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2013년 12월 31일 화요일

Weather whether we like it or not

Weather whether we like it or not

So... to recap:

1) Winter of 2012-2013 decided to remain until May, making my mother's let's-watch-spring-greenup visit into a mud-and-slush visit.

2) Winter of 2013-2014 decided not to begin until Halloween, and then only with the barest dusting of snow.

3) Real snow came in earnest last weekend, enough to make me think I could ski. It was enough to ski on. However, not enough to fall down without feeling inappropriate amounts of pain. I had a lovely ski, but then I fell down on the way home, and realized in a flash that the falling-down part is why skiing on thin snow over bare frozen ground is generally not okay. Here is a photo of the results (although, fortunately, there is no audio recording of what came out of my mouth at that particular moment):

As I moaned on the ground in pain, with white flashes in my field of view, I decided that this was unacceptable, and that it had not been a worthwhile ski, despite the earlier beauty and exhilaration. However, by the time I got home, the pain had quit throbbing, and I decided, "Meh, pain." It had, indeed, been worth it.

That night, it snowed all night, and despite a forecast that threatened a rise above freezing temps and a consequent ice storm, it never came. I had friends come over for pancakes, and we had perhaps the happiest ski I can recall. Dogs were bouncy! Happy! I looked forward to winter proceeding as usual.

Then this morning I woke up to rain. Coating everything with ice. Sigh.

The town has shut down, similar to Icepocalypse.

And that (sigh) is where things stand now. I don't understand why this is happening. Temperatures are well below freezing. We should be safe. I don't understand why liquid water is coming from the sky. As it happens, though, sometimes Things Occur whether I understand them or not.

For example, I will never get proper compost, so I've given up on that little project:

Life is easier when I adjust my expectations to match reality, rather than expect the other way around.

The Bank of Our Friends in the North

First, a bit of transparency is required. Im a customer of the Co-operative Bank, and Ive been irritated with them for ages – long before they imploded – mainly because (silly, I know) of their habit of sending me bankstatements with one or two transactions on.

The reason I stay with them, despite the recent revelations, is because the Save Our Bank campaign has told me to wait and see – and I see the logic in that – and also because of their excellent, friendly and effective call centre, which is no small thing.

I promised I would leave the Co-op if the hedge fund deal went through, so I will still leave if they renege on any ethical positions – or if they dump the call centre. The hedge funds need to be kept up to the mark.

But I am also aware, as Lord Myners said yesterday, that the hedge funds are not completely committed either and could pull out if there was a mass walk-out by customers. It looks like Mutually Assured Destruction to me (if only Vince Cable had threatened to veto the name beforenegotiations with the hedge funds).

What is fascinating about the revelations about their chairman, the Rev. Mr. Paul Flowers, is not how unusual it is but how much it brings the failures at the Co-op into line with the other big banks.

The big banks also had key appointments without enough banking experience (HBOS). They also succumbed to disastrous mergers with rapidly disintegrating loan books (RBS).

It just goes to show, as the Guardian said today, that the Co-op is not in trouble because it is a mutual, but because it is a bank.What underlies this very public witch-hunt against Mr Flowers is that he was a political appointee, and this is what terrifies the financial establishment about local banking. They are afraid of bankers appointed because of years of service to the Labour Party in some one-party fiefdom, lending public money out to approved vanity projects.
They are afraid of the emergence of the Bank of Our Friends in the North.

But again, the scandal is not about small banks, it is about the hopeless regulation of big banks.

The truth is that most other countries, in Europe and North America, have local banks that underpin their local economies. They also have banks that are linked in some way to local government.

We have new banks along these lines in Cambridgeshire and Salford, with more on the way, using local assets, pension funds and deposits to support productive business - just as the big banks seem to have lost their ability to do so.

Their track record across Europe is not blameless, but those networks of local banks which rode out the recent banking storm without investing in dodgy bonds or turning to much attention to the global markets - sticking to their core skills – have provided a secure basis for those economies locally which we lack.

Because the truth is that there is a kind of snobbery about the way we have done banking regulation. It allowed the big banks to do pretty much anything they could finesse, but traditionally strangled the small and local banks before they could launch.And all for fear of the Bank of Our Friends in the North, when all the time political appointees were staring them in the face.The Guardian also lists some of the facts about the rise of the mutual sector:One new co-operative formed every working day of the week.
Over six thousand co-operatives in all.
In banking, one million people are now members of credit unions, which are financial co-operatives
Two thirds of farmers in Scotland are now part of agricultural co-operatives, creating a commercially very highly successful sector.
In short, it is big banks that are in crisis, not the growing mutual sector that is able to achieve things that conventional business can't.

Preparing for a Pastel Demo

'Daisy Delight' 12x16 pastel ©Karen Margulisclick here to purchase $150I always get butterflies in my stomach. No matter how many demos I do there is a moment of fear before I begin. I have a weekend full of demos planned. I will be doing pastel demos at my Open Studio and then on Monday I will give a presentation and demo for the Atlanta Artist Center.

I have found the best way to cope with the butterflies and chase them away quickly is to be prepared.

I spend more time preparing than I do actually demonstrating but in the end it is worth it. Being prepared allows be to be more flexible and respond to my audience without losing track of my demo or presentation topic. So what do I do to prepare?

Choosing my pastel palette

A large demo....24x36 Pastelbord

pastels and color study for demo#1The first thing I do is decide on a topic/technique I will share and write down what I plan to say.
I practice my presentation so I know my timing will work and so that I will remember the material I want to present. I practice using the stopwatch on my phone. I want to be able to speak without tripping on my words. The more I practice the more at ease I will be.
Next I choose my demo subject and paper size. I usually work larger so that more people will be able to see....16x20 or 18x24 is typical.
I prepare my paper and board. The paper type depends on the technique I will be sharing.
I do a value study and color study so that I am familiar with my subject. (when I did my very first demos I would paint the subject before the demo so I was familiar with it) For my weekly class I don't do this step but in front of bigger groups I want to be sure I know my subject.
Next I choose my color palette and put them in a tray or box. This is the way I normally work so it isn't cheating!
I pack up my supplies going through a checklist so that I don't forget anything....wipes, dust catcher,glassine are just a few things I want to be sure I have.
I practice some more.
I take a deep breath and enjoy!
There is one tip I once heard that I try to remember.....if you struggle with the painting and it isn't going as planned....not every painting works.....don't tell the audience! Keep on working and they will never know what you intended to do. Or you can turn it into a learning experience but remain positive and it will all work out!

Middle East Saudi mufti says women drivers responsible for social evil

Middle East Saudi mufti says women drivers responsible for social evil

Saudi Arabia has an all-appointed consultative Shura Council, with no elected parliament. The council makes recommendations to the government, but the king remains the absolute legislator.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Gulf News
By AFP | November 28, 2013

Top Saudi cleric says issue of granting women right to drive is not a major concern

Riyadh: The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia said a ban on women driving in the conservative Gulf state protects society from “evil”, in remarks published in the press on Thursday.

Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al Shaikh, in a speech delivered on Wednesday in the holy city of Madinah, said the issue of giving women the right to drive should not be “one of societys major concerns”.

The kingdoms most senior cleric called for “the matter to be considered from the perspective of protecting society from evil” which, according to him, included letting women drive.

His comments came as activists said they had been assured by Interior Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef that authorities were reassessing the controversial Saudi ban on women drivers.

“The issue is being discussed, and expect a good outcome,” the minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday by Aziza Al Yousuf, who met him along with fellow activist Hala Al Dosari.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are barred from driving, a regulation that has drawn condemnation from the international community.

Prince Mohammad stressed that the ban was “a matter to be decided by the legislative authority”, Aziza said.

Saudi Arabia has an all-appointed consultative Shura Council, with no elected parliament. The council makes recommendations to the government, but the king remains the absolute legislator.

“We expect a royal decree that gives us this right,” Aziza said.

At least 16 women were stopped by police during a driving protest day last month, and were fined and forced along with their male guardians to promise to obey the kingdoms laws.

In addition to the driving ban, Saudi women are forced to cover themselves from head to toe and need permission from a male guardian to travel, work and marry.

Read original post here:Middle East: Saudi mufti says women drivers responsible for social evil

This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.

In full Willie Rennie's speech in Holyrood independence referendum debate - Scotland is unique and the stakes are high

In full Willie Rennie's speech in Holyrood independence referendum debate - Scotland is unique and the stakes are high

Willie Rennie and the recently ennobled Jeremy Purvis wer ein fine form today. Jeremy whipped Pete Wishart's backside on Politics Scotland this afternoon, pointing out that it isn't that long since the SNP were talking about banishing all vestiges of the British state. Of course, in order not to scare too many horses, they are pledging to keep the pound and the Queen now.

Purvis added that the only differences between the National Conversation document produced a few years ago and the White Paper is where the SNP disagrees with its previous position, for example on membership of NATO.

He simply asked why we would want to create barriers in a union that was working and in which we were playing our part.

And then Willie Rennie just knocked Alex Salmond out of the park in the independence debate at Holyrood this afternoon.

It's not that Alistair Darling has done a bad job or said anything particularly wrong over the past 24 hours. He can't help it if he comes across a bit like a head-teacher who's moonlighting as an undertaker. The pro-UK case needs smiles and optimism and normal language and humour and passion to go alongside the boring bits. Purvis and Rennie delivered all of that today. Here's Willie's opening speech from the debate in full.
It is day two of the happy clappy sect – nationalists for the white paper. Starry eyed optimism. Worshipping the god of positivity. Alex Salmond – the patron saint of blind optimism.I loved the optimism on childcare. Its what I have been asking the First Minister to endorse week after week after week after week. But only when it can aid his campaign for independence does he listen.They are letting down a generation of young people if they dont act now with the powers of devolution
they once trumpeted but now deride.The childcare package was one part of a wider offer that insisted there would be no downsides to
independence.In the white paper there was not one single example of anything that may even be slightly difficult.This omission is quite striking.It makes you wonder why all states in the world are not immediately breaking up based on the compelling
case put forward yesterday. Perhaps now the white paper is out the independence revolution will engulf the world.I cant think of any examples of modern, successful countries that have broken themselves up.The former soviet bloc nations or the war torn countries of Africa were hardly modern, successful countries with much to lose. Hardly examples for a modern, successful Scotland to follow.The Scottish independence movement is not normal.So Scotland is unique and the stakes are high.
And yesterdays white paper didnt move us on. It didnt reduce the risk. It didnt help answer the serious questions raised about this colossal step.The First Minister said that Scotland is better prepared for independence than any other country in the
world.
But being prepared normally means being prepared for all eventualities.So lets look at some of the possibilities. I want to establish if the SNP have even considered what happens if their assertions about what will happen – dont.What if the remainder of the UK says we cant use the pound as part of a currency union? Is there a back up plan?
What happens if we form a fiscal pact with the UK but they insist we cant borrow or spend any more?What happens to the Clyde if the MOD orders go elsewhere?What happens to funding of our Universities if the UK funding dries up?What happens if the UK doesnt want to buy our energy? These are serious and reasonable questions that most people would have hoped the SNP would answer in the white paper. But none of these reasonable options have even been considered – and
they are not sharing them with us.The SNP believe they are right on everything and everyone else is wrong. Its based on an assumption that the UK will agree to every single demand from a newly independent Scotland.The SNP believe that people in the UK will take orders from us even though we will have spent three years
condemning them before declaring we want to be independent from them.
If we slam the door in their face they may just lock it from the other side.And that is just the UK.The SNP expect other countries of the EU and NATO will take our instructions too. It seems as if Scotland will be a new super power.At least the SNP have admitted that membership of the European Union will not be automatic. But that opens up many more questions:
What if other EU countries make it difficult to join? We know that many have their own separatist movements that they oppose.I am not sure if putative Foreign Secretary Angus Robertson has delivered his instructions to Germany, Spain, Italy or France.And whether he or any of the Governments ministers has had any answers, views or responses to those orders.So what if just one of the 27 countries of the EU says we can join the EU but that there will be no rebate?What if just one insists that we join Schengen and have open borders with the EU?What if one says we can join but only if we start on the path to the Euro?It just takes one to say no and Scotland could be out in the cold or forced to agree to conditions they have
previously rejected.Because independence is a colossal step that is not normal we need the answers to these serious but
reasonable questions.
Perhaps the SNP can use today to start answering.

FALL TWEAKING

FALL TWEAKING

It is not officially Fall yet, and Im already tweaking the Fall décor!  I previously showed you the buffet in the sunroom with the start of Fall decorating.  Im not going to tell you that the Fall decorating on this buffet is finished, because I am an obsessive tweaker.  Im just going to say that it has been changed.

I added a painted glass pear and an apple.

Faux clove-studded oranges peak out from the serving dish.

A beautifully painted pumpkin tag (made by Karen Harvey Cox at A Scrapbook of Inspiration) hangs on the plate holder.

Faux crabapples fill the creamer, and a pumpkin is added to one side.

 A faux dried hydrangea swag hangs from the buffet.

A couple of leaf-shaped plates were added to the shelves above the buffet, along with some glittered pumpkins.

Since we dont have a dining room in our house, buffets tend to appear everywhere.  When I shared the Fall décor on the buffet behind the sofa in our family room, I couldnt find my beautiful velvet pumpkins and acorns made by my friend, Susie.

Yippee!  I found them,

and Ive added them to the buffet.

I am not going to tweak any Fall décor until Fall officially arrives (Im almost sure)!  Thank you for stopping by to see me today.  laurie [Find me on other sites:  On my sidebar are links to “Like” my Facebook page (everybody wants to be “liked”); Subscribe by Email (I love my email subscribers); Follow me on Bloglovin, Hometalk, Pinterest, and Google +.] Im linking to Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life, The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict, Homework Wednesday at Worthing Court,  Open House Thursday at No Minimalist Here, and Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage.

Chris Pinto Mark of the Beast Sophistry WARNING!!!

Chris Pinto Mark of the Beast Sophistry WARNING!!!

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Chris
Pinto Mark of the Beast Sophistry WARNING!!!-The
angel WARNS earth of the Mark of the Beast = the wrath of God. Chris Pinto
seduces with doubt.-Chris
Pintos conflicting quote –“With the Mark of the Beast,
while yes those who take it are condemned, be burned by the fire of God
etcetera, I dont find a scripture that says it is impossible for them to
repent. That I have not found.”

Click image above to expandChris
Pintos “Hegelian-Dialectic-Sophistry”

It wasnt until last Saturday
morning when someone texted me with the scriptures of Revelation 14:6-11 that it hit me with the words Chris Pinto had
said. I then realized Chris Pintos “Scenario
Sophistry” in its fullest.
It was like a loud trumpet,
Glory to God!!
The realization of all the
angels saying what they say in Revelation
14:6-11 BEFORE
the Mark of the Beast and then Chris Pintos imaginative Post-Mark-of-the-Beast repentance scenario. Pinto's "imaginary scenario" is quoted under the right hand picture.

After seeing Chris Pintos “scenario” as Chris Pinto laid it out I
have to say this is the most perfect definition of sophistry I have ever seen
in real life.Then for Chris Pinto to say there is no scripture on repentance after what's clearly laid out by the angels, it's outrageous to see how much he really thinks he can get away with.
Thank God for the Holy Spirit
that leads to ALL truth!! You have to have your “radar” tuned on high with Chris Pinto.
If anyone is left doubting the
Word of God after listening to Chris Pinto, mission accomplished.
Just like the serpent in the
Garden created doubt, so does Chris Pinto.Sophistry - a subtle, tricky,
superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning.

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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}The VERY CLEAR
Word of GodRevelation 14:6-11 – “And
I saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people,
7Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His
judgment is come: and worship Him
that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8And
there followed another angel,
saying, Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication.
9And the
third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in
his forehead, or in his hand,
10The same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb:
11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
The link below is where the audio of Chris Pinto is located (unless they remove it) that is being referred to -

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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}http://media.worldviewweekend.com/sites/default/files_wvw.com/audio_legacy/623284181d5877bc0d853efb0485d2061554ed244ef112e9e1dd05b25e838f3b.mp3

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are partial transcripts of what Chris Pinto said along with our response Chris Pinto at time mark 51:32 –
“There are some who say no you cannot repent others who say yes you can, and so its a debated
issue within the church.”
Ephesians 5:11 Blog response – The
debate among the people that say you can repent after taking the Mark of the
beast is they dont have the ability to understand Revelation 14:6-11 when the angel warns the whole earth about
taking the Mark of the Beast equaling the wrath of God.
The Word of God is clear, when
the whole earth hears the warning from the angel to Fear God, give glory to
Him, worship Him, Babylon is fallen, if ANY MAN worship the beast and his image
and receive is mark…the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God – they
heard the last warning and are being given the last opportunity to repent right
then and there.
Chris Pinto at time mark 53:29 –
“I came to realize we dont
have there the kind of warning where the Mark is concerned that we have, say,
with the unpardonable sin, uh, blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.”
Ephesians 5:11 Blog response – There is a warning in Revelation 14:6-11 given by the angel,
thats exactly what the angel is doing, warning of the consequences of taking
the Mark. FOREVER!!
Chris Pinto at time mark 54:42 –
“But we dont have those kind
of warnings about the Mark of the Beast. We dont have a specific scripture
that I know of that says that whosoever takes the Mark of the Beast can never
have forgiveness, cannot repent, it is not allowed to repent etcetera and so
on. With the unpardonable sin, its very clear. With the Mark of the Beast,
while yes those who take it are condemned, be burned by the fire of God
etcetera, I dont find a scripture that says it is impossible for them to
repent. That I have not found. Now, if somebody finds a scripture that says
that, by all means send it to me.”
Ephesians 5:11 Blog response – What
Chris Pinto is doing is very clever. Look how Chris does this by what he says –
“We dont have a specific scripture that I know of that says “that whosoever
takes the Mark of the Beast can never have forgiveness, cannot repent, it is
not allowed to repent etcetera and so on.”

There
were a couple of things Chris Pinto did in the above statement.First,
scripture is clear that taking the Mark of the Beast equals the wrath of God.
Its stated twice in Revelation 14:6-11.
“And the third angel
followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If (1.) any man worship
the beast and his image, and receive his mark in
his forehead, or in his hand,
10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in
the presence of the Lamb:
11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no
rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and (2.) whosoever receiveth
the mark of his name.”
Chris
Pinto disarms the finality of Revelation
14:6-11 and creates doubt by stating –“…I dont find a scripture that
says it is impossible for them to repent. That I have not found.”Chris Pinto could say the same thing about the
unpardonable sin. Chris could cleverly
say –
“I
know the unpardonable sin means youre condemned however I dont find a
scripture that says it is impossible to repent”
If you look at Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-29, and Luke12:9-10, scripture is clear about the finality of the blasphemy of the Holy
Ghost not being forgiven.
However, Chris Pinto could
cleverly say of these scriptures “I dont
find a scripture that says it is impossible to repent”.
Do you see what Chris is doing?
Because the exact words “impossible to
repent” dont exist, there might be a possibility.
What
Chris Pinto did was deploy the “non-existent
scripture” tactic.
This
clever tactic ensures that Chris Pinto is correct in his argumentation to the
blinded masses.
Those
exact words dont exist therefore Chris Pinto must be right. Its a subtle
tactic if youre not paying attention.
Your
right Chris Pinto, there is no scripture that have those exact words you just
told everyone, therefore nobody will find them and nobody will send them to
you.
However,
the angel in Revelation 14:9-11
clearly lays out the warning and the eternal consequences for taking the Mark
of the Beast, twice.
Chris
Pinto is one of the reasons we must be “sober
minded” living in these days or else we can easily be seduced by smooth
words in the name of Jesus.
Chris Pinto at time mark 55:57 – “And as I said before,
my view of this is, it is an ongoing investigation in process…”
Ephesians 5:11 Blog response – No
Chris, this is NOT an “ongoing
investigation”. The Word of God is clear.
Its only an “ongoing investigation” in your mind and
to those who blindly listen to you unknowingly having doubt planted in their
hearts.

ConclusionRevelation 15:2 – “And I
saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over
the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his
name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”The
Greek word for “victory” is nikaō.
The same Greek word is used in in Revelation
12:11 defining HOW one has victory over Satan and his mark –Revelation
12:11 – “And
they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they
loved not their lives unto the death.”The
“victory” comes when you love not
your lives unto the death. This is something the church in America has no concept
ever experiencing of as the possibility of it was cleverly removed by the Masonic Constitution Masonic
Declaration of Independence which introduced the celebrated worship and tolerance of all gods
in America.Satan
made sure the third powerful component to overcoming him would never be
deployed in America - at least not until the end anyway. Keep the church as blinded
and unprepared - as he can until the end.The
powerful witness of dying for faith in Jesus is non-existent in America. The sense of ever having to face that possibility was taken away - or removed back in 1776 by the Freemason/Jesuit Founding Fathers.Take
a stand for the Word Of God, our Lord and Savior (Revelation 19:13) by not loving your lives unto the death.Have
VICTORY by refusing to worship the beast and trusting in the Word of God. As Stephen prayed
for those on his way up to the Lord, so should we too. The Lord recorded Stephen as
our example.Acts 7:54-60 – “When
they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him
with their teeth.55But he (Stephen),
being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,56And
said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the
right hand of God.57Then
they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with
one accord,58And
cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their
clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.59And
they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit.
60And he kneeled down, and
cried with a loud voice, Lord,
lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.”CLICK HERE for related article