text:
The Assembly of Laodicea

Background and History:

Laodicea on the Lycus (Greek: Λαοδίκεια πρὸς τοῦ Λύκου; Latin: Laodicea ad Lycum, also transliterated as Laodiceia or Laodikeia) (modern Turkish: Laodikeia) was an ancient city built on the river Lycus (Çürüksu). It was located in the Hellenistic regions of Caria and Lydia, which later became the Roman Province of Phrygia Pacatiana. It is now situated near the modern city of Denizli.  This particular city was near Hierapolis and not too far from Colossae.  Hierapolis was well known for their “Hot Springs” and Colossae for their cold fresh waters.  As the waters run through the aqueduct to the city of Laodicea from Hierapolis it became “Lukewarm” waters (this could be emedic).

  • 2000 BC Originally founded by the Ionians as a relatively small town of Diospolis.
  • 19th Century BC the Hittites added it to their empire.
  • 900 BC captured by the Phrygians and soon afterward by the Lydians (renamed Rhoas).
  • 250 BC taken by the Syrians.
  • Antiochus II rebuilt the town renaming it after his wife “Laodice”.
  • 190 BC Became part of the kingdom of Pergamos.
  • Ultimately pass into the hands of the Roman Empire.
  • It was recorded by several historians, such as Josephus, of been populated by a great Jewish colony.

  • The economy of the city was based on;
    • Bankers
    • Merchants
    • Gold refiners
  • I was in a junction roads leading from Ephesus and Smyrna.
  • It is recorded the caravan trades where as far as the “Yellow River” in Punjab by the China Sea.
  • Populated with very Wealthy Society members of the area, it was considered a “Neutral City” and never in need of a military power to defend it.
  • During the middle of the First Century, it was destroyed by an earthquake and rather on waiting, or asking for, or even depending on any help from the Roman Empire, its own society members rebuild it without any help from Rome. This was indicative of a very “prideful society”.
  • There are many architectural remains today testifying of its former luxury.
  • Textile Manufacturing was well known in the region at the time. The production and manufacturing of “Black Wool” (from a very particular strain of sheep bred in the Lycus Valley) with a glossy look and a soft and warm texture.  It was used in Clothing and Carpets.

The city was also well known for their school of medicine, especially for an ointment known at the time as “Phrygian Powder” ( a mixture of oil and collyrium powder).

the Name of Laodicea

From G2993; a Laodicean, that is, inhabitant of Laodicia: – Laodicean.

Total KJV occurrences: 2

The  name of this particular city is a compound name;  “Lao” = people and “Diceans”= rulers, “Rule by the People”, this mean it was a democratic government, we will never know.  Never the less when this particular letter is brought to the point of view from the assembly (church), it is obvious that the “Ruler” of the Church is and always will be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Inside the Word:

Rev 3:14 LITV

(14)  And to the angel of the assembly of Laodicea, write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Head of the creation of God:

The verse 14 of this chapter Three in Revelation, starts by, as the other letters from the Lord, assigned to the angel that was going to deliver it to the assembly of Laodicea.  Many of you have had heard traditionally that this is referring to the leader of the assembly, and that the Lord is directing the letter to such individual.  I do not share this point of view.  I clearly explained the reasons why on one of my previous letters on my Blog, but for the benefits of many, I will retouch some of those points that make me think differently from the traditional way.

  1. God is dictating this letter to John the Apostle and is not dictating to John to send this letter to the leader of this particular assembly. God tells directly to John to “…write…”, but what I believe the phrase is indicating is the command from God to the messenger or angel assign for this direct communication with this assembly, so He cal the angel to be alert and ready.  God always rely on His angels to deliver the messages and answers that the people of God are either requesting in prayer or the Lord God in His mercy send to them.
  2. God works through mysterious ways, and as you know the apostle was left on the island of Patmos to die due to his sentence. My question to you is, how the letters came to the hands of the assemblies?  How the letters came to be known after the apostle wrote them?  In one way or another, it does require a special messenger to delivered them in the event of a spiritual battle take place.  Please referred to the Book of Daniel Chapter 10 (read below);
    1. Dan 10:12-13 LITV
      1. (12) And he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel. For from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come because of your words.
      2. (13) But the king of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty one days. But, lo, Michael, one of the first rulers, came to help me. And I stayed there with the kings of Persia.

In the assembly of the Lord (The Church), not one and I mean no one is above of anyone, all the members of the assembly have the same responsibilities and obligations, everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord.  Please read the following:

  1. Luk 22:24-30 LITV
    1. (24) And there was also a dispute among them, who of them seems to be greater.
    2. (25) And He said to them, The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those exercising authority over them are called benefactors.
    3. (26) But you be not so, but the greater among you, let him be as the lesser; and the one governing as the one
    4. (27) For who is greater, the one reclining, or the one serving? Is it not the one reclining? But I am in your midst as One
    5. (28) But you are those continuing with Me in My temptation.
    6. (29) And I appoint a kingdom to you, as My Father appointed to Me,
    7. (30) that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Orthographically it is very important to notice the separator that exists between the name of the assembly and the command verb, it is a comma “,” which exist to denote a pause and a separation of time and direction.  It is like if after He directs His command to the angel calling for his attention, He looked to the apostle giving to the apostle the command to write.  Never the less that is much irrelevant in regard to the message of the letter to the assembly, I think.

As we continue to noticed in this particular verse 14 of chapter 3 in the Book of Revelation, there are three descriptive Titles for the Identification of the Lord God:

  1. …These things says the Amen…
    1. G281
    2. ἀμήν / amēn / am-ane’
    3. Of Hebrew origin [H543]; properly firm, that is, (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially surely (often as interjection so be it): – amen, verily.
      1. Total KJV occurrences: 152
        1. H543
          1. אָמֵן / ‘âmên / aw-mane’
          2. From H539; sure; abstractly faithfulness; adverbially truly: – Amen, so be it, truth.
            1. Total KJV occurrences: 30

This particular descriptive title occurs only once in the Bible, that is on this particular occasion only.  It is very clear that God is assuring His Church that Hi is the One to be trusted

  1. …the faithful and true Witness…
    1. Once again this particular descriptive title is used only in this particular verse of this chapter in the Bible. But the difference in this title versus the first one is that in this second title God is using two:
      1. …faithful…
      2. …true Witness…
    2. Notice also how the word “Witness” is spelled out, with capital letter “W”, indicative of the authority and ownership of His Name and position. He is our only Witness to the Father.
  2. The third and most impressive of them all is the one He uses here; …the Head of the creation of God…
    1. To get into the analysis of this particular title used here by the Lord God, will take much longer that we can have for this particular Blog, but let be brief;
      1. First, if you count the words used in this particular title, using the “KJV” or the “LITV” of the Bible notice that there are a total of seven words, indicative of “Consummation”, this is indicating that Jesus is not only the Beginning of the Creation (see; Gen 1:1; 1:26: John 1: 1-5) and also He is the Consummation of ALL Creation (Rev 21: 6).
    2. Christ is the “Head” of the Body (Col 1:17-20), which is the Church (1Co 12:27; Eph 5:30)

Rev 3:15 LITV

(15)  I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold, or hot.

In this particular letter to the assembly of Laodicea, the Lord goes directly to the point without hesitation.  There is no commendations on this letter, nothing good at all to say, and neither any softening words of consolation.  There is no place to hide from the presence of the Almighty.  God is telling this assembly that there is one way and one way only to do the works in the field of the Lord’s Gospel, and that is to proceed and act as is requested by Him in His Word.  That preaching the Word of the Gospel of the Lord is not just about screaming it out of our lungs in front of a multitude, or to proceed to do good for us to be seeing by others, or even to do good deeds to those that blessed us only, not at all.  But to live a life as “Ambassadors” of the Gospel of Truth in the Lord Jesus Christ and from which, we can bring to the knowledge of salvation, those that never heard of such wonderful Way of Life.  If we are capable of living our lives as is described by the Lord’s Word, we as “Followers of the Way” not only will discover the truthful happiness of “Living”, but then again we will become witnesses of the Gospel of Christ through our actions.

By us, as followers of the Lord, living our lives as we are requested on the Word of God, our lives will grow without us even noticing such changes.  The more we act and live as true Christians, the closer we will be to the Lord.  Every day becomes a step closer to the “man” that the Lord wants us to become, and a step farther from the man that we were in our past life.  There is no science into this, there is no mystery, there is absolutely nothing but a simple step forward to the man that the lord wants us to become every day in Him.

Many leaders, preachers, minister and others concentrate on the fact that this is “not cold nor hot waters, but instead lukewarm”, and indeed that is very important in this letter.  But the fact is not this assembly is “lukewarm” but more so the reason why is a “lukewarm”.

Rev 3:16-18 LITV

(16)  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth.

(17)  Because you say, I am rich, and I am made rich, and I have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

(18)  I advise you to buy from Me gold having been fired by fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, and your shame and nakedness may not be revealed. And anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Many time over in our lives we can tell our mistakes and also the road we are taking is the wrong road to take, but on our own risk and blinded by our own understanding we continue without hesitation moving forward until we fall, and is then at that very moment we start to look for the hand of the Lord to come to our help.

Verse 16 chapter 3 in Revelation tell us just that, we should look once again at what the Book of Proverbs tells us about it:

  1. Pro 3:1-12 LITV

(1)  My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands,

(2)  for they shall add length of days and long life and peace to you.

(3)  Mercy and truth will not forsake you, tie them on your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,

(4)  and you shall find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

(5)  Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.

(6)  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

(7)  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Jehovah and depart from evil.

(8)  Healing shall be to your navel and marrow to your bones.

(9)  Honor Jehovah with your substance, and with the firstfruits of all your increase,

(10)  and your barns shall be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst with new wine.

(11)  My son, do not reject the chastening of Jehovah, and do not loathe His correction;

(12)  for whom Jehovah loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son with whom he is pleased.

Please read verse 17 of Chapter 3 in Revelation, and you will come to the same conclusion as mine, there is nothing in the Word of God about us imposing our will over the will of the Creator, and expect all to be great and accepted in the eyes of the Lord.  That is what is happening in this assembly.  A misconception of life fundamental values and the misappropriation of such as we disrupt our own way of life and path of our mortal journey.  We do understand that there is a purpose for our lives in the Christian journey, but to reject the notion that we as a human can’t take control of our own journey make us challenge the very principal for the one we, as “Followers of the Way”, had been called:

  1. Rom 8:28-29 LITV

(28)  But we know that to the ones loving God all things work together for good, to those being called according to purpose;

(29)  because whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers.

By rejecting the role that we had been given and possess our own interpretation of what we think we should be and we are, based on our “own understanding”.  We become blindfolded to the spiritual truth on the eye of the One that predestines us to be who we must be under His will.  At that very moment, we are no longer part of Him, who called us, but a member of this world looking to be like the ones that are not from this world.  By doing so, we are part of something that doesn’t belong to the Body of Christ but a “Spot” on the Gospel of the Lord.

Once again, GOD is willing to give us the opportunity to be part of His Body (The Church), and the only way to do so is as in verse 18 of chapter three in Revelation indicates, we must buy directly from HIM, the gold that has been fired by fire.  For you and I, in this contemporary world, this expression may not make much sense at all, but for the assembly in question, this is very clear to them.  Their main economy was based, in three important and key items.  What will be accomplished by doing what it is said by God in this particular verse?  Let see:

  1. Refine Gold
    1. One important key element of their economy was the refinery of Gold.
    2. We are getting what we need from the Main Supplier, no middle man, no misunderstanding, no confusion, no dilemmas, no disruption of supply, no impurity on the product (none).
    3. Buying gold at the main source provider will not only give you the certainty of receiving a quality product but and unlimited source of the gold needed. This will make you rich in every way imaginable.
  2. Textile
    1. Another key item on their economy was the “Black Wool”, used among other things for garments.
    2. The Lord is asking to this assembly to get garments from Him, not the regular “Black Wool” but instead “White Garments”.
    3. Why so important? You may ask;
      1. White Garment are more balance and delicates to the appearance.
      2. White Garments are the one that the Church will be adorned with and no other color or imitation of it, none.
  3. Medicine
    1. The Lord in a brief but very clear and explicit way expressed to the assembly that if they get from Him the anointing of the Holy Spirit and to get into the WORD of GOD. Here in this part of the verse, there are two words we must look in an individual way to understanding them:
    2. Anoint;
      1. G1472 / ἐγκρίω / egchriō / eng-khree’-o
      2. From G1722 and G5548; to rub in (oil), that is, besmear: – anoint.
        1. Total KJV occurrences: 1
    3. Eye salve
      1. G2854 /  Κολλούριον / kollourion / kol-loo’-ree-on
      2. Neuter of a presumed derivative of κολλύρα kollura (a cake; probably akin to the base of G2853); properly a poultice (as made of or in the form of crackers), that is, (by analogy) a plaster: – eyesalve.
      3. Total KJV occurrences:
      4. So the Lord is asking to this assembly to rub in the oil of the Holy Spirit to be able to eat the “Bread” through their eyes of spiritual knowledge of the WORD of GOD, which is the “Bread of Life”.
        1. Eph_1:13  in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
        2. Eph_4:29  Let not any filthy word go out of your mouth, but if any is good to building up in respect to the need, that it may give grace to the ones hearing.
        3. Col_3:17  And everything, whatever you do in word or in work, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through Him.
        4. 2Th_2:17  encourage your hearts, and may He establish you in every good word and work.
        5. 2Ti_4:2  preach the Word, be urgent in season, out of season, convict, warn, encourage with all long-suffering and teaching.

Rev 3:19 LITV

(19)  I, as many “as I love, I rebuke and I chasten.” Be zealous, then, and repent. Prov. 3:12

Verse 19 of chapter three in the Book of revelation is as clear and simple, that only by spiritual blindness the individual won’t be able to understand.  God desire for all us the only best from Him.  As a Father, He only rebukes and chastens the ones He loves.  All you and I must be very dedicated to observed is to ask in prayer, that we (you and I) can and will be counted among those to be “rebuke and chasten” by the love of Christ and under His Mercy.  There is a very important point to observed on this verse and that is that the believer must step in and not just to “REPENT” but for the process of repentance to take effect in the heart of the believer, it must be creating with it some degree of zealously, moving the life of the believer to a life of action.

  • Pro 3:11-12 LITV
    • (11)  My son, do not reject the chastening of Jehovah, and do not loathe His correction;
    • (12)  for whom Jehovah loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son with whom he is pleased.

Rev 3:20 LITV

(20)  Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will enter to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me.

In this verse 20, the Lord says to the assembly very clearly that He stand at the Door.  In previous chapters and verses we see how the Lord is in the midst of the assembly but in this particular case, the Lord is outside the door.  It is a dramatical implication to it.

  1. In ancient times doors were designed with only one lock or secure mechanism, but from the inside of the house, and not to be capable of being open from the outside as it is done today. The implication here is very important because required from the believer to open the door for any visual communication to take
  2. The second point to consider is that the invitation is to the individual and not to the assembly. The Lord specifically said, “…If Anyone…”, this is an individual invitation to take action and not a group invitation for the action to take place.  Each individual is part of the Church and the individual is the important and integral part of the plan of Salvation.  He/she  are the Temple of God and as result of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, he/she is the Body of Christ which is the Church.
  3. The Lord is inviting the individual that give him/herself to the Lord to be partaker of the Glory of the Lord.

Rev 3:21 LITV

(21)  The one overcoming, I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father in His throne.

Here is the promise to the overcomer, and that is to sit with the Lord in His throne…  This is very special promise because the throne that was given to the Lord Jesus Christ, in addition, to be sitting with the Father in Heaven was also the one of “King David”.  But King David’s throne was not in existence at the time of Jesus Birth, how could that be, you may ask?

Here is a Biblical reference that will clear for you that question:

  1. Luk 1:29-33 KJV
    1. (29)  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
    2. (30)  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
    3. (31)  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
    4. (32)  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
    5. (33)  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Rev 3:22 LITV

(22)  The one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.

And of course here is the closing statement from the Holy Spirit to the ones that are not only reading this but more so hearing this message of Salvation.  If you have an ear hear what the Holy Spirit is telling you.  The Lord Is Coming Soon, Be Ready!

Daniel Chapter 10 – The Spiritual World

Since the moment we gave our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ to the present moment one of the things we had constantly heard from the Word of God and our elders in the Lord is about how, we as believers, have a spiritual battle.  The Apostle Paul referred to this very vividly in his epistles.  In this chapter 10 of the Book of Daniel will be demonstrated without any doubt how our battle is with the evil forces.

It is very important for us to make very clear certain terms in order for us to understand the chapter that follows.  These terms are put very clear, I hope, in the next few paragraphs:

  • Ruler

RU’LER, n.

1. One that governs, whether emperor, king, pope or governor; any one that exercises supreme power over others.

2. One that makes or executes laws in a limited or free government. Thus legislators and magistrates are called rulers.

3. A rule; an instrument of wood or metal with straight edges or sides, by which lines are drawn on paper, parchment or other substance. When a ruler has the lines of chords, tangents, sines, &c. it is called a plane scale.

Eph 2:2-3 LITV

(2)  in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience,

(3)   among whom we also all conducted ourselves in times past in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of the understanding, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest.

Rev 1:5 LITV

(4)   even from Jesus Christ the Faithful Witness, the First-born out of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him loving us and washing us from our sins by His blood,

Eph 6:11-12 LITV

(11)  Put on all the armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil,

(12)  because wrestling against flesh and blood is not to us, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenlies.

  • AN’GEL, n. Usually pronounced angel, but most anomalously. [L. angelus; Gr. a messenger, to tell or announce.]

1. Literally, a messenger; one employed to communicate news or information from one person to another at a distance. But appropriately,

2. A spirit, or a spiritual intelligent being employed by God to communicate his will to man. Hence angels are ministers of God, and ministring spirits. Heb 1.

  • MOURNING, ppr. Grieving; lamenting; sorrowing; wearing the appearance of sorrow.

MOURNING, n. The act of sorrowing or expressing grief; lamentation; sorrow.

  • First Month in accordance with the Jewish Calendar “Nisan”, that was the month of April in our Julian Calendar, which also coincide with the month in where the Lord Jesus made His Triumphal walk into Jerusalem many hundred years after.

i.      The month of Nisan

ii.      1-2, Feast of Rejoicing: New Year (1 Sam 20:18,19,34).

iii.      10, Presentation of lamb

iv.      14, Passover

 v.      15-21, Feast of Unleavened Bread.

  • whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz; or of Fez, which is the best gold. Some take it to be the same with the gold of Ophir, often spoken of in Scripture; so the Targum on Jer_10:9, renders Uphaz by Ophir. Ptolemy (i) makes mention of a river called Phasis in the island of Taprobane or Zeilan, where Bochart (k) seems to think Ophir was, from whence the gold of that name came; and the same geographer (l) takes notice of a city and river of the same name in Colchis; perhaps the same with Pison, which encompassed Havilah, where was good gold, Gen_2:11, and both Strabo (m) and Pliny (n) say that much gold was found in that country, and taken out of rivers there; and was so plentiful, that even chambers were made of gold, Some think that this was an island in India called Paz or Topaz, and might with the Jews go by all three names, Paz, Topaz, and Uphaz

i.      (i) Geograph. l. 7. c. 4. (k) Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. col. 141. (l) Ptolem. Geograph. l. 5. c. 10. (m) Geograph. l. 11. p. 343. (n) Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 3.

  • ANOINT’, v.t. [L. ungo.]
  1. To pour oil upon; to smear or rub over with oil or unctuous substances; also to spread over, as oil. We say, the man anoints another, or the oil anoints him.
  2. To consecrate by unction, or the use of oil.
  • Thou shalt anoint the altar, and sanctify it. Exo 29.
  1. To smear or daub.
  • He anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay. John 9.
  1. To prepare, in allusion to the consecrating use of oil.
  • Anoint the shield. Isa 21.
  • To anoint the head with oil, Psa 23 seems to signify to communicate the consolations of the Holy Spirit.
  • The use of oil in consecrations was of high antiquity. Kings, prophets and priests were set apart or consecrated to their offices by the use of oil. Hence the peculiar application of the term anointed to Jesus Christ.
  • Beryl

BER’YL,n. [L.beryllus; Eng.brilliant.]

A mineral, considered by Cleaveland as a subspecies of Emerald. Its prevailing color is green of various shades,but always pale. Its crystals are usually longer and larger than those of the precious emerald, and its structure more distinctly foliated. It is harder than the apatite,with which it has been confounded; harder and less heavy than the pycnite. The best beryls are found in Brazil, in Siberia and Ceylon, and in Dauria, on the frontiers of China. They are found in many parts of the United States.

Dan 10:1-3 LITV

(1)  In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. And the thing was true, and a great conflict. And he understood the thing and had understanding of the vision.

(2)  In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three weeks of days.

(3)  I ate no food for delight, and no flesh or wine came into my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until three weeks of days were fulfilled.

This is the first chapter of the trilogy of chapters.  Daniel’s Timeline Based on Chapters on PDF  (Click in this link until you see the PDF File Format )

Daniel, known as Belteshazzar (name given to Daniel from the very beginning of his adduction from Judah by the Babylonians, in an effort to accelerated his assimilation to the Babylonian culture, see Dan 1:7 LITV; (7)  to whom the chief of the eunuchs gave names. For he called Daniel, Belteshazzar; and Hananiah, Shadrach; and Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, Abednego.) is now an older man, possibly in his 80’s, and due to his age also out of his court duties.  Nevertheless Daniel was not out of the duties as a minister of God.

During his moment of the vision, Daniel was mourning for a period of “three weeks of days”.  It is very important for us to know the difference in the use of the word “weeks” in this chapter versus the word “weeks” in the previous one.  In this chapter the word is used as a term of human chronological time base on the Jewish calendar, but in the previous chapter was use by the Angel of God as a chronological time base on the time of God or better said from the Divine point of view (this is not to say that God is subject to time, because God created time and He is not subjected to such).  Daniel was mourning for 21 days, during which he submitted himself to fastening.  He waited until the very end of the 21st day to be anointed, showing with such actions how important for Daniel was the pursue of righteousness to present himself to God.

Dan 10:4 LITV

(4)  And in the twenty fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Tigris,

In verse 4 there are very unique points of interest. Now is the 24th day of the 1st month (April in accordance with our Julian calendar)

  1. A total of days in mourning are 21, equal to 3 times 7.
  2. There are 3 more days added to the account, possibly representing the Divine presence after a man is consecrated fully to God.
  3. The presence of water, meaning the most pure, honest and clear form of creation to stand in front of God.

Dan 10:5-6 LITV

(5)  then I lifted up my eyes and looked: And behold! A certain man was clothed in linen, whose loins were wrapped in fine gold from Uphaz.

(6)  His body was also like the beryl, and his face looked like lightning. And his eyes were like torches of fire; and his arms and his feet in color like polished bronze; and the sound of his words were as the noise of a multitude.

Notice how Daniel is describing these events but, he himself still in a conscious manner, and not in a dream or on a subconscious form.

Apparently Daniel looked up and sees a man, but this particular man was dressed in also a very particular way, and as Daniel describes it appears to be dressed with very unique apparel.  Also noticed the number Seven present in the description of the man seeing by Daniel, the number Seven in the Bible is meaningful to describe completion.

  1. LIN’EN, n. [L. linun, flax, Gr. The sense is probably long, extended or smooth. In the latter sense, it would accord with L. linio, lenio.]

Cloth made of flax or hemp.

An under garment.

LIN’EN, a. [L. lineus.]

Made of flax or hemp; as linen cloth; a linen stocking.

Resembling linen cloth; white; pale.

Fossil-linen, a kind of amianth, with soft, parallel, flexible fibers.

  • Loins wrap in fine Gold from Uphaz
  • His Body was like the Beryl
  • His Face looked like lighting
  • His eyes were like torches of fire
  • His arms and his feet in color like polished bronze
  • The sound of his words were as the noise of a multitude

Dan 10:7-11 LITV

(7)  And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision. For the men who were with me did not see the vision. But a great trembling fell on them so that they fled to hide themselves.

(8)  Then I was left alone, and I saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me. For my glory was turned within me into corruption, and I kept no strength.

(9)  Yet I heard the sound of his words. And when I heard the sound of his words, then I was on my face, stunned, and my face was toward the ground.

(10)  And, behold, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my knees and the palms of my hands.

(11)  And he said to me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you and stand up. For I am now sent to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood, trembling.

It is quite interesting that Daniel specifically expressed the presence of more individuals in his surroundings at the moment of the vision.  There is also another important physical point of interest from Daniel’s description in verse 7, that is that due to a great trembling that fell in them, they (the other expectators around Daniel) fled to hide, leaving Daniel alone.

Many of us that had read the Bible, most remember that in Genesis God call Adam and he hide from God due to his nakedness and sinfulness.  Also many hundred years later a persecutor of the Church call Saul of Tarsus was confronted in the middle of the way to his duties by God and as Daniel described his experience so similar was the one of Saul of Tarsus later called as Apostle Paul.  See below;

Gen 3:9-10 LITV

(9)  And Jehovah God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?

(10)  And he said, I have heard Your sound in the garden, and I was afraid, for I am naked, and I hid myself.

Act 9:3-7 LITV

(3)  But in the going it happened! He drew near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the heaven shone around him.

(4)  And falling on the earth he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute Me?

(5)  And he said, Sir, who are You? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute; it is hard for you to kick against the goads.

(6)  Both trembling and being astonished he said, Lord, what do You desire me to do? And the Lord said to him, Rise up and go into the city, and it will be told you what you must do.

(7)  But the men traveling with him had been standing speechless, indeed hearing the voice, but seeing no one.

Dan 10:12 LITV

(12)  And he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel. For from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come because of your words.

Daniel continued describing the vision, and hearing the voice as if it was “the sound of his words were as the noise of a multitude” the man said to Daniel “Do not Fear”.  It is important for the men and women of God to know that the presence of God is not to bring fear in the lives of those that are in Jesus Christ our Lord, but in the other hand should bring comfort, rest, peace, patience, understanding wisdom, and most of all salvation.

Looked how the man indicates to Daniel, that from the very moment Daniel “set his heart” and humble himself before God, the man was sent to Daniel.  Many of us humble ourselves to the Lord, many of us set our hearts ready to listen to the Lord, but some of us “Set our hearts and Humble ourselves” in front of God at once.  We must be not just ready to received but strong enough to understand our condition as sinners in front of the Only Living God and ask to the Lord and Savior for forgiveness, to open our heart making us ready for his Word.  Please read the below reference and understand it, hoping with such that you will be capable to claim such power and start to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus our Savior.

Eph 3:7-21 LITV

(7)  of which I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me, according to the working of His power.

(8)  This grace was given to me, I being less than the least of all the saints, to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations,

(9)  and to bring to light all, what is the fellowship of the mystery having been hidden from eternity in God, the One creating all things through Jesus Christ,

(10)  so that now to the rulers and to the authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God,

(11)  according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

(12)  in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through His faith.

(13)  Therefore, I ask you not to faint at my troubles on your behalf, which is your glory.

(14)  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

(15)  of whom every family in Heaven and on earth is named,

(16)  that He may give you, according to the riches of His glory, by His power to become mighty in the inward man through His Spirit,

(17)  that through faith Christ may dwell in your hearts, having been rooted and founded in love,

(18)  that you may be given strength to grasp, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and depth and height,

(19)  and to know the surpassing knowledge and love of Christ, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

(20)  Now to Him being able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power working in us,

(21)  to Him be the glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.

Dan 10:13 LITV

(13)  But the king of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty one days. But, lo, Michael, one of the first rulers, came to help me. And I stayed there with the kings of Persia.

Many of you may think that this is about how the angel of God is battling with evil forces and that is all, but it is not such.  There are many Biblical references in where we can see how the evil forces are always trying to destroy and corrupt the men of God, Israel and the followers of the Lord.  Let’s see some examples for our own good.

Zec 3:1 LITV

(1)  And he made me see Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Jud 1:9 LITV

(9)  But Michael the archangel, when contending with the Devil, he argued about the body of Moses; he dared not bring a judgment of blasphemy, but said, “Let the Lord rebuke you!” Zech. 3:2

Rev 12:7 LITV

(7)  And war occurred in Heaven, Michael and his angels making war against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels made war,

Eph 6:11-18 LITV

(11)  Put on all the armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil,

(12)  because wrestling against flesh and blood is not to us, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenlies.

(13)  Because of this, take up all of the armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having worked out all things, to stand.

(14)  Then stand firm, “having girded your loins about with truth” and having put “on the breastplate of righteousness,” Isa. 11:5; 59:17

(15)  and having shod the feet with the preparation of the “gospel of peace.” Isa. 52:7

(16)  Above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the darts of the evil one being kindled.

(17)  Also, take “the helmet of salvation,” and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God; Isa. 59:17 LXX-Isa. 11:4; MT-Isa. 49:2; LXX and MT-Hos. 6:5

(18)  through all prayer and petition, praying at all times in the Spirit, and watching to this same thing with all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.

Dan 10:14 LITV

(14)  Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is yet for many days.

In verse 14, the use of the word “Days” is now in the Divine term and not in the human chronological timeline way.  Noticed also how the man make clear to Daniel that the understanding of this vision was going to be given to Daniel thru “ the Divine” intervention and not on Daniel’s own human knowledge.  This is also important for us, as men and women of God to know that God will never do anything unless He (God) will reveal such actions thru His servants and prophets.  Read the following verse:

Amo 3:7 LITV

(7)  For the Lord Jehovah will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Also in verse 14 on Daniel Chapter 10, mentioned very clear that the events in the vision will be happening to “Daniel’s people in the latter days”, very clear it is stated will be for the Jewish people such event.

Dan 10:15-18 LITV

(15)  And when he had spoken such words to me, I set my face to the ground, and I became speechless.

(16)  And, behold, one in form as the sons of men touched my lips. And I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who stood before me, O lord, my pangs have come over me because of the vision, and I have no strength left.

(17)  For how can the servant of this my lord speak with this my lord? For as for me, there is no power left in me; yea, there is no breath left in me.

(18)  And he added, and touched me, one in form as a man, and made me strong.

On verses 15 through 18 Daniel is compelled to admit his human debilities and more so his spiritual weaknesses, declaring the reflection of his suffering of his spirit and transform through time and space to his own human body.  His pain is so overwhelming that Daniel expressed to the angel of God and described it as a “pangs”, this is described by the Webster Dictionary as:

  • Pang

PANG, n. Extreme pain; anguish; agony of body; particularly, a sudden paroxysm of extreme pain, as in spasm, or childbirth. Isa 21.

I saw the hoary traitor,

Grin in the pangs of death, and bit the ground.

PANG, v.t. To torture; to give extreme pain to.

During this process of pain and anguish the man of God touched Daniel’s lips and gave strength to Daniel, this is also indicative of strength in the spirit of the human with the anointing of the Spirit of God, read the following please:

Isa 6:6-7 LITV

(6)  Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar.

(7)  And he touched it on my mouth, and said, See, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is covered.

Dan 10:19 LITV

(19)  And he said, O man greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace to you. Be strong. Yea, be strong! And when he had spoken to me I was made strong. And I said, Speak, my lord, for you have made me strong.

In verse 19 it is noticeable how and to what degree God cares for us, His servants.  There is a tender way in where the Lord identified Daniel, the man of God called Daniel as “greatly beloved”, indicative of the degree that Daniel was considered through the eyes of God.  Not just beloved, which for me would it be plenty to be called by the man of God as such, but more so a higher degree to almost no equal.  Daniel also expressed how the Word of God made him strong, as it is very clear for each one of us, how the Word of God make us stronger and better followers of the Lord.

Php 4:13 LITV

(13)  I have strength for all things in Christ the One strengthening me.

Dan 10:20 LITV

(20)  And he said, Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight with the ruler of Persia. And when I have gone out, then, lo, the ruler of Greece shall come.

In verse 20 the man of God indicated to Daniel in a clear and concise manner the events that were going to take place.  In an interesting simple question, the man of God asks Daniel if he (Daniel) knew why He (the man of God) had come to visit Daniel.  As we had seen before in this Bible Study, God always tell us what He has plan for us, but is up to us to have a heart set and ready to be perceptive to the message and being humble enough to ask to God for forgiveness when we are in His presence.

In this verse 20 the angel of God tells Daniel in regard to the “ruler of Persia” also about the “ruler of Greece”, these we had seeing thru ought chapter 2, chapter 7 and chapter 8 of this Book of Daniel.  See please the file “Table of Correlation of Images in the Book of Daniel” presented in this Bible Study for your convenience.  Noticed also and more importantly how the angel indicates how he(the angel of God), must return to fight with the ruler of Persia and right after the ruler of Persia the ruler of Greece follows.  There is a very important point in all these, and that is that as in the Book of Romans chapter 8 verses 28 said:

Rom 8:27-28 LITV

(27)  But the One searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He petitions on behalf of the saints according to God.

(28)  But we know that to the ones loving God all things work together for good, to those being called according to purpose;

Rom 8:37-39 LITV

(37)  But in all these things we more than conquer through Him loving us.

(38)  For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

(39)  nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Ecc 3:1 LITV

(1)  To all there is an appointed time, even a time for every purpose under the heavens:

Observe how is also use the word “ruler” in the above Book of Romans Chapter 8 Verse 38.  We are and cannot be afraid; fear is not a spirit of God.

Dan 10:21 LITV

(21)  But I will tell you what is written in the Scripture of Truth. And no one makes himself strong with me in these things except Michael your ruler.

The man of God tells the reason he (the man of God) came to Daniel, and that was to tell Daniel of these things to come, which are written in the Scripture of Truth (this term used in this particular en of the chapter it is indicative of how truthful is God’s Word).  He continue saying to Daniel how no one will make themselves strong in these events except “Michael” your ruler.


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British Safety Council
Chemicals north West
Investors In People
Royal Society of Chemistry

At ReAgent, our experience as a UK contract filling company spans over 40 years. Our services also include the expert manufacturing and handling of a variety of chemical products. So whether you need specific containers or sachets to be filled, or need help finding the best packaging solution for your formula, we have the skills and know-how to prepare your product and bring it to your chosen market.

A Flexible and Bespoke Filling Service

Flexibility is a key part of our contract filling service. We have the ability to fill a variety of different containers with countless types of substances, and we can manufacture these to almost any size or order. By adapting our capacity to the unique demands of our customers, we’re able to deliver a truly bespoke service that is one of the best in the UK.

Our in-house team and specialist equipment are capable of handling a wide range of chemical substances, including:

  • High viscosity materials, like petroleum jellies and waxes
  • Powders, creams, gels and liquids
  • Products with short shelf life, which our ADR couriers will get to you rapidly after filling
  • Highly volatile substances
  • Highly corrosive materials, like strong acids and alkalis
  • Toxic and hazardous solutions
  • Non-toxic and non-hazardous solutions
  • Complete pack customisation

We also offer a variety of packaging materials and sizes so that our customers have complete control over the safety of their finished product. These include:

  • High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) containers – these provide durability, recyclability, resistance to heat, and resistance to hazardous substances
  • Stainless steel – this material comes in standard packs of 208L and 1000L and is commonly used in our steel drums and IBCs
  • Composite – for volatile substances that need to be packed using a mixture of steel and HDPE. We offer drums made of composite for such occasions
  • Glass – we offer hermetically sealed glass ampoules in volumes from 0-2ml or 0-2g
  • Sachet films – we can fill liquid, powder, gel or cream into a range of sachet film types, from nylon/PE to semi-permeable plastics

Why Choose Us?

When you outsource your filling services to ReAgent, you can rest easy knowing that the handling of our product will be taken care from start to finish. There are a number of reasons that establish us as expert contract fillers beside the incredible range of batch sizes and chemical substances we can handle.

All of our labels have been certified to British Standard 5609, meaning that their durability has been tested through immersion in sea water for three months. Our advanced IT infrastructure also enables us to track all raw materials and batches throughout the filling process, and gives us fill traceability on dispatches.

Our filling service can be utilised in conjunction with our other facilities, such as chemical mixing or blending, shipping management, and direct delivery to end users. This gives you a fully bespoke service from start to finish. For further enquiries, why not get in touch with ReAgent today?

Ready to discuss your requirements?

Call our technical sales team on 0800 9555 798

Get in touch

Why choose ReAgent?

Open and friendly service
We're happy to field any technical questions you might have and our door is always open if you want to come in to meet with us or perform an audit of our facility.
Security and protection for your products and ideas
We’re happy to enter into non-disclosure agreements with our customers to help protect their intellectual property.
ISO certified quality and environmental standards
Our ISO 9001:2008 Quality Standard goes hand in hand with our ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Standard enabling us to provide high quality products manufactured with consideration and respect for the environment.
Over 3 decades of contract filling experience
We’ve been contract filling since 1977 and as a result we’re experts in the field.

Get in touch now or call 0800 9555 798 to find out how we can help you

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text:
He is a ChallengeYou member. Best known for his "The Vacation" Series. He is also very inactive most of the time, but sometimes active in ChallengeYou. Also best known for his "The House" game, which was an entry for the House Contest, but failed to win. He is a member since August 16th, 2008.

His member page, with "The House" shown.


text:
In the NEWS

Co-organise Automatic Kitchen Technology Visit

Present the change of Automatic Warewashing to F&B Sector pariticipants, from manual washing, optimization of dishwasher to dishwashing factory, as well as the concept of "Comprehensive Cost of warewashing"

Develop Automation and Sustainability on top of Hygiene

Organised by Hong Kong Federation of Restaurant & Related Trades Limited, Executed by HKPC, Co-organised by Champion for providing venue and presentation of Commercial Dishwasher.

Commercial Dishwashers, including the latest developed model Heat Recovery Dishwasher, are presented to participants after the talk. Nowadays, the trend of automation in dishwasher is how to enhance the saving ability, instead of the machinery efficiency due to the mature development of dishwasher technology. And Heat Recovery Dishwasher is one of the notable example.

CHAMPION introduce the latest model of energy-saving dishwasher - Heat Recovery Dishwasher

We visit dishwashing factory to get a glance of the actual operation.

In aims of fulfilling the market demand, adopting CHAMPION Flight Type Dishwasher is designed to achieve highest washing efficiency.

We visit a dishwashing factory, one of our customers, afterward

The video of this technology visit will be uploaded to the website of Hong Kong Federation of Restaurant & Related Trades Limited on August.

Further Reading

1.   The idea and application of Comprehensive Cost on Warewashing (only in Chinese)

2.   CHAMPION Flight Type Dishwasher


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Best Practices

Big Mistakes To Avoid In California Cannabis Retail Licensing Applications

These tips may save you a lot of headache down the line

The Bureau of Cannabis Control in the State of California is the body that will be the ultimate “nay” or “yay” on your cannabis retail store licensing application.

Will your application be strong enough to stand out to get that stamp of approval?

A Snapshot into Licensing in California

Currently, there are 815 licensed cannabis retailers in the state of California, and this number is growing. At present, medicinal retailers (54%) outnumber adult use or recreational retailers (46%). It’s safe to say we can we can expect this number to level out, or see the number of recreational retailers outnumber medicinal retailers.

Nonetheless, the Bureau of Cannabis Control doesn’t hand out cannabis retail licenses like candy. It takes a lot of discretion, due diligence, and most of all trust, for the Bureau to hand over a retail license.

Considering applying for a cannabis retail license in the State of California? Make sure your application is flawless. Here are a few big mistakes to avoid when putting together your application in one of the 530+ jurisdictions in the State of California:

Putting together a cannabis retail license is no easy feat and could take months to complete. From ordering tax documents to completing financial statements, to ensuring you have your blueprints/floor plans, the devil truly is in the details.

Starting early will ensure that you have all your ducks in a row, your content is polished and attention-grabbing, and your demonstrating conscientiousness in your business procedures.

Doing too Much within One License

With a saturation of cannabis retailers in California, some cannabis retailers will do anything they can to stand out amongst the crowd.

Cannabis retail licenses are restricted to medical, recreational, medical-delivery, and recreational-delivery (as well as temporary retail licenses for events). These distinctions are described as a storefront retailer and a non-storefront retailer.

The state is not at the point yet where it is accepting applications that will allow a retailer to sell both recreational and adult use cannabis or hold both storefront and non-storefront licenses. Don’t be naïve and present too much in your plan outside the confines of a license.

If your cannabis business is interested in operating more than one activity, a separate license is to be applied for (i.e. cultivation, manufacturing), which will represent a vertical integration of licenses and business streams.

Not Minding the Company You Keep

Although your staff may have pristine clean background checks, doesn’t mean that everyone you associate with outside your cannabis retail store will.

Be mindful of the vendors you are using and signing official agreements with. For instance, when describing your plans for seed-to-sale traceability or POS, you may not be able to take your vendor’s word for their experience, accuracy, and uptime in your state.

Be sure you do your due diligence in checking out all the vendors you’ll be looking for so that their red flags don’t become your red flags.

Fudging Details

Simply put, if there is an attempt to fudge details or bend the truth on a cannabis retail application, it will be found out. Those who are trained to review license applications will do their due diligence and fact check to ensure that all questionable parts on an application actually check out.

For instance, you will be asked what your expected profits will be to determine your licensing fee.

Naturally, everyone wants to save money, but if you’re only paying $4000 (for a business up to half million in revenue) but you’re actually making greater than 1.5 million, you will be caught for trying to skimp on licensing fees.

Not Completing All Components

No one in the history of completing licensing documents ever said it was an enjoyable exercise. It is actually quite tedious and time-consuming.

The State of California wants to be able to see that you’ve crossed your T’s and dotted your I’s in terms of everything on the form. From diagrams of the premises to proof of location in terms of restrictions, to financial information, to inventory procedures, to safety and security, and a lot more, the Bureau of Cannabis Control wants to know it all.

Don’t get yourself in a situation where your application has been held up or rejected due to incomplete status – no matter how tedious the process, completing all components is completely necessary. Don’t think they won’t notice if a teeny tiny section has been left incomplete – they will!

Improper Use of Language

Language is everything in your cannabis application. If the language used in your application isn’t professional in tone and carefully chosen, your application could get tossed out.

The days of recreational cannabis are about helping to bring a level of sophistication to the industry, rather than detract from it by perpetuating old stigmas. Just as medical cannabis retail stores work towards helping people achieve their desired medicinal, recreational stores should keep the same level of professionalism with discussing adult-use cannabis.

Don’t allow words like “weed” or “stoner” to creep into your language, as these words devalue and diminish the potential for cannabis retail, and the privilege of legal cannabis.

Not Revealing All the Players

A retail license will require that all the players and individuals who will be involved in the retail endeavor. This includes not only all information about the owners, but also those who have a financial interest, meaning those who have made an investment into a cannabis business, have provided a loan to a cannabis business, or any other equity in a cannabis business that is not qualified as an owner.

All owners, whether operational or silent and all investors and lenders, must show up on the application.

Background checks will be run on individuals applying for licenses, meaning that it’s always best to disclose any criminal activity that could show up on a background check before it is completed.

Do Your Due Diligence

When it comes down to it, you will get out of your cannabis retail license application what you put into it. Remember that the Bureau of Cannabis Control sees hundreds of applications come through, and it’s easy for them to blend into a sea of green.

Show that you truly are invested in the success of your cannabis company from the application process on, and that will certainly help determine your success.

Stay up-to-date!

Get all the news and info straight into your inbox that you need to help grow your business.

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Breda Watch - Zapf - Sliver/Light Brown (1697C)

Explore color block combinations with this minimal style. Colored stitching on the leather strap and a contrasting second hand add a subtle element of surprise.

A minimal case and dial are contrasted with colored details - contrasting stitching and leather loops on the strap as well as a colored second hand on the dial add subtle hints of surprise on this classic design.

  • Movement: Japanese Quartz
  • Case Size: 39mm
  • Band Size: 20mm
  • Band: Light Brown Leather
  • Water Resistant


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National Open House: SUNDAY APRIL 7, 1 - 4 PM *Chartwell Long Term Care homes in Ontario will not be hosting Open House events.

Nearest Residence

The page you are looking for does not exist, may have been removed, or had its name changed.

Here’s what you can do now:

  1. Use the ‘Find a Residence’ search feature at the top of the page to search for a retirement residence.
  2. Use the main menu to browse our website.
  3. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us.


text:
Chicago Holiday Tour of Drinks, Daleys and Dead Guys

From USD $36.00
  • Duration: 180 Minutes (approx.)
  • Location: Chicago, IL
  • Product code: HOLIDAYTOUR

On this special holiday tour, we’ll see some classic Chicago holiday traditions and hear off-the-beaten path stories that you expect from Chicago Detours. Instead of whizzing by Christmas lights from a bus, we’ll walk downtown Chicago to fully enjoy the spirit of the holidays. While we can’t predict the weather, you won’t get too cold! We’ll venture into a few warm locales and talk history over couple drinks. Non-drinkers are more than welcome, too, as this is more than a drinking tour.

We have some inside stories on our holiday lights tour! Hear about how Mayor Richard J. Daley saved the Christmas Parade, and then how his son, Richard M., was almost awarded a stocking of coal for his affront to Christmas and Hanukkah. Hear the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’s birth in Chicago. We’ll even have an overview of the development of consumerism for Christmas. This walking tour is not your typical holiday lights tour of Chicago!

The holiday tour has some classic experiences, too. We’ll go into the former Marshall Field’s Department Store, where Chicago holiday traditions have a rich and long history. You’ll have your choice of a beer from the local Revolution Brewery or a glass of wine. While enjoying those drinks, you’ll gaze at the giant holiday tree in the historic Walnut Room and discover forgotten stories and make new memories.

Holiday Tour Highlights

Sip on local brew while gazing at the Macy’s Holiday Tree
Understand the artistry of department store window displays
Hear the story of the “Christmas Tree Tragedy”
Learn of the gimmicks of holiday seasons past
History of the Salvation Army Santas in Chicago
Drink a “Tom and Jerry” holiday cocktail at the historic Miller’s Pub

Holiday Tour Sights
Historic Miller’s Pub
Palmer House Hotel
Holiday lights on State Street
Macy’s Department Store
The Chicago Christmas Tree in Millennium Park
Chicago Theatre and its Famous Marquee
Christkindlmarkt in Daley Plaza

Please be aware that these locations have crowds during this holiday season. We will have to navigate crowds and there may be a wait to get our drinks. Because it is difficult to predict the traffic flows, the duration of the walking tour will be between 2 and 2.5 hours.

Bundle up!
We’ll be inside half the time, and the other half we’ll be in warm, cozy places having drinks.

Ticket Price
$36 includes tour guide commentary and gift of Pedway map.

Guests bring $24 cash to cover two drinks and server gratuities: 1. a holiday cocktail 2. A glass of wine or local beer. Non-drinkers don't need to bring cash.


text:
Our Story

Once upon a time two friends, Mark and Tony, decided that raising chickens so they could have eggs for breakfast every morning, would be a great idea. What’s not to love about having food locally sourced in your own backyard!

Mark’s background is manufacturing and mechanical. With his manufacturing company, Mark engineered and built products for companies such as IBM and 3M eventually earning a six-sigma quality rating from 3M. Tony’s background is also manufacturing, specific to electrical and computer engineering. He was a senior level engineer at IBM and then AMD. Together Mark and Tony have over 50 years of manufacturing/ mechanical and electrical/ computer engineering experience.

Unfortunately, starting out, Mark and Tony had zero chicken-raising experience. Soon, Mark and Tony realized, just as anyone who has ever kept chickens realizes, that it is easy to forget to close the coop at night. Often they would jump out of bed remembering to close their coops. And, if they remembered to close their coops, sometimes they would forget to open the coops in the morning.

Losing chickens left and right, Mark and Tony joked that they were paying about $5 per egg. Not to mention they became attached to their chickens. Something had to be done. An automatic chicken door sounded like a great idea! Researching the doors on the market, Mark soon realized that they all had issues: from lots of parts to put together, to flimsy materials, to design drawbacks and structural issues.

So, Mark set about to design and build a coop door that met his criteria: solid, structurally sound, compact, no assembly required, and aesthetically pleasing. Tony designed the “brains” of the door with a circuit that is simple to use, and yet has innovations such as the second chance, built-in voltmeter, and programming as well as photo sensor capabilities.

Now, Mark and Tony had an awesome beautiful automatic door. No longer did they have to worry about forgetting to close and open the coop. Even better, they could go on weekend outings and vacations and not have to ask someone to be there early in the morning to open their coops and come again at night to close their coops.

It turns out that friends and other people in the chicken community thought this was a great product, too. And so, on Mark’s ranch in Lockhart, Texas, the Pullet-Shut automatic chicken door was born. Since then thousands and thousands of our customers have joined us in not being slaves to our birds. We thank each and every customer. God Bless You!

Customer Service

Best customer support on the planet! We want our customers to experience amazing customer service. We want our customers to be treated the way we want to be treated. To that end, we try to personally answer each call and solve any issues that may come up or any questions you may have. Please feel free to call (512) 995-0058 or email us at sales@chickendoors.com.

We stand by our products. We have a one year warranty on the Pullet-Shut door, but even after the one year, we will help you troubleshoot your Pullet-Shut door. Any replacement parts you may need are in stock.

We ship via FedEx on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Our products are all in stock. We are committed to delivering an excellent quality product at a fair price that is backed by timely and responsive service.


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Vanilla Cream Fruit Tart

Wow, this is delicious. Because I had ladies over this morning for Bible Study, it is so exciting to me to look for new things to make for them. When I ran across this Taste of Home, 2017 magazine the other day, the picture of the fruit grabbed my attention. I did vary it just a touch as I didn’t have pineapple juice in the house so just substituted orange juice. It was wonderful.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 pkg (10-12 oz) white baking chips, melted and cooled
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1/2 cup pineapple (or orange) juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tables cornstarch
1/ teas lemon juice
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh strawberries (I didn’t have strawberries I used blackberries)
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 300. Cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in flour. Mixture will be crumbly. Pat unto a lightly greased 12″ pizza pan.
Bake until lightly browned, 25-28 minutes. Cool
Beat melted chips and whipping cream until smooth. Beat in cream cheese until well combined. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust. Place in fridge while making the topping.
In a small saucepan, combine fruit juice (pineapple or orange), granulated sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool.
Arrange all berries over cream cheese layer; brush with pineapple mixture. Refrigerated at least 1 hour before serving.

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Estate & Wills

St. Catharines Wills and Estates Lawyers

Wills, estate planning and trust legal services

Our estates lawyers advise on how clients can build their estates and then transfer their property to appointed beneficiaries.

Our estate planning lawyers advise our clients on imaginative methods of accumulating, managing and preserving wealth, as well as on its disposition during life and upon death. Specifically, in conjunction with other professionals such as accountants and financial advisors, we assist clients with tax-minimization and tax-saving strategies, including building their estates and planning for the transfer of property to family members and other beneficiaries in ways that minimize taxes.

We consult clients on the advantages of having a will and powers of attorney and depending on a particular client’s needs, we develop simple or very sophisticated plans, and prepare the documents necessary to implement those plans. These may include wills, codicils, revocable and irrevocable trust agreements, specialized trusts, life insurance and other lifetime gifts, charitable trusts and foundations, limited partnerships, shareholders agreements, instruments for the sale, gift or testamentary transfer of property, powers of attorney for property, powers of attorney for personal care, will probate, living wills, and other succession planning documents tailored to achieve the client’s objectives.

Our lawyers attend the administration of the estate and also represent and advise trustees/executors in all aspects of estate and/or trust administration, including the distribution of estate assets, the passing of accounts and the finalization of income tax matters upon death.

Our wills and estates lawyers provide advice and representation with estate planning tools including:

Powers of Attorney

Trust Agreements

Life Insurance

Revocable Trusts

Specialized Trusts

Shareholder agreements

Limited Partnerships

Living Wills


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Baseball Arm Care Program

Healthy Arms Perform Better

This is a special program designed with baseball players in mind.  The purpose of this program is to monitor the throwing athlete throughout the year with quarterly check-ups to address risk factors associated with common throwing injuries, and to provide a plan of action to help maintain the strength and mobility essential for a healthy season.

Serious elbow and shoulder injuries continue to rise among youth, high school, collegiate and professional baseball players.  Major League Physicians and Executives believe that the recent spike in Tommy John surgeries is due to excess pitching volume and intensity at the youth and amateur levels.

This is not a performance program but monitoring arm health throughout the year will decrease the risk for serious injury and indirectly lead to improved performance on the field, because healthy arms perform better.

Evaluations are performed by appointment only at Catz Physical Therapy & Sports Performance Center 626-356-0599

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FREE eBook Coming Soon!

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Come join us for breakfast at CPC the 3rd Saturday of each month.  A variety of hot breakfast items provided.  A $5.00 donation is appreciated!  Expect a short briefing on a topic of current interest.  Our meeting ends promptly at 9:00 AM, but many stay longer.  Young men are invited and encouraged to attend.


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Why the Coast Guard (also) Needs a 30 Year Shipbuilding Plan

When I first learned that the Navy had a 30 year shipbuilding plan, I thought it was silly, too many unknowns, too many variables. But I have changed my mind. The Coast Guard has made a serious tactical error in not paralleling the Navy planning process and creating a similar annual 30 year plan.

In the federal government budget process, the default allocation is that an agency will get the same proportion of the budget they got last year, in fact the same amount they got last year adjusted for inflation. The Coast Guard has not even been getting that. Increasing that proportion is always difficult.

When you concentrate on only one project at a time (it has been the National Security Cutter, now it is becoming the Offshore Patrol Cutter or OPC) without recognizing all the work that will be required in out years, it is too easy for Congress and the Administration to figure they can stretch out the project at hand without realizing it results in a growing backlog. Current Coast Guard public planning budget documents generally look only five years ahead, but most procurements take at least ten years to realize. The Navy considers ten years “near term” planning. The OPC project, as currently planned, will require funding at least through FY2030 and almost certainly some follow-up beyond that.

But FY2030 is not an end point. Keeping in mind that typically we need to start planning for replacement ten years before it is actually needed, the Coast Guard will not only need Polar Icebreakers, it will also need to begin several more replacement projects:

  • New small harbor tug/icebreakers (WYTL), the oldest of the eleven existing ships is already 54 years old.
  • New Inland Aids to Navigation vessels (WLI, WLIC, WLR), about 40 of them entered service prior to 1970.
  • New Icebreaking Seagoing Tugs (WTGB), The oldest of the nine Katmai class are 36 years old already.
  • New WPBs. The oldest of the 73 Marine Protector Class will be 25 years old in 2023.
  • New Sea Going Buoy Tenders, the oldest of the 16 Juniper class will be 30 years old in 2026.
  • New Coastal Buoy Tenders, the oldest of the 14 Keeper class will be 30 years old in 2027.
  • Even funding for designing the replacements for the Bertolf class which began entering service in 2008 should be included in a 30 year plan. Probably funding for the replacing the older units as well.

We need a plan to replace them all. We need to look at least 30 years into the future which would now mean FY2046. It would be the best argument for a realistic Coast Guard shipbuilding budget.

This is the Navy’s latest 30 year plan in tabular format.

PDF: Read the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan

18 thoughts on “Why the Coast Guard (also) Needs a 30 Year Shipbuilding Plan

  1. Couldn’t the Coast Guard use the same upgraded systems for both Buoy Tenders during FRAM? I know there is a size difference. but it would save a whole lot of money, They really wont need replacing until 2060 I feel .

      • Considering how long their predecessor’s lasted that is probably going to be the norm. Especially since they would be considered auxiliary vessels compared to the military minded security and patrol cutters. We only have a limited amount of funds no matter what the budget is.

  2. http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/670215.pdf
    This is yet another article stating what the CG leadership has been forced to say now for years. The fleet is a disaster, far worse than before Deepwater began, missions are failing at an increasing rate and massive amounts of $$$ are needed to fix it. The same battle cry that brought us Deepwater, ICGS and a project price tag that went from $17B to over $30B with a fraction of the deliverables. Unfortunately the CG leadership wants to pawn their politcal cowardice and misplaced loyalty off to the taxpayer as their being the victim of congressional budget cuts and an aging fleet. Yes budgets in recent years have gone down. HOWEVER if you look at the post 9/11 RAND report on the timetable to get the fleet where it needed to be you will see the CG was fully funded and ICGS was paid under a contract mission performance guaranty. Unfortunately they fell far short of their guaranteed delivery.

    Instead of taking on industry CG leadership has rewritten history and swept their incompetance and political cowardice under the rug so they can portray themselves as the victims, They are trying to convince us to forget Deepwater ever happened and to fund doing it all again. Just look at the 123s, their purposeful desire to put crews at risk to save money and lie about it and their getting every ship contract under the sun since. (Watch to see who wins the second set of FRCs and the OPCs.)

    This is all setting up for a catastrophe. Which is unfortunately what may be needed to get it fixed. During the Haitian and Deepwater Platform missions several assets broke down. Things are so bad that a couple years ago the CG leadership actually asked if they could stop measuring Cutter Readiness. That is no different that GM conspiracy to chnage ignition part numbers to mask a fatal flaw.

    Here is the killer in the report and is EXACTLY what Deepwater was supposed to do and was GUARANTEED to do so.

    “We recommended in 2014 that the Coast Guard develop a 20 year fleet modernization plan that identifies all acquisitions needed to maintain the current level of service aviation and surface and the fiscal resources needed to buy the identified assets. We recommended that the plan should consider trade offs if the fiscal resources needed to execute the plan are not consistent with annual
    budgets. The Coast Guard concurred with our recommendation, but its response did not fully address our concerns or set forth an estimated date for completion”

    The courageous answer would be to use that guaranty to push the contractors, congress and even themselves to clean up their mess.

  3. Other troubling parts of the report

    “…We reported in April 2015, however, that during this initial operational testing, t
    he NSC was found to be operationally effective and suitable, but with several major deficiencies. For example, the NSCs small boat which is launched from the back of the cutter is not suited to operate in rough waters (sea state 5) as intended. In the meantime, the Coast Guard’s legacy Medium Endurance Cutters, which the Offshore PatrolCutter is planned to replace, have begun to reach the end of their service lives creating a potential gap.Coast Guard officials told us they planned to test a new small boat by March 2015.”

    “As we also reported in June 2014, further changes may be needed due to issues discovered through operating the NSC, which could result in the Coast Guard having to spend even more money in the future to ensure the NSC fleet meets requirements and is logistically supportable.
    In April 2015, the Coast Guard accepted delivery of the 13th of 58 FRCs and now has 32 of the cutters on contract. Aswe reported in April 2015, the Coast Guard is introducing additional competition into this purchaseby recompeting the construction contract for the remaining 26 vessels; this contract is planned to be awarded in fiscal year 2016. According to the Coast Guard, the FRC has already been used to rescue over 400 undocumented immigrants, seize nearly $20 million in contraband, and apprehend several suspected drug smugglers. The fiscal year 2016
    Capital Investment Plan includes $1.47 billion over the next 5 years to continue purchasing these assets by which time the Coast Guard plans to have fielded 42 FRCs.For example, the cutter is experiencing problems operating in warm climates, including cooling system failures, excessive condensation forming puddles on the deck of the ship, and limited redundancy in its air conditioning system affecting use of information technology systems.According to operational reports from a 2013deployment, the Commanding Officer of an NSC had to impose speed restrictions on the
    vessel because of engine overheating when the seawater temperature was greater than 68 degrees. In addition, cold climate issues on the cutter include a lack of heaters to keep oil and other fluids warm during operations in cold climates, such as the arctic. Further, Coast Guard
    operators state that operating near ice must be done with extreme caution since the ice can move quickly and the NSC could sustain significant damage if it comes in contact with the ice. In June 2014 we reported that while senior Coast Guard officials acknowledged that there were issues to
    address, they stated that the Coast Guard has not yet determined what, if any, fixes are necessary and that it depends on where the cutter ultimately operates”

  4. Pingback: GAO makes astounding discovery | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

  5. How come you advocate for a 30 year plan for the Coast Guard in this post but then criticize the GAO for making the same recommendation (see later post)?

      • Here comes the broken record.

        The problem is the reason for it is that the situation goes on and on and on. The primary cause for the deplorable condition of the fleet and the associated declining mission performance is USCG leadership rolling over for and enabling the defense contractors to avoid accountability for creating the current situation. As opposed to fixing it – which is what they were paid to and legally contracted to do. There was a mission performance guaranty in that contract the leadership has refused to use as a remedy. Maybe the Commandant would like to come here and explain why that is? Or why the USCG allowed the guaranty to be fraudulent?

        Unfortunately the situation will not be remedied until a tragedy occurs.

  6. Pingback: Document Alert: Jan.27, 2016 Congressional Research Service report, Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

  7. Pingback: Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Coast Guard Sea, Land, and Air Capabilities–House Subcommittee Hearing | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

  8. Pingback: 30 Year Shipbuilding Plan–Where Is Ours? | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

  9. Pingback: Navy Will Release New 30-Year Ship Repair, Modernization Plan with Annual Shipbuilding Report–USNI | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

  10. Pingback: Update on Coast Guard Acquisition Programs and Mission Balance and Effectiveness–Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

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text: Beginning on March 6, join with other women of faith to take a closer look at Philippians 4:6-7. This 5-week study will focus on the book Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max Lucado. Together we’ll invite God to reframe the way we face our fears and win the war on worry. Rising Women meets at the church on Wednesday mornings from 9-11 am.


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About Cidi Labs

Cidi Labs was started in partnership with Utah State University to enable “SaaS-sharing” of locally-developed instructional design tools and innovations. Our flagship product, DesignPLUS (Design Tools for Canvas), is the leading advanced course authoring toolset to natively integrate with the Canvas LMS. Design Tools enables you to rapidly build course shells and painlessly create and style the content in your courses. They improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of your course content while allowing your instructional designers and instructors to do more in less time.

With more than 120 higher education and K-12 organizations as customers, institutions of all sizes are improving the instructional design and learning process with Cidi Labs tools.

Cidi Labs (rhymes with “city”) was started in 2016 by Utah State University’s Center for Innovative Design & Instruction (CIDI), which is led by Executive Vice Provost Robert Wagner; and edtech industry veteran, Mike Zackrison, who worked for Instructure prior to founding Cidi Labs.

The company began with a vision of enabling the sustainable sharing of locally-developed software tools and innovations developed by creative, problem-solving institutions and instructional designers.

Today’s SaaS-delivered, API-rich, and standards compliant learning platforms (like the LMS) afford instructional designers and developers the opportunity to create innovative add-on solutions that make their work easier and more efficient. The problem is, the old way of sharing these add-ons via open source distributions is not ideal for today’s SaaS-delivered world and has proven difficult to scale for the developer (or her employer) due to the support demands required by popular solutions. This limits the potential reach of these inventions.

Cidi Labs enables “SaaS-sharing” of these solutions in an economically sustainable way while providing users the usability, support, maintenance and services they are accustomed to having from newer SaaS-delivered solutions. This helps broaden the reach and impact of a solution and creates an economic model that encourages continued innovation.

Our “Cooperative Instructional Design Innovation” Model

You create tools and innovation and we help support and sustain them.

Here’s how it works:

  1. We license intellectual property from the tool creator (usually an educational institution)
  2. We SaaS-enable the solution
  3. We add implementation, training, support, and maintenance services
  4. We package as a SaaS subscription
  5. We market and sell the solution
  6. We share revenue with the creator via a royalty
  7. We collaborate with developer on bug fixes, new features, and solution road map


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CIMSO - Customer Centric Integrated Management Software

Asia: +65 6604 7245 UTC+8hrs
Africa: +27 21 852 2388 UTC+2hrs

The CiMSO Hospitality and Business Management School

Grooming effective managers to focus on sound business management principles, effective financial controls and customer centric service delivery to international standards.

Certification Register

Ansie Gilau

Certificate Number: 1303 Year: 2013

Below you can choose to print a PDF version of your certificate, or apply for an original printed certificate with the CIMSO seal.

Contact Us Top


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Home Ent

DVD Review: Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film

In the ten-minute intro to Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film, we’re told that between 1899 and 1927 roughly 250-300 silent films were produced based on William Shakespeare’s plays. Why so many wordless productions for history’s greatest man of words? Yet the value of these early silents is delivering another perspective on the plays to discover. Marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death, the BFI can naturally only include a certain amount of the films on one DVD, and even then they wisely don’t leave viewers to guess at the films’ significance by themselves.

The collected works here are edited together as a five-part, sixty-minute main feature which guides us through the overarching themes and qualities the films demonstrate. This also gently sidesteps the issue that several of the films featured now exist only in fragmented form. So we get clips as varied as the very earliest, an ostentatious performance of King John dying in his bed, to a filmed clip from a Romeo and Juliet production which stars John Gielgud in technically his first film role. The first two parts are the most important: artifice and spectacle. As understandable as it is to watch most of the shorts take place on charismatic sets or be generally theatrically staged, the occasions where film truly exploits its unique qualities provide the thrills in this set. Vitagraph’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream translates the transformations, disappearances and Pluck flying through beautifully simple cutting and location shooting.

The dream-visions in Julius Caesar and Richard III, the stencil-coloured The Merchant of Venice (shot in Venice) and ambitious effects of The Tempest, all make their subjects dramatically vivid. This long neglected period might even have new relevance, as films abbreviated by technological limitations, in our present when we abbreviate by choice. You can watch the unedited shorts on this set, as per an earlier release with optional commentaries by Judith Buchanan, but the BFI’s presentation gives the internationally spread films greater accessibility. The Shakespeare Globe’s composers and musicians have produced new music for the feature (also elaborated on in a ten-minute supplement), which defies typical silent film accompaniment. It reminds us once more of Shakespeare’s universality, which these films thrive on despite their want of words. They’re yet more distinctive and valid interpretations of the Bard’s endless relevance, not distant artefacts.

Jordan Adcock | @jordanreview


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Let’s Talk Superman vs Thor [Death Battle]

In superhero history, there are two characters who have proven time and time again why they should be praised and feared for their feats of strength, endurance, tenacity and heroism; Superman and Thor.
On this episode of Let’s Talk, we pit the last son of Krypton against the god of thunder.
Who do you think will win in a fight between Superman and Thor?
Watch the video above for the debate and tell us who you are backing in the comment section below.
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1 Comment

  1. Thor over Superman anyday. Does Thor even have any weakness? Lol. Superman is superfast and can maybe win if it was a race but in a fight it's definitely Thor. Thor is definitely stronger and has better reflexes. And my Thor doesn't even need his hammer at all. Plus going by how the comics have potrayed them, Superman is very annoying and is easily susceptible to stupid traps and pranks. So Thor anyday, anytime. It's so obvious I'm biased.

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Film series celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The Maryland Film Festival and PNC Bank are paying homage to Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting the Latin American Visionary Cinema series. Screenings began on Sept. 16 and will continue through Oct. 15.

The series includes screenings of 12 films from filmmakers across the Latin American community. These films span an array of genres and represent 10 countries.

Many of them are also films that were not widely distributed in theaters across the U.S., so this series was an opportunity for audiences to view films that they may not have had access to otherwise.

The series includes four films by Mexican directors: Fernando Eimbcke’s Club Sandwich, Adrián García Bogliano’s Here Comes the Devil, Betzabé García’s Kings of Nowhere and Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux.

Representing Costa Rica is Cold Water of the Sea, directed by Paz Fábrega.

Meanwhile Patricio Guzmán represents Chile with Nostalgia for the Light.

Argentinian director Lisandro Alonso’s Jauja is another film that has been included in the series’ lineup.

Ciro Guerra’s Embrace of the Serpent jointly represents Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina.

Guatemala is represented by Jayro Bustamante’s Ixcanul, and the festival chose to include Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Neighboring Sounds from Brazil. The series will conclude this Saturday with Cuban director Enrique Álvarez’s drama Venice.

Venice follows three female friends, Monica, Violeta and Mayelin, over the course of an evening in Havana, Cuba.

All three women work as hairdressers at the same hair salon to make ends meet. On the night the film takes place, however, they make a spur-of-the-moment pact to spend their paychecks on going out on the town.

Venice is a study of the bonds between the trinity of women and how they evolve, as well as a study of each individual character in and of herself.

The improvised nature of much of the dialogue combined with Álvarez’s unflinching exploration of parts of Cuba’s more grimy, less picturesque side helps give the film an organic quality; you feel like these women and their stories could be real.

National Hispanic Heritage Month began on Sept. 15 and continues until Oct. 15 and celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of people of Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean and Central and Southern American descent.

Sept. 15 was chosen as it is celebrated as Independence Day in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The month had its symbolic end with the celebration of Día de la Raza, or Day of the Race, on October 12.

The Parkway series is a wonderful complement to the admirable successes of Hispanic directors in mainstream film.

Two well-known Latin American directors who have found recent success in Hollywood are Mexican directors Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón.

Cuarón and Iñárritu are the only Latin Americans to win both the Academy Award and the Directors Guild of America award for Best Director.

In 2014, Iñárritu won the Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).

Iñárritu also won the 2015 Best Director Oscar for The Revenant, the Alaskan wilderness epic that won Leonardo DiCaprio the Academy Award for Best Actor which the Internet so earnestly believed he deserved.

Iñárritu’s virtual reality project “Carne y Arena” was first presented at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and later featured at the Prada Foundation in Milan. It is now showing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

This virtual reality exhibition focuses on the experiences of refugees and immigrants, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the lives and struggles of Mexican and Central American refugees through a six-and-a-half minute virtual reality sequence.

Perhaps there is something implicitly political about the choice to showcase artistic excellence in Latin American film in the age of a president who threatens to build a wall across the Southern border.

In the time of Trump’s presidency, celebrating the vibrancy and diversity of Hispanic art is now a revolutionary act.

Written by ANNE HOLLMULLER  for John Hopkins News Letter

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World Cinema Reports' Editors

Cinema Without Borders' reporters from around the globe search and find international cinema content for our audience. when an outside source is used, we provide you with a link to the original source at the end of the article

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Ticket sales from international film being donated to Syrian families

Movie-goers to a special film screening will be helping Syrian refugees build a kitchen garden half a world away.

Timaru is getting an extra film from the New Zealand International Film Festival’s line-up to raise funds for the charity Syria’s Forgotten Families. The one-off screening, of Lebanon film The Insult, is scheduled for 7pm on September 4, four days after the conclusion of the film festival at local cinema Movie Max.

Fundraiser co-organizer Jayne Blakemore said money made from selling tickets at $20 would go towards providing the basics of a small kitchen garden for refugee families living in a camp in Syria.

“Extra income, extra food for the family, and a huge boost in mental well-being for people who may be deeply traumatised,” Blakemore said.

“This can change their lives dramatically. Growing vegetables and flowers can restore dignity and beauty to people who have lost hope.”

Fundraiser co-organiser Liz Sakimura said establishing the garden would be “really, really vital”.

“One of the biggest things about the people in these camps is the dullness of their lives and their diets,” Sakimura said.

“When we see other people struggling like that I think all of us have an obligation to look after each other.”

The film – about a trivial, personal conflict between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee that consumes and divides the two communities – is set about 400km from Syria.

Blakemore said the film was relatable. “It’s a situation that can happen anywhere in the world.”

The Insult is not the only film from the festival’s line-up to air outside the two-week Timaru event. Celia, a Kiwi documentary detailing the life of social justice advocate Celia Lashlie who died three years ago aged 61, is getting an extra session at 6pm on August 30.

Movie Max Timaru theatre manager Robert Jeromson said the documentary premiered in Timaru on Thursday night to a sold-out cinema, leading to a second viewing being organised to meet demand.

While Jeromson did not wish to disclose how many people on average attended the festival films, he said the fact numbers for Celia had hit capacity showed the event was a success.

“It’s the only one that’s sold out but some of them have been quite full.

“It’s going really well and we’re very happy with it.”

Blakemore said “people may be wise to make the most of this international festival” after the cancellation of the 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival was announced earlier this month.

French Film Arts Trust chairman John Martins said in a statement that while this year’s french film festival had attracted over 36,000 admissions countrywide, the group needed to take time to rebuild the festival into a more sustainable model.

“Sadly, the limited size of the box office available for subtitled films in a single foreign language, steadily increasing costs, and very limited resources means that the commercial risk involved in mounting another edition of the festival in its present form is just too challenging,” Martins said.

About Author

World Cinema Reports' Editors

Cinema Without Borders' reporters from around the globe search and find international cinema content for our audience. when an outside source is used, we provide you with a link to the original source at the end of the article

Comments are closed.