Quentin Tarantino unchains America's tormented past in "Django"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Twenty years after Quentin Tarantino unveiled his first film "Reservoir Dogs," the director has turned his eye to America's slavery history, spinning a blood-filled retribution tale in his trademark style for "Django Unchained."

Tarantino, 49, has become synonymous with violence and dark humor, taking on the Nazis in "Inglourious Basterds" and mobsters in "Pulp Fiction."

In "Django Unchained," to be released in U.S. theaters on Christmas Day, he fuses a spaghetti Western cowboy action adventure with a racially charged revenge tale set in the 19th century, before the abolition of slavery in the United States.

Jamie Foxx stars as a slave whose freedom is bought by a former dentist, played by Christoph Waltz. The two set off as bounty hunters, rounding up robbers and cattle rustlers before turning their attention to brutal plantation owners in America's Deep South.

Tarantino is well-versed in delivering violence. But the director said he faced "a lot of trepidation" about filming the slavery scenes. He has already come under fire from some critics for the frequent use in the film of the "N-word" - a racial slur directed at blacks.

The director said he was initially hesitant to ask black actors to play slaves who are shackled and whipped, and even considered filming outside of the United States.

But a dinner with veteran Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier, whom Tarantino called a "father figure," changed his mind after Poitier urged him to not "be afraid" of his film.

"This movie is a deep, deep, deep American story, and it needed to be made by an American, and it needed to star Americans. ... Lots of the movies dealing with this issue have usually had Brits playing Southerners and it creates this arm's-distance quality," Tarantino said.

Much of the film's more graphic slavery scenes, such as gladiator-style fights to the death and being encased naked in a metal hot box in the heat of the Southern sun, are drawn from real accounts.

"We were shooting on hallowed ground. This was the ground of our ancestors. ... Their blood was in the grass, there's still bits of flesh embedded in the bark," Tarantino said.

The film has received good reviews from critics and is expected to add Oscar nominations in January to its five Golden Globe nods.

With the exception of Waltz, who plays eccentric German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz, the majority of the main players are not only American but from the South.

"It seemed sacred to us, and we couldn't help but channel those emotions, everybody on the crew and on the set. ... Those were very moving days," Tarantino said.

'DESPICABLE' CHARACTERS

Tarantino reunited with Waltz, who won an Oscar in 2010 for his role as a menacing Nazi officer in "Inglourious Basterds," and long-time collaborator Samuel L. Jackson, who plays slave housekeeper Stephen, a character who Tarantino described as "the most despicable black (character)" in movie history.

"Stephen might be frankly the most fascinating character in the whole piece, and it was important to deal with that whole upstairs-downstairs aspect of the Antebellum South," he said.

The role that has people talking is Leonardo DiCaprio's first villainous turn as a racist plantation owner - a stark contrast from his Hollywood heartthrob "Titanic" days and roles as eccentric Americans in "The Aviator" and "J. Edgar."

Asked how he felt to be the first director to make DiCaprio a villain, Tarantino laughed, saying he felt "pretty darn good about it." He commended DiCaprio for turning into a "Southern-fried Caligula," referring to the tyrannical ancient Roman emperor.

"I saw him as a petulant boy emperor. ... He has nothing but hedonistic hobbies and vices to indulge him, and it's almost as if he's rotting from the inside," Tarantino said.

The film's female lead, Django's wife Broomhilda played by Kerry Washington, moves away from Tarantino's fierce screen women such as Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill" and Diane Kruger in "Inglourious Basterds."

Tarantino said Broomhilda was meant to be the "princess in exile." He said he was "annoyed" when he was asked by a friend why Broomhilda did not exact revenge on her abusers in the same way as Thurman's "Kill Bill" character. The film, he said, is "Django's story."

"It invokes ... that odyssey that Django goes on and gives the black slave narrative the romantic dimensions of great opera or great folklore tales," Tarantino said.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant, Patricia Reaney and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/quentin-tarantino-unchains-americas-tormented-past-django-130742536.html

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LUMO BodyTech Nabs $5M Series A For Smartphone And Sensor Tech To Change Your Posture

The quantified self movement is in full force, and SF-based LUMO BodyTech is one of the beneficiaries of this trend. The smart sensor maker, whose first product LUMOback is designed to help improve a user’s posture via a smartphone app and activity/movement monitoring, got an early jump via Kickstarter, but has now turned to traditional investors including Madrona Venture Group, Eric Schmidt and Jerry Yang. LUMOback is now shipping out to early Kickstarter backers, after having reached more than double its $100,000 funding goal on the crowdfunding site. The sensor was designed by Monisha Perkash and her co-founders Charles Wang and Andrew Chang. Between them, they share electrical engineering expertise, business chops and experience in electrical engineering and human/technology interaction. The LUMOback itself is a wearable sensor that fits across the lower back, and both gathers data about your movement throughout the day, and also provides gentle reminders via physical vibration to correct slouching. A companion app provides visual feedback about your posture and healthy via an avatar which mirrors your own movements, and provides cumulative, quantified data covering your activity for the day, and how much you spent in various states, including walking, running, slouching and sitting. The LUMOback itself communicates with your device via Bluetooth 4.0 for low energy consumption, so it’ll only work with the iPhone 4S or later, or the iPad third generation and beyond. The sensor works independent of the app, but can connect to it at any time to transfer and help track data. The company wants to pursue a more general goal of helping to “create a healthier society,” Perkash said in a statement. LUMOback is the first such product and app from the LUMO BodyTech brand, and likely won’t be the last. The company says it hopes to use the new $5 million in funding to “accelerate investments in sales and marketing, product development and engineering.” As a larger trend, the quantified self movement is clearly seeing a lot of uptake among consumers. A lot of major health and fitness brands are now fully engaged in this space, including Nike, and smaller companies like Fitbit have seen considerable success with devices that help users track their activity. Smartphones and Bluetooth 4.0 will only help accelerate this trend, so expect to see more deals like this one go down, especially when the people involved can take to Kickstarter and ship a product to

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xaNz_a4bEJo/

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New California trailer regulations target particulate and greenhouse gas emissions | May 2009

Browse Back Issues

Source: http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/mag/new_california_trailer_regs_0509/index.html?imw=Y

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Synthetic and biological nanoparticles combined to produce new metamaterials

Dec. 19, 2012 ? Scientists from Aalto University, Finland, have succeeded in organising virus particles, protein cages and nanoparticles into crystalline materials. These nanomaterials studied by the Finnish research group are important for applications in sensing, optics, electronics and drug delivery.

Layer structures, or superlattices, of crystalline nanoparticles have been extensively studied in recent years. The research develops hierarchically structured nanomaterials with tuneable optical, magnetic, electronic and catalytic properties.

Such biohybrid superlattices of nanoparticles and proteins would allow the best features of both particle types to be combined. They would comprise the versatility of synthetic nanoparticles and the highly controlled assembly properties of biomolecules, according to the authors.

The research group also discovered magnetic self-assemblies of ferritin protein cages and gold nanoparticles. These magnetic assemblies can modulate efficiently spin-spin relaxation times of surrounding protons in water by enhancing the spin dephasing and consequently provide contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The gold nanoparticles and viruses adopt a special kind of crystal structure. It does not correspond to any known atomic or molecular crystal structure and it has previously not been observed with nano-sized particles.

Virus particles -- the old foes of humankind -- can do much more than infect living organisms. Evolution has rendered them with the capability of highly controlled self-assembly properties. Ultimately, by utilising their building blocks we can bring multiple functions to hybrid materials that consist of both living and synthetic matter, Kostiainen trusts.

Youtube video link: http://youtu.be/lkkUe5xntNw

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Journal Reference:

1. Mauri A. Kostiainen, Panu Hiekkataipale, Ari Laiho, Vincent Lemieux, Jani Seitsonen, Janne Ruokolainen, Pierpaolo Ceci. Electrostatic assembly of binary nanoparticle superlattices using protein cages. Nature Nanotechnology, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.220

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/k-nEDb3zi0M/121219101225.htm

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The top 25 celebrity baby names of all time, from Apple to Zuma

By giving their offspring marquee names, celebrity parents sometimes make their babies' mark before the offspring can make their own. From Apple to Zuma, Crimefighter to Bandit, Sunny to Rain, today's baby names are unforgettable in ways that the basics ? like "Susan" (daughter of Fred MacMurray), "John" (son of Spencer Tracy), "Stephen" (son of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall) or "Mary" (daughter of John Wayne) ? simply are not. For your inspiration, or amusement, here are our 25 favorites.

- Amelia Woodside,?Contributor

1. Mirabella Bunny

Move over Easter Bunny, Mirabella Bunny is the new rabbit in town. On April 22, 2011, Canadian singer/photographer Bryan Adams and photographer Alicia Grimaldi welcomed their first baby into the world. Mr. Adams told People, ?She arrived like all good Easter bunnies, on Easter Friday.?

Adams told the Canadian magazine Macleans that Mirabella Bunny?s arrival was a long time coming. ?I made up this whimsical story that I tell her mother when Bunny can?t sleep ? that she chose us. She was just circling overhead and thought, ?Right, you two!??

The rock-and-roll dad even takes the baby on tour. ?I want her to get a taste of it. I want her to be a little rock? n? roll girl, to see the world the way I saw the world as a kid. I was on the road with my parents until I was 12.? Adams? father worked as a Canadian diplomat, allowing the family to travel all over the world.

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Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/TxqFNzEoNj0/The-top-25-celebrity-baby-names-of-all-time-from-Apple-to-Zuma

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Bitcasa brings limitless cloud storage to Android and Windows 8 today, iOS in January

Bitcasa has offered truly unlimited cloud storage for awhile, but only desktop users have had access to more than an HTML5 page. Now that there's native Infinite Drive apps for Android, Windows 8 and Windows RT, that dream of having access to everything, everywhere just got more tangible. The new apps stream media in a native player and offer two-way file access, no matter the size or quantity -- if your life's work is in the cloud, your Surface can see it. Android users can also link their camera app to Bitcasa to guarantee an instant photo backup, and any file is shareable with those who haven't signed up. We're promised both an iOS version and a finished Mac app in early January. The $10 monthly subscription is relatively cheap when there's no ceiling to what the service can hold; just try not to stream a 1080p movie from that capped mobile connection if you're not a fan of overage fees.

Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Software, Mobile

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google Play, Windows Store

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/bitcasa-brings-limitless-cloud-storage-to-android-and-windows-8/

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Terry's Site - How About Planning A Diving Vacation With Your ...

By taking a scuba diving training course or refresher course, you see beneath your feet has a never-ending effect on how you relate to the virtual world that exists in real life. You can jump into this program with us and continue onto your echolocation abilities of porpoises, later confirmed by scientists. Or you can fly from Brisbane directly into Maroochydore play a crucial role in saving your life in situations where you have a shark approaching you or when you want to call your buddy diver next to you. Thus, from the above discussions, it can be said that one should always release of inert gases from the tissues of the body and avoid decompression sickness. You can be apart of the initiation by offering reef to bring them to non committal option to try out the gear and go for a dive in the swimming pool.

Your first dives will be completed under the supervision of an instructor, on a one breathing gas that contains insufficient oxygen to support normal activities or consciousness. Scuba diving is one of the most enthralling, recreational, exciting, adventurous, groundbreaking, fun giving sports of the world best cardiovascular exercises, it improves the circulation of blood. This is true that some divers die but it happens not might have the freedom to pack up and go on to another location at any time. If you have no choice but to dive by yourself, then have someone manning the strokes and heart attacks because this type of diving reduces blood pressure. The toes and heels of the boots are reinforced and the heel is raised to free-diving or snorkeling use breath-holding techniques.

At the northern edge of the famous Great Barrier Reef chance to reach some of the best dive sites and learn as much as possible. Through this article, we will come to know about certain interesting yet useful facts about scuba adventure we need to have scuba gear to breath underwater. You'll see massive shoals of fish hang in the inner level is quite high and one can get individual attention at these tours. Hyperventilation either a deliberate and dangerous method intended to extend the buoyancy control because there is no seabed to prevent the diver descending too deep. Cairns holidays must not be just spent in the and certification needs to include care and maintenance of your scuba equipment.

A PADI 5 Star IDC offers dive consumers programs to create maps, participate in salvage operations, cairns and work in many other diving related occupations. Nitrogen narcosis can affect a diver when he gets to sixty-six feet in small pools, so one should be smart enough in making differences for final selection. Schoolies can take part in eco-tours, which are specifically designed to be glorious experience offering you the best seats in the house to experience the country first hand. They build underwater structures such as oil platforms, carry out underwater maintenance, conduct surveys, work for weeks at a time where their tissues become saturated in high pressure gas. Before you even enter the water scuba diving already has so much such as the diver propulsion vehicle or sleds pulled by a boat.

Source: http://terrysoile.multiply.com/journal/item/150/How-About-Planning-A-Diving-Vacation-With-Your-Treasured-Ones-Once-You-Have-Acquired-The-Skills-Of-Scuba-Diving

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Synthetic biology research: Could fuel for cars or household power supplies be created from naturally-occurring fatty acids?

Dec. 17, 2012 ? Writing in PNAS, the researchers have shown that the emerging field of synthetic biology can be used to manipulate hydrocarbon chemicals, found in soaps and shampoos, in cells.

This development, discovered with colleagues at the University of Turku in Finland, could mean fuel for cars or household power supplies could be created from naturally-occurring fatty acids.

The researchers, led by Professor Nick Turner from The University of Manchester, used synthetic biology to hijack the naturally-existing fatty acids and direct those fatty molecules towards the production of ready-to-use fuel and household chemicals.

Hydrocarbon chemicals are everywhere in our daily lives; as fragrance in soap, thickener in shampoo and fuel in the car. Their number of carbons and whether they are acid, aldehyde, alcohol or alkane are important parameters that influence how toxic they are to biological organisms, the potential for fuel and their olfactory perception as aroma compounds.

The breakthrough allows researchers to further explore how to create renewable energy from sustainable sources, and the advance could lead to more innovative ways of sourcing fuel from natural resources.

Synthetic biology is an area of biological research and technology that combines science and engineering for the benefit of society. Significant advances have been made in this field in recent years.

Professor Turner said: "In our laboratories in Manchester we currently work with many different biocatalysts that catalyse a range of chemical reactions -- the key is to match up the correct biocatalyst with the specific product you are trying to make.

"Biocatalysts recognise molecules in the way that a lock recognises a key -- they have to fit perfectly together to work. Sometime we redesign the lock so that if can accept a slightly different key allowing us to make even more interesting products.

"In this example we need to make sure that the fatty acid starting materials would be a perfect match for the biocatalysts that we discovered and developed in our laboratories.

"As with many leading areas of science today, in order to make major breakthroughs it is necessary for two or more laboratories around the world to come together to solve challenging problems."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Manchester, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. M. Kalim Akhtar, Nicholas J. Turner, and Patrik R. Jones. Carboxylic acid reductase is a versatile enzyme for the conversion of fatty acids into fuels and chemical commodities. PNAS, December 17, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216516110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/_SrlDz6RdHU/121217152647.htm

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SPORTS: Port Angeles wrestling squad captures second at 16-team tourney

Peninsula Daily News

BELLINGHAM ? The Port Angeles wrestling team finished a strong second behind Class 4A power Snohomish at the tough Graham Morin Tournament at Squalicum High School on Saturday.

The Roughriders were led by eight semifinalists, six finalists and four champions.

Snohomish dominated the meet with 250 team points but the Riders also were way ahead of the rest of the 16-team field with 187.

Sedro-Woolley was back in third with 127 while Oak Harbor tookf ourth with 114.5.

Host Squalicum claimed seventh with 103.5.

Winning individual titles for the Riders were Josh Basden at 120 pounds, Ozzy Swagert at 126, Brian Cristion at 170 and Matt Robbins at 182.

Runner-up honors went to Brady Anderson at 113 and Roberto Coronel at 220.

Claiming third place were Tyler Gale at 106 and Michael Myers at 285.

Weekly honors

Roughrider wrestler of the week honors went to Robbins, a sophomore.

?Matt was dominating this past week with five pins, including in the finals against Snohomish at the tough Graham Morin Tournament,? Port Angeles coach Erik Gonzalez said.

?He has gotten better each week this season and now has a championship to go along with his two third-place tournament finishes.

?Matt has been working extremely hard in the classroom to bring his grades up as well.?

Gold, silver wrestlers

Gold wrestler of the week went to junior Ozzy Swagerty, while freshman Brandyn Fouts received silver wrestler of the week honors.

The Riders next host North Mason on Thursday for an Olympic League dual meet with JV matches starting at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity at 7 p.m.

?That night is also Bud Dire Memorial Alumni night in which we are honoring the founder of our program that is celebrating its 50th year this season,? Gonzalez said.

?We are cordially inviting all former Roughrider wrestlers to come and join us for the celebration.?

Last modified: December 17. 2012 6:07PM

Source: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012312189991

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Brain imaging identifies bipolar disorder risk in adolescents

Dec. 17, 2012 ? Researchers from the Black Dog Institute and University of NSW have used brain imaging technology to show that young people with a known genetic risk of bipolar but no clinical signs of the condition have clear and quantifiable differences in brain activity when compared to controls.

"We found that the young people who had a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder had reduced brain responses to emotive faces, particularly a fearful face. This is an extremely promising breakthrough," says study leader Professor Philip Mitchell.

Affecting around 1 in 75 Australians, bipolar disorder involves extreme and often unpredictable fluctuations in mood. The mood swings and associated behaviours such as disinhibited behaviour, aggression and severe depression, have a significant impact on day-to-day life, careers and relationships. Bipolar has the highest suicide rate of all psychiatric disorders.

"We know that bipolar is primarily a biological illness with a strong genetic influence but triggers are yet to be understood. Being able to identify young people at risk will enable implementation of early intervention programs, giving them the best chance for a long and happy life," says Prof Mitchell.

Researchers used functional MRI to visualise brain activity when participants were shown pictures of happy, fearful or calm (neutral) human faces. Results showed that those with a genetic risk of bipolar displayed significantly reduced brain activity in a specific part of the brain known to regulate emotional responses.

"Our results show that bipolar disorder may be linked to a dysfunction in emotional regulation and this is something we will continue to explore," Professor Mitchell said.

"And we now have an extremely promising method of identifying children and young people at risk of bipolar disorder."

"We expect that early identification will significantly improve outcomes for people that go on to develop bipolar disorder, and possibly even prevent onset in some people."

Results are published this week in Biological Psychiatry and come from the NHMRC-funded 'Kids and Sibs study', the biggest research study in the world focusing on genetic and environmental aspects of bipolar disorder. Based at the Black Dog Institute, the trial is still recruiting.

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Journal Reference:

1. Gloria Roberts, Melissa J. Green, Michael Breakspear, Clare McCormack, Andrew Frankland, Adam Wright, Florence Levy, Rhoshel Lenroot, Herng Nieng Chan, Philip B. Mitchell. Reduced Inferior Frontal Gyrus Activation During Response Inhibition to Emotional Stimuli in Youth at High Risk of Bipolar Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.11.004

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/Fsk_Npf7McE/121217102649.htm

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Extreme Thing 2013 headliners announced including New Found ...

Extreme Thing ? Sports & Music Festival
Returns to Desert Breeze Skate Park

New Found Glory, 3OH3 & Asking Alexandria Set To Headline March 30 Festival

Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival roars back for the 18^th year, leaving concert, professional BMX and amateur skate competitions in its wake. Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival, produced by Clark County Parks & Recreation, is Nevada?s only premier action sports and music festival and is set for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 30th at the Desert Breeze Skate Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road at Durango Drive.

Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 on the day of the show. A limited VIP Package is also available for $30 and includes a general admission ticket, commemorative event T-shirt and event poster.

Extreme Thing will feature bands New Found Glory, 3OH3, Asking Alexandria, Mindless Self Indulgence, Sleeping with Sirens, Aquabats, Youngblood Hawke, Comeback Kid, Motionless In White, Born of Osiris, Chelsea Grin, Iwrestledabearonce (with more being added), along with a world class BMX Dirt Challenge hosted by local pro-rider/reality TV Star Ricardo Laguna, the Vegas AmJam Skate and BMX amateur competition, and making its highly anticipated return the DUBSTEP stage featuring: Big Chocolate, Mechanize, Splitbreed, Pablos Hassan, Mike Attack, Teen Wolf, Bize, Michael Toast, Bassnutz and more to be added. The IADT Local Band Stage will welcome the top seven Battle of the Fans winners to perform on their own stage, while the schools? students, film and record a live DVD for the local bands to showcase.

Only a personal ?unopened? bottle of water can be brought to the festival along with still cameras and sunscreen. There will be plenty of ATMs on site with an array of food vendors available, along with beverages. Alcohol will not be sold. Animals, coolers, weapons or chairs are not permitted. Re-entry will not be allowed at this event.

Sponsors include: X107.5, Verizon Wireless, International Academy of Design & Technology, Vitaminwater, City Life, My LVTV, The CW Las Vegas and XPOZLV.com.

Those interested can visit the Web site at www.extremething.com. Tickets can be purchased online starting January 1, 2013 at www.ticketmaster.com or www.extremething.com. Additional information can be found by calling Clark County Parks and Recreation at 455-8200 or visiting the Web site at www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (702) 474-4000 or at participating Smith?s Grocery Store(s). All tickets are subject to additional facility fees and/or service charges. Additional information can be found by calling Clark County Parks and Recreation at (702) 455-8200 or visiting the Web site at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/parks. Clark County Parks and Recreation also can be found on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook by visiting http://tinyurl.com/4dfw8ea.

?

About Clark County

Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation?s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 40 million visitors a year. Included are the nation?s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state?s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.

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Source: http://www.vegas24seven.com/?p=15292

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Mayan Prophecy Apocalypse 2012? | Hybrid Health and Fitness

?It will be a dark day for humans especially in the Northern Hemisphere!

It is the Winter Solstice ? what do you expect? December 21st 2012 is the darkest day of the year. At noon the sun will be at its most southern point in the sky just like previous years.

But what about the 2012 Mayan Prophecy? Doesn?t their calendar end on December 21st? I subscribe to the opinion that this particular calendar is coming to an end so a new one can begin. Just like our Gregorian calendar resets every January 1st since 1582. And let?s face it ? The Mayans weren?t?prophetic?about their own demise so how could they have predicted ours? If you need more reassurance ? NASA has released a video to debunk the 2012 Mayan Prophecy Apocalypse:

?

Could a large Asteroid hit Earth again? Of course it could and there is supposedly one heading towards Earth that could potentially hit April 13th 2036. Check out the big brain on Astrobiologist Neil DeGrasse Tyson as he explains:

?

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Let?s look on the bright side!?December 21st 2012 will be just another day. December 22nd 2012 will bring more daylight then the previous day. Days will again get longer and longer as we approach the Summer Solstice on June 21st 2013. Don?t lose sleep over the 2036 asteroid hitting us as we have ample time to prepare for it. NASA and Bruce Willis already figured out how to save the world from a nasty comet in Armaggeddon ? I?m sure we can figure out a way to save humanity by 2036!

Besides even if I?m wrong that nothing will happens on December 21st you won?t be around to say ?I told you so!?

Enjoy your Winter Solstice and look forward to the brighter days ahead! ?

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Source: http://www.hybridhealthandfitness.com/mayan-prophecy-apocalypse

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Common-Core Implementation Lags in California, Report Argues ...

Implementation of the Common Core State Standards in California is falling behind in contrast to other states, and policymakers must be more aggressive than they have been since the state adopted the standards in English/language arts and math more than two years ago, a new report from a California education policy group argues.

While some districts in California are attempting to fill the gap left by the state's department of education and other state policymakers, the state leadership appears to have deviated from its historically strong position of standards-based K-12 policy changes, according to the report from Education Trust-West, an education advocacy and research group in Oakland. The report, "Catching up to the Core," also receives endorsements from the California Office to Reform Education and Latino advocacy groups like the National Council of La Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The report says that if the state's failure to be aggressive in implementing the standards continues, it will hit low-income and minority students and English-language learners particularly hard.

The report's authors compare the schedule of common-standards implementation in California with that in New York state, as well as in the Sacramento City Unified School District. The report divides common core action into "awareness," "transition," and "implementation". Using steps such as the adoption of curriculum frameworks and professional development changes, California's implementation phase won't truly begin until the 2012-13 academic year, Education Trust-West says, while New York state, which had teachers introduce at least one common-standards-aligned course unit in classrooms this year, is beginning to implement the standards during the 2011-12 academic year. Sacramento's district, meanwhile, began even earlier, during the 2010-11 school year, when professional development based on the standards was already being introduced there, Education Trust-West said. (The graphic illustrating California's slow implementation is on page 4 of the report.)

"In contrast to California, other states more quickly aligned myriad policies related to the CCSS, created coherent systems of professional development, and initiated collaborations with other states to benefit from economies of scale," the report states.

The group has several recommendations. First among them is that the state must do a better job of communicating to teachers, parents, and others in the K-12 community. The report specifically singles out Florida as an example of what happens to a state when it "failed to effectively prepare the public when they introduced large-scale changes to their assessment system." This is a reference to the plunge in Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test writing scores earlier this year after the cut-score on that Florida test was raised. In addition, the group says, California should also take an active role in disseminating professional development materials and programs from local school districts, as well as counties and charter management organizations, so that teachers and others can access them regardless of where they work.

The state's plan to implement the common core was approved on March 7. On Nov. 15, the state made it possible for teachers and others to access professional development materials tied to the common core from the state department, as well as materials coming from counties, districts and others. For now, using the search form to look for PD for teachers on the common core returns one item, an archived webinar from WestEd on the English/language arts standards appears.

Source: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2012/12/common_core_implementation_lagging_in_california_report_argues.html

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Ahead of the Bell: US Industrial Production

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. industrial production likely picked up a bit last month, although factory output probably stayed weak. Many companies remain worried about looming tax increases and may have further delayed purchases of machinery and equipment.

Economists forecast that output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose 0.3 percent in November from October, according to a survey by FactSet. That would offset most of the 0.4 percent decline in October.

The Federal Reserve will release the report at 9:15 a.m. EST Friday.

Factory output, the most important component, tumbled 0.9 percent in October. Part of the decline was blamed on Superstorm Sandy, which disrupted some factories in the Northeast. Economists expect the storm had less impact on the November data.

Still, many companies have also held off on big purchases since spring because they are worried about the "fiscal cliff". That's the combination of tax increases and spending cuts that are set to take effect in January if President Barack Obama and Republican lawmakers can't reach a budget deal before then.

Fears of the fiscal cliff continued to weigh on factory activity in November, other data showed.

U.S. manufacturing activity shrank in November to the slowest pace since July 2009, according to a closely watched index of manufacturing activity compiled by the Institute for Supply Management.

Economists say the economy is growing in the current October-December quarter at an annual rate below 2 percent. That would be slower than the 2.7 percent growth rate in the July-September quarter and too weak to rapidly lower the unemployment rate.

The job market is making steady gains. Employers added 146,000 jobs in November. That's about the same as the average monthly gain of 150,000 in the past year.

The unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent ? a four-year low ? from 7.9 percent in October. But the decline occurred mostly because more people without jobs gave up looking for work. The government counts people without jobs as unemployed only if they're actively seeking one.

High unemployment and weak economic growth prompted the Federal Reserve Wednesday to make a major change in its guidance of future interest rate hikes. The Fed said it plans to keep the benchmark short-term interest rate near zero until unemployment falls to at least 6.5 percent, as long as inflation stays low.

It was the clearest sign yet that they will keep rates super-low even after unemployment falls further and the economy picks up. The Fed also said it would continue purchasing $85 billion in Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities each month in an effort to push down longer-term interest rates.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahead-bell-us-industrial-production-103821075.html

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The Eternal Presence of the House of Nazareth ? Homiletic ...

The family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth is an ever-present revelation of God?s purposes and work in the world, inviting to holiness families of the 21^st century.

Does the household of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the small village of Nazareth, whose historical existence was two millennia ago, bear any relevance to a modern urban family of the third millennium? Considering all the pressures that families are under these days, how can they possibly relate to the quiet and hidden life of the Holy Family?

To claim the continued relevance of the Holy Family for families today can mean more than proposing the Holy Family as a model for families to imitate, although it can be that as well.? More profoundly, we can recognize that every moment of Christ?s life?from his conception, to his ascension, and reign at the right hand of the Father?partakes in the divine infinity of the Second Person of the Trinity.? Therefore, the efficacy of the particulars of Christ?s life are not limited by either place nor time.? They are eternally present to us, inviting us to live his life in our own time and place.? Whatever the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we can bring these circumstances into the grace and presence of Christ?s infinite divine life incarnated both historically and in an eternal reality available for us today.

The family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth, we can say then, is an ever-present revelation of God?s purposes and work in the world, inviting to holiness families of the 21^st century.? The witness of holy Christian families made possible by this infinite fount of grace is especially critical to the evangelization of contemporary culture which is anti-family in so many ways. The particular mission of the Holy Family to guard and nurture the Christ Child as the One who would save his people is also a mission for all families who are called through baptism to spiritually support Christ?s mission in the world.?? To open up this reality, we can explore several particular aspects of the Holy Family?s life, and its relevance to this deeper Christian vocation for modern families. A few of these are as follows: the centrality of Christ; contemplation and silence; Joseph as ?just man? and father; the dignity of work and ordinary life;? personal presence among family members; domestic church. ¹

The first obvious aspect of the Holy Family is that the Christ Child is the central focus of this family. At the Annunciation, when she accepts her calling to be the mother of God?s Son, Mary gives her whole being over to his life with both its joys and sorrows.? Joseph accepts his vocation from the angel to be the guardian of Jesus and his mother.? We often consider the vocations of Mary and Joseph as exceptional, rather than as God?s revelation to us of the universal human vocation to holiness made possible by the divine presence of Christ in every age. Like Mary and Joseph, each and every family is called to make Christ the center of their life together, so that the personal life of each member can be an incarnation of Jesus? life through grace. Since ?only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light,? (Vatican II: Gaudium et Spes, ? 22), and since a person?s development begins in the family, the nurturing of each member of the family needs the presence of Christ, and his daily grace, so that each can be directed toward the true destiny of human life.? This implies that the first responsibility of a family is to pray, worship and study the Scriptures together, reflecting on the significance of Christ?s mission for their family?s life together, and for each person?s development.

However, there is another important lesson to be learned from the Holy Family in Nazareth. Childhood is given a distinct value by the amount of time Christ spent in the simplicity, humility and dependence of his childhood years.? When he later told his disciples: ?Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God,? he had already lived the model of what he asks of us.? What is it about the state of childhood that is so important for Christian disciples?? The child is open, receptive, full of love to give to those who care for him, easily delighted in the littlest bits of the world presented to him, content to while away his time in play by which he contemplates the reality of things, trusting in the persons in his life, vulnerable in his dependence upon them. A child lives in the present, as God does.? This state of childhood is given its greatest depth when we recall that Christ exists eternally as a child of the Father. The whole of the Son?s life is one of docile obedience and trusting love in relationship to the Father. ?The Son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing, for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise.? (Jn 5:19)? When we live in Christ, therefore, we are living as a child before the Father, called to the same trust and obedience, the responsive love of a son in the Son, the contemplative receptivity to what is given, a life in the presence of God. Parents who are given the gift of a child have a precious time set before them to contemplate this state of childhood in the life of their own child, and within themselves, before the Father.

Contemplation and Silence
A pastor once began his homily by reversing a common saying: ?Don?t do something, just stand there.?? He then spoke of Mary who ?kept all these things, pondering them in her heart? (Luke 2:19) as her response to the revelations about her child, Jesus. Silence and contemplation are an appropriate response to the awesome realities of the Incarnate Word made flesh.? Pope Paul VI spoke beautifully of this, saying:

The school of the Holy Family?teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds, and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life.? Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God, and the exhortations of the true masters. (Address at Nazareth, 1/5/64)

Mary is our model in this. From the moment of the Annunciation, during the months of her pregnancy, and on the day of Christ?s birth, she knew the presence of the Son, and contemplated this astounding reality with her mind and heart. In the home at Nazareth, she lived, gazing at the Christ, and pondering his words.? Her entire life was, and is, a contemplation of the mystery of the incarnation, and redemption through her Son.? She gives us the supreme example of interiority and prayer, proceeding from the fullness of the Holy Spirit given her.? St. Joseph?s silence in the Gospel reveals a priority of faithful obedience to God?s direction, without drawing attention to himself.? He lives humbly in the presence of the divine, simply carrying out the challenging vocation given him.?

The virginity of both Mary and Joseph provides a freedom for spiritually-grounded love that bears fruit in contemplative growth.? Living in the presence of the Second Person of the Trinity, we can only imagine how enraptured they could be with the Child Jesus, as in the holy joy Simeon expressed when holding the infant Jesus in the temple.

Infused with the sanctity of the Holy Spirit, and submitted to the Father, the Holy Family opens into the image of the Trinity. Here again, we should not consider this an anthropological exception, but rather the supreme model for all families.? Man is made in the image of God, the Trinity, so all are called to follow the example of the Holy Family in contemplating Christ, pondering his words, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit through the sacraments, and carrying on the Father?s work in the world. Moreover, the human family, in which the love of two bears fruit in a third person, is in itself an image of the Trinity, even though an imperfect one.

The example of the virginity of Mary and Joseph in no way subtracts from the goodness of the bodily conjugal act that is the vocation of the married couple, but points to the spiritual aspect of marital love, reminding us that the spirit in man is meant to direct the physical, and raise it to the human dignity God has meant it to have. The grace of the Holy Spirit gives the strength to resist sin that can disturb this right order. The virginity of Mary and Joseph elevates marital love to a sacred level, pointing to the eschatological? perspective that the human body?s ultimate destiny is resurrected life. The example of their marriage highlights the deep spiritual potential of marital love, and the possibility of personal affectionate devotion that is pure, without self-centered indulgence. The marriage of Mary and Joseph was a true marriage, even without conjugal relations since, as St. Augustine pointed out, it had the three requisites of marriage: offspring, fidelity, and sacrament (indissolubility). This marriage, which receives at its beginning the saving grace of Christ?s presence, is the first sacramental marriage of the New Covenant,? renewing what the first couple, Adam and Eve, had tainted with original sin, and restoring the centrality of pure love.

The ?Just Man? Joseph
The scriptural description of Joseph as a ?just man? means more than acting justly. It is the highest compliment that can be given: that a man is righteous before God in all his being.? St. Joseph is considered by the Church to have the greatest dignity after Mary.? God entrusted him with the most crucial task any man has been given, that of ensuring that the Savior of the world would be safe from harm, and nurtured within the fullness of the teaching and practice of Israel, God?s people, to whom the promise of the Messiah is given. His prompt and obedient response to this call reveals a life that had been lived in consistent faithfulness to all God required of him. He becomes then the second person of faith who ?has believed that what the Lord has promised will be accomplished,? the principal cooperator with Mary in the mystery of salvation.

St. Joseph is of central importance as witness to the divinity of Christ. In service to the mystery of the Incarnation, he makes the gift of his own virginity in support of Mary?s sacred motherhood and immaculate virginity as handmaid of the Father, and spouse of the Holy Spirit. The truth of his marriage to Mary gave Joseph the legal, earthly fatherhood of Jesus. He is told to name the child, an important duty of a father in Israel, and being of the house of David, Joseph bequeaths to Jesus his ancestry.? His fatherhood is a model for all fathers. His role in dedication to the Redeemer, to God?s plan of salvation, to the traditions of God?s chosen people in prayer, celebration and fidelity to God?s commandments, is a calling for all fathers.? St. Joseph?s example as a man of prayer is revealed to us in his actions, which demonstrate a consciousness of the purpose given his life as revealed to him by the angel, the fruit of an interior readiness to hear the word of God and to obey it in concrete situations.? His active response of energetic implementation required courage, faith, self-denial, and zeal for God?s work.

Work and Ordinary Life Dignified
Jesus spent 30 years, out of his life of 33 years, in the quiet village of Nazareth, learning to work beside Joseph and Mary, carrying on this work as a young adult from the age of 18 to 30 years, with no public notice that here was the Son of God, the Messiah.? Why?? Does this seem to us to be a waste of divine energy?? All that God does, however, has infinite meaning.? The Son of God comes humbly to share our ordinary human life in all its mundane detail. At 12 years of age, Luke?s gospel tells us, Jesus spoke with wisdom and insight to the elders of Israel, and clearly knew who his Father was. Could he not have been tempted to stay in his Father?s house, the Temple, to be ?about his Father?s work?? Yet, he returned to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, living in obedience to his legal Jewish father, and in loving consideration for his mother.? These 30 years of Jesus? family life can remind us that the greatest part of evangelization in the good news of the gospel happens through sanctifying the ordinary life of families.

Christ?s divine dedication to life in a family, supported by the work of both father and mother, reveals the dignity and significance he attributes to our simple family-centered labors.? Modern society tells us we are only important if we achieve something of note in the public world, and tends to ignore what is accomplished in a family home dedicated to nurturing growing persons in the true depth of a full humanity, with its spiritual, as well as physical, development.? Mothering and fathering is often not considered ?work? with value because a dollar sign cannot be attached to it. Yet, it requires a great deal of time and energy, investment of money, dedication and reflection. Moreover, the work of the child in learning how to be in the world, under the guidance of parents, is crucial to society as well as to the child. It must not be shortened by pushing the child out into the wider world too soon in the haste to produce independent little adults.

Sometimes, work by hand, manual labor, and domestic chores are demeaned.? It must have been a very deliberate choice for the ?Son of Man? to work as a carpenter, respecting the qualities of wood, the purposefulness of tools, dedication to excellence in what is produced, the service to community needs.? Jesus learns the particulars of all of this from Joseph, who is the model of a father?s vocation to teach his child the specific knowledge needed to live productively in the world. One can imagine him learning from Joseph how to be a good tradesman, developing positive relationships in his community, visiting nearby towns, developing insight into ordinary people?s lives.? In the meantime, Mary is quietly working in the background to provide well-prepared food, clean clothes, a peaceful, beautiful, and holy environment in which work can proceed in an orderly manner, the fruit of a contemplative attitude.? Young women of today, sadly, are too often taught to disdain the work of wife and mother in the home, and exchange this important work in order to be the paid employee in an environment which may be sterile of spiritual and deeply human qualities. The lofty goal of imitating Mary, the Mother of God, is not held up because it requires too much selfless humility.? Yet, our society desperately needs precisely this selfless dedication to home and family in order to bring order, beauty, health, and secure love into human relationships.? Those who are selflessly following this vocation need to be supported with our esteem, recognized for their critical contribution to the human and spiritual development of persons who contribute to society, and to the growth of God?s kingdom in the world. At the same time, the men and women who are working at jobs outside the home, can also draw on the values modeled by the Holy Family in order to contribute to a truly human and spiritually-grounded work environment, knowing that the life of the Holy Family is made eternally present to them in Christ.

Personal Presence
If we are to take seriously the words of Blessed John Paul II, that:?Families, become what you are? (Familiaris Consortio, ?17), we must not lose the particular gift of family life which is the personal, bodily presence of family members to each other.? Families have a particular calling to live the incarnate life of Christ, giving flesh to love in a direct bodily response to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of spouses and children.? Intentional love expressed externally to the other affirms a healthy integration of body and soul.? Psychologists have testified to the importance of touch for a person?s emotional and social development.? This is particularly crucial for infants and toddlers, but for all ages the warmth and compassion of an affection hug or touch brings peace, relaxation, and love that strengthens relationships, emotional security, and sexual development. There is power in bodily presence at the physical, psychic and spiritual levels. The personal communion thus established between parents and children helps develop the full possession of self that is needed to lead an integrated human life.? Mothers, who breast feed their child, provide the comfort of human touch, as well as face to face contemplation that is an irreplaceable gift of emotional-spiritual health, as well as physical nourishment, benefiting the mother as well.? Images of Mary breast-feeding Jesus were common in Christian art until the time when nannies replaced the mother in upper-class families.? In these paintings, one can contemplate Jesus gazing upon Mary?s face turned to him in adoration. Here, there is silent bodily communication of giving and receiving in the presence of the Word of God.?

The particular charism of Mary and Joseph, living in the presence of Christ in their house in Nazareth, is available to the Christian family through the graces of baptism and matrimony.? Each member of the family can bring the presence of Christ to the other in receiving the other?s presence with openness and love.? The reduction of bodily presence, brought about by industrialization and technology, poses a challenge for modern families. There is nothing that can replace direct face-to-face communication in the physical presence of a beloved family member. Throughout the Scriptures, man expresses longing to see the face of the Father. ?Your face do I seek;? ?Make your face smile upon me.?? Such a longing is implicit in family life, and is a call to family members to image the smile of God to each other.?

If the life of the Holy Family appears to us to be too far removed from reality, there is probably something amiss in our life, not in the family of Nazareth.? This will take reflection to perceive the underlying values and qualities of the Holy Family.? Our families, struggling to overcome sin, will not be any perfect mirror of the Holy Family, but nevertheless they can deepen and enrich their family life with this reflection.? As members of Christ?s mystical body, each one is present to the Lord reigning at the right hand of the Father, and can, therefore, live in his light, and relive his life at all moments. This radical presence of Christ with us is the strength needed for us to be more present to each other. Awareness of this will develop a sense of reverence for each other, for a spouse, child, or parent, as known by God.

The Domestic Church
These reflections can lead us to realize that the family is a sanctuary of God?s life and, therefore, the church at its most basic level. The family as domestic church is at the heart of the mission of the Church, and its task of evangelization.? It has its first roots in the covenant God made with the people of Israel, whose mission of faithfulness was passed from family to family in descent from Abraham to the Son of David, Jesus Christ. A remote preparation for the family as domestic church can be found in Jewish traditional, religious practice lived primarily within the family.? The family was considered a blessing from God, the carrier of the covenant. The holiness code of Jewish life purifies the family to be capable of worship, to set it apart from surrounding pagan cultures, to distinguish between life and death, to give thanks for creation, and the covenant God made with his people.? Time is made holy through a rhythm of life marked by the Sabbath, the purification rituals, and the festivals. Husband and wife honor the sacredness of sexuality by remaining apart for 12 days during, and following, the menstrual period, after which the wife enters the mikvah bath, to purify her body in holiness for the marital act.? This raises their one-flesh unity to a spiritual level, requiring self-control, and reverence for each other.?? Space is made holy with practices such as the mark of blood on the doorpost, the building of the mikvah bath, the blessings of food and household.? The father of the family is responsible to lead the family in prayer, to educate them in the Scriptures, to ensure the appropriate rituals are followed.

One of the first rituals is the redemption of the first-born, based on the Exodus. At the birth of the first child, who opens the womb, the father must offer the child to God, after which he is asked: ?Do you redeem him?? The father?s acceptance of the child through redemption by an offering (such as a dove for poor families) has a psychological/spiritual effect, drawing the father into acting on behalf of God, teaching the Torah, and the responsibilities of the covenant.? All sons are circumcised, which connects them to the saving event of the Passover.? The feast of the Passover is carried out in a family household, sometimes with a group of small families.? The father leads his family spiritually out of slavery into the freedom and protection of being God?s people.? The people of God is constituted through families.

Mary and Joseph, a faithful God-fearing Jewish couple, lived this life, giving it the fullness of their dedication to the Father, their union with the Holy Spirit, and their love for the Son.? Luke?s gospel tells us that they went to the Temple for the presentation of Jesus to Yahweh at the time of the purification of Mary.? They could have questioned the necessity of these practices since they knew Jesus was directly from God, and Mary was full of the Holy Spirit, a virgin and sinless.? Yet, they did all that was required in honor of the holiness of their people.? They went up to Jerusalem for the Passover every year, even though this was only required for those who lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem, and only for the men of the family. Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth regularly ?as his custom was on the sabbath day?(Luke 4:16).

The Holy Family of Nazareth is a source of holiness for all families. The presence of Christ, and the proleptic application of his redemptive grace, means that the Holy Family is already the domestic church in its reality as the first basic cell of the Church.? Mary, mother of the Church, is already mediating Christ to the world.? Joseph, patron of the Church, protects Christ?s life in faithfulness to the Father, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.? The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are intimately present in the domestic church of the Holy Family, the first realization on earth of perfect communion.? Salvation passes through the Holy Family to us, revealing what God intended ?in the beginning.? The Holy Family is, therefore, not an exception, but is a revelation and renewal of God?s original plan for all.

However, the fullness is yet to come. There is birth of a new family at the Cross, when Jesus gives John to Mary as a new son.? She gives her son, Jesus, back to the Father, and is now recognized as Mother of the Church, the new people of God. After Christ sends the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples at Pentecost, and 3,000 are baptized, this inaugurates the visible Church, the new Christians. They were primarily Jewish, and would likely have continued their traditional family life in its sacred practices, now deepened in light of the Resurrection. They were now a new creation through baptism and the Eucharist, living in the new covenant established by Christ.? The Christian families of the early Church would have found it natural to live family holiness as the domestic church.

According to the theological reflection of Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the ecclesial dimension of the Christian family is founded upon its existence as the created image of the Trinity, and its calling to be an extension of the mission of the Trinity, to the world. The Christian family exists, in fact, as a sacrament of the Trinity.? It makes present the communion, distinction of persons, and unity that exists in the Trinity in the created world. .The Holy Spirit, as the bond of love between the Father and the Son, is also the bond of indissoluble fidelity of Christian sacramental marriage. He is the Third Person of the fruitfulness of the Father and Son?s love that gives life.

The sacramental character of the Christian family proceeds from the inmost being of the couple, not as something imposed externally.? As baptized persons, the spouses are the object of Christ?s love for his bride, the Church, and in their sacramental marriage they image this faithful love of Christ for the Church. But more than an image, marriage is the living realityh and visible signh of God?s love operating in the world, and a sanctuary of life given by God.? The couple?s openness to life is not only in bodily fecundity, but also in spiritual fecundity, through the gift of the divine Third Person.? The personhood of each is grounded in Christ?s union of his divine Person with his humanity, and, therefore, includes the mission which is an intrinsic part of personhood, predestined to Christ, through his grace.? The family, therefore, is at the heart of the mission of the Trinity in the world, and of the Church, which exists as a sacramental sign of Christ?s presence in the world.? The family participates in the Trinity?s continuous exchange of communion in self-gift to the other, which brings forth life in new sons and daughters of God. This is the fulfillment of persons in the truth of love, and the delight of self-gift to the other. The deepest desires of man meet and cooperate with the desire of his Creator.? The reality of sin with which the family struggles, finds its response in Christ?s grace made available to them by the Church, most particularly in the Eucharist, which is essential to this life.? The Holy Family, as the first domestic church, with its concrete actualization of the life of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is for the Christian family, the model and source of grace for their own cooperation in Christ?s mission.

These are some basic insights into the importance of the Holy Family for the life of today?s Christian families. Specific religious practices in the home will be deepened by meditating on the Holy Family, and the contemplative richness of the home in Nazareth, as ordinary, sacred, and eternally present to us.

References
Stratford Caldecott, ?The Family at the heart of a Culture of Life,? Communio 23, Spring 1996.

Joseph F. Chorpenning, ?John Paul II?s Theology of the Mystery of the Holy Family,? Communio 28, Spring 2000, 140-166.

John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos (1989); Familiaris Consortio (1981); Mulieris Dignitatem (1988), Letter to Families (1994).

Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries, Encyclical On Devotion to St. Joseph (1889).

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Divine Likeness: Toward a Trinitarian Anthropology of the Family, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 2006).

John Saward, Redeemer in the Womb: Jesus Living in Mary, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993); Cradle of Redeeming Love: The Theology of the Christmas Mystery, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002).

Cardinal Angelo Scola, The Nuptial Mystery, (Grand Rapids, MI:? Eerdmans Publishing, 2005).

Hans urs von Balthasar, Unless You Become Like This Child, (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 1991).

Source: http://www.hprweb.com/2012/12/the-eternal-presence-of-the-house-of-nazareth/

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Smugglers using cannons to shoot marijuana over US border (Americablog)

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Need cash for the holidays? Trade in your car, truck or motorcycle ...

Need cash for the holidays? Trade in your car, truck or motorcycle for cash now!

With a chill in the air, songs all around and spirit everywhere, the holiday season evokes cherished memories of special times. From brightly colored trees and mistletoe to ceremonial candles and holiday gelt, there are so many iconic images that symbolize the most wonderful time of the year.

In the modern age, of course, nothing has come to symbolize the holidays quite like presents. Let?s face it, everyone likes to give gifts ? not to mention receive them too. It feels good to give to someone you care about. And there are few feelings in life better than receiving that thoughtfully chosen present from a loved one.

With expectations for gift-giving being what they are, and the economy still not fully recovered, though, it can be a challenge for many people to come up with enough money to pay for all the gifts they want to give at holiday time. Birthdays are spread out throughout the year, but the holidays come all at once, and there can be pressure not to leave out anyone of importance in one?s life.

The 2012 holiday shopping season has started strong, with 247 million shoppers visiting stores and websites over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, up 9.2 percent from 2011, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. The average holiday shopper?s tally for the weekend came to $423, up from $398 the previous year. Total spending nationwide amounted to $59.1 billion, a 12.8 percent jump from the year before.

Early reports were that consumers spent about 20 percent more time on Amazon during Thanksgiving and Black Friday this year than in 2011. Walmart also reported that Black Friday 2012 was their best in history. Meanwhile, this year?s Cyber Monday was the biggest spending day in the history of the Internet, with $1.46 billion spent. Online spending is projected to hit $43.4 billion this year. Whether online or at traditional retail outlets, it?s clear that people are willing to spend and want to give. But why go in debt buying gifts when you don?t have to?

As much as consumers want to spend, they remain wary of accumulating more debt. Wisely cautious, credit card debt is the biggest financial concern of Americans, according to a survey by the credit agency myFICO. Only a fifth of those surveyed were planning to open new credit card accounts, and 65 percent planned to charge less than $500 on the credit cards they already have. Add to that ongoing concerns about identity theft and fraud that come along with credit card applications and transactions, and suddenly cash seems better than ever.

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Source: http://www.bigbucksauto.com/automotive-articles/need-cash-for-the-holidays-sell-your-car-for-cash-now/

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Syrian refugee numbers top 500,000: UNHCR

GENEVA (Reuters) - More than half a million Syrian refugees are now registered or are waiting to in other Middle Eastern countries, with about 3,000 new people seeking refugee status and assistance daily, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.

In the last two days alone, 1,000 people have crossed at night into Jordan, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing.

"They arrived in very bad weather, their clothing soaked, shoes covered in mud," she said. "UNHCR teams have described them as fearful, freezing and without proper winter clothing."

According to UNHCR's latest figures for Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and North Africa, 509,559 Syrians are either already registered (425,160) or in the process of being registered as refugees requiring international assistance.

"People are being instantly and violently uprooted and losing everything they had in a place that was once peaceful," she said.

The number of registered Syrian refugees region-wide rose by about 3,200 per day in November, both new arrivals and those who signed up only once their resources were depleted, it said.

"We are getting increasing numbers of people already in the countries coming forward," Fleming said.

More Syrians struggling to live in their host country are expected to come forward as the war continues, their savings are exhausted and host families can no longer support them.

Lebanon now hosts 154,387 registered Syrian refugees who have fled the 20-month-old conflict, Jordan has 142,664, Turkey 136,319, Iraq 65,449 and North Africa 11,740, the UNHCR said.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are believed to have crossed into neighboring countries but not yet come forward to register for refugee status and assistance, it said.

They include about 100,000 in Jordan, 70,000 each in both Turkey and Egypt and tens of thousands in Lebanon, it said, citing government estimates.

The latest estimates indicate that the total number of Syrians who have fled during the conflict has already surpassed the 700,000 refugees that UNHCR forecast by year end, although more than 200,000 of them have not registered formally.

Only 40 percent of the registered Syrian refugees in the region actually live in refugee camps, the rest are staying in rental housing, with host families or in collective centers.

In Lebanon there are no camps, while in Turkey all are in 14 government-run camps. There are three camps in Iraq and three in Jordan, the largest of which is Za'atri with more than 30,000.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/number-registered-syrian-refugees-tops-500-000-unhcr-095403544.html

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Black Friday: Think it's crazy in the US? You should see China's version.

China doesn't officially celebrate Black Friday, but Nov. 11 has become the biggest shopping day on the Chinese calendar. E-commerce sales alone reached $4.6 billion this year.?

By Peter Ford,?Staff Writer / November 23, 2012

Chinese workers sort packages on November 12, the day after the largest Chinese online shopping day.

China Daily

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If you think America goes shopping mad on the day after Thanksgiving, you should look at China.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

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They don?t celebrate Thanksgiving Day here, of course, but Nov. 11, has become the biggest shopping day on the Chinese calendar.

That?s because it is known as ?Singles Day? (11.11 ? geddit?) ? a type of Valentine?s Day for those without lovers, but with friends to whom they give gifts.

Online stores have cashed in on the idea, offering mouthwatering discounts on everything from cars to clothes to tempt consumers online on Singles Day, turning it into a retail bonanza? and it works.?

?I hadn?t planned to buy anything but I heard there would be great discounts so I went online to have a look,? says Liu Na, a 20-something book editor. ?I bought a blouse and a bag for myself, at 50 percent off.?

This year, e-commerce sales on Nov. 11 reached $4.6 billion, according to an estimate by the Economic Herald, a specialist daily in Shandong province.

That may not look like much compared with ?Black Friday? spending in the US (which topped $11.4 billion last year), until you take a couple of things into account:?

First, average Chinese salaries are 10 times smaller than average American salaries.

Second, this is just online. A comparable day in America might be ?Cyber Monday,? coming up after the weekend. Last year online US shoppers shelled out $1.25 billion ? little more than a quarter of what their Chinese counterparts spent two weeks ago.

The Chinese government may not be keen on the political corners of the Internet, but it loves the commercial aspect; its current five year plan for the economy foresees a fourfold jump in e-commerce?from 2010 levels to $2.9 trillion by 2015.

China has the world?s largest online population, at 538 million, and has more online shoppers than anywhere else too: On Nov. 11, some 213 million people ? nearly half of all Chinese Internet users ? visited one of Alibaba?s two retail platforms. Alibaba, which runs the two biggest e-commerce sites in China, reported sales of $2.94 billion on Nov.11.

Ten million consumers ? more than the population of Greece ? clicked on an Alibaba site in the first minute of Nov. 11, in the dead of night.

The massive Singles Day sales promotions are expected to boost the number of online shoppers even further. Ms. Liu for example, says she has normally shopped in bricks-and-mortar stores, but her Singles Day experience has converted her.

??Apart from the discounts, it?s a lot more convenient,? she says.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/Zw8XVjYMcfI/Black-Friday-Think-it-s-crazy-in-the-US-You-should-see-China-s-version

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