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Taste Eden Valley

Located just off the main drag in the pretty town of Angaston, “Taste Eden Valley” represents about a dozen of the smaller wineries that don’t have their own tasting facilities. A lovely cottage complete with rose gardens has been converted into a wonderful cellar door with a modern fit out. Grab a seat at the communal table or a spot at the bar.
The wines available for tasting are on rotation, otherwise the amount of wines would be scary, even for the most highly trained drinker. A great selection of wines both red and white were available for sampling. Our host was amazing as she talked about each of the wines and the winery they were from. The wines we tried were all excellent across the board and if you are someone who is looking for some classy wines from lesser known producers then this is the cellar door for you.
There were many highlights but the two Merlots from Irvine Wines were so good, that winemaker James Irvine had the French come over to find out what he was doing that made his Merlots world class.

Open hours

Day of Week Cellar Door
Monday 11am – 5pm
Tuesday 11am – 5pm
Wednesday 11am – 5pm
Thursday 11am – 5pm
Friday 11am – 5pm
Saturday 11am – 5pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm

Our Picks: Heathvale Cabernet, Hutton Vale Shiraz, Irvine’s Merlots & Torzi Mathews Riesling

Taste Eden Valley

6 Washington St Angaston

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Frequently asked questions
Lee Valley Caravan Park, Dobbs Weir

Is it necessary to book?

We recommend you book, especially in the busy summer months and school holidays as we cannot guarantee availability. However if you haven’t made a booking in advance we’ll try to accommodate you subject to availability. You can book either online, over the phone at 03000 030 619 or email your enquiry to dobbsweircampsite@vibrantpartnerships.co.uk

Can I book a specific pitch?

We’ll try and accommodate any specific requests if availability allows.

Do I need to pay a deposit to secure my booking?

Yes, all bookings require a £20, non-refundable deposit. The balance is payable on arrival at the site.

What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept cash and all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express and Electron.

Can I change my arrival/departure dates?

This is possible if we have the availability.

Do you allow group bookings?

We allow group bookings and of the same sex. However we do asked that under 18s are accompanied by an adult in their party.

Do you offer a discount to ACSI card holders?

Yes, we offer a discount to ACSI card holders. Please call the site on 03000 030 619 to make your booking advising us at the time of booking you’re an  ACSI card holder and we’ll apply the appropriate discount to your booking.

Cancellations and refunds

Will I be charged for cancelling my booking?

If you cancel your booking you’ll lose your non-refundable booking deposit.

Can we get a refund if we leave early if the weather is bad?

Sorry, we don’t offer refunds for early departures.

How can we get a refund?

We currently don’t offer refunds but we can transfer your booking to an alternative date if availability allows.

Arrivals and departures

What time can I check in from on arrival day?

You can check in from 14:00 on the day of your arrival. If you’d like to check in earlier, please contact the site to see if there’s availability – this is subject to an additional charge of £10.50.

What’s the latest I can arrive on site on arrival day?

Reception is open until 20:00. If you arrive after this time you can still gain access to the campsite up until 21:00. We ask that you inform us if you’re going to arrive after 20:00.

What time do I need to leave on my departure day?

For all touring and glamping pitches we ask guests to leave by 11:00 on the day  of departure. If you’d like to delay your departure time please check with Reception as this will depend on what arrivals we have that day – this is subject to an additional charge of £10.50.

What are the opening and closing times for the site barrier?

Vehicle access to the site is via a security barrier that is operated by card. The card is issued by Reception when you check in and gives you 24 hour access. The site is accessible by foot.

General camping information

Is there fishing on site?

Yes however you must hold a valid fishing rod licence. There is a closed season for river fishing from 16 March until 16 June each year. Fishing equipment can be hired at the site.

Does the site have Wi-Fi?

Yes the site offers FREE Wi-Fi to all its visitors.

How good is the television reception on the site?

TV reception is good.

Are camp fires and BBQs allowed?

No open fires are permitted but you can hire a fire pit from Reception. BBQs are now allowed either.

Can I park my car next to my pitch or glamping pod?

One car is permitted to park adjacent to the tent, pre-pitched tents, Wigwam, caravan or motorhome pitch. Additional cars must be parked in the visitors car park.

What is your noise policy?

We ask for quiet between 23:00 and 07:30. Please respect other campers who may be trying to sleep. We’re a family site and will not tolerate anti-social behaviour or language. Anyone causing a disturbance will be asked to leave and no refund will be given.

Do you allow contractors?

We allow a limited number of contractors to stay on our site.

Do you have disabled facilities on site?

We have disabled toilet and shower facilities on the site, please advise us when making your booking if you require the use of these facilities and we’ll try to allocate a pitch as close as possible.

What’s included when you book a Wigwam?

All of our Wigwams are heated, have electricity, a fridge, fold out sleeping platforms, a kettle and welcome pack. You’ll need to bring your own bedding and linen to use in the Wigwam. Sorry we don’t hire out sleeping bags, bedding, linen, towels or tea towels.

What’s included when you book a pre-pitched tents?

Our pre-pitched tents come with most of what you would need or your stay, electricity, fridge, air mattresses, crockery, pots and pans, small gas cooker and chairs. You’ll need to bring your own bedding and linen to use in the Wigwam. Sorry we don’t hire out sleeping bags, bedding, linen, towels or tea towels.

Do you have caravans for hire?

Sorry we don’t hire out caravans. However we do have Wigwams and pre-pitched tents that can be hired.

Can I hire camping equipment, travel cots or sleeping bags?

Sorry we don’t have tents, travel cots or sleeping bags for hire or sale. Our shop however does stock some basic camping equipment that you can purchase.

Do you provide towel hire?

No, you’ll need to bring your own towels and tea towels.

Can I hire cooking utensils?

We have BBQ cooking utensils available to purchase and hire in our shop.

Can I buy gas bottles from the site?

We stock butane,propane and gas bottles in a variety of sizes. Prices are available from the shop.

            Can we have grocery shopping delivered to the site?

              Deliveries of shopping to the site are not permitted, however the site has small shop stocking a range of
              products and there are also supermarkets a short drive from the site.

Are pets allowed on the site?

We welcome well behaved dogs (maximum of two per pitch), but they must be kept on leads at all times. Dogs must be kept in the caravan, motorhome or tent at night. No dog is to be left unattended outside a tent, caravan or motorhome.

Are dogs allowed in the Wigwams or pre-pitched tents?

We have one Big Chief and one Wee Brave Wigwam that are dog friendly (extra nightly charge payable). Sorry no dogs are allowed in our pre-pitched tents.

Are there specific dog walking areas?

There’s a dog walk on site.

Local restaurants, pubs and takeaways

What restaurants and takeaways are nearby?

A short walk from the site is The Fish & Eels pub which offer a range of meals as well as the Rivers Edge Café. There are a range of takeaways located a short drive away in Hoddesdon.

Are there any local takeaways that deliver to the site?

Yes many of the local takeaways deliver to the site, menus are available from Reception.

Can you buy hot drinks and food at the site?

There’s a hot drinks vending machine situated in Reception and our licensed site shop stocks a range of food and drink to buy.

Local information and travel

Where is the nearest bank?

The nearby town of Hoddesdon has all the major banks in it’s high street.

Where is the nearest supermarket?

The nearest supermarkets and located in Hoddesdon. Choose from a large Sainsburys, Morrisons, Aldi and small Asda as well as local retailers.

Where is the nearest leisure centre or swimming pool?

John Warner Leisure Centre in Hoddesdon has a toddler and full size pool.

Do you have the details of a local taxi company?

Broxbourne Station Cars Ltd on 01992 464 007.

What attractions and places are there near to the campsite to visit?

On the site we have fishing from the river banks as well as our children’s play area. You can hire fishing equipment in our shop.

         On arrival you’ll be given your Welcome Pack in which you’ll find your own Lee Valley Camping Card which offers each visitor great discounts at some of Lee Valley Regional Park’s other venues.

         To find out more about other Lee Valley Regional Park attractions go to visitleevalley.org.uk or when on site pop into Reception where you’ll find whole host information on the attractions in the area

How far is the site from central London?

Central London is about 50 minutes away from the site. The easiest way to travel to central London is to take the train from Broxbourne station (20 minute car ride or 35 minute walk along the canal from the site). Each visitor receives a free car parking pass for the car park close to the station, just ask at Reception and we’ll sort one for you.

Is there public transport serving the site?

Unfortunately there currently is no bus service that comes to the campsite.

Where is the nearest overground train station?

The nearest train station is Broxbourne which is a 20 minute car ride or 35 minute walk along the canal. Each visitor receives a free car parking pass for the car park close to the station, just ask at Reception and we’ll sort one for you.

What’s the most cost effective way to travel into London?

There are a few ways to pay for any bus or train journeys. It’s worth noting that children aged 5 – 11 travel free of charge when accompanied by an adult on buses and underground trains plus some overground train routes are also free (maximum of four children per adult)

         One day travel cards – These let you travel on the bus and overground and underground trains all the way into central London for the whole day.

         Daily Adult Zones 1 - 4                          £12.10

         Daily Child                                               £6.00

Other zones vary. Please check  www.tfl.gov.uk for more information.

         Contactless payment – just touch your contactless debit card to the payment points on the bus or at the train stations and the system will automatically work out your journey costs for the whole day. Please note a separate debit card will be required for each person (who needs to pay for the journey).

       Oyster cards – available to purchase from any over or underground train station. These cards are valid throughout your stay and can be topped up as required.

Plan your adventure

Add accommodation, places to go or events in the Lee Valley to an itinerary.

Cookies are used on this website to ensure that we give you the best experience possible.
By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies. Information on our use of cookies.

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Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Personal Tax To Go Up By 60% In Ahmedabad

Your residence tax invoice will not be as simple as it had been last season. Many tax payers are yet to recognize this. A specific record of qualities is being ready for the ultimate expenses to be printed from mid-July forward by the Ahmedabad Public Organization (AMC). Your personal tax expenses will be placed at 60 % greater while those having professional qualities will see a improve of 28 % over their past tax expenses. The new expenses will be provided from Sept forward.

Expecting a common desire not to coughing up high taxation, the AMC has provided a refund plan of 10 % for all ‘early birds’ who will pay an enhance tax. The reaction has been motivating. During the same April-May interval last season, the AMC had gathered Rs 134 crore. This season, because the taxation will be greater, a variety of people have queued up to pay their taxation beginning. The net selection is Rs 174 crore until time frame.

“We need at least Rs 600 crore from residence taxation this season,” says municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra. Mature tax authorities declare that the focus on this season has been to produce an additional Rs 260 crore additional income with the climbing up of taxation.

Deputy municipal commissioner, taxation, Arjav Shah says, “Since people are anticipating a greater tax invoice this season we have already obtained enhance expenses from nearly 8,000 tax payers. The figures will improve as term propagates on our refund plan until May 16.

The AMC gets 75 % of its earnings from professional qualities and nearly 25 % from homes every season. Last season, the AMC had obtained Rs 375 crore from professional residence earnings and Rs 125 crore value of taxation from homes.Posted by viswa mandalapu.


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Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
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Keeping the Partridge Table

Previous Next

    Influencing Vizcaya

    The Gilded Age and Chinoiserie

    Presented by Nathaniel Sandler, Writer,
    with Gina Wouters, Curator

    Vizcaya is a prime example of the grand estates built by America’s wealthy during the Gilded Age, the span from the 1870s to the 1920s that comes to us with a dual legacy. The era takes its name from Mark Twain’s first novel, the social satire The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873), co-written with Charles Dudley Warner. The novel depicts the period as one marked by corruption and greed, poorly camouflaged with a thin veneer of glitter. But the Gilded Age was also a transformative time of explosive industrial and economic growth that gave rise to America as a major player on the world’s stage.

    Architecture and patronage of the arts flourished in these decades, a byproduct of economic development. America’s initial class of super-rich built mansions in places like Newport and Long Island (and, in the case of Vizcaya, Miami) and collected art, much of it European, to fill these new homes.

    It is generally accepted that the novel’s title—and therefore the name for the era—derives from Shakespeare’s lines: “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,/…../Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.”  However, there is a second possibility. Within the book itself the phrase “gilded age” is attributed to a Chinese maxim.  Oddly, one of the initial pages in the novel consists entirely of Chinese characters. The phrase, according to the authors, may be “freely translated” as: “Two heads, working together, out of commonplace materials, bring THE GILDED AGE.” Whether the authors meant to link their notion of this time period in America specifically to China is unclear, especially given that they open every chapter with different proverbs from all over the world. What is clear, however, is that the Chinese characters create a sense of mystery.

    We see a similar scenario of borrowing from the exotic, and China in particular, played out in Gilded Age interior design and its affinity for the chinoiserie style, of which Vizcaya has a prime example in its Cathay bedroom, located on the second floor of the Main House, next to the Main staircase.  The room is quaint, even cozy, and stepping into it transports the visitor to a different place entirely.

    Chinoiserie, French for “Chinese-esque,” is a broad term for a European style meant to reflect a fanciful vision of China. The technique thrived in England and Italy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the first large-scale chinoiserie-style interior design plan at Versailles. During the Gilded Age, America’s newly minted upper class typically looked to Europe for aesthetic guidance, and chinoiserie made the ocean crossing.

    The style was popularized in the United States by Elsie de Wolfe, credited as America’s first interior decorator. De Wolfe was well respected and incredibly influential. Her lineage feeds directly to Vizcaya, as does her liberal use of chinoiserie. James Deering, Vizcaya’s owner, initially approached de Wolfe to decorate his Chicago home. She referred the job to Paul Chalfin, an associate. He must have done a good job, as he was subsequently retained as Vizcaya’s artistic director, responsible for overseeing the creation of the estate.

    Chalfin was well-versed in the nuances of the chinoiserie style. Not only had he worked closely with de Wolfe, but he had been the Curator of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in the early years of the century.

    In designing Vizcaya, Chalfin created themes for the rooms in the Main House and designed those rooms around elements such as furniture or other decorative features. The Cathay bedroom is one such example.

    In a March 27, 1917 document with the heading, “The Symbols employed at Vizcaya,” Chalfin explains the themes of many of the named rooms. Of the Cathay bedroom he writes: “Cathay is chosen for a room obviously designed in Venice in a manner supposedly Chinese. The generic name for China, used in a vague way during the 18th Century, was Cathay.”

    The room’s focal point is a suite of painted wooden furniture acquired in Venice. While it was sold as a unit, the suite is clearly cobbled together from pieces that are believed by experts to be of late eighteenth century, primarily Italian origin. The items include a bed frame, two mirrors, two small cabinets/side tables that held chamber pots in Deering’s time, two lamps, and a secretary desk that is a market piece, meaning it was assembled by the dealer from various other pieces.

    Each piece is adorned with vaguely Asian decorations—flowers, birds and sages of no apparent meaning. Some of the pieces were altered after purchase, many by Chalfin himself. Though today we would cringe at this approach, it was a common interior decorating practice at the time. We know Chalfin transformed the lamps, adding parasol tops to match the canopy fixture, and he changed the appearance of the bed with bedding and new drapery. There is some suggestion he changed other pieces in the room through varnish and paint, as was his practice for many of the items at Vizcaya.

    The bed is spectacular, draped luxuriously in a silk-blend canopy dramatically suspended from a fixture attached to the wall, resulting in “a Venetian idea of a Chinese bed,” according to Chalfin. The elaborate tassels are a stellar finishing touch and were contemporary additions to the canopy, commissioned by Chalfin and designed by the influential writer, decorator and society hostess Muriel Draper.

    While chinoiserie is the theme in the Cathay bedroom, many additional examples of the style are integrated throughout the Main House. Chalfin sought to infuse an element of Asian exoticism through these objects, with China as a suggestion rather than a prevalent idea. (Appealing as the notion of China was, at the time of Vizcaya’s creation the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was in effect, which prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers.)

    The Cathay bedroom suite was purchased from Dino Barozzi, a Venice-based arts and antiquities dealer and a count from one of Venice’s most established aristocratic families. He was Vizcaya’s primary supplier of Italian items; the museum’s archives include correspondence written in his hand. Barozzi had “a rather unusual pedigree for an art dealer; he was active between the 1890s and World War I, very prominent, always based in Venice with an important international clientele,” according to Flaminia Gennari Santori, a former curator at Vizcaya. Much like Deering, Barozzi spent a good deal of his life working on a beautiful home filled with fascinating objects, the fifteenth-century Palazzo Soranzo-Van Axel in Venice.

    Records of the pieces purchased from Barozzi are found in Vizcaya’s purchase ledger, a fascinating leather tome compiled during the house’s construction. The records include the name, price, style and location of every piece Deering bought for Vizcaya and for his home in Chicago. Thus, we know that the Cathay bedroom suite was purchased in 1914 for 8,000 lire, or $1,544, in a transaction handled by Chalfin.

    The chinoiserie found within the walls of Vizcaya did not go unnoticed by the design world.  Vizcaya’s archives include a 1918 letter to Chalfin from Richard F. Bach, Editor of Good Furniture in which he wrote: “I am writing to ask whether you have available any photographs of your executed work showing the Chinese taste, and if you would permit me to use such photographs to illustrate an article on the Chinese motif in decoration.” Further investigation reveals that Chalfin penned an article on the style that appeared in the magazine’s August 1918 issue, in which we learn that his liberal hand with chinoiserie was not reserved for clients; he speaks of the chinoiserie in his own apartment in New York and the importance of using the style to thematically join various elements in a room.

    One can argue that the chinoiserie at Vizcaya and the Chinese text that fronts The Gilded Age are related—in both cases, these elements lend an exoticism and perhaps a sense of worldly sophistication. Despite any similarities, it’s a safe guess that the authors of The Gilded Age would not have warmed to Deering. As Vice President of International Harvester, he was a wealthy industrialist, producer and product of the Gilded Age that they skewered.

    It’s interesting, though, that the novel and Vizcaya share additional commonalities. The Gilded Age was a collaboration and celebrated itself as such, both with its prominent placement of a Chinese proverb that extols collaboration (“two heads, working together”) and the authors’ emphasis in the Preface: “There is scarcely a chapter that does not bear the marks of the two writers of the book.” Similarly, Vizcaya was nothing if not a collaboration, the joint creation of Deering, Chalfin, the estate’s architect, Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr., and its landscape architect, Diego Suarez.

    The similarities continue—the proverbs that precede each chapter in The Gilded Age can be read as similar to Vizcaya’s aesthetic of borrowing with abandon from an eclectic mix of places and times. The authors’ chapter headings, plucked from many countries and historic periods, are “attractive scraps of literature” meant to “pleasantly inflame the reader’s interest without wholly satisfying his curiosity,” according to the authors.

    These same words could easily apply to the spirit of appropriation that is so integral to Vizcaya.

    --January 2015

    For more information on the series “Keeping the Partridge Table,” contact


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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A new twist in noncompete cases

Noncompete cases always seem to generate a great deal of interest when we feature them in the paper.

This week, we got a case that has a new twist. It was decided by Virginia Beach Circuit Judge Joe Canada.

The case involves three guys who partnered to start a martial arts studio.

Their cooperative agreement featured a clause that required two of them to pay a penalty for breaching the agreement with the third. If the two guys started their own martial arts school, without giving the third guy an opportunity to participate, they agreed to pay him $15,000.

Not surprisingly, the two guys did just that and the third guy sued, seeking $750,000.

Judge Canada found that while the clause did not neatly fit the definition of a noncompete clause, it nonetheless was valid and enforceable as a covenant not to compete.

To get a free copy of the full-text opinion in Miran v. Merullo, Today’s Top Opinion, please visit the Virginia Lawyers Weekly home page,

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It all Adds UP: Cracked-door Policy

Author: Fr. Charlie McCoy, C.S.C.

Fr Charlie McCoy, CSC

Fr. Charlie McCoy, C.S.C., University of Portland math professor, resident priest, and blogger extraordinaire, has sent us his blog for January, and it is another marvelous one about letting the Lord be a guest in our lives. Enjoy!

I haven’t yet developed the important habit of leaving the doors to my apartment and my office open or ajar when I’m around. I’m not a shy person myself, so I easily forget that the guys in the hall or the students in my classes might be too intimidated to knock if my door is closed. (Plus, it doesn’t help that my all men’s dorm doesn’t always smell so great.) But I’m slowly learning that an “open-door” policy has to have a literal quality to it if it’s going to be effective, so I’m trying my best to amend my ways.

One evening last week, I didn’t get back to my apartment until around 11 pm. I hadn’t been able to get to Mass that morning or afternoon, so I attended one of the 10 pm dorm Masses, and I chatted with some folks afterward. I wasn’t sleepy, but I was really tired, so I sat on my couch reading a little bit in order to wind down. And then I looked up and realized that, once again, I hadn’t left my door open. I started making excuses to myself as to why I needn’t bother getting up: it was pretty late; I was exhausted; it was just the FIRST WEEK of class, so who would need to see me already anyway? And just as I was about to make my internal counter-arguments, I looked more closely and noticed: I hadn’t shut my door tightly in the first place; my door was CRACKED! Excellent! Cracked was good enough, and I could sit there on my couch, a guilt-free pastoral resident.

And then, much to my amazement, someone knocked and came in at my invitation. It was a young man from another hall. I know him pretty well, so I wasn’t too surprised to see him, and he asked if we could sit down and talk. He had just gotten some news that posed a problem of a rare sort, one that both was urgent and had the possibility for long-term consequences. We certainly couldn’t solve what faced him in one conversation, but it was obvious that he was doing the right thing by talking about this with someone as soon as possible. I was grateful that he had made the effort to come to me.

 In the Book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will dine with him and he with me.” How open, how inviting, how welcoming, how hospitable do we have to be for such a Guest? Often, it seems, He is not too demanding. On this night, all He required of me was that I leave the door cracked.

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Who Am I?

Fr. Dan Ponisciak, C.S.C.

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VOICES Voices Icon Ideas and Insight From Explorers

Expedition Begins to Sacred Reef of Fiji

By Dr. Stacy Jupiter

Lau – Land of Islands Lost

This is the first of several blogs documenting an 8-day, marine expedition to Fiji.

Tomorrow we board our research vessel to embark on our journey to the remote reaches of Fiji’s oceans. We are headed to Lau Province, where communities hold their reefs sacred and mythical islands really can vanish like in the television series Lost. Through this expedition, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Pacific Blue Foundation, Wetlands International-Oceania, and the Waitt Institute are partnering to uncover the stories of the reefs and people of Totoya Island in the Yasayasamoala group.

(c) Wildlife Conservation Society

Lau Province is made up of over a hundred islands and atolls scattered across a 188 square mile expanse of deep water bridging Fiji and Tonga. The Yasayasamoala group encompasses Totoya, Moala, Vanuavatu and Matuku islands, plus the atoll Navatu, which are all the summits of extinct oceanic volcanoes that rise from depths of over 6500 feet. There may have previously been more. Oral histories collected by University of the South Pacific linguist Paul Geraghty describe a mythical island, Burotukula, which geologists believe may have slipped off the flanks of Matuku over 1000 years ago.

Totoya is a triangular shaped island excavated by a drowned caldera. Although only 125 miles from Fiji’s capital in Suva, the geographic distance belies its remoteness. The nearest airstrip is on Moala Island, although the once-weekly flights will not land on its grassy surface if conditions are wet. From Moala, Totoya residents must make a 25 mile ocean crossing at their peril, with large swell and high currents regular features of the deep passages between these islands.

(c) Keith Ellenbogen

There are four villages on Totoya occupying 129 households. Most residents are farmers or fishers, with few other opportunities to earn a living. Fish catch surveys conducted across southern Lau by researchers from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom suggest that by the mid-1990s, even a modest level of local fishing had strong impacts on coral reef fish communities. Since that time, fishing pressure has increased as the urban markets of Suva lured many to sell their precious stocks.

(c) Keith Ellenbogen

Traditionally, Fijians and other Pacific Islanders used customary governance systems to manage their marine resources. When people noticed declines in their resources, the chiefs would impose a ban (call tabu in Fijian) on fishing. On Totoya, the chiefs declared a portion of their sacred reef tabu for several decades. However, prompted by increasing commercial value of fish stocks, the previous high chief of Totoya lifted the ban to boost the economy of his island. The current high chief of Totoya, Roko Sau (Roko Josefa Cinavilakeba), is joining us on the expedition to encourage his people to revive their traditions. He will lead the chiefs of the four villages to once again declare their sacred reef tabu for World Ocean’s Day on June 8 to ensure that there are fish for future generations.

We invite you to follow along our adventures as we aim to locate new species, revitalize cultural practice, and explore the unknown. We are very excited at the prospect of what the coming week will bring.

(c) Keith Ellenbogen

  1. Walter Aitu
    April 16, 2012, 11:08 pm

    I taught elementary school there in Udu, Totoya back in 2000. Good times, beautiful people!

  2. Carrie Martin
    April 9, 2012, 9:08 pm

    Bula Friends,

    I was wondering if I could get permission to use one or 2 pictures to include in our Honour Fiji project information. This is a youth project with the Econesian Society at the University of South Pacific, where both Fijian and international youth will commit to service for the ecology around many of the outer islands aboard a tall-ship the Alvei. We are seeking support for the project and presently I am in the United States and need a few good ocean photos. Could someone get back to me and let me know. Vinaka, Carrie

  3. Finau Aulele Masirewa Nanovo
    June 29, 2011, 1:51 am

    A great find and keep it well.

  4. Unaisi Waqanivere
    June 27, 2011, 1:39 am

    Thanx you Stacy and WCS Team and other partner organisation for this amazing adventure and the great work you have done in our beautiful islands in Lau..any chance of reaching Ono-i-Lau????lol…

  5. Sereana Talemaibau
    Suva, Fiji
    June 22, 2011, 6:48 pm

    A big hearty vinaka vakalevu to the this team…and to the Roko Sau for sharing our beautiful Daveta Tabu with the rest of the world. As a very proud Tovu-Totoyan..just the feeling while visiting the island is overwhelming..but to actually see the reef and all its life….Sa Malo

  6. Filomena Serenia
    June 17, 2011, 1:37 am

    Thank you Stacy and the WCS team,Pacific Blue Foundation, Wetlands International-Oceania, and the Waitt Institute , and the villagers of Totoya for their great work!!!!

  7. Josaia Cama
    Suva, Fiji
    June 7, 2011, 5:38 pm

    To be on National Geographic channel is awesome. Go Totoya go.

  8. Josaia Cama
    Suva, Fiji
    June 7, 2011, 5:36 pm

    A very special thanks to the Turaga Roko Sau for putting our Island on the world map as a slice of heaven on earth.

  9. Sainiana Rika-Hicks
    Suva, Fiji
    June 7, 2011, 2:22 am

    Truly a paradise….. I wish the Roko Sau all the best in leading His people towards conserving their resources…

  10. bushka
    June 4, 2011, 5:45 am

    Stacy blogging is very inviting to follow with her around Fiji’s islands treasures , tribal customs and under-water hidden beauty .
    The pictures by Keith are astounding and outstanding

  11. […] Full story… […]

  12. Steven Bailey
    Boston, Massachusetts
    June 2, 2011, 2:59 pm

    Just knowing that this good work is being done there is quite uplifting. A pleasant departure from the sometimes overwhelming negative news.

  13. Erik Gudowski
    New York City
    June 2, 2011, 10:02 am

    The color in the last photo by Keith Ellenbogen, with the orange fish and blue water is amazing-!!

  14. Nancy Belsky
    United States
    June 1, 2011, 7:09 am

    Beautiful photos. A slice of heaven on earth.


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Monday, March 14, 2005

Where is the Campari? - A NorthWest Airlines Disaster

Definition of air travel: Hurry up and Wait (Nomes Encyclopedia)

Back from the IETF in Minneapolis I needed two days to recover from the KLM/NWA disaster. Normally I am flying Star Alliance, which is basically Austrian, Lufthansa and United. This time for retrospectively stupid reasons I decided to fly KLM/NorthWest Airlines, e.g. I considered it nice to fly direct from Amsterdam to MSP, having only a short 1 hour stop-over in Amsterdam.

This was where the trouble started. The KLM flight from Vienna was already delayed because of late arrival of the incoming plane caused by bad weather in Amsterdam. The KLM plane must be used in summer for charter to Mallorca, because the spacing between the seats did not allowyou to sit straight. The advantage was only that the guy sitting in front of me could not lean back, my kneecaps where stronger. The flight-attendants announced already: All connections before 1400 are gone, all after 1400 are confirmed. Ok, is excactly 1400 before or after? Answer: check at the transfer counters. So we finally touched down in Amsterdam at 1325, but behold: the runway seemed to be on the other side of Holland, so we drove 20 minutes through the landscape, crossing some Autobahns, until we finally found the gate. It was already 1350 when we finally dicovered a display showing departure time 1350, gate closing. The transfer counters where so crowded that we could as well try to reach the gate. So another 3 km walk, passing security checks and passport control, always gate closing on display, we finally reached the gate, and: it was still open.

So we answered the usual questions such as if we always had our luggage under eyesight (Dave Barry once answered "No, not in the cab" and missed his plane) and finally entered the plane. Basically there would have been no need to hurry anyway, because the plane was sitting there for another 30 min before doors closed. Maybe KLM/NWA have some argument with the Amsterdam Duty-free shops (see later).

Entering the NWA plane was pure nostalgia of the 80ies. A DC-10 in original design with only one Video screen in front of cabin, no audio channels and packed 2-5-2 seating. It got really amusing when I ordered a Campari-Soda. When she brought the soda, I asked: And where is the Campari? She said: what? - Campari! - Cranberry? - No, Campari! - Cranberry-juice? - No Campari! - What is is this, a likker? - Good question, what IS a Campari? - I said, yes, some kind of red likker! - We do not have any red likker. - Ok, pleas bring me a Gin/Tonic!

Since there was no way to buy duty-free in Amsterdam, I looked int the on-board catalogue and asked for duty-free. - No duty-free on this flight. - And the catalogue? - That's standard on all flights. - Hmm.

Internet connection on board? - You are kidding

Needless to say that my lugagge was lost. Luckily I got it overnight, so I had it in the morning. Willi, also flying with KLM/NWA did not get it during the whole week, Hans after some two days. So from 4 colleagues I knnow flying KLM/NWA 3 lost the luggage, the 4th was clever enough to travel with hand-luggage only.

So after one week of recovery, back to Lindbergh to the check-in of NWA. NWA has converted all check-in counters to electronic check-in to save personnel. With the check-in counters the staff left is taking care of the luggage only, except two or three supervisers in case something goes wrong, and Murphy has an eye on this. Since 6 out of 10 electonic check-ins go wrong, they are completely exhausted and over-stressed, causing the check-in taking twice as long as normal. And if finally two idiots from oversea show up with paper-tickets, the whole system comes to a grinding halt.

At the gate it was made clear that the plane was over-booked (I wonder why so many idiots are still flying NWA). Why I got a seat immediately in the first-place, where as my two colleagues only got stand-by (report to gate), one of them checking-in one hour earlier, remains a mystery. On every gate within earshot they started selling vouchers ($750 if you have flexible travel-plans), but who wants a voucher from NWA? Since I will never fly NWA again, cash only. But we finally all made the plane.

The plane was of course late and drove again like mad across major parts of Holland, so we had the usual hurry-up across Amsterdam airport and the usual wait for half-an-hour un-docked, because Vienna had bad weather and they got no slot. Butwe finally made this trip, damaging my kneecaps again in KLM. Never ever NWA.

My experience was as mentined by Richard. However during a 3 hour stopover in Amsterdam on my flight back home to Munich, I found the luggage myself in KLMs warehose at Amsterdam Airport. With the leather tag holding my name still in place. :-(
Of course, they have sent it back home immediately ;-)

I'll think twice as well on taking my next ticket with KLM/NWA

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Be Young and Shut up

I believe it was Karl Marx who said that "all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice...the first time as tragedy, the second time as a television miniseries."

When faced with new occurrences and personages, the mainstream media generally takes one of two approaches. They are very quick to either describe someone or something as the "new" [insert name here]; for example, Barack Obama is either the new FDR, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, or maybe even Adolf Hitler!

But the other reaction is pure befuddlement. The latter has been evident with that whole hubbub happening around Wall Street lately. I mean, "#occupywallst"--what does that even mean? And what ever do they want? Even a man as well-informed as our vice-president cannot figure it out!

So, Your Humble Editor would like to suggest an illustration that could start to bring the media around from the latter category to the former on the subject of #occupywallst.


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Monday, December 14, 2009

Obi Wan Kenobi vs Anakin Skywalker, new from Knightmodels

This time they have really surprised me. Our colleagues from Knightmodels continue with their Star Wars line which is showing a very high quality. In their latest set of new figures, all of them excellent, we find this duel sculpted by Alfonso Gozalo and painted by Alfonso Giraldes (Banshee). Its a scene in 70mm like all other figures from Knightmodels. I think the photos speak for themselves.

My friend Alfonso Giraldes has returned stronger than ever and this time he has outdone himself. The painting is exceptional, I have no words. It'll be hard to paint this kit because with such box-art there will be no one able to keep up with this level! Banshee has also warned us because of the complexity of the scene. The painting is very challenging and will mean a great leap in the learning of all those who embark on it. I am really eager to paint it, but all my time is being spent on my next big project, and I can't get to spend it with other things. I'll have to wait I guess. Besides, if I buy it, I will have to paint it for sure, the price of the kit does not allow keeping it in the drawer! Also, Knightmodels has a new 30mm Star Wars line scheduled for the beginning of 2010, which promises to be exceptional. We will follow them with great attention.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

IV Open de Quimera

This past weekend has been quite intense for me. Regarding painting matters, which is what interests us in this blog, we attended on Saturday the traditional "Open de Quimera", which takes place twice a year and is now in its fourth installment. It is a fantastic opportunity for us fans of the hobby in Madrid to get together, to present our latest works, to receive some awards and especially to have a good time with our colleagues. This edition has had slightly less participation than previous events, however the quality remained as high as always, and new generations of painters in Madrid are rising very much the level of the competition.

In my opinion, special mention for works submitted by emuse, darthgollum, Petrus, ARI-A-KAS, pumukyvan and Paloji. The one that surprised me the most was Paloji's Infinity one, which technically was not wonderful, but it was a beauty because of the colors chosen and the points of light that gave it a superb special grace. Congratulations to all and keep up the good work because the level is getting really high!

Personally, I decided to enter Malus Darkblade and the High Elf in Lion (whose real name is "Tribute to the Fallen") and the truth is that they both left a good impression. Everyone agreed that the photos I posted of Malus are not fair to the actual model, so I'm seriously thinking about reshooting them and remove those that are posted now as they are not receiving good grades in CoolMiniOrNot. The Elf in Lion won the category of Best Figure on a smaller scale of 54 mm and was named best figure of the contest (Best of Show). As a result I got a good string of hobby material courtesy of Quimera, and a super cool foam sword. My first Best of Show! Is it an appetizer of what is coming next year?

As you can see, I posted no photos of the Elf in Lion, but do not worry ... They have been already made and they are nearly ready to see the light!

I leave you a list of winners of the contest, but not before thanking Paco and all the people from Quimera for organizing a competition that gives us so much joy to many people. It is one of the best excuses to bring the whole painting community together in Madrid. For the next edition, I have been invited to be the judge. I hope to see you all there in the competition!

Historic - Pedro Rufo (Petrus)
Bigger than 54mm - Ivan Sempere
Smaller than 54mm - Rafael García Marín (volomir)
Green - Israel Gonzalez
Bust - Fermin Garcia

TALE OF WAR - Ruben Martinez (darthgollum)
INFINITY - Pablo Lopez (Paloji)
JMD - Pablo Plaza (Polk)
NOCTURNA - Pedro Rufo (Petrus)
PIZARRO - Enrique Velasco (Emuse)
GW - Jorge Valdes (Lord jasegev)

Historical - Juan Acosta
Bigger than 54mm - Javier Hernandez
Smaller than 54mm - Juan Acosta
Battle Group - Javier Hernandez

Rafael García Marín (volomir)

I leave you some of the best figures in the competition:

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Malus Darkblade

This is my version of Malus Darkblade in 28mm scale for Warhammer Fantasy. The figure started out as a simple conversion created from pieces of Warhammer Dark Elves Corsairs. I had always in mind the fantastic illustration from the cover of the book ‘Malus Darkblade’, and as the conversion progressed, I knew I would have to do some serious modelling to achieve my expectations. Therefore, in the end is nearly a scratch built model, with only the hands, the sword, and back part of the torso being plastic parts. The figure won bronze in Single Fantasy on Golden Demon Spain 2009.

For those of you who do not know Malus Darkblade, I will tell you that he is a Dark Elf Noble of evil renown in the Warhammer Fantasy world. Malus was possessed by a Daemon called Tz’arkan. His quest to rid himself of this Daemon is legendary. At one point he succeeded although it cost him his own soul. It took many years after that to track down the Daemon again and win his soul back, only to have Tz’arkan imprisoned inside him again.

When leading his armies to war, Malus rides his famous Cold One steed called Spite and wields the fearsome Warpsword of Khaine. He is a very dark character; he can summon Tz’arkan and allow him to control his own actions to become more powerful. This is great risk though, as while possessed by Tz'arkan he can attack his own troops as well as enemies.

The darkness of Malus inspired me in one of my darkest times to paint in cold and deadly colours, reflecting my mood at that moment. I want to thank all of my friends for their support, specially Elias Alonso (Morsi) for all his help and for collaborating on this figure.

I hope you like it, and as always, comments are very welcome!

Links to coolminiornot:
green :
painted version :

Behind the scenes: Malus Darkblade (Green) Step by Step

Friday, November 13, 2009

Golden Demons 2010 first news

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Tickets for Golden Demon Spain 2009 were out on sale by November last year, and we knew it would be in Madrid. But this year we know nothing for sure. That's why people start to wonder about Golden Demon Spain 2010. Well, rumours start to bloom about the date of this contest. They say it is going to be held at Palacio de Congresos de la Casa de Campo in Madrid on the 4th of July. Indeed, these are not confirmed news, but the information comes from very well informed sources, and you know what they say, where there's smoke...

Concerning the international scene, we know for sure that Games Day / Golden Demon France will be held in Paris on April 18. And we also have to say that our colleagues on the other side of the Atlantic have decided to reunite all their Games Days (4 specifically, Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Los Angeles) and will hold a single event in the US. It is said to be in Washington and in August, although this is not confirmed yet. The problem with the dates is that Golden Demon USA will coincide with Golden Demon Germany which is celebrated always on the same month.

So let's start planning entries for 2010! I must warn you, it is going to be my year!! :P

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Back from Italy

Golden Demon Italy 2009 is over! The spanish expedition, though little in number, came back home with 4 trophies, showing how good in shape are some of our national painters. The greatest triumph had the name of our friend Javier González (Arsies) winner of this year's Spanish Slayersword. He got two golds (Single 40k, Sngle Fantasy) and one silver (Lord of the Rings). The other statue fell into the hands of Mario Rueda (Dante), unexpected winner of silver in Single 40k with his Space Wolf Terminator (or as an italian would say, with his "Lupo Siderale" :D). Congrats my friends!

The Slayersword went to Andrea Ottolini for his Black Templars squad, although the most cheered entry was the unit of Squigs from Fabrizio Russo. I hope to be able to post some photos of winners when I have some time!

Concerning me, my little Éowyn the traveller once again returned with no reward. She's going to retire from the circuit as I said, she's quite tired of aeroplanes XD. Let's close her story once and for all!!

I don't have enough time to post more about this today, but before I leave I would like to say that we are going to enter now in a period of time where there are no Golden Demons near. This means we have plenty of time to prepare for the next one (France in April), and it's time to sharpen our weapons for great battles to come. Usually painters would relax now and figures would be started too late... but not this time!!! My friend Elías Alonso (Morsa) and me have created a little Excel datasheet to control time and hours left to prepare our expected entries, so we are able to have a realistic approximation regarding the madness or not of our painting expectations. I know it's quite geeky, but it's what we engineers do to take advantage of our ability to organize things, so we can use it in our benefit in the next contest. I'll talk about this datasheet and my plans in the days to come, stay tuned!!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The last journey of Éowyn the Traveller

Two days remaining for our trip to Italy! Unfortunately, my extremely busy life nowadays has obliged me to quit from the idea of entering the space wolf I was preparing. Too bad. Anyway, it will not end as a dead project. I left it in the modelling phase, but the whole idea of the figure is totally considered already. I expect the wolf to be one of the figures I will be presenting in Golden Demons to come (France in April presumably, or else, Spain in May).

So my beautiful lady Éowyn will be once again herald of my little army (and once again, the only one). For her fourth attempt in battle (hopefully the last), and if I can make some time before this weekend, I will be giving some final touches to the base, some Rohan freehands which I think might suit very well.

I would like to close Éowyn’s history this weekend. She sort of represents my life as it was more than six months ago, and it’s a chapter to be left definitely in the past. Enjoy your last trip milady!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Slayersword Golden Demon UK 2009

Golden Demon UK 2009 was celebrated last sunday. We are beginning to see photos of the figures entered, this is the one which won the Slayersword. It's a beautiful conversion of an imperial character, with a style I really love. The idea of a clock-maker with all those little clocks, the books, the artifacts and all those crazy details extremely taken care of, is awesome. Congratulations Ben Jarvis (rocketandroll)!!!

Enjoy ;)

The spanish painters could only gain one silver demon, awarded to David Rodríguez (Karaikal), which is not as bad as you may think because we will be having his presence again in contests! He announced last year that he was giving up painting for a while, but now he's back, let's hope that he returns with the same strength as always! We'll see his ork soon. And there is also a Duel from Julien Casses which I will post when we get better photos.

Friday, September 18, 2009

New Star Wars Line from KnightModels

At last! KnightModels is releasing its Star Wars line shortly. They have presented the first 4 figures and I have to say they are amazing!! 70 mm scale, too big for me, but I'm seriously thinking on painting them. They have also announced they will be releasing a 30 mm scale line for Star Wars in Christmas. Great!!!

Here I post you figures of these first four figures, they are painted by José Manuel Palomares (JMPN; Anakin and Darth Maul are his), J.J.Flashman (he doesn't want to reveal his true identity; Luke and Yoda are his) and Alfonso Giraldes (Banshee; Han Solo is his). The sculptors are Alfonso Gozalo (Han Solo) and Jerome Renaud (the other three).

I also leave you a photo from their last Marvel release. Simply awesome!!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Brother Fonsel Step by Step

Here I present you a Step by Step article on how I painted my Brother Fonsel, a figure which you can see here in the gallery. I hope you make the effort of reading it. You will enjoy it very much as it has photos from the very beginning of the process, because in fact, I usually concentrate very much on the pre-paint stage of my figures, much more than in the painting part. I don’t paint miniatures directly from the box very often. Normally they are conversions more or less complicated, looking for a certain pose, an effect or a sensation.

As time passes by, I have realized that I put much more effort on achieving this different pose, this special front view or that interesting composition rather than choosing this or that colour when painting the figure. You will notice this in the last 3 figures which you will see posted on the web (Brother Fonsel, Malus Darkblade and Tribute to the Fallen), they have much effort put in this first stage rather than in the painting. I don’t know if this is anything bad, but this happens to me and I know that one of the things I have to improve in is dedicating more time in the last stages of my painting (we always get to contests in the last minute, painting the day before and all those things we do).

When creating Brother Fonsel I wanted a simple miniature to take to a single category, and never before had I painted a loyal Space Marine, so this was the perfect opportunity. The idea comes from Brother Joshel from mi master Alfonso Giraldes (Banshee), a figure which is a conversion of an Artemis from the Inquisitor catalogue. The marine bases its pose in this figure from Banshee. I always liked the idea of a Space Marine running with a flag waving with the wind, and Brother Joshel is great, but I thought it would have been better if the sensation of movement and speed was greater.
With this as a starting point, I began my job. These are the first photos of the experiment:

The head is the same as the one from the special edition Space Marine from Games Day 2006, modelled by Juan Díaz, which I think is a very good one and has great possibilities for painting.
To try and see how the flag would look like, I sticked a post-it to a bit of wire (this is not the final pole of the flag) and I folded it conveniently simulating the waves which more or less I considered a flag would have in this position. However, the post-it was not enough. Because of the pose, the flag would have a very strong folding close to the pole so that the upper border of the cloth was parallel to the movement of the marine. This folding couldn’t be modelled in the post-it so I left it more or less indicated and tried the different poses with it.

These are the first steps of the creation, many pieces are glued together with blu-tack simply to see how the pose works and to try different options. Many times this may suppose that you achieve a pose you like, you remove the blu-tack and when you glue it definitely you realize that you could not redo the pose you had before. That really can demoralize you. This is a good reason to start making photos during the process, but of course, it takes time. In the next step you can see how I changed a few things about the marine, such as the height where he carries the sword, or the position of the arms.

After talking to a few colleagues, I realized that the torso was too much tilted aside and although it’s a space marine, it’s quite unnatural, so there you have another change made.

With the pose more or less decided, I started the modelling of the standard. This was the part which worried me the most because I was not convinced about the form of the waves and I wasn’t sure if I was going to succeed in modelling those waves with the standard modelling process of a flag I had been doing in the past. This typical process consisted of doing a plasticine bed with the form of the waves. Over this bed, I would put a fine piece of Milliput and then with a brush I’d give slight strokes on it so that it gained the shape of the plasticine waves. Because of what I said before about the difficulty of the folding and the edge of the flag being parallel to the ground, I was not convinced about doing the flag by using simply the plasticine bed. Therefore, I decided to try new methods of my own invention until I found the one I liked most. And that is how it happened, that I had to model 9 different flags to perfect the method until I got the one which fitted. This happens when you start investigating, and then the usual friend comes and says, “why haven’t you used a piece of tin?”, to which you answer nodding and thinking you have been a miserable fool. But you learn with these mistakes and that is why the next standard was done directly with a piece of tin (the one in Tribute to the Fallen).

The experimental process leaded me to a new method of modelling standards, at least new to me. I kneaded the putty until I got a fine piece of flat and thin Milliput. Then I cut it with the shape of the flag. Next, I rolled the edge over the pole and crushed the putty there to stick the flag to the pole. Then I put the flag into the oven just to give it a bit of heat so it hardens and becomes not too hard but flexible enough to fold and keep the shape (the time in the oven was something I perfected as I repeated each attempt of the standards). After this, I put the pole on the space marine to get the position of the flag and directly with my fingers I folded the standard to get the shape desired. It’s quite a chaotic way of working, but it resulted in success, after 9 attempts I got to the good one. I have to say that the fact that I was not sure at all about how the waves had to be and that is why I had to repeat it so many times, but anyway, in the end it all ended well and that what matters. Here are photos of three of the versions which went wrong, and two photos of the version which I used finally .

In the last photos you can see that I changed the sword and that I started painting it all black. Well, this is because in the beginning I was thinking of painting it as a Black Templar, and so I changed the chain sword for a normal one which fitted the chapter more. When I saw how sad the space marine would feel painted all in black, I decided to repaint and recover the original chain sword. I think this was no mistake because if it had stayed in black, it would have never become the Lemon Marine! (as I kindly call it).
Therefore, using the same yellows which I already used in the Nob Ork, I repainted over the black. The base is Golden Yellow and Bestial Brown from Citadel, highlighted with Golden Yellow and Ice Yellow from Vallejo, and shadowed with Bestial Brown.

I decided to paint the edges of the armour in black. I think it’s quite a good scheme.

Then I painted the freehand of the shoulder pad. I was inspired by an Imperial Fist symbol which I saw in a standard from a figure in coolminiornot. I really liked the fact that it seemed to be carved into the armour rather than just painted, so I try to simulate the effect.

Now I put photos of the base I used. I wanted something which would not be a problem to paint and which wouldn’t distract the attention from the important things: the face of the marine and the flag. And I won’t try to fool you, bases are not the things which I like to do best in a miniature!

With everything in line, I mounted the flag in its position and painted it in the base blue colour with airbrush, to see the effect of the composition. The blue is a Turquoise from Citadel.

Seen that I liked the composition, I began the painting of the flag, which again seemed to be the most complicated part of the painting process. The design of the standards was courtesy of my friend Arturo Serrano (obiart). He offered to create a design in Photoshop because his job consists of things like this. So with a few basic indications from my part (idiosyncrasy of the Imperial Fists, symbols they use and predominant colours of the flag) he created this wonderful design in Photoshop:

As you can see, the design is very good, and the task of painting when you have the concept very clear is much simpler. In fact, I don’t advise you to paint a standard with no previous design at all.

The painting process has a lot of engineering from my part. I planned all the steps of the process in the most efficient way possible to optimize the job. What I did is mentally divide the design of the flag and cut out some airbrush templates so that you have the basic shapes of the drawing to have all the elements well placed in the flag, which is in the end the most important thing to bear in mind when painting this type of freehands. It’s very similar to what happens with sculpture, if the mannequin is badly placed, there is no way of fixing the error later. It’s basic to have all the elements well placed.

And now we start with the painting with normal brush. This has no secret at all, you paint the same way you would paint a miniature, giving lights and shadows, with the difference of having a previous design, which indicated the spots where the lights should be and makes the work really simpler.

With the back part the job is the same. Airbrush templates to place the elements where they have to be. With the template normally you leave quite a dirty finish if you don’t control the technique, so afterwards you have to go over it with normal brush.

All that is left is to continue until we get to the final drawing!

Afterwards I gave general shadows to the whole flag with airbrush. I should have taken into consideration how the lights affected the flag while I was painting the freehand, and this is one of the reasons why the flag lacks contrast at the end of the process. This is something I learnt and then applied with more or less success in the standard of Tribute to the Fallen.

These were the last photos I took during the process. The rest of the figure are basically scratches which I’m sure you are tired of reading tutorials on how to do them, and anyway they are not very well done in this marine. Perhaps the most interesting part of the rest of the process is that in the end, I found out that the yellow and the turquoise contrasted too much, and was very clear to the eye that the flag and the marine had been painted separately. This is a big ambience issue which I solved in quite an easy way. With airbrush, I gave glazes of turquoise all over the marine, and, with yellow, I gave glazes all over the blue of the standard. The whole figure became greener, but it can’t be appreciated unless you see the photos of the process, and it really helps to integrate the flag and the marine together.

I leave you the final photos of the marine and the close-up of the standard so you can see how the thing ended.


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Friday, March 13, 2009

Let the Madness Begin... Early.

Simply an incredible game in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday night. SIX OVERTIMES?! As someone who appreciates that the best basketball in the country is played in the Big East but did not have a rooting interest in this game, it was athletic drama at its finest. The competition was truly epic; while I may not remember who wins this tournament a couple of years down the road, I bet that I remember this quarterfinal game.

You gotta like West Virginia's chances later on today against Syracuse. If I had to play a six overtime game and then play a game later on that same day (which is essentially what is happening since Syracuse's win over UConn was finalized after midnight), they would have to call a pastor to preside over the wake and subsequent funeral.

It's amazing how much better the level of play is in the Big East, and the tournaments have helped prove that. Try flipping channels between the Big East, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 tournaments and compare the level of play. It's not even close. However, you have to question whether games like Thursday night's are examples of the old adage that the Big East beats up on itself in the regular season and conference tournament, which wears down the teams so that they can't win the "Big Dance." It's something to be "tournament tested," but last night was ridiculous.

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Closed - Iquitos Tribal Advancement 1 - 2016

Assist tribes Along the Amazon River with projects to raise their standards of living

Project Dates: 04/02/2016 to 04/10/2016

Country: Peru

Location: Iquitos

Cost: US $Closed

Level of Physical Challenge:

Special Requirements/Qualifications/Skills Needed:

One portion of this project will be to assist the tribes in harvesting and processing wild Cacao beans they find in the jungle and, of course, we would like to include volunteers who have some experience with chocolate processing, but if you do not have those skills there are still many parts of the process you can learn and share. A second element of this series of projects will be to provide instruction in the distillation of essential oils from fragrant flowers and fruits of the jungle.  For this part of the project there are no special requirements. The remaining part of the project will help the tribes to develop Day Spas in the jungle to cater to the tourists that frequent the area.  For this we will require individuals who have had specific training and experience in personal spa services, such as manicure, pedicure, massage, skin care, hair styling, etc., and can teach these skills to tribal members.  All of these projects are designed to be one step of a much larger and longer process.

Project Background:

Living in a village along the Amazon River may seem like a rather ideal lifestyle. After all, the temperature is always fairly warm, rains are generally fairly short, and the river and the jungle provide much of your delicious food for free. But, of course, there is always more to it than that. Every family needs to have an income to provide a few additional necessities - and treats - for their children and friends. Then there are the unexpected requirements for building materials, health care, and other unpredictable expenses. At times they are able to get by with selling handicrafts to tourists and performing their tribal dances and songs for them. Unfortunately, tourism is not always consistent from month to month. There are often long periods where the people have to rely on other sources of income. Even day jobs doing hard or menial labor, though, are scarce and usually pay poorly.

Volunteer Voyages is now working with three tribes living a short boat ride from Iquitos. They all speak some Spanish out of necessity, but they each have different roots and each speaks a different tribal language. Their common goal is to improve the standard of living for their communities. They have asked us to help them to make the most of the natural resources they have available to them. So the projects we designed with them utilizing the abundant and fragrant flowers and fruits of the jungle, and the wild Cacao beans for chocolate, will provide a more stable and sustainable source of income.

Since they are already providing some services for tourist groups, introduction of Day Spa facilities will be just another way to provide more comprehensive services to the world they are connected with. In addition to specific personal care training, they will also benefit from business training to make their various ventures more sustainable and successful.

Reserve your spot by March 1, 2016

Additional Information:

A Optional second week is available for an additional fee.  You will tour Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and Machu Picchu.  You may also hike the Inca Trail, if you like.  Please call us to find out how!

Since our volunteers have a variety of backgrounds, interest levels, and physical capabilities, we want to offer several ways to explore this great country. Therefore, if you would like to hike the Inca Trail to get to Machu Picchu we can certainly arrange that. It is a four-day, three-night guided hike that ascends over at least one 4,800 meter (16,000 feet) mountain pass. Please let us know well in advance if you would like to exercise this option since special arrangements must be made.

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Home > Gaming (Page 8)

More AMD Ryzen benchmarks surface

Earlier this month, we told you about the first Ryzen 7 1700X benchmarks, which showed truly mind-blowing results. More numbers have now been leaked online, courtesy of Futuremark’s benchmark database. In addition to the Ryzen 7 1700X, we now have the Ryzen 5 1600X and Ryzen 5 1300 benchmark results

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Goodbye Steam Greenlight, hello Steam Direct

Valve is shuttering its Greenlight community program, instead moving to a more "open" system with Steam Direct, which will allow more publishers to get their games listed on Steam. With Steam Direct, developers will be able to submit their game to Valve by filling out paperwork, and pay anywhere from $100 to $5,000 in application

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Vermont Bed & Breakfast Inn Tour Vermont Bed & Breakfast Rooms Tour Attractions and Activities in the Mad River Valley, Location and Directions Mountain View Inn Bed & Breakfast Favorite Recipes Contact Mountain View Inn Bed & Breakfast Check Vermont Bed & Breakfast Availability Contact Us By E-mail
Tour the Inn Guest Rooms Location Recipes Contact Us Availability Email Us

Tour of Vermont Bed & Breakfast Guest Rooms

Mountain View Inn has seven guest bedrooms. All of our rooms are basically the same in that they accommodate two people and each has a private bath with shower. Each is individually decorated with its own "personality" and unique with its own beautiful views. It is truly a "home away from home" in the country.

Room #1—Grandma's Room. A comfortable west facing room, carpeted, double bed.

Room #2—Twin Room. Our only room with twin beds, built-in drawers.

Room #3—Mary and Eleanor Room. Sunny east facing room, decorated in pink and blue, double bed.

Room #4—Uncle Charlie's Room. A double "Rolling Pin" bed and antique step table.

Room #5—Canopy Bedroom. Located at the back of the house, nice view of the mountains, queen bed.

Room #6—Queen Bedroom. Located at the back of the house, can fit extra bed for a child.

Room #7—Elisabeth vonTrapp Room. A sunny queen bedded room with built in drawers and a table which can be used as a desk.

General Notes. Room rates are $140.00 per night including breakfast during Foliage and Ski seasons. A two night minimum stay is required on weekends.

We take a 50% deposit or one night's lodging deposit when the reservation is made. We require a 14-day notice of cancellation for a full refund. We reserve the right to charge the full amount of the reservation if cancellation notice is received within 48 hours of anticipated arrival or if the guest fails to arrive. If the deposit is made by credit card, 5% of the deposit will be deducted from the deposit refund to cover the costs of credit card processing.

We are a non-smoking inn. Children are welcome. We are sorry, although we love pets, we cannot accommodate them in the inn.

You may check room availability and request a reservation on-line if you wish. This link will open a new browser window. Please close it to come back to our site, and please contact us if you have any questions so that we may personally serve you.


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Administrative Forms

expense reimbursement formExpense Reimbursement Form (docx)

Download here.

check request formCheck Request Form (docx)

Download here.

Home Page Footer Text

To build character, confidence, and a lifelong love of soccer by providing a continuum of competitive,
high-quality and positive soccer experiences for all players in the Vienna community.

Mailing Address: Vienna Youth Soccer, Inc. | P.O. Box 993, Vienna, VA 22183  |  Phone: 703-242-3828


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Welcome to W3Courses
 Like Us on Facebook

Weight Loss

Best Fat Burning Activities

Taking the stairs or parking far away

This shouldn't be your only cardio activity, but the results will definitely add up. Instead of the escalator or elevator, take the stairs. Get in the habit of parking your car at the back of the lot so you have to walk farther. Try taking 15 minutes of your lunch to walk. It all adds up to more burned calories every day.

What is the Best Fat Burning Zone and Heart Rate?

The body does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat in the 'fat burning zone' or at lower intensities.  But, at higher intensities, you burn a greater number of overall calories which is what you should be concerned about when trying to lose weight. The chart below details the fat calories expended by a 130-pound woman during cardio exercise:

Best Way to Burn Fat on the Treadmill

Does low intensity burn more fat or the high intensity? I did a quick google search and found that both do but at different rates.


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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Forging a Common Front Against the Totalitarian Mind: A Case Study in Religious Demonization

by Dr. Robert Dickson Crane from The American Muslim

The demonic hatred among the extremists bred inevitably by the heresy known as Wahhabism. This is officially promoted in the world’s most unjust and un-Islamic society, known as Saudi Arabia. The present Saudi leader, Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, is struggling mightily to overcome this bizarre culture in the symbolic heartland of Islam. He can succeed, however, only if he is supported by the world body of Muslims, the umma, including Muslims in America. American Muslims will be the principal victims of failure to unite in boldly and firmly exposing the heretical nature of the Wahhabi declaration of war against every human right and against even the very concept of human dignity. American Muslims must overcome their defensive stance of “Don’t blame me” and join the critics of Muslim extremism in condemning religious totalitarianism and working to root it out from mosques and Islamic schools.

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Thursday, July 21, 2005

What Is Lycium Barbarum?

The LA Times published an article early this week which reminded me yet again of how wonderful it must be to have the "freedom of the press" rules working in your favor.

For example, a couple months ago my husband renewed his driver's license and was told he could remove the "wear glasses" restriction. He's been wearing glasses since he was 11 years old, and now in his late forties he's free from them, thanks to drinking goji juice (every day over a 14 month period) ... Goji Juice made from the original lycium barbarum bloodline quoted in ancient Asian healing texts.

The LA Times gets to say so many things I wish I could - but I can't owing to limiting govt. regulations I have to follow because of one of the businesses I run.

Yes, we sell Goji Juice made from berries with the exact spectral signature for lycium barbarum of ancient Asian legends. When you experience something this incredible, you definitely want to tell everyone you know it stands to reason that you want to be a distributor ...make sense?

In short, here is a copy of the LA Times article:

Lycium may repress some cancer cells
by Elena Conis

Tibetan and Chinese legends tell of people who lived century-long lives while retaining the strength and beauty of youth - thanks to lycium. The sweet, red berries of the Lycium barbarum tree are rich in beta carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C and several essential minerals. Lycium - sometimes called matrimony vine, wolfberry, boxthorn and goji - is native to Asia.

Uses: Traditional Chinese herbalists recommend lycium to promote liver and kidney health, improve vision and stamina, boost immunity and fertility, combat disease and increase life span. It's also used to prevent morning sickness during pregnancy.

Dose: In traditional Chinese medicine, lycium is most often taken in combination with other herbs, such as schizandra or fennel. The berries can be eaten raw (fresh or dried), or made into a tea. Herbalists recommend half a cup of tea per day, made from about 10 grams of fruit.

Precautions: Some evidence suggests lycium may amplify the effects of blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin.

Research: Much of the research on lycium's health-promoting properties has been done in China, where lycium has demonstrated anti-cancer and antioxidant activity in scores of lab animal studies. In vitro, the berry has inhibited the growth of leukemia and liver and skin cancer cells. It's also diminished some signs of aging in mice. Once clinical trial has shown that lycium may be helpful in treating certain cancers, but much more human research is needed to verify its efficacy.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

What About This "Free Flow Of Information Act"

Not sure if any of you visiting have heard about it yet, but the new "Free Flow Of Information" Act before the USA Senate might hold some promise for shielding a few of us bloggers.

There's a ton of info I've learned that I would love to report here in my blog, but I hold back a TON owing to possible repercussions. Some day I'll be writing like crazy over here ...and a great deal of it will pour out.

But there are a few things I can't tell ...unless this new Act before the Senate turns out to protect me as a blogger --- and I can protect my sources. Long story.

Hey, if you want to know more about it, check it out through this link.

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about the "combine demolition derby" THAT was a smash 'em up fun event!!

See you then!

Thursday, July 14, 2005

New Study Says Working "Moms" Get Paid Less

Prior to getting married, moving to a new country and having a child, I used to have quite a career. Being a single white female in Canada wasn't so bad ...there always seemed to be plenty of opportunities open to me and I never really thought much about how hard it might have been had I been a working Mom instead.

That's why this little news item kind of jerked my attention...

"According to research presented by two Cornell University sociologists at a recent Wharton conference, mothers suffer when competing for jobs against similarly qualified fathers and childless men and women. The conference, entitled 'Careers and Career Transitions: New Evidence for a New Economy,' was organized by Wharton's Center for Human Resources and sponsored by career transitions firm DBM."

Is it really harder for women with children than it is for women without children?

Thankfully, I'm able to work full time from home. Having a child and so many major changes in my life kind of forced me to take a different path than what I did in the past --- and it also brought a new perspective.

In the not so distant past (just over 5 years ago) I wouldn't have even considered Network Marketing as a career option. However, my mind opened up considerably once I realized the obvious advantages, speaking from a career-woman point of view.

But what about all those other working moms out there?

How many are really have a tough time of it competing for jobs and equal-pay-for-equal-work?

According to the study I referenced above - Fatherhood helps your career, Motherhood doesn't. I find that kind of sad for many reasons. There are so many bright, eager, ambitious women out there that can add so much value to every/any orgination that are quite possibly not getting a fair shake in the job world... and very possibly not getting paid what they are really worth.

Speaking from personal experience, I would say having a child and being a working Mom adds tremendously to your skill-set. For example, new Mom's have to quickly increase all of the following skills almost immediately upon their child coming into the world:
- multi-tasking skills
- organization skills
- communication skills
- leadership skills
- management skills
- budgeting skills
- and many more.

Sure... maybe their presentation (appearance) may not be up to par like it was during their pre-child years... but when you consider how much more they now have to do, it makes sense something is going to have to "give" a little in order to make room for new priorities, right?

All you Mom's out there - stand up and be proud.

You add a tremendous amount of value to the world, and have so many wonderful talents to bring to any profession you choose. Go forward with posture and confidence knowing you are constantly growing internally with each and every day that you parent your children.

Believe in yourself. I know you can accomplish anything you set your heart and mind on if you don't let the outside world beat you down.

I appreciate you!


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7 Exercises You Can Do Right In Your Chair!

You could not afford sitting the entire day without doing anything else. It doesn’t matter if this is the nature of your job, you still have to do some physical activities. Otherwise, you might suffer from a lot of problems.

Aside from gaining weight, you might also suffer from heart attack. Studies have revealed that sitting the entire day is just as dangerous to your heart as smoking. This gives you more reasons to exercise on your chair even while you are at work.

There is nothing to worry about disruption of work. These tasks can be easily done. In fact, you can do them without catching the attention of other people. Simple squats, leg exercises and arm stretching would suffice.

Just keep doing these exercises every now and then. It also helps that you stand from your seat and move to different areas in the office. Find the farthest toilet so you can walk more. Use the stairs instead of the lift.

It might be weird at first, but you will eventually realize that it is not that difficult. You just need to be consistent with your physical exercises to achieve great results.

The infographic below teaches the other techniques on how you can stay fit by exercising on your chair. If you feel lazy or you think that you have a lot of things to do at work, just think of the negative effects of being seated for the whole day. This is enough to remind you to stand up and move.

7 Exercises You Can Do Right In Your Chair!

This guest post was created by Marina Robertson. If you are interested in creating a guest post contact me and we can work out an idea!

For more information on exercising while working at home check out http://wahtips.com/posts/exercise-and-stretching-routines-for-wah/

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Friday, November 7, 2008

Only the Prez #1

Welcome to the first issue of "Only the Prez."

Also known as, "Things Only Obama Can Do Lest You Be Wrecked by the Kis."

After all, he is the first black President. People of all backgrounds and ignorance levels will make silly mistakes and try to justify them because, "Heck, Obama did it."

I am just trying to help YOU out.

This installment will be short, sweet, and is meant to forestall the ridiculous that may follow a certain press conference remark made today:

1. Only the Prez can call himself a "mutt."

2. You may not arbitrarily call the mixed-race people around you, including Kismet, mutts.

3. #2 applies no matter your racial or ethnic background (i.e. There is no "Ghetto Pass" on this one. Black folks you are barred too)

Any questions?

Thought said...

when I saw that (and the Nancy Regan comment), my jaws dropped. I also saw Soledad O'Brien's face and she didn't look too pleased, although she didn't criticize him.

ThummyB said...

*sidenote* Who is that in the pic...Michelle's mom?


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Saturday, June 24, 2017

Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue, be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Psalm 31:2-5

By Jason Charles | Wake the Church | Dec. 28, 2016

The Modern Church is a Combination of the Galatia and Corinth Church

The best way to describe the modern churches here in the U.S. would be to say it is a combination of the church of Galatia and the church at Corinth. The reason is, the U.S. churches have become thoroughly infiltrated by the Jewish religion and worship of Israel as in ancient Galatia. They have also become infatuated with spiritual and secular flamboyancy as in ancient Corinth. The parallels are uncanny. Be sure though the sins of both these churches were totally refuted and rebuked by the Apostle Paul in his epistles to these two churches. In fact in all of scripture none of the churches were so thoroughly rebuked than these two churches, they standout in all of scripture as the only time he chastised a group of Christians for their overt false doctrines. We need to take a hard look as to what Paul said about the way these churches worshiped, what was wrong, and why it was so problematic for the Apostle Paul and Christianity in general.

To think that the modern church is best represented as a hybrid of these two churches is very disconcerting from a neo-reformational standpoint. We badly need a reformation in the churches in this country, but there have become some disturbing doctrinal trends that have taken root that need to be addressed before this happens. The reason scripture is so acutely attuned towards the addressing of today's problems is because there really is nothing new under the sun. The first century Apostles strongly rebuked these doctrinal errors and so should we in our time, especially so considering how absolutely given over to these doctrinal errors our churches have become.

Please support Wake the Church through the purchase of our film Christ Alone

The Galatia  Connection

The church of Galatia had been targeted by the Judizers, a group of false converts and Jews that infiltrated the church there on behalf of the Pharisees (Acts 15).  The Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians decimates this church for teaching that newly converted gentiles must become Jews and live by the Jewish law if they are to be saved. Paul speaking about the inferiority of the Law of Moses to that of Christ said this in his epistle to the Galatians,

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.  Galatians 3:24-29

We see here that he places the Law of Moses under the submission of Christ, and Christ makes no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. It is not the trappings and traditions of the Jewish faith that saved, it was Christ and Him alone. If you are Christ's then you are no longer under the Law, Christ being the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. To teach that we must submit ourselves to Jewish traditions and teachings nullifies the work of Christ on the cross. To Paul this was an egregious error!

Paul goes on to ask who hindered them in their doctrine, who bewitched them with their words and led them back to the Law of Moses and Jewish tradition having been already won to Christ. This question was put out there because he wanted those reading his epistle in that church to identify the source of this doctrinal teaching within in their church. For him these people that where leading people astray by causing them to convert to Judaism and even to circumcise themselves where liars, teaching a false Gospel, a Gospel that has no power to save. He wrote,

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. Galatians 5:7-10

In the same way we need to call out those who are putting emphasis on Israel, and Zionism as a prerequisite to our Christian faith. So many televangelist and teachers grovel at the feet of Israel. It truly has become a menace with in our church as people give themselves over to a Judaized form of Christian worship. Celebrating feast days, Sabbath worship, obsession with prophecy, etc are all hallmarks of a Judaized Christian. Paul asked us to identify these people, mark them as deceivers and rebuke them for their false doctrines. People like Pat Robertson, Hal Lindsey, John Hagee and others that obsess over the Jewish religion and Israel having been overtaken with false doctrine in much the same way that the church in Galatia had been overtaken. As a result of these peoples incessant worship of Israel they have changed the doctrinal landscape and norms within our churches to the point where it is acceptable to send our children to die in wars abroad on behalf of Israel.

Israel has been judged and are still in judgement, they are still in a state of denial concerning Jesus and the Messiah, to cozy up and even pervert doctrine on behalf of Israel is a grave sin. These people that are instructing their congregations in the traditions and teachings of the Jewish religion will face God's judgment. If you read again the above verse Paul states that plainly in Galatians 5:10, that those "people that trouble you shall bear his judgment, whosover he be."  These televangelist, Zionist Christians will bear the judgment of God for their Judaizing ways. Purge yourself of their sins, this judgment is not something you want to be partied with. They nullify Christ's work on the cross and you can bet that nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing infuriates God more, and kindles His wrath like the nullification of Christ's death on the Cross. Put your faith in Christ nothing more and nothing less.

The Corinth  Connection

Meanwhile the church at Corinth had been overrun by worldly carnality, and spiritual flamboyancy. Simply read the book of 1 Corinthians and you will get a sense of the righteous indignation and animosity Paul exhibited towards anyone who was pushing the spiritual plague of carnality into the churches he helped establish. The Church of Corinth was called out in a most embarrassing way by the Apostle. Reading through the book of 1 Corinthians you actually feel bad for that church considering the strongly worded letter Paul wrote them. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:11 states that he heard a report from the house of Chloe regarding the contentions within the church at Corinth. That report must have been extremely damning and thorough as to some of the issues that had arisen in the church. The list of sins Paul addresses are eye opening to say the least. He mentions this list in 1 Corinthians 6:9,

  • fornicators
  • idolaters
  • adulterers
  • effeminate
  • abusers of themselves with mankind
  • thieves
  • covetous
  • drunkards
  • revilers
  • extortioners

He spoke of people there within that church having committed incest, that they were abusing the gift of tongues as a false show of spirituality, he talked of taking communion while being drunk, it truly was a disaster. The church had become so worldly and carnal, services seemed more like a 5 ring circus than a place of worship.

Some of the sins listed that the Corinthian church were guilty of are exactly the things that our modern church are guilty of as well. Our modern church, is full of divisions and competing personalities and doctrines, back-biting and gossip runs amok in our congregations, there is no submission to the authority and leaders of the church, people over spiritualize everything in attempt to make themselves look like a prophet, they puff themselves up as being hugely important and teachers of all sorts of false doctrines, the culture has totally infiltrated our worship services with loud obnoxious music, the pastors preach nothing of substance, the youth department is a place of games and playgrounds, and sins of the flesh and carnality are allowed to run rampant within the church body. In a word the modern church like that of Corinth has become a zoo.

In 1 Corinthians 3:1 Paul says he literally has to chastise this church and to speak to them as if they were unruly toddlers. Which was exactly right, they had the understanding, discipline, and spiritual wisdom of a 2 year old.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 1 Corinthians 3:1

The devil having successfully infiltrated the ancient churches of Galatia and Corinth with these false forms of worship is doing so again in our modern era. If we truly desire to see revival in our country and in our churches then these two sins must be address post-haste. There is no room in the church for carnality and Judaized religion. These are two things that we are to conquer if we are to be sons and daughters of a holy and righteous God. Remember we are to be like Christ, and nowhere in scripture do we see Christ acting the fool and entertaining the Jewish forms of worship. Please like our Facebook Page, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for these columns.

To see our modern churches overrun with these types of doctrinal errors should grieve you in the same way it grieved the Apostle Paul. There is no room for the blessing of Heaven as long as we wallow in the shallowness of worldly Christianity and Judaized forms of worship. Paul warned these churches, Christ warned these churches in the opening chapter of Revelations, it is best we take heed now lest we end up on the wrong side of God's wrath and justice.

Theology, Ethics, & Religion | Article Views: 1059


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Friday, October 05, 2007

England needs her own Haka...

Watching the Rugby Union World Cup on the box, I've been struck by the different Hakas that the participating Polynesian teams like to perform just before kick off. The most famous is the Maori-inspired All Blacks Haka, but the Samoans, Fijians and Tongans also like to get in a bit of cultural intimidation before kick-off.

When Tonga played England last weekend, their version of the Haka, which is called the 'Sipu Tau' is particularly aggressive. They were sort of leaping about only a couple of feet away from the English players, pointing and a-jabbing away into the faces of our boys. Thankfully, the lads are made of finest English beef - and so, with stiff upper lippies standing to attention, they refused to rise to the ritualistic taunting of the Tongans.

But it sort of got me thinking - maybe we should have our own version of the Haka. Then we too can perform in front of our adversaries.... and thereby put the fear of God up them so much, they are beaten before an eyeball can be gouged or a tackle can be flanged.

So what sort of Haka should we have then? Should we whip out the Morris Dancing gear and give them a quick 'Hey-Nonny-Nonny' straight between the eyes? Should we bring a Union Flag with us, so when they start their Haka, we can transfix their captain with the flag staff and claim their islands for the British Empire?..

Probably not.

Then I thought of our history - the version of it that is B.L.L. (Before Lying Labour). Back to the time of Henry V and an epic battle on a foreign field. A battle of courage and daring-do in which the English, outnumbered by a zillion-to-one slaughtered the posh, la-de-dah French on the field of Agincort.

Before the battle, the French has threatened to cut off the first two fingers, (the 'draw' fingers which an archer uses to pull his bow-string) of every English bowman they could find. According to tradition, the English archers heard about this and stood behind their wooden spikes waving their two fingers in the air towards the mounted French Knights. The two fingered salute was born.

It was a taunting insult too far for the French. They charged headlong towards the English line - a gory death and a shattering defeat soon followed as the mighty 'Bodkin' arrowhead propelled by the awesome English long bow did its deadly work...

Yes, I reckon the sight of 15 beefy Englishmen all performing the two fingered salute would do the job just right..... especially against the French.

William Gruff said...

Have you ever seen The Yob? Keith Allen plays a superficial music producer who is metamorphosed into a skinhead. There's a scene in which he runs along a street chanting 'you're gonna get your fuckin' 'ead kicked in'.

That accompanied by the Agincourt salute, waved in the faces of the opponents might be effective.

Gavin Corder said...

That kind of post is why I love you!

But Richard Head's arrows are crap!

Not a sheep said...

Didn't need the Agincourt haka tonight. I love beating the French at any sporting event!


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Tuesday, September 06, 2016

Says Here They're Studying The Northern Leatherside Chub...

Behold the operative known to Naked Apes as the Northern Leatherside Chub.  (Where DO they come up with these names?)  They are known -- AGAIN, this is what the Naked Apes THINK they know -- they are known to live in ONLY ONE PLACE IN THE WORLD, the tributaries of a couple of rivers in Utah, AN AREA NOT KNOWN FOR ITS DEEP AND WELCOMING BODIES OF WATER.   In fact, the best-known body of water in Utah, Salt Lake, has a way of SPITTING OUT the landscum who try to swim in it.

So they are TERRIBLY WORRIED that at times, these scanty creeks tend to run dry.  WHERE DO THE LEATHERSIDE CHUBS GO???  They are deploying drones, special film equipment, and the usual array of water testing gadgets to figure that out.  WHY?  Not to find out our secrets, amazingly.  They really believe that a species that has gotten by for UNTOLD CENTURIES without the assistance of Naked Apes will DRY UP AND BLOW AWAY without their help now.

Let them study these plucky, drought-resistant fish.  A percentage of the intrepid researchers are turning into fish as I type this, AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IT YET.

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