text:
THE NUMBERS IN MICHIGAN -- Several recent polls in the closely watched Michigan Senate race show the incumbent, Spencer Abraham, ahead of his Democratic challenger, Representative Debbie Stabenow. But Mr. Abraham's lead varies widely.
In a poll conducted Sept. 26-28 by EPIC/MRA for The Detroit Free-Press, the senator held a 9-point lead, 43 percent to 34 percent. That is smaller than Mr. Abraham's 12-point lead in two polls earlier in September. Still another poll, conducted Sept. 23-24 by Survey USA for Detroit's NBC affiliate, WDIV, showed Mr. Abraham ahead by only 1 percentage point.
FOX OFFERS A FORUM -- The Fox television network announced yesterday that it would offer Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush a shared hour of free time in which to tell viewers why they think they should be president.
It was unclear whether anything would come of Fox's offer to the candidates, who were invited to appear on Oct. 27 for the proposed prime-time program.
The Bush campaign had no immediate response.
BUCHANAN WINS A ROUND -- Patrick J. Buchanan, the Reform Party candidate, won a spot on the ballot yesterday in Florida, a hotly contested state where polls show Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush about even.
Polls among likely Florida voters have shown only 1 percent to 3 percent supporting Mr. Buchanan. But with Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush tied in the race for Florida's 25 electoral votes, Mr. Buchanan could affect the outcome if he draws more heavily from one of the main parties than the other.
The spokesman, Daryl Duwe, said he had asked that his contract with the party be terminated immediately.
''I believe this election to be too important to be distracted by me,'' Mr. Duwe said.


text:
The costumer’s order behavior with regard to multifaceted products changes constantly. New special equipment, new types and derivatives, model upgrades and changing customer needs continuously alter the composition of the production program. During the tactical planning process, automobile manufactures and other mass producers have to coordinate their assemblies as exactly as possible with the orders.
Trends and forecasts help to predict the order program in advance. However, it often takes hours and days to create realistic order programs in order to assess the impact of forecasted market changes on the production. Mathematical algorithms help to reduce this span of time to only a few seconds and to obtain more accurate and detailed results.
The module “Order Generation” generates order programs on the basis of forecasted take rates for specific order features. A mathematical optimization procedure ensures that the target take rates of desired order features are met as precisely as possible while all untouched order feature take rates remain the same. The software automatically considers dependencies between the order features. In an extremely short period of time, an order program of the highest quality will be produced. This program is the basis for further analyses, e.g. with regard to effects on workload in an assembly line or the requirements of some work stations.
All things considered, these features contribute so that order programs are generated in a higher quality, faster and much more easy to access. This is the way how you can prepare your assembly for the order programs of tomorrow.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


text:
Armed with a keen eye for the aesthetic, and a palette that graciously acknowledges the opulence of a fine whisky, people who enjoy collecting beautiful and antique whisky bottles are no different than art collectors themselves.
Whether it is an infatuation with antique whisky bottles, artistically designed and even small whisky bottles, owning a monumental whisky collection that could rival a museum is a dream for many.
If the love for antique liquor bottles and an awe-inspiring vintage whisky bottle collection is a dream you have held in your heart forever, here are some of the craftiest, graceful and aesthetic vessels that contain the spirit of the Gods.
Created in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation back in 1953, Royal Salute 21 Years Old from Chivas Regal is an exceptional whisky, packaged in one of the most sought after antique whisky bottles. It was followed by more expressions of the Royal Salute to commemorate different milestones of the Queen’s reign such as the 50 Year Old, the 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny and the 62 Gun Salute.
This historic expression of ‘the single malt that started it all’ was bottled way back in 1940 in an elegant and aesthetically crafted tear drop canister. This rare and vintage whisky bottle carries within, a breathtaking golden amber Speyside scotch with a cask strength of 45.95%.
Commemorating the 160th birth anniversary of one of the most important and influential men who shaped the whiskey world, Jack Daniels Distillery introduced this classy variation of the iconic Jack Daniels bottle wrapped in black. A crisp and beautiful design accentuated further by the color, this is one of the simplest yet worthy inclusion in whisky bottle collectibles over the world.
Already laying the claim to some of the most distinctly packed bottled of whiskey, Maker’s Mark introduced the Maker’s 46 in 2016, created using their wood stave finishing process in addition to adding virgin French oak staves. The whisky bottle itself is a refined design and improvement on the typical Maker’s Mark bottles with a shorter neck, stouter body and all round immaculate design.
This Japanese whisky from Nikka is contained within a small whisky bottle that is decorated with an intricately designed Samurai helmet and armor making it one of the most desirable collector’s items all over the world.
Named after the small, privately owned, eponymous island off the coast of Ireland, the Maiden Voyage is one of the few rare Irish whiskeys available around the world. Just 2888 uniquely shaped bottles resembling a mooring buoy, hand-blown and employing some part of the sand found on the island’s beaches, the Inish Turk Beg Maiden Voyage is one of the best looking whiskey bottles in the world.
One of the most enduring Kentucky Bourbon brands in the United States, the Four Roses Single Barrel was a significant improvement on all its predecessors when it first came out. Owing to the fact that it comes from a single barrel, this straight Bourbon whiskey is bottled in a beautiful bottle embossed with the Four Roses logo and a cork, producing a truly sublime result, making it a wonderful addition to any whiskey collection.
Bearing the iconic Rolling Stones ‘tongue and lip’ logo, this rare and whimsical bottle of Japanese whisky from Suntory was released in honor of the rock and roll group completing 50 years in 2012. Priced at a steep rate, this magnificent whisky bottle contains a blend of whiskies from years significant for the band over their 50 year history.
Created by the 7th generation master distiller Fred Noe, this superior and vintage expression of the historic Jim Beam bourbon is bottled in a beautifully regal canister. The bottles are packaged and sent to the buyers with a customized plaque, making them a truly cherish worthy addition to any whisky bottle collection.
Filled from two casks filled way back in 1964, opened and blended in 2010 to create this excellent vintage blend of aged Scotch whisky that yielded only 274 rare and scarcely available expressions. The Highland Park 50 bottle is encased in an artistic expression of jewelry designer Maeve Gillies, containing a metal casing of sterling silver and is a delight to look at.
Caring for our planet doesn’t essentially require a red letter day.

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
Today the words of Gibson sound almost clairvoyant. The 54th National Elective Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) held at NASREC in December 2017 and the subsequent debate on expropriation without compensation provides a vivid and disturbing illustration of the underlying tensions, disagreements and frustrations that exist among various groups in South Africa about land redistribution. Tragically and almost ironically, it seems as if the complexity of the South African political and socio-economic landscape crystalises in the land question. Land is, and perhaps always was, the site of struggle in South Africa where different understandings of history, diverse group identities, competing rights and value systems, and diverging theories of justice come to a head (see Gibson 2009:2–3).
Three pieces of discriminatory land legislation, promulgated in the 20th century, have shaped the contemporary South African landscape decisively. The Native Land Act (No 27 of 1913), which was enacted a few years after the formation of the South African Union in 1910, declared about 7% of South African land as ‘Black reserves’ or ‘traditional areas’. The Native Trust and Land Act of 1936 extended the reserves to about 13% of South African land, but also tightened the control of government of all black economic pursuits, including agricultural activities (Van der Elst 2017:959). Black people living in so-called ‘Black spots’ outside reserve areas were forced to relocate to the reserves and were prohibited from buying or selling land outside of the reserves (Gibson 2009:11; Van der Elst 2017:959). The inhabitants of the reserves only had ‘conditional use rights’ under trusteeship of the State (Mothlanthe 2017:303). As far as urban areas were concerned, Section 5 of the Black Administration Act and the notorious Group Areas Act of 1950 consigned racial groups to particular residential and commercial spaces and legitimised forced removals. A whole range of other laws were promulgated by the Apartheid government to regulate land ownership and to control the influx of black workers to cities. The end result was the development of a ‘highly dualistic and racially segregated’ land structure with a commercial and technological advanced white commercial farming sector on the one hand, and an underdeveloped black peasant sector on the other (Cousins & Scoones 2010:32).
From a moral point of view, it is clear that the colonial and Apartheid governments committed acts that defy the basic essence of social justice. The pieces of legislation were not designed to distribute land equitably, but to ensure that white people own the vast majority of productive agricultural land. Black people were arbitrarily deprived of land, property and livelihoods, and relocated against their will. Native reserves and homelands remained overcrowded, the land allocated was unproductive and the infrastructure remained poorly developed. This inevitably caused a systemic chain reaction of gradual black impoverishment (Van der Elst 2017:959). President Ramaphosa aptly described the land issue as a burden of history, an ‘original sin’ that the present generation has to resolve (see Merten 2018:3).
Since 1994, little progress has been made to address the historical injustices of land dispossession and to enforce the constitutional ideals of land restitution and redistribution. The initial target was to redistribute 30% or 24.6 million hectares of white-owned agricultural land by 1999 through ‘grants-based redistribution and a rights-based restitution programme’ (O’Laughlin et al. 2013:8). By March 2011 only 7.2% of land had been transferred. The initial target of 30% had to be extended to 2025 (O’Laughlin et al. 2013:8). Some argue that the Constitution of South Africa (hereafter ‘the Constitution’) (South Africa 1996) itself contributes to the slow pace of land reform by requiring fair compensation for land that is expropriated (see Choruma 2017:33), while others blame a lack of political will, inadequate budgeting, poor implementation and dysfunctional structures (Mothlanthe 2017:215, 233).1 Be this as it may, land restitution and redistribution processes have proven to be extraordinarily slow and cumbersome despite various policies and strategies being introduced since 1999 (Mothlanthe 2017:208). About 4.3 million hectares of land, acquired for land reform purposes, are currently ‘out of production’ (Mothlanthe 2017:257); various farms have been bought by the State for land redistribution ends, but they have not been transferred to beneficiaries; a small number of restitution claims have been settled; and no ‘substantial’ legislation exists that protects land tenure in former homelands (Mothlanthe 2017:233, 257). The result of this situation has been increasing social conflict as can be seen from the fact that illegal land invasions have become a regular phenomenon.
The fundamental justice issue underlying the land question is: How can groups who were affected by historical patterns of land discrimination and land deprivation be properly compensated for their loss and how can greater forms of social equality be achieved? At the core of the question stands the highly complex, multi-layered concept of justice which is undergirded by different sets of criteria and values (see Gibson 2009:3). Procedural justice principles, for instance, give priority to fair justice processes; distributive justice to a just allocation of social goods between diverse members of society; commutative justice to fair transactional exchanges between members of society; redistributive justice to equal dignity, redress and equality of outcome; restorative justice to restitution, rehabilitation and reconciliation, and retributive justice to desert; and proportional punishment for crimes committed. Although these social justice values do not necessarily invalidate each other, they often stand in a dialectical relationship with each other. Redistributive justice values such as redress, for example, often enters into conflict with typical procedural justice principles such as impartiality and non-discrimination. This necessitates deliberation on the logical priority that ought to be given to the respective values.
The state of affairs becomes even more complicated when we bear in mind that notions of social justice vary among groups of people and are often closely intertwined with shared identities, particular historical experiences and immediate political interests. Gibson’s survey (2009:117) provides ample evidence that members of groups who were historically exposed to systematic forms of discrimination or victimisation and find their solidarity in a shared sense of being wronged, tend to support public policies informed by redistributive justice values. Groups who have vested interests in the status quo are inclined to disparage policies that revisit the past and prefer justice values related to non-discrimination and due process. Group identities indeed ‘structure the ways in which people view the issue’ (Gibson 2009:92). The state of affairs is not surprising, as South African politics have historically been marked by the allocation of social costs and benefits along racial group lines (Gibson 2009:91). In a society where race and ethnic characteristics historically determined where persons can live and work, and what type of social benefits they could access, we can expect land issues to invigorate emotions around group membership.
Section 25 of the Constitution (South Africa 1996) provides a clear example of the competing justice values at stake in the South African context. On the one hand, it is characterised by a strong commitment to redistributive justice, but when it comes to the scale of justice values, redistributive aspirations seem to be curbed by procedural and commutative justice principles that safeguard individual property rights (subsections 1–3), prohibit the arbitrary deprivation of property (subsections 1 and 2) and ensure ‘just and equitable’ compensation to land owners affected by expropriation (subsection 3). Sound and fair procedures are obviously important to social justice, but some observers are critical of the manner in which the Constitution (South Africa 1996) employs these justice principles to resolve land issues. Section 25, for instance, requires that compensation should be ‘just and equitable’. However, it is not clear what equitable means. Does it require a willing seller-buyer agreement or market price compensation (see Mothlanthe 2017:221)? Another criticism levelled is that the Constitution’s application (South Africa 1996) of procedural and commutative social justice principles often slows down land reform (see Van der Elst 2017:963). In fact, Gibson (2009:115) claims that some groups misuse constitutional instruments to resist land distribution and to perpetuate past inequities. At times, it seems as if the Constitution’s emphasis (South Africa 1996) on extensive legal and judicial oversight apparatus are counterproductive when it comes to land restitution. The post-Apartheid South African state simply does not have the capacity to establish all of the oversight mechanisms required by the Constitution (South Africa 1996). Clear examples are the constitutionally established structures of the Land Claims Commission and Land Claims Court which have proven to be dysfunctional and inefficient. Consequently, some argue that we find ourselves in a situation where the means of justice actually defeats the ends of justice.
Admittedly, the priority that the Constitution (South Africa 1996) assigns to various justice values are, by no means, clear-cut. Some would argue that the Constitution (South Africa 1996) favours redistributive justice considerations above other justice values. The preamble to the Constitution (South Africa 1996 – section 1a), for instance, describes the achievement of equality as a key objective and value of the Constitution, while section 9 certainly holds to a substantive outcome-based equality, rather than the formal equal opportunities approach so evident in distributive justice approaches. Significantly, the Constitution (South Africa 1996) refers to past forms of ‘unfair discrimination’ and allows legislative measures to redress entrenched forms of inequity. Section 25(4) probably contains the strongest transformative impulse found in the Constitution (South Africa 1996) by allowing land to be expropriated ‘in the public interest’. It also requires of the State to use legislative and other means to ensure equitable access to land. Section 25(5), moreover, protects the right to tenure of individuals or communities who de facto own property, but have no registered rights due to past discriminatory legislation. Sections 25(6 and 7) dictate the compensation of persons or communities who have been dispossessed after 1913, while section 25(8) allows the State to take legislative measures to enact land and water reforms. Such measures have to comply with the limitation clause of section 36(1) of the Constitution (South Africa 1996) that protects basic rule of law principles by requiring good reasons for limiting a right (see Pienaar 2015:11). Broadly speaking then, we can safely state that the property clause has a strong redistributive thrust (see Pienaar 2015:10), although the means of achieving equal outcomes are subject to typical procedural and commutative justice principles such as equal treatment, due process, fair compensation and impartial judicial oversight.
Redistributive justice reasoning certainly addresses the issue of historical injustices more emphatically than other paradigms of justice; yet, history teaches us that assigning priority to redistributive justice values in the hierarchy of justice values often prove to be a hazardous endeavour. States that exhibit a strong commitment to redress and redistribution often fall into the trap of abusing power and enacting oppressive forms of reverse discrimination. Redistribution also tends to create opportunities for corruption. These tendencies can certainly be observed in the land reform process in South Africa. Various redistribution projects in South Africa have been characterised by disturbing trends of elite capture. The High Level Panel Report (Mothlanthe 2017), the studies of Beinart, Delius and Hay (2017) and the findings of Kepe and Hall (2018) are united in expressing concern that the land reform process is currently being captured by corporate elites, chiefs and traditional leaders who endanger the tenure security of vulnerable people. According to the High Level Panel Report (Mothlanthe 2017:203), ‘the problem is especially acute’ in former homeland areas and in areas administered by the Ingonyama Trust where traditional leaders and officials often claim to have the sole right to sign agreements with ‘investors in respect of communal land’. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of existing legislation to protect the tenure security of vulnerable people in the former homelands (Mothlanthe 2017:266).
So far, we have discussed the tension between procedural, commutative and redistributive social justice discourse in South Africa. However, retributive understandings of justice, characterised by a sense of due desert and proportional punishment for past crimes committed, are gaining significant public support. Gibson’s survey (2009) already observed that retributive approaches to land justice are widely held in South African society. According to the survey (Gibson 2009:31), 85% of black respondents maintained that the white people took land illegitimately and therefore ‘have no right to land today’, while only 8% of whites people held the same view. Two thirds of the black respondents agreed that ‘land must be returned to Blacks in South Africa, no matter what the consequences are for current owners and for political stability in South Africa’. Gibson (2009:156) also found that retributive attitudes are encountered mostly among those who identify strongly with a particular language or ethnic group.
The momentum of the retributive approach in the last decade is clearly due to the rise of populist political groups such as the Economic Freedom Front and the pro-Zuma faction within the ANC who insist that the Constitution (South Africa 1996) should be changed to make possible large-scale land expropriation without compensation. The ethical argument underlying the retributive land reform argument is that land was ‘appropriated’ under colonialism and Apartheid from Africans without compensation (see Choruma 2017:33). Because current land owners have profited unjustly from past discriminatory practices, the state can neither be expected to use market mechanisms to adjudicate current values of land nor can they compensate landowners for land illegitimately obtained (see Atuahene 2011:124; Gibson 2009:40). Ntebeza (quoted in Gibson 2009:31) goes as far as stating that private land should be confiscated by the State and redistributed for the sake of the public good.
However, serious moral questions arise. Firstly, the retributive notion of justice, propagated by some stakeholders in the South African land discourse, seems to separate individual accountability from moral agency. In essence, it argues that contemporary generations can be considered culpable for actions they themselves did not commit and, secondly, they can be held to account for the actions of others by being subjected to penalties such as land expropriation without compensation. But is this kind of logic not vindictive at its core? Surely person A cannot be punished for the actions of person B, and if person A indirectly benefited from past illegal actions by person B, we as a society cannot expect him or her to carry the full burden of the historical injustices, especially because past colonial land grabs were committed by a state. Should land owners carry the burden alone? Does society not have the duty to spread the costs of the burden of history (see Vorster 2006:701)? Moreover, do we not enter the realm of naked power abuse when a legal system starts to separate accountability from moral agency and begins to claim for itself the right to attribute culpability to citizens irrespective of their own actions, simply on the basis of their lineage, background or group association.
Another problematic feature of retributive approaches to the land debate is that vindictive actions may have consequences for innocent third parties. Recent figures of the Department Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries indicate that the agricultural sector owes banks over R144 billion. This inevitably leads to questions about the duty of the state and the rights of third parties who are also affected by retributive measures such as expropriation without compensation (Mahlaka 2018:3).
From the preceding discussion, we can deduce that fairness and justice matters in the land debate, but that procedural, commutative, redistributive and retributive understandings of justice seem to be at variance. We can also safely agree with Gibson (2009:92) that group dynamics and the psychological benefits attached to group membership play a major role in justice positions taken on land reform. The challenging question is how to apply theories of social justice within a transitional political context marked by deep-seated racial, social and political divisions. How do we address the problem of social groupings making competing justice claims and assigning different priorities to classical justice values?
Building on Volf’s argument, I argue that to de-escalate the land conflict in South Africa, we have to explore the concept of embracive justice as orienting principle in the hierarchy of justice values. Distributive, redistributive, retributive, procedural and commutative concepts of justice are always relevant to any justice debate, but we have to accept that they may not be equipped to act as orienting principles in the extraordinary transitional context of South Africa. Secondly, I argue that the enactment of embracive justice requires permeable identities. By permeable identity, I mean identities that are open to self-correction, willing to accept inconvenient truths, embracive of the other and eager to forgive and reconcile. Justice values mean nothing if they are not profoundly internalised by individuals and groups.
In making my argument, I turn to reformed theological resources. By presenting a reformed approach, I neither assert that reformed theology provides the only avenue to address the intricate web of moral issues at stake when it comes to social justice nor that reformed theology presents the solution to the complex moral issue of land. The intent, rather, is to present a preliminary perspective from a particular theological vantage point about a highly complicated social issue that requires input from all sectors and groups in South Africa. My question is: Can reformed theology add an extra ingredient to the social justice values at our disposal? Could it perhaps contribute to recalibrate our disposition towards justice values in the South African debate? How would such a recalibration affect our understanding of human identity formation?
Three theological themes in reformed theology are, in my view, pertinent to the issue of embracive justice, namely its understanding of the dialectical tension that exists between Law and gospel, its presentation of Christ’s sacrifice as an act of embrace to resolve a seemingly unsolvable impasse between the infinite God and finite human beings, and the importance of self-denial and cross-bearing as fundamental features of Christian identity formation.
The above citations may sound to some like overkill, but the theological intent must be kept in mind. The righteous demands of the Law compels us to reflect on our own misery and impurity (Inst. 2.8.3; HK 1, question 2). Indeed, we can exhibit no understanding of the unfathomable nature of God’s grace if the Law does not open our eyes to the pervasive effects of sin on our lives and the utter misery in which we are engulfed. Without the glasses of the Law, we remain engulfed in ‘blindness’ (Inst. 2.2.24). The poignant issue at stake here is that reformed theology takes sin seriously. Human sin should not be glossed over and injustices cannot be left unanswered. God calls the perpetrator to account and demands ‘full satisfaction’ of the Law (HK 4, question 12).
The land issue in South Africa ought to serve as a vivid reminder of the systemic nature of sin. Yet, Gibson’s survey (2009) makes the disturbing observation that white South Africans, in general, exhibit little interest in or knowledge of the historical events and discriminative legislation that led to black, mixed race and Asian communities being dispossessed of land. Collective amnesia is not a surprising reaction and, in fact, even quite common among communities whose members have been implicated in war crimes or crimes against humanity (see Volf 1996:131–140). Yet, such a response is not excusable, because it reveals a form of denial, a disassociation with reality, an unwillingness to carry the burden of history and a reluctance to face inconvenient truths head-on.
Justice requires that we deal honestly with the hard truths of history and that we search the darkness of our souls. Applied to the land issue, white communities ought to recognise that grave and indefensible injustices were committed against black, mixed race and Asian communities through discriminative land legislation that systemically impoverished generations of people. Denying the systemic impact of land injustices on many communities in South Africa or misusing economic arguments to preserve the status quo, not only amounts to denial, but actually perpetuates the injustices that have been committed. As long as the hard facts of history are not acknowledged, recognised and dealt with, generations of white communities will be haunted by the burden of history. Justice demands truth and repentance. We cannot be selective in what we forget and remember. Redemption is not possible as long as we deny inconvenient truths.
Yet, the opposite side of the coin is also true. Collective amnesia is inexcusable, but so is a populist sense of victimhood that preys on an inflated and often selective awareness of the historical injustices committed against me and my group. History teaches us that victims can easily become perpetrators when a persistent remembrance of the historical wrongs committed against them are nurtured and abused to mobilise them socially. To demand the righting of wrongs, committed against the self, is certainly legitimate, but to use people’s pain for political gain is a form of cruel exploitation. The universal nature of sin ought to moderate our claims that we are victims. Paul aptly reminds us that Jew and non-Jew stand under the universal power of sin and we are all cursed by the Law of God that demands perfect righteousness (Rm 3:9–10). No person is just or can claim absolute innocence. We are all perpetrators who deserve God’s wrath.
The gospel’s logic is governed by God’s embracive acts in a hopeless situation; God making a new future possible when all seems lost due to sin and evil. Calvin (Inst. 2.12.1) spoke of the great exchange between the infinite God and mortal human beings, characterised by a cycle of descent and ascent. Through the incarnation of the Son, God descends to humanity in order to pay for our sins and to liberate us from our misery so that we can ascend with Christ through the Spirit to God. Here we encounter a kind of justice that the Reformers called iustitia aliena – God declares us free of guilt on the basis of Christ’s propitiatory obedience. The embracive justice God enacts is no imaginary justice – it is real in that Christ truly suffered the penalty for our sins. Yet, it is also a justice characterised by a reconciliatory attitude that does not seek to destroy humanity, but to restore its relationship with God. Reconciliation is the orienting value behind God’s justice – not fair due process or retribution – although these justice values are certainly at stake in the Christ event.
The incarnation of Christ constitutes an act of divine self-limitation for the sake of restored relations. God becomes human, Jesus takes on the form of a slave and carries the curse of the Law to make possible a new relationship and a new future between God and humanity. But the great exchange is not a purely unilateral act. It also entails that the faithful become slaves of Christ by accepting God’s gift of grace in faith and enacting the example of Christ in their own lives (see Phlp 1:29). Christ becomes a slave in human form so that we can become slaves of Christ. Faith is, consequently, not a passive act, but requires that we actively embrace God’s gift of grace. Stated differently: Faith requires a changed human identity.
Calvin (Inst. 3.1.1) famously identified meditation on the future life, cross bearing and self-denial as key features of the Christian life. The latter two Christian virtues are, in my view, especially pertinent to our discussion of the intricate connection between embracive justice and human identity.2 For Calvin (Inst. 3.7.5; Zachmann 2009:476), cross-bearing entails that we conform to the image of Christ by bearing afflictions patiently and exhibiting a willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness, while self-denial requires that we repent before God, realise our shortcomings and use the divine gifts bestowed on us to serve the interests of our neighbours. Calvin and the reformed tradition essentially understand the Christian life and discipleship as consisting of a faithful embrace of God and fellow human beings. True Christian identity is hybrid and permeable in nature: open to self-correction, unselfish, caring, empathetic, peace loving, truthful and fair. Above all, it is willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the other.
Protestant liberalism has questioned the reformed faith’s understanding of the gospel as atonement through satisfaction, justification through the imputation of God’s righteousness to human beings in Christ, and its perceived obsession with altruism (cross-bearing and self-denial). They generally deem the notion that God demands satisfaction for the transgression of his Law as vindictive logic and construe the idea that one person can pay for the sins of another as compromising human autonomy. Moreover, some are concerned that the cultivation of overly altruistic attitudes can undermine individual rights discourse (see Vorster 2013:133–136). We cannot go into these objections at this time, except to say that the power of the reformed notion of reconciliation resides precisely in its logic that the historical impasse between God and human beings – brought about by the systemic nature of sin – can only be resolved through an iustitia aliena that transcends conventional notions of human justice. God does not follow conventional justice logic, but embraces us in a manner that circumvents human logic, undercuts human autonomy, surpasses due process and defies retributive logic to make a new beginning possible. The Christ event was a once-off and non-repeatable event executed by a God who himself is the norm of righteousness. Finite beings cannot execute justice in the exact same manner; neither can we be Christ. We can follow Christ and are called to do so, but only up to a point.
That said, reformed theology maintains that the Christ event has a lasting normative impact on our lives – not only as far as the relationship between the infinite God and finite beings is concerned – but also interhuman relationships. Our actions should shine forth the embracive spirit of the Christ event. While Christians can neither coerce faith nor force groups to accept God’s Law and gospel or to follow Christ through cross bearing, they can make an effort to display a kind of embrace that breathes the spirit of the Christ event.
This brings me to the notion of embracive justice. What does embracive justice entail? How does it differ from the restorative justice approach that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission followed in the 1990’s? Embracive justice recognises that a situation could evolve where cycles of past injustices have burdened a society with an impasse that cannot be resolved through ordinary means of justice. This impasse, I argue, can only be overcome through a generous spirit of embrace and an extraordinary act of self-sacrifice by perpetrators, victims and ordinary members of society. Embracive justice is not a formal kind of justice administered from ‘above’ by legal regimes, courts or tribunes; it requires spontaneous acts of self-sacrifice from below. Detractors may argue that embracive justice is simply another word for restorative justice. Restorative justice, after all, endorses similar kinds of reconciliatory values such as restoration of victims, rehabilitation of offenders and reconciliation between groups. I agree, but there is also a fundamental difference. Restorative justice is a formal approach utilised within criminal justice systems that contains a clearly defined distinction between victim and perpetrator as well as a clear definition of the crime that was committed. The approach I am propagating is focused on the intergenerational dynamics of transitional social contexts where the lines between victim and perpetrator are not that clear. Embracive justice is not concerned with fair procedure, but with attitude and just actions. Moreover, embracive justice does not limit itself to ideals of restoration, but it is directed at creating a future order where coming generations can live in a normal and stable environment devoid of the systemic effects of past injustices.
When it comes to the land debate, I believe that embrace and reconciliation should orient our disposition to justice. Justice, especially when it comes to intergenerational issues, should not, in the first place, be about due desert, but rehabilitation and the creation of a fair future order. Although due process is an important condition for fair treatment, we ought to recognise that overly extensive and technical processes of land restitution and redistribution could defeat justice in the name of justice. Ways ought to be found to cut red tape and to expedite land restitution and redistribution processes in the spirit of embrace. Secondly, embracive justice requires that groups refrain from collective amnesia about the past or the exaggerated sense of victimhood that underlies retributive logic. We should acknowledge that colonial land grabs were deeply unjust and that the unequal distribution of property rights in South Africa is morally unacceptable. Conversely, we should exhibit a spirit of forgiveness towards each other and accept that retributive logic could result in an unjust situation being replaced by an equally unjust scenario where the victims of the past become perpetrators of the future. Lastly, embracive justice is about more than simply the rehabilitation of the perpetrator or reconciliation between perpetrator and victim; it also asks for a spontaneous sacrifice with lasting effect from the side of everyone, but specifically those communities who benefited directly or indirectly from the Apartheid system. Such a sacrifice ought to be made in the spirit of self-denial and cross bearing for the sake of righteousness and the well-being of future generations. I do not propose a sacrifice that amounts to self-destruction, but I argue that a spontaneous collective sacrifice by specifically white communities in the spirit of self-denial could be an embracive gesture that de-escalate the land conflict in South Africa. Such a sacrifice could consist of the creation of trusts focused on the development and empowerment of black farmers; the establishment of compensation funds for damages caused by past land injustices; the availing of underutilised land for empowerment projects; and making farmworkers business partners in commercial farms. Many possibilities exist. The point is that embracive gestures are needed to resolve the impasse that South Africa faces. Legal instruments cannot do it on their own.
The South African land question will not be resolved as long as embrace does not orient our actions. Embracive justice recognises that justice is about more than fairness, due process, redress and due desert; it is also about creating a situation of reconciliation that helps to resolve conflicts in situations where historical injustices have created an impasse that is impossible to resolve through regular justice approaches. I understand embracive justice as a type of justice where the various parties are focused on creating a fair future order that serves the best interests of the broadest range of fellow citizens and that ensures that future generations can live in a society freed of the burden of history. Moreover, I argue that embracive justice requires more than merely changing our theoretical outlook on justice; it also demands the formation of group identities that are hybrid and permeable as well as willing to make some costly sacrifices for the sake of future generations. Drawing on the reformed tradition’s emphasis on cross-bearing and self-denial as Christian virtues, I suggest that permeable identities are characterised by a spirit of repentance, an openness to self-correct, a willingness to make sacrifices and forego some perceived entitlements for the sake of the common good, an embrace of the other, and a reconciliatory attitude. To summarise: Embracive justice constitutes an act from below that circumvents formal justice logic and enacts the Spirit of Christ.
Atuahene, B., 2011, ‘South Africa’s land reform crisis: Eliminating the legacy of Apartheid’, Foreign Affairs 90(4), 121–129.
Beeke, J.R. & Ferguson, S.B., 1999, Reformed confessions harmonized: With an annotated bibliography of annotated doctrinal works, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI.
Beinart, W., Delius, P. & Hay, M., 2017, Rights to land. A guide to tenure upgrading and restitution in South Africa, Jacanda Media, Johannesburg.
Calvin, J., 2008, Institutes of the Christian religion, transl. H. Beveridge, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA.
Choruma, A., 2017, ‘How to defuse South Africa’s ticking land time-bomb’, New African (Nov), 32–33.
Constitution, see South Africa 1996.
Gibson, J.L., 2009, Overcoming historical injustices. Land reconciliation in South Africa, Cambridge University Press, New York.
South Africa, 1996, Constitution of the Republic of South Africa as adopted by the Constitutional Assembly on 8 May 1996 and as amended on 11 October 1996, Government Printers, Pretoria.
Van der Elst, H., 2017, ‘Die wegbeweeg vanaf gematigdheid na ’n radikale grondverdelingsbenadering as transformasie prioriteit in Suid-Afrika’, Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 57(4), 955–970.
Volf, M., 1996, Exclusion and embrace. A theological exploration of identity, otherness and reconciliation, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.
Vorster, N., 2013, ‘The nature of Christ’s atonement. A defense of penal substitution theory’, in E. van der Borght & P. van Geest (eds.), Strangers and pilgrims on earth, pp. 129–147, Brill, Leiden.
1. The Land Reform Budget has fluctuated between 0.15% and 0.4% of GDP in the period between 1994 and 2017 (Mothlanthe 2017:2015).
2. Admittedly notions of self-sacrifice and self-denial can be abused by those in power to cultivate ‘unhealthy’ forms of altruism among the powerless so that they will stay silent in the face of exploitation. It needs to be noted that Calvin used these notions to encourage sacrifice for the sake of righteousness not at the expense of righteousness. Altruistic values are indeed important for social cohesion, but could become harmful if employed as a means to suspend justice values.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


text:
Information contained herein has been derived from sources believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed as to accuracy and does not purport to be a complete analysis of the security, company or industry involved. The information contained herein does not take into account the investment objectives or financial condition of any recipient hereof. This communication is not intended to, and should not be construed to, create a fiduciary or advisory relationship between SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. (“STRH”) and any recipient hereof. This report is not to be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. STRH and/or its officers or employees may have positions in any securities, options, rights or warrants. The firm and/or associated persons may sell to or buy from customers on a principal basis. STRH may act as a market maker with respect to securities referenced herein, and to the extent STRH acts as a market maker for such securities STRH would likely actively trade such securities before and after publication of reports regarding such securities. In addition, STRH and its affiliates may from time to time perform various investment banking, commercial banking, lending, financial advisory and other services to the issuer(s) referenced herein. Investors may be prohibited in certain states from purchasing some over-the-counter securities mentioned herein. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. The information herein is for persons residing in the United States only and is not intended for any person in any other jurisdiction.
Any Regulators, Academics, Issuers, and Media organizations are receiving this for informational purposes and not for the purpose of making an investment decision related to debt securities.
STRH is a registered broker-dealer and a member of FINRA and SIPC. It is a service mark of SunTrust Banks, Inc. STRH is owned by SunTrust Banks, Inc. ("SunTrust") and affiliated with SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. Despite this affiliation, securities recommended, offered, sold by, or held at STRH and at SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. (i) are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; (ii) are not deposits or other obligations of any insured depository institution (including SunTrust Bank); and (iii) are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested. SunTrust Bank may have a lending relationship with companies mentioned herein.
© SunTrust Robinson Humphrey,Inc. 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction or quotation in whole or part without permission is forbidden.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


text:
Friday Tidbit-Keys to getting your house ready to sell | JW's Financial Coaching-Giving you a new perspective on your money!
As many of you know already from listening to the podcast, my wife Lisa and I are in the process of selling our condo. The reason is pretty simple; we’re looking to move into a bigger home as we are currently outgrowing our current place and we are expecting a new child at the end of October. After a lot of hard work our condo is currently on the market and we have had a few showings. In the process we have learned a lot from getting our house ready to show.
When going through your home in preparation for getting your house show ready you have to go through every room and area and clean up. That means you even have to go through those areas that you have been neglecting and putting off, including that junk drawer that keeps growing and that one closet where you just dump stuff you don’t want to deal with. If you are like us, you will soon realize that you have a lot of junk and you really don’t want to move all of it. When this happened to us we just decided we needed to recycle it, give it away or throw it away. After doing that long enough we realized that there is no point in keeping a lot of stuff around the house that we weren’t using anyways and that we should have thrown it away a long time ago before we even decided to move. We have found that de-cluttering makes our lives a lot simpler.
We honestly don’t know which is harder: getting our house clean initially to get ready to put it on the market or keeping it clean once it is on the market. It is very easy to let your home “go” in between showings if you aren’t very careful. But it really is important to keep on top of the cleaning. That way you aren’t scrambling at the last minute when you get a showing request for the next day. We’ve found it helpful just to remember to take the extra time and be mindful of keeping your home tidy. That way the messes don’t build up.
So often we put off things we need to do around the house such as painting the front door, fixing a hinge, or replacing something because we don’t feel like it or don’t want to spend the money. But we have no problems doing it when we want to sell our home. Why is that? Lisa and I have learned that if we need to do something around the home just to go ahead and do it. That way you are able to enjoy it while you live in the home. If you are going to spend the time and money necessary to get your home ready, enjoy the fruits of your labor at least for a little while.
Those are the three main lessons Lisa and I have taken away from showing our home. If you are thinking of selling your home soon, I recommend taking a look around your home and starting to do some of the grunt work. That way when you are ready to list your home you don’t have to spend as much time, effort, and money into getting your home ready.
Have you ever sold your home? If so, what things did you learn when trying to list your house?
This entry was posted in Friday Financial Tidbit, Marriage, Mortgage, Personal Story and tagged Friday Financial Tidbit, Personal Story, selling a home. Bookmark the permalink.
Those are great lessons Jon. When we sold our house in Austin almost 3 years ago, we also had to learn to think as a salesman more than an owner. We painted with neutral colors and turned what was my office into a regular bedroom again. You have to think about the buyers being able to see themselves in the house.
That’s a great point to remember Jose. Just because you think a certain style or color looks nice, doesn’t mean that the buyer thinks it’s nice. It’s weird to look at your house from others point of view but if you do, your sell will quick and for a lot more money too!

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


text:
We sell pre cut mats and custom picture frames in any size, color and quantity. We also sell custom matting, backing boards, clear bags, show kits, matboard value packs & custom plexiglass.
Choose a matboard in any size up to 32" x 40" to precisely match your art. Crescent matboards are made in America & available in hundreds of colors. Make your photos, prints, diplomas and art stand out.
Choose from dozens of finishes in wood, metal or polystyrene in any size up to 32x40". You can even customize your backing material and plexiglass for complete control.
The more you order, the more you save, and with no minimums! For wholesale customers we offer discounts of up to 73% off, but if you need just 1 or 2 products we are happy to serve you as well.
Free shipping on most orders over $50 and only $9.95 otherwise*. Everything is cut, assembled and shipped from Atlanta, GA within a few days and is guaranteed to arrive on time and in perfect condition.
* Over size, rush service & shipping to HI, AK and PR extra.
Beautiful and delivered as promised!

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


text:
Kaveri usually disappoints Tamils. And 'Moscowin Kaveri' too is no different. The blame is on Ravivarman, the ace cinematographer who enthralled us with his camera work in many a film.
This maiden directorial venture of Ravivarman, which is produced by D Ramesh Babu, deals with modern day romance, especially live-in relationships between techies, without any shades of vulgarity. But lack of coherence in narration and disjointed scenes mar the flow.
As a result, good music by S Thaman and excellent cinematography among other aspects fail to add strength to the movie. In other words, it's like watching some beautifully crafted songs and scenes without any big connection in between.
Moscow (Rahul Ravindran) and Kaveri (Samantha) are IT professionals. It's love at first sight for Moscow on seeing Kaveri and she too accepts his proposal after a couple of scenes. The lover couple, who hails from villages, moves into a mansion and live together.
Even as difference of opinion arise between Moscow and Kaveri, the house they live turns out to be the hideout for Azhagu (Harshavardhan, son of veteran Y Gee Mahendra), a criminal who commits a high profile murder.
Tough circumstances the couple faces make them realise the strength of being together. At a time when they understand each other well, comes a clichéd climax which is not just predictable but tests patience too.
Rahul Raveendran is impressive while Samantha shines bright in her maiden movie (though two of her films are already out). Harshavardhan tries to menace but he doesn't have much work to do. Santhanam's comedy track is a damp squib.
Thaman impresses with his compositions while visuals give a rich and aesthetic feel to the film. Had Ravivarman concentrated on the script, 'Moscowin Kaveri' would have quenched the thirst of parched throats. To sum it up, director Ravivarman is no match to cinematographer Ravivarman.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


text:
Find Wrestling Schools near Melton South. Martial Arts Australia helps you find the best and most trusted Wrestling instructors Melton South Wrestling schools through the Martial Arts Australia Wrestling directory lists. Learn the ancient art of Wrestling with qualified instructors who is registered with the peak industry body. All of the top Wrestling dojos situated throughout the Melton South area can be found here. Go through and review each school and request a free class pass or view the latest special offers from each school.
Enter your name and email to get notified when Wrestling list in Melton South.

industry_corpus2: Sports


text:
WARRENTON, Va., March 18, 2008 - The Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) has released SPECsfs2008, a new benchmark that characterizes file server performance based on typical CIFS (Common Internet File System) and NFS (Network File System) workloads.
SPECsfs2008 introduces a new workload for NFS and adds support for CIFS, the standard file sharing protocol for Microsoft Windows clients and servers. The SPECsfs subcommittee created the NFS and CIFS workloads based on data collected across thousands of servers from vendor and customer environments. In addition to NFS and CIFS support, SPECsfs2008 runs on a wide range of client operating systems, including Windows, Linux, BSD, Solaris, AIX and MacOS.
Vendors will use SPECsfs2008 to measure and improve server performance, for capacity planning, and to publish results for competitive positioning in the file server market. IT managers will use the benchmark to validate server performance, plan capacity, and conduct internal performance studies. The new software replaces SPEC SFS 3.0, released in late 2001.
"SPECsfs2008 is the fruit of a long-term R&D effort that included developing a completely new workload-generation mechanism to accommodate CIFS, major updating of the NFS workload, and writing new code to support a multi-client networked environment," says Don Capps, chair of the SPECsfs subcommittee. "With this modernization and expansion, SPEC's SFS benchmark should remain the gold standard for file server performance evaluation."
SPEC member companies active in developing SPECsfs2008 include Apple, EMC, IBM, Iozone.org, NetApp, NSPLab, Panasas, SGI and Sun.
SPECsfs2008 measures the throughput and response time of NFS and CIFS servers based on workloads that represent the activity of large-scale servers in real customer environments. Results are presented on a graph showing a series of 10 or more load points with operations per second on the X axis and latency on the Y axis. Peak operations per second and a calculation of the overall response time for the entire run are used to summarize results.
SPECsfs2008 is available immediately from SPEC for $1,600; discounts are available for qualified non-profit and educational institutions. More details and order information are available at www.spec.org/specsfs2008 or through e-mail at info@spec.org.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text:
5 opening minutes of XXXHOLiC TV Drama streamed!
I agree! I’m very satisfied so far! Watanuki’s costume needed some adjustments but that’s nothing compared to the rest. Yuuko is the star she is looks GREAT!
I was kinda worried about the spirit stuff – how they were going to introduce them. But they did the right way – nothing over the edge……..
The last seconds – Yuuko and the steam from the pipe thing – were simply AMAZING………. I’m already in love with the show. My first dorama…..
I was kinda worried about the spirits too. And they handled it well by showing people-shaped spirits instead of creatures. People are much creepier!
Wow this looks like it’s going to be awesome.
I’m already hooked after watching the first 5 minutes.
The acting were superb and didn’t exaggerate like most anime-turned-drama that I have seen.
Yuko is PERFECT! Oh sweet CLAMP she is perfect!!! Kimihiro’s clothes need adjusting but otherwise this is so freaking GOOD!! I also didn’t expect english subs.


text: <- H. Hoffmann, Institute of Microbiology, Pneumological Teaching Hospital of the University of Munich; EN-562 <- D. Pierard, Academisch Ziekenhuis Vrije Universiteit Brussels. Infected surgical skin wound of a 49-year-old patient with tonsillar carcinoma; Belgium. Type strain. Taxonomy/description (9380, 24715, 26200). Sequence accession no. 16S rRNA gene: AJ853890. (Medium 220, 36°C or Medium 381, 36°C).

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
I’ve enjoyed Christian fellowship in lots of different places and countries but in a jacuzzi this morning has to be the strangest and most unexpected place to date! Please, let me explain myself.
Last night I accompanied Annie for an overnight stay at the Ragdale Hall Spa in Leicestershire as part of a free treatment package delivered through a charity called the Willow Foundation. Annie’s excitement and enthusiasm began the very moment that she got the phone call confirming that the package was booked. I was certainly excited for Annie but having never been to a spa I was a little bit…well, nervous.
One area of our lives where Annie and I differ is how we like to unwind and relax. In this area, Annie leans on inactivity; whereas I thrive on hyperactivity! This difference can be illustrated from a few snapshots of our time at the spa today.
This afternoon, we entered one of the treatment rooms called ‘The Thought Zone.’ The sign on the glass door promised a room for us to clear our thoughts. We entered (wearing our swim suits) a dimly lit, musty, orange scented, mosaic-tiled octagonal room filled with other people wearing their swimsuits. Thought Zone or Twilight Zone? My first thoughts were that it looked like one of the mysterious brainwashing stations from the TV series, Lost. Serenaded by the music of Vivaldi we were encouraged to sit down and look up at the ceiling on to which was projected a series of almost trance-inducing lines, shapes and colours which moved and changed with the cadence of the music. I say ‘almost trance-inducing’ because I was sat thinking how much the lines resembled animated versions of 3d graphs in Microsoft Excel. Subsequently, this got me thinking about our home accounts and then my self-assessment tax return.
Then I started to think about how I would improve the experience. You see, there were eight walls in this room and I thought how great it would be to project outdoor scenes (mountains, woodlands, white water rapids) to give the impression that we were in some sort of octagonal vehicle spiralling out of control through nature. Add a few jets of air behind the seats and vibrate the room for added effect and you’ve got the picture of my idea of relaxing. My thoughts had turned a thermal spa into a theme park – run by accountants.
As we departed this room, Annie was off on a mission to the next experience. I however, was distracted by a bowl of crushed ice laced with orange slices, next to the water dispenser. Personally, I would have stationed Diet Coke fountains every 5 metres but a cup of orange flavoured ice water looked refreshing at this time. I added water to my cupful of citrus ice, sat down and sipped; then a fellow spa guest picked up one of the face towels just beside the bowl of ice, dipped it into the ice and washed her face; as was the custom of everyone else that passed by. I was wishing it was my custom or that the ground would have swallowed me up.
There was another odd custom widely practiced in this place. At all times, almost everyone in the hotel (apart from the staff) walked around in bedrobes and slippers. It felt like a futuristic hospital. Not wanting to stick out, we did the same. This also seemed to be the practice in the restaurant. The restaurant was probably my most favourite part but I couldn’t help but feel like I was poorly each time we ate as the only time I ever eat a meal in my PJ’s is when I’ve got a bad cold.
I might not be selling the experience to you (or sounding grateful) but I honestly did love every moment of it – in between the moments where I misinterpreted the customs and made a fool out of myself. Ultimately, my enjoyment was rooted in Annie’s and being with Annie. And for that reason it was a beautiful time.
It may be just a Ryan-thing, but I find it uncomfortable being stationery and in close proximity to strangers, while wearing only my swim-shorts. While Annie and I lay on the pool-side loungers, I began strategising. Keeping my eye on the jacuzzi I was calculating the optimum time for it to be empty. Once that time came, we seized the moment with military precision. Unfortunately we didn’t quite make it under the radar because we were subsequently joined by five ladies.
I have to say, I instantly became less uncomfortable with the whole thing and thankful to the Sovereign Lord who used my strategising for something better than complete privacy!
So, I learnt a few things from today.
1. God’s over-ruling of our plans is always a better thing!
2. Brothers and sisters, ask the Lord to help you seize moments in which you can tell someone that you will pray for them.
Those ladies displayed courage by saying that they would pray for us. At the time, they didn’t know we were Christians. They might have calculated the outcome and determined to pray for us privately, without the risk of potentially upsetting two suffering strangers; but they didn’t, and we were so glad that they didn’t because we wouldn’t have had the special fellowship of Christ in that place.
Recently someone asked me: “Does God answer the prayers of unbelievers?” Whatever your answer to that it’s probably a bit longer than a straight and simple “Yes” or “No”. But we know for sure that God delights to hear His children pray.
We can lift our unbelieving friends, family, neighbours and colleagues before the Lord. We can intercede for them and plead for them. We can place their needs before the throne of God. We can do this even for the complete stranger; the person sat beside us on the bus or in the jacuzzi! And if their response to our offer of prayer is aggressive, Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:44 gives us even more reason to pray for them!
Unlike me, you might find temporary physical rest in a spa but you will never find eternal rest for your soul there. You won’t find it on a remote sun-soaked island; you can ascend the snow-capped mountains and still you will be left wanting. Some have sought it in money, work, education, family life…only to find they are more troubled, more tired, more anxious, more worried, more restless.
If you are not a believer, a Christian, a disciple of Jesus and you have not yet met one who has said to you, “I will pray for you.” then I would just like to close this entry this evening by assuring you, there is a prayer, a sincere plea, that God will listen to.
This made me cry with laughter (sorry, Ryan I only laughed cause I could imagine myself doing exactly the same with the ice !?) and then crying tears, not of sadness, but of joy at the picture in my mind of you and Annie waitiing for the jacquzzi to be free, only to find God had far more amazing plans for you and those three beautiful women of God.
Ry you make me laugh, I can just picture it all! 🙂 Glad you had a great time, I’m sure Annie was in her element 🙂 How God works though, so amazing and lovely that you had special fellowship with other believers. Definitely encourages me to say something just as simple as “I will pray for you” to a stranger.
Thankyou Ry – I laughed out loud too (also because I would have done the same!). We thought you just might have another God appointed incident – seems to be happening alot lately! What a faithful God. Our faith ebbs and flows and, this morning, my faith has been ebbing more than flowing! until I was reminded to keep my eyes on the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, rather than on my own faith. To qoute Frank Houghton, who first qouted many of the Bible’s promises (which we happen to have read time and again whilst praying for Annie), “He (Jesus) is the most encouraging Person in the world, and while your eyes are on Him, you know that He will never let you down.” We trust in the name of the Lord our God.
At a christian conference one lunch time, Bob my husband was handed a large bowl of strawberries by the waitress. They were in a stainless steel dish. Bob proceeded to pour cream on them and then ate them…….meanwhile the waitress came back with another bowl and gave them to Stuart Olyott who was also sitting at our table with about 8 other people. He dished himself out a few then passed the plate round so that we could all have some dessert..Bob was so embarrassed, but not as much as I was.
Oh, Ryan. I laughed till my sides ached. Thank you. It’s good to know there are others on this planet who make the same mistakes!

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


text:
Malawi is a land locked country and as such, Civil Aviation and the Air Transport play a very important role in the transportation of passengers, cargo and mail.
This is the authority responsible for regulation and operations of the Aviation in Malawi through the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. The Director of Civil Aviation is the chief executive empowered by the statute to run the Department. There are five international Airports where Air Traffic services and Aerodrome Fire and Rescue services are provided. There are also thirteen unmanned Aerodromes operated by the Department of Civil Aviation. Use of these Aerodromes is open to the general public in accordance with Civil Aviation rules and regulations. The Department is carrying out a number of programmes in order to achieve its mandate, vision, mission, and objectives.
To provide safe, efficient, cost effective and sustainable air transport infrastructure and services to operators in the transportation of passengers, freight and mail in accordance with internationally acceptable standards contributing to the socio-economic development of Malawi.
• Services provided by Civil Aviation ; Airworthiness, Aviation licensing, Air Traffic Management, Aeronautical Information, Communication, Flight Operations, Fire and Rescue, Aerodrome Services, Aeronautical Telecommunications Engineering Services.

industry_corpus2: Aerospace


text:
Theft – 11/4, 5000 block of Gulfport Blvd S.
Burglary (residence) – 11/5, 1500 block of 55th St. S.
Vandalism/criminal mischief – 11/5, 2600 block of 53rd St. S.
Theft (shoplifting) – 11/7, 52nd St. S. and Gulfport Blvd.
Vandalism/criminal mischief – 11/8, 5500 block of 28th Ave. S.
Theft – 11/9, 3200 block of 58th St. S.
Trespass – 11/4, 800 block of Oleander Way S.
Theft (shoplifting) – 11/7, 6800 block of Gulfport Blvd. S.
Theft – 11/7, 1800 block of Shore Dr. S.
Battery – 11/8, 6800 block of Seagull Dr. S.
Battery – 11/4, 600 block of Corey Ave.
Burglary (vehicle) – 11/4, 5000 block of Gulf Blvd.
Theft – 11/5, 7500 block of Blind Pass Rd.
Theft – 11/5, 5200 block of Gulf Blvd.
Assault – 11/7, 8900 block of Blind Pass Rd.
Burglary (business) – 11/7, 7400 block of Gulf Blvd.
Burglary (vehicle) – 11/7, 100 block of 21st Ave.
Traffic accident – 11/8, 6100 block of Gulf Blvd.
Assault – 11/8, 5200 block of Gulf Blvd.
Traffic Accident – 11/8, 5200 block of Gulf Blvd.
Theft – 11/8, 5300 block of Gulf Blvd.
Theft (grand) – 11/8, 6300 block of Gulf Blvd.


text:
What’s up everyone! Today I’ll be telling you about a great spot called Melt Shop located on the west side of Manhatten New York. I will be reviewing on a few things.
Menu – Short, sweet n straight to the point! About 8 or so sandwiches to choose from. Only tots on the menu which is good but I like fries better. They also do milkshakes!
The Food – Well since in was my first time and I also go with a burger or some sort, luckily they had a burger melt! This burger melt included Pepper Jack, Cheese Sauce, Special Burger sauce Caramelized Onions & pickles. I don’t like pickles so I took those off and added bacon! All on a sourdough bread.
Also had some cheesy tots! Overall it was delicious! Got a little bit of kick from the pepper jack cheese and the Caramelized onions did this melt justice! 5/5 for this melt!
Presentation – 9/10 of the time I find myself fixing my food for a better pic. This was the case here, I kinda had to squeeze the sandwich to make the juices flow and organize the bacon a little bit to make a better picture.
Service – not much to it when it comes to service here. order your food, they call your name and that’s about it. But the guy at the register was helpful when I asked him for help choosing something good.
Cost – I paid close to $20 for my meal which isn’t terrible considering how good it was and I was on the west side of Manhattan also i never really care about the cost of the food if its worth it. Could’ve still been a bit cheaper around the $15 -$16 mark and I would’ve been more satisfied.
Overall I’ll give this place a solid 4/5 only because the tots were good but nothing out of this world, didn’t really compare to the amazing melt I had. Still worth a try if your in the area and crave something quick, good and comforting to eat!
Next postBroccoli Cheddar Cheese Sticks!


text:
Awarded by the American Daffodil Society in 2014. Wister 2014; This plant earned the Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1974. *FCC(g) 1974; This plant earned the Award of Merit (AM).
Awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1973. *AM(g) 1973; This plant earned the First Class Certificate (FCC).
Awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1962. FCC(p) 1962; This plant earned the Award of Merit (AM).
Fls 2-3 per stem, 65 mm wide; perianth segments ovate, brilliant yellow with slight white mucro, spreading or a little reflexed, plane, overlapping 1/4; inner segments with margins wavy; cup is cylindrical, short, broadly angled, slightly constricted near mouth, darker in tone than the perianth, mouth straight or slightly expanded, 6-lobed, with rim crenate. Is sibling to ‘Jumblie’ and ‘Quince’.
According to Nancy Wilson, miniatures expert from California,’Tête-à-Tête’ was named as a joke on Mr. Tait. Frank Waley, who was there when it was named, said it was named by Mr. Tait’s friend. Mr. Tait bred early miniatures and bred two of his to produce this one. It was never meant to refer to one or two flowers per stem. The name is French for “head to head”.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


text:
VA officials played defense this week before Congress, arguing in a series of hearings that the agency is prepared to roll out its community care program by the deadline two months from now and that its EHR implementation woes are improving.
So-called community care has drawn fire over the past year from Democrats who contend the program, which allows veterans out of reach of VA services and providers to seek care from the private sector, is a creep toward privatization.
VA Secretary Robert Wilkie was appointed by President Trump after Obama holdover David Shulkin was pushed out. Shulkin publicly accused the Trump administration of moving toward privatization, leaving Wilkie in a sticky situation as he continues to try to get in front of the issue.
The debate ramped up last month when ProPublica published an unfinished United States Digital Service report critical of the department's preparedness for launch of the 2018 MISSION Act, which brings existing initiatives together under the community care program, on June 6.
The report prompted a hearing before the House's VA Subcommittee on Technology Modernization on Tuesday, the same day the Government Accountability Office issued a critical report on the VA's IT challenges and the day before Wilkie appeared before the larger House Committee on Veterans Affairs to discuss the 2020 budget proposal.
New standards for the community care program make it easier for veterans to seek care from the private sector. The USDS report alleged the VA's software for determining whether a veteran is eligible is "flawed" and could "significantly disrupt" VA physicians' ability to see patients.
VA officials said the report was incomplete and was not supposed to be made public.
Richard Stone, who heads up the Veterans Health Administration, told House members on Tuesday that he's optimistic in the department's ability to be prepared before the June 6 rollout, arguing that the agency is capable of dealing with any technical difficulties that might interfere with a veteran's ability to get care. Progress on software, he said, is on track.
Wilkie disavowed the process in which the report was released — before he or any other executives at the VA were able to see it — but said he does not refute all of the contents of the report.
Last week saw Wilkie testify before the Senate VA committee, where he formally requested a funding increase of $4.6 billion in 2020 for the department's community care program. The request puts the VA's medical care budget in 2020 at 9.6% more than it was for 2019.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Andy Barr asked Wednesday whether the split between how much of the budget is spent on VA direct care versus private care (19.2% will go to community care, according to the VA) is directly proportional to the split in veterans receiving care from VA providers versus private providers.
Wilkie said the proportions are "about right."
Stone said the number of private sector visits purchased by the VA dropped from 32.5 million visits in 2017 to 30.5 million visits in 2018. Halfway through fiscal year 2019, the VA's direct care system has grown by more than 1 million visits.
"The MISSION Act is not full choice," Wilkie told the House committee. It's a statement he's made several times since the act was passed and the June rollout for the community care program was set. The MISSION Act only applies, he said, when the VA cannot provide a veteran with a particular service within a set amount of time.
A Tuesday GAO report again brought into question progress on the VA's EHR modernization effort, criticizing the department for not yet implementing its recommendations to improve governance. This is despite spending more than $4 billion annually on IT and $10 billion on its EHR rollout with Cerner and the Department of Defense.
In turn, the House Subcommittee on Technology Modernization on Tuesday questioned IT leadership within the VA, a situation perhaps made worse by the agency's refusal to send CIO James Gfrerer (though Gfrerer did appear at a separate VA hearing that same day). Gfrerer is the fifth CIO at the agency in the past four years, and the 10th in 15 years.
Unstable leadership within the VA has also held up progress on the Defense Department-VA Interagency Program Office, established to ensure EHR interoperability between the two departments, according to GAO.
Wilkie said he agreed with the notion and assured House members of his confidence in the implementation, assuring them he is looking to make the integrated office "much more robust" in the near future.


text:
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) announced today that it has renewed its partnership with NIOSH to improve occupational health and safety conditions at workplaces throughout the United States.
"We value this opportunity to continue our partnership with NIOSH to support and encourage research, training, and other initiatives,” said AIHA President Donald J. Hart, Ph.D., CIH, in a recent news release. "We look forward to sustaining this collaboration to raise awareness of the importance of occupational health and safety at workplaces throughout the United States."
AIHA and NIOSH formed the partnership last year, AIHA says, in order to use collaborative efforts and expertise to advance the protection of workers, promote best practices, and encourage employers to develop and utilize occupational health and safety management systems and effective prevention strategies and technologies.
"AIHA is a valued partner in our mutual effort to prevent work-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "We are particularly pleased that, through collaboration with AIHA and its members who are often the key health and safety leaders or coordinators at work sites, we have greater opportunities for having positive impacts in reducing the risks of work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths."
The renewed partnership will continue until Dec. 31, 2008. To view a copy, visit www.aiha.org/1documents/AIHANIOSHPartnership.pdf.


text:
28 years, 5 months, 29 days old age. Anusree will turn 29 on 24 October, 2019. Only 6 months, 1 days, 23 hours, 33 minutes has left for her next birthday.
Anusree has celebrated the total number of 28 birthdays till date. See the analysis by days count and bar graph.
Anusree was born on 24-10-1990 in Kamukumchery, Kollam in the state of Kerala, India. She is an Indian Film Actress, Television Actress, Television Presenter & Television Personality who is well known for her work in Malayalam cinema.
Anusree wanted to become an actress from a very early and therefore she participated in the reality show Vivel Active Fair Big Break. She impressed director Lal Jose with her performance and he casted her in his next film. Thus, she made her acting debut through Lal Jose’s film titled Diamond Necklace in the year 2012. Since then she has appeared in numerous films such as Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum, My Life Partner, and Ithihasa among others.
For her performance in the film Chandrettan Evideya, she won herself Filmfare Award nominations. She has acted in some of the most successful and critically acclaimed Malayalam films such as Maheshinte Prathikaaram, and Oppam among others. In the year 2018, she had 5 releases and most of them did well at the box-office. Recently she was seen in Malayalam action film titled Madhura Raja alongside Mammootty.
In addition to the silver screen, she has also been a consistent figure in small screen as well. She has hosted and judged numerous shows such as Comedy Stars Season 2, Atham Pathu Ruchi 2017 & 2018 and Thakarppan Comedy among others.
She was born to Muraleedharan Pillai and Sobhana Pillai. She has an elder brother named Anoop. She is married to Rayjen.
Her full name is Anusree Nair but she is credited only as Anusree.
She is pursuing graduation through distant learning.
Even after her marriage, she has continued to act in films.
She has shown her mettle as an actress by playing both glamorous and de glamorous roles.


text:
* Elegance and Honour come together with this Magnificent Designer Raw Silk Saree.
* Half and half saree with Rich zari pallu, that renders an outstanding look to your personality when draped.
* Suitable for Party and Festive occasions.
this saree is veri beutiful i like the saree v much.


text:
Social phobia is one of the most common psychological disorders around the world, but a lot of people don’t understand it. It’s important to demystify this condition because by understanding it better, you will find it easier to seek treatment if you have it. If you know anyone who has untreated social phobia, or appears to fit the description, help them to get the help they need, and provide them with your round-the-clock support as well.
Social phobia is characterized by debilitating fear in social situations, most notably the extreme fear of being negatively judged, fear of public speaking, and fear of humiliation. While everyone gets a bit of stage fright sometimes, it’s not so severe that they would need an anxiety specialist. Social phobia is a different story. This is one of many anxiety disorders that involves panic attacks, in which mounting fear causes the sufferer extreme distress, hyperventilation, and palpitations. These attacks can come on even before the individual ever faces any social situation.
Social phobia can be caused by genetic factors, or faulty brain circuitry in the areas that contr ol emotion, check this depression clinic in Sydney. However, it can also be triggered and developed following a highly embarrassing experience in a social situation during childhood. In some cases, social phobia can be developed after observing fear-related behavior of others, particularly parental or familial figures. If an individual does not develop appropriate social skills in their youth, they may instead develop this phobia.
People with social phobias find it extremely difficult to seek treatment with an anxiety specialist, as their condition makes them avoid being in any social situation. With some support from loved ones that they trust, however, they can effectively be treated. The more severe cases may require medical treatment, but it will always involve psychotherapy techniques. Each individual is different and will require different therapies to varying degrees – there is no one-size-fits-all in the world of mental health.
The most commonly employed therapy is called Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which helps the client develop more rational approaches to their reactions in social situations. A technique called systematic desensitization specifically helps to gradually expose clients to increasingly anxiety-causing situations, providing the opportunities to practice what they learn in therapy. Clients are also aided in learning social skills and improving their self-esteem, often using relaxation techniques like meditation. Improvements can be seen as early as a few weeks into treatment.
If you suspect that you have a social phobia, or know someone who might, don’t hesitate to seek help. This condition is easily treatable with the right therapy and support.


text:
Tales of the fantastic and supernatural are the focus of this sci-fi anthology, a remake of the 1960s series.
Part 1 of two. In the year 2076, a 20th-century scientist (Amanda Plummer) goes on trial for transporting her time machine into a world where all technology has been outlawed. Nicole: Kelly McGillis. Wainwright: Charlton Heston. Clayton: Robert Loggia. Parkhurst: Cicely Tyson. Woods: Swoosie Kurtz. Harbison: Hal Holbrook. Gannon: Michael Moriarty. Ezekiel: Wallace Langham.


text:
There are some good names in the UK TV shows, and yes, everyone is interested in watching them. They have some popular streaming channels including iTV Hub, Channel 4 (4oD), Channel 5 (my5), UK Netflix and Sky Go but BBC iPlayer tops the list.
BBC is the oldest TV broadcasting service in Britain and also the most popular. And it goes without saying that iPlayer is the most sought out streaming service when it comes to British TV.
With iPlayer BBC provides all its amazing content online. With the BBC iPlayer, you can watch live and catch up TV programming from all its channels – BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four and also CBeebies.
You can get the service directly through its website on Windows or Mac. On mobile devices, whether it is Android, iOS or Windows, there are apps to access its service. You can catch up all the Eastenders episodes, watch BBC World Service and also Match of the Day, the Premier League chat show, live.
You also can download, say, Doctor Who episodes and watch them offline within the next 30 days. But the best thing is, the iPlayer is a free service, and they don’t even have any ad breaks.
But when you open BBC iPlayer, New Zealand users get an error message because the service is geo-restricted to Britain. Not only BBC, all other UKTV channels mentioned above stream only to those who are living in the UK.
You can, though, watch the programmes offline from anywhere, if you already have them downloaded.
So, you can watch the content if it’s downloaded and available offline but what if you want to stream them live on iPlayer. Although this feature is not available abroad, there is an easy workaround.
Yes, you can watch BBC iPlayer from New Zealand or any other country you want. But first, let’s see how BBC blocks us. When you request to access a streaming either from their website or the BBC iPlayer app, their server checks your IP address. Your IP address is provided by your ISP, be it Foxtel, iPrimus or Telstra.
Every device has got an IP address online, and when the IP address isn’t from the UK, BBC will reject the request. By now you already have guessed that problem lies with your IP address, isn’t it?
So, how to get an IP address that’s in the UK. You will be glad to know that there are many ways to do so and the easiest of them is to use a VPN.
With an active VPN service, you not only can watch BBC iPlayer but also the other catch up services including Amazon UK and Netflix UK version.
As I said above, VPN is the easiest way to watch iPlayer from abroad. VPNs virtually place you, your device, in the intended country. When you connect to their server in the UK, they offer an IP address of that region.
In this way, you can have the content of iPlayer available for you. All the data transfer pass through that VPN server. But before that, the server also encrypts your connection and allows you to stream with full anonymity and privacy.
There are some VPN providers, some free and others paid. There are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost to name a few.
To help you decide, we have a detailed article on VPNs and reviews for the popular players. Setting up one is quite easy and they have apps available for common devices to do the complex configuration for you.
If you want to watch the British TV channels, it’s mandatory to be a UK TV license holder. The good thing is that this compulsion is not for those who want to stream from the BBC’s iPlayer. But you do need an account to get access to the amazing content available there.
There is no any payment needed, and you can register an account for free. All they ask is your date of birth, gender, email address and a valid UK postcode.
These details are required to give you a personalized experience and content recommendations from time to time.
So, the thing you need to do is sign up with a VPN service, select a server somewhere in the UK and register yourself with BBC. And you are ready to dive into the British world.


text:
Crochet a flurry of snowflakes to keep you cozy when there’s a chill in the air. Just 12 squares are needed for this thoroughly modern take on a throw made of squares.
Gauge/Tension: GAUGE: 1 square = 8½” (21.5 cm); 12 sts = 4” (10 cm); 7 rows = 4” (10 cm) in double crochet. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size hook to obtain gauge.
Throw measures 41” wide x 50” long (104 x 127 cm).


text:
We provide professional security services in GTA. We Install Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, DVRs, IP cameras, intercom, door entry, alarm and access control systems.
We guarantee to give you a superb customer experience or your money back.


text: Hello, my friends & fellow Tingleheads! I have a new medical role play for you today that was inspired by the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (if you’ve never seen it, add it to your queue immediately). In this video, you are a patient at Lacuna, Inc., a clinic that specializes in the focused erasure of painful and unpleasant memories. I’m playing a doctor performing a procedure to help you rid yourself of the recollections of a troubling past event that you no longer wish to carry with you. So sit back, relax, and don’t forget: with Lacuna, you CAN forget.


text:
Do you have records from New Stark Cemetery?
Get started contributing to New Stark Cemetery. Use the button below to begin a simple step by step process to get started contributing to New Stark Cemetery.
There are no upcoming events scheduled at New Stark Cemetery. Use the button below to schedule one.


text:
Live At the Clay Center!
Since last September I've been involved in the Clay Community Arts program, sponsored by the Clay Center for the arts and sciences. I'm working as a substitute guitar teacher for Robin Kessinger.
We’ve had a unique opportunity to share our love for music with students in Lincoln and Mason Counties. This coming Tuesday we’ll be wrapping up this year with a special concert at the Clay Center’s Walker Theater. Robin and I will perform a couple tunes and we’ll be showcasing this year’s guitar students. The concert will begin at 6:30pm on April 28, and admission is free. Hope to see you there!
Hi Adam! I would love to come. Unfortunately baseball season has started and after we get off work, we will be busy on Tues with baseball. Thanks for keeping us updated!
Wow, we’re impressed! Will it be recorded for those of us that can’t make it to possibly see later? It’s a great joy to us to see your talents unfold in such a meaningful way.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


text:
The Government of Mozambique and the Millennium Challenge Corporation on behalf of the United States of America had signed an agreement for implementing an infrastructure program comprising of the three infrastructure components roads, water supply and sanitation. Each component was subdivided into seven individual projects of 35-50 millions USD each. The maximum implementation period was set to five years whereas the actual construction period was fixed to two years.
The challenge was that the various projects were under the authority of three different implementing entities that took over the projects after completion, who had no direct interaction with each other. Therefor, a temporarily created Project Implementation Unit (PIU) was acting as client entity on behalf of the three implementing entities.
Consulting engineers from various nations supervised the works done by the various contractors on site and the client had to be kept informed by monthly consolidated progress reports and regular meetings. The difficulty was that the seven projects all had their own reporting and supervision structure and were not aligned, because each project had it own independent teams.
The reports had to be presented in a harmonised manner.
In this structure German based APID was responsible for collecting, analysing and verifying the progress and financial data from the projects and generating the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) advising the client and enabling the informed decision making in terms of actual progress, expected completion dates, financial situation and contractual risks.
An early version of Prommpt was used to takle this task. Each project was monitored separately and Prommpt’s portfolio functionality allowed summarising the projects on demand, i.e. all road projects or all projects in a certain area or all projects under the responsibility of a certain contractor or consultant, or all projects as a whole.
The benefits of this early version of Prommpt became evident during the implementation of said programme, which encouraged the founders and team to take Prommpt to the next level.
Do you have any success stories with Prommpt. Share it with us on prommpt.com.


text: This lustrous 18-karat rose gold lightning bolt flash pendant necklace is designed to "strike" as it is meant to be worn as a solo layer. The pendant is set with a score of sparkling pavé diamonds, totaling 0.40-carats. Lobster claw closure.


text: Steve, Lora and the team at Vintage were a pleasure to work with. We are first time home buyer's with a short, 25 day escrow and they were great at explaining everything and keeping us in the loop as to what to do next, when, and why. I was impressed that Steve would almost always answer his phone, if not he would quickly return the call, and email communication was always prompt. They were right there with us throughout the whole arduous process to answer our questions, including Steve showing up for the finger fatiguing final signing at the escrow office. And they were ALWAYS affable and upbeat, even though at times I felt I might be annoying them. We appreciate all of the work Steve and his team put in to help us purchase our first home!