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Doctrinal Divinity
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Of Christ, The Mediator Of The Covenant.
Another relation, or office, which Christ bears in the covenant, is that of Mediator; three times in the epistle to the Hebrews is he called the Mediator of the new, or better covenant or testament, (Heb. 8:6, 9:15, 12:24) the same with the everlasting covenant, only so called in reference to a former administration of it. The apostle Paul asserts, that there is "one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). Both Jews and Gentiles have a notion of a Mediator; the Jews245245R. Joseph Albo, lkkarim, Orat. 2. c. 28. call the Messiah אמצעא, the Mediator, or middle one; and so Philo the Jew246246Quis Rer. Divin. Haeres, p. 509. Vid. ibid. de Cherubim, p. 112., speaks of the most ancient Word of God, as μεσος, a middle Person between God and men, not unbegotten as God, nor begotten as man, but the middle of the extremes, one between both. The Persians247247Plutarch. de Isid. et Osir. call their God Mithras, μεσιτης, a Mediator; and the Demons, with the heathens, seem to be, according to them, mediators between the superior gods and men; but we have a more sure word of prophecy to direct us in this matter; Christ is the one and only Mediator. It will be proper to enquire,
1. First, In what sense Christ is the mediator of the covenant; not as Moses, who stood between God and the people of Israel, "to show" them "the word of the Lord", (Deut. 5:5) to receive the law, the lively oracles, and deliver them to them, said to be ordained, or disposed by angels, in the hand of a mediator, supposed to be Moses (Gal. 3:19). Christ indeed is the revealer and declarer of his Father's mind and will, and the dispenser of the covenant of grace in the different administrations of it, in each of the periods of time; but this more properly belongs to him as the "angel" or "messenger of the covenant", as he is called, (Mal. 3:1) than the mediator of it. Christ is a mediator of reconciliation; such an one as interposes between two parties at variance, in order to bring them together, and in some way or other reconcile them to each other. "A mediator is not of one", of one party; for where there is but one party there can be no difference, and so no need of a mediator; but "God is one", he is one party, the offended party, and man is the other, the offending party; and Christ is the mediator between them both to bring them together, who are through sin at as great distance as earth and heaven; and he is the antitype of Jacob's ladder, that reaches both and joins them together; the daysman between them, who lays his hand on them both, and makes peace between them; and so a learned Grecian248248Suidas in voce μεσιτης. interprets the word for "mediator" ειρηνο ποιος, "a peacemaker"; and this work he performs not merely by way of intreaty, as one man may intreat another to lay aside his resentment against an offender, and not pursue him to his destruction, which lies in his power; or as Moses intreated God with great vehemence and importunity to forgive the Israelites, or blot him out of his book; for however commendable this may be for one man to intercede with another, or with God for an offender, in such a manner; yet it seems too low and mean an office for Christ the Son of God, barely to intreat his Father to lay aside the marks of his displeasure against a sinner, and not so honourable for God to grant it, without satisfaction; wherefore Christ acts the part of a mediator, by proposing to his Father to make satisfaction for the offence committed, and so appease injured justice. Christ is a mediator of reconciliation in a way of satisfaction; reconciliation in this way is Christ's great work as mediator; this is what was proposed in covenant, and what he therein agreed to do, and therefore is called the mediator of the covenant.
Reconciliation supposes a former state of friendship, a breach of that friendship, and a renewal of it; or a bringing into open friendship again. Man in a state of innocence was in a state of friendship with God, had many high honours and special favours conferred upon him; being made after the image and likeness of God, had all the creatures put in subjection to him, was placed in a delightful garden, had a right to eat of the fruit of all the trees in it but one; to him the creatures were brought to give them names, and an help meet was provided for him; but man being in this honour abode not long, sin soon separated chief friends, and he was drove out of his paradisaical Eden; and appeared to be, as all his posterity are, not only at a distance from God, and alienation to him, but enmity against him, as the carnal mind of man is; and in this state the elect of God were considered, when Christ undertook in covenant to be the mediator of reconciliation for them; and in this condition he found them, when he came to make actual reconciliation for them; "you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled", (Col. 1:21) and hereby has brought them into an open state of grace and favour with God; into greater nearness to him, and into a more exalted state of friendship with him than was lost by the fall.
It should be observed, that the elect of God are considered in the covenant of grace as fallen creatures; and that Christ being a mediator of reconciliation and satisfaction for them, supposes them such. In the covenant of works there was no mediator; while that covenant remained unbroken, and man continued in a state of integrity, he needed none; he could correspond and converse with God without one; though he might have knowledge of Christ as the Son of God, and second person in the Trinity, which was necessary to his worship of him, yet he knew nothing of him as mediator, nor needed him as such; he could hear the voice of God, and abide in his presence without fear or shame; it was after he had sinned, and not before, that he hid himself among the trees, on hearing the voice of God: nor is there any mediator for angels, none was provided, nor admitted, for the fallen angels, they were not spared; and the good angels needed not any, having never sinned; they are admitted into the divine presence without a mediator to introduce them; they stand before God, and behold his face continually. Some have thought that Christ is the medium of union of angels with God, and of elect men, chosen in Christ, and considered as unfallen, which I will not object to; but a mediator of reconciliation and satisfaction, Christ is only to fallen men, and they needed one; a reconciliation was necessary, and without such a mediator the purposes of God concerning elect men, the covenant of grace made on their account, the prophecies of the Old Testament, and the salvation of men could not have been accomplished; nor the perfections of God, particularly his justice and holiness, glorified in it.
Sin has been committed, which is offensive to God, provoking to the eyes of his glory, and deserving of his wrath, even of eternal death; the law broken, which reflects dishonour on the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; justice injured and affronted, and which insisted on making a satisfaction, and that nothing less than perfect obedience to the law, and a bearing the penalty of it; fallen man could not make his peace with God, nor reconcile himself to him on such terms; Christ, as mediator of the covenant, undertook to make reconciliation for elect men; and God set him and sent him forth to be, and he is become the propitiation for their sins; and God is pacified towards them for all that they have done, and has taken away all his wrath, and turned himself from the fierceness of his anger, and removed all the visible marks and effects of his displeasure.
Nor is this reconciliation Christ is the mediator of, as thus stated, any contradiction to the everlasting love of God to his elect in Christ; where there is the strongest love among men, when an offence is committed, there is need of reconciliation to be made. David had the strongest affection for his son Absalom as can well be imagined; Absalom committed a very heinous offence, murdered his brother Amnon, David's firstborn, and heir to his crown; he fled from justice, and from his father's wrath and vengeance he might justly fear; Joab became a mediator between them, first more secretly, by means of the woman of Tekoah, and then more openly in his own person, and succeeded so far as to obtain leave that the young man be called from his exile; nevertheless, when returned, David would not admit him into his presence until two years after, when, and not before, a full and open reconciliation was made and declared; and yet all this while the heart of David was towards his son, and continued, even notwithstanding his unnatural rebellion against him. And so the love of God to his people is from everlasting to everlasting, invariably the same: with him there is no shadow of turning; there is no change in God, as not from love to hatred, so not from hatred to love; he is in one mind, and none can turn him, no, not Christ himself; nor was it the work of Christ's mediation, nor the design of it, to turn the heart of God; for that proceeded according to the unalterable and unchangeable will of God; nor did the mediation of Christ procure, nor was it intended to procure the love and favour of God to his elect; so far from it, that itself is the fruit and effect of that love (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:10). It was love that set forth and sent forth Christ to be the propitiation for sin; it was owing to the good will and free favour of God, that a Mediator was admitted for sinful men; and it appeared still greater, in providing one to be a Mediator of reconciliation for them; and the reconciliation the scriptures speak of, as made by the blood, sufferings, and death of Christ, is not a reconciliation of God to them, as to his love, but justice; but a reconciliation of them to God; and that not so much of their persons, which are always acceptable and well pleasing to God, as considered in Christ, in whom they were chosen, as for their sins, (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 1:20, 21; Heb. 2:17) and which is no other than a satisfaction for them to divine justice; for the reconciliation of their persons in that way, is not to the love and affections of God, from which they were never separated, but to the justice of God, offended by their sins; and the whole is a reconciliation of the divine perfections to each other in the business of salvation; for though these agree among themselves, yet with respect to that, had different claims to make; the love and grace of God pleaded for mercy, and mercy pleaded for itself, that it might be shown to the objects of love; but justice insisted on it, that satisfaction be made for the offences committed; the difficulty was how to answer each of these pleas; Christ interposed, and offered himself in the covenant, to be a Mediator of reconciliation, or to make satisfaction for sin; and so mercy and truth have met together, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Reconciliation then is the principal branch of Christ's office in the covenant as Mediator. Another follows, namely,
His intercession, or advocacy, which proceeds upon reconciliation or satisfaction made; "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins", (1 John 2:1, 2) and it is his being the Propitiation for sin, that is the foundation of his advocacy, or on which is grounded his plea for the remission of it; he is the Angel of God's presence, who always appears there for his people, and ever lives to make intercession for them; he is first the Mediator of reconciliation, and then of intercession; as they are reconciled to God by his sufferings and death, they are saved through his interceding life. He is called the Angel of God's presence, not only because he enjoys it himself; but because he introduces his people into it, and presents their petitions to God, offers up the prayers of all saints, perfumed with the much incense of his mediation; through which they become acceptable to God. Christ is the medium of access to God, to the throne of his grace; there is no drawing nigh of sinful men to God without a Mediator, without him he is a consuming fire; no man can come to the Father but by Christ; he is the only Way, the new and the living Way; and through him, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, there is access with boldness and confidence. And he is the medium of acceptance, both of persons and services, which are only accepted in the Beloved, and become acceptable through his prevalent mediation and intercession; and he is the medium of conveyance of all the blessings of the covenant of grace to his people, which are all communicated in virtue of his advocacy for them; and he is the medium of the saints' communion and fellowship with God now, as he will be the medium of their glory and happiness to all eternity. The next thing to be considered is,
2. Secondly, The fitness of Christ for his work and office, as the Mediator of the covenant; since a mediator was necessary, and he must be one of the divine Persons in the Trinity; the Son of God being the middle Person in it, seems most proper and suitable to preserve the order, name, and place of the Persons in it: it does not seem so decent, that the first Person should be a Mediator to the second; but rather, since, as Dr. Goodwin expresses it, the suit of trespass was commenced, and ran in the name of the Father, of the first Person for the rest; it seems most agreeable that the reconciliation be made to him by one of the other Persons; and since the second Person bears the name of a Son, as the first of a Father, it seems most in character that the Son should mediate with the Father, than the Father with the Son; and since it was proper that the Mediator should become the Son of man, as will be seen hereafter, it seems most agreeable, that he who is the Son of God should become the Son of man; otherwise there would be two Sons in the Trinity, or two Persons so called: and for the first or third Person to become a Mediator between God and man, does not seem so becoming, as he who is the second or middle Person among them. But the principal fitness of Christ for his office, as Mediator, at least for the execution of it, lies in the union of the two natures, human and divine, in his one Person; whereby he is the Immanuel, God with us, God manifest in the flesh; and as he partakes of both natures, he has an interest in, and a concern for both; he is fit to be a Mediator between God and man; both to take care of things pertaining to God and his glory, and to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
2a. It was requisite that he should be man, assume human nature into union with his divine Person, even a true body, and a reasonable soul.
2a1. That he might be related to those he was a Mediator, Redeemer, and Saviour of; that he might be their brother, their near kinsman, their God, and so have an apparent right to redeem them, as the near kinsman, according to the law, had Leviticus 25:48, 49.
2a2. That sin might be satisfied for, and reconciliation be made for it, in the same nature which sinned; and whereas, according to the scheme of mediation and salvation by Christ, the same individuals that sinned were not to suffer; it seems requisite and reasonable that an individual of that nature should, in their room and stead, that so it might come as near to what the law required as could be (Gen. 2:17).
2a3. It was proper that the Mediator should be capable of obeying the law, broken by the sin of man: as a divine Person could not be subject to the law, and yield obedience to it; and had he assumed the angelic nature, that would not have been capable of obeying all the precepts of the law, which are required of men; and universal perfect obedience was necessary for the justification of a sinner before God; hence Christ was made of a woman, that he might be made under the law, and yield obedience to it; by which obedience men are made righteous in the sight of God (Gal. 4:4; Rom. 5:19).
2a4. It was meet the Mediator should be man, that he might be capable of suffering death; as God he could not die, and had he assumed the nature of an angel, that is uncapable of dying; and yet suffering the penalty of the law, death, was necessary to make reconciliation; a sacrifice for sin was to be offered, and therefore it was proper Christ should have somewhat to offer; even a true body, and a reasonable soul, Which he did offer; peace was to be made by blood, and reconciliation by the sufferings of death, and therefore a nature must be assumed capable of shedding blood, and of suffering death; and without which he could not be made sin, and a curse for men, as the law required he should. In a word, it was highly becoming, that the Captain of our salvation should be made perfect through suffering, that he might be a perfect Saviour, which could not be, without the assumption of human nature (see Heb. 2:10, 14, 15, 5:9, 8:3).
2a5. It was fit the Mediator should be man, that he might be a merciful, as well as a faithful High Priest, have a fellow feeling with his people, and sympathise with them under all their temptations, afflictions, and distresses, and succour and relieve them, from love and affection to them, as their friend and brother (Heb. 2:17, 18, 4:15).
2a6. It was necessary that he should be holy and righteous, free from all sin, original and actual, that he might offer himself without spot to God, take away the sins of men, and be an advocate for them, (Heb. 7:26, 9:14; 1 John 3:5, 2:1) but it was not enough to be truly man, and an innocent person; he must be more than a man, to be a mediator between God and man; it was requisite, therefore,
2b. That he should be God as well as man.
2b1. That he might be able to draw nigh to God, and treat with him about terms of peace, and covenant with him; all which a mere man could not do; and therefore it is with wonder said, and as expressive of the arduousness of the task, of the difficulty of the work, and of the necessity of a divine Person to do it; "Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me, saith the Lord?" (Jer. 30:21) to mediate between him and sinful men, to lay his hands on both, and reconcile them together; none but Jehovah's fellow could or dared to do this.
2b2. That he might give virtue and value to his obedience and sufferings; for if he had been a mere man, his obedience and righteousness would not have been sufficient to justify men, nor his sufferings and death a proper sacrifice and atonement for sin. But being God as well as man, his righteousness is the righteousness of God; and so sufficient to justify all that believe in him, and them from all their sins; and his blood is the blood of the Son of God, and so cleanses from all sin, and is a proper atonement for it.
2b3. Being Mediator, Redeemer, and Saviour, it naturally and necessarily leads men to put their trust and confidence in him, and rely upon him, for peace, pardon, and salvation; whereas, if he was a mere man, and not God, this would entail a curse upon them; "for cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm", (Jer. 17:5) and even to worship and adore him, and ascribe divine honour and glory to him; which to do would be idolatry, was he not God; for though he that is Mediator is to be worshipped by angels and men, yet not as mediator, but as God; for it is his Deity that is the foundation of worship, and renders him the proper object of it; God will "not give" his "glory to another", (Isa. 42:8) not even the glory of being a Mediator to any other but a divine Person; for of Christ, in his mediatorial capacity, are the words spoken, as appears from the whole preceding context: it is necessary that the Mediator should be God, that he might be the proper object of trust, worship, honour, and glory divine.
Nor is it any objection to his being a Mediator, as to his divine nature, that then the Father and the Spirit would be Mediators too, the divine nature being common to them all; since it is not in the divine nature, essentially considered, but as it subsists in the second Person, the Son of God, that Christ is Mediator, and performs his office; and to exercise this office in it, is no lessening and degrading of his Person, since it is a glory that none but a divine Person is fit to bear: and it may be observed, that among men this office is sometimes assumed and exercised by one superior to either of the parties between whom he mediates; and though the Father may be said to be greater than Christ, considered in his office capacity, yet this does not suppose any subjection and inferiority of his divine Person: nor is it any objection to Christ being Mediator, as to his divine nature, that then he must be a Mediator to himself, or reconcile men to himself; for not to observe, that Christ in his office may be distinguished from himself, as a divine Person; as one may be distinguished from himself as to different circumstances of age, office, &c. there is no impropriety that Christ is a Mediator for himself, or has made reconciliation and satisfaction to himself; for if the Father may be said to reconcile men to himself by his Son, as in (2 Cor. 5:18, 19; Col. 1:20) why may not the Son be said to reconcile men to himself, as God, by his sufferings and death as man? There is no impropriety, that if a man has offended a society of men, one of that society should take upon him to be a mediator for him, and reconcile him to that society, though he himself is a part of it, and as such, equally offended as they: or, still nearer to the case in hand, supposing a rebellion in a nation, against the king of it, and this king should have a son, who is heir to his throne, and so must be equally offended with the rebels as his father, and yet should take upon him to be a mediator between his father and the rebels, and make peace between them; where would be the impropriety of it, though he himself, with his father, is the party offended?
The mediation of Christ thus stated, meets with and militates against two errors; one of those, who say he is only a Mediator as to his human nature; and that of others, who assert him to be only a Mediator as to his divine nature. But most certain it is, that there are various acts and works of Christ, as Mediator, in which both natures manifestly appear, and are concerned; not to make mention of the incarnation itself, or Christ's assumption of human nature, which manifestly implies both; for it was a divine Person that partook of flesh and blood, or assumed, not an angelic, but an human nature: it was the Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God, that was made flesh, and dwelt among men; it was he that was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with him, that was found in fashion as a man, and took on him the form of a servant; it was God manifest in the flesh. In the obedience of Christ both natures are to be perceived; not only the human nature, in his being obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; but the divine nature also; or otherwise, where is the wonder, that "though he was a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things that he suffered", (Heb. 5:8) and it was that which gave virtue to his obedience, and made it satisfactory to the justice of God, and made the law more honourable than the perfect and perpetual obedience of angels and men could do. In the act of laying down his life for men, both natures appear; the human nature, which is passive in it, and is the life laid down; the divine nature, or the divine Person of Christ, who is active in it, and laid down his life of himself, he having such a power over his life as man, and that at his dispose, as no mere creature ever had; and both are to be observed in his taking of it up again; his human nature, in his body being raised from the dead; his divine nature or person, in raising it up of himself, whereby he was declared to be the Son of God with power: he was put to death in the flesh, in human nature, and quickened in the Spirit, or by his divine nature; the sacrifice of himself, was his own act, as Mediator; what was offered up were his soul and body, his whole human nature; this was offered by his eternal Spirit, or divine nature, which gave virtue to it, and made it a proper atoning sacrifice for sin. To observe no more, the redemption and purchase of his people, is a plain proof of both natures being concerned in his work as Mediator; the purchase price, or the price of redemption, is his precious blood, his blood as man; but what gave virtue to that blood, and made it a sufficient ransom price, is, that it was the blood of him that is God as well as man; and therefore God is said to purchase the church with his own blood (Acts 20:28).
2c. It was not only requisite and necessary, that the Mediator should be God and man, but that he should be both in one Person, or that the two natures should be united in one Person; or, rather, that the human nature should be taken up, and united to, and subsist in the Person of the Son of God; for the human nature, as it has no personality of itself, it adds none to the Son of God; it is no constituent part of his Person; he was a divine Person, before his assumption of human nature; and what he assumed was not a person, but a nature, and is called a "thing, nature, seed", (Luke 1:35; Heb. 2:16) had it been a person, there would be two persons in Christ, and so two mediators, contrary to the express words of scripture, (1 Tim. 2:5) and if the human nature was a person, as it must be a finite one, what was done and suffered by it, must be finite also, and of no use but to that person, and could have no sufficient virtue and value in them to justify men, and atone for sin; but these two natures being in personal union, the works and actions of either, though distinct and peculiar to each, yet belong to the whole Person, and are predicated of it; and so those of the human nature have virtue and efficacy in them, from the personal union, to make them effectual to the purposes for which they were designed, without which they would be ineffectual. Hence it may be observed, that Christ is described in one nature, by qualities, works, and actions, which belong to him in the other, and is what divines call a communication of idioms, or properties; thus the Lord of glory is said to be crucified; God is said to purchase the church with his blood; and the Son of man is said to be in heaven, while he was here on earth, (1 Cor. 2:8; Acts 20:28; John 3:13) the advantage of this personal union is, that the divine nature has an influence upon, and gives virtue and dignity to whatsoever is done or suffered in the human nature; which is of the utmost concern in the mediation of Christ: nor is it any objection that two natures should influence one and the same action, or be concerned in the production or perfection of it; when it is observed, that the soul and body of man, united together, concur in the performance of the same action, whether good or bad. I shall next enquire,
3. Thirdly, How Christ came to be the Mediator of the covenant, even the Mediator of reconciliation in it: it was owing originally to a thought in the heart of God, the offended Party; whose thoughts were "thoughts of peace, and not of evil", towards offending man; this affair began with God the Father; "All things are of God", that is, the Father, as appears by what follows; "Who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation"; the doctrine of it, to publish and declare to the world; the sum and substance of which is, "to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself", (2 Cor. 5:18, 19) that is, consulting with Christ his Son, and with him contriving the scheme and method of reconciling to himself the world of his elect, considered as sinful fallen creatures in Adam: upon the first thought of peace and reconciliation, a council of peace was held between the divine Persons, which issued in a covenant of peace in which it was proposed to Christ, and he agreed to it, to be the Peace maker, upon which he was constituted the Mediator of it; "I was set up from everlasting", (Prov. 8:23) says Christ; that is, by his divine Father; though not without his own consent: or, "I was anointed", which does not design a collation of any gifts, qualifying him for the office of Mediator; as when he is said to be anointed with the Holy Ghost; only his investiture with that office, so expressed, because the rite of anointing was used in the consecration of kings, priests, and prophets to their office. And God not only set him up, but "set" him "forth", in his eternal purposes and decrees, to be the "propitiation for sin", to make reconciliation and satisfaction for it, (Rom. 3:25) and declared him in prophecy to be the Prince of peace, and the Man that should appear in human nature, and make peace and reconciliation between him and men; he sanctified him, or set him apart to this office before the world began; and in the fulness of time, sent him to be the propitiation, or propitiatory sacrifice, for the sins of men; and even before his incarnation, being constituted in covenant the Mediator of it, he acted as such, throughout the whole Old Testament dispensation: he exercised in each of his offices then; his prophetic office, by making known to Adam the covenant of grace, immediately after his fall; by preaching by his Spirit to the disobedient in the times of Noah, the spirits that were in prison, in the times of the apostle Peter; and by his Spirit, in the prophets testifying beforehand his own sufferings, and the glory that should follow. His Kingly office, in gathering, governing, and protecting his church and people, who acknowledged him as their King, Judge, and Lawgiver: and his Priestly office, through the virtue of his blood reaching backward to the foundation of the world, and therefore said to be the Lamb slain so early, (Rev. 13:8) and instances there are of his intercession under the former dispensation, (Zech. 1:12, 13, 3:1-4) the actual existence of Christ's human nature from eternity, was not necessary to his being a Mediator of the covenant; it was enough that he agreed in covenant, to be man in time; that this was known he would be, and was certain he should be; and accordingly he was, from the instant of the covenant making, reckoned and accounted, and bore the name of the God-man and Mediator, and acted as such. Some parts of his work did not require the actual existence of the human nature; he could draw nigh to God, as Jehovah's fellow, without it; he could treat with God about terms of peace, and promise to fulfil them, and covenant with God without it: it no more required the actual existence of his human nature, to covenant with his Father, about the reconciliation and redemption of man, than it required that the Father should assume such a nature to covenant with his Son about the same: there were other parts of Christ's work as Mediator, which required its actual existence; as obedience to the law, and suffering death, the penalty of it; but then, and not before, was it necessary for him to assume it, when the fulness of time was come agreed on, to obey and suffer. It only remains now,
4. Fourthly, To show what a Mediator Christ is, the excellency of him, and the epithets which belong to him as such. And,
4a. He is the one and only Mediator; "There is one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus"; and there is no other: the papists plead for other mediators, angels and saints departed; and distinguish between a Mediator of redemption, and a mediator of intercession; the former, they own, is peculiar to Christ, the latter common to angels and saints; but there is no Mediator of intercession, but who is a Mediator of redemption and reconciliation; the instances produced are insufficient, and respect either the uncreated angel, Jesus Christ himself, (Zech. 1:12; Rev. 8:3) or saints, ministers, and members of churches in the present state, and not as departed, (Rev. 5:8) and if is to be understood of departed spirits, it is only an (Rev. 6:9) instance of prayer for themselves, and not for others: the passages in (Ex. 32:13; Job 5:1) with others, are quite impertinent.
4b. Christ is a Mediator of men only, not of angels; good angels need not any, and as for evil angels, none is provided nor admitted, as before observed. Yet not of all men; for the world, said to be reconciled to God by Christ, is not all the individuals in it; but the world Christ gave his flesh, or human nature for the life of, since there is a world for which he is not so much as a Mediator of intercession, and much less a Mediator of reconciliation (see 2 Cor. 5:19; John 6:51, 17:9). The persons for whom Christ acted as a Mediator, by means of death, for the redemption of their transgressions, were such as were called, and received the promise of the eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15).
4c. Yet he is the Mediator both for Jews and Gentiles; for some of both these are chosen vessels of mercy; and God is a covenant God, not to the Jews only, but to the Gentiles also; and Christ is a Propitiation, not for the sins of the Jews only, but for the sins of the whole world, or of God's elect throughout the whole world: and therefore both have access to God through the one Mediator, Christ, (Rom. 9:23, 24, 3:29, 30; 1 John 2:2; Eph. 2:18).
4d. Christ is Mediator both for Old and New Testament saints; there is but one Mediator for both, but one Way to the Father, which is Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life; but one Way of life, peace, reconciliation, and salvation; but one Redeemer and Saviour; but one name given under heaven among men, whereby they can be saved; Old and New Testament saints are saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus; he is the Foundation of the apostles and prophets.
4e. Christ is a prevalent Mediator, his mediation is always effectual, ever succeeds, and is infallible; as his work was to make peace and reconciliation, and he agreed and engaged to make it; he has made it, the thing is done, and done effectually; and as for his prayers, they are always heard, his intercession ever prevails, and is never in vain; "I knew that thou hearest me always" (John 11:42).
4f. Christ is an everlasting Mediator; he was Mediator from everlasting, and acted as such throughout the whole Old Testament period and still continues; he has an unchangeable priesthood; his blood always speaks peace and pardon, and he ever lives to make intercession; and when his mediatorial kingdom will be completed, and there will be no need of him, either as a Mediator of reconciliation or intercession, at least in the manner he has been, and now is; for sin being wholly removed from the saints, even as to the being of it, they may have access to God, and he may communicate unto them, without the intervention of a Mediator; as is the case of the holy angels; though Christ may be the medium of the glory and happiness of his people to all eternity; and since the happiness of the saints will greatly lie in beholding the glory of Christ as God-man, and the glory of God will be most illustriously displayed in him, it may be admitted: I shall observe no more, only that this office of Christ, as Mediator, includes his Kingly, Priestly, and Prophetic offices; all which will be considered in their proper place.
245R. Joseph Albo, lkkarim, Orat. 2. c. 28.
246Quis Rer. Divin. Haeres, p. 509. Vid. ibid. de Cherubim, p. 112.
247Plutarch. de Isid. et Osir.
248Suidas in voce μεσιτης.
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text:
Posted on June 17, 2022 by Ian Harris
Rolling into the finish with Martin at 6 PM
It was a relatively calm day with little wind, at least by central Illinois standards. We started with a big group that stuck together for about 4-5 hours and then started whittling down until only Collin Johnson and I remained in the lead. Breaks were considerably shorter; Strava says I spent 17 minutes off the bike this year, compared to 35 minutes in 2021. This was my second endurance race, and I've learned a lot since getting second last year. I made sure to fuel and hydrate properly throughout the race, and having a crew helped a lot. Eating strawberries throughout the day was also a good idea, since fruit noticeably helps my recoveries. Whereas Collin used this race as a tuneup for National 24 hour two weeks later, which ended up getting cancelled, I treated this as my A-race, peaking my training two weeks earlier and then tapering hard. We rolled through the final lap with a little over 20 minutes to go, and after gaining some ground on a turn, I launched an attack and broke away for good. My final distance was 245.8 miles, 2-ish ahead of second. Kelley Wegeng won the womens' race with 210.8 miles, sticking with and taking pulls for the men at the beginning. This was the best race I've ever had, and it was also my first cycling victory. I felt incredibly strong the whole time and had lots of gas in the tank for the final attack, which happened to involve pulling Martin (3rd overall, first in age group) on the partial lap return trip. Last year, I failed to hydrate properly and felt weak for a while, which led to me getting dragged around by Tom Keller for a few hours until he ditched me. In addition to that first ultra experience, my favorite training ride that I believe most helped consisted of riding an 18.7 mile loop with around 1850-ish feet of climbing back home in southwestern PA this past January. I rode it for 10 hours, forced myself to eat and drink when I didn't want to, and maintained a steady pace. I'm grateful that all of my physical and mental preparation finally came to fruition. Big thanks to Jay and the rotary club for putting on a great event, and I'm currently resting to reset the training cycle for another 12 hour this August!
Celebrating victories!
News Ultracycling

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Vale a pena vistar o blog e conferir porque os cartões postais são um objeto de estudo inspirador com suas histórias, arte e segredos.
Today I decided to post a secret of mine so that he could take his own path in peace, without any residence and censorship. Once my secret was set free from his remitter, he was able to find me in the audience. After all, I fell as if the distance from the stage was what allowed me to denounce my own secret.
It is worthwhile to have a look at the blog and see why the postcards are inspiring objects of study with their stories, art and secrets.
Em breve providenciarei um desses postais com os meus mais terríveis segredos hahahaha!!!


Pilots get shot down giây after they take off.
I've been very busy lately. Not just with real life, but with other người hâm mộ fictions.
ngôi sao Wars 9 leak: 'Hayden Christensen BACK as Anakin Skywalker' Force ghost hoặc flashback?
ngôi sao WARS 9 could see the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, as a new leak says the ngôi sao is set to film a scene for Episode IX.


text:
Supplement Not Supplant Is Dead
January 19, 2017 By Shane Vander Hart
The U.S. Department of Education yesterday killed their draft rule for Title I funding in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) known as "Supplement, Not Supplant." It's not an issue that we've written a whole lot on here, but it highlighted one way that the Secretary of Education could gut any flexibility members of Congress thought they had when they passed ESSA.
If you were not familiar with the rule it basically said that in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as recently revised by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), that federal funds must supplement, and may not supplant, state and local funds. Civil rights activists and department bureaucrats were concerned that federal funding would replace state and local funding to the detriment of lower-income schools.
"For too long, the students who need the most have gotten the least," said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr said in a released statement announcing the proposed rule last Summer. "The inequities in state and local funding that we see between schools within districts are inconsistent not only with the words 'supplement-not-supplant' but with the civil rights history of that provision and with the changes Congress made to the law last year. No single measure will erase generations of resource inequities, and there is much more work to do across states and districts to address additional resource inequities, but this is a concrete step forward to help level the playing field and ensure compliance with the law."
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday also expressed concern with this proposed rule and promised to enforce ESSA in way that "Congress has intended."
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) issued a joint statement praising the decision.
This is a significant victory for students, parents, and school leaders across the country. The department's regulatory scheme would have violated the law and unleashed serious harm on some of our nation's poorest schools and communities. While this is encouraging news, we should never have faced the threat of this misguided regulatory proposal. We look forward to working closely with the new administration to ensure recent K-12 education reforms are implemented in a manner that respects the letter and intent of the law.
Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) also responded in a released statement:
I am glad the Education Department has listened to Congress and has chosen not to move forward with its proposed 'supplement-not-supplant' regulation. This proposal would have dictated from Washington how states and school districts should spend nearly all state and local tax dollars on schools in order to receive federal Title I dollars — which are only about 3 percent of total national spending on K-12 schools. A regulation like this is not authorized by law; in fact, it is specifically prohibited by law.
I look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration and Betsy DeVos, once confirmed, so we can ensure that the Every Student Succeeds Act is implemented as Congress wrote it, restoring control of public schools to states like Tennessee and to local communities.
So this is good news, but it would be even better news if Congress scraped ESSA altogether and sunset the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Filed Under: Elementary and Secondary Education Act Tagged With: Betsy DeVos, Every Student Succeeds Act, John B. King, Supplement Not Supplant, Title I Funding, Todd Rosita, U.S. Department of Education, Virginia Foxx


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●ZRS series light oil and heavy oil burner is ignition after oil injection through burner nozzle when the burning oil fully atomized and keep burning.
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●The oil burner adopt fissional structure design. That is the main machine, fan, pump group, valve group and control system separated. It features high output power, easy maintenance, using gas ignition, wide proportion to adjust(Generaly 1:4-1:6), with low demand of burning oil.
●According to the practical use situation analysis, generally it maintain good atomizing and combustion when working pressure keep 2-2.5Mpa.


text:
È noto per aver doppiato Eiji Okumura in Banana Fish. Nojima è il figlio del doppiatore veterano Akio Nojima ed il fratello più giovane del doppiatore Hirofumi Nojima. Dal 2004 è sposato con la collega Chie Sawaguchi, con la quale ha avuto due figli.

Ruoli principali

Serie televisive anime
A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (Tumeric)
Air Gear (Akira Udō)
Amatsuki (Heihachi)
Banana Fish (Eiji Okumura)
BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (Yoshiyuki Taira)
Blood+ (Karman)
Blood-c (Fumito Nanahara)
Blue Gender (Yuji Kaido)
The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi (Toshiaki Nakamura)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Younger Slicer brother)
Pretty Cure Splash☆Star (Kazuya Mishō)
Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor (Shō Fukamachi)
Hai to gensō no Grimgar (Adachi)
Hitorinoshita - The Outcast (Xu San / Jo San)
High School DxD (Yuto Kiba)
Honey and Clover II (Yūta Takemoto [episode 12 only])
Innocent Venus (Jō Katsuragi)
Kanon 2006 (Kuze)
Koutetsu Sangokushi (Roshuku Shikei)
Maid-sama! (Kuuga)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (Yuna Roma Seiran, Bart Heim)
Naruto (Menma)
Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou (Mamiru Keikain)
One Piece (Pell)
Over Drive (Kôichi Terao)
Pokémon Chronicles (Kenta)
Record of School Wars: Muryo (Hajime Murata)
Shakugan no Shana (Keisaku Sato)
Shakugan no Shana Second (Keisaku Sato)
Sister Princess (Wataru Minakami)
Sister Princess: Re Pure (Wataru Minakami)
Spiral: Suiri no kizuna (Kanone Hilbert)
The Candidate for Goddess ([Erts Virny Cocteau)
The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi (Toshiaki Nakamura)
The Marshmallow Times (Lime)
Transformers Animated (Wasp/Waspinator)
Trigun (Richie)
Kinnikuman II-Sei (Jade)
Weiß Kreuz: Glühen (Todou master)
Yakitate!! Japan (Takumi Tsubozuka)
Sailor Moon Crystal (Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask)

OVA
Angel Sanctuary (Setsuna Mudo)
Kachō no Koi (Ryuu Harada)
Shakugan no Shana Tokubetsuhen: Koi to Onsen no Kōgai Gakushū! (Keisaku Sato)

Film
Blue Gender: The Warrior (Yuji Kaido)
Clannad (Tomoya Okazaki)
Shakugan no Shana (Keisaku Sato)

Videogiochi
Another Century's Episode 2 (Hikaru Ichijo)
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (Hans Grimm)
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Toscha Mijasik)
Arc The Lad Seirei No Koukon (Kharg)
Baroque (Worker Angel, Neophyte)
Digimon Survive (Haruchika)
Dynasty Warriors 6 (Lu Xun)
Hiiro no Kakera 2: Hisui no Shizuku (Shigemori Akira)
The Last Remnant (Rush Sykes)
Mega Man ZX Advent (Vent)
Melty Blood (Shiki Tohno, Nanaya Shiki)
Pure Pure Mimi to Shippo no Monogatari (Takuya Midou)
Shadow Hearts (Keith Valentine)
Shadow of the Colossus (Wander)
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (Serph)
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (Serph, Serph Sheffield)
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (Hikaru Ichijyo)
Star Fox: Assault (Fox McCloud)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Fox McCloud)
Tales of Vesperia (Cumore)
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Guede)
Tokimeki Memorial 2 (Junichirou Hokari)
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Kiss (Kazuyuki Akagi)
WarTech: Senko No Ronde (Mika Mikii)
Warriors Orochi 2 (Lu Xun)
Nessa no Rakuen (Ashraf)
Genshin Impact (Albedo)

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Litigation may not be a good remedy in adjustment of status delay or I-140 delay cases or other matters where USCIS is permitted to exercise discretion. For an assessment of your case, please feel free to consult us. However, generally an immigration applicant may be able to seek judicial remedy to expedite his or her long pending application/petition with the USCIS by way of filing a Writ of Mandamus.


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Home Consumerism Canned muzak takes away listener choice
Canned muzak takes away listener choice
Bobwords November 1, 2019 November 1, 2019 Consumerism, Music, Privacy
Image by Naobim/pixabay.com
Today I'm keen to vent my displeasure at the seemingly inescapable intrusion of canned music – known as muzak. Background music in public places was once described by violinist Yehudi Menuhin as 'pollution of the mind'. Menuhin, the consummate classical soloist, led a campaign in the late 1960s to have muzak banned from shopping malls and other public spaces. Muzak is a company set up in the 1950s which produced pre-recorded background music and sold it to shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces. Muzak was sold to Westinghouse in 1981, then to the publishers of the Chicago Sun-Times and sold again to Mood Music in 2011. Although often known as 'elevator music' for its pernicious blandness, Muzak (the company) never actually sold it to lift companies. Muzak was so pervasive in the 1960s and 1970s it became a lower case term for light music of generic sameness).
For my part, I endured it all day every day when employed by supermarkets. There's a lot of difference, let me tell you, between sub-consciously listening to what Alistair Cooke called 'audible wallpaper' while doing a 20-minute shop and being forced to listen from 8.30am to 5pm, five or six days a week. In 1975 I wrote an offensive song about muzak. I didn't play guitar then, so a friend helped orchestrate my first foray into songwriting and performed it at the Brisbane Folk Centre. There were references to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana brass (This guy's in love with you), Andy Williams (More), Acker Bilk (Stranger on the shore) and Henry Mancini (Moon River).
From my memory of working in retail, Muzak's selection of the month was delivered as a reel of tape and was then wound into a reel-to-reel recorder securely locked in a box on the wall of the office.
Fast forward to 2019 and our ears are constantly assaulted by bland music, wirelessly emanating from tiny speakers tucked into the roofs of establishments ranging from coffee shops to football stadiums. I'm not privy to how the music at sports venues is broadcast, but let me give the NRL and even the Intrust Super Cup organisers a bit of feedback – and I mean that literally too.
Various codes of sport feel compelled to fill in any break in play with partial renditions of songs, at peak volume. At the Intrust Super Cup final at Redcliffe, the volume was so deafening, the choice of music (hip-hop, pop, rock, reggae) so ad hoc, that just about anyone within earshot of us began berating the invisible DJ.
The music starts when play has broken down (for an injury or a penalty), and is abruptly cut off when play resumes (just as you were getting in the groove). A snippet of Van Halen or ACDC, bless them, adds nothing to the game, especially when the music is reverberating around metal and concrete grandstands.
Mood music seems to have gone up in standard since my days of listening to Up Up and Away for the seventh time in a working day. Muzak's 2019 owner, Mood Media, offers a wide range of genres to its clients and I have no doubt about the quality.
My main argument with unsolicited music streamed in public places is just that – it is unsolicited and, rather than put me in a good mood, it does the reverse.
We were having dinner at a city restaurant recently which streamed its own brand of muzak, distributed around a relatively small space. It was not my imagination – the volume increased as the night wore on. I was going to ask someone to turn it down (have been known to do this). But on a trip to the loo I realised the same music was being streamed through all the neighbouring restaurants.
A barista once showed me where his canned music came from – it was one of a set of CDs called Café Music. I asked him did it not get irritating for those who work there.
"After a while you don't notice it," he replied. And that is just the point. Mood music is in the background – able to be heard but not intended to be listened to.
George Winter, writing for the Irish Times, described his experience of 'aural Polyfilla' while having coffee in a shopping mall.
"Muzak pollutes the air, befouling the connections between one rational thought and another until I begin to think that it probably would be a good idea to buy a tie-rack for the cat."
Winter recalled October 1969, when Yehudi Menuhin addressed Unesco's International Music Council.
"Our world has become a sounding board for man-made sounds, amplified to suffuse and suffocate us," Menuhin said, in part.
The Council had muzak in mind when it denounced "the intolerable infringement of individual freedom" and asserted "the right of everyone to silence, because of the abusive use, in private and public places, of recorded or broadcast music."
Winter concluded with the observation that as Ireland had banned smoking in pubs, why not ban muzak too?
He cited Professor Stuart Sim's Manifesto for Silence, where Sims comments on background music not only in malls and restaurants but in pubs.
"It is a deliberate policy on the management's part. The noise helps to create a frenzied, over-stimulated atmosphere which promotes evermore frenzied consumption."
Prof Sims's 2007 manifesto, subtitled Confronting the Politics and Culture of Noise, makes an urgent demand for silence. In the introduction to his book, he sees it as a tussle between those who want more noise (as in the oft-repeated anonymous command of 'make some noise' when attending footie games) and those who want none.
"Lifting the ban on mobile phones on planes has opened up a new front in this conflict," he wrote.
If you have ever been to sacred spaces like Uluru, Notre Dame, the Vatican or the ancient cathedral at Assisi, unwanted background music becomes apparent by its absence.I have oft times wondered if the people you see on trains and buses with listening buds in their ears are (a) listening to something they want to listen to or (b) shutting out the madding crowd with meditative music.It could all be completely wrong, because those on the outside cannot know what is being heard on the inside. That's the beauty of choosing what to listen to and when.
Academic studies have been done on whether or not students write better essays when listening to music. This survey, trialled with 54 psychology students, concluded that it disrupted writing fluency, although those with music training and/or high working memory wrote better essays with longer sentences.
Likewise, studies have been done to examine the effect of background music in open plan offices (used to mask ambient sound and background conversations). Hmm, is that accountant over there listening to Céline Dion or is he wearing noise cancelling headphones?
As a songwriter, the biggest problem I have with unsolicited background music is that they never introduce or back-announce the track. So on the slight chance a song might sound familiar; you are never going to know. The upside for songwriters is that if your music is used as 'aural Polyfilla', the royalty cheques will keep on dribbling in. As I added up my royalty income for the October 31 tax deadline, it became crystal clear I am not and never will be one of those.
The Sound of Silence https://youtu.be/NAEppFUWLfc
PS: As this essay argues, listening to music should be a matter of personal choice. So click or don't click on this splendid rendition by She Who Sings (aka Laurel Wilson), of Un Bel Di Vedremo from Puccini's Madame Butterfly. https://youtu.be/WCQEhgpb-qM
Alistar Cooke, canned music, Manifesto for Silencxe, Muzak, NRL, Professor Stuart Sims, songwriting royalties, Yehudi Menuhin. Bookmark.
When a church is not a church
Movember and a short history of facial hair
Kathryn Johnston
I enjoyed this post Bob. Yes, can something be done about the muzak! We have asked on many occasions (in restaurants) for the music to be turned down. Prior to this choosing a table away from the speakers or alternatively leaving altogether.
I absolutely love Laurel's rendition of 'Un Bel Di Vedremo' – a new career awaits!


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Reps. Rice & Costello Introduce Bill to Help Prevent Domestic Abusers from Buying Guns
Local News, Crime
By Long Island News & PR Published: November 02 2017
Bipartisan bill creates incentives for states to improve reporting of domestic violence records to federal background check systems.
Photo by: Skitterphoto
Long Island, NY - November 2, 2017 - U.S. Representatives Kathleen Rice (D-NY) and Ryan Costello (R-PA) today introduced new legislation to help prevent domestic abusers from buying guns by creating incentives for states to provide complete domestic violence records to federal background check databases, and by providing grant funding to help states improve their reporting processes. H.R. 4183, the Domestic Violence Records Reporting Improvement Act of 2017, encourages states to improve domestic violence records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in two ways. First, it would require states to properly report domestic violence records in order to be eligible for National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) grants, which provide funding to states to improve reporting of criminal history records and protection orders for gun purchaser background checks and for other reasons. The bill would require NCHIP grants to be used specifically to improve the accessibility of domestic violence records through NICS, unless the state receiving the grant has already made a certain percentage of its domestic violence records accessible through NICS. Second, the bill would make NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) grants more available to states that want to use those grants to improve the accessibility of domestic violence records in NICS. NARIP grants are available to states specifically to improve the reporting of criminal history, mental health, and protection order records to NICS for gun purchaser background checks. However, states are currently not eligible for these grants if they haven't implemented a program that provides a way for people subject to the mental health disqualifiers to regain their gun eligibility. 21 states did not have such programs as of February 2016. H.R. 4183 removes that legal barrier so that states that want to improve domestic violence reporting are not denied funding that can help them do so.
"When domestic abusers can easily buy guns, their partners too often end up dead – that's what happens when our background check system lacks complete, up-to-date domestic violence records from every state in the country," said Representative Kathleen Rice. "Our bipartisan bill creates common-sense incentives for states to improve their reporting of domestic violence records so that we can enforce the law, keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, and save lives. New York has been a national leader when it comes to reporting domestic violence records, and this bill will help ensure that every state in the country approaches this problem with the same level of commitment."
"I am committed to rededicating our efforts to encourage states to report domestic violence records to the appropriate government agencies, as this critical information could result in saved lives," said Rep. Ryan Costello. "Our background check system is only as strong as it is comprehensive, and this legislation will help keep our communities safe by making sure officials have the tools and resources they need to report the information that makes these records complete."
"Domestic violence and firearms violence are a lethal combination. That's why domestic abusers should not be able to easily access firearms. Our elected leaders must step up and close loopholes in our laws to enhance the safety of women, families and our communities." Said Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, founder of Giffords. "I applaud Congressman Ryan Costello and Congresswoman Kathleen Rice for putting forward a bipartisan piece of legislation that requires states to fully upload domestic violence records into the background check system. I urge my former colleagues to pass this bill and help make women and their families safer from domestic abusers with guns."
The full text of H.R. 4183 is available here.
Additional Background on HR. 4183:
Research has shown that victims of domestic violence are at a much higher risk of being killed if their abuser owns a gun, which is why federal law restricts gun ownership for individuals who have been convicted of certain domestic violence misdemeanors as well as individuals who are subject to certain kinds of restraining orders. However, domestic abusers who meet these criteria are still often able to pass background checks and buy guns because the federal background check system lacks sufficient information on domestic violence records.
The federal background check requirement involves a search through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a group of databases maintained by the FBI using information provided primarily by states and local governments. The extent to which domestic violence records are accessible during a NICS background check varies significantly from state to state. Many states have no protocols to distinguish misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from other misdemeanor convictions in their records, and many states do not provide sufficient information to NICS about domestic violence restraining orders. Without this information, NICS cannot readily identify whether a conviction or restraining order disqualifies a person from possessing a gun, meaning that domestic abusers can still pass a NICS background check. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), inadequacies in the available records allowed domestic abusers to pass background checks and obtain guns more than 6,700 times between 2006 and 2015.
H.R. 4183 will create incentives for states to improve their domestic violence reporting in two ways:
First, it will make proper reporting of domestic violence records a condition for a state to use NCHIP grant funding for other purposes. States will be required to use this funding specifically to improve domestic violence reporting records, unless and until a state has already made a certain percentage of its domestic violence records accessible through NICS.
Second, it will made NARIP grants more available to states that want to use the grant funding to make domestic violence records more accessible in NICS. As of February 2016, 21 states were ineligible for NARIP grants because they don't have a program that provides a way for people subject to the mental health disqualifiers to regain their gun eligibility. H.R. 4183 removes that legal barrier and allows all states to receive NARIP grant funding if they use it to improve the reporting of domestic violence records.
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text:
Erasmus+ for non-European students
The University of Bonn – Open to all
Erasmus+ worldwide
Are you a student at a non-European university who wants to take part in the Erasmus program? As part of the Erasmus+ worldwide the University of Bonn cooperates with non-European partner universities to enable students like you to study under the Erasmus program.
Study at the University of Bonn for one or two semesters (minimum duration: 3 months; maximum: 12 months)
Financial support through an Erasmus grant
Recognition of academic credits earned at the University of Bonn
Your home university will help you prepare for your study-abroad period; support during your stay will be provided by the University of Bonn.
To apply for the Erasmus+ worldwide scheme, you must meet the following requirements:
You must be currently studying at a partner university (your nationality is not important).
You are interested in studying at the University of Bonn for one or two semesters.
You must be enrolled as a student at your home university when you submit your application and you must remain enrolled for the duration of your stay in Bonn.
Students taking a bachelor's degree: you must have completed at least the first year of your bachelor's degree when you begin studying in Bonn.
In contrast to the Erasmus+ European exchange program, not all subjects are included in the Erasmus+ worldwide exchange program. This is because only a few selected projects are supported by Erasmus+ worldwide exchange. At present the University of Bonn has Erasmus+ worldwide cooperative agreements with partners in the following countries:
Countries and Partner Universities
Hebrew University of Jerusalem2
Program coordinator: Liat Gabai (email)
Tel Aviv University3
Program coordinator: Prof. Dorit Tanay (email)
Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya4
Program coordinator: Nina Singer (email)
Weizmann Institute of Sciences5
Program coordinators: Aileen Halbershtat (email) and Yaara Biess (email)
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology6
Program coordinator: Prof. Dr. Alexander Debrah (email)
7Mzumbe University8
Program coordinator: Dr. Theobald Frank Theodory (email)
9Sokoine University of Agriculture10
Program coordinator: Dr. Greyson Nyamoga (email)
Please contact the International Office at your home university to learn more about the possibilities of studying as an exchange student at the University of Bonn within the Erasmus+ worldwide scheme. The candidate selection criteria are specified by the home university in consultation with the host institution.
Step 1: Nomination by your home university
Your home university nominates you for the Erasmus+ worldwide program.
Nomination deadlines:
For winter semester 2022/2023: March 1-April 1, 2022
For summer semester 2023: September 1-October 1, 2022
Please contact the International Office at your home university to complete step 1 before continuing to step 2.
Step 2: Registration via the Mobility-Online website
If you are nominated in time by your home university, you may register via the online application portal Mobility-Online. Please read the registration information on the Mobility-Online website and follow the instructions in the emails that you will be sent after each step of the registration process.
Online Registration1110
Step 3: Upload the required application documents within the application period
Enter all of the necessary information on the Mobility-Online portal and upload the required application documents within the application period.
Application deadlines:
For winter semester 2022/2023: April 1-May 1, 2022
For summer semester 2023: October 1-November 1, 2022
Step 4: Acceptance
After the application deadline has passed, the International Office will review the submitted documents and will send you a letter of admission. If you need to apply for a student visa, please present the letter of admission to the relevant German embassy or consular office.
© Pexels.com
Once selected for the exchange program, you are eligible to receive financial support from the Erasmus+ worldwide scheme. Key information at a glance:
The grant awarded to you is tied to the partner institutions and countries stated in the application
Grants can be awarded for study abroad purposes
Mobility grant paid for the duration of the stay (€ 850 per month)
Travel allowance (amount paid depends on actual distance involved). The travel allowance is calculated using the distance calculator121213 provided by the European Commission (Israel = € 530; Ghana and Tanzania = € 820). Maximum duration of funding for bachelor's degree students ("first cycle") and master's students degrees ("second cycle") is 12 months.
Studying for a second degree does not confer any increased entitlement to receive financial support. Previous Erasmus grants (for study and for traineeships) at another university will also be taken into account.
If you have successfully applied for an Erasmus grant to study at the University of Bonn, the following pages provide important information that will help you prepare for your stay in Bonn.
Concerning the enrollment process at the University of Bonn, you will receive an email from the International Office with detailed instructions.
Checklist for Erasmus+ worldwide students (PDF)
How to register with Mobility-Online (PDF)
Learning Agreement (PDF)
Information about Learning Agreement (PDF)
Confirmation of Stay (PDF)
Information about completing the EU-Survey (PDF)
Dr. Manuela Meraner
m.meraner@uni-bonn.de
Erasmus+ worldwide (Incoming)
Poppelsdorfer Allee 53
53115 Bonn (Germany)
Tuesdays (via Zoom)
Thursdays (via Zoom21)
The basis for the participation of the University of Bonn in the Erasmus program is the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.
© EU
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Information issued by the EU
The European Commission website also contains general information regarding the Erasmus+ program.
Learn more23232214
The Campus International program seeks to promote greater intercultural exchange at the University of Bonn.
There are a range of options open to international students who wish to improve and extend their German language skills.
Learn more26


EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed MMO originally developed by Verant Interactive and 989 Studios for Windows PCs. It was released by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999 in North America, and by Ubisoft in Europe in April 2000. A dedicated version for macOS was released in June 2003, which operated for ten years before being shut down in November 2013. In June 2000, Verant Interactive was absorbed into Sony Online Entertainment, who took over full development and publishing duties of the title.


AAEV.L has closed Bollinger Bands are 860.7% wider than normal. The large width of the bands suggest high volatility as compared to AAEV.L's normal range. The bands have been in this wide range for 8 bars. This is a sign that the current trend might continue.


Oban Celtic have confirmed Dougie MacIntyre has been appointed their new first team manager.
Dougie takes over ahead of Oban Celtic's third season in the Marine Harvest National Division and will be assisted by Les Kinvig who was involved with the Oban Celtic reserves last season.
The duo replace Kenny Wotherspoon who stepped down after three years in charge during which he led the side to the Marine Harvest South Division 1 title followed by a sixth and then a fifth-place finish in the Marine Harvest National Division.
Although Dougie MacIntyre has not previously managed at a senior level, he can call on his playing days at the highest level with town rivals Oban Camanachd.
Oban Celtic's Davie Hamilton said: 'Dougie brings with him a wealth of experience from his playing days. He knows how to play the game and can put that across to the boys. I'm sure they will take to him and they've been very positive about the appointment.
Dougie was one of the finest players of his era and is best known for his days with Oban Camanachd. He played a major part in their 1996 Camanachd Cup success when they beat Kingussie 3-2 in a thrilling centenary final at the Bught Park, Inverness.
Oban Camanachd were trailing 2-0 in the final before MacIntyre scored twice to level the match at the break. His brother, Gordon MacIntyre, bagged the winner midway through the second half.
Dougie MacIntyre represented Oban Celtic as a youth player in his early days, however.
Oban Celtic started training at the Oban High School all-weather pitch on Thursday January 10. The Thursday sessions take place between 7.30pm and 9pm. They have also added Tuesday sessions between 6pm and 7pm at the same venue.
Oban Celtic's first team pre-season programme begins with a match against Glengarry on Saturday February 2, with the venue to be confirmed.
They follow that up a week later with the annual Robert Wylie Memorial Cup match when they play Taynuilt at Taynuilt Sports Field.
Oban Celtic also take on Inveraray on Saturday February 23, with the venue for that match also still to be confirmed.
Oban Celtic have also confirmed they will continue with a second team in Marine Harvest South Division 2 next season.
This will give their senior side a valuable back-up and help continue to develop the club's younger players.
Daniel Cameron will again captain Oban Camanachd for the 2019 shinty season.
The versatile Daniel is the choice of new manager Stephen Sloss. It will be a second season as skipper for Daniel after leading the side to Scottish Sea Farms Glasgow Celtic Society Cup success last term.
Daniel Cameron has been one of Oban Camanachd's most prominent players in recent seasons and although he missed the 2018 shinty /hurling international against Ireland, he has been a regular in the Scotland squad in recent years. He will be a popular leader in the Oban Camanachd camp.
Oban Camanachd will look to better last season's fifth-placed finish in the Marine Harvest Premiership, as well as defending the Scottish Sea Farms Glasgow Celtic Society Cup.
Lochaber have re-advertised for first and second team managers for the 2019 shinty season.
The club's original advert last month hasn't attracted any suitable candidates so they continue their search for replacements for Lachlan Campbell, who finished last season in charge of the Lochaber seniors, and John Fraser, who led their second team.
Despite not having a boss, Lochaber are still putting a pre-season schedule together. They travel to Cannich on Saturday February 9 to play Strathglass with the annual Murdo MacKenzie Memorial Cup at stake. Lochaber will play Skye Camanachd a week later. That match is scheduled for Spean Bridge but could be switched to Pairc nan Laoch, Portree, if the weather isn't favourable. There are another couple of fixtures in the pipeline, but they are not yet confirmed.
Lochaber Ladies have organised three pre-season friendlies, all at home if the weather allows. Glenurquhart Ladies visit Spean Bridge on Sunday January 27 with Fort William and Strathspey providing the opposition the following two Sundays.
New Kilmallie manager John Stewart is getting his squad ready for a return to the Marine Harvest Premiership.
Training is already under way. It got off to a great start with more than 30 players attending both of the first week's sessions.
Kilmallie have arranged a friendly match against Inverness at the Bught Park on Saturday February 9. Throw-up is at 1pm.
They then travel to face Beauly at Braeview Park on Saturday February 16 with a noon start.
Kilmallie's final pre-season test is a clash with neighbours Fort William at Canal Parks on Saturday February 23 with the BSW Cup at stake.
It has been a sad time for everyone connected with Kilmallie as, last Saturday, they attended the funeral of Lynsey MacPherson, wife of former manager Mark MacPherson. Many people from throughout the shinty world paid their respects.
Skye Camanachd have confirmed their new second team management arrangements for the new shinty season.
Kenny MacLeod, who led the side last term, has stepped up to take over the first team along with Allan MacLeod. He has been replaced by a pool of coaches who will look after the reserves. The pool includes David Grant, Iain Murray, David Pringle and Ewen MacKinnon and the monthly arrangement will be co-ordinated by club vice president Thomas Wilson.
The model is one similar to that operated by the Kingussie second team last season.
Skye will host their inter-island Ewen Morrison Memorial Cup match at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree, on Saturday February 2. They then play Lovat for the George Michie Memorial Cup at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree, a week later.
Skye round off their pre-season against Lochaber at Spean Bridge on Saturday February 16, although that match will be reversed to Portree if the weather isn't favourable. They are then away to Kinlochshiel on the final Saturday of February.
Ballachulish will be led by a management team of Morgan Smith and Alan 'Pele' Clark in Marine Harvest South Division 1 next season.
The club, who will be captained by Cain MacPhee, are putting together their pre-season fixtures.
There will be a full house at Glengarry's annual indoor tournament to contest the Johnstone Rose Bowl at the Nevis Centre, Fort William, on Saturday January 26.
Skye Camanachd Ladies were winners in 2018, beating Badenoch and Strathspey in the final. Badenoch and Strathspey were successful 12 months earlier but Skye won the tournament in 2014, 2015 and 2016, making them the team to beat.
There will also be a player of the tournament award, won by Skye's Caitlin Maclean last year.
The competition starts at noon.
The Johnstone Rose Bowl was donated to Glengarry Girls Shinty Club in 1998 – a year after the team was formed – by Mrs Ailsa Johnstone of DA Johnstone and Son Contractors, Invergarry, which have been loyal sponsors since.
It's same again following Newtonmore's annual general meeting at the Balavil Hotel.
There is no surprise that following a season in which the Newtonmore first team won the Premiership, the Camanachd Cup and the MacTavish Cup, Paul John MacKintosh stays on as first team manager. The Macaulay Cup was the only trophy that eluded the senior side.
Newtonmore have pre-season friendly matches against Caberfeidh and Glenurquhart before they welcome Oban Camanachd to the Eilan on Saturday February 23.
Paul John MacKintosh will be without the retired Norman Campbell this season and Neil Stewart.
It's the same story with the Newtonmore second string as Orsten Gardner, who led the side to the North Division 1, Sutherland Cup and Strathdearn Cup treble last term, remains as boss for the 2019 season.
The Kingussie Young Guns lifted the Bob Sinclair Memorial Trophy with a 5-3 New Year's Day victory over the Kingussie Veterans at Market Stance.
The Kingussie Veterans were winners last year and although Kevin Thain and a John Gibson double meant they were never out of this game, Savio Genini netted twice for the Young Guns with Alexander Michie and Roddy Young also scoring.
The Bob Sinclair Memorial Trophy was presented to Young Guns' captain Robert Mabon by Sandra Sinclair and Donnie Grant.
Lovat, fresh from their Lovat Cup win over Beauly, will be one of the first teams in action this pre-season when they play Strathglass at Cannich on Saturday January 19.
Lovat have away games at Caberfeidh and Skye Camanachd during the first two Saturdays in February.Fraser Gallacher's side, boosted by the return of Ryan Ferguson and Mark Kelly and the signing of Fraser Heath, which compensates for the loss of Drew Howie who is abroad, finish their pre-season at home to Beauly on Saturday February 23.
That match marks the official opening of the club's impressive new clubhouse.
New Glenurquhart co-managers Stuart MacKintosh and Eddie Tembo have set their side's pre-season programme.
Glenurquhart host Fort William at Blairbeg on Saturday February 9, before welcoming Newtonmore a week later.Glenurquhart are off to Cannich on Saturday February 23 for their annual MacDonald Cup clash.
The Glenurquhart seconds also have a busy pre-season as their Inverness counter-parts visit Blairbeg on Saturday February 2. They follow that up with trips to Boleskine, Beauly and Strathglass the following three Saturdays.
Glasgow Mid Argyll are looking to recruit new players for the forthcoming 2019 shinty season. The club competes at different levels in both men's and women's competitions and would welcome new shinty players of all abilities.
The Glasgow Mid Argyll first team, managed this year by former Oban Celtic player Mark Bain, has had their Marine Harvest National Division chances boosted by the news that Oliver MacRae will join them from Kinlochshiel after relocating to the central belt, whilst former Lochaber player John Sweeney is another new recruit.
GMA visit Oban on Saturday February 9 when their first and second teams play Oban Camanachd and Lochside Rovers at Mossfield.
The Glasgow side follow that up with matches against Inveraray and Kingussie the following two Saturdays. Anyone interested in joining GMA should either leave a private message on the club's Facebook page or email GMAShinty@mail.com.
Ronnie MacVicar continues as Col Glen team manager. Ronnie replaced Peter Kennedy and Brian McNaughton at the start of last season and led the side to a fifth-place finish in Marine South Division 1, only trailing Aberdour in fourth spot on goal difference. The team had finished ninth the year before.
Aberdour Shinty Club are looking to recruit senior male and female players for the 2019 season.
The club has men's first and second teams along with a women's side and a women's development squad. If you would like to get involved, contact Maggie at aberdourshintyclub@gmail.com or send a personal message to the Aberdour Shinty Club FB page.
Inverness announced their annual awards at a dinner dance at the Loch Ness Country House Hotel.
With Allan MacLeod compering the evening, Arran MacMaster was named first team player of the year, whilst keeper Colin Fraser collected the second team player of the year prize. The U21 player of the year was James MacKenzie and another promising youngster, Finlay Calder, was the U17 winner. Katie McMillan was the Inverness Ladies player of the year with Joni Kate Reid taking the development accolade.
The ladies U16 player of the year was Caitlin Mutch and Melissa MacKay was awarded the U14 prize.
Volunteer of the year Drew McNeil as well as Callum McLeod, Graham MacKay and Lynn McNeil were amongst others acknowledged for their efforts.


text:
Rev Rank: Swift doubles up as the MVP of 2020 with album "Evermore"
Gideon Fortune | @asapfortunate
Gideon Fortune
Stars: 5/5
It is impossible to argue that Taylor Swift doesn't love her fans.
Swift announced the Dec. 11 release of her ninth album "Evermore" just six months after its sister record "Folklore." Swift told her fans that "Folklore" left her with a choice to turn back or dig deeper into her music. The one album each era trend is one that Swift will no longer continue.
"I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you," Swift tweeted and she was spot on.
The first track, "willow," began very fittingly with her description of this album. A forest she traveled deeper into following "folklore." A similar sound with a slightly colder feel to open this 15-track album.
"You booked the night train for a reason, so you could sit there in this hurt," Swift sings on the second track "champagne problems." Her ability to write the feelings of hurt so explicitly is remarkable. The soft simple piano melody lets you wallow in the melancholic lyrics.
Jack Antonoff serves up a production masterclass with the third track, "gold rush." Intricate instrumentation continues to swell into an explosion of sounds to fall back again.
Swift loves to sing of empty hope. She has such high expectations and tolerance for disappointment in her love interests. The man she knows is now a shell of herself, but she still greets him with a "battle hero's welcome" on the track "tolerate it." The fifth track connects back to the fifth track on "folklore" where Swift mentions a battle hero saving face. Tying the two albums together speaks to the genius of Swift's artistry and the freedom that writing her own music gives her as a creator.
Haim's instrumentation gives shades of early Swift music coupled with her matured production and song structure. I also feel the intensity of the young Swift as she sings about getting away with murder on "no body, no crime." The background talking in between the lyrics definitely gives shades of the "speak now" era Swift. The Haim feature allows her to create a fresh fast tempo sound unique to this album.
I believe that these past two albums were made specifically for me. The string plucking paired with the piano. It is on display yet again on "happiness." The folk vibes are strong with this one. I am glad that Swift had this kind of era. It compliments her early style and her rare ability to sing slowly and softly while maintaining as much meaning as her singing loudly.
"Dorothea" feels like "betty" from folklore and Swift responded to a fan revealing that they attended the same school in a live Q&A.
The National feature on "coney island" surprised me in a good way. I did not expect them to sing together after trading verses. The mildness of Swift's voice paired with the deep voice of Matt Berninger. "Sorry for not making you my centerfold," they sing in unison.
Taylor Swift's "ivy" cannot touch Frank Ocean's "Ivy," but the emotions are in no way dull. "God damn, my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand," Swift sings over the calming track. The way she continuously sings painful lyrics over tracks that are fun to listen to but still seem to match the mood is odd, but I am not complaining.
"Reputation" provided some bangers and the beat on "long story short" reminded me of that album. The electrical sounds provide us with a very upbeat track. Again, the lyrics are not joyous but you still feel the need to dance to this track when the beat picks up.
"Never be so kind you forget to be clever, never be so clever you forget to be kind," Swift starts on "marjorie" with intense lyrics. She often speaks of her attempts at appearing like a good girl that ultimately made her forget her power. We get an insight into the growth and maturity of Swift and the balance she has been able to obtain. Knowing that she writes her own lyrics makes it all the more heartfelt.
A loud and a rather weird drum loop carries us into the second to last song, "closure." We see more of the soft piano she has used recently. She sings like a person reciting poetry on this track. The very sporadic style of this song while using familiar sounds keeps the album interesting yet cohesive.
Bon Iver was the sole feature on Swift's last album, and it was a wonderful feature that left fans yearning for more of this collaboration. If she is going to do anything, she will provide for her fans. Two minutes and 40 seconds into the song the piano loop suddenly changes. A magical explosion of sound erupts as Bon Iver comes in passionately. The emotion the track exudes as Swift pops back in with her and Bon Iver's words overlapping is overwhelming in the best way possible. The second half of this five-minute track is the most interesting and acoustically pleasing part of this album, providing an extremely worthy ending to an exceptional album.
2020 has been a year many will attempt to forget. Swift has now left behind two memorable albums for Swifties to listen to during this tough year and far beyond. Giving this album 5 stars means that "folklore" deserves six. Let the record show that no matter the genre, Swift has always released good music.
Reveille Entertainment picks: The best albums of 2020
As rough as this year was there was some good music to come out of it. Sad songs to cry along to in the tough times and dance tracks to move t…
Follow Gideon Fortune


With rising interest in traditional furniture the time has come to reassess how it can work in our contemporary homes where space is so often at a premium.
The bureau is amongst my favourite pieces.
There is such delight in a bureau.
As you open it, the fall flap hinges downwards to form a writing surface.
It reveals pigeonholes, drawers, a cupboard and sometimes even secret compartments.
The sloping sides gather you as you sit at it, whether reading, working or just taking time to imagine.
Good vernacular examples from the 18th century are a real pleasure to own.
Indeed, my own bureau is a typical example of this type.
Crafted in precious mahogany it lives in the corner of our spare room - a virtual study for our virtual age.
It was made in England around 1770, during the reign of George III.
As the world's first industrial revolution gained its head of steam, a skilled country cabinetmaker set about making it.
The drawer interiors are of cedar, the dovetails cut by hand.
His eye was good and the proportions are just right.
It is layered with prompts to fond memories; a family photograph, a drawer full of pebbles from a favourite beach, a little cupboard for my communion set, books and the odd column all vie for space with my laptop.
Best of all I can shut the flap on it all when I've done enough or if Aunt Enid comes to stay!
The personal computer with its bulky boxes, screens, cables and keyboard could not be accommodated by the gracious bureau and values were undermined.
But the pleasures of a bureau are finding renewed favour in our wireless age of clouds, iThings and laptops.
They are once again proving to be the perfect home office or virtual study earning their space in the modern home.
A good George III mahogany bureau like mine can still be bought for a hundred or two at auction.
This bureau is almost two hundred and fifty years old and will grace any sitting room, or spare bedroom!
It makes no demands on our world's finite resources and will continue to be a pleasure to generations to come.
Perhaps, in the end, antique furniture is green, not brown.
You should be buying a bureau for your children and grandchildren whilst you still can – the perfect 21st birthday present!


text:
Mireia Lalaguna Royo (born 21 November 1992) is a Spanish model, actress and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 2015. She was previously crowned Miss World Spain 2015, becoming the first woman from Spain to win Miss World.

Early life and education
Lalaguna was born in Barcelona on 21 November 1992. She obtained her bachelor's degree in pharmacy at the University of Barcelona in Spain. Lalaguna is fluent in Catalan, Spanish, French, and English.

Pageantry
Lalaguna ventured into pageantry in 2014. She represented Spain at the Miss Atlántico Internacional 2014 pageant, where she was eventually declared as the winner, crowned by outgoing titleholder Lorena Romaso.

Miss World Spain

Lalaguna competed at the third edition of Miss World Spain on 24 October 2015 in Málaga, representing Barcelona. At the end of the event, she was crowned as Miss World Spain 2015 by her predecessor Lourdes Rodríguez of Castilla-La Mancha. She also won the Miss Luxury special award at the event.

Miss World 2015
Lalaguna represented Spain at Miss World 2015 pageant on 19 December 2015, held in Sanya, China. After advancing to the top five, she answered the question "Why do you think you should win Miss World 2015?" with the following response:

By the end of the event, Lalaguna was crowned Miss World 2015 by outgoing titleholder Rolene Strauss. This was the first time Spain won the Miss World competition. title since the pageant's inception in 1951. This was only the second major international pageant Spain had won, the other being when Amparo Muñoz won Miss Universe 1974.

During her reign, she  traveled to Indonesia, Puerto Rico, the United States, India, Kenya, Russia, China, Philippines, Korea, England, South Africa, Ghana, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Jersey and Spain.

References

External links

1992 births
Living people
Miss Spain winners
Miss World 2015 delegates
Miss World winners
People from Barcelona
Spanish beauty pageant winners
Spanish female models
University of Copenhagen alumni


Increased use of electric space and hot water heating can cut carbon emissions from U.S. homes and buildings, a major source of greenhouse gases, a new analysis from the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute concludes.
The big picture: The report underscores how achieving extremely steep emissions cuts in the coming decades will require far more than just increased use of low-carbon power generation sources.
The details: The analysis concludes that in new construction, and existing buildings that currently use propane or oil, it's already cost-effective to use electricity instead. It may be economical for some homes already running on natural gas, but the results are less decisive.
Even a wholly carbon-free power system would only cut U.S. emissions by 30 percent, RMI notes. This is far from enough for the 14 states with official plans to cut emissions by 75 percent or more by 2050. Electrification may play a key role in closing that gap.
"Widespread electrification of buildings, ground transportation, and half of industry would boost reductions to more than 70% if powered by zero-carbon electricity," the report states.
Nearly all buildings running on propane or fuel oil (9 percent of homes and 11 percent of commercial buildings) stand to gain financially by switching to electricity.
In most cases, new buildings made to run on electricity will cost less, emit less and allow for greater flexible grid demand in home energy management.
States and cities with deep carbon-cutting goals should halt their natural gas infrastructure development.
The catch: The report lays out several obstacles. For one thing, contractors and customers still have little awareness of heat pumps as a cost-effective and cleaner alternative to natural gas, which is the default energy source in nearly all new construction.
And changes are unlikely to be made without strong support from municipal and state governments. One example is California Assembly Bill 3232 (awaiting approval in the state Senate), which would require all buildings to run fully on electricity and be emission free by 2030. It's getting a lot of pushback from natural gas consumer and industry groups.


August 20, 2014 By Heather Thomas & filed under Blog, Tips & Ideas.
August 12, 2014 By Kelly Hanson & filed under Blog, Quilt Supplies.
August 6, 2014 By Kelly Hanson & filed under Blog, Tips & Ideas.
July 3, 2014 By Kelly Hanson & filed under Blog, Quilt Care.
June 30, 2014 By Kelly Hanson & filed under Blog, Tips & Ideas.
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May 13, 2014 By Kelly Hanson & filed under Blog, Quilt Supplies.


Buy E by Design Captain Shirt Square Throw Pillow in Navy from $34.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond. Nautical-inspired, the Captain Shirt Square Throw Pillow from E by Design offers a unique shirt motif on a crisp polyester cover. Filled with a soft polyester down alternative, this comfortable piece is suitable for any indoor space.Nautical-inspired, the Captain Shirt Square Throw Pillow from E by Design offers a unique shirt motif on a crisp polyester cover. Filled with a soft polyester down alternative, this comfortable piece is suitable for any indoor space.