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For Sale: 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air in Arlington, Texas

Vehicle Description

1953 Chevrolet Bel Air

With the onset of the 1950's things were starting to change for Chevrolet. They came up with a revolutionary style that would carry on for many years to come...the Hardtop. These cars were style like convertibles with a non removable solid roof. The idea of Hardtops had been around for some time but never caught on until the Bel Air was release. The first generation of Bel Airs spanned from 1950 to 1954. In 53 Chevrolet renamed its series and the Bel Air was applied to the premium models with the 150 and 210 being introduced as lower models. This year also brought with it some restyle body panels as the cars slowly started to take on a more boxy shape that would become popular later in the decade. This 53 is a really nice car and a real Bel Air 2 door hardtop. The car has undergone a complete body off restoration that was very well done. It has only racked up 100 miles since being finished so the quality is still fresh. The body is in great condition and very straight. It is coated in a nice Red paint with a White top. The color combo looks great especially when you incorporate all of that 50's chrome. The stainless and chrome pieces all have a beautiful shine with no pitting, cracking or issues at all. The car underwent a factory style restoration so all of the correct original pieces are there. It even has the original style visor for the ultimate early 50's look. The car rides on original style wheels and hubcaps wrapped with wide white wall tires.

Powering the car down the road is the 235 ci inline 6 cylinder motor. The engine compartment has a nice clean finished look with everything being painted. The 6 cylinder motor is fitted with a 2 barrel carb and is mostly stock. The only major modification is with the exhaust which was split into duals with Flowmasters. During the restoration the brakes and suspension were entirely rebuilt with all of the suspension components being replaced. Backing up the motor is a 2 speed automatic transmission that switches gears smoothly with no issues.

The interior was redone in a Red and White combo that looks really good. The upholstery and carpet still look like new because they just haven't seen a lot of wear since being finished. The dash is painted in a Red and White combo as well and is fitted with all of the stock style components. A separate under dash gauge pod has been added for temp, amp, and oil pressure gauges. All of the trim pieces and chrome pieces inside the car look just as good as the exterior pieces. The trunk of the car has been coated with a liner and fitted with Black carpeting. In addition to a great car, with this purchase you will also receive a few boxes of extra components.

To restore a car like this yourself would cost much more than our asking price so by this freshly built Bel Air instead!

Get it now for $35,600.00!

Vehicle Details

  • Listing ID:CC-955954
  • Price:$35,600
  • Location:Arlington, Texas
  • Year:1953
  • Make:Chevrolet
  • Model:Bel Air
  • Exterior Color:Red
  • Transmission:Automatic
  • Odometer:100
  • Stock Number:1722
  • VIN:LAQ219464


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Gary MacDonald | | Clearview Consulting & Coaching
Coaching, Executive Leadership and Organizational Development     |      888.494.1027 Ext 3

Gary MacDonald

Gary brings 42 years of experience in non-profit leadership and is known for his ability to inspire and motivate clients to achieve excellence in their own work and enhance the performance of their organizations.

Gary is a dynamic facilitator with extensive proficiency developing communication and leadership competency skills with individuals and groups. His clients include leaders in government, business and the non-profit sector. In the fundraising arena, he coaches non-profits and their leadership in achieving higher levels of quality connectedness with their partners (donors), generating real results.

Gary loves 3 things: his wife & family, non-profits, and movie theatre popcorn (with real butter).

Gary is Founding Partner at Clearview Consulting in Stirling, Ontario. Gary also serves as Allied Counsel with KMA Consultants in Toronto and is a Facilitator at Loyalist Training and Knowledge Centre in Belleville.

Active Member of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce LINK

Profile as Allied Counsel with KMA Consultants LINK

Loyalist College Training & Knowledge Centre Facilitator LINK

View Gary MacDonald's profile on LinkedIn

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Mayor Mike has a lot of egg on his face, so does Ray Kelly. Despite being derided, kettled, pepper sprayed, and generally treated like subhumans by the NYC government, Occupy Wall Street continues to rise above the pettiness that  characterizes the behavior and assumptions of “various serious people.”
Continuing to think outside the box, OWS has two new initiatives: Occupy Sandy and Rolling Debt Jubilee.
I live on the North Shore of Long Island, walking distance from the beach, in an area full of very old tall trees and very old overhead wires. Oh, and spotty cellphone coverage. I have been virtually incommunicado for the past couple weeks. No electricity, no internet, no landline phones, no TV, no voice over cellphone and very limited texting over cellphone.
What little information I had access to, came from the car radio, and it told a tale of stranded victims on Staten Island and the Long Island South Shore and Brooklyn, left unaided by the City. No police doing door-to-door searches for the trapped and stranded elderly or infirm, no social service agencies coming to their homes to make sure they had a meal, nadda.
So, OWS called upon its stupendous logistical skills and filled the void left by Ray Kelly and Michael Bloomberg.  Bloomberg holds daily press conferences, but for people with no access to mass communication, he was  a tree falling in the forest with no one to hear. Did it really take him 2 weeks to figure out that squad cars have speaker systems on them and could be deployed like sound trucks?
BTW, Con Ed, LIPA and PSE&G:  Would it have killed you to hire some sound trucks to make announcements, since people without power or internet cannot use your hopeless websites?
I digress.  OWS did what they do best, rallied compassionate people, started cooking meals and gave them away, just like at Liberty Plaza (it’s hard to get me to call it Zuccotti Park). They organized blankets and flashlights and charging stations (including the Green Peace solar truck and those cool Gilligan’s Island bicycle generators), just as they did at Liberty Plaza. They knocked on doors to ask the stranded residents what they needed. They sent out tweets for “needs of the occupiers” and supporters from all over the world sent supplies, just like at Liberty Plaza. They even improved on that with an Occupy Sandy “wedding registry” on Amazon that helps donors ship supplies quickly and easily. Genius!
So complete is their logistical competence that they are now holding training for the National Guard troops who have been sent in to help and…wait for it…for the Mayor’s Office representatives. Considering how poorly they have been treated by this administration, they could have refused to aid the government efforts and played tit-for-tat, but their goal is to help by any means.
The press has always had trouble covering OWS because it doesn’t play into their preconceived notions and because there is no self promoting “face” of OWS. So, the story of this movement has been consistently misreported and under reported. OWS transcended the typical media narrative and has left the press behind, left the government behind, and focused on just getting the job done on the ground.
They transformed the political dialogue in a presidential election year and without a single Super PAC ad, probably contributed more to the defeat of  Mitt Romney than any deep-pocketed donor. Now they have are demonstrating the power of horizontal organizing to fill the void left by the City government, FEMA and the utterly underwhelming Red Cross. Another aside, a celebrity-studded telethon to raise money for the Red Cross did not result in the Red Cross being effective. I don’t know what they are doing with that money, but it is not being spent on Long Island, I can tell you that. Next telethon should direct donors to make purchases on the Sandy wedding registry.
Rolling Debt Jubilee
In another episode of thinking outside the box, OWS has discovered that an industry exists to buy distressed debt at pennies on the dollar. The companies that buy this debt then try to collect it and when successful, make their money on the spread.  OWS has set up a fund to create capital to buy the debt, but intends to forgive it rather than collect it. There is going to be a telethon on November 15th at 8 p.m.
Some have hollered that it creates a taxable event. However, if OWS is even more clever, they will contact the debtors, and stipulate to “settle” a pre-litigation case over the debt and the debtor will waive counterclaims and defenses in exchange for cancelling the debt. Since value is given, no taxable windfall. Since the most deeply discounted distressed debt has already passed through the hands of prior debt collection agencies, who no doubt have engaged in sketchy debt collection practices, it will not be a farce to say the debtors have counter-claims and defenses. This idea came from Masaccio.
OWS did a test run of this concept and was able to buy $14,000 of debt for only $500. This model should be used by the federal government to force the modification of mortgages, instead of bailing out the big banks, TARP money should have (and still could be) used to buy up the mortgages directly, reset the principle balance to reflect the current market value of the homes, and then reset the payments to fit the homeowners’ current incomes. Does that mean some homeowners, even with principle reduction, will end up with VERY long debt repayment terms? Yes, but it also means they can now sell those houses and get out from under if they choose, or they can pay for a long time and slowly rebuild equity.
The Triumph of Doing Over Talking
Over and over the MSM has whined that OWS doesn’t have a platform, it doesn’t have stated goals, it doesn’t have a message. Well, first of all, that tripe just demonstrates how lazy the MSM is. OWS has devoted many pixels to creating websites and online commercials explaining the programs and goals. The MSM is just too damn lazy to Google. OWS has devoted many pieces of cardboard and many yards of banners full of signs carried up major roadways full of slogans and demands. MSM couldn’t be bothered to show up and watch.
Nonetheless, OWS spends less time on messaging than any arm of government or any traditional interest group or charity.  OWS doesn’t spend their donations hiring the “right” consultants who spoon feed puff pieces to reporters over meals at fancy restaurants.  They don’t do ad buys for commercials with patriotic sounding music.
I’ve seen a ton of Red Cross commercials since my TV came back on, but not one Red Cross truck. OWS doesn’t play the game. Unlike the Red Cross, they don’t spend their time talking about what they would like to do or could do or did once before, they just go do it. It doesn’t matter if the “it” is changing the political dialogue to talk about the 1% vs. the 99%, or feeding a hungry person, or buying up student loan or medical debt.  They spend much less effort talking about doing it and more effort getting it done.


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Category Archives: News

CBNC available on AMAZON!

The DVD of “Bob Zany: Close But No Cigar” will be available on

The official release date is January 13 and the DVD is available for pre-order right now.

The two DVD set include the documentary, “Bob Zany: Close But No Cigar” as well as the hour-long comedy special filmed in Galesburg, IL “Bob Zany: Can’t Stop the Gift, Bay-bee!”

The documentary follows Bob Zany around the country as he does his stand-up shows, chasing his dream. It features interviews with well-known comedians and writers, as well as radio personalities who have all worked with Bob. (Bob and Tom, Judd Apatow, Carrot Top, George Wallace, and many more.)

Order your copy here!

DVD mock up - discs

If it plays in Peoria – Bob in the News…

From the East Peoria Times-Courier:

A trio of comedians provide a night of entertainment Friday at the Peoria Civic Center.

Bob Zany, Costaki Economopoulos and Greg Hahn were part of the Friends of Bob & Tom Tour that made a stop in Peoria.

After some introductions and jokes by Bob and Tom news director Kristi Lee, Zany was the first to take the stage.

Zany’s forte is definitely stand-up comedy in front of crowds. While Zany had plenty of good jokes, the best laughs came when he was joking with the crowd.

Early on, he kept calling out latecomers to the show, drawing plenty of laugher.

Throughout the first part of his act, he kept stopping and explaining jokes to Tim in the front row, and finally just started talking to him and joking about his profession, or lack thereof.

However, his best cracks at the crowd’s expense came when he did The Zany Report. After getting a few jokes into the report, a heckler yelled out about hearing the material before.

Zany quickly retorted that he’s been on tour for 38 years, the guy had a choice to buy the ticket and that he “could do the math.” Zany continued on, bantering back and forth with him, getting plenty of laughs.

‘If I’ve offended anyone here tonight, how bout that,” Zany ended with.

Read more:

Bob Zany on SHOWTIME!

Bob Zany is appearing on Showtime this Wednesday (October 23, 2013) at 7:00 pm central (8:00 ET). Set your DVR’s while watching the World Series and enjoy it afterwards.

Billy Gardell (‘Mike & Molly’) presents Don Learned, Bob Zany and Earthquake – three hilarious stand-up veterans who have polished their routines on the road night after night, earning the right to be called Road Dogs. Taped live at the Bonkerz Comedy Club at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas.

[Show details and info here]

Screen Shot 2013-10-22 at 9.56.49 AM
Bob Zany, Billy Gardell, Don Learned, & Earthquake

Bob Zany Day

No really…  There is now an Official Bob Zany Day!  How cool is that?!?!

The city of Grand Forks, ND loves Bob Zany so much that they have named November 7 “Bob Zany Day” in honor of our favorite comedian!

Be sure to shoot Bob a note on Facebook  ( and let him now how cool you think he is and how envious you are of this honor!


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EPAM Cloud Solution

EPAM Cloud Competency Center delivers EPAM Cloud as a new internal development infrastructure aimed to simplify the existing one, provide faster performance, transparency and manageability, all bases on self-service principles.

Many enterprise businesses face the same problem: Rapid expansion that outpaces legacy systems, which become increasingly unable to support the digital experiences customers expect.

That's exactly the issue EPAM needed to solve in order to best serve its own enterprise-level clients. EPAM utilizes an award-winning global delivery platform to create digital experiences in 19 countries across North America, Europe and Asia.

In 2012, EPAM was running more than 500 concurrent customer projects, using an infrastructure of 3,000 servers in 25 global hosting locations. EPAM knew that revamping infrastructure delivery capabilities would improve cost and time to value for itself and its clients.

At the time, there was no product on the market to meet these needs at EPAM scale. So EPAM did what it does best: Built a custom Cloud-based solution that integrated seamlessly with internal systems.

Facing the Time

EPAM's legacy infrastructure lacked the speed, reliability, and availability the company needed. To maintain their high standards for project delivery, company engineers needed an ability to provision environments within minutes and seamlessly integrate with public Cloud providers for smooth hybrid deployments.

The internal Cloud drastically improved speed and ease of use. Self-service functionality allows users to manipulate cloud resources in mere seconds. Auto-configuration services and automation catalog enable user to create required application stacks based on a combination of pre-defined settings and reusable artefacts, as well as custom settings and scenarios that they create and save as needed.

To ensure that the EPAM Cloud continues to create value over time we developed Cloud Support system. It enables identifying and fixing most issues quickly and pro-actively.

Continuous Delivery Facilities

EPAM aims to provide its customers with the most up-to-date facilities and services. Assuring continuous delivery is one of the most important characteristics of modern product development. This was the challenge EPAM Cloud had to face in order to provide modern and competitive service to its users.

EPAM Cloud provides developers with all the necessary tools to establish continuous delivery process. It supports Infrastructure as a Code, Continuous Integration and Deployment Automation facilities allowing to create application stacks of any complexity quickly and easily and removing them as soon as they finish their tasks. For project needs, the developers can automate provisioning of multiple identical environments that could be used for different purpose (for example, testing and demonstration).

Transparent Resources and Costs

In order to optimize resource usage, EPAM needed to continuously monitor, optimize and release unused cloud services and underlying infrastructure. Existing systems did not provide sufficient real-time infrastructure insights, hampering the company's ability to control and fine-tune infrastructure spending.

Additionally, EPAM required to provide internal account teams and external customers with the detailed information, monitoring and alerting capabilities for project expenses and resources usage statistics in real time.

A real time data aggregation and monitoring system keeps track of Cloud resources usage and cost across all supported cloud providers and all the layers and elements of consumed cloud services. Usage monitoring is performed via convenient omni-device Web Console.

The modernized infrastructure offers cost management and control, enabling real-time Cloud cost tracking, self-service quota management, reporting and chargeback to help increase transparency and eliminate wastefulness.

Furthermore, EPAM Cloud's comprehensive audit functionality helps ensure compliance with EPAM process and security requirements.

All-Purpose and Complex

EPAM concurrently runs over 1,000 projects across large variety of platforms and application technologies. With manually managed infrastructure, the overhead and complexity is staggering.

EPAM Cloud users work with any resources, using a single tool set. The system automatically analyses user requirements and the current state and capabilities of all supported cloud service providers and allocates appropriate resources accordingly.

Complexity is further reduced by providing Auto-configuration library. This library contains hundreds of automatically deployable application stacks. EPAM Cloud provides open Chef and Docker facilities to further extend available stacks with custom deployment routines. This enables project teams to quickly start from a proven application stack and extend it as necessary with project specific configuration.

EPAM Cloud team continuously reviews popular and/or emerging application stacks and extends the library with the automation routines to deploy these stacks on all supported cloud providers. In case where a particular stack is very popular it is converted to a full-fledged service to enable further simplified consumption of these services.

Knowledge Transfer

Although EPAM already employed hundreds of highly trained cloud engineers, client demand for Cloud services threatened to outstrip the company's resources. In order to leverage the benefits of the Cloud for its clients and advance best engineering practices, large numbers of EPAM employees had to be trained and educated on Cloud computing practices and technologies.

EPAM created a dedicated training program and an internal Cloud community. Within 8 months, more than 3,000 EPAM engineers were successfully trained in Cloud practices, like Infrastructure as Code and deployment automation, and became active practitioners in EPAM Cloud and other Cloud platforms.

  • EPAM Cloud Orchestrator advances best engineering practices, provides transparent public Cloud federation, and enables full lifecycle for Cloud-based, continuous solution delivery, management, and support
  • Over 9,000 engineers in over 1,000 projects leverage EPAM Cloud to decrease time to value for our clients.
  • Single pane of glass across all Cloud providers enables real-time operational insight, cost management, reporting and alerting, spend management and comprehensive audit.

Thanks to the new Cloud infrastructure, EPAM is able to provide its customers with everything from architecture, development and testing, to Cloud hosting and application and infrastructure management - the essential suite of services for a leading software product development provider.

Below is a list of documents related to this section. You can find the full list of our documents in the Documentation Storage.

Download the PDF with the Case Study::

EPAM Cloud Case Study

The document provides the story of EPAM Cloud project implementation


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The Will of the Land

The Will of the Land

Book - 2012
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This second edition of Peter Dettling's stunning, bestselling and highly controversial book The Will of the Land , which earned the praise of Farley Mowat, Ben Gadd, Doug Peacock, Canadian Geographic Magazine and Outdoor Photography Canada , features a new afterword by the author that updates readers on the continuing plight of the fragile ecosystem that exists in one of North America's most renowned, popular and threatened natural spaces. .

Peter Dettling first visited Canada's internationally renowned Rocky Mountains national parks as a Swiss tourist in 1993. Immediately, he fell in love with the untouched wilderness, breathtaking landscapes, diverse flora and abundant animal life, all seemingly free from human intervention and manipulation. .

With wide-eyed exuberance, Dettling moved to the heart of the Canadian Rockies in 2003, working as an artist and nature photographer. For years he documented the beauty and splendour of life in the mountains of western Canada, selling his art and photography to countless tourists and locals. In time, however, he gained insight into the realities of nature's growing struggle against developing tourism, ill-conceived transportation routes and questionable wildlife management practices.

Publisher: Victoria [B.C.] : RMB, c2012.
Edition: 1st ed., updated.
ISBN: 9781927330548
Characteristics: 191 p. :,ill. (chiefly col.), col. maps ;,23 x 29 cm.

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Tag Archives: community supported agriculture

I write this blog post from the snowy hills of suburban Connecticut– a place so fundamentally removed from Galena that I almost feel as though I am typing to you from beyond the grave. So, forgive me if I get a little weepy.

First and foremost, I am writing because I felt as though I still owed you blog readers a serious Thank You for being so responsive and encouraging over the last few months. Publishing oneself to the internet can feel a bit like throwing a manuscript over the side of a large abyss—and it’s enormously comforting/reassuring to know that one’s words made it through the ether to another living, breathing human being.

I was trying to think of a way to give something back as a thank you gift, some sort of advice or retrospective. I had even started drafting a “10 Lessons from a First Season of Farming,” which included such gems as “never use one hand where you could use two;” “it’s actually important to count your chickens;” and “when in doubt, eat the evidence.”

Alas, the list turned out to be neither prolific nor terribly insightful. And then this morning, as I was doing some reading over my cup of coffee, I realized that– though I had shared with you the recipes and small delights of a first season farmer– I have never told you what brought me to an organic farm in the first place—and, spoiler alert: it goes beyond my somewhat embarrassing devotion to kohlrabi.

So, here, here is the best gift that I can think to give to you: an essay written at the turn of this century by quite possibly the most articulate man in agriculture— activist, poet, novelist, and essayist Wendell Berry. With far more wit and intelligence than I could ever hope to muster, Berry clearly states the values, fears, and goals that I so fervently believe in that I sometimes make the mistake of assuming that everyone else shares them. It’s a beautiful piece of writing, and I like to revisit every time I need to renew my sense of purpose.

You should definitely read the whole essay if you can, but because I know that this is a busy season, I’ve outlined the gist of it for you.

Berry begins by lamenting to the tendency of single-issue movements to corrode, dissolve, and generally devolve into the very problems that they once sought to address. He then outlines his hopes for a movement that would both necessitate and be necessitated by a mass transition from conventional agriculture to smaller, organic, and sustainable forms of growing food.

He has three conditions: one, that we recognize the interconnectedness of the world and its problems. We “should begin,” he writes, “by giving up all hope and belief in piecemeal, one-shot solutions.”

Two, that we become responsible, mindful, and informed members of economies—that we realize that in spending money, we are supporting the practices and people that create the goods that we buy—or as Berry says, “Spend money with our friends and not our enemies.” And then he nails the whole thing right on the head when he writes, “In seeking to change our economic use of the world, we are seeking inescapably to change our lives.”

And three, he asks that the movement be democratically-driven and remain populist (“content itself to be poor” in his words) so that it will necessarily develop solutions that are inexpensive, practical, and viable for everyone.

And, for those that like a happy ending, I’ll add that the note that he ends on is cheerful.

Rereading the essay, I am reminded that ultimately, one does not farm for the vegetables: one farms for people; if done mindfully and with a sense of purpose, the proliferation of small scale organic farming lies at the heart of the change that I hope for this world.

It was something, actually, that you also reminded me of as I worked that last cold Friday pick-up on the farm a couple of weeks ago, surprised to find myself in the midst of many sad goodbyes. It can be lonely to be an urban transplant in a rural climate, but I was never less lonely than when I got to chat with all of you on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings about the important things in life: things like which potato is the right potato for making oven-fries and why you really (yes, really) did want to take celeriac into your heart and home that day. Thank you for being so friendly and welcoming. If I had to do it all over again, I’d invite you over for dinner sometimes.

Have a wonderful and warm winter, everyone. You have a great resource in the farm and your fellow members. May you find and foster an abiding friendship, strength, and possibility in each other.


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CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Hurricanes won at home Wednesday to nudge their Atlantic Coast Conference record above .500, and given the league's depth, that's not an achievement they're taking lightly.

Davon Reed had 18 points and six assists and Miami pulled away in the second half to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies 74-68.

"It's always a grudge match when we play them," Reed said. "Any win in the ACC, home or away, with a chance to advance in the league is big time."

Hokies coach Buzz Williams agreed the result was significant, given the conference's caliber this year.

"I think it will go down in the annals of college basketball history as the best league in a single season," Williams said.

Miami (16-7, 6-5 ACC) won for the fourth time in the past five games. Virginia Tech (16-7, 5-6) lost for the fifth time in six league road games.

The Hurricanes never trailed after halftime and went on an 18-2 run midway through second half to take a 65-49 lead. The Hokies went six minutes without a field goal.

"That was the difference, all due to getting stops," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said.

Reed went 4 for 8 from 3-point range and made all six of his free throws. Ja'Quan Newton added 16 points and Anthony Lawrence had 12.

Justin Robinson led Virginia Tech with 15 points but was called for a technical foul with 28 seconds left, and Reed made both free throws for a 71-63 lead to seal the win.

Virginia Tech lost despite outscoring Miami 18-7 in the final 4:22. The Hokies struggled against Miami's zone and were outscored by 17 points from the field.

"We were able to contain their penetration for the most part," Reed said.

The Hokies shot 4 for 13 from 3-point range, and are 7 for 33 beyond the arc (21 percent) in the past two games.

There were 11 lead changes in the first half, and Miami outscored Tech 9-0 in the final 1:06 to lead 40-34 at halftime.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies have been outscored by 26, 15, 19, 23 and six points in their league road defeats.

Miami: The Hurricanes won for the seventh time in the past eight meetings between the two teams. They play again Feb. 27.

Hurricanes forward Kamari Murphy and reserve center Ebuka Izundu combined to score 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Izundu was plus-16 in 19 minutes to lead Miami.

The Hokies had 15 turnovers, including six during Miami's decisive second-half run.

"We played much harder than we have over the last two weeks," Williams said. "We were much more connected. We just made too many mistakes."

The Hurricanes won even though their third-leading scorer, Bruce Brown, missed his first 10 shots and finished with two points. The rest of the team shot 54 percent.

"Bruce hasn't appeared to be himself the past two games," Larranaga said. "The energy — he has been kind of subdued."

Virginia Tech: The Hokes play host to No. 12 Virginia on Sunday. The game is a rematch after the Hokies lost at Virginia 71-48 last week.

"It's important to the people in the state of Virginia," Williams said. "Hopefully we'll do better than we did last Wednesday."

Miami: The Hurricanes play Saturday at No. 4 Louisville. Four of the Hurricanes' final eight regular-season games will be against ranked teams.

More AP college basketball:


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Featured Columns

February 16, 2015

Bento Bako Weekly: Gangsta. vols 2-3

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Written by: Kristin
Tags: , , , , ,

gangsta2 Title: Gangsta.
Author: Kohske
Publisher: Viz Media (Viz Signature)
Volume: Volumes 2 and 3, $12.99
Vintage: 2011 (+) by Shinchosha Publishing, 2014 by Viz Media
Genre: Action

[Volume 1 review]

A group of several brutally murdered and dismembered bodies has occurred in a factory in District 6. As a show of protocol, the cop Chad hauls in Nic and Worick. Of course, the real reason is so Worick can help identify the unidentifiable victims with his incredible memory. Worick easily provides leads for most of the victims, some of whom are Twilights (humans with enhanced strength and abilities). While they’re at police headquarters, Danny Monroe calls in for backup in a shootout with members from the Corsica gang. Worick and Nic are dispatched to help, and arrive just in time to save Monroe from a high-class Twilight. Worick hunts for a lead, and Nic takes the fight straight to the pint-sized Twilight who’s been sent to take out Monroe. It’s quite the fight between two A-rank Twilights, but it’s put to an immediate stop by the Pauklee Guild’s leader, Gina Pauklee. The rogue Twilight, Doug, is one of her mercenaries, and he’s disobeying the Three Laws placed on all Twilights – don’t harm humans or allow humans to come to harm, obey any order from a human unless it contradicts the first law, and protect themselves unless it contradicts the other laws (so basically the three laws of robotics). Doug is in violation of those laws by taking a contract (without Gina’s knowledge) to kill Monroe. The request came from Corsica, which means someone’s trying to upset the balance of power in Ergastulum. Meanwhile, poor Ally has been having hallucinations as a result of withdrawal symptoms from the drug that was used to control her by her pimp. Dr. Theo has medicine that will ease the symptoms until the drug is out of her system, but it’s Worick who brings her back down to Earth.

gangsta3Volume 3 is largely told in flashbacks depicting Worick and Nic as teens while Worick still lived with his father, and Nic was assigned as his bodyguard. Through Worick’s tutoring sessions, the history of Twilights is also explained. During a war decades ago, a drug called Cerebret was used to enhance the physical abilities of soldiers. This drug came with long lasting psychological damage, as well as dependence, and the symptoms carried down into offspring, creating more people reliant on Cerebret to function and survive. All Cerebret users were quarantined in Ergastulum. Over the years, people afraid of Twilights have organized protests, and even mass killing have occurred. Worick remains unaware of Nic’s status as a Twilight, and develops a friendship with the deaf boy, teaching him how to read, and even learning sign language alongside him so they can communicate efficiently. Both boys are abused – Worick by his alcoholic father, and Nic by the other soldiers and guards employed on the estate. Their (somewhat) happy days unravel as violence against Twilights escalates. Back in the present, the mysterious killings are getting worse, and every victim has been a Twilight. The hunt for the person (or organization) with the power to kill so many Twilights begins.

I was complaining on Twitter recently that there just aren’t enough mature manga titles aimed at older readers. The majority of titles in print are aimed at teens, and typically focus on high school aged characters. Gangsta. is one of the exceptions, along with titles by creators like Moyoco Anno and Satoshi Kon. But unlike Anno’s titles, which can be pretty heavy in subject matter, or Kon’s titles, which tend toward the philosophical, Gangsta. is just plain fun. Sexy fun. With two hunky male leads who are at least in their late twenties, if not in their thirties. Lots of action, lots of suits, guns, blood, even a little heart. So, yes, it’s got all the elements to bridge the gender divide. Men, gang wars fill these pages; women, those gangs are filled with good looking men. Smartly written and cleanly drawn, the series is easy to read, the story is easy to follow, and the art is pleasant to look at. So are Nic and Worick. And Doctor Theo. And Monroe. And Delico, and Marco, and Yang, and Miles, and Galahad, and…. It’s a gangster story even the ladies will enjoy. But don’t worry, boys, there’s some good looking girls in here, too. This is sounding a lot like my review of the first volume, but my opinion hasn’t changed. The darker, seedier elements are still nicely balanced with some comedy and lighter emotions, which is especially needed during volume 3’s lengthy flashback. Kohske continues to flesh out the world and everyone’s back stories, with glimpses into some grim futures. Some characters are on a path to redemption, while others are headed quickly toward destruction. There’s a lot more revealed about Twilights in both books, including their origin and history, knowledge of their limited lifespans, and the fact that there’s a whole lot more of them than I’d originally assumed. In volume 1, I had the impression they were sort of rare, but the town of Ergastulum is practically full of them. Though, of course, they’re rapidly dying off now. The series continues to be an enjoyable read, so please check it out. Support this title and maybe we’ll get more like it! One can hope.

Review copies provided by Viz Media.

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text:
24 2 placenta at front - don't feel pregnant..

Posted 12/07/2017

I'm 24+2 days preganant, placenta is at the front so haven't felt much activity yet from baby but starting to worry as don't feel pregnant.. anyone else in this situation?

Any advise / support would be great.

Comments (4)

Posted 12/07/2017

I was having the odd day like this a few weeks back. Also got anteria placenta. It's improved now as I'm feeling baby a lot more. I'm 25+1. I'm sure your movements will improve soon making you feel more pregnant.

Posted 12/07/2017

I have an anterior placenta, ftm, 27 weeks today. Although I've felt her since 16 weeks ish, she's not quite established a pattern yet. If she's more towards my back my bump looks smaller & I don't feel her as much. If I place my hand softly just under my rib on the right side (that's usually where her feet are) for a while I usually can feel a few kicks. I've read quite a lot into anterior placentas and it's very normal for mums to not feel baby as much as others. Everyone is different. However if you are worried ring your midwife. They will not mind at all and would rather your mind be put at rest even if it meant going for an extra scan. It's disheartened reading people feeling their baby but as they get bigger they'll have no choice but to poke and kick us hard whilst wriggling about, xxx

Posted 12/07/2017

I have posterior placenta and still have no bump or movements! Little buggers are just making us wait 😊

Posted 12/07/2017
I'm FTM (first time mum) at 27+4 with anterior placenta. Have a rough idea now of his movement pattern but it's never exact times etc. I thought I felt movement at 17ish weeks then seemed to stop for a couple of weeks. Feel him every day now since about 22/23weeks but no two days are ever the same. Sometimes he's kicking so hard i can see it, other times i feel a tiny pop that makes me unsure if it's actually him or tummy gas or something! Lol. midwife says it's normal for movement to change and not always be as strong as it depends where he is. As long as I feel him first thing, midday ish and evening then it's pretty normal. I know it's easier said then done but try not to worry too much about.

Somedays I don't feel pregnant at all. Stood up its obvious that I am but laying down in bath or sitting i feel like I just look fat or bloated :( Now the tiredness has kicked back in and acid reflux I defo feel abit more pregnant but between morning sickness going about 12/13wks and movement starting properly about 23weeks I just felt like where is this baby? Am I just fat?? Lol. I had nightmares before both scans thinking they wouldn't find anything or that I'd just dreamed being pregnant. Xxx

TTCHalfway ThereFirst Ultrasound/HeartbeatMorning Sickness WarriorBig Fat Positive

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Snap Shot of Experiment Variations

Status: Great Idea!
by ShaneHale 04-21-2014 April 21, 2014

One thing I feel is lacking (and some times frustrating) is the ability to look back at experiment variations.

After I have archived a completed experiement, I'll often what to reference it for ideas or learnings. The problem is that production code changes may of occured since the experiement was turned off, and the variation design no longer renders correctly.

It would be nice if Optimizely could take a snap shot of the variation just as a visual refernece to the experiment's variations.

- shane

Status: Great Idea!
Level 2

by SarahR
04-21-2014 April 21, 2014

I totally agree, but understand that it can be tricky with more complex tests!

Maybe when archiving a test, give an option to take screenshot(s) or upload our own (so we can hone in on the actual change on a more complex test).  And then associate it with the results view.

Level 2
by Optimizely
06-02-2014 June 2, 2014
Status changed to: Working On It!
by amitch5903
07-29-2014 July 29, 2014

To make the results report even more compelling, it would be great to be able to add images (screenshots) of each variation tested.

Level 2
07-29-2014 July 29, 2014

That indeed would be a great addition, I usually already include them in our testing documentation so we know in a couple of months what we've tested and how it looked like.

Level 10
by Optimizely
07-30-2014 July 30, 2014
Status changed to: New
by daannijkamp
09-12-2014 September 12, 2014

It will be great if it was possible to generate screenshots from the different variations by using the Optimizely’s REST API.

This could be done by providing a png image directly from the API or a url to a clean preview html version of the variation so i can render the screenshots (in different device formats (!)) my self.

Use case:

in combination with with the experiment results from the api i want to render automatically (!) "experiment results PDF reports".

Level 1
by max
11-25-2014 November 25, 2014 - edited 11-25-2014 November 25, 2014

Great idea indeed. This is the way we see this feature:

  • a [Take variation screenshot] button is available for each variation
  • when that button is pressed, a screenshot of the variation is taken
  • even if the variation is changed, the screenshot remains unchanged (until the button is pressed again)
  • users should be able to visualize screenshots via the UI and via the API (e.g. via a new "screenshot" field with URL pointing to the CDN-hosted screenshot)

The feature would allow users to save a visual representation of the variation whenever they're happy with the way the variation looks. The benefits are:

  • "Historical" Reference/Backup: over time the website changes, and eventually in the Optimizely editor variations no longer look like when they were set up, thus Optimizely doesn't do a good job at keeping a reference of past work.
  • Custom dashboards with REST API: one can build custom dashboards with the REST API (like we have). The problem is that whenever crucial information is missing from the API, it has to be provided manually, which defeats the purpose of using an API. FYI we've already requested a feature which goes in the same direction (
Level 2
by Optimizely
06-01-2015 June 1, 2015
Status changed to: Great Idea!
by jongaulding
11-09-2016 November 9, 2016

Hi @ShaneHale @SarahR @daannijkamp @max and all! Inspired by this product idea, our company recently launched an Optimizely app called Power Reports, which aims to empower you to create, share, and forever retain attractive reports for all your experiments (including, of course, screenshots). The app populates reports based on Optimizely data, then gives you total control to customize. You can learn more about the app here.

If you'd like to learn more, see a demo, or try out the app with your own experiments, reply here or email us at!

Level 2


text:
Mentoring Mondays – Calling All Super Moms by Andrea Fortenberry

I love how much boys love superheroes. A year or so ago, a friend of ours gave us some hand-me-down playsets and superhero figurines that her son no longer wanted. My son was on cloud nine. He would set everything up in the playroom and play for hours on end.

He loved for me to play with him and eventually he wanted us to take on the persona of a superhero. It wasn’t uncommon for him to call to me from the other room, “Wolverine! I need some more apple juice! Or “Robin, I need to go potty!”

This made me think about how inside every mom resides a cast of superheroes. We’re constantly changing roles and personas, just about as fast as Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne can change into their costumes.

Sometimes, we’re like Spiderman, catching kids (and their stuff) just like flies.

Or we’re Captain America as we shield off attacks from germs (“Here’s some sanitizer!”) or mean kids on the playground.

A lot of days we’re Wonder Woman: Managing the carpool, kid’s activities, laundry, packing lunches and figuring out dinner every night.

Of them all, unfortunately the one I resonate with the most is the Incredible Hulk. Not knowing how to control my emotions, I sometimes I explode on my kids. But I’m working on it. You too?

When I think of all the different super heroes, I want to be a blend of two of them:

Super Man

One of the days I’ve most felt like Super Mom wasn’t when I had a perfectly-themed birthday party with Pinterest-perfect favors. It wasn’t when my child was Student of the Month or when potty-training was finally finished.

It was a day, not long ago, when I stayed in my pajamas, sat on the floor and played with my son most of the day. We colored, played super heroes and Legos. I let his imagination lead our play. I didn’t have an agenda for the day; I set my to-do list aside. And I loved it! I felt super because I enjoyed being a Mom and living in my child’s planet. I was laser-focused on him. So often I’m the one forcing him to step into my over-scheduled, running here and there life.  While this day, sadly, cannot be my reality every day, it reminds me of how I want more days like this.

Iron Man

While I think he’s often arrogant and selfish, what I like most about him is that on his own, he doesn’t have any true super powers. Yes, he’s smart. But his power lies in his armor!

The same is true for us as moms. Although we may feel week and unqualified for our jobs as moms, we have the armor of God that equips us for the challenges that lie ahead, parenting or otherwise. Just as Tony Stark chooses when to put on his armor, we must choose to put ours on as well.

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

– Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT

So whichever super hero you are today, we’re all in this together! We need to join forces and work together for the greater good. Instead of judging another mom’s choices, let’s pray for each other and support each other. There’s no one way to be a perfect mom, but there are so many ways to be super moms.

Armed together, we are unstoppable! After all, if we weren’t around, how would this world function? The planet would fall apart!

Andrea and Kids

Connect With Andrea

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The Birth of Big Ben

We actually went to the hospital the night before, thinking I was in labor because of the closeness of contractions I was experiencing. We had never gone into labor before because Mikey was induced. So after roaming the hallways of the labor and delivery wing, and not progressing, they sent me home. The next morning, I woke up at 7:30am, well rested and feeling what contractions are supposed to feel like. Friggin painful.

We got to the hospital around 9:45 or so. I was already dilated to a 6. So two hours later, Ben was born! Matt and I did not prepare for a natural birth (apparently looking at breathing techniques on youtube doesn’t cut it…). So right before I transitioned into active labor, I sought thy help of an epidural. The anesthesiologist showed up when I was already dilated to a 9.5. The epidural took the edge off, but by no means took the pain away. Plus I couldn’t move… so I told myself, if I made it to a 9.5 without meds, I should try for completely natural next time. (and I did with Joe!)

After a couple of pushes, this chunky (8 pounds, 11 oz), wet, crying baby was put on my chest and I laughed! There were such huge tears in my eyes. I experienced this amazingly joyful birth! Something I felt I was deprived with when I had Mikey. Ben got to stay on my, and started to nurse immediately. I was ecstatic! I was elated! I was complete! I was joyful!

My mom was in town, she came to see me in the hospital

I could not get over how happy and joyful I was after having Ben!

I could not get over how happy and joyful I was after having Ben!

Ben was (and is) truly a gift from God. A gift that healed my fears of birth, fears of fertility, fears of guilt, fear of not loving my children the way I wanted. God gave me a birth experience worth getting excited about. God gave me Benjamin Thomas Halbach.

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text:
4. The True King and His Kingdom

For Christians, Jesus is our Savior, Lord, High Priest, Prophet, and King. Each of His roles serves a different function for us. This study will focus on Jesus as our King.

There are four basic requirements for the existence of any kingdom. These apply to kingdoms of the world and to God’s kingdom. Every kingdom must have: (1) a king, (2) a realm, (3) subjects, and (4) statutes. If any one of these is absent, then we do not have a kingdom.

The king is the head of the kingdom. In a true monarchy, all power and authority resides in the king. The realm consists of geographical boundaries that define the physical borders, which contain the land over which the king has dominion. The subjects are the people who live within the realm of the kingdom and who live under the authority of the king. The statues or laws describe the king’s commandments concerning the behavior of the subjects of the kingdom.

In the beginning, God established himself as King over the people of Israel. Eventually, this did not please the people and they wanted an earthly king. They wanted to be like all the other nations on the Earth. We read about this in 1 Samuel Chapter 8. These verses describe what it is like to live in an earthly kingdom. It describes a two class society, where the earthly king possesses power and wealth and has the authority to force people to serve him and his interests. In a kingdom, the concept of personal rights only applies to the king. He has the right to do whatever he wishes and everyone else must obey him. He is completely free and everyone else serves his interests. In an earthly kingdom, the subjects are called serfs. As is shown in the following passage of scripture, the people of Israel were not only asking for a king, but they were in fact asking to become serfs. God understood this and warned them of the danger, but they persisted in their desire to give up the freedom they had with God to live in bondage to a man.

1 Samuel 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

The four characteristics of an earthly kingdom also apply to the kingdom of God. However, the functioning of these characteristics in the kingdom of God are quite different. The book of Matthew excellently describes the qualities of the true spiritual king and his kingdom. The following scriptures identify Jesus as the king who rules over the heavenly kingdom of God. Matthew uses the term “kingdom of heaven and the other Gospel writers use the term “kingdom of God.” Both of these terms describe the same kingdom. I will use the term “kingdom of God” in this series of studies on the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

This verse establishes that Jesus is in the kingly lineage of David. Jesus was not conceived from the seed of Joseph, but was raised in the household of Joseph, who was a descendant of King David and a descendant of Abraham who was the father of all Jews. A family tree can be one method that is used to establish a person’s rightful kingship.

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

In the preceding verse, and in the next passage, we see that there was external evidence that others recognize that Jesus was understood to be a king from the time of His birth. A king needs to be recognized by his subjects.

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

Next we take a look at events in scripture that announce the king’s arrival.

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John had the task of making straight the path in preparation for the arrival of King Jesus. When a worldly king would plan a visit to a city, the people of the city would often rebuild the roads in honor of the king. They would straighten the roads, make them level, and make them smooth. John prepared the way for King Jesus by proclaiming the king’s arrival, by preaching repentance, and by baptizing those who repented for their sins.

Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Thus far, scripture proclaimed the king, the wise men of the east proclaimed the king, prophets proclaimed the king, and now we see that God the Father confirmed the divinity of His son Jesus. Once it had been clearly established that Jesus is king, we see that Jesus was driven out into the wilderness so He could be tested. The testing would determine whether His character and His ability to withstand temptation were consistent with the position He would occupy as king of a spiritual kingdom. Would His behavior and His knowledge of scripture be sufficient to overcome the prince of this world?

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus had the opportunity to become king of the world – to be king over all nations, but he would not submit and worship Satan. He could not submit to anyone, but to His heavenly Father. He clearly stated that His kingdom would not be of the worldly realm. In doing so, He passed the test of kingship.

Matthew 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The prophets spoke of Jesus as being a great light in the darkness. The appearance of His holy light in the world pushed hard into the sin filled darkness of their lives. His light revealed their sin and proclaimed the long awaited kingdom. His kingdom was now at hand — it was standing right there in front of them. Could they see it? His kingdom would not be established through political or military means, but through repentance. He was not calling them to join together on His behalf for earthly conquest, but to individually repent for their sinful ways. He was showing them that the proper response to an encounter with God and His kingdom is to repent.

The First Subjects of His kingdom

Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

In the preceding passage, Jesus began to attract subjects to His kingdom through the use of His kingly power and authority. In the next passage, Jesus clearly states the fact that He is king and describes those who are part of His kingdom.

John 18:33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Thus, we see that Jesus is king of a kingdom that is not of this world. Its realm is heavenly, and it is invisible to men who are not partakers of God’s truth. In other words, it is not defined by geographical boundaries. It does not have an army that uses violent means to protect the king or the borders of the kingdom. Its subjects are those who recognize truth and respond to the voice of the king. The subjects of His kingdom seek to obey the statues of His kingdom, because of their love for the king. They do not obey the king on threat of death, rather, their obedience is a sign of their gratitude and love for the one who granted them eternal life. Those who are not of His truth do not hear the voice of the king and cannot perceive the kingdom of God. They are also incapable of complying with the statutes of His kingdom, because of their rebellious attitude.

From the previous scriptures we were able to confirm the existence of a spiritual kingdom. Three of the four conditions for a kingdom were confirmed. We saw that Jesus is the king, His realm is the kingdom of God or heaven, and His subjects are those who freely follow after Him. But what about the fourth condition? Where are the statutes? Every kingdom must have statutes, otherwise it would be a kingdom of anarchy and the king would not have authority over the subjects or the boundaries of His realm.

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

The preceding scripture is the opening passage in the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is contained in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. The stage is set as Jesus sits down in the open air of a mountain side and prepared to speak. Jesus did not need a palace, a throne, golden crown, royal robes, or need to hold a jeweled scepter to express His authority. He simply sat down on a mountainside and proclaimed the truth of His kingdom. He spoke with the authority of a king, because He was a king, and many people could perceive the truth of His words. He did not speak in the dead religious style of the Pharisees and scribes, but brought life back into a corrupted legalistic system of manmade laws. From His seat on the mount, He taught the principles and commandments that apply to every subject in His kingdom. His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are the statutes of His spiritual kingdom.

As king, Jesus took the four characteristics of a kingdom and turned them upside-down and inside out. He was a servant-king who humbly ruled and reigned through being obedient to our Father in Heaven. His realm has no physical borders and was invisible to everyone except those who lived in it. His subjects did not enter into His kingdom through physical birth, but were born into it from above through the Spirit of God. Subjects could not voluntarily move into his kingdom by changing their address or by exercising self-effort to obey kingdom statues. His subjects had to be born into the His kingdom through the regenerative power of a second birth.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

The subjects of earthly kingdoms are ultimately called to obey the king or die. The subjects of the kingdom of God are called to die to self and to acquire the likeness of their king. King Jesus has given eternal life to the subjects of His kingdom. His subjects have been given a natural desire to obey the statues and commandments of the king. They long to obey, because they long to be just like their king who obeyed the Father. They do not obey the commandments of Jesus to preserve their lives, rather, they have been given eternal life so that they could lose their lives and become living sacrifices. They are willing to become living sacrifices for the kingdom, because that is exactly what their king did, and they want to be just like their king in every way.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The subjects of the kingdom of God are called to turn away from conformity to the standards of the world, and to live by the biblical principles that King Jesus has established. They are called to have their minds renewed and their hearts transformed through a lifestyle of repentance so that they may live within the perfect will of God.

When we live by the statutes of the kingdom of God, we will respond to the call of the Spirit who teaches us to live in complete obedience to the true King. This is not a casual relationship with intermittent obedience, but one where the light of Christ shines into every corner of our lives. We are called out of the kingdom of Satan to live as the true sons and daughters of God the Father, and to be the brothers and sisters of the King – Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 12:46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

There are many people who deny that Jesus is king. They deny the existence of His kingdom and His statutes that He proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount. Some people promote the idea that a person can be a Christian without living in the kingdom that Jesus established on the Earth.

Help me to clearly understand the truth about King Jesus, His kingdom, His statutes, and the characteristics that mark a man or woman as being part of His heavenly kingdom. Prevent me from falling prey to non-biblical teachings that deny the existence of God’s kingdom on Earth today.

I pray that as we study the Sermon on the Mount, you will kindle a fire in our hearts to become more like King Jesus. Help us grow in faith and understanding, so that we can become living sacrifices who can lay down our lives upon your spiritual altar, and bring glory to you.

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Listening to those you want to help

Don’t rush into solutions – spend time listening to the local church and the local community first, to identify what the real needs are. You may visit and decide the community needs A, B and C, but careful, sensitive and humble discussion with the local people may reveal the true needs are X, Y and Z. Visit and build relationships before you start any kind of project.

In some cultures, if you turn up and offer to do a project, it’s simply polite for people to say yes, even if they don’t want or need it: they don’t want to offend you. Show equal respect by listening first, and make sure any work you do in and with the community is needed and worthwhile.

Put yourself in their shoes: what would your reaction be if a group of foreigners turned up at your church with no knowledge of your local community’s needs and started telling you what you should do? Build some humility into your plans and listen.

Be honest with yourself about your hopes and aspirations: have you already decided what you want to do ‘for’ this community? Would you be willing to change your mind if it turned out that a need you haven’t thought of proved to be greater? To address the real needs may require this kind of flexibility.

Don’t let your vision overwhelm your local church partner: make sure that they have the human capacity, as well as the funding, to implement the project without it excessively distracting or consuming the church’s energy.

Planning finances

Make sure any project you embark on is sustainable and can continue when your funding comes to an end. For example, a western government built a splendid hospital in a developing country but the local community and authorities couldn’t afford to staff or maintain it, so it remained unused. Similarly, you may want to build an orphanage, but how sustainable will it be?

Be aware of the risk that your funding could create dependency at the receiving end: if you’re supplying equipment, can the local church afford to maintain or replace it? If you’re paying someone’s salary, what will they do if you have to cease your funding? If you make people financially dependent on you, and then withdraw your funding, you may leave them poorer.

Relationships come first

Westerners tend to be task-oriented, but in some other cultures relationship is more important. If you’re taking a team to do a practical project, don’t be so desperate to complete the task that you put strain on the host community or harm relationships. It may be difficult when you see physical poverty and feel compelled to ‘solve’ it, but in many places the most important thing you leave behind will not be the building but the relationship.

Be sensitive to local culture and thinking. For example, in some cultures if you install a water pump, people will regard it as yours, not theirs, and if it breaks down they’ll assume it’s your responsibility to repair or replace it. Ensure that issues of ownership and responsibility are resolved at the outset.

Beware of letting money create an unequal power relationship between you and your partner church or leader – for example, what is the size of your financial gift in comparison with the church’s local income?

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Fukrey Returns star cast enjoys the musical launch of their film jukebox

Film makers and the whole star cast of Fukrey Returns enjoyed the funfilled evening during the launch of their film song. They enjoyed the song release and also plays some lines from the songs of their film.
The song with his audio proves to be another chart buster from the film which makes it’s place in the mind of the people. ‘Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai’ surely one of the favorites and going along with the story of the film. Sumit Bellari composed the music of the song written by Satya Khare sung by Gandharv Sachdeva.
Everyone likes the story, songs and the characters of the film and the producer make sure to show their actors in best shape. This time they have one song on Bholi Punjaban which also make it a eagerly awaiting film.
The film is a perfect entertainer for everyone specially the friends gang. The story, characters and the songs all makes it the perfect sequel of the original one.


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Has Your Organization Developed a Stonehenge Structure?

If it has, you know it is time to act – quickly!

Recently, we were invited to present to the management of a large, global corporation. Although the company is currently doing well, financially, the executive board wanted to initiate a culture shift with the goal to strengthen the emotional engagement of the team. There was no clear indication that employees weren’t engaged, however, the executives recognized the need to change as a response to the shifting values in our society. Their point: People are asking for more genuine, authentic and meaningful connections – both to their colleagues as well as to organizations they are involved with.

Essentially, the executives stated: “Our employees are loyal and happy. But we would like them to have deeper conversation that allow for more controversy, so they can improve and learn from each other.” Preparing for our presentation, we interviewed about two dozen individuals involved with the company: employees, executives, customers, even individuals that didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the organization but had a distinct opinion from following the company in the news. After only a few interviews it became clear that the company was suffering from what I call a “Stonehenge Structure” – that every department, even groups within a department, were quasi-isolated from other departments, and that the few hundred upper managers had become a group on itself, positioned squarely on top of the individual departments.

If your company has adopted the Stonehenge Structure, it's time to change - quickly!

People from different departments were obviously communicating in meetings and strategy sessions, but without any honest and meaningful information or input exchanged. Everybody was tiptoeing around. Departments held their information, insights and opinions close to the vest, and so they were all getting along just fine – at least that’s how it appeared to the executives of the firm. Upon closer examination, however, it turned out that the majority of the people we interviewed were deeply frustrated about the situation, even about working at the company. Their typical statement: “I have to watch every word I say. That’s really frustrating.” In addition, the upper management team – the square rock on the top – had become a group in itself, disconnected to what’s really going on in the minds of their employees.

“Aside from the frustration and building disengagement”, we asked our interviewees, “how many ideas – how much innovation and synergies do you think are lost as a result of this structure?” Their estimate: between 25% and 50% of the company’s potential. Coincidence? Guesswork? Maybe a case specific to this organization? Possible, but I don’t think so. Even if only a fraction of the estimated potential is lost as a result of this structure, it’s time to act – quickly – before high-performers are looking elsewhere for opportunities. As a matter of fact, we received calls after our presentation from executives that were indeed dissatisfied with the situation that they were already looking for a new job.

How can we change the Stonehenge Structure?

Obviously, it is very difficult to move the standing rocks (the departments) without moving the top rock (the structure of the upper management). Without changing the top rock, first, we’re signing up for a serious challenge. But imagine the top rock breaking its structure and turning into molasses or water, filling the gaps between the standing rocks. This would create a strong unit without an immediate need to move the standing rocks (meaning without the need to change perceptions and behaviors of each employee). Ultimately, building a strong company culture may well require moving the standing rocks, but I believe that the first step must be to move the top rock (the upper management).

What does this top-management change entail? First and foremost genuine interactions and a true care for people. No fake interest. Genuine, authentic connections that break the “we-and-them-paradigm”, and which instead enable truthful and honest conversations. Upon presented to the executives of above mentioned corporation, we learned that the CEO had recently pursued “direct interaction with sales people and customers”. Turns out that his driver took him to one of their sales outlets in town. Meanwhile, I kept thinking about Zappos, the internet shoe retailer that’s known for its unique company culture and customer service, and wondered why their leadership team hasn’t turned into a Stonehenge Structure. Maybe because Zappos requires every new employee – from sales rep to top executive – to work the customer service phone lines for several weeks before they step into their “real” roles within the company.

CSR 2.0 – It’s time to make this work!

From “Doing” Social Responsibility to “Being” Social Responsible

Conscious Business Institute Sustainability Model
Conscious Business Institute Sustainability Model

I just inaugurated a bi-monthly expert blog on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at www.justmeans.com, one of the leading Corporate Social Responsibility websites and communities. The thrust of the blog will be to move CSR and Corporate Sustainability from something we DO to something we ARE – something we embody on every level in an organization.

Why? Because my observations in client companies and interviews with large multinationals show that many of the institutionalized CSR programs are only as strong as the revenues or margins of the organization – and as soon as revenues or margins become jeopardized, sustainability or CSR efforts are placed at the bottom end of the agenda (if they still make it at all onto the agenda at all).

As I mention in the first Justmeans blog post: “The challenge is to shift CSR to something organizations “Are” – something that is embodied throughout the organization; from top executive to the sales person on the road. In my opinion, we only get the necessary traction once CSR touches everyone in an organization, where CSR shifts from a doctrine to a personal matter. As long as companies see CSR as something they “Do”, it becomes like an institutionalized religion: the ideas are great, but as soon as someone comes along stating “This is the way it has to be done”, it turns into a doctrine. And as in any doctrine, the result will be opponents and proponents wasting time as they engage in conflict about “what’s right” and “what’s wrong”.”

In the next posting on Justmeans, I will introduce the Conscious Business Institute’s approach to sustainability (picture) and discuss how corporate ethics, sustainability and CSR can be better engrained into any company’s fabric. To read more on Justmeans, click here.


text:
Has Your Organization Developed a Stonehenge Structure?

If it has, you know it is time to act – quickly!

Recently, we were invited to present to the management of a large, global corporation. Although the company is currently doing well, financially, the executive board wanted to initiate a culture shift with the goal to strengthen the emotional engagement of the team. There was no clear indication that employees weren’t engaged, however, the executives recognized the need to change as a response to the shifting values in our society. Their point: People are asking for more genuine, authentic and meaningful connections – both to their colleagues as well as to organizations they are involved with.

Essentially, the executives stated: “Our employees are loyal and happy. But we would like them to have deeper conversation that allow for more controversy, so they can improve and learn from each other.” Preparing for our presentation, we interviewed about two dozen individuals involved with the company: employees, executives, customers, even individuals that didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the organization but had a distinct opinion from following the company in the news. After only a few interviews it became clear that the company was suffering from what I call a “Stonehenge Structure” – that every department, even groups within a department, were quasi-isolated from other departments, and that the few hundred upper managers had become a group on itself, positioned squarely on top of the individual departments.

If your company has adopted the Stonehenge Structure, it's time to change - quickly!

People from different departments were obviously communicating in meetings and strategy sessions, but without any honest and meaningful information or input exchanged. Everybody was tiptoeing around. Departments held their information, insights and opinions close to the vest, and so they were all getting along just fine – at least that’s how it appeared to the executives of the firm. Upon closer examination, however, it turned out that the majority of the people we interviewed were deeply frustrated about the situation, even about working at the company. Their typical statement: “I have to watch every word I say. That’s really frustrating.” In addition, the upper management team – the square rock on the top – had become a group in itself, disconnected to what’s really going on in the minds of their employees.

“Aside from the frustration and building disengagement”, we asked our interviewees, “how many ideas – how much innovation and synergies do you think are lost as a result of this structure?” Their estimate: between 25% and 50% of the company’s potential. Coincidence? Guesswork? Maybe a case specific to this organization? Possible, but I don’t think so. Even if only a fraction of the estimated potential is lost as a result of this structure, it’s time to act – quickly – before high-performers are looking elsewhere for opportunities. As a matter of fact, we received calls after our presentation from executives that were indeed dissatisfied with the situation that they were already looking for a new job.

How can we change the Stonehenge Structure?

Obviously, it is very difficult to move the standing rocks (the departments) without moving the top rock (the structure of the upper management). Without changing the top rock, first, we’re signing up for a serious challenge. But imagine the top rock breaking its structure and turning into molasses or water, filling the gaps between the standing rocks. This would create a strong unit without an immediate need to move the standing rocks (meaning without the need to change perceptions and behaviors of each employee). Ultimately, building a strong company culture may well require moving the standing rocks, but I believe that the first step must be to move the top rock (the upper management).

What does this top-management change entail? First and foremost genuine interactions and a true care for people. No fake interest. Genuine, authentic connections that break the “we-and-them-paradigm”, and which instead enable truthful and honest conversations. Upon presented to the executives of above mentioned corporation, we learned that the CEO had recently pursued “direct interaction with sales people and customers”. Turns out that his driver took him to one of their sales outlets in town. Meanwhile, I kept thinking about Zappos, the internet shoe retailer that’s known for its unique company culture and customer service, and wondered why their leadership team hasn’t turned into a Stonehenge Structure. Maybe because Zappos requires every new employee – from sales rep to top executive – to work the customer service phone lines for several weeks before they step into their “real” roles within the company.

Are we really an evolved society?

History repeats itself: the Financial Crisis and the War of Peloponnese

I recently came across an article by Stefan Rebenich, a German Professor for Ancient History. The article contained a fitting description of human behaviors contributing to the financial crisis, as well as some elements of “leadership” that we can find in most of today’s businesses:

“Egoistic are their actions, reckless their striving for profit, irrepressible the drive of the individual for more recognition and possessions. In a society that is governed by competition as a leading principle, this drive peaks in the constant desire to be the first!”

Although very timely, this statement did not relate to the current financial crisis. It is a description of the Peloponnesian War by the Greek Philosopher Thucydides, and it is 2,400 years old. After the bitter experiences of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides did not believe in the moral superiority of the upper class:

“At the end of this”, states Thucydides “stands the destruction of the community through intellectual egoism and material greed.”

If we look at the parallels between the War of Peloponnese and the current economic crisis, we have to admit that evolution hasn’t been very kind to us during the past 2,400 years – at least when it comes to human behaviors. Certainly, we have landed on the moon. We have advanced technology at an impressive speed. In most countries, we even addressed the most pressing human rights issues. But we have to ask: Why are many of today’s organizations still driven by the same human behaviors that governed societies more than two millennia ago?

Dominance & Subservience – The Governing Principle of Many Organizations

We find that many of today’s businesses, governmental organizations, and even private relationships are governed by a model of Dominance & Subservience. This model of Dominance & Subservience is a Neolithic model, which we have carried with us for well over 2000 years. To this day, it dictates many of our behaviors. It is governed by ego, competition and control – and as long as we conduct business or lead our relationship based on this model, it is impossible to experience the sense of flow, purpose or well-being that most of our working population is yearning for.

If we want to build companies where people are fully engaged, where they can grow both personally and financially, where teams work together to reach a common purpose, we must break this existing model of Dominance & Subservience. We need to introduce a new leadership model, which is based on partnership and mutual respect, rather than on domination of the resources, or being subservient to a dominator.

I have to agree that breaking 2000 year old habits can be a challenging task to be added to an executive’s calendar. But when we look at this model in more detail, this is actually a task that supports the leader rather than adding more work to an already full plate.

Why? Because the model of Dominance & Subservience requires full accountability from both participants: the dominator (in businesses this is typically the boss), as well as the subservient person (typically the employee). With this in mind, the boss is not the “Bad Guy”, anymore. Once an organization changes this model, the leadership team – the top 1% of the organization – is not expending their energy and time with keeping the remaining 99% of the workforce engaged, anymore. As leaders and employees become responsible and accountable, 100% of the organization can align their energies to follow a common goal.

In working with clients, we have seen that once both the leadership team and the employees become aware and conscious about their contribution to this model, teamwork starts to flourish, respect grows, and persistent issues in the business start to dissolve, allowing the company to grow with more ease. The result can be truly astonishing: our experiences show 700% and more revenue growth within a period of 18 months.

We believe that shifting away from the principle of Dominance & Subservience is one of the most important changes we can initiate in today’s organizations. Changes are certainly required on many levels, if businesses want to survive this volatile white-water economy. However, unless we change the foundation for most of our human behaviors to a “Next Generation Leadership” paradigm, we will find that other changes are not sustainable: Unless we change the foundation, we can only find – as Thucydides outlines – that history will repeat itself.

(Please contact us for more information about the model of Dominance & SubservienceTM or our Next Generation Leadership Programs, or visit www.consciousbusinessinstitute.com or www.cbispeak.com).

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Welcome to the Conscious Business Institute Blog

We believe that it is time for a new business paradigm to emerge – a paradigm that is based on integrity, honesty, trust and cooperation, instead of the prevalent model of dominance and subservience. We find that businesses embracing this new paradigm can provide an environment for their managers and employees to combine personal and financial success with inspiration, empowerment, fulfillment and personal growth – a key for attracting and retaining the best talent for your organization.

In my life as an Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist, I have found that 9 out of 10 people are disengaged from their job. Most people are yearning for a way to work and live in a more fulfilling and balanced way. …and I was one of them. When I was a Venture Capitalist, I thought: “How can we invest millions of dollars in companies if most of the people are disengaged. How much money are we wasting – and how much potential and life-force gets lost along the way?”

Let’s be honest: the current model for a “successful life” that is propagated in our society only works for a tiny fraction of our population – maybe 5 or 10%. Everybody else is struggling either with money or with time. That, in my eyes, is not a very healthy model.

If organizations want to stay alive – let alone thrive – they need to reevaluate the way they conduct business. The United States is facing radical changes, which could well create a “new poverty” in this country. The global resource crisis and the mortgage crisis (including the recent collapse of some of the most well-established financial institutions) are just two examples of the changes we need to deal with. I believe that if we want to build healthy and thriving companies, we must start to compete on a different level. We must learn how to engage people so that they want to become involved with our businesses – as investors, employees or customers. To remain successful, we must learn to engage people emotionally, because we are not in a position to compete in traditional ways with emerging nations such as China or India.

We have founded The Conscious Business Institute (CBI) to provide leaders and individuals with answers to some of the most pressing questions about their businesses and their personal lives; questions that consume a great deal of our daily energy and – although they are the big white elephant in the room – remain mostly unanswered. These pressing questions are around money and business matters, but in most cases spill over into our personal lives: our personal relationships, our well-being, our level of engagement, and other aspects of life. Our approach is different in that it combines real-world business matters with deep insights into human nature. We believe that what the future holds for you or your company depends on your level of consciousness, so if we really want to make a difference, we must address the issues in our businesses and personal lives at this underlying level.

This Blog will address some of the most widespread issues we have found working with many hundred businesses and executives. We will write about operational issues, such as, Next Generation Leadership principles, fundraising, IP protection or people engagement, as well as personal issues, including purpose, stress, conflict management or work-life balance.

We look forward to your suggestions and feed-back.

Peter Matthies