Audio Deep

A review of Audio Deep from Unsigned.com‘s Acoustin Bands.

If you are into the rave-a-licious sounds of electronica you may want to check out Audio Deep at unsigned.com. Audio Deep hail from County Mayo, Ireland and would fare well in any club or rave from NY to L.A. Consisting of one member, RoryMcDonagh, Audio Deep is influenced by The Prodigy, Dave Clarke, Chemical Brothers, Timo Maas, Ben Sims, Billy Nasty, Orbital, Carl Cox, without betraying it’s own originality and enthusiasm.

Two songs are available for review at Unsigned.com, PablosXTCbar and yeyo. Other songs and info are available from Audio Deep’s linked MySpace page

Social bookmark this

Japanese Man Gets Death Penalty for Suicide Murders

A Japanese man received a death sentence on Wednesday for killing three people he met on the Internet through a site for group suicides in 2005.

A local court spokeswoman said. the unemployed man, Hiroshi Maeue, 38, was convicted and sentenced for inviting a 14-year-old boy to commit suicide together using charcoal fumes. It did not work so he then suffocated the boy to death, Kyodo news agency said.

Maeue, also killed two others -- a 25-year-old woman and a 21-year-old male college student -- by similar means and abandoned their bodies.

The presiding Judge Kazuo Mizushima of the Osaka District Court handing down the sentence stated that the nature of the crimes was cruel and made Maeue difficult to correct.

Suicide Web sites have become popular in recent years in Japan, where the suicide rate is one of the highest among all industrialised countries.

A growing, and morbidly frank underworld of chat rooms and websites with names such as "Suicide Club," are available, where thousands of people meet and talk and plan their deaths. Experts suggest the sites are attractive to those who are afraid to die alone. Police report the number of people who died in group suicide pacts after meeting online have totalled 56 in 2006, a number markedly down from a record 91 in 2005.

Such sites include message boards filled with personal ads like: "I have pills and charcoal briquettes - I'm looking for someone to die with," and "I'm 23 and want to die. I can travel anywhere." A recent notable suicide by “briquette” is Brad Delp of the rock group Boston.

Naoki - a 34-year-old bank employee who has been off work with stress-related problems for six months is one such person considering suicide. When asked why he said , "Well, I'm depressed - and that's a disease. But to be honest, I think I've always been interested in killing myself. I'd never thought about doing it in a group before. But then I visited a website and thought - ah, if I join this I won't have to go through with it on my own. It's like crossing the road when the traffic light is red... it's not so scary when you're with others."

Japan has no prohibition against suicide where it was once an honorable way to escape failure or save loved ones from embarrassment or financial loss. Many who have lost a loved one to suicide are, with reason, upset at such suicide pact websites. To think you can find a date and make a date with death online is mind boggling. I guess you really can find ANYTHING on the web. Including someone to die for and WITH.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUST17848420070328

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4071805.stm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/140065/how_suicide_changed_my_life.html

Social bookmark this

Think you have sleep apnea?

CPAP Wholesale is a U.S. based wholesale distributor of CPAP supplies including CPAP Machines, Auto CPAPs, BiLevel CPAPs, Masks and Humidifiers.

For those who struggle with obstructive sleep apnea, a CPAP device may be what you need. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Upon preparing for sleep, patients simply turn on the machine and wear the nasal mask, making sure it has a snug fit. The CPAP system allows the patient to breath freely by blowing air into the nostrils to keep the airway passages open.

CPAP Wholesale‘s personal commitment to their customers is unparalleled! Your needs come first and foremost to their company and all of its staff! They will treat you with the utmost respect and always remain upfront with you throughout your relationship.
You are more than welcome to contact them if you have any questions or concerns about these important purchases. When it comes to CPAP and Sleep Apnea products, they have years of experience.

CPAP Wholesale is a division of:
ABC (Airway Breathing Company) Healthcare
28 Research Dr.
Hampton, VA 23666

Questions? Email us at sales@cpapwholesale.com
or fax us your questions to (757) 788-8073

If you suspect you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, ask your doctor for help on finding a local provider of something called a sleep study.

Social bookmark this

Just Say Hi.com

Social Networking is big. And although the profiles might include it perhaps Myspace isn't the place to look for a good dating relationship. If that is your game than let me point you to JustSayHi.com, a new high quality and totally free online dating service.

With features are as a good if not better than any paid dating site,it is worth checking out AND it is really 100% free. A REAL good free dating site does exist and is out there to help people find the relationships that matter. You can begin browsing this fun site right away on a home page that links to 13+ pages of real people just like you.

Check it out at JustSayHi.com.



This is a paid advertisement.

Social bookmark this

Boston Lead Singer Dies

One of my wife's favorite band's, mine too actually, has lost its voice...

1970's Rock and Roll singer Bradley E. Delp was found dead on Friday in his New Hampshire home. Delp was the lead singer of the band Boston. An emergency call was made by Delp from the his home. When the police arrived Delp was dead A police spokesman said that there was no indication of foul play in the death of Brad Delp.Police Chief Phillip Consentino was quoted as saying, "There was nothing disrupted in the house. He was a fairly healthy person from what we're able to ascertain." The official website for Boston, was taken down and replaced by the statement, "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."

Brad Delp helped to create a trademark 70's sound that made the band Boston a world wide phenomenon. Their self titled debut album was recorded mostly in Brad Delp's basement, sold 17 million copies, making it one of the best-selling debut albums in American history. It contained the classic hits, "More Than a Feeling", "Long Time" and "Peace of Mind". Delp worked with Boston guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer Tom Scholz to pioneer the mutlilayered sound that would become synonymous with the band.

The New York Times quoted an interview with Scholz from 1986, where he said of Delp, "The nice thing about Brad was his incredible ability in the studio. He was a master at controlling his voice - he could do things over and over, changing one note and doing everything else the same. He's a natural overdubber, he can perfectly match what's on tape, he can sing harmonies with himself and keep dozens of parts in his mind."

Tom Scholz's meticulous production methods meant that follow-up albums to the successful debut were slow in coming. While 1978's Don't Look Back was another huge success and was certified platinum seven times over. Third Stage was released in 1986 and sold 4 million copies. By then, Delp and Scholz were the only original members left..

Delp also fronted the band BeatleJuice, a Beatles tribute band. Delp, had said earlier this month in an interview that, "BeatleJuice is really coming full circle for me. Playing those songs evokes such great memories and reaffirms my admiration for The Beatles and their superb craftsmanship. This is a tribute to my musical heroes and an admittedly self-indulgent chance for me to Get Back in touch with my childhood."

Brad Delp is survived by his daughter Jenna, and his son John Michael.

Social bookmark this

What is an SEO?

Ever wonder what a SEO company provides?

Thousands of companies are offering optimization services including web design firms, web programming providers, web hosting businesses, and Internet marketing agencies. SEO is a hot service area yet few of these companies have the expertise that will make the web site as effective as it could be. An SEO company specializes in optimizing web sites for organic search engine rankings. By planning a site carefully, it can rank well for a large array of relevant keyword searches in Google or Yahoo.

Large SEO companies sometimes spread themselves thin with too many novices and disconnected people trying to tune a site up. With an expert SEO consultant, the client gets integrated and expert service for their site. Search engine rankings are very competitive and ranking algorithms are very finicky. You can’t force good ankings too often. It pays to ensure all elements of the SEO strategy are integrated strategically and implemented well.

An SEO company has the studies, experience and creativity to fashion a web site in the human, natural way that search engines are looking for. Those who have seen their rankings fall of late are witnessing the tightening of the relevance filters that search engines use. An expert SEO company understands the nuance of those filters and modify web site content and linking so that search engines get the best view of a web site. In terms of more qualified traffic and high rankings on competitive phrases, there is no alternative to a professional optimizer. With ROI of 1000% and up per year on SEO investments, the professional SEO is the one that can maximize success for corporations and ecommerce sites.

Social bookmark this

The Police-Invisible Sun

I was listening to the radio today and heard about some good concerts coming up. Public Enemy this week in Baltimore and The Police at Hershey Park, PA on July 20. Well at least one...

I'm looking up tickets on Ticket Triangle for the Hershey show: 6 2ND ROW CENTER FLOOR SEATS!!! $1,252.00 a piece! Or... $84.00 for nose bleeders. Bring Binoculars!

Social bookmark this

Snowing at the Ocean...

It is snowing…again. And working at the beach while it is snowing is a mind bending sight. Just when the spring and summer fever is hitting me full force… a winter storm.

I’m still considering vacation plans, even more now. I’m going to Vacations.net to look for the Best All Inclusive Resort. Vacations.net is the leader in the all-inclusive travel experience. They’ve launched a newly redesigned website with a customized booking engine and intuitive functionality, setting it miles above its competitors.

After extensive research, consumer and industry feedback, and competitive site benchmarking, Vacations.net has created a website that raises the bar and sets a new standard for hospitality websites catering to the high-end while offering great rates, tremendous savings up to 50% off regular rates, and more!

Dramatic images along with detailed information on customs, culture, history and activities put the customer right in their destination. The customized booking engine is intuitive, the content is personable as well as thorough, the images are compelling and most importantly, the site is easy to use.

The booking engine functionality rivals that of global online travel sites with the ability to price dynamically, to offer dollar and percentage off promotions, to discount regular rates, to save with free nights programs, and to provide value added packages.

Stop by Vacations.net today.

Social bookmark this

Computer Hate

Why does this, computer hate me? I am trying to work and off it goes . It's like it is waiting for me to get going so it on frustrate me.

I'm beginning to think it hates me. A computer can't hate can it? I've heard of things becoming haunted... but a computer is not one of them. Except in the movies. I'm thinking of the office terminals in "Ghost" and the PC in " What Lies Beneath".

Here is a story of a "haunted computer" from Mystery Mag:

2 years ago I bought what was then a state of the art computer from a local computer store... within 2 days of having the machine installed in our home starnge and bizarre things started happening.

The room where the computer was installed was always cold...easy 10 to 15 degree's colder than the rest of the house, at first i thought there was a draft in the room, but we moved the computer into our 'living' room.. within 3 days the temperature drop started happening in there. The computer was then put back into its original location. As a computer freak i started buying add-ons, you know scanner printer and such like, but whenever we tried using them, they refused point blank to work, computer programs would vanish (i dont mean data crashes) pictures would alter themselves internet connection wouldn't work, phone line started going nuts (at this point the home telephone would be back to normal as soon as the computer was unplugged from the phone socket), at first i thought that the machine was faulty. Engineers came and looked at it, and everything was fine with it.

My little sister refused to go anywhere near the machine and 7 year old kids love computers! Worse was to come... the lights in the computer room would start turning themselves off and on... strange smells started to appear I couldn't smell these but my mom could. Strange text was appearing on the screen, some was gobbledygook some were things like "leave me alone". stains were starting to appear on the machines casing. It was truly freaky, but the last thing that prompted us to get rid of the machine was a scary experience.

We started seeing shadows always by the machine and getting feelings of nervousness, the family dog refused point blank to enter the room, and worse of all the smell of burning. So we decided to let my elder brother borrow the thing.. the room temperature returned to normal and all the feelings had gone. He has never had anything happen to him regarding the machine and he knew what was going on even before he borrowed it, maybe the machine or whatever 'lives' inside it preferred him to us.

Yeah right... or he used Norton Anti-virus on it! :).

Social bookmark this

Palpi-tation!

I work with some dangerous stuff. A co-worker and I were talking about bathing in acetone day in and day out. He was describing symptoms that i found very familiar. He was saying it affected his heart rate. That is something you don't want to mess with.

I have been experiencing the feeling of "dropping" as if going over a hill on a roller coaster. It is fainting kind of feeling that comes but stops before going unconscious.

Men who have worked at this job have now developed some serious health problems. I'm not sure how much of the talk is workplace urban legend, like severed fingers, fatal falls, nosebleeds, and cancer. But something tells me not to look too lightly on it. Heart palpitations are bad, especially if it gets stuck mid-"palp". Here's hoping they are always quickly followed by hearty (no pun intended) "itations".

Social bookmark this

Help Raise Your Credit Score

How is your credit score?

Many people have ran into credit trouble. Qualifying for a mortgage can be a difficult task if your credit score is too low. There are few tricks out there for repairing your credit score. "Credit repair" firms can can have any number of methods and can be iffy at best.

These companies usually take advantage of loopholes in the credit reporting system. One company that has found a useful loophole is Seasoned Trade Lines, Inc.. It’s a commonly used “secret” among real-estate professionals that home buyers with marginal credit can improve their credit scores by having someone with good credit add their name as an authorized user on their credit card.

Called “piggybacking” - when added on someone else’s good credit history, loan applicants boost are able to their own credit score. Real-estate agents and loan officers regularly recommend it. And now, if you have no relative or friend to ask for help, Seasoned Trade Lines, Inc. can do it for you.

For a fee, Seasoned Trade Lines, Inc. will add your name to one or more "seasoned" credit card with a history of timely payments. More Authorized accounts means a bigger boost to your credit score.
.

Many realtors considers it unwise, whether turning to a relative or an Internet business, to piggyback on another person’s credit. If you are helping somebody obtain a loan they don’t qualify for, some say, you are setting them up for failure and even worse credit problems. This is because getting a loan and changing bad financial habits are not really related at all.

If you are struggling and can use a hand, perhaps this service can be useful. If it gets you on your feet and in a home that you can afford, combine that with sound credit counseling, and this may be the break you are looking for.

Social bookmark this

Ludacris Censorship

Since when is abortion an explicative? Since Ludacris' song "Runaway Love", featuring Mary J. Blige, has been getting airplay.

Anyone who has listened to the radio or watched MTV in the last few years is familiar with explicit lyrics in songs. The way radio deals with this is by playing "clean" versions of the songs. Songs are usually cleansed by simply dropping or replacing of the offending syllable from the track.

Which is why I was surprised when the word "abortion" was dropped from the Ludacris song. Given the nature of the song, the censorship just doesn't make sense. The lyric revolves around the problems of growing up poor, violent stepfathers, drugs, prostitution and premarital sex.

To find myself enjoying such a deep message in such a catchy way from a "dirty south" rapper, is refreshing and unusual. So it makes me wonder about the edit and who they edited for. For most the mention of abortion would not seem offensive. It is an often discussed topic in most all other media. And in the context of the song it is very important.

To me the edit betrays a sensitivity that robs from the art form. Albeit, there are many words and phrases that are a part of that art form that are more or less rightfully cleansed. That can be debated. It can also be debated whether editing essential phrases is helpful to the morals or the art themselves.

Social bookmark this

What Starbucks Can Learn From the Movie Palace

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times.

What Starbucks Can Learn From the Movie Palace By RANDALL STROSS

WI-FI service is quickly becoming the air-conditioning of the Internet age, enticing customers into restaurants and other public spaces in the same way that cold “advertising air” deliberately blasted out the open doors of air-conditioned theaters in the early 20th century to help sell tickets.

Today, hotspots are the new cold spots.

Starbucks became the most visible Wi-Fi-equipped national chain when it began offering the service in 2002. Now, at more than 5,100 stores, Starbucks offers Internet access “from the comfort of your favorite cozy chair.”

Before you pop open your laptop, however, you need to pull out your credit card. Starbucks and its partner, T-Mobile, charge $6 an hour for the “pay as you go” plan. Day passes or monthly subscriptions are available but can be used only at Starbucks stores and other T-Mobile partners like Borders bookstores.

McDonald’s offers Wi-Fi in more than 8,000 of its 13,700 stores in the United States, giving it wider reach than even Starbucks, and it also charges for access. McDonald’s doesn’t charge as much: it asks $2.95 for two hours. You can’t apply your T-Mobile subscription there, however, because McDonald’s works with other partners.

Metering and charging for a service, of course, is the prerogative of any business owner in a free market. One will always find entrepreneurs willing to try new ways to profit by erecting tollbooths in front of facilities that had been freely accessible.

In the past, this took the form of coin-operated locks on bathroom stalls. (You may have first encountered these at a moment when you were least ready to praise the inventor’s ingenuity.)

Today, the outer frontier of pricing innovation can be found at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where some electrical outlets are accompanied by a small sign: “To Activate Pay $2 at Kiosk.” This is an experimental service, “Power Up My Portable,” which provides chairs and outlets for laptops; $2 buys 20 minutes of juice.

But what about the many other wall outlets scattered around the terminals and originally installed for vacuum cleaners? Zenola Campbell, the airport vice president who oversees concessions, demurred last week when asked whether travelers could always count on having free access to those outlets. “I can’t tell you where we’re going to be in the future,” she said.

When Starbucks and McDonald’s decided to exact a toll from their customers as they set up their in-store Wi-Fi networks, they created a confusion of conflicting signals: how welcome can one feel when staring at a meter that is running?

The restaurants’ predecessors, the movie theater owners of almost a century ago, understood that not every amenity, every service, every offering must have a separate price tag attached. The owners and the architects sought to give theatergoers an environment that was pleasing in all aspects. Marcus Loew, the head of a nationwide chain, once said, “We sell tickets to theaters, not movies.”

Panera Bread, which has more than 900 Wi-Fi-equipped sandwich and bakery stores, has set itself apart from its contemporaries by upholding the old-fashioned spirit of those bygone theater owners who never stinted in their efforts to make public space inviting.

The grand movie palaces did not have to show the revenue-enhancing potential of an ornamental gold cornice or plaster pilaster. So, too, at Panera Bread, where its fireplaces do not have to demonstrate a monetary payback to justify their place in the stores.

Neither does Wi-Fi. Neil Yanofsky, Panera’s president, said that no cost accounting had been done on its service, which is free. The rationale relates to ambience: “We want our customers to stay and linger.”

A Panera cafe does half of its business at lunchtime — there is little lingering then. But before and after the lunch rush, the restaurant addresses what it refers to internally as “the chill-out business,” which constitutes a not-insignificant 15 to 20 percent of its rev enue.

Panera has no interest in rushing these customers out — the longer they stay, the greater the likelihood that resistance to the aroma of freshly baked muffins will crumble. Free, unmetered Wi-Fi is one way the restaurant sends an unambiguous signal: Stay as long as you like.

Of course, Mr. Yanofsky is the first to point out that he is in a position to be much more welcoming than the competition across the street at Starbucks. The average Panera store has 120 seats and does about two and a half times as much business as the average Starbucks store.

Mr. Yanofsky said he could not see why Starbucks, given its more limited seating, would drop access charges so that it could match Panera’s Wi-Fi offering. “Why make it free?” he said. “They’re already full.”

Each Panera cafe averages 220 connect hours a week; Starbucks and McDonald’s declined to provide similar information about the use of their services.

In the 1920s, when air-conditioning began to be installed in movie theaters, owners had to spend a sizable sum — $50,000 (roughly equivalent to $570,000 today) — to transform the property into a “cold spot.” But it was worth it. Before the “refrigeratory process” came along, theaters could not draw customers during the summer because of the unbearable heat in confined space. With air-conditioning, patronage increased so sharply that even the largest investments were quickly repaid.

Wi-Fi does not address a similar problem of seasonal attendance. Nor will it produce a multifold increase in patronage. But, then again, it’s not nearly as costly to introduce as the cooling plants of the 1920s.

The access charges assessed at Starbucks and McDonald’s suggest that behind the scenes, their service providers have had to make huge infrastructure investments and carry burdensome operational costs. But if the stores already have business-class broadband connections for their own operations, the addition of a Wi-Fi access point is trivial.

Schlotzsky’s Deli, w hich offers free Wi-Fi in 82 of its restaurants, uses Internet connections that were already in place, just as Panera Bread did. And Val King, Schlotzsky’s director of information technology, said the technical demands of remotely overseeing a wireless network were minimal. “It doesn’t take rocket science to run these things,” he said.

Customers need feel no shame, however, if they need help configuring their laptops, and sandwich makers and baristas are not necessarily the ones who can solve their technical problems quickly.

A Starbucks spokeswoman, Sonja Gould, explained that her company’s Wi-Fi customers receive, in exchange for their access fees, “excellent customer service help from T-Mobile.” It should be added that businesses offering free Wi-Fi also contract with tech-support companies to help customers. One such company, HotPoint Wireless, says its network now handles five times as many sessions originating from businesses offering free access as those that charge fees.

Getting connected is one thing, but keeping one’s e-mail private is another. Wi-Fi signals, by their nature, are notoriously susceptible to electronic eavesdropping. Wi-Fi services you pay for are no better protected than free services. As T-Mobile informs customers on its support Web page, all wireless service is “inherently insecure.”

Its recommendation should be heeded by users of Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere: use a virtual private network, which provides secure industrial-strength encryption. If your employer does not provide a V.P.N. server, consider using a commercial service, like JiWire, which charges $30 a year for a V.P.N., personal firewall and other services, including a hotspot directory that can be used offline.

STARBUCKS, which has rolled out a plenitude of stores, follows the same design concept that is behind the modern multiplex: for interior space, small is beautiful. It’s unfortunate that the grand architecture of early movie theaters no longer exists to put today’s microscale retail architecture to shame.

Gail Cooper, a professor of history at Lehigh University who has written about the introduction of air-conditioning, said: “In the movie palaces, one-third of the space was devoted to the lobby so people could come and ‘promenade’ — today we would say ‘hang out.’ Welcome was built into the space, and air-conditioning was one part.”

The movie palaces are long gone, and so, too, is the novelty of air-conditioning. We now step into public space less to be chilled than to chill. The palace’s spiritual successor is the cafe that sends out a welcoming blast of free, unlimited Wi-Fi.

Social bookmark this

Need A Shopping Cart?

Are you looking for a shopping cart for your website?

Electronic commerce is the reality for the web. It is a known fact that ecommerce is booming and professionally built online stores are getting ahead of their competition.

Setting up a positive cash flow online store is not only dependant on marketing skills or budget but also the quality and flexibility of the shopping cart you are running.

Finding a good shopping cart software has to be one of the hardest tasks for any business person new to the world of selling online.
Your online store software needs to be up to date with functionality and especially security for the merchant and the customer.

The easiest and most economical way of being up to date with the latest technologies is using a reliable hosted shopping cart system with great customer support. An application service provider is the way to go!

Ashop Commerce provides a turn-key ecommerce solution with it’s revolutionary online store building software. One of the worlds most easy to use web based administrations with award winning features allows the merchant to set up an online store capable of competing with the webs most powerful stores for a simple, low monthly fee. Ashop Commerce has helped 1000’s of now successful merchants. Ashop Commerce is the most intuitive shopping cart software in the world providing the most up to date and relevant advice you need to start or advance your online business.

Accept credit cards online and customise the design, features and all content of your online store by yourself within hours! Feel free to test drive our demo store’s to see the advanced functionality for yourself.

Social bookmark this

Christ and Moses

From Today's Office of Readings:

From the Catecheses by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

Christ and Moses

The Israelites witnessed marvels; you also will witness marvels, greater and more splendid than those which accompanied them on their departure from Egypt. You did not see Pharaoh drowned with his armies, but you have seen the devil with his weapons overcome by the waters of baptism. The Israelites passed through the sea; you have passed from death to life. They were delivered from the Egyptians; you have been delivered from the powers of darkness. The Israelites were freed from slavery to a pagan people; you have been freed from the much greater slavery to sin.

Do you need another argument to show that the gifts you have received are greater than theirs? The Israelites could not look on the face of Moses in glory, though he was their fellow servant and kinsman. But you have seen the face of Christ in his glory. Paul cried out: We see the glory of the Lord with faces unveiled.

In those days Christ was present to the Israelites as he followed them, but he is present to us in a much deeper sense. The Lord was with them because of the favour he showed to Moses; now he is with us not simply because of your obedience. After Egypt they dwelt in desert places; after your departure you will dwell in heaven. Their great leader and commander was Moses; we have a new Moses, God himself, as our leader and commander.

What distinguished the first Moses? Moses, Scripture tells us, was more gentle than all who dwelt upon the earth. We can rightly say the same of the new Moses, for there was with him the very Spirit of gentleness, united to him in his inmost being. In those days Moses raised his hands to heaven and brought down manna, the bread of angels; the new Moses raises his hands to heaven and gives us the food of eternal life. Moses struck the rock and brought forth streams of water; Christ touches his table, strikes the spiritual rock of the new covenant and draws forth the living water of the Spirit. This rock is like a fountain in the midst of Christ’s table. so that on all sides the flocks may draw near to this living spring and refresh themselves in the waters of salvation.

Since this fountain, this source of life, this table surrounds us with untold blessings and fills us with the gifts of the Spirit, let us approach it with sincerity of heart and purity of conscience to receive grace and mercy in our time of need. Grace and mercy be yours from the only-begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; through him and with him be glory, honour and power to the Father and the life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ever. Amen.

And Amen!

Social bookmark this

The Perfection Of Brotherly Love

From Today's Office Of Readings:

From the Mirror of Love by Saint Aelred, abbot

Christ, the model of brotherly love

The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one’s enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. He who is more fair than all the sons of men offered his fair face to be spat upon by sinful men; he allowed those eyes that rule the universe to be blindfolded by wicked men; he bared his back to the scourges; he submitted that head which strikes terror in principalities and powers to the sharpness of the thorns; he gave himself up to be mocked and reviled, and at the end endured the cross, the nails, the lance, the gall, the vinegar, remaining always gentle, meek and full of peace.

In short, he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before the shearers he kept silent, and did not open his mouth.

Who could listen to that wonderful prayer, so full of warmth, of love, of unshakeable serenity – Father, forgive them – and hesitate to embrace his enemies with overflowing love? Father, he says, forgive them. Is any gentleness, any love, lacking in this prayer?

Yet he put into it something more. It was not enough to pray for them: he wanted also to make excuses for them. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. They are great sinners, yes, but they have little judgement; therefore, Father, forgive them. They are nailing me to the cross, but they do not know who it is that they are nailing to the cross: if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory; therefore, Father, forgive them. They think it is a lawbreaker, an impostor claiming to be God, a seducer of the people. I have hidden my face from them, and they do not recognise my glory; therefore, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

If someone wishes to love himself he must not allow himself to be corrupted by indulging his sinful nature. If he wishes to resist the promptings of his sinful nature he must enlarge the whole horizon of his love to contemplate the loving gentleness of the humanity of the Lord. Further, if he wishes to savour the joy of brotherly love with greater perfection and delight, he must extend even to his enemies the embrace of true love.

But if he wishes to prevent this fire of divine love from growing cold because of injuries received, let him keep the eyes of his soul always fixed on the serene patience of his beloved Lord and Saviour.

Blessings and Peace.

Social bookmark this

Monetise Your Blog with Blogvertise.com

I was googling "blog ads with paypal" the other day and I came across Blogvertise.com. They allow you to earn cash as a blogger or internet journalist. You make money by posting about products and services that Blogvertise.com assigns to you. You are not required to endorse the product, but to review it, discuss it, compliment it, and even complain about it if you want to. For each task assigned allyou have to do is complete it and submit it back for approval and you can be earning $4 - $25 per entry.

Blogvertise.com looks like a great way for a blogger to earn some extra revenue by doing something he or she is already doing. Check out Blogvertise.com and sign up today.

Social bookmark this