Gateway Camp Verse

(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4

Isaiah 62:10

 

What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.

 

After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.

 

I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.

 

I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.

 

Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.

 

Sau2 muhn6 je2

Mihng6 dihng6

Kyuhn4 lihk6

Lihk6 leuhng6

Chong3 yi3 adjective

Chong3 jouh6 verb

 

Romans 5:3-5

 

Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

 

I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.

 

This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.

 

1) Welcoming the Father

2) Unifying the body

3) Partnering with the Chinese

4) Serving the city

5) Supporting the Chinese

 

Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!

 

Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.

 

Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)

Sihng4 jeung2

Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)

 

The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!

 

An Outburst

 

I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.

 

To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.

 

In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.

 

OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.

 

I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!

 

Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.

 

In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

Disagreeable

 

I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.

 

I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.

 

In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.

 

…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.

 

I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.

 

Sihng4 jauh6 achievement

Ngwuih misunderstanding

Nggaai2 to misunderstand

Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive

Gaan2syun2 chosen

 

The Security Guard

 

At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.

 

Reconciliation

 

This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.

 

Sex Talk – Part One

 

The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.

 

While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.

 

Prayer

 

The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.

 

I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.

 

A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.

 

Keuhng4 jong3

Lai1 hei2 (pull up)

 

In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.

 

Oscillate between…and…

Vacillate…

Equivocated

Prevaricate

 

Sex Talk – Part Two

 

1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18

2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18

 

Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)

 

Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.

 

Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.

 

Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:

 

1) Call for help; Romans 10:13

2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13

 

Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.

 

3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22

4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14

 

I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.

 

5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16

 

I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.

 

6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7

7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7

Gateway Camp Verse

(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4

Isaiah 62:10

 

What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.

 

After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.

 

I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.

 

I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.

 

Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.

 

Sau2 muhn6 je2

Mihng6 dihng6

Kyuhn4 lihk6

Lihk6 leuhng6

Chong3 yi3 adjective

Chong3 jouh6 verb

 

Romans 5:3-5

 

Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

 

I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.

 

This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.

 

1) Welcoming the Father

2) Unifying the body

3) Partnering with the Chinese

4) Serving the city

5) Supporting the Chinese

 

Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!

 

Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.

 

Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)

Sihng4 jeung2

Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)

 

The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!

 

An Outburst

 

I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.

 

To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.

 

In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.

 

OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.

 

I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!

 

Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.

 

In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

Disagreeable

 

I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.

 

I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.

 

In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.

 

…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.

 

I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.

 

Sihng4 jauh6 achievement

Ngwuih misunderstanding

Nggaai2 to misunderstand

Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive

Gaan2syun2 chosen

 

The Security Guard

 

At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.

 

Reconciliation

 

This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.

 

Sex Talk – Part One

 

The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.

 

While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.

 

Prayer

 

The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.

 

I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.

 

A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.

 

Keuhng4 jong3

Lai1 hei2 (pull up)

 

In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.

 

Oscillate between…and…

Vacillate…

Equivocated

Prevaricate

 

Sex Talk – Part Two

 

1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18

2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18

 

Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)

 

Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.

 

Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.

 

Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:

 

1) Call for help; Romans 10:13

2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13

 

Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.

 

3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22

4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14

 

I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.

 

5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16

 

I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.

 

6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7

7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7

Gateway Camp Verse

(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4

Isaiah 62:10

 

What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.

 

After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.

 

I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.

 

I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.

 

Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.

 

Sau2 muhn6 je2

Mihng6 dihng6

Kyuhn4 lihk6

Lihk6 leuhng6

Chong3 yi3 adjective

Chong3 jouh6 verb

 

Romans 5:3-5

 

Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

 

I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.

 

This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.

 

1) Welcoming the Father

2) Unifying the body

3) Partnering with the Chinese

4) Serving the city

5) Supporting the Chinese

 

Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!

 

Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.

 

Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)

Sihng4 jeung2

Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)

 

The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!

 

An Outburst

 

I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.

 

To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.

 

In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.

 

OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.

 

I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!

 

Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.

 

In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

Disagreeable

 

I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.

 

I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.

 

In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.

 

…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.

 

I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.

 

Sihng4 jauh6 achievement

Ngwuih misunderstanding

Nggaai2 to misunderstand

Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive

Gaan2syun2 chosen

 

The Security Guard

 

At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.

 

Reconciliation

 

This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.

 

Sex Talk – Part One

 

The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.

 

While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.

 

Prayer

 

The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.

 

I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.

 

A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.

 

Keuhng4 jong3

Lai1 hei2 (pull up)

 

In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.

 

Oscillate between…and…

Vacillate…

Equivocated

Prevaricate

 

Sex Talk – Part Two

 

1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18

2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18

 

Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)

 

Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.

 

Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.

 

Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:

 

1) Call for help; Romans 10:13

2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13

 

Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.

 

3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22

4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14

 

I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.

 

5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16

 

I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.

 

6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7

7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7

Taken in London, ON.

In early 1963 Giovanni Michelotti was commissioned by Standard-Triumph to design a GT version of their recently introduced Spitfire 4 (also designed by Michelotti). An unmodified Spitfire 4 was delivered to Michelotti's design studios in Italy and late in 1963 the prototype Spitfire GT4 was returned to England for evaluation. The styling of the vehicle was a success but the extra weight of the GT bodyshell resulted in extremely poor performance from the Spitfire's 1,147 cc (70 cu in) Standard SC engine, and plans for producing the Spitfire GT4 were shelved.

 

Michelotti's fastback design for the Spitfire GT4 prototype was adopted by the Triumph racing programme for the 1964 season, as it was deemed to provide an aerodynamic benefit over the standard Spitfire body shape. Fibreglass copies of the Spitfire GT4's fastback were grafted on to the race-modified Spitfires destined for competition. The Spitfire racing programme was successful, and in 1965 resulted in 13th overall and a 1st in class at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans (beating their main rivals, the MG Midgets).

 

To overcome the lack of performance inherent in the heavier body style the Spitfire's 4-cylinder engine was replaced with the more powerful 2-litre (1998 cc) Triumph inline 6 originally derived from the SC and then in use in the Triumph Vitesse (which shared a similar chassis with the Spitfire and Triumph Herald). The car was further developed and refined and eventually launched as the Triumph GT6 (dropping the "Spitfire" prefix) to emphasise its GT styling and its 6-cylinder engine.

 

The new car was introduced in 1966 and called the Triumph GT6. The new body was a sleek fastback design with an opening rear hatch, earning the GT6 the nickname of poor man's E-Type. It was really a 2-seater, but a small extra rear seat could be ordered, large enough for small children. The family resemblance to the Spitfire Mk II was strong, the longer 6-cylinder engine necessitated a new bonnet top with a power bulge and the doors were provided with opening quarter light windows and squared-off glass in the top rear corner. The 6-cylinder engine was, like the Vitesse 2-litre, tuned to develop 95 bhp (71 kW) at 5000 rpm, and produced 117 lb⋅ft (159 N⋅m) of torque at 3000 rpm.

Incense is aromatic biotic material which releases fragrant smoke when burned. The term refers to the material itself, rather than to the aroma that it produces. Incense is used for a variety of purposes, including the ceremonies of religion, to overcome bad smells, repel insects, spirituality, aromatherapy, meditation, and for simple pleasure.

 

Incense is composed of aromatic plant materials, often combined with essential oils. The forms taken by incense differ with the underlying culture, and have changed with advances in technology and increasing diversity in the reasons for burning it. Incense can generally be separated into two main types: "indirect-burning" and "direct-burning". Indirect-burning incense (or "non-combustible incense") is not capable of burning on its own, and requires a separate heat source. Direct-burning incense (or "combustible incense") is lit directly by a flame and then fanned or blown out, leaving a glowing ember that smoulders and releases fragrance. Direct-burning incense is either a paste formed around a bamboo stick, or a paste that is extruded into a stick or cone shape.

 

HISTORY

The word incense comes from Latin for incendere meaning "to burn".

 

Combustible bouquets were used by the ancient Egyptians, who employed incense within both pragmatic and mystical capacities. Incense was burnt to counteract or obscure malodorous products of human habitation, but was widely perceived to also deter malevolent demons and appease the gods with its pleasant aroma. Resin balls were found in many prehistoric Egyptian tombs in El Mahasna, furnishing tangible archaeological substantiation to the prominence of incense and related compounds within Egyptian antiquity. One of the oldest extant incense burners originates from the 5th dynasty. The Temple of Deir-el-Bahari in Egypt contains a series of carvings that depict an expedition for incense.

 

The Babylonians used incense while offering prayers to divining oracles. Incense spread from there to Greece and Rome.

 

Incense burners have been found in the Indus Civilization (3300 BCE- 1300 BCE). Evidence suggests oils were used mainly for their aroma. India also adopted techniques from East Asia, adapting the inherited formulation to encompass aromatic roots and other indigenous flora. This comprised the initial usage of subterranean plant parts within the fabrication of incense. New herbs like Sarsaparilla seeds, frankincense, and cypress were used by Indians for incense.

 

At around 2000 BCE, Ancient China began the use of incense in the religious sense, namely for worship. Incense was used by Chinese cultures from Neolithic times and became more widespread in the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. The earliest documented instance of incense utilization comes from the ancient Chinese, who employed incense composed of herbs and plant products (such as cassia, cinnamon, styrax, sandalwood, amongst others) as a component of numerous formalized ceremonial rites. Incense usage reached its peak during the Song Dynasty with numerous buildings erected specifically for incense ceremonies.

 

Brought to Japan in the 6th century by Korean Buddhist monks, who used the mystical aromas in their purification rites, the delicate scents of Koh (high-quality Japanese incense) became a source of amusement and entertainment with nobles in the Imperial Court during the Heian Era 200 years later. During the 14th century Shogunate, a samurai warrior might perfume his helmet and armor with incense to achieve an aura of invincibility (as well as to make a noble gesture to whomever might take his head in battle). It wasn't until the Muromachi Era during the 15th and 16th century that incense appreciation (Kōdō) spread to the upper and middle classes of Japanese society.

 

COMPOSITION

A variety of materials have been used in making incense. Historically there has been a preference for using locally available ingredients. For example, sage and cedar were used by the indigenous peoples of North America. Trading in incense materials comprised a major part of commerce along the Silk Road and other trade routes, one notably called the Incense Route.

 

The same could be said for the techniques used to make incense. Local knowledge and tools were extremely influential on the style, but methods were also influenced by migrations of foreigners, among them clergy and physicians who were both familiar with incense arts.

 

COMBUSTIBLE BASE

The combustible base of a direct burning incense mixture not only binds the fragrant material together but also allows the produced incense to burn with a self-sustained ember, which propagates slowly and evenly through an entire piece of incense with such regularity that it can be used to mark time. The base is chosen such that it does not produce a perceptible smell. Commercially, two types of incense base predominate:

- Fuel and oxidizer mixtures: Charcoal or wood powder forms the fuel for the combustion. Gums such as Gum Arabic or Gum Tragacanth are used to bind the mixture together while an oxidizer such as sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate sustains the burning of the incense. Fragrant materials are combined into the base prior to formation as in the case of powdered incense materials or after formation as in the case of essential oils. The formula for the charcoal-based incense is superficially similar to black powder, though it lacks the sulfur.

- Natural plant-based binders: Mucilaginous material, which can be derived from many botanical sources, is mixed with fragrant materials and water. The mucilage from the wet binding powder holds the fragrant material together while the cellulose in the powder combusts to form a stable ember when lit. The dry binding powder usually comprises about 10% of the dry weight in the finished incense. This includes:

- Makko (incense powder): made from the bark of various trees from the Persea such as Persea thunbergii)

- Xiangnan pi (made from the bark of Phoebe genus trees such as Phoebe nanmu, Persea zuihoensis.

- Jigit: a resin based binder used in India

- Laha or Dar: bark based powders used in Nepal, Tibet, and other East Asian countries.

 

TYPES

Incense materials are available in various forms and degrees of processing. They can generally be separated into "direct-burning" and "indirect-burning" types depending on use. Preference for one form or another varies with culture, tradition, and personal taste. Although the production of direct- and indirect-burning incense are both blended to produce a pleasant smell when burned, the two differ in their composition due to the former's requirement for even, stale, and sustained burning.

 

INDIRECT BURNING

Indirect-burning incense, also called "non-combustible incense", is a combination of aromatic ingredients that are not prepared in any particular way or encouraged into any particular form, leaving it mostly unsuitable for direct combustion. The use of this class of incense requires a separate heat source since it does not generally kindle a fire capable of burning itself and may not ignite at all under normal conditions. This incense can vary in the duration of its burning with the texture of the material. Finer ingredients tend to burn more rapidly, while coarsely ground or whole chunks may be consumed very gradually as they have less total surface area. The heat is traditionally provided by charcoal or glowing embers.

 

In the West, the best known incense materials of this type are frankincense and myrrh, likely due to their numerous mentions in the Christian Bible. In fact, the word for "frankincense" in many European languages also alludes to any form of incense.

 

- Whole: The incense material is burned directly in its raw unprocessed form on top of coal embers.

- Powdered or granulated: The incense material is broken down into finer bits. This incense burns quickly and provides a short period of intense smells.

- Paste: The powdered or granulated incense material is mixed with a sticky and incombustible binder, such as dried fruit, honey, or a soft resin and then formed to balls or small pastilles. These may then be allowed to mature in a controlled environment where the fragrances can commingle and unite. Much Arabian incense, also called "Bukhoor" or "Bakhoor", is of this type (Bakhoor actually refers to frankincense in Arabic) and Japan has a history of kneaded incense, called nerikō or awasekō, using this method.[17] Within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, raw frankincense is ground into a fine powder and then mixed with various sweet-smelling essential oils.

 

DIRECT BURNING

Direct-burning incense also called "combustible incense", is lit directly by a flame. The glowing ember on the incense will continue to smoulder and burn away the rest of the incense without continued application of heat or flame from an outside source. Direct-burning incense is either extruded, pressed into forms, or coated onto a supporting material. This class of incense is made from a moldable substrate of fragrant finely ground (or liquid) incense materials and odourless binder. The composition must be adjusted to provide fragrance in the proper concentration and to ensure even burning. The following types of direct-burning incense are commonly encountered, though the material itself can take virtually any form, according to expediency or whimsy:

 

- Coil: Extruded and shaped into a coil without a core. This type of incense is able to burn for an extended period, from hours to days, and is commonly produced and used by Chinese culture

- Cone: Incense in this form burns relatively fast. Incense cones were invented in Japan in the 1800s.

- Cored stick: This form of stick incense has a supporting core of bamboo. Higher quality varieties of this form have fragrant sandalwood cores. The core is coated by a thick layer of incense material that burns away with the core. This type of incense is commonly produced in India and China. When used for worship in Chinese folk religion, cored incensed sticks are sometimes known as "joss sticks".

- Solid stick: This stick incense has no supporting core and is completely made of incense material. Easily broken into pieces, it allows one to determine the specific amount of incense they wish to burn. This is the most commonly produced form of incense in Japan and Tibet.

- Powder: The loose incense powder used for making indirect burning incense is sometimes burned without further processing. They are typically packed into long trails on top of wood ash using a stencil and burned in special censers or incense clocks.

- Paper: Paper infused with incense, folded accordion style, lit and blown out. Examples are Carta d'Armenia and Papier d'Arménie.

- Rope: The incense powder is rolled into paper sheets, which are then rolled into ropes, twisted tightly, then doubled over and twisted again, yielding a two-strand rope. The larger end is the bight, and may be stood vertically, in a shallow dish of sand or pebbles. The smaller (pointed) end is lit. This type of incense is highly transportable and stays fresh for extremely long periods. It has been used for centuries in Tibet and Nepal.

 

The disks of powdered mugwort called 'moxa' sold in Chinese shops and herbalists are used in Traditional Chinese medicine for moxibustion treatment. Moxa tablets are not incenses; the treatment relies on heat rather than fragrance.

  

REED DIFFUSING

A reed diffuser is a form of incense that uses no heat. It comes in three parts: a bottle/container, scented essential incense oil, and bamboo reeds. The incense oil is placed into the container and bamboo reeds are then put into the same container. This is done to absorb some of the incense oil, as well as to help carry its scent and essence out of the container and into the surrounding air. Reeds typically have tiny tube openings that run the entire length of the stick. Oil is absorbed by the reed sticks and carried along the entire reed. These are do-it-yourself incense sticks that do not burn and look almost identical to typical incense sticks

 

PRODUCTION

INDIRECT BURNING

The raw materials are powdered and then mixed together with a binder to form a paste, which, for direct burning incense, are then cut and dried into pellets. Incense of the Athonite Orthodox Christian tradition are made by powdering frankincense or fir resin, mixing it with essential oils. Floral fragrances are the most common, but citrus such as lemon is not uncommon. The incense mixture is then rolled out into a slab approximately 1 cm thick and left until the slab has firmed. It is then cut into small cubes, coated with clay powder to prevent adhesion, and allowed to fully harden and dry. In Greece this rolled incense resin is called 'Moskolibano', and generally comes in either a pink or green colour denoting the fragrance, with pink being rose and green being jasmine.

 

DIRECT BURNING

In order to obtain desired combustion qualities, attention has to be paid to certain proportions in direct burning incense mixtures:

 

- Oil content: Resinous materials such as myrrh and frankincense must not exceed the amount of dry materials in the mixture to such a degree that the incense will not smolder and burn.[citation needed] The higher the oil content relative to the dry mass, the less likely the mixture is to burn effectively.[citation needed] Typically the resinous or oily substances are balanced with "dry" materials such as wood, bark and leaf powders.

- Oxidizer quantity: The amount of chemical oxidizer in gum-bound incense must be carefully proportioned. If too little, the incense will not ignite, and if too much, the incense will burn too quickly and not produce fragrant smoke.

- Mixture density: Incense mixtures made with natural binders must not be combined with too much water in mixing, or over-compressed while being formed, which would result in either uneven air distribution or undesirable density in the mixture, causing the incense to burn unevenly, too slowly, or too quickly.

- Particulate size: The incense mixture has to be well pulverized with similarly sized particulates. Uneven and large particulates result in uneven burning and inconsistent aroma production when burned.

- Binder: Water-soluble binders such as "makko" have to be used in the right proportion to ensure that the incense mixture does not crumble when dry but also that the binder does not take up too much of the mixture.

 

Some kinds of direct-burning incense are created from "incense blanks" made of unscented combustible dust immersed into any suitable kind of essential or fragrance oil. These are often sold in America by flea-market and sidewalk vendors who have developed their own styles. Such items are often known as "dipped" or "hand-dipped" incense. This form of incense requires the least skill and equipment to manufacture, since the blanks are pre-formed in China or South East Asia, then simply scented with essential oils.

 

Incense mixtures can be extruded or pressed into shapes. Small quantities of water are combined with the fragrance and incense base mixture and kneaded into a hard dough. The incense dough is then pressed into shaped forms to create cone and smaller coiled incense, or forced through a hydraulic press for solid stick incense. The formed incense is then trimmed and slowly dried. Incense produced in this fashion has a tendency to warp or become misshapen when improperly dried, and as such must be placed in climate-controlled rooms and rotated several times through the drying process.

 

Traditionally, the bamboo cores of cored stick incense is prepared by hand from Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. pubescens since this species produces thick wood and easily burns to ashes in the incense stick. Through this process, known as "splitting the foot of the incense stick", the bamboo is trimmed to length, soaked, peeled, and then continuously split in halves until thin sticks of bamboo with square cross sections of less than 3mm This process has been largely been replaced by machines in modern incense production.

 

In the case of cored incensed sticks, several methods are employed to coat the sticks cores with incense mixture:

 

- Paste rolling: A wet, malleable paste of incense mixture is first rolled into a long, thin coil, using a paddle. Then, a thin stick is put next to the coil and the stick and paste are rolled together until the stick is centered in the mixture and the desired thickness is achieved. The stick is then cut to the desired length and dried.

- Powder-coating: Powder-coating is used mainly to produce cored incense of either larger coil (up to 1 meter in diameter) or cored stick forms. A bundle of the supporting material (typically thin bamboo or sandalwood slivers) is soaked in water or a thin water/glue mixture for a short time. The thin sticks are then evenly separated, then dipped into a tray of incense powder, consisting of fragrance materials and occasionally a plant-based binder. The dry incense powder is then tossed and piled over the stick while they are spread apart. The sticks are then gently rolled and packed to maintain roundness while more incense powder is repeatedly tossed onto the sticks. Three to four layers of powder are coated onto the sticks, forming a 2 mm thick layer of incense material on the stick. The coated incense is then allowed to dry in open air. Additional coatings of incense mixture can be applied after each period of successive drying. Incense sticks that are burned in temples of Chinese folk religion produced in this fashion can have a thickness between 2 and 4 millimeters.

- Compression: A damp powder is mechanically formed around a cored stick by compression, similar to the way uncored sticks are formed. This form is becoming more commonly found due to the higher labor cost of producing powder-coated or paste-rolled sticks.

 

JOSS STICKS

Joss sticks are the name given to incense sticks used for a variety of purposes associated with ritual and religious devotion in China and India. They are used in Chinese influenced East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, traditionally burned before the threshold of a home or business, before an image of a Chinese popular religion divinity or spirit of place, or in small and humble or large and elaborate shrine found at the main entrance to each and every village. Here the earth god is propitiated in the hope of bringing wealth and health to the village. They can also be burned in front of a door, or open window as an offering to heaven, or devas. The word "joss" is derived from the Latin deus (god) via the Portuguese deos through the Javanese dejos, through Chinese pidgin English.

 

Joss-stick burning is an everyday practice in traditional Chinese religion. There are many different types of joss sticks used for different purposes or on different festive days. Many of them are long and thin and are mostly colored yellow, red, and more rarely, black. Thick joss sticks are used for special ceremonies, such as funerals. Spiral joss sticks are also used on a regular basis, which are found hanging above temple ceilings, with burn times that are exceedingly long. In some states, such as Taiwan, Singapore, or Malaysia, where they celebrate the Ghost Festival, large, pillar-like dragon joss sticks are sometimes used. These generate such a massive amount of smoke and heat that they are only ever burned outside.

 

Chinese incense sticks for use in popular religion are generally without aroma or only the slightest trace of jasmine or rose, since it is the smoke, not the scent, which is important in conveying the prayers of the faithful to heaven. They are composed of the dried powdered bark of a non-scented species of cinnamon native to Cambodia, Cinnamomum cambodianum.[citation needed] Inexpensive packs of 300 are often found for sale in Chinese supermarkets. Despite the fact that they contain no sandalwood at all, they often include the Chinese character for sandalwood on the label, as a generic term for incense.

 

Highly scented Chinese incense sticks are only used by some Buddhists. These are often quite expensive due to the use of large amounts of sandalwood, aloeswood, or floral scents used. The Sandalwood used in Chinese incenses does not come from India, its native home, but rather from groves planted within Chinese territory. Sites belonging to Tzu Chi, Chung Tai Shan, Dharma Drum Mountain, Xingtian Temple, Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Buddhism in Burma and Korean Buddhism do not use incense.

 

BURNING INCENSE

For indirect-burning incense, pieces of the incense are burned by placing them directly on top of a heat source or on a hot metal plate in a censer or thurible.

 

In Japan a similar censer called a egōro (柄香炉?) is used by several Buddhist sects. The egōro is usually made of brass with a long handle and no chain. Instead of charcoal, makkō powder is poured into a depression made in a bed of ash. The makkō is lit and the incense mixture is burned on top. This method is known as Sonae-kō (Religious Burning).

 

For direct-burning incense, the tip or end of the incense is ignited with a flame or other heat source until the incense begins to turn into ash at the burning end. Flames on the incense are then fanned or blown out, with the incense continuing to burn without a flame on its own.

 

CULTURAL VARIATIONS

CHINESE INCENSE

For over two thousand years, the Chinese have used incense in religious ceremonies, ancestor veneration, Traditional Chinese medicine, and daily life.

 

Agarwood (chénxiāng) and sandalwood (tánxiāng) are the two most important ingredients in Chinese incense.

 

Along with the introduction of Buddhism in China came calibrated incense sticks and incense clocks. The poet Yu Jianwu (487-551) first recorded them: "By burning incense we know the o'clock of the night, With graduated candles we confirm the tally of the watches." The use of these incense timekeeping devices spread from Buddhist monasteries into Chinese secular society.

 

It is incorrect to assume that the Chinese only burn incense in the home before the family shrine. In Taoist traditions, incense is inextricably associated with the 'yin' energies of the dead, temples, shrines, and ghosts. Therefore, Taoist Chinese believe burning undedicated incense in the home attracts the dreaded hungry ghosts, who consume the smoke and ruin the fortunes of the family.

 

However, since Neolithic times, the Chinese have evolved using incense not only for religious ceremonies, but also for personal and environmental aromatherapy.

 

INDIAN INCENSE

Incense stick, also known as agarbathi (or agarbatti) and joss sticks, in which an incense paste is rolled or moulded around a bamboo stick, is one of the main forms of incense in India. The bamboo method originated in India, and is distinct from the Nepal/Tibet and Japanese methods of stick making which don't use a bamboo core. Though the method is also used in the west, particularly in America, it is strongly associated with India.

 

The basic ingredients are the bamboo stick, the paste (generally made of charcoal dust and joss/jiggit/gum/tabu powder - an adhesive made from the bark of litsea glutinosa and other trees), and the perfume ingredients - which would be a masala (spice mix) powder of ground ingredients into which the stick would be rolled, or a perfume liquid sometimes consisting of synthetic ingredients into which the stick would be dipped. Perfume is sometimes sprayed on the coated sticks. Stick machines are sometimes used, which coat the stick with paste and perfume, though the bulk of production is done by hand rolling at home. There are about 5,000 incense companies in India which take raw unperfumed sticks hand-rolled by approx 200,000 women working part-time at home, and then apply their own brand of perfume, and package the sticks for sale.[38] An experienced home-worker can produce 4,000 raw sticks a day. There are about 50 main companies who together account for up to 30% of the market, and around 500 of the companies, including a significant number of the main ones, including Moksh Agarbatti and Cycle Pure, are based in Bangalore.

 

In the Middle East, incense burning has been along tradition. The word bukhur means incense in Arabic. The well known choice for incense is the famous agarwood which is very popular in Africa, the Gulf and amongst some south Asians, but there are many many more choices. Incense come in a variety of forms such as blocks, pieces, pellets, granules or powdered, which is placed in the oil burner called mabkharah for several minutes to heat either with coal in the traditional way or via power in the modern way, allowing it to release its rich smell. However this takes awhile and the quick alternative is to use incense sticks called Oud in Middle East and Africa, and agarbatti in south Asia - again referring to the agar wood + batti meaning some sort of agar-stick. Occasionally some get confused between bukhur and oud, bukhur is the insence ie agarwood, sandlewood etc and oud being the incense sticks (and not the otherway round sometimes wires get twisted)

 

JERUSALEM TEMPLE INCENSE

Ketoret was the incense offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and is stated in the Book of Exodus as a mixture of stacte, onycha, galbanum and frankincense.

 

TIBETAN INCENSE

Tibetan incense refers to a common style of incense found in Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. These incenses have a characteristic "earthy" scent to them. Ingredients vary from cinnamon, clove, and juniper, to kusum flower, ashvagandha, or sahi jeera.

 

Many Tibetan incenses are thought to have medicinal properties. Their recipes come from ancient Vedic texts that are based on even older Ayurvedic medical texts. The recipes have remained unchanged for centuries.

 

JAPANESE INCENSE

In Japan incense appreciation folklore includes art, culture, history, and ceremony. It can be compared to and has some of the same qualities as music, art, or literature. Incense burning may occasionally take place within the tea ceremony, just like Calligraphy, Ikebana, and Scroll Arrangement. However the art of incense appreciation or Koh-do, is generally practiced as a separate art form from the tea ceremony, however usually practiced within a tea room of traditional Zen design.

 

Agarwood (沈香　Jinkō) and sandalwood (白檀　Byakudan) are the two most important ingredients in Japanese incense. Agarwood is known as "Jinkō" in Japan, which translates as "incense that sinks in water", due to the weight of the resin in the wood. Sandalwood is one of the most calming incense ingredients and lends itself well to meditation.[citation needed] It is also used in the Japanese tea ceremony. The most valued Sandalwood comes from Mysore in the state of Karnataka in India.

 

Another important ingredient in Japanese incense is kyara (伽羅). Kyara is one kind of agarwood (Japanese incense companies divide agarwood into 6 categories depending on the region obtained and properties of the agarwood). Kyara is currently worth more than its weight in gold.

 

Some terms used in Japanese incense culture include:

 

- Incense Arts: [香道, Kodo]

- Agarwood: [ 沈香 ] – from heartwood from Aquilaria trees, unique, the incense wood most used in incense ceremony, other names are: lignum aloes or aloeswood, gaharu, jinko, or oud.

- Censer/Incense burner: [香爐] – usually small and used for heating incense not burning, or larger and used for burning

- Charcoal: [木炭] – only the odorless kind is used.

- Incense woods: [ 香木 ] – a naturally fragrant resinous wood.

 

USAGE

Incense is used for a variety of purposes, including the ceremonies of all the main religions, to overcome bad smells, repel insects, purify or improve the atmosphere, aromatherapy, meditation, and for simple pleasure.

 

PRACTICAL

Incense fragrances can be of such great strength that they obscure other, less desirable odours. This utility led to the use of incense in funerary ceremonies because the incense could smother the scent of decay. Another example of this use, as well as of religious use, is the giant Botafumeiro thurible which swings from the ceiling of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It is used in part to mask the scent of the many tired, unwashed pilgrims huddled together in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

 

A similar utilitarian use of incense can be found in the post-Reformation Church of England. Although the ceremonial use of incense was abandoned until the Oxford Movement, it was common to have incense (typically frankincense) burned before grand occasions, when the church would be crowded. The frankincense was carried about by a member of the vestry before the service in a vessel called a 'perfuming pan'. In iconography of the day, this vessel is shown to be elongated and flat, with a single, long handle on one side. It is important to note that the perfuming pan was used instead of the thurible, as the latter would have likely offended the Protestant sensibilities of the 17th and 18th centuries.

 

The regular burning of direct combustion incense has been used for chronological measurement in incense clocks. These devices can range from a simple trail of incense material calibrated to burn in a specific time period, to elaborate and ornate instruments with bells or gongs, designed to involve and captivate several of the senses.

 

Incense made from materials such as citronella can repel mosquitoes and other aggravating, distracting or pestilential insects. This use has been deployed in concert with religious uses by Zen Buddhists who claim that the incense that is part of their meditative practice is designed to keep bothersome insects from distracting the practitioner. Currently, more effective pyrethroid-based mosquito repellent incense is widely available in Asia.

 

Papier d'Arménie was originally sold as a disinfectant as well as for the fragrance.

 

Incense is also used often by people who smoke indoors, and do not want the scent to linger.

 

AestheticMany people burn incense to appreciate its smell, without assigning any other specific significance to it, in the same way that the foregoing items can be produced or consumed solely for the contemplation or enjoyment of the refined sensory experience. This use is perhaps best exemplified in the kōdō (香道?), where (frequently costly) raw incense materials such as agarwood are appreciated in a formal setting.ReligiousUse of incense in religion is prevalent in many cultures and may have their roots in the practical and aesthetic uses considering that many religions with not much else in common all use incense. One common motif is incense as a form of sacrificial offering to a deity. Such use was common in Judaic worship and remains in use for example in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, Taoist and Buddhist Chinese jingxiang (敬香 "offer incense [to ancestors/gods]), etc.

 

HEALTH

Incense smoke contains various contaminants including gaseous pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and absorbed toxic pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toxic metals). The solid particles range between ~10 and 500 nm. The emission rate decreases in the row Indian sandalwood > Japanese aloeswood > Taiwanese aloeswood > smokeless sandalwood.

 

Research carried out in Taiwan in 2001 linked the burning of incense sticks to the slow accumulation of potential carcinogens in a poorly ventilated environment by measuring the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (including benzopyrene) within Buddhist temples. The study found gaseous aliphatic aldehydes, which are carcinogenic and mutagenic, in incense smoke.

 

A survey of risk factors for lung cancer, also conducted in Taiwan, noted an inverse association between incense burning and adenocarcinoma of the lung, though the finding was not deemed significant.

 

In contrast, a study by several Asian Cancer Research Centers showed: "No association was found between exposure to incense burning and respiratory symptoms like chronic cough, chronic sputum, chronic bronchitis, runny nose, wheezing, asthma, allergic rhinitis, or pneumonia among the three populations studied: i.e. primary school children, their non-smoking mothers, or a group of older non-smoking female controls. Incense burning did not affect lung cancer risk among non-smokers, but it significantly reduced risk among smokers, even after adjusting for lifetime smoking amount." However, the researchers qualified the findings by noting that incense burning in the studied population was associated with certain low-cancer-risk dietary habits, and concluded that "diet can be a significant confounder of epidemiological studies on air pollution and respiratory health."

 

Although several studies have not shown a link between incense and cancer of the lung, many other types of cancer have been directly linked to burning incense. A study published in 2008 in the medical journal Cancer found that incense use is associated with a statistically significant higher risk of cancers of the upper respiratory tract, with the exception of nasopharyngeal cancer. Those who used incense heavily also had higher rates of a type of cancer called squamous-cell carcinoma, which refers to tumors that arise in the cells lining the internal and external surfaces of the body. The link between incense use and increased cancer risk held when the researchers weighed other factors, including cigarette smoking, diet and drinking habits. The research team noted that "This association is consistent with a large number of studies identifying carcinogens in incense smoke, and given the widespread and sometimes involuntary exposure to smoke from burning incense, these findings carry significant public health implications."

 

In 2015, the South China University of Technology found toxicity of incense to Chinese hamsters ovary cells to be even higher than cigarettes.

 

Frankincense has been shown to cause antidepressive behavior in mice. It activated the poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety and depression.

 

WIKIPEDIA

I cycled in to John O’Groats just before 09:00 on Monday 22nd April 2013. I had just completed a twenty-two day, one-thousand mile journey from Land’s End and climbed the three highest mountains in the British Isles. I was overcome with so many feelings at the same time: elated at having completed the challenge for Cancer Research UK, glad it was all over so that I could rest my weary legs, but strangely disappointed that it was all over -- it had all gone by in a flash. I was also completely underwhelmed with John O’Groats. There was no brass band waiting to greet me, in fact there was no-one there at all. I took a few photographs, had a cup of coffee, and got my ‘end-to-enders’ sheet stamped to prove I had reached the end of the road. By 09:15 me and my bike were on the bus heading for Thurso to catch the train back home to Saltcoats.

 

My good friend and fellow Rockschool examiner, Jerry Forbes, gave me and my bike a lift from St. Ann’s Chapel in Cornwall where I had spent the previous night to Land’s End for the start of the journey on the morning of Monday 1st of April.

LEJOG had begun.

 

The first three days were spent battling against a strong easterly wind and I realised immediately that the weight in my panniers was too much and that the journey was going to be much harder that I had anticipated. Indeed, the first three days were probably the most exhausting period of the entire trip. I was making very slow progress, the wind was relentless, my legs ached, and I was almost tempted to abandon the project. But, slowly, the going became easier, and soon my confidence and momentum improved as I passed from county to county making my way through the South West of England.

  

~o~

 

Crossing the Severn Bridge into Wales seamed like a major milestone on the journey and, as a bonus, the winds became more favourable. I started making much better progress and began to enjoy myself much more. On day six I passed through the Brecon Beacons and had my first really fantastic day as I discovered the beautiful scenery and the many picture-postcard villages to stop in for a cup of tea. Two days later I arrived in Snowdonia only to be informed that Mount Snowdon's summit was inaccessible due to it being “still in winter conditions, see”. However, I decided that having made the effort to get there I would at least attempt to climb part of the way up. There are several paths to the summit of Snowdon and I decided to take the Watkin Path - one of gentler routes but also one of

 

the longest. I followed the path for as far as I could but the summit proved unreachable. That night I stayed at a youth hostel where I met two guys who were going to make an attempt from a different route the following morning so I asked to join them. The weather when I woke the next day turned out to be perfect and a successful ascent looked promising. We set off early and about three quarters of the way up one of the guys got a bad leg cramp and had to give up so his friend and I carried on towards the summit. After a while the weather abruptly took a turn for the worse; visibility dropped to a few yards and the wind became very ferocious. We soon found ourselves in an almost total white-out. We became aware of a very huge and very scary drop on our left and decided that this was as far as we could go. It wasn't until we were back at the youth hostel and relating our story that we were informed that we had actually reached the summit without having realised it. I had in fact made it to the top of Snowdon but missed out on the amazing panorama normally visible on a clear day.

 

Another day and a half on the bike and I was back in England and, as a bonus, with a warm place to stay that night. Another good friend and also a Rockschool examiner (senior examiner, actually) Martin Pleasse, pampered me with hot food, a luxurious bath, and laundry service. I was rejuvenated. Thanks again, Martin.

 

Day eleven and I was off again. I had to do a twenty-five mile detour over Runcorn Bridge to avoid taking the Ferry across the Mersey as I didn't want to use any public transport. My daily mileage started getting better from this point and I made very rapid progress up to the Lake District.

 

On Saturday 13th April, very early on a beautiful morning, I set out to climb Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain. Things went very well for most of the way but the weather became very changeable from around lunch time. I had climbed to above the tree line where the mountain was mostly under snow, and what wasn't snow was extremely boggy. One wrong step and I could easily find myself up to my waist in a bog, or worse, sliding off the mountain altogether. Progress without the proper climbing gear was torturous and I finally had to abandon my attempt to reach the summit. This was a huge disappointment for me but it would have been foolish to press on any further. I left Grasmere and continued my journey the same day and got soaked through by the torrential rain. If being drenched wasn’t bad enough, I also had to endure what the locals call ‘The Struggle’ -- the biggest hill I have ever encountered. I had to dismount and push the bike with all my gear for mile after mile of endless, twisting, steep, steep, hill. Did I mention how steep this hill was? I was more than happy when I came across another youth hostel and spent the night there.

  

~o~

 

Next day, day fourteen, I crossed the border into Scotland and a huge part of the journey was now behind me. Progress through Scotland seemed to go very quickly and I reached Glasgow two days later on the 16th where I had an afternoon off for my my birthday. To celebrate, I had lunch at Dino's, went to Guitar Guitar, and later had a few beers. Yes... I know how to party. After a comfortable night in the Holiday Inn Express, I was back on the road and heading for Dumbarton, Loch Lomond, across Rannoch Moor, through Glencoe, and arrived in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis on day eighteen. This was the wettest and windiest part of the journey, but despite my discomfort, I had the pleasure of being in the most astoundingly beautiful and haunting landscapes to be found anywhere in the world. I felt privileged to see the West Highlands of Scotland in all their wild magnificence and to experience that strange sense of smallness one feels when exposed to the full fury of nature in such wild, remote surroundings.

 

Friday 19th was a beautiful day and as perfect as I could have hoped for to climb the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. Just as had been the case in Wales, the experts told me that the mountain was “still in winter conditions, ken” and could not be attempted without professional mountain gear. But, as also was the case previously, I met a guy at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel who had attempted the climb the day before but had turned back. He was going to have another go so we set off together following what is known as ‘The Pony Track’. Reaching the summit of ‘The Ben’ as I am now entitled to call it was the highlight of the entire journey. It was absolutely spectacular up there -- such an amazing buzz. I recommend that everyone experience standing on the top of The Ben.

 

Day twenty and I was off again and soon found my self passing Loch Lochy and Loch Ness to Beauly where I camped for the night. On Sunday 21st I cycled just short of 100 miles and, totally exhausted, camped behind the Old Smiddy Inn at Thrumster, just 25 miles from my final destination.

 

So near, yet so far.

Next morning, Mon 22nd April, I cycled the short distance to John O'Groats and completed my challenge. Job done -- mission accomplished.

What a feeling!

     

Diary

 

Day 1: 01/04/2013.

Land's End to Indian Queens.

Very strong wind in my face all day. Too much weight on the bike.

I'm off the bike pushing at most hills.

Wild camp Indian Queens.

44.68 miles.

 

Day 2

Indian Queens to A39. Nr. Hartland Point.

Still a strong and cold Easterly wind.

Jerry and Abi surprise me by locating me on the map. Find me!!! and take me out to dinner.

Great evening.

Wild camp.

54.34 miles.

 

Day 3

Nr. Hartland Point to Simonsbath, Exmoor.

Easterly wind. Hard day.

Wild camp

42.72 miles.

 

Day 4

Simonsbath to Churchill. Nr. Bristol Airport.

Campsite.

59.70 miles

 

Day 5

Churchill to Raglan. Made it into Wales.

Met Moss. He gives me a bed for the night at his place.

Thanks Moss.

61.00 miles

 

Day 6

Raglan to Rhayader.

Rhayader Campsite

Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains.

55.00 miles

 

Day 7

Rhayader to Dolgellau

Campsite.

51.24 miles

 

Day 8

Dolgellau to Bryn Gwyant.

Walked the Watkins path up Snowdon.

Youth Hostel

33.00 miles

Day 9

Climbed Snowdon then cycled to Plas-yn-Yale A5104.

Camped on village football field.

39.00 miles.

 

Day 10

Plas-yn-Yale to Queensferry

Stayed at Martin's

21.00 miles.

 

Day 11

Queens Ferry via Runcorn bridge to Cabus. Nr Lancaster.

Campsite.

72.00 miles.

 

Day 12

Cabus to Grassmere. The Lake District.

Youth Hostel.

49.00. miles

 

Day 13

Attempted Scafell Pike but failed to reach the summit...

Cycled on to Patterdale

The Struggle...

Youth Hostel.

12.00 miles.

 

Day 14

Patterdale. Lake District to Kirkpatrick Flemming.

Crossed the border into Scotland.

Robert The Bruce's Cave, campsite.

44.00 miles.

 

Day 15

Kirkpatrick Flemming to Hamilton.

76.00 miles.

 

Day 16

Cycled in to Glasgow and had an afternoon off for my birthday.

17.00 miles.

 

Day 17

Glasgow to Ardlui.

Heavy Rain all day.

51.00 miles.

 

Day 18

Ardlui to Glen Nevis.

Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.

Heavy rain and high winds through Glencoe.

52.00 miles.

 

Day 19

Climbed Ben Nevis.

Highlight of the trip.

Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.

 

Day 20

Glen Nevis to Beauly.

Beaully Bridge Campsite.

52.00 miles

 

Day 21

Beauly to Thrumster.

Camped behind The Old Smiddy Inn.

Cheers David.

98.00. miles.

 

Day 22

Thrumster to John O'Groats.

Job done. 23 miles.

  

Gear List:

 

My bike is a Specialized Sirrus Elite. Makes a superb touring bike. Love this bike.

Ventura 11 aluminium Pannier carrier. (OK, but not brilliant. Could be a little more solid).

M-Wave Amsterdam double rear pannier. (Not recommended. Too bulky and causes too much drag).

North Gear Camping mono 2 Man tent. (My best bargain at at £19.99. Did the job).

Gellert X-Treme lite 1200 sleeping bag. (Good, even below zero).

Vango lightweight full-length inflatable sleeping mat.

3 sets cycling clothes plus spare gloves and socks, tools, spare inner tube, oil, maps, books food and water and loads of other stuff I didn't need.

   

Extra Special Thanks to:

 

My Son John, for getting me fired up to do this in the first place. (Wish you could have been there)

Ian McGrath, for helping me in just about every aspect of this endeavour.

Tara, Marina, Jerry, Martin.

All my family and friends for the love, support, and encouragement.

Colin and Mo, Upshot, and everyone who came along to Live Music to Kill Cancer -- too many to mention.

All of you who supported me on Facebook.

Everyone I met along the way -- couldn't have done it without you.

  

What am I going to do now?

 

Ed Walker. 28/04/2013.

Mission Accomplished!

 

I cycled in to John O’Groats just before 09:00 on Monday 22nd April 2013. I had just completed a twenty-two day, one-thousand mile journey from Land’s End and climbed the three highest mountains in the British Isles. I was overcome with so many feelings at the same time: elated at having completed the challenge for Cancer Research UK, glad it was all over so that I could rest my weary legs, but strangely disappointed that it was all over -- it had all gone by in a flash. I was also completely underwhelmed with John O’Groats. There was no brass band waiting to greet me, in fact there was no-one there at all. I took a few photographs, had a cup of coffee, and got my ‘end-to-enders’ sheet stamped to prove I had reached the end of the road. By 09:15 me and my bike were on the bus heading for Thurso to catch the train back home to Saltcoats.

 

My good friend and fellow Rockschool examiner, Jerry Forbes, gave me and my bike a lift from St. Ann’s Chapel in Cornwall where I had spent the previous night to Land’s End for the start of the journey on the morning of Monday 1st of April.

LEJOG had begun.

 

The first three days were spent battling against a strong easterly wind and I realised immediately that the weight in my panniers was too much and that the journey was going to be much harder that I had anticipated. Indeed, the first three days were probably the most exhausting period of the entire trip. I was making very slow progress, the wind was relentless, my legs ached, and I was almost tempted to abandon the project. But, slowly, the going became easier, and soon my confidence and momentum improved as I passed from county to county making my way through the South West of England.

  

~o~

 

Crossing the Severn Bridge into Wales seamed like a major milestone on the journey and, as a bonus, the winds became more favourable. I started making much better progress and began to enjoy myself much more. On day six I passed through the Brecon Beacons and had my first really fantastic day as I discovered the beautiful scenery and the many picture-postcard villages to stop in for a cup of tea. Two days later I arrived in Snowdonia only to be informed that Mount Snowdon's summit was inaccessible due to it being “still in winter conditions, see”. However, I decided that having made the effort to get there I would at least attempt to climb part of the way up. There are several paths to the summit of Snowdon and I decided to take the Watkin Path - one of gentler routes but also one of

 

the longest. I followed the path for as far as I could but the summit proved unreachable. That night I stayed at a youth hostel where I met two guys who were going to make an attempt from a different route the following morning so I asked to join them. The weather when I woke the next day turned out to be perfect and a successful ascent looked promising. We set off early and about three quarters of the way up one of the guys got a bad leg cramp and had to give up so his friend and I carried on towards the summit. After a while the weather abruptly took a turn for the worse; visibility dropped to a few yards and the wind became very ferocious. We soon found ourselves in an almost total white-out. We became aware of a very huge and very scary drop on our left and decided that this was as far as we could go. It wasn't until we were back at the youth hostel and relating our story that we were informed that we had actually reached the summit without having realised it. I had in fact made it to the top of Snowdon but missed out on the amazing panorama normally visible on a clear day.

 

Another day and a half on the bike and I was back in England and, as a bonus, with a warm place to stay that night. Another good friend and also a Rockschool examiner (senior examiner, actually) Martin Pleasse, pampered me with hot food, a luxurious bath, and laundry service. I was rejuvenated. Thanks again, Martin.

 

Day eleven and I was off again. I had to do a twenty-five mile detour over Runcorn Bridge to avoid taking the Ferry across the Mersey as I didn't want to use any public transport. My daily mileage started getting better from this point and I made very rapid progress up to the Lake District.

 

On Saturday 13th April, very early on a beautiful morning, I set out to climb Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain. Things went very well for most of the way but the weather became very changeable from around lunch time. I had climbed to above the tree line where the mountain was mostly under snow, and what wasn't snow was extremely boggy. One wrong step and I could easily find myself up to my waist in a bog, or worse, sliding off the mountain altogether. Progress without the proper climbing gear was torturous and I finally had to abandon my attempt to reach the summit. This was a huge disappointment for me but it would have been foolish to press on any further. I left Grasmere and continued my journey the same day and got soaked through by the torrential rain. If being drenched wasn’t bad enough, I also had to endure what the locals call ‘The Struggle’ -- the biggest hill I have ever encountered. I had to dismount and push the bike with all my gear for mile after mile of endless, twisting, steep, steep, hill. Did I mention how steep this hill was? I was more than happy when I came across another youth hostel and spent the night there.

  

~o~

 

Next day, day fourteen, I crossed the border into Scotland and a huge part of the journey was now behind me. Progress through Scotland seemed to go very quickly and I reached Glasgow two days later on the 16th where I had an afternoon off for my my birthday. To celebrate, I had lunch at Dino's, went to Guitar Guitar, and later had a few beers. Yes... I know how to party. After a comfortable night in the Holiday Inn Express, I was back on the road and heading for Dumbarton, Loch Lomond, across Rannoch Moor, through Glencoe, and arrived in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis on day eighteen. This was the wettest and windiest part of the journey, but despite my discomfort, I had the pleasure of being in the most astoundingly beautiful and haunting landscapes to be found anywhere in the world. I felt privileged to see the West Highlands of Scotland in all their wild magnificence and to experience that strange sense of smallness one feels when exposed to the full fury of nature in such wild, remote surroundings.

 

Friday 19th was a beautiful day and as perfect as I could have hoped for to climb the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. Just as had been the case in Wales, the experts told me that the mountain was “still in winter conditions, ken” and could not be attempted without professional mountain gear. But, as also was the case previously, I met a guy at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel who had attempted the climb the day before but had turned back. He was going to have another go so we set off together following what is known as ‘The Pony Track’. Reaching the summit of ‘The Ben’ as I am now entitled to call it was the highlight of the entire journey. It was absolutely spectacular up there -- such an amazing buzz. I recommend that everyone experience standing on the top of The Ben.

 

Day twenty and I was off again and soon found my self passing Loch Lochy and Loch Ness to Beauly where I camped for the night. On Sunday 21st I cycled just short of 100 miles and, totally exhausted, camped behind the Old Smiddy Inn at Thrumster, just 25 miles from my final destination.

So near, yet so far.

Next morning, Mon 22nd April, I cycled the short distance to John O'Groats and completed my challenge. Job done -- mission accomplished.

 

What a feeling!

     

Diary

 

Day 1: 01/04/2013.

Land's End to Indian Queens.

Very strong wind in my face all day. Too much weight on the bike.

I'm off the bike pushing at most hills.

Wild camp Indian Queens.

44.68 miles.

 

Day 2

Indian Queens to A39. Nr. Hartland Point.

Still a strong and cold Easterly wind.

Jerry and Abi surprise me by locating me on the map. Find me!!! and take me out to dinner.

Great evening.

Wild camp.

54.34 miles.

 

Day 3

Nr. Hartland Point to Simonsbath, Exmoor.

Easterly wind. Hard day.

Wild camp

42.72 miles.

 

Day 4

Simonsbath to Churchill. Nr. Bristol Airport.

Campsite.

59.70 miles

 

Day 5

Churchill to Raglan. Made it into Wales.

Met Moss. He gives me a bed for the night at his place.

Thanks Moss.

61.00 miles

 

Day 6

Raglan to Rhayader.

Rhayader Campsite

Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains.

55.00 miles

 

Day 7

Rhayader to Dolgellau

Campsite.

51.24 miles

 

Day 8

Dolgellau to Bryn Gwyant.

Walked the Watkins path up Snowdon.

Youth Hostel

33.00 miles

Day 9

Climbed Snowdon then cycled to Plas-yn-Yale A5104.

Camped on village football field.

39.00 miles.

 

Day 10

Plas-yn-Yale to Queensferry

Stayed at Martin's

21.00 miles.

 

Day 11

Queens Ferry via Runcorn bridge to Cabus. Nr Lancaster.

Campsite.

72.00 miles.

 

Day 12

Cabus to Grassmere. The Lake District.

Youth Hostel.

49.00. miles

 

Day 13

Attempted Scafell Pike but failed to reach the summit...

Cycled on to Patterdale

The Struggle...

Youth Hostel.

12.00 miles.

 

Day 14

Patterdale. Lake District to Kirkpatrick Flemming.

Crossed the border into Scotland.

Robert The Bruce's Cave, campsite.

44.00 miles.

 

Day 15

Kirkpatrick Flemming to Hamilton.

76.00 miles.

 

Day 16

Cycled in to Glasgow and had an afternoon off for my birthday.

17.00 miles.

 

Day 17

Glasgow to Ardlui.

Heavy Rain all day.

51.00 miles.

 

Day 18

Ardlui to Glen Nevis.

Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.

Heavy rain and high winds through Glencoe.

52.00 miles.

 

Day 19

Climbed Ben Nevis.

Highlight of the trip.

Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.

 

Day 20

Glen Nevis to Beauly.

Beaully Bridge Campsite.

52.00 miles

 

Day 21

Beauly to Thrumster.

Camped behind The Old Smiddy Inn.

Cheers David.

98.00. miles.

 

Day 22

Thrumster to John O'Groats.

Job done. 23 miles.

  

Gear List:

 

My bike is a Specialized Sirrus Elite. Makes a superb touring bike. Love this bike.

Ventura 11 aluminium Pannier carrier. (OK, but not brilliant. Could be a little more solid).

M-Wave Amsterdam double rear pannier. (Not recommended. Too bulky and causes too much drag).

North Gear Camping mono 2 Man tent. (My best bargain at at £19.99. Did the job).

Gellert X-Treme lite 1200 sleeping bag. (Good, even below zero).

Vango lightweight full-length inflatable sleeping mat.

3 sets cycling clothes plus spare gloves and socks, tools, spare inner tube, oil, maps, books food and water and loads of other stuff I didn't need.

   

Extra Special Thanks to:

 

My Son John, for getting me fired up to do this in the first place. (Wish you could have been there)

Ian McGrath, for helping me in just about every aspect of this endeavour.

Tara, Marina, Jerry, Martin.

All my family and friends for the love, support, and encouragement.

Colin and Mo, Upshot, and everyone who came along to Live Music to Kill Cancer -- too many to mention.

All of you who supported me on Facebook.

Everyone I met along the way -- couldn't have done it without you.

  

What am I going to do now?

 

Ed Walker. 28/04/2013.

People often come to visit to refresh us. While I appreciate the concern, I would like to be known as one who is always refreshed. View more thoughts here at the Prayer Coach blog.

  

Hammer Films had already completed remakes of "Frankenstein" and "Dracula." This was the first film made after Hammer reached an official agreement with Universal, allowing them to remake their classic horror films. Christopher Lee was Kharis, the Mummy and Peter Cushing, the archaeologist. This Australian one sheet features completely different art than the U.S. posters and is very eerie in its simplicity.

youtu.be/nTnkLTRR6v8

Hammer Film Productions’ 1959 The Mummy (not so much a remake of the 1932 film as a composite of all five Universal mummy movies) is everything all those über-famous Universal Studios flicks from the 30’s and 40’s should have been, but mostly weren’t. This is perhaps an unfair comparison, as Hammer had an extra 15-30 years to overcome the staginess that plagued so many very old movies, but considering how far The Mummy towers over even its contemporaries, I really think there must be something more at work than time alone. If I had to guess, I’d say that something is a combination of pacing, an unusually astute script, and top-notch performances from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, who in this film acts the pants off just about everybody in Hollywood today, using his eyes alone.

 

After more than 40 years, the story of this film probably offers no surprises, but here goes. The year is 1895, and the famous archaeologist Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmer) is in Egypt with his brother Joseph (Raymond Huntley, from The Ghost Train and So Evil My Love) and his son John (a startlingly young Cushing), excavating what he hopes is the long-lost tomb of the 20th-dynasty princess Anankha. John is currently unable to take full part in the dig, because he broke his leg some five days earlier, but he is determined to stay in the field-- he has no intention of missing the excitement in the event that his father really has found Anankha’s tomb. Just after the Bannings’ laborers finally break through the layers of rubble blocking the entrance, a well-dressed Egyptian man (George Pastell, Hammer’s favorite ethnic actor-- we’ll later learn that the character’s name is Mehmed Akhim) arrives to warn the Bannings of a curse laid upon the tomb in ancient times. Stephen thinks this curse to be nothing but ridiculous superstition, and enters the tomb anyway, his brother at his side.

 

The tomb proves to be all that he had hoped. Not only is it really the tomb of Anankha, it has miraculously been spared the depredations of the 4000 years’ worth of grave robbers who ravaged so many of the ancient tombs. Anankha’s mummy is there, along with her vast fortune in grave-goods, including a hitherto-considered-legendary text called the Scroll of Life, the latter preserved in a cartouche-shaped box inlaid with lapis lazuli. Stephen sends Joseph to tell John of the discovery, and the younger Banning brother hurries away. Moments after Joseph has left the tomb, however, he hears his brother screaming within. When he reaches Stephen’s side, the latter man has collapsed across the princess’s sarcophagus, and looks to be in deep shock, muttering incoherently to himself and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

 

Three years later, John has come to see his father at the nursing home to which he has been confined since that day in Egypt. For the first time in all those years, the elder Banning has emerged from his catatonia, and asked to see his son. The reason for Stephen’s concern stems from what he saw back in the tomb. The way he tells it, he did not have a stroke (the doctors’ best guess as to his affliction). Rather, as he read aloud the text of the Scroll of Life, the ancient incantations brought to life a mummy (Anankha’s? Someone else’s?), which attacked him, bringing on his present debility. Stephen is unshakably convinced that this living mummy is now coming to England to kill him, along with Joseph and John, who were accomplices in his violation of the tomb. John takes the old man’s ramblings as well as could be asked (though, watching him, one gets a clear sense of “I came all the way out here for this?!”), and tries to persuade him that he is mistaken, and is simply suffering from an attack of nerves. Disgusted at his son’s disbelief, Stephen sends him away.

 

Not much time has passed, however, before we begin seeing evidence that Stephen knew what he was talking about. A pair of cartmen are sitting in a tavern, discussing over drinks their current assignment. Apparently a “foreigner” has commissioned them to transport a crateful of ancient Egyptian relics to his newly-acquired home in the countryside about half a mile away from the tavern. The trip to the house takes them past Stephen’s nursing home, which doubles as an insane asylum, just as the asylum’s alarm begins to sound. Afraid that the alarm heralds the escape of some dangerous lunatic, the cartmen whip their horses to a higher speed, despite the worsening condition of the road ahead. Predictably, the cart hits a massive bump in the road, causing their employer’s crate to fall overboard into a deep bog. The cartmen don’t much care; at this point, they just want to get away from the asylum.

 

The next day, the police are questioning one of the cartmen as they attempt to dredge up the crate. Just then, the “foreigner” who hired them shows up to see what all the fuss is about. You probably don’t need me to tell you that this man is none other than Mehmed Akhim. Mehmed is suspiciously unconcerned about the fate of his relics. I don’t know about you, but if I’d just lost thousands of pounds’ worth of irreplaceable Egyptian artifacts because of the clumsiness of the movers, I’d be pretty fucking pissed. But not Mehmed; he just nods his head and goes back home when the police inform him that his crate is in all probability irrecoverable.

 

He comes back that night, though, with a familiar-looking papyrus in his hands, and begins to read it over the bog. The incantation is full of worrisome phrases like, “Make supple these limbs, and strong these sinews, and give them not to corruption,” and it is rather less than surprising that the recitation results in Christopher Lee, wrapped in bandages and clotted with mud, rising from the bog. Mehmed Akhim instructs the mummy to seek out and destroy those who have desecrated Princess Anankha’s grave, and the next thing we know, the moldy old hulk is smashing his way into Stephen Banning’s hospital cell to strangle him.

 

Now, it should be fairly obvious that Christopher Lee is not Princess Ananakha, so some explanation is clearly in order. Back in 20th dynasty days, Anankha made a pilgrimage to the Temple of Karnack to perform some important religious observance or other. She never reached the temple alive. Her actual fate remains unknown, but her body was recovered by Kharis, priest of the Temple of Karnack (Lee), and was buried with all the grandeur due a princess and a priestess-- with one exception. Instead of following the customary practice of sending the body back to the royal capital for interment, Kharis had Anankha buried locally, in a location known only to him and to the builders of the tomb-- all of whom he immediately had killed. The reason for Kharis’s departure from orthodoxy was that the priest was in love with the princess, but was kept from her by her religious vows. The trick is that Anankha’s vows were only binding during her lifetime. With her death, she was released from them, and was free to do what she wished. The ever-resourceful Kharis was not troubled by the obstacle that the princess’s death would seem to present to a fulfilling relationship, because he possessed the Scroll of Life, whose incantations held the power to raise the dead. So he naturally wanted to keep the body of his love close by. Unfortunately for Kharis, he was discovered before he could complete the spell, and sentenced to be buried alive in Anankha’s tomb. Before he died, a spell was placed over him pressing him into service to stand guard over Anankha forever.

 

The collision course with Kharis on which that spell places the Bannings should be obvious, and the main outlines of the film’s principal conflict should be equally so. The complication that will get us to the all-important scene in which the mummy staggers off into the night carrying a beautiful, unconscious girl is similarly predictable. John Banning’s wife, Isabel (Yvonne Furneaux) bears a striking resemblance to Anankha. I’m sure you see where this is going.

 

The thing is, though, that The Mummy suffers not a bit from all this predictability. Sure, all but the most dim-witted viewers will be two or three steps ahead of the film the entire time, but in this case, that somehow adds to the film’s effectiveness. Watching The Mummy is like watching a complex but graceful and elegant machine at work. You already know what the end result will be, but the pleasure is in seeing the process itself. The Mummy’s predictability is the predictability of rightness rather than of intellectual laziness, and the only misstep in the entire film is the conspicuous lack of an explanation for Isabel’s unconsciousness when the mummy absconds with her-- one moment, we see her menaced by the mummy, the next, we see it carry her through the door. Sure, several obvious explanations present themselves, but something in the structure of the scene makes it seem like we were supposed to see her faint or be knocked out or whatever. But it’s a minor flaw, and is vastly outweighed by the film’s many strengths. Especially satisfying is the way screenwriter Jimmy Sangster weaves together all the best elements from The Mummy, The Mummy’s Hand, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, and The Mummy’s Curse into a narrative far more coherent and compelling than those upon which it was based. Though much longer than any of the Universal films, and more deliberately paced than any but the original The Mummy, this version holds the viewer’s attention in a way that none of its models do-- not even the ones that are only an hour long! Finally, even if this version of The Mummy had nothing else to recommend it, it could still succeed on the strength of the awesome screen presence of Christopher Lee. Even with scarcely any dialogue (and none at all as the mummy), Lee dominates the film, even upstaging Peter Cushing for once. His Kharis is the only living mummy ever filmed that doesn’t make you say, “why the fuck doesn’t anybody just go around him and toss a match at him from behind?”-- in a way that Boris Karloff, Tom Tyler, and Lon Chaney Jr. never could, Lee makes the mummy seem genuinely threatening. It’s going to take a lot more than zillion-dollar CGI visual effects to make a mummy film that can stand up to this one.

   

Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism of Egypt speaking during the Session: Overcoming Fault Lines at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre during the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, Jordan 2019. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Faruk Pinjo

Back in Black

From the Pikeville Medical Center building, a portion of the U-shaped town of Pikeville can be seen beyond the above ground construction phase (foreground) of the Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) expansion project, on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, in Pikeville, KY. Some of the property has been cut into the mountainside. The construction area is where the parking garage will be; eliminating the long walk patients have to overcome to get from the current parking lot to the main medical center. After months of infrastructure construction and rain delays, one of Kentucky’s largest American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects is under way. The $44.6 million Community Facilities Loan will finance construction of a new medical office building and parking garage. The new medical office building will house outpatient surgery, endoscopy and surgical support and provide exam, waiting and office space for 23 primary and specialty care physicians. It also will contain a medical research center to support existing research – in conjunction with Pikeville College – on health disparities, genetic research related to the prevalence of cancer and other areas, including drug and treatment trials. The new seven-floor parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces will be built adjacent to the new medical building. This will eliminate the need to shuttle patients back and forth from remote parking areas, as the center’s current parking areas are filled to capacity on a daily basis. The new garage will provide closer and easier proximity to medical and hospital services for all patients.

Wayne Rutherford, County Judge-Executive for Pike County, says funding from ARRA is a boon for his county because it will create jobs.

“This is great for Pike County’s economy. We know we have a great hospital, and with this support, it will be even better,” said Rutherford. “The unemployment rate here is above the state average and this will stimulate jobs. There will be construction, which means lots of jobs on the front end – and even more once it is built.”

 

Pike County is one of Kentucky’s persistent poverty counties and the current medical facility provides health care services for a rural population of more than 68,000. This project will create 1,430 direct and indirect construction jobs, in addition to 97 long-term jobs. It is scheduled to be completed in December 2012.

 

“This project is a prime example of the ARRA monies being utilized for much-needed health care facility expansion in an economically-depressed region of Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia,” said Tom Fern, State Director for Rural Development in Kentucky. “This hospital has received national recognition for its quality of care, and this money will allow them to expand and build upon their success and continue providing quality health care services to the region.”

PMC was named National Hospital of the Year by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers in November 2009. The hospital was among 400 elite health care facilities to apply for this prestigious honor. To earn this recognition, PMC competed against more than 400 hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, the John Hopkins Hospital, Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Duke University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University.

Pikeville City Manager Donovan Blackburn said the medical center is the largest employer in Pikeville and contributes nearly $2 million to the city through the payment of occupational taxes. He went on to say that Pikeville Medical’s success is also the city’s success because as other cities struggle with dwindling revenues, Pikeville has actually seen growth.

“This is a regional medical center that is very important to the city. Pikeville is a legal, financial and education hub for Eastern Kentucky and a gateway to rural communities in Virginia and West Virginia. There are half a million within a 50-mile radius – so it’s not just local people that depend on this facility,” said Blackburn. “From a regional standpoint it adds volume from a jobs standpoint. Everybody in this county knows someone or has family that works for Pikeville Medical Center.

“People in this area used to have to go out of the area for good jobs and quality medical services, but Pikeville Medical has changed that,” added Blackburn. "And it has impact on other parts of the city’s economy – hotels, restaurants and retail. It increases the quality of life tenfold.”

 

The Recovery Act was designed to spend money gradually over time in order to sustain a true recovery – with peak spending to occur early this year. While the experts agree that ARRA is already responsible for creating or saving approximately two million jobs, about 75 percent of recipients that reported on their Recover Act spending indicated their projects are less than half complete, meaning there is even more job impact from those dollars to come.

USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Finally home!

 

After my flight out of Atlanta to La Guardia was canceled on Monday morning, I was lucky enough to get a flight out on Wednesday evening.

 

but from Charleston, South Carolina!

 

So, that meant a five hour car trip with my mother and father to their home in Pawley's Island.

 

Sorry if I haven't made it over to your photostream today.......Missing two days of work, and being stranded in a place with practically no internet service has left me behind.....but I promise to catch up very soon!

©2023 Royal Ballet School. Photographed by Photography by ASH

Seen at Parkpop 2009.

 

even now

the world is bleeding

but feeling just fine

all numb in a castle

where we`re always free to choose

never free enough to find

I wish something would break

cos we`re running out of time

and I am overcome

I am overcome

holy water in my lungs

I am overcome

these women in the street

pulling out their hair

my master`s in the yard

giving light to the unaware

this plastic little place

is just a step amongst the stairs

and I am overcome

I am overcome

holy water in my lungs

I am overcome

so drive me out

out to that open field

turn the ignition off

and spin around

your help is here

but i`m parked in the open space

but locking the gates of love

beautiful drowning

I am overcome

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Parder was a successor of the Tiger I & II tanks, combining the latter's thick armor with the armor sloping used on the Panther medium tank (which was, in fact, inspired by Soviet designs, most of all by the T-34). While several Entwicklungspanzer designs were under development, the Parder was a short-term attempt to overcome the Tiger II's main shortcoming: its weight of almost seventy metric tons (it was protected by up to 180 mm/7.1" of front armor!), the resulting lack of mobility and an overburdened drivetrain originally intended for a lighter vehicle. Leaking seals and gaskets also took their toll on reliability.

 

In order to keep the development phase short the Parder used basically the same chassis as the Tiger II, as well as the engine, transmission and the long barreled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun. But it reveiced a new hull with optimized armor and many detail modifications that reduced the overall weight by more than ten tons, getting overall weight back to the level of the Tiger I

 

The SdKfz. 190 used a conventional hull design with sloped armor from all sides, resembling the layout of the T-34 a lot. Its was so effective that the front armor could be reduced to 120 mm (4.7 in) with only little loss in protection. The crew was reduced to four, only the driver remained in the hull and the front machine gun was omitted, too.

 

The 'Parder' (archaic German term for leopard), how the vehicle was semi-officially christened by the Entwicklungskommission Panzer, had a rear mounted engine and used nine steel-tired overlapping road wheels per side with internal springing, mounted on transverse torsion bars.

 

The turret had been designed by Krupp and featured a rounded front and steeply sloped sides, with a difficult-to-manufacture curved bulge on the turret's left side to accommodate the commander's cupola (often related to as the "Porsche" turret). The powerful 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun was combined with the Turmzielfernrohr 9d (German "turret telescopic sight") monocular sight by Leitz - a very accurate and deadly weapon.

 

During practice, the estimated probability of a first round hit on a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high, 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide target only dropped below 100 percent at ranges beyond 1,000 m (0.62 mi), to 95–97 percent at 1,500 metres (0.93 mi) and 85–87 percent at 2,000 m (1.2 mi), depending on ammunition type. Recorded combat performance was lower, but still over 80 percent at 1,000 m, in the 60s at 1,500 m and the 40s at 2,000 m.

 

Penetration of armored plate inclined at 30 degrees was 202 and 132 mm (8.0 and 5.2 in) at 100 m (110 yd) and 2,000 m (1.2 mi) respectively for the Panzergranate 39/43 projectile (PzGr—armor-piercing shell), and 238 and 153 mm (9.4 and 6.0 in) for the PzGr. 40/43 projectile between the same ranges. The Sprenggranate 43 (SpGr) high-explosive round was available for soft targets, or the Hohlgranate or Hohlgeschoss 39 (HlGr—HEAT or High explosive anti-tank warhead) round, which had 90 mm (3.5 in) penetration at any range, could be used as a dual-purpose munition against soft or armored targets.

 

Like all German tanks, the Parder had a gasoline engine; in this case the same 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 which powered the Panther, Tiger I and Tiger II tanks. The Tiger II was under-powered with it, though, and consumed a lot of fuel, which was in short supply for the Germans, but in the Parder it proved to be adequate, even though performance was not oustanding. The transmission was the Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 Model B, giving eight forward gears and four reverse, which drove the steering gear.

 

In order to distribute the tank's weight an extra wide track was used, but this meant that each tank was issued with two sets of tracks: a normal "battle track" and a narrower "transport" version used during rail movement. The transport tracks reduced the overall width of the load and could be used to drive the tank short distances on firm ground.

 

The Parder was, like many German late war designs, rushed into combat, but thanks to its Tiger I & II heritage many mechanical teething problems had already been corrected. Reliability was considerably improved compared to the much heavier Tiger II, and the Parder did prove to be a very effective fighting vehicle, especially in a defensive role. However, some design flaws, such as its weak final drive units, were never corrected due to raw material shortages, and more tanks were given up by the crews than actually destroyed in combat.

 

The Parder was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army (Schwere Heerespanzerabteilung – abbreviated s.H.Pz.Abt) where it replaced the Tiger I & II.

  

Specifications:

Crew Four (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Weight 54 tonnes (60 short tons)

Length 7.02 metres (23 ft in) (hull only)

10.64 metres (34 ft 10 1/3 in) with gun forward

Width 3.88 metres (12 ft 9 in)

4.14 metres (13 ft 6 3/4 in) with optional Thoma shields

Height 2.84 metres (9 ft 4 in) w/o AA machine gun

Suspension torsion-bar

Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)

Fuel capacity: 820 l (180 imp gal; 220 US gal)

 

Armor:

30–120 mm (1.2 – 4.7 in)

 

Performance:

Speed

- Maximum, road: 41.5 km/h (25.8 mph)

- Sustained, road: 38 km/h (24 mph)

- Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph)

Operational range: 240 km (150 mi)

Power/weight: 12,96 PS/tonne (11,5 hp/ton)

 

Engine:

V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 gasoline with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

 

Transmission:

Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)

 

Armament:

1× 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 with 80 rounds

1× co-axial 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 3.000 rounds

  

The kit and its assembly:

Something different… a whif tank! This was spawned from curiosity and the “wish” to build a German vehicle that would fit right into the E-25… E-100 range of experimental tanks.

It was to become a battle tank, and while browsing options and donation kits, I settled upon a replacement for the formidable but heavy and cumbersome Tiger B, also known as Tiger II, Königstiger or (wrongfully translated) King Tiger.

 

Anyway, creating a tank that would look (late war) German and still be whiffy was trickier than expected, and finally easier than expected, too. My solution would be a kit bashing: using many Tiger B parts (including the stylish Porsche tower and the running gear) and combining it with a hull that would offer better armor angles and look less “boxy”.

 

I effectively bashed two kits: one is the excellent 1:72 early Tiger B from Dragon, the other is Roden’s Soviet IS-3 tank – also very nice, even though the styrene is somewhat brittle.

 

My biggest fear was the running gear – combining the IS-3 hull with the Tiger B’s totally different legs scared me a lot – until I found that the parts from both kits (the Tiger B’s lower hull with all the suspension and the IS-3’s upper hull) could be combined rather easily combined. Just some cuts and improvised intersections, and the “new” tank hull was done!

 

As a side effect, the huge turret moved forward, and this considerably changes the silhouette. The IS-3’s opening had only to be widened slightly in order to accept the Porsche turret. Things matched up pretty well, also concerning size and proportions.

 

Otherwise, not much was changed. All wheels and tracks come from the Trumpeter Tiger B, the turret was also borrowed wholesale. I just changed some details (e. g. moving the spare track elements to the hull front), added some handles and also a heavy AA machine gun on the commander’s cupola, which is OOB, too.

 

Too simple? Well, for me it was not enough. For a more personal edge to the kit I decided to add Thoma skirts! Not the massive 5mm plates you frequently see on late Panzer IV tanks and its derivatives, rather the mesh type – lighter, less material-consuming, and a very special detail.

 

These were scratched. There are PE sets available, but that was too expensive and I was not certain if such items would fit in shape and size? So I made a cardboard template for the flanks and built a pair of skirts from styrene strips and a fine PET mesh that I had salvaged from a wallet long time ago.

 

The stuff is hard to glue onto something, so the styrene frame had to carry the mesh parts – and it works! The attachments to the hull were also scratched from styrene.

The Thoma shields add more width to the flat tank, but I think that they set the kit even more apart than just the borrowed IS-3 hull?

  

Painting and markings:

Hmmm, not totally happy with the finish. This was supposed to become a simple Hinterhalt (Ambush) paint scheme in Dark Yellow, Olive Green and Red Brown, but I did so much weathering that not much from the scheme can be recognized…

 

Painting was straightforward, though – I used Humbrol 94 and 173 as well as Modelmaster’s RAL 6003 as basic colors. The scheme’s benchmark is the official Tiger B scheme.

 

The basic colors received mottles in green on the yellow and yellow on the green and brown, and then the thing was thoroughly weathered with a black ink wash, dry-brushing, some aquarelle paint to simulate dust, and finally some pigments that simulate mud.

 

The tracks are made from soft vinyl, and also received a paint treatment in order to get rid of that shiny vinyl look: at first, with a mix of black and silver, which was immediately wiped off again, and later with a second, similar turn with silver and dark brown.

 

The mud was added just before the whole running gear was mounted as one of the final assembly stages, and final retouches were made with acrylic umbra paint.

 

Alas, I think I overdid it – much of the formidable and very attractive paint scheme was lost, even though the yucky, brownish finish now also works fine and looks like rough duty?

  

So, an experiment with good and bad results. Certainly not the last whif tank (at least one more on the agenda), and after so many aircraft a new kind of challenge. ^^

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Earth Designs Garden Design and Build were asked to created a landscape and propose garden design in Wapping, London*. Here are the details of the project

 

The Funky Roof Terrace garden in Wapping, London

 

BRIEF:

 

The clients wanted to change a tired but modern balcony terrace overlooking Tower Bridge on the Thames into a fun but sophisticated area for relaxation and entertaining. The flat is in a block with very tight restrictions on what can and cannot be done to its exterior appearance. Achieving the desired effect within these restraints required a degree of lateral thinking and ingenuity.

 

SOLUTION:

 

This riverside terrace garden is been designed with relaxation and sophistication in mind. The focus is on simplicity, combining high-quality features with a hint of playfulness, to avoid detracting from the magnificent views of the Thames and Tower Bridge beyond. Yellow Balau smooth planed hardwood decking provides a contemporary finish to the flooring throughout, arranged to draw the eye out across the river and chosen to reflect the terrace’s waterside character.

 

To the left hand side of the terrace a slightly raised deck provides a platform for a lounge area, featuring a large mattress weatherproof mattress and cushions, from which to relax and enjoy the view of the bridge. A small waterproof storage area beneath this platform keeps the cushions dry and clean over the winter months. A stunning illuminated cube water feature, flanked on either side by eye-catching Cordylines contained in self-illuminated planters, were installed along the rear boundary wall directly opposite the patio doors, to create an impressive welcome to the space.

 

Further framing to the terrace is provided by an illuminated planter installed beside both of the pillars supporting the balcony of the flat above. Planting was selected for low maintenance, all year interest and wind tolerance. The right hand side of the terrace forms the main dining area.

 

Featuring funky illuminated curved seating and three bespoke mobile decking stools around a central glass topped illuminated table, the area offers ample opportunity for alfresco entertaining both day and night. Groups of column lights of varying heights are set adjacent to the dining area and on the raised platform. The lighting focal point is the fun sculptural 6-pointed stars.

 

TESTIMONIALS:

 

“Although we had a good sized patio area with fantastic views over Tower Bridge, the space simply didn't work for us and we rarely used it. The design process was very interactive. We had a really open exchange of ideas, and relied heavily on Katrina's creativity and imagination to overcome some restrictive lease requirements. The brief to the team was to give the space a cool and modern 'Ibiza style' look and feel which would be suitable for both entertaining and relaxing. This was primarily achieved through the clever use of sculptural (and functional) lighting and bold colours.”

 

Gemma and Paul

  

If you dig this and would like to find out more about this or any of other of our designs, please stop by our web-site and have a look at our work.

 

Earth Designs is a bespoke London Garden Design and build company specialising in classic, funky and urban contemporary garden design.

 

Our Landscape and Garden build teams cover London, Essex and parts of South East England, while garden designs are available nationwide.

Please visit www.earthdesigns.co.uk to see our full portfolio. If you would like a garden designer in London or have an idea of what you want and are looking for a landscaper London to come and visit your garden, please get in touch.

 

Follow our Bespoke Garden Design and Build and Blog to see what we get up to week by week, our free design clinic as well as tips and products we recommend for your garden projects www.earthdesigns.co.uk/blog/.

 

Earth Designs is located in East London, but has built gardens in Essex , gardens in Hertfordshire Hertfordshire and all over the South East. Earth Designs was formed by Katrina Wells in Spring 2003 and has since gone from strength to strength to develop a considerable portfolio of garden projects. Katrina, who is our Senior Garden Designer, has travelled all over the UK designing gardens. However we can design worldwide either through our postal garden design service or by consultation with our senior garden designer. Recent worldwide projects have included garden designs in Romania. Katrina’s husband. Matt, heads up the build side of the company, creating a unique service for all our clients.

 

If you a not a UK resident, but would like an Earth Designs garden, Earth Designs has a worldwide design service through our Garden Design Postal Design Vouchers. If you are looking for an unique birthday present or original anniversary present and would like to buy one of our Garden Design Gift Vouchers for yourself or as a present please our sister site www.gardenpresents.co.uk. We do also design outside of the UK, please contact us for details.

  

Bogazi (Greek: Μπογάζι, Turkish: Boğaz) is a village in Cyprus, located 7 km northeast of Trikomo in the Karpaz Peninsula. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.

 

Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.

 

A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.

 

Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

 

Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.

 

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

 

Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.

 

The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.

 

Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.

 

Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.

 

By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.

 

EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.

 

However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.

 

On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.

 

In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.

 

By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.

 

In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.

 

The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.

 

After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".

 

As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.

 

Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

 

On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

 

The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.

 

Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.

 

The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.

 

Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.

 

Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria

An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."

 

In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.

 

Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.

 

In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.

 

Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.

 

Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.

 

Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.

 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:

 

UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.

 

The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.

 

By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."

 

After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.

 

On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.

 

The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.

 

During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.

 

In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.

 

Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.

 

A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.

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Nazi, Neo-Pagan 'Christmas', Picture reproduced in: 'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' published in 1940 by Burns Oates

The Swastika replaces the star on top of the Christmas tree.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_persecution_of_the_Catholic_Ch...

 

Lying, atheist propaganda about Christians being in league with the Nazis - and that the Pope and Catholic Church were complicit in the persecution and of Jews has been propagated and spread by militant, atheist fanatics and other anti-Christian bigots since the end of the 2nd world war.

 

The truth ...

Hitler and the Nazis were pagan, naturalist, occultists with racial superiority and eugenics policies based on the writings of the German Darwinist, Ernst Haeckel.

They were haters of Christianity and, just like the atheists in all the brutal, communist regimes, their ultimate aim was to eliminate Christianity.

 

"We live in an era of the ultimate conflict with Christianity. It is part of the mission of the SS to give the German people in the next half century the non-Christian ideological foundations on which to lead and shape their lives. This task does not consist solely in overcoming an ideological opponent but must be accompanied at every step by a positive impetus: in this case that means the reconstruction of the German heritage in the widest and most comprehensive sense."

— Heinrich Himmler, 1937

 

Here is the real history in "Facts and Documents Translated from the German" and published at the time.

Frontispiece from 'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' published in 1940 by Burns Oates

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/14425597587

 

"The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich" Published in 1940 is full (565 pages) of translated copies of original Nazi documents and cartoons lambasting the Church from the 1930's - 1940.

 

What about quotes from Hitler's writing and speeches, frequently presented by atheists, which allegedly show that Hitler supported Christianity?

It is well known that what Hitler said and what Hitler actually did were two entirely different things. Hitler didn't want to risk antagonising Christians in Germany. So he attempted to give the impression that he was on their side, however, the actions of the Hitler's National Socialist Party proved the exact opposite, as shown in this book.

 

And - even if Hitler claimed to be Christian, he couldn't have been, because he directly opposed the teaching of Jesus and the Church. This means he was an heretic and therefore would be automatically excommunicated.

Anyone who knows anything about Christianity knows that simply calling oneself Christian doesn't make one Christian. An heretic cannot be a Christian.

 

So Hitler and the Nazis were not Christian, they totally disregarded Christian, moral teaching and the Ten Commandments.

They believed in situational ethics and moral relativism (which is the essence of the atheist, Humanist Manifesto) just as Stalin, Mao and all the atheist tyrants of the 20th century did.

 

So Hitler's moral and ethical values were akin to atheist morals and ethics, inasmuch as they had no definitive yardstick. The Nazis abandoned the moral and ethical values of Christianity and were left with ephemeral ethics - which are reliant only on the situation, opinion or fashion. Just like the Humanist Manifesto, with no definitive, moral yardstick or inalienable, God-given rights, there can be no moral or ethical absolutes - right can be deemed to be wrong, and wrong can be deemed to be right. It varies according to the situation or what is judged to be 'necessary'. it is a recipe for tyranny.

 

Hitler was not strictly an atheist in belief, but he was similar in his ethical and moral relativism.

His ideology is best described as Darwinian inspired paganism. There are documents in this book which prove the Nazis were pagans, not Christians.

There are also documents reproduced in the book which prove that the Church hierarchy did not support the Nazis, that is why so many priests etc. were arrested, imprisoned and tortured on trumped-up charges.

 

So we know that, as Hitler rejected the teaching of Jesus on morals, he could not possibly be a Christian, regardless of what anyone claims.

The moral values of Christianity are the Ten Commandments and the values espoused in the teaching of Jesus and His Apostles.

Anyone who rejects those values, cannot claim to either be a Christian or to be acting as a Christian. They are based on two principles of loving God and loving one's neighbour (and even enemies) as oneself.

Every Christian has to aspire to those principles. If they fail through weakness they are guilty of sin, for which they can be forgiven with sincere repentance. If they deliberately reject those moral principles they forfeit the right to call themselves Christian. So, it is not possible for a true Christian to knowingly support a tyrannical regime such as the Nazis or the Communists, which murders, tortures or persecutes innocent people. If they do, they cease to be Christians, no matter what they may claim to the contrary.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/14425393220

It is obvious from the Nazi cartoon in the image above that the Nazis themselves certainly didn't think the Church or Pope were complicit in supporting Nazism. On the contrary, they obviously thought the Church was complicit in supporting the Jews. Which was in fact, the real truth as presented in the book below - written by a Jewish Rabbi.

 

'The Myth of Hitler's Pope' - How Pope Pius XII rescued Jews from the Nazis. by Jewish Rabbi David G Dalin.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895260344/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr?...

 

What about books, such as; 'Hitler's Pope' by the journalist John Cornwell, which claim that Pope Pius XII was complicit in the persecution and murder of Jews by keeping quiet about the crimes of the Nazis?

 

Cornwell's book has been completely discredited.

 

Catholics who attended church in Nazi Germany were left in no doubt that the Church opposed the Nazi regime well before 1940.

'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' 1940 - has page after page of contemporary source material, such as translated copies of Pastoral letters, Encyclicals and Sermons issued by Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals read in German churches at the time, including one from a combined Pastoral of Bishops, which criticise the National Socialists and point out the Nazis opposition to Catholicism and Christian civilisation.

Furthermore, Cardinal Pacelli, who became Pius XII, was one of them. And he was singled out for vilification by the Nazis in the Nazi publications of the Schwarze Corps.

 

 

So the idea that Catholics didn't know that the Church opposed Hitler and the Nazis is complete balderdash.

 

Catholic newspapers and publications were systematically banned or censored at the time. So Encyclicals and sermons were the only voice the Church had within Germany.

All German radio and newspapers were controlled by the Nazis. They wouldn't have publicised any public pronouncement by the Pope or any other opposition from the Catholic Church.

So the Church certainly wasn't silent - or complicit with the Nazis. And thousands of Catholics and priests were imprisoned, tortured and executed for being in league with Jews and also falsely accused of being in league with Freemasons and Communists.

The Nazis considered the Catholic Church (and other Christians) an enemy within.

 

And overwhelming evidence shows that the Pope was actively organising the escape of thousands of Jews from the Nazis. Vatican Radio had to keep the Pope's involvement out of the news in order not to undermine or damage the rescue effort.

The Pope was well aware that antagonising the Nazis with worldwide, public pronouncements from Vatican Radio would lead to an increased crackdown on priests and other Catholics who were working undercover to help Jews escape. It would have been completely counterproductive.

 

It is very significant that the Jewish Historian, Martin Gilbert, the biographer of Winston Churchill, who knew much more than Cornwell, or any other historical 'revisionists' wanted Pope Pius to be given the title Righteous among Nations.

 

“As one of the world’s leading experts on the Holocaust and WWII, Sir Martin was well aware of the lifesaving efforts of Pope Pius XII, most especially to save the Jews from the barbarism of the Nazi regime,” Krupp told the Register. “It was Sir Martin who encouraged me to nominate Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) to Yad Vashem to be named ‘Righteous Among Nations.’”

"In an interview in 2007, Gilbert explained how the wartime pope’s interventions and protestations directly helped to save 4,700 Jewish lives in Rome and that 477 Jews were given refuge in the Vatican. He also documented other ways in which Pius XII rescued Jews persecuted by the Nazis."

"In an earlier interview in 2003, he hoped his research would “restore, in a way, on the foundation of historical fact, the true and wonderful achievements of Catholics in helping Jews during the war.

Pave the Way Foundation also filmed an interview with Gilbert, during which he discussed his personal research on the actions of Pope Pius XII during World War II.

He was eager to see the Holocaust museum Yad Vashem open a file on Pius to study his worthiness to be included in the institution’s “Department of the Righteous.” He also wanted to see the wartime archives opened to the public so that historians could better understand Pius’ role."

 

Sir Martin Gilbert estimates the Catholic Church saved up to half a million Jewish lives.

books.google.co.uk/books?id=KQvGxx1qG90C&pg=PA191&...

 

Of course, this is all available in the public domain, but still atheists and other anti-Christian bigots persist in ignoring the truth and continue to propagate distortions and lies. Their motivation is not historical accuracy, but militant, ideological fanaticism.

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/21486403228

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/21487545830

View On Black

 

Overcome

 

 

By Wes

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Parder was a successor of the Tiger I & II tanks, combining the latter's thick armor with the armor sloping used on the Panther medium tank (which was, in fact, inspired by Soviet designs, most of all by the T-34). While several Entwicklungspanzer designs were under development, the Parder was a short-term attempt to overcome the Tiger II's main shortcoming: its weight of almost seventy metric tons (it was protected by up to 180 mm/7.1" of front armor!), the resulting lack of mobility and an overburdened drivetrain originally intended for a lighter vehicle. Leaking seals and gaskets also took their toll on reliability.

 

In order to keep the development phase short the Parder used basically the same chassis as the Tiger II, as well as the engine, transmission and the long barreled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun. But it reveiced a new hull with optimized armor and many detail modifications that reduced the overall weight by more than ten tons, getting overall weight back to the level of the Tiger I

 

The SdKfz. 190 used a conventional hull design with sloped armor from all sides, resembling the layout of the T-34 a lot. Its was so effective that the front armor could be reduced to 120 mm (4.7 in) with only little loss in protection. The crew was reduced to four, only the driver remained in the hull and the front machine gun was omitted, too.

 

The 'Parder' (archaic German term for leopard), how the vehicle was semi-officially christened by the Entwicklungskommission Panzer, had a rear mounted engine and used nine steel-tired overlapping road wheels per side with internal springing, mounted on transverse torsion bars.

 

The turret had been designed by Krupp and featured a rounded front and steeply sloped sides, with a difficult-to-manufacture curved bulge on the turret's left side to accommodate the commander's cupola (often related to as the "Porsche" turret). The powerful 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun was combined with the Turmzielfernrohr 9d (German "turret telescopic sight") monocular sight by Leitz - a very accurate and deadly weapon.

 

During practice, the estimated probability of a first round hit on a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high, 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide target only dropped below 100 percent at ranges beyond 1,000 m (0.62 mi), to 95–97 percent at 1,500 metres (0.93 mi) and 85–87 percent at 2,000 m (1.2 mi), depending on ammunition type. Recorded combat performance was lower, but still over 80 percent at 1,000 m, in the 60s at 1,500 m and the 40s at 2,000 m.

 

Penetration of armored plate inclined at 30 degrees was 202 and 132 mm (8.0 and 5.2 in) at 100 m (110 yd) and 2,000 m (1.2 mi) respectively for the Panzergranate 39/43 projectile (PzGr—armor-piercing shell), and 238 and 153 mm (9.4 and 6.0 in) for the PzGr. 40/43 projectile between the same ranges. The Sprenggranate 43 (SpGr) high-explosive round was available for soft targets, or the Hohlgranate or Hohlgeschoss 39 (HlGr—HEAT or High explosive anti-tank warhead) round, which had 90 mm (3.5 in) penetration at any range, could be used as a dual-purpose munition against soft or armored targets.

 

Like all German tanks, the Parder had a gasoline engine; in this case the same 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 which powered the Panther, Tiger I and Tiger II tanks. The Tiger II was under-powered with it, though, and consumed a lot of fuel, which was in short supply for the Germans, but in the Parder it proved to be adequate, even though performance was not oustanding. The transmission was the Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 Model B, giving eight forward gears and four reverse, which drove the steering gear.

 

In order to distribute the tank's weight an extra wide track was used, but this meant that each tank was issued with two sets of tracks: a normal "battle track" and a narrower "transport" version used during rail movement. The transport tracks reduced the overall width of the load and could be used to drive the tank short distances on firm ground.

 

The Parder was, like many German late war designs, rushed into combat, but thanks to its Tiger I & II heritage many mechanical teething problems had already been corrected. Reliability was considerably improved compared to the much heavier Tiger II, and the Parder did prove to be a very effective fighting vehicle, especially in a defensive role. However, some design flaws, such as its weak final drive units, were never corrected due to raw material shortages, and more tanks were given up by the crews than actually destroyed in combat.

 

The Parder was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army (Schwere Heerespanzerabteilung – abbreviated s.H.Pz.Abt) where it replaced the Tiger I & II.

  

Specifications:

Crew Four (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Weight 54 tonnes (60 short tons)

Length 7.02 metres (23 ft in) (hull only)

10.64 metres (34 ft 10 1/3 in) with gun forward

Width 3.88 metres (12 ft 9 in)

4.14 metres (13 ft 6 3/4 in) with optional Thoma shields

Height 2.84 metres (9 ft 4 in) w/o AA machine gun

Suspension torsion-bar

Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)

Fuel capacity: 820 l (180 imp gal; 220 US gal)

 

Armor:

30–120 mm (1.2 – 4.7 in)

 

Performance:

Speed

- Maximum, road: 41.5 km/h (25.8 mph)

- Sustained, road: 38 km/h (24 mph)

- Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph)

Operational range: 240 km (150 mi)

Power/weight: 12,96 PS/tonne (11,5 hp/ton)

 

Engine:

V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 gasoline with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

 

Transmission:

Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)

 

Armament:

1× 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 with 80 rounds

1× co-axial 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 3.000 rounds

  

The kit and its assembly:

Something different… a whif tank! This was spawned from curiosity and the “wish” to build a German vehicle that would fit right into the E-25… E-100 range of experimental tanks.

It was to become a battle tank, and while browsing options and donation kits, I settled upon a replacement for the formidable but heavy and cumbersome Tiger B, also known as Tiger II, Königstiger or (wrongfully translated) King Tiger.

 

Anyway, creating a tank that would look (late war) German and still be whiffy was trickier than expected, and finally easier than expected, too. My solution would be a kit bashing: using many Tiger B parts (including the stylish Porsche tower and the running gear) and combining it with a hull that would offer better armor angles and look less “boxy”.

 

I effectively bashed two kits: one is the excellent 1:72 early Tiger B from Dragon, the other is Roden’s Soviet IS-3 tank – also very nice, even though the styrene is somewhat brittle.

 

My biggest fear was the running gear – combining the IS-3 hull with the Tiger B’s totally different legs scared me a lot – until I found that the parts from both kits (the Tiger B’s lower hull with all the suspension and the IS-3’s upper hull) could be combined rather easily combined. Just some cuts and improvised intersections, and the “new” tank hull was done!

 

As a side effect, the huge turret moved forward, and this considerably changes the silhouette. The IS-3’s opening had only to be widened slightly in order to accept the Porsche turret. Things matched up pretty well, also concerning size and proportions.

 

Otherwise, not much was changed. All wheels and tracks come from the Trumpeter Tiger B, the turret was also borrowed wholesale. I just changed some details (e. g. moving the spare track elements to the hull front), added some handles and also a heavy AA machine gun on the commander’s cupola, which is OOB, too.

 

Too simple? Well, for me it was not enough. For a more personal edge to the kit I decided to add Thoma skirts! Not the massive 5mm plates you frequently see on late Panzer IV tanks and its derivatives, rather the mesh type – lighter, less material-consuming, and a very special detail.

 

These were scratched. There are PE sets available, but that was too expensive and I was not certain if such items would fit in shape and size? So I made a cardboard template for the flanks and built a pair of skirts from styrene strips and a fine PET mesh that I had salvaged from a wallet long time ago.

 

The stuff is hard to glue onto something, so the styrene frame had to carry the mesh parts – and it works! The attachments to the hull were also scratched from styrene.

The Thoma shields add more width to the flat tank, but I think that they set the kit even more apart than just the borrowed IS-3 hull?

  

Painting and markings:

Hmmm, not totally happy with the finish. This was supposed to become a simple Hinterhalt (Ambush) paint scheme in Dark Yellow, Olive Green and Red Brown, but I did so much weathering that not much from the scheme can be recognized…

 

Painting was straightforward, though – I used Humbrol 94 and 173 as well as Modelmaster’s RAL 6003 as basic colors. The scheme’s benchmark is the official Tiger B scheme.

 

The basic colors received mottles in green on the yellow and yellow on the green and brown, and then the thing was thoroughly weathered with a black ink wash, dry-brushing, some aquarelle paint to simulate dust, and finally some pigments that simulate mud.

 

The tracks are made from soft vinyl, and also received a paint treatment in order to get rid of that shiny vinyl look: at first, with a mix of black and silver, which was immediately wiped off again, and later with a second, similar turn with silver and dark brown.

 

The mud was added just before the whole running gear was mounted as one of the final assembly stages, and final retouches were made with acrylic umbra paint.

 

Alas, I think I overdid it – much of the formidable and very attractive paint scheme was lost, even though the yucky, brownish finish now also works fine and looks like rough duty?

  

So, an experiment with good and bad results. Certainly not the last whif tank (at least one more on the agenda), and after so many aircraft a new kind of challenge. ^^

Staff Sgt. Chantel Thibeaux, Dental technical school, Joint Base-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, dental assistant instructor, begins to cry as doctors read the surgery risks prior to double mastectomy surgery. Thibeaux, 27, the youngest breast cancer patient at San Antonio Medical Center, was diagnosed with breast cancer in Feb. 2014 after Wendell encouraged her to get a lump on her breast checked. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/2009/06/rainy-sunday...

Staff Sgt. Chantel Thibeaux, Joint Base-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, dental assistant instructor, pauses for a moment during a portrait session. Thibeaux, 27, is scheduled to have double mastectomy surgery at the San Antonio Medical Center to remove the cancer from both breasts. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

We're back at the Monaco Ballroom on Friday December 12th for the final show of 2008!! Make sure you make it to see how the year's feuds end at this season ending super show - GPW: "Christmas Crunch"

 

We promise we wont crunch your credit.... we'll only crunch your Christmas!!

 

GPW Heavyweight Title Match

Bubblegum © vs. Dirk Feelgood

 

Just a few months ago you'd be forgiven for taking a double take at this match. The friendship between the two former friends totally imploded with the desire to become Heavyweight champion. Refusing to accept the demise of his friendship with Dirk Feelgood, Bubblegum spent months in turmoil not wanting to retaliate to the cutting comments and brutal attacks levelled his way by former friend and champion Feelgood. As time went by however, Bubblegum eventually unloaded on Feelgood but this will be the first time the two have ever come face to face in a one on one match. And to make things just a little more interesting... it's for the GPW Heavyweight Title. Can the fairytale championship reign continue for Bubblegum, or can Dirk shatter his dreams and become the first ever 2 time Heavyweight Champ?

 

Tag Team Special, Skeletor vs. Stella

Lethal Dose vs. Voodoo & "Sober" Mike Holmes

 

Alan Alan Alan Tasker's henchmen, Lethal Dose march into battle against former stable member Mike Holmes and the man they hold responsible for Holmes' new found sobriety - Voodoo. Cyanide and Toxic hope to tempt Holmes back over to the stable that two months ago he turned his back on. They want to snap him out of the spell they accuse Voodoo of putting him under. However, Holmes seems very happy with his new outlook on life and he and Voodoo look to send Lethal Dose packing in this tag team special. Lethal Dose have warned they will not be coming to the ring alone though, with them along with their attorney and law - Alan Alan Alan Tasker will be a 12 pack of Stella. Hoping the case of beer will prove to be a bigger demon to Holmes than the tag team itself. To fend off the 12 pack, Holmes and Voodoo will have Vooodoo's trusty skull, Skeletor in their corner. An unpredictable tag team match. Can MIke Holmes stay sober? Will Voodoo's spells work? Or will Lethal Dose deliver a beating big enough to break Voodoo's spell?

 

GPW British Title Match

Jak Dominotrescu vs. "Super" Sam Bailey

 

After pinning the British Champion last month in a tag team match, WKD's "Super" Sam Bailey has earned himself a title shot at GPW: "Christmas Crunch". Bailey, already a former tag team champion looks to add to his growing reputation by capturing his first ever singles gold in GPW. While reigning champion, Romanian Jak Domitrescu along with his cohorts - The Eastern Bloc look to make life as difficult as possible for the energetic live wire. Domitrescu has held onto the title since April this year with help from his fellow countrymen, but are his days numbered as champ? He surely wont be alone in this title outing and will have the Eastern Bloc close by, but can "Super" Sam Bailey overcome the odds to win his first singles gold in GPW?

 

And, the main event for the evening is...

 

GPW Tag Team Title 2/3 Falls Match

MIl-Anfield Connection © vs. Young Offenders

 

The heat just got turned up in this feud. The re-united Young Offenders have the most established tag team in GPW - The Mil-Anfield Connection firmly in their sights and not to mention the tag team trophy. These two teams met in September this year where there was no clear winner decided after the match ended in a draw. There will be NO excuses this time to not find a winner. This, for the first time in our history will be a 2/3 Falls Match for the tag team titles. A winner HAS to be decided, but who will it be? A truley epic encounter is in our midst as Jiggy Walker & "The Model" Danny Hope try to cling onto the championship that has defined them as a team and "Dangerous" Damon Leigh & Joey Hayes, The Young Offenders chase the title that one of the most popular tag teams in Europe have never held. Can the re-united friends overcome the well established unit that is The Mil-Anfield Connection? Or can the well oiled duo of the Mil-Anfield do what they've been doing all year and win again?

 

GPW British Title No.1 Contenders Match

Harry Doogle vs. Juice vs. Dylan Roberts vs. Chris Echo

 

After an eye catchingly good year from rookie Dylan Roberts, he has been included in this battle to earn a shot at the British Title. With a burning desire to win and the fans firmly behind him, Roberts could well mark his arrival onto the main roster by becoming the No.1 Contender and going for gold here. However, his opponents wont give him an easy ride. In a wonderful CC-08 tournament, no one impressed more than WKD's Chris Echo. Echo reached the CC-08 finals with two broken wrists and proved he is ready to take a step up. His previous attempts for British gold have been thwarted by the foreign legion numbers of the Eastern Bloc, is he ready to prove again that he is worthy of being No.1 Contender and finally lift the British title? Juice, the current CC8 champion has been as impressive as ever in singles competition this year, but can he compete in this match with 3 others all vying to be No.1 Contender? Also replacing Jervis Cottonbelly due to injury is Harry Doogle as a last minute entry could one half of the next gen score the upset win? , but with so many possible outcomes who will leave with the plaudits and go on to challenge for the British Title next year?

 

Lumberjack Match

Si Valour vs. Heresy

 

A violent and personal feud that has lasted all year long finally comes to a head in what promises to be a violent Lumberjack Match. Ever since brutalising Valour and cutting off all his hair, Heresy has, in some form or other dodged the challenge of Valour. Heresy claimed not to have lost his bottle or be running scared of the 2007 Break Out Star, yet during their Bull Rope clash at GPW: "V" where the two were tied to one another, Heresy still managed to find a way of escaping and creating distance between him and Valour. This time, in a special Lumberjack Match, no matter where either man go - there will be no escape. All lumberjacks will be at the ready to ensure neither man can escape the others clutches and a clear winner, one way or the other will HAVE to be decided. There will be nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide, no matter where they look. Heresy has been one step ahead of Valour all year, is this where he runs out of excuses, or can the master manipulator manipulate another win?

  

Go to the Book with image in the Internet Archive

Title: United States Naval Medical Bulletin Vol. 22, Nos. 1-6, 1925

Creator: U.S. Navy. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Publisher:

Sponsor:

Contributor:

Date: 1925-01

Language: eng

  

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Table of Contents</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Number 1</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREFACE-------------------------------------------------------- v</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTICE TO SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS---------------------------- VI</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SPECIAL ARTICLES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">RENAL PATHOLOGY IN FILARIASIS BANCROFTI.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander H. M. Stenhouse, Medical Corps, United States

Navy----------------------- 1</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PYELITIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Dr. A. B. Cecil, Los Angeles, Calif_________________________ 13</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">RECENT OBSERVATIONS ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE GALL BLADDER, IN</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CONNECTION WITH CONDITIONS REQUIRING SURGICAL RELIEF.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander J. A. Biello, Medical Corps, United States Navy

---------------------------- 19</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">KAHN PRECIPITIN TEST AS PERFORMED ABOARD THE U. S. S. Henderson.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander J. C. Parham, and Lieut. C. F. Behrens, Medical

Corps, United States Navy<span>  </span>-- 23</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">FURTHER STUDY OF PRISONERS AT THE NAVAL PRISON, PORTSMOUTH, N.H.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. A. W. Stearns, Medical Corps, United States Naval Reserve

Force ------------------- 26</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THE RECTUM AND DISEASES OF THE GENITOURINARY TRACT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. L. H. Williams, Medical Corps, United States Navy__ 32</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">INEXPENSIVE DECORATION OF MESS HALLS AT UNITED STATES NAVAL HOSPITAL,

GREAT LAKES, ILL.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Chief Pharmacist B. W. Claggett, United States Navy______ 35</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CLINICAL NOTES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">STREPTOCOCCUS SEPTICEMIA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. J. E. Miller, Medical Corps, United States Navy_____ 37</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">TREATMENT OF GONORRHEAL OPHTHALMIA BY INJECTIONS OF MILK.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. J. T. Hooker, Medical Corps, United States Navy_____ 40</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THROMBO-ANGIITIS OBLITERANS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (J. G.) G. C. Main, Medical Corps, United States Navy. 43</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">OCCLUSION OF THE LEFT COMMON CAROTID ARTERY,</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (J. G.) A. L. Aldrich, Medical Corps, United States

Navy------- 48</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTES AND COMMENTS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Surgical treatment of angina pectoris-Progress and prospects in

chemotherapy-Diathermy: A specific for gonorrheal epididymitis- Syme's

Amputaiton---------------------------------- 53</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NAVY NURSE CORPS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">IN ALASKA WITH PRESIDENT HARDING.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Chief Nurse S. S. Dauser, United States Navy___________ 63</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, STATISTICS: </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Mycosis of the hands and feet, crutch itch, bullous dermatitis of the

feet, etc.-Return to straight typhoid vaccine-Data relating to reactions

following inoculations with typhoid vaccine-Information required in connection

with cases reported as typhoid fever or paratyphoid infection-Typhoid fever

among hospital employees – Information required in connection with cases

reported as cerebrospinal fever and cerebrospinal meningitis-Epidemiological

report relative to six cases of cerebrospinal fever which occurred at the

United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., during March and April,·

1924-Information required in connection with cases reported as smallpox--Care

of sanitary scuttle butts-Action recommended to overcome the danger of food

poisoning in connection with the preparation of hash-Change in regulation

governing the sale of ice cream in the city of New York-An instructive incident

in the campaign against mosquitoes at the Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads,

Va.-Small tool hazards – Admissions for injuries and poisonings, January to

September, inclusive, 1924--Change in quarantine regulations, port of Kingston,

Jamaica------- 79</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Number 2</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTICE TO SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS ________ v</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREFACE---- -------------- --------------------------------------- vi</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SPECIAL ARTICLES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">REAL CAUSE OF ELEPHANTIASIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commnnder H. M. Stenhouse, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy_ 119</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">TRAUMATIC NEUROSES,</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander R. F.<span> 

</span>Sheehan, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy (retired)--------------- 127</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PARETIC NEUROSYPHILIS : ITS ETIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY, AND EARLY DIAGNOSIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. F. M. Harrison, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy ________ _ 131</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">IODIN PROPHYLAXIS OF GOITER.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. W. W. Hall, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy ____________<span>  </span>148</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">COMMON RENAL TUMOR; WITH A CASE REPORT OF METASTASIS TO THE CENTRAL

NERVOUS SYSTEM.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. F. S. Johnson, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy ___________ _ 156</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MALIGNANT NEW GROWTHS - A YEAR'S REVIEW.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. L. H. Williams, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy ________ _ 160</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CLINICAL NOTES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SEVEN NEPHRECTOMIES.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander G. F. Cottle and Lieut. J. A. Topper, Medical

Corps, U. S. Navy .----------------- 165</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">A CASE OF ACROMEGALY.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (Junior Grade) M. E. Wonders, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy

----------------------- 175</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NEUROSYPHILIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (Junior Grade) H. E. List, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy_ 181</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MULTIPLE EXTRAGENITAL CHANCRES.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander J. C. Parham and Lieut. C. F. Behrens, Medical

Corps, U. S. Navy --------------- 180</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PLASTIC REPAIR OF “SADDLE NOSE" DEFORMITY BY AUTOGENEOUS

CARTILAGINOUS GRAFT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander C. B. Camerer, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy 180</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTES AND COMMENTS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Safety record at the navy yards.-Lead poisoning at the Philadelphia

Navy Yard.-Prevention of malaria.-Poisonous snakes in Panama.-Proper care of

aluminum.-Hospital notes____ 187</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NAVY NURSE CORPS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DEFENSE DAY ROLL CALL------------------------------------- 197</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">INSTRUCTION OF HOSPITAL CORPSMEN IN THE NAVAL HOSPITAL.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By H.S. Wood, Nurse, U. S. Navy___________________________ 200</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PRACTICAL NURSINGF OR HOSPITAL CORPSMAN.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By E. M. O'Brien, Nurse, U. S. Navy_________________________ 204</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">BOOK NOTICES---------------------------------------------------- 209</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, STATISTICS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Fatal case of acute poisoning by neoarsphenamine-comment. – Admissions

for injuries and poisonings, January to October, inclusive.

1924_______________________________________ 217</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Number 3</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREFACE ----- ------------- --- --------- ----- - --- - - V</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTICE TO SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS __________ _ _______________ VI</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SPECIAL ARTICLES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PLEA FOR BASIC MEDICAL EXPERIENCE PRIOR TO SPECIALIZATION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Rear Admiral E. R. Stitt, Medical Corps, United States Navy …. 257</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">GAS POISONING FOLLOWING POWDER EXPLOSIONS. </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieutenant Commander D. C. Walton, Medical Corps, United States Navy

----------------------- 259</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PARAVERTEBRAL ANESTHESIA AND ITS SUCCESSFUL ADAPTION TO KIDNEY

OPERATIONS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Commander W. S. Pugh, Medical Corps, United States Navy (retired

)------------------------- 292</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">LYMPHADENOSIS – AN ACUTE BENIGN DISEASE SIMULATING ACUTE LEUKEMIA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander E. C. White, Medical Corps, United<span>  </span>States Navy- --------------------------- 302</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">OBSERVATIONS COVERING A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS AT THE RECEIVING<span>  </span>BUILDING, UNITED STATES NAVAL TRAINING

STATION, NEWPORT, R. I.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. R. A. Nolan, Medical Corps, and Chief Pharmacist's Mate T. R.

Leonard, United States Navy ------ 307</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DISCUSSION OF HEART BLOCK WITH A CASE REPORT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (J. G.) H. E. Hill, Medical Corps, United States Navy

----------------------------------- 316</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">ABERRANT PANCREAS OF THE PYLORUS WITH THE REPORT OF A CASE RESEMBLING A

NEOPLASM.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. R. M. Choisser, Medical Corps, United States Navy__ 322</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CLINICAL NOTES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PRESENT ATTITUDE REGARDING PERITONEAL DRAINAGE.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (,T. G.) C. C. Yanqueli, Medical Corps, United States

Nayy----------------- 329</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DERMATITIS EXFOLIATIVA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (J. G.) E. T. Cure, Medical Corps, United States Navy 331</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NONSPECIFIC PROTEIN THERAPY.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (J. G.) J. R. Smith, Medical Corps, United States Navy

------------------------------------------- --- ------- 334</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">ALBUMINURIA IN APPLICANTS FOR ENLISTMENT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. L. B. Marshall, Medical Corps, United States Navy__ 336</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THE WEAK FOOT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (J. G.) W. A. Hornaday, Medical Corps, United States

Navy________________ 339</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTES AND COMMENTS :</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Diagnosis of a healthy heart-Prevention of cardiovascular syphilis-

Post-operative treatment-Dermatitis caused by pediculoides<span>  </span>ventricosus-Testing malingering of

deafness___________________ 343</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NURSE CORPS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE WORK OF THE NAVY_ ______________ 355</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THE WELFARE WORK.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Chief Nurse L. A. Dennett, United States Navy ___________ 356</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">A CRUISE TO SOUTH AMERICA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Chief Nurse R. M. Anderson, United States Navy ___________ 357</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">BOOK NOTICES-------------------------------<span>  </span>361</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, STATISTICS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Work of boards of review at Naval Training Stations during November,

1924-Prompt transfer of health records-Transfer of men overdue for cowpox

vaccination or inoculation with antityphoid vaccine-How long after an immunity

reaction is the medical officer justified in regarding the individual who has

given such a reaction as having protection against smallpox-Case reported as

smallpox by the U. S. S. "Oklahoma " - Effect of vaccination upon the

1924 epidemic of smallpox in Detroit, Mich.- Notes relative to scarlet fever and

to epidemic hiccough from the sanitary report of the United States naval

training station, Newport, R. I., for the month of November, 1924-Case of

gonorrheal ophthalmia attributed to use of a wash bucket in common with other

men- Case of gonorrheal ophthalmia probably contracted</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">by using another man's towel-Study of chlorin gas as a therapeutic

agent in respiratory diseases by the Health Department of the city of New

York-Note relative to tetraethyl lead poisoning - Form used at the marine

barracks, Quantico, Va., for recording a summary of vital statistics each

week-Admissions for injuries and poisonings, January to November, inclusive,

1924-Health of the Navy - Vital<span> 

</span>statistics___ 373</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Number 4</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREFACE------------------v</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTICE TO SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS------------vi</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SPECIAL ARTICLES :</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MATHEMATICAL ROOT CANAL GAUGE.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander H. E. Harvey, Dental Corps, United States Navy----------<span>  </span>401</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DENTAL DEPARTMENT, UNITED STATES NAVAL HOSPITAL, PHILADELPHIA, PA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander E. H. Tennent, Dental Corps, United States Navy

-------------------------- 408</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SURGEON AND THE DENTAL SURGEON.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander L. W. Johnson, Medical Corps, United States Navy ----------------------

415</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DENTAL RECORD SHEET AS A MEANS OF IDENTIFICATION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (Junior Grade) R. R. Crees, Dental Corps, United States

Navy---------------------------------- - 418</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THE NAVAL DENTAL TECHNICIAN.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By the faculty of the Navy Dental School -------------------- 423</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY IN THE NAVY.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. H. R. Delaney, Dental Corps, United States Navy___ 428</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NEW DENTAL WARD, NAVAL HOSPITAL, NORFOLK, VA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander P. G. White, Dental Corps, United States Navy

-------------- 433</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">BETEL-NUT CHEWING AND ITS EFFECTS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. C. R. Wells, Dental Corps, United States Navy______ 437</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR VINCENT'S INFECTION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. S. M . Akerstrom, Dental Corps, United States Navy__ 440</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">A PROTEST AGAINST THE RUTHLESS EXTRACTION OF TEETH. </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander P. G. White, Dental Corps, United States Navy-----

------------------- 443</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CLINICAL NOTES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE TO SUBMARINE PERSONNEL.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander R. C. Green, Dental Corps, United States Navy---------------

-------------- 447</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CASE REPORTS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. A. Knox, Dental Corps, United States Navy_________ 448</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CONSIDERATIONS AND OCCURRENCES INCIDENT TO INFILTRATION AND</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NERVE BLOCKING TECHNIC.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (Junior Grade) F. R. Bittinger, Dental Corps, United States Navy---------------------

449</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">VINCENT'S INFECTION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander T. L. Sampsell, Dental Corps, United States Navy-------------------------------

450</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">F OCAL INFECTION A CASE OF.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. P. H. Macinnis, Dental Corps, United States Navy___ 452</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DENTAL ACTIVITIES AT THE NAVAL TRAINING STATION, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander F. L. Morey, Dental Corps, United States Navy

------------------------------------454</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">COLORS FOR FINISHING DENTAL OPERATING ROOMS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander J. R. Barber, Dental Corps, United States Navy -------------------------------

454</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">DISINFECTING AND LUBRICATING SOLUTION FOR THE DENTAL ENGINE HANDPIECE.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. C. H. Morris, Dental Corps, United States Navy ____ 456</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTES AND COMMENTS :</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">The annual report of the Surgeon General.-Systematization of dental

treatment at the navy yard, New York.-Annual dental examination.-Royal Naval

Dental Service.-Notes on official correspondence.-Naval Dental School Library

_____________ _ 457</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, STATISTICS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Morbidity reporting as a factor in the study of health conditions in

the Navy.-An interesting example of medical and health service accorded a

civilian population group by the Navy.-Method of recording multiple diseases

existing in the same person, all being discovered the same day.-Can it be taken

for granted that water distilled from polluted salt water on board ships of the

Navy equipped with low pressure distilling apparatus will always pass from the

dis tiller free of living disease producing microorganisms ?-Parsimonious economy

in the use of fuel for supplying heat, light, ventilation, and fresh water on

board ship not contemplated by the rules for engineering performances.-Data

relating to reactions following administration of arsenical compounds. Troubles

of the sanitarian in Santo Domingo.-The National Tuberculosis Association

classification of pulmonary tuberculosis.- Statistics relative to mental and

physical qualifications of recruits.-Admissions for injuries and poisonings, calendar

year 1924.- Health of the Navy.-Vital statistics _ _ 487</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Number 5</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREFACE ---------------------------------------------- ----------- V</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTICE TO SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS---------------------------- vi</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SPECIAL ARTICLES :</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">A BIO-PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC PROCEDURE IN THE TREATMENT OF NONMALIGNANT

DISEASES OF THE COLON.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. H. V. Hughens, MedicaI Corps, United States Navy__ 511</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">TRYPARSAMIDE AND SULPHARSPHENAMINE IN THE TREATMENT OF NEUROSYPHILIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. R. P. Parsons, Medical Corps, United States Navy____ 526 </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MERCUROCHROME-220, SOLUBLE, IN INFECTIONS OF THE GENITOURINARY TRACT -

A PRELIMINARY REPORT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. J. E. Potter, Medical Corps, United States Navy____ 542</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">UNITED STATES NAVAL PRISON, PORTSMOUTH, N. H., FROM THE ASPECT OF THE

MEDICAL OFFICER.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. P. T. Crosby, Medical Corps, United States Navy____ 553</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">EPIDERMOPHYTOSIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (j. g.) W. B. Wolfe, Medical Corps, United States Navy

-------------------------------- --- ------ 562</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CLINICAL NOTES :</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">URINARY CALCULI.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander G. F. Cottle and Lieut. (j. g.) O. A. Smith,

Medical Corps, United States Navy ________ 575</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">LEUCOCYTOSIS IN ACUTE INFECTIONS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. F. S. Johnson, Medical Corps, United States Navy____ 584</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">USE OF EXTRACTIVES OF CHAULMOOGRA AND COD LIVER OILS IN LEPROSY AND

TUBERCULOSIS.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (j. g.) F. J. Vurpillat, Medical Corps, United States

Navy-------- 587</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">LEPROSY.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. J. E. Malcomson, Medical Corps. United States Navy -- 594</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">EXPEDITING THE PAPER WORK.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander K. C. Melhorn, Medical Corps, United States Navy

------------------ 598</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTES AND COMMENTS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Tryparsamide-Future of medicine and hygiene in the Tropics-The end of

the spectrum-The significance of extrasystoles- Prize for cancer

studY----------------------------------------- 601</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NAVY NURSE CORPS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THE DUTIES OF THE HOSPITAL DIETITIAN.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Merna M. Monroe, Denver, Colo. _________ 613</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">THE LEPER COLONY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Miss Jennie M. Jason, Reserve Nurse, United States Navy___ 615</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">BOOK NOTICES----------------------------------------------------- 619</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, STATISTICS: </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">The gram-negative, motile bacillus-Outbreak of food poisoning in the

receiving ship at New York-Hash made with canned corned beef removed from the

cans the night before and allowed to incubate overnight - Remarks relative to

the administration of typhoid vaccine to recruits-Comment on the value of

sterilization of mess gear on board ship as a factor in the prevention and

control of communicable diseases-Excerpt from the Annual Sanitary Report of the

U. S. S. Texas for 1924--Notes of public health</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">interest from the United States Naval Training Station, Newport, R. I.-Statistics

relative to mental and physical qualifications of recruits-Health of the

Navy-Vital statistics----------- 625</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Number 6</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREFACE----------------------------------· ----------------------- v</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTICE TO SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS _______________________ __ VI</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SPECIAL ARTICLES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PERNICIOUS ANEMIA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander J. B. Pollard, Medical Corps, United States Navy

_______________ 649</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">BIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF RADIATION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. G. U. Fillmore, Medical Corps, United States Navy___ 656</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MENTAL TESTS AT THE UNITED STATES NAVAL TRAINING STATION, NEWPORT, R.

I.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Commander G. L. Wickes, Medical Corps, United States Navy

______________________ 664</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PERICARDITIS WITH EFFUSION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander J. Buckley, Medical Corps, United States Navy ----------------------------------

672</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MERCUROCHROMEIN TRAVENOUSLY ADMINISTERED IN GONOCOCCUS INFECTION.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. Commander L. H. Williams, Medical Corps, United States

Navy------------ - ------ -- 677</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CHLORINE TREATMENT, METHOD OF ADMINISTERING.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Chief Pharmacist C. Schaffer, United States Navy__________ 679</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">CLINICAL NOTES:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">MASTOID CASES, TWO, OF UNUSUAL INTEREST.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. H. V. Hughens, Medical Corps, United States Navy_ 683</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">COLONIC IRRIGATION<span>  </span>AND BACILLUS

ACIDOPHILUS MILK IN DIARRHEA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. P. M. Albright, Medical Corps, United States Navy__ 691</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">POSTOPERATIVE URINARY RETENTION AND ITS MANAGEMENT.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (j. g.) L. D. Carson, Medical Corps, United States Navy

-------------------------- -------- 692</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">SCARLET FEVER OF UNUSUAL ETIOLOGICAL INTEREST, REPORT OF A CASE OF.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Commander G. L. Wickes, Medical Corps, United States</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Navy<span>  </span>------- ---- -------- ---

------ --- - 696</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">POISONING BY METHYL SALICYLATE--REPORT OF CASE.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. (j. g. ) J. L. Emenhiser, Medical Corps, United States Navy

--------------------------- 697</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NOTES AND COMMENTS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Medical officer in battle-Inheritance in tuberculosis_______________

701</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NURSE CORPS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">EXCERPTS FROM A PAPER READ AT THE CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">NURSES' ASSOCIATION AT DETROIT, MICH., 1924, by Dr. C. D. Lockwood------------------------

707</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">BOOK NOTICES---------------------------------- ------------------ 713</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, STATISTICS:</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">REPORT OF FOOD POISONING AT UNITED STATES NAVAL STATION, GUANTANAMO

BAY, CUBA.</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">By Lieut. H. B. LaFavre, Medical Corps, United States Navy__ 721</p>

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal;">Food poisoning at naval station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba-Statistics and

proper management of the venereal diseases-Sodium thiosulphate in the treatment

of poisoning by arsenic and the heavy metals-Statistics relative to mental and

physical qualifications of recruits-Admission for injuries and poisonings,

calendar year 1924-Health of the Navy-Vital statistics______________________

729</p>

  

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Wendell Thibeaux, husband of Staff Sgt. Chantel Thibeaux, Dental technical school, Joint Base-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, dental assistant instructor, hug prior to Chantel's double mastectomy surgery. Thibeaux, 27, the youngest breast cancer patient at San Antonio Medical Center, was diagnosed with breast cancer in Feb. 2014 after Wendell encouraged her to get a lump on her breast checked. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

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+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Folland 150 was directly inspired by the (modest) successes experienced by the Saro SR./A.1, a jet-powered flying boat fighter that went through trials in the late 1940ies.

 

The project had been kicked-off in the end phase of the 2nd World War, when the Imperial Japanese Navy with seaplane fighters such as the Nakajima A6M2-N (an adaptation of the Mitsubishi Zero) and the Kawanishi N1K demonstrated the effectiveness of a fighter seaplane.

 

In theory, seaplanes were ideally suited to conditions in the Pacific theatre, and could turn any relatively calm area of coast into an airbase. Their main disadvantage came from the way in which the bulk of their floatation gear penalized their performance compared to other fighters.

 

The new jet engines offered more power and aerodynamically cleaner designs, and the Saro SR./A.1 proved the soundness of the concept. But while the Saro SR./A.1 proved to have good performance and handling, the need for such aircraft had completely evaporated with the end of the war. Furthermore, the success of the aircraft carrier in the Pacific had demonstrated a far more effective way to project airpower over the oceans. The project was suspended and the prototype put into storage in 1950, but it was briefly resurrected in November 1950 owing to the outbreak of the Korean War, before realization of its obsolescence compared with land-based fighters, the prototype last flying in June 1951.

 

Anyway, this was not the end of the jet-powered flying boat fighter. After the Korean War, Saunders-Roe came up with a design called the "Saunders Roe Hydroski" (reminiscent of the Convair F2Y Sea Dart) to improve the performance closer to land-based aircraft but "received no official support". Other ship-based fighter concepts were developed and proposed, too. In the early Fifties, Folland made several proposals based on its newly developed light fighter, which would evolve into the Gnat.

 

The Gnat was the creation of WEW "Teddy" Petter, a British aircraft designer formerly of Westland Aircraft and English Electric. It was designed to meet the 1952 Operational Requirement OR.303 calling for a lightweight fighter. Petter believed that a small, simple fighter would offer the advantages of low purchase and operational costs. New lightweight turbojet engines that were being developed enabled the concept to take shape.

 

In 1951, using company funds, he began work on his lightweight fighter concept, which was designated the "Fo-141 Gnat". The Gnat was to be powered by a Bristol BE-22 Saturn turbojet with 3,800 lbf (16.9 kN 1,724 kgp) thrust. However, the Saturn was cancelled, and so Petter's unarmed proof-of-concept demonstrator for the Gnat was powered by the less powerful Armstrong Siddeley Viper 101 with 1,640 lbf (7.3 kN / 744 kgp) thrust. The demonstrator was designated Fo-139 "Midge".

 

From this land-based basis, several navalized variants for the use on board of smaller ships were deducted and taken to the hardware stage. The Gnat's selling point was its very small size and low weight, so that it would be easy to handle, operate and stow, even if it was no dedicated carrier.

 

One development direction focused on rocket-assisted ZELL (Zero-Length-Launch) and conventional landing on land-based airstrips, while another direction reverted to the idea of a light jet-powered flying boat conversion for reconnaissance and (daylight) interception and attack duties.

 

Both were taken to the hardware stage as private ventures (even though supported by the MoD since both concepts were regarded as fundamental research), and the flying boat project took shape under the handle Folland Fo-150, internally referred to “Project Volans”.

 

The Fo-150 had only rudimentary similarity with the land-based aircraft, though. Beyond the addition of a hydrodynamic, lower hull, the fuselage was stretched between the cockpit and the wings, for a better CoG distribution. The wing area was increased considerably in order to compensate for the higher all-up weight, improve handling and lower landing speed. The horizontal stabilizers were moved away from the original low position, higher onto a new cruciform tail, in order to keep these surfaces away from spray. The fin itself was slightly enlarged, too.

 

Power came from a modified Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet, rated at 3,100 lbf (14 kN). In order to protect the engine from water ingestion the air intakes were extended forward under the cockpit canopy and featured spray dams. Balance in the water was achieved through semi-retractable stabilizer floats. These could be folded backwards under the wings, behind bullet-shaped fairings at about half the wing span that also contained a pair of 30mm Aden cannons. Hardpoints above and under the wings allowed the carriage of light external weapons like unguided rocket pods, or, alternatively, test equipment and camera pods.

 

The first airframe for Project Volans was built in Folland's facility on the western side of the Hamble peninsula and later taken to the Solent in May 1955. On 14 June 1955, the aircraft inadvertently made its first short flight during a fast taxi run – the enlarged wing created a massive ground effect that easily lifted the light aircraft up into a glide when the nose raised through wakes to a certain degree. The Fo-150’s official maiden flight was on 9 July 1955.

 

The underpowered engine made the fighter sluggish, and the strong uplift close to the ground made handling complicated and created violent vibration during takeoff and landing. Work on the wings leading edge profile improved this situation somewhat, but they could not cure the sluggish performance.

 

Otherwise, handling turned out to be good, but the Fo-150 could never show its full potential due to the weak engine. A second airframe was finished until late 1955 and joined the flight tests from early 1956 on, while a third airframe was reserved for static tests.

 

Anyway, even before that, the Navy had been losing interest (problems with supersonic fighters on carrier decks having been overcome, and ship-based missiles filled the aerial defense role much more efficiently than aircraft). This relegated the Fo-150 and the whole Volans program to pure experimental status. As a consequence, the two airworthy airframes were de-militarized and the aircraft kept in service as testbeds for hydrodynamics, especially for the development of planing bottoms, hydrofoils and hull shapes for high speed ships.

 

In 1960, WS685 was also used for the development and tests of hydroskis, while its sister ship was retired and used for spares. This program lasted until 1963, and after that, the worn-out airframe was scrapped, too.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10.44 m (34 ft 5 in)

Wingspan: 8,71 m (28 ft 6 in)

Heigh (keel to fin tip)t: 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 19.00 m² (204.5 ft²)

Empty weight: 2,560 kg (5,644 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 4,235 kg (9,336 lb)

 

Powerplant:

1× Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet, rated at 3,100 lbf (14 kN)

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 695 km/h (375 knots, 432 mph) at sea level

Cruise speed: 324 km/h (175 knots, 201 mph)

Stall speed: 145 km/h (92 knots, 106 mph) with flaps down

Endurance: 1 hour 45 min

Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,150 m)

 

Armament:

2× 30mm ADEN cannon with 80 RPG in underwing pods

Two overwing hardpoints for 500lb (227kg) each,

e.g. for SNEB rocket pods containing seven 68 mm rockets

or pods with 7.62 mm machine guns

Two underwing hardpoints for 500lb (227kg) each,

for bombs or a pair of 50-Imp Gal (226 litre) drop tanks

  

The kit and its assembly:

Another submission to the 2016 “In the Navy” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and actually the consequence of a spontaneous post/comment on another modeler’s project just called “Royal Navy Gnat”, when the means and degree of navalization were still shrouded in mystery. I suggested a flying boat, inspired by the real Saro SR./A.1 and the Gnat’s high-mounted wings, which make the aircraft – or at least a model of it – suitable for a conversion.

 

Well, since the other Gnat turned out to become a ZELL aircraft, and I had a Matchbox Gnat in the stash, I decided to take my weird alternative idea to the (model) hardware stage.

 

Even though it is not obvious, pretty much of the Matchbox Gnat was used for this build, but it is masked under lots of putty and donation parts. These include:

- The lower half of a Smer SC-1 Seahawk float – a bit wide, but perfect in length

- The SC-1 also donated its stabilizer floats

- Leftover parts from a vintage (35+ years!) Matchbox F-14’s stabilizers, used as wing extensions

- Air intakes from a Matchbox F-5A, mounted upside down

- Stabilizers from a Hobby Boss MiG-15

 

The build went pretty straightforward: after the fuselage was done the SC-1 float was trimmed down and glued under it. Putty conceals the seams, and I am actually surprised how good these parts that were surely never meant to be united went together.

The cockpit features only the front seat, the rear position was omitted. The clear canopy was cut into three pieces, and the rear part glued onto the fuselage and blended into the overall shape with putty.

 

I felt that the deeper fuselage necessitated bigger wings, and instead of mounting complete donation parts I decided to keep the OOB parts and their shape, but extend them slightly with plugs – these are leftover parts from F-14 stabilizers from former projects, their width, length and also the sweep angle were perfect. In order to keep the relative wing tip position, the wing roots had to be moved forward, so that they ended up close to the cockpit and the air intakes. Again, putty conceals the intersections and was used to blend everything into each other – and with the enlarged wings this converted Gnat reminds a bit of the Me 163 Komet rocket fighter? At least, as long as the stabilizers were not mounted yet.

 

These come from a MiG-15 – bigger than the OOB parts, which appeared just too small for the bigger wing surface and their new position: in order to keep them clear from spray and the waterline I moved them upwards, together with a bullet fairing into the fin, which was simply divided above the rudder. The resulting fin extension was an appreciated extra, and the new cruciform tail looks very retro.

 

Placing the original air intakes onto the fuselage I found them to be too susceptible to water ingestion, so I wanted to extend them forward. But instead of using the OOB parts and bridging gaps with styrene pieces and putty, I found an old pair of F-5A air intakes with relative long ducts in the spares box. They were of good shape and size for the conversion, I just mounted them upside down, so that the longer leading edge is now on the intakes’ lower end, looking like a spray protector. A pair of spray dams was added to the nose, too.

 

How to balance the aircraft while afloat caused some headaches. The initial plan had been to place the SC-1 stabilizer floats with their slender pylons close to the wing tips, but I found this to be a very draggy solution for a jet aircraft.

The solution came while wondering where to place some armament: I used the Gnat’s (shortened) OOB slipper tanks as integral gun pods and modified their rear end into fairings for a semi-retracting float installation. The respective struts were scratched from wire and styrene.

 

The beaching trolley was highjacked from a vintage Revell F-16 kit (the rather clumsy one that represents the prototypes and which comes with a separate jet engine, its dolly and a small tractor). It was slightly modified and lowered, paper tissue cushions hold the model in place.

  

Painting and markings:

Since the flying boat version of the tiny Gnat (even if is based on the bigger trainer version!) is already exotic enough I decided to keep the livery true to the post WWII Royal Navy style, with Extra Dark Sea Grey upper surface, Sky undersides and a high waterline. In this case, Humbrol 123 and 95 are the basic tones, later treated with a black ink wash, panel lines drawn with a pencil and some panel shading with Humbrol 79 and 23, respectively. The planning surfaces were in the first place painted/primed with acrylic aluminum, so that later the enamel paint cover could be chipped away, for a lightly worn look.

 

The cockpit interior was painted in very dark grey (Humbrol 32). Thankfully, no landing gear had to be built and painted, but instead the custom beaching trolley became trainer yellow.

 

The RN markings come from various sources, and finally the kit was sealed under a coat of semi-matt acrylic varnish.

  

A funny project, and despite the weird idea and combination of parts the result does not look bad at all – in fact, one could think that it is a design or prop from a 1960’s James Bond movie or a Gerry Anderson creation?

Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda urged the EU to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and to keep its doors open to Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine.

Addressing MEPs in Strasbourg as part of the “This is Europe” debate series, Mr Nausėda shared his country’s experience towards independence and the long path to Europe, which in a way resembles Ukraine’s current fight for freedom. He highlighted Lithuania’s massive public support for Ukraine and that his country donates almost 1.5% of its GDP to Ukraine.

 

President Nausėda also thanked the European Parliament for its continued stand against Soviet occupation and its current active leadership in helping Ukraine. “I believe that today many European citizens understand that Ukraine's fight is also their fight”, he said. Russia’s crimes must be met with an appropriate response by setting up an international tribunal and frozen Russian assets must be used to rebuild Ukraine, he added.

 

“History shows that the most effective way to expand the area of peace, stability and prosperity in Europe has been and will be the enlargement of the EU”, said President Nausėda. He called on the EU to keep its doors open to Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, and supported Parliament’s wish to start Ukraine’s accession negotiations already this year.

 

President Nausėda also commended the EU on managing to overcome Russia’s energy blackmail. “The winter came and finished without anyone freezing in Europe”, he said, stressing that there are still some lessons to be learned from high energy prices. He advocated for more investment in green energy and alternative sources and presented Lithuania as an example, which managed to gain independent from Russia’s gas, oil and electricity.

 

Reactions from MEPs

 

MEPs praised Lithuania for its leadership and exemplary support to Ukraine. For far too long politicians ignored alerts from their Baltic colleagues about Russia’s aggressive policy and now we have to pay the price, some MEPs said. They called for a strategy of sustainable peace that would see Putin’s Russia being defeated, European values expanded further east and Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia becoming part of EU by the end of this decade.

 

Some MEPs stressed the need to fight attacks on the rule of law and media freedom not only outside the EU, but also inside it. Commenting on EU energy independence, some MEPs asked for more use of renewable resources and to avoid jumping from one energy supply dictatorship to another one.

 

____

 

This photo is free to use under Creative Commons license CC-BY-4.0 and must be credited: "CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2023– Source: EP". (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) No model release form if applicable. For bigger HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.eu

To overcome fear of flying, it is important to avoid the use of stimulants and breathe calmly drinks.

During the flight, try to relax with music or reading.

Tips:

 

How to be a good employee?

Fashionable Looks for summer

 

How to Overcome Fear of Flying?

 

Air travel can cause much fear in some...

 

wikilifestyle.com/overcome-fear-flying/

Staff Sgt. Chantel Thibeaux, Joint Base-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, dental assistant instructor, smiles as her mother Carla gives her a hug. Thibeaux, 27, the youngest breast cancer patient at San Antonio Medical Center, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2014. Her mother Carla scheduled administrative leave to be there for Thibeaux and her family during double mastectomy surgery. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

by Laura A

Little Boy looking scared against black background

thewantonwardrobe.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/overcome-all-i...

A diverse delegation of Christian leaders are today delivering an open letter signed by more than 800 Australians calling on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to rethink the government's rejection of the gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House.

 

"Experts have assured us there is really no practical reason to reject the gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House," said Jody Lightfoot, climate justice campaigner at Common Grace.

 

"We understand the important heritage value of Kirribilli House so we had a chat to Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore who told us the City of Sydney has already installed 5,500 solar panels on nearly 30 buildings including ones with irreplaceable heritage value such as Sydney Town Hall,” said Mr Lightfoot.

 

The letter rejecting the solar panels came via Michael McCormack, Member for Riverina, in his capacity as the parliamentary secretary to the finance minister.

 

“The rejection of our gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House is symbolic of the government’s failure to invest in renewables, but we’re here to provide the Prime Minister with an opportunity to choose a brighter future for all Australians and to back the 9 in 10 Australians who want a strong Renewable Energy Target," said Mr Lightfoot.

 

"We know that climate change means more frequent and intense extreme weather events hitting the world's poorest people the hardest. We only need to look to our Pacific Island neighbours to see the devastating cost of climate change. We could be leading the world in taking action on climate change and as Christians we urge Prime Minister Abbott not to reject the sun's grace," said Jarrod McKenna, National Director of Common Grace.

 

The gift of twelve solar panels was crowdfunded over four days in December by Common Grace, a movement of Christians who are passionate about Jesus and justice. The Solar Council (the peak body for the solar industry in Australia) offered to install the crowdfunded solar panels for Kirribilli House at no cost.

 

“Trying something new can feel daunting, but we encourage Prime Minister Abbott to look to the Vatican where in 2008 Pope Benedict accepted a gift of 2700 solar panels to provide clean energy to the Holy See," said Sister Jan Barnett of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

 

“More than one hundred Australians pitched in to buy the gift of solar for Kirribilli House and now hundreds more are urging the Prime Minister to accept our gift. The solar panels are a gift for the nation, from the nation, to demonstrate public support for a clean energy future,” said Byron Smith, Assistant Minister, St George's Anglican Church.

 

“If the City of Sydney can install solar panels on the Sydney Town Hall just across the harbour and Pope Benedict could accept a gift of solar panels for the Vatican, we believe Prime Minister Abbott has no excuses for not accepting our free gift for his Sydney residence," said Mr Smith.

 

“If the Prime Minister accepts the gift of solar for Kirribilli House he’ll be in good company with 1 in 5 Australian households already using solar,” he said.

 

The open letter encouraging the Prime Minister to accept the solar gift (signed by more than 800 Australians in the last five days) is below.

 

Christian leaders delivering the open letter today: Sister Jan Barnett, Sisters of Saint Joseph; Rev. Dr Michael Frost, Founder of Small Boat Big Sea; Byron Smith, Assistant Minister, St George's Anglican Church; Rev. John Buchanan, Minister, St Peter's Presbyterian Church; Rev. David Gore, Uniting Church Minister; Weis Shiuringa, Member, Quakers; Jacqui Remond, Director, Catholic Earthcare Australia; Jody Lightfoot, Climate Justice Campaigner, Common Grace.

  

THE OPEN LETTER:

 

Dear Prime Minister Abbott,

 

We are disappointed that the Government has rejected the gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House that was crowd funded last Christmas by 142 Christians. We had hoped you would accept them as a great first step to get Australia moving towards a strong Renewable Energy Target.

 

We understand that the reasons for declining the gift are Kirribilli House’s heritage listing, ongoing costs of cleaning and maintenance, and security concerns. So we did some research and found many people in your home state and abroad have overcome these challenges.

 

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore informed us that the City of Sydney has already installed 5,500 solar panels on nearly 30 buildings including ones with irreplaceable heritage value such as Sydney Town Hall. We discovered Australia’s own actress, Cate Blanchett, installed 1,906 solar panels on Sydney Theatre Company heritage building. I’m sure she’d be willing to give some pointers if you gave her a call?

 

On cleaning concerns, John Grimes, CEO of the peak body of the solar industry in Australia (Australian Solar Council), informed us that solar panels do not require ongoing cleaning or yearly maintenance - they are cleaned by the rain. Some utilities require a check of the inverter, but this can be done on the ground every five years.

 

Looking abroad, did you know that President Carter managed to get solar panels installed on the White House way back in 1979? And Pope Benedict negotiated the same kinds of hurdles when he accepted a gift of 2700 solar panels providing clean energy to the Vatican in 2008.

 

Prime Minister, we believe that a man in your position can overcome challenges like heritage listings and cleaning concerns and choose a brighter future for all Australians. We therefore urge you to implement a strong Renewable Energy Target and accept the gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House, as a powerful signal to the world that Australia’s renewables industry is officially open for business.

 

Yours sincerely,

Australian Christians and friends

 

Open letter available online: www.commongrace.org.au/acceptthegift

Staff Sgt. Chantel Thibeaux, Joint Base-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, dental assistant instructor, smiles as her mother Carla gives her a hug. Thibeaux, 27, the youngest breast cancer patient at San Antonio Medical Center, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2014. Her mother Carla scheduled administrative leave to be there for Thibeaux and her family during double mastectomy surgery. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)