When young children are having problems learning basic reading skills; it seems unusual that speed reading could be the answer. One could figure that the initial responsibility would be to teach your kid the fundamentals of reading. As odd as this might sound, this is occasionally a more successful solution. It is actually common for a few young children to find less trouble speed reading than reading at a normal pace. We’re going to be offering some details that will explain how useful speed reading can be for those young folks that have a problem reading.

Kids that are undergoing treatment for ADD or ADHD, often have reading disorders. Because several of these children can’t be attentive in their classes, their grades wind up suffering because of this. Since reading is fundamentally a part of pretty much everything we do; this increases the anxiety. One thing that’s been found out is that young children with these problems are more right-brain dominant than left-brain dominant. This circumstance is just backwards for many of us, particularly when we are learning to read. The side of the brain that uses visual methods for things like speed reading is the right one. For those with ADD or ADHD, specifically kids, this technique can have advantageous results.

Nowadays, ADHD, also referred to as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; is becoming more prevalent than ever. The reasons for this are unknown, and there are numerous theories about it, from the contemporary diet to environmental influences such as pollution. Although we may not be able to think up a concrete understanding of ADHD, we do know that these kids are as bright as normal kids; often even more gifted. When they have a basic comprehension of reading, it could possibly open up an enhanced lifestyle with reading at the forefront. A highly effective speed reading course is often the best way to get kids with ADHD enthusiastic about reading. They’re naturally bored with anything that’s slow paced, so speed reading is likely to capture their attention.

It is normal for kids with ADHD to require more time and patience than most kids. When these kids are in with a large group of students, they have a lot more trouble keeping focused as their attention is diverted. This can surely cause a kid to achieve less than they are capable of when they learning to read; as well as other elementary tasks. If you choose to teach your own child to speed read, you’d be wise to use a computer based scheme; otherwise, you could use the service of a private instructor. You might find that the moment a young child with ADHD learns speed reading techniques that reading gets to be a new passion for him or her. Needless to say every great achievement usually happens with a lot of time and endurance being the key elements.

Those kids who are afflicted with ADHD and are having issues with reading may benefit considerably with the speed reading approach. It is understandable why this could sound a little sketchy to some; but if you do a little research about speed reading you will realize just how much it makes sense. Kids with ADHD are given a chance to better comprehend the way their brain works by learning speed reading and this is going to enhance their desire to read more.

Tapestries are becoming more and more popular as a home interior design component. Their versatility and many different sizes and styles mean that they can fit almost any décor. All you have to do is choose a tapestry that pulls your existing room together, or decide on a style you wish to build a whole new room together.

Remnants of tapestries have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, the deserts of Greece and the frozen land of Norway. They depict historical events, mythological beings and royal families. The ancients used pictorial evidence to document great events and daily matters and founded an art that would endure for centuries.

Tapestries are weavings, strictly speaking, although there are some famous panels of embroidery and others of painting on cotton that have been referred to as tapestries. A true tapestry is woven on a loom, with colored warp and weft treads interlocking to form a pattern. Most ancient tapestries served a twofold purpose – to lend warmth to a cold room and to educate or remind people of certain events or deeds.

Tapestries Through The Ages

For some, the early Gothic designs of the medieval era are the most appealing. These look at home in almost any sumptuously decorated setting. They accent heavy dark furniture pieces and rich upholstery by adding height to the room. A large tapestry done in early medieval style can invite the viewer in and make a room seem even larger.

The Renaissance tapestries shifted focus from the darker royal hues to the softer richness of blue, gold and rose tints. Almost impressionist in nature, many of these portray riotous flowers, soothing landscapes and idealistic romantic portraitures. Knights in armor and ladies in waiting are common themes, with dragons and unicorns sprinkled in with a liberal hand.

The Orient has documented famous palaces of emperors and raging battlefields with equal fervor. Asian tapestries are woven with careful attention to detail, making birds seem extraordinarily lifelike and flowers seem ready to burst off of the wall. Depictions’ of royal princesses mingle with those of common farmers, and every fold in every garment is meticulously recorded.

Next to the exotic yet lifelike characteristics of Asian tapestries, those from India have a rounded, lavish appearance. Costuming again is handled with great detail, and historic events recorded for posterity. Famous places are skillfully rendered, and the use of color is precise. These tapestries go well in bright, colorful rooms; the fruit and flower themes are perfect for bedrooms and living areas alike.

In the New World and the Old

For homes with a southwestern flavor, Native American tapestries can lend that authentic touch. Traditionally woven by hand from a variety of materials, these tapestries are often fashioned from dyed wool yarn and have a heavier texture than that of finer European samples.

American Indian tapestries focus on symmetrical designs with an even amount of patterned and blank background space. The artist may use bold colors or muted earth tones, so the choices are nearly endless. You can pick a nearly square blanket style, or a long narrow tapestry suitable for hanging horizontally to break up a large wall.

French and English tapestries dated after the Renaissance tend to portray hunting scenes and coats of arms. Red hunting coats contrast sharply with the deep greens and browns of the forest, as the hounds give chase after deer, fox or hare. These portrayals of the wealthy at sport often hung over mantles or opposite fireplaces, and are perfect for homes with wood paneling.

Personal Tapestries

Coats of arms with the family motto were often commissioned for families of note in Europe, and many were brought to the Colonies later with their descendants. They are still popular among families who can trace their lineage back through generation after generation. These feature shields and backgrounds according to the family colors, sometimes with the addition of a lion or other animal as needed.

Many people prefer religious themes as subjects for their tapestries – biblical scenes abound, as well as angelic depictions of every imaginable style. Old Testament pictures such as Moses and the tablets or Daniel in the lion pit are common, as are New Testament ones of Christ knocking at the door or rising to the heavens. These are often hung in bedrooms as well as living rooms.

The common idea behind many tapestries is simply to tell a story through pictures; the color, texture and imagery are designed for maximum impact. These works of art are the perfect interior decorating solution, making a room go from boring to impressive in a matter of minutes. Find one that speaks to you, and it will give you enjoyment for years to come!

The media conscientiously reports high profile cases of sexual child abuse, but the reports lack the facts regarding pedophiles/ephebophiles; the definition of sexual child abuse or the profile of a sex offender. Anyone who knows the sex offender is invited to give their uneducated opinion regarding the matter-and the case becomes a ‘he said, she/he said,’ case and the myths and misconceptions about sexual child abuse and sex offenders continue to proliferate. The majority of people disbelieve a person of fame or a pillar of the community could possibly sexually abuse children. Not one day goes by without several reports of sexual child abuse in the U.S.–according to government statistics less than 1% are abused by strangers.

Studies reveal 62% of girls and 31% of boys will be sexually abused by age 18-these statistics are low based on health service findings. 80% are sexually abused by a family member; 19% are abused by a trusted adult.

The unbelievable truth: Pedophiles/Ephebophiles conduct themselves as average and ordinary to the world. He or she may be a leader in the church; the community; or business. Pedophiles/Ephebophiles seldom fit a classic stereotype education, socioeconomic status, career or culture. Furthermore, sexual abuse/incest is more difficult to believe or accept when the person we like, admire, love, and/or marry is the perpetrator. This is precisely why those who know the sex offender, fans and the uninformed can unequivocally believe he could not possibly be a Pedophile-sexual attraction to pre-adolescents; or Ephebophile-sexual attraction to adolescents.

Pedophiles/Ephebophiles are cunning predators with a honed mode of operation. They are experts at manipulation, thus escaping adult reality. They feel entitled, justifying their actions as loving; not harming the child. They expend considerable energy maintaining this illusion to themselves and others. They create a persona of goodness beyond reproach. They go to great lengths to present themselves as exemplary people, who love children. Michael Jackson’s defense attorney, Mesereau, invoked this convoluted logic in response to the judge’s ruling that previous accounts of sexual abuse claims, which were settled, was admissible. Mesereau countered, “He [Jackson] also has spent millions on children with AIDS. We can drown them with examples of where Mr. Jackson has been so benevolent, so generous, so charitable, so giving for good causes, that it will make their theory look silly.”

A study reveals Teacher Sexual Abuse Of Students Increasing: Many cases have resulted in costly school district lawsuits, substantiated cases of teacher sexual abuse, which renders incredulity, in that many of the teachers are free to continue to work as teachers.

The AP found attempts to stop particular offenders; it also found a firm resistance towards identifying and preventing abuse. Fellow teachers often ignore the abuse or believe they cannot help. School administrators cut backdoor deals to sidestep lawsuits or bad press. In state governments and Congress, lawmakers are loathe to impose harsher punishments or any national policy in fear of harming the teaching profession.

This astoundingly shortsighted thinking leaves children to fend for themselves against cunning sex offenders, who the child knows and trusts. New York State Education Department reports, the number of “moral misconduct” accusations against educators in New York has doubled in five years. In 2005, 134 cases of “moral misconduct” were reported involving teachers and other school employees, as compared to just 70 cases in 2001. According to an overview of the cases, almost 75 percent of the “moral conduct” cases involved sexual acts or an improper relationship. In all, 485 misconduct cases occurred over the five year period in New York State.

The Catholic Church had a history of acting in a highly defensive manner and circling the wagons on reports of sexual abuse. Individual church leaders did not manage these reports well. The available research suggests that approximately 2 to 5% of priests have had a sexual experience with a minor (anyone under the age of 18). There are approximately 60,000 active and inactive priests and brothers in the United States and thus it can be estimated that between 1,000 and 3,000 priests have sexually engaged with minors. Although, good data is hard to acquire, it appears that this 2 to 5% figure is consistent with male clergy from other religious traditions and is lower than the general adult male population that is best estimated to be closer to 8%.

See complete definition of Sexual Child Abuse at http://www.gen-assist.com/sa/defs.htm

“Heretofore society has concentrated their efforts entirely on repairing the damage. It is time we focus our attention on prevention before the damage is done. Without vilifying the sex offender, Dr. Neddermeyer has revealed the cruel realities of sexual child abuse and exposed the sex offender’s modus operandi to the extent anyone; even young children armed with solid information and well-honed strategies can thwart even the most cunning sex offender.” Claire R. Reeves, President/Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Mothers Against Sexual Abuse, MASA

Let us not continue to believe that the reported sexual child abuse cases in the school environment are rare, as was done with the reported clergy sexual child abuse.

You have your band (around your finger), now it’s time to find your Wedding disc jockey. You search the internet for “Wedding disc jockey” and come up with a list of potential wedding disc jockey choices. Now, how do you wade through the rheteroric “Connecticut’s Most Requested DJ”, “The DJ of Choice”, “CT DJ of the Year” and figure out who is going to make your reception a raving success v. a floundering mess.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you look for your Wedding disc jockey:

Check out their website. If it is poorly designed, lacks real information or just doesn’t appeal to your style – then they are probably not the right choice as your Wedding disc jockey. You should discount any DJ that DOES NOT HAVE A WEBSITE. If they can’t be bothered to setup a website, then they probably can’t be bothered with the details of your wedding.

Look for pricing. If they do not list pricing on their website – they might be trying to hide something. Many Wedding disc jockeys will quote different pricing from one client to the next. This is a sign of a poorly run business or of hidden charges that might haunt you down the line. Your Wedding disc jockey should be upfront with their pricing and it should be printed/posted on their website and in the literature they mail you.

If you have specific music tastes – ask your Wedding disc jockey to show you a list with that style music on it. Too many Wedding disc jockeys have promised to cater to client’s musical tastes and then showed up on the day of the wedding to just play the same tired wedding music that you hear at every Wedding reception.

Ask to see photo’s of their equipment and setup. If they have large self-promoting signs as part of their setup – stay clear of this. What right does a Wedding disc jockey have in promoting themselves at YOUR wedding?

Ask your disc jockey how much money they have invested in the equipment that they bring and setup at a typical wedding. At a recent Connecticut bridal show, one Wedding disc jockey boasted about his new disc jockey setup. The main system was worth less than $500. A quality wireless microphone is worth more than $500 alone! If they have less than $5,000 in equipment (not including music value or backup equipment value) – they are entry level wedding entertainment at best. Quality Wedding disc jockey equipment comes at a cost. Many professional Wedding disc jockeys will have over $10,000 invested in their main system alone.

The bottom line – if your Wedding disc jockey choice gives you any concern with regards to their professionalism, they you should keep shopping for your Wedding disc jockey elsewhere. The difference between a $750 Wedding disc jockey and a quality $1500 Wedding disc jockey could mean the difference between guests gazing at their watches soon after dinner or your family & friends up and dancing the night away at your Wedding reception.

Yes, the legendary manufacturer of the classic Harley-Davidson motorcycle now long past celebrating its 100th Anniversary did indeed sell an automobile… well, kind of.

For many years in addition to its Big Twin cruisers and lighter weight Sportsters. Harley-Davidson made three-wheelers in the form of utility and police “trikes,” but they were Barney Rubble lumps compared to the svelte Mirage Fighter looks of the short-lived, but fast-paced Tri-Hawk, circa 1984. Chances are you didn’t ogle one in your local Harley dealer’s showroom for they appeared only briefly, and were chalked up to a marketing miscalculation and rather rapidly deselected from the Milwaukee line-up.

The two-passenger Tri-Hawk had already been in limited production before the Motor Factory decided to take it on as their own ostensibly to fill some exotic niche which had no name. In the previous year, H-D had made a deal with the Austrian Rotax company for engine-gearbox racing units destined for 500 cc short track racing, so maybe it was in this euphoria of internationalism that Milwaukee opted for a three-wheeled machine powered by a French-built Citroen four-banger. And yes, “Citroen” does seem to loosely translate as “lemon.” But this lightweight, knife-edge handling bird-of-prey was no bit of sour citrus.

Decades earlier the fuel-economical, albeit quirky German Messerschmidt “car”, a recycled bit of Luftwaffe fighter plane, had carried two passengers around post-WWII Germany. Since then all kinds of other motorcycle engine-powered three-wheeled car/bike hybrids have been born in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, but none ever caught on. In the early ’80s, the Tri-Hawk appeared at a time when experimenters were again looking for alternative designs and better power to weight options. The Tri-Hawk was a product of this enthusiasm, the design conjured up by race car engineer Robert McKee while the deep pockets underwriting the project was millionaire sportsman Lou Richards. The finished product was assembled in a small plant located in a beachside town called Dana Point that basks in the SoCal sun betwixt Los Angeles and San Diego. The 1299 cubic inch flat four air-cooled engine rode up front while the frame and suspension echoed McKee’s racecar experience. Again borrowing from French technology, the builders incorporated a hydraulic braking system manufactured by Renault.

Tipping the scales at 1300 lbs., and powered by 80 horsepower through a 5-speed transaxle transmission, theTri-Hawk has what could be called “exhilarating performance characteristics.” Also it was not shy in the exhaust note department, a snarling Formula One rapture issuing from the pipes.

If you wanted to buy a Tri-Hawk back in the autumn of 1984 at the time of Harley-Davidson’s acquirement of the company, you had to cough up $12,000 which today will buy only about two-thirds of a Big Twin. Back then 12K seemed a lot for a vehicle with no top and only three wheels. Yet it had appeal, and substance, both in performance and in the looks department. It coulda, shoulda…but the Factory game plan was lacking in the area of infrastructure to support sales. Milwaukee decided not to sell them through their dealers, leaving only the factory in Dana Point and three other franchise locations to sell the Tri-Hawk… not exactly universal availability nor were there Super Bowl ad spots in the way of promotion. Even then, only about eleven Tri-Hawks were leaving the factory nest on a monthly basis, again not exactly flying out of the assembly door into the waiting arms of the motoring public. So like many endangered species, the Tri-Hawk died not from intrinsic design flaws, but from neglect.

Bottom line, the Tri-Hawk is an intelligently designed, seriously made sports machine that shares much of the adrenaline producing qualities of the Cobra’s eyeball sucking performance and the Lotus car’s nimble handling, but with motorcycling licensing and insurance perks, plus a bit of jetfighter tossed in. It could carry two in relative comfort, and safety thanks to the integral roll bar and safety belts. And you didn’t need to know French to drive one. They weren’t delicate or temperamental, gave good gas mileage, and were easy to park. And in the curvies, they ate big Beemers and Benz’s for breakfast. Today 12 grand seems a bargain, except the last Tri-Hawk this author knows about sold for $25,000. You might catch it near Los Angeles flying around the Malibu Canyons piloted by a guy with a big grin.

He was a vicious killer from the time he was 18 years old, but Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, was no man’s man. When it came down to push and shove, he was nothing but a yellow-bellied canary, who ratted out his best friends to save his own skin.

Abraham Reles was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York on May 10, 1906. His father was an Austrian Jew, who had immigrated to American to seek a better life. But after working for years as a lowly piece worker in the garment trade, he wound up selling knishes on the streets of Brooklyn from a mobile stand.

Quickly realizing his father’s life was not for him, the five-foot-two-inch Reles, quit school after the eight grade. He soon worked as a gofer for the powerful Shapiro brothers, Meyer, Irving, and Willie, who ran the rackets in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Reles was reduced to running errands and doing light work for the Shapiros, for sometimes as little as five bucks a pop. One of these errands consisted of watching over one of the Shapiro’s many slot machines, and for this, Reles took a bullet to his back, which caused nothing more than a flesh would, but a big blast to Reles’ ego. It was about this time that Reles reportedly took the nickname “Kid Twist,” in honor of a previous New York City Jewish mobster named Max “Kid Twist” Zwerbach, who strangely enough, was also killed in Coney Island.

Annoyed, and not wanting to keep on getting the short end of the stick from the Shapiros, Reles formed his own small gang, consisting of childhood friend Bugsy Goldstein, and the Italian duo of Happy Maione and Dasher Abbendado. Soon sadistic killer Harry “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss joined the crew, and Reles announced, at the ripe age of twenty, that he and his boys were going to take Brownsville and all its rackets away from the Shapiros. Reles named his motley crew of killers “Brooklyn Inc.”

“Why do we have to take the left-overs?” Reles asked Goldstein. “We should cut a piece. The hell with those guys.”

When word got back to the Shapiros what Reles was planning, Meyer, the boss of the clan, was furious. “Brownsville belongs to us,” Meyer Shapiro said. “Nobody moves in here.”

Meyer Shapiro fired the first salvo in the war for control of Brownsville by snatching Reles girlfriend off the street, and brutally beating and raping her. Now it was personal to Reles, and he and Goldstein stalked the streets of Brownsville, looking to kill the all three Shapiros, but Meyer mostly, because of the indignity of him desecrating Reles’ girlfriend. During an entire year, Reles and Goldstein shot at Meyer Shapiro nineteen times, but only wounded him only once. Then one night, figuring they had Meyer Shapiro and his two brother ambushed in front of their apartment building on Blake Avenue, Reles was chagrined to find only Irving had bothered to show. As soon as Irving Shapiro entered his fifth-floor apartment, Reles and Goldstein emptied their guns, first hitting Irving twice in the face and then sixteen more times in the back.

A few days later, Reles and his boys cornered Meyer Shapiro on the streets of Brooklyn. A single bullet into Meyer Sharpiro ‘s ear fired by Reles, dislodged Shapiro as boss of the Brownsville rackets. It took Reles three years to finally eliminate Willie Shapiro, who had been threatening all along to kill Reles and his pals. After abducting Willie Shapiro in a bar, they brought him to a Brooklyn basement, beat him unmercifully, then buried him in a shallow sand dune in Canarsie Flats. Willie Shapiro’s body was soon found, and the Medical Examiner doing the autopsy, located sand in his lungs, meaning he had been buried alive.

Reles and his boys’ triumph over the Shapiro brothers caught the eye of Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, and soon Brooklyn Inc. became a sub-corporation of Murder Incorporated. It was said, Lepke had several dozen killers on his payroll, and in the decade of the 1930’s, police estimated Murder Incorporated was responsible for as many as five hundred hits throughout the country.

Yet nothing good ever lasts forever. On February 2, 1940, Reles, Goldstein and Anthony “Dukey” Maffetore were arrested for the 1934 murder of petty hood named Red Alpert. Maffetore was the first to turn states evidence against his crew, but the biggest rat jewel for New York District Attorney William O’Dwyer was Reles, who was the highest ranking member of Murder Incorporated under Lepke. At Lepke’s trial, which also included Mendy Weiss and Louis Capone as defendants, Reles, who had a photographic memory, gave intimate details of over over 200 murders the defendants were involved with. All three of Reles’ former pals were subsequently convicted and fried in the Sing Sing electric chair.

Yet, the government was not through with Reles’ squealing. They wanted him as the prime witness at the upcoming trials of Murder Incorporated big shots Albert Anastasia and Bugsy Siegel. While Reles was awaiting several more trips to court, O’Dwyer hid Reles at the Half Moon Hotel, located on the sandy beaches of Coney Island. Reles was under constant police guard, with no less than six police officers at a time guarding him, even while he was sleeping.

Yet, in the early morning hours of November 12, 1941, Reles fell to his death from the sixth-floor window of the hotel. He was found laying askew on his back, with his suit jacket on, but his white shirt unbuttoned, exposing a fat belly. Several sheets were found tied together, and even though Reles’ body was found twenty feet from the base of the hotel, the official cause of death was listed as “dying from a fall, while trying to escape.” After Reles’ death, O’Dwyer announced that his future cases went “out the window” with Reles.

Years later, it was said by Italian crime boss Lucky Luciano, that $50,000 was paid by Frank Costello, to be spread around in the New York City police department, to see if the man who could “sing like a canary,” could fly like one too.

Many people struggle with headaches. There are certainly various types of headaches. One person may have migraine headaches, another may have tension headaches, and someone else may have sinus headaches. What do they all have in common? In my 35 years of chiropractic practice I have found that the majority of headaches, are coming from the spine. This article will discuss headaches, important research concerning this condition and headache pain relief.

As I noted earlier, there are varying types of headaches. Let’s briefly discuss these. Migraine headaches are classically located on one side of the head. They are usually preceded by a “prodrome.” A prodrome occurs before the actual head pain. For some it might be a loss of peripheral vision, others may get a ringing in the ears and another might get a feeling of numbness in the facial area. Migraine sufferers usually experience a severe pain that can cause them disability to the point they may have to lie down in a dark quiet room.

Tension headaches, which also may be called muscular stress headaches, can be located anywhere in the skull. Some people get them in the back of the head, others might get them in the temples and another might find them to be all over the entire skull. Stress and tiredness tend to trigger tension headaches. Usually, they are mild to moderate in nature and those suffering from them are accustomed to continuing on with their day, albeit under duress.

Sinus headaches are usually located in front of the head and are located around the eyes, forehead and upper cheeks. They may occur with changes in weather, temperature or seasonal changes. They are confounding to those having them due to their unpredictability.

Fortunately, there is a single type of conservative care that is blessing for headache pain alleviation. Research has found that the cause of headaches is frequently found by correcting spinal misalignments in the upper neck. In fact, the Journal of Occupational Trauma published a research article that said: “Headaches are more frequently caused by spinal stress than any other condition.”

A doctor of chiropractic is trained to evaluate the upper spinal bones of the neck for misalignments and improper motion. If there is abnormal alignment or motion of these bones, called vertebrae, it can irritate nerves that cause migraine, tension, and sinus headaches.

Chiropractors are also trained to restore proper alignment and motion to the upper spinal vertebrae by way of a chiropractic adjustment. A chiropractic adjustment is very safe, gentle conservative. Many headache sufferers are used to taking medications for headaches. These drugs may have unhealthy side effects. Chiropractic care is known to be a non-pharmaceutical alternative for headache pain relief.

For over 125 years chiropractors have cared for patients suffering from headaches and provided pain relief.

I have often observed in the writings of many of my Christian friends raising an important issue on dying for faith saying, “because of faithful men like Peter and Paul, as well as the other disciples, Christianity flourished”. Here is the story of Paul from the Bible. Please read on keeping the question in the title in mind, because I feel that faith and death do not gel well.

When Saul of Taurus, later named Paul, appeared in Jerusalem to report to James and the elders regarding his recent missionary journey to Cyprus and Syria he found the rumor widespread that he was teaching Jews living in Gentile countries to forsake the laws of Moses. Despite all that he could do to show his loyalty to this law, Paul was set up by a mob and would have been killed had not Claudius Lysias, chief captain of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem, rescued him.

Once in the hands of the Romans, who had to determine whether he was guilty of any crime against Roman law, Paul leaned heavily on the fact that he was a Roman citizen by birth. At last, realizing that the Roman authorities in Jerusalem and at Caesarea, where he was taken to appear before the governor, were seeking favor with the Jews and would not give him a fair trial, Paul appealed to Caesar. This took the matter out of lesser authorities’ hands and made it necessary for the king to send Paul to Rome, where he could present his case before Caesar himself.

Setting sail from Caesarea in a ship of Adramyttium, Paul, with several other prisoners, was put in charge of centurion named Julius, a member of the Augustan cohort. The first part of the voyage was without incident. Julius was kind to Paul and permitted him to go ashore at Sidon and visit with friends and refresh himself. From Sidon the ship sailed across the Mediterranean Sea “under the lee” of Cyprus, to Myra, a city of Lycia. Here they changed ships and took one from Alexandria bound for Italy. Sailing, with some difficulty because of the contrary winds, they came after many days to Fair Havens, a harbor near Lesea on the island of Crete.

Here it became evident to Paul that further sailing would be dangerous because winter was near and the winds would be most unfavorable. When he told the centurion of his fears, he was ignored since the master and the owner of the ship wanted to get their cargo to Italy as quickly as possible. Thus they moved out of Fair Havens and set their course for Phoenix. For a few days the south winds were favorable and it seemed that the voyage would be completed without any of the dangers predicted by Paul. But, after “no long time,” a tempest blew upon them and the ship was tossed helplessly in the stormy waters. Fearful of being destroyed, the sailors began to throw overboard first the freight and then the ship’s gear. This made the boat lighter and easier to handle, but the storm was so severe that it seemed to all only a matter of time before they would be drowned in their ship.

Paul cheered the mariners on and gave them hope with the assurance that an angel of God had appeared to him the night before saying. “Fear not, Paul, thou must stand before Caesar.” This was evidence enough for him that he would not perish in the sea but would complete his journey to Rome.

For fourteen days they sailed, no one knew where. The storm beat their ship unmercifully and all that the sailors could do seemed to be of no avail. Then they were about to abandon their ship for their small boats when Paul argued that only by staying with the ship could they be saved. The men harkened to his advice, mindful of the fact that had they listened at Fair Havens they and their ship would have been safe for the winter.

On the morrow they found themselves near a bay which had a wide beach. This they found to be the island of Melita, a place inhabited by some “barbarians” who treated them kindly. When Paul was helping gather wood for the fire which the “barbarians” had kindled for them, a viper crawled out of the bushes nearby and “fastened on his hand.” When the “barbarians” saw this, they were certain that Paul was a murderer or some other criminal, and they commented to each other, “No doubt this man is a murderer whom, though he had escaped the sea, yet Justice hath not suffered to live.”

Paul surprised everyone by shaking the creature into the fire and going about his work unharmed. Those near him expected him to fall down suddenly. When nothing happened, they were astonished and changed their minds towards him, saying that he was not a criminal, but rather a God.

After three months on the island of Melita, Paul was taken on a ship from Alexandria which had wintered there and carried north to Syracuse, thence to Rhegium and to Puteoli, and to Rome. At each stop along the way, Paul found Christians, who greeted him joyously and whom he encouraged with words of counsel and praise.

At Rome, he was permitted to live in a house he had rented, but was forced to remain chained by one wrist to a praetorian soldier night and day. Here for more than two years Paul awaited trial. During this period he worked with the Roman Christians and wrote letters to churches which he had founded and to the many friends he had made during his long and eventful life.

As time dragged on, it became evident to Paul that his case would inevitably end without a conviction. In his second letter to Timothy he expresses this fear. This is a cry of despair for his life but an expression of faith for the cause for which he had given his life. His work is done and he is about to be “offered.” So he writes to Timothy, his companion and friend, whom he now longs to see. Others have deserted him and he is alone save for Luke. So he urges Timothy to come with all haste, picking up a few other friends on the way.

Tradition says that Timothy did reach Rome in time to share Paul’s last days but not in time to do anything to save his friend from condemnation under Roman law. Paul was tried, but had no independent evidence to rebut the charges against him and had to bow to the executioner’s sword. The traditional date is June 29 of the year of 62 and the place of execution is said to be the Ostian Way some three miles from Rome, probably at the modern Tre Fontane.

Even a fair trial should not be forthcoming in Faith? I wonder why?

(Well Paul did, however, say his work is done and he is about to be “offered.” He didn’t expect to be saved this time. His work was done and as a man of faith accepted this as part of his spiritual journey).

Will be pleased to see comments left in “ratings” for this piece. It’ll help. Thank you.

Due to the lack of rainfall in China, both due to an even annual weather patterns, and also due to the blowing wind and moving desert; desertification, is something that China has to deal with. As the city of Beijing expands so too is the desert expanding. If everyone left tomorrow, Beijing, or at least all the street level would be buried in sand from the encroaching desert within 5-years.

Will China have to keep building giant walls to keep the sand out? What is China going to do about this real problem that they have? Many believe that part of the problem has to do with pollution, that their CO2 is decreasing the rain fall by a few inches each year, and this is a huge hit for farmers trying to grow rice, wheat, and other crops. They need the water. Industry also needs the water, and the people need water to drink and the cities.

Less water means more concentrated pollution, which is already a problem for China. The huge deluge of water which comes from Typhoon season comes far too quickly and too large amounts to fit all the needs, and their water retention basins. We have a similar problem in the United States in many regions.

However, if you throw in desertification, pollution, and lack of rainfall altogether, you are spelling a real problem for disease, famine, and crop failure. That, along with polluted drinking water, and you have an unlivable civilization with 1.3 billion people in it. This is a humanitarian disaster of the highest proportions. Where are 1.3 billion people going to go exactly? Please consider all this.

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father was a successful lawyer. She was educated at Amherst academy and Mount Holyoake, during her early years she was lively, witty and sociable but from her mid twenties she gradually withdrew into an inner world, eventually in her forties, refusing to leave her home and avoiding all contact with strangers, although she maintained intimate correspondences with people she never saw face to face. Her emotional life remains mysterious, despite much speculation about a possible disappointed love affair, for which one candidate is the Revd Charles Wadworth, with whom she corresponded and who twice visited her, another is Samuel Bowles, editor of the Springfield Republican, to whom she sent and addressed many poems.

She wrote poetry from her girlhood, but only seven poems out of 2000 are known to have been published during her lifetime and those appeared anonymously and much edited. At first she was regarded as an eccentric minor poet, but after the publication of her other poems she is now considered a major writer of startling originality. Her work present recurrent themes – a mystic apprehension of natural world, a preoccupation with poetic vocation, fame, death, and – is expressed in a rhetoric and language of her own, cryptic, elliptical, and at times self – dramatizing, and hyperbolic.

In the poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, comes as a cunning courtier to woo the poet. The poet busy with her earthly activities has not sought death. Rather, death has kindly stopped at her house to carry her away, as a lover comes her beloved away. Again, death at this time is not alone, but has immortality as its companion. This suggests that death is carrying the poet to her bridal room in heaven.

In the poem Dickinson shows her triumphs over death, as she is ready to accept it in a calm and quiet mood. She puts away “labour” and her “leisure too” because she is impressed by the civility of death. When the carriage begins its journey it has three characters – the poet, death, and immortality. They were gradually passing by the world of the livings symbolized by the school children playing in the ring. Then they leave behind the fields of the gazing grain and the setting sun. the feelings that they are gradually coming out of the sense of time and space is expressed in the following lines.

“We passed the setting sun” – In other words they have just now left behind them a life that is confined by time and space. In the conventional manner, death is associated with the setting of the sun and also with dampness and cold as the poet suddenly becomes aware of her dress. “For only gossamer, my gown——–“. It is clear from the description that their journey is from life to death and eternity.

Finally, the poet reaches the house of death. This house is her grave – “A swelling of the ground”. Since then, she is not conscious about the passage of time. Probably several centuries have passed by. But she feels that centuries are shorter than the day when she realized that the horses’ head is pointing towards eternity. Dickinson imagines a post death situation. The image of the horses’ head conveys the awesome power and majesty associated with death.

Thus, the poem finely expresses Dickinson’s view about death. The poet indicates to the inevitability of death, minimizing, at the same time, its fearful aspect. Although there is an ironic touch in the narrative, we find the poets sincere belief in immortality and heaven. In fact, Dickinson expresses her attitude to death and immortality in a symbolic language.