I have eaten up all the grounds of my tea, said, many years since, in my hearing, in modest yet triumphant tones, a little girl of seven years old. I have but to close my eyes, and I see all that scene again, almost as plainly as ever. Six or seven children (I am one of them) are sitting round a tea-table; their father and mother are there too; and an old gentleman, who is (in his own judgment) one of the wisest of men. I see the dining-room, large and low-ceilinged; the cheerful glow of the autumnal fire; the little faces in the soft candle-light, for glaring gas was there unknown. There had been much talk about the sinfulness of waste—of the waste of even very little things. The old gentleman, so wise (in his own judgment, and indeed in my judgment at that period), was instilling into the children's minds some of those lessons which are often impressed upon children by people (I am now aware) of no great wisdom or cleverness. He had dwelt at considerable length upon the sinfulness of wasting anything; likewise on the sinfulness of children being saucy or particular as to what they should eat. He enforced, with no small solemnity, the duty of children's eating what was set before them without minding whether it was good or not, or at least without minding whether they liked it or not. The poor little girl listened to all that was said, and of course received it all as indubitably true. Waste and sauciness, she saw, were wrong, so she judged that the very opposite of waste and sauciness must be right. Accordingly, she thought she would turn to use something that was very small, but still something that ought not to be wasted. Accordingly, she thought she would show the docility of her taste by eating up something that was very disagreeable. Here was an opportunity at once of acting out the great principles to which she had been listening. And while a boy, evidently destined to be a metaphysician, and evidently possessed of the spirit of resistance to constituted authority whether in government or doctrine, boldly argued that it could not be wicked in him to hate onions, because God had made him so that he did hate onions, and (going still deeper into things) insisted that to eat a thing when you did not want it was wasting it much more truly than it would be wasting it to leave it; the little girl ate up all the grounds left in her teacup, and then announced the fact with considerable complacency.
Very, very natural. The little girl's act was a slight straw showing how a great current sets. It was a fair exemplification of a tendency which is woven into the make of our being. Tell the average mortal that it is wrong to walk on the left side of the road, and in nine cases out of ten he will conclude that the proper thing must be to walk on the right side of the road; whereas in actual life, and in almost all opinions, moral, political, and religious, the proper thing is to walk neither on the left nor the right side, but somewhere about the middle. Say to the ship-master, You are to sail through a perilous strait; you will have the raging Scylla on one hand as you go. His natural reply will be, Well, I will keep as far away from it as possible; I will keep close by the other side. But the rejoinder must be, No, you will be quite as ill off there; you will be in equal peril on the other side: there is Charybdis. What you have to do is to keep at a safe distance from each. In avoiding the one, do not run into the other.
It seems to be a great law of the universe, that Wrong lies upon either side of the way, and that Right is the narrow path between. There are the two ways of doing wrong—Too Much and Too Little. Go to the extreme right hand, and you are wrong; go to the extreme left hand, and you are wrong too. That you may be right, you have to keep somewhere between these two extremes: but not necessarily in the exact middle. All this, of course, is part of the great fact that in this world Evil has the advantage of Good. It is easier to go wrong than right.
It is very natural to think that if one thing or course be wrong, its reverse must be right. If it be wrong to walk towards the east, surely it must be right to walk towards the west. If it be wrong to dress in black, it must be right to dress in white. It is somewhat hard to say, Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt—to declare, as if that were a statement of the whole truth, that fools mistake reverse of wrong for right. Fools do so indeed, but not fools only. The average human being, with the most honest intentions, is prone to mistake reverse of wrong for right. We are fond, by our natural constitution, of broad distinctions—of classifications that put the whole interests and objects of this world to the right-hand and to the left. We long for Aye or No—for Heads or Tails. We are impatient of limitations, qualifications, restrictions. You remember how Mr. Micawber explained the philosophy of income and expenditure, and urged people never to run in debt. Income, said he, a hundred pounds a year; expenditure ninety-nine pounds nineteen shillings: Happiness. Income, a hundred pounds a year; expenditure a hundred pounds and one shilling: Misery. You see the principle involved is, that if you are not happy, you must be miserable—that if you are not miserable, you must be happy. If you are not any particular thing, then you are its opposite. If you are not For, then you are Against. If you are not black, many men will jump to the conclusion that you are white: the fact probably being that you are gray. If not a Whig, you must be a Tory: in truth, you are a Liberal-Conservative. We desiderate in all things the sharp decidedness of the verdict of a jury—Guilty or Not Guilty. We like to conclude that if a man be not very good, then he is very bad; if not very clever, then very stupid; if not very wise, then a fool: whereas in fact, the man probably is a curious mixture of good and evil, strength and weakness, wisdom and folly, knowledge and ignorance, cleverness and stupidity.
Let it be here remarked, that in speaking of it as an error to take reverse of wrong for right, I use the words in their ordinary sense, as generally understood. In common language the reverse of a thing is taken to mean the thing at the opposite end of the scale from it. Thus, black is the reverse of white, bigotry of latitudinarianism, malevolence of benevolence, parsimony of extravagance, and the like. Of course, in strictness, these things are not the reverse of one another. In strictness, the reverse of wrong always is right; for, to speak with severe precision, the reverse of steering upon Scylla is simply not steering upon Scylla; the reverse of being extravagant is not being parsimonious—it is simply not being extravagant; the reverse of walking eastward is not walking westward—it is simply not walking eastward. And that may include standing still, or walking to any point of the compass except the east. But I understand the reverse of a thing as meaning the opposite extreme from it. And you see, the Latin words quoted above are more precise than the English. It is severely true, that while fools think to shun error on one side, they run into the contrary error—i. e., the error that lies equi-distant, or nearly equi-distant, on the other side of the line of right.
One class of the errors into which men are prone to run under this natural impulse are those which have been termed Secondary Vulgar Errors. A vulgar error, you will understand, my reader, does not by any means signify an error into which only the vulgar are likely to fall. It does not by any means signify a mistaken belief which will be taken up only by inferior and uneducated minds. A vulgar error means an error either in conduct or belief into which man, by the make of his being, is likely to fall. Now, people a degree wiser and more thoughtful than the mass, discover that these vulgar errors are errors. They conclude that their opposites (i. e., the things at the other extremity of the scale) must be right; and by running into the opposite extreme they run just as far wrong upon the other side. There is too great a reaction. The twig was bent to the right—they bend it to the left, forgetting that the right thing was that the twig should be straight. If convinced that waste and sauciness are wrong, they proceed to eat the grounds of their tea; if convinced that self-indulgence is wrong, they conclude that hair-shirts and midnight floggings are right; if convinced that the Church of Rome has too many ceremonies, they resolve that they will have no ceremonies at all; if convinced that it is unworthy to grovel in the presence of a duke, they conclude that it will be a fine thing to refuse the duke ordinary civility; if convinced that monarchs are not much wiser or better than other human beings, they run off into the belief that all kings have been little more than incarnate demons; if convinced that representative government often works very imperfectly, they raise a cry for imperialism; if convinced that monarchy has its abuses, they call out for republicanism; if convinced that Britain has many things which are not so good as they ought to be, they keep constantly extolling the perfection of the United States.
But although these errors of reaction are less common than the primary vulgar errors, they are better worth noticing: inasmuch as in many cases they are the errors of the well-intentioned. People fall into the primary vulgar errors without ever thinking of right or wrong: merely feeling an impulse to go there, or to think thus. But worthy folk, for the most part, fall into the secondary vulgar errors, while honestly endeavoring to escape what they have discerned to be wrong. Not indeed that it is always in good faith that men run to the opposite extreme. Sometimes they do it in pet and perversity, being well aware that they are doing wrong. You hint to some young friend, to whom you are nearly enough related to be justified in doing so, that the dinner to which he has invited you, with several others, is unnecessarily fine, is somewhat extravagant, is beyond what he can afford. The young friend asks you back in a week or two, and sets before you a feast of salt herrings and potatoes. Now the fellow did not run into this extreme with the honest intention of doing right. He knew perfectly well that this was not what you meant. He did not go through this piece of folly in the sincere desire to avoid the other error of extravagance. Or, you are a country clergyman. You are annoyed, Sunday by Sunday, by a village lad who, from enthusiasm or ostentation, sings so loud in church as to disturb the whole congregation. You hint to him, as kindly as you can, that there is something very pleasing about the softer tones of his voice, and that you would like to hear them more frequently. But the lad sees through your civil way of putting the case. His vanity is touched. He sees you mean that you don't like to hear him bellow: and next Sunday you will observe that he shuts up his hymn-book in dudgeon, and will not sing at all. Leave the blockhead to himself Do not set yourself to stroke down his self-conceit: he knows quite well he is doing wrong: there is neither sense nor honesty in what he does. You remark at dinner, while staying with a silly old gentleman, that the plum-pudding, though admirable, perhaps errs on the side of over-richness; next day he sets before you a mass of stiff paste with no plums at all, and says, with a look of sly stupidity, 'Well, I hope you are satisfied now.' Politeness prevents your replying, 'No, you don't. You know that is not what I meant. You are a fool.' You remember the boy in Pickwick, who on his father finding fault with him for something wrong he had done, offered to kill himself if that would be any satisfaction to his parent. In this case you have a more recondite instance of this peculiar folly. Here the primary course is tacitly assumed, without being stated. The primary impulse of the human being is to take care of himself; the opposite of that of course is to kill himself. And the boy, being chidden for doing something which might rank under the general head of taking care of himself, proposed (as that course appeared unsatisfactory) to take the opposite one. 'You don't take exercise enough,' said a tutor to a wrong-headed boy who was under his care: 'you ought to walk more.' Next morning the perverse fellow entered the breakfast parlor in a fagged condition, and said, with the air of a martyr, 'Well, I trust I have taken exercise enough to-day: I have walked twenty miles this morning.' As for all such manifestations of the disposition to run into opposite extremes, let them be treated as manifestations of pettedness, perversity, and dishonesty. In some cases a high-spirited youth may be excused them; but, for the most part, they come with doggedness, wrong-headedness, and dense stupidity. And any pretext that they are exhibited with an honest intention to do right, ought to be regarded as a transparently false pretext.
I have now before me a list (prepared by a much stronger hand than mine) of honest cases in which men, avoiding Scylla, run into Charybdis: in which men, thinking to bend the crooked twig straight, bend it backwards. But before mentioning these, it may be remarked, that there is often such a thing as a reaction from a natural tendency, even when that natural tendency is not towards what may be called a primary vulgar error. The law of reaction extends to all that human beings can ever feel the disposition to think or do.
There are, doubtless, minds of great fixity of opinion and motive: and there are certain things, in the case of almost all men, as regards which their belief and their active bias never vary through life: but with most human beings, with nations, with humankind, as regards very many and very important matters, as surely and as far as the pendulum has swung to the right, so surely and so far will it swing to the left. I do not say that an opinion in favor of monarchy is a primary vulgar error; or that an opinion in favor of republicanism is a secondary: both may be equally right: but assuredly each of these is a reaction from the other. America, for instance, is one great reaction from Europe. The principle on which these reactionary swings of the pendulum take place, is plain. Whatever be your present position, you feel its evils and drawbacks keenly. Your feeling of the present evil is much more vivid than your imagination of the evil which is sure to be inherent in the opposite system, whatever that may be. You live in a country where the national Church is Presbyterian. You see, day by day, many inconveniences and disadvantages inherent in that form of church government. It is of the nature of evil to make its presence much more keenly felt than the presence of good. So while keenly alive to the drawbacks of presbytery, you are hardly conscious of its advantages. You swing over, let us suppose, to the other end: you swing over from Scotland into England, from presbytery to episcopacy. For awhile you are quite delighted to find yourself free from the little evils of which you had been wont to complain. But by and bye the drawbacks of episcopacy begin to push themselves upon your notice. You have escaped one set of disadvantages: you find that you have got into the middle of another. Scylla no longer bellows in your hearing; but Charybdis whirls you round. You begin to feel that the country and the system yet remain to be sought, in which some form of evil, of inconvenience, of worry, shall not press you. Am I wrong in fancying, dear friends more than one or two, that but for very shame the pendulum would swing back again to the point from which it started: and you, kindly Scots, would find yourselves more at home in kindly and homely Scotland, with her simple forms and faith? So far as my experience has gone, I think that in all matters not of vital moment, it is best that the pendulum should stay at the end of the swing where it first found itself: it will be in no more stable position at the other end: and it will somehow feel stranger-like there. And you, my friend, though in your visits to Anglican territory you heartily conform to the Anglican Church, and enjoy as much as mortal san her noble cathedrals and her stately worship; still I know that after all, you cannot shake off the spell in which the old remembrances of your boyhood have bound you. I know that your heart warms to the Burning Bush; and that it will, till death chills it.
A noteworthy fact in regard to the swing of the pendulum, is that the secondary tendency is sometimes found in the ruder state of society, and the less reflective man. Naturalness comes last. The pendulum started from naturalness: it swung over into artificiality: and with thoughtful people it has swung back to naturalness again. Thus it is natural, when in danger, to be afraid. It is natural, when you are possessed by any strong feeling, to show it. You see all this in children: this is the point which the pendulum starts from. It swings over, and we find a reaction from this. The reaction is, to maintain and exhibit perfect coolness and indifference in danger; to pretend to be incapable of fear. This state of things we find in the Red Indian, a rude and uncivilized being. But it is plain that with people who are able to think, there must be a reaction from this. The pendulum cannot long stay in a position which flies so completely in the face of the law of gravitation. It is pure nonsense to talk about being incapable of fear. I remember reading somewhere about Queen Elizabeth, that 'her soul was incapable of fear.' That statement is false and absurd. You may regard fear as unmanly and unworthy: you may repress the manifestations of it; but the state of mind which (in beings not properly monstrous or defective) follows the perception of being in danger, is fear. As surely as the perception of light is sight, so surely is the perception of danger fear. And for a man to say that his soul is incapable of fear, is just as absurd as to say that from a peculiarity of constitution, when dipped in water, he does not get wet. You, human being, whoever you may be, when you are placed in danger, and know you are placed in danger, and reflect on the fact, you feel afraid. Don't vapor and say no; we know how the mental machine must work, unless it be diseased. Now, the thoughtful man admits all this: he admits that a bullet through his brain would be a very serious thing for himself, and like-wise for his wife and children: he admits that he shrinks from such a prospect; he will take pains to protect himself from the risk; but he says that if duty requires him to run the risk he will run it. This is the courage of the civilized man as opposed to the blind, bull-dog insensibility of the savage. This is courage—to know the existence of danger, but to face it nevertheless. Here, under the influence of longer thought, the pendulum has swung into common sense, though not quite back to the point from which it started. Of course, it still keeps swinging about in individual minds. The other day I read in a newspaper a speech by a youthful rifleman, in which he boasted that no matter to what danger exposed, his corps would never take shelter behind trees and rocks, but would stand boldly out to the aim of the enemy. I was very glad to find this speech answered in a letter to the Times, written by a rifleman of great experience and proved bravery.
1. An impulse to avoid danger at all hazards: i.e., to run away, and save yourself, however discreditably.
2. An impulse to disregard danger, and even to run into it, as if it were of no consequence at all; i. e., young rifleman foolhardiness, and Red Indian insensibility.
3. A determination to avoid all danger, the running into which would do no good, and which may be avoided consistently with honor; but manfully to face danger, however great, that comes in the way of duty.
Don't you know, my reader, that it is natural to think very bitterly of the misconduct which affects yourself? If a man cheats your friend, or cheats your slight acquaintance, or cheats some one who is quite unknown to you, by selling him a lame horse, you disapprove his conduct, indeed, but not nearly so much as if he had cheated yourself. You learn that Miss Limejuice has been disseminating a grossly untrue account of some remarks which you made in her hearing: and your first impulse is to condemn her malicious falsehood, much more severely than if she had merely told a few lies about some one else. Yet it is quite evident that if we were to estimate the doings of men with perfect justice, we should fix solely on the moral element in their doings; and the accidental circumstance of the offence or injury to ourselves would be neither here nor there. The primary vulgar error, then, in this case is, undue and excessive disapprobation of misconduct from which we have suffered. No one but a very stupid person would, if it were fairly put to him, maintain that this extreme disapprobation was right: but it cannot be denied that this is the direction to which all human beings are likely, at first, to feel an impulse to go. A man does you some injury: you are much angrier than if he had done the like injury to some one else. You are much angrier when your own servants are guilty of little neglects and follies, than when the servants of your next neighbor are guilty in a precisely similar degree. The Prime Minister (or Chancellor) fails to make you a Queen's Counsel or a Judge: you are much more angry than if he had overlooked some other man, of precisely equal merit. And I do not mean merely that the injury done to yourself comes more home to you, but that positively you think it a worse thing. It seems as if there were more of moral evil in it. The boy who steals your plums seems worse than other boys stealing other plums. The servant who sells your oats and starves your horses, seems worse than other servants who do the like. It is not merely that you feel where the shoe pinches yourself, more than where it pinches another: that is all quite right. It is that you have a tendency to think it is a worse shoe than another which gives an exactly equal amount of pain. You are prone to dwell upon and brood over the misconduct which affected yourself.
Well, you begin to see that this is unworthy, that selfishness and mortified conceit are at the foundation of it. You determine that you will shake yourself free from this vulgar error. What more magnanimous, you think, than to do the opposite of the wrong thing? Surely it will be generous, and even heroic, to wholly acquit the wrong-doer, and even to cherish him for a bosom friend. So the pendulum swings over to the opposite extreme, and you land in the secondary vulgar error. I do not mean to say that in practice many persons are likely to thus bend the twig backwards; but it is no small evil to think that it would be a right thing, and a fine thing, to do even that which you never intend to do. So you write an essay, or even a book, the gist of which is that it is a grand thing to select for a friend and guide the human being who has done you signal injustice and harm. Over that book, if it be a prettily written tale, many young ladies will weep: and though without the faintest intention of imitating your hero's behavior, they will think that it would be a fine thing if they did so. And it is a great mischief to pervert the moral judgment and falsely to excite the moral feelings. You forget that wrong is wrong, though it be done against yourself, and that you have no right to acquit the wrong to yourself as though it were no wrong at all. That lies beyond your province. You may forgive the personal offence, but it does not rest with you to acquit the guilt. You have no right to confuse moral distinctions by practically saying that wrong is not wrong, because it is done against you. All wrong is against very many things and very grave things, besides being against you. It is not for you to speak in the name of God and the universe. You may not wish to say much about the injury done to yourself, but there it is; and as to the choosing for your friend the man who has greatly injured you, in most cases such a choice would be a very unwise one, because in most cases it would amount to this—that you should select a man for a certain post mainly because he has shown himself possessed of qualities which unfit him for that post. That surely would be very foolish. If you had to appoint a postman, would you choose a man because he had no legs? And what is very foolish can never be very magnanimous.
The right course to follow lies between the two which have been set out. The man who has done wrong to you is still a wrong-doer. The question you have to consider is, What ought your conduct to be towards a wrong-doer? Let there be no harbor given to any feeling of personal revenge. But remember that it is your duty to disapprove what is wrong, and that it is wisdom not too far to trust a man who has proved himself unworthy to be trusted. I have no feeling of selfish bitterness against the person who deceived me deliberately and grossly, yet I cannot but judge that deliberate and gross deceit is bad; and I cannot but judge that the person who deceived me once might, if tempted, deceive me again: so he shall not have the opportunity. I look at the horse which a friend offers me for a short ride. I discern upon the knees of the animal a certain slight but unmistakable roughness of the hair. That horse has been down; and if I mount that horse at all (which I shall not do except in a case of necessity), I shall ride him with a tight rein, and with a sharp look-out for rolling stones.
Another matter in regard to which Scylla and Charybdis are very discernible, is the fashion in which human beings think and speak of the good or bad qualities of their friends.
The primary tendency here is to blindness to the faults of a friend, and over-estimate of his virtues and qualifications. Most people are disposed extravagantly to over-value anything belonging to or connected with themselves. A farmer tells you that there never were such turnips as his turnips; a schoolboy thinks that the world cannot show boys so clever as those with whom he is competing for the first place in his class; a clever student at college tells you what magnificent fellows are certain of his compeers—how sure they are to become great men in life. Talk of Tennyson! You have not read Smith's prize poem. Talk of Macaulay! Ah, if you could see Brown's prize essay! A mother tells you (fathers are generally less infatuated) how her boy was beyond comparison the most distinguished and clever in his class—how he stood quite apart from, any of the others. Your eye happens to fall a day or two afterwards upon the prize-list advertised in the newspapers, and you discover that (curiously) the most distinguished and clever boy in that particular school is rewarded with the seventh prize. I dare say you may have met with families in which there existed the most absurd and preposterous belief as to their superiority, social, intellectual, and moral, above other families which were as good or better. And it is to be admitted, that if you are happy enough to have a friend whose virtues and qualifications are really high, your primary tendency will probably be to fancy him a great deal cleverer, wiser, and better than, he really is, and to imagine that he possesses no faults at all. The over-estimate of his good qualities will be the result of your seeing them constantly, and having their excellence much pressed on your attention, while from not knowing so well other men who are quite as good, you are led to think that those good qualities are more rare and excellent than in fact they are. And you may possibly regard it as a duty to shut your eyes to the faults of those who are dear to you, and to persuade yourself, against your judgment, that they have no faults or none worth thinking of. One can imagine a child painfully struggling to be blind to a parent's errors, and thinking it undutiful and wicked to admit the existence of that: which is too evident. And if you know well a really good and able man, you will very naturally think his goodness and his ability to be relatively much greater than they are. For goodness and ability are in truth very noble things: the more you look at them the more you will feel this: and it is natural to judge that what is so noble cannot be very common; whereas in fact there is much more good in this world than we are ready to believe. If you find an intelligent person who believes that some particular author is by far the best in the language, or that some particular composer's music is by far the finest, or that some particular preacher is by far the most eloquent and useful, or that some particular river has by far the finest scenery, or that some particular sea-side place has by far the most bracing and exhilarating air, or that some particular magazine is ten thousand miles ahead of all competitors, the simple explanation in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred is this—that the honest individual who holds these overstrained opinions knows a great deal better than he knows any others, that author, that music, that preacher, that river, that sea-side place, that magazine. He knows how good they are: and not having much studied the merits of competing things, he does not know that these are very nearly as good.
But I do not think that there is any subject whatever in regard to which it is so capricious and arbitrary whether you shall run it into Scylla or into Charybdis. It depends entirely on how it strikes the mind, whether you shall go off a thousand miles to the right or a thousand miles to the left You know, if you fire a rifle-bullet at an iron-coated ship, the bullet, if it impinge upon the iron plate at A, may glance away to the west, while if it impinge upon the iron plate at B, only an inch distant from A, it may glance off towards the directly opposite point of the compass. A very little thing makes all the difference. You stand in the engine-room of a steamer; you admit the steam to the cylinders, and the paddles turn ahead; a touch of a lever, you admit the selfsame steam to the selfsame cylinders, and the paddles turn astern. It is so oftentimes in the moral world. The turning of a straw decides whether the engines shall work forward or backward.
2. Acutely and painfully alive to his faults.
2. To feel acutely how bad his speech is, and to wish you could sink through the floor for very shame.
If you did not care for him at all, you would not mind a bit whether he made a fool of himself or not. But if you really care for him, and if the speech be really very bad, and if you are competent to judge whether speeches in general be bad or not, I do not see how you can escape falling either into Scylla or Charybdis. And accordingly, while there are families in which there exists a preposterous over-estimate of the talents and acquirements of their several members, there are other families in which the rifle-bullet has glanced off in the opposite direction, and in which there exists a depressing and unreasonable under-estimate of the talents and acquirements of their several members. I have known such a thing as a family in which certain boys during their early education had it ceaselessly drilled into them that they were the idlest, stupidest, and most ignorant boys in the world. The poor little fellows grew up under that gloomy belief: for conscience is a very artificial thing, and you may bring up very good boys in the belief that they are very bad. At length, happily, they went to a great public school; and like rockets they went up forthwith to the top of their classes, and never lost their places there. From school they went to the university, and there won honors more eminent than had ever been won before. It will not surprise people who know much of human nature, to be told that through this brilliant career of school and college work the home belief in their idleness and ignorance continued unchanged, and that hardly at its end was the toil-worn senior wrangler regarded as other than an idle and useless blockhead. Now, the affection which prompts the under-estimate may be quite as real and deep as that which prompts the over-estimate, but its manifestation is certainly the less amiable and pleasing. I have known a successful author whose relatives never believed, till the reviews assured them of it, that his writings were anything but contemptible and discreditable trash.
I have been speaking of an honest though erroneous estimate of the qualities of one's friends, rather than of any expression of that estimate. The primary tendency is to an over-estimate; the secondary tendency is to an under-estimate. A commonplace man thinks there never was mortal so wise and good as the friend he values; a man who is a thousandth part of a degree less common-place resolves that he will keep clear of that error, and accordingly he feels bound to exaggerate the failings of his friend and to extenuate his good qualities. He thinks that a friend's judgment is very good and sound, and that he may well rely upon it; but for fear of showing it too much regard, he probably shows it too little. He thinks that in some dispute his friend is right; but for fear of being partial he decides that his friend is wrong. It is obvious that in any instance in which a man, seeking to avoid the primary error of over-estimating his friend, falls into the secondary of under-estimating him, he will (if any importance be attached to his judgment) damage his friend's character; for most people will conclude that he is saying of his friend the best that can be said; and that if even he admits that there is so little to approve about his friend, there must be very little indeed to approve: whereas the truth may be, that he is saying the worst that can be said—that no man could with justice give a worse picture of the friend's character.
The primary vulgar error is, to set up as an infallible oracle one whom we regard as wise—to regard any question as settled finally if we know what is his opinion upon it. You remember the man in the Spectator who was always quoting the sayings of Mr. Nisby. There was a report in London that the Grand Vizier was dead. The good man was uncertain whether to believe the report or not. He went and talked with Mr. Nisby and returned with his mind reassured. Now, he enters in his diary that 'the Grand Vizier was certainly dead.' Considering the weakness of the reasoning powers of many people, there is something pleasing after all in this tendency to look round for somebody stronger upon whom they may lean. It is wise and natural in a scarlet-runner to climb up something, for it could not grow up by itself; and for practical purposes it is well that in each household there should be a little Pope, whose dicta on all topics shall be unquestionable. It saves what is to many people the painful effort of making up their mind what they are to do or to think. It enables them to think or act with much greater decision and confidence. Most men have always a lurking distrust of their own judgment, unless they find it confirmed by that of somebody else. There are very many decent commonplace people who, if they had been reading a book or article and had been thinking it very fine, would, if you were resolutely and loudly to declare in their hearing that it was wretched trash, begin to think that it was wretched trash too.
The primary vulgar error, then, is to regard as an oracle one whom we esteem as wise; and the secondary, the Charybdis opposite to this Scylla, is, to entertain an excessive dread of being too much led by one whom we esteem as wise. I mean an honest candid dread. I do not mean a petted, wrong-headed, pragmatical determination to let him see that you can think for yourself. You see, my friend, I don't suppose you to be a self-conceited fool. You remember how Presumption, in the Pilgrim's Progress, on being offered some good advice, cut his kind adviser short by declaring that Every tub must stand on its own bottom. We have all known men, young and old, who, upon being advised to do something which they knew they ought to do, would, out of pure perversity and a wrong-headed independence, go and do just the opposite thing. The secondary error of which I am now thinking is that of the man who honestly dreads making too much of the judgment of any mortal: and who, acting from a good intention, probably goes wrong in the same direction as the wrong-headed conceited man. Now, don't you know that to such an extent does this morbid fear of trusting too much to any mortal go in some men, that in their practical belief you would think that the fact of any man being very wise was a reason why his judgment should be set aside as unworthy of consideration; and more particularly, that the fact of any man being supposed to be a powerful reasoner, was quite enough to show that all he says is to go for nothing? You are quite aware how jauntily some people use this last consideration, to sweep away at once all the reasons given by an able and ingenious speaker or writer. And it cuts the ground effectually from under his feet. You state an opinion, somewhat opposed to that commonly received. An honest, stupid person meets it with a surprised stare. You tell him (I am recording what I have myself witnessed) that you have been reading a work on the subject by a certain prelate: you state as well as you can the arguments which are set forth by the distinguished prelate. These arguments seem of great weight. They deserve at least to be carefully considered. They seem to prove the novel opinion to be just: they assuredly call on candid minds to ponder the whole matter well before relapsing into the old current way of thinking. Do you expect that the honest, stupid person will judge thus? If so, you are mistaken. He is not shaken in the least by all these strong reasons. The man who has set these reasons forth is known to be a master of logic: that is good ground why all his reasons should count for nothing. Oh, says the stupid, honest person, we all know that the Archbishop can prove anything! And so the whole thing is finally settled.
'I do believe,' he said, 'that if you were to put a knife into my hand, I should not have vigor enough to stick it into a Dissenter!' The secondary error in this respect is a latitudinarian liberality which regards truth and falsehood as matters of indifference. Genuine liberality of sentiment is a good thing, and difficult as it is good: but much liberality, political and religious, arises really from the fact, that the liberal man does not care a rush about the matter in debate. It is very easy to be tolerant in a case in which you have no feeling whatever either way. The Churchman who does not mind a bit whether the Church stands or falls, has no difficulty in tolerating the enemies and assailants of the Church. It is different with a man who holds the existence of a national Establishment as a vital matter. And I have generally remarked that when clergymen of the Church profess extreme catholicity of spirit, and declare that they do not regard it as a thing of the least consequence whether a man be Churchman or Dissenter, intelligent Nonconformists receive such protestations with much contempt, and (possibly with injustice) suspect their utterer of hypocrisy. If you really care much about any principle; and if you regard it as of essential importance; you cannot help feeling a strong impulse to intolerance of those who decidedly and actively differ from you.
Secondary—Dread of quite agreeing, or quite disagreeing on any point with any one; and trying to keep at exactly an equal distance from each.
Secondary—Finding a merit in singularity, as such.
Secondary—Concluding that whatever is sparkling must be unsound.
2. Thinking a clergyman a model of perfection because he is of very grave and decorous deportment; never plays at cricket, and never goes out fox-hunting; and, generally, conforms carefully to all the little proprieties.
2. Thinking a bishop a model prelate because he never descends from his dignity; never forgets that he is a bishop, and keeps all who approach him in their proper places.
2. Thinking the Scotch Church service the best, because it is so simple and so capable of adaptation to all circumstances which may arise.
2. Thinking an artisan a fine, manly, independent fellow, because he is always much less respectful in his demeanor to the squire than he is to other people.
2. Thinking it a despicable thing to be a fast, reckless, swaggering, drinking, swearing reprobate: Thinking it is manly to do right, and shameful to do wrong.
2. That a young man should begin his remarks to his father on any subject with, I SAY, GOVERNOR; and treat the old gentleman upon all occasions with no deference at all.
I think we should be thankful if we find that as regards our favorite books and authors our taste remains unchanged; that the calm judgment of our middle age approves the preferences of ten years since, and that these gather strength as time gives them the witchery of old remembrances and associations. You enthusiastically admired Byron once, you estimate him very differently now. You once thought Festus finer than Paradise Loft, but you have swung away from that. But for a good many years you have held by Wordsworth, Shakespeare, and Tennyson, and this taste you are not likely to outgrow. It is very curious to look over a volume which we once thought magnificent, enthralling, incomparable, and to wonder how on earth we ever cared for that stilted rubbish. No doubt the pendulum swings quite as decidedly to your estimate of yourself as to your estimate of any one else. It would be nothing at all to have other people attacking and depreciating your writings, sermons, and the like, if you yourself had entire confidence in them. The mortifying thing is when your own taste and judgment say worse of your former productions than could be said by the most unfriendly critic; and the dreadful thought occurs, that if you yourself to-day think so badly of what you wrote ten years since, it is probable enough that on this day ten years hence (if you live to see it) you may think as badly of what you are writing to-day. Let us hope not. Let us trust that at length a standard of taste and judgment is reached from which we shall not ever materially swing away. Yet the pendulum will never be quite arrested as to your estimate of yourself. Now and then you will think yourself a block-head: by and bye you will think yourself very clever; and your judgment will oscillate between these opposite poles of belief. Sometimes you will think that your house is remarkably comfortable, sometimes that it is unendurably uncomfortable; sometimes you will think that your place in life is a very dignified and important one, sometimes that it is a very poor and insignificant one; sometimes you will think that some misfortune or disappointment which has befallen you is a very crushing one; sometimes you will think that it is better as it is. Ah, my brother, it is a poor, weak, wayward thing, the human heart!
You know, of course, how the pendulum of public opinion swings backwards and forwards. The truth lies somewhere about the middle of the arc it describes, in most cases. You know how the popularity of political men oscillates, from A, the point of greatest popularity, to B, the point of no popularity at all. Think of Lord Brougham. Once the pendulum swung far to the right: he was the most popular man in Britain. Then, for many years, the pendulum swung far to the left, into the cold regions of unpopularity, loss of influence, and opposition benches. And now, in his last days, the pendulum has come over to the right again. So with lesser men. When the new clergyman comes to a country parish, how high his estimation! Never was there preacher so impressive, pastor so diligent, man so frank and agreeable. By and bye his sermons are middling, his diligence middling; his manners rather stiff or rather too easy. In a year or two the pendulum rests at its proper point: and from that time onward the parson gets, in most cases, very nearly the credit he deserves. The like oscillation of public opinion and feeling exists in the case of unfavorable as of favorable judgments. A man commits a great crime. His guilt is thought awful. There is a general outcry for his condign punishment. He is sentenced to be hanged. In a few days the tide begins to turn. His crime was not so great. He had met great provocation. His education had been neglected. He deserves pity rather than reprobation. Petitions are got up that he should be let off; and largely signed by the self-same folk who were loudest in the outcry against him. And instead of this fact, that those folk were the keenest against the criminal, being received (as it ought) as proof that their opinion is worth nothing at all, many will receive it as proof that their opinion is entitled to special consideration. The principle of the pendulum in the matter of criminals is well understood by the Old Bailey practitioners of New York and their worthy clients. When a New Yorker is sentenced to be hanged, he remains as a cool as cucumber; for the New York law is, that a year must pass between the sentence and the execution. And long before the year passes, the public sympathy has turned in the criminal's favor. Endless petitions go up for his pardon. Of course he gets off. And indeed it is not improbable that he may receive a public testimonial. It cannot be denied that the natural transition in the popular feeling is from applauding a man to hanging him, and from hanging a man to applauding him.
Even so does the pendulum swing, and the world run away!


First Rate Crowd is developing a unique and profitable web platform that leads to the creation of a new form of corporation for its community members; it is a corporation that in principle will ultimately become their own. It is a crowdsourced platform with a more democratic functionality than that of traditional corporations, allowing persons to work in, and eventually launch, their own community projects. The overall result is a vibrant collaborative venture. It is more efficient and effective at producing economic returns than the standard company model allows. The new structure serves the needs of the community and society to reduce income inequality.
First Rate Crowd starts out as a rating company; the model is unique and dynamic in its reward-based system that is rarely seen in a standard company. It is an exciting concept that will eventually allow our community members to fund projects they believe in and support. The platform will have many different special interest groups and members are welcome to get involved in the areas that interest them; these will grow over time as we accumulate more members.
By ownership we mean the community eventually owns the majority of the profits and runs the operations of the platform. The reins of control for the company are gradually turned over to the community using a powerful yet flexible system of controls. The more the community participates, the more the operational functions and profits are turned over to them; the community does not, however, own the limited liability corporation (LLC). With the eventual goal of an Initial Public Offering (IPO), members and others will have the ability to own stock in the enterprise at that time.
The management team is well-versed in the need of this community and in a perfect position to execute on the business model. The startup venture requires $800,000 in community crowdfunding. For this, the community will receive as a final position an 85% share of the net revenue profits after an open challenge is met for member rewards and growth of the platform. Antilope LLC, the parent company of First Rate Crowd, will receive a 7.5% share and the remaining 7.5% share will be permanently dedicated towards a national advertisement campaign to ensure future growth. Most importantly, individual members and the community as a whole will gain unprecedented control over the direction and substance of the entire operation.
After our community funds the project, nearly 60% of the funds received will go towards the development of the site's formal computer software with the remainder being allocated towards startup and operations. The software development and Beta testing will take place over a 6-month period before the launch of the formal site. Thereafter, financial rewards and community control will grow in return for the investment at a substantial rate as the company continues to unfold.
These ideas and concepts will affect how business is conducted; they provide a different and better perspective to the current productivity model we all endure. While still being firmly grounded in operational principles, the innovative qualities of this community venture make it fresh and exciting.
We invite you to help us start the development and growth of our crowdsourced community. Share your thoughts and aspiration on our current site's forum and help us develop our soon to be announced Indigogo funding drive. Let us make this a better day for everyone while doing good in the world. It is after all ultimately our own community business venture.
I see Dr. Heetun has already collected over $16,000 of the initial $80,000 she needs towards the entire $800,000 to add the last two components to the platform. Although $800,000 is steep for a crowdfunded project, with your average Kickstarter project being much less, I think this needs to be put into perspective.
I recently read you need $800,000 just in "liquid cash" to get a McDonalds franchise with its $1-2 million startup cost. A friend of mine in San Diego just brought a 2b2b older home in a nice neighborhood for $850,000. Down at the ocean, the Navy is squawking loudly over the USS Zumwalt's, (a stealth destroyer), cost for each round of 155-millimeter GPS precision guided artillery shell costing $800,000 each.
I made a donation because I believe that by reducing economic inequality I can have a much better overall quality of life for me, my family, and my friends. Given the total project cost compared to the costs I presented above, what I will receive back makes this project a bargain. From what I can figure out, most of the charity organizations asking me for donations are really fighting against economic inequality in one way or another. They are just seeing and trying to relieve the end result of the carnage produced by economic inequality. Fighting the basic cause of economic inequality seems to me like a better way to go rather than putting out the many fires inequality causes.


Hello! I am Diti, founder of a plastic upcycling company named Théla. I started this initiative to reduce the amount of single use plastics that end up in our landfills and oceans and also to increase awareness about its impact and alternatives.
So on this blog I will be posting about zero waste alternatives, upcycled & ethical products and news and updates on sustainability.
And I hope this blog helps readers achieve this.
A big thank you and happy reading!


Matthews, NC – The Town of Matthews and the Matthews HELP Center today announced this year's Matthews Gives Back for the Holidays program. New, unwrapped gifts are being collected now through December 14.
Gift ideas include toys, books games, clothes, and electronics for children newborn up to 18 years old. Donations may be dropped off at the following locations: Matthews HELP Center, Matthews United Methodist Church, Matthews Town Hall, Matthews Community Center, Matthews Fire Department, and the Matthews Police Department.
To apply to receive Christmas gifts, please contact the Matthews HELP Center by December 7th at 704-847-8383.


text:
White City Place
201 Wood Ln
London, England W12 7TU
เว็บไซต์whitecityplace.com
A handful of cool places to eat/snack, in this new development in the old BBC White City site. Full now of cool offices - media and fashion and tech companies, so the new eateries have sprung up to serve the cool workers here...
Daniel & Marsio
You can see how White City has developed through the decades from Summer Olympic Games venue to legendary Dog Racing Stadium to BBC Television Headquarters and now State-Of-The-Art media centre and the new artistic hub of London. Marvel at the new architecture, high-rise developments, "White City…
White City Place is the name given to the collection of buildings formerly known as BBC Media Village. Home to BBC TV, small retail shops etc. White City Stadium was built in this place for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It no longer exist.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Napleton Maserati of Indianapolis is located just a short drive from downtown Indianapolis. Our Maserati dealer serves Indianapolis and the surrounding Indiana communities. As a full-service Maserati dealership, we sell new and used vehicles, offer car loan and car financing help, and provide maintenance and repair services.
Napleton Maserati of Indianapolis is located at 4180 E 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46240. We are located in the same building as our Alfa Romeo and FIAT locations.
Find a great selection of new Maserati cars and SUVs at Napleton Maserati of Indianapolis. We have luxury cars, like the Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, and Maserati GranTurismo. We also have a luxury SUV, the Maserati Levante. Our responsibility as a Maserati dealer is to find you the best new luxury car or SUV, so stop in today!
Browse our online inventory of used cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans. Filter by year, price, mileage, features, and more to find the best used vehicle for you. We have used vehicles from many of your favorite brands and are always searching the Indianapolis area to fill our inventory.
Our experienced technicians can service any make or model. Stop in for an oil change, tire rotation, or whatever maintenance or repairs you need. Schedule your service appointment online to reserve your spot.


Mobilclub Games - best games, java games for smartphones and pocket PC. Gratis!
In the Rayman Fiesta Run game you can join Rayman in his adventures. The previous Rayman Jungle Run game was named as the best game of 2012 in the App Store.
The Rayman Fiesta Run game allows you to appear in the world of Fiesta. Grab your umbrellas for cocktails, jump on the lime and crush toys. There are no obstacles for you in this game!
Hot Rod Racers game gives you a good possibility to challenge the greatest racers on the streets. Heat up the engine and welcome to the Hot Rod Racers! Challenge brutal street racers in thrilling drag racing.
Use any ways to win: crash into other cars, fight till the last moment to win!
- Traffic cones, ramps and more.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a famous active shooter game. Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the Los Santos prison. The metropolis steeped in street wars, drug trafficking and corruption, homes of movie stars and millionaires, drug dealers and gangsters.
You survived in the world of undead... Now plunge yourself into the world of Dead people and in the world of creepy zombies. Here the error means death. Do anything to survive, move as quickly as possible and protect yourself by all means.
In the Dark Lands game you have to defeat the enemies and avoid dangerous traps! It is an excellent platform game in which you can develop your character to as long as possible. Just keep running.
Dark Lands game is a fascinating mix of fantasy world and combat system. Embark on a journey and defeat the forces of evil. Defeat goblins, orcs, skeletons and trolls. Fight against unique bosses and avoid dangerous traps.
It is a continuation of the popular game Temple Run 2! Flee from evil spirits, beware of various obstacles, collect coins to earn the best score and play for different characters!
Rabbids Big Bang game is the first in this series of physical mobile games that allows you to control a rabbit in space only with your fingers. Become an expert in the rabbit flight!


We have two nickels to rub together.
Or, we're rubbing our nickels together.
In any case, this is a true story about a do-it-yourself adventure in the Green Mountains of Vermont. It's not remote, it's not primitive, it's not back-to-the-land. It isn't hip. Go away.
No, don't go away, stay!
I mean, please stay. Pour yourself a drink and relax. Get comfortable.
It started like this: I like to ski. Skiing is expensive. I don't make very much money (right now, I don't actually make any money). So I decided that I would volunteer as a member of the Ski Patrol, in order to be able to ski more. Turns out, I like that quite a lot. (Turns out, I like it well enough to change careers altogether, but that's a different blog.) We wound up spending so much time Vermont that things started to get expensive, even though I was skiing for free.
Comes Jamie to say hey, we should buy a little piece of Vermont and put a little cabin on it. Beats renting. So, we did. We found a fairly inexpensive acre fairly close to the place where we ski. It's not especially spectacular. There are no views to speak of. It is right next to a busy road. But, it's covered in trees, it's fairly private, and now it's ours.
Which means it's time to get busy.
We hope you'll enjoy following along as we go. We also hope you'll support us by becoming a sponsor. Is there anyone who doesn't hope for a sponsorship? Want me to review a tool? Some new-fangled product for keeping the rain out? Get in touch. Or just send us a fat check. Seriously.
Meet our dog, Brutus. He will probably have some things to say as time goes by — he owns the domain name.
But he's also pretty lazy.
For more on one of the Nickels, see A Skier and a Sled.
So glad you took up the blogffer 😉 looking forward to reading and seeing more!


text:
Garment District Faces Extinction
It's no secret that Manhattan's Garment District, nestled just below Times Square, has been suffering in the past few years. But a recent article in The New York Times confirms just how dire the situation has become, and what the city hopes to do to save it.
According to the article, jobs in the district have sunk to a mere 9,000 -- down from 16,000 in 1995. What's more, Andrew Ward (director of designer development at the Garment Industry Development Corporation) estimates that only five percent of fashion manufacturing even takes place in the States anymore -- either in New York or Los Angeles. At stake, it seems, is New York's status as the fashion capital of the world, a title we could not claim were the Garment District (upon which New York designers rely) to disappear.
Initially, the city has protected the district with various zoning laws, which have done little to stop the slow deterioration of the area. That said, the movement to bolster the area has been gaining some steam, thanks for groups like "Save the Garment District" and more than a few vocal local designers (Nanette Lepore among them). Now there's a new proposal being spearheaded by various unions and the Fashion Center B.I.D. to designate some space specifically for clothing production.
All this said, we can't say we're sure even this will help in the long run -- the issue is bigger than simply this small district in midtown Manhattan (which, if you've ever been there, it's kind of an abysmal stretch of turf). Really, the issue is how much manufacturing is being exported overseas. Until there's a pledge to bring that business back, we're not entirely sure how allotting space for what limited (and slowly disappearing) production occurs here in the city will "save" New York fashion overall.


Achieve your weight, health & fitness goals.Achieve your weight, health & fitness goals.|Learn to defend yourself - feel safer.
Twice winners at the National Fitness Awards - SD Martial Arts, Gym and Fitness Centre provide a professional environment committed to helping you achieve your goals.
Whether you want to tone up, lose weight and learn to defend yourself or train to become a champion – we've got a class for you.
Work with a personal trainer or train alone to achieve your goals in our well-equipped gym.
Our constantly changing, hi-energy fitness classes are specifically designed to help you achieve your weight and fitness goals.
Interested, but not sure which class is for you - book a free taster session!
We are working hard to bring you a new, updated website for 2019! Please bear with us whilst we bring you these changes. Our holiday opening hours are displayed on our social sites, and all of our contact details are unaffected by the updates! We look forward to seeing you in 2019!
Welcome to SD School of Martial Arts, the home of professional teaching of martial arts in Colchester, and the largest and most successful full-time dojo in Essex.
SDSMA is a multi-award winning Martial Arts & Fitness Centre, being the only martial arts club in the country to win two National Fitness Awards in one year – Best Combat Zone & Best Children's Facilities of the Year 2011!
A leading member of the English Karate Federation, we were the only martial arts centre in the east of England to be included within the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.
All of our instructors are either current or former national, european or world champions in their own field and have years of experience of professional teaching both with children and adults – all have enhanced DBS checks, First Aid qualifications and are comprehensively insured.
Our reputation in the Colchester and North Essex area is second to none and we have featured on BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
We hold classes to cater for everyone's individual needs – regardless of age, gender and level of fitness and whether you have sporting ambitions or just want to improve your well-being, boost your confidence and meet people in our fun, sociable classes.
Whether your interest is in Karate, Kickboxing, Krav Maga, BJJ, MMA or Boxing, from the moment you walk through the door, you'll be greeted with a smile and a safe, professional environment.
As well as mixed classes, we also offer age specific classes; Little Dragons, Kid Kick – plus our very popular Parties, where we do all the work so you don't have to!
SD School of Martial Arts was established in 2003 by Colchester based, 6th Dan former England karate international, Sean Doyland.
Soon afterwards, it moved to a purpose-built dojo at Global Park, East Gates, Colchester where Sean and his team of dedicated instructors offer the very highest standards in the instruction of karate and other martial arts. We are now based in a leisure facility in Colchester, with a large purpose built dojo, Energyze Gym and Fitness centre, Ultimate Ninja UK, Energyze Beauty and Wellness Clinic (including Energyze Tanning), Energyze Kitchen and Essex Training Solutions.
We have built our reputation on professionalism, achievements and quality of student service.
Our classes will help you achieve lifetime self-defence skills, build confidence, get into shape and relieve stress.
From our Colchester base, we attract members from across north Essex who are keen to learn a range of disciplines including karate, boxing, kickboxing and Krav Maga.
We offer dedicated classes for toddlers and young children (Little Dragons and Kid Kick) which are designed to be fun whilst building core skills which will benefit them in the years ahead.
We are very proud to have been the only martial arts club in the east of England to have been included within the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.
WINNERS in the National Fitness Awards 2011 Best Childrens Facility.
WINNERS in the National Fitness Awards 2011 Best Combat Zone.
Best coach of the year 2010 Sean Doyland.
High Sheriff Award 2009 – 2010 SD School of Martial Arts.
High Sheriff Award 2009 – 2010 Sean Doyland.
Growing Business of the Year Winners, Essex Countywide Business Awards 2007.
Best of Colchester award as one of the best businesses in Colchester August 2007.
Growing Business of the Year award, part of the Colchester Business Awards 2006.
Colchester and district business awards New Company Winners 2005.
Essex Countywide Business Awards Education and Lifelong Learning Finalists 2006.
Colchester and District Sports Council – Certificates of Commendation for Sports Personality of the Year 2005 – Sean Doyland (Coaches category), Oliver Doyland (Junior category), Carl Barton (Boxing Coach), SD School of Martial Arts (Team) Karate.
Essex Children Community University Partnership – Certificate of appreciation for support of young people and developing youth skills 2005.
If you're looking for a team building experience with a difference, then look no further!
SD School of Martial Arts in Colchester can offer you an exhilarating and fun day that all your staff will be talking about for a very long time.
From self-defence, to sumo wrestling, we have a great package to suit your needs.
We can supply the venue (a fully equipped martial arts dojo, conveniently located close to Colchester town centre with ample free parking), a buffet lunch, meeting area and unique activities with your own highly skilled and motivational martial arts instructors.
Don a helmet, enter the Gladiator Arena and battle it out with pugal sticks (your chance to bash the boss?!) Knock your opponent from their pedestal and hear your team mates cheer as your prey falls to the inflatable floor.
If you have the energy you can slip into a sumo suit and take to the mat. Go head to head and watch your opposition roll helplessly around, with legs flailing, unable to regain their footing. Always a winner in the fun stakes!
On a more serious note, we can also offer an incredible and invaluable self-defence seminar, again in our purpose built dojo, which will give peace of mind to both you and your staff – why not show them you care?
The experts at SD School of Martial Arts are dedicated to delivering excellent facilities, service, training and fun… simply the best!
We can provide you with a day of fun and team building, or a serious session of life saving skills, or indeed, a mixture of both.
Whatever your needs, we will create a bespoke package to meet your individual requirements.
Availability is limited, so please call 01206 860008 now for further information on this challenging and rewarding Martial Arts Experience.


"Streifenkarte," "Tageskarte" or better "Wochenkarte?" Bus or subway? The variety of tickets and public transportation in Munich is broad!
What may seem confusing at first, actually helps you to find what is best for you.
Read on for an introduction to Munich's public transport!
Munich's public transport system consists of bus, U-Bahn (underground), S-Bahn (the light rail that goes both above ground and underground) and Straßenbahn (tram). Bus and Straßenbahn are usually not as fast, as they often make more stops than U- and S-Bahn within the same distance. The subway, which is mostly underground, but has a few areas where it runs above ground, and the S-Bahn are faster.
Now the question is: which ticket to purchase when you want to go somewhere in Munich?
If you are by yourself and you quickly have to go somewhere, the Single Ticket is for you. You may go to your destination and even hop out on your way to your final destination or transfer as long as you continue to go in the direction of your final destination. However, you cannot go to your destination and then return to where you came from on the same single ticket. Neither can you take a round-trip. In these instances, you have to purchase a new ticket.
Make sure you know in which of the color-coded zones you are and through which zones you are going to reach your destination – you might have to buy a single ticket for more than one zone. You can check the maps located at the stations to see what you need.
Also don't forget to validate your ticket! Not all Single Tickets are already validated, and simply buying it is not enough.
As general information: You can validate your tickets at one of the blue machines at the stations before you enter the subway or the S-Bahn. In the bus or the tram, you can validate a previously purchased ticket in the vehicle. If you buy a ticket in the bus or tram, it is already pre-validated.
The "Streifenkarte" has you covered for various trips. If you're older than 21, you have to validate two of the stripes for one zone, four stripes for two zones and so on.
You can even take others on the Stripe Ticket: If you are going somewhere with two friends, for example, you have to validate stripe number 2 (that makes two stripes for you), number 4 (an additional two stripes for your one friend), and number 6 (for your other friend).
Take a deep breath – because this is fairly easy. The Single Day Ticket takes you anywhere in Munich with unlimited trips. You just have to choose between the color-coded zones "inner district" (white), "outer district" (green, yellow, and red), "Munich XXL" (white and green) and "Entire Network" (white, green, yellow and red). You can easily check which of the areas you want or need by looking at the maps located in the stations.
If you use public transport on a regular or more frequent basis, you can get an IsarCard. This public transport pass enables you to travel at a much cheaper cost than a Single Ticket or Stripe Ticket. The IsarCard perfectly caters to your needs as you can choose between a weekly or monthly ticket, what day you want the ticket to start, as well as the number of rings you need (a ring is a unit of travel validity, just like zone is a unit of travel validity).
Yay – Children younger than 6 years can take trips for free!
You can bring your bike – but only on the S-Bahn and the underground, and NOT on weekdays, Monday through Friday, from 6am to 9am, as well as 4pm to 6pm (school holidays are excluded). Plus, you have to buy the Bicycle Day Ticket (Entire Network).
You can also bring your dog – and it's for free! If you travel with more than one dog, you have to buy him or her a Children's Single Trip Ticket.


text:
Dimitrij Koldun (), beloruski pevec, * 11. junij 1985, Minsk, Belorusija.

Koldun je leta 2004 tekmoval v beloruski oddaji glasbenih talentov Narodnii artist 2, vendar ni dosegel finala. Leta 2006 je znova tekmoval na televizijski glasbeni oddaji, tokrat v ruskem šovu Star Factory ter zmagal, s čimer je njegova priljubljenost močno narasla. Na nacionalnem tekmovanju za Evrovizijo je bil izbran za beloruskega predstavnika na Evroviziji 2007 v Helsinkih, kjer je najprej s pesmijo »Work your magic« nastopil na polfinalnem večeru ter se uvrstil v finale, kjer je zasedel 6. mesto.

Zunanje povezave
 http://www.koldundima.ru/

Rojeni leta 1985
Živeči ljudje
Evrovizijski glasbeniki
Beloruski pevci

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
La febre paratifoide és una malaltia  entèrica bacteriana, produïda per 3 serotips d'espècies de Salmonella,  S. Paratyphi A ,  S. Paratyphi B  i  S. Paratyphi C . El quadre clínic és similar al de la febre tifoide però es presenta generalment amb un curs més benigne.

La febre paratifoidea, en conjunt amb la febre tifoide, són considerades sota el terme més global de febre entèrica.

Classificació
La febre paratifoide es classifica en conjunt amb la febre tifoide com una febre entèrica.
Els serotips  A,  B i  C de  S. paratyphi  donen quadres clínics similars a la febre tifoide, amb lleus diferències entre ells.

Quadre clínic
Les característiques clíniques de la febre paratifoide són similars a la de la febre tifoide, encara que generalment es presenta amb un quadre clínic de menor intensitat i amb un període d'incubació més curt. Els serotips A o B poden manifestar-se amb icterícia, trombosi o abscés hepàtic;  i també amb un quadre sistèmic.

La  S. paratyphi B  pot produir un quadre similar a la gastroenteritis per salmonel·la no específica.
La  S. paratyphi C  no sol produir quadres gastrointestinals, i pot produir septicèmia i artritis.
La infecció per  S. paratyphi A  produeix recaigudes en un 8% dels pacients.

Tractament

El tractament de la febre paratifoide no difereix del tractament per a la febre tifoide. inclou:
 Repòs.
 Mesures dietètiques.
 Hidratació.
 Antibiòtics: ciprofloxacina, ofloxacina, cefixima, azitromicina, ceftriaxona, cefotaxima.
 Mesures de prevenció.

Vegeu també
 Febre tifoide
 Febre entèrica

Referències

Malalties bacterianes
Malalties infeccioses intestinals


Bring your water to a boil in a sauce pan or pot.
for four minutes, stirring occassionally and strain.
Add your garlic, to the pan.
back into the pan and add the Exotic Pad Thai Sauce.
Add your bean sprouts. Remove from heat and add chives.
Serve the noodles with prawns on top, a lime to squeeze.


text:
package org.apache.sling.resourceresolver.impl.helper;

import java.util.Iterator;

import org.apache.sling.api.resource.Resource;

/**
 * Resource iterator handling the decoration of resources.
 */
public class ResourceIteratorDecorator implements Iterator<Resource> {

    private final ResourceDecoratorTracker tracker;

    private final Iterator<Resource> iterator;

    public ResourceIteratorDecorator(final ResourceDecoratorTracker tracker,
            final Iterator<Resource> iterator) {
        this.tracker = tracker;
        this.iterator = iterator;
    }

    /**
     * @see java.util.Iterator#hasNext()
     */
    public boolean hasNext() {
        return this.iterator.hasNext();
    }

    /**
     * @see java.util.Iterator#next()
     */
    public Resource next() {
        return this.tracker.decorate(this.iterator.next());
    }

    /**
     * @see java.util.Iterator#remove()
     */
    public void remove() {
        this.iterator.remove();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Struck By Lightning
The Carson Phillips Journal
by Chris Colfer
Genre: Teen & Young Adult / Young Adult Fiction / Media Tie-in
Hardcover	Audiobook Downloadable Unabridged	Trade Paperback	See All
Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker.
At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school.
The film Stuck By Lightning features Colfer's own original screenplay. Colfer also stars in the film alongside Allison Janney, Christina Hendricks, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Hyland, and Polly Bergen.


text:
Blog Grants available for Toronto churches
Grants available for Toronto churches
Mark Petersen March 30, 2016 Grants
The Mustard Seed Foundation, based in Washington DC, has partnered with Stronger Philanthropy to announce their latest round of grants for church communities in the Greater Toronto Area. Brian Bakke, Director of the Americas Region of the Mustard Seed Foundation, will be in Toronto June 1-4 to meet with church leaders to hear their vision for reaching their neighbors, and to help them apply for MSF funding.
Next month we will share details about the time and location of information meetings for church leaders to learn how to apply for MSF funding. There will also be opportunities for private conversations with Brian about the details of a church's new ministry idea and how to approach the Foundation for funding for that project.
The MSF is a family foundation started in 1983 by Dennis and Eileen Bakke with a specific focus on major urban areas around the world. For their granting in Ontario they are considering applications from local congregations located within the Greater Toronto Area. The Foundation can fund new projects, or the specific cost of the expansion of a ministry. A new project is one that has not yet started, or is in its first 12 months of operation. The Foundation does not fund ongoing operational expenses.
The MSF will consider matching only what is given on a 1:1 basis by your congregation through its tithes and offerings for the costs of starting the new project. The MSF will not give more than half the costs of a project, and not give more than your congregation gives for that project.
The Foundation gives money to evangelism, discipleship, and economic development projects. In Toronto, the Foundation has already approved projects like the following:
A campus outreach at the University of Toronto
Help a new church plant in the West End
Expand an outreach among Muslims in Thorncliffe
Outreach among Chinese immigrants
Outreach ministry among caregivers and children in Bloor West Village
Outreach among Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus in Brampton
Evangelistic theater program in Woodbine Heights
A new church plant in Don Mills
Holistic ministry and safe house for people who were trafficked in the sex industry
In each of the aforementioned projects, the MSF matched the giving of a specific church in the neighborhood of ministry for the costs of the project.
The Foundation does not fund the following:
Churches with more than 1,000 members
Building acquisition or construction projects
Buses or vans
Citywide or nationwide initiatives
Book publishing projects
Radio, Internet, or TV ministry
Sabbatical for a pastor
Free food and clothing distribution to the chronically poor
Canadian residents that desire to go on long-term or short-term missions trip
To learn the times and locations of the June meetings, subscribe to the Stronger Philanthropy e-newsletter at the bottom of this page. We will announce these on May 1.
Tags:Churches, Mustard Seed Foundation, Toronto


text:
Review games on Steam that you love. Results are determined by those who show up
Original: http://arcengames.com/review-games-on-steam-that-you-love-or-hate-results-are-determined-by-those-who-show-up/
Well, the new steam storefront is very interesting, and I think it's a breath of fresh air. For a lot of reasons. It gives a lot more power to recommendations and peers and even news outlets. This new curators thing is going to be awesome, I've wanted them to add something like this for years.
Still -- it's a brave new world, in other respects. We've been on Steam for 5 years now, and (as tends to happen pretty much continuously) a lot of our past experience on how to be successful is out the window. One of the things that I noticed immediately was the new way that user reviews are highlighted in terms of the number of positive and negative ones, basically like rotten tomatoes. I think that's an awesome thing to do, and way more useful than showing metascores. Hooray!
I also do think, though, that not showing them weighted by how many people find a given review useful is a bit less helpful, though. If there are 20 negative reviews that almost nobody finds helpful, and then 40 positive reviews that are found to be generally very helpful, you still come out with a 66% overall user score, which shows up as a mixed reception. And that's what has happened with The Last Federation, to my surprise. Interestingly, most of the rest of our games kind of mimic their general reception, although Bionic Dues is higher-scored than I would have expected based on its sales numbers.
Given the sales numbers of TLF, though, and the general really positive reception to it, I find it a bit strange how the game shows up as mixed. At the moment there are two negative reviews in the top FIVE pages of most-helpful user reviews for the game.
If your curious, this is the listing for Arcen as a publisher on Steam, where you can see the breakdowns for everything.
And So We Come To The Point
Much as with democratic elections, referendums, and primaries, you now have a voice on Steam. This is very exciting! But also as with voting in real elections, the results are determined by those people who show up.
You should never go astroturfing for anyone, and you should never go on a smear campaign against someone, either. But I think that it's now really important to give reviews, more than ever, to help light the way for those who come after you and wonder if they should spend their money. Do you like a game? Review it and give it at least a brief explanation. Don't like a game? Review it and hopefully say more than "this is boring" or "this sucks." A sentence or two of articulation in a negative review (or a positive one, for that matter) really goes a long way. Not everything has to be a novel.
I really feel like this is getting to be like Amazon.com. I absolutely rely on the user reviews on Amazon, because they are so helpful -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The point is, for a lot of indies, there are either very few reviews, or no reviews at all. And yet the games are selling, sometimes really well, and the experiences of those people just aren't being shared at all. That's a bit of a shame, and I think makes it harder for people to find (and trust) the niche sorts of products that people around here like. And I'm not just talking about Arcen's products, either. I know so many indie developers who struggle a lot more than we do -- if anything, we manage to get far more press than the average indie developer, even if we aren't in the upper echelon.
What This Means For Niche Games In Particular
I think that the more niche a game is, the more the reviews of that audience are important. When you get a game that is, say, a super-hardcore historical strategy game (a genre that Arcen has never dabbled in, so I'm free to use that as an example), you can wind up with situations where the reviews are skewed.
Some people jump in and try it just because they like strategy games. But boy, that game is too hardcore and the learning curve is steep and it's not what they are looking for. Those people SHOULD write negative reviews, with at least a short explanation saying why it was negative for them. This can warn off other generalized strategy gamers who might make the same mistake. But it's not going to deter someone who thinks "you didn't like the complexity? That makes me MORE interested!"
Even so, you wind up with a skew towards the negative -- and we see this on Amazon all the time with all sorts of products -- because generally people with an axe to grind are the ones most likely to do a review. Which really sucks, particularly if you're a fan of a niche genre and you want to see more games in that genre. If you DO like super-hardcore historical strategy games, and you want to see more good ones, then you frankly owe it to yourself to write a review. If you find one you love, write about it. Find one that is okay, but not stellar, write about that, too. Find one that is in the genre you like, but that just doesn't pull it off, write about THAT, too.
That way the people who are actually interested in the same sorts of things you are can learn from you -- and if they reciprocate, then you from them.
This Is Incredibly Better Than The Apple App Store
This whole thing really democratizes the process, and I am so absolutely thrilled to see how this is happening. Apple curates a few titles, and beyond that it's mostly the top lists for things that are already popular. That means you get a lot of derivative games, and a lot of games featuring birds because people do a lot of searching for the word bird by now. Despite the plethora of games on the Apple App Store, far more than on Steam, the variety is incredibly more anemic there.
The awesome thing about the new Steam system is that it doesn't fall prey to any of those problems. And so I'm hopeful that we'll see more niche games that actually find the audience they were seeking. Not people who buy it by mistake and then hate it, and not titles that languish in obscurity despite overwhelmingly positive user reviews (ahem, Bionic Dues).
And hey, when the public generally doesn't like a game by a developer (ahem, Shattered Haven), then that's good for the developer to know, too. And good for players. We still get people who buy Shattered Haven and love it, but they go in eyes open thanks to user reviews. They understand that by the market's opinion is that it's a rough gem at best, and something that only will appeal to a certain set of players (of which I am a member, incidentally -- I in no way feel it's a bad game, but I understand why some others do). I would rather sell 100 copies of Shattered Haven to people who will actually enjoy it rather than 1000 copies to people who never load it up or who get angry when they try it because it's not what they thought.
Reviews, reviews, reviews! You don't have to write long articles, and you don't have to review games you haven't really played enough to form an opinion on. But if you've played a game and have an opinion -- goodness, certainly if you've put a few dozen hours into it -- you really ought to write a review. It's good for developers, and it's good for players, and it's what will make the Steam store the sort of environment that we all hope it will become.
I'm really optimistic about this new storefront, and it's something that we've known was coming for quite some time. I didn't realize it would be today, or anywhere near this soon, but I knew that Valve was planning these changes and I just absolutely could not wait for them. All change is scary, so I'm a bit nervous about this even though I believe it will be a good thing. But the only thing that really scares me, honestly, is that people won't take the time to do reviews for niche games. If nobody does, or if only the people who aren't really into that niche do, then those niches are only going to get smaller.
All right, that's my sermon. ;) I hope you find lots of new and exciting games with the new Steam store!
Misery:
I'm going to be interested to see the overall effects of this on Steam as a whole.
In all honesty, my thoughts on this are rather mixed. It's no secret that I dont like Metacritic one bit and find it useless, but I'm not so sure of this new system either. On one hand, yes, it's not Metacritic, and it's not JUST a number. On the other hand, it has the potential for the same sorts of problems.
The people writing the reviews, for instance. There's times when I read those, and I think they must either be high when writing those, or REALLY high when writing those. Or for some games you'll get "reviews" that arent really reviews at all. Like, I was looking at some of them for Five Nights at Freddy's, and a whole pile of them are just "I wasnt ready 4 Freddy" or some variation of that line. Granted that's fitting for the game, but it's not exactly helpful.... though I bought it anyway, because I do that.
And I get the idea that alot of potential buyers still are going to have the same basic approach to this as before. Maybe they're not JUST looking at the metascore, but they may still take a similar approach with the other bits, avoiding a game if it says "mixed" reviews or whatever, or sliding the page down and seeing how many thumbs-ups there are VS thumbs-down. Without actually reading any of them.
So wether or not it'll have much effect.... yeah, it'll be interesting to see. It is at least good to see some changes along that line though.
EDIT: The new interface, however, can go jump off a cliff. Ugh. I had to search just to find the option to see ALL new releases today instead of JUST "popular" ones. Among other issues.
Mysterial:
It didn't take long for someone to start bombing it ;)
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/-_____________________________-#
As with most new Steam store features (like tags) it'll probably take a month or two before they iron out the issues and figure out how to keep out most of the griefers, spammers, and trolls.
I like the direction, though, both as consumer and developer. I'm glad that as Valve relaxes their restrictions and makes it easier for developers (particularly indies) to get on they're keeping in mind ways to improve the store and avoid the App Store hellhole.
In terms of user reviews, seeing things boiled down to a popularity contest is indeed dangerous. And I have to say, even as a developer, when I am looking for games to play as a player I pay way too much attention to the damn metascore. It's just something that fixates in my mind.
I really liked the user reviews system the way it was before here, because it didn't really give overall numbers. There was the most helpful section, and I would look through the top few pages of those, and see what the overall sentiment was. If they were overwhelmingly positive or negative, then I'd flip to Only Positive or Only Negative to see what the dissenting opinions were -- if everyone hates this, why do some people like it? If everyone hates it, why do some people like it? And then decide from there.
All that flies out the window with an unweighted rollup right on the store listings. Which is a shame.
As for the new releases only showing popular ones... I think that's somewhat inevitable, given the pace of new releases now. Frankly it used to be that some of the train simulator stuff would bomb the store with two pages of new-releases DLC, so they added that DLC filter. But then legitimate expansion packs would get caught up in that filter the same as a new $5 train engine would. That sucked.
Then there was more recently the problem with some indies only spending a few hours at most on the front page of the new releases, and with new releases being such a prominent thing, that was absolutely devastating to sales. What I think Valve is trying to get away from -- actually, they've explicitly stated this -- is a reliance on discoverability being driven by the new releases page. That and steam sales were about the only thing driving discoverability for a long while now; front page or die. Which incidentally would mean that top sellers would keep being top sellers partly because they were top sellers (not in all cases -- we would get in the top 10 sellers briefly during sales or releases, then fall off within a day or two, and that is something that happened with many other developers, too; but Terrarria and Goat Simulator I think kind of snowballed partly off the Top Sellers list itself).
It's hard to be sure of anything, because it's all so bloody complicated. I like what they are trying to emphasize, though, and what they are trying to de-emphasize. How much time do you spend on the home page of Amazon? Personally, I don't even look at it. I shop on amazon more than at any other store, digital or otherwise. The reviews system in general works well, the search and categories and filters work great, and overall I can find what I want really well. I'm a transformers collector, and it is hard to find specific lines of transformers and compare items and prices within that line, though; but the tags feature in steam might help with that. And on Amazon, the "people who bought this also bought that" and the "people who looked at this ultimately bought that" also help a lot.
I think Steam doesn't need to just copy Amazon, and they aren't at all. But I think that the general mindset of what they are trying to do is in the same overall ballpark. They've got a data cube, and they're letting customers mine it. Other storefronts have something that feels more like a 2D table, and they just kind of list stuff, with a few separate lists to try to get extra most-common queries handled. Until today, that's how Steam was, too. And it's not a horrible way to be, certainly, but it doesn't scale at all. So once you start hitting scale, you have to shift approach, and I think this overall approach is really smart.
The curators in particular: that lets people essentially have micro-stores that are scaled-back. Just the stuff that TotalBiscuit recommends. Just the stuff that is currently on discount promotion out of what he recommends. Suddenly there are multiple front pages. There isn't software clogging up his page, and if he puts DLC on there it's because it matters, not because it's a train car that happened to come out with 20 other individual train cars. So that's pretty awesome. And on the other hand, if there are train enthusiast sites, then they cover the train car stuff and the aficionado of train cars doesn't have the sort of trouble finding all the cars that I might have trying to find all the kinds of transformers on Amazon. So that's win-win... so long as I find TotalBiscuit and train guy finds the train curator. That part remains to be seen.
And of course, that's what all this user review stuff and Netflix-style "we're betting you'll like this because people like you (based on metrics we have on other things you like) liked it." So that's really useful. But only if people actually write reviews. And only so long as the trolls don't get to rule. Which is where that whole helpful-reviews thing has always been a golden idea that steam executed perfectly... and are currently ignoring.
I'm not ranting at all. The problem they face is a bloody complicated one, and for their day 1 crack at it, it seems to be going marvelously. Relative to what would happen with most stores. Mysterial, I'm afraid, I don't understand what exactly is happening with the bombing that you're referring about there. I clicked the link, but I still don't follow what is happening. ;)
Anyhow, agreed on the happiness about avoiding becoming an app store hellhole. :)
The bombing bit he refers to is basically that group wandering around and dropping "I do not recommend this game" on completely random titles for no reason.
Actually, just go look at your page for Betrayed Hope.... you'll see it.
The internet, I swear.... it took, how long for this sort of trolling to start? Hardly any time at all. Bloody amazing, sometimes. It'll get worse before it gets better.


Today we are excited to announce the launch of the Amazon WorkSpaces Connection Health Check Website. Now, WorkSpaces users who want to know if their local network meets the requirements to use Amazon WorkSpaces can simply visit the website and find out. The website quickly checks if you can get to all of the required services to use WorkSpaces. In addition, it does a performance check to each AWS Region where WorkSpaces run, and lets users know which one will be fastest for them.
To try out the website please visit health.amazonworkspaces.com.


Join us Thursday, March 27, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. when Taso from River Horse Wine Imports stops by to pour tastes of some new arrivals from the Greek Islands: Koutsogiorgakis Winery Kamares and SantoWines Vinsanto.
These new arrivals from the Greek islands of Evia and Santorini offer a glimpse of the variety and quality of Greek wines produced today.
Koutsogiorgakis might be something of a mouthful, but don't worry, we won't grade your pronunciation. This white from the northern side of the island of Evia (Greece's second largest island) is a blend of two grapes: Assyrtiko, as found in the great white wines from Santorini, and Asprouda. This is a delicious, versatile, dry white that will be in heavy rotation as the days begin to get longer and warmer.
Made from a blend of the rare indigenous Vradiano and smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which are included to add a bit more structure to complement the fruit of the Vradiano, the Kamares Red shows red fruits with hints of spice and smoke derived from its barrel aging. Both this and the Kamares White are made in extremely small quantities – both fewer than 300 cases! – at a small, family-owned winery.
Vinsanto. Though most associate the name with Italy, the production of these notably concentrated dessert wines made from dried grapes stretches back at least as far into Santorini's history. A blend of Assyrtiko and Aidani – both grapes indigenous to Santorini – the grapes are then dried in the sun before fermentation, concentrating their sugars so much that a significant amount inevitably remains after fermentation is complete. The wine is then aged for many years in oak barrels before bottling, a process which adds depth and spice notes to complement the sweetness.
Next: French Wines Tasting: Domaine Catherine & Didier Tripoz Macon Charnay, Pascal Pibaleau La Perlette and Domaine de Terre Georges Et Cetera.


text:
EnCana employees trigger $1 million in support of tsunami victims
January 11, 2005 (Calgary, AB) - Employees of EnCana Corporation have, to date, triggered financial support exceeding $1 million for those organizations delivering aid to victims of the South Asia earthquake and resulting tsunamis.
"Like so many others, EnCana employees were moved by the tragedy unfolding in South Asia. Recognizing the profound need, the Company amended its matching gifts donation policy by double-matching all individual employee contributions, which, when complemented by the Government of Canada's dollar-for-dollar match of individual donations, translates into more than a million dollars," explained Community Investment Manager, Mary Ann Steen.
Steen explained that EnCana employees have donated more than $280,000 by today's deadline to be eligible for the federal government's match. EnCana will continue to double match individual donations until February 15.
EnCana staff and members of its Board of Directors were able to select their preferred relief agency. Support has gone to the prime aid organizations, ranging from the Red Cross in Canada or the U.S., to World Vision, Care Canada or CARE U.S.A., Oxfam and UNICEF.
"We don't have operations in the region affected, but our employees responded generously. This comes on the heels of the company's annual employee giving program, EnCana Cares, which raised more than $2 million in financial support to charities in late 2004," explained Steen.
EnCana Corporation is North America's largest natural gas producer and a leading developer of oilsands. EnCana focuses on contributing to the strength and sustainability of the communities in which it is privileged to operate. In 2004, EnCana invested more than C$15 million in these communities, and expects to contribute an additional C$15 million in 2005. EnCana subscribes to the Canadian Centre of Philanthropy's Imagine program, which sets a benchmark for corporate giving at one percent of pre-tax profits
Mary Ann Steen
Manager, Community Investment
MaryAnn.Steen@EnCana.com