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#162 - "This little One Will Be BIG"
Sounds familiar? Perhaps if you see it in Hebrew - "Zeh HaKatan Gadol Yihyeh", which is recited immediately after the second mention of the newly circumcised baby's Hebrew name in the baby naming prayer.
In my previous post, I mentioned how the word Katan (little/small) is associated with the concept of disgrace, as being disgraced is being belittled making one feel that he or she is not worth anything. Particularly, Ham the son of Noah who sexually disgraced his father, is in turn disgraced by the Torah for his immoral act, as he is called "the young son" of Noah, but not before he is previously called the "father of Cana'an", and we already know that Ham is listed as the last son of Noah when their names were first mentioned earlier in Parshat Noach. This is why Rashi notes at this point that HaKatan is defined as the unfit and disgraced one.
However, when it comes to Jews or good non-Jews, the word Katan can denote rather something good. In terms of non-Jews, we see that Ever's son Yaktan, based on the word Katan, is named as such, because as our rabbis tell us, he was a humble person, and hence merited to have 13 sons. (Note: The Yukatan Peninsula derives its name from him, as his descendants were living in this location).
Now for Jews, the word Katan can mean a good thing. We already know that Jacob is called by this title when his mother Rebecca dressed him in his older brother Esau's clothes in order that his father Isaac should think that he was Esau, as Isaac intended to give the birthright blessings specifically to Esau, as Isaac's eyesight no longer was able to help him see who was who, and so he would not know the difference, and it is in this context that Easu is called "her big son" and Jacob is called "her little son" (Genesis 27:15). Now, the question can be asked, we certainly know by now who was older or younger between these two brothers, so why particularly here is this mentioned?
But as we see, this verse was the determining point for Jacob to receive the blessings in lieu of Esau from Isaac, as it was Esau's clothes that Rebecca dressed Jacob in that made the physical difference, as Isaac knew that Esau wore this type of clothing in his hunting expeditions, and as Esau as the moment was out hunting game for Papa Isaac, he obviously had more than one pair of such clothes. And even though Esau tehcnically was supposed to have been the one to receive the birthright blessings as the firstborn "the big son", due to his evil ways, he lost out on this, and it was thanks to Rebecca's sharp thinking and quick actions that allowed Jacob, though he was "the little one", to receive those blessings instead.
Following the above in Parshat Toldot, the following Parshat Vayeitzei mentions the story of Jacob coming to the town of Haran where his uncle Laban resided. In the midst of this story, the Torah mentions that Laban had two daughters - the older one was Leah and the younger one was Rachel (Genesis 29:16). As it turns out, Jacob fell in love particularly with Rachel, and despite working for Uncle Laban to win Rachel's hand in marriage for seven hard breaking years, he was completely fooled thinking that he was marrying Rachel when he was at the age of 84, when in reality, the covered face bride was Leah. In time, ironically, it was Leah who provided Jacob with half of his 12 sons, the future tribes of Israel, even though he had no intention of marrying her, and it was after several years of not having children due to being barren, Rachel finally gave birth to Joseph, and after several years, gave birth to Benjamin as she was dying.
Even though I usually use the English translation of names, following this in this post, I will call Benjamin as the Hebrew name Binyamin, and for good reason. You see, after nearly 2,000 years, Hebrew is the revived speaking language of Israel, something that hasn't happened with any other language. Meaning, once a language in world history is stopped being spoken for the most part, it is a thing of the past along with the once world leading nation that has also dwindled, including Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, and Rome, whose empires have long since vanished. However, we Jews as the smallest and most abused, with constant attempts of annihilation and having been scattered to the four corners of the earth, most ironically, have stayed together as a nation, and a large segment of Jews have returned to our homeland despite the sacrifices involved in sharp and stark contrast to the good life in the United States. Accordingly, Israel's language of Hebrew was part of the package deal.
This is all fine and dandy, but does this have to do particularly with Binyamin, Jacob's youngest son? You see, he was the ONLY one of Jacob's sons who was born in Israel, making him the sole Sabra of his brothers. In fact, his very name as Ben-Yamin "son of right", referring to the direction that Israel is located in terms of the other countries west of it, represents the special connection that Binyamin has with Israel. Hence, it is only fitting that we refer to Binyamin to his name in Hebrew specifically, the same that we do for Israelis who are born in Israel today.
And so, Binyamin, as the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, who are both called "the little/younger one", inherits this title in his genes. You see, when Jacob's sons came to Egypt when the worldwide famine first hit, Jacob refused to let Baby Binyamin to come along with them, for fear that he would loose the only alive son of his from his favorite wife Rachel, being for all that he knew, Joseph was no longer alive for some 20 years.
In fact, the brothers, when they faced Joseph as the viceroy of Egypt, not knowing that he was their long sold brother (rather than their long lost brother for they knowingly sold him), told him that "the young one" is with their father (Genesis 42:13).
Though Binyamin was the youngest of the 12 brothers, it is kind of funny that he was referred to specifically as "the young one", for it wasn't afterwards when Binyamin among the entire family who move to Egypt, had 10 sons, ironically more than all of his older brothers (the Torah only mentions a handful of daughters in the family, so there is no way to know about how many daughters they had). But then again, the letter Yud, as the numerical value of 10, is unique in that is is the smallest of all the Hebrew letters. This also points out to the significance of Yaktan, whom we mentioned above about being a humble person, for in fact, his name is comprised of the letter Yud - the smallest letter and Katan "small", and amazingly, the Torah, like it does for Binyamin, mentions the names of all of Yaktan's 13 sons.
Now, as Binyamin was the youngest of Jacob's 12 sons, we see an interesting Gematria here. Oh sure, Binyamin's name is the Gematria of 162, and this is my 162th post. However, I am referring to what I wrote at the beginning of this post, where I mentioned that we recite as the boy's baby naming - Zeh HaKatan Gadol Yihyeh - "This little one will be big". The word Zeh (this) is the Gematria of 12, this is in effect saying "This 12th one is the youngest", as hinting specifically to Binyamin, ancestor of Saul, the first king of Israel, saying that Gadol Yihyeh "will be big".
The truth is that in history, though Binyamin started out as having 10 sons, and in the laws of inheritance, the land goes according to the man of the house, as this is how the land of Israel was apportioned, this tribe was close to extinction at one point. You see, in an incident near the end of Sefer Shoftim (Book of Judges), due to the Tribe of Binyamin's refusal to denounce a crime perpetrated by some thugs of its tribe against a lady, the maidservant of a guy who cut her body into 12 parts following her dropping dead after a night of being raped, and sending them to various parts of Israel, the rest of the Jewish nation fought the Tribe of Binyamin, and though originally the other tribes were badly defeated, the Tribe of Binyamin was eventually defeated to the extent that only 600 men of this tribe were alive being that they escaped. So in fact, though Jacob's fears of losing his own son Binyamin in terms of the brothers travelling to Egypt were not materialized, it seems that he had a premonition that as some future time in Jewish history, Binyamin's descendants would be close to be exterminated, which happened specifically through the descendants's of Jacob's other sons.
With the above said, just as Israel as a nation has been despised by all the other nations of the world, despite the Jewish people's vast contributions in the materialistic world, we see a precedent of this pertaining to the two sons' of Jacob's favorite wife Rachel; for first, we see that Joseph incurred the jealousy of his brothers to the extent that they nearly murdered him and it was only at the last moment when they saw a caravan of spice peddlers that they thought it would be a good idea to sell him as a slave to them instead of cold blooded murder. And then later in history, it was like 11 tribes against the one tribe of Binyamin in the above mentioned war, the latter who was nearly exterminated, including all the women and even the innocent little babies, save for 600 men who had to marry into the other tribes who members killed theirs to continue the Tribe of Binyamin dynasty.
In time, the Jewish people received a big surprise - their very first king came from the tribe of Binyamin - King Saul. After all was said and done up to that point in history, it is hardly surprising that when the prophet Samuel informed King Saul that he was to be king, Saul wondered why as coming from the youngest of the tribes, that he should be chosen to be king of all. But though Saul was at first quite righteous and humble, his humbleness was misplaced with the divinely appointed position as king of Israel, and led to his downfall. You see, though he himself had a hard time understanding why he should be so "cruel" as to kill even the little babies of the nation of Amalek that Samuel ordered him to wipe out, even as his excuse for not following the directions to the tee by allowing its king to remain alive and sacrifice some Amalekite animals to G-d is because he "listened to the people", there was in fact truth to this. For following his excuses to Samuel for not exactly following the orders of Hashem, Samuel first told him that while "being the head of the tribes of Israel may be a small thing in your eyes...", thus indicating that since Saul didn't feel that he was worthy enough of being king to the extent that it affected his sense of strong leadership, to whatever extent, he in fact did listen to the people as he admitted pertaining to not totally annihilating Amalek. And so, though he may have seemed to be tough at times, when he felt that he had an element who felt that something should be different, despite knowing what Hashem really wanted, he let himself rationalize since after all, it wasn't his own decision, it would be O.K. to let the people have it their way.
Before I go on in Jewish history, let us rewind the tape here to the birth of Binyamin as we just read about on this past Shabbat in Parshat Vayishlach. We see that as Rachel was dying, she named her newly born son Ben-Oni "son of my mourning" (Genesis 35:18), for she knew that she was dying, and that her son's date of birth would also be the date of her passing. It is also quite possible that in fact, she was blaming her son for causing her death, especially after she waited several years following being barren until she finally first gave birth to Joseph, and then after several more years, finally gave birth to Binyamin, while her older sister Leah gave birth to six sons within several years with no trouble. Now, it seems that Jacob, knowing what his deceased wife Rachel named their son, gave a name similar in sounding to what Rachel gave, but on a rather much more positive note. In any case, it seems that Rachel too in a premonition had a feeling about mourning in terms of Binyamin, because his future descendants were nearly wiped out. And indeed, the words of the righteous, even if the circumstances under which they said those words never come into fruition, as the reason for the words that they say didn't happen; nevertheless, their words do become fulfilled in some way for the lips of the righteous don't speak falsehood; for in fact, it is though it is Hashem who is saying the same words, and we know that Hashem is all about truth, and everything against falsehood, and the righteous are the ultimate representatives of Hashem. In fact, it was because of Jacob's very statement to Laban who complained about his idols being stolen - that whoever stole his idols would die - that caused Rachel's early demise, as she was the one who stole the idols, unbeknownst to Jacob, and so since the words of a righteous person come true, even a curse due to not realizing something, they become true. Of course, this is one more example of why we have to be careful of what we say, because at times, even the curse of a wicked person can G-d forbid come true, but this is not the post to get into detail about this subject.
Then amazingly, when Samuel shopped for the future king of Israel following Saul's failure of being a good king of Israel, we find a similar factor. He came to the home of Jesse, parental descendant of the Tribe of Judah, to pick one of his sons as the future king that Hashem already had in mind". Following all of Jesse's seven sons in the house who didn't fight the criteria, Samuel asked if Jesse happened to have another son. Jesse replied "Oh yes, there is the little one who remains who is shepherding the sheep". In reply, Samuel said that he isn't going anywhere until this son - the future King David - would be brought, and the rest is history.
Now, the question can be asked. If Jesse, who was a big Torah scholar and righteous person, as our rabbis tell us, was visited by the prophet Samuel, wouldn't you think that for that reason alone, he would have had ALL his children, nay, his entire family, be present for the presence of the prophet Samuel? So what is this thing that Jesse said about "the young son", as though he didn't count like his older sons. And in case one gets the impression that he was a young boy, according to how the years of Jewish history is reckoned, King David as this point was in his late twenties. Moreover, he wasn't an ignorant shepherd, and was himself among the greatest Torah scholars in Jewish history, something that his father Jesse, more than anyone else, would have most appreciated?
For the answer to this, we have to turn to the Midrash for what is behind the scenes. You see, there is a Mitzva (commandment) in the Torah that "An Ammonite or a Moabite may not enter the congregation of Hashem" (Deutronomy 23:4), which means that even one of the nations of Amon or Moab who convert to Judaism is forbidden to marry a born Jewess, but only a convert as he or a Mamzer, who is born from a forbidden union. Now the reason for this is because as the Torah states, not only did they not provide food for the Jews as they left Egypt, but they went out of their way to hire Bilaam to curse the Jews. In any case, though in fact, this law about a convert from one of these two nations is applicable only to a male convert, but not a female convert, it seems that this law wasn't so clear in Jesse's days, though he thought all along that this indeed applicable only to a male convert. Now, the reason why this was a concern to him was because his grandmother Ruth, who converted to Judaism, was a descendant of Moab; and despite what he knew the law was all along, he had feelings that perhaps, the law was misinterpreted and hence, it would apply also to a female convert from Moab, which would then make Jesse himself, despite the fact that he was a big Torah scholar and already had a whole family, ineligible to remain married to his wife. Following this, he separated from his wife, and thought to be conjugal with his Canaanite maidservant (who obviously has to have converted to Judaism already in order for this to be permitted as a Jewish woman). However, Jesse's wife wasn't so quick to drop the gun. She made a deal with the maidservant to make it look like that Jesse would be sleeping with the maidservant, when in fact, it was to be Jesse's wife, considering the fact that Jesse would not know the difference in total darkness. The next thing that Jesse knows, his son David is born, and though he obviously expected him to look more dark like his Canaanite maidservant, he saw him to be similar in color to his other sons. Hence, out of shame, both of David's parents, along with his brothers, treated him with contempt, and was looked down in society to the extent that he was falsely accused of stealing things for which he was forced by the Jewish court to pay for. Indeed, it was not for naught that King David notes in Tehillim "For my father and mother deserted me..." (Psalms 27:10)
So as you can see, when Jesse replied to Samuel when he asked him if he had any more sons, Jesse was treating King David as though he didn't count as part of the family "the young one, who is shepherding the sheep", as though that was all that his son David was good for. But though Rashi doesn't comment on this, and understandably so, since Rashi was a descendant of King David, I will, for now, it makes sense to say that when Jesse said HaKatan that is typically translated as "the young one" which was literally true, he also meant by this term, along with the rest of his reply to Samuel, that he was the "despised one" of the family, just as it is explained in terms of the evil Ham. Perhaps Jesse explained to Samuel his dilemma, or perhaps not, but Samuel was unfazed by this, even as Samuel himself, as the righteous judge of the generation, must have known the truth of the law about the constrictions of marriage for a convert from Moab being only a male, and not a female.
Now, back to the phrase - Zeh Hakatan Gadol Yihyeh. We see that in Jewish history, Binyamin - the 12th of Jacob's sons, bearing in mind the Gematria of the word Zeh (this) is 12, became great - as his descendant Saul became the first king. However, due to Saul's unworthiness, it later became exclusively Gadol Yihyeh, as the word Yihyeh (will be) is the Gematria of the name Yehuda (30), the ancestor of the King David, who became the ancestor of the permanent of the Davidic dynasty, which includes Moshiach. Now, why should this be hinted specifically with Judah's name?
As mentioned in this week's Parshat Vayeishev, Judah slept with Tamar unknowingly that she was his past daughter-in-law twice, until the death of his two oldest sons. The next thing he knows, she was the pregnant prostitute of town, and condemned her to the death penalty. Realizing what was happening, Tamar hinted To Judah of their one night stand without openly embarrassing him. Now, while many others would turn away from responsibility and rationalize their own actions in 101 ways, despite Judah's faults, this was not one of them. As soon as he was reminded of his one time affair, he confessed that she was pregnant from him, and one of the twins that she was carrying was the ancestor of King David. And indeed, though Jacob scolded his three oldest sons for their misdeeds on his deathbed, he treated Judah very different, even though ironically, he was the very one who suggested to sell Jacob's favorite son Joseph as a slave, but as we see in this case too, at the end, he showed much remorse and responsibility to the extent that he put his eternal reward on the line to prevent Binyamin, Jacob's only other son from Rachel, from even becoming a slave for the "stolen" goblet that Joseph planted in Binyamin's sack to see how far his brothers were remorseful for selling him as a slave. Hence, second to Joseph, Judah received many blessings from Jacob, which included the eternal dynasty of King David.
We learn from this a most valuable lesson in life. Yes, we are all human beings, and yes, we will all make mistakes for all kinds of reasons. However, wherein lies a major difference between King Saul and Judah. While King Saul may have been a most humble person, a prerequisite for a true Jewish leader as was the case especially with Moses, he was one who because of his humbleness, didn't always take responsibility of his actions, relying on the fact that he would blame it on others "I listened to the nation" who by the way, were not punished per se for his lack of responsibility, for he was supposed to be the king to set the example, but he let his nation down, and even when Samuel confronted him of his misdeed, he still attempted to justify his misactions in a most political way, "and the rest we sacrificed to Hashem". Oh sure, after Samuel told it all to him, then Saul felt remorse, and wanted to amend things, but too little too late.
On the other hand, while King David also did things wrong as king for which Hashem chastised and punished him, the good thing about King David is that he was quick to admit his guilt when pointed out to him, and it helped even mitigate some of the punishment that was originally meant for him to receive. And after all, he followed the example of his righteous ancestor Judah who also was quick to admit wrongdoing when confronted. And so, while virtually all of us sin at some point or another in our lives, including Moses, the ultimate thing that separates the men from the boys in terms of leadership is the aspect of taking responsibility of our actions.
And this is the ultimate lesson that we want to teach our newly circumcised and named son. For even as a Jewish child may be given the name of a righteous person, even as that righteous person may have done certain sins in his life, the ultimate factor that determines a righteous person from one who is not is how one will behave following realizing his misbehavior, and what steps he will take to improve and insure that this will not happen again, rather than justifying and rationalizing one's behavior in terms of other people, or even worse, blaming others for one's own misdoing. For once the baby's name is repeated, it is driving through the point that one is not simply given another Jewish name - it is the name that one is still to live up to. And as we see in Judah's name, the first letter of his name is a Yud, the smallest of the letters, but it is also the first letter of Hashem's main name YKVK; and in fact, the name Yehuda includes all four letters of this Name. For while one may come from a humble background, as King David, though he may have come from an illustrious family, himself was treated worse than dirt, but realizing at the same time that his talents and character traits are most useful in serving Hashem, rather than one is most convenient for one's comfort zone; in short, either being a leader, or being among the sheep who don't know of responsibility except for what is given to them.
Now, getting back to Binyamin, it is true that he has more letters in his name than all of the other son's of Jacob - having six letters, but it is also true that he has the only name of his brothers having two of the letter Yud. For not only was he the youngest of his brothers, there was also the time in history when his tribe was made small down to 600 people; hence, the definition of Katan being both "young" and "small".
Speaking of even righteous people sinning, we see something unique about Binyamin and three other Biblical characters, of whom our Sages say that they never did a sin in their lives. Now, this does not say that they were the greatest righteous people that ever lived on the face of the earth, for certainly, few have ever reached the ranks of the Patriarchs, the Matriarchs, and Moses. However, if death were to be dependent solely on one's personal sinning as opposed to death to the world for the sin of the first couple, the ancestors of mankind, then Binyamin would have been one of the few people who might be still living today, even as righteous people greater than him would have did long ago for even one sin committed accidentally. In fact, we see that due to Moses not listening to Hashem when He told him specifically to speak to a rock for water to come from it, but instead he hit it, he died before the Jews came to Israel, because if not for this, he would have still lived to have led the Jews into Israel instead of his disciple Joshua.
What else we see unique about Binyamin is the timing of the reading of his birth, as well as the birth of all of Jacob's sons, which we always read about during the month of Kislev, the difference being is that the birth of the first 11 sons are mentioned in Parshat Vayeitzei, and Binyamin's birth takes place separately in Parshat Vayishlach. But the special connection here as it relates to Binyamin is that as mentioned by the Chasidic Sefer Bnei Yissaschar, the corresponding tribe of the 12 tribes for the month of Kislev of the 12 months is Binyamin. Hence, we see a special uniqueness about Binyamin being the only one of Jacob's sons whose birth is mentioned in a Parsha by itself, and being read during the month that corresponds to his tribe. Coincidence?
In essence, we see that the Tribe of Binyamin became unique in the three physical dimensions - in what we call in Kabbalistic terms - Nefesh (soul or being), Makom (place) and Shana (literally means year, but refers to time). In terms of Nefesh - the first king of Israel - King Saul - was a descendant of Binyamin. Next in history, though Binyamin lost out in terms of the kingship being transfered to King David and his descendants from the Tribe of Judah thanks to King Saul's misdeeds, it wasn't long before the first Temple was built on his territorial portion of the Holy Land in Jerusalem (along with parts of land belonging to Judah, but the majority part of the Temple belonged on the land of Binyamin). And then even after the first Temple was destroyed, holding out until the Second Temple would be rebuilt, it was partly in thanks to his descendant Mordechai (who by the way was the parental descendant of King Saul, and rectified his ancestor's sin in term of Amalek to an extent) that the holiday of Purim came into being. Thus, we see that Hashem was especially giving to Binyamin, bearing in mind that as an orphan, he never even had a chance to have his mother live for any period of time in his life, unlike all his other brothers, aside from his sinless life. And despite the close call that his tribe had when a merely 600 men of his tribe were left alive in stark contrast to the tens-hundreds of thousands of members of the other tribes, and it was only a matter of relatively a short period of time that the tribe of Binyamin became a reasonable sized tribe once again (Note: Some say that King Saul as a young man was among the 600 men of Binyamin who remained alive).
Now, while mentioning about the Temple being in the territorial boundary of Binyamin, it should be noted that the Tabernacle was first in the city of Shilo, in the territorial boundary of the tribe of Ephraim, son of Joseph, for 369 years. While the merit of the Sanctuary of Hashem was transferred from Joseph to Binyamin with the permanent establishment of the Temple, what we do see is that the "House of Hashem" was basically meant to be in the territorial boundaries of the sons of Rachel, who was the Akeret HaBayit, "mainstay of the house", the main wife of Jacob, whom he always loved. For in fact, even as Leah provided Jacob with half of his 12 sons, she was really meant by Heaven to be married to Esau, but due to his evil deeds and Leah's prayers, the dice was played differently, to the extent that Leah, rather than Rachel, was the one who wound up being buried next to Jacob. But what we do see is that just as the main ritualistic services were held in the "House of Hashem", so too, we are supposed to serve Hashem in our own houses, with our wives who are called "house", in our same devotional way, even though we are forbidden to bring sacrifices outside of the Temple.
And so, Rachel as Jacob's wife meant for him from the beginning of time, most represented the concept of the holiness of the Temple, and so, the Sanctuaries of Hashem was basically either in Joseph's or Binyamin's territories. And as we see in the Tikkun Chatzot, the midnight prayers that the pious recite in mourning and requesting for the Third Temple to be built, it is divided into two sections, called Tikkun Rachel and Tikkun Leah. It is Tikkun Rachel that are considered the more heartfelt prayers, with a greater emphasis on mourning the loss of the Temple, which we recite first, that puts us in the right frame to then concentrate on requesting for the rebuilt Temple; because in order for us to be worthy of this, we need to first correct our behavior, partly from realizing our spiritual loss, which is supposed to be the springboard for us to properly repent, and then, and only then, can we be worthy of the Temple rebuilding.
We see that in modern times, that we regained full access to the holiest area of the world which includes the site of the Temple, which took place on the 43rd day of the Omer in 5727 (1967). And as I related the phrase Zeh HaKatan Gadol Yihyeh to both Binyamin and Yehuda, who share the territory of both Jerusalem and the Temple, the Gematria of the word Gadol (big/great) is 43! And after all, even when after King Solomon's passing, the kingdom was split for 10 tribes having their following in Shechem, the tribe of Binyamin, even though ironically lost its kingdom to the Tribe of Judah, nevertheless remained loyal to the King of Judah, and thus, aside from the Tribe of Levi who served in the Temple rather than have their own official portion of land, these two troubles were the ones who always worshiped in the Temple, and it was only later in Jewish history that they turned to sin that eventually led to the destruction of the First Temple, unlike the other 10 tribes, who were basically idol worshippers, and were exiled some time earlier.
HINT TO MALACHI - LAST OF THE MINOR PROPHETS
I wrote extensively about Malachi in my recent 159th post last month (Nov '12) as the last of the 12 "Minor" Prophets, though in Hebrew (or rather Aramaic), this book of the Tanach is called Trei Asar (Twelve). In my previous post, I concentrated on the beginning of Malachi being the Haftara of Parshat Toldot. Now, I am here to mention that we read the conclusion of Malachi, which is also the conclusion of the Tanach (Bible) section of Nevi'im (Prophets), on Shabbat HaGadol, which is the Shabbat before Pesach (Passover).
But as you can see - Zeh HaKatan - "This little one", and as the word Zeh (this) is the Gematria of 12, that is, the (end of the) 12th of the little/minor prophets (Note: They are called minor only in terms of the amount of textual prophecies, not necessarily the level of their spiritual greatness) is read on Shabbat HaGadol, hinted with the words Gadol Yihyeh, which can homiletically be translated as "will be read on Shabbat HaGadol", which is called "The great Shabbat". Among the several reasons why the Shabbat before Pesach is called with this name comes from the end of this Haftara itself "Behold I will send Elijah the Prophet, before the GREAT and awesome day of Hashem arrives". And as related to the concept of Brit Mila (circumcision) after which, we mention the four Hebrew worded phrase, one of the prerequisites of the Jews eating the Korban Pesach (Pascal Sacrifice) was having their circumcision, since aside from the Tribe of Levi, many of the other tribes didn't have one sooner, and it was at virtually at the last moment shortly before the Exodus that they performed this. Moreover, since Elijah's time on earth, he appears at every Jewish circumcision testifying that the Jews are loyal to Hashem, just as he appears at every Jewish Seder on the beginning holiday night of Pesach.
And by the way, there are those who say in the Talmud that Malachi, who was the last of the 12 Minor Prophets, was none other than Mordechai, descendant of Binyamin, the last of the 12 Tribes. But whether this was actually so or not, what we do see is a parallel between the teachings or influence of the two. For as we see at the end of Malachi - Zicru Torat Moshe Avdi "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant", and following the Purim miracle of the Jews winning the war against their enemies, the Megilla of Esther states that Keemu V'Keeblu HaYehudim "The Jews fulfilled and accepted on themselves and their descendants..." hinting to the fact that unlike at the Giving of the Torah when the Torah was forced on them (specifically the Oral Torah), it was for the first time in the history of the Jewish people that they officially on their own willingly accepted the Torah on themselves.
Oh, and before I forget - the LAST letter of both the names of Malachi & Mordechai is the LITTLE letter Yud. Coincidence?
ONE FINAL WORD - PERTAINING TO MY DAUGHTER
Baruch Hashem, my daughter Tamar Tzadika, who was born on 15 Kislev, is now one year old. As the first Shabbat since my daughter's birth was Shabbat Parshat Vayeishev, and the first anniversary of her birthday took place before Shabbat Parshat Vayishlach, I see a parallel here. For as I mentioned earlier, in the previous Parshat Vayeitze, the birth of all of Jacob's sons are mentioned except for Binyamin's. And as I also mentioned earlier, the House of Hashem, which became eventually the permanent Beit HaMikdash, was for the most part located in the territorial land of Binyamin. Similarly, it was only in the beginning of my daughter's SECOND year of life in this world that Parshat Vayishlach was first read, in which we read of Binyamin's birth, whose name also begins with the SECOND letter BEIT, synonymous with the word BAYIT (House), it seems that even though I named her Tamar after the righteous woman Biblical character from Parshat Vayeishev, as my daughter was born during the week on which we read this Parsha, there seems to also be a unique connection pertaining to my daughter to Parshat Vayishlach, as well as the fact that in some years, her birthday of 15 Kislev falls out during the week of Parshat Vayishlach. This is of course aside from the fact that the concept of Bayit is especially related to the woman. Additionally, this word can also be read as Bat (daughter) and the letter Yud, as this is the smallest letter of the Alef Beit, and a baby (daughter) is quite little...But even as my daughter did not have a Brit, I can still say, though the grammatical format of the Hebrew changes a bit - Zot HaKetana Gedola Tihyeh. May this be the will of Hashem Yitbarach with His help, Amen
Motzoei Shabbat Vayishlach 5773
Posted by shimonmatisyahu at 10:55 PM
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#164 - Learning Greatness from THE YOUNG
#163 - Are Miracles Always Good?


Powered by The Miles Consultancy's award winning software and team of expert auditors, Visa to Drive is the most efficient way of completing documentation checks across your fleet when ensuring duty of care compliance. From driver licences to MOT and insurance details – Visa to Drive will ensure that every driver in your fleet has been given express permission to drive on company business.
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Easton has been invited to perform and participate in the historic procession of the 90th Anniversary of the world-famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® on November 24. He'll be the guest on "The Colonel's Roadtrip to NYC by Kentucky Fried Chicken" float.
He'll take a break from opening for Carrie Underwood's The Storyteller Tour to head to New York City to be part of this milestone anniversary of America's favorite holiday tradition that is seen by over 3.5 million spectators who line the streets of Manhattan and more than 50 million viewers on television. Easton will resume with the The Storyteller Tour that Friday, Nov 26 in Las Vegas, NV.
Click here for the complete lineup!


Who were Cardiff's First World War Conscientious Objectors?
We know very little about most of Cardiff's conscientious objectors (COs) in the First World War. There are just 66 names are to be found in the Pearce Register, the most comprehensive list of men who refused to go to war on religious, ethical, political or social grounds, often with only the sketchiest details of their backgrounds, motivation, tribunal, prison or other records.
Over the next five days, a different blog will be published to offer an insight into the lives of these men who have remained out of the spotlight. In this first instalment, Maggie Smales looks at the 'Cardiff's Conscientious Objectors: the Young and the Old'.
From the Register we can deduce that most COs were single men in their early to mid-twenties. The youngest for whom we have a date of birth (18 August 1900) was a grocer's assistant called Bertie Crocker, who lived in 7 Glamorgan Street in Canton and was a Baptist. When Bertie was eighteen years old he was called up to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He refused to sign his army papers and was court-martialled in Cardiff on 16 September 1918 and sentenced to 6 months hard labour in Wormwood Scrubbs. He went in front of the Central Military Tribunal in Wormwood Scrubbs on 4 December 1918, almost a month after Armistice Day. Here he was finally accepted as a 'Conscientious Objector Class A' and was referred to the Brace Committee Home Office Scheme which organised work of 'national importance' for men who were found to have a 'genuine' conscientious objection. On 13 December 1918 Bertie was transferred to Army Reserve Class W for men 'whose services are deemed to be more valuable to the country in civil rather than military employment' and he was sent to work on Dartmoor.
One of the oldest men to refuse call up was a Mr T Stephens, who was 44 in 1918, married and a foreman in a flour mill. He went before Glamorgan County Military Service Tribunal and in October 1918 it was decided that in view of 'his age, domestic circumstances and his trade' he should be allowed to stay where he was. Mr Stephens worked for Cardiff and Channel Mills, owned by the Spillers company; at least one other conscientious objector, a furniture salesman called Mr GS Lavers, was also directed to work there by the Military Service Tribunal in May 1917, as this was considered to be work of 'national importance'.
After about a month in prison he went before the military tribunal in Cardiff on 3 July 1918 and was sentenced to six months hard labour in Wormwood Scrubbs. Six weeks later, the Central Tribunal at Wormwood found him to be Conscientious Objectors Class A and referred him to the Brace Committee. However he was clearly an absolutist who refused any form of alternative service, as the next reference to him in the Pearce Register is that he was serving a sentence to Cardiff Civil Prison in May 1919, six months after the end of the war.


Discover the full catalogues, trailers, short films, talks, photo galleries and award winners from our previous editions in the Encounters archive.
The 19th Encounters takes place from 17 – 22 September 2013.
Encounters is one of the best-known showcases and meeting points for emerging talent, and is the leading UK gateway to the world's most prestigious short film and animation awards, including the BAFTAs, Cartoon d'Or, European Film Awards, and Oscars®. A hotbed of talent development, the festival presents a rare and excellent opportunity for industry and creatives alike to meet new people, benefit from peer-to-peer exchanges, and develop new collaborations. Year on year filmmakers and industry figures return to soak up the buzz and excitement of the festival, hoping to see the next best thing in short film, and participate in first-rate panels, discussions, and workshops. Throughout the week, the festival offers a series of eclectic, challenging and fun events, to engage and inspire all.
Encounters has teamed up with Reelport to provide an online submissions service. To guide you through the process of submitting work to the festival, here's our handy how-to, in 7 steps..
Yes the Terms & Conditions are quite lengthy, but you'll find most of the answers you're looking for (you can also check our FAQs). Plus in order to submit, you'll have to agree to them.
Once you register all of your film details with Reelport you'll be able to submit it to lots of wonderful festivals – including Encounters.
Encounters charges 25 Euros for each submission – find out why here. Your Reelport account must have the relevant value of credits ('reels') in order to complete the submission process. Multiple entry discounts are available (see the "Fees" section below).
There are loads of festivals to submit to on Reelport; look for the Encounters logo and make that your first port of call.
Make sure your film is entered into the correct categories to maximise its award winning potential.
Very important – if you don't upload it, we can't see it.
Your submission is only complete when you receive a confirmation email from Reelport (remember to check your junk folder). Once you get this put your feet up and relax, no further action is necessary!
Encounters accepts short films from all over the world completed from 1 Jan 2012, under 30 minutes in length from every genre (animation, live action drama, documentary, experimental, music video), and does NOT have a premiere policy.


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When our doors closed last spring, the Honeywell Foundation explored ways we could continue our mission to provide artistic, social, cultural and recreational opportunities for all, despite the hurdles of the pandemic.
The arts and entertainment have had to take a different shape in 2020, which has impacted all six of our properties: the Honeywell Center, Eagles Theatre, 13-24 Drive In, Honeywell House, Dr. James Ford Historic Home and Charley Creek Gardens.
While many live events and programs were on hold, one of these properties emerged as a fantastic avenue for socially distanced entertainment, community, and joy in the midst of hardship: the 13-24 Drive In.
With fresh air, open space, and poles that separate vehicles by about six feet, the Drive In is a perfect venue for socially distanced fun. Guests can enjoy outdoor entertainment with friends and family while avoiding crowds.
At the beginning of the season, we made some changes to ensure the safety of our guests and staff. Tickets are now available for contactless purchase online, as are concession stand treats through the FanFood app. Guests can "save time, skip the lines" by ordering their favorite snacks and beverages (including HOT drinks this fall) right from their smart phone or device. Safe and convenient!
Along with our usual family-friendly movie offerings, we've hosted a series of live concerts at the 13-24 Drive In, featuring both local and national talent.
The Honeywell Foundation's long-standing Plaza Music Series, which traditionally takes place every Thursday in June on the Carpenter Plaza at the Honeywell Center, was moved to the Drive In. Rebranded as the Drive In Summer Music Series, the four free musical performances safely hosted more than 1,100 guests, who enjoyed the stylings of local talent including Moon Cats, SoulShot, Mason Dixon Line and the Mississinewa Valley Swing Band.
Top of the Charts, a concert featuring Wabash's own Terry LeMaster and Friends, was originally scheduled as part of Eagles Theatre opening, but also moved to the Drive In last June.
13-24 Drive In opened up its stage to national acts in July. In all, 1,364 cars carrying 6,387 guests attended seven large concerts at the 13-24 Drive In. Performances ranged from contemporary Christian artists like for KING & COUNTRY (check out their video below) and J.J. Weeks & Austin French, to rock tribute acts in Hairball and Pink Droyd, to country artists such as Lee Brice and Aaron Lewis & Ira Dean. We're continuing to host live shows at the Drive In this fall, with Chase Rice coming up in October.
The 13-24 Drive In has offered a little of something for everyone this summer. Not only has it provided opportunities for entertainment, but it has brought people together – something of great value during these socially distanced times.
Pictured: for KING & COUNTRY, Pink Droyd, Ira Dean, and Lee Brice

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Wacker Biotech GmbH
Jena, Germany
Focus on biopharmaceuticals
The university city of Jena is one of Germany's main biotech centers. Over the years, major German research centers – such as the Max Planck, Fraunhofer and Leibniz institutes – and an array of biotech and medical-engineering firms have set up in Jena. Industry and science collaborate here very closely. This unique network plays a key role in establishing and enhancing Jena's reputation as a high-tech and biotech cluster.
So, it was not by chance that the Munich-based chemical company WACKER decided in 2003 to locate its planned biologics activities in Jena. Jena's Beutenberg Science Campus has long been a center of research into the biotechnological production of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins. In 1999, the renowned Hans Knöll Institute spun off ProThera GmbH, a company specializing in the commercial development and production of biopharmaceuticals. WACKER acquired this promising start-up on January 1, 2005. With Wacker Biotech GmbH, WACKER FINE CHEMICALS (today's WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS) took a decisive step toward transforming its existing pharmaceutical contract-manufacturing business into the contract-development and manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Wacker Biotech is now a leader in this sector. For a long time, Wacker Biotech was the only company on Beutenberg Campus. To this day, the WACKER subsidiary maintains close ties to the research centers there.
In 2018, €2.5 million was invested in, among other things, a fully automated fermentation plant including a new bioreactor, a new separator for efficiently isolating cells and a new GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) cell-bank suite. Wacker Biotech's clients include well-known pharmaceutical and biotech firms that appreciate the company's expertise and proprietary technologies. The WACKER subsidiary currently employees around 100 employees at its Jena headquarters. In total, over 300 biologists, engineers, MTAs and CTAs work at three sites in Jena and Halle (Germany) and Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
Site-Specific Facts & Figures
Name: Wacker Biotech GmbH
Site: Jena
Employees: approx. 100
Products: recombinant proteins (contract manufacturing), pharmaceutical actives for clinical testing and the commercial market
The facility is certified in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and complies with the requirements stipulated by the European and US drug-approval authorities (EMA and FDA, respectively)
Hans-Knöll-Strasse 3
Contact Location


text:
Q: BATCH: use variable declared in another folder I must create a script that works with different variables. They are either names ("my name"), either addresses( 123.45.6.789 ).
Is it possible to have a file "variables.txt" in which I've declared all those variables and then use them in my .bat script ? Both the file and the script will be located within the same directory.
Or else, how could I read them ? (I mention that I'm really new to batch, as I just started learning it for my task )
Many thanks

A: To read the file you can use something like this:
for %%a in ('type vars.txt') do (
for "delims=;" %%m in ("%%a") do (
set %%m=%%n
)
)

Sorry, but i couldn't test this, because i'm not writing from my PC.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Buildings & Property
Enterprise & Business
Streets & Spaces
In This Section: Select a page... Introduction Engage through art Open a cinema Create artists' studios Be authentic Start a creative hub
— Engage through art
— Open a cinema
— Create artists' studios
— Be authentic
— Year-round activity
— Start a creative hub
Year-round activity
We all know how one-off events like Christmas lights or farmers markets attract people into town centres. The trick is to build out from these to create a programme of events – to attract people into town throughout the year.
Remember that VisitScotland's EventScotland team can provide advice on funding opportunities, access to resources and information related to visitor events. VisitScotland also offers a guide on accessible and inclusive event organisation as part of their Inclusive Tourism Toolkit.
Fraserburgh Super Saturdays
super saturday logo (reproduced from Scottish Government Town Centre Toolkit, 2015)
With Saturdays becoming one of the quietest trading days for most Fraserburgh retailers as shoppers turned to leisure and recreational activities at the weekend, a small group of town centre traders decided a decade ago to take matters into their own hands – and started organising a monthly series of themed events. Their aim: to draw local people back into the town centre on Saturdays.
With support from Fraserburgh Development Trust, the retailors began to organise monthly 'Super Saturdays' to celebrate and promote the town centre with product stalls, cooking demonstrations, free entertainment and live music. It was a lot of work to organise at first, but the footfall on Saturdays has increased substantially as a result of these high profile popular events, and the town centre's shops, cafes and restaurants that take stalls have benefited from increased custom in their bricks-and-mortar premises.
From small beginnings in 2013, Super Saturdays quickly developed to around 50 stalls, with a waiting list. Before Super Saturdays there were 34 empty units in the town centre: after a couple of years, that dropped to 8, with the increase in footfall due to Super Saturdays undoubtedly being a factor. Employment opportunities have risen. And Super Saturdays have proved a good communications channel for local groups, leading to greater participation in arts classes, sports clubs and other community activities.
Although Fraserburgh's Super Saturdays came to an end in 2019 due to lack of funding, they made a lasting difference – and have been an inspiration for other initiatives around the country.
Oban Winter Festival
lightshow (image courtesy of Oban Winter Festival)
Oban Winter Festival started back in 2011, when a small group of locals decided that the start of winter was a great excuse to have a Festival. They organized a Victorian Market to run alongside the Reindeer Parade, ice rink, comedy nights, music workshops for children, cocktails for the grown-ups, a ceilidh or two – all of which made the Festival a great success. News spread quickly and the next year people came from further afield to join the festivities.
Now the festival has become a 10-day event with light shows, markets, parades, ceilidhs, live music, art exhibitions and more. Events vary from day to day. Festival action takes place mainly in the town.
The festival gives Oban a busy period at a time of year which is traditionally quiet, even for a tourist town like Oban. And The local organising group works closely with businesses, charities and schools to put together a programme of events showcasing local crafts and skills to visitors and locals alike, so the community benefits in lots of ways.
Durham Lumiere Festival
Astounding, exciting, inspiring… the biennial Durham Lumiere Festival is the UK's largest light festival. Local and international artists come together to create light installations and projections that reimagine familiar buildings and public spaces, changing the way that places are experienced.
Led by the County Council but involving over eighty partners and funders, and delivered by specialist arts event organiser Artichoke, the popularity of Lumiere has grown dramatically since the first festival in 2009. More than 240,000 people attended the four night festival in 2017, with around 30 installations and projections. 91% of the audience came specifically for Lumiere, and 12% were from the rest of the UK outwith North-East England. Direct visitor spend was £3m, with a total net economic impact of £7.5m: a return of 1,260% on the County Council's investment of £0.6m.
The festival brings world class cultural experiences to Durham, and showcases what the city has to offer. The community outreach programme reached 1,720 people in 2017, many through school activities. A conference and open call-out scheme for local artists runs alongside the main programme. There are now plans to establish a permanent presence for light art through community engagement, professional practice, exhibitions and studio spaces.
CLOUD, Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett, Lumiere Durham 2015. Produced by Artichoke. Photo by Matthew Andrews
Cosmic Architecture, Nina Dunn, John Del' Nero, Lumiere Durham 2017. Produced by Artichoke. Photo by Matthew Andrews.
I Love Durham, Jacques Rival, Lumiere Durham 2019. Produced by Artichoke. Photo by Matthew Andrews.
What Matters, Shuster & Moseley, Lumiere Durham 2017. Produced by Artichoke. Photo by Matthew Andrews.
Window Wanderland lighting toolkit
If you're keen on light art but Durham Lumiere seems daunting, why not start by brightening up your own town centre? Social enterprise Window Wanderland has a toolkit to get you started.
Any Feedback, ideas or examples for this page? Please get in touch
© Scotland's Towns Limited, Registered in Scotland no. SC419769. VAT: GB209082913
Registered office The Melting Pot, 15 Calton Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8DL.


The OMICRON Protection Testing Library (PTL) provides test templates for a wide range of protection relays. These templates contain customizable test plans covering all important protection functions and XRIO Converters for modeling the relay in the test software. PTL users can save valuable time since there is no need to create test plans and nominal characteristics from scratch.
The PTL is continuously updated and extended by OMICRON experts. The number of relays in the library is constantly growing and has now reached 250 relays. In addition to digital multifunctional protection relays, PTL also supports automated testing of many single-function relays.


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President Gordon B. Hinckley: First Counselor
President Thomas S. Monson: Man of Action, Man of Faith, Always "on the Lord's Errand"
"Cleanse Us from All Unrighteousness"
Of One Heart
Maryan Myres Shumway
A Prophet Looks at Exodus through Deuteronomy: Insights from the Joseph Smith Translation
George A. Horton Jr.
An Age of Contrasts: From Adam to Abraham
Kent P. Jackson
To an Earth-Released
Connie Huggins
For Those Who Mourn
Paul Buckingham
Are lotteries legitimate means of financing public needs?
William D. Oswald
How do we explain Jesus' teachings in Matthew 22:29–30?
David H. Yarn, Jr.
Raising the Quality of Life: The Ezra Taft Benson Institute
Jan Underwood Pinborough
"Go Help Jan"
Myrna Behunin
Harvest of Faith on Chicago's South Side
Linda Hoffman Kimball
"I Couldn't Find a Good Excuse"
Walter Swan
Marriage and the Law of the Harvest
Lawrence M. Barry
Snow, Cookies, and Valentine's
Betty Hively
Prayer of Thankfulness
Freedom beyond Circumstance
Carolyn G. Depp
A Widow's Cruse
Toni Cooper
Sandi Leavitt
Expressing Love within the Family
Mormon Journal
"Flying Coffin"
Elmer Beckstrand
After Four Hundred Names …
Jon B. Fish
That Chicken Job
Linda R. Hyde
Stamp Sampler
The Grasshopper War of 1855 and the Provo Sugar Miracle
Spokes on the Wheel: Early Latter-day Saint Settlements in Hancock County, Illinois
Donald Q. Cannon
Random Sampler
Enjoying Scriptures with Small Children
Jody Bailey
Safe Water in Emergencies
Byron J. Wilson and H. Smith Broadbent
Remember the Rule
Maxine Bennett
Writing It Down for Mom
Terrie Colleen Card
Mirthright
Savior at Center of Yule Season Say President Benson, Elder Oaks
Seoul Temple Dedicated
Shirley-June Younger
Ground Broken for Temple in Las Vegas
Ireland Dedicated for Proselyting
An Apostate—but a Friend to the Book of Mormon
Church Schools Raising Tuition
Update: Seminary and Institute Enrollment
Establishing a Righteous Identity: A Conversation with Ardeth Kapp, Young Women General President
Ardeth Kapp
Tiny Branches Bear Fruit in Mascarene Islands
Max Wheelwright
LDS Scene
"Spokes on the Wheel: Early Latter-day Saint Settlements in Hancock County, Illinois," Ensign, Feb. 1986, 62
Spokes on the Wheel:
Early Latter-day Saint Settlements in Hancock County, Illinois
By Donald Q. Cannon
Even the casual student of LDS history has heard of Nauvoo, the "City Beautiful." While much is known about Nauvoo, relatively little is known about other Latter-day Saint settlements in Hancock County. Joseph Smith's vision of settlement was not limited to Nauvoo. On 1 March 1843 he said: "There is a wheel; Nauvoo is the hub: we will drive the first spoke in Ramus, second in La Harpe, third Shokoquon, fourth in Lima: that is half the wheel. The other half is over the river."1
In his wheel-hub-spoke analogy, Joseph Smith referred to some, but not all of the LDS settlements in Hancock County. Before describing those communities, however, let us consider some basic information concerning Hancock County itself.
Created 13 January 1825 from unorganized territory attached to Pike County and named for John Hancock, the county had no seat until 1833, when Carthage became the county seat. Hancock County has an area of 797 square miles; it is bounded on the north by Henderson County, the east by McDonough County, the south by Adams County, and the west by the Mississippi River. Its towns are small, and the landscape is essentially rural, with lush cornfields interspersed with soybean fields.
The Latter-day Saints either planned or established seventeen communities in Hancock County besides Nauvoo. Of these, Ramus (Webster and Macedonia) and Lima are what I would call major colonies. Other settlements, such as Plymouth, Green Plains, Golden's Point, Yelrome (Tioga), and Camp Creek I would designate minor colonies. There were also "missionary towns"—places where the Saints lived among nonmembers, whom they hoped to convert to the gospel. Such towns include Carthage, Bear Creek, La Harpe, and Fountain Green. Several other small settlements surrounded Nauvoo like suburbs—Stringtown, Mormon Springs, Rocky Run, Sonora, and Davis Mound. One settlement the Saints planned never came into being. This town, to be called Warren, might be called a "paper town."2
In organizing the planning and settling of the towns around Nauvoo, Joseph Smith consciously tried to avoid the problems the Saints had experienced earlier with a centralized settlement plan. In New York, Ohio, and especially Missouri, the Saints had suffered persecution. On more than one occasion they had been encouraged to disperse their settlements and thereby blend into the surrounding population.3 It was during the 1840s that they began to establish such a pattern.
The settlements in Hancock County and their projected purposes offer us a glimpse of Joseph Smith as an empire builder and a colonizer. The Hancock County towns, especially when considered along with LDS settlements in other parts of Illinois and Iowa, constitute an extensive network of settlements. Looking at these settlements, we can consider Joseph Smith as a forerunner of Brigham Young, the great colonizer of the Utah period. It is possible that Brigham Young learned about empire building and colonization from Joseph Smith, just as he learned how to move the pioneers across the plains while marching with Joseph in Zion's Camp. Journals, minutes of meetings, local histories, and other sources can tell us much about this often-neglected phase of Church history, as well as about Joseph Smith, the colonizer.
Of the two major colonies, Lima and Ramus, most of the information available concerns Ramus. Ramus, also known at various times as Macedonia or Webster, is located approximately twenty miles east of Nauvoo, eight miles south of La Harpe, and eight miles north of Carthage, the county seat. The town was established entirely by Latter-day Saints and was an important settlement in the plans developed by Joseph Smith.
The establishment of Ramus was largely the work of the Joel H. Johnson family. This family had settled in Carthage before Commerce (Nauvoo) had been chosen as a settlement. As a result of the missionary work of Joel Johnson and others, several families along Crooked Creek joined the Church.4 Soon the Crooked Creek Branch was organized, and a site for a town was chosen. The residents of the area named their town Ramus, a Latin term meaning branch, which may indicate the strong interest of the early Saints in ancient languages.
The town is located in beautiful farming country. The soil is rich, black, and fertile. Those who live in the area today raise corn, soybeans, and hogs.
The Latter-day Saints created a Church organization in this beautiful area as well. What had been called the Crooked River Branch became the Ramus Stake. Although smaller than the stakes later established in Utah, it was organized as they would be, with its own stake presidency. Hyrum Smith organized the Ramus Stake on 15 July 1840, with Joel H. Johnson as stake president.5
The members of the Ramus stake built their own meetinghouse—an unusual practice in the early days of the Church. Most Church meetings were held in homes or out-of-doors. In Nauvoo, for example, conferences of the Church were held on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi in an area called "the grove." The building erected by the Saints in Ramus may have been the earliest meetinghouse built by members of the Church. The present Webster Community Church was built in 1897 on the site of the earlier LDS meetinghouse.6
Joseph Smith frequently visited Ramus. He stopped there en route to other destinations, held Church conferences, convened courts, and visited relatives. What were perhaps his most celebrated visits occurred in 1843. On 1 April 1843, Joseph Smith, Orson Hyde, and William Clayton traveled to Ramus. After spending the night at the home of Benjamin F. Johnson, they held a meeting the next morning at ten o'clock. During his remarks Elder Orson Hyde taught two points of doctrine that the Prophet considered false—that the Savior would appear on a white horse as a warrior, and that the Father and the Son dwell in the hearts of men. Later, while eating lunch at Sophronia Smith McCleary's home, the Prophet informed Orson Hyde that he was going to correct some errors in Orson's sermon. These corrections, given later that day, are now found in section 130 of the Doctrine and Covenants. There Joseph Smith taught, "When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves." (D&C 130:1.) He also stated that "the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false." (D&C 130:3.)7
Joseph Smith returned to Ramus on 16 May 1843. That evening at the Johnson home, he gave the family instructions on the priesthood. These instructions are found in the first four verses of section 131 [D&C 131:1–4]. Verses 5 and 6 [D&C 131:5–6] were part of a sermon the Prophet delivered the following morning. The remaining verses were given in response to a sermon delivered by Samuel A. Prior, a Methodist minister.8
The Saints living in Ramus saw Joseph Smith not only in his prophetic role, but also in his role as a family man and member of the community. It is a well-known fact that Joseph Smith liked to wrestle. Indeed, he took pride in his prowess in that sport. He also frequently engaged in the frontier sport of stick pulling. On one visit, the Prophet pulled sticks with Justus A. Morse, the strongest man in Ramus, and beat him using only one hand. Later, during the same visit, Joseph Smith wrestled with William Wall, the most expert wrestler in Ramus, and threw him.9
One of the Prophet's closest friends, Benjamin Johnson, lived in Ramus, as did two of the Prophet's sisters—Sophronia and Catherine. The records indicate that he frequently ate meals with them and stayed in their homes.
One rather startling fact emerges from the study of Ramus. It is commonly believed that all the members of the Church left Hancock County in 1846, when the Saints began their exodus west. But not all the Saints left at that time. In fact, some remained in Ramus until 1850.10 Apparently, not all the people of Illinois persecuted the Latter-day Saints. Once the large body of Saints had left and the perceived threat was removed, the populace let the remaining Saints live in peace.
Yelrome
Yelrome, or Morley's Settlement, was located twenty-five miles south of Nauvoo and approximately three miles north of Lima. Although Lima is technically in Adams County, it was so close to the Hancock County settlements that for all intents and purposes it can be included with them. Indeed, Lima, when combined with the minor colonies of Yelrome and Bear Creek, was one of the two major LDS colonies in Hancock County. It was also referred to by Joseph Smith as one of the "spokes on the wheel."
Isaac Morley was the first member of the Church to settle in the area that was later to be called Yelrome. Seeking refuge in Illinois after being driven from Missouri in 1839, the Morleys purchased a partially completed cabin, which they furnished and made suitable for a home. A few other Saints joined them, and Yelrome began to grow.
Yelrome is Morley spelled backwards, with an extra "e" for good measure. The name may have originated from an early penchant of the Saints to spell backwards. (The Council of Fifty was also called "Ytfif.") Yelrome also had other names: Morley Town, Hancock Settlement, Tioga, and Bear Creek. The name Bear Creek has often been a source of confusion, since it was also the name of another LDS settlement located along the stream. (The settlement of Bear Creek was also called Knowlton's Settlement to further distinguish it from Yelrome.) The small town where Yelrome once was located is called Tioga, a name that may also have LDS origins, since one of the early Latter-day Saints who lived there was Alpheus Cutler from Tioga County Pennsylvania.11
The names of the people who lived in Yelrome in the 1840s constitute a genealogical treasure chest. In addition to the Morleys and the Cutlers, many other members of the Church settled in the town, including Thomas Hickenlooper, Lucy Morley Allen, Orville Southland Cox, William Critchlow, Harriet Hawkins Critchlow, Enos Curtis, Edmond Durfee, William Garner, Anna Nash Gifford, and Solomon Hancock.12
The Saints in this community came from a wide variety of economic, social, and educational backgrounds. Isaac Morley employed twelve men and sold his barrels in Quincy. Another Saint, Frederick Cox, ran a chair-making shop. Isaac Morley's daughter, Cordelia, taught school.13
When a branch of the Church was organized at Yelrome, the members sustained Isaac Morley as branch president, with Frederick Cox and Edward Whiting as counselors. Later, when the Yelrome Branch became part of the Lima Stake, the stake had 424 members.14
Members of the Church in Yelrome had almost as many opportunities to hear the Prophet Joseph Smith speak as the members in Ramus did. On Sunday, 14 March 1843, the Prophet preached on the subject "Salvation through Knowledge," teaching that "knowledge through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the grand key that unlocks the glories and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven."15
While the residents of Yelrome had their share of blessings, they also had problems with persecution. As pressures against the Saints in Hancock County increased, Yelrome became the target of mob attacks. Yelrome was vulnerable to attack for several reasons. First, it was located on the outskirts of Hancock County and was rather isolated. Second, it was situated between Warsaw on the north and Adams County on the south—both of which contained strong anti-Mormon elements.
The people of Yelrome were especially vulnerable to attack because of the presence of the noted anti-Mormon leader Colonel Levi Williams, who lived in Green Plains, about ten miles distant.
Whatever the reasons, trouble came in great measure. On 14 February 1845, Isaac Morley arrived in Nauvoo with news of the arrest of five brethren on false pretenses. By September, reports from Yelrome indicated that mobs had burned some LDS homes in the vicinity. An editorial in the Times and Seasons in November 1845 reported that nearly two hundred buildings had been burned. Many of these buildings belonged to settlers in Yelrome. On Saturday, 15 November 1845, a mob shot and killed Elder Edmund Durfee, a resident of Yelrome. Members of the mob later boasted that they killed Durfee over a bet of a gallon of whiskey that they could kill him with one shot.16
The savage attacks against Yelrome attracted not only the attention of the Saints, but of nonmembers as well. Describing these events, Governor Thomas L. Ford wrote:
"At a Mormon settlement called Morley a few miles from Nauvoo, a band of incendiaries, on the night of September 19th began operations. Deliberately setting fire to the house of Edmund Durfee, they turned the inmates out-of-doors and threatened them with death if they did not at once leave the settlement, Durfee they subsequently killed. The mob continued its nefarious work until Morley was in ashes, and its people homeless."17
The problems at Yelrome did not occur until relatively late in its history, with most of the mob activity taking place in 1845 and 1846. But the people of Yelrome were not the only ones who suffered. Similar incidents happened among other LDS settlements in Hancock County.
The missionary town of La Harpe was located twenty-five miles east of Nauvoo and eight miles north of Ramus. La Harpe had been settled by the time the Saints arrived, and they remained a minority in the town.
One of the oldest towns in Hancock County, La Harpe was founded in 1836. The first settler in the area was Abraham Brewer, who came in 1830. Major William Smith and Marvin Tryon founded the town in 1836, naming it Franklin. It was later renamed La Harpe after Bernard de La Harpe, a French adventurer and fur trader in the company of the French explorer La Salle.18
The earliest LDS settler, Erastus Bingham, arrived in La Harpe in 1839.19 Bingham and other Saints began doing missionary work and formed the nucleus of a branch of the Church. The Saints' missionary work flourished; one of the missionaries was Zenos H. Gurley, who reported that he baptized fifty-two people in six days.20
Erastus Bingham, Zenos Gurley, and other Church members succeeded in converting a number of influential members of the community of La Harpe. One of the leading citizens of La Harpe was Lewis Rice Chaffin, a merchant, farmer, landowner, gristmill operator, and postmaster. But after joining the Church, he became the object of persecution. To avoid problems with those who were persecuting the Saints, he had been grinding grain for his fellow believers during the night. One night a mob caught him in the act. One man said: "If you grind a grain of flour for the Mormons, we will blow your brains out!" Chaffin replied: "Let me grind my own toll." The mob retorted with taunts and foul language, but they left him to grind all the grain he had brought.21
Dr. George Coulson, another leading citizen of La Harpe, also joined the Church while living there. Dr. Coulson and his family had moved to the area in the mid-1830s, building a log cabin on Main Street and erecting the building that later became the first schoolhouse in La Harpe.22 Missionaries, local Church members, and visiting Church leaders were all welcomed at the Coulson home in La Harpe.23
The growth of the Church caused by immigration and missionary work led to the creation of a branch at La Harpe on 17 April 1841. This branch was part of the Ramus Stake. (Ramus was less than ten miles south of La Harpe.) Church leaders from Nauvoo frequently visited the La Harpe Branch. On 17 November 1841, for example, Elders Brigham Young and Willard Richards visited La Harpe.24 Later, on 1 April 1843, Brigham Young and John Taylor visited La Harpe.25 Apparently the Saints at La Harpe did not forget such visits, for they visited John Taylor while he lay wounded at Carthage in June 1844.26
La Harpe and other LDS settlements in Hancock County often served as way stations for missionaries and Church leaders as they traveled. Charles C. Rich's group stopped at La Harpe on a return trip to Nauvoo in July 1843.27 William Clayton and Stephen Markham stopped briefly at La Harpe on their way to Dixon, where they warned Joseph Smith of his impending arrest.28 At another way station, Plymouth, Joseph Smith's brother William operated a hotel.
Life in the suburbs of Nauvoo was similar to that in the colonies and missionary towns. In the settlement known as Stringtown, three miles east of Nauvoo, the remains of a stone blacksmith shop can be seen alongside the road two miles east of the Nauvoo-Colusa High School.
About seventy-five members, some five or six families, resided in Stringtown. Many of them were converts from England who had given all their money for the construction of the Nauvoo temple in exchange for a few acres of land east of Nauvoo. Since they had little money, they lived "on a shoestring"—hence the name Stringtown for their settlement.29
The Latter-day Saints and Their Neighbors
The nature of the relationship between the Saints in these Hancock County communities and their neighbors varied considerably, depending upon time and place. There is evidence of amicable relations as well as hostility. Entries in Samuel Gordon's diary of 1845, written at Montebello, indicate no feelings of animosity as he describes the Saints.30 On the other hand, the letters of Linus and Abigail Wilcox of Durham show strong evidence of hatred toward the Saints, one stating that "desperate diseases require desperate remedies and Mormons have diseased the state."31 Yet even as late as 1846, the Church members in Hancock County had both friends and enemies among their neighbors.
When Joseph Smith talked about "spokes on the wheel," he was referring to only part of a larger colonization effort. The LDS settlements mentioned here are only a fraction of those the Prophet planned to colonize. When one takes into account all of the settlements in Hancock County, as well as Latter-day Saint settlements in other parts of Illinois, the role of Joseph Smith as colonizer comes into focus. But even this limited study provides us with an opportunity to understand a neglected but significant chapter in early Church history.
[map] Settlements in Hancock County surrounding Nauvoo. (Illustrated by Brent Birch.)
Photography by Michael M. McConkie
Joseph Smith envisioned a wheel of Latter-day Saint communities in Hancock County, with Nauvoo as its hub. Below: Joseph Smith's Mansion House in Nauvoo. Inset photo, right: Nauvoo shops, including the Times and Seasons building where the newspaper was printed.
Saints in Stringtown, a rural area about three miles east of Nauvoo, were poor and lived "on a shoestring"; hence the name of their settlement.
Now known as Webster, Ramus was one of the major settlements in the area in Joseph Smith's day. Left: The foundation of this church once supported Ramus' LDS meetinghouse. Below: A view of present day Webster.
Left, top: A street in La Harpe, one of the Saints' "missionary" towns and one of the oldest towns in Hancock County. Left, bottom: This home in Yelrome was built during the time Joseph Smith was in Nauvoo. Right: Technically in Adams County, Lima was one of two major LDS settlements in the area. Prominent Saints are buried in its cemetery.
Donald Q. Cannon, a professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU, is the father of six. He serves as bishop of the BYU 114th Ward.
History of the Church 5:296. For information on the settlements across the Mississippi in Iowa see Stanley B. Kimball, "Nauvoo West: The Mormons of the Iowa Shore," Brigham Young University Studies, Winter 1978, pp. 132–42.
The designations, such as "major colonies" and "missionary towns," are my own creation and are an attempt to describe the settlements in terms of function and importance. Such designations were not used by the Mormons in the 1840s.
History of the Church, 3:260. In the conference of the Church held in Quincy in February 1839, William Marks, who had been president of the Far West Stake, strongly urged the Saints not to gather in one place, but to spread their settlements out. Later this same idea was repeated by John C. Bennett and Governor Thomas L. Ford.
Journal of Joel Hills Johnson, Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ramus Stake High Council Minutes, 15 July 1840, Church Historical Department.
Historic Sites Committee, Historic Sites and Structures of Hancock County, Illinois (Carthage, Illinois: Hancock County Historical Society, 1979), p. 130; hereafter referred to as Historic Sites of Hancock County.
For an excellent study of the Ramus revelations see Bruce A. Van Orden, "Items of Instruction: Section 130 and 131," in Hearken O Ye People (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Company, 1984), pp. 231–47.
Ibid, pp. 242–47.
History of the Church, 5:302.
Ramus Stake High Council Minutes, 28 April 1850, Church Historical Department. These minutes are also referred to as Macedonia (Ramus) Branch Records.
John Clifton Moffitt, "Isaac Morley on the American Frontier," unpublished paper located at Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, pp. 19–20; History of the Church, 4:110.
T. Edgar Lyon file. Microfilm of name card file in possession of author. The names listed in this paragraph are only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of names on the microfilm.
Richard Henrie Morley, "The Life and Contributions of Isaac Morley," M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1965, pp. 77–79.
Ibid, p. 81.
Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, comp. and ed., The Words of Joseph Smith (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1980), p. 201. Spelling and capitalization have been altered to conform to modern usage.
History of the Church, 7:373, 439, 444, 523–24.
Thomas L. Ford, History of Illinois, From Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847 (Chicago: S. C. Griggs and Co., 1854), p. 406.
John Drury, This Is Hancock County, Illinois (Chicago: The Loree Company, 1955), p. 259; Historic Sites and Structures of Hancock County, Illinois, p. 177.
T. Edgar Lyon file.
Journal History, 15 March 1841, Church Historical Department.
Journal of Lewis Rice Chaffin, Church Historical Department.
E. A. Peyron, La Harpe, Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, pp. 8, 21, 44.
Journal of Jacob Gates, September 1845, Church Historical Department.
Ibid, 5:318.
David C. Martin, A Pocket Guide to Nauvoo, Ill. and Nearby Areas (Nauvoo, Illinois: Martin Publishing Company, 1980), pp. 72–73.
Diary of Samuel Gordon, 16 February 1845, Western Illinois University Archives, Macomb, Illinois.
Letter from Abigail Wilcox to Dr. Ellsworth Burr, 8 June 1846, Western Illinois University Archives, Macomb, Illinois. For a study of the cause of hostility in Hancock County, see Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Causes of Mormon-Non-Mormon Conflict in Hancock County, Illinois, 1839–1846," Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1967.


text:
Q: How can I access this m1() method in the following program? How can i access the x = 15 value from m2() ?
I am accessing following values as given in comment of the program.
  class A  {
        int x = 10;
        void m1(){
        int x = 15;     //How can we access x =15 ?

  class B{
        int x =20;
           void m2(){
            int x = 25;
            System.out.println(x);          //for x = 25
            System.out.println(this.x);     //for x = 20
            System.out.println(A.this.x);   //for x = 10
            System.out.println();
            }
        }
    }
}

A: B is an inner class inside A. So, when you want to reference the outer class, use A.this, you want to use m1 from the outer class, so use A.this.m1()

A: Actually, you can't get access to x defined in m1(). To fix it, you could change the variable name: void m1() { int a = 15; ...}, or much better to use different names for all variables, because readability will be much higher (and at the first look, developer will not be hesitated what variable is used in every place):
public class A {
    private int a = 10;

    public void m1() {
        int m = 15;

        class B {
            private int b = 20;

            void m2() {
                int x = 25;
                System.out.println(x);  // x = 25
                System.out.println(a);  // a = 10
                System.out.println(b);  // b = 20
                System.out.println(m);  // m = 15
            }
        }
    }
}


Many people possess a mole or even 2 someplace about the entire body. Once they can be found within noticeable places such as the encounter, lots of people think about mole elimination to enhance the look. This isn't a process to become tried in your own home, nevertheless. Your physician ought to be conferred with before you decide to help to make any type of choice regarding getting all of them eliminated with a competent expert. She or he should probably possess the mole examined following it's been removed.
There are specific items to watch out for for those who have 1 mole, or even a number of, in your entire body. Allow it to be the routine to check on all of them once in awhile to determine when they possess transformed by any means, or even possess somebody get it done for you personally when they can be found within an region that's difficult to determine. Be aware dimension modifications, abnormal edges, as well as particularly, colour. Something that doesn't appear "normal" for you or even leads to issue ought to be regarded immediately.
Lots of people choose to possess moles removed with regard to aesthetic factors when they tend to be on the encounter, for instance. Your own physician may send you to definitely the cosmetic surgeon with this process that is frequently not at all hard. There can be minor skin damage following elimination, as well as once again, the actual cosmetic surgeon may look after this particular very easily.
After you have chose to contain it eliminated, your own doctor may clarify just how she or he is going to be performing the process. You'll be informed concerning the 2 usually utilized techniques, and also the physician may suggest which is actually befitting your circumstances. Do not stress, nevertheless. The majority of moles are simply easy problems from the pores and skin and may end up being looked after within regarding an hour or so.
Additionally, it may reduce away, and therefore stitching is going to be accustomed to near the actual injury. This process is actually more suitable once the mole is very toned in order to the top of pores and skin. This kind of surgical treatment usually requires regarding 1 hour to accomplish, and will also be created conscious to the fact that there might be minor skin damage following recovery. Cosmetic surgery can be carried out to lessen the quantity of skin damage in the event that this troubles a person.
Laser beam surgical treatment may also supply, however it is usually not really suggested. Doctors don't usually prefer to make use of lasers since the laser beam can't permeate because heavy as it might need to. Merely a healthcare professional may counsel you regarding the kind of pores and skin irregularity you've and also the technique which will function greatest because of its elimination. Usually look for skilled treatment along with pores and skin problems.
Should you discover you have some thing anyplace in your entire body which was not presently there prior to, see the skin doctor to possess this examined. Should you encounter blood loss of the mole also it does not recover by itself, help to make a scheduled appointment to possess this analyzed quickly. It might be absolutely nothing in order to stress about, however easier to end up being secure compared to i'm sorry.
The majority of growths which seem about the pores and skin tend to be only problems, however unless of course the healthcare professional looks at a person, you will not realize that. You might be concerned unnecessarily as well as believe you've pores and skin most cancers, therefore going to your wellbeing treatment expert may place the mind comfortable.


This week I take a walk around the London Wetland Centre in Barnes with my guest, conductor, author and bird watcher: Lev Parikian.
This week, I take a walk in the grounds of The Vyne, a National Trust property near to where I live in Hampshire, give an update on my garden bird count and share some bird sightings from listeners.
Focussing on my local birds, I start the first of a series of weekly bird watches in my garden. With descriptions and recordings of the birds seen.
This week we also have lots of bird sightings from listeners around the world.


Captain Sir Geoffrey Matheson III and the crew of the time-traveling three mast ship Orion are on the run from British authorities for withholding the location of valuable power stones - objects that facilitate time travel.
Having been a sailor for twenty-two years, I've seen my share of rough weather on the ocean. When I began imagining this story I thought why not begin with a rescue during a typhoon. How would a ship manage in heavy seas? The technology of the Orion is only glimpsed, or hinted at in Chapter One. This is a special ship with an amazing crew.
Successful in retrieving the promised talisman that will drive Malik's spirit from Midgard, Torval, Ästa, and their friends return to the Northlands to prepare for the final confrontation with the Outworld dǽmon. Along the way, old acquaintances are reunited, while others are lost, requiring those remaining to band together and complete the quest demanded by the gods: return the splinter of Yggdrasil to the Rainbow Bridge and heal the tree of life. The final miles test the travelers as never before. Ästa struggles to understand and control the fearsome magic passed on to her by the white witch and dark faeries. Torval, free from the doubt that crippled his use of the staff's magic, discovers a frightening aspect of being the bearer of the splinter of Yggdrasil. All discover hidden strengths as yet untapped, but whether enough to stand against the coming conflict remains to be determined. The dǽmon awaits, the final obstacle that must be overcome if they are to be victorious. But Malik will not easily be defeated. The cost will be high for all, but some will pay the ultimate price. Can the fellowship withstand what is required to succeed? In this final arena, the combatants gather. Will their struggle satisfy the whims of the gods? Will the righteous struggle our travelers have endured be rewarded, or ignored? In these days of blood and magic, our friends must pull together, stand as one, and fight for all.
While sailing from the Westlands toward Bear Island, Magnus and crew come upon a strange three-masted ship, and its equally strange captain, Sir Geoffrey Matheson. We shall see more of him and his ship, Orion...later.
Asta learns of her inheritance - the Seer Stone - from her father. It wields powerful magic, and she must learn to understand its power. She will come to need it soon.
Irenia, the long-lived witch of the Westlands, has foreseen the coming of the Wolf Queen and is prepared to destroy her. But the White Witch has not anticipated the depth of Asta's power and must rethink her methods. Asta is coming.
Splinter of Asgard is the story of Torval, a Norse youth of sixteen who dreams of the high-seas adventurous Viking life of his father, brother, and uncle – but fate has limited him to being an apprentice shipwright. That all changes when Torval awakens an age-old magic and must accept the responsibility for returning a lost relic to Asgard – home of the gods, from where it came. Together with his younger cousin, Ästa, Torval must not only brave the hazards encountered during their travels, but they must also stay one step ahead of Malik, a dǽmon of Outworld, who has perceived the magic and would have it for his own. As Torval and Ästa try to evade their pursuers they meet up with others who join their company and lend their unique strengths to the growing band of travelers. Torval must learn to control the wakened magic with which he has been entrusted, while his cousin attempts to understand a dormant power of her own that is beginning to stir – one that is beyond her imagination. Nearly disabled by feelings of doubt and inadequacy, Torval must overcome these personal weaknesses and lead his friends across a forbidding landscape that tests them at every turn as they seek to fulfill their quest: return the Splinter of Asgard to the Rainbow Bridge. Theirs is a tale of how love, hope, and trust struggle against hate, despair, and betrayal to heal an age old wound and protect the world in which they live.
During his magic apprenticeship, Torval faces several challenges manifested by Grafeldr - his mentor. One such is Ingemar, Torval's father, the image of whom causes Torval's use of the magic to falter. Grafeldr counsels Torval about the use of magic and controlling his fear and self-doubt. These are difficult lessons for the boy.
I have long been a fan of Japanese history, especially the feudal period with its lords and samurai protectors. In this case, I wondered what would happen if a young girl had been allowed to train and carry the katana - the curved sword of the samurai. I decided to create Haruka, daughter of a high-class samurai who is slain while she on his protection detail. Her perceived loss of face at the death of her father fills her with a need for vengeance. She will satisfy that need when she meets up with our other travelers soon.
After a storm on the North Sea in 1991, the peace of a routine spring morning is shattered when a secret German World War II chemical weapon washes up on the shore of a small Scottish fishing village, killing scores of inhabitants in a gruesome, painful manner. Retired U.S. Navy Bomb Disposal technician Mack Turner and his newly organized GREEN Team are dispatched to discover the cause of this mass murder and remove the threat before it can create additional destruction. While in Scotland, the team discovers the depth of the German plot and the imminent threat to New York City. Before they can mitigate the situation in Scotland and return to the United States to stop another disaster, a dangerous man from Mack's past hijacks the chemical weapon from its resting place in the United States to use in his own twisted plot of revenge. In a heart-pounding race against time, the GREEN Team must utilize all their resources to outthink the chemical terrorist and deal with his dangerous physical and psychological impediments. Can they stop the madman in time, or do the citizens of New York City face certain death?
This scene is anecdotal in that while deployed in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield/Storm, my detachment participated in many operations just like the one described here. In fact, I actually experienced the confrontation with the large grouper and the underwater detonation. The Navy's EOD teams are all highly trained professionals who routinely conduct dangerous missions on land or underwater. That was another life ago for me, but I still remember the thrill.
When members of the GREEN Team are kidnapped by a Colombian drug cartel during a routine chemical cleanup in Brazil, Mack Turner must travel to the Amazonian city of Manaus to try and salvage the team and rescue the hostages. Turner must also deal with the drug lord who wishes to eliminate the American soldiers who have been harassing his cocaine operations. If he is to succeed, Mack will have to trust E. J. Lonetree, the team leader whose skills are special but whose bruised ego gnaws at his tenets of honor and duty and imperils the chances of rescuing the teammates lost under his watch. Lonetree struggles to overcome self-doubt and to resist the urge for swift vengeance that could trigger disaster, while Mack faces a daunting two-fold mission: recover his people and stop a madman from wiping out the soldiers in horrific fashion. The action is vivid, the suspense is relentless, and the details read true in this the second GREEN Team novel from R. L. Keck, a former navy bomb disposal technician. Bound by Honor is the story of a mission in which those who sign on must commit to flawless execution and accept the stark truth that some may pay the ultimate price.
E.J. has occasional flashes of insight or visions that he inherited from his grandmother. This 'second sight' as he thinks of it, helps him to stay one step ahead of his enemies or, in this case, know when his friends are in danger. Since joining the GREEN Team he has quietly observed Nikki from a distance, his feelings for her kept locked away. Now, however, with her safety in jeopardy, his mind alerts him with a vivid message. He will go to her.


Last weekend the US was covered in bitter cold, parts still are. They say it was the coldest it's been in over 40 years. Even here in Georgia, as far south as it is, the temperatures plummeted to around 5 degrees. Everyone's furnaces were working overtime to keep up with the demands to keep the cold out.
I was mesmerized by the images from news outlets and family and friends showing the affects of the bitter cold. To put things into perspective, take a look at the images of Niagara Falls. While still beautiful, even in its frozen glory, you can see how bitter cold it is.
I checked in with family and friends to make sure everyone was warm. While talking with my dad, he mentioned off-hand, "at least there is only 71 days until spring." It made me smile, in the middle of the bitter cold, he found a way to stay positive .
I started thinking about how all of us could use something uplifting to help us get through the cold days of winter and realized just how many businesses could use a "Count down until Spring" email campaign.
1. Boutique: An email sent every day counting down the number of days until spring displaying an image of new spring clothing.
2. Nursery: An email sent every day counting down the number of days until spring with tips and things you can do right now to get your plants ready for spring such as repotting indoor plants, how to add humidity, soil types to use, and what you should be feeding your plants.
3. Travel: An email sent every day counting down the number of days until spring with travel ideas on how to escape the cold right now or value trips to take in the spring once the cold is gone.
Could the "Count down until Spring" marketing campaign work for your business? Does the cold weather prompt any ideas of ways to market your company right now? Remember, you can glean ideas for marketing your company from the most unlikely of places, see what you can come up with.
My "Count down until Spring" campaign idea came from the picture you see above, a glimpse of the bitter cold taken by my dad of his yard on Monday, BRRRR!
I'll take the 47 degrees and the sounds of Cancun Lounge – Chillout in Paradise on Pandora in my office any day to the freezing temps of the Northern US. Here's looking forward to Spring, only 68 days away!