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American Tradition Partnership
This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin.
Learn more from the Center for Media and Democracy's research on climate change.
Western Tradition Partnership (WTP) -- which changed its name in 2010 to American Tradition Partnership (ATP), and spun off the 501(c)(3) Western Tradition Institute (WTI) -- is a radical anti-environmental organization linked to the law firm of Colorado's now-Secretary of State, Scott Gessler[1],[2].
The group is registered in Denver, Colorado.[3]
3.1 Meth House Exposé
3.2 Breaking State Campaign Laws
4 2012 Political Activity
4.1 Citizens United and Campaign Finance
4.2 Republican Complaints of Illegal Coordination in the GOP Primary
5.1 IRS status and 990 Forms
6 Personnel
6.1 Board of Directors
WTP/ATP bills itself as "a no-compromise grassroots organization dedicated to fighting the radical environmentalist agenda." The group promotes development of land, water and natural resources in the Rocky Mountain West and throughout the United States. It promotes free-market economics.[4] It says on its website that
Dozens of radical eco-organizations whose stated purpose is to dismantle the free enterprise system – and our Constitutionally protected rights – through so-called environmental protection have set their sights on robbing Americans of the right to exist, achieve and produce.[5]
One of ATP's founders is former Montana Congressman Ron Marlenee, who served from 1977 until the state dropped from two House seats to one in 1992. Marlenee used his D.C. Rolodex to raise money for the fledgling pro-energy group, which registered in Colorado in 2008.[6]
ATP has joined tea party lobbying efforts, signing at least two letters to Congress in the last year urging an end to an end to tax credits for wind power and natural gas-fueled vehicles. The letters were signed by Koch-funded groups including Americans for Prosperity and tea party boosters FreedomWorks, Club for Growth and Art Pope's John Locke Foundation[citation needed].
In its 2008 application for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organization, ATP listed its "primary donor" as Jacob Jabs, Colorado's largest furniture retailer and a donor to Republican candidates and causes. Jabs pledged a $300,000 contribution to get ATP on its feet, according to IRS records obtained by the Center for Public Integrity[citation needed]. Jabs's spokeswoman said he did not make a donation and has "never heard of" ATP or the group's previous incarnation[citation needed]. Jabs also poured money into a failed "right to work" ballot initiative in Colorado, becoming a television spokesman for the 2008 anti-union effort[citation needed].
Meth House Exposé
Pro Publica reported a bonanza of third-party, dark-money coordination with state candidates in Colorado and Montana that were found in a meth house in Colorado.[7] The boxes contained files for 23 candidates for state office. They also held fliers and questionnaires from outside spending groups. Western Tradition Partnership seemed to be pulling the strings, working with campaigns on strategy and surveys.
The documents were filed by Christian LeFer and many of the checks paid out by Western Tradition Partnership were signed by his wife, Allison.[8] The documents ultimately found in the meth house were taken from Allison LeFer's car, both the LeFers confirm. The records showed that checks written on WTP's account and signed by Allison LeFer went to gun shows, for legal work and to LeFer's printing company. She also signed a check for the group's largest expenditure, a one-time transfer on Nov. 23, 2010, for $40,000 to "WTI." This could refer to the Western Tradition Institute, the sister charity of WTP. Social welfare nonprofits like WTP are allowed to engage in some political activity, but IRS regulations say they must have social welfare as their primary purpose. Some of these 501(c)(4) nonprofits exploit gaps in enforcement between the IRS and election authorities so they don't have to disclose where they get their money.[9]
WTP had sought a protective injunction against the records' release. Montana District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock wrote in a ruling that there is a "substantial relation between disclosure of this financial information and Montana's stated constitutional interest in its citizen's right to know." Jacob Jabs, a furniture retailer in Colorado, was named by Western Tradition Partnership as a donor of $300,000. After this was made public, Jabs said "I did talk to Christian LeFer," Jabs said. "They basically admitted they used me to get their 501(c)(4) status."[10] He also told Pro Publica, "I think they just grabbed my name out of a hat to forward their agenda. I know nothing about the group, never heard of them, never have heard of them until the last few days, and I did not, absolutely did not, commit $300,000 to start this company." To further underscore this, he told The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, "I never, ever gave them a penny. It's all crap. None of it is true. They're using my name" without his knowledge or permission, Jabs said. "It's a big scam."[11]
The attorney general's office said that ATP was in "willful disobedience" of court orders to produce records as part of discovery in the case.[12] "I have never seen anyone stand in front of a judge and say his client's choice is not to obey that judge's orders, and furthermore to say they will continue to disobey the courts orders," said Assistant Attorney General Andy Huff. The state said documents still not produced by the group as ordered by the judge include organizational records, a list of board members, bylaws, meeting minutes and some communications. The state argues that ATP is not really a nonprofit, social welfare organization as it claims — and says it is really a front group to allow anonymous money to flow into the elections process. ATP attorney James Brown argues the court's order violates the group's constitutional speech and other rights. But he told Sherlock that ATP did not appeal prior orders to produce the records because it does not believe it would win in front of the Montana Supreme Court.
The night of Halloween, 2012, five days before the national election, there was a break-in at the Office of the Commissioner of Campaign Finances and Practices, where the meth house documents were stored.[13] Nothing was reported missing. Financial statements were due October 25 from nearly every candidate for political office in the state, resulting in piles of documents on desks and counters in the office in recent days. "It is hard to tell for sure [if anything was missing] because there are so many documents here in the office," political practices program supervisor Mary Baker said. The previous week, on October 22, there had been a break-in at the Helena campaign office of Attorney General Steve Bullock, who was then running for Governor. A laptop and $1,500 in campaign donations were taken.
A federal grand jury subpoenaed the documents to investigate illegal coordination, also citing the break-in as a need to keep the documents in a safe place.[14]
Breaking State Campaign Laws
An article in the October 22, 2010 Montana Missoulian reported that the Western Tradition Partnership broke state campaign laws when it mailed fliers attacking legislative candidates in the run-up to an election without registering as a political committee and publicly disclosing the source and disposition of its funds. A two-year investigation of the group uncovered a PowerPoint presentation created in 2010 that said the group planned to spend $537,000 on Montana elections that year. The state Commission of Political Practices said the group should pay civil penalties and face further investigation. [15]
2012 Political Activity
Citizens United and Campaign Finance
American Tradition Partnership was at the center of much political activity in 2012. Most prominently, the group helped the Supreme Court underscore their Citizens United decision by suing the state of Montana, overturning century-old campaign-finance disclosure laws. The U.S. Supreme Court upended and reversed Western Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Attorney General of Montana, a case where the Montana Supreme Court decided Citizens United did not apply to Montana's thorough campaign finance laws.[16]
In the federal court's 5-4 decision, the minority declared "Even if I were to accept Citizens United, this court's legal conclusion should not bar the Montana Supreme Court's finding, made on the record before it, that independent expenditures by corporations did in fact lead to corruption or the appearance of corruption in Montana. Given the history and political landscape in Montana, that court concluded that the state had a compelling interest in limiting independent expenditures by corporations," said Justice Steven Breyer. He added, "Montana's experience, like considerable experience elsewhere since the court's decision in Citizens United, casts grave doubt on the court's supposition that independent expenditures do not corrupt or appear to do so."[17]
In the Montana court's 5-2 decision, writing for the majority, Chief Justice Mike McGrath noted a century ago "the state of Montana and its government were operating under a mere shell of legal authority, and the real social and political power was wielded by powerful corporate managers to further their own business interests. The voters had more than enough of the corrupt practices and heavy-handed influence asserted by the special interests controlling Montana's political institutions."[18]
Montana state attorneys think in challenging various campaign laws, American Tradition Partnership instead violated the laws.[19] Mike Black, an assistant attorney general defending the state against a lawsuit from ATP, said the state believes that ATP is a front for political money that wants to illegally hide its identity and spending activity. "We believe it was a sham from the beginning," he notes. ATP has been fighting in court for two years against a state ruling that it is a political committee, and therefore must publicly report its campaign-related spending and financial donors.
American Tradition Partnership started a "newspaper" in 2012, The Montana Statesman. The paper ran front-page articles attacking state Attorney General Steve Bullock, who was prosecuting them while he was also running for Governor. It accused Bullock of failing to prosecute child molesters. Other stories attacked the state auditor, a Supreme Court candidate and the secretary of state.
Republican Complaints of Illegal Coordination in the GOP Primary
Two Republican legislators who won primary elections despite a barrage of third-party attacks have filed political practices complaints against American Tradition Partnership and others.[20] Sen. Bruce Tutvedt of Kalispell, and Rep. John Esp of Big Timber argued that ATP illegally coordinated efforts with their primary election opponents. Tutvedt, who survived a close primary challenge in June, filed a complaint against his opponent, Rollan Roberts II, and American Tradition Partnership, Taxpayers for Liberty and the National Association for Gun Rights.
Tutvedt said he was attacked by 10 separate mailers, which, like his opponent's direct mail, all came from the same mail order house in Loveland, Colo. These included mailers from ATP, Taxpayers for Liberty and the National Association for Gun Rights. In addition, a letter from Rollan Roberts's wife, printed on pink stationery, was sent to voters, "per Christian LeFer," a former ATP official, Tutvedt said. LeFer's wife, Allison, who at one time signed most of ATP's checks, owns a printing company that shared a post office box address with ATP[citation needed]. Tutvedt said Roberts' website and numerous mailings never indicated their source of funding. "I have real problems with dark money," Tutvedt said in an interview with The Missoulian.
Esp filed two separate complaints arising from his 2010 primary. One was against Direct Mail and Western Tradition Partnership. "I just think dark money is a problem in the election process (in) that you can have anonymous money (spent) that doesn't have to tell the truth." Esp said, "It's time for them to play fair if they're going to play in politics. If the rest of us have to follow the rules, there's no reason why they shouldn't have to follow the rules too."[citation needed] Esp alleged that at a candidate forum in Big Timber in May 2010, a number of people associated with ATP and his opponent's campaign manager "seemed to arrive together and hung out together throughout the event." He said they included Allison LeFer, whose Direct Mail company worked for his opponent's campaign; a young woman working for Christian LeFer; his opponent's campaign manager; an unidentified young man who was introduced to Esp by Allison LeFer and told he was working for a sportsmen's rights group; and others. ATP, the sportsmen's group and others "were sending out mailings negative to my campaign," Esp said, alleging illegal coordination.
The group says it is supported entirely by members.[21]
IRS status and 990 Forms
According to an IRS document provided by former WTP executive director Donald Ferguson, WTP is a 501(c)(4), with EIN 26-2289809, original address c/o Scott Shires[citation needed].
Despite the fact that it has been active since 2008, the group does not appear to have filed any 990s prior to its first in 2011. "The tax form shows that ATP brought in $122,542 in 2011."[3]
On January 4, 2013, it was announced that executive director Danny Ferguson left the group to become the spokesman for Texas Republican Representative Steve Stockman.[22] By Montana enforcing the law, Ferguson said that "illegal actions" of the state have caused "significant hardship" for ATP.[23]
According to the group's 2011 990 form, its unpaid directors are:[3]
Peter MacKenzie
Jack Wells
Dan Reed
Doug Lair
Web: http://americantradition.org
E-mail: info AT americantradition.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ATPAmerica
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ATPAmerica
↑ Kaye Fissinger (2010-02-12). What's behind this curtain?. Free Range Longmont. Retrieved on 2011-11-05. "[Gessler is] Registered agent for the Montana organization Western Tradition Partnership"
↑ TRACER - Committee Detail - WESTERN TRADITION PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION FUND. Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2011-11-05. "Committee ID: 20105018765 - Physical Address: PO BOX 88 - Committee Type: 527 Political Organization - Date Registered: 10/13/2010 - Phone: 888-987-8721 [ATP's phone#] - Purpose: TO SUPPORT OR OPPOSE CANDIDATES BASED ON POSITION ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND BUSINESS ISSUES. - Registered Agent: MARIO DANIEL NICOLAIS II Phone: 303-534-4317 - Email: ...@HACKSTAFFGESSLER.COM"
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Viveca Novak, "American Tradition Partnership Files First 990, Reveals Little", OpenSecrets.org, February 21, 2013
↑ Western Tradition Partnership Western Tradition Partnership Home page, accessed June 7, 2010
↑ Western Tradition Partnership Mission, organizational Web site, accessed June 7, 2010
↑ Paul Abowd, "Obscure nonprofit threatens campaign finance limits beyond Montana" The Center for Public Integrity, October 26, 2012
↑ Kim Barker, Rick Young & Emma Schwartz, "Documents Found in Meth House Bare Inner Workings of Dark Money Group" Pro Publica, October 28, 2012
↑ Kim Barker, Rick Young & Emma Schwartz "Dark Money Group's Bank Records Suggest Ties to Campaign Work" Pro Publica, November 2, 2012
↑ Kim Barker, Rick Young & Emma Schwartz, "More Evidence Key Dark Money Group May Have Misled IRS" Pro Publica, October 30, 2012
↑ Gail Schonztler, "Jabs denies any link to campaign-finance challengers" The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, November 9, 2012
↑ Associated Press, "Political practices reports apparent break-in" Independent Record, November 1, 2012
↑ Associated Press, "Feds take conservative group's disputed documents" The Billings Gazette, December 20, 2012
↑ Mike Dennison Ruling says Western Tradition Partnership broke state campaign law, Montana Missoulian, October 22, 2010
↑ Adam Liptak, "Court Declines to Revisit Its Citizens United Decision" The New York Times, June 25, 2012
↑ American Tradition Partnership, Inc. FKA Western Tradition Partnership, Inc., et al. v. Steve Bullock, Attorney General of Montana, et al., Supreme Court decision, http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-1179h9j3.pdf, June 25, 2012
↑ Western Tradition Partnership vs. Montana Montana Supreme Court case, http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/MT-expenditures-decision.pdf
↑ Mike Dennison, "Director of shadowy political group ATP resigns; group faces more legal troubles" The Billings Gazette, January 3, 2013
↑ Charles S. Johnson, "Montana legislators file complaints against American Tradition Partnership" The Missoulian, December 11, 2012
↑ Western Tradition Partnership Fraud and deceit employed in the dangerous wolf "reintroduction" program Press release, May 11, 2010
↑ Associated Press, "Political group's director resigns" The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, January 4, 2013
American Tradition Institute
American Tradition Partnership website ( http://www.americantradition.org/ - not to be confused with the American Tradition Institute website at http://www.atinstitute.org/ )
'Tasteless' mailer complaint linked to Gessler: http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/11/25/tasteless-mailer-complaint-linked-to-gessler/
Western Tradition Partnership – Political Hitmen : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/10/16/wtp-thugs-and-hitmen/
Gessler's car wreck : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/10/15/gessler-car-wreck/
Longmont power brokers launch perpetual electioneering : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/08/20/perpetual-electioneering/
Coincidence or Coordination? : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/06/30/coincidence-or-coordination/
Did Money Buy Longmont Council Elections? You Decide : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/06/27/longmont-elections-bought/
Council Member Levison: Standing strong for honest elections: http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/06/01/council-member-levison-standing-strong-for-honest-elections/
They can run, but they can't hide : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/05/06/they-can-run-but-they-cant-hide/
Open, transparent, fair and just Elections? : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/05/06/open-elections/
Scott Gessler: By the company he keeps : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/04/11/scott-gessler-by-the-company-he-keeps/
Where's the skin? : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/03/09/wheres-the-skin/
Longmont's Hidden 100 : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/03/07/longmonts-hidden-100/
Who benefited from outside influence? : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/02/12/who-benefited-from-outside-influence/
What's behind this curtain? : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/02/12/whats-behind-this-curtain/
A Correction: Mayor Baum and his contributors and contributing factors : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/01/24/mayor-baum-and-contributors/
Gessler blowing money like there's no tomorrow : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/06/04/gessler-blowing/
Scott Gessler's Fundraising Black Hole : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/02/26/scott-gesslers-fundraising-black-hole/
Wrongmont loves Gessler : http://www.freerangelongmont.com/2010/10/04/gessler-wrongmont/
Retrieved from "https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Tradition_Partnership&oldid=770841"
Front groups portal
Politics (U.S.)


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text:
Moresnetiaceae is a natural family of seed ferns in the Division Pteridospermatophyta that appears in the North American and European Devonian to Carboniferous coal measures.

Description
Moresnetiaceae were shrubs to trees with radiospermic ovules with a lagenostome and aggregated into multiovular cupules.

References

External links

Pteridospermatophyta
Late Devonian plants
Carboniferous plants
Prehistoric plant families
Devonian first appearances
Carboniferous extinctions
Mississippian plants
Pennsylvanian plants

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In my travels and conversations I encounter growing numbers of Christians going through what is often called "deconstruction." These are believers in the process of paring away the extraneous elements of culture, myth, and toxic dogma from their faith. I'm sympathetic with this undertaking. This is necessary work for many (though not all) who seek to retain Christian faith in an increasingly post-Christian culture.
But while I'm sympathetic with the need to rethink Christian faith, I don't like the language of deconstruction. Deconstruction is too negative, too violent, too cynical. It has a tendency to lead to the irreverence of iconoclasm. This is the young Christian who having escaped the suffocating world of narrow fundamentalism, now just wants to burn everything down. This reaction, though understandable, is ultimately neither wise nor helpful.
For the Christian, deconstruction is not an end in itself; deconstruction alone is not a proper goal. We can't deconstruct forever. If all we ever do is deconstruct faith, eventually there will be nothing left — just the discarded rubble from the relentless blows of a sledgehammer. The goal of reevaluating Christianity is authentic faith, not cynical unbelief.
Let me propose a better way of talking about the process of rethinking Christian faith — a healthier metaphor. Instead of the negative metaphor of deconstruction (and deconstruction is a metaphor), I prefer the positive metaphor of art restoration.
Think of an ancient icon of Christ.
Imagine, for example, that a thousand year old Christ Pantokrator painted on a wooden panel is discovered in some forgotten monastery. The image of Christ is there, but it is covered with a thick patina of grime, dirt, and soot accumulated over centuries that has obscured the image of Christ. Now imagine that a restoration artist is given the task of returning the icon to its original vibrancy and beauty. Think about how the restoration artist goes about her work. Among her tools for restoration work we will not find explosives. You can't restore art with dynamite!
It's true that faith in Jesus Christ has been distorted over the centuries by layers of varnish, lacquer, dirt, and grime. The beautiful image of Christ has been obscured by the imposition of cultural assumptions, political agendas, distorted doctrines, and the corrupting influence of empire. Fundamentalism, literalism, nationalism, and consumerism have created layers of varnish that distort the beautiful image of Christ.
But as we seek to remove these contaminants and recover the beauty of Christ, we cannot employ cynical and violent methodologies. If we do, we run the risk of destroying the priceless treasure in the process. We must be patient and reverent. If all we want to do is deconstruct and destroy Christian faith, we can swing an angry hammer; but if want to restore Christian faith, the patience and gentleness of wisdom is required.
In our passion to rescue Christian faith from its myriad of distortions, we are not like the Taliban blowing up the Buddhas of Bamiyan, but like the artists who restored Michelangelo's vandalized Pietá.
In rethinking Christianity we must always keep in mind that we are handling something enormously precious — faith in Christ. It's precisely because faith in Christ is so precious that we are committed to the difficult task of restoring it to its original beauty. But we cannot use cheap cynicism and crude mockery in this delicate task. We go about it patiently, reverently, gently, always showing deep respect for the Great Tradition that has sustained Christian faith and practice for two thousand years.
This is why I always insist that I am deeply conservative. When it comes to Christianity I am far more conservative than progressive or liberal. My way of sustaining Christianity in an age of secularism is to root it in the rich soil of the Great Tradition. An emphasis on sacrament and liturgy, creed and calendar, and a church untethered from Constantinianism is a truly conservative position. Modern fundamentalism is not conservative, it's just a reactive form of liberal empiricism. Fundamentalism is another guise of deconstruction. Fundamentalism is to Christianity what paint-by-numbers is to art.
We don't need to deconstruct Christian faith, we need to restore Christian faith. We do it prayerfully. We do it patiently. We do it reverently. We do it with kid gloves and Q-tips, not with dynamite and sledgehammers. We do it with our wisest saints and sages, not with Nietzsche and Derrida.
My journey of rediscovering the beauty of Christ was mostly a journey I traveled in prayer. It's true that I read a ton of good theology, but this only changed my mind. My heart was changed as I learned to sit with Jesus in contemplative prayer.
Don't deconstruct…pray. Sit with Jesus. Gaze upon his beauty. See the beautiful image of Christ lying under the patina of distortion. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Then wipe away the false varnish with your tears of gratitude. This is restoration, not deconstruction. This is what will save your faith.


text:
HTC One goes gold for Christmas to the delight of cash-strapped Wise Men
It's gold, but it's not that gold
Apparently the black accents ooze luxury - sounds a bit messy
Since the limited edition HTC One in 18 carat gold that we got our, er, teeth on earlier this year went down quite well, HTC has launched a new gold version of the handset for Christmas.
It's not actually made of gold like the Mobo-edition device, which means it won't set any modern-day Wise Men back the thousands of pounds the original Gold One would have if it'd had gone on sale. That's what they brought baby Jesus, right? Gold phones, frankincense and myrrh?
Anyway, the gold edition HTC One, which joins the Gold Samsung Galaxy S4 and gold iPhone 5S, is coming to Europe by Christmas, but it's anyone's guess as to which networks will stock it at this point.
More blips
Four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a blip tree.
Revealed: the world's cheapest and most expensive iPhone 5S
Google's sly response to Microsoft's Scroogle shwag
Amazon Prime is now the only streaming home for Spring Breakers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


God Has Already Strengthened You - Your Daily Cup of Inspiration!
Our boys Kedar and Kaleb like superheroes. For Christmas, they got some Iron Man and Incredible Hulk figurines. You know, boy stuff.
I love seeing them have a good time with those manmade symbols of strength, particularly that musclebound Hulk.
Growing up, I was so fascinated with the Incredible Hulk TV series. Remember the story plot?
Just in case you don't, I'll refresh you.
Dr. David Banner, the brilliant scientist, had a lab experiment go wrong. So he had the curse of becoming this powerful green monster whenever he was under extreme emotional stress.
Well, I waited with bated breath for someone to make him angry so he could morph into this indomitable creature.
Looking back on it, I find it silly now. But I was hooked, along with millions of others, back then.
You know, I think our fascination with being strong is rooted in our awareness that, on our own, we're weak. No matter how hard we try, some battles we just can't win. And that's frustrating.
Superheroes provide a fantasy through which we can live vicariously. For fleeting moments, we are able to enjoy all the possibilities of being superhuman.
I remember when one of my cousins was about four or five, he was enamored with Superman. So, one day, he tied one of his grandmother's garments around his neck, unlocked the sunroom window and jumped out.
Poor thing thought the could fly.
Thankfully, it was a fairly short fall. Yet, he banged himself up pretty badly and quickly came to grips with the truth: he was not a superhero.
He is now a fully grown man who lived to tell about it, though he hasn't quite lived it down. Some merciless relatives still like to bring it up at family gatherings--something that always draws raucous laughter.
The point is, on our own we are ordinary. Just like my young cousin, if we attempt certain feats without God, we'll fall flat on our face. But with the Lord, who is strong and mighty, we can do extraordinary things.
Unlike superheroes, with only imaginary strength, God truly has all power in His hand, and He has empowered you.
So remember this: in times of dealing with emotional stress, while there isn't a Hulk inside you, you've got someone better—someone real.
The Holy Spirit lives in you.
A power so much greater than you—greater than all the adversity that comes against you—is alive in you today.
If you have been moping, feeling discouraged and defeated, shake yourself. Rebuke the enemy who tries to make you forget that the very Creator of the universe, who has power over all the elements within it, dwells in you.
He has empowered you to go through this test. He has already strengthened you for the struggle. Not only that, but the Lord has already secured your victory.
No matter how hopeless it looks or how helpless you feel, you are not a hapless victim.
I know there may be barriers in your way and hurdles you just can't seem to get over. The enemy wants you to believe you are perpetually trapped and stuck in a rut.
By the power of God, you are equipped to do what you never could on your own.
As you drink down the contents of your cup, you will be reminded that there are no negative odds great enough to nullify the power of God.
An apt scriptural reference I want to leave with you is Ephesians 3:20 NIV: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us"—to Him belongs all power and glory.
Again, God has already strengthened you. Now go forth in His might.
At this moment, let's join our faith together for your situation, as well as the needs of others listed on our "Thoughtful Thursdays" prayer list.
We believe God is able.
Anonymous wrote: My 17 year old son attempted suicide on Friday. I am a single mother of 4 who works a full-time and a part-time job as a nurse to support my family. Please pray my strength so I may help him in his quest to find himself. Thank you.
Brenda wrote: I live in Louisiana and I need a job. I'm asking for prayer and GODs favor for a job. A full time job with benefits, with a good pay.
LaShanda wrote: I am saved, I am a Believer of and have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I am submitting my prayer request to ask for prayer for the spirit of fear concerning my life, my future, etc. to be broken off my life. For me to walk in God's perpetual peace daily for my life. For me to keep my eyes on Jesus Christ and walk in the Spirit to be obedient to the leading, guidance and instructions by the Holy Spirit for my life.
Anonymous wrote: Please pray for my emotional strength. I am having trouble releasing the pain & stigma of sexual abuse, physical & emotional abuse. I'm trying SO hard and failing at every attempt. I know the people that hurt me have gone on about their business & are not thinking two hoots about me. I need to release this baggage and be FREE! PLEASE be in agreement with me. God bless you.
Anonymous wrote: I am told I have fibroids and lining of my uterus is thick. The doctor is only giving me the option to have a hysterectomy. I know and believe God can do all things. I need prayer for courage strength and whether I should go on with surgery or not. Please pray for me. I am blessed with 5 young beautiful children and a husband.
Anonymous wrote: After a long estrangement between my daughter and I, a situation presented itself during the holiday that has caused a deep rift once again. Even though I apologized, it is now blown out of proportion. I now see the enemy's hand, but I let my emotions get the best of me; said some things that I now can't pull back. I'm asking for prayer for reconciliation, restoration, and healing for my children and me. It has been a long uphill battle with many twists and turns. I believe it will turnaround though.
Anonymous wrote: I have been under a serious attack from my ex-husband for more than 11 years since he walked out on me and divorced me. When he left, he left everything—from his shoes to his toothbrush. I was blindsided. Never saw it coming. A year later he is suing me for a very large amount of money. My check is being garnished each month to pay him. I have gone through 3 attorneys who charged me such high fees I had to eventually let go and go pro per. I prayed fervently to the LORD for an attorney to represent me who is a believer, a Man of GOD. I found the one. My attorney and I are asking for others to pray with us as we enter into Superior court on March 4th @ 2:00pm. Our Faith is based on the Word of GOD believing that GOD will fight for me and totally humiliate my enemy. We are asking GOD to return ALL financial gain that was taken from me. Thank you for everyone continuing prayers. I will bring back a report from the LORD that HE reigns and triumphs-once again!
You, dear Lord are my strength. When I feel weak, please call to my remembrance your word that says I can do all things through You. When it gets hard, help me trust in and rely on Your power to bring me through. I declare today that I am more than a conqueror through You! In Jesus' name, Amen.


"enCOMPASS – an Integrative Approach to Behavioural Change for Energy Saving", Piero Fraternali, Sergio Herrera, Jasminko Novak, Mark Melenhorst, M., DimitriosTzovaras, Stelios Krinidis, Andrea-Emilio Rizzoli, Cristina Rottondi, Francesca Cellina, Published in Global Internet of Things Summit (GIoTS) 2017 Proceedings, CICG, Geneva, June 2017.
"A Socio-Technical System Based on Gamification Towards Energy Savings", Piero Fraternali, Francesca Cellina, Sergio Herrera, Stelios Krinidis, Chiara Pasini, Andrea Emilio Rizzoli,Cristina Rottondi,and Dimitrios Tzovaras, Published in: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PerCom Workshops), Athens, Greece, 19-23 March 2018.
"Machine learning based occupancy detection via the use of smart meters", T. Vafeiadis, S. Zikos, G. Stavropoulos, D. Ioannidis, S. Krinidis, D. Tzovaras and K. Moustakas, published on International Conference on Energy Science and Electrical Engineering (ICESEE'17), 20-22 October, 2017, Budapest, Hungary.
"How to cook an Agile Web Based Model Driven Environment in a night", Carlo Bernaschina, Tutorial presented at the International Conference on Web Engineering (ICWE'18), 5-8 June, 2018, Cáceres, Spain.
"Model Based Rapid Prototyping and Evolution of Web Application", C. Bernaschina and E. Falzone, published in International Conference on Web Engineering (ICWE'18), 5-8 June, 2018, Cáceres, Spain.
"Intelligent Code Generation for Model Driven Web Development", C. Bernaschina and E. Falzone, published in 1st International Workshop on Maturity of Web Engineering Practices (MATWEP'18), 5th June, 2018, Cáceres, Spain.
"A Survey on the Design of Gamified Systems forEnergy and Water Sustainability", Spartaco Albertarelli, Piero Fraternali, Sergio Herrera, Mark Melenhorst, Jasminko Novak, Chiara Pasini, Andrea-Emilio Rizzoli and Cristina Rottondi, Published in MDPI Games, Volume 9, issue 3, 21 June 2018.
"Determinants of sustainable energy consumption in schools", Daiva Dumciuviene, Akvile Cibinskiene, Mark Melenhorst, Jasminko Novak, Sustainable Development and Energy International Conference (ESDEIC), 25-27 June, 2018, Edinburg, UK.


As members of an organization centered on sports, it can sometimes be difficult to convince those who are not involved of the life-changing power of the Special Olympics movement.
For people without an intellectual disability, it's easy to take for granted the simple joy of competition — of practicing at something and gradually improving, of being a part of a team, and of earning a medal after months of hard work and dedication. But through sports, Special Olympics athletes often find something that they have been missing for their entire lives.
From an early age, Team Indiana runner Sonya Roy struggled to fit in because of a speech deficit and a learning disability.
But when Sonya was in sixth grade, she discovered an ability she didn't know she had. She became friends with a classmate named Kelsey, who loved to run and invited Sonya to join her.
Running soon became a passion, and Sonya was inspired to join the cross country and track teams at her middle school. But because of her disabilities, she was only permitted to participate as an "exhibition" runner.
In high school, disheartened but undeterred, Sonya collected signatures from teachers and petitioned the school's athletic department to grant her eligibility for full participation in sports. Sonya became the first person with an intellectual disability to compete in a varsity sport at her high school. Her story was featured in the school's newspaper, and several of her fellow students sought her out to apologize for how they had mistreated her.
But then, one summer day just before her senior year, everything changed. Sonya was practicing with the cross country team and suddenly had to stop and tie a shoe. When she finished and stood up, she discovered that all of her teammates had continued to run and that she was alone in a large cemetery.
Sonya didn't know where to go or how to get out, and became so scared that she had to call her parents to come and pick her up. The experience was so traumatic that she decided to stop participating in sports altogether.
But later that year, the Roy family found Special Olympics Indiana. As a member of the Johnson County program, Sonya was truly accepted by her new teammates and soon began to feel safe again.
She continued to run and to get stronger, and she saw her times improve with virtually every practice. Sonya had found sports on her own, but through Special Olympics she found the support she needed, demonstrating how important it is to be truly included as part of a team.
Since high school, Sonya has struggled at times. She has sometimes been taken advantage of as she has sought acceptance, and—like many young people—has had a hard time choosing the "right" boyfriend. She has also suffered greatly from the loss of Kelsey, her friend and original running partner, who died suddenly at the age of 23.
But Special Olympics has been a constant in her life. Naturally a hard worker, Sonya has persisted as a distance runner, and last year was selected to represent Indiana at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games.
As a member of Team Indiana, Sonya and her teammates will be among 4,000 competitors from across the nation to make the journey to Seattle this summer, where they will face off with the best of the best in a variety of team and individual sports.
But getting there won't be easy. For nearly a year leading up to the Games, the members of Team Indiana are dedicating themselves to reaching their maximum potential by training harder than ever before and committing themselves to being physically and mentally prepared for competition.
And while Special Olympics athletes are never charged to participate in events, Sonya and her teammates are also working hard off the field to raise the funds necessary to offset the costs of travel, lodging, meals, and uniforms.
Last December, Sonya was a guest of the Finish Line Youth Foundation as they hosted a fundraising dinner associated with their annual golf outing. At a particularly dramatic moment during the program, an auctioneer was brought to the stage. He challenged the audience to make donations that would support Team Indiana.
Sonya watched wide-eyed as person after person raised their hand and made a donation. The screen behind the auctioneer flashed new totals each time a donation was registered.
It took a moment for Sonya to understand that thousands of dollars were being donated by the people around her so that she could make the trip—and when she realized that the total had reached $29,000, she broke down in tears. She had no idea that strangers could be so kind and generous in supporting an opportunity that her family could never even think about paying for.
Through her involvement in Special Olympics Indiana, Sonya's life has been changed for the better. Like countless athletes before her, she has experienced firsthand the transformative power of sports. But she's also discovered opportunities off the playing field she never thought possible.
Sports are the mechanism by which Special Olympics reaches people like Sonya, but personal growth, teamwork, social inclusion, and mutual respect are the means by which we are all changed for the better.
And it turns out that Sonya's elementary school teacher was almost right. She did go on to work at a local Wal-Mart, but not as a greeter. Instead, she became one of their best employees at stocking shelves and assisting customers. And she's not done yet.
After she conquers Seattle, Sonya will come home ready to take on a lifetime of opportunities. She'll continue to make her friends and family proud, whether she's winning medals or achieving her dreams in other areas of her life.
And that is what Special Olympics is really about.


Join Underbelly Arts and Liquid Architecture for an evening of coastal listening, sloppy digressions and tidal thinking. This Lab will offer ideas and discussion led by curator Camila Marambio and writer Astrida Neimanis, with the goal of opening participants' ears to a set of subjects: water, crystals, tissues, shells and things that live in them. Let your ideas rise with the tide during this experimental process of shore-listening, where water and earth are two moments of a p a s s a g e.
The voice is coming from the body, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is unified with the body. There are so many ways the one can betray the other.
Camila Marambio, Astrida Neimanis, Karolin Tampere and Sarita Gálvez present hydro-feminist meditations on listening to your body as a body of water. Presented as part of Liquid Architecture's Negative Volumes: Body Languages.


The residence les Silenes is situated just opposite the Spa Centre, in a haven of peace and relaxation.. A stay in one of our apartments is the ideal way to recharge your batteries and get back on form either by sporting and outdoor activities, exploring the countryside or just by relaxing.
Recently built, the Residence consists of 100 apartments on 4 floors, with 2 lifts.
A swimming pool is open to residents in July and August.
The Residence is also the starting point for many mountain walks.