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As I have said in many blogs before, recognizing when you need a break is a hard thing to do.
Caring burnout is an insidious condition.
Something you just keep doing day in and day out, with little thought or consideration for yourself… until it all comes crashing down on you.
That’s why there’s a real benefit in forward planning. It can save you a lot of time and distress.
First of all, while you are still able to care for your parent or loved one without any problems, this is the time you should be planning ahead and going to look at the alternatives that are around.
If you postpone this decision to the point when you are in immediate need of a break, it will only be harder on everyone involved.
So whenever you are able to recognize that you’re going to have to be caring for a close family member, this is the time to plan what you will do if you become too exhausted.
It is also best to make sure you are honest with your loved one as well. Discussing things with them openly is essential.
Keeping it all under wraps. Not talking in front of them for fear of how they will react.
But they have a right to be included in the discussions. They have a right to be part of the solution. They have the right to choose, especially while they are still able to contribute.
You know, fear of the unknown is far worse than facing the fear head on because it usually is nowhere near as bad as either you or they anticipated.
So you’re taking a break. Once everyone is clear on the fact that you’re going to involve outside help in the caring process, it is time to find an appropriate caring facility.
On a nice sunny day when you are both feeling mellow, make a decision to go and visit some residential care facilities or day programs.
In each place you visit, get the opinion of the person who may have to use the program or live in the facility.
Also, find out from the facility what they do or have available that your loved one is interested in.
How Do You Know If It’s Right?
Spend some time at these places to see how they really operate and what’s available.
Don’t just go once… maybe even go at different times of the day to see what is going on.
Once you have narrowed it down to the right place, see if your loved one can spend an hour or so there.
You may have to pay by the hour or half day or they may just be happy for you try it… but this is an important step to seeing if it’s right for your family.
Once you’ve found the right caring facility and take your much deserved break, it’s important to stay involved in the process of caring. Even if it’s not at the same intensity as before.
You can do this by asking the caring facility when they have some programmed activities that would be good for you to attend.
Some facilities have things like mid-winter dinner, concerts, dances or regular church services. You may be more than welcome to attend them.
I’ve even seen facilities with a Men’s Shed and mending circles.
Of course, you can always just go visit your relatives and even other people (like their new friends) and spend some quality time talking to them.
Sadly, as you may eventually find out, there are people with families in another state or country and they have no one to visit them.
Even when you’re still deciding between caring facilities, visiting these people can be both a good way for you to know more about the place and a blessing for them.
In that vein, you can also volunteer and help with any number of things within the facility.
In my experience, extra hands are always appreciated.
As you can see, finding somewhere that both you and your loved one are comfortable with is an essential part of caring.
Even if you don’t necessarily reach the point where you need to take a break, setting up a good relationship with a potential residential care facility or a day program, makes it easier for both of you, if and when the time comes.
Also, as I always stress, it’s another thing you can do together. Make it an activity to be enjoyed and not a chore to be avoided.
Lastly, if you have reached the point where you need to take a break from caring but haven’t done any of this beforehand, just hang in there.
Hopefully you can take some of the above measures along with your loved one.
It’s never too late to do things right!
Making plans like these can sometimes be hard when your loved ones don’t have best attitude. For some tips on dealing with this and other challenging behaviors, be sure to get our Free Challenging Behaviors Guide.


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Dee Marrs, Secretary for The Joyful Horse Project and Restoration Ranch, offers thirteen-year-old Sahara aroma therapy. Marrs’ expertise in holistic health practices benefits horses and veterans alike. Sahara is the matriarch of the ranch’s herd.
Beth Rand, President and Executive Director of The Joyful Horse Project and Restoration Ranch, caresses Champ while keeping a watchful eye on mischievous Trooper. At 17 hands tall and fully recovered from being abandoned in the past, Champ will live out the rest of his days at Restoration Ranch. Trooper stands one foot above Champ and is a retired Department of Public Safety patrol horse.
Tondra Jade Daily, a ranch hand at Restoration Ranch, enjoys a light moment with Trooper, a nine-year-old Saddlebred gelding.
Della Rose (service dog), Michael Richardson, and Beth Rand survey the ranch’s twenty-two and a half acres, soon to be filled with veterans and their families for a day sponsored by Texas State Veterans Alliance. Richardson is Director and Veterans Program Facilitator at Restoration Ranch and runs programs that develop reciprocated trust and valuable communication between horses and veterans.
Moxie stays close to Derek Knapp, Vice-President of Restoration Ranch and a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger. Eleven-year-old Moxie is Rand’s personal horse.
Richardson works with Moxie in the arena during Restoration Ranch’s third annual Veteran Family Day.
Attendees enjoy watching Richardson work with Moxie.
Nicklaus, a miniature horse, is a former therapy animal who wound up in the care of a dog rescue organization and subsequently found his way to Restoration Ranch’s healing environment.
A quiet moment between Karen Lynn Hill and Frances Jones Jones away from the activities during Veteran Family Day.
Moxie takes a break from working with Richardson to visit Simona Briaukus near the gate into the arena.
Adults and children alike are captivated by the ranch’s resident horses.
Snacking and using the shade to cool off, Trooper and pal Andi are curious about the clicking of the camera’s shutter. Andi is described as “very kind but cautious” with a confidence younger horses look up to.
Brightly colored scarves on the ends of drum sticks make for colorful drumming during a Drumtastics event on April 14.
With Moxie and Richardson’s help, a student is learning the basics of working with a horse.
A young man watches Richardson work with a student in the arena.
Two young girls take advantage of the space in the fence to watch Richardson and Moxie instruct a student on the fundamentals of horse work.
Zaim (foreground) and Star crisscross each other’s areas to see what the other missed. Star and her filly was saved from a slaughter lot.
An elegant horse named PJ heads toward an open field with a little speed.
A young girl takes her play seriously during a Drumtastics event.
Two Veteran Family Day attendees are captivated by Moxie’s poise.
Marysol Frost relaxes on her ball/drum during a break in the music.
Wildflowers weave through the fence line while Zaim relaxedly continues lunch.
Waiting for the next song to begin, a young drummer soaks up the sunlight and breeze.
Andi and Champ stay close to one another, peacefully roaming their enclosure.
Beth Rand is the founder of the nonprofit ranch that fosters equine development that in turn supports veterans.
Trooper enjoys a midday snack.
Byron Cox and his daughter Emma gently take their time getting to know Al, the newest member of the equine family at Restoration Ranch.
Spring winds gently ripple through the leaves of 400-year-old live oak trees that stand proud on Restoration Ranch’s 22 and a half acres in Bastrop, Texas. It is currently home to 16 rescued horses that are partnered with veterans and their families in this holistic healing environment founded by Beth Rand in 2012.
Restoration Ranch is stewarded by The Joyful Horse Project, also founded by Rand and classified as a 501c(3) organization.
Rand, herself an accomplished equestrian and champion for animals, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of horses in need. The horses come from myriad backgrounds, including abuse, neglect, waiting in a kill pen or being discarded at retirement or after being injured.
What the horses need to heal often parallels what veterans need, according to Derek Knapp, the vice president, operations manager and executive director of Restoration Ranch. A former captain in the U.S. Army, Knapp is a combat veteran and lifelong horseman, which gives him an ability to bring horses and veterans together with the goal of healing both.
The live oaks at Restoration Ranch canopy the waving grass, peppered with wildflowers. This is where the horses roam – sheltered, regaining health, and teaching veterans how to trust, breathe and heal.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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Use paint to give a new look to a melamine wardrobe.
If you find yourself needing to be creative when it comes to furnishing your bedroom, consider picking up a melamine wardrobe at a discount store or flea market, then applying your own paint to match it to your decor. Melamine resin is a hard, sturdy plastic material often used to create inexpensive furniture and cabinets. Its very durability, however, can make melamine difficult to cover with paint. Prepping and priming are essential to achieving the best results. By taking extra time with these preliminary steps, you can freshen and transform your melamine wardrobe. This is also an excellent way to repurpose an old melamine piece that you might otherwise discard.
Unscrew all hardware from the wardrobe using the appropriate screwdriver. This is a good time to soak the hardware clean before either painting or polishing it.
Fill a bucket with warm water and a small amount of mild dishwashing detergent. Wet a sponge in the water and scrub the wardrobe of dirt and grime. Dry thoroughly with a clean towel.
Lightly sand the wardrobe using a fine-grit sandpaper. This helps the primer adhere more readily to the surface.
Slightly dampen a clean cloth and wipe any dust from the surfaces you sanded.
Apply a primer made especially for covering melamine surfaces, using either a paintbrush or small roller. Check the primer’s label to determine how long to wait before applying paint.
Lightly sand any areas that show surface imperfections.
Apply a light coat of enamel paint to the wardrobe, using a paintbrush or roller. A second or even third coat of paint may be necessary, depending on how well your paint is covering. Follow directions on the paint can to determine how long the paint needs to dry between coats.
Finish with a light coat of polyurethane, if desired. This will make your paint job extra-durable.
When the paint or topcoat is completely dry, reattach the wardrobe's hardware.
A light coating of primer is all that is necessary, so avoid a heavy hand in its application. Don’t expect the primer coat to completely cover the color of the melamine surface. It will, however, make the paint adhere much more easily than if you used no primer at all.
Bruno, Gwen. "How to Paint a Melamine Wardrobe." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/paint-melamine-wardrobe-20245.html. Accessed 22 April 2019.

industry_corpus2: Others


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February 16, 2018 11:00 am·Comments Off on Enter the world of Jumanji!
A movie starring Dwayne Johnson as a wimpy nerd, Kevin Hart as a football star, Karen Gillan as a brainiac and Jack Black as an Instagram queen? Was there any doubt this movie would be good?
For some fans of the original “Jumanji” starring Robin Williams, yes, there was some doubt. Unfortunately, I have not seen the first movie, so I cannot speak to how this new film compares to it.
As a stand-alone film, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” exceeded my expectations. The action sequences leapt off the screen and engaged the audience.
Of course, the humor was fantastic. I appreciated that every character got their own moments to be funny. We all knew Hart and Black would be hysterical, and they fully deliver. Personally, I was surprised by how funny Johnson and Gillan were. The whole cast performed their roles perfectly.
One unexpected element of the movie was how much heart was put into it. These are high school kids dealing with high school issues. They are all very different people who have to figure out how to work together in order to escape this virtual world. I was invested in each character’s arc and stuck with them to the very end.
I do have thoughts about the end, but I will keep those to myself as not to spoil it for anyone else.
In the end, I highly recommend checking this movie out. 4.5 out of 5 stars!
This film’s rating is PG-13.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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Ballymena Jobs | Employment Agents in Ballymena. Part Time & Full Time Jobs Ballymena.
Phone Shop Finder Ballymena mobile phone shops page, We have listed several phone shops and mobile phone shops in Ballymena. If you know of a phone shop in Ballymena that we missed please submit it at our: Listings Page. The listings below will help you find cheap phones and cheap mobile phones in Ballymena. Phone Shop Finder will help you find all cheap mobile phone shops and phone shops in Ballymena. We also have Ballymena mobile phone shop reviews and ratings.


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Chicago police are warning CTA riders about a pattern of armed robberies at or near Green Line stops in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Victims are usually approached while they are riding, exiting or walking home from the train, or waiting at a bus stop. Police didn't say how many robberies they've tied to the pattern.
Up to four men have approached victims and either beat them with their fists or displayed handguns and demand victims' purses, wallets, money, jewelry, computers or cellphones, the Tribune reported.
The alert asks riders to report any suspicious activity near the Green Line or bus stops.
Anyone with information can call Grand Central Area detectives at 312-746-8253 or 312-746-8362.
Dude, it's not just "silence"... the city assigns a specific number of officers to each district. Not everyone is "silent" in Austin, yet the response time to a victim who had just been sexually abuse and robbed right out side her front door had to weight over 2 hours for police to arrive. Who are the Mayor or police chief to decide whether people in Austin deserve less cops for higher crime rate just because there are those who don't talk, when there are good people in Austin.
Protection goes where people care. People in Austin seem to think its ok for certain crime to be happening in their neighborhood. Unlike Lincoln Park where people do care greatly. Its about taking control of your neighborhood. Start Today Call police and turn people in. Stop the silence.
Let's see if the recent murder of a CPD officer has much impact on cracking down on crime in Austin... sadly, I don't think it's going to make much difference to the way the area is policed. "The Wire" had a huge impact on changing the system in Baltimore as it shined a light on the broken system and corruption... Sad that it takes entertainment to change corruption when deaths can't, but maybe Chicago needs a show also.
chicagocopsneedtostayinchicago, I agree that Austin is an under-served area. It's the largest and one of the most crime ridden hoods in Chicago, yet has less cops assigned to it than Lincoln Park, one of the safest hoods in Chicago. Cops show up immediately when something small happened on the north side... you'll be waiting a good while in Austin even if you have a violent confrontation. It's typical Chicago politics, as the Austin voters don't have much pull, so less service for them.
I agree with Meghan. I don't have a cell phone but even if you do, don't yak on it on the El or walking down the street in an isolated and/or high-crime area. I saw a man last week take out his laptop on the Blue Line one night! What is so pressing that someone would even risk having it snatched?! Another point I forgot to make is that if you look at the locations (published in the Sun-Times, I believe), they were NOT all on the train but near it! So what is up with maligning the El?
I ride the green line everyday to and from work and have never felt threatened. If you keep to your self and don't show off things that would incite someone to steal then you should be okay. Obviously the person sitting there showing expensive jewelry and playing on their iphone is much more attractive than the person with their phone in their pocket. Common sense goes a long way on the CTA.
@chicagocopsneedtostayinchicago: Why don't you suggest to the board an ordinance prohibiting Oak Park restaurants from selling food to Chicago Police Officers? That makes as much sense as you suggesting they should be limited to where they get their lunch. You do know they get to eat lunch too right? They fell safer??? Do you even notice the amount of restaurants we have compared to the west side? Be serious.
Paddy Boy is ashamed that this type of behavior is happening on the "GREEN" line!
I took a look at the list of robbery locations and times. First of all, there have been around 24 since November and 6 of them, 25% (!), took place on Chicago Ave. How in bloody hell does one associate Chicago Avenue w/the Green Line?! And in the other cases, the police mentioned waiting for a BUS (not Green Line), addresses that are near but not actually on the train. Um...it's AUSTIN and yeah, crime takes place on the West Side quite a bit. How they link it with the Green Line is a mystery..
Maybe if the Chicago Police spent their time doing police work in CHICAGO instead of spending all of their time eating and walking around Oak Park, perhaps there wouldn't be such an enormous crime problem on the west side. Every time I do anything in Oak Park (shopping, eating, getting hair cut, etc.)there has not been one time when I didn't see a Chicago cop in Oak Park. I know they probably feel safer here, but stay in your own city and do your job THERE! Plenty of dining places in Chicago.
From the locations given, at least some of the crimes should have been seen by the new security cameras. So much for cameras-as-deterrant. Since the crimes are ongoing, it seems the cameras aren't doing much good at catching the criminals after the fact, either.
I ride the Green Line at rush hour every weekday, and never had an issue. Anecdotal evidence and scare tactics dont mean much. On the other hand, Rahm could spend some $$ on cops on the trains, but he first has to get ready for NATO/G8.
And we wonder why so many people move to Naperville and Barrington. Sad state of affairs.
'Idling gets you nowhere' (on the Eisenhower) but it's a heck of a lot safer than taking the green line!! If we want to reduce emissions and get ppl onto public transit, try making public transit SAFE TO TAKE FOR EVERYONE.
As a daily Green Line commuter, I'm very concerned. I've seen my friend screamed at, assaulted and then literally *punched* by a woman who police later told us was from the West Side - this b/c my friend was "in front of her" getting into the train car. !!! Nobody did a THING. I saw an older man robbed right in front of me as he and his wife entered the train - and again nobody did a THING. The last time I felt safe was 15 years ago when the conductors rode on nearly every train.
I do believe that one of the key reasons Oak Park residents fall victim to robberies, burglaries and crime in general is the weapons restriction in place in Oak Park. The bad guys know this. Or imagine if, Illinois finally passed strict conceal carry laws that would allow law abiding properly trained citizens to arm and defend themselves. Imagine the deterring effect it would have on situations like this one. I would imagine the bad guys would would be very hesitant in there actions.
Safety (or the lack thereof) in Chicago's West side is closely linked to safety in Oak Park. I'm glad the WSJ is reporting on these incidents. Nevertheless, all of these incidents are disturbing and raise questions about what, exactly, Mayor Rahm and the CPD are doing to reduce West Side crime. Not much, it seems. How many of us would walk around east of Austin. Not many, I would guess. Nor the residents of Austin themselves. This is a huge problem yet it seems invisible to our politicians.
Folks-- We don't have a police reporter covering the West Side. So when there is news off the West Side that has an Oak Park/River Forest dimension we choose to find ways to bring that to our readers. Sometimes that means properly attributing reporting to another news organization such as the Trib or Sun Times. That's the right thing to do. And, so, with respect, lay off our reporter. She's doing just fine.
Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely a conundrum: I really believe people should own up to their comments, but not at the risk of their safety. What a world we live in.
Debbie, I use my real name on posts but agree that some posters want or need the protection of a pseudonym. I will stick to using my name but would go to a pseudonym if I felt it needed it. I do occasional searches and find my name in strange places.
Another in the long list of Devin Rose stories in which she digests a Chicago Tribune article for us rather than independently reporting. Must've graduated from the K-Mart School of Journalism. Not exactly keeping up the Hemingway tradition here, are we?
I agree with *I'll never post...*. Although I'm still posting under my name, it's probably a little about inertia, a little about maintaining my belief that I should stand behind my word. However, I may go anonymous. I had the exact same experience as *I'll never post..* last year on this site.
I don't even use my real name on Facebook. It's the same concept as anonymous whistle blowing. People will and do hold your opinions and comments against you. If you think people are above that feel free to tell the next cop that pulls you over, your boss, and your spouse how you REALLY feel. You'll wish they didn't have your real name when it's over. LOL.
Ever have a cyberstalker, Debbie? I once picked one up here during a debate last year. They looked up my address, posted personal info about me and left me feeling threatened and a little violated. I've never used my real name since. Nothing happened, but it was a very scary situation that is not worth repeating. It's a stretch to assume that everyone posting on the web is sane and legitimate.
I don't understand why people are afraid to use their names when they comment.
"Chicago police are warning CTA riders..." Why warn them? Why not protect them?! For the love of God, no rider of public transportation should be at risk of losing his/her life for traveling in a green and efficient manner beneficial to society. If you have to make public transportation a police state to keep riders safe, do it!! It is insane to have public transportation that is unsafe to use. Do what's right here and make riding the CTA safe, EVERYWHERE, no matter what you have to do to do it.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


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industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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so grateful to announce that I have been selected by Juror Kate Breakey for Still Life: The Ordinary Made Extraordinary, at PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont!
& from your lips she drew the Hallelujah.
I am honored to have juried the work for Still Life: The Ordinary Made Extraordinary for PhotoPlace Gallery. But I have to say how very difficult it was because I don’t think there was one image submitted that could not have gone in this exhibition. However, because of the huge number of images, only a small number of them could be selected for both exhibitions. I was greatly dismayed that so much truly excellent work had to be eliminated. It’s obvious that some of the entries were from professional photographers whose work is very sophisticated, polished and technically excellent. I appreciate the care and skill that this kind of studio work requires, but I wanted to include images that had some magic and spontaneity — images that are poetic and playful, and not so carefully considered or contrived.
This was also a humbling experience. I was blown away by how much talent there is ‘out there’, and I wish everyone the very best in their lives as photographers and artists.


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IMCDb.org: 1939 Wolseley 14/60 [Series III] in "The Dam Busters, 1955"
All these Wolseley models are very difficult to split apart due to the use of the same chassis and bodies with different wheelbases and engines. The registration number dates the car to between April and June 1939, and, at that time it could have been a 14/60, a 16/65, or an 18/85. The two horns at the base of the radiator mean it is not a 12/48 (one horn) nor is it the longer 16, 21 or 25 (horns not visible).

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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✓ $69.95 Genuine BMW Oil and $84.95 Genuine BMW Synthetic Oil.
✓ Genuine BMW parts including oil filter, crush gaskets, and washers.
✓ Full Multipoint Inspection. See what’s included.
✓ TWO lifts available for speedy oil changes, no appointment necessary.
Oil changes are only $69.95 for Genuine BMW Oil and $84.95 for Genuine BMW Synthetic Oil during the month of April, ONLY at Bob’s! No coupon to print, no promotional code to provide, just get your bike in before April 30th and SAVE on your season starter oil change. Need brakes or a new battery? Ask an advisor how you can save an additional 20% on genuine BMW brakes and batteries!
Schedule an appointment or just show up any time Tuesday – Friday, 9-5 or Saturday, 9-3. Bob’s dedicates 2 of its lifts for express WHILE-U-WAIT oil and tire changes!
Offer exp. April 30, 2014.
*BMW motorcycles only. Sales tax and shop supplies not included. Certain bikes may require considerably longer time to perform an oil change and can incur additional costs. These include all F650 models, R1100 and R1150GS models with metal “cage” type cylinder protection, R100RS and R100RT models with oil coolers, and any others with modifications or special equipment which may require dismantling or extra work-around time. Contact the service desk for more details and pricing.


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Richard Garriott is dead serious about making Sweet @$! Poker the best Texas Hold 'Em game on Facebook, but says what really motivates him is the chance to create new "Ultima-esque" games in the future.
We zinged Garriott a little bit last week over his involvement with Portalarium and, more specifically, Sweet @$! Poker, a Texas Hold 'Em card game currently running on Facebook. Setting aside the fact that the world needs more Texas Hold 'Em like it needs a hole in the head, what was one of the most famed game designers in the world doing spending his time making a Facebook card game?
Making it the best Facebook card game he possibly could, apparently. "Just go compare the qualitative aspects of our poker game to the qualitative aspects of the ones that are already kicking the butts of every game they've ever played from a financial standpoint," he told Kotaku. "And I believe it will be very clear from a little inspection why ours is tangibly easier to use, faster to load , faster to install, smoother graphics, everything."
The man clearly takes this game seriously. In fact, Garriott believes that casual gaming, which he describes as games that anyone can play at any time, is poised to dominate the industry and he sees Portalarium as an opportunity to help pioneer that evolution.
"If your favorite game could have been delivered in a way to where you didn't have to make an up-front investment, you didn't have to read the instructions, you could just sit down and play it; it was available just by somebody sending you a link; and only after you played it and were hooked on it would you then have to pay for it, I guarantee you that would be a game you would find even better than your current favorite game," he said. "And yet you just would have met the criteria of what I think is important in this casual gamer framework."
But it's also apparent that Sweet @$! Poker is just the first step on a longer journey. Garriott said the game is so much better than its competitors "because of the foundation we decided to build upon," that being the cross-platform Portalarium Player software, which proved that high-quality games could be made and launched through sites like Facebook. But "his" game, he added, is yet to come.
"Today we're talking about the Portalarium. We have yet to announce quote-unquote my game," he said. "What motivates me is to go back and make Ultima-esque, familiar Ultima-esque games. But I believe the right place is to do that on this platform."
We can only hope that when it does come time to announce quote-unquote "his" game, the words Ultima Underworld 3 will figure prominently. Are you reading this, Richard?

industry_corpus2: Gaming


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industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


text:
What I will argue is that such statements either are not actually claims about the world at all, and hence insulate themselves from disconfirming empirical evidence by defining it away, or else they are claims/predictions, but rely on vague, ill-defined subjective states and thus, are impossible to confirm. In each case, I will elucidate the issues involved and then tie it in with the relevant psychological issues.
The first apologetic example listed above seems to fall into this category. “If you de-convert from Christianity you never really were a Christian at all” certainly might sound, on the surface, like an empirical claim. But it can be re-written more simply: “No true Christians de-convert.” Then, then matter becomes clearer: the speaker is defining “true” Christians as the set of individuals who never leave the fold. Hence, this claim cannot, by the terms set up, be shown to be wrong. To take issue with this claim, one must take issue with the definition itself, not point out counterexamples.
Philosophically-minded readers will notice that the above example, “No true Christians de-covert”, follows a familiar form. In fact, it is a version of a well-know logical fallacy, known as the “No True Scotsman fallacy.” The name originated from philosopher Anthony Flew’s example: “No Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge”/ “But my uncle does, and he’s from Scotland”/ “Aye, but no true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge.” . And the effect is exactly as we have outlined: rather than letting the statement “no true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge” be proven false by producing a Scotsman who does, in fact, do so, the original claim is preserved by instead jerryrigging the definition to exclude counterexamples.
This class of statements function similarly to definitions, but are more subtle and hence, more insidious. What occurs is that the speaker makes the truth of the claim dependent upon a internal subjective state, and hence not subject to public verification. Since I cannot “prove”, except by my own report, what has transpired in my own mind (or my own will/motives), it becomes easy to argue that I am mistaken about it. An example will, I think, make this clear.
This sort of statement is often encountered from those who are asserting that if you “really” wish to know the alleged truth of Christianity, God will reveal it to you, and you will thus convert. But notice the subjective condition: the seeking must be “sincere.” How do we know if someone is sincere? Obviously, other than his or her own self-report, there is no way to know. And that is the point: this statement, as stated, gives us no way to independently determine whether the seeking was, in fact, sincere, beyond just that “outcome measure” included in the statement itself. I.e., the only way to know whether the seeking was sincere is if you do, in fact, eventually convert.
Surely this is a problem. Stated this way we have no way to take issue with whether this claim is, in fact, true. “Blame” for failure of this prediction can always be distributed to the sincerity, not to the link between seeking and conversion. It could even be argued that, functionally, these sorts of claims serve as definitions, as described above: all true (i.e, sincere) God-seekers convert.
And other evangelical claims follow this same pattern. How much heartache has been created throughout the centuries by Jesus’ “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed” claim? The exact same considerations apply: there is no way at all to determine whether one’s faith is the size of a mustard seed (obviously a very loose metaphor) beyond just that outcome measure: does you effort to move mountains succeed, or not? Not many Christians are willing to up and say that Jesus was wrong. He is Jesus, so he must be right. Yet the mountain did not move. So it must be me.
The reason these sorts of apologetic efforts are so problematic is that those in the process of uprooting themselves from their faith are already in a state of emotional upheaval. As I have argued in previous articles, evangelical Christian theology saddles them with a number of handicaps: It aggressively tries to undermine critical thinking skills as well as autonomy, by teaching both are sin. It inculcates in them a in deep fear of Hell should they turn out to be mistaken. They often have no support form their community and possibly their own family. They have been taught to always assume the worst about themselves – human beings are, after all, wholly corrupt – and to always trust the “the Bible” (i.e., evangelical dogma) over everything else. Thus, those struggling with leaving their faith are already highly prone to doubt themselves and tremendously unsure about their basic identity.
And what I suggest is that these sorts of evangelical claims function as an easy out: they cut through all the doubt about one’s motives and sincerity by seeming to provide external and easily-visible measure of one’s own internal state. That is, these claims have the effect of “mind-reading”. One must therefore either be able to question the logic involved (as I am pointing out here in this article), or else call upon enormous internal fortitude to trust own self-examination over the dogma – something those in the midst of de-conversion are ill-equipped to do. It takes a high degree of self-assurance to say, “Yes, indeed I have been sincere and I did have faith – and nothing happened” when everything in your experience and indoctrination has taught you to blame yourself, rather than the theology.
Individuals in the midst of de-conversion, as almost all of them attest, go through painful periods of doubt and anxiety and uncertainty. But most have never been taught any way to handle that doubt and uncertainty beyond the usual Christian bromides: pray, “spend time in the Word”, have faith, “just believe”. Which are precisely those solutions the decoverting individual in beginning to suspect don’t work. The trouble is, they know of few, if any, other options.
This could be simplified to, roughly: if you truly submit your will to God, for the right reason, you will be filled with transcendent peace. Based on this, I spent many years in ruthless introspection trying to root out whatever selfishness and self-will I could find and thereby purify my motives. This was exceedingly difficult because I was, at that time in my life, horribly depressed and unhappy in my life and it seemed inhuman to ask me to somehow not wish to feel better, and be motived exclusively by a desire for God. But I tried anyway. Prayer, Bible study, seeking the will of God, and all the usual prescriptions had had little effect. Needless to say, this prescription didn’t work, either, but it was only years later that I was able to see clearly why: the hypothesis is false. Submission of the will, meaning something like the volitional cessation of all desires other than the desire for God, does not lead to peace or joy, or even if it does, it is humanly impossible. It wasn’t me, it was the theology. Hallelujah.
And since I found peace, joy, contentment by other means, I was eventually able to set this whole apologetic morass aside. Hopefully, by making plain what is really going on, I can help others do the same: realize that if you flap your arms, whatever the state of your heart, you do not get closer to God. You just get tired and you feel like a failure.
Entry filed under: Richard. Tags: apologetics, christianity, de-conversion, philosophy, psychology, religion.
Excellent post. I love the way you explained so clearly how the “definition shifting” works. Thanks for your insights. This is another great series.
I appreciate this series because it makes me feel less insane and less alone. Thank you for sharing these thoughts with us/me.
This is a fantastic series, and this essay is definitely my favorite so far. It can be hard to find the lack of substance beneath evangelical’s rhetorical meanderings and constant volume, but I feel a lot better equipped to zero in on the empty verbage now.
Thank you Richard. I so appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into this serious.
I’m looking for some rhetorical and effective answer to claims like “you never were a real Christian at all”. Any ideas?
Thanks to everyone for the kind remarks.
Basically, the issue is not that the fundamentalist is not entitled to his own definition of “Christian”, but that his definition carries no more authority than anyone elses. After all, there is no God to settle the answer for us, and no consensus among human beings about who has authority to decide. So all you can do is: (a) stipulate an group whos definition you wish to adopt and (b) ignore the others. So, in short, there is no “final answer” to who is a Christian.
This is such a great article. It should be required reading for any Christians who wish to comment here.
Very well written article, Richard.
But even if we agree on the definition of Christian, he can always deny I was a Christian, he can say that I wasn’t sincere. It’s hard to argue with that.
They always say the same, that you were never really a Christian, that you just kept appearances, etc. It’s not true.
Everyone knows their own mind, and denying a priori the experiences of others just shows an unhealthy fear.
Yes, even the most devout fall in unbelief. Yes, very sincere and pious believers.
Obviously, this doesn’t fit with the idea of a personal god that never fails, but that conception of god is childish.
But my point is rather that you dont have to agree with them on a definition of Christian in the first place. And, in fact, if you have deconverted, you almost certainly wont.
After all, when you were a fundy, you thought that being a Christian meant you had undergone some sort of supernatural experience. Your soul had been “saved”, transformed in some, again, supernatural way.
Obviously, after deconversion, you dont believe any supernatural anything anymore. So that transformation did not actually happen, even though you thought it did.
But that doesnt mean you now must think that nothing at all happened, or that the term “Christian” is meaningless and doesnt designate anything. It does, just not what you once thought it did. In other words, when you deconverted, part of what changed was not just your belief in God but also, as part of that package, what it means to call someone “Christian”. Now, that word probably means to you something like “one who considers himself a follower of Jesus.” If you consider yourself a Christian, then you are one, as far as Im concerned. We dont require “proof” anymore because there is no such thing.
So whos definition is correct, theirs or ours? Well, thats just the point. Look at it this way: how could that question ever be settled? Who gets to say who’s definiton is correct? Its a matter of what authority is behind the definition. And since there is no God to decide for us, then its really just however we humans wish to use the term. There is no larger, correct answer to “who is a Christian” beyond just pointing to your reference group and saying “this is the definition I adopt.” No one can tell you youre wrong in your choice.
So, if fundys wish to jerryrig their defintion to exclude deconverts, thats “okay”, as much as anyones definiton is okay. It has no more and no less authority than your view or mine or Joe the Plumber’s.
Its helpful, at least for me, to remind myself that, when I called myself a Christian, everyone I knew who shared a definition with me, also considered me a Christian. There was nothing that could have “tipped them off” that I “really” wasnt a Christian — because I “really” was, in all the ways that mattered. I fit the “definition”.
How could I not? Being a CHristian is just a social designation, nothing more. If you do the right things and use all the right “passwords” you will be accepted into that group. But that doesnt mean their explanation is correct: that you have been saved by God. After all, there is no god.
So my question for you would be: you know fundys who say this to you are just being defensive. You know that there is nothing supernatural that corresponds to “being a Christian.” You know, therefore, that there is no “correct” answer. So why do you care to try to satisfy them that you meet their criteria? I know its kind of invalidating to have others deny your self-identity. Believe me, it used to make me mad too. But you also know youre not going to change their minds. Their worldview cant accomodate people like us.
So what I think happens, then, is that we de-cons have selected a new “reference group”, who’s definiton of “Christian” we have adopted: each other. We all know that we “really” were Christians, in all the senses of that term that matter. I have made my peace with the fact that many fundys out there will try to define me out of their group. That’s okay. I dont need to convince them anymore; I would rather spend my time helping people like those on this site.
Anyway, I know thats very long winded — sorry about that. Hope it helps.
What a godsend (pun unintended) your post is! I just got done reading a facebook comment from an old friend who accused me of your very first point: that I left the faith because I was not a true Christian. I will be sending him this post in response.
There is nothing more frustrating than a person who redefines reality in such a way that every piece of counter evidence only backs up their claim.
Richard. Suppose you define a Christian as someone who has “accepted Christ”. I said sincerly certain prayers, and asked Jesus into my heart, and believed in the correct things from a fundy point of view, and went to church and all of that. This is a workable definition of a Christian, even if I no longer agree with those presuppositions: I can agree with the definition.
Why do I care if they consider I was a Christian or not?
Ardegas – Yes, I agree it is a workable defintion, from a fundy point of view. I guess the point Im trying to make is that that point of view has no more authority to establish such a definiton than anyone else. There is no right answer as to who is a Christian.
If you agree with the definition (and I assume with the caveat that when you “accept Jesus into your heart”, all that has happened is a transformed psychological state within yourself. Jesus is, after all, dead, and doesnt know youre talking to him) then my suggestion as to what to say to such people is to point out how they rig their definiton to exlude anyone who would complicate their theology, like you and me.
Ask them to tell you how to determine whether someone is “really” a Christian **before** they deconvert.
You can also point out that not all Christians accept the “eternal security” view (that you can never lose your salvation if you “really” had it). There is the conditional security view, which is that you can indeed lose it. Funny thing is, *both* groups claim to get their teaching from the Bible!
Yes, I agree! I think these are some of the same tactics used by conspiracy theorists. Its a handy way to protect your belief system from falsification, or even from seeming a poor theory just because you cant convince anyone to buy it.
They will often say that if you disagree with their conspiracy theory, it proves you have been brainwashed by whatever sinister bad guys are at work behind the scenes.
I absolutely love this series. I think I’ll send people I talk to who are struggling with deconverting here.
This is a really good post! I’m currently addressing the claim that “no true Christian is capable of deconversion”, or more specifically, the accusation that I wasn’t “really” a Christian to begin with. This one will be a big help for me.
This series was very interesting to read. Ive been visiting this website for months now and this series was the most challenging for me. I’m a fundamental Christian who is not here to bash anyone over the head with Bible verses, or speculate whether anyone ever “truly gave their heart to Christ”. I think doing that shows a lack of respect for other’s decisions, which in many cases I have read about on this site, has been a painful and difficult process. But believe it or not, this site has been an increadible faith builder for me by helping me putting my doubts in to words before searching for the answers. The generalizations sadden me about “fundy Christians.” but is expected when interacting with those who think they can argue someone back to faith in Jesus Christ. Anyway, I just wanted to say that this series was very well written, and that there are probably many Christians like me who hang around here, not to judge and fingerpoint and argue, but to see another point of view and try to understand those holding that view.
I’m glad you are here. So often, as you have seen from the posts here, somebody who has de-converted is the target of what I would almost term “assaults” of faith – endless arguing, pleading, bible-bashing, apologetics, threats of hellfire, anything to try to drag us back into believing that which we have now found impossible to believe. If more believers were like you, and took the time to really listen to us, instead of pre-judging, it would be a very good thing. I wish more people would do that.
I agree as well. If more fundamentalists were as respectful and considerate as you are then many of us would have far fewer objections to fundamentalism as an institution.
Accusing a decon of never being a Christian seems as absurd as accusing a divorced person of never being married.
If you were committed to someone, went through the social and legal procedures of matrimony, loved them, lived with them, tried to work things out with them, and yet they turned out not to be the person you thought you were marrying, it doesn’t mean you never really loved them, and it certainly doesn’t mean you were never really married.
It just means its over now.
Incredible analogy. To use Richard’s explanation in this post, this would be similar to defining married people as those who never get divorced. Only true married people stick together for life. Therefore all divorced people were never *truly* married.
Any evidence that does not confirm the Bible is not properly understood.
This could be used to posit any evidence (even poor evidence) as evidence for the Bible. If someone says that it is not evidence for the Bible, all AIG has to say is that the person does not “understand it properly”. This redefining what evidence means can also be used to explain away all good evidence against the Bible, by arguing that it cannot be good evidence against the Bible because it is not properly understood.
It is hard to trust anyone who redefines truth so that they cannot ever be wrong.
Thanks so much Richard, your note has been so helpful.
Props for a well-written series. I always had this niggling feeling that something was not quite right with evangelical rhetoric, but I couldn’t put my finger on it / find the words to explain the not-quite-rightness.
I happened to read several chapters of ‘Mere Christianity’ yesterday and this morning and found that it didn’t quite explain everything as neatly as it promised.
I still believe in God, but I’ve been doubting what’s been said in church and even in the Bible for quite some time. I’ve been asking questions like these: http://de-conversion.com/2008/10/15/how-much-doubt-is-too-much/ . Still in the middle of the reflection process.
I’ve actually been an on and off lurker at de-Conversion for a while. Good blog, everyone.
You put a lot of thought into this, too bad it can be explained away by one simple statement.
Christians have a personal relationship with God.
True Christians as some like to put it are people with a personal relationship with God.
It is not just some feeling.
Truth by definiton. And unverifiable to boot. How do you know, in practical, observational terms, when you have the necessary relationship?
‘It is not just some feeling.” Okay, so what is it?
Sorry – but when a true christian is pressed for evidence of a “personal relationship with god” the only thing they ever seem to produce is “I can feel it.” They don’t get e-mails from god, god doesn’t walk their dog when they are out of town, babysit the kids, or join them at the pub and buy a round of drinks. All I ever hear are “feelings”. Well if you feel it, and you are happy, fine. But until your god actually shows up and does something real, I prefer a personal relationship with chocolate.
And you seem to be re-emphasizing the point of the original post rather well. What would you say about someone who said they were once convinced they had a “personal realtionship with god” and that “they could feel it” but then later decided it was all in their head after all?


text:
Feiwel and Friends, New York, 2012. 258 pages.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There is a sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. A friend of mine calls both of them The Girl With the Very Long Title. I think you can get away without having read the first book to read this one, because September’s adventures continue to be quite episodic, but she does meet many characters she met in her first set of adventures, or their shadows, so you may appreciate it more having read the first book.
It’s been a year since September saved Fairyland. She does miss it terribly, and the experience has made her all the more different from other girls at her school. And what no one seems to notice is that September left her shadow behind in Fairyland.
When September does get to go back, it turns out that her own shadow has gone to Fairyland-Below and become the Hollow Queen, Halloween. What’s more, she’s gradually draining more shadows from Fairyland-Above, and so people there are losing their magic along with their shadows. She meets A-Through-L, her dear wyverary, and her friend Saturday the marid, but they are actually the shadows of her friends and behave quite differently.
Now, I don’t know how much children will enjoy The Girl With the Very Long Title books. It would be a fun one to try out in a family read-aloud at bedtime. They would have to have high tolerance for big words. And the many things in the book that an adult finds funny and clever might not appeal as much to a child, because it is so funny precisely because it mirror’s a child’s logic.
There were many, many clever bits, and with my son away at college, I just have to share them in the review. I don’t think it gives away the plot at all, but shows the fun the author has with the situations.
We seek out Quest-Dense Zones and hop in with both feet. We Experiment. We prove. Mersenne has gone off into the Jargoon Mountains to work on his thesis, investigating the spiritual connection between dragons and maidens. Candella last reported from the bottom of Blackdamp Lake, conducting experiments on free-range treasure. Red Newton wholly devoted himself to the study of magic apples, immortality causing and otherwise, and that means setting up a year-round camp in the Garden of Ascalaphus. . . . It is my dearest hope that one day I shall be the one to discover the GUT — the Grand Unified Tale, the one which will bind together all our Theorems and Laws, leaving out not one Orphan Girl or Youngest Son or Cup of Life and Death. Not one Descent or Ascent, not one Riddle or Puzzle or Trick. One perfect golden map that can guide any soul to its desire and back again.
Avogadra grinned. “Whilst on an expedition to prove the Rule of Three, my honored colleague Black Fermat hypothesized that certain Quest Objects cast a field around them, like a magnet or a planet — an Everyone Knows That Field. This is how they draw in unsuspecting Heroes. When an E.K.T. Field is in effect, everyone within its power will know a good deal about the Object, even if they can’t say where they heard about it or why it’s so deathly important to remember all that dusty old nonsense. They’ll chat about it with any passing stranger like it’s sizzling local gossip. ‘Oh, the Troll-Goblet of Clinkstone Hall? A Forgetful Whale swallowed it, and took it to her pod so they could bring the Whale-Maiden Omoom back to life. Everyone knows that! — the sword Excalibur? Nice lady down by the lake will let you see it for a dime, swing it for a dollar — Everyone knows that!’ Trust me, if you want to know the score, just find out What Everyone Knows, and you’ll be on the scent.
A wyrmhole just goes from one place to another place. Dull as a street. A squidhole starts in one place — like my shop here — and goes five or ten other places, depending on how many field mice you happened to get.
For there are two kinds of forgiveness in the world: the one you practice because everything really is all right, and what went before is mended. The other kind of forgiveness you practice because someone needs desperately to be forgiven, or because you need just as badly to forgive them, for a heart can grab hold of old wounds and go sour as milk over them. You, being sharp and clever, will have noticed that I said “practice.” Forgiveness always takes practice to get right, and September was very new at it.
The story is episodic, with wild, random events happening to September one after the other, like a maze with unexpected turns. The author is incredibly imaginative, and I have to admit I enjoyed her little asides. I recommend trying the first book, and if you’re up for more of the same, you’ll definitely want to read on.
Source: This review is based on an Advance Review Copy I got at an American Library Association conference.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 9:08 pm and is filed under Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Stand-outs, Starred Review.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


text:
Yeah, I guess so... But you can code it yourself... (It might be hard, but possible..�.
Wow, this has become a huge misunderstanding.
Ok, the cable cars in the map snowpeak are static (unusable). Although, there IS an object that came with 1.8 that looks just like the static cable car that is usable, by entering the car and pressing E, and it puts you on top of the car, standing up. ALTHOUGH, the problem is.. no one can seem to make the car hang on the cables, because objects that are usable must spawn, and spawnable objects will not float in the air, like static objects will, so its hard to make the cablecars hang on the small cable and balance.
Yea, and static objects dont move with other objects. So you'd still have to make the object spawnable. As far as i know, anyways.


text:
Loneliness amongst the aged in Eastern Europe is not an isolated occurrence, but a social phenomenon. There are many reasons … society is progressively ageing; social care and health systems have collapsed, and with unemployment at record highs across the 6 countries where we work, the numbers of young people leaving to work abroad is constantly on the increase.
The elderly feel neglected and forgotten, and believe they are only remembered by the state when it comes to censuses and elections. It is felt most sharply around holidays like Christmas, Easter, New Year and birthdays. Loneliness can increase the risk of premature death among the elderly, as it weakens their immune system and makes them prone to different diseases. According to data, the number of lonely seniors is globally on the increase worldwide.
Soup Kitchens - for isolated older people who do not have enough money to buy food. The soup kitchen is the only place they can receive a hot meal, either at a community centre or transported to their home if they are bed-ridden.
Recreation clubs - this includes day centre services for individuals with disabilities and older people who have no one to care for them. Services range according to the beneficiary group from employment skills workshops to well-being activities.
Assistance given to Care Homes - The elderly direct their small pensions towards the institution where they reside, but that is often insufficient to cover utilities, nutrition, and medical care or staff salaries. When the monthly income is too low to cover the real needs of the elderly, we support them through counseling sessions, birthday parties, excursions and monthly Christian Input meetings.
Where the government and their families might see the elderly as a burden, we encourage and cherish them!
Only through your support can we reach these people in need and give them a helping hand out of loneliness and despair.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
1. Find your Pen Stamp from the 2 samples below and click the "Customize Button" on the right side of the page.
2. Enter your text, choose font and size.
3. Click the "Preview Button" to see your stamp. If you are satisfied, click the "Add to Cart Button".
Your Shopping Cart will appear (do not worry about the price).
4. Click the "Checkout Button". You will be asked to enter you email information.
5. Next you will be asked for billing and shipping information. You will not be billed.
6. Continue to payment screen and enter your redemption code (in the box on the bottom left) and click "Go"


text:
A seat is reserved for you next to the totem pole at the Seneca Park Zoo.
Seneca Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, is located on the border of the City of Rochester and the Town of Irondequoit, along the Genesee River. The park was opened in 1893, and animals started being displayed in 1894. The first major addition to the Zoo was the Main Zoo Building in 1931. The building was home to a wide variety of animals in cages.
The Seneca Park Zoo Society was chartered as an educational institution by New York State in 1957. Since that time, the Society has evolved into a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the Zoo by running educational programs, special events, marketing and public relations efforts, fundraising and food and gift operations. The Society offers memberships that are very popular with area families.
In 1975, a polar bear grotto was opened to house the Zoo's two polar bears (Penny and Nickels), who had been acquired using pennies and nickels collected by local school children. In 1993, the Zoo opened the $2 million Genesee Trail and Discovery Center—its first landscape immersion exhibit. This was followed in 1997 by the $8.2 million Rocky Coasts exhibit.
On May 17, 2012, the Zoo opened A Step Into Africa, which was designed to replicate a portion of the NgoroNgoro Crater in Tanzania.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


text: Describing their music as “all about torment,” Odium Totus vacillates between dreadful moments of wretched hopelessness and pugilistic riffs that pound the listener senseless. With a sound reminiscent of Ved Buens Ende’s Written in Waters, Nullam Congue Nihil is a caustic, vicious insult aimed at every living thing on the planet. Yet, even this bleak darkness hides a subtle sense of aesthetics, and listening to the album multiple times reveals layer upon layer of sheer dissonant majesty. Odium Totus sets out to prove that even the most punishing and immediate black metal can be atmospheric, like the ringing in your ears after repetitive, blunt-force head trauma. Between Dyingnysus’ continuous death rattle and R. Sodomizer’s pounding percussive assault, Nullam Congue Nihil mocks the very concept of mercy by its explicit promise of pain. Listen at your own peril.


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Thursday: We’re releasing our new double IPA, Deuce, at 5 pm. Yes, you read that right: We named a beer after a KISS song. It’s the first song on their album Alive, which has one of the best album covers ever. Mug club members get $1 off their first pour. We’ll also have music trivia starting at 7:30 pm.
Friday: From our 5 pm opening to our 9 pm closing, we’ll be playing vinyl records. We’ll start with our collection, which includes records we’ve collected since junior high school, but we’ll put on anything you bring in to share with everyone in the tap room.
Saturday: We’ll have live music all day. From 2-5 pm, we’ll have Billy Ruegger. And from 6-9 pm, Tim Payson. Come on down!


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THE ULTIMATE MINI-VAN! HONDA ODYSSEY EX-L. ONLY 69,000KMS! 3.5 liter v-6 engine with 250 horsepower will get the kids to school in record time! 6-speed automatic transmission. IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK! Alloy wheels, power sliding doors, power tailgate. The interior is VERY practical. Premium leather interior, power heated seats, sunroof, leather wrapped steering wheel, navigation, back up camera & sensors. WARRANTY AND FINANCING AVAILABLE!
Call (or text) show contact info for quick answers to your questions about this Honda Odyssey EX-L w/Navi.


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So you just accidentally deleted a batch of files on your USB flash drive? Or the files got hidden or missing for some reasons? Maybe worse yet, your USB couldn't be detected by a computer.
Anyway, in this definitive guide here we're going to show you how to recover deleted or lost files, no matter what situation you are facing.
To make it easier for you to browse, we break down all types of USB data loss situations into different scenarios, so you can quickly match your situation and find respective fix solutions.
Do use the Table of Content below to help yourself navigate.
Chapter 1: Accidentally Deleted Files from a Flash Drive?
Chapter 2: Formatted USB Flash Drive By Mistake?
Chapter 3: All Files and Folders Became Shortcuts in USB Drive?
Chapter 4: USB Disk Shows Error Due to Corruption?
Chapter 5: USB Drive Can't Be Recognized by a Computer?
You may have removed some files from your disk, thinking they would go to the Recycle Bin or Trash. But the fact is those items will bypass the bin. When you delete something from an external drive, it's similar to emptying Recycle Bin or Trash on your computer. But there is still a way to retrieve them.
How to recover: the best way is to use a USB data recovery program (as we introduce in Chapter 6 below). Beware that such software only recovers deleted files that are not overwritten yet, meaning you should try to not use your flash drive when you realized some items had gotten deleted.
Sometimes you need to free up more disk space, so you just "quick format" the drive without thinking much about the data stored inside. The operation is irreversible meaning there is no such "unformat" function. Fortunately, it's still quite possible to rescue the data.
How to recover: once again, by using a USB data recovery software. A quick disk formatting won't erase the data stored inside immediately. In fact, the data will retain intact there for quite a while depending on how large its volume is and how aggressive you generate additional data. Similar to accidental deletion, these formatted files are recoverable only when they are not fully written over.
Most likely your flash drive has been infected by certain virus or malware. All the folders and items are now turned into shortcuts, usually a few kilobytes (KBs) in size. This has been a known issue for years, good news is that you can restore your folders and files in a couple of steps.
How to fix: we've covered this in another article how to fix file folders become shortcuts, go check it out there.
If you plug your USB drive into a computer and click on it, a pop-up window shows "the disk is not formatted, do you want to format it now?" or it says "the drive can't be initiated", chances are that your pen drive is corrupted or crashed.
How to fix: refer to this article how to fix usb not formatted error for detailed instructions on recovering your data and making the device work again.
There are two mainly reasons for this: file system or device driver issues, or your USB is physically damaged. Either way, you may still be able to make it work again and access the data normally. However, be prepared to spend a bit more time.
How to fix: first follow the guide in this MakeUseOf article to update USB drivers or partition it correctly. If you suspect that your flash disk is damaged, watch this video for how to get the files out of a damaged USB stick.
Please note: you'll need to rely on a computer to run the recovery software to retrieve your deleted or inaccessible files. And it's not 100% guaranteed that you'll get all your data back, but it's at least worth a try.
If you are using a Windows PC, try Easy Drive Data Recovery — an incredibly powerful and easy-to-use tool designed by Munsoft dedicated to recovering many types of files deleted or lost from an external disk drive.
If you are on a Mac machine (MacBook, iMac, etc.), get Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery — an app that was originally developed to retrieve data from the internal Macintosh hard drive, but now it also works amazingly well to pull back data from external disks.
First off, turn on your computer, open a web browser such as IE, Chrome or Safari. Get a USB recovery program we recommended above and install it on your computer.
Now insert your flash drive into the USB port on your computer. Open "This PC" (in Windows) or "Disk Utility" (for Mac) to check and make sure the disk can be recognized.
Now launch the recovery software. Follow its instructions on the screen to select the right drive or file types to conduct a scan. The scanning process can take several minutes depending upon your disk volume.
When the scan is complete. Preview the found files and recover those items you want.
If you've deleted files from USB drive or formatted it, stop using the device right away. Because any additional data writing activities to the disk may overwrite the old files thus decreasing the recovery rate.
Always put your flash disk in a safe environment — meaning less possible suffer statics, water damage or physical drop.
Backup and backup the data regularly. All digital devices will fail eventually and you never know when that will happen, backup is king to keep your data safe.
Try not plug your USB key to a computer that you're not familiar with, especially those in public places. You never know if the computer has a virus or not.
While it's super convenient to carry a USB flash drive and access the data whenever we need, it's also prone for the small storage device to go wrong either with human mis-operations or device crash/damage issues. Hope you find this USB data recovery guide useful. Best of all, good luck on recovering your lost items. If you have any further questions or suggestions, leave a comment below and let us know.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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Sale items include cars, trucks, fire trucks, paratransit vans, fire pumps, air compressor, back hoe, lawn mower, etc.
Equipment inspections are scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 13 and March 20 at the lot north of 1801 S. McLean.
For an item listing or to place bids, visit www.wichita.gov and click on the Internet Auction under City Spotlight or go to www.purplewave.com.


text: Order online for takeout: 1102. Beef Lo Mein from Cuisine of China - Little Rock. Serving the best Chinese in Little Rock, AR.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Small White Kitchen Tables And Chairs - Today, our lives are very different. We have smaller families, we eat on the run. However, we want to truly have a place share a sandwich at the end of a busy workday or to begin our day using a cup of tea as well as a light breakfast. We have plenty of alternatives for kitchen table sets when we outfit our kitchens to accommodate modern life.
How large is your family? If you are a couple or in case you live alone, look in a little café table with a set of chairs that are comfy. For those who possess a family that is growing and consider that more is more cheerful, you might want to look with an oblong or round table at kitchen table sets; it allows you to squeeze in a folding chair or two since they do not have corners. Look at your space and try and picture the tabletop at distinct levels.
Once you have got an idea regarding the shape and size of the table, you can start shopping for kitchen table sets. Stop in in the event you have got an area dinette shop and browse. You will see all styles and materials of kitchen table sets here. Do you prefer clean- Scandinavian, lined Shaker, Modern or Mission styles? Kitchen table sets come in virtually every wood you are able to envision, but you've a few other alternatives, as well. If you prefer to combine stuff, look for a wooden table using a marble, granite, tile, or slate top.
Whether you choose a complex metal foundation a sturdy wooden base, or a wicker pedestal foundation, you'll discover that the table with a glass top keeps the area in your kitchen looking open and light. The chairs in kitchen table sets are where the rubber hits the road. Choosing chairs independent in the table gives relaxation, fit and the appearance that works best for your family to you.
Related Post "Small White Kitchen Tables And Chairs"


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There are actually two unique variations of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital means you are born with it. One leg is anatomically shorter than the other. Through developmental phases of aging, the brain senses the gait pattern and identifies some difference. Our bodies typically adapts by tilting one shoulder over to the "short" side. A difference of less than a quarter inch is not blatantly excessive, require Shoe Lifts to compensate and typically won't have a serious effect over a lifetime.
Leg length inequality goes mainly undiagnosed on a daily basis, yet this issue is simply remedied, and can eliminate numerous instances of low back pain.
Therapy for leg length inequality typically involves Shoe Lifts. These are affordable, often being less than twenty dollars, compared to a custom orthotic of $200 or more. Differences over a quarter inch can take their toll on the spine and should probably be compensated for with a heel lift. In some cases, the shortage can be so extreme that it requires a full lift to both the heel and sole of the shoe.
Chronic back pain is easily the most widespread condition affecting people today. Around 80 million men and women suffer from back pain at some stage in their life. It's a problem that costs companies millions of dollars each year because of lost time and production. Innovative and superior treatment methods are always sought after in the hope of reducing the economic impact this issue causes.
People from all corners of the earth suffer the pain of foot ache due to leg length discrepancy. In these types of cases Shoe Lifts can be of very useful. The lifts are capable of reducing any discomfort and pain in the feet. Shoe Lifts are recommended by countless specialist orthopaedic physicians.
So that they can support the body in a well balanced manner, feet have got a very important task to play. In spite of that, it is sometimes the most overlooked region of the body. Many people have flat-feet which means there may be unequal force exerted on the feet. This will cause other parts of the body such as knees, ankles and backs to be affected too. Shoe Lifts make sure that appropriate posture and balance are restored.
There are actually not one but two unique variations of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital indicates that you are born with it. One leg is structurally shorter compared to the other. Through developmental phases of aging, the brain senses the step pattern and identifies some difference. The human body typically adapts by tilting one shoulder to the "short" side. A difference of less than a quarter inch is not very uncommon, does not need Shoe Lifts to compensate and typically won't have a profound effect over a lifetime.
Leg length inequality goes largely undiscovered on a daily basis, yet this problem is easily fixed, and can eradicate a number of instances of low back pain.
Treatment for leg length inequality usually involves Shoe Lifts. They are very reasonably priced, commonly being below twenty dollars, compared to a custom orthotic of $200 if not more. When the amount of leg length inequality begins to exceed half an inch, a whole sole lift is generally the better choice than a heel lift. This prevents the foot from being unnecessarily stressed in an abnormal position.
Lower back pain is easily the most widespread health problem affecting men and women today. Around 80 million men and women are affected by back pain at some point in their life. It is a problem which costs businesses millions of dollars year after year due to time lost and output. Fresh and more effective treatment solutions are continually sought after in the hope of lowering economic impact this condition causes.
People from all corners of the earth experience foot ache as a result of leg length discrepancy. In most of these situations Shoe Lifts can be of very helpful. The lifts are capable of easing any pain in the feet. Shoe Lifts are recommended by numerous certified orthopaedic physicians.
So as to support the human body in a balanced fashion, your feet have a vital role to play. Inspite of that, it can be the most neglected region of the body. Some people have flat-feet which means there may be unequal force placed on the feet. This will cause other areas of the body such as knees, ankles and backs to be affected too. Shoe Lifts ensure that suitable posture and balance are restored.
There are actually two unique variations of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital means you are born with it. One leg is anatomically shorter than the other. Through developmental stages of aging, the human brain picks up on the step pattern and identifies some difference. Our bodies usually adapts by dipping one shoulder to the "short" side. A difference of less than a quarter inch is not really uncommon, does not need Shoe Lifts to compensate and usually won't have a profound effect over a lifetime.
Leg length inequality goes typically undiagnosed on a daily basis, yet this condition is simply corrected, and can reduce many cases of upper back pain.
Treatment for leg length inequality commonly involves Shoe Lifts. Most are economical, commonly costing below twenty dollars, compared to a custom orthotic of $200 or maybe more. Differences over a quarter inch can take their toll on the spine and should probably be compensated for with a heel lift. In some cases, the shortage can be so extreme that it requires a full lift to both the heel and sole of the shoe.
Back pain is the most common condition affecting people today. Over 80 million people suffer from back pain at some point in their life. It's a problem which costs employers huge amounts of money every year as a result of lost time and production. Innovative and more effective treatment solutions are constantly sought after in the hope of lowering economic influence this condition causes.
Men and women from all corners of the earth suffer the pain of foot ache due to leg length discrepancy. In these types of cases Shoe Lifts might be of very useful. The lifts are capable of eliminating any discomfort in the feet. Shoe Lifts are recommended by many qualified orthopaedic doctors.
So that they can support the human body in a balanced manner, the feet have a critical role to play. Irrespective of that, it is often the most overlooked zone in the body. Many people have flat-feet meaning there is unequal force exerted on the feet. This causes other body parts such as knees, ankles and backs to be affected too. Shoe Lifts guarantee that proper posture and balance are restored.
There are actually not one but two unique variations of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital means you are born with it. One leg is structurally shorter in comparison to the other. Through developmental phases of aging, the brain picks up on the walking pattern and recognizes some variance. The entire body usually adapts by tilting one shoulder over to the "short" side. A difference of under a quarter inch is not really uncommon, require Shoe Lifts to compensate and generally doesn't have a profound effect over a lifetime.
Leg length inequality goes typically undiagnosed on a daily basis, yet this issue is easily solved, and can reduce numerous instances of lower back pain.
Treatment for leg length inequality usually consists of Shoe Lifts. These are generally cost-effective, often being less than twenty dollars, compared to a custom orthotic of $200 plus. When the amount of leg length inequality begins to exceed half an inch, a whole sole lift is generally the better choice than a heel lift. This prevents the foot from being unnecessarily stressed in an abnormal position.
Back ache is the most prevalent health problem impacting people today. Around 80 million men and women are affected by back pain at some point in their life. It is a problem that costs companies vast amounts of money annually on account of lost time and output. Fresh and superior treatment methods are continually sought after in the hope of lowering economic impact this condition causes.
People from all corners of the earth experience foot ache due to leg length discrepancy. In most of these situations Shoe Lifts might be of very helpful. The lifts are capable of eliminating any pain in the feet. Shoe Lifts are recommended by countless experienced orthopaedic doctors.
So as to support the human body in a well balanced fashion, feet have a vital task to play. Irrespective of that, it can be the most neglected area in the human body. Many people have flat-feet which means there may be unequal force exerted on the feet. This will cause other body parts like knees, ankles and backs to be affected too. Shoe Lifts make sure that suitable posture and balance are restored.
The exam may reveal a toe in which the near bone of the toe (proximal phalanx) is angled upward and the middle bone of the toe points in the opposite direction (plantar flexed). Toes may appear crooked or rotated. The involved joint may be painful when moved, or stiff. There may be areas of thickened skin (corns or calluses) on top of or between the toes, a callus may also be observed at the tip of the affected toe beneath the toenail. An attempt to passively correct the deformity will help elucidate hammertoe the best treatment option as the examiner determines whether the toe is still flexible or not. It is advisable to assess palpable pulses, since their presence is associated with a good prognosis for healing after surgery. X-rays will demonstrate the contractures of the involved joints, as well as possible arthritic changes and bone enlargements (exostoses, spurs). X-rays of the involved foot are usually performed in a weight-bearing position.


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Hanging on the wall at Chris’ Deli is a 1982 newspaper clipping with the headline, “Faithful followers are drawn by the offerings at Chris’ Deli.” 36 years later, it’s still true.
Regulars rave about Chris’s Deli, a no-frills restaurant known for their sandwiches on Independence Blvd. It’s less than five miles from Uptown. The old school sandwich shop has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Yelp and a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Facebook.
One reviewer said that they loved that Chris literally came out to check on the quality of the sub. Incredibly, he did the same thing when I showed up unannounced and ordered way too many sandwiches for a single person.
If you’re a sandwich lover, you obviously know about Chris’ Deli.
If you haven’t been, I recommends their #1 most popular sub, The Daily Sub — roast beef, ham, turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, mayo, onion and oil and vinegar with a side of macaroni salad ($8).
You also can’t go wrong with their chicken salad sandwich ($7.25) or their Reuben ($8.25), both of which come with sides and a pickle.
In terms of sides, you have to go with either the scoop of potato salad or the macaroni salad.


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Adelphi Laboratory Equipment (Adelphi Manufacturing Co. Ltd) design and manufacture a wide range of specialist products that can be found in use all over the World. Ideally suited to small batch production, our products are favoured by those working in laboratory and R&D environments.
We offer manual and semi-automatic equipment designed to aid the efficient opening, filling, closing and inspecting of a variety of containers such as capsules, ampoules, vials, syringes, tubes and bottles. In addition we offer a small range of pharmaceutical dispensing equipment.
With a long history, our customer base includes many multinational household names, hospital trusts, and small independent companies, all of whom rely on us to supply only the best products. Our experience, gained over 50 years, is available to help you obtain exactly what you need to meet your requirements.
A wide range of specialist products designed for use in laboratory and R&D production environments.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


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However, “in view of the world economic situation, it is not catastrophic,” said Pasche, “since it follows on [several] good years.
In his report, the FH president also highlighted some of the association’s activities in the preceding year, including “the fight against the global scourge of counterfeiting,” a traveling watchmaking exhibition, the online availability of watchmaking statistics, and the new online FH e-shop, which offers more than 200 publication-references. The association now has 231 member firms.


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As we enter into a new season of racing just five short months from now, attendees at Ransomville Speedway will see a change within the Sportsman and Fireball classes. This change comes within the names. Investor's Service Co. is the new official sponsor of the Sportsman division while FindItQuick.com is the official sponsor of the Fireball ranks.
As we welcome these two great companies as divisional sponsors, we also would like to say a big thank you to both the Original Pizza Logs and Bobcat of Buffalo for their years of support and dedication to both Ransomville Speedway and the local racing scene. Bob (Cordova) and Tim (Freundschuh) are great friends of the sport and we certainly wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
Investor's Service Company has two locations - one in Niagara Falls and one in Buffalo. Mike Greenawalt, the owner of Investor's Service, is also a competitor at the Big R via the Ki-Po Chevrolet Streetstock class. Greenawalt has been a mainstay at Ransomville for several seasons now as both a competitor and a business partner. Watch the schedule for two key dates presented by Investor's Service Co. - both will highlight extra distance events for the Investor's Service Sportsman and Ki-Po Chevrolet Streetstocks. Investor's Service will also award $1,500 in bonus awards to the top 15 in Investor's Service Sportsman points at the 2013 awards and dinner banquet.
FindItQuick.com is locally owned and operated by Ron Hallen of Niagara Falls. The site offers daily deals to being a full service search engine for local and national news and everything in between. Many thanks to Hallen for all he does for local racing. In addition to being a company night sponsor, a weekly advertiser, the official Qualifying Heat sponsor, and the Pace Car sponsor - FindItQuick.com has added the Fireball division naming rights. FindItQuick.com will award $1,000 in bonus money to the top 10 in FindItQuick.com Fireball points at the season ending awards and dinner banquet.
2FindYourHome.com is Western New York's premier real estate website and print publication. Visit www.2findyourhome.com to find the home of your dreams and tell them Ransomville Speedway sent you. Look for 2findyourhome.com to sponsor a night this summer at the Big R. They will also enjoy weekly exposure via a grandstand billboard currently displayed.
Modern Corporation is a locally owned and operated business in Western New York and employs many amongst us. Modern Corporation and Ransomville Speedway have been long time partners in racing, making the Big R very proud to welcome them back once again in 2013. Watch for a Modern Corporation company night to take place tentatively in June.
Mark Cerrone Incorporated is another local company who has a long time relationship with Ransomville Speedway. Coming in many different forms, Mark Cerrone Inc. has utilized Ransomville Speedway as one of their marketing avenues. Most recently - new billboards can be seen weekly via the parking lot and trackside, giving Mark Cerrone Inc. plenty of exposure to a very brand loyal group of consumers, race fans.
Coming up, the 13th annual Hangover 150 - Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. For more, visit www.ransomvillespeedway.com.
With heavy hearts and deep sadness we announce the passing of our fearless leader - Stan Friesen. Stan succumbed to his battle with cancer on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, at home in St. Catharines, Ont.
Stan had a very productive racing career. He was one of the better racing competitors in the Western New York/Southern Ontario region during the 1960s and 1970s and won the Hobby Stock championship in 1960 at Ransomville Speedway. Stan spent most of his racing career in the Modifieds.
For Stan, racing a stock car wasn't going to be his only venture in the industry. Stan looked at life after racing and made the choice to work behind the scenes when he and partner Kurt Uhl purchased Merrittville Speedway in 1970. Stan continued to race but it was limited as much of his attention turned to Merrittville.
In 1972, Stan and Kurt bought Ransomville Speedway. Stan would only run Weedsport Speedway on Sundays that year while co-promoting the two facilities. It would be the final year he would ever get into a stock car on a weekly basis. Stan felt that the purchase of Ransomville Speedway gave his local drivers the strength of a weekly two-track circuit.
Stan's son Alex was like a "chip off the old block" and eventually purchased tracks in Lancaster, Fulton, Utica Rome and Mahoning Valley. When Alex died in an accident in 1996, Stan took over the running of Fulton and Utica Rome until the tracks were sold in the late 1990s. Lancaster and Mahoning were sold in 2000, leaving Ransomville Speedway as the only track in the Friesen mold. Stan along with sons Jamie and Joel made Ransomville Speedway into one of the more successful facilities today.
Stan was a great father, dad, grandpa, friend and mentor, and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. A memorial service took place on Friday, Dec. 28, at the Church Of The Transfiguration (North), in St. Catharines.

industry_corpus2: Sports