A relaxation massage designed for expecting mothers who are in their second and third trimester. The massage has a beneficial effect on the stressed skin of the belly, relieves headaches and pains in the loin area and may help reduce stretch marks. It also helps relieve headaches and pains in loin area. Safe hypo-allergenic products are applied with this procedure.


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Posted on October 31, 2015 January 28, 2018 by Kelechi Ehenulo
"If I quit now, they win." – The X-Files: Fight the Future Review
Like every X-Files fan, I'm very excited to see the new series in January 2016. Whilst avoiding (as much as possible) spoilers about the new series, I've been gearing myself up by watching an episode a day as part of the X-Files re-watch event.
To celebrate reaching the halfway mark, today I'm taking a look back at the first X-Files feature film – Fight the Future.
When a terrorist bomb destroys a building in Dallas, Texas, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. Risking both their lives and careers, the agents hunt down a deadly virus and uncover plans of an alien colonisation that could destroy all life on Earth.
"Whatever happened to playing a hunch, Scully? The element of surprise, random acts of unpredictability? If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced." – Fox Mulder
Making the transition between a TV show and feature-length film can be difficult. Not many have pulled it off successfully, with the exception of Star Trek for example after numerous attempts. It's a complex scenario which you can't take for granted because every show goes through the same problem. How to do take the intricacy and in-depth characterisations of a TV show and condense it into a solid, meaningful and entertaining two hour movie?
Maybe I'm bias because I'm a fan but The X-Files: Fight the Future not only handles the difficulty well but delivers an enjoyable film that is a proud addition to the show's legacy.
What makes Fight the Future an enjoyable watch? Sandwiched between series 5 and 6 of the TV series, the feature film debut at the height of its popularity. It was the icing on top of the cake, rewarding loyal fans answers to questions long time posed whilst taking the mythology in a chilling and exciting direction.
It's often said that X-Files episodes were like mini movies, therefore it comes as no surprise to see Chris Carter and co. deliver something cinematic. Right from the opening shot, the grandeur scale is the first thing that grabs you. The plot sweeps globally across different continents and locations, making the threat closer to home. The alien creatures provide the murderous scare and tension. The action is akin to a Hollywood blockbuster but it's never over the top or indulgent. Mark Snow's brilliant score gives the film the necessary punch for the big screen, combining the signature synths from the show with a full scale orchestra. It's an instant wake up call because it immediately takes you out of your comfort zone. The film's message is very clear – you're definitely not in Kansas anymore and you're not watching your standard 43 minute episode!
While the visual aesthetic has changed due to the larger canvas, the core principles that made the show successful hasn't. The film aligns itself in the smart and intelligent bracket, using our central characters in Mulder and Scully to be our voice of reason, our guidance and representatives in exploring the darkness and the enemies within the government. The intriguing and relevant storyline deals with concepts that are fantastical and out of this world and yet it constructs each element in a grounded affair that is not a stretch on the imagination and believability. Using bees as an unsuspecting transport method to spread the alien virus, in classic X-Files fashion it once again taps into the paranoid ideals that can make this world a frightening and suspicious place.
Through the characterisation of Kurtzweil (played by Martin Landau), the essence of power and the government's role is explored. His work may be discredited, his reputation destroyed by those who know him and yet he conveys a bleak future of "a plague to end all plagues." The hopeful notion of government being there for the people with their guidance and protection becomes distrustful and powerless. The fate of the human race has been played like pieces on a chess board, manipulated by an insidious group of men known as The Syndicate. They act above authority despite the threats to the project and will not stop until it comes to fruition.
The timetable is set and the world is living on borrowed time…that's unless Mulder and Scully can stop it.
"I can't. I won't. Mulder, I'll be a doctor, but my work is here with you now. That virus that I was exposed to, it has a cure. You held it in your hand. How many other lives can we save?" – Dana Scully
Key to the success of Fight the Future is the continued exploration of the Mulder and Scully relationship, in which actors Duchovny and Anderson are in top form.
Their relationship reaches an important crossroad. Their chemistry is undeniable yet their faith is challenged and put under scrutiny. Scully questions her validity and purpose on The X-Files and takes the moral decision to quit. Mulder refuses to accept her resignation, fearing she's quitting when their work together is on the verge of exposing something greater. His dependency on Scully, a medical doctor and scientist, brings perspective to his wild theories. If he loses that scepticism, he loses the one person who has ever believed and trusted in him and he's afraid of facing that journey alone.
If there's one thing that's certain about Fight the Future is that it tries to restore balance in their partnership. Mulder and Scully have always operated with an "us against the world" mantra, believing that they can uncover the government's involvement in an alien conspiracy. However they've encountered personal losses and battles which has made the journey harder, an aspect which is alluded to in the film but the TV series gives it the necessary context.
Their unspoken love for each other is given proper acknowledgement for the first time. Mulder's honest and heartfelt confession on how much he values Scully is enough to melt the heart of any shipper. It's too bad a [bleeping] bee got in the way! I saw the film twice at the cinema back in 98 and everyone in the audience reacted the same – it could only happen to them! The moment raises further questions about their relationship given the missed opportunity. Whilst the conspiracy takes a darker turn with Scully infected with the alien virus, it says a lot about Mulder as a character who refuses to accept the bleak and imminent future by travelling all the way to Antarctica to rescue his partner.
When the film delivers its big pay-off, both characters come full circle with a renewed sense of hope. Mulder (who had been flirting with sceptic beliefs in series 5) finally re-acknowledges the importance of his quest despite the lack of evidence to prove his theories. The conspiracy carries on without much consequence. Scully sees the bigger picture (minus the UFO). Her determination to stay is the realisation of the important role she has to play. Her science, her integrity and loyalty can help save the world and her partner would be there every step of the way. They can't fight the enemy alone but when they are together, at least there's a fighting chance.
By no means is Fight the Future a perfect film. There is depth to the story but it's also fast-paced therefore some story elements (and even certain characters) require further investigation for fans and non fans alike. The film delivers answers but it poses new questions which you'll have to watch the series to see how the colonisation plans play out in context.
Could Mulder have held onto the vaccine he gave to Scully to cure the black oil virus? It would have been further proof to their cause. Scully's bee sting attack was very specific! The patient and well-trained bee somehow survived a trip from Dallas, Texas to Washington D.C. to infect her at a very crucial moment. The character of Strughold (Armin Mueller-Stahl) is not mentioned again during the series – what has he been up to? Does he still have the intent to bring about alien colonisation? Would love to see his character explored again if given the opportunity.
The X-Files: Fight the Future is a fun movie and you'll have a great time watching it. Whilst elements were designed to bring on new fans, the experience is better for fans who have knowledge of the show.
The film may have opened up new possibilities to the ever complex mythology, but at least one thing is consistent – Mulder and Scully and the faith they have in each other despite their polar opposite beliefs.
That alone was worth the price of a cinema ticket.
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This entry was posted in:Film
Tagged with:Armin Mueller-Stahl, Blythe Danner, Chris Carter, Dana Scully, David Duchovny, Fight the Future, Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson, Jeffrey DeMunn, John Neville, Martin Landau, Mitch Pileggi, Rob Bowman, Terry O'Quinn, The X-Files, William B. Davis
Published by Kelechi Ehenulo
Kelechi Ehenulo is an RT approved freelance film critic and creator of Confessions From A Geek Mind. Bylines for Set the Tape, VultureHound, FilmHounds Magazine, JumpCut Online and Film Stories. Occasional podcaster. A geek at heart. Science fiction is her haven. Batman: The Animated Series is the best cartoon ever. This is the way. She/Her.
View all posts by Kelechi Ehenulo
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vinnieh says:
I've only literally began watching the X Files for the first time. A few episodes in and I'm hooked.
The Geek Mind says:
And they say The X-Files can't attract new fans!
It's great you're getting into it. Been a fan since I was 8 when it originally aired in the 90s and I can't wait for the revival which begins airing tomorrow night in the UK.
I've stayed away from spoilers (hard thing to do), but I'm ready to rediscover the truth again.
I'm staying clear of any spoilers as I've only just started watching it. Just watched an episode called Squeeze, that really creeped me out.
Classic monster, can't tell you how much that freaked me out as well when I watched it as a kid. There's plenty of that once you've gone through the course of the series, especially when you reach series 4 – just a heads up 🙂
But hopefully (like me), you will appreciate the variety the show had and it's ability to mix it up.
When he was trying to attack Scully, I got chills.
You can have all the modern gadgets to secure your home but when a mutant can crawl through your chimney and your air vents…sorry folks, that's messed up! No one is safe lol.
That's what made it so creepy.
I'm interested to watch more of the show.
Please do! The X-Files is an unique show.
I will. I purchased the full box set and plan on watching it all over the next few months.
I finally saw the movie, it was excellent. I have reviewed it and Season 5.
Sorry for the late reply. My internet was down for a week – NOT FUN. Just catching up now. Glad you enjoyed the movie. I thought it was excellent. Actually wished they do more films but a continuation of the TV series is better. Will read your Season 5 review soon.
I hate when the Internet goes down, it's a real pain.
Yep! Was basically surfing the web on my crappy 3G network on my mobile phone. Not cool. Just glad my network is sorted now. Back to business.
I am a wreck when the Internet goes down, but I try to find other things to do to pass the time.
Yeah I was doing other things but then my mind would say "oh let's watch something on Netflix" or "order some food online" and I immediately forget that I have no internet!
If that happens to me I trawl through my DVD collection and check out ones I haven't had a chance to see yet.
Yeah that's probably what I should have done…ended up seeing Hans Zimmer in concert! It was amazing. Write up coming soon.
Oh wow, I love his music.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Estamos lá para a festa, amigo Ed!
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Every time you turn on your television, thumb through your iPhone or go to the mall–you are, in essence, having an experience. And though you're probably not thinking about it in those terms, there is someone who has spent a lot of time and effort designing the experience you're having.
Sean Van Tyne is one of those people. A self-described "customer experience architect," Van Tyne helps organizations define, develop and deliver their experience to their customers. And business is brisk as companies have come to realize that paying attention to user experience (or UX as it's called in the industry) is vital to creating long-term customer loyalty and advocacy.
Van Tyne says things are getting even more interesting these days with artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality beginning to play a big role in how we experience our lives. In his latest UC San Diego Extension course, Van Tyne will show students how to measure the impact of efforts to enhance user experiences.
For the uninitiated, can you provide an overall sense of what user experience, or UX, is?
User experience is everything that a consumer can experience with a company's products, services and brand. When most people think about UX, they think of technology companies like Apple, Netflix or Amazon–they are thinking about buying a book, picking out a movie, or their experience with their iPhone. But it goes far beyond technology–Disney delivers a good experience; Four Seasons Hotels deliver a special user experience.
Talk about your evolution into a customer experience architect.
I have a BFA in painting and an MA in education and was a fine artist and teacher for most of my early life. I came out to San Diego in 1989 and got involved in the local art scene–I was one of the founding members and first chair of the San Diego Art Council.
My wife and I had a kid in the 1990s and I decided to make a career change from art to technology– so I hitched my wagon to this thing called the internet. I went from being an information architect to interaction designer, and then finally to user experience. In UX, I went from designer to director to VP to advisor, which is what I do now.
This wasn't even a profession a couple decades ago, so most old-timers like me came up through art, education, writing, design, library science, or even anthropology.
What did you most enjoy about your profession?
It brings me joy when I help others, I have a passion for making life better. Life for me in this context is about experiences. We have experiences, relationships with our families, friends, co-workers and customers. We interact with people and technology, internet, devices, etcetera…I love creating great experiences and helping others create great experiences.
There are a lot of factors. To me the biggest factor is AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, which are tied to things like big data. Because of the internet and Moore's Law, we have larger sets of data and humans can no longer put that data in spreadsheets….so we're reliant on predictive analytics to search through large sets of data and find insights. Another thing to keep in mind is that advances in AI and machine learning are happening in real time, so if you are an experience designer you need to be aware of the latest innovations.
Another thing you need to know is virtual reality and augmented reality (like Pokémon Go) are become real things these days. You could be at your favorite mall, and you could use augmented reality (like a yellow line on the floor) to create a path to the store you want go to.
User experience is very, very broad. It encompasses research, design and there are many types of design. If you are designing an experience for Disney, they have "imagineers." If you are designing a medical device, then you need a background in industrial design. Saying I want to go into user experience is pretty broad–you need to decide specifically what you want to do.
Interested in learning more about user experience and other related programs? Find out more on our website, or contact the department at infotech@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-9352.


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Photo: Christian Saez/Shutterstock
How to escape Buenos Aires for the day to Tigre, where Porteños go to relax
Travel Trip Planning Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lucia Capretti
Buenos Aires is home to a constantly evolving cultural patchwork built around a range of gastronomy, plenty of parks, and rhythmic excitement. The metropolis sprawls inland while hugging the coast of Rio de la Plata, a large river that separates Argentina from Uruguay. Although water and greenery are present all around Buenos Aires, it can be difficult to forget that you are in a city. Just north of the city, at the crossing of the Rio de la Plata and the Rio Paraná, the land twists its way into a labyrinth of swampy grasslands and islands. This area is the Paraná Delta, the fifth largest delta in the world, and one of the only which flows into a body of fresh water instead of the sea. Exploring these surroundings along the coast is worth it, and easily accessible for a day trip. The islands and the mainland surrounding it make up the town of Tigre, a perfect escape from the craze of Buenos Aires.
Porteños, residents of Buenos Aires, have long visited Tigre to take a break from the city, even using it as a retreat from an epidemic of yellow fever in the late 1800s. Tigre's current reputation as a quiet haven does not reflect its name, which comes from the tigres — jaguars, specifically — that were once a bit too common for comfort throughout the delta. Tigre is where Porteños go to relax, and you should hop on the train from Buenos Aires for an afternoon to join them.
Leaving the city for the delta
Photo: sunsinger/Shutterstock
Tigre is an easy 45-minute train ride from Retiro, Buenos Aires' main train station, though it can also be reached via bus or with a tour service. You can buy a ticket one-way at the station and buy another when you return. Get yourself a SUBE card at the station and the cost drops from $9 to about $4. Once you exit the train in Tigre, you'll find yourself next to the town port. Here many small wooden boats called lanchas wait for clients to board their frequent trips around the small inlets of the delta and its many islands. Regular transport is available, as well as tours with various durations and routes. There are different options to make your trip unique, such as bird-watching, fishing, and hiking through the forest with knowledgeable botanists. You can make stops along the way for a bite at a restaurant or for a picnic at one of the rest areas.
The perfect respite from city life is found in the maze of islands and the natural life of the Paraná Delta, accessible only by water. The real beauty of the boat rides around the delta's narrow ways is that you find yourself in an intimate encounter with nature and the quiet daily life of the people living on the islands, even for just a few hours. You might even catch sight of the grocery, medical, or school boat traveling the waterways to distribute supplies and to transport inhabitants. Many houses on these isolated islands are available to rent on Airbnb, making it possible to try out the lifestyle should you decide to stay overnight.
Getting in tune with nature and the community
Photo: Estudio Pixies/Shutterstock
The pace in Tigre is famously slow compared when with that of Buenos Aires. This is what the Porteños are after, but if you're a "seize the day" type of traveler, fill your itinerary with outdoor activities during the afternoon. Kayak tours and rentals are available from shops including El Dorado Kayak, turning the ride through the network of waterways into direct communication with the surrounding scenery and wildlife. For being so close to the nation's bustling capital, Tigre is surprisingly lush and green, with tree-shaded, stilted docks along the waterfront often playing host to a family sitting at the end, having lunch or casually fishing. A short paddle away you could come across a flock of birds, chirping in a frenzied chatter. At home with the natural environment, conversations here linger over a thermos of mate, the traditional tea and social ritual popular in Argentina and nearby countries. You'll see locals and tourists alike pedaling bicycles along the water and through the quiet streets, stopping to chat with pedestrians or to linger at a cafe in the afternoons. Don't be shy about asking for a dinner recommendation or for where to tango after the sun goes down.
Cultural buzz and artistic talent
Photo: Diego Grandi/Shutterstock
If the simple thought of setting foot on a boat reduces you to nausea, there is plenty to do on the continente, what locals call the mainland of Tigre. With a history as a popular spot for rich Porteños to visit, the cultural options are not lacking. To its great pride, the only museum in the world about mate is located in Tigre. The Museo del Mate describes the history and customs of yerba mate, the iconic herbal beverage of Argentina. The mate bar on site is the perfect place to try the drink, praised for its multitude of health benefits. It's thought to help its drinker gain energy, lose weight, and lower blood sugar, among other perks. Whether or not its magic plays out during your stay, it's at least a delicious way to embed yourself in the Argentinian way of life.
You should also spend an hour or so strolling the Paseo Victoria. This walkable and bikeable path runs along the river and passes many small cafes where you can stop to sip mate while overlooking the water. The Paseo is the ideal way to welcome yourself to the area as many of Tigre's sights are built along the waterfront of the Luján River and are easily accessible. If you are keen to learn more about Argentina's maritime presence, the Naval Museum has you covered. To truly step back in time to the Belle Époque, visit the Museo de Arte Tigre, located in an Italian and French-style mansion along the river. Once a social club, the space now holds a small collection of 19th and 20th-century Argentine art. Its grounds by the water are a desirable spot for wedding photoshoots. Regardless of how you get there, the most delicious stop on the path is the Heladería Vía Toscana, known for its artisan ice cream and inviting garden. You can also have a good meal at one of the restaurants and cafes along the Paseo Victorica.
Photo: El Greco 1973/Shutterstock
To cover much of the inland area in the space of an afternoon, rent a bike from one of the vendors near the train station and pedal along the riverfront. One of Tigre's most visited sights is the Mercado de Frutos, once a fruit market and important agricultural stop in the 1900s. Nowadays a few homemade snacks and small restaurants are available, although the purpose of the market has shifted to artisan crafts. Reed, wicker, wood, and cane furniture are plentiful, and the usual knick-knacks for tourists are sold. For more of a quirky take on the local art scene, Boulevard Sáenz Peña is your best bet. Art galleries, workshops, and studios are scattered along the street, the center of the city's art district.
For a spike in adrenaline, Tigre's Parque de la Costa is the largest amusement park in Argentina. Not quite the size of its North American counterparts, it still has a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, and plenty of rides to keep you entertained for an hour or two.
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Is Apple's iPhone truly a risk to state secrets due to location-tracking technology?
Apple's iPhone has been labeled a "national security concern" by Chinese state broadcasters as relations between the country and US over cybersecurity worsen.
The influential state-sponsored China Central Television broadcast declared the iPhone a "national security concern" as part of its national noon broadcast on Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal. CCT criticized the "frequent locations" function present on Apple's iOS 7 operating system, declaring that researchers believe data points recorded by the service could give those with access to this data knowledge of Chinese concerns and even "state secrets."
Found in Settings, the "frequent locations" function is an opt-in feature that allows users to grant their devices permission to record places they often go, in order to provide useful location-based information.
The relationship between China and the US in relation to cybersecurity has never been close, but became far more strained following the leak of confidential documents by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden earlier this year.
Out of all the leaks which showed the widespread surveillance activities of the intelligence agency, the NSA's secret tapping of networks belonging to Chinese telecom and internet giant Huawei were of interest to the country, as were disclosures that suggest the NSA hacked major telcos in China to mine text messages — as well as sustained attacks on Tsinghua University networks.
The broadcast touched upon the Snowden leaks, and according to the WSJ called the US technology firms' databases a "gold mine." In addition, the broadcast quoted Chinese officials who insisted that Apple would need to "take on any legal responsibilities" if data leaks caused by the firm's devices caused harm.
From 'WikiLeaks' to the 'Snowden' case, US hypocrisy and double standards regarding the issue of cyber security have long been abundantly clear.
Apple is the latest in a string of US companies to be facing backlash over tense relations between China and the United States, following questions raised by Chinese media in June over the security of Microsoft's Windows operating system and an earlier ban of the use of Windows 8 in government computers by the Chinese Central Government Procurement Centre.


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Stones Cry Out
If they keep silent…
Pride and Dread
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008	at 3:04 pm
On this day after an election day featuring tremendous participation by an increasingly diverse American electorate, I feel great national pride and sincere dread at the decisive election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. So much has been said over such a long campaign, and even now as this presidential election, a remarkable break with history, settles in to the nation's and the world's consciousness.
It is a truly great moment that makes it possible for any child in America to say: I want to be president, without a parent's private sneer. If racism is not dead it is thrust to the darkest and least effective corners of our society. Also dying should be the era of excuses. When a young mixed race man whose father left the family to return to another country when the boy was 10; whose mother had to move to another country to find work; who was raised by grandparents in the distant state of Hawaii; when that young man can be elected to the highest office of the land, every excuse for lack of performance and effort by Americans of any circumstance suddenly sounds empty. Hope, yes. No excuses, certainly.
I dread the very real possibility that Obama will govern in line with his history and his campaign rhetoric, which will result in a something very close to socialism and will weaken our military and intelligence capabilities in a very dangerous world. With strong liberals controlling Congress and the White House, and soon to impact the Courts, I do fear there will be great damage to the church, to businesses, to cultural standards, and to many of our cherished freedoms.
But today I'm moved by the historic irony of this moment, expressed with eloquence (as usual) by Michael Gerson:
This presidency in particular should be a source of pride even for those who do not share its priorities. An African American will take the oath of office blocks from where slaves were once housed in pens and sold for profit. He will sleep in a house built in part by slave labor, near the room where Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation with firm hand. He will host dinners where Teddy Roosevelt in 1901 entertained the first African American to be a formal dinner guest in the White House; command a military that was not officially integrated until 1948. Every event, every act, will complete a cycle of history. It will be the most dramatic possible demonstration that the promise of America — so long deferred — is not a lie.
I suspect I will have many substantive criticisms of the new administration, beginning soon enough. Today I have only one message for Barack Obama, who will be our president, my president: Hail to the chief.
I will pray this day for President-elect Obama and his family, and for the courageous hero, Sen. McCain (who showed his usual grace and class–as did President Bush this morning–in conceding), and for the Palin's. There will be many days ahead for honest disagreements on the solutions to large problems that face our nation and our world.
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Filed under: Jim • Politics
Monk-in-Training says:
Interestingly enough the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth and the re-dedication of the Lincoln memorial is on schedule to be in 2009 during the first term of Pres. Obama.
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Entertainment Music
How Reggae Legend Bob Marley Died
Peter Still / Redferns / Getty Images
Punk Music
By Megan Romer
If you're a reggae fan, you've probably heard several urban legends about how Bob Marley died. He was in the prime of his career when he was diagnosed with cancer, which killed him at age 36. A devout Rastafarian, Marley's faith would play a profound role in how he sought treatment.
A Diagnosis of Melanoma
In 1977, Bob Marley was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a kind of skin cancer, after doctors found a lesion on a toe he'd injured in a soccer game. At the time, physicians recommended having the toe amputated. However, Marley opposed the surgery.
Marley's Rastafarian Faith
As a devout Rastafarian, Bob Marley adhered strongly to the tenets of his religion, which includes a belief that amputation is sinful. A Bible verse that Rastafarians hold as very important is Leviticus 21:5, which says, "They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh."
The first part of this verse is the foundation of the belief in wearing dreadlocks, and the second is the basis for a belief that amputation (as well as other types of body modification) is sinful. Other verses, including those which refer to the body as a holy temple, may also influence this belief.
Rastafarianism teaches that death is not a certainty and that truly holy people will gain immortality in their physical bodies. To acknowledge that death is a possibility is to make certain that it will come soon. It is believed that this is the reason that Bob Marley never wrote a will, either, which resulted in difficulty in dividing his assets after his death.
Final Performances
By the late summer of 1980, cancer had metastasized throughout Bob Marley's body. While he was in New York City for a performance Marley collapsed during a jog through Central Park. He performed for the last time in September of 1980 in Pittsburgh, a performance that was remastered and released in February of 2011 as "Bob Marley and the Wailers Live Forever."
Bob Marley's Death
After the Pittsburgh concert, Marley canceled the remainder of his tour and traveled to Germany. There, he sought the care of Josef Issels, a physician and former Nazi soldier who had gained a reputation for his controversial cancer treatments. His treatment methods appealed to Marley's Rastafarian aversion to surgery and other forms of medicine.
Despite following Issels' regimen of diet and other holistic treatments, it soon became clear that Marley's cancer was terminal. The singer boarded a plane to return to Jamaica, but he rapidly declined en route. At a stopover in Miami on May 11, 1981, Marley died. According to some reports, his final words were spoken to his son Ziggy Marley: "Money can't buy life."
To this day, some fans still harbor conspiracy theories about Bob Marley's death. In 1976, when Jamaica was roiled by political turmoil, Marley had been planning a peace concert in Kingston. On Dec. 3, while he and the Wailers were rehearsing, armed gunmen broke into his home and confronted the musicians in the studio. After firing several shots, the men fled.
Although no one was killed, Marley was shot in the arm; the bullet would remain lodged there until his death. The gunmen were never caught, but rumors circulated that the C.I.A., which had a long history of covert activities in the Caribbean and Latin America, was behind the attempt.
Some would blame the C.I.A. again for the cancer that eventually killed Bob Marley in 1981. According to this often-repeated tale, the spy agency wanted Marley dead because he had become so influential in Jamaican politics since the turmoil of 1976. An agent allegedly gave the singer a pair of boots that were contaminated with radioactive material. When Marley tried on the boots, according to the urban legend, his toe became contaminated, eventually causing the fatal melanoma.
In a variation on this urban legend, the C.I.A. also recruited Marley's physician Josef Issels to ensure their assassination attempt would succeed. In this rendition, Issels was not just a former Nazi soldier but an SS officer who used his medical training to slowly poison Marley when the singer sought treatment from him. None of these conspiracy theories have ever been verified.
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Dalo farmers on Fiji's Taveuni island receive aid to boost soil quality and improve export production.
The head of the Fiji Community Development Programme says a new resource centre for farmers will help improve crop yields.
Michael Brownjohn told Jenny Meyer the Australian Aid initiative will give farmers on Fiji's third largest island of Taveuni both advice and fertiliser to tackle major soil degradation.
MICHAEL BROWNJOHN; Historically the bulk of the farming has been for root crops, mainly dalo or taro, which is a major root crop in Fiji and other Pacific Islands. And the farmers in Taveuni relied heavily on growing and exporting dalo for their income. And what they were finding was that the quality of the dalo, the size of the dalo was reducing, and so the export grade dalo on Taveuni was reducing in size quite significantly over a relatively short period of time due to soil degradation.
JENNY MEYER; So what specifically will happen in a practical sense with this funding and money that's going to the people there?
MB; A lot of work that's being done in the last few years to work with farmers to look at sustainable farming practices. Tei Tei Taveuni has been advocating for these sustainable farming practices for a while and they've been trained to work with farmers to do that. And the other work that's being done in the past few years has looked at diagnosing and recommending soil treatments for farms. So this project coming in a little bit later is looking at providing funding to Tei Tei Taveuni to buy in a mix of chemical and organic fertilizers that aren't currently available in Taveuni, which they will then on sell to their farming groups, with the hope that of course the soil will improve, farming practices will improve. But also it will create a revolving fund so that this store of a mix of good inputs or fertilisers can be sustained into the future.
JM; And how many farmers do you expect over all will benefit from this scheme?
MB; At this stage we're looking at between two and three thousand, it's up to three thousand farmers on the island so it's significant percentage of the population on Taveuni who rely on farming for income. And we're also looking through this process at potentially diversifying some of the farming practices. So more diversified crops so that there's a year round income source through their farming.
Michael Brownjohn says he also hopes the practice of clearing inland forests for crops will stop as the soil quality begins to improve.


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Q: Maximal Ideal of a Banach Algebra is closed? Let $A$ be a commutative Banach Algebra with unit and $M$ a maximal Ideal of $A$. Then $M$ is obviously a subspace.
But why must $M$ also be closed?
I don't see in which way a maximal ideal is connected to a closed subspace.

A: The closure $\operatorname{cl}(M)$ of $M$ is also an ideal, as can be checked easily. As $M$ is maximal, we must have either $\operatorname{cl}(M) = M$ or $\operatorname{cl}(M) = A.$ We need show that the later doesn't happen; specifically, $1\not\in \operatorname{cl}(M).$
This follows from the fact that the set of invertible elements in a Banach algebra is open (see Prove that the set of invertible elements in a Banach algebra is open). Note that for a commutative Banach algebra we have that any element $x$ is not invertible exactly if it is contained in a maximal ideal.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Caps fan gets a tattoo of Stanley Cup champion Brett Connolly getting a tattoo, eating pizza
During the Super Bowl, Capitals fan Tyler Duchaine got a tattoo (right) of Capitals forward Brett Connolly getting a tattoo while eating a slice of pizza (left) in June. (Via @tylerduchaine) (Twitter)
Reporter covering D.C. pro and local college sports
Feb. 5, 2019 at 3:09 p.m. UTC
Capitals fan Tyler Duchaine knew he wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate the franchise's first Stanley Cup title, but the 29-year-old couldn't decide on a design. Inspiration came from an unlikely source: a photo of Capitals forward Brett Connolly looking casual as can be, eating a slice of pizza while getting the Super Mario Bros. character Bowser tattooed on his arm during the team's championship bender last June.
What if, Duchaine thought while watching the Capitals on TV last month, he got a tattoo of Connolly getting his tattoo on that alcohol-fueled day? Duchaine's friends loved the idea, as did his wife, Lindsey. He tweeted the glorious photo of Connolly, which originated from an Instagram story and belongs in a museum, and vowed to follow through on his idea if he got 10,000 retweets. It was an ambitious, perhaps unattainable goal.
"Screw it," Duchaine tweeted 20 minutes later. "I'll do it for 1,000."
Less than 24 hours later, he surpassed that mark. The reality was that Duchaine had already committed, in his mind, to getting the tattoo, regardless of how many retweets he got.
"That's crazy," Connolly told The Athletic's Chris Kuc when informed of Duchaine's plan.
"I'd love to be there, I'll pay for it if I have to, too," fellow Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly said. "I mean, I wanna see that done for sure."
In January, Duchaine contacted Tattoo Paradise in Adams Morgan. That's the shop where Connolly and several of his teammates got inked two days after winning the Stanley Cup, as part of their nonstop celebration that also included pounding beers at Nationals Park and frolicking in the fountains at the Georgetown Waterfront. Duchaine arranged a consultation with Billy Bennett, the artist who tattooed Connolly, and explained his out-there idea.
Defending champs struggling under rookie coach? No pressure, Todd Reirden.
"He was down," Duchaine said Monday of Bennett's response. "This was a cool opportunity for him because he had never tattooed himself on someone else before, so that was sweet. We decided on a style and basic details. He sent me a few mock-ups of the line work and then just went to town."
On Sunday night, over the course of roughly 90 minutes, Bennett tattooed an image of himself tattooing Connolly on Duchaine's left biceps. When Duchaine scheduled the appointment a few weeks ago, he didn't realize Sunday was the day of the Super Bowl, but of all the possible years to miss the NFL's biggest game to get a tattoo of a bearded man eating pizza on your arm, he picked a good one.
Duchaine chose Sunday because the Capitals were off that night (he attended their Super Bowl matinee loss to the Bruins) and also on Monday, increasing the likelihood that Connolly and Smith-Pelly would accept the invitation he extended to them during the all-star break. The players ultimately had to pass — "They probably had a Super Bowl party at Ovi's," Duchaine said — but Duchaine's wife and several friends tagged along for moral support and to live-stream the experience on Twitter. During the procedure, one viewer commented that all 11 people in his apartment to ostensibly watch the Super Bowl were watching Duchaine get inked instead.
"Do you have any regrets?" Duchaine's wife asked.
"No, of course not," he replied. "As long as I've had to think about this, I am very happy."
Unlike Connolly, who sat in a chair while getting his tattoo eight months ago, Duchaine lay on a table. That would've made it difficult to consume a slice of pizza to really complete the "Inkception."
"They also say you shouldn't eat and get tattoos," Duchaine said. "I'm sure that afternoon in June there was an exception to many rules."
Duchaine, who hopes to show Connolly and Smith-Pelly the finished product at some point, said he doesn't plan to share any close-up photos of his new tattoo until the redness has started to fade and "it can really stand out."
On Monday, Duchaine explained that his latest tattoo, which will take about two weeks to fully heal, is more than an amusing conversation starter when he wears a tank top.
"It's going to remind me, of course, of the Cup run, and that it all sort of ended in a moment that we all got to share," he said. "I look at that photo and I think that could've been any of us fans. Looking at Conno in that seat, eating that pizza, with that 'I don't really care' look on his face, that could've been me, that could've been any of us. That was the feeling of that celebration. They felt it just like we did."
Read more on the Capitals:
After losing his wife to cancer, Caps fan completes their 36-venue tour
Capitals lose to the Bruins for the first time since 2014, snapping a 14-game streak
After 14 years, two combat zones and a hat trick, a mission to find a beloved Nats cap
What does the future hold for the Caps in net? The rest of the season could decide a lot.


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Q: Why is output of MaxHeapSze different when calling -XX:+PrintFlagsFinal and -XX:+PrintCommandLineFlags? Just like the question, when I run the program with JVM option -XX+PrintFlagsFinal, I can see the printed MaxHeapSize as below:
 bool MaxFDLimit                                = true            {product}
uintx MaxGCMinorPauseMillis                     = 4294967295      {product}
uintx MaxGCPauseMillis                          = 4294967295      {product}
uintx MaxHeapFreeRatio                          = 70              {product}
**uintx MaxHeapSize                              := 1044381696      {product}**
 intx MaxInlineLevel                            = 9               {product}
 intx MaxInlineSize                             = 35              {product}
 intx MaxJavaStackTraceDepth                    = 1024            {product}

While when I run the same program with JVM option -XX+PrintCommandLineFlags, I can see the MaxHeapSize as :
-XX:InitialHeapSize=65192896 **-XX:MaxHeapSize=1043086336** -XX:+PrintCommandLineFlags -XX:+UseCompressedClassPointers -XX:+UseCompressedOops -XX:-UseLargePagesIndividualAllocation -XX:+UseParallelGC

Can you tell me why these two are different? I thought they should be the same.

A: The actual heap size may differ from what the user specified in the command line due to alignment and ergonomics adjustments. By default, the heap is 2MB aligned (see collectorPolicy.cpp).
1044381696 is the final heap size after 2MB-alignment of 1043086336.


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WittyWe is available to teachers, homeschoolers, and schools with a 90-day free trial. After the trial, there is the option to purchase a classroom license with individual student accounts or a District license.
With its exciting presentation of sometimes complicated topics, WittyWe will soon become your go-to online site for lesson plan resources.
–I received compensation for this review but the opinions are my own.


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This beautiful, well maintained villa has nice views over the golf course. Great for permanent residence, vacation home or as a great investment object. The villa is located on Blue Bay Golf & Beach Resort Curacao.
The project on which the property is located consists of 52 separate villas located in a tropical garden of approximately 28,000 m2 with swimming pool, adjacent to a 18 hole golf course and within walking distance of the beautiful Blue Bay beach.
The villa has a spacious living room with sliding doors opening up to the porch. This way the indoor living seamlessly transfers into the outdoor living. The spacious porch has a dining table, a seating area and sunbeds. The open plan kitchen has a granite countertop, a lovely dining bar and is fully equipped including a dishwasher, fridge / freezer and combi microwave.
The spacious Master bedroom has fitted wardrobes and an en-suite private bathroom with double sink, shower and toilet. The second spacious bedroom also has fitted wardrobes and an adjoining bathroom which is to be shared with the third bedroom. All bedrooms have air-conditioning units and fans. There is also a guest toilet and a separate storage room with connection for washer / dryer.
The villa has recently been updates with new air-conditioning units and furniture.
The villa is being offered including booked reservations for the remaining of 2018. What will give you a great start of return in investment.


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The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature. It consists of nearly 24,000 verses divided into seven books and about 500 chapters. In Hindu tradition, it is considered to be the first poem. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king.
Ramayana was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. Like Mahabharata Ramayana is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and ethical elements. The characters Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman, Shatrughna, and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and south-east Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.


Did you know Bärenjäger started out as bear bait? Jump into the 15th century and take some along for an epic bear-trapping adventure.
Dec. 22, 2017, 9:08 a.m.
First created in Eastern Prussia during the 15th century, Bärenjäger became the first commercial brand of Bärenfang, which literally means "bear trap."
You open your eyes to a beautiful autumn morning in 15th century Prussia. Although the sun hasn't quite risen yet, you're fully awake, rolling out of your bed and throwing on your pants — you've been planning this day for a long time, after all. It's finally the perfect time to go bear hunting, and you happen to come from a family of bear hunters. Well, fur trappers, to be exact, but your family has quite the reputation for its ability to hunt bears; a skill that's resulted in a significant amount of praise (and a significant amount of gold) throughout the generations.


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JPMorgan Makes A Striking Discovery: "The Wealth Effect Is Dead"
Last week we highlighted that in the latest comprehensive revision to the national accounts data, the personal saving rate in 1Q18 was revised to 7.2% from a previously-reported 3.3%, with the entire series similarly shifted higher in the post financial crisis era.
What caused this dramatic revision? As Macquarie's Viktor Shvets wrote earlier this week, the largest and most persistent revisions occurred not in compensation but in proprietary & investment incomes. In other words, for the bulk of non-supervisory employees (over 80% of labour force), there has been (at best) only limited change. However, proprietary incomes were raised by ~8%-10% throughout the last three years. The same occurred to rental and investment income. In essence, Shvets notes, "this is another side of rising income & wealth inequality, and when estimates are updated for '17-18, it presumably would imply an even greater difference between mean and median incomes."
But whether the dramatic revision in the savings rate is accurate or merely the figment of some BLS excel spreadsheet's imagination, there is another - more troubling implication.
Recall that as Ben Bernanke explained many years ago when he was actually telling the truth in a November 2010 WaPo Op-Ed, the whole point of QE was to boost the wealth effect, which is simply defined as the tendency of households to spend some fraction of an increase in net worth.
Together with the Phillips curve, in the years prior to the great recession, the wealth effect was thought to be one of the more reliable regularities in macroeconomics: when household wealth increased by a dollar, consumer spending would increase by 3 to 4 cents and the saving rate would go down commensurately.
And indeed, as JPMorgan's Michael Feroli points out, when one overlaid the saving rate against the wealth-to-income ratio there was a reasonably solid correlation. However, beginning in 2014 - some 5 years into QE - we started to notice that the post-recession wealth effect was losing its power to explain saving behavior. In spite of a roaring stock market, the saving rate barely budged in the early years of the recovery.
So fast forward to the latest savings rate revision, when as JPMorgan writes, "the wealth effect looks even weaker" because had pre-recession wealth effects played out in the current expansion, the saving rate would be predicted to be 2.0%; the latest upward revision places the data even further away from that prediction.
It gets worse, because when the bank runs those same models since the end of the recession, "they indicate that the wealth effect has disappeared completely", Ferolid concludes.
Of course, ten years after an unprecedented monetary experiment that was launched only to boost the wealth effect, it is easy to come up with explanations why the wealth effect has disappeared in the current expansion, and that's what JPM tries to do:
there was probably some scarring effect of the Great Recession that altered behavior. That behavior may have led to a pokier pace of growth in this expansion—had the saving rate actually fallen to 2.0% the average pace of real consumption growth in this expansion would have been about 0.5%-pt per annum faster on average
Whatever the explanation, the implication - assuming the latest revision is correct - of the surprisingly higher savings account revision is troubling: Americans simply no longer feel compelled to spend. And in an economy in which 70% of the economic growth comes precisely from consumer spending, this may explain why a decade into what will in 2 weeks be the longest bull market on record, there has been no actual recovery, but merely $15 trillion in central bank liquidity filling in the cracks and giving the impression of a recovery, even as households braced for the great recession - or depression - that will inevitably follow.
Echoing JPM's observations, Macquarie's Shvets writes that while higher savings might indicate that households were not dipping into their savings to maintain consumption, the caveat of unequal distribution and breakdown of asset-based economic model takes a lot of wind out of this argument. Since '80s, strong & negative correlation emerged between HHs net assets and personal saving rates, as shown in the chart below.
And another observation on the death of the wealth effect, this time from Macquarie:
Higher net assets relative to income meant that people did not need to save. This in turn boosted growth, with rising asset prices underwriting excessive consumption. However, following revisions, personal saving rates have apparently not dropped as net wealth increased.
So why is it a problem? To Shvets - as to JPM's Feroli - it implies a rising propensity to save and that wealth accumulation is no longer translating into usual boost to consumption. As a result, higher saving rate means that whether for financial, demographic or other reasons, LT growth rates would be lower, and the Fed, which was hoping for a rise in neutral/natural rates, might need to accept a far lower trajectory.
By implication, this would also mean that the elusive r* (the inflation adjusted rate at which economy operates at its full
potential) would need to continue to fall. That's hardly a surprise:
As global economies financialized, r* has been dropping for three decades. Estimates indicate that it is now close to zero or negative in the US, Japan & Europe (vs 3%+ in '90). The challenge with low r* is that it limits efficacy of monetary levers, reduces growth & lowers asset returns.
This in turn may help explain why most central banks are so focused on escaping the liquidity trap and the confines of the zero-lower bound (not to mention QE). And all as a result of household willingness to be better financially prepared for the next crisis.
Finally, Shvets observes that "higher US savings might also force very disruptive realignments in surplus countries (e.g. China, Germany)." While this would please Trump; his desire for high consumption, rising fiscal spending, current account surpluses, tariffs, and low US$ are all mutually incompatible.
Macquarie's, and perhaps JPMorgan's, conclusion now that the wealth effect - the official impetus behind a decade of unorthodox monetary policy and trillions in liquidity injections - is dead: "Prepare for a lot of turbulence."


The Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) is located in Doha, Qatar, and is a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. MSP were contracted by the QNCC to initially install and check all in-house AV equipment and ensure that the centre was networked correctly and ready for the first soft opening event in November 2011 to be followed by production management and operation on a series of high profile events.
Installation and operation of in-house equipment.
Event – WISE Summit (World Innovation Summit for Education).
Event – 20th World Petroleum Congress.
Event – United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII).
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference.
"The QNCC has had the great pleasure of engaging Colin Reader from MSP Global to assist and support us in the delivery of our largest and most prestigious events. In particular our key opening event the World Petroleum Congress. Other major projects included the COP18 global warming event, where we utilised Colin's skills as the Media Manager of our global media centre providing interconnection and facilities for over 500 world press from TV, Radio and written.


Special guest speaker, Mr. Joseph B. Parsons, the current chief financial officer for Michael Kors came to Centenary College on the behalf of BRAG.
BRAG is a black retail action group, that was founded in 1970 to help minorities get experience to find jobs in retail and retail related industries.
Michael Kors Inc. is much respected in the fashion industry and grossed well over 1 billion dollars in revenue in 2012 alone. The students were allowed to hear from Parsons what it is like to work for a billion dollar company.
Parsons discussed fashion companies having a short lifespan, and some of his career changes. He mentioned that smaller companies have more opportunities for growth. He touched bases on all aspect of the financial side of working for small companies to billion dollar companies. To people who wanted to start their own business Parsons gave them competitive advice.
"Keep your vision of your own DNA," Parson said.
He also told them how to stand out to employers, saying to have experience, have expanding potential, and to be themselves. Parsons seem to have enjoyed the question session of the event because he was eager to answer all questions in such a short amount of time.
The event turnout was excellent and some students mentioned how they could benefit from hearing from Joseph B. Parsons.
Women and men, both as designers and consumers who like to shop, have an interest in fashion. Some designers' dreams are to work for major fashion companies; students like Gabrielle Pandolfi want to be their own boss. The summer of May 2012, Pandolfi gave birth to her jewelry business Fashions By Gabrielle. According to Pandolfi, her business represents who she is.
Gabrielle Pandolfi is a recent graduate of Centenary College. She is a determined entrepreneur who loves fashion. Pandolfi said she wanted to become an entrepreneur because she likes innovating new ideas and wants to be credited for her own work. Like most people with a passion for something, fashion is the only thing that keeps Pandolfi's interest. She started taking a course spring of 2012 called "chain mail" which focused on chain weaving.
"I wanted to start in college in hopes to have something to rely on when I graduate." Pandolfi said.
Fashions By Gabrielle is a handmade jewelry business that sells glamorous necklaces, bracelets, and earrings all at affordable prices. Having prior knowledge of fashion design, Pandolfi previously took a business and economic class to help her with the financial aspect of having your own business. She is currently taking a business management course. When determining prices for her products, Pandolfi said, "I go based on the cost of the material and time it took to make each product." Her products are handmade using chains, wires, and any precious jewels that can be made into something lovely. You can find merchandise like golden diamond bracelets and pearls made by this designer.
"Originally I called it Gabrielle, but it was taken. I bought the URL FashionsByGabrielle.com…" said Pandolfi explaining how she came up with her business name "…When I bought the domain name, it came with advertising credits." Pandolfi also gave a bit of information about her website, telling how she recently bought a background for it to look more professional. Her site includes contact information, sales links, and even a blog where you can watch the designer talk about her products.
In the past, Pandolfi promoted her business by participating in two craft fairs in Hackettstown, NJ and Flanders, NJ. She also tries to promote by having sales, where customers can find high quality jewelry for a low price! Pandolfi said this is her first business where she is working alone and doing everything herself. But what does this young entrepreneur have in store for the future?
Pandolfi said her goals for Fashions By Gabrielle are to expand its fan base and gain customer loyalty.
Fashions By Gabrielle's goal as a fashion forward business is to make everyone who buys our merchandise a little more glamorous, chic, and enticing by using alluring products.
"…I want to have actual retail locations, adding clothing and shoes as well," Pandolfi said.
Some dream to be successful, and others like Gabrielle Pandolfi work to be successful.


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First Columbia's Kay Vinson
God uses chance encounter to intervene in woman's life
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
HEBERT – One never knows how or when God will intervene.
Kay Vinson, a member of First Baptist Church in Columbia, could see the despair in a young woman's face as Vinson approached the girl's vehicle on a Sunday evening in early March. She admitted to Vinson she was thinking about suicide.
Vinson said just really did not know what to say, so she just allowed God to speak through her and the distraught woman eventually decided not to end her life.
For Vinson it was a vivid reminder how God could use anyone for His Glory.
The situation unfolded in early March, when Vinson and a fellow member of First Baptist Church in Columbia arrived in a driveway and encountered the woman.
When the young woman discovered the First Baptist Columbia members were placing signs in yards as part of the Campaign for Christ effort, she immediately wanted to visit with them and question them about the hope they found in Jesus.
Vinson said the woman described herself as a believer who had strayed away from her faith. The woman shared about her failed marriage and two previous attempts to commit suicide and she was contemplating trying a third time.
When the conversation ended, the woman expressed her appreciation for the visit and the divine encounter Vinson said.
"She asked us how we knew a visit was what she needed at that exact moment," Vinson recalled. "She was at the point where she believed she had done so many bad things that God couldn't forgive her. We told her nothing can keep her from God's grace and mercy."
Vinsons described how the demeanor of the woman immediately changed from despair to hope.
"That is something I needed at that moment," Vinson said. "To know He could take little old me who strayed herself and got back to where I needed to be was a blessing."
Vinson admitted she would not have been so bold to share her faith five years earlier.
Though she was raised in a Christian home and believed at an early age, Vinson confessed that as the years passed, attending church, reading her Bible daily and witnessing to others became less of a priority.
As time marched on, Vinson said dissatisfaction at work increased and she knew a change was needed.
During a break on the job work in May 2012, she found a Gideon's Bible and began reading 1 and 2 Corinthians. The more she studied the Bible, the more she realized now was the time for a change, she said.
"One day, I just quit and walked out," she said. "I prayed about it and the Lord provided."
Soon, Vinson said was a regular at First Baptist Columbia, attending Bible studies and church services every week.
She encouraged others who have strayed from Christ to return, saying it is never too late to turn back to God and have a fresh start.
"Unless I gave it all to God, I would still be in that room at work and wishing I could make a change," Vinson said. "But I gave it all to Him. And that's a decision I never have regretted to this day."


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The Measurement of Conjugated Dienes in Ischemic and Reperfused Myocardium
Alexander D. Romaschin
Donald A. G. Mickle
When we began toying with the idea of attempting to measure a chemical marker in myocardium which was indicative of oxygen free radical attack or oxidative stress a variety of analytical options were open to us. These included a) spin trapping primary species such as superoxide and hydroxyl radicals or other secondary radical species(1) b) assay of malonyldialdehyde either with thiobarbituric acid or by direct HPLC spectrophotometric analysis(2) c) assay of lipid hydroperoxide species by fluorescent or luminescent assays(3) d) measurement of pentanes and ethanes(4) e) detection of water soluble polyunsaturated fatty acid oxidation and fragmentation products (ie. hydroxyalkenals) (5) f) detecting a decrease in protein or peptide sulfhydryl redox state (6) g) measuring amino acid oxidation in protein (7) h) conjugated diene formation (8) i) chemiluminescent light emission due to the formation of activated oxygen species (9). Clearly at least two major molecular components of cells were demonstrably susceptible to oxidative attack by free radical species; namely polyunsaturated fatty acyl moeities of phospholipid and sulfur containing amino acid residues in protein. Other amino acids have also been shown to be susceptible to free radical and oxidative attack (tyrosine, histidine, etc.) (10).
Oxidative Attack Conjugate Diene Formation HPLC Eluate Phospholipid Peroxidation Irreversible Model
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1.Department of Clinical BiochemistryUniversity of Toronto and Toronto General HospitalUSA
Romaschin A.D., Mickle D.A.G. (1988) The Measurement of Conjugated Dienes in Ischemic and Reperfused Myocardium. In: Singal P.K. (eds) Oxygen Radicals in the Pathophysiology of Heart Disease. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol 86. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1743-2_12


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May 01, 2019 6:00am PT by Lesley Goldberg
'Ghost Rider,' 'Helstrom' Marvel Live-Action Dramas a Go at Hulu
Courtesy of Marvel
Marvel comic book characters Ghost Rider and Hellstrom are the latest to be adapted into live-action TV series.
Netflix who? The pair of scripted dramas join a slate of four animated comedies at the now Disney-controlled platform.
Marvel, apparently, doesn't really need Netflix.
The comic book powerhouse, fresh off a wave of high-profile cancellations at Netflix, has nabbed a pair of straight-to-series orders at Hulu — Ghost Rider and Helstrom, based on the comic book characters of the same name. Both series will debut on Hulu in 2020. They join fellow live-action drama Runaways and a slate of four animated comedies (and a special) at Hulu. The news comes as Hulu is now majority controlled by Marvel Television parent company Disney.
Ghost Rider revolves around anti-hero Robbie Reyes, who, consumed by hellfire and supernaturally bound to a demon. Reyes lives on the Texas/Mexico border and when he unleashes the Rider, Robbie brings vengeance for the innocents he encounters, but struggles to control the power he wields. Ghost Rider will be executive produced by Ingrid Escajeda (Justified), who will serve as showrunner, Paul Zbyszewski (Agents of SHIELD, Lost) and Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb.
Helstrom, meanwhile, revolves around Daimon and Ana Helstrom, the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity — each with their attitude and skills. Helstrom is executive produced by Zbyszewski, who will serve as showrunner, and Loeb. Both shows will exist in the same universe as Hulu builds its second interconnected Marvel universe as the two live-action dramas and animated slate are akin to the five-show universe Marvel previously had at Netflix.
The news comes after ABC's Marvel drama, Agents of SHIELD, featured the character of Ghost Rider/Robbie Reyes with Gabriel Luna previously portraying the character in season four. Luna will reprise his role in the Hulu drama. (Nicolas Cage also portrayed the Johnny Blaze iteration of the character in the 2007 feature Ghost Rider and its 2012 sequel.)
Both series will be produced by Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios.
All told, Hulu's Marvel slate now consists of season three of Runaways, Ghost Rider, Helstrom and animated comedies MODOK, Hit-Monkey, Tigra & Dazzler Show, Howard the Duck and team-up special The Offenders. (The latter title should be considered a dig at Netflix, whose live-action miniseries team-up was called The Defenders.)
The Hulu live-action Marvel slate comes on the heels of Netflix's decision to sever all ties with the comic book giant earlier this year when the streamer canceled The Punisher and announced that the upcoming third season of Jessica Jones would be its last. Those joined Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil and mashup mini The Defenders in the canceled heap. The decision was brought on after Netflix and Marvel's relationship soured. (Read our deep-dive analysis into what happened here.)
With the Marvel orders, all of the company's scripted offerings now live on Disney-owned networks after Fox canceled The Gifted a few weeks ago. Marvel's slate also includes Freeform's Cloak and Dagger, the upcoming third and final season of Legion on now Disney-owned FX as well as three live-action series for Disney's upcoming streaming platform, Disney+: Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston; WandaVision, with Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan; and animated series What If. The Disney+ series are all being overseen by Marvel's film division.
The Marvel series pickups were announced Wednesday during Hulu's upfront presentation in New York, where the streamer also announced renewals for comedies PEN15 and Ramy, and a series order for a Nicole Kidman drama from the author of Big Little Lies, among other news that included its impressive growth.
Lesley Goldberg
Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com Snoodit