Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Wilkinsons Job opportunities and Paid position Opportunities ...

Positives linked to Being employed For Wilkinsons. Wilkinsons employment opportunities make available many benefits. They really care about the employees and also have a phrase its ?the men or women that matter? into the future success of the business. Which means you quickly discover you are in wonderful hands and will have all the support along with encouragement you might need during the job role with this business enterprise.

Despite the present-day difficult financial times the corporation is growing on top of that strives. This situation might be because it is now known by which far more and more consumers are moving to better value merchandise which specifically Wilkinsons Retail stores are offering. They have been at this time able to assist around 3 million clients every week at there 335 facilities across the country. They have evolved quite a bit considering that founder James Wilkinson popped open the doors in nineteen thirty.

By having a full time job with this business organisation you might discover: ? gracious employees to work alongside ? unique ambiance at the workplace ? solid operations personnel who seem to know very well what they?re doing ? on-going coaching and help and support to help you thrive. At the same time a profession available at Wilkinsons also offers: -a very competitive take home pay -a quality retirement scheme -job safeguard of being employed by a well accredited and simply well-thought-of organization. Also wait there?s a lot more benefits: ? spectacular employee special discounts ? fantastic total annual holiday break for staff members ? price cut vacation specials ? discount escape places to stay.

Sorts of employment openings. You?ll discover occupation openings within retail contained in the well known shopping locations in addition to their head office plus distribution centers. Job opportunities extend right from retail outlet staff to hgv driver operators and also site administrators. Whatever the vacancy you are looking at you are certain to access the right career available at Wilkinsons.

Wilkinsons also offer most of the working people an ?Employee Assistance Programme?. This is where, signed up workers can certainly work out any and all obstacles or possibly their own situations that they have got, operating in total privacy via a dedicated helpline. That just as before reveals that at Wilkinsons they really worry about an individuals career and most importantly relating to people that work with that company.

Wilkinsons Work Opportunities Course Programme. All of the crew men and women produce and make the business organization what it is today. That?s the main reason why this business complete an exceptional deal of time ensuring new workforce attain the correct training to try to do his or her?s employment opportunities incredibly well.

This type of training ranges starting from practical on the job training sessions to management education along with leadership training. This is in computer system based training, guidance and mentoring basically by a skilled personnel associate, own research if not training from a prevailing manager directly.

Wilkinsons at times encourage their employees to go after professional together with academic experience and may also offer financial help influenced by an individual circumstances. Quite simply the corporation facilitates and trains it?s workers and helps the entire group within his or her jobs and in their careers.

Graduate Placement. If you are a graduate it?s possible that Wilkinsons offer a brilliant graduate training plan. This in an 18 months training process. As part of this career training you will be given a sponsor together with providing you with a specialist co-ordinator which will help you along. Additional information is accessible with the SIFE UK online site.

View lots of tips and information at http://www.squidoo.com/wilkinsons-jobs

Source: http://articlesbright.com/home-family/wilkinsons-job-opportunities-and-paid-position-opportunities-available-at-wilkinsons

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All About Cosmetic Dentistry ? COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY

[unable to retrieve full-text content]To supply safer and a lot more effective outcomes for patients with teeth troubles, a respected dentist keeps up with all the most recent trend in dental technologies and updates gear routinely. These are truly a greater ...

Source: http://computersandtechnology.us/2012/02/all-about-cosmetic-dentistry/

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Showhomes Charleston Wins Best In Staging Design Rising Star ...

Charleston, SC ( ) February 29, 2012 ? Lorelie and Coy Brown, franchise owners of Showhomes Charleston, walked away from the Showhomes 2012 Annual Conference with the Rising Star award for Best in Staging Design.

Those competing for the Best in Staging Design Rising Star award are those franchise location owners that have been in business 18 months or less. They submit before and after photos of staged homes which are anonymously judged by staging experts. These professionals base their verdict on trends in furniture and accessories, Showhomes staging guidelines for furniture placement for focal points and traffic flow, appropriate lighting and artwork usage, and overall visual appeal to buyers.

?Our entire team is thrilled to have received this award, especially in our first year with Showhomes,? says Lorelie Brown, owner and staging consultant of the Charleston franchise. ?It is rewarding to know that we are on-point with the emphasis of our business and fully ensuring that our clients are pleased.?

The staging aesthetic is an important part of the Showhomes business model, which centers on the staging of vacant houses. According to the Showhomes website, ?staging is a science, and we create environments that strike emotional chords with buyers which lead to list price sales.? Live-in Home Managers are trained to stage and maintain the homes while they are on the market, helping them sell faster.

?We must now raise the bar to further exceed expectations and continue to grow,? continues Brown. ?Each of us believes so much in the Showhomes concept, and we?re passionate about what we do each and every day. We feel privileged to serve real estate agents and homeowners in Charleston with our unique home staging services, so these awards are just icing on the cake.?

The Charleston franchise was also honored with a Circle of Excellence award, recognizing franchisees that excelled in customer service and support.

Showhomes is a member of the International Franchise Association and the Real Estate Association, and has been recognized as one of the top ranking, best franchise opportunities by the Franchise Business Review. The company has been featured in such media outlets as: CNN, Oprah, HGTV, Travel Channel, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Money magazine to name a few.

For more information on Showhomes Home Staging, visit www.showhomes.com or call (615) 292-0892.

###

Source: http://pressreleasefiles.com/?p=14099&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=showhomes-charleston-wins-best-in-staging-design-rising-star-award

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Monday, February 27, 2012

A Short Look At Life Coach Training | Self Improvement Blogs from ...

Life coach training is a means of impacting positive action on learners. The training is great for inducement and getting rid of doubts. It is sort of a supportive process that provides help in inspiring those that are taking it. It?s a good step to take if one wants to have a positive view to life. They have diverse tools for working in a way that they are going to achieve good results.

To start the trainer has to substantiate what the trainee intends to achieve. This is what will determine what he has to achieve at the end of the period allocated. The trainer must hear what the trainee wants to reach and they?ll then find a solution. The solution shall be relayed during livetraining sessions.

Folks who want to be these types of coaches take life coaching courses to be in a position to do it. There are traits and skills that have to be present to take the life coach training to be a life coach. It?s an influential job so one must be very dedicated at it to get results with trainees.

They are routinely paid sessions but some coaches like to do it freely. These are those who routinely do it alongside other roles. For people that do it totally they charge some amount to keep them going.

They are required to chase up on progress for those who enrol into a life coach training course. The ones being trained also need to take a step too so they meet halfway. The trainees must always be prepared so that the trainer can help them. If they?re not prepared then there is a possibility that they won?t cooperate.

A coach needs to be ready to listen to the customer and understand from all angles. They?ve got a mentoring role and they need to be able to understand what?s being communicated in words and those not really being said. The customer has to have assured in them from their listening talents.

There are a few tactics to find a trainer for life coach training. It might be one who has been guiding a good friend or a member of the family in the past. They may be found online too. Some have training instiutes and can be reached simply. When searching for one it?s highly important to understand what exactly you need to gain from them. If the trainee knows what they are looking for they will get into all of it with a positive approach.

To find out more about our Life Coach Training and Life Coach Distance Learning Courses, please visit NLP Life Coach Training Academy.

Leon Edward helps people in Personal and Career Growth, leadership Development, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Memory Improvement, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blog posts and special reports . Join Leon Edwards Awesome Success Free, Get his personal success, development and growth weekly newsletter as well as success classics and tips on attracting success and wealth. Visit his Success-Leadership Library, Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org Leon Edward also helps people improve IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading, public speaking , time management and reducing stress. Download his IQ Mind Brain Memory Self-Help library at his website http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.comLeon Edward helps people improve in Leadership Development, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Memory Improvement, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blog posts and special reports . Join Leon Edwards Awesome Success Free, Get his personal development training, success and growth weekly newsletter as well as success classics and tips on attracting success and wealth. Visit his Success-Leadership Library, Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org

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Source: http://awesomesuccess.org/self-improvement-blogs/self-improvement/coaching/a-short-look-at-life-coach-training/

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Academy unhappy but helpless to stop Oscar auction (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is not pleased with plans to auction off 15 Oscar statuettes from such films as "Citizen Kane," "Wuthering Heights" and "Little Women."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120225/ap_en_mo/us_oscars_auction

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Do Some Work Around Your House: Discover Home Improvement ...

You need to make sure you think about the paint before any other projects are attempted in the room. It is a good idea to paint rooms before you install any flooring in those rooms. Although you can use a drop cloth to protect things while you?re painting, it?s better to avoid the problem entirely if you can.

This makes the bristles bend and eventually wear out faster. Rather than setting the broom on the floor, buy a hook from which to hang it. That way, the bristles stay straight, and the life of the broom is significantly extended. In addition to brooms, mops need to be hung up so that they thoroughly dry in order to prevent mildew.

Make sure you have all required safety gear that you need for heavier projects. That includes everything from back harnesses to gloves, helmets and safety goggles.

Do not eyeball your measurements. This is especially important for measurements that require something to be level or fit at an angle. Measure twice, cut once. No matter how perfect you may think you are, using a speed square, level and tape measuring will make your work better.

Stucco could be a better option for you if you are replacing siding on your house. Stucco is simple to install, but you may need the guidance of a professional in order to do so correctly. Stucco also has incredible staying power.

Join your community to improve and build your toolbox to save money on your home improvement jobs. You won?t have to spend money renting or buying expensive tools and the owner will also become an expert at operating the item. Sharing tools and knowledge can help both of you achieve more success in your projects.

When you are going to do home improvements think about where you live. For instance, Californians may want to install air conditioning instead of a fireplace if only able to do one or the other. Likewise, an outdoor pool would work under the California sunshine, but not under the cloudy skies in states with cold, wintry weather.

If your gutters are clogged, it can become a drainage problem if you experience a rainy summer. Clogged gutters usually cause leaks in basements that happens due to rainwater. Prevent this by keeping the gutters clear of leaves and debris.

There are many home improvement jobs that you can tackle yourself. It is important to be patient when doing repair work. This article is manufactured to provide you with the tips to make your home the most improved. By following these tips, your home will be updated in no time!

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Source: http://bathroomcabinet.blogbiz.us/do-some-work-around-your-house-discover-home-improvement/

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Relationship Enhancement ? Amour Again for Him & Her

In this video, a product is offered called Nature\?s Romance Kit to help couples bring back the intimacy of being together. This kit contains natural composition that\?s intended primarily for women regardless of age to boost their libido and heighten sexual sensitivity.

Source: http://www.gowandertheworld.com/relationships/relationship-enhancement-amour-again-for-him-her/

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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Obama says African-American museum to tell 'shared story'

President Obama speaks at the groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. / By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) ? The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ?will be a monument for all time,? President Obama said Wednesday at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by about 600 guests on the National Mall.

The museum, set to open in 2015, will span the broad period of black history from Africa to the present and is the latest addition to the Smithsonian Institution?s 19 museums. Since 2003, some of the museum?s collections have been displayed in a gallery at the National Museum of American History.

Obama said he hopes visitors to the museum will consider black history and culture within the greater context of American history.

?When future generations hear these songs of pain and progress and struggle and sacrifice, I hope they will not think of them as somehow separate from the larger American story. I want them to see it as central ? an important part of our shared story,? he said.

?Today we begin to make manifest on this Mall, on this sacred space, the dreams of many generations who fought for and believed that there should be a site in the nation?s capital that will help all Americans remember and honor African-American history and culture,? museum director Lonnie Bunch said.

?There?s still a great deal of pain that needs to be healed,? said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a veteran of the civil rights movement. He said the museum needs to tell the ?400-year story of African-American contribution to this nation?s history, from slavery to the present, without anger or apology.?

Lewis was among lawmakers who repeatedly proposed legislation, passed in 2003, to create the museum.

Rex Ellis, associate director for curatorial affairs for the museum, said roughly 25,000 items have been collected, including contemporary and historical art, a silver tea server from a black silversmith, Chuck Berry?s Cadillac and a dress that belonged to Rosa Parks.

The museum will sit at a corner between the American history museum and the Washington Monument.

Denise Dennis, president of the Dennis Farm, a charitable land trust in Pennsylvania, said her family has owned the land since it was settled by her free black ancestors in the 1790s. Her family will donate a variety of historical artifacts ? including books, flatware and handwritten documents ? to the museum.

?For us, it?s wonderful, because our story is symbolic of the larger story,? Dennis said.

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Renting Tools For Your Home Improvement Project ? Joerg Article ...

If you are contemplating a one time home improvement project that you intend to undertake on your own, you may be wondering how you can save money on the tools that you will need for your project. If you are contemplating only one project, you likely would prefer not to have to invest a great deal of money in the purchase of tools for that endeavor.

In point of fact, there are options available to you short of running out and making the purchase of tools for a one time home improvement project. For example, rather than investing a significant amount of money in the purchase of tools for your home improvement project, you might want to give serious consideration to renting the tools that you will need for that endeavor.

In the 21st century, there are a number of different rental options available to a person who is looking for tools to undertake a one time home improvement project. There are resources available to a person looking to do some home improvement work in both the brick and mortar world and on the Internet and World Wide Web.

In the proverbial real world, there are companies or businesses in many cities and communities the world over that specialize particularly in renting equipment, including tools, to people who are interested in undertaking home improvement projects. Many of these businesses will rent tools and equipment to a person interested in doing a home improvement project for either a short or a long term.

In addition to stores or shops in the brick and mortar world that specialize in renting tools and equipment, many home improvement centers now offer these types of products for rent as well as for sale. (Again, many people are involved in one time home improvement projects. Therefore, it makes more sense for these people to rent tools and equipment for the one time project rather than make the purchase of these items that they will not be using again in the future.)

Once again, if you are contemplating starting a home improvement project, consider renting tools, equipment and related items for your endeavor. In the end, you likely will be able to save a great deal of money on your one time home improvement project if you do rent tools and equipment rather than make a purchase of these items that you will not be using again in the future.

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Source: http://joergsieber.biz/archives/renting-tools-for-your-home-improvement-project

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Different factors of Personal Growth | Article Hub

Personal development will be one vital section of self-improvement along with self-transcendence. It can be a way of appreciating yourself more and levelling upwards our self-worth.

There are lots of aspects of personalized development and some are the next:

1. Determining along with improving our terrible traits. We all have your own negative traits including being so unsure, getting easily furious or being undesirable tempered. Personal development aims to cut back and eventually absolutely eliminate these unfavorable qualities and focus more for the positive aspects relating life.

2. Being in command of your thoughts. This aspect is incredibly essential in working with personal development. In case we keep our self being swallowed by simply our thoughts, it?s going to be impossible for us to cut back our negative features and bring up our goodness. Try to meditate now and then to know along with control ourselves additional.

3. Self-transcendence Importance going over and beyond our personal made limitations. This entails aspiring fresh and exciting objectives rather than settling to merely whatever it is which you have I the earlier.

4. Dwell on the intuitions Personal development teaches us to be handled by the voices in the back of our minds now and then. And these noises can only always be heard and realized in deep concentration is really your mind absolutely at peace. This is the source inspiration that roots from a soul and not from a perilous ego.

5. Reduce your desires Dwelling on earth of too significantly desire will produce limitless cravings. Dwell on augmenting your spiritual growth and map out how to limit your desires. Through this you?ll be able to learn the source of happiness is available deep within one?s do it yourself and by living a straightforward life rather as compared to in loud success but packed with complications.

6. Live along with your heart and not along with your mind It feels better and lighter once you determine to live with the heart. If you live along with your heart eventually you will see that many of one?s problems are needs to get solved aptly before long.

7. Pay ample gratitude Be grateful and learn how to appreciate the method to obtain all your excellent consequences and happiness. Personal development may are most often hard and limited should you not know how to spend gratitude towards people.

Personal development will not happen overnight. It is some process you need to sustain for the rest you will ever have.

Bilal Rahim invites you to visit www.GentryLiving.com for tips and strategies in this area working from home, starting a home based affair, personal development, self empowerment and ?Self Employment Thoughts?.

Source: http://articlehub.in/2012/different-factors-of-personal-growth/

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Issues Of Obtaining Cheap Online Auto Insurance For Young Car

There are numerous solutions to find cheap online auto insurance premiums, but getting the application over internet is viewed as effective ways by far. Another option Before you is the particular comprehensive coverage program. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE will cause your current rates to escalate? if you?re competent to get coverage in the slightest! If a sensational scene a car though, cheap auto insurance it is for the best to find motor insurance first, this will determine the sort of car you qualify to purchase. First in all one must make sure that the policy pertains to life whenever it is brought in. Surprisingly, some cheap automobile insurances can really will give you a lot.

And other than, you have in no way bothered your car insurance company the slightest bit and how come they can not treat you a similar in return. Your regional broker?s only immediate competition has been the other brokers situated in your region. It usually means an auto that will not burn a hole as part of your wallet. This makes the web page just like ending up in an agent without worrying about bother of leaving your own home.

Your passengers will probably be safe when you go on the highways. Give them details If you ever dont provide the specifics of your zip program code, marital status, cars safety elements, and annual driving miles, by default insurance vendors will quote that you? higher auto insurance plans rate. There are 1000s of websites that help you to compare quotes by multiple top providers in your town. There are numerous of excellent websites which can offer you rapid and effective solutions to compare cheap car insurance policy deals from a variety of different providers.

The first thing you should keep in mind is that experts claim many insurance companies definitely will give you some discount for many different reasons. For example it would state in this policy that you will have to pay out a surplus amount of unnecessary for windscreen replacements and also this would be along with the excess you generally have to pay should you have to claim. Then again, premiums are calculated influenced by perceived risks, variables and a great many other factors. Should you possess multiple car, it is sensible to insure them while using same insurance provider. If a thing is missing comprising one insurer, voluntarily provide the data. Operate, co-insurance, insurance premium, the maximum degree of visitors vary based on the terms of insurance carriers.

The very initial part of buying a automobile insurance for oneself is an excellent determine the needs on the individual. The home security system alerts the owner in the event that an intruder will try to break in the automobile. Depending onto your auto (and ensure that you provide honest right answers) or the sheer number of cars you would like to insure, you?ll get an initial estimation. Even so, most insurance companies may have an option connected with ?bad credit quotes?. Alot of freight owners take a $100, 000 insurance insurance, the federal legislation have stated the particular limit as $1 million for your commercial auto liability insurance if the rig is usually to be on the switch.

Here Undoubtedly are a Few Good Reasons To possess Your Car Covered with insurance. In distinction, any indemnity company that provides prices and policies via online is in steer competition with almost every other firm which does business in this fashion. Normally, if you have a very good good credit ranking you are regarded as being a more trusted payee. By representing a certificate of one?s safety driving training course, you could at once show your insurance agency you are a responsible driver together with a safe risk thus to their company. Your credit ranking is also thought about by most insurance providers.

Guest post by Albarracin H. Sammie Atmore

Source: http://www.fitness4winners.info/2012/02/22/the-issues-of-obtaining-cheap-online-auto-insurance-for-young-car-owners/

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Pitt researchers coax gold into nanowires

Pitt researchers coax gold into nanowires [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: B. Rose Huber
rhuber@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

Discovery is designed to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases by workers wearing small sensor chips filled with gold nanowires

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas. Along with colleagues at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Alexander Star, associate professor of chemistry in Pitt's Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the research project, developed a self-assembly method that uses scaffolds (a structure used to hold up or support another material) to grow gold nanowires. Their findings, titled "Welding of Gold Nanoparticles on Graphitic Templates for Chemical Sensing," were published online Jan. 22 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"The most common methods to sense gases require bulky and expensive equipment," says Star. "Chip-based sensors that rely on nanomaterials for detection would be less expensive and more portable as workers could wear them to monitor poisonous gases, such as hydrogen sulfide."

Star and his research team determined gold nanomaterials would be ideal for detecting hydrogen sulfide owing to gold's high affinity for sulfur and unique physical properties of nanomaterials. They experimented with carbon nanotubes and graphenean atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atomsand used computer modeling, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy to study the self-assembly process. They also tested the resulting materials' responses to hydrogen sulfide.

"To produce the gold nanowires, we suspended nanotubes in water with gold-containing chloroauric acid," says Star. "As we stirred and heated the mixture, the gold reduced and formed nanoparticles on the outer walls of the tubes. The result was a highly conductive jumble of gold nanowires and carbon nanotubes."

To test the nanowires' ability to detect hydrogen sulfide, Star and his colleagues cast a film of the composite material onto a chip patterned with gold electrodes. The team could detect gas at levels as low as 5ppb (parts per billion)a detection level comparable to that of existing sensing techniques. Additionally, they could detect the hydrogen sulfide in complex mixtures of gases simulating natural gas. Star says the group will now test the chips' detection limits using real samples from gas wells.

###

Also involved in the study were Dan Sorescu, research physicist at NETL, who performed computational modeling of the gold nanowire formation; Mengning Ding, a Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who performed experimental work and synthesized and characterized gold nanowires and measured their sensor response; and Gregg Kotchey, a fellow Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who synthesized some of the graphene templates used in this study.

Funding for this work was provided by NETL in support of ongoing research in sensor systems and diagnostics.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Pitt researchers coax gold into nanowires [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: B. Rose Huber
rhuber@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

Discovery is designed to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases by workers wearing small sensor chips filled with gold nanowires

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas. Along with colleagues at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Alexander Star, associate professor of chemistry in Pitt's Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the research project, developed a self-assembly method that uses scaffolds (a structure used to hold up or support another material) to grow gold nanowires. Their findings, titled "Welding of Gold Nanoparticles on Graphitic Templates for Chemical Sensing," were published online Jan. 22 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"The most common methods to sense gases require bulky and expensive equipment," says Star. "Chip-based sensors that rely on nanomaterials for detection would be less expensive and more portable as workers could wear them to monitor poisonous gases, such as hydrogen sulfide."

Star and his research team determined gold nanomaterials would be ideal for detecting hydrogen sulfide owing to gold's high affinity for sulfur and unique physical properties of nanomaterials. They experimented with carbon nanotubes and graphenean atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atomsand used computer modeling, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy to study the self-assembly process. They also tested the resulting materials' responses to hydrogen sulfide.

"To produce the gold nanowires, we suspended nanotubes in water with gold-containing chloroauric acid," says Star. "As we stirred and heated the mixture, the gold reduced and formed nanoparticles on the outer walls of the tubes. The result was a highly conductive jumble of gold nanowires and carbon nanotubes."

To test the nanowires' ability to detect hydrogen sulfide, Star and his colleagues cast a film of the composite material onto a chip patterned with gold electrodes. The team could detect gas at levels as low as 5ppb (parts per billion)a detection level comparable to that of existing sensing techniques. Additionally, they could detect the hydrogen sulfide in complex mixtures of gases simulating natural gas. Star says the group will now test the chips' detection limits using real samples from gas wells.

###

Also involved in the study were Dan Sorescu, research physicist at NETL, who performed computational modeling of the gold nanowire formation; Mengning Ding, a Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who performed experimental work and synthesized and characterized gold nanowires and measured their sensor response; and Gregg Kotchey, a fellow Pitt graduate student in chemistry, who synthesized some of the graphene templates used in this study.

Funding for this work was provided by NETL in support of ongoing research in sensor systems and diagnostics.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uop-prc022112.php

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Slain soldier's dad burns NJ flag in Whitney protest

By msnbc news services

A western Michigan man whose son was killed while serving in the military has burned a replica of New Jersey's flag to protest that state's decision to lower it in honor of performer Whitney Houston.

John Burri set the flag on fire Saturday on a grill outside his home in Wyoming, near Grand Rapids.

"It was $12.95 and it was the best money I ever spent," Burri told The Detroit News.

The 60-year-old Burri says lowering flags should be done for men and women who have given their lives in service to the United States.

"It was a slap in the face. It cheapens the meaning of lowering that flag," Burri told The Detroit News. "They're watering down the meaning of a hero."

Related: Whitney Houston laid to rest
Related: NJ governor doesn't back down on flag tribute

Army Specialist Eric Burri died in 2005 in Baghdad. Michigan flags were lowered in his honor.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his decision to lower flags for Houston. Christie noted the 48-year-old icon was born in Newark and raised in nearby East Orange.

Houston died Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10466543-slain-soldiers-dad-burns-nj-flag-to-protest-houston-tribute

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The Biblical Model of Adoption - Family Ministry Today ? The ...

In the spring of 2002, popular talk show host Rosie O?Donnell revealed her lesbian relationship live on her show. In what would become the final season of the program, O?Donnell pushed for multiple political shifts that would grant further rights for homosexuals. In seeking to demonstrate the normalcy of her life and relationships, O?Donnell talked about her adopted children and her fight with Florida?s then-governor, Jeb Bush, over the rights of homosexual couples to adopt. That same spring, Angelina Jolie, noted actress, director, and humanitarian, adopted her first child from Cambodia. After shooting several films in the economically-depressed country,?she thought it a fitting complement to her humanitarian aid to change at least one life directly. Jolie, as a high profile star, went on to adopt two other children.

In many respects, adoption went mainstream in the first few years of the twenty-first century as Hollywood brought attention to the growing need for action on the?behalf of children worldwide. High-profile adoptions created new interest in the plight of children worldwide and led to further adoptions by other stars as well as raising awareness for the need of families to become involved in adoption.

Where was the church in all of this? This complex question begs for an answer, but in the West, conservative Christians often fall strangely silent, frequently hiding behind a barrage of evangelical aid institutions that assure us that our money is well spent.

While many Christians have already stepped into the challenging arena of orphan care, there is too much at stake for us to allow the status quo to continue. In the space of the next few pages, I hope to present to you a clear summation of the biblical commands for orphan care. From that general heading, we will then turn to look at the practical, biblical foundation for adoption as one aspect of the scriptural mandate to care for orphans. Throughout the paper, we will reference moments in the history of adoption as well as illustrate ways in which evangelicals in general and Baptists in particular have sought to become involved. I also will draw attention to some of the ethical issues and concerns that must remain at the forefront of those involved in ministry.

While we will be discussing the practical and biblical nature of adoption, we need to begin by stating our case in relationship to orphan care. In Scripture, Paul restricts the usage of adoption to refer to our spiritual state, so we will return to this a bit later. James tells the believers to ?care for the widow and orphan? (1:27). Expressing this command in terms of true religion and Christian practice, James is echoing more than thirty references in the Old Testament dealing with the concept of orphan care.

In the social context of the early church, as well as in the Old Testament, orphans were part of the fabric of society. Wars, disease, or other life events isolated orphans and widows from the system of care traditionally found within a patriarchal society. Despite the isolation and probable death of orphans had these orphans been part of a neighboring nation, the authors of the biblical text give specific commands regarding orphan care. These commands fell under the general provisions of hospitality and social justice.

From the outset of the book of Genesis, we are given explanation regarding the role of the family. Married couples are to be fruitful and multiply, following the same pattern given to all of creation. When sin and death mar the beauty of creation, a new class of people that fall outside normal societal and familial bounds become the victims in a broken world?namely widows, orphans and foreigners. In the text of the Hebrew Scriptures, almost every instance of the term ?orphan? (yatom) or ?fatherless? is paired with that of the widow (almonah). Usually their care and provision is provided under the same regulations and restrictions of the foreigner or sojourner among the children of Israel.

A key example is found in Exodus 22. Beginning in verse 21 and continuing through verse 22, the text reads as follows:

Do not oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. Do not exploit widows or orphans (1).

Based on the recognition that the Israelites once suffered as the lowest members of Egyptian society, they
were never to forget that God had spared them from their circumstances and redeemed them to himself. Beyond the command to avoid exploitation of the widows and orphans comes an understanding that these individuals are so precious to God that he will personally judge those who fail to account for their needs. The discourse continues in Exodus 22:23-24:

If you do exploit them and they cry out to me I will surely help them. My anger will blaze forth against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Your wives will become widows and your children will become fatherless.

This harsh pronouncement demonstrates a couple of key items that need to be considered. First, based on verse 23, we may discern that the widows and orphans have direct access to God. He hears their cries and appeals for help and promises swift action. Second, avoiding upholding justice for the widow and orphan secures judgment?even death?upon those who look the other way. In the prophets, this becomes one of the burning indictments against the rulers of the house of Israel as they avoided caring for the needs of the widow and orphan.

In the Old Testament, the entire community is commanded to care for the needs of the least of these in their midst. In this respect, orphan care becomes the responsibility of the entire community. There are no instruc- tions for orphanages, not to mention homes for the aged, leading to the claim that adoption is a foreign concept within the Old Testament worldview (2). Presumably, given the injunctions found in the text, children found homeless were taken in by extended family in order to maintain the hereditary rights of the child as stipulated in the law. Extending protection to these most vulnerable of people, Proverbs 23:10 cautioned, ?Do not remove the ancient boundary stones nor encroach on the fields of the fatherless? (3).

Furthermore, the law stipulated that when harvesting in the field, the people of Israel were not to return for sheaves of grain left behind.?At the annual grape harvest, the vines were to be picked once and not gone over twice, nor were the olive trees to be beaten twice. That?leftover produce served as the portion of the widow, the orphan, and the alien, those who did not have formal care in the community. (Deut 24:17, 19-21). Even during the feasts of Shavuot and Succot, widows, orphans and aliens were to be taken in by individual families to celebrate the holiday. The implication was that this was to be standard practice for all holidays (Deut 16:11; 14).

Not only was it commanded that the community should protect the rights of the orphans, but the populace was taxed to support the needs of those who fell under this category. In Deuteronomy 26:12-13, the nation of Israel was commanded to take up a tithe of their income specifically for the needs of the widows, orphans, Levites, and aliens in the nation. The givers of the tithe were required to make a declaration before God that they not only had brought the tithe to support those God commanded, but that they had kept all of God?s commands. They then requested his blessing on the entire household of faith (26:14-15).

The rationale for these, and similar, commandments derives from a theological understanding of the divine attributes of holiness and justice. According to the Hebrew Scriptures, God becomes the surrogate Father (or surrogate husband in the case of widows) to protect their rights. When the cause of the wicked oppresses the orphan or widow, God promises swift judgment against those he identifies as his children (Ps 10:14;18; 146:9; Jer 49:11; Hos 14:3). In the burning indictments the prophets brought against the chosen people, consistently God points out their absolute failure to care for the needs of widows and orphans. The curse outlined in Deuteronomy 27:19 on Mount Ebal is prominent: ?Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless, or the widow.? Books like Job and Psalms outline a lack of care for the fatherless as a sign of absolute wickedness and upcoming judgment.

Again, as we consider the biblical model for adoption, we are not presented a picture of the modern Western view of adoption in the Hebrew Scriptures. The closest thing we may connect with any modern form of adoption might be God?s selection of his people, Israel: ?Israel I have chosen.? Another example would be Hosea taking Gomer?s children as his own. When we consider adoption in the Old Testament, we are not referring to?adoption in the sense that we typically understand the term today. Rather, adoption is understood within the broader concept of orphan care. To summarize, orphan care in the Hebrew Scriptures is as follows:

1. Orphan care is commanded by God for the entire community of faith.

2. Orphan care is designed to protect the rights of orphans in the hereditary transfer of land.

3. A curse followed those who did not take up the cause of the orphan and oppressed.

4. In the definition of evil found in the condemnations of the prophets that were recited against Israel and the surrounding nations, lack of care for orphans almost always appears.

5. God hears the prayers of orphans. 6. God promises to be the defender and father of orphans.

Moving to the New Testament, Paul gives us the most vivid language concerning adoption as a theological concept. As we have seen in the prior section, the idea of adoption as one set of parents taking on the child of another, not closely related to the orphan, is not clearly found. Instead, the concept of orphan care in the context of working towards divinely orchestrated social justice is the main theme. Interestingly, Jesus picked up on this ancient concept when he proclaimed to his disciples that he would not leave them as orphans ( John 14:18). James also carried the Deuteronomic commands into the New Testament era as he boldly proclaimed that caring for widows and orphans signifies true religion ( James 1:27).

Knowing his Gentile audience, however, Paul shifts the image away from social justice or hospitality in a biblical framework to a word picture of redemption drawn from the Roman legal system. The Romans understood the nature of the need for orphan care as much as any other society, and many orphans became servants of the Empire through forced service in the military (if of age) or temple prostitution (if younger). Legally, Roman law allowed individuals who were citizens of Rome to adopt the children of slaves as their own. This legal adoption?translated the adoptee from poverty and obscurity to full rights and status as heir to the adopting parents (4).

For Paul, there was no more powerful picture of what God had done through Christ for the Gentiles in particular and all believers in general. To the church in Ephesus, Paul writes that God elected us to be the children of God before the foundation of the world. How was that to happen for the Gentiles? According to Ephesians 1:4-5, he loved us and predestined us to be adopted as his heirs through the work of Jesus Christ, who paid the price and freed us from slavery.

Consider the letter to Galatians where Paul writes that before Christ, we were helpless slaves to the law of sin and death. But that changed because of Christ. In powerful language, Paul paints the picture of our translation from slave to rightful heir.

So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Gal 4:3-5).

Again, this is forensic language, indicating a price has been paid to change the identity of the believer from slave to heir. The text continues:

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ?Abba, Father!? so you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Gal 4:5-7).

How can the courtroom imagery be stated any more clearly? God has worked a legal transaction through the substitutionary death of his own son, Jesus Christ, to enable our adoption as his very own children.

Next, there is a key passage, where Paul extensively utilizes and underscores this concept in Romans 8:12- 9:5. Here, Paul begins talking about the Christian?s identity in Christ, and again testifies that we are no longer slaves, but are now children of God. Again, how does this happen? Just as Paul outlines in Galatians 4, it is through?the Spirit that we receive the ?Spirit of adoption? that allows us to cry out, ?Abba, Father!? In fact, it is the Spirit himself that testifies that we are God?s children.

In this context, I have recognized that the Pauline imagery parallels the adoption of one of my own children. At the birth of my son, his body craved cocaine. Throughout the pregnancy, his birth mother took drugs, including cocaine, to feed her addiction. This addiction passed through the uterus to my son so that, at birth, his body was filled with the poisons his birth mother introduced to her body. For three months, as his body proceeded through detoxification, he experienced tremors and other withdrawal symptoms. He had no choice about his condition or the poisons his birth mother pumped into his little body in utero.

Similarly, Paul paints the picture of us as depraved humans. There is nothing in us and of us that is good, holy, or deserving. In fact, much like my son, we are like ?crack babies? born with cravings for evil and the depraved things of this world because it is what our bodies tell us to crave (5). Without intervention, we will suffer and die. Without someone to break the bonds of what we crave, our desire will continue to grow and consume us. The shed blood of Christ breaks the power of original sin and frees us from the curse of sin and death. Even more amazing, however, is that as we stand before the judge of the universe, he sees the work of Christ and makes a legal proclamation that we are his own.

I never understood this image until I stood before a judge in the Cook County family courthouse in Chicago. There, standing with our attorney?our advocate?we waited as the judge looked over the paperwork to determine our suitability as parents. Satisfied that we had met the requirements, he made a proclamation that ?Baby Girl Winters? would from this point forward be known as Briley Starr Yeats, daughter of John Mark and Angela Yeats. Following his judgment, we applied for a new birth certificate for our daughter. No longer were her natural birthparents indicated as the parents; instead, her mother was now legally listed as Angela Yeats and her father as John Mark Yeats, just as the judge had ordered. Even though our daughter may not reflect me physiologically, she is by all accounts my child, and she receives all of the rights and responsibilities that her adoption entails.

In the same manner, the Holy Spirit gives testimony that the requirements for adoption have been met through Jesus Christ (Rom 8:14-18). Thereby, we become the children of our heavenly Father, who in fact is also the judge. His proclamation settles the issue once and for all and legally changes our spiritual identity so we can call out, ?Abba, Father!? If this grace were not already beyond comprehension, we also become coheirs with Christ of the inheritance that our Father has laid up for us for all eternity. Paul carries this image forward in Romans 8, discussing the fullness of our adoption being revealed in heaven (8:23). He thereby sets the tone for the full outworking of this concept in Romans 9-11, particularly in Romans 9:4, where he identifies the Jews as those God adopted first (cf. Exod 4:22).

On this New Testament basis, especially as given by Paul, we may identify our heritage and adoption as God?s own children. How humbling is this concept and how blessed are we that God through his Son would testify through his Spirit that we are the children of God. As J.I. Packer eloquently defined the New Testament concept, salvation is ?adoption through propitiation? (6).

In 1852, Charles Loring Brace, a Yale-trained Presbyterian pastor, began working with the poor on what became known as Roosevelt Island. Seeing the needs of countless children?the survivors of which were repeating their parent?s patterns of heavy drinking, crime, and so on?he decided to do something about it. He created the Children?s Aid Society (CAS) and began working with evangelical churches throughout New York State to relocate children with Christian families willing to take in a child. For many of these children, this was the first glimmer of hope that had yet appeared in their life. In fact, this early foster care system became a boon to farmers and aided many children in becoming integrated members of society in their adult years.

Brace created a movement that lasted for almost 75 years. Called ?Orphan Trains,? Brace and his organi- zation would purchase tickets for children to ride the rails from New York City to far off locations in places like Kansas and Michigan to gain a new home. These?trains became the means for children to escape horrible circumstances and childless families or families needing extra hands to work the farm to bring more children into their life. For children without parents, Brace and the CAS would send information about the children weeks in advance to local churches, who screened the candidates for suitability. As the train would pull into the station, the parents that were deemed fit would go and look at the adoptable children who were placed on boxes so the crowd could see them, thus, the etymol- ogy of the phrase, ?up for adoption.? There were some serious shortcomings and flaws in Brace?s ministry. Yet his goal was commendable: to place children without hope into evangelical families, in the hope that the new context would alter the life of the child and eventually transform society (7).

Similarly, in the earliest expressions of evangelicalism found in the Pietistic and Moravian movements, a concern for children along with their discipleship and growth, especially for children without a home, marked the movement. As historian W.R. Ward once quipped, early evangelicals could be spotted simply wherever there was an orphanage (8). Taking the claims of Scripture seriously, the evangelical movement simply obeyed the commands of the text and took care of the widow and the orphan.

This, of course, provides a source of confusion for Christians today. Many evangelical churches seem to avoid social ministries outside of what they can give through the isolationist collection plate, and they avoid the simple task of caring for orphans. (Dare we even mention widows here, another glaring problem!) The Old Testament mandates orphan care, and the New Testament modeled that care and bequeathed us a theologi- cal model of redemption developed from that mandate.

In 2006, Democrat Representative Julie Bartling remarked that most people in South Dakota are in favor of a ban on abortions. Stunning some of her constituents, she stated, ?I think South Dakota has always been what I call a pro-life state?.I think it?s ready to step up and be in the forefront and make some of these first moves? (9). While South Dakota does not carry out that many abortions, statistically speaking, imagine if this law actually passed. First, the church would rejoice,?and rightly so. Any battle won defending the lives of innocent babies deserves celebration! But, in effect, would we lose?

Let us assume that the abortion rate remained constant since the last data was taken on abortions in this one state. When these data were last released, South Dakota had 1,070 lives ended through abortion for the year (10). Let us assume that just over half of the birth mothers decided to parent their children, since abortion was no longer an option. What happens to the remaining children? Hopefully, the birthparents made an adoption plan. If they did, an agency would help them in placing the child for adoption. If they did not, chances are the child would wind up a ward of the state, joining thousands of children already awaiting permanent homes in their state-run system.

Where are the churches in all of this? Many of us assume that we are contributing to ongoing work at chil- dren?s homes. It is true that, if you are a Southern Baptist, your Cooperative Program dollars support the ministries of several children?s homes in several states. Frequently, our children?s homes work closely with their respective state governments to take children who are not adoptable due to severe emotional trauma or other issues.

But do not breathe easy yet. In 2007, the Florida Baptist Children?s Homes assisted with eighty-five foster homes, thirty-eight adoptions and the placement of 182 children in residential care. As a result of these ministries, Florida Baptists saw 50 people accept Christ as their Lord (11). In Oklahoma Baptist Children?s Homes 2006 annual report, they served 309 children, placing approximately 150 of them in residential care (12). ?This is great and sacrificial work on the part of both of these states, but the cost to run these programs entered into the tens of millions of dollars in order to aid a relatively small number of children, compared to the vast need.

To demonstrate the desperate need of a new approach, consider the following facts (13):

1. There are 3.4 million ?double orphans??children lacking both parents?in Asia.

2. Over 400,000 orphans in Latin America over- whelm their social services.

3. 10.3 million orphans fend for themselves in?sub-Saharan Africa; 15.7 million African children have lost at least one parent to AIDS.

4. More than 400,000 children are in the United States foster care system; approximately 107,000 children of these children are available for adoption.

5. In the state where I live, a social worker stated that there are more than five thousand children whose parents? rights have been terminated by the courts and are awaiting adoption.

The statistics seem overwhelming-but there is more. Since the 1980s, U.S. Americans have consistently adopted between 118,000 and 125,000 children per year. Yet these numbers are a bit deceiving. Until the mid-1990s, over more than seventy percent of adoptions were kinship adoptions. This means that out of these adoptions, the vast majority were step-parents adopting step-children or uncles and aunts adopting their nieces and nephews. At best, only 40,000 or so children were being brought home in traditional adop- tions each year! Thankfully, some of the percentages have changed, but the number of actual adoptions remains relatively stable (15).

To further complicate the problem, infertility is on the rise across the United States. Physicians do not know why, but the numbers of those actually able to carry a child to term is falling (16). Infertility hurts. It hurts in an indescribable way. It creates an ever-present ache of longing combined with the blackness of despair for many barren parents. Few rays of hope seem to penetrate this maze of confusion. One in five couples know this hurt. My wife and I know this hurt. People in your church are currently feeling this hurt.

Yet seeking the counsel of Scripture in this maze of confusion and doubt is often the last task that hurting couples undertake. Trusting in science and technology, they seek medical remedies. These remedies are not only costly, but physically dangerous and ethically questionable, if one believes that life begins at conception. The processes of super-ovulation and in vitro fertilizations can result in ten or more embryos being formed outside of the womb. Frequently, physicians decide which babies appear most viable and inject those, arbitrarily?discarding the rest. For some people, the thought of tossing the fertilized eggs away is immoral, so they cryogenically freeze the eggs. This has led to a new dilemma since the freezers of fertility clinics are filled with conceived children, sustained in a frozen purgatory of our own making (17).

For those who are injected with the fertilized eggs, doctors may inject six or more embryos to ensure success of at least one attaching to the uterine wall. Most of the embryos do not attach. In fact, there is only a 33% chance that the embryos will attach, leading many couples to repeat this process multiple times at a cost ranging from $10,000 to $12,000 per cycle, in a non-insurance covered process (18).

Occasionally, more than one of the embryos will attach to the uterine wall and most fertility doctors will evaluate the progress of the children until the eighth or ninth week, at which time most will counsel their patients to abort all but one or two of the embryos. This is done in the hope of ensuring a successful completion of the pregnancy. Christians should be appalled and question where we are within the providence of God when believers pursue such remedies.

With the Scriptural mandates in mind, what is the church to do? Please allow me to offer eight suggestions for how we might bring about a revival in the biblical practice of adoption:

1. Recognize that adoption is a calling. Not every Christian will adopt nor should every Christian adopt. That being said, every Christian can and should help in some way. Doctors may help families with the burdensome medical and physical examinations that must be completed before bringing a child home. Churches may create adoption-friendly atmospheres where adopted children are welcomed and celebrated. Sunday School classes and friends, through adoption showers, may help to meet the sudden needs of families bringing a child home. Unlike a typical birth, there is not always a nine-month gestation period in which to prepare for a new family mem- ber. For those families adopting older children,?they often do not know the children?s precise needs until the children enter the home. Even then, it may be a financial strain to meet those needs immediately.

2. Get involved in the world of orphan care. Take mission trips to other countries and work with their orphanages. See what you and your church can do with your regional Baptist Homes for Children.

3. If you are a pastor, become an advocate for adoption from your pulpit and from your study. Take this brief study on adoption and examine it from a scriptural standpoint. Teach your people about the scriptural images of adoption and orphan care. Know where to refer couples considering adoption. Of the five pastors from whom my wife and I sought counsel, after discovering we were unable to conceive, not one was able to provide counsel about adoption, the biblical framework for adoption, or even where to obtain such information. Pastors and church leaders must learn about the infertility issues that affect thousands of young adults across this country. Incorporate infertility and adoption issues into at least one session of your pre-marital counseling. Be certain that your preaching reflects the realities, hopes, and fears of infertility and adoption as you exegete the text of Scripture.

4. Get involved financially. The cost to adopt a child domestically through an agency frequently exceeds ten thousand dollars; when expenses for multiple flights across the ocean are included, international adoptions can range from seven thousand dollars to well over twenty thousand (19).

5. Know that Christian churches are now in competition with the world for the hearts and souls of the orphans. Homosexual groups are working hard to legalize adoption for same-sex couples; they are more than happy to take in children while the church sleeps. Rosie O?Donnell boldly stated on her show in 2002 that if the nation would allow gays and lesbians to adopt, they would alleviate the strain on the system (20). Could this be yet another role of the church we are allowing others to fill?

6. Teach your people about the sacredness of human life and the potential destructive power of our expectations in relation to procreation. God is the God of life.

7. Listen for God to call you to do more.

8. Pray.

Adoption is frequently romanticized and idealized with little consideration of the real cost. The challenges and concerns are real, but the purpose of this article is simply to aid church leaders in beginning the consider- ation of the scriptural role and mandate for God?s people in orphan care. What if the churches in America saw that our walk does not correlate with our talk in relation to pro-life issues? What if five thousand Christian couples in the metro area where I live would say that they believe God is calling them to adopt and the adopt children throughout the state? What if those same Christian couples raised those five thousand children and they in turn raised their children to trust Christ?

Christopher Padbury caught the vision. He and his wife began the adoption process in their church years ago. They saw how central their community of faith was throughout the process. As the pastor, he began to call on his church to consider adoption as a calling from God and a mandate from Scripture. Eventually, he and his church family founded Project 127 to help members of their church to adopt children. Despite a snowstorm the night of their first formal meeting with the state?s welfare workers, 250 people came to hear what God was doing through this unique ministry. At that point, God turned the heart of the church around and they began to adopt children from the county where they are located. By 2007, they had 206 families involved in the process of adopting with sixty-eight having actually adopted. What is their goal? It is quite simply the eradication of the fact that 875 children remain in Colorado?s social system (21).

As the number of homeless children grows in Africa, China, and around the world, what would God have you do? Scripturally, we already have a mandate and an example. The problem of orphan care is global. Christians are called to stand against the rising tide of com- mercialism and individualism, placing our focus where God has had his focus all along: the eyes of God are?upon the children.

ENDNOTES
(1) All Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1997).

(2) Michael J. Broyde, ?Adoption, Personal Status, and Jewish Law,? in The Morality of Adotpion: Social- Psychological, Theological and Legal Perspectives, ed. Timothy P. Jackson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 128-29.

(3) See also Job 24:2-4.

(4) Michael Green, Evangelism in the Early Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 167. See also John Francis Brosnan, ?The Law of Adoption,? Columbia Law Review 22 (1922): 332-42.

(5) For a further development of this idea, see Robert A. Peterson, Adopted by God: From Wayward Sinners to Cherished Children (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publish- ing, 2001), 37-38.

(6) ?[W]ere I asked to focus the New Testament mes- sage in three words, my proposal would be adoption through propitiation, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that.? J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 20th anniversary ed. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 214.

(7) For more on Brace, the CAS and the social conditions that promoted the Orphan Trains, see Stephen O?Connor, Orphan Trains: the Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004) and Marylyn Holt, The Orphan Trains: Placing Out in America (Lincoln, NE: Bison Books, 2004).

(8) As cited in Brian Stanley, ed. Christian Missions and the Enlightenment (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 3.

(9) Michael Foust, ?South Dakota House passes ban on abortion, challenging court?s Roe v. Wade decision.? Baptist Press, http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22627 (accessed 10 March 2006).

(10) http://www.abortionfacts.com/statistics/age.asp?(accessed 13 September 2007).

(11)?2007 Report to the Associations? by the Florida Baptist Children?s Homes, http://fbchomes.org/html1/ download.html#reptassn (accessed 7 September 2007).

(12) ?2006 Annual Report? by the Oklahoma Baptist Children?s Homes, http://www.obhc.org/NetCom- munity/Page.aspx?pid=727&srcid=508 (accessed 7 September 2007).

(13) ?UNICEF Data on Orphans by Region to 2010,? http://chnm.gmu.edu (accessed 30 September 2011); ?AFCARS Report: Preliminary Fiscal Year Estimates as of June 2011,? http://acf.HHS.gov (accessed 30 September 2011).?

(14) For more data, see the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics from 2001, http://naic.acf. hhs.gov/pubs/s_adoptedhighlights.cfm (accessed 24 February 2006).

(15) Ibid. In 2000, just over 54% of all adoptions in the states shifted to traditional adoptions.

(16) George Creatsas, George Mastorakos and George P Chrousos, ?Setting Reproductive Health Priorities to Meet the Needs of the New Millennium,? in The Young Woman at the Rise of the 21st Century: Gynecological and reproductive issues in health and disease, eds. George Creatsas, et al. (New York: New York Acad- emy of Sciences, 2000), xiii.

(17) John C. Mayoue, ?Legal and Ethical Challenges of Embryonic Adoption,? in The Morality of Adoption: Social-Psychological, Theological and Legal Perspectives, ed. Timothy P. Jackson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005): 262-82. For more on adopting these cryogenically preserved embryos, see www.snowflakes.org (accessed 24 July 2007).

(18) Gilbert Meilaender, ?A Child of One?s Own: At What Price?? in The Reproductive Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality, Reproductive Technologies and the Family, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000): 36-45. For the financial and rate of success, see www.socialfertility.com/ivf-cost-information.html (accessed 15 January 2008). According to Dr. R.E. Anderson of the Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine, the younger the patient undergoing the IVF pro- cess, the greater the opportunity for success. In the under 35 bracket, Anderson?s group saw 62% carry an infant to term or longer than 12 weeks. But the number drops from there with only 43.2% in the 35-37 age bracket, 30% in the 38-40 age bracket and 11.8% in the 40 and older age bracket, www.socialfertility.com/ivf-success-rate.html (accessed 15 January 2008).

(19) Groups like Stephen Curtis Chapman?s Shaohanna?s Hope help fund adoptions for those who want to adopt but have little means but there are many more requests than available finances. For information on wide range of adoption costs, see the information provided by the Evan B. Donald Adoption Institute, ?Costs of Adoption,? www.adoptioninstitute.org/factoverview/costs.html, (accessed 26 August 2007).

(20) Dan Allen, ?The adoption option: Rosie O?Donnell and tens of thousands of other gay people have chosen to adopt children?but how many roadblocks stand in the way of others who want to follow their lead?? The Advocate (May 28, 2002), http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m1589/is_2002_May_28/ai_86128324,?(accessed 28 July 2007). 21Interview with Christopher Padbury, June 21, 2006.?See also http://www.project127.com/about/all- about1.htm (accessed 24 July 2007).

[Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in The Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry 2.1.]

Source: http://www.sbts.edu/family/journal/the-biblical-model-of-adoption/

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As an Internet Marketer, the tendency to become distracted by a constant influx of marketing messages and ?Shiny Objects? is an unfortunate by-product of the part of our online experience that we know as information overload.

It?s an e-marketer?s fact of life?an occupational hazard, if you will, that can be challenging to overcome.

Challenging?Yes, Impossible No.

It?s been said that in any given situation, ?you don?t know what you don?t know?.? However, the flip side of that position is that

?You do know what you do know.?

One of the things that I do know, which I?ll share with you is that the power of working with an experienced coach and mentor to help keep you focused, forward-moving, and fully-equipped to achieve your objectives should not be underestimated.

Using a sports analogy, in the game of football there are Head Coaches, Quarterback Coaches, Coaches for Offense, and Coaches for Defense, all with the singular objective of improving the ability of each individual player and position to optimize the effectiveness of the collective team.

In much the same way, leveraging the knowledge and insights of an experienced Internet Marketing Coach and Mentor to optimize the effectiveness of your online business when it comes to generating revenue and spendable profits is without question a value proposition that both new and experienced online entrepreneurs would do well to take advantage of, and it?s deceptively more simple to do than you might think.

In fact, both you and your business can immediately begin to reap the benefits of lesson learned from those who are going and who have been where you?re trying to go, regardless of your current level of experience in the Internet Marketing, Network Marketing, or Direct Sales industry.

How?

All you need to do is become a part of The Six Figure Mentors community.? You see, until you became a member of The SFM community, you don?t know what you don?t know, and when you do know, I?m certain you?ll discover as I have that becoming a member is one of THE best decisions you can make for both your personal and online business development.

Click here?and learn for yourself what makes The Six Figure Mentors a cut above all the rest, and why continuing to build your business without the value-added benefits of being a member of The SFM community could effectively be putting your business profitability and success at risk.
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Until we correspond again,

Guest Post By: Wayne Brooks?is an Associate of The Six Figure Mentors, Founder of?LeveragedIncomeNetwork.com

Source: http://kensomerville.com/increase-online-business-profits-internet-marketing-coachmentor/

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Some Great Home Improvement Loan Options That Are Often ...

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Home / Loans / Some Great Home Improvement Loan Options That Are Often Forgotten About

There are many different kinds of specific loans you may be able to qualify for depending upon your past life experience. Generally, interest rates are cheap right now so it usually makes sense to borrow money for most major home projects. Home repairs are often expensive projects that almost always require some sort of financing. A lot of people need to finance home upgrades but they may not be aware of all their options. Here are a few of the programs you could qualify for:

FHA Home Improvement Funds: The Title 1 home improvement loan program from The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is one of the most widely available kinds of home improvement lending options. Despite what you may know, the US government does not give out Title 1 funds themselves. Banks give out Federal Housing Administration Title 1 home improvement loans because they are guaranteed by the government and they have relatively few eligibility requirements.

Local County Home Improvement Grants: Depending upon where you live, your town may offer a home repair grant program. Some towns try to encourage neighborhood pride and raise home values by offering citizens low interest loans for home repairs. Regional home improvement financing programs are popular in cities and economically hurt areas. Remember to look at all the different organizations of your local government offices including your township or city, your county or parish and even your home state.

Veteran Affairs Home Improvement Loans: Like the FHA loans, VA home improvement loans are given out by banks and not the US government. VA home repair loans often have attractive interest rates and some lower amount loans don?t require a property assessment. To qualify for a VA home improvement program you must be a veteran or a spouse of a veteran.

Of course not everyone can be approved for every available home improvement loan program. These specialized home improvement loan options are available to only a small group of people. Regular home remodeling loan programs often cannot beat the interest rates and terms of these particular financing programs.

Need to learn more about how you can afford large home improvements? Those are just some of the many home improvement loan options and programs available today. If your home needs to be repaired you owe it to yourself to look into all your choices.

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Tags: FHA, FHA Loans, home improvement, home improvement financing, home improvement loans, Home remodeling, home repair, housing, Loans, VA loans, veteran's affairs

Source: http://www.xmlinsider.com/some-great-home-improvement-loan-options-that-are-often-forgotten-about.html

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