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What is the media saying about the controversial dialogue between Chew Eng Han and City Harvest Church?
THE rift between City Harvest Church stalwart Chew Eng Han and the church leadership has become more apparent after the two sides were involved in a telling online exchange over the last few days.
It started after Chew announced last Friday that he had decided to leave the church after 17 years.
His departure came as a surprise to many not only because he had been integral to the church’s leadership, but also because he did so in the middle of a high-profile corruption trial involving him and five other church leaders.
But those in the know said that Chew, who was once on the church’s board and was also its fund manager, had been unhappy with his colleagues for some time now.
A day after the church board put up a statement on its website saying while it may not understand or agree with his reasons, it wished him well, Chew issued a statement on a blog.
He queried if the board knew about a meeting he and his wife had with church founder Kong Hee and his wife Ho Yeow Sun.
He also asked if the board had read a report by the Commissioner of Charities (COC) detailing apparent misappropriation of church funds.
That investigation led to the Commissioner suspending the church leaders, including Chew and Kong last year, and subsequently moving to discharge them from office.
Chew’s post drew a response from the church yesterday, which said the board had, after “appropriate reviews”, satisfied itself “regarding the allegations of integrity, honesty and lifestyle of the senior leadership”.
A member of Singapore’s City Harvest Church, led by founder Pastor Kong Hee, announced his resignation from the Pentecostal megachurch as its leadership battles charges of financial fraud in court.
Chew Eng Han, 52, shared in a personal statement published online that after 17 years of serving City Harvest Church in various capacities it was now time for him to go.
“The time has come for me to make a major shift in direction for my life. I’ve thought and prayed through this for many months, and on balancing the pros and cons of it, I now have a deep conviction that that (sic) the right thing to do is to depart from City Harvest Church (CHC),” Chew wrote in his statement.
Chew insisted, however, that all was not as it seemed at City Harvest Church, a charge the megachurch has denied.
While City Harvest Church has acknowledge Chew’s departure, the board claimed in a public statement that his remarks amount to nothing more than “personal views” and insisted that the megachurch was operating with integrity.
“The Board has been working with the senior leadership for many years and knows and believes that the senior leadership has always walked in integrity, adhering to Biblical principles through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We maintain our full confidence in the leadership. Over the last 24 years, they have worked hard to maintain and protect the interests of the church and the members, and we trust they will continue to do so,” read the statement attributed to City Harvest Church management board secretary Lee Kiam Hiong.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the Board and the church leadership have always leaned on God for all decisions of the past, and will continue leaning on Him even in this time of difficulty,” Hiong added.
The apparent fallout between Chew and City Harvest Church comes as six of the Singaporean church’s board members stand trial for allegedly embezzling S$24 million ($18.9) from a building fund to support the pop music career of Pastor Kong’s wife, Sun Ho. There was also a second allegation of board members taking another S$26 million ($20.5 million) to help cover up the initial embezzled amount. In addition to Pastor Kong and Chew, who once served as fund manager for City Harvest Church, John Lam, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan are also defendants in the high-profile criminal case. All served in some capacity on the City Harvest Church board.
Chew issued a further response to CHC’s denial of his claims, revealing that he and his wife had met personally and at length with Pastor Kong and Sun Ho to discuss his departure. He also suggested that current members of the church board were not fully aware of the fraud allegations brought by Singapore’s Commissioner of Charities and the Commercial Affairs Department regarding church funds.
City Harvest Church has attempted to put an end to the public back-and-forth, issuing “a message from the board” to church members Monday that read in part: “We do not wish to discuss, engage or argue with these allegations at this present time as these matters are before the Court. We would like to advise our members to do likewise. There are two sides to every story and all the evidence will be brought up in due time, and the truth will be revealed.” Concerned congregants were encouraged to contact their pastors personally if any issues remained. According to a previous City Harvest Church news notice, there were 24 pastors and assistant pastors on staff.
Pastor Kong has denied charges of misappropriating church funds and expressed confidence that he and the other defendants will be exonerated. Congregants have stood by CHC’s leadership and enacted prayer campaigns to support them spiritually.
City Harvest Church, founded by Kong Hee and Sun Ho in 1989 as a nonprofit nondenominational evangelical church, is one of Singapore’s largest megachurches. According to its 2011-2012 progress report, City Harvest Church’s congregation size numbered more than 19,000 last year.
Source: By Nicola Menzie, Kong Hee’s Co-Defendant Quits City Harvest Church Due to ‘Spiritual and Moral’ Issues, http://www.christianpost.com/news/kong-hees-co-defendant-quits-city-harvest-church-due-to-spiritual-and-moral-issues-98749/, 25/06/2013.
Perhaps the justice sentence in Singapore needs to caution all those related to the ongoing trial to “shut up”?
Does the BoD realize the legal implication of this statement?
If there was a $50m Galaxy Loan with an unethical 5% marked up yearly to be paid to unknown party, this statement confirmed that the BoD sanctioned it.
If there was a $15m inflated and hidden shifting cost during the first year of using Suntec Convention Center, this statement confirmed that the BoD sanctioned it.
If there was a inflated bill of $13m for Audio Visual equipment, this statement confirmed that the BoD sanctioned it.
If there were multiple tranches of ponzi-styled investment schemes with AMAC that disadvantageous to CHC and there was a loss of $18,000,000 to the Arise and Build Fund, this statement confirmed that the BoD sanctioned it.
There is a lesson for all the staff and office bearers of churches and para church organisations to learn. Don’t think for once that the church or pastors are above the law and that what they tell you to do must be from God and cannot be questioned or refused. They are not more annointed than you are. As in many organisations and companies, when things goes wrong, the boss pretends to be ignorant of it and pass the blame to someone else by saying he did not give the instructions or was misunderstood. If your superiors insist it be done and you feel it is breaking the law or some office regulations, insist that he gives the order in writing. At the end of the day, at least they cannot blame or fire you.


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The Coalition for a Better Sonoma County and Concerned Citizens for Santa Rosa submitted the attached proposed maps and supporting documentation for the City Council's consideration. These proposed maps were developed in accordance with the applicable guidelines developed by the California Redistricting Commission, including compliance with California Voting Rights Act requirements, and, we believe, provide fair and just representation to all Santa Rosa residents.
I live in Rincon Valley - to my mind this area is bounded by Hwy 12 to the south, Calistoga Road to the east, Brush Creek and Wallace road to the west and Harville/ and N Baird to the north. It might also include SkyHawk, Montecito Heights, Riebli Rd. I’m not sure if each self-identifies as a separate neighborhood or not.
High schools provide a natural venue for meeting, so I appreciate a previous commenter’s suggestion that each of the five comprehensive public high schools anchor one of the voting districts although I am not advocating for matching voting districts to high school attendance areas.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


text: Today only, B&H Photo Video offers the Robox 3D Printer for $399 with free shipping. That's the lowest price we could find by $601. It features 20-micron layer resolution, dual-nozzle, single-material extruder, and is Windows, Mac and Linux compatible.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


text:
The method TYPO3\CMS\Core\Page\PageRenderer->loadJQuery() and the constants TYPO3\CMS\Core\Page\PageRenderer::JQUERY_VERSION_LATEST and TYPO3\CMS\Core\Page\PageRenderer::JQUERY_NAMESPACE_NONE have been marked as deprecated.
Calling this method will trigger a PHP E_USER_DEPRECATED error.
TYPO3 installations with custom or third party extensions, which use the method.
Use a package manager for frontend or custom jQuery files instead.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text: This is Hiking 3.5km trail in Russia North Caucasian Federal District Stavropol Krai Mineralnye Vody.The Hiking trail was created 9/5/2017. Maximum elevation gain: 318 m. Trail distance: 3.5 km. Find similar trails.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


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Tautai is the story of a man who came from the edge of a mighty empire and then challenged it at its very heart. This biography of Ta’isi O. F. Nelson chronicles the life of a man described as the “archenemy” of New Zealand and its greater whole, the British Empire. He was Samoa’s richest man who used his wealth and unique international access to further the Sāmoan cause and was financially ruined in the process. In the aftermath of the hyper-violence of the First World War, Ta’isi embraced nonviolent resistance as a means to combat a colonial surge in the Pacific that gripped his country for nearly two decades. This surge was manned by heroes of New Zealand’s war campaign, who attempted to hold the line against the groundswell of challenges to the imperial order in the former German colony of Sāmoa that became a League of Nations mandate in 1921. Stillborn Samoan hopes for greater freedoms under this system precipitated a crisis of empire. It led Ta’isi on global journeys in search of justice taking him to Geneva, the League of Nations headquarters, and into courtrooms in Sāmoa, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Ta’isi ran a global campaign of letter writing, petitions, and a newspaper to get his people’s plight heard. For his efforts he was imprisoned and exiled not once but twice from his homeland of Sāmoa.
Using private papers and interviews, O’Brien tells a deeply compelling account of Ta’isi’s life lived through turbulent decades. By following Ta’isi’s story readers also learn a history of Sāmoa’s Mau movement that attracted international attention. The author’s care for detail provides a nuanced interpretation of its history and Ta’isi’s role in the broader context of world history.
The first biography of Ta’isi O. F. Nelson, Tautai is a powerful and passionate story that is both personal and one that encircles the globe. It touches on shared histories and causes that have animated and enraged populations across the world throughout the twentieth century to the present day.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Guide to Buying Time Warner Cable in Monroe, NC!
If you’re wondering how to get the very best Internet, TV and Voice services in Monroe, North Carolina, look no further than Time Warner Cable. Time Warner Cable in Monroe, NC offers the fastest Internet speeds, the most comprehensive selection of programming (both live and recorded) and the widest array of digital voice services. It’s simply an unparalleled combination of features and functionality, all offered at very affordable prices. Many consider Time Warner Cable in Monroe, NC to be the best in the business.
If you’re like most people, you want the fastest possible Internet connections – and that’s exactly what Time Warner Internet Plans in Monroe, NC delivers. Internet speeds start at 60 Mbps, which is incredibly fast. That’s 20 times faster than traditional DSL, and it’s plenty fast for all of your browsing, streaming, downloading and video game playing needs.
You’ve probably heard horror stories about Internet hackers stealing personal identities, or breaking into computers to steal sensitive financial information. Well, you don’t have to worry about that when you use the best-in-class security software offerings from TWC Internet in Monroe, North Carolina.
Time Warner Cable TV in Monroe, NC offers an incredible variety of sports, news, kids’ programming and entertainment shows. There are three different tiers of Spectrum TV – Select, Silver and Gold. With Select, you get over 125 channels, including many in HD. With Silver, you get over 175 channels, and with Gold, you get over 200 channels.
And there’s one more very interesting option with Spectrum TV in Monroe, North Carolina, and that’s the unbridled access to Pay Per View (PPV) offerings. Usually, these are events like wrestling matches, UFC matches and boxing matches. In the old days, you might have needed to fly into Las Vegas to watch these premium events.
Remember the days when you had to wait for a certain time of the day or a certain day of the week to make long-distance calls? Not with Spectrum Voice in Monroe, NC! You get free, unlimited local and long-distance calling to anywhere in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada.
When you sign up for a Time Warner Cable package, you are in good hands. That’s because Time Warner Cable in Monroe, NC always puts the customer first. Here’s just one basic example: Spectrum is now offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Yes, each of the offerings from Spectrum in Monroe, NC – TV, Internet and Voice – is quite impressive, as you can see above. However, the true power and functionality comes from bundling them all together. By combining TV and Internet, you get access to on-the-go TV content.
See? You can think of the bundle as not only bundling different services (e.g. Internet and Voice), but also bundling TV channels for you. Your goal is to get the biggest bundle possible (who wants one of those “skinny” bundles?), and that’s what Time Warner Cable in Monroe, NC makes possible.
So what are you waiting for? Spectrum in Monroe, North Carolina now offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. And the company is also willing to cover up to $500 in early termination fees, so it’s easy to switch from your current service provider.


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Video discusses why many people gain weight after quitting and what steps can be taken to avoid this from happening.
I'd rather be a little overweight and not smoking than underweight and dead!
"After I lose weight I will quit smoking"
"I know I am going to gain weight if I quit smoking!"

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
The UC Davis Department of Economics offers students the opportunity to gain superior problem-solving analytical skills, state-of-the-art economic and econometric techniques, and other tools used in policy-relevant and business-related quantitative analysis. Students learn from internationally prominent economics scholars who are dedicated to outstanding undergraduate and graduate teaching.
Meet our job market candidates!

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


text: Shop our gorgeous array of watches and you may feel you happened into our jewelry section. Don't worry you're in the right place, these high style timepieces are high precision too. Gemstones, precious metals, leather and other fine materials expertly crafted into watches that not only mark the time, but celebrate it.

industry_corpus2: Others


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Most children’s parties have themes and Rainbow Wishes theme is one of the most popular kids birthday party themes in the recent times. Having a Rainbow Wishes theme makes it easier for you to plan your child’s party because it narrows down your options. Now organizing kids’ birthday party is fun and easy because Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies are available online.
Cake is a must-have in any party, especially in children’s party and for our party the cake must be based on Rainbow Wishes. You can bake the Rainbow Wishes cake yourself. Or you can order a Rainbow Wishes cake from your local bakery. You can purchase cake toppers from Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies stores. For other foods, you can order pizza or prepare sandwiches as these would go well with Rainbow Wishes party. Spaghetti, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, chips and dips, and barbecue are fun foods in Rainbow Wishes birthday party for kids. Do not forget the drinks for Rainbow Wishes fans. You can prepare fruit juice or punch in a big bowl or you can serve Kool-Aid for colorful drinks while matching the flavor color with Rainbow Wishes theme.
You need to invitations that match your Rainbow Wishes theme. You don’t have to make Rainbow Wishes Invitations yourself (even if you are crafty). You don’t even have to download printable Rainbow Wishes invites online. You don’t even have to buy a pack of Rainbow Wishes invitations from a party supply store. Very cute Rainbow Wishes invitations are included in Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies packs. You just have to make sure that you have written down all the necessary details on Rainbow Wishes Invitations. Just make sure to fill out date, time, venue, attire or costume, and your contact number on Rainbow Wishes Party invitations. You can also include a map if you are going to have the Rainbow Wishes party in a rented venue.
You need to pick a schedule and venue for the Rainbow Wishes Birthday Party several weeks in advance. Choose a schedule when your child’s friends (Rainbow Wishes fans) are available, especially when they are already of school age. Saturday morning is a great time for Rainbow Wishes themed kids’ parties. For the venue, you can have Rainbow Wishes party in your own house or yard if you have a big space. Or you can rent a hall if you have enough budget, and you are planning to invite many guests for your Rainbow Wishes Birthday Party. Decorations are already included in Rainbow Wishes party supplies.
Rainbow Wishes party supplies are available in different packs. Depending on your need, you just have to choose from basic, deluxe and ultimate Rainbow Wishes party packs. You can also personalize Rainbow Wishes party supplies with your text.
This pack features Rainbow Wishes themed place settings for eight guests. Each Rainbow Wishes basic party pack includes eight dinner plates, desert plates and cups. Also included are eight spoons, forks and knives and twenty napkins; all in Rainbow Wishes theme-matching colors. A plastic table cover is also present that compliments the Rainbow Wishes theme.
This Rainbow Wishes themed deluxe party pack includes table settings for eight guests along with a personalized banner. Each Rainbow Wishes deluxe party pack features eight dinner and dessert plates, twenty napkins and eight cups. Also included are eight spoons, forks and knives, one plastic table cover and twenty four Candy Stripe Candles. Two Crepe Streamers (81 feet each) and one Vinyl Personalized Banner are also present in Rainbow Wishes Deluxe Party Pack.
This Rainbow Wishes Ultimate Party Pack comes with eight place settings along with a personalized vinyl banner. Each Rainbow Wishes themed Ultimate Party Pack features Invitations, Hot/Cold Cups, dinner and dessert plates (eight each). A set of 24 Plastic Cutlery (8 forks, 8 spoons, 8 knives), a personalized vinyl banner and Plastic Table Cover are also included in this Rainbow Wishes birthday party pack. Twelve Latex Balloons, 66 feet of Curling Ribbon, 2 sets of 81 feet Crepe Streamer, Candy Stripe Candles, six Foil Balloon Weights and Twirly Whirlys are also present in this Rainbow Wishes birthday pack. Almost all the Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies that you’ll need are present in this pack.
These Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies will make planning a stylish birthday celebration both easy and affordable.
There are some other party supplies are either not present in Rainbow Wishes party packs or you may want to order them to entertain extra guests. Those Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies can be bought separately.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Photo Cards.
Rainbow Wishes Stationery Card Invitations.
Rainbow Wishes Removable Wall Decorations.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Yard Signs.
Rainbow Wishes Solid Metallic color Latex Balloons.
Rainbow Wishes Foil Balloon Weights.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Favor Boxes.
Rainbow Wishes DIY Favor Bag Kits.
Rainbow Wishes Primary Crayon Boxes.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Candy Bars.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Milk Chocolate Lollypops.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Rainbow Swirl Lollypops.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Water Bottle Labels.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Glass Bottle Labels.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Candy Jars.
Rainbow Wishes Personalized Cupcake Wrappers.
Rainbow Wishes Candy Stripe Candles.
Rainbow Wishes Thin Sparkler Candles.
While the early birds are waiting for the Rainbow Wishes party to start, you should have something prepared to keep them from getting bored. You can put crayons and coloring pages on each table or simple art projects related to Rainbow Wishes theme that they can do. You should pick games that are appropriate for the child’s age and related to Rainbow Wishes, if possible. Do not forget the prizes for the winners and non-winners as well and also their Rainbow Wishes favor boxes when it is time to say goodbye.
Treasure Hunt can surely get the Rainbow Wishes party started.
The Chopsticks Game would go well with Rainbow Wishes theme.
Origami Boat Race is a fun activity that matches to Rainbow Wishes party theme.
Rainbow Wishes fans will love Back-to-back balloon pop game.
You can also arrange Outdoor Games that compliment the Rainbow Wishes theme.
You can make any birthday you celebrate fun and memorable with Rainbow Wishes Party Supplies.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Many sacred beliefs of our Catholic faith can be traced to the 21 ecumenical councils held since the fourth century. Called either an ecumenical (universal) or a general council, these terms are often used interchangeably. Councils consist of Church bishops from around the world gathering in response to a crisis, to affirm Church teachings or to address matters of faith, morals and even reform. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, these assemblies have continued to perpetuate the declaration Jesus made to Peter: “[A]nd upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).
The first eight ecumenical councils were all held in the East, specifically the area we now know as Turkey. The other 13 were held in the West, at European locations.
The emperor, not the pope, called the first eight councils. The pope was typically consulted, invited or both, but mostly the Holy Father sent representatives or legates. The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, notes: “A council is never ecumenical unless it is confirmed or at least accepted as such by the successor of Peter; and it is the prerogative of the Roman Pontiff to convoke these councils, to preside over them and to confirm them” (No. 22). The 1983 Code of Canon Law spells out that the pope calls an ecumenical or general council; he presides over it or directs another to do so. The pope officially announces the council’s universal consent; the faithful then abide by the decisions.
The early councils in the East focused on protecting the divinity of Jesus, on the Trinity and man’s worship of his Creator. The most recent councils (within the last 500 years) have been dedicated to reforming the Church.
D.D. Emmons writes from Pennsylvania.
In the early fourth century, after Emperor Constantine ended religious persecutions, an Alexandrian priest named Arius was popularizing the heresy that Jesus was not equal to God the Father, not divine, that Jesus had a beginning, was created and not eternal. Arius and his followers conceived Jesus as a great prophet, but not God. Opposing Arius, defending the orthodox view that Jesus was divine and of the same substance as God the Father, was St. Athanasius, a cleric from Alexandria. The debate about the divinity of Jesus became so heated that Constantine advised Pope Sylvester I that he was calling a council of bishops to resolve the issue. Made up of 300 primarily Eastern bishops, this first ecumenical council, although not unanimously, condemned Arianism and excommunicated Arius. They developed the Nicean Creed, emphasizing Jesus as “Consubstantional with the Father … Begotten not made, one in being with the Father.” This language rejected Arianism and established clear teaching on Christ’s divinity. The bishops at Nicea also agreed to the date when Easter is celebrated.
In 381, Emperor Theodosius called all the bishops to Constantinople because Arianism remained widespread and also to confront another developing heresy. It appears that Pope St. Damasus was never notified about the council and only centuries later did the Holy See acknowledge the council as ecumenical. The 150 bishops attending reaffirmed the decisions of Nicea regarding Arianism and also condemned Macedonianism, a heresy denying the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The council proclaimed the Third Person of the Trinity as equal to the Father and the Son, and emphasized such belief by adding a clause to the Creed of Nicea: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life; he proceeds from the Father, is adored and honored together with the Father and the Son; he spoke through the prophets.” This language was accepted by the Eastern bishops and later in the West.
Chalcedon confronted the Monophysitism heresy, which held that Christ had one nature, that his human nature had been absorbed by the divine. Some heretics claimed that Jesus was not human at all. The council, invoked by Emperor Marcian, was attended by as many as 600 bishops, the largest gathering at a general council to date. The council had full approval of Pope St. Leo the Great, who sent a letter condemning the one nature theory; the bishops affirmed that Jesus possessed two natures, fully human and fully divine.
Summoned by Emperor Constantine IV, with approval of Pope St. Agatho, this council dealt with the contention that Jesus did not have two wills, one human and one divine. The heretics claimed he had only one will, a divine will. The 175, mostly eastern, bishops rejected the idea of one will (called Monothelitism) and decreed that Christ had “two natural wills without division, without change, without separation, without confusion.” Those who supported the heresy, including Pope Honorius I, were condemned.
In 730, Emperor Leo III had demanded that images in worship places be removed, asserting that the use of statues, pictures and icons was idolatry. Denying the veneration of images became known as iconoclasm and was opposed at this council summoned by Empress Irene. The council’s 300 bishops, including representatives of Pope Adrian I, ruled that veneration of an image was directed to the holy person the image represented, not the image itself.
In the ninth century two individuals were claiming the position of Patriarch of Constantinople. Depending on the emperor, and to some decree the pope, either Ignatius or Photius held that role. In 867, after being deposed by Pope St. Nicholas I, Photius presided over a local council of bishops that excommunicated the pope and condemned certain Western beliefs, including the Filioque that Rome had added to the Creed. Shortly after becoming emperor, Basil summoned a general council to sort out the true patriarch. At the Fourth Council of Constantinople in 869 (the eighth ecumenical council) with some 100 bishops present, all the decisions of the earlier local council in 867 were rejected; the attending bishops anathematized Photius and demanded that everyone consecrated by Photius be removed from office. The Eastern Church has never accepted the council of 869 as ecumenical, maintaining that Nicea was the last ecumenical council. In 877, the emperor reinstated Photius as Patriarch of Constantinople.
The first Lateran Council, held at the Palace of Lateran in Rome, was called by Pope Callistus II with 300 bishops attending. The attendees affirmed and decreed that a monarch did not have the authority to bestow spiritual powers on a bishop; such authority was reserved for the Church. The intent was to end the so-called lay investiture, which permitted a king to invest a bishop with both temporal and spiritual powers. Among other decisions, crusaders were granted indulgences for their service, simony was prohibited and a priest could not marry once ordained.
Lateran II took place 16 years later, and as many as 500 bishops met in the same location. Upon the death of Pope Honorius II in February 1130, a few cardinals quickly and secretly elected Innocent II as pope. Other cardinals, appalled by the covert action, elected a different pope, Anacletus II. Now there were two popes who considered themselves duly elected, and a chaotic situation lasted until Anacletus died in 1138. The next year, Innocent II convoked the Second Lateran Council, where all the acts and consecrations of Anacletus were annulled and his supporters condemned.
Papal elections were the main focus of this council called by Pope Alexander III. At the time, there was little clarity as to how a pope was elected, with many advocating for a unanimous vote of the College of Cardinals, but such a vote was most unlikely. Lateran III decided that a two-thirds vote was necessary for a papal election, and anyone disagreeing with the election would be excommunicated. The attendees also decreed that the courtroom testimony of a Christian was to be believed over that of a Jew. The minimum age for ordination was established and members of the heretical Waldenses and Albigenses, who professed beliefs counter to the Church, were condemned. These groups would be later eradicated during a European crusade.
Taking only three sessions, this is among the most renowned of all Church Councils. Called by Innocent III, more than 400 bishops decreed that Catholics were obligated to receive the sacraments of Eucharist and Penance at least once a year during the Easter season. The term “transubstantiation” (change in substance) was promoted to describe the miracle taking place when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.
There had long been a struggle between the pope and temporal rulers. A 13th-century antagonist was King Fredrick II of Germany, who defied Pope Gregory IX at every opportunity and was excommunicated more than once. Seeking to make the papacy part of his monarchy, Fredrick continuously opposed the Holy Father. The pope called for a council at Rome in 1241 in large measure to deal with the obstinate king, but Frederick kidnapped over 100 bishops sailing to Rome. Pope Gregory died that year and confronting the king fell to Pope Innocent IV, who in 1245 called for a general council at Lyon, France. While other issues were discussed, the focus was on Fredrick, who was accused of numerous actions against the pope, of heresy and of kidnapping the bishops, and he was considered an enemy of the Church. The 150 bishops deposed the king; no Christian was obligated to give him their obedience.
Focused on reunion between Eastern and Western Churches, this council was summoned by Blessed Pope Gregory X in 1274. Eastern Church attendees accepted the primacy of the pope as leader of the Church and the amendment to the Nicean-Constantinoplian Creed regarding the Holy Spirit, “Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,” (the Filioque) long objected to by the East. These were major concessions, but short-lived because, when the Eastern representatives returned home, support for their actions fell apart. These issues still divide much of the East and West. The council also dealt with the issue of prolonged papal vacancies and decreed that a conclave should begin within 10 days after a pope’s death.
Pope Clement V called the council in response to pressure from King Philip IV of France. Among other demands, Philip wanted the Knights Templar condemned and disbanded. The Templars were Christian soldiers organized and committed to protecting pilgrims going to the Holy Land. They took monastic vows, had grown out of the First Crusade and become powerful, influential and very wealthy. King Philip desperately needed funds so he was after the group’s wealth. He first had numerous Templars arrested and through torture got them to confess to crimes they may or may not have committed. Pope Clement, fearful of Philip, had selected the under-300 bishops in attendance. The Templars were not allowed to defend themselves, and Clement acted pretty much unilaterally in using the charges of Philip to disband the group.
From 1378 until 1417, Catholics had two popes; one Roman and one from Avignon, France, where the Holy See had relocated for a period of 70 years. The cardinals first elected Urban VI, but some quickly became disenchanted with their choice. Many of the cardinals moved to France where they invalidated the election of Urban and elected Clement VII, so there were two lawfully elected popes. Naturally each pope set up their own papacy and selected bishops and cardinals. In 1409, the cardinals, disgruntled with the problem, elected a third pope. This chaos resulted in a general council being called at Constance, Switzerland,in 1414. Early on, each of the popes either resigned or was deposed, and the bishops elected Martin V as pope. The bishops also decreed that a general council was forthwith supreme over a pope: “… [I]t [the council] has power immediately from Christ; and that everyone of whatever state or dignity, even papal, is bound to obey it in those matters which pertain to the Faith.” Attendees decreed that future councils would be held at regular intervals, the next within five years after Constance. Pope Martin approved the acts of the council except for a pope being subject to a council (conciliarism).
Pope Martin attempted to call a council five years following Constance, but because of widespread wars, not enough bishops could attend. Martin died, and while Pope Eugene IVopened a council in Basel in December 1431, thinking the situation was unruly, he quickly sought to dissolve it. Bishops wanted the council to continue and tried to invoke the rejected decree made at Constance that a council was superior to a pope. Eugene refused, as no pope had ever approved such a decree. A stalemate ensued, and the bishops at Basel elected antipope Felix V. In 1438, after a failed attempt at Ferrara, Italy, a council was opened in Florence. In the end, the Byzantine representatives accepted the Western language in the creed and supremacy of the pope. But, as had happened before, not everyone in Constantinople accepted the results, and the split between East and West remained. The bishops defined belief in purgatory. Felix later resigned, and the role of the pope over a council endured until questioned again in 1511.
A resurgence of conciliarism resulted from an unrecognized council held at Pisa, Italy, in 1511. With only 15 bishops attending, and erroneously called by King Louis XII of France, the bishops declared a general council ruled over a pope. No pope had ever agreed to such a decree. As a result, Pope Julius II summoned a general council to be held in the Palace of Lateran in 1512. Julius died before the council began, and it was presided over by Pope Leo X. The Lateran Council rejected all the decisions made at Pisa. The bishops also decreed that a crusade be conducted against the Turks; but no crusade was ever carried out. While the council lasted five years, little else was accomplished.
Lasting 18 years, due to wars and plagues, the Council of Trent was called in reaction to the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. This was a crisis; it was a schism in Christianity that has never healed. The council confirmed Catholic beliefs in view of the heretical teachings of the excommunicated Martin Luther and implemented long overdue internal reforms. For 200 years, the Church had been aware of needed reforms but for various reasons failed to act in a definitive way. Many of the council reforms were directed at the clergy — their recruitment, training, lifestyle and obligation to remain celibate. Bishops were limited to control of one diocese and had to reside therein. The preparation of a catechism was directed. In response to the Protestants, the council affirmed and solidified the sacred teachings of the Church including the Mass, purgatory, justification, the Seven Sacraments, that Divine Revelation comes from both Scripture and Tradition, that Church teachings on the Bible are infallible and that the books in the Bible are inspired by God. The practice of indulgences was continued but selling of indulgences condemned. While Pope Paul III convoked the council, four other popes would be elected during the council. As few as 30 and as many as 200-plus bishops attended the council’s 25 sessions.
Summoned by Blessed Pius IX, the council of 800 bishops provided the pope with infallibility, declaring, “It is divinely revealed dogma that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when, acting in the office of shepherd and teacher of all Christians, he defines, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the universal Church.” In addition to establishing papal infallibility, the bishops condemned liberalism, pantheism, materialism and issued a constitution on faith and revelation.
This was generated to be a reforming council. Convoked by Pope St. John XXIII, with over 2,800 attendees, this was the largest ever ecumenical council. The liturgy was revised, the role of the laity was expanded, ecumenism was urged and Catholics were challenged to increased witnessing of the Faith. There was belief that needed fresh air would begin blowing in the Church. As time moves the Church further and further away from Vatican II, initial confusion and uncertainty have stabilized, and fewer and fewer of the faithful have experienced Catholicism before the most recent of the 21 ecumenical councils.


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Drug Description : When ordering Buckleys be sure to choose a reputable online pharmacy that you trust.
PharmaPassport.com is the first choice when searching for safe and affordable Buckleys.
Buckleys is the generic alternative to Buckleys.
When ordering Buckleys be sure to choose a reputable online pharmacy that you trust.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


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Simply epic performance cruiser from the legendary Maxi Dolphin, Luca Brenta and Steve Huish in an evolution of the iconic MD65. Launched 2010 with numerous updates on the original design in the pursuit of style, performance and easy of handling.
A continuation from the Maxi Dolphin semi-custom MD65 line, ADASTRA, a custom Brenta MD66 was designed by Luca Brenta and launched in 2010 as the perfect example of the true synergy between the high quality build of Maxi Dolphin and the design ingenuity of Luca Brenta.
The layout of ADASTRA features a ‘boat owner’ style in the arrangement of the environments, while the décor carries the hallmark of minimalism played on white and on few essential elements of dark timber. As to the interior design, the area at prow was completely innovated and features a real suite in which the double-bed is placed with the headboard towards the prow. Also the central area stands out from the earlier MD65. The chart table and the kitchen (connected with a crew cabin lat stern) are located in two closed rooms, separated from the living room. This way a refined living room with the dining area on the left and a long couch on the starboard side was created. At stern there is the only twin bed room intended for the guests, equipped with a large bathroom.
•	The hull is post-cured at controlled 85 degrees temperature ensure the stability in time of the laminate.
•	Main structural elements are put into place at the time of moulding to ensure easy mounting of the bulkheads, pre-built on moulds.
•	Exposed deck and superstructure areas spray painted in white finish.
•	Fin keel with lead bulb, attached to hull with stainless steel bolts.
•	Single lever engine control.
•	Up to 8 berths plus crew in forward master cabin and two twin aft cabins. 3 guest heads plus further crew heads.
•	Crew cabin in forepeak with single berth.
•	Ensuite heads in crew cabin with heads, shower and sink.
•	Master cabin heads with laminated furniture. Ensuite heads.
•	Master cabin with centreline double berth. Dressing table to starboard. Cabinets, counters and hanging lockers.
•	Saloon with L-shaped settee to port. Dining table to port with centreline bench seat.
•	Counter with lockers and cupboards opposite saloon to starboard.
•	Galley aft of saloon area to starboard in L-shaped configuration with twin stainless steel sinks, various drawers, locker and cupboards.
•	Chart table area aft of saloon area to port with sideways facing seat and AC/DC panels.
•	Twin aft cabins with twin beds or bunks, hanging lockers, chests of drawers between beds.
•	Ensuite heads for both aft cabins with electric heads and dedicated shower cubicles.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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On 3 July 2017 the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO“) determined that the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust (the “Trust“) had breached the Data Protection Act 1998 (the “Act”) when it provided patient details to Google’s DeepMind.
The Trust provided personal data of approximately 1.6 million patients to Google’s Deep Mind as part of clinical safety tests of a new application ‘Streams’. The application is designed to provide an alert, diagnosis and detection system for acute kidney injury. However an ICO investigation found several issues with the way in which the personal data was handled, including that patients were not adequately informed of how their data would be used (i.e. as part of the clinical safety tests). These shortcomings amounted to non-compliance with at least four of the eight data protection principles under the Act.
The ICO subsequently required the Trust to sign an undertaking committing the Trust to bring its data processing activities in line with the Act. Both the Trust and Google’s DeepMind have also committed to a third party audit of their data processing arrangements for the clinical safety test, the results of which will be shared with the ICO.
The Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, stated in connection with the matter that the “price of innovation does not need to be the erosion of fundamental privacy rights” – the shortcomings found in this instance were deemed to be avoidable, for example, a privacy impact assessment ought to have been conducted prior to the transfer of any data. The ICO also acknowledged that vast data and evolving technology allow for processing of greater data sets. However, it found that it was not necessary or proportionate to use data records of 1.6 million patients in the circumstances.
The ICO press release can be found here.


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Responding to customer demand, Temple Bags has released this smart jacket for Amazon’s Kindle. Avid readers will be happy to have this handsome case, made of WWII repurposed canvas, which features a magnetic removable stand. Detailed with khaki twill lining and 100% oiled saddle leather trims, it’s available online.
This entry was posted in Cases, Small Goods and tagged Amazon Kindle, Kindle Smart Jacket, Temple Bags, WWII. Bookmark the permalink.


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The mining machinery industry serves as the supporting industry in the national economy. And the compound crusher works as one of the most important machines in the mining machinery industry.
The compound crushers are widely applied as the core tools to complete the exploitation and material handling processes in the fields of transportation, infrastructure construction, real estate and the industrial material production etc. They are able to supply enough basic raw materials and finished products for the development of the social economy according to the market demand.
The compound crusher keeps taking part in the current industrial production and processing field. It’s a necessity for the customers as the useful tool to handle materials deeply in the fields such as the coal industry, electricity industry and the construction material industry. It also provides useful technological support for the construction projects like the railway and highway construction, water and electricity project and the municipal engineering construction.
In order to develop well and fast for a better future, our company follows the latest trend of the mining machinery development by expanding the integration industry chain and reinforcing the development mode of integrated operations. We not only keep improving the quality of the crushers and services, but also make efforts to do new research and development on the invention of new propriety technology and high end equipment.
Our experts plan to make sure that our compound crushers can develop in a sustainable and fast way through the industrial adjustment and the transformation of the traditional development mode.

industry_corpus2: Mining


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said in an ad published in the financial newspaper La Republica.
Bancoldex plans to sell COP300 billion and may extend the amount to as much as COP500 billion if demand is high enough.
The bonds are part of a COP1 trillion fundraising the bank’s board recently approved.
Bancoldex will use the proceeds to support exporters. The loans will be disbursed through commercial banks.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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LuK clutch slave cylinders have a long operating life and low friction characteristics thanks to the special design of the central seal with a plastic reinforcement and the special lubricants used.
Concentric slave cylinders are fitted within the bell housing where the hydraulic cylinder encloses the input shaft. They are easy to fit and automatically adjust the travel of the diaphragm spring during clutch wear. The housings are manufactured almost exclusively from plastic resistant to high temperatures and now only rarely from aluminum. The integrated design where the guide tube and housing are injection molded as one part is particularly robust. A travel sensor can be fitted on the side of the housing in hybrid vehicles and automated clutch actuation systems. The release bearing can be equipped with a thrust washer to reduce friction or a cardan joint to prevent judder caused by geometrical defects.
I now have bought 2 of these clutches and I am convinced in another 10 years I will buy another. I bought both of them from Focus Sport and I am completely satisfied with the knowledge and professional people working there.


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Incorrect parameters are used with Key Administrator Partner API.
Contact Licensing and Purchase Support team to get assistance on this case.
Is it possible to re-install the license the same server?


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A selection of useful tidbits of information for the aquarist. Readers are encouraged to send their tips to terry@advancedaquarist.com or to post them to our Hot Tips sticky in the Reefs.org General Reefkeeping Discussion forum for possible publication. Next month’s Hot Tip theme will be “Aquascaping“.
It sounds simple enough, but it’s surprising how many people let their open lamps and reflectors get all salted up… If I notice dried spray on the lights or surrounding area, I’ll wipe it down with a damp paper towel after they cool down at night.
Quality reflector makes a huge difference. Most are incredibly inefficient and we end up paying a tons of money in electricity just lighting up the top of the canopy and the room.
When buying lighting get what you really want the first time instead of spending more the second.
When I change out my lights, I write the date I install them ON the bulb. It’s easy with PC’s, I just write on the plastic base. It would work with MH as well, just take a sharpie and write on the top threads of the base. (where the metal meets the glass) That way, if I forget when I changed them, I have an easy reference.
I regularly clean my MH bulbs. Instead of using water, use rubbing alcohol. It tears the salt spray right off and will evaporate leaving no film.
Spectrum and Kelvin rating is important for tank health and asthetic purposes.
In a pinch, aluminum foil can be used as a reflector until another can be acquired.
If you can’t afford or get your hands on some decent reflectors for MH us galvanized AC duct.
It comes in large round sections that can be cut with tin snips or hack saw. Take pliers and pry the connections up and bend open. Some even come unassembled. Then using some screws apply to hood. Easy, cheap and great for heat dissapation.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


text: Connie continues to help her friend Alfred, who has motor neurone disease, and gives him special treatment. But as his condition deteriorates, she is placed in a quandary when he asks her to help him die. A former heroin addict lies about his past to protect his future wife, little realising the danger he is putting himself in, while a young woman is brought in after deliberately crashing her car to claim on the insurance. Ethan discovers that Cal stole his money, Taylor disappears and Iain applies for a new job.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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IBPS SO Recruitment 2016. IBPS has released a recruitment notification for the post of Officers in Specialist Cadre. Interested and eligible candidates can apply for these jobs on or before the last date.
IBPS has issued a notification for recruitment of RECRUITMENT OF OFFICERS IN SPECIALIZED POSITIONS. Interested Candidates may apply online between 03-09-2016 to 13-09-2016.
Post Graduation in Psychology / Education or Management with specialization in HR with minimum 55% marks from recognized universities / Institutes.
Master’s degree from a recognized university in Hindi with English as a compulsory or elective subject at Graduation.
Master’s degree from a recognized university in English with Hindi as compulsory or elective subject at Graduation.
Master’s degree from a recognized university in any subject other than Hindi or English, with Hindi as a compulsory or elective subject and English as medium of examination at degree level.
Interested Candidates may apply online on the official website of IBPS between 03-09-2016 to 13-09-2016.


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There are some days when breakfast won’t do and lunch just isn’t enough, and those days call for BRUNCH. If you ask us, this is every Saturday and Sunday (at least). Whether you prefer sweet or savory, these 6 Partner Hotels offer brunch options sure to satisfy.
The Vibe: Award-winning, made-to-order, elaborate, and lavish Champagne Sunday Brunch at a historic gem. Keyword: champagne.
Try: Made-to-order omelet with a side of snow crab legs and jumbo shrimp.
Pro Move: Come hungry, and thirsty. You’re sure to make many stops at the mimosa bar and don’t want to miss out on dessert. Yes, this brunch has dessert.
The Vibe: Easy-going energy, elegant dishes and a local and seasonal rotating menu.
Try: Chicken & Waffles: Herb marinated fried chicken breast, pickled jalapeños, okra, fresh baked waffle & maple sweet tea syrup. Heaven!
Pro Move: Don’t overdo it on the coffee beforehand. Diners rave that the espresso is perfection!
The Vibe: The Fitz, named after F. Scott Fitzgerald is deliciously Art Deco. Channel your inner Gatsby as you get a decadent start to your day.
Try: Banana & Bacon Buttermilk Pancakes – served with local Wisconsin maple syrup.
Pro Move: Because The Fitz draws in locals and guests alike, call ahead to reserve your table during the brunch-rush.
The Vibe: Casual, relaxed dining where no one judges you for ordering a beer with breakfast.
Try: Scotch Eggs (a top selling item) — Two farm fresh eggs wrapped in Carlton Farms sausage, fried and served with creamy brandy peppercorn sauce.
Pro Move: Make sure to grab a seat by the floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy views of rolling hills while you eat.
Vibe: A neighborhood bistro where you’ll see a mix of hotel guests and posh locals. It’s equal parts “white-tablecloth-fancy” and “loaded-home-fries-casual”.
Pro Move: Order the Banana Bread as an appetizer for the table. It comes with Honey-Butter that is sourced from a rooftop hive at the Lenox Hotel.
The Vibe: Hearty, heart-warming dishes for sophisticated dining with a Texas twist.
Try: Signature Texas Toast dipped in Grand Marnier Custard, served with warm syrup & butter. Don’t eat and drive.
Pro Move: Bringing the kids? You’re guaranteed to get a smile (and a clean plate) when you order the giant Texas-shaped waffle.
Looking for Brunch in a different location? There are many more out there. Take a look at our Partner Hotel list to find the spot that works best for you.


text: Do you have to ship a package at the last minute? Are you up against a deadline? CARTONS & CRATES retail room is a one-stop-shop for packaging supplies, plus we can ship it for you too!


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We aim to make it as easy as possible for you to get in touch with us. Choose your preferred method - email, phone or letter - and leave the rest to us.
We offer exceptional workmanship and complete customer care to all of our clients, no matter how big or small the job is.


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For planned gift development efforts to be successful, expectations must be reasonable. Due to the inherent nature of planned giving, senior managers sometimes have trouble developing realistic expectations about what level of success is possible for a particular organization or institution.
If expectations are unreasonably high, management will never be satisfied. This results in low morale, greater staff turnover, and frequent changes in marketing and other vital components of a program.
If expectations are too low, staffing and budgetary support will not be available and staff may not be motivated to produce the highest possible results.
External input can come from board members who assume that your organization can do the same thing as another charity on whose board they serve. The constituency and mission of one group can be different from that of another, with very different potential. The same thing can occur when a CEO sees a similar organization doing well with planned giving and thinks that his or her group should be doing equally well. The success of any organization today reflects a lot of work that may or may not have been done in the past. This is a fact not often understood.
In some cases, a major contributor to incorrect expectations is the much publicized 1998 intergenerational transfer of wealth study. While this “Wealth Transfer” projection was greeted with high expectations, the reality has simply not kept up. This may be one of the first expectations that needs to be corrected.
There is indeed going to be a major transfer of wealth over time. However, the vast majority of this wealth will not pass until the baby boomers begin to pass away some 20 years from now. In fact, nearly everyone reading this article will have retired or expired by the time the transfer has largely occurred. Why? Simply put, the full “Wealth Transfer” was based on a 55-year period that included three different generations passing away.
The original study’s mid-range projections stated that during the first 20 years charities would receive $2.2 trillion in bequests. Giving USA reported $23 billion in bequests in 2006 and a total of $190 billion from 1997 to 2006. Reaching the $2.2 trillion projection means bequests must average $200 billion annually for the next 10 years. That’s over 10 times the amount that has been received each year on average for the past decade!
Clearly, the original projections are not realistic. The wealth transfer will certainly come to charities. However, it will take longer and require far more work than many had rightly or wrongly assumed from this study.
There is one interesting statistic underlying the full 55-year, midlevel “Wealth Transfer.” To achieve that level, bequests must grow by a compound rate of 8%. How does this compare with the past?
Using Giving USA figures from 1963 (the year Sharpe was founded) through 1998, the average compound rate of growth was 8%. From 1963 through 2006, it was also 8%, so to reach the mid-level projection over the entire period of the wealth transfer requires no greater growth than the average over the past four decades.
While there is no reason to believe the growth in bequests will change over time, there are factors in play that may impact that growth rate over the next few years.
People are living longer than in the past and there is much more competition for planned gifts than there was 10 years ago. Death rates are essentially flat for the next few years before beginning to increase again.
Another external issue to examine is birth rates: not today’s, but 1924’s. Why 1924? Numerous Sharpe consulting studies show that bequest donors pass away, on average, at age 83. The year 1924 (84 years ago) was the high point of live births. From 1924 through 1933, the number of live births in the United States dropped by 23%. Not until the end of World War II did rates return to the 1924 levels.
If fewer people were born 84 years ago, logic suggests that fewer will be here to pass on. This means fewer making planned gifts in the near term. With more charities seeking planned gifts from fewer donors, the competition for planned gift funds will be intense! While the best managed programs will no doubt outperform others, the knowledge that there will be fewer donors passing away in the case of some organizations may need to be built into program performance expectations.
Other external forces that will impact planned giving in various ways include fewer marriages, fewer divorces, and more people living alone. It means more childless couples, more IRAs and 401(k) plans, and fewer people paying into Social Security. The nature of your organization’s mission will also impact your ability to attract planned gifts. Organizations with more emotional missions can generate planned gifts quickly and at an advanced age, while those groups with other types of missions must take a different approach.
In order to determine your planned giving potential, look closely at your constituency. What is the age breakdown of your donors? Obtain good age data on your donors. Without it, setting realistic projections about your long- and short-term potential is impossible.
Planned giving works best with older (over 65 or 70) donors, while major gift programs tend to work best with relatively younger (age 45 to 65) donors.
If your constituency is largely baby boomers or younger, planned giving may not be the best place to invest a great deal of money. Adjusting your planned giving expectations in this case is important. While you may have substantial long-term potential, your program should invest more heavily where results can be expected within a reasonable time period, say the next 10 years. Keep in mind that a 65-year-old woman typically enjoys a life expectancy of nearly 20 years.
While some suggest marketing planned gifts to donors in the 50 to 70 age range, this will not result in any significant increase in bequest income for decades, at the earliest. It is not unusual these days for persons to live to age 100 or beyond. You can safely bet that far more planned giving donors will be in this group of “centennial” seniors.
Donor age also relates to the investment you can afford to make. One dollar invested today at 8% will be worth $43 in 50 years. Before investing very much planned giving marketing money in younger donors, think carefully.
What is the gender and marital status of your donors? Some subsets of donors have nearly a 50% probability of making charitable bequests.
Do you have a large number of long-time, frequent donors, or do your donors tend to make a few gifts and drop off the file prior to the time when they are making their final estate plans? Do you generate a large percentage of bequests from non-donors? Some organizations do, while it is a rare occurrence for others.
Do your donors generally have living family members or are they mostly childless with few family members remaining?
Do you have a particularly wealthy constituency? Did most of them make their own fortunes or inherit them?
Is there a sense that with the reductions and currently planned repeal of the estate tax, bequests will go down? Is that a realistic concern? Our nation has a long tradition of philanthropists who made charitable bequests with no tax benefit because there was no tax code: John Harvard, Leland Stanford, Benjamin Franklin, John D. Rockefeller, and John Smithson all made big gifts without tax benefits. Today, in similar fashion, over 95% of bequests come from those who receive no estate tax savings at all.
to encourage planned giving to a greater or lesser extent.
Model 1: Executive Director, no full-time development director.
Model 2: A full-time development director, but no full-time planned or major gift staff.
Model 3: One or more full-time planned giving staff members, but no major gift specialist.
Model 4: One or more full-time major gift officers, no planned giving staff.
Model 5: At least one full-time major gift officer and one planned giving officer.
Model 6: At least one person who is responsible for encouraging both planned and major gifts, and perhaps several.
Model 7: Centralized support for major and/or planned gifts. This model is common within universities and national groups with local affiliates.
Model 8: Capital or “endowment” campaign planned or in progress. In this model, other infrastructure is subordinated to capital structure. Model 8 can occur in the context of any of the other seven models.
Which model is appropriate depends on any number of factors, including the size of the constituency, age and wealth distribution of donors, the nature of the mission, and geographic factors.
A good rule of thumb for an effective program is for staff and marketing expenses to be roughly equal. When an inordinate amount is spent on staff, there is little left with which to market and the long-term results will be limited. Those investing heavily in marketing and little in staff to cultivate relationships will lose out to groups that will gladly steward your donors—and the gifts they will make.
Beyond the specifics of a planned giving budget for a given year, a more critical issue is the level of consistency from one year to the next. Are efforts to encourage planned gifts steady, or does your institution have a history of “bursts” of activity that yield great results for a period of time in one to three years, then tend to fall off?
This “roller coaster” approach to planned giving is all too common, but it is also inefficient and wasteful over time. Each time the effort stalls, much is lost and donors who no longer hear from you will go elsewhere with their gifts—and you may not know until it’s too late.
Experience has shown that steady, consistent marketing is the most effective way to build and maintain a successful program. It is critical to follow up and steward donors, but it is also important to include a “drip marketing” approach. Put planned giving and estate planning messages in front of prospects on a regular, frequent basis. You want donors to remember you at the time when they ultimately decide to update their estate plans.
In summary, a good, effective planned giving program must create and continuously maintain realistic expectations for success. Identify the key aspects leading to this success based on your constituency and situation, with a particular focus on the age of your donors. Once this has been done, create a program based on your unique constituency. Make sure that key players understand the model that you are following and why it will work best for you.
Editor’s note: This article was based on a more detailed presentation given by John Jensen at the National Conference on Planned Giving in Dallas in October 2007.


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Do you want to get the feeling of a professional teeth cleaning at home? The answer is definitely Yes! Dr. Plotka’s brushes keep your teeth clean with their two innovative features. The first is their antimicrobial technology. The bristles on each toothbrush are infused with natural bacteria-fighting silver that kills 99.9% of bacteria within 6 hours after brushing! An untreated toothbrush can grow up to 100 million microorganisms between brushings. That’s gross! Dr. Plotka’s naturally antimicrobial brushes are here to eliminate that problem!
The second way Dr. Plotka’s toothbrushes innovate is with their amazing Flossing Bristles. These bristles are ultra-thin (1 micrometer!) at the tip, allowing them to reach areas that other toothbrushes often miss. Plus, they’re made out of polyester, so they last longer than traditional toothbrush bristles (up to 4 months instead of 3)!
While you enjoy having clean, healthy teeth and gums thanks to Dr. Plotka, your little ones can too–Dr. Plotka’s toothbrushes come in a smaller “youth” size as well!
FLOSSING BRISTLES™ – Revolutionary, dual-layered bristle structure provides superior cleaning: the outer bristles, thin as a human hair, gently brush away food and plaque in places other brushes miss!
LONG LASTING POLYESTER BRISTLES – You’ll get up to one extra month worth of use thanks to the polyester bending and upgraded properties.


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Historic Person: Caples, Dr. Charles G.
Architect, builder, or engineer: Flippin,Thomas J.
Architect, builder, or engineer: Pomeroy,J.H., & Co., Strauss Engineering Corp.
Architect, builder, or engineer: Nehalem Timber & Logging Co., Chapman Timber Co.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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We stock over 1500 cars. Wholesale stock not listed online, so please call us for more options.
Please bring in your car for a fair trader price.
All our vehicles come with 24/7 6 months road-side assistance for your peace of mind.
We purchased a Mazda Axela from Jasmit and the team, best price we could find and the car was very clean and tidy unlike other car yards we had wasted our time with. Highly recommended to all.


text: The important difference of Strata’s offer of services is the ability to deliver. We differentiate ourselves from other “consulting” groups by being less project and more client success oriented. Management of companies are better equipped to deliver on the promise of performance made in their plans and strategies because they have ongoing support from us.


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Date night, girls night, movie night, OK so maybe not movie night but I think every outing should be an event, and thus should be dressed like your going to one! Here is what I am crushing on currently and what I would wear right now if these goodies were in my closet.
Starting with this sassy dress that I found on VS.com of all places, in an amazing mirror print that seems to be all the rage right now. Adding a very fun pair of suede and scale Jean Michel Cazabat heels, and a to die for pair of claw bangles- I found on a great new jewelry site! And finishing off with a great mani, obvi. I scored this amazing cool blue hue polish in my FABB goodie bag last week and havent been able to switch out my nail polish since- so you know it's a good color!
Those bangles are cray good!
I can't believe you found that dress from VS! It's awesome. Love it paired with those bracelets as well.
I know right?! VS has some great stuff!
The color combo is great!
I'm down with aqua. And also pretty down with mint. Two of my faves.
Mint looks so good on you!!


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I know a few guys that tour internationally and ALWAYS take their Eleven rack. Consistently good sound.
Guitar -> Eleven -> IEMs.
I’ve had great results with the Universal Audio Apollo and their Ampeg models - SVT-VR, 3Pro and B-15. I’ve got a SVT-VR, and they’ve nailed the tone recorded.


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According to experts, personal memories from long ago of family and friends can link us together in shared comforts of tradition, and also lend a gratifying sense of continuity in our lives.
Nostalgia can take on many different forms. Watching an old black-and-white movie can trigger a cultural nostalgia for a lost period in time. Often that longing can predate one’s own date of birth: fondness for a time only your parents may have known and talked about.
The mental journey back through time adds a fourth dimension to the present. If mindfulness is the focal point of the Eternal Now, nostalgia forms a special continuum to the timeless past, expanding our concept of the self. The future may be vague, inchoate and unpredictable; but the past represents a finished whole that cannot be harmed or tampered with.
It allows us to cast off the stresses of modern life by traveling back to a period of our own choosing. It’s like escaping into the confines of a good book or a darkened theater, but in this case the story is real and (if chosen wisely) has been assured a happy ending.
Especially for the elderly, frequently isolated from loved ones and familiar surroundings, recapturing the past often results in maintaining a positive outlook and leads to purposeful activities, such as telling stories and sharing wisdom from a bygone time.
The emotion of nostalgia can be evoked from a familiar scent, an old photograph, or a cherished song. Often it occurs during periods of sadness or transition, but it can appear anytime — affecting the young as well as old. Even children as young as eight-years-old can experience the wistfulness of times past.
How nostalgic are you? The research of Krystine Batcho has led New Scientist to create a quiz on the subject, to determine one‘s degree of wistful thinking. A high score indicates a person more attuned to life and more adaptable to life‘s vicissitudes.
The healthy use of nostalgia is not about retreating into the past. On the contrary, exploring the treasures of our “mental” time capsules can propel us toward the future, with a restored sense of enthusiasm and hope. The regular practice of this discipline has been found to be correlated with increased resilience and self-confidence.
For some, nostalgia can come to resemble a spiritual meditation. Indeed, the past is more venerated in places where the future is more fleeting — where constant change is often expected and demanded. The “cushion” against future shock rests on the pillow of slow self-reflection. Such a spirit of languid repose opposes the current epoch, a time when the present is rooted in gross speed and frequent turmoil.
The judicious use of nostalgia offers each one of us who feels stranded in the present an anchor to the past.
John DiPrete has contributed to Psych Central, MacWorld, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Medical Hypotheses, Speculations in Science and Technology, among other outlets. His Web site, MindBluff.com, explores the fun side of neuroscience (ranging from tactile illusions to brain teasers), and has been recommended by PC World Online.


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Ok guys, the next time you have hours in the kitchen, maybe an afternoon to stand idly near the stove making crepe after crepe – make this unforgettably delicate crepe cake. I don’t know if I have ever been more proud of a start to finish food project as I was of this (…well maybe my Moroccan Bastilla pie but that’s for another time and another blog post…). It wasn’t that it was difficult to make more so than it was just time consuming. It is more than worth it though and such a treat to prepare, bring together and share with friends.
The occasion this particular day was Mother’s Day and I wanted something special to showcase in the Mother’s Day brunch I was cooking for other than the standard fruit tart, lemon bar or carrot cake. It definitely made a statement and was a perfect picturesque item in the middle of the brunch table-scape.
ended up being my initial inspiration and reference for the base crepe recipe and technique. Her cake came out beautiful, no?
I did end up tweaking the filling slightly to suit my personal preference by adding a little less mascarpone and folding in more whipped cream and lemon curd to give a stronger lemon flavor.
Some points to note when taking the crepe cake plunge. It is so, so important that you use a non-stick Teflon pan. Various kitchenware and online stores sell crepe pans but a simple shallow sauté pan will do the trick. I used an 8” pan and made around 60 crepes doubling the suggested crepe recipe and monitoring the heat level on my stove being careful to not let the crepes get too dark or cook to fast. Once finding the sweet spot between heat and crepe making, the rest was a breeze. It was important to my presentation that the cake stood tall and not one crepe was left unused. The size and height was actually quite perfect.
Leave some room around the edges so you create that gorgeous ripple effect and continue to layer. Crepe, Mousse. Crepe, mousse. Crepe, mousse.
At some point soon enough I will discover another reason to recreate this beauty. Perhaps next time though, a chocolate crepe with peanut butter mousse and caramelized bananas? Or since we are on our way to that holiday season, a vanilla spiced crepe layer with spiked egg nog cream? Your thoughts? Let's inspire each other!


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Manager, Corporate Archives, The J.M. Smucker Company, 2008–present.
Archives Research Assistant, University of Akron, 2006–2008.
Reference Assistant, University of Akron, 2005–2006.
Substitute Reference Assistant, Massillon Public Library, 2005–2008.
MLIS, and BA, Art History, Kent State University.
Archives Leadership Institute, Berea, KY, 2016 cohort.
Society of American Archivists: 2015 Cleveland Host Committee, Event Locations Co-chair, Special Projects Chair (2014–2015); Business Archives Section, Member-at-Large (2011); SAA Student Chapter, Secretary (2005–2006); Member (2004–present).
Midwest Archives Conference: MAC17 Program Committee (2016–2017); Member (2014–present).
Academy of Certified Archivists: Certified Archivist (2013).
Society of American Archivists: "Bringing Gamification to the Archives" (2017).
The strength of the Nominating Committee is the comparative brevity of the role, as every year brings fresh faces and new perspectives. This dynamic brings archivists from different backgrounds together to collaborate.
From a practical standpoint, I would seek members who have demonstrated leadership experience in sections and roundtables; people who have proven their willingness to take an active role in our profession. I would seek candidates from a broad range of backgrounds, institutions, and demographics. Beyond practicality, I feel the greatest benefit of our organization is the relationships we build with one another. I would seek candidates who have served as mentors across our various communities within SAA. Our mentors have demonstrated an ability to build relationships, practice considered listening, and keep up crucial conversations. We can achieve our professional best with the practical advice and encouragement they offer. In addition, mentors bring enthusiasm and optimism during times of stress, conflict, or fatigue. During my time with SAA, I have met many archivists who truly nurture a culture of camaraderie. That capacity for relationship-building would best fulfill the vision of professional excellence and advocacy. That capacity for listening and conversing would best fulfill the mission of promoting value and diversity. I would welcome mentors to extend their role so that we may benefit from the breadth of their experience and their passion for our community.
Elected committees represent our members’ voices, which is why I would look to you, my colleagues, and rely upon your expertise and advice.


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Finely ribbed in a structured, melange beige yarn, the Classic Roundneck comes crafted from a fine, summery linen blend, finished with the Westwood signature Orb embroidered in silver to the chest.
1 - The part where the strap goes in after doing the link is a PAIN! I know this isn't always the easiest on any shoe with a strap but these specifically make me super frustrated.
2 - There is no kind of padding in these to help absorb shock. You will need to put insoles in them to save your feet (at least I do).
Other than the two reasons below, I love these. These are the only style shoes I can wear where I don't feel like I'm walking on my toes. After you put the insoles in, they are perfect!


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Placing marks/flags/stakes along a property line so that it may be seen on the ground. In order to ensure the location of the line, the property must be surveyed by the surveyor doing the marking.
In the course of a “regular” survey, the corners are identified and marked. However, the lines between the corners are not. This can be done at any time during or after the survey is completed. It may incur additional charges as it is not required to perform a survey. It is typically cheaper to have this done at the time of the survey as an additional trip would be required after the fact.


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Here we discuss the outlook for the commerce & industry sector in Belgium.
Hiring activity was low at the start of 2016, despite hiring managers being given higher budgets for recruitment. However, as Belgian SMEs and international companies increased investment in new projects in 2016, a significant number of newly created positions became available, especially in accounting, internal audit, analysis and controlling. The Antwerp region specifically saw higher levels of recruitment, with a strong increase in the hiring of permanent finance staff.
Allowing a team to be understaffed for a protracted period incurs the added risk of losing additional team members, as extreme workloads could lead other employees to resign.
With finance professionals playing an increasingly prominent role in shaping growth strategies for companies, hiring managers were highly selective when recruiting and were particularly interested in hiring controllers and analysts with strong business acumen and the ability to bring added value to the business.
As the economy continues to grow, rising confidence will mean that professionals will increasingly look for new opportunities, seeking higher salaries or better work-life balance. Despite this increased candidate mobility, many employers are likely to face skills shortages. In such candidate short market, employers will need to act quickly to ensure positions are filled with their first choice candidate. Allowing a team to be understaffed for a protracted period incurs the added risk of losing additional team members, as extreme workloads could lead other employees to resign.
Competition for talent remains strong, so hiring managers will need to keep recruitment processes short and efficient in order to avoid losing the right candidates and risking buyback offers.
The salary rises we saw in 2016 for permanent positions will increase in 2017 with companies also offering additional fringe benefits and flexibility to provide a better work-life balance. Professionals in high-demand roles such as controlling, audit, accounting and consolidation may be able to secure minor salary increases when changing roles in 2017.


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This quantity investigates mystery international relations with the purpose of realizing its function in shaping international policy.
Recent occasions, together with covert intelligence amassing operations, accusations of spying, and the leaking of delicate govt records, have validated that secrecy endures as an important, but missed, point of overseas international relations. The ebook brings jointly various study programmes and perspectives on mystery international relations and integrates them right into a coherent analytical framework, thereby filling a huge hole within the literature. the purpose is to stimulate, generate and direct the extra improvement of theoretical understandings of mystery international relations by way of highlighting ‘gaps’ in current our bodies of information. To this finish, the quantity is based round 3 targeted topics: thoughts, contexts and situations. the 1st part elaborates at the assorted meanings and manifestations of the concept that; the second one half examines easy contexts that underpin the perform of mystery international relations; whereas the 3rd part provides a sequence of empirical instances of specific relevance for modern diplomatic perform. whereas the elemental stipulations international relations seeks to beat – alienation, estrangement and separation – are imbued with mistrust and secrecy, this quantity highlights that, if whatever, mystery international relations is an important, if misunderstood and unfairly criticised, element of international relations.
This e-book can be of a lot curiosity to scholars of international relations, intelligence reports, overseas coverage and IR in general.
In A swap in Time Kenneth M. Pollack and the Iraq coverage operating crew of The Saban heart for center East coverage search to supply an alternate, complete procedure for American procedure in Iraq. they start with the belief that even though the present U. S. strategy in Iraq is encountering huge problems and looks not likely to supply a sturdy Iraq in the subsequent to 5 years, the choice proposed by way of a few Bush management critics—a swift withdrawl—would additionally now not serve U.
Humanitarian pros are at the entrance traces of modern day inner armed conflicts, negotiating entry via actual and diplomatic roadblocks to arrive imperiled civilians. They widespread the corridors of strength, interceding with politicians and diplomats in nations wracked by way of violence, in capitals of donor governments that underwrite humanitarian paintings, and on the United international locations protection Council.
Viewing the increase of China from Japan's viewpoint, the writer elucidates jap coverage responses and their implications for nearby establishment construction. It fills a niche in wisdom in regards to the improvement of East Asian local associations and Sino-Japanese relationships.
Considerably revising and updating the influential and regular The altering Politics of international coverage, this retitled re-creation presents either an advent to, and a reassessment of, the character of overseas coverage within the gentle of fixing political stipulations, foreign and household.
He has a specialist concern with intelligence-led security activity and the ways in which democracies can lawfully protect themselves from violent extremism, subversion and terrorism. He is the author of six books (four of which are single authored), numerous chapters in books and scholarly articles. His previous appointments were at the universities of Warwick and Brunel (where he was professor of politics). He has been invited to give evidence to various UK parliamentary inquiries (most recently on privacy and security to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, and free speech and the law to the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Rule of Law).
Secret diplomacy has long been an important if, at times, derided component in the relations between estranged states, nations and peoples. So much so that a recurring, moral debate crystallises: should diplomacy should be secret or open? In the postmodern information age this debate is gathering strength. Prominent organisations and individuals such as WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden, journalists and some academics claim that “the end of secrecy is nigh” (Jarvis 2013: paragraph 1). Traditional advocates of secret diplomacy, however, strongly disagree, arguing that secret diplomacy is vital to a nation’s security and survival, even more so in the postmodern, information age.
Much of the blame for the outbreak of the First World War fell on state-qua-state diplomacy, especially the defence treaties between kings and emperors. The clandestine agreements between Germany in Austria in 1914, or Britain and France, or how far Germany was prepared to go in support of Austria in reducing Serbia to terms, were shrouded in mystery even for decades after. For James Connolly (1915: paragraph 10), a leading Marxist and socialist at the time, such diplomacy was “hypocrisy incarnate”, full of “false prophets” where the diplomat holds all acts honourable which bring him success, all things are righteous which serve his ends.


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Before you can take advantage of a Part D plan, you must first be eligible to sign up. There are specific criteria you need to meet in order to qualify for the program.
To be eligible for Part D, you must first be eligible for Medicare at large. The rules for Medicare eligibility are straightforward. Beyond that, there are other specific rules for enrolling in Part D that you need to know.
Medicare is a federal healthcare program that Americans pay into with taxes. It makes sense that the government would want to make sure that you have ties to the country before they allowed you access to that benefit.
To be eligible for Medicare, you need to be either a U.S. citizen or a legal resident with a green card.
Permanent legal residents must live in the country for at least five consecutive years. Not only that, five of those years must immediately precede their application to Medicare.
The second requirement for Medicare eligibility is to demonstrate medical need. Medicare leaves no room for interpretation here. You will be eligible for the program if you meet at least one of the following criteria.
You are 65 years or older. More than 60 percent of Americans in this age group have two or more chronic medical conditions. Even if you do not have any medical problems at the present time, you are at a statistically higher risk for developing one.
This condition, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a debilitating neurologic disease that weakens your muscles. You will be automatically eligible for Medicare at the time you are diagnosed, regardless of how old you are.
You have end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This does not mean your kidneys are just having a tough time. It means that your kidneys are functioning so poorly they require dialysis or a kidney transplant for you to stay alive. In order to be eligible for Medicare, you or your spouse must have also paid a certain amount of Social Security taxes into the system.
You have a disability that is expected to last longer than 12 months. This disability can be for any number of reasons but must be approved for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to be eligible for Medicare. You cannot sign up for Medicare until you have been on SSDI for 24 months.
Alternatively, you could have a disability that is recognized by the Railroad Retirement Board. Medicare eligibility, in that case, would start right away.
Once you are eligible for Medicare, you can decide which parts you want to sign up for—Parts A, B, C, or D.
Your first decision will be whether to opt for Original Medicare (Parts A and B) or a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan. You cannot have both. For clarification, Medicare Advantage plans offer everything that Parts A and B do but may provide additional benefits for an added cost.
In order to apply for Part D, you may enroll in Part A, Part B, or both. There is no option to apply for Part D alone.
Alternatively, you can choose to sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. There are Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans (MA-PD plans) that include Part D coverage.
There are times you may be eligible for Medicare but are not allowed to enroll in a Part D plan. This occurs when you reside outside of the country or U.S. territories. When you return to the United States, you will be eligible to sign up. When you are incarcerated, you receive benefits from the prison system, not Medicare. You may enroll in Part D after you are released.
Millions of Americans are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid every year. This dual eligibility may provide extra coverage to beneficiaries but with that comes extra regulation. It is important to note that both programs are managed by the same federal agency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Although Part D plans are voluntary for most Medicare beneficiaries, those who are dual eligible have no choice. Medicaid requires that you sign up for Medicare as soon as you are eligible and this includes signing up for a Part D plan. If you do not sign up yourself, you will be automatically enrolled in Original Medicare and a Part D plan by the government. You will have the option to change to a MA-PD or pick a different Part D plan at a later time.
Unlike other types of insurance plans, you cannot share your Medicare benefits with anyone else. This means that your spouse and dependents will need to find their own coverage.
If your family relies on you for health insurance, you may want to consider holding onto your private plan until other coverage can be arranged for them. But beware. Signing up late for Medicare could lead to costly penalties in the future. Everyone’s financial situation is different and you will have to decide what works best for you.


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I believe you should have access to trustworthy financial advice at a fair price. Commencement Financial Planning LLC strives to provide comprehensive financial planning and investment portfolio services at the lowest cost possible.
You should be completely aware of the total fees you are paying each year, but the financial industry is quite clever in devising ways to make fees nearly impossible to quantify. Commencement Financial Planning LLC not only clearly explains its fees, but also strives to fully understand and quantify all fees associated with alternative solutions it recommends to clients.
Unlike most other financial advisors, the only compensation Commencement Financial Planning LLC receives is what clients pay directly. This creates a relationship free from conflicts of interest and provides the client with complete clarity of the actual expenses they are paying each year.
Advisory fees are calculated either on an hourly basis or asset-based sliding scale.
After the initial free consultation, the hourly financial planning fee is $175/hour. These engagements are generally short term in nature and encompass such projects as retirement, education, insurance, estate, and asset allocation planning. Depending on the complexity of your situation, fees for these short term engagements are typically in the range of $1,500-$3,000.
Clients with an ongoing relationship are charged only an asset-based fee. These relationships include unlimited access, regular meetings, portfolio reporting and monitoring, coordination with the client’s CPA and attorney, and ongoing monitoring of markets and changes in the law. Account minimum for this service is $500,000.
Asset based fees for supervised assets are determined using the schedule below. For most clients, the total fees they will pay to both advisor and underlying asset managers will be at or below 0.70% per year.
Source for average Investment Advisory Fees and Mutual Fund Expenses under “Other Financial Advisory Firms” is The Vanguard Group, May 2014. None of the figures presented in either column reflect potential custodial or brokerage fees.
This fee comparison will hold true for smaller accounts as well, but for those accounts advisors typically will receive payments from front-load sales charges and 12b-1 fees. These fees are often as much as 6%! For an investor with $500k, fees of 6% would total a whopping $30,000 in year one while fees charged by us (including those charged by underlying fund managers) will total approximately $4,800 for year one.
It’s very important that you work well with your financial advisor. Only those fully committed to a cooperative, well-reasoned, and successful relationship where the advisor believes he can bring value exceeding what he is paid will be accepted as clients.
Contact us to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation initial consultation. If there's a good fit, we can talk about working together to take the worry out of your finances and help you achieve true financial well-being.


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Investor Visa Lawyer Philadelphia. Investor Visas are very popular because a Green Card is guaranteed for the investor and his or her family, however the investment required is quite high.
Investor Visas are very popular due to the fact that a Green Card is guaranteed for the investor and his or her family. However, the amount of investment required to obtain one is quite high. The EB-5 visa is an employment creation classification under the employment-based visas. EB-5 applicants are able to skip the sometimes onerous labor certification process normally required for employment based visas like the H1B. However, applicants must meet investment thresholds and demonstrate job creation for U.S. workers.
If an EB-5 applicant wants to start and run his or her own Business, the required investment is $1,000,000.00. The applicant must also show that the investment will create at least ten jobs for U.S. workers. This is an excellent option for an applicant who wants to run his or her own business and be in charge of day to day operations. The EB-5 investor must also present economic analysis and a business plan to USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). The analysis and business show USCIS the number of jobs that would be created by the investment.
There is an option under the EB-5, however, that requires less investment. Congress created EB-5 regional centers to encourage investment in targeted area that traditionally have been underfunded. The advantage of investing in a regional center is that it is necessary to invest $500,000.00, instead of $1,000,000.00, in order to qualify for the visa. The other advantage is that the job creation can be indirect and induced job creation, rather than the direct job creation that is required if the applicant has invested in his or her own business. A direct job is an actual identifiable job for qualified employees employed by the business into which the EB-5 investor has directly invested his or her money. An indirect job is a job shown to have been created collaterally by the project as a result of money invested in a business affiliated with a regional center. The number of indirect jobs created through an EB-5 investor’s capital investment is based upon a business plan and a detailed economic analysis, which his evaluated and approved by USCIS. It is important to note that the business plan and economic analysis are presented to USCIS when the regional center is formed, it is not required to present the plan and analysis for each individual investor.
An additional advantage of investing in a regional center is that it is not necessary for the Investor to involved in the day to day management of the business. An investor in a regional center can also live anywhere in the country, he or she does not have to live near the regional center. It depends upon the goal of the EB-5 applicant. Some investors want to start and run their own business, but others simply want a green card.
It is also important to note that initial approval of the EB-5 green card is conditional. The investor must file to remove the conditions by showing that the business remains viable and still employs at least 10 U.S. workers.
The Immigration Attorneys at Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. have the experience and expertise to guide clients through the investor visa process. For investors who do not have $1,000,000.00 or $500.000.00 there are less expensive options, such as the L Visa. The L Visa does not lead to a Green Card, but permits an investor to live in the United States for a lengthy period of time. For the EB-5 investor we can help with the formation of the business plan and detailed economic analysis required by USCIS. Call to set up a free consultation to learn how Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. can help you with your investment visa needs.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


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Who wouldn’t get excited about a story of an advanced alien race that conquers humanity for a benevolent purpose? It’s such a wildly refreshing spin on the typical alien invasion story, one which most people would probably welcome to the real world in order to escape poverty disease, violence, and pollution. That is until they see what the Overlords look like.
Another element that separates this piece from most of the other sci-fi books out there is that it attempts to unify the dichotomy between religion and science. Throughout the world’s religions are stories of clairvoyance, telepathy, angels, and demons. While this may be my interpretation of the book, it attempts to explain how religion is an expression of phenomena that science cannot yet prove or understand. Clark did a wonderful job conveying this idea through all of the symbolism spread throughout the story. Even at face value, the book is an engrossing read. If you’re not an avid book reader (which I am certainly not) then consider watching the 3-episode miniseries.


text: Nesting transactions in STM (Software Transactional Memories) could lead to better performance in certain cases. For example, encapsulating highly contended operation in an inner transaction could avoid rollbacks of the the whole outer transaction. The goal of this project is to implement closed nesting in SwissTM and use it to improve performance in several benchmarks.


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The cream of the compelling, unputdownable crop.
These books leapt from the page to the screen—and kept our hearts racing.
The couples in these killer books share a dark and deadly passion that will chill you to the bone.
You'll never want to be alone again.
For those who delight in deadly surprises.
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a lively set of Irish scribes as they discuss the rich tradition of storytelling in Ireland.