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James List

James Nellis is Your REAL ESTATE Resource for San Jose, NM

Homes for sale

San Jose, NM

*An affiliate of the "Nellis National Real Estate Lists" - a network of top real estate agents dedicated to providing home buyers & sellers the best resources and services to make your dreams come true!

Best Real Estate Experience.
Best Real Estate Professionals.

Buying or selling a home is one of the most important transactions of your life. You deserve the absolute best real estate experience, which means you need the best real estate professional to be your guide.

FEATURED Homes for sale

IN San Jose, NM

3 Baths
3 Beds
1900 Area
2car Garages
3 Baths
4 Beds
2000 Area
2car Garages
2 Baths
3 Beds
1600 Area
1car Garages
4 Baths
4 Beds
2200 Area
2car Garages
4 Baths
4 Beds
3000 Area
3car Garages
4 Baths
5 Beds
3400 Area
3car Garages

San Jose is known for its numerous beautiful scenery, historical grounds, urban living and natural surroundings that make it a perfect place to live. Whether you are looking for a contemporary home, a condo or any other type of house for sale; you can find it in San Jose.

Condos for sale in San Jose

More people today are opting to live in condos and San Jose has a high number of condominiums.  Condos attract the modern persons who really don't mind living in a building regardless of how high it may be. When purchasing a condominium in San Jose, you need to thoroughly check the condo unit and get professional assistance in inspecting the condo to ensure that it is in good state and that it will give you value. It is also important for you to note that in San Jose, all newly purchased condo units also require registration with your local Real Estate Board. You need to fill and submit an application form together with any other required documents. It is also important to note that there is a fee you will be required to pay upon filing of the application for registration.

Townhouses for sale in San Jose

Townhouses in San Jose, have today increased in demand with more people opting for townhouses as opposed to single family houses. One of the reasons as to why most people opt for townhouses to single family homes is due to the low maintenance. However, real estate market in San Jose is generally growing and becoming desirable to many home buyers today. When looking for a townhouse in San Jose, NM you need to consider the location of the townhouse. You can choose to purchase a townhouse that is near a metro stop or one that is in close proximity to a major highway giving you an easier commute.  Townhouses that are near a major highway also increase the value of the property making it a great and safe investment. There are two types of townhouses in San Jose; interior unit and an end unit. Many home buyers hunting for townhouses always opt for the end unit townhouses since they provide you with a better resale value, offer more privacy and bigger space to enjoy outdoor activities.

Factors to put into consideration when looking for houses for sale in San Jose

There are so many factors that many home buyers in San Jose need to consider. Some of the most common factors that you should put into consideration when purchasing a house anywhere is your budget, the location of the house and your personal requirements. These factors are great and can be of great help to you when looking for an ideal house for sale in San Jose. However, there are more detailed factors that you also need to put into consideration to make your search for a great house in San Jose easier and fun. One of these factors is a garage. It may seem less important but it is so important for you to choose a house that has a spacious garage especially if you have several cars. A spacious garage can also be of help when your friends or relatives visit. A garage also provides an additional resale value to your property. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms may also be an important factor to consider. I know you think that this is common sense but when looking for a house; things can get a little confusing that most people settle for what does not match their needs and requirements. Another factor to consider is the basement; if you love a house with a basement you need to look for a house that has a basement with walkout level and separate entrance. This provides a good resale value since most people looking for houses for sale in San Jose prefer homes that have a direct access to an outdoor patio or deck. It is also very important for you to learn about the current San Jose real estate market situation and mortgage market place so as to make an informed decision on the right time to buy a house and the best home opportunities in San Jose and where to find them. The information can also help you know whether to choose regular sales or distressed property sales. If you do not have any knowledge about the current San Jose real estate market situation or you find it hard to find an ideal home of your choice by yourself; you can get a skilled real estate agent to assist you. A good real estate agent as the one noted on the top of this landing page will be able to assist you get an ideal house for sale in San Jose that suits your needs and requirements and is in a strategic location. Remember to learn about regulations in the area to keep you in the loop about what to expect in the process of purchasing the house.

James Nellis
887 Client Reviews

Call: 703-436-9842

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Sunday, October 09, 2005

Autoblog owns up

After a day of having several incensed readers posting comments related to the deleted ipod nano contest on all of their top articles, Autoblog eventually posted this message to say "oops, we never meant to make anyone suspicious by refusing to announce the winner and deleting all of the entries and posts related to the contest." I'd say that at the very best, they are quite naive about people's response to a perceived scam. At this point I will wait to see them post the URL for the winning blog before I decide what I finally think about it all, but at least they've admitted they made a mistake in deleting all trace of the contest in a peremptory fashion.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Autoblog contest scam

Well, I wanted to give Autoblog the benefit of the doubt, since I know that delivering on commitments can sometimes take longer than estimated. However at this point I have to believe that have perpetrated a minor fraud on the automotive internet community. Several weeks ago they announced a contest to give away an ipod nano to the blogger who created their favorite page of links to the blogger's 10 favorite articles on Autoblog.

Now, it was obvious that their intention was to increase links to their site, and it seemed to me to be a quite legitimate means to do so... it got people to dig through their archives to find articles they liked and link those articles with commentary on their respective blogs... nothing wrong with that, right?

During the contest, Autoblog posted several updates, listing the count of unique entries, etc. This indicated to me that it was a serious contest and the contest they had announced to the public was legitimate. On the announced end date, they posted an article stating that they had received 100 unique entrants with the last one being right before the midnight deadline, and would have all the autoblog writers reviewing the list and posting the results by the "middle or end of the week" which I believe all the entrants took to mean around the 30th of September.

Another week has passed since then, and I for one have posted several queries to their "contact Autoblog" page to find out why there has been no announcement of a delay, of a tie, of cancellation of the contest... no notice at all. Several people (including myself) had posted comments to the contest-closed blog entry asking why there was no information forthcoming, and a few were speculating that the contest was created in bad faith from the beginning.

Now Autoblog has removed ALL trace of the contest from their site... from the original announcement to the final contest-closed (with the incriminating queries from various contestants.) This smacks of bad faith. Whether it was the case from the beginning or one of the autobloggers fell in love with the nano I cannot say, but I for one find it inexcusable that no message has been sent to the entrants or posted on Autoblog's website, and I intend to see that they are excoriated in online forums for their dishonesty.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

How many gadgets are too many?

I watched an hour-long show about the Frankfurt auto show on Speed recently and one of the vehicles that figured prominently in the show was the upcoming S-Class from Mercedes-Benz. Now don't get me wrong, I like German cars, and I'd love to have so much money that I could convince myself I needed an S-Class. At this point, though, I think I'd buy an older one.

The new S-Class has gone all BMW on us... the odd bustle trunk style like the 7-series BMW (though of course Mercedes cites the Maybach as their trunk inspiration) and the dreaded iDrive. I know, I know, it's COMAND and it's totally different and better and has dedicated buttons for things. Still, I don't see the need for a mouse in my car. Call me old school (I edit with vi, so I guess I am) but a mouse between the seats controlling a display that distracts people from the road is not a positive development.

Car manufacturers' lawyers will tell us that these systems are intended to be used when the car is not in motion, but then newspapers are also intended to be read when one's not driving a car, and I've seen numerous people doing just that. I'd like to claim I've seen someone doing the crossword puzzle, but I can't quite swear to that... I'm sure it happens, I just haven't witnessed it yet.

Do I think we should go back to the AM radio? Hell no! I think steering-wheel-mounted controls for the stereo are a great innovation, a gadget that makes it EASIER for people to drive well, since it offers a simplified set of controls for primary functions in easy reach without releasing the wheel. Navigation systems are a great help to the map-challenged, and some of these have usable voice activation and confirmation to help people watch the road instead of the pretty map display.

I guess it's strange for a gadget guy who's a gearhead to complain about too many gadgets in the cars, but that's the source of Mercedes' recent quality issues, and it's just plain excessive. I must be getting old, and waxing nostalgic for a simpler time.

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Thursday, 24 February 2011

What To Do With Boring Brochures

I picked up one of these floor plan/guide/brochure thingys for The National Gallery when we were there last week. The layout is sooooo dull and boring, so I thought I would spruce it up a bit. What do you think?

Tuesday, 8 February 2011

Valentine Mobiles and Cards

I love hearts...always have and I can never get enough of them. This year, rather than give cards that will probably eventually get thrown away, I have decided to make them a wee bit more functional.

Since I was a kid I always enjoyed making these dainty paper heart mobiles. Watching them gently turn and twist in a gentle breeze (usually from the radiator) relaxes me...makes me feel all cozy...maybe because they are a wintertime project and usually end up hanging in a window that frames a winter landscape. Usually I make them out of tissue paper but this year I wanted to use the antique atlas index papers that I have lying around. I also have an old London A - Z which came in handy too.

They are quite easy to make. Just cut various shapes of hearts out of a semi-transparent paper. Then with your sewing machine start sewing and gradually add a paper heart as you go along. Be random with looks better when they are all higglety-pigglety. You can use ribbon instead of the actual machine thread too but I have found that they are far more dainty and blowy if you use thread. Then decorate them! Write lovely things on them. Hang them from found objects or simply tape them to the top of a window frame.

Since this is the year of 'Being Your Authentic Self' why not tell my nearest and dearest what it is about their authentic self that I love so much. It's so nice when people remind us that just being 'us' is good. I wish it happened more often.

All my love to All of you!

Thursday, 3 February 2011

Happy Chinese New Year: THE RABBIT

The Rabbit

I am in tune with the
Pulse of the universe.
In my quiet and solitude
I hear the melodies of the soul.
I float above commonplace
Dissent and decay.
I subdue my ability to conform.
I color my word
In delicate pastel hues.
I epitomize harmony and inner peace.

By: Theodora Lau from 'The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes'

THE RABBIT year will be full of introspection, relaxation and gentle grace...just what we need after the ferocious Year of the Tiger.

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Hat that I finished today.

This is the hat that I started and finish today. I was looking for something different to try when I kept stumbling upon doilies and lace hats.

If you would like to give this hat a home:link

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Can I Get a Drum Role, Please?

The highlights video from this year's Communities for Public Education Reform Convening is now available! Click here for our round-up about the event and see the video here:

2009 CPER Convening - Highlights from PIP Videos on Vimeo.

We all know that it's all about video now, but for planners, who view events from a completely different angle than attendees, it's great when we can see and hear the feedback, in addition to reading the evaluation forms. Not to mention the promotional value the video gives the client!

For more information about the convening, click here.

For more information about this funding collaborative supporting community organizing for school reform, click here.

Next year's convening will take place May 20-22, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. For more information on preparations for that meeting, click here.

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« Heterophobe (by Geoffrey Ian Bara) | Main | When I awoke. (by Kirsten Fitrell) »

I think you're probably just prejudiced against ASSHOLES....

That is so funny because one of my nano attempts had three main characters and I had hoped to write their intertwined stories in such a way that the reader would be sympathetic to all three. As it turned out, I hated the man, most especially, because I had written him with no redeeming qualities. A narcissist with a need to validate himself through sex and manipulation. But then I didn't really like the older female character either who was a self-destructive passive-aggressive loser. And the younger woman was worse--boring.

And yet the other day I was thinking about this same story and thinking . . . what if? What if I wrote it from a different p-o-v? What if he were this rather than that and if she were more like this and not so much that?

Pfft. I should spend my time learning how to edit my writing rather than create more writing. I have too much written clutter already.

Face the fear and do it anyway. (Hey! There's a book with that title, isn't there?) And remember, you always have us here, your cheering section! Yay Janice! Go team!

Yay team! Go all of us! :)

Oh dear. Are you saying I should be writing instead of reading your blog? Your priorities are confusing me.

Ok really weird, cause I swear I read Portnoy's Complaint at age 13 or so also...J - did this abet in our trajectory towards dating douchebags??

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Friday, September 28, 2012

My Christmas Holiday Plans #2 #3

Salli Achieng
13 years
Nazarene Self Help, Kibera
Class 8

With the the help of Girl Power I learnt how to keep my body and surroundings clean, how to protect myself from bad company and that we should have principles. At first I did not know how to avoid bad company, but after being taught, I now know how to. Those who don’t know anything about life or those who are not educated, find themselves involved with bad company and later they become pregnant. I would like to see Girl Power educating more girls on how to face challenges in life. I will make sure to go to the new office in Kibera and keep the leaders of Girl Power informed of all the challenges we face. This holiday I plan to go and educate other girls and share the experiences that we face as girls. I will also avoid bad company.

Janet Kemto
Maono Educational Center, Kibera.

Since I joined Girl Power I have seen a lot of change in my life, and it has impacted my life in many positive ways. I am now able to face and make decisions even in tough situations.
Through the knowledge I have acquired,  I can now take better care of myself. I must say I have never regretted having joined other girls like me to realise how powerful and strong we are in the society. Before this, I was so ashamed and afraid to talk about my problems with other people. I though I was different from the others and had different problems but through Girl Power I realised my problems are our problems and every other girl passes through them at some point!

Now that I am soon going to be out of high school, I am going to use every bit of knowledge I have acquired through Girl Power’s programmes to improve my life and that of other girls who I will come across. I will make sure that other girls who are facing the same challenges that I passed through, will be able to speak oout and share their problems with others and find solutions with to them.

I would also like to tell other girls that the Girl Power Club is so important to their lives as girls  and that they will not regret joining the club!

Monday, September 24, 2012

# 1
Leslie Atieno
16 years
Nazarene Self Help School
Class 8

Girl Power has taught me various things. I have learned how to overcome stress and how to live with people. Also that we should respect ourselves so that we can respect those who are older than us. I have experienced many challenges. Including a company of friends who knew nothing about a girl’s dignity. They are peer pressured into doing many things. In order to overcome these challenges, there is abstaining and having confidence and also dignity. I would like to see many things happen in Girl Power. Like supporting girls in many activities, a girl is a great source to the world. In the new Girlpower office in Kibera, I would like to see activities take place there, so that I have lots to do!

Monday, September 3, 2012

                                                                                Girl Power Clubs Africa
                                                                                Facebook: ‘’Wanjiku Girlpower Kenya’’
                                                                                Sadili Oval Sports Academy,
                                                                                P.O.Box 8477-00100 Nairobi, Kenya

Dear Members and Patron
Girl Power Club,

___________________________ School
3 September 2012
RE: Activities For 2012 And Closing Debate
We hope you all had a great time during the August holidays!
It has been a great year with lots of fun and learning between us, we are grow bigger and better together thanks to all of you! This year our major activities have been:
1.       Girl Power Leaders workshop, 27th of January, where girl leaders from different clubs in attendance were equipped to some Leadership Skills
2.       I Have A Ball- ‘’You have the right to know yourself’’ Workshop , Medical Camp and Competition, in which winners in various categories were, Huruma Girls, Nazarene Primary, Malezi Primary, Langata Barracks and Olympic High School and a special song presentation by Parklands Arya.
3.       Sisterhood World Cup 2012, took place in May and June, together with sexuality and HIV-AIDS Workshops, assisted by Liverpool VCT. The event attracted radio at Venus FM and Radio Jambo, presented by members from Olympic High. Winners of the Cup were, Olympic High School.
4.       Voting on the Code on Abuse on both Radio Shows and in Girl Power Schools.
5.       This year, we also welcome new Girl Power Clubs: Langata Barracks & Nairobi Day.
6.       Muslim Academy has been doing well in their business project, while Kenya High School has reported to carrying out visits at a children’s home, which is good!
7.       Olympic High School, Girls football team, became national champions at the KSSSA Ball Games in Mombasa, and represented Kenya at the East Africa Championships. Well done girls!
8.       Nazarene Primary School presented 15 topics on “I Have A Ball” and “Girls Speak Out!” Superb work girls!
9.       We now have a Girl Power Facebook account up, running and active! We welcome individual club pages, and so far, two clubs have submitted their page names, Malezi High (Epic Girls) & Huruma Girls (Hugzville Gal Powa).
10.    The Girl Power Website/Blog is now up and running with your stories and events, please find them here:
This Term
We would like to welcome you back to Girl Power’s end of the year 2012 activities!
Saturday 15th September 2012 – Girl Power Debate
8.30 a.m. – 12.00 noon
There will be three topics debated on:
1.       Should There Be Extra Tuition In Schools?
2.       Should Girls Wear Uniform?
3.       Beauty or Knowledge: which one would you choose?
Please confirm your attendance by filling the Girl Power Debate entry form and also be kind enough to inform us early for the sake of logistics.
For more information please email or call our Project Assistant Ja Young N. Margaret on +254 715 684 846.
Kindly remember to submit your Term One and Two Girl Power Report Forms if you haven’t already done so urgently to ensure that you are included in the debate!

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Liz Odera
Girl Power Clubs Africa,
Sadili Oval Sports Academy.


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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

SharePoint Notification Framework

XSLT and JavaScript work on document object model. Neat feature in SP2010 are the SP.UI classes. These can be handled directly in client side scripts and XSLT produced by SharePoint designer.

Status class;

Notify class;

Interesting part with both are the sub-classes for handling colors, images, transition and placement. I've not found much information regarding these but they are fun to play with! :)


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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Glass Me

The first thing I noticed about Patrick Sutherland was his smile.  It radiated outward from his lips, softened his jaw, then meandered up to highlight his eyes.  They shone as bright as the Glass punctuating his right brow line. That Glass was jauntily embedded in a splash of tangerine echoed in complementary tones permeating his belt and shoelaces.  The orange family is warmth, sharing, and self confidence wrapped in echoes of late summer.  Not the color choice of an introvert I idly thought. His hand warmly wrapped around mine as he drew me further into the room where Glass was on display.  Patrick’s happily confident voice compelled me forward to stare in awe at the lineup of color choices. Shale, Cotton, Charcoal, Tangerine, and Sky formed an improbable rainbow of hues.  “Select your color and let’s begin this journey to Glass” Patrick encouraged me as I whispered of wanting a nice conservative corporate look, Shale to blend in or perhaps Cotton to form a neutral contrast.

I reverently picked up the Shale and placed it on my face.  It settled there and faded discretely into the background functioning as a mere foil for the twinkle of the prism. Nice was the most optimistic adjective I could apply to it.  My hand hovered over the Cotton briefly then I swallowed and reached for the Sky.  It leaped onto the bridge of my nose and stared back at me with a commanding glint.  The blue of deep clear water, zenith shade riding the bell curve between green and purple, distilled essence of color, Sky absorbed and completed me.  Claimed by the Glass I turned to Patrick and accepted the union.  I was a Sky blue female and conservative Shale sighed and agreed as it was put away for another.

We went to another station and a pristine parcel of Sky Glass and its accouterments was brought to me.  Patrick took my phone and married it to the Glass then started me down the path of Glass commands.  The light was iffy and the first few glimpses of Glass’s screen were a bit difficult to see.  As the sun set further the brilliance of the background settled down and Glass opened to me.  It floats above the right eye and a slight tilt up brings it into view to respond to requests and open the world of possibilities to a wondering mind. Patrick smiled and said I was made for Glass.

The appointment flowed from demonstration to practice to unexpected delight.  A friend called during it and Glass answered my phone.  The sensation of feeling my friend speak through bone conduction was heady, the freedom of my hands an unexpected delight.  I tend to punctuate conversation with gestures and Glass saved my phone from being waved and caught up short to be held to an ear with reluctantly silent hands.  Glass does not tether us to technology, it frees us from it.  Glass provides what we need to know, communicates when desired, and silently waits in between.

Glass illustrates an attribute of Google that I cherish.  Many facets of modern life snare us unwittingly.  We grow dependent on them and can be subsumed by that, controlled rather than controlling.  Google creates wonders that harness the technology and hands us the reins.  We ride the internet courtesy of their search engine, share communications through Gmail, G+, and Hang Outs.  Glass is one more step down the path to independence. Rather than being dehumanized by the fetters of technology, Glass frees the humanity in us and points us at the stars.

The Google Glass team members I met at my Glassing exude a firm belief in a future where freedom becomes a reality through Glass.  They wear Glass but it frames rather than contains them.  Patrick did not say “Here is Glass, use it this way.”  He said “Here is Glass, create your future and let it be a partner.”

Project Glass has set us loose to create, form bonds, and most of all explore using Glass.  Some of our fellow Explorers will develop software that extends the interactions between Glass and daily living.  Others will augment the lives of people challenged by life. Teachers will delve into the minds of students and pour knowledge through Glass. My own journey will be focused on the interaction possibilities between the spirit, will, and dreams of myself and my furred companions.  Glass will punctuate, illustrate, and aid my queries.  Glass can free my hands to soothe away fear as I communicate with my vet over a critical need.  Sky blue rather than blue sky dreams because of the catalyst of Glass.

The future beckons and I will put on my Glass and step forward with a smile that can be seen for miles.  I am Glassed.

  1. Carol,

    Your write-up is an excellent tribute to Google Glass, and to the freedom it imparts to *you* as the user and wearer.

    It is a wonderful article. You captured the essence of the technology - thanks for the wonderful images!

  2. Nice post Carol, thanks for sharing!

  3. Lovely description for those of us counting the days until our pick up.


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Category: Lifestyle

5 Kentucky Laws You May Not Be Aware Of – Lexington, KY

The internet is filled with weird-law websites that spout much of the same information, but most of them lack the proper documentation to make them a worthwhile read. Kentucky Statute Title XVI goes over motor vehicle laws if you ever have the need to look up a unique situation. With all...[read more]


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Toughness Trivia 63 - Self Fulfillment

We hear from many sources, "I've gotta be me." Even some Christians believe that our dispositions and character traits are inherited or are the product of our environment... that we are sort of "locked" by fate into being what we are, and that it is unreasonable to believe we could be different.

But as Christians we don't have to ... and we shouldn't... settle for "being me." None of us should settle for what we are. The whole process of sanctification is the changing of the "self' we were, into the "self' we are predestined to be. "Whom He did foreknow, He did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. "To paraphrase Galatians 2:20 ... "Self is crucified with Christ... nevertheless self lives ... yet not self but Christ liveth in me." Christ in me or me in me ... that is the question. "Him" self or "my" self. Christlike or me-like ... it boils down to that.

So, in speaking of "self fulfillment, we need to start by defining which "self' we mean. The psychologist problem is right here. They are forever trying to find fulfillment for the selfish, self-seeking, self-serving, unrepentant "self' and, in so doing, come up with some pretty ridiculous humanistic statements that all stem from the erroneous concept of "the right to be me." The right to be me is basic to humanism. It assumes that every man has the right to determine the ethic he will live by. Man is his own god. Man is the center of his own private universe ... and all things and everybody are "good" or "bad" to the degree that they serve "self' ... the center of man's universe.

To illustrate: I heard a lesbian soldier out of West Point, who was being dismissed from the army for her "private" activities, say she is going to sue the army because her "integrity" has been violated! And she will win her case, I'm sure, because we live in a world where the "right to set our own standards of behavior" is assumed, and the only condition put upon that "right" is that each human being respect another human being's "right" to do the same. Now look at how insane this assumption is.

If I were the only human being in the world, "good" could be measured by whether things around my "self-center" serve and satisfy me. I would be the judge of "good" and "bad." A thing would be "good" if it was good for me. Conversely, if it wasn't good for me, it would be "bad." There would be no one else to challenge my judgment. "Good" and 'bad" would be completely relative ... relative to me and me alone.

What makes the "right to be me" doctrine so dangerous is that I am not the only human being in this world. There are billions of us ... and no two of us are alike. In a world of four billion private domains, each being invaded and infringed upon by hundreds of other domains every day ... the "right to do my own thing" does not exist. And if I cling to the assumption that I can exercise my "rights" if I allow others to exercise their "rights," I face a life of frustration and misery. Every move I make will be an infringement of someone else's right, and I will be constantly challenged or will be challenging someone else. In a world of four billion private domains, happiness and self-fulfillment are obviously not "the right to do my own thing."

So what is the answer? Is there no such thing as "self-fulfillment"? I believe there is. But we must start by eliminating the human ego as something that has to be fulfilled.

You don't "gotta be me." It's the quickest and surest road to misery.

Number two ... you don't "gotta be somebody else." God never intended that we all be "peas in a pod." God never intended that we measure ourselves among ourselves.

Peer pressure only leads to envy and self-depreciation. This is what the counselor and the psychologist struggle with. But instead of finding God's answer to self-fulfillment, they revert to the impossible "I gotta be me" approach to self-fulfillment. They try to build the human ego. They use words like "self-worth" ... "self-realization" ... "self-esteem" ... and "self-confidence." You hear their doctrine echoed in words, "I'm a human being," or in a child who says, "I'm people, too!" The struggle for self-fulfillment becomes a struggle against the rights of others ... a defiance of authority ... a resentment of a world of law and order that restricts and restrains personal rights. Talk about unhappiness! Observe five small children in front of a television set trying to decide which picture to watch and you will get an idea of the dilemma "the right to do my own thing" develops.

The recognition of the rights of others is basic to coexistence. Yet the right of the individual is also basic to human dignity. Can the two "rights" be reconciled? In a world of four billion private domains, is there any hope for self-fulfillment? Thank God, there is ... and Jesus has not only taught us the way to self-fulfillment, but has traveled the way himself. Jesus was a self-fulfilled person. He offers self-fulfillment to every one of us. Here's how.

The reconciliation of rights starts with the death of our own rights. The formula is found in 2 Corinthians 5:14,15.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us (makes self-fulfillment possible); because we thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live (that's us) should not henceforth live unto themselves (there goes our rights!) but unto him which died for them and rose again."

Having stated the formula, Paul says, "Wherefore henceforth." That means that what follows is the result of the use of the formula.

What follows? A completely new world view. "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh. "We don't see four billion private domains.

To us, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! To us, His is the only domain that counts.

The world's way of classifying human beings by race, nationality, tribes, education, wealth, and social status is passed away for us. We are new creatures. We see things in a new dimension. "All things (all those four billion private domains) are of God." My domain has become His domain.

My "self' has been reconciled to His "self ... through Jesus Christ. As for the other four billion private domains ... I see them as no longer "private" but "of God" and subject to His will and purpose.

Horizontal reconciliation is made possible through vertical reconciliation. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself... and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." The formula calls for the relinquishing of our rights to God ... making way for the self-fulfillment that comes when we give ourselves to the reconciliation of the world to God.

But self-fulfillment calls for self-emptying. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Rest... peace of mind ... happiness ... fulfillment... that's what Jesus promises to those who struggle with territorial infringement... with a denial of their rights ... with living in a world of four billion private domains. "Turn your self-fulfillment problem over to me," Jesus says, "and I will give you rest from your struggle."

Then He offers a strange solution. His formula for self-fulfillment is amazing! To those who want rest, He offers a yoke! To those who want fulfillment, He talks of self-emptying! "Learn of me," He says, "I took the path of meekness ... I didn't demand my rights ... I sought to please others rather than myself... I actually took the blame that should have fallen on others ... and I found my self-fulfillment in giving hope to the hopeless." (Read Romans 15:3-5.)

Hebrews 12:2,3 expresses it aptly. "Who, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross ..."

Are you weary? Are you faint in your mind? Are you unfulfilled? Are you chafing at the bit? Is the national church a drag? Does working with other missionaries inhibit you? Then "consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." "Learn of me," Jesus said. Learn my secret of self-fulfillment. Take my yoke upon you ... the yoke of meekness ... the yoke of self-denial ... the yoke of suffering. You want to find rest for your souls? Then quit demanding your own rights. Think of others and not of yourself. Endure the cross ... bear the shame ... deny yourself for the sake of reconciling the world to God.

Jesus felt that the joy that was set before Him made His suffering worthwhile. He did not find fulfillment in suffering. He found fulfillment in knowing what His suffering would accomplish. He was willing to be emptied that His joy might be full!

So the formula for self-fulfillment is this:

Can self-emptying be satisfying? Can self-emptying be fulfilling? Jesus says it can ... and I can point to scores of missionaries who are living proof that Jesus' formula for self-fulfillment works!

But be careful. If you go to the mission field with a desire to be fulfilled ... and the fulfillment you are thinking about is a self-serving fulfillment... then your yoke will indeed be heavy, and your burden will be anything but light. There will be fellow missionaries who will thwart you. There will be a national church that will frustrate you. There will be a DFM that will deny you. And there will be an endless series of events in which your "rights" are infringed upon. You will be miserable.

But if you will use Jesus' formula for self-fulfillment... if you will take His yoke upon you ... if you will find your fulfillment in bringing the gospel of reconciliation to others even if it means suffering for you ... then self-fulfillment will be yours. It is a formula of giving rather than of receiving with, in some instances, a marvelous twist to it. There are some things that, the more you give of them, the more you receive for yourself. They are the things that, if you seek them for yourself without regard for others, the less you have of them. For instance, love, joy, and peace are elusive if sought for self. But the more you give of love, joy, and peace, the more you receive for yourself. Talk about self-fulfillment!

Let's talk a bit more about this formula for self-fulfillment. Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Some have jumped on this and have said, "Aha ... this proves you must love yourself... because if you do not love yourself, you cannot possibly love your neighbor." Wrong! Wrong on two counts! Wrong that we must start by loving ourselves, and wrong that loving ourselves leads to loving our neighbor. Self-love does not make us love our neighbor more. It makes us love him less ... and we all know it.

Jesus was speaking from observation. Men love themselves. That is a well established fact. The fact that Jesus recognized it does not mean that He put His approval upon it. He merely used the fact as a measuring stick to show how much we ought to love our neighbors. Any careful study of the Scriptures, both from the teachings of Jesus and the teaching of Paul, will clearly show that we are to deny ourselves (Matthew 16:24)... are not to please ourselves (Romans 15:11)... and are to please our neighbor (Romans 15:2).

"But," you say, "what about self-esteem and self-worth? How can a man function in society who doesn't believe in himself? Aren't these things important?" Yes, they are important, but they don't come through self-love. Those who insist on respect from others ... who think more highly of themselves than they ought to think ... who measure themselves by others ... who trust their own judgment... are headed down a rocky road. The counseling chambers and the offices of psychiatrists are full of professionals who have an unending job of keeping ahead of their own frustrations, let alone those of their patients. Why? Because they seek the answer to self-fulfillment in "self' and not in Christ. Their ego-building balloon bursts at the slightest provocation!

Christ-centeredness is the only answer to self-fulfillment. Does this take away self-esteem? Does this take away self-worth? The answer is "yes" and the answer is "no." Christ-centeredness certainly takes away selfishness. But look what replaces self. "Awareness" of who we are in Christ. Confidence that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthened! me." Unselfishness in that I don't seek my own but my neighbor's good. Believers who replace self with Christ don't have an inferiority complex. It's the guy who tries to do it on his own that gets unraveled!


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June 30, 2014 7:32 pm

WATCH: Peter Doig painting of Toronto rainbow tunnel sells for $15M

Watch above: An artist’s painting of Toronto’s rainbow tunnel was auctioned off for one of the largest paydays ever for a living artist. Christina Stevens reports.

LONDON – A painting of a Toronto roadside tunnel by artist Peter Doig has sold at auction for $15.5 million.

Sotheby’s in London hammered down the work, which depicts the rainbow tunnel off Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway, for $8,482,500 British pounds (CDN $15,481,453) on Monday.

That price includes the buyer’s premium.

Titled “Country-rock (wing-mirror),” the oil on canvas was painted in 1999 and is considered one of the most recognizable works from the Scottish-born painter, who grew up partly in Montreal and Toronto.

It depicts the tunnel as seen from the view of the passenger side of a car on the nearby highway.

Sotheby’s says the seller was Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York.

© 2014 The Canadian Press

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July 2, 2014 4:13 am
Updated: July 2, 2014 8:13 am

2 hotels get overhauls in sign of Sin City upswing

A view of the welcome sign on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada, 12 November 2006.

LAS VEGAS – Two major Las Vegas resorts will be completely overhauled and rebranded in another sign that the entertainment capital is emerging from its recession doldrums.

Story continues below

Caesars Entertainment announced Tuesday that it’s investing $223 million to overhaul The Quad, an aging 2,256-room hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, and will rename it the LINQ Hotel & Casino effective Oct. 30. In a separate announcement, timeshare company Westgate Resorts said it had purchased the LVH, a hard-hit property that was formerly known as the Las Vegas Hilton and hosted more than 800 Elvis Presley concerts during its heyday in the 1970s.

“We are very excited to be taking this important part of Vegas history and reinventing it for the next generation of Las Vegas visitors,” said new owner David Siegel, who was hoisted up by a crane Tuesday to help as crews removed the letters “LVH” from the hotel’s giant marquee.

The property’s new name will be Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which is about a block east of the Strip. About 200 of the nearly 3,000 rooms and suites will be converted to timeshare villas, while others will remain open to regular hotel guests.

The famously large sports book will be upgraded with better televisions and seating but will retain its name and continue hosting events such as SuperContest, the premier sports handicapping competition.

With 1,500 rooms, the property was the largest hotel in the world when billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian opened it as The International Hotel in 1969. Barbara Streisand performed an inaugural series of concerts there before Elvis Presley began a 58-show series that broke Las Vegas attendance records.

He later went on to set up his own penthouse in the hotel and generated millions in ticket sales in the years before his 1977 death.

Meanwhile, the rebranding of The Quad is a continuation of a renaissance in the middle of the heavily trafficked Strip. Caesars recently opened a popular pedestrian mall dubbed the LINQ, anchored by a 550-foot-tall Ferris wheel that began taking riders high above the city this spring.

The hotel will be named for the nearby entertainment district. It was known as the Imperial Palace before being renamed The Quad two years ago, when Caesars started remodeling the ground level. The company overhauled the casino and opened new restaurants, including Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar, named after the Food Network celebrity chef.

But online reviewers were still largely critical of the 2,300-room hotel, calling it outdated and dirty.

Caesars promises a completely renovated hotel built around a signature lobby bar, along with new stores, spa amenities and pool deck.

The “reimagined” hotel will offer “a complete lifestyle experience at one of the best locations in Las Vegas,” according to Tariq Shaukat, chief marketing officer at Caesars.

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September 4, 2014 1:14 am
Updated: September 4, 2014 8:28 pm

Are tablets replacing text books?

Loud bells and busy hallways – school has begun.

This year technology once again takes over the classroom. iPads and tablets are replacing pens and books.

Some parents might consider these mini computers an unnecessary expense. However, for Sandra Dinelle, a single mom with two kids, it is worth every penny. “This is a new year. Technology is advancing and so should our children,” she said.

“We have to move with the times and soon everything will digital for kindergarten and up.”

Story continues below

Her children attend Grade 4 and 6 at École La Vérendrye, Lethbridge’s only Francophone school.

This year the southern Alberta French school district implemented a Bring Your Own Device program, making computing devices a mandatory school supply.

“There’s a collaboration there that is far beyond what we have ever done,” said Monique Gouttin, the school’s grade four teacher.

“You’re going into the world. You’re exploring the world. You’re connecting with other classrooms. You’re connecting with other people, with other teachers.”

The program doesn’t hold parents to purchasing and iPad or tablet for their children. They have optional funding programs that allow them to rent devices for the school year.

“We did consult with all of our parents last year and had meetings around the idea, before we just went and implemented it as the school board wanted us to do so,” said Gouttin.

As for Dinelle, having that little bit of help to further her children’s education means the world.

© 2014 Shaw Media

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Advent Singing Count Down 1: Who Spiked the Egg Nog

Another from Straight No Chaser, I love these guys! Their Christmas CD is one of my favorites I have listened to it pretty much non stop. This one is just fun and well it was Christmas Eve.

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Business / Real Estate / Pass-Throughs: Payments on securities sold in the secondary market that are sent directly to investors.

Private-Label Pass-Throughs

Business / Finance / Private-Label Pass-Throughs: Related: Conventional pass-throughs. MORE

Modified Pass-Throughs

Business / Finance / Modified Pass-Throughs: Agency pass-throughs that guarantee (1) timely interest payments and (2) principal payments as collected, but no later than a specified time after they are due. Related: Fully modified pass-throughs. MORE

Conventional Pass-Throughs

Business / Finance / Conventional Pass-Throughs: An option contract arranged off the trading floor and not traded regularly. MORE

Fully Modified Pass-Throughs

Business / Finance / Fully Modified Pass-Throughs: Used to describe an investor whose assets are totally committed to investments, typically stock. MORE

Agency Pass-Throughs

Business / Finance / Agency Pass-Throughs: Mortgage pass-through securities whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by government agencies, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortg MORE

Fully Valued

Business / Finance / Fully Valued: Agency pass-throughs that guarantee the timely payment of both interest and principal. Related: Modified pass-throughs. MORE


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Cycling Management Games

Best list of Cycling simulator games to play by user vote

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Pro Cycling Manager 2016

Become the sports manager of a professional cycling team and take part in a great 2016 season packed with new features that will let you travel the world in over 200 cycling events (550 stages) including the famous Tour de France 2016 and La Vuelta. As the manager, it's up to you to coo...[Read More]


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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Hosts for Both Sides Now by Megan Slayer

Can the geeky teacher moonlighting as a rock and roll metal god find the one man to see both sides and want it all with him?

Ever since Michael Jepsen walked into Cedarwood Elementary and spotted Niall Grayson, he’s been hooked. He wants to explore every inch of the sexy third grade teacher in all sorts of hot ways. But Michael has a secret—during the summer months, he morphs into his alter ego, Bandit, and rocks stages all across the country. Can he keep his job at the school, while living the rock and roll lifestyle and snag the man of his dreams?

Niall Grayson never thought he’d catch Michael’s eye. Becoming more than good friends never crossed his mind. He’s not good at letting people into his private life and he prefers to keep his heart guarded, but something about Michael makes him want to open up. Will he be able to accept the different facets of Michael or will the relationship fail before it gets started?

To win a prize pack featuring a handcuff bracelet or necklace as well as a hand beaded bracelet and signed swag by the author, check out these hosts:

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Find Your Hummel

"School Boy" Goebel Hummel Figurine #82/0 TMK2

Up for sale is this Goebel Hummel Figurine "School Boy" #82/0 TMK2! This collectible features a young boy with a feather in his cap and his backpack all ready for the first day of school. Super cute!!! This figurine stands about 5-1/2" tall and is identified as 82/0. It has the TMK 2 trademark which dates it between 1950-1959. As you can see in the pictures this figurine is in EXCELLENT condition with no chips, cracks, crazing or repairs! Colors are STILL nice and vibrant! This School Boy Hummel would make a great display piece or addition to any Goebel Hummel collection! If you would like to buy this School Boy Goebel Hummel Figurine #82/0 TMK2 for $89 with FREE shipping inside The United States just click the blue buy now button below.

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newswire, commentary for mining sector

Thursday, September 23, 2010 - Gold Stocks; Gold Bullion Development Corp. (TSX-V: GBB) Announces Private Placement - Gold Stocks; Gold Bullion Development Corp. (TSX-V: GBB) Announces Private Placement

Vancouver - September 23 , 2010 ( Mining stocks Newswire) - Gold Bullion Development Corp. (TSX-V: GBB) (the "Company" or "Gold Bullion") announces a non-brokered private placement financing consisting of up to 11,111,111 units (the "Units") at a purchase price of $0.54 per Unit to raise gross proceeds of up to $6,000,000 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company and one-half of a transferable share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company for a period of one year from the date of issuance, at a purchase price of $0.75 per share.

The Company will pay finder's fees to arm's length parties ("Finders") in connection with the Private Placement, equal to 8% of the gross subscription proceeds realized from the sale of Units by the respective Finder, payable in cash and in addition, at the discretion of the Company, will issue non-transferable share purchase warrants ("Finder's Warrants") equal to 8% of the number of Units sold by the respective Finder. Each Finder's Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share in the capital of the Company for a period of one year from the date of issuance, at a purchase price of $0.75 per share. Certain directors, officers and insiders of the Company may participate in the Private Placement. The securities issued will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day.
Proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for the development of the Company's Granada Gold Property in northwestern Quebec. The Private Placement will be subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.
About Gold Bullion Development Corp.
Gold Bullion Development Corp. is a TSX Venture listed junior natural resource company focusing on the exploration and development of its Granada Gold Property near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, and its high grade Castle Silver Mine in Gowganda, Ontario.
For more information on Gold Bullion Development Corp. (TSX-V: GBB, OTC PK: GBBFF), visit our web site:
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information in this release was prepared under the supervision of Mr. Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., Gold Bullion's CEO and President who is a member of the Ontario Association of Professional Engineers and a "qualified" person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.
"Frank J. Basa"
Frank J. Basa, P.Eng.President and Chief Executive Officer
For further information contact:
Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., President and CEO: 1-416-625-2342Roger Thomas, Director: 1-613-292-2438
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Why is it that when a candidate promises to change the way an entire nation operates, people get excited, but when an online social networking company changes the way their website looks, people get outraged?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I am going on vacation and will probably be taking a break from blogging, not that you would notice except for this post. Please eagerly await my glorious return and slowly realize that I will only disappoint you.


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Executives, Companies Now Always “On Camera”

by Dean S. Goldman, president, Goldman & Associates Public Relations

It used to be pretty straightforward. Executives could tell when reporters were in the room simply by what they were holding – a notepad and pen for print journalists to take notes, a camera for a newspaper or magazine photojournalists to snap pictures, and video cameras and microphones for the broadcast media to capture images and sound bites. In one glance, executives would know they were “on camera” and that they needed to measure their comments accordingly. How things have changed. The most compelling footage, photo, and sound from major news events doesn’t come from reporters covering events the traditional way. They come from citizens using cell phones to capture the news as it happened.

The increasing role of “citizen journalists” can be seen everywhere, with television stations actively asking the public to send in cell phone photos and video of events they think might make good news stories. Often, the decision about what is news or not is based in large part about how interesting (meaning dramatic, humorous, or emotional) those images are. What does this mean for you as an executive?

You now are always “on camera,” because no matter where you are, there very well could be at least one citizen journalist capturing your comments and actions on a cell phone, very likely without you realizing it. One too many drinks at a local bar, and a few too many inhibitions relaxed as a result, could be a career-ender. What’s more, everyone in your company is also on camera at all times, for that very reason. All it takes is one person at any level in your organization to do something inappropriate that’s caught as a video or photo, and you have a true public relations problem on your hands. Service industries are at particular risk, because they generally employ large numbers of people who interact with the public almost non-stop. Those people are often at the lowest level of the organization, but they’re also the most visible – dealing with customers as cashiers, phone operators, receptionists, servers, tour guides, and much more. We all know the pressures these employees face each day as they encounter people who may be angry, have unreasonable expectations, speak rudely, or test your employees’ patience in some other way.

Think about it – could it happen that somewhere in your organization, someone may lose his or her temper, even once? Is it possible that at least one person with a cell phone might be around when that happens? Could the video from this outburst be interesting enough to make the evening news? For most companies, the answer is “yes.” So, what do you do? Our recommendation: Start thinking of your workforce as not only being in the service business, but in the public relations business, as well. Most service organizations put their on-the-ground employees through customer service training of some kind, to inculcate new hires with procedures on how to greet the public, take orders, run the cash register, and more. The time has come to start including a public relations component into that training. What we mean by this is that companies must begin instructing employees at all levels on how to think like public relations people and how to manage stressful situations, no matter how mundane they may seem.

In addition, given the rapid pace at which video and photos captured by this “new media” are disseminated, companies also must review their internal response procedures to make sure that they can move fast enough if they’re catapulted in the news this way. You no longer have hours to respond – you have minutes. By the way, have you seen a commercial that’s now running on television? It’s for a camera cell phone, and it shows a new employee using it to shoot photos of his boss in an indiscreet office situation. The new hire displays the photos to the next level of manager, gets promoted, and then repeats the same trick at that level. He ascends the corporate ladder very quickly this way. The commercial ends with this early-twenties employee becoming the right-hand man of the CEO as both whisked away on the corporate jet. It makes you laugh, doesn’t it? It should also make you think.


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Happy Thanksgiving + 9 Black Friday Deals on Goldspot

First and Foremost : HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all our customers, fans, readers and pen-loving people! We wish you the healthiest and happiest Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.

Goldspot will be enjoying the Holiday with their loved ones on Thursday and Friday this week, so our offices will be closed until Monday, December 29th. However, our website will still be taking orders around the clock! Also, UPS will not be delivering ground shipments on Thursday or Friday. Only Air shipments will be delivered on Black Friday. If you need to contact us during the weekend, please call 800-963-7367 and leave a voicemail for customer service. Alternatively, you may also visit our Goldspot Help section of our website to send an e-mail to our attention.

Now, down to business...

We've got some extraordinary deals going on STARTING NOW for Black Friday weekend. That's right. No lines, no waking up at the crack of dawn, no coupons to cut. This year, not only are the BLACK TAGS back to help you find extra discounts on 1,000's of pens and accessories, we also have a Black Friday Flyer up on our website for 9 special offers that will be running throughout the weekend.

For example, we have a fountain pen bundle deal with the Visconti Homo Sapiens : Order any Visconti Homo Sapiens fountain pen and receive a free bottle of Visconti Ink, free Visconti ink blotting paper, a free Rhodia notebook and the free my pen system personalization (initials only).

Google Checkout is also running a promotion this weekend to take an extra $20 off your order of $200 or more. That means you can take advantage of the Black Tag pricing, buy a special off our flyer and check out with Google to really stack your savings. Kindly note that you must checkout through Google Checkout in order to take advantage of the $20 off $200 deal.

This is a perfect time to buy up all your gifts for your family, friends, significant other, acquaintances, coworkers, and business associates. If you need any suggestions, feel free to browse this blog or visit our clearance section for great gift ideas and all-time low prices.

News on The ACME Beatles Collection 2011

"Here comes the ...."
Pens! Do-do-do-do...

On the heels of the Apple announcement on Tuesday that brought the Fab Four on to iTunes, ACME has released more information regarding their new Beatles Collection that is due to debut sometime in 2011.

At this moment, the Beatles Collection of ACME writing instruments will consist of the following:
  • 9 limited edition rollerball pens, one for each year the Beatles were together in editions of 1,962 to 1,970 pens. Packaged in a black Beatles box for ~$98 each.
  • 13 limited edition rollerball pen and card cases, one for every UK album they ever produced. Limited to editions of 1,000 in each style. Packaged in mini album covers for ~$120 each.
  • One limited set of four pens, one of each for John, Paul, George and Ringo in an edition of 600 sets. The four pen set will consist of one rollerball pen, one fountain pen, one ballpoint pen and one felt-tip (all interchangeable) Packaged in a black Beatles box for ~$450 each.
  • One limited edition pen interchangeable from rollerball to fountain (parts included) in an edition of 1,000 pens, packaged in a black Beatles box for ~$120 each.
  • 3 limited edition watches for ~$90 each.
  • 3 eyeglass cases, not limited edition.
Prices and details may vary as the collection gets closer to launch. Goldspot Pens will be placing pre-orders for the Beatles so that we can try and get our hands on some good numbers. If you would like to express your interest in purchasing these pens, please do comment on this post and we will include you in our e-mail update list.

Pen Spotlight - The Beatles, Disney and a Montblanc Kills a Macbook

Congrats to Retro 51 for winning the North American Global Stationery Product of the Year - 2010! As you can imagine, Disney licenses Mickey and friends to an awful lot of consumer products. Retro 51 has done a praiseworthy job at infusing the Disney characters with their vintage, nostalgic designs.

I had to chuckle when I read this article from TechCrunch called Yep, Montblanc killed my Macbook Pro Today. It is a playful, tongue-in-cheek story about a Luddite writer that traded his Macbook laptop for a Montblanc fountain pen.

And finally,
Need I say more?
I will - ACME Studio, based in Hawaii, is going to introduce the Beatles licensed pen in 2011. Not much is known about the design(s), but you can expect some aesthetically pleasing design that is in-line with the style of the band. Previous limited collections include the Simpsons, Blue Man Group, and Elvis Presley.

My best guess is that these pens will price around the $90 to $120 range and will be highly desirable for collectors of both the Beatles and ACME pens. We are on a list of retailers who are going to be kept up-to-date on the anticipated release and will pass along new information to you, our pen public, as soon as we receive it.

Send our Troops a Gift to Write Home About

Our US servicemen and women work hard and sacrifice so much for us overseas. Through the United States Postal Service, we are able to provide the same standard shipping & ground rates to APO & FPO addresses as we would with any domestic US address. That means we can ship pens and other accessories by US Priority Mail starting at $6.95, with refills going by US First Class starting at $3.25. Both starting rates are for the first five items of the order. We will also honor free shipping promotion codes that usually apply to continental US - on orders that are placed with an APO/FPO address.

Priority mail may not show up as an option on the list of shipping methods when checking out. If this happens, simply select UPS ground for the same price and we will ensure the package is sent properly.

A couple quick tips about addressing for APO / FPO addresses:
  • Use the service member's full name - mail must be addressed to someone specific.
  • Include the Unit and APO / FPO - (Air/Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office) with nine-digit zip code (if one is assigned)
  • Example :
    Seaman Joseph Doe
    USCGC Hamilton
    FPO AP 96667-3931

Pictured in this post are the Visconti Rembrandt pens available in Red, Ivory and Blue. If you need any assistance placing an order that is being shipped to an APO / FPO address, please feel free to give us a call during our office hours at 800-963-PENS.

New Noodler's Ink : Black Swan in Australian Roses

Quite a title, isn't it? A brand new ink from Noodler's, the Black Swan in Australian Roses looks to be one of those inks that every fountain pen enthusiast who has a bottle or two of Noodler's would be "dye"ing to try.

We just caught word via e-mail from the distributor about this ink, so I have no prior experience with it, however, you can check out this neat video that is up on YouTube, explaining about the characteristics of the ink.

For a written description, this is directly from Noodler's Ink:

This ink exhibits a rose halo on certain papers on both sides of the line, as well as exhibiting darker shading on the edges of lines where the tine of the nib touches the page or a side of an italic nib lays a firmer line. It is approximately 16% “bulletproof” and is made up of dyes with multiple properties in order to generate the various shading and different tones under various light sources (it will look different in daylight versus fluorescent lighting – for example). It functions as a conventional fountain pen ink and thus writes in just about every pen one can think of….including the Noodler’s piston filled ink ball pens. The ink inhabits a neutral pH range about 7, though in time it might migrate to 7.5 or 6.5 (that won’t be known until after the passage of time). With certain pens it will appear to be a very conservative dark burgundy plum, whereas it will be a light cherry tone with drier writing pens – and a paper towel test will always show the black swan hiding in the roses.

Be the first to try Black Swan in Australian Roses : 3 oz bottle for $12.50 each.

The Cartridge Vs. The Converter

Many times you will hear of a fountain pen commonly offered with the cartridge / converter filling system. This means that the fountain pen can either accept disposable ink cartridges or use the refillable, screw-type converter that can draw ink from a bottle. My intention of this article is to pit the both of them in bloody battle and see who would triumph gloriously.

Just kidding, but I did want to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using either method of filling your fountain pen. This information is especially useful for first-time fountain pen owners, so listen up. You don't want to get ink all over your nice sweater before Thanksgiving Dinner, or on the Turkey, for that matter.

Cartridges are, by far, the easiest between the two. They are fully supplied with ink, so when you pop that sucker into the front section of your fountain pen and hear the satisfying snap of the insert being pierced, you know you are moments away from writing the Great American Novel, or signing your expense reports, or writing a passive aggressive note for the noisy neighbor upstairs.

No mess filling your pen, but it does take a few moments to get that ink into the feed and to the point. To juice the process, I usually like to give the ink cartridge a gentle squeeze with my thumb and forefinger to get the ink down faster. Removal is as easy as taking out the empty cartridge and throwing it away.

The big negative with going the cartridge route of filling your fountain pen is that they are disposable, hurting the environment and your wallet at the same time. Buying box after box of cartridges isn't as cost efficient as getting bottles of ink. Also, there hardly is as much of a color variety as there is with bottled ink. Most manufacturers will simply offer the blue, black and blue-black, while their selection of bottled inks will have every color "under the rainbow."

Converters are the modern compromise between the traditional bottle-filling systems of old with the industrialized notion of interchangeable parts. Without going into a whole historical tangent, the converter's purpose is to allow the user to fill their fountain pen in an old-fashioned way without having to worry about delicate pen repair down the road. You simply insert the converter in the same manner you would a cartridge. Seat it properly into the front section of the pen. Then, submerge the nib and feed into your bottle of fountain pen-friendly ink. Screw the black knob clockwise to draw ink up through the nib into the converter's ink chamber. Screw anti-(counter)clockwise to expel the contents (air, ink or water) out of the converter. This may take several twists up-and-down to get the proper suction, making sure all of the air is removed from the converter and that you are drawing up only ink. Filling via converter is a process that takes several tries to get a handle on it and novices are sure to get their fingers inky at first. Heck, I still get inky sometimes.

There are two main "draws" with a converter : one is the actual process itself. It may be nostalgic for some, while many also experience a sense of being deliberate and caring for your writing implement. With so many of our modern consumer items being disposable, it is a nice change-of-pace to actually take the time and fill your fountain pen, getting it ready to meet the day's tasks head-on! The second point is that it is more cost-effective to fill from an ink bottle than it is to continually buy cartridges. By the time you are buying package after package of disposable ink cartridges that last a few months, you could have had a whole collection of modestly priced ink bottles to last you a few years. There are online communities like Fountain Pen Network that encourage ink swapping or ink sampling, which would mean getting small 2 mL samples of different brands, hues and formulas of ink to find one that you really would love to get a bottle of.

The intimidating part of using the converter over a cartridge is the potentially messy process. The closest activity I can relate it to is changing the oil on your car. It is far more satisfying to do the job yourself, but you need to take time and get a little messy to accomplish. Taking the car to Lube 'N Go will be more expensive, but far less effort involved. If the oil came in different colors, which would change the colors of your exhaust, now we'd be much closer to the experience of filling a fountain pen.

Bottom Line - Most pen manufacturers offer both the converter and one ink cartridge with the purchase of a new fountain pen for the same reason that both Jiffy Lube and Advance Auto Parts are around. There are people who prefer to be more hands on, while there are others who want to keep things simple. It really depends on the effort of the individual. Not that I'm saying people who use ink cartridges are lazy, they just would rather concentrate their daily efforts elsewhere. People who like filling their fountain pen with a converter want to invest themselves into their writing instrument and are willing to take the risk of getting ink on their hands because it is part of the charm, the very reason why they selected a fountain pen to write with in the first place.

Parker Premier SE Black BP Equipped with Quinkflow

In the age of the Schmidt Easy-Flow 9000 and Monteverde Soft-Roll ballpoint ink cartridges, Parker, who has been the long-standing bar of measure for the aptly-named Parker-style ballpoint refills, had fallen behind in quality. Many of our customers rave about the smoothness, ink flow and long-lasting qualities of the Monteverde or Schmidt refills, often buying the refills with the intent to exchange the misbegotten Parker cartridge in the pen they just purchased. Parker ballpoint refills just didn't match up to the new technologies that were being developed and introduced into the market.

Finally, with the introduction of the new Premier SE Stealth Black ballpoint, we get a glimpse of the Parker Quinkflow ballpoint cartridge, which is equipped in every Premier SE ballpoint. According to the Parker propaganda website, they promise a smoother, cleaner and more consistent writing performance. Lipstick on a pig? I say no.

I did have my skepticism at first, but then when I tried it side-by-side with a regular Parker ballpoint, I was struck by the immense difference. Smoother? Check. Cleaner? Double Check. More consistent writing performance? Don't know about that since I only got to try it for a few minutes. It is definitely a significant improvement over the standard Parker ballpoint cartridge that now comes standard in virtually every Parker Pen (and many more brands, for that matter). But, now that we've gotten a taste of what better writing quality could be, what do we do now?

The introduction of the Quinkflow technology as a separate refill for sale is not available at the moment. However, Parker will be including the Quinkflow refill in every new purchase of a Duofold, Premier or Sonnet Precious ballpoint pen. It is a rolling change that will take effect at the end of this year into next year. The refills themselves should be available for sale in North America by the beginning of December. I anticipate that the Quinkflow refill will be a separate offering to the regular ballpoint for a while, probably at a higher price point. Although, with all of the competition and Parker-Style clones out there that already outperform the brand's own refill, I would imagine it is a matter of time until the standard Parker refill is no more and the Quinkflow is the wave of Parker's future.

Pen of the Year 2010 Winner

Our readers, fans, followers and pen enthusiasts from all reaches of the internet have spoken. Drum roll please..............*fuddles with envelope*

The winner of the Goldspot Pen of the Year 2010 is the TWSBI Diamond 530 Fountain Pen!

The TWSBI ran away with it, taking an early lead and dominating the vote with over 40% of the vote at one point during the week. With the voting finalized, the winner ended up with 38.07% of the total vote, beating out rival Visconti Homo Sapiens by a large margin. It certainly wasn't close, folks!

Showing in third place is the Pelikan m800 Blue 'O Blue finish with the Parker Premier SE Black rounding out your Pick-4.

Some of the "other" selections that were not shown on the poll that users had voted for : Taccia Merit, Namiki Falcon (non-metal version), Pilot 78G, Delta Turchese Meraviglia Stantuffo.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the vote and promoting it on Facebook and Twitter. We hope you had fun. Looking forward to seeing all the new pens that are introduced in 2011 and doing this all over again next November!

Pen Spotlight - Veni, Vidi, Voting

While voting for Election 2010 has now concluded, voting for Pen of the Year 2010 continues until Tuesday, November 9th. Cast your Vote for your favorite pen.

A pair of spotlight posts come from OfficeSupplyGeek, who was nice enough to take the time to visit and buy some products at our Pen Trunk Show back last month. In a post about our show, he writes about the Montegrappa Muhammad Ali and new Lamy Studio finish that he spotted.

In an interview with one of our own, OSG featured Tom's Desk and favorite office supplies. It is a part of the What's on their Desk series, which is a series of interviews of people in the stationery, fine-writing and office supply industries about what tools do they use everyday.

Okami reviewed the new Delta Italiana fountain pen. The additional photos and writing sample are done very well to give you a great impression of how that pen looks and writes. The "aged/dull" finish of the swirl colors really doesn't translate well in pictures. You have to feel the pen for yourself!

The NoteBooker got a hold of some neat Waterman Harley Davidson Pens. He compared the Harley Free Wheel and Horizon to other fountain pens you may also have in your collection : the Lamy Safari and Monteverde Invincia. We also have them up for sale on our clearance section, as these styles have been discontinued.

Other Pen News:
Tiger Pens talks about a Telegraph article that wrote about how stationery shops are flourishing amid the digital revolution. "Journalers are cool kids now," Tony writes. Yes! Finally!

Vote for Pen of the Year 2010

Voting will be live for 1 week and will close on November 9th at 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Winner will be announced Tuesday on this blog and through our Facebook and Twitter accounts. There is a write-in option if you so please. Remember, have fun!

If you are having any issue with entering an "Other" write in option and it doesn't seem to be going through, you may also leave a comment below with your selection.


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Saturday, 19 December 2015

Of Hell and Hell Fire, a Mystic Reflection

Fathers and teachers, I ponder, "what is hell?" I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love. Once in infinite existence, immeasurable in time and space, a spiritual creature was given on his coming to earth the power of saying, "I am and I am love." Once, only once, there was given him a moment of active living love, and for that was earthly life given him, and with it times and seasons. And that happy creature rejected the priceless gift, prized it and loved it not, scorned it and remained callous. Such a one having left the earth, sees Abraham's bosom and talks with Abraham as we are told in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and beholds heaven and can go up to the Lord. But that is just his torment, to rise up to the Lord without ever having loved, to be brought close to those who have loved when he has despised their love. For he sees clearly and says to himself, "Now I have understanding, and though I now thirst to love, there will be nothing great, no sacrifice in my love, for my earthly life is over, and Abraham will not come even with a drop of living water (that is the gift of earthly active life) to cool the fiery thirst of spiritual love which burns in me now, though I despised it on earth: there is no more life for me and will be no more time! Even though I would gladly give my life for others, it can never be, for that life is passed which can be sacrificed for love, and now there is a gulf fixed between that life and this existence."
From 'The Russian Monk'; Book VI of the Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

A friend of mine recently told me of the deep sense of gratitude he experienced in relation to the actions of doctors and nurses who cared for his daughter when she had an illness. When he reflected on this he realised that it was possible to experience greater depths of thankfulness than he had previously imagined, or perhaps it was something in the nature of the gratitude he felt which seemed an almost numinous response to a gift he was powerless to give himself. After all the word gratitude stems from gratis, free.

In On Fairy Stories, Tolkien mentions that one of the purposes of fantasy is refreshment, to remake the world anew, so that it can offer itself back to you as the gift that it is, freed from the shackles of your own weariness of perception.

And thus fantasy, in essence myth, has a great moral element - it can enable us to see the world as gift and thus put us in right relation to the giver. And if we are also of the giver then we must be gift also, for others. A great sense of gratitude can pervade us when we really understand this, and also a great zeal to pour ourselves out for others, to be like the giver ourselves. If, like the rich man, we go through life not understanding this, how great a sadness that will be.

Of Maps Old and New Part Two

Charles Salvo posts that it is not possible for moderns to be naively and unconsciously 'Traditional', comparing the retro tastes of the modern hipster who opts for vinyl, pipe and formalwear to our own predicament:

"The millenial is acting ironically. He makes a conscious decision to reject the contemporary option; it is not a habit, but rather an acquired taste.

We are in an analogous position. The world of our fathers no longer exists, so we can't absorb that worldview automatically without thinking about it much. Quite the contrary, we are faced with a choice since the worldview of the modern world totally surrounds us. Hence, we can no longer be naive, but rather we need to know exactly why we adopt one worldview while rejecting its alternatives.

For the innocent man, the will follows the intellect which was formed by family, society and church. The man of experience needs to consciously create."

In my last post, I tried to articulate some of the issues surrounding the choice of worldviews, or maps, but only hinted at why someone might reject the modern map (or maps), and adopt an alternative 'traditional' one. Of course the classic study on this is A Secular Age by Charles Taylor, in which he brings out the character of some of the different versions of these worldviews.

I mentioned the book The Gentle Traditionalist by Roger Buck, which articulates the argument for the orthodox Catholic worldview beautifully. But one major stumbling block that some may have with this is just that problem discussed above - that people like myself and Roger Buck are really just 'spiritual hipsters', choosing an outdated and retrogressive worldview just because it goes against the mainstream - we're just trying to be cool!

The 'turn inwards' is the problem here. In declaring the world dangerous and pagan, and advocating a return to a monasticism and asceticism in Catholic communities which homeschool etc., the Benedict Option could tend towards a world-denying gnosticism, which would be to ignore the fact that, as the article above says, being Catholic is always a 'being-for-the-world'.

So the spectre of the gnostic heresy still haunts the Christian - it is the subtlest error to fall into. The only way to guard against it is to remember Christ's injunction to take up your cross and follow Him. And He will always lead you out of yourself and towards the other. That's when you realise your cross is also the cross of others.

Edit: Roger Buck has pointed out that whilst the Christian life should be oriented towards the other, some are called to live apart from the world, and even those who work in the world need solitude in order to pray. The exemplar here is Christ who went away into the lonely places in order to pray, but the monastic element of Christianity has been fundamental to it. Valentin Tomberg said "Just as a fish needs water to breathe, so the monk needs the solitude of the cell".

Equally, the image on my post perhaps shows the absurdity of thinking you can change a culture from within; being in the world but not of it is the phrase that is usually used to describe the attitude I would want to emulate.

Thursday, 17 December 2015

Old and New Maps

The map is not the terrain.

But, the map is essential to negotiate the terrain. Given that no map can include everything, or it wouldn't be a map, some judgement would have to be made about what should go on it and what should be left off.

That judgement can often be to a large extent determined by the largely unconscious attitudes of the culture within which it is made.

F E Schumacher, in A Guide for the Perplexed, recounts the experience when in Leningrad, of looking for churches which he could see in front of him, but were not on his map. The authorities did not include 'living churches' on the map, only ones which had become museums. He likens this to the maps of life and knowledge given him at school and university which had virtually nothing on them of the things that seemed to him of the greatest importance to the conduct of his life. He began to suspect the soundness of the maps.

The claim (is it even that? More an assumption) that all the maps made post-1968, or 1917, or 1789 are better by virtue of being more complete, or more faithful representations of reality, or having fewer errors than the old maps, is so widespread and accepted as to be a truism. But this could only be true if it were possible for maps to completely correspond to reality at some future point. But this is never possible; we have already seen that every map relies on a judgement of what should and should not be included.

So no map just is the terrain, all maps are a symbolic way of describing the terrain, which will vary depending on what you want to achieve in that terrain. If you just want to get across it in as quick a time as possible, then your map is going to look very different from someone who wanted to spend time walking and enjoying scenic spots in it.

It is possible here to say: Yes, these maps do rely on judgements, but our judgements are more rational, they have greater warrant than the judgements that created the old maps. At this point we have come to a metaphysical claim, because such judgements can never be based solely on empirical observation. They are obviously prior to such observation.

If this point can be admitted by the modern 'secular' mind (which I have found it very rarely able to do), then usually the move is made to point to the peculiarly effective predictive power and usefulness of the modern map. And there is little doubt that many of the advances in material conditions of life for millions around the world, in medicine and in fairer conditions of living can fairly be said to be based on the effectiveness of the modern map.

But actually this tells us nothing about whether the judgement, the frame of reference within which the facts are embedded, is coherent or superior to the older frame of reference. All it tells us is that we have devised a map which, by narrowing its focus, and excluding many things which once were thought necessary to be included, and by a general process of flattening, has brought a kind of intense ability to predict and alter material conditions.

Indeed, the key feature of such a map is that its very effectiveness in this material direction creates a kind of inability on the part of the map-reader to perceive that they are actually using a map, and a belief that they are just negotiating reality 'as it is', neutrally, with no need for anything else.

Actually, that 'neutral' map-that-is-no-map is aimed at getting us to some fairly specific places quickly. As such, it can say with Laplace: "God? We have no need of that hypothesis."

Which brings me to the story told in Roger Buck's book, The Gentle Traditionalist. The book is a dialogue between two people with different maps, and as such is an excellent imaginative exposition of what I have been trying to say here, as well as so much more.

In the book, we are shown the poverty and incoherence of much of the 'Enlightenment' map, and given a tour of the richness of the traditional map. We are treated to some great moments, one of my favourites being a visit from Rigid Dorkins, and his encounter with the Gentle Traditionalist, who ends up reciting 'St. Patrick's Breastplate' (a prayer for spiritual protection) to heal a 'breach' resulting from the visit!

It really is through stories like this that justice can be done to the truth of the old maps. Tolkien, Belloc and Chesterton knew this, so does Roger Buck!

I'll finish with a quick story of my own - I am teaching the topic Myth and Symbol to my A Level class and I was trying to explain that whilst myth did not necessarily convey facts, it still conveyed 'truths' at some level. I explained that poetry and prose did something similar, and that great truths could be learnt about human nature through the study of literature. I had thought this uncontroversial, but some students thought I was wrong, and that no 'truth' could be conveyed in this way. They were not to be persuaded through much argument. This alone should be evidence enough of the power of the modern map-that-is-no-map.

Edit: I perhaps should say that the student thought that stories, myths and poetry could be meaningful, but unless they contained facts they could not convey truths! I could say many things to this but I think this image is eloquent:

Monday, 7 December 2015

Stepping out of the Night

What is Advent? Many answers can be given. We can grumble and say that it is nothing but a pretext for hectic activity and commercialism, prettified with sentimental cliches in which people stopped believing ages ago. In many cases this may be true, but it is not the whole picture.
We can say the reverse, that Advent is a time when, in the midst of an unbelieving world, something of the luminous quality of this lost faith is still perceptible, like a visual echo. Just as stars are visible long after they have become extinct, since their erstwhile light is still on its way to us, so this mystery frequently offers some warmth and hope even to those who are no longer able to believe in it.
We can say that Advent is a time when old customs live again, for instance, in the singing of carols that takes place all over the country. In the melodies and words of these carols, something of the simplicity, imagination and glad strength of the faith of our forefathers makes itself heard in our age, bringing consolation and encouraging us to have another go at that faith which could make people so glad in such hard times.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Seek That Which Is Above

One evening last week I went to the local supermarket with my family. As we walked in we could hear the sound of carol singers, the local Rotary Club, who do it every year. My daughter pulled me over to them, intrigued by the singing. We sat down at a table to listen, and I was handed a pamphlet by one of the singers and invited to join in as they sang Hark The Herald Angels Sing.

As we sang I became aware of the song as something wonderfully, unapologetically subversive and incongruous in those surroundings. The lyrics lay it on thick:

Christ, by highest heav'n adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the favoured one.
Veil'd in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, th'incarnate Deity

and later

Hail! the heav'n born Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

The 'glad strength of the faith of our forefathers' came through to me as I sang, and I allowed the full cognitive dissonance of the situation to hit home - the scandal of God made flesh, the unveiled theophany of the Godhead, on a Tuesday evening in a Waitrose in Surrey.

When another, deeper reality breaks through into the transience and paleness of this world, it brings consolation and awakens the memory of the heart which looks to the star of hope. This advent, it is good to clear away extraneous things, so that you may listen more clearly with the ears of the heart.