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Tag featured employee Posted on 26th August 2021 26th August 2021 The Big Move T1 welcomes Gabriela Merino as PreConstruction Head Discovering new frontiers is not unknown territory to Gabriela Merino. After completing her studies in Spain, she brought her architectural expertise to Southeast Asia in search of exciting projects and opportunities. I love traveling and I enjoy working and living in multicultural environments and facing new challenges every day, she shared. Gabriela made her way around the world by collecting inspiration from different cultures and creating her professional portfolio. A certified Project Management Professional PMP and already greatly experienced in highend Hospitality, Residential, and largescale Retail projects, Gabriela is now widening her skillset to Commercial, Corporate and Industrial requirements also. Gabriela later joined T1 Project Management after finding its diverse project portfolio and variety of services offered as a new learning opportunity and a challenge. She l

iked that the individuals she works with get to take on different roles and they all learn through their collaboration. I am inspired by the leadership of the company formed by a group of talented entrepreneurs that are full of motivation and knowledge, she added when asked about the companys leaders. While Gabriela loved their passion for always seeking new ways to develop themselves and their business, she finds greater satisfaction in the sense of belongingness from being surrounded by a supportive and encouraging team. PreConstruction as the bigger challenge Now stepping into the role of being the T1 Project Management Head of PreConstruction, she wanted to put much emphasis on its crucial role in the industry. PreConstruction is the time to thoroughly assess and plan to identify and mitigate risks associated with constructing a project. Gabriela stated. They say you finish a project the way you start it, so we want to start each and every project well. Programme and Budget are the two most important area

s in the PreConstruction planning stage. Gabriela noted that planning the timeline and pining down the cost of each project component should be accurately addressed for successful project delivery. Gabrielas overarching vision is to keep the team growing and to build on each others strengths. Gabriela wants to ensure that the team reaches its full potential by providing a complete range of premium project management services and innovative solutions to our valued clients.

On a cold January day, NFTs began to disappear. Major services like MetaMask and Twitter were suddenly unable to display images associated with newly uploaded tokens, despite users having clear records of ownership. Something in the distributed, decentralized technology stack had gone terribly wrong. The problem was the NFT OpenSea marketplace, which was suffering from a database outage. The outage caused the OpenSea image upload API to crash, blocking any services that depended on it to upload tokens. In a scene full of militant decentralizers, a single company had come to the center of almost every product. Reporting on the chaos, Vice saw a user who had tweaked the company logo to read Sea Closed. It was an awkward but revealing moment. One year into the NFT boom, its hard to mint a collection or list a token for sale without interacting with OpenSea in some way. The company has become the central intermediary and the de facto enforcer of community standards. When an ape is stolen, the rightful owner turns

to OpenSea for help, and the platform has become the biggest bottleneck in blocking a sale. It is also the largest single market ever for a token to be listed. Even tokens that are not minted on OpenSea eventually find their way there by simple gravity. And as the outage showed, even Web3 projects without an explicit connection to OpenSea often rely heavily on the companys infrastructure. the most successful company to emerge from the NFT boom Its a strange situation for a company in the NFT business. In essence, OpenSea provides a simple, centralized service the ability to view and trade tokens on the blockchain that is based on a decentralized blockchain that is much more chaotic. Cryptocurrency service Coinbase another prominent Andreessen Crypto investment followed a similar playbook to an 85 billion initial public offering, but its not clear that the same tricks would work in the Web3 wilderness. OpenSea declined to make executives available for an interview for this article, but when contacted for comm

ent, company representative Abram Smith stressed the companys lofty ambitions. Its possible that one day, almost everything we own will be accounted for on the blockchain, Smith said, and OpenSeas opportunity is to become a central destination for these new economies to thrive. Still, many investors and analysts view the companys position as more precarious than you might think. It is easily the most successful company to emerge from the NFT boom of last year, processing hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions daily. On a technical level, it is inescapable, as the outage dramatically demonstrated. But its remarkably distant from the rudimentary tokenlaunching culture that has fueled the recent boom in digital art, and many arent sure Web3s decentralized future has room for an intermediary platform like OpenSea. I think the question is whether OpenSea is like AOL or Netscape, or will they be able to maintain their dominance in the market, said Brian Krogsgard, who hosts a crypto podcast called UpOnly.

And I think thats a very open question. Like almost all tokenized blockchain projects, OpenSea started with a game about cats. Launched in 2017, CryptoKitties were the first major NFTs a set of trackable and playable images of cats written on the Ethereum blockchain. Arriving amid growing blockchain hype, the project generated more than 10 million in sales in a matter of months. There were a number of followup projects from thirdparty developers KittyHats allowed you to customize your kittens, while KittyExplorer from the same developer allowed you to analyze the overall ecosystem. It was easy to laugh, but for true believers, the potential was electrifying. The idea for OpenSea came from our interest in CryptoKitties OpenSea was launched in December 2017 with an eye to capturing that potential. CryptoKitties charged a 3.5 commission on all sales, so OpenSea lowered the figure to 2.5 and got to work building a broader platform. The two cofounders were young but already highly experienced CTO Alex Atallah work

ed for a millennialfocused survey company, while CEO Devin Finzer had already founded a claimsfinding company acquired by Credit Karma. But the real draw was its timing. The Ethereum blockchain, long praised for its ability to encode smart contracts on the blockchain, was launching a new standard that would form the foundation of NFTs. Called ERC721, the standard allowed for a new type of object on the blockchain, something that could be traded and traded like Bitcoin but kept each individual token unique. ERC721 was only a few months out of beta, and CryptoKitties demonstrated that it could be integrated into a real marketplace. Finzer and Atallah wanted to create tools for that new market a platform to buy and sell these tokens at scale. The idea was good enough to get them included in Y Combinators winter 2018 accelerator program, where they were described as like Ebay for crypto assets. The idea for OpenSea came from our interest in CryptoKitties, Finzer said in an interview years later. While marketplace

s for digital goods have been around for quite some time, they tend to be selfcontained ecosystems individual marketplaces for specific games, marketplaces for domain names, marketplaces for tickets, etc With the introduction of ERC721, it felt like one. an idea was possible for the first time. In less than a year, OpenSea raised 423 million It would be three years before the sales of Beeple and Bored Ape kicked off the contemporary rise of NFT, and they were long, cold years for OpenSea. The internal mantra was to become the Amazon of Web3, which meant developing tools like buying, selling, and bidding for this new generation of blockchain tokens. But for a long time after the CryptoKitties boom waned, NFT boosters were left scrambling to find ways the technology could actually be used. Finzer was a regular presence on NFT groups on Reddit, promoting OpenSea as a way to trade cards in Gods Unchained an early NFTbased card game or how it could revolutionize software licensing, but for a long time time there w

ere few people willing to accept it. In hindsight, those years gave OpenSea a crucial advantage in competing NFT markets. Basic online marketplace systems had been around for decades, but OpenSea was implementing the familiar features in a new format. Its simple for eBay to offer something for sale to a high bidder, but doing the same transaction with an NFT requires an intricate chain of smart contracts that handle bids, proof of ownership, and secure exchange. OpenSea isnt the only group implementing such contracts and more importantly, most systems are open source, but they still have the best system for it. At the same time, venture capital firms were showing a new interest in blockchain startups, particularly Andreessen Horowitz. In February 2018, Andreessen was one of the leaders in a 12.9 million Series A round for Dapper Labs, a new company from the founders of CryptoKitties. That June, the VC group announced a new fund focused entirely on cryptocurrency. Former Silk Road task force prosecutor Katie H

aun, already a Coinbase board member, joined the firm to build her expertise in the space. While OpenSea was creating tools, the rest of the market was growing. In the end, what we are talking about is the tokenization of everything In 2021, that market opened up, and OpenSea was perfectly positioned to take advantage of it. Haun joined the companys board in February 2021, and OpenSeas fundraising accelerated. In less than a year, they raised 423 million from three subsequent rounds of funding. The Serie A round closed just a month after Haun joined the board, led by Andreessen Horowitz and attracting big names like Tim Ferriss and Mark Cuban. Series B came three months later, valuing the company at 1.5 billion. By January 2022, the valuation had risen to 13.3 billion, fueled by a massive influx of revenue. Richard Chen, a general partner at 1confirmation who invested as part of the seed round, says the money was badly needed to build the team from a basic development team to a fullfledged company that could

handle the challenges of all its new users. . When the rig was blowing up, they were just fighting fires, a lot of technical debt, Chen told The Verge. They needed to raise funds to grow the team really fast. The open blockchain makes it easy to track company growth, and a chart by Chen paints a particularly striking picture. In January 2020, OpenSea generated just over 65,000 in total fees a combination of OpenSeas 2.5 percent commission and any commission charged by thirdparty vendors. A year later, when the NFT fever started to pick up, it was just shy of 615,000. By January 2022, that same number had risen to 386 million. With so much momentum, wild predictions have become hard to resist. Right now, NFTs are mostly used for collectible art think of the apes that have become so inescapable, but unlike select platforms like Rarible or Foundation, OpenSea has no particular attachment to the world of digital art. The same blockchain system could just as easily be used for concert tickets, real estate, or grad

uate diplomas. In the highflown rhetoric of venture capital, the companys CEO envisions a world where everything becomes an NFT, with no limits as to where OpenSeas 2.5 commission can go. Ultimately what were talking about is tokenizing everything, Finzer said on an Andreessen podcast with Haun in May 2021. Theres the existing digital asset landscapebut then there are the new markets that They havent even been really dreamed of yet. Towards the end of Web3s great year, Jack Dorsey decided to rain down on the show. You do not own web3, Dorsey tweeted. VCs and LPs do it. You will never escape your incentives. Ultimately, it is a centralized entity with a different label. It was a thinly veiled shot at Marc Andreessen, which started a broader feud between the two men. But the divide between true believers and venture capitalists is bigger than just two clashing egos, and OpenSea has ended up on what many see as the wrong side. Andreessen Horowitzs investments have fueled much of the recent cryptocurrency boom, m

ost notably with Coinbase and OpenSea, but also dozens of smaller bets that have yet to pay off. In each case, the goal is to carve out an early niche in an emerging market and turn it into a bigmoney outlet, a goal that doesnt fit easily with Web3 dreams of decentralized ownership. An analyst in the NFT space pointed to a 2020 article by Andreessen Horowitz as a crucial playbook, outlining how to operate in a decentralized space while maintaining a dominant market position. The publication recommends progressive decentralization, in short, decentralize as much as possible without losing control of the product or the market. the core of this is really about market dominance The dominant platforms seem to be really designed around the values of Web2, he said. The decentralization thing feels like a wrapper to gain buyin, but the core is really about market dominance. She asked not to be named for fear of being ostracized in the NFT community. Its definitely a space where you have to be hyping the hype, otherwi

se youre out of the club, she explained. Its kind of like Scientology like that.. When asked for comment, OpenSea described its approach to blockchain differently. We take a coordinated approach to create a safe and friendly experience for our users without undermining the fact that they are interacting with blockchains, said Smith, speaking as a representative of OpenSea. As such, the property is decentralized and offers portability and control over your digital property, which is simply not available on Web2. Other players in the community are less concerned, seeing the NFT market as too decentralized to be dominated by a single player. I am literally zero percent worried about a monopoly situation, CryptoPunks CEO Cyrus Younessi told me. In the end they dont control it. Ethereum is a neutral open market. If people want to trade something, theyll find a way to do it This whole space is built on not letting any company make those decisions. At the same time, the rapid growth of OpenSea has caused a series of

problems in the platform, as a result of the slow investment in trust and security infrastructure. The new rise in NFT trading has led to an increase in stolen tokens and other legal issues that require intervention, and OpenSea has been forced to act as a moderator of those disputes with few preexisting policies on when and how a token should be listed. on the blacklist. When the company reviewed its shared storefront contracts a second time earlier this year, it found that more than 80 percent of the items were plagiarized works, fake collections and spam, prompting widespread takedowns. There are also simple security issues, which have become urgent due to the huge amounts of money on their platform. An interface bug that had been inactive for months allowed attackers to trade in old contracts, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in unwanted sales. In a more embarrassing internal incident, OpenSeas head of product was publicly denounced for insider trading in September, using secret wallets to dri

ve sales on the platform. He was fired shortly after, after what the company called an immediate and thorough review. Theyre the kind of headaches that might open the door for a competitor, but so far no competitor has emerged. Even for skeptics, its hard to deny how powerful it is to have all buyers and tokens in the same place, making offers and deals. With all her doubts about the platform, the anonymous analyst still uses OpenSea and is very happy to see a new offering. He told me about a surprise offer he had received months before. I logged into the site and someone had made an offer on an NFT that I got for free, he told me. I was doing the math and I realized, oh my gosh, this is 20,000. She laughed, remembering the rush of success. I felt converted. I love OpenSea! Hundreds of Salesforce employees object to NFT plans

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The Book of Jonah A Most Unexpected Deliverance part 1 By Patrick Bondurant Quinn in Faith, Series on July 3, 2019 January 20, 2021 Jonah Preaches to Ninevites by Gustave Dor, 1866. From bibleodyssey.org For the next four weeks, well be working our way through the spectacular book of Jonah. Many of us are familiar with the general narrative, but its easy to assume we know the whole story because we heard it in Sunday school as young children. Truth be told, this is no little kids fable. Jonah teaches us about defying God, resenting His calling, hating His people, and yet still receiving His mercy. Jonah is a man of extremes. His radical emotions and kneejerk responses startle me awake to realize the absurd extremity in myself my own running from God, my own resistance to His will for my life, and how much greater Gods love for me is than my own shortcomings. These posts are based off of Bible study lessons. Theyre meant to be worked through with a Bible, a notebook, and a few friends. Youre more than welcome

to read through these on your own, but I encourage you to invite a friend to work through each post with you. Ask each other the questions I pose, share your thoughts and feelings and questions with one another. These posts are long, so dont feel pressured to work through a whole part in one sitting. And of course, Id love for you to leave your own thoughts, insights, and questions in the comments below! Today were setting the scene, covering the immediate history leading up to Jonah and introducing the characters. Context is critical in understanding the full drama of this book. At the same time, well work our way through the first chapter of the book. Before we begin, though, let me ask you two question. What are you procrastinating on right now? Why arent you doing those things? Personally, I can think of four things I keep putting off right now. I ought to be writing my newsletter for my donors; its been too long since I was last in contact with them, and its gotten to the point that Im ashamed for delay

ing for so long. On a similar note, I keep avoiding fundraising. Even though Ive had a full years experience under my belt and I have far less to raise this year than I did last summer, asking for money is still hard and awkward. Theres a few things my counselor told me to do weeks ago that I still havent made time for. The things he wants me to work through feel too intense. Im too scared and ashamed to admit everything I ought to; its overwhelming. The last thing Im procrastinating on is finally doing laundry. Its been more than two weeks and I just havent gotten around to it yet. Other things are more fun and require less effort. Procrastination is typically indicative of dread; it points to some possible future were terrified to some degree of facing. It could be discomfort, or responsibility, or change. Whatever it is, procrastinators find it more desirable to avoid the thing they dread than to face it head on, even if their avoidance is difficult and unpleasant in and of itself. The lengths one goes to

procrastinate on a task is directly proportional to how much they dread the thing they must face. As we come to this short book, well soon see that Jonah is chock full of dread. Not only that, but the story falls in a context of dread. As we move forward, lets keep three questions on our minds. Well regularly revisit these questions over the next few weeks. What is the source of dread? Where does it come from? What causes it? What is the response to dread? What does the dreader do? What actually comes about? Is the dread realized? Jonah, son of Amittai The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. Jonah 112, NASB The book of Jonah begins like most books of minor prophets. Were introduced to Jonah, a prophet of the Lord. Jonah is mentioned only once in the Old Testament outside of his book, in 2 Kings 1425. While that one verse doesnt give us a ton of information, it tells us enough to know that

Jonah was an already established prophet in Israel before the events of this book and that he comes in the years directly following Elijah and Elisha. By established prophet, I mean that Jonahs prophecies have been proven to be true and reliable. That, of course, it the mark of a true prophet of the Lord when they receive Gods word and calling, they testify it to the audience God chooses, and those things spoken actually come to pass. Receiving and speaking a word from the Lord is not new to Jonah, so when we come to Jonah 112, what do we expect Jonahs response to be? To get up and go to Ninevehno delay, no hesitation, no preparation, not a single step in any direction other than toward Nineveh. That, at least, would have been the expectation this books original Jewish audience would have had for him. He should follow the example of every other prophet in the Old Testament and immediately obey well, almost every other prophet, but well come back to that. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence

of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah 13 Thatis very much the opposite of going to Nineveh. Without thinking or reading ahead, lets try to answer these dread questions as best as we can. 1. What is the source of dread? Where does it come from? What causes it? God, the One who Jonah knows and trusts and speaks on behalf of, is the source of Jonahs dread. Specifically, Gods command to go to Nineveh and cry against them well talk more about this in a minute. 2. What is the response to dread? What does the dreader do? Not procrastination, but rather direct, immediate, and intentional flight. Jonah isnt saying, yeah yeah, Ill get around to it. This is a full fledged Absolutely NOT as he runs the opposite direction. How radical Jonahs defiance is! Look at the imagery used here God says Rise up and go to Nineveh and Jonah goes down to Joppa, down onto the ship, down to Tars

hish. Even the language shows us that Jonah is booking it in the opposite direction of the Lords calling. 3. What actually comes about? Is the dread realized? This one we dont get to see yet; well answer this in a few weeks. Keep this question in the back of your mind, take note of what you expect to happen and pay attention to how your expectations change as we work through the book. In the meantime, lets come back to Jonah 13. Why in the world would Jonah, a prophet of the Lord, respond in such a drastic manor? What in the world is going on here? Two factors play into Jonahs response Israel and Assyria. Like I mentioned before, almost every prophets response to Gods command is to immediately obey. There is an exception, and who it is is both surprising and telling. Come with me to 1 Kings 19. I encourage you to read verses 914 for a fuller context of what well focus on, but it will be sufficient to start in verses 1518. The Lord said to Elijah, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when

you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. 1 Kings 191518 What are the three things God commands Elijah to do? First, anoint Hazael king of Aram. Second, anoint Jehu as king of Israel. Third, anoint Elisha as his successor and the new prophet of Israel. 1 Kings 191921 tell us what happens next. He appoints Elisha as his successor, but never anoints the future kings, leaving that to Elisha. What? Why would Elijah, the man who defied Ahaz and Jezebel, the one who ordered the prophets of Baal to be slaughtered, the guy through whom God resurrected a dead child, p

ut off two of these commands? 2 Kings 8 gives us insight. Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Benhadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told him, saying, The man of God has come here. The king said to Hazael, Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Will I recover from this sickness? So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels loads; and he came and stood before him and said, Your son Benhadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, Will I recover from this sickness? Then Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, You will surely recover, but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die. He fixed his gaze steadily on him until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. Hazael said, Why does my lord weep? Then he answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones

you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up. Then Hazael said, But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram. 2 Kings 8713 You might be confused as to why an Israelite prophet is anointing a foreign king over a rival nation, but lets remember that the God of Israel is the God of heaven and earth. Our Lord is sovereign over all peoples and nations. This is not what startled Elijah and what makes Elisha weep. The prophets foresaw the tremendous suffering Hazael will bring to Israel. Elijah was so overwhelmed by the prophesy, by the judgement God would bring on Israel through Hazael, that he procrastinated on giving the message. This is the context Jonah finds himself in. Prophesying to Israels enemies hasnt ended well for Israel in recent history; God uses them to judge Israel for breaking the covenant. Jonah hasnt been called to go to Aram, though. He was told to go to Nineveh,

the capital of the NeoAssyrian Empire. We need to consider the difference between Aram and Assyria to fully understand Jonahs mission. Aram was a small kingdom directly north of Israelsomething akin to a local rival power, roughly equal in strength to Israel. Assyria, on the other hand, was a massive empire. Many historians refer to it as the first true empire, and in Jonahs day roughly 750BC it was the largest empire by land conquered the ancient near eastern world had ever seen, covering western Turkey, Syria, Iraq, eastern Iran, and Lebanon. At its zenith Assyria would also control Israel, Egypt, Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. It would stretch from the eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, stopping just short of the coast of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea.1 As impressive as its size was, what truly makes the NeoAssyrian Empire famous was its horrible, infamous cruelty. Assyria defined the term militaristic. It had a standing professional Ironage army, described by historians as

the most effective military ever up to that point. Vlad the Impaler looks tame compared to Assyrian cruelty; pillaged lands would have their fields burned and salted and their whole populations enslaved. Hundreds of enemies heads were hung on spikes outside the kings palace. Captives would regularly be gored on 10foottall wooden stakes and left to die slow, torturous deaths. Heres a quote from Sennacherib ca 700BC, one of Assyrias most infamous kings I cut their throats like lambs. I cut off their precious lives as one cuts a string. Like the many waters of a storm, I made the contents of their gullets and entrails run down upon the wide earth. My prancing steeds harnessed for my riding, plunged into the streams of their blood as into a river. The wheels of my war chariot, which brings low the wicked and the evil, were bespattered with blood and filth. With the bodies of their warriors I filled the plain, like grass. Their testicles I cut off, and tore out their privates like the seeds of cucumbers.2 Their ar

t and steles depicted these events in gruesome detail as public monuments. The destruction that Hazael and the Aramites would bring is a light affliction compared to what Assyria will eventually do to Israelread 2 Kings 1819 for a full description. Jonah is commanded to go to the capital of the most cruel, powerful, massive empire in world history, and tell them to repent of their wickedness. Fleeing to Spain When God comes to Jonah, who up until this point had been prophesying about the success and conquests of Israel, and gives him this new prophesy to one of Israels enemies remember how that played out with Hazael, is it all that surprising that Jonah replies with a resounding Hell no? Well, in some ways we might be able to empathize with Jonah. But again, he is a prophet of the Lord. When God says go there should be nothing short of total obedience. We should be shocked at Jonahs defiance, especially because of how adamantly he runs from the Lord. Tarshish is on the coast of Spain, nearly 2,200 miles in t

he opposite direction of Nineveh. Thats pretty radically defiant. Lets see how that plays out for him. The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. So the captain approached him and said, How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish. Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you? He said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God

of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, How could you do this? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Jonah 1410 Take a few minutes to process all of this. What stands out? Jot down a few things, or share them with your friends. Heres what stood out to me. Jonah is sleeping, thats how comfortable he is. Theres a deep rest and comfort in his heart. Jonahs got a clean conscience. Obviously, the peace in his heart contrasts boldly with the storm above deck. Dont appeal to your feelings as if theyre objectively true. On a related note, Jonah is in the boat. This isnt some small sailboat, this is a large merchant shipping vessel with cargo. The ship was built to weather fierce storms on open water and the people manning the ship are described as mariners, professional seamen. God hurls a storm at thema huge squall so strong that the professional mariners are convinced they are about to die. Th

e mariners are tossing their possessions overboard. Their merchandise, their livelihood, is worthless to them in this moment. Throwing their cargo away serves both to lighten the ships load and to offer sacrifices to the gods they must have angered. The mariners have a fickle view of God and participate in pagan religion to them, mercy is a longshot. They have no legitimate expectation that their gods will spare them, but they can do nothing other than beg. My final observation is the horror of the mariners at Jonahs disobedience and its ramifications. They are extremely frightened when Jonah declares that the God hes defiedand the God hes angeredis the God of both the sea and the land. Theres no escaping this God. Contrast that with Jonahs comfort; Jonah has peace. Friends, do not confuse an inner peace with obedience to the will of God. Consider the success Jonahs had in his running. He managed to make it all the way to Joppa; he managed to find a ship headed to Tarshish; he managed to convince the crew to

let him join; the ship managed to set sail with fair weather. Why did God let him get this far? If God was going to make him go to Nineveh after all, why did God let Jonah succeed in his fleeing from God for so long? Well answer this in Jonah 2. For now, hear this Be careful with using success as a gauge of faithfulness, because you might be succeeding at disobeying God. Circumstances are a terrible gauge of your standing with God. God can and will still use successful fleeing, but it probably wont be pleasant; take it from a guy whos learned that first hand. Lets see how pleasant it is for Jonah. So they said to him, What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. He said to them, Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you. However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. Th

en they called on the Lord and said, We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this mans life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased. So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. Jonah 11116 Again, what stands out? Take note and share with one another before you read my thoughts. Jonah doesnt say, Turn around, he says Throw me in. Jonah has decided that hed rather die than go to Nineveh; if he cant make it to Tarshish, hell go to Sheol. He likely thinks this is his final judgement; just like the pagans, this is punishment for disobedience. Mind you, Jonah is probably not betting on getting swallowed by a fish. This is it for him. Isnt is amazing that the mariners seem to be more moral than Jonah? They refuse to throw Jonah overboard because theyre worried it might be murder. How incredible it is that they are more con

cerned with following the will and law of God than His own prophet! They value Jonah so much that they try to row back to shore, but its no use. God provided the solution, but it was so unbearable they refuse to obey. As they throw him in, they beg for mercy for the possibility of killing an innocent man. The thing that grabbed my attention the most is that Jonah had to be thrown in. He couldnt even bring himself to jump in of his own volition. Jonah is still being resistant! Hed rather have someone else force him to obey God than follow Him on his own. And the moment Jonah sinks beneath the waves, the storm instantly ends. This story is so reminiscent of Mark 43541 when Jesus calms the storm. The immediacy of the storms dissipation has the same effect on the disciples as it had on the mariners in Jonah 1. Terror, wonder, and faith. The mariners now believe in the God of Jonah. Even in Jonahs disobedience and rebellion and running, the Lord uses him to save others. God can use broken, defiant people to grow H

is kingdom. Dont make Jonah a role model, but dont assume that youre too broken, evil, stubborn or awkward to be of use to the Lord. So thats the end of the story. Jonah drowns for His defiance. God always gets His man. The Assyrians in Nineveh never hear from the prophet and the world goes on. Right? Is that what we would expect? Thats certainly what Jonah deserves. Yet, God is not done with Jonah. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 117 Jonah has undoubtedly FUBARed the situation. Hes practically spat in the face of GodJonah didnt just say No, he literally fled to the other side of the world. He hates the Assyrians so much that he refuses to even tell them of Gods looming judgement. Hes caused so much suffering and pain to othersdont forget that these mariners have lost everything. When they come to port, they have no cargo left to sell. This likely marks the end of all their careers, escaping with nothing except t

heir lives. Finally, Jonahs been thrown into the sea as a sacrifice, as good as dead to the world, fully expecting God to drown him and send him to hell. God saves him. Hallelujah, God saves him! Its not pretty, its not pleasant, it might even feel worse than death. Sanctification doesnt always look clean. It doesnt always look like growth or progress; sometimes is looks more like getting swallowed by a fish. Sometimes, thats how God chooses to redeem and restore His people. In Jonah 2, we get to hear from Jonah looking back on this whole mess. His prayer is powerful, humble, and Godcentered. A radical change occurs in Jonahs heart, but not until hes gone through extreme rebellion and an extreme storm. Until then, heres a few questions for you to process on your own and with a friend. How have you run from God? Are you still running? Have you ever confused success with Gods blessing? Have you ever experienced pleasant circumstances in the midst of your rebellion? What is God calling you to do? Spoiler alert i

ts probably not something as specific as Go to Nineveh or choose that major or date that person. Look at 1 Thessalonians 51222, emphasis v18 What is Jonah afraid of? What is the source of his dread? Keep answering this as we move forward. 1 httpswww.edmaps.comhtmlassyriainfivemaps.html 2 httpswww.hopechannel.comaureadterroristsoftheancientworld Tags bible study lesson, book of Jonah, Christianity, commentary, devotional, Flee to Tarshish, God's mercy, Jesus, Jonah 1, judgement, mercy, minor prophets, Nineveh, Old Testament, Patrick Quinn, Take Note Of This, TNOT, verse by verse Published by Patrick Bondurant Quinn Born 1995 from Fairfax, Virginia. Graduate of Christoper Newport University, Class of 2018. Pursuing a Master of Divinity at RTS, DC. Founder of "Take Note Of This." View all posts by Patrick Bondurant Quinn Previous postA Love Letter From God Next postThe Book of Jonah A Most Unexpected Deliverance part 2 1 comments on The Book of Jonah A Most Unexpected Deliverance part 1 Pingback Patrick Preach

ing The Pandemic Jonah Take Note Of This

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Pressing On I press on towards the mark as I remember the past. Tag baseball DNA Batter Up, Daddy! How the Game That Shaped My Father Shaped Our Family Posted on June 19, 2016 April 23, 2021 by Tara Kieschnick You see that pitcher that just came in the game? He wont be in long, just this inning to get that guy out. And so went the strategy instruction from a father to his daughter right behind me at a recent Texas Rangers home game. It made me smile. Without fail I think of my late father any time I attend a ball game. Baseball was a constant all of his lifeand it helps connect my heart with his. Im convinced there has to be such a thing as a baseball gene. Im not sure what it looks like, but if OUR family DNA was diagrammed, the strand belonging to my father, Harold Worthington, would look something like this And, more specifically, if broken down into the most finite of gene shapes, it would appear thusly Now let me tell you why. Daddy was born January 11, 1915, just twelve years after the Boston Red Sox wo

n the first World Series. His home was 150 miles downriver from St. Louis in the Mississippi Delta Dog Tooth Bend area in far southwestern Illinoisa short distance from the Alexander County seat of Cairo, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Harold was the middle sibling of seven, the son of a farmergrist mill operator. His family was poorer than some but better off than others. As a country boy he learned to hunt, fish, and play baseball during the sports Golden Age. His professional heroes were, naturally, the upriver St. Louis Cardinals. Around the time Daddy was first learning to bat, the famous Cardinals General Manager Branch Rickey spoke at a Cairo church luncheon. Legend has it that the teams iconic emblem was birthed and designed as a direct result of that very meeting inspired by a table centerpiece. Im sure Daddy grew up with this story, instilling an even deeper affection for the Redbirds. A 1920s powerhouse, the Cards won their first World Series when Daddy was almost 12 years

old, led to victory in 1926 by legends such as Mr. Rickey responsible for MLB farm teams and racial integration and the great playermanager Roger Hornsby. Radio was in its infancy, so Daddy probably listened to adults talk or read the newspapers on his own, studying the games box scores for tidbits of information. St. Louis was the National League champ in Daddys high school freshman and sophomore years. Certainly inspired by the Cardinals winning ways, Daddy played for the blue and gold Branchers of Olive Branch High School. His position was second base, and with a .264 batting average, he helped Olive Branch win a local championship. Heres Daddy as a senior in his baseball team photo A quick perusal through his senior year book class of 1932 reveals a passion for baseball, and Daddys fervency was duly noted by several of his classmates. One praised him for his part in the winning spring season Another wrote a baseballthemed limerick, and another expressed I am expecting to hear that you have signed up with

the Yankees any time. The idea of playing in the same infield as Lou Gehrig or batting next to Babe Ruth in Yankee Stadium was any young ball players dream. But the Great Depression was my fathers stark reality. Im sure he had some solace his senior year, however, knowing his beloved Cardinals were yet again World Series Champs. And while he admired the Yankees, he probably patterned his play after the 1931 World Series MVP Cardinal second baseman Frankie Frisch who led them to victory over the Yanks. Work was scarce in Daddys depressed farming community. Within a few months after graduation, he joined FDRs newly formed Civilian Conservation Corps CCC right about the time Leo Durocher joined the Cardinals in 1933. Daddy served for six months with Company 1655 in then baseballless Southern California near Tujunga, fighting fires in the mountains while living at the Tuna Canyon Camp. No doubt he thought of his days at the camp when the news broke of the Brooklyn Dodgers move west to Los Angeles two decades late

r. After his stint in the CCC, he returned home to Southern Illinois in April, 1934, and joined local amateur baseball teams just for fun. That fall the Cards won yet ANOTHER World Series under then MANAGER Frankie Frisch, this time against Detroit. I dont know if during his remaining bachelor years he ever headed to St. Louis to take in games at Sportsman Park, but Im sure he did if money allowed. At age 23 he settled down with my mother, Dortha Davis, and hired on with the Cairo Water Company while continuing to play with area ball teams. Shortly after they married in 1938, Momma an Olive Branch High alumnus herself was motivated to pen these words in Daddys 1932 year bookIm very proud of you for being one of the star members of the baseball teamI hope that if we ever have a son he shall have your love of clean sport and my love of education in general and can follow in your foot steps as a baseball player. Interesting entry. Over the next few years, Daddy kept playing ball, and so did the Cardinals. My par

ents moved from the country into the city of Cairo. By the end of the 1941 season, Daddy had also fathered three daughters but no sons. Then came December 7, 1941. The World War II era was a difficult time for all Americans, and my parents sacrificed along with everyone else. Daddys CCC Tuna Canyon Camp became a wartime internment location for enemy aliens, i.e. Japanese Americans. Exempted due to his critical civilian water company job, Daddy watched with guilt as his younger brothers, brothersinlaw, friends, and even his baseball heroes, went off to fight in the European and Pacific theaters. Americas Pastime continued to serve as a temporary distraction from the more serious news of the day, just as it had during the Depression. Even FDR himself publically said I honestly feel it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. By this time, games were being broadcast over the radio, and my father definitely tuned in. The 1942 Cardinal World Series winning team was considered one of the alltime greate

st, and it was also the rookie season for Daddys favorite playerrecordbreaking Stan The Man Musial. A wartime silver lining emerged for Daddy when the Cardinal owners decided to hold training camp in Cairo due to fuel and travel restrictions not only that, but the St. Louis Browns practiced in nearby Cape Girardeau, Missouri. For two glorious spring training seasons 194344 theres no doubt my father was one of many who watched the Cardinals practice right there in town. Fans like my dad must have burst at the seams with pride when they won the Series AGAIN in 1944. The Cardinals might have had St. Louis in their name, but they were definitely Cairos team, too. When Cairos Cotter Field flooded at the beginning of spring training in 1945 due to the rising river levels, the Cards abbreviated their time and headed back to St. Louis in early March. Working for the city water company, I wonder if Daddy might have been involved trying to pump the water from the field? Maybe its just coincidence, but without spring tr

aining to watch in town and the war winding down, time had to be spent elsewhere. Strange that my sister Jan would be born in December, 1945. You do the math. That made Daughters 4, Sons 0 for Daddy, if youre keeping score. Prosperity returned after the war in many ways. To celebrate their return to pro baseball, Cardinal hitters like Musial and his teammate Enos Slaughter picked up where they left off and barreled their way to another World Series win in 1946. Daddy continued playing infield for various local baseball and softball teams, from Coca Cola Bottling to church leagues. For a season after the war, the local Kitty League was home to the Cairo Dodgers, a minor league farm team for the then Brooklyn Dodgers. No doubt Daddy would watch them play or practice! My older sisters have many memories of how closely Daddy followed the Cardinals over the radio beginning in the mid to late 40s. It was serious business to him, especially without the aid of TV instant replay. Phyllis and Carol remember the impro

vised plastic board he rigged up to tally up the box scores and detailed statssort of a precursor to a white board that could be erased after each game. Carol specifically remembers the triangular straight edge he used to draw perfect lines for the box scoresand Phyllis remembers wondering why in the world Daddy would care about all those stats when the game was over. And then during the radio broadcasts there was the unmistakable voice of Harry Carey thundering out It might be it could be it ISSSSSS! A HOMERUN! Loud cheers would then commence by my sisters followed by Daddy quieting them down so he could hear the next play. Donna remembers that Daddy purchased his very first transistor radio in the 1950s to carry in his truck and Jan remembers it was red to listen to the games. She can also remember accidentally breaking the plastic piece that held the batteries in place! Daddy grumbled, but was still able to fix it the way he fixed just about anything. Donna and Phyllis also recall how summer trips to visit

our moms relatives in the St. Louis area almost always included a Cardinals game. Phyllis remembers as a ten yearold being excited to go to a game first at Sportsmans Field and then later at Busch Stadium but then getting bored and spending more time begging our Uncle Ray for money to buy concessions. At other times, Daddy would just make special trips to the games with his friends as time and money would allow. Going to Daddys ball games was a family affair for yearsmy sisters would walk with Momma from our home on 35th Street to the ball field at Cairos St. Marys Park, pushing the youngest in a stroller. Disinterest in the game usually set in quickly, so my sisters would play nearby with friends or catch fireflies at dusk. It was a true Leave it to Beaver era in 1950s Cairo. Daddy moved to centerfield as he got older, and baseball turned more and more to softball. Jan recalls how Daddy acquired the game nickname Hog. He could, and frequently would, catch anything hit to any part of the outfield. As age cre

pt up, Jan also recalls the strong smell of Ben Gay ointment Daddy used to ease his sore muscles after each game. The late 40s and early 50s began a drought of sorts for the Cards. Im sure for an avid fan like Daddy, it was quite discouraging. Baseball changes began. A new owner took over in 1952 hence the new Busch stadium name, and the American League St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1953 to become the Orioles. While Stan the Man continued to rack up tremendous baseball feats, the Cardinals continued to slump as a team. During this mid50s Cardinal downturn, Daddy had two more childrentwo more GIRLSexactly a year apart. Six girls, no sons.and seemingly no one to follow in Daddys footsteps as a baseball player as Momma had hoped. As I was number 5 of 6, my father was in his early 40s when I was born. I have only one dim memory of watching him play outfield at an evening softball game in St. Marys Park. But, like my older sisters, I would have rather caught fireflies! Perhaps due to his increased work, c

hurch, and community responsibilities, he had choices to make. Although Daddy exchanged his cleats for bowling league shoes, he remained a huge fan. I, too, remember baseball games on the radio, but especially the TV broadcasts. During meals, Daddy could watch the Cards on the black and white TV in the living room by strategically sitting at the end of the kitchen table. Daddy also found TV ballgames quite relaxing, as he could be frequently discovered napping in his recliner on weekends with a game droning in the background. In the early 60s, about the time St. Louis called up a young Bob Gibson from the minors and Stan the Man was retiring, my sister Jan met a young man named Jim at, of course, a ball game in a nearby town. Jim was his high school teams star hitter, and even had several major league scouts interested in his abilities. But, love won out, and Jim pursued Jan instead of pursuing professional baseballand Daddy caught a baseballplaying fishing buddy. Courtesy of sister Carol and hubby Kyle, the

first grandchildren began making their appearances. In fact, when the Cardinals ended their 18 year drought and won another World Series in 1964 behind the pitching of the aforementioned Bob Gibson, Daddy and Momma had been blessed with four grandkidsTHREE of which were boyskeeping Daddys hope alive that his footsteps would still be followed onto the baseball diamond! The late 60s brought turbulent times. Racial tensions trickled down and divided Cairoa southern town in a northern state. Gunfire due to racial factions could be heard downtown nearly every night the summer of 1967. As a church and community leader, my dad had many grave concerns on his shoulders. Both my mom and dad were firmly convinced our town did not have a white or black problem, but rather a heart attitude problem. Fortunately, the Cards were on a roll again, and my dad was excited as they took another World Series that fall behind the fantastic play of two African Americanspitcher, Bob Gibson, and leftfielder Lou Brock. Baseball had to h

ave been a wonderful escape, if even for just a little while, for the serious issues my dad faced daily. I can vaguely recall laying on the living floor and staring at the black and white images on the screen, finally beginning to understand what my dad saw and didnt see in baseball. He saw no color but Cardinal red. They played for HIS team, HIS Cardinals, and thats all that mattered. Looking back, I wonder if his childhood admiration of Branch Rickey, a man of faith who courageously introduced integration to the Majors in 1947 via Jackie Robinson, helped formulate Daddys belief system? The assassinations of Martin Luther King downriver in Memphis and Bobby Kennedy in 1968 caused our little community to be more divided than ever. When I started junior high, Daddy had just been elected to the public school board where tensions were even deeper. But I learned that my father and mother both stood firm in their belief in our schools and in Gods equality for all, no matter the skin color. And even though Bob Gibs

on became the Cards first Cy Young winner by posting a 229 pitching record, it isnt enough. The Detroit Tigers beat the Cards in the last St. Louis World Series my father would ever see. Fast forward to the fall of 1969, just after Woodstock and the first moon walk. All hell broke loose in my eighth grade world. A local parochial school was formed, and due to white flight our public school system took a severe financial blow. But as a school board member, my father and mother continue to stand strong. My sister Lisa and I remained in public school, gained new friends, and discovered deeper truths about racial injustice and equality through the example of our parents. As a stress reliever, my history teacher decided to let us watch the baseball playoffs and World Series day games being played during his class that September. Somewhere along the line I remember for the first time personally embracing the unique power of baseball to bring glorious distraction if even for just a few moments from lifes trials. The

Series was between the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles and the Miracle Mets of 1969. As a National League town, most of us rooted for the upstart Mets. By the time the Series was over and won against Brooks Robinson and the Orioles, I was totally smitten with Tom Seaver and the phrase BELIEVE! I had become an official baseball fan, totally on my own two blue and orange Mets feet! For family vacation in 1970, we headed out to visit sister Phyllis who lived in the New York City area. Even as a Cardinal fan, Daddy, as Phyllis recalled, had always held the Yankees in great esteem and longed to see a Yankee game. So, we as a family headed off to the Bronx, and entered the hallowed ground of the old Yankee Stadium. This was the very first time I ever attended a professional game, and I was with Daddy. We had seats somewhere along the first base line if I recall. I remember watching with amazement as Daddy opened his purchased program to the center, taking the sharpened yellow pencil provided, and proceeded to re

cord every statistic about the game. He knew all the abbreviations, and he recorded every stat about every player on both sides. I do not remember who the Yankees played, but I remember my dad recording it all, and I remember asking questions. It must have been a bucket list moment for him for many years I kept that Yankees baseball programand I know I still have it somewhere. I long to look at it again, and to see my Daddys neat handwriting in the box scores, knowing now I can read it for myself! A couple of days later, he wanted to go again. This time only three of us went, and we ended up sitting in the bleachers. Wowa 13 year old kid sitting in the Bronx Bombers Bleachersnow that was an educational experience! Again, I dont remember anything about the opposing teambut I remember just being there, watching the game, and being with my dad. Daddy and Momma left Lisa and I with Phyllis for a few weeks while they traveled and worked around the house. We had a wonderful summer of new experiences and adventures

that included attending several Mets games at the old Shea Stadium in Queens much to my baseball delight. Yes, the baseball torch had been firmly passed down to me by Daddy, even though it was not as a Cardinals fan. Little did any of us know that year would be his last to watch the Boys of Summer. Daddys heart gave out and he died very suddenly at the age of 55 only five months after seeing the Yankees play in 1970. He was a wellloved pillar in our little community of 6000. The church he helped build and where he served as a deacon, First Southern Baptist, was packed to the gills for the funeral. What a legacy of integrity and faithfulness my father left us all. Regional loyalties now dominate our familys favorite teams. Jan and Carol have kept the Cardinal faith in Kentucky and northern Illinois, although there are Cubs, White Sox, and Braves fans scattered among their children. While Phyllis is a Yankees fan, Donna would say she is now a Texas Rangers fanalthough her years in the Tampa Bay area as a Rays f

an and childhood affinity for the Cardinals occasionally come into play. I laid down my NY Mets baseball puppy love and picked up a full blown passion for the Texas Rangers, as did our late sister Lisa, since we moved to Texas as teenagers. Holding grandson Lucas Morgan at his first Rangers game, July, 2015 But frankly, we three Ranger fans wondered if Daddy was giving the Cardinals a little heavenly help during their 2011 World Series win especially when Jan declared Rangers 3, Daddy 4! The baseball movie Field of Dreams touches something deep inside me, and I cry at the end every time. Yes, its a fantasy, but theres something about the idea of going back to recapture lost opportunity that appeals to my heart. Since I was only 14 when he passed, there are so many important and insignificant things about my Daddy I didnt know. Like, for instance, how did he like his coffee? Why did he organize our family photos the way he did? It what ways am I like him? Would he and Momma really have retired to their land in

Arkansas? How DID he catch all those fish? What were his parentsmy paternal grandparentslike? What would it be like to have an adult conversation with him about life in general? These are questions beyond my control that I must release to God. Maybe its those corn fields that remind me of my Illinois childhood, but I cant help but think Daddy would be one of those who would ask, standing on that freshly mowed ball field, Is this heaven? So, while there is much I dont know about him, there is something I do know without a doubt. My father, Harold Worthington, had plenty of baseball DNA.and he successfully passed it down to his six daughters. We have in turn passed it down to our children and grandchildren. Except now our family baseball DNA strand looks more like this Daddy, perhaps you didnt have any sons, but you now have dozens of grand and greatgrand sons and daughters who have donned uniforms and picked up gloves and bats to play the game you adored. As Momma hoped over 75 years ago, they have indeed fol

lowed in your footsteps as a baseball player and your love of clean sport. They may be unaware that their love of the game is due in part from YOUR love of the game, but thats our job to tell them. And we also need to let them know that if their Grandpa Worthington were here, your photo albums would be proudly brimming over with their game pics from Illinois to Kentucky to Texas. This legacy you left us, Daddy, this love of baseball, may not cure the worlds ills. But it can give us a break from the madness. It reminds us that life is still better when played by the rules and there is an Ultimate Authority, and that life is a marathon and not a sprint. It proves that details matter, that sacrifice counts, that patience is indeed a virtue, and that we should never give up hope even with two strikes against us. It reminds us that everyone has the right to an equal chance in this life no matter the color of their uniform. Most importantly, it teaches us that even in loss there is a new day and new chances. So, th

ank you, Daddy, for teaching us how to play baseball and, by doing so, how to live our lives. Im sure you would agree thats a grand slam on anybodys score card! Tagged 1960's civil rights, 1969 World Series, Alexander County, baseball, Baseball and Life, baseball DNA, baseball genes, Brach Rickey, Busch Stadium, Cairo, Cairo Illinois, Cairo Water Company, California, CCC, CCC Company 1655, Chicago Cubs, Conservation Corps, Cotter Field Cairo Illinois, Father's Day, Fathers and baseball, Fathers and daughters, Harry Carey, Illinois, Kitty League, Miracle Mets, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Old Yankee Stadium, Olive Branch High School, Olive Branch Illinois, racial equality, Shea Stadium, Sportsman Field, St Louis Cardinals, St Louis Cardinals Spring Training World War II, St. Louis Cardinals World Series, St. Mary's Park Cairo Illinois, Stan Musial, Texas Rangers, Tuna Canyon Camp, World War II and baseball17 Comments Saying Goodbye to Cindy The Sisters Six Three Degrees of Separation How A Mother Has Learn

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WORLDGATE TO OFFER SHARES WORTH UP TO 64.4M Internetovercable company WorldGate Communications Inc has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of shares worth up to 64.4m. The shares will eventually trade on Nasdaq under the symbol WGAT, but no information on the total number to be offered, the offering price or pricing date was disclosed. The Bensalem, Pennsylvaniabased company was formed in 1995 by former executives of settop box maker General Instrument Corp and saw a 1998 net loss of 27m on revenue of 1.0m. It currently has 131 employees.

Home Games Have The Giants And Dodgers Ever Met in The Playoffs Some rivalries are just more intense than others. Two teams that unquestionably belong in the capital R category are the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The rivalry spans oceans, decades, and centuries. There have been many unforgettable moments, as there always are in any longterm partnership. In keeping with BRivalry Rs Week, lets take a look back at some of the most iconic moments from these longrunning shows shared history. 1 A Few of those Home Runs Will be GameChangers. A Few of those Home Runs Will be GameChangers. Some playoff races will be extremely close. We can expect fights to break out. And, of course, the Orange and Black will be competing against the Blue as always. Although it didnt take place during a game, series, or season of baseball, this one was nonetheless monumental. The National League owners approved the relocation of the Giants and Dodgers to Los Angeles and San Francisco on May 28, 1957. It was agreed

upon that only if both clubs relocated together would the vote be successful. This is now the official policy. The Giants and Dodgers have been in a dogfight all season, and now theyll finally meet in the postseason. Due to the Dodgers 31 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card Game on Wednesday night, the Giants will face the Dodgers in the National League Division Series. Chris Taylor, an outfielder with the Dodgers, hit a home run in the ninth inning that proved to be the gamewinner. On Friday night at Oracle Park, the National League Division Series will get underway. A playoff meeting between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers has never happened before despite being one of baseballs oldest rivals. In the opening match of the National League Division Series, the two squads will square off against one another. Their first ever postseason meeting promises to be a classic. So far this season, the two teams have the best records in Major League Baseball. With a

10755 record, the Giants topped the Dodgers in the standings. The final score for the LA squad was 10656. Each squad has its share of stars, but their backstories couldnt be more diverse. Los Angeles, the defending champions, had a roster stacked with skill, whereas San Franciscos performance stunned many. On Friday, these two squads will face again, raising the stakes in their heated rivalry. The next two games are scheduled for this coming Saturday and Monday. If necessary, Games 4 and 5 would be played on Tuesday and Thursday. For the first time in their histories as separate franchises, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants will square off in the postseason. If you had to pick a winner in this heavyweight fight, who would it be and why? Previous articleLuis Arias Defeats Jarrett Hurd With Mayweather Pauls Undercard Next articleWhen To Move Baby Out of Infant Car Seat 192.168.8.1 Router Admin Login, Username and Password Can t Have Your Cake And Eat It Too Nvlddmkm.sys Blue Screen Error in Windo

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Micromax Canvas Life Now Available Exclusively on Flipkart in India Leave a Comment Mobiles By Somnath Brahma Micromax recently launched the Bharat 5 Pro smartphone in India with face unlock feature and a massive 5000 mAh battery. Now as per reports, the company has launched another midrange smartphone in India dubbed as Micromax Canvas Infinity Life. The abovementioned smartphone has been found listed on ecommerce portal Flipkart. The listing has revealed all the specifications of the new device which includes the price as well. It is now available for purchase at a price of Rs 7,490. Talking about the specifications of the new device, the Micromax phone features a 5.45inch full HD display screen with an aspect ratio of 189 just like other smartphones of the premium category. It also comes with 450 nits brightness, 85 percent NTSC color gamut and is protected by 2.5D curved glass on top. It is powered by MediaTek 6737 processor clocked at 1.3GHz and backed up with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage sp

ace that can be further upgraded to 128GB with a help of a microSD card. On the imaging front, the device sports a 13 megapixel Sony IMX 135 sensor on the rear panel with a f2.0 aperture and face beauty mode as well. On the front side, the device features a 5megapixel camera for selfies and video calling with an LED flash. Coming to the connectivity options of the device, it comes with 4G VoLTE support, WiFi, dualSIM support, Bluetooth, and GPS. Under the hood, it is fueled by a modest 2500 mAh battery that can provide up to 9 hours of talk time with a single charge. The Micromax Canvas Infinity Life runs on Android 7.1 Nougat version out of the box. It is likely to get the latest Android 8.0 Oreo flavor over the air after its launch. Apart from that, it also comes with a fingerprint sensor that is embedded on the rear panel of the smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6 with Infinity Displays, Bixby Support and Face Recognition Announced Leave a Comment Samsung By Somnath Brahma South Korean tech giant Samsung was expected to unveil two new models in its Galaxy A series range very soon. Now as per reports coming in, the company has finally announced the Samsung Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6 devices that were in the news since the last couple of weeks courtesy of a few leaks. Both the smartphones have been listed on the official Samsung Indonesia website, however, the launch date is yet to be revealed. Photo Courtesy Samsung Indonesia All the specification details of the Samsung Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6 have also been listed on the company website. Regarding the pricing details, no information is available right now but it is expected to be revealed soon as the smartphones have made their way to the official company website. The specifications listed on the Samsung website are similar to the ones that were seen in the recently leaked renders by vari

ous unofficial sources. Also by looking at the specifications, it can be confirmed that both the devices are going to be midrange smartphones that may be targeted to the price conscious customers and priced accordingly. Coming to the specifications of the two models, the Samsung Galaxy A6 comes with a 5.6inch full HD display with 18.59 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon octacore processor clocked at 1.6GHz and coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage space. On the camera front, the Samsung Galaxy A6 features a single rear camera of 16megapixels with LED flash and another 16megapixel camera on the front panel for taking selfies. The device is fueled by a 3000mAh battery under the hood. The premium Samsung Galaxy A6 comes with a larger screen of 6inches with full HD support and 18.59 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon octacore processor clocked at 1.8GHz and coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. It sports a dual rear camera module of 16megapixels and

5megapixels with LED flash. On the front, it sports a 24megapixel selfie camera. The device is fueled by a larger 3,500mAh battery under the hood. Apart from these, both the devices are equipped with Samsung Bixby support with face recognition and fingerprint scanners. Both the models run on the latest Android 8.0 Oreo flavor out of the box.

Lesson 8 Punctuation Why do people say that IELTS writing is the most difficult part of the test? Because it really is! In fact, recently the NMC reduced the requirements for IELTS test takers in the writing section because it was so difficult that expecting nurses to get 7777 was just unrealistic. One reason is that punctuation isnt a factor in the other parts of the exam. You dont need to think about commas when you are speaking. But is punctuation really so hard? It can certainly confuse native speakers, but if you learn the basics, you can ace the IELTS. This is part 8 of a free 10day IELTS writing course. Homework Further Reading for Lesson 8 Todays homework is a little harder than in the past. You need to punctuate a whole essay! If you dont have time, you can just do the second activity, but I think the first one is a good challenge. Here are the answers. Check out this essential guide to punctuation, and this article on commas.

IELTS Speaking Questions About the Environment Posted by David S. Wills May 27, 2017 IELTS Tips, Speaking 0 Its impossible to predict what questions you will be asked in the IELTS Speaking Exam, but you can reliably guess what topics will appear. There are only a certain number of topics that show up commonly like education, society, childhood, technology, sports, family, etc and so you need to prepare your answers by topic rather than a specific question. Today, Im going to give you some example questions about the environment, arranged by parts of the test, along with sample answers. Do you or your family take steps to help the environment? To be honest, we dont really do as much as we should. We try to recycle when we can, but we can be forgetful about it. Do you take an interest in nature? Yes, Im very interested in nature. I love wild animals and taking walks in the forests and mountains near my home. Are there any environmental problems in your country? I think every country has some environmental

problems, and mine is no exception. There is air pollution in the cities and around the coast the water has a lot of waste material in it. Describe an environmental problem that has been in the news. You should say when this was where the event happened what actually took place and say how you felt about this problem. Notes on the Question Before I show you my sample answer, I would like to draw your attention to some features of the cue card. In this case, you are being asked about an environmental problem. This is a pretty wide topic and it could concern many different areas, like pollution or climate change. I think that the obvious thing to do it to view this as a global warming IELTS speaking question. Even though it does not specifically say that is what you should talk about, you can certainly guide the topic in that direction. Global warming is a massive issue and I think everyone should be prepared to talk about it in IELTS. Sample Answer about Global Warming Well, these days everyone is talking abou

t global warming. In the United States, there is a big controversy because the new president says that he doesnt believe in it, even though the scientists have more or less all come to a consensus that it is a real and dangerous phenomenon. The story has been going on for years, of course, so it is never out of the news, but with Donald Trump in the White House people are talking about it even more. Global warming is taking place all over our world, with various causes and effects. No one place is responsible, and we are all in danger. However, it is people on small islands or in lowlying coastal areas who are most at risk. If we cant take action now to stop the situation being exacerbated, then the future looks very bleak. This whole situation makes me feel quite depressed, and honestly I dont see how we will be able to remedy it with world leaders in denial. However, hopefully the combined efforts of concerned people and scientists will help push humanity in the right direction and maybe we can solve this p

roblem before it becomes unfixable. Useful vocabulary I think answer, I used the word exacerbated. This means to make something worse. For example Listen, its bad enough. Dont try to exacerbate the situation. Oh come on and give up. Please! Youre just making things worse. Stop exacerbating everything! You can learn lots of environment vocabulary here. What do you think is the main danger the world faces in terms of the environment? The main danger right now is probably climate change. It seems inevitable that we will see our sea levels rising and deserts expanding. Humans will clash more frequently over resources, and our standard of living will stagnate and then drop. What examples are there of how we damage the natural world? It is clear to see that we are damaging the natural world. Recently I went to the sea and saw coral reefs dying. Humans are consuming too much sea food and not allowing the oceans to recover. Whats even worse is that we are polluting the seas, too. The numbers of whales and sharks are

depleting, along with countless other species. In which ways do we respond well to environmental problems? Many years ago, people were talking about the ozone layer. There was a hole in it that was expanding in the 1990s and everyone was really worried about it. However, after many laws were passed to prohibited the use of certain chemicals, the damage has begun to be repaired. This gives us a clear message we must continue to take care of our environment before it is too late. PreviousPhrasal Verbs for Talking About Childhood NextUnethical Adverts A Model IELTS Essay 150 Idioms for IELTS Free Download IELTS Topic Education IELTS Preparation A TwoPronged Attack The Best Facebook Groups for IELTS

Finding Hope in a OnceBroken Community Roy Maynard Roy Maynard joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation in October of 2017 as Senior Writer. He now also serves as Editor of The Cannon Online. Roy was in the news industry for more than 30 years. Most recently he was Senior Editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Prior to that, he was Senior Writer and Special Issues Editor for World magazine, a conservative news weekly. He has also written for the Fort Worth StarTelegram, the Houston Chronicle and many other publications. He is also an author. Roy and his wife Sara coached the debate program at Good Shepherd School in Tyler. The program sent debaters to Nationals in 18 of its 20 seasons. DALLASBonton was supposed to be a haven from the crime, the drugs and the poverty. Thats how Daris Lees father found himself in the small, secluded Dallas community. Daris father was sent from California to live with relatives in Bonton. But it proved to be no haven at all; Daris father soon became involved with drugs. Later,

Daris grew up watching his father struggleonly to follow that path himself. At the time, Bonton was one of the worst communities in Dallas to live, Daris explains. This community was formed from segregation. They just pushed black people back, past the railroad tracks, past the lake and freeway, and that divided us from opportunities. In fact, Bontons main artery ends at the Trinity River levee. Bonton is a literal deadend. At least, it wasuntil 2012, when a new ministry opened in the area. Bonton Farms is rebuilding the community by redeeming lives and restoring hope. Daris Story My dad went to college, had a good job, but got introduced to drugs, and he became a drug addict, Daris, now 50, recounts. With him being an educated guy, I saw how everyone loved him and respected him, but he went to being a drug addict and I knew I didnt want that for myself. But I didnt see any other options. What he did see was the illusion of success. The only influences we had here were the drug dealers and pimps, Daris says.

They had money, cars, jewelry, women. We didnt have a lot of people living a successful lifestyle around here. Even those who were working were struggling. It was an attractive lifestyle. I started getting involved in street activities, drugs robberies, a variety of things, Daris says. It got to the point I got caught up in it. I went to jail, got 10 years probation, and got back out. I got in a few fights, but Ive been fighting my whole life. That brush with the law wasnt enough to turn Daris around. I kept on keeping on, he says. There was a lot of competition here, so I started leaving the community, getting out, making some money. I had cars, some money saved, a nice place to live, and I kept doing I was doinguntil I went to prison. I thought I would be able to talk my way out. I couldnt. They gave me 16 years. I did six years. I went in at 24, came home at 30. This is not uncommon in Bonton. An estimated 85 of the men here have been to prison, poverty is the norm and jobs are scarce. When Daris arrived b

ack in the community, the challenges he faced seemed insurmountable. He had no job prospects and his health was failing. The dialysis he required several times a week made a job even more inaccessible. But then he met Daron Babcock, a former entrepreneur who had come to Bonton to live out Christs commandment to love our neighbor. Darons Bible study was next door to my mothers house, Daris said. I was hungry because I couldnt support myself. Usually Id go to my moms to eat, but I got tired of her trying to push him on me. So I tried to rely on myself. One day, Daron approached Daris. Im struggling, Im hungry, Daris recalls. Id eaten all my canned goods. I think it had been two and a half days since Id eaten. I was already having a conversation with God; I knew He made the blind man see, but He had a son down here who was hungry; I wanted to know what He was going to do about it. I looked up, and there was Daron. Wary of the white face that looked at him from a truck window, Daris asked Daron what he wanted. An

d he said, I dont want to eat alone, Daris says. He couldnt tell I had been praying. I went inside and washed my face. Went back out to his truck. This was the same guy I thought had to be police of some kind, the same guy I despised. But I said Sure, where are we going? He asked my favorite. I called his bluff, and I said Pappadeaux. And we went. Daris says his ears and heart were opened then. He told me his story, Daris says. How far gone he was. But people refused to give up on him. And Daron, in turn, refused to give up on Daris. Once, Daris was called in for a job interview at a nearby company. But when he arrived, all dressed up and ready, he learned that he wasnt called for a job interview after allthe supervisor had called him in because he looked like the person who had robbed the company. I bought myself a suit to go on this interview, Daris says. I was clean, man. I had all these people praying for me. I got up and left; I wanted to cry. I thought my only option was going back on the street. I star

ted avoiding Daron again. But Daron didnt avoid Daris. When he found me and I told him what happened, he started to cry, Daris says. He said I cant believe theyd do that to usus. About that time, Daron moved into that dilapidated house next to Daris mother. He continued to encourage Daris and other men in Bonton. But I had limits because of my dialysis, Daris says. Three days a week, they filtered my blood for four hours. One day, Daron asked if he could come with meif he could drive me to dialysis. When Daron questioned the doctors, he learned that Daris needed a kidney. Daron said where do I sign up? Daris say. I had a guy standing in front of me, who I didnt like, didnt trust, didnt want to give him a chance, but hes willing to save my life. Daron didnt prove to be a match for Darisbut with the advocacy of Bonton Farms staff, a donor was eventually found. Daris received his new kidney in January 2022. Bonton Farms Daris is now the community health and wellness manager at Bonton Farms, and hed like to see t

he success of Bonton Farms replicated elsewhere. There should be a place like this everywhere, he says. Its not hardits common sense. And Daris isnt wrong; this isnt complicated at all. Where communities have been cut off and abandoned, we must reconnect. Where relationships have been fractured, we must reach out. And where institutions have been destroyed, we must rebuild. At Bonton Farms, that means meeting essential needsit started with recognizing that Bonton was a food desert, and the nearest grocery store was a threehour bus ride away. So Daron Babcock started a small farm to provide healthier food. More businesses have been added, including a tiny home community and a coffee shop. Helping people feels better than anything Ive ever experienced, Daris says. Feeding the hungry, meeting needs, loving people. Money cant buy that feeling. For more on Bonton Farms, click here and here. DEI ideas have gotten twisted In some cases, they promote the opposite homogeneity, inequality, and exclusion I must tip my h

at to some of my friends on the left side of the political spectrum. They are some of the best wordsmiths in our society. Not only have they coined the awful word woke into one of the most used words in... Looking Behind the Screaming Headlines The Texas Tribune began its coverage of the 88th Session this year with a news report screaming that LGBTQ Texans Ready for Legislative Session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills. The Tribune warns that many LGBTQ people say they are leaving Texas because of the GOP assault on their rights. If LGBTQ... Safety First Streamlining and Simplifying Foster Care Regulatory Environment A recent spike in the number of Texas foster children entering state custody without a stable placement threw a spotlight on the states struggle to maintain an adequate capacity of foster homes and treatment facilities. Key points Texas continues to struggle with alleviating longstanding problems with its foster care system, most recently losing more...