Job 42 - When God's Justice Comes

"And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."

~Job 42:10 (NRSV)

The long journey that is the book of Job has taken us through a tumultuous pilgrimage, from Job's unmerited and unfathomable losses, through a series of unjust judgments at a hand of his friends, through to now, the reconciliation of fortunes - not simply to the return of what had been taken, but a twofold blessing in weight.

Job had been pushed and pressed and cajoled from pillar to post, and though he learned resilience, it wasn't as though he learned easily. He was brought kicking and screaming through all kinds of humiliation.

So it is often for us, though we haven't typically submitted to the depths and shape of indignity Job suffered.

THE CHARACTER OF EVENTUAL JUSTICE

The best thing about the conclusion of Job is that, despite the complexities and comprehensiveness of the indignities he had suffered until that point, he had proved faithful enough that he remained. He hadn't given up. As Job and his friends grappled with concepts of justice and injustice, pride and humility, and wisdom and folly, they were found characteristically human.

Even though we, too, are characteristically human - that we wrestle with concepts of God's nature and justice - we also tend to be resilient enough to continue journeying through our suffering, despite even despondent blips on the radar screen of our despair.

It is characteristically human, then, to continue on in a hellish pilgrimage, for the hope of being delivered by God through faith in a Lord of Justice. And though we cannot tell, often times, how far in the wrong we are, God does change the circumstances, as we enter different seasons, eventually.

The character of eventual justice may not work out as twofold blessing - as God blessed Job-but it does come in a multiplicity of realisation for things we hadn't anticipated. These realisations come in the manner of compounding relief.

God's justice is always more generous than we had anticipated.

Not only is God's justice more generous than we had anticipated, when it comes, but it is also more scathing against the scandalous foe that has set themselves against us. This all presumes we have been faithful, for God will not deliver a pleasant justice for the unfaithful.

***

God's justice comes eventually for those who remain faithful. No matter the humiliation and indignities we suffer, we are blessed, like Job, when we do not give up; when we work through our challenges the best we can while holding on.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Motion for Change of Venue in California

The topic of this article is the filing of a motion for change of venue in California. The term venue means the court location where a case is heard. In California a defendant has the right to have any trial heard in the county of their residence, unless there is some express statutory justification for an exception such as a personal injury case where the defendant is alleged to have caused a vehicle accident in another county.

A defendant wishing to have venue changed to the county of their residence must file a motion for change of venue at or before filing an answer or other response. Otherwise they may be deemed to have waived any objection to the venue of the case.

Because the law favors the right of trial at the defendant's residence, any complaint filed in another county other than the county where the defendant lives will be strictly construed against a plaintiff seeking to lay the venue elsewhere.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that a plaintiff's right to trial in some county other than that of a defendant's residence is an exception to the general rule and requires express statutory justification.

Because the law favors the right of trial at the defendant's residence, the complaint will be strictly construed against a plaintiff seeking to lay the venue elsewhere.

Code of Civil Procedure Section 395(a) states in pertinent part that, "Except as otherwise provided by law and subject to the power of the court to transfer actions or proceedings as provided in this title, the county in which the defendants or some of them reside at the commencement of the action is the proper county for the trial of the action."

And where several causes of action are alleged in a complaint, a motion for change of venue must be granted on all, if a defendant is entitled to change on any one cause of action. A fraud action must be tried in the county of defendant's residence.

Code of Civil Procedure Section 396 states in pertinent part:

"If an action or proceeding is commenced in or transferred to a court which has jurisdiction of the subject matter thereof as determined by the complaint or petition, and it thereafter appears from the verified pleadings, or at the trial, or hearing, that the determination of the action or proceeding, or of a cross-complaint, will necessarily involve the determination of questions not within jurisdiction of the court, in which the action or proceeding is pending, the court, whenever such lack of jurisdiction appears, must suspend all further proceedings therein and transfer the action or proceeding and certify the pleadings, and all papers and proceedings therein to a court having jurisdiction thereof which may be agreed upon by the parties, or if they do not agree, to a court having such jurisdiction which is designated by law as a proper court for the trial or determination thereof.. Upon the making of an order for transfer, proceedings shall be had as provided in Section 399 of this code, the costs and fees thereof, and of filing the case in the court to which transferred, to be paid by the party filing the pleading in which the question outside the jurisdiction of the court appears unless the court ordering the transfer shall otherwise direct".

If did in fact file in the wrong county, the defendant has the right to have the plaintiff pay all of their expenses, including court costs and attorney fees before any transfer is made. And if the fees are not paid within 30 days of service of notice of the transfer order, the defendant may make a motion for dismissal of the case without prejudice.

Code of Civil Procedure Section 399 states in pertinent part: "When the transfer is sought solely, or is ordered, because the action or proceeding was commenced in a court other than that designated as proper by this title, such costs and fees (including any expenses and attorney's fees awarded defendant pursuant to Section 396b) shall be paid by the plaintiff before such transfer is made".

As stated previously the right of a defendant to have any trial heard in the county of their residence is very strong and any exception to that rule will be strictly construed against a plaintiff. If the plaintiff is represented by an attorney, the Court will order that the attorney for the plaintiff be the one to pay any expenses and attorney fees before any such transfer is made.

If you enjoy this article please tell others about it.

Yours Truly,

Stan Burman

Copyright 2012 Stan Burman. All rights reserved.

DISCLAIMER:

Please note that the author of this article, Stan Burman is NOT an attorney and as such is unable to provide any specific legal advice. The author is NOT engaged in providing any legal, financial, or other professional services, and any information contained in this article is NOT intended to constitute legal advice.

These materials and information contained in this article have been prepared by Stan Burman for informational purposes only and are not legal advice. Transmission of the information contained in this article is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, any business relationship between the sender and receiver. Any readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.

Sorat and the Modern Day Evil

"Sorat's evil will be spread by his infernal army of soulless followers, willing to give their lives for his pleasure in subjecting mankind to horror of the ultimate magnitude."

The above mentioned quote summarizes one of the main themes in Hearne's political thriller, "Hulagu's Web". The book suggests that much of the horror, destruction and mayhem that happen in the contemporary world are explained by the endeavors of Sorat, Lucifer's terrifying accomplice. It is said that Sorat incarnates every 666 years. 1998 would therefore be the year of his last manifestation. Coincidently, it is the same year that Usama Bin Ladin and his associates publicly declared their Jihad against the West with blatant orders such as "We - with Allah's help - call on every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Allah's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it."

In his "Book of Revelation and the Work of the Priest", Rudolf Steiner describes Abaddon's attack on humanity. Abaddon (translated 'destroyer') is a demonic being born out of the abyss to lead an army of locusts with human-like faces. Rudolf Steiner explains the occult significance of this picture by suggesting that Abaddon's army consists of human beings who have been completely deprived of their ego. Sorat can rule on Earth by populating the empty shells of such people with the spirits that serve him. This infernal army would subject mankind to trials compared to which all the horrors of the twentieth century would pale. Coincidently again, Abaddon is referred to in Revelation 9-11, the same date that is now synonymous with the destruction of the twin towers and the attack on the pentagon.

Sorat is described as the strongest power against good. To accomplish his desire of destroying the earth, Sorat would manifest his evil in the social evolution. The wars and mass murders of our time are evidence of his corruption.

The fanaticism and the everyday hatred of man against man are evils often disguised as religious dedication and nationalism. Sorat would bend people to his will by using the influence of leaders, be them political or religious. Sorat's alleged power lies in the ability to make followers believe that what they do for their fanatic leaders is right. As David J. Hearne says "the goal of this demon is to strip humans of their souls, egos and all goodness." Sorat could make horrible acts virtually impossible to eradicate once people become unable to recognize actions as evil.

The video of a hostage being beheaded in Iraq is an example of the horror mankind is subject to. It shows how much influence such a leader can have over others. He would stay back from his disciples, as he directs them to behead the hostage. Whenever the men holding the prisoner looked uncertain, the leader would convince them that what they were doing was the just thing. The scene appears to be a struggle between the leader (persuading) and the followers (resisting). The film shows how the power of evil can pervert people's senses to such a degree that destruction and horror replace the goodness and compassion in their souls.

The seductive powers of darkness act by using people's vulnerability and weaknesses against them. Terrorists claim their actions are for their love of God. Most of them believe that what they are doing is right. Someone who they see as a prophet or a messenger leads them to believe that they act in God's will. This messenger is trusted and considered more important than their own lives. Sorat would exploit these people to "give their lives for his pleasure in subjecting mankind to horror of the ultimate magnitude," as mentioned in Hulagu's Web.

It is difficult to understand why well-intentioned, logically thinking people fall into such traps. How can one induce another to become a suicide bomber willing to die for some obscure cause and kill other innocent people? How can the human mind become so clouded and susceptible to such evil and debasing acts? The answer lies in the fact that many people need something or someone to believe in. Sorat and his progeny would use this weakness to lead those susceptible to their influence. The reasons for their acts are masked, people follow because they need to believe and fail to ask themselves a rational explanation for what they are made to do. Nevertheless, if people saw the true intentions behind these schemes they would not follow. Evil exists as long it disguises itself.

Sorat could only maintain his power by distorting the way people perceive what is good. He would reduce each individual to his level - an entity without soul or conscious. His ultimate objective is to alter the human existence by spreading destruction and misery. Eradicating mercy, benevolence, compassion and humanity (most needed qualities that Christ himself advocated) is the only way Sorat can achieve his goals.

How to Launch a Product Online With a Number of Methods

Executing on a successful product launch is essential for starting your product off with a bang and improving upon your product's perception. You can manufacture and create buzz about your product through a successful product launch, thus attracting more affiliates and improving your product's conversion rate.

In this article we're going to address how to launch a product online with several effective strategies.

The Countdown

Creating a countdown for your product is a great way to create buzz. Make sure that when you're using the following traffic methods that in the weeks leading up the official launch that you're revealing more and more information about your product and reminding them about the countdown/launch date.

Whenever someone sees that there is a countdown associated with a product launch, the implication is that this is something worth waiting for and following along. It substantially increases the perceived value of your product to no matter who reads about it, so create your release date and let the countdown begin.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is your best friend when it comes to launching a new product. I'm not just talking about interacting with your own list, but pursuing a solo mailing or ad swap is a great way to reach an entirely new and targeted audience, particularly when you're ready to launch a new product.

Write up a very attractive sales pitch for your new product and pay to blast that offer out to someone else's sizable list or swap lists with someone in exchange for mailing your list about that other webmaster's offer. You can do this either to potential customers of your product or to potential affiliates of your product.

Forum Marketing

Hit up influential blogs in your niche and use them to build the buzz on your product. Put information about your product launch in your signature/profile information and keep it updated to reflect the countdown to your product's actual launch date.

PR Sites

PR sites are an obvious choice whenever you want to promote anything new. This gets the word out about your product and can help to spread some buzz as people see and share that press release.

Online Advertising

AdWords, Facebook Ads, and similar advertising networks are great ways to reach targeted audiences to promote your product to. Facebook Ads specifically enables you to get ridiculously targeted to find your exact customer base so that you don't waste a penny in advertising costs without converting on that traffic.

Group Buying Sites

Heard of sites like Groupon and Living Social? Millions of people regularly peruse these sites looking for deals on interesting products and services. If your offer can be presented at a special discount tier, these sites can be a gold mine for getting lots of opting in customers.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a great way to look like an authority on a particular topic and build credibility so that people will be more inclined to check out and purchase or promote your product. Convince (or pay) another webmaster in your niche to let you hop on their blog and make your own informational post one day which relates to your product, then sneak in info about the launch.

Two and Four Stroke Engines - Fast and Simple Answers

Many years ago when I got hooked by motorcycles, I started to hear a lot about two and four stroke engines... It seemed there were (and there still are) strong opinions in pro and con of each of the engine types.

As Internet wasn't available, and as I was worried about other aspects or motorcycle riding back then, I left that question unanswered for a long time.

If this is your case or if your are interested in these two kind of internal combustion engines, in the next few lines I hope to give you a few fast answers and some resources to get more in depth information.

Just keep reading...

Here are some facts about two and four stroke engines:

TWO STROKE ENGINES

Cycle - Two Strokes:

1.- Compression (intake+compression)

2.- Combustion (combustion+exhaust)

Take a look at the cycle in: http://science.howstuffworks.com/two-stroke2.htm

Advantages of two stroke engines:

o The engine fires - spark plug ignites - once every revolution of the crankshaft.

o They produce twice the power than four stroke engines.

o They are much simpler than four stroke engines. Fewer parts to worry about.

Disadvantages:

o You have to mix two stroke engine oil with gas, and depending on your consumption, this might be expensive.

o They last less. Lubrication is not as efficient as in a four stroke engine with heavy oil.

o Do not use gas efficiently.

o Pollute more.

FOUR STROKE ENGINES

Cycle - Four Strokes:

1.- Intake

2.- Compression

3.- Combustion

4.- Exhaust

Take a look at the cycle in: http://science.howstuffworks.com/engine4.htm

Advantages of four stroke engines:

o Last longer than two stroke engines

o More efficient use of gas

o Pollute less than two stroke engines

Disadvantages:

o More complicated. Many more parts to worry about.

o Half as powerful as two stroke engines (for equivalent engines)

o Fires once every two revolutions.

If you want to learn more about two stroke and four stroke engines, take a look at the pages I mention above. You will find extensive information and diagrams that will solve all of your doubts.

Well I hope this gave you some basic information and helped you answer some FAQ about two and four stroke engines! :-)

Enjoy the ride!

Daniel Levy

6 Steps to Secure Your Garage

Is your garage secure enough? Can you be sure that your car is still in its place when you are going to the garage in the morning? Your car, and other property you are keeping there, is hidden from the eyes of strangers. This, however, does not mean that thieves are not gasping for those things. Burglars are not stupid - if breaking the door seems difficult, they choose some weaker spots in the garage.

Therefore, you should pay attention to the entire garage. Focusing on the lock is not enough.

We recommend you to concentrate on creating an elaborated security level. Investments are not high, but the benefits will continue for decades.

1. Strengthen wall constructions

If your garage is more than 20 years old, you should definitely look over garage wall constructions.

Buildings from this era have generally single brick walls, and the mixture between the bricks may have lost its effectiveness.

Whenever possible, that kind of walls should be secured from the outside. Cover your garage external walls with steel corrugated sheet or façade board. This may not be the most secure solution, but it keeps the walls together and makes penetration more difficult.

We suggest adding rock wool under the cladding. For a cold garage it is not enough, but it will keep the temperature constant. Besides, walls will not accumulate that much of cold and moisture.

If the wall is impossible to cover from the outside, do it from the inside. For example, you can use sheet iron or façade board. Thereby adding rigidity and elements, which prevent breaking through, strengthens the weak brick wall. One additional option is to install shelves on the inside walls of the garage. Those will give some extra barriers, if burglars are planning to enter through the walls.

2. Secure the front door

In general, old doorframes are loosely attached to the wall constructions. In earlier times, wooden doorframes were attached to wooden tiles, which in turn were draped between the bricks. For today, such kinds of tiles are loose, and do not keep the doorframe firmly in place.

You will surely have a question about how to strengthen the doorframe then. We recommend you to make some reinforcements made of angle iron in the corners of the doorpost. You weld some long iron bars across the angle iron, so that one of the ends is around the corner of the pole, and the other is firmly attached to the doorframe. In this way you move the doorframes fastener around the corner. Now pulling the door is almost impossible.

In addition, look over your garage door constructions. Many thefts are committed as a thief removes the wooden panels from the door and enters the garage. You have to make sure that removing the wooden panels is difficult to do or, better yet, impossible.

Perhaps wood of the doorframe is too old? Wood which is rotten or in a bad condition should be replaced with a proper one. A door, which is decades old, may just be at the end of its life. In this case, you should replace the door, also.

3. Strengthen the hinge side of the door

Secure door lock is an essential aspect of security, but it is also important that a burglar has no other options for entering the building.

In particular, old doors have hinges, which are attached to the door surface. The worst option is that they are simply attached with screws that are easy to remove. A way better version is that hinges are bolted through the door. You should take care that nuts of door hinge bolts are on the inside and inaccessible.

Other crucial aspect of the garage doors security is that a burglar cannot lift it off the hinges while being locked. If the door can move upwards, you should install a wooden beam on the top edge of the doorframe.

If the hinges are on the external surface of the door, it is possible to cut through the studs and open the door from the outside. To avoid this you should install some security stud pins on the door frame side. Security stud pins are installed on the hinges side of the door, so that the end of the protruding brad bolts itself in the doorpost. Studs like these protect the door from lifting it off the hinges.

On condition that you cannot find any suitable security stud pin, you can also build it on the inner surface of the door by yourself.

In any case, remember that the security of the door hinges is as vital as lock security.

4. Locks and latches

Garage doors are usually two-sided. One of the sides is active and other is passive one. Nevertheless, both sides are equally important. You should examine the latches of the passive side of the door, and if necessary, strengthen the assurances. Look over the part of striking places, also. These may need some strengthening as well. Locking place of the latches is rather often worn-out, or the striking plate is not good enough. Keep in mind that burglars do not care, which side of the door is weaker.

If necessary, replace the passive side latches with new ones, or use any door bolt. It allows closing the garage door securely with a single motion.

What type of garage lock to use?

So-called garage locks and padlocks are customary locking methods. The first one is with big bolt deadlock attached to the inner side of the door or padlock outdoor. Both of them are suitable for protecting the door. We have met clients who use both of the locks at the same time. The most interesting solution for protection is when rim lock cylinder channel is covered with padlock hasps. Such finesse significantly extends burglars time of breaking in.

Install the lock on the inner side of the door - it makes the lock hard to reach. Be sure to check the lock and the striking plate are properly installed.

Let the old lock retire

If your lock is older than 30 years, you should replace this exhausted lock with a new and vivacious one. Older locks may be worn-out and they can have many errors. In addition, it is difficult to make new keys.

Do not let the situation go so far that your lock retires without your permission.

Abloy's padlock

If you lock your door with a padlock, you should watch the compatibility between the padlock and the iron hasps. We suggest a decent 3-5 grade Abloy padlock. Abloy's padlocks are known for their strong tempered shackles, solid construction, and for their water resistance qualities. The latter aspect is important because the daily environment of the padlock is mostly rainy and snowy. However, it is reasonable to cover the lock to avoid direct rainfall. Maintain your padlock by lubricating it with the lock oil every fall and spring. Abloy's lock oil lubricates the lock well and will not let if freeze in winter.

Use proper padlock hasps along with the padlock. Abloy's covered padlock hasps make it more difficult for a burglar to access the lock.

If your keys need a protection against copying, choose Abloy Novel's padlocks that are protected with a security card.

Lock-Expert has a wide selection of cheaper padlocks. However, those are not enough for the garage doors.

5. Scare burglars

Burglars intend to accomplish a theft quietly and inconspicuously. You can always organize a surprise. If the burglars hear a loud alarm, they will immediately think of leaving. Firstly, the audio signal itself is disturbing, and secondly, it attracts attention.

In your garage, you should use any simple signalisation. A motion sensor or a door sensor is sufficient to fix the invasion and activate the alarm. Install the alarm so that the thief is not able to cut the wires. GSM security system will not make any noise. It calls quietly to your mobile which you can answer, and decide whether it is necessary to call the police before you reach the place yourself. Thanks to the built-in microphone, you can hear what is happening in your garage.

Use radio transmitter to put on and take off the signalisation. Using this, you do not have to delay opening the door and you can do your things from the outside.

Would not it be great, if the signalisation notifies you of the invasion? For the advantage like this, you should use a home alarm system or a GSM alarm burglar system. The home alarm system is suitable when the garage is near home. The GSM alarm burglar system is great for those whose garage is away from home. In addition to the alarm, it will call to you mobile phone and you will be notified of the invasion, even when you are not at home.

6. When the garage door surprises

While you enter or exit the car to the garage, the doors should remain in the open position. You can use some barriers, like rocks or a broomstick, but is it fixed enough?

A convenient solution is to use a door stop. Once it is installed, you do not have to worry about the wind hitting the garage door against your car. If you do not want to spend a lot of money, you can use the door stop, which has a rubber band that holds itself on the ground. While being on a resting position, it keeps itself up against the door. That kind of door stop prevents usual movement of the door. However, with a strong wind, it may remain weak.

Make a long-term investment and render bad guys' life complicated!

Lock-Expert recommends:

Door security pin Barrel bolt for the passive side of the door Door bolt Padlock ABLOY 340/25C Padlock ABLOY 340/50U Padlock hasps Open door restriction brake Hinged door stopper: DX Door stop: FIX