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Something this TBK fella wrote.....
Chiefling, your ignorance of relativity...
... is not the fault of Einstein.
>god knows you will choose "x" tomorrow.
>Tomorrow comes, and you are faced with a "choice" of "x"
>or "y."
>CAN YOU CHOOSE "Y?"
So, the truth comes out -- you are time-locked, and ignorant of the timelessness of God. You are completely misconstruing the abstractions, or something like that. You've got this picture of God sitting around, waiting for what He already knows is going to happen. The fact is, though, that all of reality, throughout all of time, has already happened for God, because God is free of time.
God made time, and you are using time (ordered causation) as a criterion for evaluating the concept of God! That, my friend, is absurd. Please, do not make a bigger fool of yourself by continuing this debate. Concede now, while you can still salvage something out of it.
TBK: Your ball.
Believers and Supporters of Christian Universalism
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Christian Universalism: The belief that everything in heaven and on earth will ulitmately be reconciled back to the Creator through the work of Jesus Christ, his Son. In plain language, no one is going to be endlessly tortured as has been commonly taught.
Famous people throughout the centuries who have declared publicly or strongly hinted that they believe all mankind will ultimately be saved. Remember, during most of Church history, openly declaring this belief often cost one their lives. The list includes early Church Fathers and leaders, theologians, scholars, historians, royalty, writers, poets, statesmen, humanitarians, scientists, and other streams of life. While some may not be well known to Americans living in the twentieth century, they are well known in the countries and times in which they lived. These men and women left written evidence behind declaring their views. Behind them stand millions who, while not having left behind a written record of their beliefs on earth, nevertheless, will one day brightly manifest to all creation as a Great Cloud of Witnesses.
This list was compiled from several sources among which are: "A Cloud of Witnesses" by J.W. Hanson, first published in 1885 and reprinted by Concordant Publishing Concern; "Mercy and Judgment" by Canon F.W. Farrar, published in 1881; "Christ Triumphant" by Thomas Allin, first published in 1890, reprinted by Concordant Publishing Concern; and "Universal Reconciliation and the Evangelical Covenant Church." Dean Hough, Editor of Unsearchable Riches also contributed greatly to the list.
All the Hebrew Prophets who prophesied of the coming of the Messiah
Jesus Christ (John 12:32)
Paul, the Apostle (never used the word "Hell" once) (1 Tim. 4:9-11)
John the Apostle (John 4:42)
Pantaenus, first head of catechetical school at Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria, second head of catechetical school at Alexandria
Origen, greatest scholar of the early church
Athenasius, Archbishop of Alexandria
Didymus
Ambrose, Bishop
Ephraim
Chrysostum
Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop
Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop and President of the second Church council
Titus, Bishop of Bostra
Asterius, Bishop of Amasea
Cyril
Methodius, Bishop of Tyre
Eusibius, early church historian
Hillary, Bishop of Poictiers
Victorinus
Macrina, the younger
Erigena
Dionysius
Barsudaili, Abbott of Edessa
Diodore, Bishop of Tarsus and Jerusalem
Theodore of Mopsuestia
John Cassian
Maximus of Turin
Proclus, Bishop of Constantinoplus
Theodoret the Blessed, Bishop of Cyrrhus
Peter Chrysologus, Bishop of Ravenna
Theophylact, Archbishop of Achrida
Anselm
Hermes Trisgistus
Joachim of Flora
Thomas Hobbes
Francis Quarles
Sir Harry Vane
La Fontaine
Sir Isaac Newton
Daniel Defoe
Joseph Addison
Isaac Watts
Dr. Edward Young
Chevalier Ramsay
William King, Archbishop of Dublin
William Duncombe
Bishop Joseph Butler
John Donne
James Thompson
Dr. Philip Doddridge
Peter Bohler
Dr. David Hartley
Thomas Say
Samuel Johnson
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Frederick the Great
Ferdinand Oliver Petitpiere
Henry Brooke
Mark Akenside
Immanuel Kant
Thomas Gainesborough
William Cowper
James Neckar
Dr. Joseph Priestley
Jung Stilling
John Frederick Oberlin
Alison Rutherford Cockburn
Johann Kasper Lavater
Anna Letitia Barbauld
Dr. John Prior Estlin
Samuel Parr
T. W. Goethe
Thomas Belsham
Rev. Robert Aspland
George Crabbe
Ralph Cudworth
Henry Moore
Erbury
Samuel Richardson
Bishop Rust
Jeremy White
Bishop Stillingfleet
Dr. Burnet, Master of the Charter House
William Whiston
Bishop Newton
William Law
J. Windet
R. Clark
Cooke
J. Relly
Sir George Stonehouse
W. Dudgeon
Capel Berrow
C. Charnay
Elhanan Winchester
John Murry
Ershine of Linlathen
Anne Bronte
Whittier
Robert and Elizabeth Browning
Robert Burns
Johann Schiller
Joanna Baillie
Samuel Rogers
Sir James Mackintosh
Alexander Von Humboldt
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
John Foster
Whitman
Edna Lyall
George MacDonald
Mrs. Oliphant
James Hinton
C. Bronte
Emily Bronte
Gen. Gordon
Miss Mulock
Alexander Pope
William Wordsworth
James Montgomery
Thomas Dick
James Hogg
Robert Southey
Fredericka Bremer
Ellice Hopkins
Hesba Stretton
Florence Nightingale
F. Schlegel
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bishop Ewing of Argyll
Canon Kingsley
John F.D. Maurice
Dr. Samuel Cox
Baldwin Brown
Bishop Westcott
F. W. Robertson
Sir G. W. Cox
Andrew Jukes
Rev. Lucius R. Paige
Thomas Whittimore
J. H. Hanson
Archer Gurney
Phillips Brooks
Professor Mayor
Canon F. W. Farrar
Principal Caird, the Bishop of Meath
Dean Church
Johann A. W. Neander
Martensen
Friedrich A.G. Tholuck, German Professor
E.A. Thomas Rawson Birks, secretary to Evangelical Alliance
Erik Jakob Ekman, author
Karl Johan Nyvall, author
Peter Paul Waldenstrom
Reuss
Spener
Kristofer Jakob Bostrom, prof. of Philosophy, University of Uppsala
Johna Wilhelm Personne, Swedish Lutheran Bishop, author
Nils Ignell, pastor, author
Rev. Dr. Littledale
Rev. H. B. Wilson
Bishop Forbes of Brechin
Bishop Moorhouse of Melbourne
Dean Stanley
Rev. Prof. Challis
Archdeacon Reichel D. D.
Rev. Prof. J. B. Mayor
A.J. Beresford-Hope
Rev. T. Griffith, Prebendary of St. Paul's
Archbishop Tillotson
Richard Coppin
Gerard Winstanley
R. Stafford
Bishop Stillingfleet
Rev. Dr. Thomas Burnet
Dr. Doddridge
Archdeacon Paley
Rev. Dr. Hey, Prof. of Divinity
Dr. Cheyne
Rev. Presbendary Constable, M.A.
Rev. R. W. Dale
Rev. Edward White
Rev. Henry Allon D. D.
M. Guillaume Monad
Nathaniel Scarlett
Paul Chatfield
Helen Maria Williams
F. W. Faber
Charles Lamb
Mrs. Mary M. Sherwood
F. W. T. Schelling
Sarah Flower Adams
Walter Savage Landor
Henry Crabb Robinson
Thomas Campbell
Horace Smith
William Ellery Channing
Rev. L. Carpenter L.L.D.
F. De La Mennais
Washington Irving
Bernard Barton
Leigh Hunt
Thomas De Quincey
John Pierpont
John Wilson
Prof. Espy
Dr. T. Southwood Smith
Lord Byron
Lady Byron
H. H. Milman
Percy B. Shelley
Felicia Dorothea Hemans
William Cullen Bryant
William Whewell
J. G. Percival
Horace Mann
Hartley Coleridge
T. C. Lockhart
Gerritt Smith
Theophilus Parsons
Thomas Hood
McDonald Clarke
Dr. F Hase, professor of theology
Chauncey Townsend
Frederika Bremer
Johann Peter Lange
Dr. C. F. Kling
Lydia Maria Child
William Leggell
Thomas Guthrie
Bishop Ewing
George Sand
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Mary Bowitt
T. P. Nichol L.L.D.
James Marlineau
Hans Christian Andersen
John Stuart Mill
Rev. J. C. Street
Rev. T. Latham
Emile Giradin
Elizabeth Oakes Smith
N. T. Willis
John Sterling
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
John Greenleaf Whittier
Rev. L. C. Marvin
Abel C. Thomas
Christian Edward Baumstark
Caroline E. S. Norton
John R. Thompson
Ross Winans
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Alfred Tennyson
Richard Milnes
Prof. J. S. Blackie
John R. Beard D.D.
Edward Clodd
Mary Carpenter
Theodore Parker
Margaret Fuller Ossoli
J. S. Taylor
George Moore
Martin Tupper
Charles Sumner
Horace Greeley
W. M. Thackery
J. H. Scholten
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Norman MacLeod D.D.
Charles Mackay
Charles Dickens
Lewis Carroll
Henry Ward Beecher
J. Ross Browne
Sylvester Judd
Rev. C. A. Bartol
Rev. Fergus Ferguson
Caroline M. Sawyer
Daniel Schenkel
Franz Delitsch
Johann Tauler
Jean De Ruysbroek
Johann Arndt
Sonner
Denk
Hetzer
Johann Wilhelm Petersen
Matthew Reuz
Johan Conrad (Christian) Dippel
John Henry Haug, Prof. at Strasburg
Dr. Ernest Christoph Hockman
Count De Marcy
Francesco Giorgi
Postel
Curione
David Joris
Campanella
George Klein-Nikolai, author
Anna Letitia Barbauld, English poet and writer
Sarah Flowers Adams, hymnist
Elisabeth Arundel Charles, hymnist, writer
Elisabeth C. Clephane, hymnist
Eliza Scudder
Alison Rutherford Cockburn, writer
Joanna Beitte, author
Mary M. Sherwood, writer
Lydia Child, writer
Caroline Norton, writer
Mary Carpenter, English philanthropist
Margaret Fuller Ossoli, writer
Caroline Sawyer, writer
Sarah G. Edgarton Mayo, writer
Francis Power Cobbe, author
Lucy Larcom, writer
Dinah Muloch Craik
Mrs. Bloomfield, writer
Mrs. E.H.J. Cleveland
Helen L. Bostwick
Julia H. Scott, writer
Fredrika Bremer, Swedish novelist
Woelner
Seebach
Steinbart
Rev. Alexander Schweizer
Rev. John Page Hoppe
Rev. G. Vance Smith D.D. Ph. D.
Bishop Colenso
Jules Francois Suisse Simon, French Statesman
George Dawson
Charles Reade
John Cooper Vail
Philip James Bailey
James Gaylord Clark
John Sare
J. A. Fronde
Acton Warburton
James Russel Lowell
Dr. R. A. Lipsins, Prof. of Theology
John Ruskin
Arther Hugh Clough
Walt Whitman
Louis Figuier, French Scientist
Charles Kingsley
J. C. Holland
Sarah G. Edgarton Mayo
Prof. E. H. Plumptre
William Howard Russell
W. R. Greg
Stopford A. Brooke, chaplain to the Queen
G. Campbell
Leopold Scheffer
Matthew Arnold
Frances Power Cobbe
J. H. Duganne
T. W. Higginson
Thomas L. Harris
George Rust
Rev. John Wallace
Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
S. Baring Gould
Lucy Larcom
Thomas Griffith
Adelaide A. Procter
Bayard Taylor
Dinah Mulock Graik
Elizabeth Arundel Charles
Henry James
S. A. Tipple
John Brown, M. D.
Mrs. Bloomfield
Eliza Scudder
Charles G. Ames
Joseph John Murphy
James Hinton
Mrs. E. H. J. Cleaveland
Gerald Massey
Theodore Winthrop
Alexander Smith
Albert Laighton
Jean Jugelow
Edwin Arnold
Robert Bulwer Lytton
William Morris
Rev. John Orr, Prof. Biblical Criticism
J. B. Munroe
N. C. Wilkins
Bret Harte
Rev. William Archer Butler
Elizabeth C. Clephane
Rev. Albert Reville D. D.
Dr. S. Fillmore Bennett
Robert Ingersoll
William Wallace
John Hay
Helen Bostwick
Robert Buchaman
Hattie Griswold
Sharon Turner
Seba Smith
Julia H. Kinney Scott
Joaquin Miller
Principle Caird
The Cary Sisters
M. B. Smedley
Paul Janet
Rev. John Monsell L.L.D.
Thomas Aird
Ronald Cower
J. Fenimore Cooper
Victor Hugo
Appleton Oaksith
Sir James Stephen
Thomas Carlyle
Allan Cunningham
John Young L.L.D
Thomas Erskine of Lintathen
Schleiermacher
Bengel
Eberhard
Lavater
J Macleod Campbell, Dean of Wells
Canon Wilberforce
Pastor Oberlin
Bishop Ken
Thomas Allin
Hannah Whitall Smith, Evangelist and Bible teacher
Clara Barton
Christopher Sauer, Bible Publisher
Charles Chauncy
Dr. Benjamin Rush
William Sargent
Hosea Ballou
Christopher Marshall
George de Benneville
Marie Huber
Jane Leade
Philipp Jakob Spener
Johanna Eleonora von und zu Merlau
Abraham Lincoln
Benjamin Franklin, encouraged the first Universalist Church in Philadelphia
George Washington, defended a Universalist chaplain in his army when attacked by "Orthodox" ministers
Joseph S. Johnston, writer
Rev. Charles A. Pridgeon, President Pittsburgh Bible Institute
Rev. E. L. Clementson, theologian
John A. T. Robinson, theologian
Jacques Ellul, theologian
William Barclay, theologian and translator
Robert Short, author
A.E. Knoch, Bible student and translator
Dean Hough, pastor, writer, editor
J. Preston Eby, writer
Ray Prinzing, writer
A.E. Saxby, author
Warren Young Kimball, author
Adlai Loudy, author
John H. Paton, author
Guy Marks, author
Vladimir Gelesnoff, author
Charles P. Schmitt, pastor
Dorothy Schmitt, writer, radio programs
Dr. Ernest L. Martin, author
Morton Kelsey, author
Ruth Carter Stapleton, Billy Carter's sister
Walter Kunneth
Paul Althaus, theologian
Nels Ferre, theologian
Herbert Farmer, theologian
Nicolai Berdyaev, theologian
Hendrikus Berkof, theologian
H. Dodd, theologian
H. H. Farmer, theologian
Vernard Eller, professor
P. T. Forsythe, theologian
Karl Heim, theologian
John Hick, theologian
F. D. Moule, professor
T. Niles, church leader
Mathias Rissi, theologian
Ethelbert Stauffer, theologian
Thomas Talbott, Professor
David L. Watson, professor
Karl Barth, theologian
Madelein L Engle, author
Tom Harpur, journalist
NYC you would like this guy.I am afraid he won't get too far with Birdy at the helm.If he don't like what you have to say he snobs you out.(JMO as well as two others)
by wallstreeterww
as for the intercession of saints and gods children in heaven there are many examples off saints praying andf interceding for us. Again alot of these passages are in the bibleThus in Psalm 103, we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20-21). And in Psalm 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2)
Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.
Angels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).
Jesus himself warned us not to mess with small children because their guardian angels have guaranteed intercessory access to the Father: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:10).
Because he is the only God-man, Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim. 2:5), but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us (1 Tim. 2:1-4), including those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).
As the following passages show, the early Church Fathers clearly recognized the Biblical teaching that those in heaven can and do intercede for us, and they applied this teaching in their practice.
Hermas
"[The Shepherd said:] 'But those who are weak and slothful in prayer, hesitate to ask anything from the Lord; but the Lord is full of compassion, and gives without fail to all who ask Him. But you, [Hermas,] having been strengthened by the holy angel [you saw], and having obtained from Him such intercession, and not being slothful, why do not you ask of the Lord understanding, and receive it from Him?'" (The Shepherd 3:5:4 [A.D. 80]).
Anonymous
"Hail, Mary!" (inscription at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth [A.D. 200]).
Clement of Alexandria
"In this way is he [the true Christian] always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him [in prayer]" (Miscellanies 7:12 [A.D. 208]).
Origen
"But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep" (Prayer 11 [A.D. 233]).
Cyprian of Carthage
"Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father's mercy" (Letters 56[60]:5 [A.D. 253]).
Anonymous
"Atticus, sleep in peace, secure in your safety, and pray anxiously for our sins" (funerary inscription near St. Sabina's in Rome [A.D. 300]).
Anonymous
"Pray for your parents, Matronata Matrona. She lived one year, fifty-two days" (ibid.).
Methodius
"Hail to you for ever, Virgin Mother of God, our unceasing joy, for unto thee do I again return. Thou are the beginning of our feast; you are its middle and end; the pearl of great price that belongs unto the kingdom; the fat of every victim, the living altar of the Bread of Life [Jesus]. Hail, you treasure of the love of God. Hail, you fount of the Son's love for man. . . . You gleamed, sweet gift-bestowing mother, of the light of the sun; you gleamed with the insupportable fires of a most fervent charity, bringing forth in the end that which was conceived of thee . . . making manifest the mystery hidden and unspeakable, the invisible Son of the Father--the Prince of Peace, who in a marvelous manner showed himself as less than all littleness" (Oration on Simeon and Anna 14 [A.D. 305]).
Methodius
"Therefore, we pray thee, the most excellent among women, who glories in the confidence of your maternal honors, that you would unceasingly keep us in remembrance. O holy Mother of God, remember us, I say, who make our boast in thee, and who in hymns august celebrate the memory, which will ever live, and never fade away" (ibid.).
Methodius
"And you also, O honored and venerable Simeon, you earliest host of our holy religion, and teacher of the resurrection of the faithful, do be our patron and advocate with that Savior God, whom you were deemed worthy to receive into your arms. We, together with thee, sing our praises to Christ, who has the power of life and death, saying, Thou art the true Light, proceeding from the true Light; the true God, begotten of the true God" (ibid.).
Anonymous
"Mother of God, [listen to] my petitions; do not disregard us in adversity, but rescue us from danger" (Rylands Papyrus 3 [A.D. 350]).
Cyril of Jerusalem
"Then [during the Eucharistic prayer] we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition . . . " (Catechetical Lectures 23:9 [A.D. 350]).
Hilary of Poitiers
"To those who wish to stand [in God's grace], neither the guardianship of saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting" (Commentary on the Psalms 124:5:6 [A.D. 365]).
Ephraim the Syrian
"Remember me, you heirs of God, you brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day" (The Fear at the End of Life [A.D. 370]).
Ephraim the Syrian
"You victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for the sake of the God and Savior, you who have boldness of speech toward the Lord himself, you saints, intercede for us who are timid and sinful men, full of sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and enlighten the hearts of all of us that so we may love him" (Commentary on Mark [A.D. 370]).
The Liturgy of St. Basil
"By the command of your only-begotten Son we communicate with the memory of your saints . . . by whose prayers and supplications have mercy upon us all, and deliver us for the sake of your holy name" (Liturgy of St. Basil [A.D. 373]).
Pectorius
"Aschandius, my father, dearly beloved of my heart, with my sweet mother and my brethren, remember your Pectorius in the peace of the Fish [Christ]" (Epitaph of Pectorius [A.D. 375]).
Gregory Nazianz
"May you [Cyprian] look down from above propitiously upon us, and guide our word and life; and shepherd this sacred flock . . . gladden the Holy Trinity, before which you stand" (Orations 17[24] [A.D. 380]).
Gregory Nazianz
"Yes, I am well assured that [my father's] intercession is of more avail now than was his instruction in former days, since he is closer to God, now that he has shaken off his bodily fetters, and freed his mind from the clay that obscured it, and holds conversation naked with the nakedness of the prime and purest mind . . . " (ibid., 18:4).
Gregory of Nyssa
"[Ephraim], you who are standing at the divine altar [in heaven] . . . bear us all in remembrance, petitioning for us the remission of sins, and the fruition of an everlasting kingdom" (Sermon on Ephraim the Syrian [A.D. 380]).
John Chrysostom
"He that wears the purple [i.e. a royal man] . . . stands begging of the saints to be his patrons with God, and he that wears a diadem begs the tent-maker [Paul] and the fisherman [Peter] as patrons, even though they be dead" (Homilies on 2 Corinthians 26 [A.D. 392]).
John Chrysostom
"When you perceive that God is chastening you, fly not to his enemies . . . but to his friends, the martyrs, the saints, and those who were pleasing to him, and who have great power [in God]" (Orations 8:6 [A.D. 396]).
Ambrose of Milan
"May Peter, who wept so efficaciously for himself, weep for us and turn towards us Christ's benign countenance" (The Six Days Work 5:25:90 [A.D. 393]).
Jerome
"You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard . . . But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs?" (Against Vigilantius 6 [A.D. 406]).
Augustine
"A Christian people celebrates together in religious solemnity the memorials of the martyrs, both to encourage their being imitated and so that it can share in their merits and be aided by their prayers" (Against Faustus the Manichean [A.D. 400]).
Augustine
"There is an ecclesiastical discipline, as the faithful know, when the names of the martyrs are read aloud in that place at the altar of God, where prayer is not offered for them. Prayer, however, is offered for the dead who are remembered. For it is wrong to pray for a martyr, to whose prayers we ought ourselves be commended" (Sermons 159:1 [A.D. 411]).
Augustine
"At the Lord's table we do not commemorate martyrs in the same way that we do others who rest in peace so as to pray for them, but rather that they may pray for us that we may follow in their footsteps" (Homilies on John 84 [A.D. 416]).
Augustine
"Neither are the souls of the pious dead separated from the Church which even now is the kingdom of Christ. Otherwise there would be no remembrance of them at the altar of God in the communication of the Body of Christ" (The City of God 20:9:2 [A.D. 419]).
Sozomen
"Gregory of Nazianz presided over those who maintain the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and assembled them together in a little dwelling, which had been altered into the form of a house of prayer, by those who held the same opinions and had a like form of worship. It subsequently became one of the most conspicuous in the city, and is so now, not only for the beauty and number of its structures, but also for the advantages accruing to it from the visible manifestations of God. For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way" (Church History 7:5 [A.D. 444]).
Pope Leo I
"Let us rejoice, then, dearly beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord [the martyr Laurentius] . . . By his prayer and intercession we trust at all times to be assisted . .." (Sermons 85:4 [A.D. 450]).
Taken from the Basrms 2 board
Again, I know this board's main concern is the 2nd Amendment, however, if our objectives are ever going to be gained, please consider linking with other conservative groups within your area/town/county/state for support - attending rallies & countering opposition demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, sharing political info' on local elections, i.e. records of voting, decisions by judges, etc.
Beside our own backyards, the federal governemt is moving forward ever so quickly now with globalism - an international(UN)judicial court approval, biodiversification of our water & land resources under the UN, a federal(UN)power commission, merging our military forces with those of the UN, strengthening WTO & IMF policies & monetary controls, & the list goes on.
Our best chance at slowing this beast is to elect people to office - local & federal - that will uphold their oaths to office per the US Constitution. We have to unite & recall any elected official that fails to perform - first, & easiest, recall town & country officials, then with success will come additional voters & assistance to rid ourselves of state elected officials who do not perform.
When word spreads amongst the professional 'feeders at the trough' that the voters are no longer content to be 'patsies', the true enemies of the state will identify themselves as the real targets for our efforts.
Time permitting, go to the library & re-read Karl Marx's "Das Kapital" & works by Lenin to learn how they organized the communist revolution - we already know that the 'enemy' has the news medias - TV & print -, many influential elected peoples in Washington & within the states, the colleges have been corrupted by tons of leftist professors as have the Christian churches been corrupted by leftist ministers.
Something told to me years ago, "A communist can become a Catholic priest, but a priest can never become a communist!"
Also, Lenin said: "In order to have a successful revolution, you must have a successful counter-revolution!"
If you think the 'enemy' is not dedicated, I tell you this story.
Years ago in a foreign country, a man who was a communist agent migrated with his family from his communist controlled country to a neighboring non-communist country, & eventually the two countries were engaged in war.
The man later ran for public office, won an election, & over the years, rose to hold several key posts within the government. During this time, his eldest son joined the military following his college education, attended the country's officer candidate school where he also graduated, & with his father's influence, was assigned to a key post in communications.
The war finally turned in the favor of the communists, & during the final planning to the nation's defenses, the father betrayed his adopted country's trust by going to his son & telling him to delay, falsefy, lose key messages that were critical to the military forces in the field - this action alone was later found to be a major cause for the country's defeat.
This man, this communist agent, hid waiting for twenty years to act, & then it was through his son's allegiance to his father that the young officer became one of the tools that caused the defeat of the nation that had taken them in on good faith & had allowed them to live a comfortable life - a nation that both father & son had sworn an oath to defend.
Remember: "...enough ants can lick an elephant!"
Federal Rule: Your Medical Records to Be Shared
Tuesday, March 13, 2001
NEWSMAX.COM A key part of Hillary Clinton's original health care plan that would have allowed third parties to collect your private medical data and records may become federal law in a matter of weeks.
President Bush's new Health and Human Services Secretary, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, is considering whether last-minute regulation changes made by Bill Clinton should go through.
The new federal rule would allow doctors, hospitals, druggists, HMOs and insurance companies to pass and share your medical information without your permission.
But Thompson put the rule changes on hold, partly because they allow marketers access to private medical records they can use to sell their products.
The new rules were ordered by then-President Bill Clinton and due to become effective Feb. 26, but have been delayed until April 14.
The rule changes are supported by powerful special interests in the health care and insurance industries.
But privacy advocates are worried about a system that will work much like a credit bureau, but with information far more important than one's financial status.
The issue has gotten little ink, but consumer advocate and nationally syndicated columnist Robert Heady has highlighted concerns about the new federal rule.
The rule was issued by the Clinton administration in December pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Under the Congressional Review Act, before major regulations can take effect, a federal agency must submit to Congress a report containing a copy of the rule, the proposed effective date and a concise general statement about the rule. For the most part, the regulations become effective 60 days after the later of the date that: (1) Congress receives the agency's report, or (2) the rule, if published, appears in the Federal Register if Congress takes no action in that time frame.
The privacy regulation was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 28, 2000. However, because of an error, the regulation was not sent to Congress until the week of Feb. 12, pushing back the effective date to mid-April.
There are problems with the new rules, however, and Thompson wants time to study them.
Sharing Your Records With Marketing Firms
Although intended to improve the confidentiality of medical records, the regulations contain a sleeper provision that allows health care providers the right to use confidential medical information for selling their products that could make such noble intentions into a sick joke.
Under the proposal, doctors can even share the information with a "business partner" who can conduct marketing on behalf of a provider.
"It's perfectly legal under the rule for someone to knock on your door and say, 'I've learned from your doctor you have hemorrhoids; would you like to buy this treatment?' " said Bob Gellman, a medical privacy consultant and former congressional staffer.
"You can only opt out after you have been marketed to. I've been working on this issue for 20 years, and it's the worst anti-privacy thing I've seen."
Right now, there are no federal limits on the use of medical information for marketing purposes, so the new rule will not allow the industry to do anything it can't do already.
Traditionally, ethical concerns and logistical impracticalities have prevented much marketing from taking place.
In the long-gone days of family doctors, the medical field didn't seem so driven by profits as it is today in the world of HMOs, Gellman said.
Also, he noted, medical records – more and more stored electronically – weren't so easy to get hold of in the old days.
The marketing loophole is part of the "final privacy rule" that HHS published on Dec. 28, 2000.
The regulation is part of the effort to implement the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 – a bill that sought to fill the gaps in health coverage that commonly occur when workers get laid off or change jobs.
An important part of that law requires HHS to develop electronic standards that all health care providers and insurance companies must use to communicate with one another about treatment and bills.
The idea is that, if records are stored electronically according to a standard protocol, a patient can change medical coverage and care easily and efficiently. In short, HIPAA requires the entire medical industry to enter the digital age.
A problem is that electronic storage makes your medical records easily accessible to many people who you may not want to know that you take anti-depressants or have a urinary tract infection.
Gellman isn't the only one who's unhappy with the final draft.
On Feb. 23, Thompson said that his department would reopen public comment on the final rule. Thompson has called for more discussion and cautioned against too much regulation.
"While I don't pretend to have all the answers, I can tell you one thing," Thompson said, "it should not be a top-down, federally mandated solution."
Privacy critics and consumer advocates worry that Americans – who were consumed by the aftermath of the election and the agenda of a new president – may not have noticed that such a serious threat to their privacy is under way.
Send an urgent e-mail to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and let him know your view!
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
http://www.newsmax.com
reprinted with permission NEWSMAX.COM all rights reserved
What Am I?
Part 1
(These are the comments from the first day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 351)
W-pII.14.1:1-3
This section is one of the most powerful statements in the Course of its vision of our true nature, of how it can be realized within this world of time and space, and of the function that follows naturally from the fact of what we are. The opening paragraph is an extremely potent declaration, in the first person, of our real Identity. Often I find that reading something like this aloud, by myself, helps me to focus on it and to feel what it is saying. An interesting side effect is that, in making these statements firmly, saying them as if I truly believed them (even if I do not yet), arouses opposing thoughts in my mind. Noting those opposing thoughts and writing them down can be a very useful exercise in uncovering the hidden beliefs of the ego that have lodged in my mind, so that I can recognize their presence and decide that I do not want them.
For instance in the first sentence we read, "I am...complete and healed and whole." I find opposing thoughts that arise, such as, "I am far from complete; I have a long way to go." "I am fragmented, not whole." "I wish I were healed but I'm not." These are lessons the ego has taught me, and they are not true. I can recognize that these thoughts are blocking my acceptance of the Course's message, and I can choose against them. For example, I might say, "I feel incomplete and I believe in my incompleteness, but in reality I am already complete. I want to know my own completion."
"I am God's Son...shining in the reflection of His Love" (1:1).
The light in me is the reflection of God's Light and God's Love. I shine, but my glory is a reflected glory, as the moon's light is completely dependent on that of the sun. It is something that emanates from God and radiates through me but not from me, and unless I acknowledge my connection with my Creator, I mask that shining.
"In me is creation sanctified and guaranteed eternal life" (1:2).
This sounds like something that, in traditional Christianity, Jesus might say, similar to, "I am the way, the truth and the life." And indeed, Jesus might say this. But so can we! We are all what he was and is; that is what he is telling us in this Course. Creation is "sanctified" (made holy) in me. What I am, my very being, is what makes creation holy. I do not need to be made holy or to become holy; I am the source (a reflected source but still a source) of holiness. And what I am guarantees eternal life for all creation, because all creation is what I am. I am God's Son , the radiance of His Love which has shined out and become me; that is also what all creation is, the extension of His Love. The fact that I am God's Son, an emanation of His Being, like a sunbeam to the sun, guarantees eternal life because what God is, is eternal, and if I am simply an effect of God, Who is eternal, then I, too, must be eternal, "forever and forever" His effect.
"In me is love perfected, fear impossible, and joy established without opposite" (1:3).
We find it very difficult to believe that perfect love is in us. "You have so little faith in yourself because you are unwilling to accept the fact that perfect love is in you" (T-15.VI.2:1). So it isn't really that believing this is difficult ; it is that we are unwilling to accept it! Our ego identity depends on its not being true. If perfect love from God is in us, then what we are derives from God and not from ourselves alone, which is what the ego wants to believe. We would rather be fear than be love, because we made fear. The truth is still the truth; perfect love is in us, whether or not we believe it, whether or not we think we want it. What we believe cannot change God's creation.
Fear is impossible in me. Now that generates a lot of negative feedback, doesn't it? "If fear is impossible, then what the hell is this thing I am feeling?" What is it? The Course would reply that what we feel is an illusion, a non-existent nothing, a figment of our imagination. What it is is meaningless. What if, when I felt afraid, I told myself, "I think I am feeling fear, but fear in me is impossible"? What if I realized that what I think I am feeling is not in me , but in a delusional concept of myself I have mistaken for myself?
"...and joy established without opposite." That is my reality. I don't experience it that way now, probably. Even when I do feel joy, there is always an opposite lurking in the shadows. But that opposite, that fear, that dark presence, is unreal. It is nothing to be afraid of and does not, in reality, exist.
Part 2
(These are the comments from the second day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 352)
W-pII.14.1:4-6
"I am the holy Home of God Himself" (1:4). Wow! That makes more of an impact on us, put that way, than simply saying, "God is in me." I am God's Home. Home is not just some place God happens to be; it is where He resides, where He chooses to be, where He can make Himself comfortable, so to speak. In Psalm 132:14, God is said to have proclaimed about Zion, or Jerusalem, "This [is] my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it." Now, we are His home. Now, He speaks to you, and to me, saying that we are his rest forever, that He will dwell in us because He has desired it. That was His intention all along when He created us.
"I am the Heaven where His Love resides" (1:5). We may have naively believed that God lives in Heaven and not in us. Here, we see that, Yes, God lives or resides in Heaven, but we are Heaven . What a mind-blower that is! I'll bet you have thought, for most of your life, that if you were good enough, or if you were holy enough, or if you had enough faith, you'd get to go to Heaven. Sorry, no go. You can't go to Heaven because you are Heaven, where God's Love resides.
"I am His holy Sinlessness Itself, for in my purity abides His own" (1:6). Did you notice that all three of these sentences use words about God's place of residence? "...the holy Home...where His Love resides...in my purity abides His own." God isn't just passing through! He isn't just visiting. He lives here, in me, in you; this is His home; He abides [stays, remains] here, in us.
I have to confess that I can't quite yet wrap my mind around the idea that I am God's holy Sinlessness. "Sinlessness" seems like a rather abstract concept; I have a little trouble understanding how I can be sinlessness. The second half of the sentence helps me out a little: "...for in my purity abides His own." I can sort of grasp it by an analogy. A parent who gives his or her time and energy to raising a child, teaching it all they know, finds their own success and happiness in that child's success and happiness. "My child's happiness is my own. My child's success is my own." I think it is similar to that. God extended Himself as us. What we are is His extension. Our purity is His; if we are not sinless, no more is He. We are what He is, extended outward. If I am not pure, He is not, for our nature is His. If we are what He is, then it is true in reverse; He is what we are. Therefore, "I am His holy Sinlessness Itself."
Part 3
(These are the comments from the third day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 353)
W-pII.14.2:1-3
"Our use for words is almost over now" (2:1). Throughout the Workbook, words have been used to instruct and inspire us, and we have used the words given to us in our practicing. When we are truly ready to "graduate" from the Workbook and its level of training, we will be ready to leave specific words behind. We will be ready to spend our days in constant communication with the Holy Spirit, with no need for any special saying to act as a trigger, to entrain our minds along the lines of the Course, because, at that point, our minds will be fully trained. We will habitually practice holy instants and spend time often each day renewing our minds in God's Presence.
Few, if any, of us are truly at that point. I know, regretfully, that I am not. I have not followed the training program given to us faithfully, and so I still need more training, in which the use of words is still essential. I still need the crutch of words; or a better analogy than "crutch"--training wheels. I will be repeating the Workbook again next year. Not with reluctance or with a sense of defeat, oh no! I have made a great deal of progress in this last year, I think. The lessons stick with me during the day much better than ever before, and my mind does remember to apply them in response to "temptation." Not always, but more frequently.
"Yet in the final days of this one year we gave to God together, you and I, we found a single purpose that we shared" (2:2). Surely this is one of the goals of the Workbook, that we would come to realize that we share a common purpose with Jesus; we are saviors (see paragraph 3). We have begun to remember, not only our own guiltlessness, but our purpose, what we were created for: to extend love to others, as God created us by extending His Love.
"And this, our gift, is therefore given us" (2:3). Because we have learned that we are here to give blessing to the world, blessing is given to us. Because we have learned to forgive, we receive our own forgiveness. This is the law of love. This is the way love works.
When the training goal of the Workbook is fully achieved in us, we have not only found our own individual salvation, we have found that our salvation lies in bringing release to others. We are saved by saving others; forgiven by forgiving others; healed by healing others. "I will be healed when I let Him teach me to heal" (T-2.V(A).18:6).
Part 4
(These are the comments from the fourth day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 354)
W-pII.14.2:4-5
"The truth of what we are is not for words to speak of nor describe" (2:4). Words can only take us so far. They can bring us to the door of Heaven, but cannot bring us in. All the words of the Course itself, as wondrous as they are, can do no more than that. That is not a deficiency in the Course, nor a deficiency in words as such. Words are merely symbols. They can do no more than symbols can do, and that is quite a lot, and all that is necessary. The truth of what we are will, Itself, do the rest.
That truth, and the complete knowing of it, is beyond the reach of words, and therefore, beyond our reach within this world, which is a world of symbols and not of realities. Still, there is no reason for despair at that. What we are cannot be here, any more than a "real," physical person can exist within a dream, any more than a three-dimensional figure could enter a two-dimensional world. (Another example: an actual cube, with three dimensions, cannot exist on a sheet of paper; the best that can be done is a perspective drawing that suggests three dimensions.)
"Yet we can realize our function here, and words can speak of this and teach it, too, if we exemplify the words in us" (2:5). Even though we cannot fully know the truth of what we are, here in this world, we can express it; we can, as it were, create a perspective drawing that suggests that truth. How? By fulfilling the function God has given us, the function which the Course has repeatedly stated in various ways: forgiveness; to be happy; extension; to fulfill the Will of God; giving of ourselves; filling our part in God's plan; adding to God's treasure by creating our own; giving and receiving healing; using the Atonement. This is something words can speak of, and words can also teach forgiveness, if (at the same time) "we exemplify the words in us." If the words we speak run through our very beings like watermarks through a banknote, the words can convey what forgiveness is. If our lives are examples of what we are talking about, our words have power. In other words, if we fulfill our function of forgiveness, we can teach forgiveness. And that is our "perspective drawing" of the truth of our being. That is the reflection, in this world, of the Love that we are.
Consider the Course as an example of the very thing it is telling us here. Why are its words so powerful? I think that the reason is that they are spoken by one who exemplifies the words he speaks. Even in the way Jesus (the author) speaks to us, and deals with our flaws, our stubbornness and thick-headedness, our doubts and our vacillation, we can sense the reality behind the words he is giving us. Never once does he seem to become impatient with us. Never once does he belittle us or verbally snort in disgust at our stupidity. When he speaks of forgiveness, there is a spirit of forgiveness that runs through the very words themselves and conveys itself to us. When he tells us to look on everyone as our equal, we get the sense that he is looking on us as his equal. When he says we can see everyone without seeing any sin, we can tell that this is how he sees us .
That is where he is leading us, each and every one of us. It is what the Manual for Teachers, in the section on the characteristics of God's Teachers, calls honesty .
"Honesty does not apply only to what you say. The term actually means consistency. There is nothing you say that contradicts what you think or do; no thought opposes any other thought; no act belies your word; and no word lacks agreement with another" (M-4.II.1:4-6).
Only in fulfilling our function, only in making ourselves into an incarnation of the Course, can we come to realize and recognize its message for ourselves. Only in giving it to others, in word and in deed, can we come to receive it fully for ourselves.
Part 5
(These are the comments from the fifth day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 355)
W-pII.14.3:1-4
What is "our function," spoken of at the end of Paragraph 2? "We are the bringers of salvation" (3:1). Have I really considered that this is my function? Have I begun to realize that, each day as I live my life, this is what I am really living for--to bring salvation to the world? We are not talking here about rescuing people; we are talking about seeing them as God created them, and seeing them that way so clearly and so strongly that our vision of them begins to open their eyes to the same thing. We are talking about holding such an unambiguous picture of their innocence that they can see their own innocence reflected from us.
"We accept our part as saviors of the world, which through our joint forgiveness is redeemed" (3:2). We save the world by forgiving it. And we exercise this forgiveness as joint forgiveness, along with Jesus. We join with him in lifting guilt and blame from each person we interact with. This is how the world is "redeemed," bought back from its slavery to guilt and fear.
"And this, our gift, is therefore given us" (3:3). Once again the oft-repeated theme: we receive forgiveness as we give it.
"We look on everyone as brother, and perceive all things as kindly and as good" (1:4). This is the vision of a savior. This is how a savior sees things. To see everyone as brother is to see them as our equal, sharing in the guiltlessness of God's creation. To see all things as kindly is to realize that even what appears to be attack does not make the "attacker" unkind; behind the fear that drives the apparent attack is still a kind and gentle heart. Some of us, perhaps, have begun to realize this about ourselves and about others. We acknowledge that we have made mistakes, and that we have acted unlovingly, and yet we know that underneath that mask of anger and selfishness our hearts are kind. We do not want to hurt but we feel driven to it by circumstance, it seems the only way we can survive. That is the ego's lie to us, that attack is necessary for survival. The Course asks us:
"Do you not think the world needs peace as much as you do? Do you not want to give it to the world as much as you want to receive it? For unless you do, you will not receive it. If you want to have it of me, you must give it. Healing does not come from anyone else" (T-8.IV.4:1-5).
"There is no living thing that does not share the universal Will that it be whole" (T-31.I.9:1).
Our path to salvation lies in coming to realize that all livings things share the universal Will to be whole, that everyone wants peace just as we do, and that, beneath all the masks we wear so faithfully, what we are, all of us, is Love.
Part 6
(These are the comments from the sixth day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 356)
W-pII.14.3:5-7
Our function, then, is to bring salvation to the world. "We do not seek a function that is past the gate of Heaven" (3:5). In other words, we do not disdain this "lowly" calling of bringing healing to this world of form; we do not try to claim that we are fulfilling our function of creating (which is our function in Heaven), and cannot be bothered with the base forms within the illusion. Doing that is what one of my old Christian teachers used to call "being too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly use."
"Knowledge will return when we have done our part" (3:6). "Knowledge" refers to the perfection of Heaven, to direct knowing of the truth, rather than the lower avenue of perception of forms. "Our part" is to purify our perception of forms. Our part is to work within the illusion, to turn the nightmare into a happy dream; only when we have done this will knowledge return.
"We are concerned only with giving welcome to the truth" (3:7). We are not trying to directly apprehend the truth. We are not focused on having mystical experiences of God, on bypassing the world of form and leaving it behind, although, to be sure, we DO seek to enter the holy instant frequently to renew our vision of Heaven. Our primary concern, however, is on "giving welcome to the truth," that is, preparing ourselves for it, making things ready for it, educating ourselves to accept it. And that is something that goes on within this world, within this illusion we call physical life. Here, the many holy instants we experience (and which we desire to experience above all things) lead to a result: the Holy Spirit sends us out in "busy doing" here within the world, carrying with us the quiet center we have found in the holy instant, and sharing it with the world (T-18.VII.8:1-5).
Part 7
(These are the comments from the seventh day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 357)
W-pII.14.4:1-3
This passage is reminiscent of the paragraph in the Review V:
"Let this review be then your gift to me. For this alone I need; that you will hear the words I speak, and give them to the world. You are my voice, my eyes, my feet, my hands through which I save the world. The Self from which I call to you is but your own. To Him we go together. Take your brother's hand, for this is not a way we walk alone. In him I walk with you, and you with me. Our Father wills His Son be one with Him. What lives but must not then be one with you?" (W-pI.rV.in.9:1-9)
Christ sees through our eyes. Our ears are those that hear the Voice for God. Our minds are the minds that join together. As bringers of salvation, we have only one, single function: to hear the words Jesus speaks, and give them to the world. And what is the kernel of those words? Seeing the world with no thought of sin; hearing the message that the world is sinless; joining in union to bless the world.
Am I a blessing to those around me? Or a burden? Do I lift guilt from them, or do I lay it on them? I am not really grasping the message of the Course until I have begun to realize that I am here to be a channel of God's grace to the world, to release everyone I come in contact with from their guilt, and most especially from the guilt that I have laid upon them.
Part 8
(These are the comments from the eighth day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 358)
W-pII.14.4:4
"And from the oneness that we have attained we call to all our brothers, asking them to share our peace and consummate our joy."
We attain oneness gradually. In reality we don't strictly "attain" oneness, we remember it, we become aware of what has always been. But, in time, it seems as though we attain it bit by bit. We begin with very brief holy instants, flashes of remembrance, like a forgotten dream we are struggling to recall. Those moments of memory come more and more frequently, more and more clearly, and last longer and longer, until, one day, we remember fully and forever. Each instant we are in that oneness, we recognize that we are not there alone, and cannot be there alone. We experience peace and joy, and yet our joy cannot be consummated until everyone shares it with us, and wakes up to the reality of who and what they are. So we call to them, we reach out to them.
The state of mind we are seeking, which we might call the enlightened state of mind, is one which perceives its connection to all of God's creations, and is moved irresistibly to re-establish the full communication of that perfect oneness in all its parts. As the "bodhisattva" of Buddhist tradition foregoes Nirvana to save others, being unwilling to pass into that state of perfect bliss until "every blade of grass is enlightened," the right-minded continually call out to all their brothers, asking them to share their peace. Jesus exemplifies this attitude as he speaks in "The Circle of Atonement," T-14.V.9:4-10, and 8:6:
"I stand within the circle, calling you to peace. Teach peace with me, and stand with me on holy ground. Remember for everyone your Father's power that He has given him. Believe not that you cannot teach His perfect peace. Stand not outside, but join with me within. Fail not the only purpose to which my teaching calls you. Restore to God His Son as He created him, by teaching him his innocence."
"Stand quietly within this circle, and attract all tortured minds to join with you in the safety of its peace and holiness."
Part 9
(These are the comments from the ninth day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 359)
W-pII.14.5:1-2
Whether we really know it or not, "We are the holy messengers of God" (5:1). That is our function; it is what we were created to do--express God. This is our job here, and we won't be completely happy until we are carrying it out. The way this is worded here seems significant; we are "carrying His Word to everyone whom He has sent to us;" it does not say, "to whom we are sent." It is not so much that we go out looking for people to give the message to; rather, they come looking for us. That is a different attitude than the one which says, "Let us go out and convert the world." This is simply a passing along of the message of peace and the fact of forgiveness to everyone who comes into our lives. People don't just "happen" to show up in our lives; they are sent. And they are sent because we have something to give to them.
Let me begin to learn to ask myself, when someone shows up in my life, in my time, or perhaps in my face: "What do I have to give to this person? What is the Word of God I can communicate to her? What does God want to say to this person through me?" Or, in much simpler terms, "How can I be truly helpful to this person?"
Doing this--actually doing it, not just thinking about it--is how I learn that the Word of God is written on my heart (5:1). And doing this is how my mind is changed about what I am and what I am doing here. My mind won't be changed just by trying to change my mind; it is changed by carrying God's Word to everyone He sends to me. When I engage in that kind of active serving and forgiving of my brothers and sisters, I begin to form a new opinion of myself. I begin to see myself in a different light. That is the Holy Spirit's plan of salvation.
Part 10
(These are the comments from the tenth day's portion of the "What Am I" section - Lesson 360)
W-pII.14.5:3-5
Our function here is to "bring glad tidings to the Son of God, who thought he suffered" (5:3). The Son of God who thought he suffered is you, me, and everyone who comes into our life. What a wonderful calling! To announce, as the prophet Isaiah said in the Old Testament,
"...to preach good tidings unto the meek; ...to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound;...to comfort all that mourn; ...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isaiah 61:1-3).
This season of Christmas is said to be a time of "great joy for all people." In the Course we have a continuation of that message, and we are its heralds. We can announce, "Now is [the Son of God] redeemed" (5:4). The way is open for every one of us to find our way home, and to know first our perfect forgiveness, and then the immensity of God's Love.
"And as he sees the gate of heaven stand open before him, he will enter in and disappear into the Heart of God" (5:5). As these "glad tidings" are received, we will all, in the end, enter in through the heavenly gates, symbolic of entering into the awareness of perfect Oneness. In that Oneness we will disappear into the Heart of God. That word "disappear" does not, in any sense, mean that we shall cease to exist, or that we will be absorbed and somehow blotted out by the absorption. It is just that all sense of difference and separateness will be gone, along with all desire for it. We will disappear in the Oneness, but we will be in that Oneness, profoundly a part of it, radiantly fulfilling our function, shining forever in the eternal glory of God.
FOCUS Enhancements Ships QuadScan Elite, a Line Quadrupler and Video Scaler for Home Theater, PresentationMulti-Input, Progressive Scan Output Resolution Selectable to 1365 x 1024
CAMPBELL, Calif., Mar 8, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Establishing a new
price/performance benchmark in video processing, FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.
(Nasdaq: FCSE), a global leader in video scan conversion technology for consumer
electronics and computing applications announced immediate availability of
QuadScan Elite(TM). QuadScan Elite is a line quadrupler and video scaler
designed for use with high resolution, progressive scan video projectors and
displays used in home theater or professional video presentation systems.
QuadScan Elite will be demonstrated at the National Systems Contractor
Association tradeshow (Booth No. 1530) March 8-10, in Orlando, Fla. QuadScan
Elite accepts NTSC or PAL video signals from sources such as broadcast and
satellite TV, DVD players, and PVRs and enhances images so they can be viewed on
high resolution video display systems employing CRT, LCD, DLP, JVC or D-ILA
technology. The result is a film-like quality image -- in terms of detail,
contrast, and color -- that is free of scan lines, flicker, and other
distracting artifacts.
"QuadScan Elite offers the performance and features of units that cost at least
four times its price," said Shaun McTernan, National Sales Manager of Focus'
Home Theater products. "QuadScan Elite redefines the performance standards for
scalers that sell for less than $2500."
Designed for the videophile, custom installation, and commercial video markets,
QuadScan Elite can be set up and operated using front panel controls, an
infra-red remote (supplied), or by commands via its RS232/422 port. The QuadScan
Elite interface has been reconfigured for improved ease-of-use and faster than
the earlier QuadScan products. The new model is available as a desktop unit or
in a slim rack-mount configuration.
As a video scaler, QuadScan Elite allows users to select video output
resolutions of 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, and 1365x1024, as well as line
doubling, tripling and quadrupling of video sources. Aspect ratios of 4:3, 4:3
letterbox, and 16:9 are selectable for each output resolution. It is compatible
with progressive scan monitors and projectors from all major manufacturers.
QuadScan Elite has two input channels, each available as composite (RCA or BNC),
Y/C (four-pin mini-DIN), or component (BNC). A VGA computer pass through input
is also provided. All output is directed through a 15-pin VGA-type connection.
The QuadScan Elite provides auto-save adjustments for sync configuration,
contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, component level, termination impedance,
output resolution, sizing, image positioning and justification.s
The QuadScan Elite desktop model has a suggested retail price of $2,195; the
rack-mount version suggested retail price is $2,395. Each carries a three-year
limited warranty and is shipped with an assortment of cables and adapters in
addition to a remote control and operator's manual. The desktop model includes
an outboard power supply; while the rack-mount model has an internal universal
power supply.
About Focus
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCSE) and Videonics, Inc. (previously
(Nasdaq: VDNX)), both formerly independent public companies, completed a merger
on January 16, 2001. The merged company, operating under the FOCUS Enhancements
name, is a leading designer of world-class solutions in advanced, proprietary
video scan conversion ASICs, and affordable, high quality, digital-video
conversion and video production equipment. Semiconductor products include the
FS400, and FS450 series ASICs for scaling, scan conversion, Internet TV and
interactive TV applications. Commercial products for video presentation include
desktop PC-to-TV scan converters, scalers, and line quadruplers. Video
production products include application controllers, edit controllers, mixers,
and character and effects generators. The company's products and technologies
are sold globally through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers
to the broadcast, education, cable, business, industrial, presentation,
internet, gaming, home video production and home theater markets. FOCUS
Enhancements stock is traded on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market under the symbol
FCSE. More information on FOCUS Enhancements may be obtained from the company's
SEC filings, or by visiting the FOCUS Enhancements home page at
http://www.focusinfo.com.
FOCUS Enhancements and DAVIS AS, Europe's Top Maker of Home Video Projectors, to Offer Co-Branded Product Made by FOCUSDAVIS Taps FOCUS as Exclusive International Supplier of Video Scaler/Quadrupler
CAMPBELL, Calif., Mar 6, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- FOCUS Enhancements
(Nasdaq: FCSE) announced today an agreement with DAVIS AS of Norway, the No. 1
maker of home theater video projectors in Europe, under which DAVIS dealers and
distributors will offer TruescalerOne, a video scaler/line quadrupler co-branded
by the two companies and manufactured by FOCUS. FOCUS officials said the
agreement, the first major international distribution pact for the company's
home theater product line, covers DAVIS resellers in 35 countries and makes
FOCUS the only scaler officially endorsed by DAVIS.
"DAVIS selected FOCUS as a partner because of the company's leading position in
the video scaling market, their ability to listen to customer requirements and
the supportive and responsive attitude which has been demonstrated by Focus
representatives," said Rune Bjerkestrand, vice president Product & Marketing
Management at Davis.
"FOCUS is the first partner to be selected under the DAVIS Preferred Application
Partner Program. This program has been established for the purpose of giving
DAVIS distributors, dealers and end-users products that give added value to the
DAVIS projectors, something which really is a true case with the TruescalerOne."
A video scaler is a component used with a video projector to enhance video
signals coming from a VCR, DVD player, satellite receiver, cable, or other
source. The result is a signal that is projected at the highest native
resolution possible resulting in images which are accurately proportioned,
exceptionally sharp and vivid, and free of flicker and other artifacts.
"DAVIS is Europe's top-selling brand of video projectors as well as being a
major OEM supplier," said Brett Moyer, executive vice president and COO of FOCUS
Enhancements. "This agreement gives FOCUS instant presence and credibility in
key markets across Europe." Moyer said that the "DAVIS TruescalerOne by FOCUS
Enhancements," as the name will appear on the product, will be available in
March and is being manufactured by FOCUS in two configurations: a set-top box
and a rack-mountable version. Moyer said the TruescalerOne is based on the
recently introduced FOCUS QuadScan Elite, with slight modifications to optimize
performance of DAVIS projectors. DAVIS offers two models of home theater video
projectors, the CinemaOne and CinemaTen. The TruescalerOne will be marketed with
both models.
About DAVIS
DAVIS AS is the largest European manufacturer of digital display equipment.
Founded in 1984 in Norway, DAVIS develops and markets digital technology
products using DLP(TM) technology for multimedia presentations across a broad
range of applications. DAVIS' focus is on quality products and designs that are
user-friendly, feature ease of use, portability and compatibility. Designed for
business and home users, DAVIS products give unsurpassed image brightness,
clarity, contrast and colour saturation. DAVIS' products incorporate technology
from its partners Texas Instruments and Carl Zeiss, making them amongst the most
advanced presentation tools available. DAVIS also continues to invest heavily in
the research and design of innovative new technologies in this field.
FOCUS' FS450 ASIC Chosen by Kreatel For Digital Interactive Services; Leading Supplier of Gateway Solutions in Sweden
CAMPBELL, Calif., Feb 12, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.
(NASDAQ: FCSE) announced today that a leading supplier of intelligent service
gateway solutions in Sweden, Kreatel Communications, is in full production with
their Tornado/K5 digital set-top box that uses the FS450 to produce the highest
quality TV-out available on the market for their set-top boxes.
Kreatel is the first company to deliver an IP-based Broadband terminal, the
Tornado-K5 service gateway, which enables the TV to become a two-way
communication console for digital interactive services, such as Video-On-Demand,
Music-On-Demand, and home shopping. Kreatel is targeting IP-Based broadband
service providers through this gateway for interactive multimedia and
entertainment broadband services. The Tornado/K5 runs on a Linux operating
system and Mozilla Web browser. All communication is IP based, allowing
operators to develop services using standard Internet tools such as HTML and
Javascript.
"Kreatel has launched an Internet set-top box using the FS450 and a National
Semiconductor architecture in Europe. The video quality produced on this
low-cost Internet set-top box is unsurpassed by any other in the market," said
Bill Schillhammer, Vice President of OEM Sales for FOCUS. "Additionally, this is
the first product in the world to launch using FOCUS Enhanced digital
Picture-In-Picture technology producing full digital broadcast quality DVD and
digital cable viewing while sharing the TV with the computer desktop,"
Schillhammer continued.
Kreatel's solution provides the ability to combine TV and web content, creating
unlimited opportunities for Interactive TV. Imagine ordering a pizza while
watching a movie or a football game right from the television. Movies and music
can be ordered and delivered on-demand with new ways of financing these services
that are charged and managed in a way that is transparent to the end user.
"The FS450's capabilities support high resolutions, up to XGA, uniform scaling
and 2D Flicker Filter for small font readability which allows the TV to be the
centerpiece of this viewing experience," said Lars Bengtsson, Managing Director
of Kreatel Communications. Bengtsson continued, "Having the television perform
tasks normally relegated to a computer, is a substantial development in the
evolution of our living room as we know it. Choosing FOCUS Enhancements as our
TV-out solution is a testament to the technology that they provide."
About Kreatel Communications
Kreatel Communications AB, founded in 1995, develops and markets system
solutions in the area of intelligent service gateways that make it possible to
take advantage of the rapidly growing number of services on the new telecom and
broadband networks. The product portfolio includes a broad spectrum of products
with high software content that enable value-added services on fixed telephone
networks, GSM networks and the new broadband networks. In a short period of
time, Kreatel has taken a leading position as supplier of systems for Least Cost
Routing, i.e. for directing calls to alternative telecom operators in
deregulated telecom markets. Kreatel has its headquarters in Linkoping and is
also established in Gothenburg. As of December 2000, approximately 110 people
work for the company, which had net sales of 85 million SEK during the last
twelve months.
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCSE) and Videonics, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:
VDNX), completed a merger of the two companies on January 16, 2001. The merged
company, operating under the FOCUS Enhancements name, is a leading designer of
world class solutions in advanced, proprietary video scan conversion ASICs, and
affordable, high quality, digital-video conversion and video production
equipment. Semiconductor products include the FS400 and FS450 series ASICs for
scaling, scan conversion, Internet TV and Interactive TV applications.
Commercial products for video presentation include desktop PC-to-TV scan
converters, scalers, and line quadruplers. Video production products include
application controllers, edit controllers, mixers, and character and effects
generators. The company's products and technologies are sold globally through
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers to the broadcast, cable,
business, industrial, presentation, internet, gaming, home video production and
home theater markets. FOCUS Enhancements stock is traded on the NASDAQ SmallCap
Market under the symbol FCSE.
More information on FOCUS Enhancements may be obtained from the company's SEC
filings, or by visiting the FOCUS Enhancements home page at
http://www.focusinfo.com.
FOCUS Enhancements and Be Team to Incorporate TV-out Technology in BeIA; Focus' FS450 Chip technology to run on BeIA, the complete IA solution
CAMPBELL, Calif. and MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan 30, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- FOCUS
Enhancements, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCSE) and Be Incorporated (Nasdaq: BEOS) today
announced an agreement that will enable Internet appliances powered by BeIA, the
complete IA solution, to utilize a TV as a display.
Under the agreement, Be will distribute the software driver for the FOCUS FS450
TV-out chip as part of the BeIA Client Platform. By including the chip in a
BeIA-powered Internet appliance, a manufacturer can sell the device without a
monitor. This solution enables the manufacturer to offer significantly lower
priced IAs to consumers, who can simply plug the devices into their existing
TVs.
"While there are other TV-out solutions in the market, the FS450 is the first to
produce truly high-quality graphics," said Lamar Potts, Vice President, Sales
and Marketing for Be. "Virtually everyone in the U.S. owns a TV, and our work
with FOCUS allows manufacturers using the BeIA platform to target consumers who
want to use their TV to access the Internet."
"One of the features that makes an Internet appliance so attractive to the
end-user is the low price point over a PC solution," said Bill Schillhammer,
Vice President of OEM Sales for FOCUS Enhancements. "FOCUS's FS450 technology is
critical to reading the small fonts found browsing the web and when using the
wide range of televisions found in homes. The FS450 has features specifically
designed to enhance the viewing experience allowing the TV to rival monitors.
The BeIA Client Platform provides a low cost IA solution making it possible to
hit even lower price points while not compromising functionality."
About BeIA: The Complete IA Solution
BeIA consists of three components; the BeIA Client Platform, the BeIA Management
and Administration Platform (MAP), and BeIA Integration Services. The BeIA
Client Platform is a small footprint-operating environment for the device. BeIA
MAP allows a service provider to manage the operation and update BeIA Client
Platforms with no intervention on the part of the end user, so the device will
operate reliably without user intervention. Through the BeIA Integration
Services, Be assists device creators in the development and deployment of the
devices.
About the FS450
The FS450 chip incorporates a broadcast quality encoder and programmable, flat,
artifact-free scaling and an advanced 2D-flicker filter and it is targeted for
Internet set-top boxes, Cable/DVD Player set-top boxes, web appliances, and
video kiosks. The FS450 supports XGA resolutions up to 1024x768. This allows
full page web-browsing on a TV without special formatting requirements.
About Be
Founded in 1990, Be Incorporated creates software solutions that enable rich
media and Web experiences on personal computers and Internet appliances. Be's
headquarters are in Menlo Park, Calif., and its European office is in Paris,
France. It is publicly traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol
BEOS. Be can be found on the Web at http://www.be.com.
About Focus Enhancements, Inc.
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCSE) develops and markets advanced,
proprietary video conversion ASICs for the converging, multi-billion dollar
Internet, computer and television industries. The Company's technology, which is
sold globally through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers,
merges computer-generated graphics and television displays for Internet viewing,
presentations, training, education, video teleconferencing, and home gaming
markets.
FOCUS Enhancements, (408) 866-8300, 1370 Dell Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008,
www.focusinfo.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe
harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The
statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts, are
forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation,
continued acceptance of the companies' products, increased levels of competition
for the companies; new products and technological changes, the companies'
dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights and other
risks detailed from time to time in the companies' periodic reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to put undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements contained herein, which speak only as
of the date hereof. The companies undertake no obligation to release publicly
any revisions to forward- looking statements that may be made to reflect events
after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In
addition, the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks
and uncertainties, including the successful integration of Videonics into FOCUS,
fluctuations in operating results, the timely development and acceptance of new
products, product availability from suppliers, the impact of competitive
products and pricing, changing TV standards and other risks set forth under the
caption "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" in Focus and Videonics
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, in its
quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2000, June 30,
2000, September 30, 2000 and other filings with the SEC by both FOCUS and
Videonics. All forward-looking statements related to Be Incorporated and its
products are expressly qualified in their entirety by the "Risk Factors" and
other cautionary statements included in Be Incorporated's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and other public filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
About Focus Enhancements, Inc.
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCSE) develops and markets advanced,
proprietary video conversion ASICs for the converging, multi-billion dollar
Internet, computer and television industries. The Company's technology, which is
sold globally through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers,
merges computer-generated graphics and television displays for Internet viewing,
presentations, training, education, video teleconferencing, and home gaming
markets.
FOCUS Enhancements, (408) 866-8300, 1370 Dell Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008,
www.focusinfo.com
I thought this was good so I brought it over here.
Who Is the Rock?
One of the points I try to bring out when giving a
seminar is that you can begin to be an effective
apologist right away--you don't have to wait until you
become a theological whiz. Just work with what you
know, even if it's only one fact.
I illustrate this from my own experience, and you can
use this technique the next time you have verses
thrown at you by a "Bible Christian."
Some years ago, before I took a real interest in
reading the Bible, I tried to avoid missionaries who
came to the door. I had been burned too often. Why
open the door, or why prolong the conversation (if
they caught me outside the house), when I had nothing
sensible to say?
Sure, I had a Bible. I used it perhaps the way you use
yours today: to catch dust that otherwise would gather
on the top shelf of the bookcase. It was one of those
"family" Bibles, crammed with beautiful color plates
and so heavy that my son didn't outweigh it until he
turned five.
As I said, I had a Bible, but I didn't turn to it
much, so I had little to say about the Bible when
missionaries cornered me. I didn't know what verses to
refer to to explain the Catholic position.
For a layman I suppose I was reasonably well informed
about my faith--at least I never doubted it or ceased
to practice it--but my desultory reading didn't equip
me for verbal duels.
Then, one day, I came across a nugget of information
that sent a shock wave through the next missionary who
rang the bell and that proved to me that becoming
skilled in apologetics isn't really all that
difficult. Here's what happened.
When I answered the door the lone missionary
introduced himself as a Seventh-Day Adventist. He
asked if he could "share" with me some insights from
the Bible. I told him to go ahead.
He flipped from one page to another, quoting this
verse and that, trying to demonstrate the errors of
the Church of Rome and the manifest truth of his own
denomination's position.
Not much to say
Some of the verses I had come across before--I wasn't
entirely illiterate with respect to the Bible--but
many were new to me. Whether familiar or not, the
verses elicited no response from me because I didn't
know enough about the Bible to respond effectively.
Finally the missionary got to Matthew 16:18: "You are
Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church."
"Hold it right there!" I said. "I know that verse.
That's where Jesus appointed Simon the earthly head of
the Church. That's where he appointed him the first
pope." I paused and smiled broadly, knowing what the
missionary would say in response.
I knew he usually didn't get any defense of the
Catholic position at all as he went door to door, but
sometimes a Catholic would speak up as I had. He had a
reply, and I knew what it would be, and I was ready
for it.
"I understand your thinking," he said, "but you
Catholics misunderstand this verse because you don't
know any Greek. That's the trouble with your Church
and with your scholars. You people don't know the
language the New Testament was written in. To
understand Matthew 16:18, we have to get behind the
English to the Greek."
"Is that so?" I said, leading him on. I pretended to
be ignorant of the trap being laid for me.
"Yes," he said. "In Greek, the word for rock is petra,
which means a large, massive stone. The word used for
Simon's new name is different--it's Petros, which
means a little stone, a pebble."
In reality, what the missionary was telling me at this
point was false. As Greek scholars--even non-Catholic
ones-- admit, the words petros and petra were synonyms
in first century Greek. They had at one time meant
"small stone" and "large rock" in some ancient Greek
poetry, centuries before the time of Christ, but that
distinction was long gone by the time Matthew's Gospel
was rendered in Greek. The missionary's argument
didn't work, and showed a faulty knowledge of Greek as
well as a lack of understanding of the etymologies of
petros and petra. (For an Evangelical Protestant Greek
scholar's admission of this, see D. A. Carson, The
Expositor's Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1984], Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., vol. 8, 368.)
"You Catholics," the missionary continued, "because
you don't know Greek, imagine that Jesus was equating
Simon and the rock. Actually, of course, it was just
the opposite. He was contrasting them. On the one
side, the rock on which the Church would be built,
Jesus himself; on the other, this mere pebble. Jesus
was really saying that he himself would be the
foundation, and he was emphasizing that Simon wasn't
remotely qualified to be it."
"Case closed," he thought
It was the missionary's turn to pause and smile
broadly. He had followed the training he had been
given. He had been told that a rare Catholic might
have heard of Matthew 16:18 and might argue that it
proved the establishment of the papacy. He knew what
he was supposed to say to prove otherwise, and he had
said it.
"Well," I replied, beginning to use that nugget of
information I had come across, "I agree with you that
we must get behind the English to the Greek." He
smiled some more and nodded. "But I'm sure you'll
agree with me that we must get behind the Greek to the
Aramaic."
"The what?" he asked.
"The Aramaic," I said. "As you know, Aramaic was the
language Jesus and the apostles and all the Jews in
Palestine spoke. It was the common language of the
place."
"I thought Greek was."
"No," I answered. " Many if not most of them knew
Greek, of course, because Greek was the lingua franca
of the Mediterranean world. It was the language of
culture and commerce, and most of the books of the New
Testament were written in it because they were written
not just for Christians in Palestine, but for
Christians in places such as Rome, Alexandria, and
Antioch, places where Aramaic wasn't the spoken
language.
"I say most of the New Testament was written in Greek,
but not all. Matthew's Gospel was written by him in
Aramaic or Hebrew--we know this from records kept by
Eusebius of Caesarea--but it was translated into Greek
early on, perhaps by Matthew himself. In any case the
Aramaic/Hebrew original is lost (as are all the
originals of the New Testament books), so all we have
today is the Greek."
I stopped for a moment and looked at the missionary.
He seemed a bit uncomfortable, perhaps doubting that I
was a Catholic because I seemed to know what I was
talking about. I continued.
Aramaic in the New Testament
"We know that Jesus spoke Aramaic because some of his
words are preserved for us in the Gospels. Look at
Matthew 27:46, where he says from the Cross, 'Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani?' That isn't Greek; it's
Aramaic, and it means, 'My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?'
"What's more," I said, "in Paul's epistles--four times
in Galatians and four times in 1 Corinthians--we have
the Aramaic form of Simon's new name preserved for us.
In our English Bibles it comes out as Cephas. That
isn't Greek. That's a transliteration of the Aramaic
word Kepha (also rendered as Kephas).
"And what does Kepha mean? It means a large, massive
stone, the same as petra. (It doesn't mean a little
stone or a pebble--the Aramaic word for that is evna.)
What Jesus said to Simon in Matthew 16:18 was this:
'You are Kepha, and on this kepha I will build my
Church.'
"When you understand what the Aramaic says, you see
that Jesus was equating Simon and the rock; he wasn't
contrasting them. We see this vividly in some modern
English translations, which give the verse this way:
'You are Rock, and upon this rock I will build my
church.' In French one word, pierre, has always been
used both for Simon's new name and for the rock."
For a few moments the missionary seemed stumped. It
was obvious he had never heard such a rejoinder. His
brow was knit in thought as he tried to come up with a
counter. Then it occurred to him.
"Wait a second," he said. If kepha means the same as
petra, why don't we read in the Greek, 'You are Petra,
and on this petra I will build my Church'? Why, for
Simon's new name, does Matthew use a Greek word,
Petros, which means something quite different from
petra?"
"Because he had no choice," I said. "Greek and Aramaic
have different grammatical structures. In Aramaic you
can use kepha in both places in Matthew 16:18. In
Greek you encounter a problem arising from the fact
that nouns take differing gender endings.
"You have masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns. The
Greek word petra is feminine. You can use it in the
second half of Matthew 16:18 without any trouble. But
you can't use it as Simon's new name, because you
can't give a man a feminine name--at least back then
you couldn't. You have to change the ending of the
noun to make it masculine. When you do that, you get
Petros, which was an already-existing word meaning
rock.
"I admit that's an imperfect rendering of the Aramaic;
you lose part of the play on words. (In English, where
we have 'Peter' and 'rock,' you lose all of it.) But
that's the best you can do in Greek.
"Besides, if Matthew wanted to say that Simon was a
small stone, he would have used the common Greek word
for small stone, lithos. We would expect Matthew 16:18
to read, 'You are Lithos, and on this petra I will
build my church.' But it doesn't read that way
precisely because Matthew was trying to convey the
play on words shown so clearly in the Aramaic."
My turn to pause
I stopped and smiled. The missionary smiled back
uncomfortably, but said nothing. We exchanged smiles
for about thirty seconds. Then he looked at his watch,
noticed how time had flown, and excused himself. I
never saw him again.
So what came of this encounter? Two things--one for
me, one for him.
I began to develop a sense of confidence. I began to
see that I could defend my faith if I engaged in a
little homework. The more homework, the better the
defense.
I realized that any literate Catholic--including
you--could do the same. You don't have to suspect your
faith might be untrue when you can't come up with an
answer to a pointed question.
Once you develop a sense of confidence, you can say to
yourself, "I may not know the answer to that, but I
know I could find the answer if I hit the books. The
answer is there, if only I spend the time to look for
it."
And what about the missionary? Did he go away with
anything? I think so. I think he went away with a
doubt regarding his understanding (or lack of
understanding) of Catholics and the Catholic faith. I
hope his doubt has since matured into a sense that
maybe, just maybe, Catholics have something to say on
behalf of their religion and that he should look more
carefully into the faith he once so confidently
opposed.
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Last modified May 25, 199
Thank you for your opinion. :O)
Shut up and answer the question
TheSUBWAY.com Announces Investment Opinion on RNET Health Inc., PSINetInc., Real Networks Inc., Arch Wireless Inc. and Cray Inc.
Cray Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAY)
Previous Close: down 8 percent, to $2.469, on volume of 1,300,400
Shares: HOLD
Global supercomputer leader Cray, Inc., (Nasdaq:CRAY) reported financial results for the company's fourth quarter and year-end 2000. For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2000, Cray Inc. reported revenues of $33.4 million, compared to revenues of $343,000 for the fourth quarter of 1999. For the year ending December 31, 2000, the company reported revenues of $118.1 million, compared to revenues of $1.8 million for the prior year. The company reported a net loss of $25.4 million, or ($0.78) per share for the year ended December 31, 2000, compared to a loss of $34.6, or ($1.74) per share in the prior year.
'Cray has now laid the foundation for industry leadership and strong growth,' said Jim Rottsolk, company president and CEO. 'We have recently taken dramatic steps to increase our revenue opportunities with the broadest range of product offerings in the industry. We expect that eventually each of these products will add up to $100 million of annual revenues to the company.'
Cray Inc. designs, builds and sells high-performance MPP, vector processor and general-purpose parallel computer systems. The company has leading edge technology, multiple product platforms, nearly 900 employees, a $2 billion installed base of approximately 600 computers worldwide, major manufacturing and service capabilities and extensive global customer relationships.
"Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has purposely failed to give market participants any guidance on the central bank's interest rate assessment, leaving Wall Street to ponder the ambiguity. Predictions are falling all over the map, with some economists estimating a 25 basis-point cut, while others are calling for a reduction of as much as 75 basis points," stated Peter Antipatis. More is available at www.TheSUBWAY.com.
I hear they are 'friends' with the new VP and may be expecting some defence contracts. Also new ceo? I still have a little bit more to look at.....
What do you think about this one Nyc.....
CRAY
Related Quotes
CRAY
2 1/32
+1/32
Tuesday March 6, 8:21 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
Cray Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2000 Results
Company Positions Itself for Leadership and Growth with Broadest Supercomputer Product Offerings
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2001--Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. (NASDAQ NM: CRAY - news) today reported financial results for the company's fourth quarter and year end 2000. Cray will hold an investor teleconference at 1:30 p.m. PST/4:30 p.m. EST today to discuss the results and the company's outlook (details are provided below).
For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2000, Cray Inc. reported revenues of $33.4 million, compared to revenues of $343,000 for the fourth quarter of 1999. As the company announced in early January 2001, fourth quarter results were impacted by a delay in the timing of orders, which resulted in some product revenue slipping into the first quarter 2001. The loss from operations in the fourth quarter 2000 was increased by one-time non-cash adjustments totaling $5.6 million, of which $3.1 million was added to the cost of product revenue and $2.5 million to research and development expenses. These adjustments were related to Cray SV1(TM) processor ``end-of-life'' inventory during the transition to the enhanced Cray SV1ex(TM) processor, and Cray MTA-1 gallium arsenide inventory and equipment due to the successful testing of the all-CMOS components for the Cray MTA-2(TM). Exclusive of these adjustments and imputed interest and amortization of expenses related to the acquisition of the Cray business unit assets, the company reported a net loss of $6.3 million, or ($0.19) per share. Including these adjustments and imputed interest and amortization expenses, the company's net loss for the fourth quarter was $13.9 million or ($0.41) per share.
For the year ending December 31, 2000, the company reported revenues of $118.1 million, compared to revenues of $1.8 million for the prior year. The company reported a net loss of $25.4 million, or ($0.78) per share for the year ended December 31, 2000, compared to a loss of $34.6, or ($1.74) per share in the prior year.
Product Offerings Position Cray for Strong Growth
``Cray has now laid the foundation for industry leadership and strong growth,'' said Jim Rottsolk, company president and CEO. ``We have recently taken dramatic steps to increase our revenue opportunities with the broadest range of product offerings in the industry. Our Alpha Linux-based Cray SuperCluster® systems will offer industry-leading speed with increasingly powerful data center features and attractive price-performance. Our marketing agreement with NEC will fill an important gap in our vector supercomputer offerings with the high-end vector NEC SX-5 Series and its successors. We expect these products to contribute moderately to our results in the second half of 2001, followed by a strong ramp in 2002 and beyond. We expect that eventually each of these products will add up to $100 million of annual revenues to the company.
``We believe that other significant developments since the beginning of 2001 bode well for the future. The NEC agreement will also provide $25 million in cash at significantly above-market prices, and at the company's lowest cost of capital to date. We recently received an order for a 28-processor MTA-2, the first all CMOS configuration of our revolutionary multi-threaded architecture and another major milestone in that product's move towards full commercialization.''
``The year 2000 was truly one of remarkable transition for the company. Tera Computer exited its development stage, and began commercial operations as a dramatically new entity with the acquisition of the Cray Research assets. Now, less than a year after we formed the combined company, we have laid the foundation for an industry-leading company that will provide the world's best products, technology pipeline and support infrastructure. We have never been more excited about the company's prospects, and we will continue to build on that success in 2001 as we prepare for the expected strong growth years ahead,'' Rottsolk concluded.
Financial Guidance
The following statements are based on current expectations. These statements are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially.
The company expects to report a profitable first quarter 2001, with total revenues in the range of $46-$48 million, assuming the successful completion of acceptance testing of a $21 million T3E system by the Department of Defense--a 30-day test which is due to be completed in the second half of March. Gross product margins for the first quarter 2001 are expected to rebound to a range of 46 to 48 percent. Service margins are expected to be in the same range. The June 2001 quarter is expected to be down from these levels, with revenues expected in the range of $31 to $35 million. The second half of 2001 is expected to show renewed revenue strength as the Cray SV1ex, Cray SuperCluster® and Cray MTA-2 products come on line.
For the full year 2001, the company expects total revenues in the range of $170 to $185 million, depending on the successful introduction of new products and continued strength of legacy products. Service revenues are expected to be approximately $80 million, with product revenues making up the remainder. These revenue expectations do not include any contribution from the NEC agreement. Assuming the closing occurs as anticipated in the second quarter, the company would expect some slight revenue in the second half for the NEC SX-5 vector supercomputers, with more substantial revenues from NEC products in 2002 and beyond. Gross product margins are expected to decline somewhat over the year, as new products, such as the SuperCluster®, carry lower margins. Service margins are expected to be slightly down from 2000 levels, given the expected lower revenues as the company de-installs older Cray vector systems. Total R&D expenditures are expected to decrease from the 2000 run rate, with planned expenses in the range of $50-54 million, with the highest levels anticipated in the first half of the year, as major prototyping and other non-recurring engineering expenses for the Cray SV1ex, Cray MTA-2 and Cray SV2(TM) are incurred. Sales and Marketing expenses are expected to be in the range of $16-18 million for the year, and General & Administrative expenses are anticipated to be in the range of $7-8 million. The company expects to report a net profit from operations and to be cash flow positive for the full year at these revenue and expense levels.
Investor Conference Call
Management will discuss the results and the company's outlook and hold a question and answer session for investors today, March 5, 2001, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific / 4:30 p.m. Eastern. To participate, call 212-231-6046 a few minutes ahead of time (no passcode required). If you are unable to participate, a replay will be available from 3:30 p.m. Pacific on March 5 for 48 hours. To access, please dial 1-800-633-8284, or 1-858-812-6440 (international), reservation number 18005759. In addition, the replay will be available for 90 days via the Internet at www.streetevents.com.
About Cray Inc.
Cray Inc. designs, builds and sells high-performance MPP, vector processor and general-purpose parallel computer systems. The company has leading edge technology, multiple product platforms, nearly 900 employees, a $2 billion installed base of approximately 600 computers worldwide, major manufacturing and service capabilities and extensive global customer relationships. Cray believes its Multithreaded Architecture, Cray T3E, Cray SuperCluster and Cray SV2 systems together represent the future of supercomputing. Go to www.cray.com for more information on the company.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. There are certain factors that could cause Cray's execution plans to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements above. Among such factors are the removal of the antidumping order currently being applied to sales of Japanese supercomputers in the U.S., government support and funding for supercomputer systems, expected delivery and acceptance times, and timely availability of commercially acceptable components from third party suppliers. For a discussion of such risks, and other risks that could affect Cray's future performance, please see ``Risk Factors'' in Cray Inc.'s most recent SEC Form 10-Q.
Note to Editors: Cray and SuperCluster are registered trademarks, and Cray T3E, Cray SV1, Cray MTA and Cray SV2 are trademarks, of Cray Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CRAY INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
December 31, December 31,
1999 2000
-------------- ----------------
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents $ 11,201 $ 5,387
Accounts receivable 641 25,159
Inventory, net 4,513 23,637
Spares inventory, net 19,565
Property and equipment, net 5,829 26,496
Intangible assets, net 186 30,154
Other assets 1,040 5,102
-------- --------
TOTAL $ 23,410 $135,500
======== ========
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Accounts payable 4,366 15,953
Accrued payroll and
related expenses 2,147 11,829
Deferred revenue 68 17,666
Current portion of
warranty reserve 17,517
Investor notes payable 7,553
Other current liabilities 1,110 13,670
Non-current liabilities 1,412 14,498
Shareholders' equity 14,307 36,814
-------- --------
TOTAL $ 23,410 $135,500
======== ========
CRAY INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
December 31, December 31,
1999 2000 1999 2000
--------- --------- --------- ----------
REVENUE:
Product $ 300 $ 9,521 $ 1,671 $ 46,617
Service 43 23,847 123 71,455
--------- --------- --------- ----------
Total
revenue 343 33,368 1,794 118,072
--------- --------- --------- ----------
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of product
revenue 8,246 1,505 32,505
Cost of service
revenue 25 11,401 92 34,077
Research and
development 5,168 16,798 22,147 48,426
Inventory
obsolescense
charge 148 6,589
Marketing and sales 728 5,480 2,517 14,365
General and
administrative 1,437 2,478 3,091 7,033
--------- --------- --------- ----------
Total operating
expenses 7,506 44,403 35,941 136,406
--------- --------- --------- ----------
Loss from
operations (7,163) (11,035) (34,147) (18,334)
OTHER INCOME
(EXPENSE) 49 (902) (384) (447)
IMPUTED INTEREST
EXPENSE (234) (1,437)
AMORTIZATION OF
INTANGIBLE
ASSETS (1,751) (5,217)
--------- --------- --------- ----------
Net loss (7,114) (13,922) (34,531) (25,435)
Preferred stock
dividend (115)
--------- --------- --------- ----------
Loss per
common share $ (7,114) $ (13,922) $ (34,646) $ (25,435)
========= ========= ========= ==========
Loss per
common share,
Basic and
diluted $ (0.29) $ (0.41) $ (1.74) $ (0.78)
========= ========= ========= ==========
Weighted average
shares
outstanding,
Basic and
diluted 24,304 34,197 19,906 32,699
========= ========= ========= ==========
Mr. Kamm
I recently came across an article from Smart Money that ran something last July on own of my holdings, BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE:BPT). Your name was mentioned as a broker that followed this issue, forecasting the distribution amounts paid quarterly. Having read the trust documents extensively, I feel I have got a handle on how royalty income is generated and distributed, as well as the associated tax intricacies of selling BPT after claiming depletion deductions on the royalty income.
I await release of the CPI-All Urban Consumers report from Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics due out 8:30 am EST on Wed. Mar. 21, 2001, for the month of February 2001. Then I will have the actual Cost Adjustment Factor, to determine both Adjusted Costs and Field Value. Through Mar 5, I have average afternoon closing price of West Texas Intermediate crude delivered at 40 degrees API to Cushing, OK at $26.41 for January 2001 and $26.73 for February 2001.
On Feb 16, I did a preliminary forecast using a estimated cost adjustment
factor of 174.3/121.1. At $27 avg WTI price, I calculated Production Taxes at
$3.1124682080 per Barrel and Adjusted Costs per Barrel at $15.47254335250.
Again, assuming $27 WTI less Costs and Taxes leaves a daily Net Price per Barrel
of $8.42. Calculating the Royalty Interest in the first 90,000 daily barrels for the quarter, then subtracting Trustee expenses, and then splitting the result among the 21.4 million outstanding units equals a per unit distribution for the first qtr 2001 at $0.52042.
With January CPI-U at 175.1, and lower WTI pricing sub 26 for early March, my early estimate needs to be revised downward. Barring a recovery in WTI above 28 for the remainder of March, and assuming no reduction in CPI-U from January to February, my revised estimate is $0.493684 per unit.
WTI $26.57
CAF 175.1/121.1 = 1.44591246903
ADJCOSTS: $15.54
PRODTAX: $3.04 15%(26.57 less 6.506606) = 3.0095091 + 0.034
$7.99 x 1,330,392.6 barrels =10,629,836.87
less Trustee 65,000 =10,564,836.87
10,564,836.87/21.4 million units
$0.493684 per unit
With such a steep decline from the previous distribution, I expect BPT to retreat a few points on the announcement. Are most of the buyers in the $14 range expecting a 92 cent payout? If so, they are in for a big surprise. I think BPT would be fairly priced at $10 if it paid $2.60 a year in distributions.
Most other estimates I have seen on BPT for the upcoming qtr are in the 62 to 76 cent range. Chargeable Costs are 10.75 for all of 2001. Are these other estimates not figuring the high inflation multiplier in the cost adjustment and production tax equations? Are they using higher avg WTI numbers? Are my WTI numbers low?
What is your estimate for 1-Q-2001?
International Flavors & Fragrances to Close Montvale, N.J., Operations
MONTVALE, N.J., Mar 03, 2001 (The Record - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
via COMTEX) -- A New York fragrance company will shut down its Montvale
operation and lay off 81 employees.
The move by International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. comes five months after the
company acquired Bush Boake Allen Inc. of Montvale for $970 million.
About 180 employees work at the site on Mercedes Avenue, which served as Bush
Boake Allen's headquarters, said IFF Chief Financial Officer Doug Wetmore. About
100 of those employees will be transferred to IFF operations in New York City,
Union Beach, Hazlet, and South Brunswick, Wetmore said.
IFF creates and distributes flavors to makers of prepared foods, beverages, and
pharmaceuticals. Its fragrances are used by manufacturers of perfumes, soaps,
and cosmetics.
With about 6,700 employees worldwide, IFF is seeking to cut costs by closing or
scaling back several of its 120 locations. In January, the company reported that
about 270 jobs would be eliminated worldwide.
The company gave notice to the New Jersey Department of Labor that it expects to
lay off 81 employees from Montvale beginning March 30.
"Admittedly not everyone is moving. There are a number of people that are losing
their jobs, but it's mainly because we don't need two main headquarters,"
Wetmore said.
He added that other employees will likely be transferred during the next several
weeks. The company plans to close down the operation in April. Because the
building is leased, he said, IFF is looking for a new tenant to take over the
lease, which has several years left.
The Mercedes Drive building was home to Bush Boake Allen's corporate
headquarters as well as some research labs.
Its neighbors include the corporate offices of Mercedes-Benz of North America
and the former headquarters of Wella International, the German hair products
company. The borough is planning to purchase that building and transform it into
a home for its municipal offices, police station, and library.
Mayor George "Barry" Zeller said he wasn't worried that the Bush Boake Allen
building will be vacant for long, given its prime location -- just off the
Garden State Parkway, surrounded by other corporations.
"I am concerned for the individuals losing their jobs," Zeller said. "But
luckily, the economy is still strong and hopefully they will find other jobs
soon."
By Michelle Han
International Flavors sees 2001 low single digit revenue growth
NEW YORK, Feb 20 (Reuters) - International Flavors &
Fragrances Inc. , the world's No. 1 fragrance maker,
said on Tuesday that it expected 2001 low-single digit revenue
growth, with the strongest sales growth of mid to high single
digits in Asia Pacific and Latin America.
It said it expected its 2001 North American and European
sales growth in the low single digits.
It also said that it expects 2001 earnings of $1.42 a
share, excluding one time charges, in line with its previous
estimates.
International Flavors also said that it planned to divest a
portion of its Aroma Chemicals business as part of its purchase
of the Bush Boake Allen Business. It said it would use the
proceeds of the sale to pay down debt.
The company also said it would evaluate the remainder of
its business portfolio as part of an ongoing effort to focus on
its core business.
((--New York Equities Desk, 212 859 1700))
OT...OBG
New Leep Thread.
LEEP Signs Acquisition Letter of Intent
Company Also Elects New Chairman and CFO, Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Chicago
CHICAGO, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: LEEP - news) announced today that it had signed a preliminary letter of intent to acquire certain assets of Group 12, LLC, a large, privately held, multi-national holding company with interests in lumber, construction, technology and building products. An expected binding agreement could be executed within 45 days, with the acquisition of the identified assets to be completed within 90-120 days.
The company also said that at a meeting of the Board of Directors held in Chicago on January 9, 2001, Dennis Schrage was elected Chairman, replacing Don Bazemore, who was appointed Vice Chairman. Schrage, who is also president of Brown Marketing Communications in Chicago, is a highly regarded marketing and advertising executive and has been a member of the LEEP Board of Directors since late 1999. The Board also appointed William Nordstrom as Interim Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Nordstrom has been a member of the LEEP board since 1997, and was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Easyriders, Inc., an American Stock Exchange company (Amex: EZR - news). The company has also relocated its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago, and has sub-leased space on the top floor of 200 South Wacker Drive.
``We have been in conversations with the principals of Group 12, LLC for the last two months'', said Grant Record, Founder and CEO. ``We have agreed to negotiate acquiring certain assets which will enable us to rapidly expand our current U.S. LEEPCORE production capacity and channels of distribution.
Dennis Schrage, Chairman, commented, ``The Group 12 companies represent a unique synergistic merging of technologies, manufacturing and distribution consistent with LEEP's strategies, and should represent opportunities to put our proprietary LEEPCORE structural building system into worldwide production and distribution over the next few years. Consummation of this strategic relationship will be, in our opinion, a milestone event in the history of LEEP, and will create substantial value for our shareholders.''
Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc. is a publicly held manufacturer of the patented LEEPCORE building system. The product has exceptional performance characteristics including cost effectiveness, a rapid design and construction cycle, very high structural integrity, thermal insulation properties beyond industry norms and fire, moisture, wind and insect resistance. More information is available on the company's website at www.leepinc.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the company's acquisition of certain assets and expansion of the company's production capacity. Actual results may differ materially. Factors that might cause such a difference include the possibility that acquisition negotiations may not be successful, as well as other matters discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including ``Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations'' of the company's quarterly report on Form 100-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2000.
SOURCE: Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc.
Monday January 29, 2:44 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc.
LEEP Hires RADCO to Perform Final Structural Tests on LEEPCORE Panel Product
Jump to first matched term
Results Expected to Exceed Requirements to Obtain Building Code Certifications
CHICAGO, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: LEEP) has signed a contract with RADCO to perform a battery of structural tests on its proprietary structural building panel, known as LEEPCORE. RADCO, founded in 1967, is a widely known and highly respected independent third-party testing, listing, certification and inspection agency that operates nationally from its headquarters in Long Beach, California. The firm is approved by the National Evaluation Service (NES) as both a Quality Assurance Agency (ICBO-ES-AA204) and as a Testing Laboratory (ICBO-ES-TL209), and complies with ISO 25. In addition, RADCO is approved as a testing laboratory by NIST under the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) thermal insulation program.
"This is another major milestone in the commercialization of LEEPCORE," according to Grant Record, CEO, "and while the time span required for obtaining code authority certifications cannot be defined with precision, we anticipate that our customers' tasks of applying and receiving building construction permits will be greatly simplified over the next six months."
Preliminary tests were conducted earlier at the University of Washington (UW) and Clemson University. The UW test results give the company confidence that LEEPCORE panels are capable of meeting or exceeding U.S. building code requirements for construction of commercial floors, walls and roofs. The LEEPCORE panels tested earlier were manufactured with .016"-gauge interior and exterior steel skins. The LEEPCORE panels to be tested by RADCO are manufactured with .019"-gauge steel skins because the .019" steel is a more commonly available product, and thus provides cost and delivery efficiencies over the .016" skin material. The thicker skins also provide an increased strength benefit, so the company believes the test results are likely to be even better than the earlier tests with the .016" clad panels. In recent wind tests at Clemson University, for example, a .019" clad panel withstood wall penetration at 2.34 times the projectile speed required to obtain building permits in Dade County, Florida. The test requires that a nine-pound length of two-by-four lumber be fired, end on, at wall products at a speed of 50 feet per second. If penetration occurs, the wall product fails. Conversely, the higher the speeds at penetration, the stronger the wall. LEEPCORE withstood projectile speeds up to 117 feet per second (80 miles an hour) without penetration, compared to concrete block which shatters in the range of 50 to 80 feet per second.
The company has also engaged the Structural Engineering firm of Grossman & Speer, Pasadena, California, to provide third-party overview of the testing process and recommend product applications. Grossman & Speer is well known for its work in engineering solutions for buildings in earthquake-prone areas, and has worked extensively with Jet Propulsion Laboratories in this area.
Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc. is a publicly-held manufacturer of the patented LEEPCORE building system. The product has exceptional performance characteristics including cost effectiveness, a rapid design and construction cycle, very high structural integrity, thermal insulation properties beyond industry norms and fire, moisture, wind and insect resistance. More information is available on the company's website at www.leepinc.com .
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the results expected from certain structural tests being performed on the company's products. Actual results may differ materially from the company's expectations. Factors which may cause such a difference include tests which have not previously been performed on the product, as well as other matters discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2000.
SOURCE Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc.
/CONTACT: Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc., 800-788-3599, or Richard
Keating for Leading Edge Earth Products, Inc., 206-780-9458/
/Web site: http://www.leepinc.com /
Oreo Cookies Personality Test
Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which
method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreos:
1. The whole thing all at once.
2. One bite at a time
3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards.
4. In little feverous nibbles.
5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...).
6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.
10. I don't have a favorite way because I don't like Oreo.
Your Personality:
1. The whole thing
This means you consume life with abandon, you are fun to be with, exciting, carefree with some hint of recklessness. You are totally irresponsible. No one should trust you with their children.
2. One bite at a time.
You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreos this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that's
okay, not to worry, you're normal.
3. Slow and Methodical.
You follow the rules. You're very tidy and orderly. You're very meticulous in every detail with every thing you do to the point of being anal retentive and irritating to others. Stay out of the fast lane if you're only going to go the speed limit.
4. Feverous Nibbles.
Your boss likes you because you get your work done quickly. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Mental
breakdowns and suicides run in your family. Valium and Ritalin would do you good.
5. Dunked.
Every one likes you because you are always up beat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life. You have a propensity towards narcotic addiction.
6. Twisted apart, the inside first, and then the cookie.
You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put them back
together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities. You deny your involvement when things go wrong. You are a compulsive liar and
exhibit deviant, if not criminal, behavior.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and then toss the cookie.
You are good at business and take risk that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away. You are greedy, selfish, mean, and lack
feelings for others. You should be ashamed of yourself. But that's ok, you don't care, you got yours.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside.
You enjoy pain.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.
Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help immediately.
10. I don't have a favorite way, I don't like Oreo cookies.
You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to up-scale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a prim.
Actually NYC I think I might have taken you off the hook on that one.
Bang Bang You're dead brush you teeth and go to bed.
Paule
Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
Humor........
Church Observations
1. Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to get
into their pews or their favorite church parking spot.
2. Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.
3. It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
4. We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers.
5. When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
6. People are funny. They want the front of the bus, middle of the road,
and the back of the church.
7. Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your door for
years.
8. Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
9. The phrase that is guaranteed to wake up an audience: "And in
conclusion."
10. If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one
it has.
11. Not only are the sins of the fathers visited upon the children, but
nowadays the sins of the children are visited upon the fathers.
12. God Himself does not propose to judge a man till he s dead. So why
should you?
13. To make a long story short, don't tell it.
14. If your left hand doesn't know what your right one is doing, you should
consider running for a job in Washington.
15. Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
16. I don't know why some people change churches. What difference does it
make which one you stay home from?
17. A lot of church members are singing "Standing on the Promises" while
they are just sitting on the premises.
Humor....
Another Problem for Moses
"Excuse me, sir."
"Is that you again, Moses?"
"I'm afraid it is, sir."
"What is it this time, Moses. More computer problems?"
"How did you guess?"
"I don't have to guess, Moses. Remember?"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot."
"Tell me what you want, Moses."
"But you already know. Remember?"
"Moses!"
"Sorry, Sir."
"Well, go ahead, Moses. Spit it out!"
"Well, I have a question, sir. You know those ten things you sent me."
"You mean the Commandments, Moses?"
"That's it. I was wondering if they were important."
"What do you mean 'were important,' Moses? Of course, they are important.
Otherwise Iwouldn't have sent them to you."
"Well, sorry, but I lost them. I could say the dog ate them, but of course
you would see right through that."
"What do you mean 'you lost them!' Are you trying to tell me you didn't
save them, Moses?"
"No, sir. I forgot."
"Well, my son always saves, Moses."
"Yeah, I know. You told me that before. I was going to, but I forgot. I
did send them to some people before I lost them though."
"And did you hear back from any of them?"
"You already know I did."
"What about the one guy who said he never uses 'shalt not?' Can he change
the words a little bit?"
"Yes, Moses. As long as he doesn't change the meaning."
"And what about the guy who thought your stance was a little harsh and
recommended calling them the Ten Suggestions or letting people pick one or
two to try for a while?"
"Moses, I'll act like I didn't hear that."
"I think that means, 'no.' Well, what about the guy who said I was scamming
him?"
"I think that is spamming, Moses."
"Oh, yeah. I e-mailed him back and told him I don't even eat that stuff,
and I have no idea how you can send it to someone through a computer."
"And what he did say?"
"You know what he said. He used your name in vain. You don't think he might
have sent me one of those plagues and that's the reason I lost those ten
things, do you?"
"They're called viruses, Moses."
"Whatever! This computer stuff is just too much for me. Can we just go
back to those stone tablets? It was hard on my back taking them out and
reading them each day, but I never lost them."
"We'll do it the new way, Moses."
"I was afraid you would say that, sir."
"Moses, what did I tell you to do if you messed up?"
"You told me to hold up this rat and stretch it out toward the computer."
"It's a mouse, Moses. Mouse! Mouse! And did you do that?"
"No, I decided to try the technical support first. After all, who knows
more about this stuff than you, and I really like your hours. By the way,
sir, did Noah have two of these mice on the ark?"
"No, Moses."
"One other thing. Why didn't you name them frogs instead of mice, because
didn't you tell me the thing they sit on is a pad?"
"I didn't name them, Moses. Man did, and you can call yours a beatnik if
you want to."
"Oh, that explains it. Kind of like Adam, huh, sir? I bet some woman told
him to call it a mouse. After all, wasn't it a woman who named one of the
computers Apple?"
"Say goodnight, Moses."
"Wait a minute, sir. I am stretching out the mouse and it seems to be
working. Yes, a couple of the ten things have come back."
"Which ones are they, Moses?"
"Let's see. 'Thou shalt not steal from any grave an image' and 'Thou shalt
not uncover thy neighbor's wife.'"
"Turn the computer off, Moses. I'm sending you another set of stone tablets.
How does 'Same Day Air' sound?"
Humor......
A Quaker farmer was milking his cows, and near the end of the milking one
of the cows lifted tail, swished him hard across the face, shifted legs
and, with the free leg, kicked both the farmer and the milk pail (nearly
full of milk) spilling it into the farmer's shoes.
"Oh, dear cow," said the Quaker, "thou knowest that my pacifism dost not
allow me to beat thee, that I canst not even curse thee for these
impertinent actions. Thou mayest believe that thou canst escape
retribution for this pagan action. And, thou mayest even thinkest thee
smarter than myself.
"But what thou knowest not is that I can sell thee to Ole, my Norwegian
Lutheran neighbor, who canst beat the living tar out of thee."
Humor....
After a worship service a mother with a fidgety seven-year-old boy told
me how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet.
About halfway through the sermon, she leaned over and whispered, "If
you don't be quiet, the Pastor is going to lose his place and will have to
start his sermon all over again!"
It worked.
Dolly at the top of this scree you should see MAIL BOX in between Home and discussions.
Click on mail box and it'll do the rest.
Paule
That reminds me of my grandmother.....
If she found a spider in the house she would leave until someone removed it.
I remember driving to Bend when a spider walked across the windshield. We almost crashed as she pulled over and jumped out the car screaming.
Bloody Mary Please
My boy watched this movie called Starship troopers. A movie about Bugs taking over the galaxy. We humans go try to stop them. Anyway every time he sees certain bugs outside I hear him scream BUG BUG and I know he's on his way running as fast as he can to reach me.
And whatever Pre's having this morning...
Me I spent 11 years crawling in attics and under houses. I'd come out of those places covered in cobwebs spiders and such. Fleas under the houses not to mention any dead animals that found their way to a quiet place to die. At first I couldn't stand it. Spent more time clearing webs than working. Eventually you just get used to it. When you run into live possums and rats in a tight spaces that you cannot move in. Spiders become the least of your worries.
I'd buy you something, but you're working..Coffee?
Paule
I just love the edit message feature. eom
The whole market should be shorted NYC.....
I have three short positions right now that are making me a mint. Mad cow is a craze like the beanie babies or biotech stocks. Once its dealt with the overall market will likely hold any rebound in check.
My experience is that by the time I hear anything about it the corrections have already been made with the stock. Trying to play into it, is you trying to become poor. Sure I may be able to pick up a few scraps but the risk factor just isn't worth it. Generally its people like you with greater access to behind the scenes info that gets the jump on these.
McDonalds is taking a hit and has been. Why didn't you 'put' this one down? Wendy’s corporation? I can also name several other meat and poultry stocks that have taken 4-15 dollar hits, including two of the stock I gave you the first time you asked for them. You poo pooed them away, without even a glance. Why do you want me to do this work? Did you offer me anything for it?
Just curious. A stockbroker I know said something about no gain no waste time...something like that.
Vivian you seem to know everybody....
David is this guy that likes to debate. I thought he could start up a few good thought provoking insightful debates for us all to sharpen our noggins with.
He’s kind of funny sometimes too.
Paule
Good story Excel thank you...
It's so true. Most People are part time believers, never really plunging headfirst, giving all, 100% of what they have to give to the Lord. And low and behold a little child instinctively knows how and what to do. Offer himself up to the Lord. Beautiful isn’t it.
If we all just gave a little of ourselves, not money but ourselves, this world would cease to exist as we know it.
Paule
Loan Guy I am glad you decided to come visit us...
Like I stated we are trying to get this thread up and going. Any thoughts suggestions or input of any kind would be much appreciated.
Kick back take your time to get acquainted we don't do cookies here but there is a pot of coffee in the back.
Paule
Thanks Pal..eom
Have you ever been camping in the woods?
Ok Husker..........
Why did you remove a post of mine from the Vaso thread? Was it because It was #1. lol
Or did I use the wrong Alias i.e. (EE)
Paule
Taken from another thread...
We the people are hurting...we often plant the seeds of our own financial pain.
In the wide picture, much of our national and international economy is directly related to retail sales and the underpinning manufactur-ing, trade and wholesale actitity that creates goods and services for customers. These transactions range from mom buying vegetables in the supermarket to factories buying raw materials to investors buying stocks to cities buying long term energy contracts. VASO is a wholesale item to clinics and docs and a retail item to patients.
When these folks get afraid of pending-or even potential-job cuts and layoffs, of shrinking retirement funds, of market declines that hurt their net worth or company profit sharing or governments seeing tax revenues dry up, all these folks do the same thing: they stop buying and defer spending.
Individuals and companies and government can amplify an economic slowdown into a full blown recession just by acting on their fears.
And, nationally and internationally, I am afraid we are going to do just that.
We can't even pick the bottom, but it apparently is not here yet. the question, "Where's the bottom?"..is one that a few hyper traders and early bottom fishers haven't found yet.
We don't know when the bottom will come. The pros that tried to call it (and lost their tail feathers) might end up being sued wholesale by their clients. Those that have bought in the past two weeks thinking the bottom has been set saw their newly acquired bargains turn to burnt offerings today. Usually a bottom is clearly seen in the rear view mirrow, as the market lifts.
We are in a horrid bear market for the NASDAQ and the S & P, not to mention specialized and wider market indexes.
Today even the blue chip DOW plowed a new field of woe. Even the widows and orphans stocks are being slowly strangled.
Some of this selling is from international stock holders large and small, as the Japanese and other Asian traders repatriate their shrinking capital bank home. Some investors are turning their money to Europe, where there is some positive ec growth in western Europe. Others have fled to money market and bond funds.
IMHO, VASO has no floor above 2 1/2 in this market, though the price held at about 3 3/4 towards the close.
That does not mean the price will drop to that level, just that technicals have not predicted VASO price action below 4, and have been very short term in nature above 4.
VASO might be able to weather some of this slowdown simply because of pent up demand and "can't wait" patient needs...while a downturn might reduce voluntary VASO treatments, there are plenty of folks who need treatment now! How potential VASO machinery buyers view their client base will determine how VASO sales will turn out.
Just perhaps (and I am clearly speculating now) VASO's quarterly numbers could be so positive compared to the garbage news now hitting the print media and airwaves on techs selling at 10% of yearly highs that we will get a strong buy in from the large amount of cash now sitting in money market and bonds and bond funds.
Hey, we can hope, can't we? That's all we got anyway, short term.
Buying for the long run.
The very long run. Jim