clark 2007: 193). American presidents have subscribed to the Christian Zionist agenda to varying degrees, with George W. Bush seen as the most biblically-inspired president in terms of his pro-Israel policies (Brown 2013).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauds Christian Zionists
The influence which Christian Zionists hold in American politics has been a significant source of controversy, particularly (as Ariel notes above) since the Six-Day War. It has been pointed out that the failure to negotiate peace in the Middle East has been, at least in part, an achievement of the Christian Zionist biblical and political agenda. This failure "lies at the heart of the Muslim sense of grievance towards the West, and the West's struggle with Islamic fundamentalism" (Clark 2007: 5).
This lecture from Dr Tristan Sturm explores some of the controversial aspects of Christian Zionist involvement in conceptions of Palestinians and the Palestinian right to land:
Tristan Sturm, 'God's Just Gaza War'
The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) is one of the most prominent Christian Zionist organisations in the world. However, the ICEJ has been a source of considerable controversy. It was set up in defiance of the majority of international embassies removing to Tel Aviv in 1980 in protest against the Israeli Knesset's passing of the 'Jerusalem Law' (Ariel 2006: 84). The ICEJ draws thousands of Christian Zionist visitors to Jerusalem each year, particularly in celebration of the annual feast of the Tabernacles (ICEJ). However, the Middle Eastern churches reject the mission and the message of the ICEJ. Leaders of the Middle Eastern churches have highlighted the role played by Christian Zionism in preventing a 'just peace' being negotiated in Israel and Palestine. They have highlighted in a co-signed letter that the alliance of Christian Zionists with political leaders has led to "unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world" (Electronic Intifada 2006).
Jewish commentators have highlighted the problematic elements within Christian Zionist attitudes towards Jews. (Ariel 2006, Gorenberg 2002) Although the Christian Zionist agenda upholds the nation of Israel, it inherently views "the Jews as the people who fail to recognise and accept the true Messiah and have thus deprived themselves of both eternal life and sound moral guidelines" (Ariel 2006: 95). Christian Zionists have also condemned the views of those who do not wholeheartedly support the Zionist agenda. On the website of the ICEJ, Rev. Malcolm Hedding draws attention to the lack of support for European Jews in the 1930s and 1940s, and aligns modern-day opposition to the policies of the state of Israel to the events of WWII (Hedding, ICEJ).
"You want to know why Christians like us are so attached to Jews? It's because no other people has demonstrated through history that the Word of God is true. Prophecies about the Jews have been fulfilled and are being fulfilled" (Participant quoted in Clark 2007: 16).
"Which nations will be fighting Israel at the battle of Armageddon?... All of 'em! The members of the European Union and the United Nations are all anti-Israel… Many of us believe [Armageddom and the Second Coming are] going to happen within the next few decades. All the pieces are dropping into place; we're just waiting for Turkey to get rejected by the European Union. It's a case of when you pass downtown stores full of Christmas decorations, you know Thanksgiving's on its way!" (Chuck Missler, quoted in Clark 2007: 10).
A significant amount of literature examining Christian Zionism is written from a perspective hostile to the political and religious agenda of this movement. Both Jewish and Christian commentators have criticised Christian Zionism for lobbying against Middle East peace negotiations. However, one researcher who spent time with a Christian Zionist parish in the United States has offered a perspective taking into account these misgivings alongside the biblical motivations of Christian Zionists.
"Much of the literature on Christian Zionism is written as expose, to convince us that Christian Zionism is politically dangerous or biblically unsound. Descriptions of the battle of Armageddon figure prominently in these portrayals, and 'Armageddon' often finds its way into their titles…. [However] I did not find that the people at FBC [an evangelical parish in the United States] have a fanatical thirst for the bloodshed of Armageddon; instead they have an utter certitude that they are cooperating with God in the fruition of God's ultimate intentions for human history" (Phillips 2014: 29).
Ariel, Y. (2006) 'An Unexpected Alliance: Christian Zionism and its historical significance.' Modern Judaism, 26(1), 74-100.
Clark, Victoria (2007) Allies for Armageddon: The rise of Christian Zionism. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Gerges, F. (2012) Obama and the Middle East: The end of America's moment? New York: Palgrave.
Gorenberg, Gershom (2002) The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Inbari, M. (2012) Messianic Religious Zionism Confronts Israeli Territorial Compromises. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kiracofe, Clifford A. (2009) Dark Crusade: Christian Zionism and US Foreign Policy. New York: IB Tauris.
Lewis, Donald M. (2010) The Origins of Christian Zionism: Lord Shaftesbury and Evangelical Support for a Jewish Homeland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mearsheimer, John J. and Stephen M. Walt (2007) The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy. New York: Farrer, Straus and Giroux.
Phillips, E. (2014) 'Saying "Peace" When There Is No Peace: An American Christian Zionist Congregation on Peace, Militarism and Settlements.' Goran Gunner and Robert O. Smith (eds.), Comprehending Christian Zionism: Perspectives in Comparison. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Soulen, R. (1996) The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress.
Sturm, T. (2017a) 'Religion as Nationalism: The religious nationalism of American Christian Zionists.' National Identities.
Sundquist, E. (2005) Strangers in the Land: Blacks, Jews, Post-Holocaust America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Tubb, J. (1998) Canaanites: Peoples of the Past. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Popular References
Benedict XVI, speech Monday 21 July 2008 http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2008/july/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080721_farewell.html
Brimmer, R., Ray Sanders and Malcolm Hedding. 'The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism: A joint response by the ICEJ, Bridges for Peace and Christian Friends of Israel.' https://int.icej.org/media/jerusalem-declaration-christian-zionism.
Brown, A. (14 November, 2013) 'George W. Bush's 'New Crusade': Converting Jews to Christianity.' The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2013/nov/14/george-w-bush-speech-messianic-judaism
Eglash, R. (2 July, 2015) 'Does Israel Actually Occupy the Gaza Strip?' The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/02/does-israel-actually-occupy-the-gaza-strip/?utm_term=.a78a642f6b8c
Electronic Intifada, 'Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism.' https://electronicintifada.net/content/jerusalem-declaration-christian-zionism/627
Hedding, M. 'In Defense [sic] of Christian Zionism: The critique of the movement.' https://int.icej.org/media/defense-christian-zionism
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), video on Christian Zionism. https://int.icej.org/about-us
Hummel, D. (2017) 'The New Christian Zionists.' Review of The New Christian Zionism: Fresh Perspectives on Israel and the Land. Gerald R. McDermott (ed.), InterVarsity, 2016. Religion and Politics, June 13, 2017.
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) website. https://int.icej.org/
Levy, A. (2010) 'Prodigal Son: Is the wayward Republican Mike Huckabee now his party's best hope?' The New Yorker, June 28, 2010. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/06/28/prodigal-son
Olsen, K., 'Israel Wipes Out Iranian Chemical-Bio Facility.' Rapture Ready http://www.raptureready.com/2017/09/07/israel-wipes-out-iranian-chemical-bio-facility/
Silverman, G. (April 13, 2017) 'How the Bible Belt Lost God and Found Trump.' The Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/b41d0ee6-1e96-11e7-b7d3-163f5a7f229c
Sturm, T. (2017b) 'God's Just Gaza War: American Christian Zionist Landscape Pilgrimage and the Millennial Justification for Palestinian Expulsion.' Paper presented at the 2017 CENSAMM conference, Violence and Millenarian Movements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtM-g6sWA40
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 'The Aftermath of the Holocaust.' https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005129
UN Security Council (23 December, 2016) 'Israel's Settlements Have No Legal Validity, Constitute Flagrant Violation of International Law, Security Council Reaffirms.' https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12657.doc.htm
Author: Dr Catherine Loy, Inform
Online resources (open-access videos and podcasts)
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Pastor calls on churches to 'rise above political fray,' 'grieve with those who grieve' after LGBT club shooting
CP U.S. | Tuesday, November 22, 2022
By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter
Mourners at a memorial outside of Club Q on Nov. 22, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A gunman opened fire inside the LGBT club on Nov. 19, killing five and injuring 25 others. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images) | Chet Strange/Getty Images
Updated 9 PM ET Nov. 22
The pastor of a Colorado church is calling on Christians to "rise above the political fray and focus on God's glory" following a mass shooting at a nearby LGBT nightclub.
Pastor Kelly Williams has led Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs for more than a quarter century. Following a mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBT nightclub where five people were killed and 18 others were wounded Saturday less than a mile from his church, Williams delivered a message to Christians in an op-ed for The Christian Post.
"What does a church do in this situation?" he asked. "Do we stand up against the things that occurred at this club and let our congregation and online community know that we don't approve and that the Bible explicitly stands against these matters of morality? Do we ignore the broken hearts surrounded by this event in our community?"
Williams suggested that his church and others should embrace a "third option" that entails following the command set forth by Christ in Romans 12:15 to "Grieve with those who grieve." He stressed that churches have the ability and obligation to empathize with those who lost loved ones in a tragedy even if they have not "come to Christ."
"In the sensitive moments soon after a tragedy, it is important we remember, as churches we exist to live out the mission of Jesus to seek and save that which is lost," he wrote. "The best way to do so is to relate to our fellow image-bearers through the universal language we can all relate to: pain. I have never met anyone who doesn't have pain in their life. Pain will remain true for all of us throughout our lives whether we come to Christ or not."
He added: "If we begin with the universal language of pain, we will find the right balance between love and truth. When tragedy strikes a community, the question of 'why this occurred' is not always the best one to ask. This question usually takes a long time to unravel and by the time it does the moment has passed. It is important that when a tragedy strikes a community, we immediately ask the question, 'How can we care?'"
The alleged perpetrator of the mass shooting at Club Q, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was previously arrested in 2021 for allegedly threatening to harm his mother with a bomb. A statement from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office detailed how "the reporting party said her son was threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition." He was ultimately booked into the El Paso County Jail on three counts of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of felony menacing at the time.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that "no formal charges were pursued in the case, which has since been sealed." Aldrich had called the publication over the summer and asked it to either retract or update a story about his arrest because "there is absolutely nothing there" and "the case was dismissed."
The New York Times reported an unexpected update about the case Tuesday night, revealing that the suspect identifies as nonbinary and goes by they/them pronouns and prefers to be called by the name Mx. Aldrich. It's not yet known if he was a patron of the club or had friends who worked or performed there. His first court appearance will be via video link from jail on Wednesday.
Club Q had planned to host a drag show for children on Sunday, the day after the shooting.
According to The Washington Post, Aldrich changed his name when he was 15 years old and a resident of San Antonio, Texas, after he endured an onslaught of online bullying. His parents had divorced when he was a toddler, and when he was 12, his mother, Laura Voepel, was suspected of arson and arrested. She was later charged with a lesser offense.
Aldrich was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but was not an active member at any Colorado Springs location, The Washington Post added.
Pastor Williams called on churches to "suspend the dialogue in their head and refuse to pass premature judgment on the matter so that the grace and compassion of Christ can manifest themselves in and through your community."
He noted that at Vanguard Church, "We invited our congregation to join in a corporate time of prayer. We asked the Lord to give comfort to the brokenhearted and all who were impacted by this sorrowful situation."
Lamenting that "politics and the press has already gotten involved in the process," Williams urged churches to "seize the moment to rise above the political fray and focus on God's glory instead." He illustrated the need to "offer up prayers for those who are hurting" and "step in to bring healing where so much suffering has already taken place."
Following Saturday night's shooting, many in the corporate media have attempted to answer the question of "why this occurred." NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny suggested Monday that the attack is the result of "hate" against the LGBT community, which she contended "starts from some smaller accounts online like LibsofTikTok, it moves to the right-wing blogosphere and then it ends up on Tucker Carlson or it ends up out of a right-wing politician's mouth."
The Twitter account LibsofTikTok has recently shared audio recordings of her speaking with children's hospitals while posing as the mother of a trans-identified teenager inquiring as to whether they perform body mutilating "gender transition surgeries" on children and teenagers. While trans activists refer to such procedures as "gender-affirming care," critics, including the American College of Pediatricians, have raised serious concerns about the irreversible and long-term effects of surgeries that maim people for life.
Several conservative commentators have pointed out that some in the media and progressives are quick to politicize mass shootings when it suits their agenda.
Ben Shapiro, a commentator on The Daily Wire, said on his podcast Monday: "The Left has no problem blaming tragedies like the one in Colorado Springs on their political opponents. According to them, anyone who doesn't support their radical social agenda is complicit. And yet they wonder why society is more polarized than ever."
"And this is a game that only gets played by one side of the political aisle again and again and again," he added.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
Pastor of Texas church where gunman killed 26 preached on Paul's letter to Ephesus in last sermon
Samuel Rodriguez, Clergy, Condemn Pastor Who Says Christians Shouldn't Mourn Deaths of 'Sodomites'
Southern Baptist Church 2 Blocks From Orlando Massacre Helping Victims' Families
ISIS Claims Responsibility for Terror Attack on Orlando Gay Nightclub by Omar Mateen Who Killed 50 People


text:
New shop offers tip to help cut landfill
Posted November 29, 2013 13:55:54
Map: Molendinar 4214
Twenty workers will be getting their hands dirty in Southport today to try and minimise the amount of landfill the Gold Coast produces.
A shop that sells goods found at the Molendinar tip opens today.
The Endeavour Foundation runs the store and employs people with physical or intellectual disabilities.
Recycling manager Russell Currie says similar shops in Brisbane have been successful.
"They really get involved and really actually enjoy the type of work," he said.
"People give it to us but we also do the extraction from people's waste and they just love getting in there and having a go and finding things.
"They feel like they're really giving back to the community."
Mr Currie says customers will have ample reason to feel good about their purchases.
"It's the first of this kind on the Gold Coast and it's a real opportunity for people to come and grab a bargain and prevent it from going to landfill," he said.
"It's supporting up to 20 Gold Coast locals and 10 of those have an intellectual or physical disability."
Topics: recycling-and-waste-management, charities-and-community-organisations, work, molendinar-4214, southport-4215
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Live: NSW Now: Dust storm sweeps through state's central west, light rail speeds up in Sydney


text:
BEYT - NAIMA - ART
Einayim LaMishpat 8, Nachlaot, Jerusalem
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The exhibition, "Let There Be Light," opened at the Naima House Gallery in the Nachlaot neighbourhood of Jerusalem on Saturday, December 31, coinciding with the last day of Chanukah (the Jewish Festival of Lights) and New Year's Eve. The show addresses the theme of light, common to both of these annual events, from a variety of perspectives.
The well-arranged display includes pieces by 12 artists, most of whom have come to live in Israel from the FSU: realistic/impressionistic paintings, symbolic works in various styles, glass compositions, and some tapestries.
In the center of the show is a most impressive large polyptych, "Chanukah Tale" (16 out of the 24 small canvases are shown) by Kiev-born Anatoly-Shmuel Schelest, who has been in Israel for 10 years. These mixed-media paintings feature hanukiot, other Jewish ceremonial objects, and Jewish figures are in muted colours with different lighting. Well-known artist Alexander Gurevich, in Israel since 1993, is represented by 10 works in symbolic style, which he infuses with light in his own unique way. His painting, "The Pilgrim," is shown on the invitation to the exhibition; and "The Abandoned House" consists of many windows, some of which are lit up. Tenne Pent Sooster's "Above the Light" is a large back-and white, mixed-media work on paper. Alex Magafy's three oils include "Chanukah Poker" and "Holy Family" (with a large religious man in the foreground and more modern family members further back). Boris Gozzo's small paintings of Hebrew letters are done on parchment. Bulgarian-born Asia Katz, who lives in Safed, paints small delicate mixed-media works often featuring women in warm but subtle colours. Two of Jacob Feldman's monochrome oil portraits of women include attached candles in wrought iron holders. Both the rural landscapes by Yaffa Wagner (born in Iran and brought to Israel as a baby, who is the owner of the gallery premises), focussing on trees, fields and skies; and the urban Jerusalem scenes by Rifkah (Rita) Goldberg, who immigrated from England over 40 years ago, express more literal representations of light. Both Yaffa and Rifkah also write poetry. Michal Dan shows ceramics. Leonid Kritsun's attractive glass work includes: two chanukiot, fashioned out of thin glass plates, one of them in a beautiful pastel turquoise shade; illuminated cubes decorated with copies of Chagall and Margritte paintings; and "The Big Bang," a large flattened flower shape with a circle of light continually changing colours flowing through it.
The charming late 19th century house with typical alcoves, tall arched windows, the original paved stone floor, and many pre-Mandate objects provides an interesting setting for this eclectic attractively hung show curated by Alexey Mikhailov.
The opening evening was enhanced by three short performances by the pianist Naaman Wagner, opera singer Svetlana Bendikov; and Yaffa Wagner who read excerpts form her latest book of poetry.
An interesting way to start the New Year 2017!
Rifkah Goldberg, January 2017


text:
Home » interview • new release • pop » Gilbert O'Sullivan: All About the Songs (Part One)
Posted in interview, new release, pop By Bill Kopp On May 21, 2020
Gilbert O'Sullivan: All About the Songs (Part One)
An edited version of this interview appeared previously in Stomp and Stammer.
Anyone who listened to pop radio in the early 1970s knows about Gilbert O'Sullivan. The Waterford, Ireland-born singer-songwriter scored a massive worldwide hit with the (admittedly maudlin) single, "Alone Again (Naturally.)" He'd go on to score other hits, including the decidedly more upbeat love song "Clair" (#1 in the UK and Ireland, #2 in the U.S.) and 1973's bouncy "Get Down" (#1 in the U.K and Ireland again, #7 in the U.S.). In fact O'Sullivan landed no less than 14 songs on the U.K. Top 40 charts, and five here in the States.
The stream of hit singles may have stopped by 1980, but O'Sullivan has remained a reliable purveyor of tuneful, critically well-received albums. Those who know him only for "Alone Again (Naturally)" may have him pegged as a dour, introspective bedsit singer-songwriter, but his body of work shows him to be a writer with a wry and witty sense of humor. Though he's generally placed in the singer-songwriter category, his music has much in common with early post-Beatles Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes and other artists at the mildly rocking and highly tuneful corner of the musical landscape.
His latest release – a self-titled album from 2018 – earned widespread praise; Allmusic.com named it among the year's best albums. Buoyed by that success, in early March of this year, O'Sullivan was gearing up for a tour of the United States; it would have been his first run of North American dates in many decades.
Of course the worldwide pandemic quickly put an end – or at least an indefinite pause – to that overseas trip. But though his plans to perform in support of Gilbert O'Sullivan would go on hold, he was happy to discuss the record as well as his connections to – believe it or not – Biz Markie and Supertramp.
Your most recent album is self-titled. Nineteen studio albums and almost half a century after your debut LP, what made you decide to make this one a self-titled record?
Well, I didn't. It wasn't my decision. I generally like getting involved in covers and stuff, and I always come up with the titles. The title I had for this one was Alphabetical Disorder. But the interesting thing was, the record company felt a link between this album and my very first album, and as such, because the first one was called Himself, they thought it might be nice to call this one Gilbert O'Sullivan. So I went along with it. They don't interfere with the songwriting, but I let them interfere with the title of the album.
This album is produced by Ethan Johns, and it has that analog warmth that you get by recording on tape, as opposed to just being on digital.
Is this the first analog-recorded album you've done in quite a few years?
No, I have my purpose-built recording studio here in Jersey, which is a 48 track SSL desk, but every time I've recorded here – this album and a previous album – I've always recorded on tape. On this album, the nice thing was that Ethan Johns, who is the son of Glyn Johns, the very famous 60s producer, Ethan's approach is very analog. So, the idea of coming here to my studio and recording on tape … that's what he wants to do anyway. [The final product does] end up digital, but it does retain that warmth, which is quite important. And that's what we did; that's how we recorded. And I think that's how we'll continue recording.
Beyond the technical aspect of recording in analog, how did having Ethan Johns as producer make the album different than it would otherwise be?
I'll give you one good example of Ethan's approach to production. We would do the first take, with mistakes, obviously. He'd be happy with the second take. We would do one more, and he'd even be more happy with the third take. But it might be that on the third take I, or the guitarist, might say, "Eh, Let's do one more." Ethan says, "Well, no need." I say, "Let's do the fourth, because in that third one there were a couple little areas…" Anyway, so, we do the fourth one, which is perfect. No mistakes.
But then Ethan would pick the third one! He'd pick the one with the mistakes, because that, for him, was the most natural take. Because you're not concentrating on the mistake in the one before. You're just going through it.
Listen to early Stones records. I mean, there's [mistakes] all over the place. The feel is fantastic. And you wouldn't get that feel if you were trying to find perfection. So, perfection is out the window with Ethan. And that appealed to me. There might be a couple of little things that I wasn't happy with, but Ethan would say, "Don't worry about it." That's his approach: mistakes, little errors are not that important if [correcting them] takes away from the feel of something.
Gilbert O'Sullivan received very positive notices, and it did quite well on the charts in Ireland. What sets this album apart from the others that you've made in recent years?
The whole key to anything I do is the songwriting. And for the last album, Latin ala G!, we went to Madrid to record it with Spanish musicians. It was great. I was very happy with that, and it got good reviews and stuff. This album more so; we got our first top 20 album in the UK in over forty years.
But I don't analyze why or how or what. Suffice to say I'm happy with the songs, the producer's happy with the songs. Why I like to work with different producers on each album, is because if you stay with the same producer, yes, it's really good. It's enriching because you've worked with each other, you know each other, and it's comfortable. But because it's the same songwriter and the same singer on each of my albums, I like the aspect of bringing something new in, someone whose input can be just as important as what it is that I bring to the record. So that's why it's exciting always with the next project to think who it is we could get on board for production. Because what they do add is something very special, as is proved with Ethan.
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Tags:gilbert o'sullivan


text:
Students Step Up to Solve Global Problems
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New Architecture Framework to Manage Infrastructure Systems in the Digital Age
The New York Academy of Sciences publishes an integrated framework to help owners of civil infrastructure systems design and manage complex assets to improve sustainability and resiliency.
Special Issue: Keystone Symposia Reports
Beginning in 2021, Ann NY Acad Sci and Keystone Symposia are working together to produce scholarly reports on select symposia. These are the first eight reports in the collaboration with Keystone and the many esteemed scientists who attended the symposia.
Neuroimmunomodulation in Health and Disease II
Edited by Edited by Adriana del Rey (University of Marburg, Essen, Germany), C. Jane Welsh (Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas), Markus J. Schwarz (Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany), and Hugo O. Besedovsky (University of Marburg, Essen, Germany)
The latest developments in work examining neuro–immune–endocrine aspects of infections and chronic disease.
This is the second of two Annals volume (see also Volume 1261) of papers by speakers at the 8th International Society for Neuroimmodulation Congress held in Dresden, Germany, October 2011. The papers focus on interactions among the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems that occur at multiple levels, from intracellular pathways by immune and neuroendocrine mediators, to the exchange of information between the three systems that results in physiologic and adaptive effects. In certain instances, however, these interactions may be unbalanced or even disrupted, which can contribute to pathology, and aspects of such pathobiology are presented in some of the contributions. This volume aims focuses on translational science aspects of immune–neuron–endocrine interactions.


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Georges Guillard (born 19 May 1939) is a French organist, former holder of the Great Organ of the Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux church in Paris.

Life
Born in Saint-Just-la-Pendue, Guillard was for a long time the holder of the Grandes Orgues de Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux and the Église Saint-Louis-en-l'Île in Paris. Founder and former head of the Department of early music at the , he is also a doctor of musicology: his thesis, defended in 1993 under the supervision of Danièle Pistone, is entitled L'orgue à Paris de 1964 à 1986.

He is a regular guest at Radio France and the main festivals of the capital (Festival Estival, Festival d'Art Sacré), and has also given numerous concerts in the provinces and in Europe. He has also been executive producer at Radio France (France Musique) for organ cycles. In 2002, he launched a complete set of Bach' Cantatas in the Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux church, which was a great public success, is to last for more than twenty years and is now continuing to be performed in L'Oratoire du Louvre (1st arrondissement of Paris)

A long practice of the splendid Kern organ of the Blancs-Manteaux, extensive contacts with organ builders (in particular, Jürgen Ahrend, for an aborted project relative to St-Louis-en-l'Ile) and specialised interpreters led him to take a particular interest in the European baroque and classical repertoires.

His research has taken the form of musical publications (works by G. A. Homilius, facsimile of J. S. Bach's The Art of Fugue), musicological (numerous articles), musicographic (J. S. Bach and the Organ, series. Que sais-je?) or educational (Manuel pratique d'Analyse).

His discography includes several world premieres: in particular the organ work of Gottfried August Homilius, the first so-called "Weimar version" of J. S. Bach's Leipzig choirs, as well as the entire vocal and instrumental work of Jehan Alain on three CDs. These records have twice been awarded a Golden Orpheus from the  (in 1992 and 1996).

His interest in contemporary repertoire has also led him to premiere important authors in France: Giacinto Scelsi, Pierre-Yves Level, Olivier Alain, Philippe Schœller, Michèle Reverdy, Jacques Castérède and Bernard Foccroulle.

Discography
 Jehan Alain, Œuvres vocales et instrumentales (vol.1) – CD ARION  Orphée d'or 1992.
 Jehan Alain, Œuvres vocales et instrumentales (vol.2) – CD ARION Orphée d'or,1996
 Jehan Alain, Œuvres vocales et instrumentales (vol.3) – CD ARION
 Hans Leo Hassler, Organ pieces and polyphonic songs – CD Solciste
 Gaillac, l'orgue des Cavaillé with Delphine Collot– CD REM
 Gottfried-August Homilius, Organ works (world premiere) – CD ARION
 Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Cantates bibliques et œuvres instrumentales, 2 CD ARION
 Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Pièces pour clavier transcrites à l'orgue (world first. Orgue de la cathédrale d'Auch) - CD Jean-François Production JFP 2013

Bibliography
 J.S. Bach et l'orgue
 Manuel pratique d'analyse auditive, Éditions Transatlantiques

Publishing of musical works
 Gottfried August Homilius, Huit chorals, Paris, Ed. Musicales Transatlantiques, 1981, 22 p.
 Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio en sol mineur BWV 584, Paris, Ed. musicales Transatlantiques, 1978, 4 p.
 Johann Sebastian Bach, Choral Wo gehest du hin, extract of Cantata BWV 166 (transcription: GG), Paris, Ed. musicales Transatlantiques, 1981, 4 p.
 Johann Sebastian Bach, Choral Du Friedefürst, extract from Cantata BWV 143, (transcription: GG), Paris, Ed. musicales Transatlantiques, 1981, 2 pages.
 Johann Sebastian Bach, Fantasia con fuga, BWV 904 (revision and original adaptation for organ by GG), Paris, Ed. musicales Transatlantiques, 1981, 10 p.
 Johann Sebastian Bach, Prélude, Fugue et Allegro, BWV 998 (transcription, adaptation and fingering by GG), Ed. Delatour, 2002
 Johann Sebastian Bach, The Art of Fugue, facsimile of the copy made in 1833 by Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, ed. A.Zurfluh, 1985 1st modern edition)
 Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský, Fugue en la mineur (organ edition by Guillard), Ed. Delatour, 2002,
 Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, 1er Livre d' Orgue [3 Suites from the Harpsichord Books], adapted to the organ by Georges Guillard, Ed. Delatour, 2002
 Johann Christoph Altnickol, Sonata per il cembalo solo [Allegro, Largo, Vivace], edition restored and annotated by Guillard, Ed. Delatour, 2002
 Johann Christoph Altnickol, Notenbüchlein [collection of 7 very short and easy pieces for beginners], Ed. Delatour, 2002
 Gottfried August Homilius, Motetto à trois chœurs a cappella (1st worldwide edition), Ed. Delatour, 2002
Musicological and pedagogical works
 Jean Sébastien BACH et l'Orgue, Paris, P.U.F., series Que sais-Je ?, 1987, 128 pages, out of print (8000 copies). 2nd ed. at A.Zurfluh, 2000. (translated into Swedish)
 Manuel Pratique d'Analyse auditive, Paris, Ed. Musicales Transatlantiques, 1982, 131 pages, (3rd edition - avec un CD incorporé)
 Robert Schumann, Album d'Orgue pour la Jeunesse, Pieces taken from Opus 68 and adapted for the organ in the form of a progressive method, Volume 1, Musical Editions of the Schola Cantorum, Fleurier, January 2013.

Participation to collective publications
 Glenn Gould Pluriel, Québec, Louise Courteau, 1988, 278 p. Chapter about Glenn Gould, paradoxal organist.
 Guide de la Musique d'Orgue, under the direction of Gilles Cantagrel, Paris, Fayard, 1991, 840 pages, 2nd edition, 2013. Guillard wrote numerous articles on German Baroque music (J. S. Bach's predecessors) and contemporary music, in particular Jehan Alain, Petr Eben, Bernard Foccroulle, Guy Bovet and Giacinto Scelsi.
 Jehan Alain, Livre du Centenaire, under the direction of Aurélie Decourt, Les Presses Franciliennes, 2012. Article « L'orchestre « caché » de Jehan Alain ». Esquisse d'une réflexion sur J. Alain « orchestrateur », ou l'intuition d'un J. Alain orchestrateur-né.(8 pages)

References

External links
 Discography on Discogs
 Georges Guillard dirige la Camerata Saint-Louis de Paris - La Passion selon saint Matthieu
 YouTube Jehan Alain, Première Fantaisie, Postlude pour l'Office de Complies, Georges Guillard à la cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Arnoux de Gap,
 YouTube J. S. Bach, Pièce d'Orgue (extr.), Georges Guillard à l'orgue Kern de l'église Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux à Paris.

1939 births
Living people
People from Loire (department)
French classical organists
French male organists
20th-century French musicologists
21st-century French musicologists
20th-century organists
21st-century organists
20th-century French male musicians
21st-century French male musicians
Male classical organists

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Band Rock Funk
Share WorldwidE's EPK!
"WorldwidE..."Pieces of Life" lively, infectious debut for local faves"
Local favorite WorldwidE goes world class on its new CD, a sunny collection of non-stop party grooves guaranteed to cure the late winter blues.
Imagine a jam with Chicago, Sly Stone, Rusted Root, Stevie Wonder adn Dave Matthews, and you have a rough idea of WorldwidE's infectious blend of tight horns and loose-limbed rhtthms.
"Fade" spins a "Smooth" Santana sound into the mix. "Pride" adds some rap. "Thanks for leaving" closes the 10 song set with a mid-tempo pop-soul ballad.
With production help from Marcos Sastre of the Blue Birds, the seven man WorldwidE (singer Pete Hall, guitarist Christian Robles, keyboardist Phil Ritchey, bassist J.T. Thigpen, drummer Taulbee Jackson, trumpeter Hubert Glover and saxophonist Danny Manning) has made a superb debut. They're augmented by guest trumpeter/arranger Gary Winters, saxophonist Brian Hogg and on the opening track, "Hey", singer Shannon Belcher, creating an even more expansive sound.
Avoiding jam-band excesses, WorldwidE has come up with a tightly played, strongly focused debut. Don't miss this one. - Larry Nager, The Cincinnati Enquirer
"Pieces of Life City Beat Review"
WorldwidE Teamwork Hard-working local Funk crew, WorldwidE, are releasing their tasty new CD, Pieces of Life, on Friday at the BarrelHouse, with special guests, Princes of Babylon. The multi-culti seven-piece band formed in 1999, went through a few lineup changes in 2000, solidified themselves in 2001 as a solid local club draw and, with the new release this year, are set to embark on a regular touring schedule throughout the region.
Pieces of Life is a soulful, groovy party in a jewel case, highlighted by well-constructed songs, not always a strong point for Funk-oriented bands, who often overlook songwriting finesse in favor of overdoing their dance-centric rhythms. Not that these guys are lacking in the rhythmic department: Pieces also brilliantly shows off the band's trump tight musical telepathy and locked-in pocket grooves. If WorldwidE were in the Superbowl, they, like the New England Patriots, would probably ask to be introduced as a team, since each piece of the band is a vital part of its overall success. While a group like Jamiroquai (who the band somewhat resembles) chooses to push their frontman's image over everything else, WorldwidE functions as a 14-armed, singular unit. That said, singer Pete Hall is a great field general, leading the troops with slippery melodies and his personality-laden vocal ability. The horn section also helps set the band apart, giving them an Earth, Wind & Fire-like punch, and Phil Ritchey's anchoring keyboard work holds everything together. Even if you're not a huge Funk music fan, WorldwidE's Rock and Pop-inflected brand is hard to resist. WorldwidE is already working on their next recording project, a planned EP that will include outtakes from the Pieces sessions, as well as a possible remix or two (a promising prospect). For more on the band, dial up www.worldwidefanclub.com.
- City Beat By Mike Breen
"Review "Pieces of Life" by Rick Bird"
....a catchy collection of party tunes that features both fine writing and musicianship...Worldwide's release is full of crisp horn arrangements and some stellar guest star work from local trumpet player Gary Winters....Worldwide's lineup is a wonderful ethnic stew whose members' ethnic backgrounds include Filipino, Mexican, African-American, Lebanese, and Irish. ''And there's Taulbee, our drummer, just your all-American white boy from Indiana,'' Ritchey said with a laugh. ''He's the motor.''
- Cincinnati Post
"Estimated 30,000 enjoy music festival"
Cincinnati's Worldwide hit RBC with a funk-rock tornado that had the wooden floors undulating under the weight of the dancing crowd. - The Cincinnati Enquirer By Larry Nager
"Pieces of Life" CD
Budweiser True Music 2004/ WEBN CD Cincinnati
WorldwidE Music Video DVD "Feel It"
"All 4 Corners" Live EP
Eight musicians, all with different influences and styles come together to form the multicultural powerhouse that is WorldwidE. Soul, Funk, Jazz, Reggae, and Latin- melded together, these styles create a uniquely mainstream American sound. Add then technical complexity and tight musicianship, WorldwidE has the makings of Rock n Roll legends. WorldwidE's frequently compared to such greats as Sly and the Family Stone, Steely Dan, and Dave Matthews Band.


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In addition to assessments they take in class, students take standardized tests as ways to track their learning and give teachers valuable information. District 99 is also required by the state of Illinois to give other assessments; scores are used by faculty and staff to make instructional and programmatic decisions. View a list of all 2019-20 D99 assessments here.
Details about 2020 Testing Days for Students and Families - coming soon
AAPPL Test Registration Form - coming soon
STAR Assessment Link
Illinois Science Assessment
FAQ About the SAT Suite of Assessments at District 99
D99 SAT Testing Day - Tuesday, April 14, 2020
What SAT assessments does District 99 administer?
Are students required to take the test?
Is the SAT that District 99 will give to juniors considered an "official" assessment?
Do colleges and universities in the Midwest accept the SAT?
Can students send their scores directly to a college or university?
Format of the SAT
Has the SAT changed over the years?
What information is included on the SAT?
Are students penalized for guessing on the SAT?
What scores will students receive?
SAT vs. ACT
As a junior, I'm required to take the SAT at school, but should I also take the ACT?
Strategies for Test Taking
What resources are available to students to prepare for the SAT?
How many times should a student take the SAT or ACT?
What test prep companies does D99 recommend?
Please check this link to email us your additional questions, and we will add them to this webpage.
District 99 administers the suite of SAT assessments to all District 99 freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Freshmen take the PSAT 8/9, sophomores take the PSAT 10 and juniors take the SAT. View information about the SAT suite of assessments here. Seniors are excused from school on Testing Day.
All students are automatically registered to take these assessments through District 99. Students do not need to take any other action to register.
Yes. All juniors in the state of Illinois are required to take the SAT test.
Is the SAT that District 99 will administer to juniors considered an "official" assessment?
Yes. The SAT that juniors will take at school for free is an official test with essay. Students can use this score when applying to colleges; students may send their score to up to four colleges. They will select which colleges during their English classes, before the SAT is administered. NOTE: Although the scores will appear on the student's transcript, many colleges/universities require an official score report directly from CollegeBoard. Please check with each college/university on their requirements.
Visit the College Board website for details about other testing dates, which are available at the student's expense.
Yes. All colleges and universities in the U.S. will accept results from either the SAT or the ACT.
Yes. For free, students can send up to four score reports from the school-administered SAT test to the colleges of their choice. All juniors will receive time in their English class to complete this portion of the SAT ahead of time, and select where to send their scores. Students must select which schools to send the report three weeks before or up to nine days after the test.
The new SAT was administered for the first time in March 2016. The new SAT is aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards and is very different from the old SAT. Read more about these changes here.
The SAT includes two sections comprised of three tests: Evidence Based Reading, Math, Writing & Language and an optional essay. (The essay will be part of the school-administered test.)
Evidence Based Reading is made up of passages or pairs of passages (literature, historical documents, social sciences, and natural sciences).
Math is based on content in the strands of algebra, advanced algebra, geometry, statistics and some trigonometry. District 99's integrated math curriculum prepares students for the compilation of this math content.
Writing & Language is based on grammar, vocabulary in context, and editing skills.
The essay is based on a passage and students explain how the author builds a persuasive argument.
For detailed information, see the College Board website here.
No. Students are not penalized for guessing on the SAT.
Students will receive a total score that ranges between 400 and 1600. There are two section Scores, Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (200-800) and Math (200-800). In addition, students will receive cross-test scores and various subscores. See the College Board website to understand more about the score structure.
It is a good idea for students to take a practice test for the ACT to determine whether the SAT or ACT assessment might be the best fit. Practicing will allow students to understand the types of questions each assessment covers as well as the time allotted for responding. You may find that you perform better on one test versus the other. Remember, colleges and universities will accept either the SAT or ACT.
What resources are available to prepare for the SAT?
One major benefit of the SAT suite of assessments is the customized instruction that students receive. Free practice resources are available through Khan Academy. A student will need to link their College Board account with Khan Academy.
Resources for students to prepare include:
Being present and paying close attention in class
Finding out what questions you'll see on the SAT (check here)
Taking SAT Practice on Khan Academy (check here)
Simulating test day by taking a practice test (check here)
Downloading the free practice app called "Daily Practice SAT," for iPhone and Android devices (view info and to download here)
This decision is best made by the individual student and family. For most students, three times is about the maximum between the start of the junior year and the middle of the senior year. In some special cases, four times may be needed, but that should be the exception.
District 99 does not endorse private test prep companies. As a convenience, some test prep information is available on the North (check here) and South (check here) websites.


Single hose units take air from the room, cool it down and then expel hot air through a hose connected to a window. This creates negative air pressure in the room, forcing air to enter through cracks or vents in order to replace the air lost. Since the air is warm, this makes the process slightly inefficient, and the unit has to work harder in order to compensate. Dual hose units bypass this negative pressure problem and are more efficient, and thus more expensive. For larger spaces, dual hose units are more suitable than single hose ones.
The cooling efficiency of an air conditioner is measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units). It might seem like a good idea to purchase the unit with the highest BTUs, but actually, more BTUs isn't always a good idea, since it will cause the unit to turn on and off again often, overworking itself. On the other hand, not enough BTUs will prevent the room from reaching your desired temperature. In order to purchase the right air conditioner, you should consult a BTU chart based on room square footage.
Portable air conditioners are advantageous because they can be placed anywhere in the house. However, in order to be efficient, they have to be connected with a hose to a vent, door, or window, and the area around the hose opening has to be completely sealed. All portable air conditioners include a hose, and some of them also include a window sealing kit that is easy to install. Alternatively, window sealing kits for all window types and sizes can be purchased separately.
Portable air conditioners tend to be noisier when compared to window units or central air conditioning, mostly due to their reduced efficiency. Most of them fall in the 45-55 dB range, although there are quieter units available for a higher price. Before choosing a portable air conditioner, consider where you are planning to use it, in an office where you need to speak on the phone, in a bedroom, or in an area that is just occasionally used. When checking the dB rating of a unit, remember that an increase of 10 dB means that the unit will be ten times as loud.
There are portable air conditioners available on the market that are at the same time a heater, dehumidifier, and fan. While it might be tempting to buy something with as many functions as possible in order to save money, it's better to opt for a unit that is just a good quality air conditioner. If you would like it to have other functions, one that also works as a dehumidifier is preferable, since both air conditioning and dehumidifying work on the same principle.
When choosing a portable air conditioner, there are several things you should keep in mind. First of all, the size of your home should determine the number of BTU-s the unit should have, and if it's a single or a double hose model. You should consider how easy it will be to install the venting hose, according to your type of window, and what extra accessories you might need for this. The type of room you want to use it in is also important since portable air conditioners are noisier than regular ones, most of them producing around 50 dB.
This Friedrich portable air conditioner comes with many useful features, such as bucketless technology, dehumidifying mode, and adjustable thermostat. The LCD remote and LED display panel provide easy operation.


Determination and hard work paid off and by the end of my placement I felt I was on a level playing field with my peers and confidently excelling."
It was only at the age of 17 that Chris Freeman from Gloucester came to realise that he wanted to work in the agricultural industry, despite not coming from an agricultural background.
At the beginning of his undergraduate degree at Harper Adams University he had to put in the extra work to catch-up with his classmates, many of who came from a family farm. But by the end of his placement, he was excelling; and is now studying MSc Ruminant Nutrition and been awarded the Harper Adams Club Postgraduate Scholarship.
The 27 year-old said: "Although I was not fortunate enough to grow-up on a family farm, I spent my childhood reaping the benefits of the countryside; indulging in weekend shoots as an energetic beater, helping block road junctions for bypassing sheep and building hay bale tunnels in friends' barns.
"Distracted in my teenage years, the time came when those important life decisions must be made, and I quickly realised that agriculture was my calling. I was a farmer, just without the farm.
"My first year on the agriculture course at Harper was a stark realisation into the knowledge required to succeed in this industry. I felt disadvantaged by the farmers' sons and daughters who appeared to breeze their way through lectures, while I frantically took notes to establish an understanding of what were essentially the basics to farming.
"Determination and hard work paid off and by the end of my placement I felt I was on a level playing field with my peers and confidently excelling.
"I genuinely enjoyed writing my dissertation because I had developed a sincere interest in modern, progressive methods of farming aiming to help improve the sustainability and efficiency of this industry.
"I now believe I had the competitive edge all along; I could look from the outside in, enabling me to think outside the box with no hindrance and to become the innovative, forward-thinking individual I am today.
"My desire to succeed has led me to reap the benefits of what agriculture can provide. I've travelled the world working in different continents and experienced a diverse mix of farming systems; small, large, arable, livestock, intensive, extensive, privately owned, business cooperatives.
"I've worked at the bottom and experienced management at the top. Thanks to the guidance and support of Harper, I'm an educated and diversely experienced individual.
Chris has recently been awarded the Harper Adams Club Postgraduate Scholarship in recognition of his passion and determination. On receiving the award Chris said: "I'm sincerely grateful to receive the scholarship.
"I've worked extremely hard to reach the level I'm at now and I feel humbled that my past has been recognised and my future is appreciated."


This functionality will be very useful for car travelers to calculate the route. Using the app "Route Calculation", you can calculate a route between any two points or cities. Also, you will see the movement details of the selected route.
To calculate route enter the start and finish point of travel.
If you want the route passed through others cities, select it by pressing the "Add Waypoint".
You will have a differents routes after the calculation. Click on any of them (directly below the map), and it will displayed on the map.


We have partnered with GroupHEALTH Benefit Solutions to offer its members access to the APMA Group Benefits Plan. CAMM members can access this through also being a member of APMA.
GroupHEALTH Benefit Solutions has extensive experience with associations across Canada. Currently, more than 35,000 employees from almost 600 companies are covered by a GroupHEALTH Association Plan. These companies are taking advantage of best-in-class benefits administration technology, reduced costs and valuable enhancements.
If you've ever considered introducing a group benefit plan for your employees, or if you already have a plan and want to find out more about your alternatives, please consider the APMA Group Benefit Plan from GroupHEALTH Benefit Solutions.


Katherine Heigl told reporters at the 13th Annual ASPCA Bergh Ball in New York last night that she is learning a lot about herself and motherhood. She explains, "I'm a lot more strict than I thought I would be. I really feel like discipline and manners, a good schedule, a good night sleep and a good nap are really important. I didn't think I would be quite so like that."
She also revealed that watching a movie or TV show involving a mother-daughter relationship has been a very emotional experience for her. "It is so gut wrenching in a way that I could have never predicted," she says. "You have this empathy suddenly - this compassion for a mother going through anything complicated or difficult with a child. It's something that I understand now - that unbelievable drive and instinct to protect."
"I really could not have imagined a better father for [Naleigh]", Katherine said of her musician hubby Josh Kelley. "She's the luckiest little kid. We call him 'Disneyland Dad' because as soon as he comes in it's just fun and happiness and she rides around the room on his shoulders."
Singing Josh's praises, Katherine also added, "He's fantastic with diapers, food, naptime, playtime – he's got it all."
Mom, Nancy, agrees, telling People, "Both her and Josh are wonderful, wonderful parents, they just adore her." As for her granddaughter, "Naleigh has a real strong personality," she says. "She's really a wonderful little girl. We all squeeze her and kiss her on the cheek. She's very round and very adorable. She's almost edible!"
Sixteen-month-old Naleigh, has recently started to walk and talk on her own. Katherine explained that her first word was 'hi', adding "and then she would go, 'Oh yeah!' all the time. She would be playing with her toys and go, 'Oh yeah!' in that inflection. It's genius!"