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Sep 20, 2021 in Life Coaching
Why This Pandemic is Teaching Us the Importance of Self-Love
"The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself." ― Steve Maraboli
It's your turn now! Let's support each other by clicking "Helpful".
DISCUSS #Relationship
How do I fix a marriage after cheating??
My husband of 5 years has cheated on me. I'm heartbroken. Can I fix our marriage?? Is there hope for us?? Will things get better? Please help
Am I over reacting? Am I the one in the wrong no him
Ok I've been with my boyfriend for 3 years now and he denied cheating on me but everything points to the opposite he's gone to spend the night with his baby moma and her kids in a hotel he rated me put to her when I called the cops on her for her vandalizing my car he would defend her when I would bring thing up about her and he has a video of her playing with her self am I wrong for being mad?
We both have insecurities and trust issues due to past relationships... So, there's the back and forth accusations, yelling, name calling, etc. We are both extremely jealous and have no communication skills. We love each other but sometimes Love isn't enough to make someone understand that you aren't going to hurt them. How can we help each other overcome these issues?
Idk what to do
My boyfriend and I have been fighting because he found some old messages that I had when we started going out, the messages are not bad the conversations where just like hi and bye kind of thing but because I told him I wasn't talking to anyone he's mad but da whole time he was still hanging out with his baby momma behind my back and he would delete all his messages to her so I wouldn't see them
Lost and confused at a crossroads
My boyfriend and I have been together for seven years now. We have had a very tumultuous relationship both of us have hurt each other very much on each parts. But he's done a lot more wrong it has no accountability. But my question is how do you handle it because anytime I try to talk to him about anything he automatically yells at me, deflects, accuse me of cheating. How do you go about handling
DISCUSS #Parenting
How can I get my teen to confide in me
I've been trying to get my son to confide in me about why he is feeling so depressed. He is 15 years old and a very good teen but have no idea why he is so withdrawn and quiet. Please help me I cant bear to see him like this
What do I do?
I'm not sure what to do. Recently separated mom with 2 young girls and pregnant with my 3rd.
I took my son's Ipad away because I'm at my wit's end with him.
He is so addicted and doesn't want to do anything else. Can anyone tell me whether I did the right thing or am I being too harsh?
Shared custody
It's 3 y I divorced and we have shared custody of 2 lovely kids. Any advice on how to make them understand that divorced parents is ok?
What should I do?
My son is acting out in school and giving people the middle finger and running around and hitting when he is restrained and he also has speech apraxia and may have ADHD
Feeling Your Emotions Is An Act Of Self-Love
"The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself." ― Steve Maraboli
This lingering pandemic is teaching us many lessons, the least of which is we can't hide from ourselves anymore. When isolated during restrictions, we must face our trauma. There is no other way. It is an act of courage to deal with our emotions, without fearing or running away from them. For in deferring our difficult emotions, we postpone our healing. Can you identify? For example, have you been coping in recent months, being isolated from family, friends and loved ones? What difficult emotions have surfaced during this time? How have you dealt with them?
Here's an idea to consider: Many people have noticed heavy emotions arise for them because of the pain involved. They have been isolated from loved ones, while others have lost their jobs. Many have families to feed, mortgages and the financial and emotional stress has become unbearable. This can bring up emotional pain and if we don't work through it, we experience stress. We cannot escape the pain because where will go? Mental health therapists are inundated due to the stress of the pandemic. We cannot stow away our emotions or distract ourselves with other activities because they are not available now. It is why people are suffering because they must deal with their heavy emotions brewing for years. We must face them now and if we can't do it alone, we ought to seek the guidance of a mental health therapist or reach out to those we love and trust.
Add to myWE:
The point I wish to reinforce: By facing our trauma, we are practising self-love. This is the key message in this article. Facing your pain and feeling your emotions is the highest act of self-love you can give yourself. Deferring emotional pain allows it to gnaw at you and grow in intensity. As mentioned earlier, to sit and feel our dark emotions is courageous because it is difficult to work through emotional pain. But we have no other choice because the emotions are coming up. So why not process them as best you can?
Welcome Your Difficult Emotions
"Constantly apply cheerfulness, if for no other reason than because you are on this spiritual path. Have a sense of gratitude to everything, even difficult emotions, because of their potential to wake you up." — Pema Chodron
Are you satisfied with this idea? Are you comfortable working through your difficulties emotions, knowing it is an act of self-love? I realise working through painful emotions may not seem like self-love. Nonetheless, it is through self-compassion and self-nurturing; we cultivate our emotional well-being. Self-love recognises we are not our pain but something deeper. We are a soul, having an earthly experience within a physical body. We may identify with our pain and trauma because our wounds give a sense of entitlement; to feel and act in a certain way. I'm not suggesting it is entirely wrong, but a learnt coping mechanism. After all, it is not enough to merely get by. We ought to thrive as best we can. The soul may use pain as a healing agent to remove emotional debris from our lives so our true nature can emerge.
If we take this idea further: To transform our heavy emotions, we must practice coming home to ourselves. I mean, sitting with our difficult emotions and processing them through mindfulness or Somatic Experiencing, under the guidance of a trained therapist. I don't know about you, but in the last 18 months, I have experienced a roller-coaster of emotions. There have been good times and then suddenly I am thrust into unexplained darkness, with heavy emotions looming over my head. Initially, I tried to distract myself with other activities, but eventually, I dealt with my emotions. I know there are valuable insights waiting to come forth when I connect with them. They are messengers from my highest self about my life's journey.
Therefore, your practice when difficult emotions emerge is to stop what you are doing, no matter what. You may occupy your time playing video games, watching streaming movies, drinking alcohol or whatever else. When heavy emotions arise, just sit with them. Feel them, welcome them and be with them, with your entire mind and body. So, I ask you: Could you give yourself the gift of connecting with your deepest and darkest self? Are you willing to learn about yourself as a soul? Processing emotions may take five minutes or longer to move through your nervous system. Don't delay or put it off because you are busy, scared, or indifferent. It only makes it harder and intensifies the pain.
Transform Your Pain
"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." — Joseph Campbell
For example, in the book My Stroke of Insight by brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor, she states the natural life span of emotion; the average time it takes for it to move through the nervous system and body is one and a half minutes. After that, we need thoughts to keep the emotion alive. No wonder painful emotions wreak havoc because we keep them active through our stream of inner dialogue. We add fuel to the fire every time we identify with our pain and create a mental dialogue. The way out of this cycle is to allow the emotion to move through you, so it transforms your pain. Therefore, I invite you to set up a regular practice of processing your heavy emotions and journal what you learn about it. Become an observer and try to be curious about what surfaces.
And here's the thing: Be careful not to criticise or judge yourself during this time. Simply observe the emotions and note how you feel after processing them. Many of my clients have remarked on feeling inner peace and freedom when they undertook this practice. If you wish to go deeper into the practice, I highly recommend a book by the late Dr. David Hawkins called: Letting Go: The Pathway Of Surrender. Dr. Hawkins was an internationally renowned psychiatrist who researched human consciousness. His books and teachings are an opening into self-awareness and awakened states of consciousness. After all, the purpose of our heavy emotions is to lead us back towards ourselves; to dip our toes in the expansive sea of self-love. It is this sea that is the embodiment of our true nature and the place we call home.
Original article: https://www.tonyfahkry.com/why-this-pandemic-is-teaching-us-the-importance-of-self-love/


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The inaugural meeting of the newly formed Wexford Branch of the ATAI will take place this Thursday, 27th March at 7.30 – 8.30 Wexford Education Centre
Wexford/South East branch of the ATAI invite you to an evening with Patsey Bodkin
Lecturer in Education and Chair of the Dublin ATAI
This talk is not to be missed!
Booking is essential as numbers are limited.
The Official Launch of the Wexford Branch will also take place with tea and coffee and light refreshments provided

subset: commoncrawl


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11 Elul 5774
By Anonymous
A Modest Prayer
Embedded in our liturgy is found a modest six word prayer which, if answered, will bring power and meaning to all the rest. In the Orthodox siddur, the six words are rendered in fine print. I never heard them said aloud. They encapsulate, they represent the entire relationship between God and mankind. May this prayer be answered for us now and in the year to come.
Adonai s'fatai… Eternal God, open up my lips that my mouth may declare Your glory.


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The November 2023 updates for the outdoor archer score records are now showing in the Members Area.
Club Rules
Rules of Shooting
The Archery GB rules of shooting (link to Archery GB for their most up to date version) shall be observed at all times and club rules shall be subordinate and additional to those of Archery GB.
Club Expectations and Etiquette
The timings for shooting are published on this site, but the expectation is that Archers will try to arrive early in order to assist in the setting out of the range, targets and other equipment, and will stay and help take down and put away everything. Please don't leave it to the same people every week - if you don't know what to do, then please ask; if you cannot do the heavy lifting etc there is always something that you may be able to assist with. Should a member arrive after the trolley has left the hut they can ask permission to join one of the distances set out, or erect their own target without interrupting the shoot.
All members are responsible for looking after club equipment and ensuring that it is put away as we would wish to find it.
No club equipment may be borrowed or removed without the permission of the committee and the full knowledge of the Equipment Officer.
Competition and Target Days
Designated club target days are all advertised on this website, on the Competitions page, and will appear in the "News" to the left of every page. The dates of rounds to be shot will be advertised to members in advance (at the very least you should expect to see those dates on this website, so please make a habit of returning frequently to see what has been updated). However, the designated shoot may be cancelled, postponed or changed (e.g. due to inclement weather) by decision of the field captain, a committee member or majority.
Each member is responsible for submitting their scores to the Records Officer. Every Archer is encouraged to submit scores, even when not in competition. The Records Officer maintains a database of people and scores which is useful for tracking an Archer's progress.
Safety Policy
No archer shall shoot alone. At all times, another adult Archery GB member must be in attendance to actively supervise to ensure that the field is clear.
Shooting shall be under the control of the Field Captain. The Field Captain can insist that archers must shoot a shorter distance or stop shooting if they feel that any aspect of safety is being compromised.
Archers should be aware of personal safety requirements, such as loose hair tied back, potential dangers of loose clothing, shoes to be closed toe (i.e., no flipflops or open-toe sandals), piercings, etc. Please consult with a coach if you are at all unsure.
No arrows shall be nocked until the field captain has signalled for shooting to commence.
At no time should anyone run when on or near to the range.
Any damaged equipment must be reported to the Equipment Officer.
Any arrows lost on the field must be searched for thoroughly. If not found, a note should be placed in the garage to advertise the loss, as well as notifying the Club Secretary as soon as possible.
Child Protection Policy
Crowthorne Archers accepts a moral responsibility to implement procedures to provide a duty of care, and to safeguard the well being of children, young people and vulnerable adults that protects them from physical, sexual or emotional harm, neglect or bullying.
Crowthorne Archers is fully committed to:
- The belief that when dealing with children and young people and vulnerable adults, their welfare must always be of paramount importance;
- Create and maintain the safest environment possible, where children, young people and vulnerable adults can learn and participate in archery, that is free from harassment and / or abuse;
- Ensure that all staff and its members working with children, young people and vulnerable adults have a moral responsibility to support, safeguard and promote the care and protection of children;
- Take all reasonable steps to promote good practice and to challenge practice that is considered harmful to children;
- Promote the development of a culture which welcomes differences and diversity and respects the rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults;
- Encourage all children to fulfil their potential without unnecessary pressure;
- Listen to all children, young people and vulnerable adults and have their views considered according to their age, maturity and understanding;
- Principally adopt the Archery GB Policy for Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults (link to Archery GB for their most up to date version).
A minimum of one adult Archery GB member is required for juniors to shoot, along with another adult Archery GB member or parent / guardian. A junior may shoot with only one adult present, if that adult is a Archery GB member and their parent / legal guardian.
All subscriptions shall become due on the 1st May each year. A member who has not paid the full subscription by 1st June in any one year shall not be allowed to shoot at the club until he/she has paid, and failure to pay by 1st July shall constitute resignation from the club. Any such member who wishes to re-join the club must pay the full annual subscription before they may shoot.
New members who join after August may pay a reduced subscription at the discretion of the committee. New members must pay their subscriptions within one month of first shooting with the club, excluding any lessons taken as part of a beginners course run by the club. A new member who has not paid their subscription by this time shall not be allowed to shoot at the club until he/she has paid.
Guests who are Archery GB members shall be allowed to shoot at any normal club meeting for a maximum of six times in anyone year. Proof of Archery GB membership (ideally, your Archery GB Membership Card) may be requested and a nominal target fee will be payable.


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Kihei Small Boat Ramp: 2800 South Kihei Road, Kihei, HI 96779
Whale Watching Tour Information
Experience the magic of whale watching in Maui from January 15 through March 31st
Each whale species has its own distinct behavioral traits, and the humpback whales are most often noted for their elegant and unique songs. Males are the singers of the species and have been found to sing the same series of notes, which can span up to 8 octaves, as other males in the group, with subtle changes year after year. Researcher believe this is done as both a mating call and way of communicating with other males
When you're in Hawaii, make sure to keep an eye out for some of the most common humpback whale behaviors, including:
Every year at the start of Fall more than 60% of the North Pacific Humpback Whale population will begin their migration from Alaska to Hawaii, with many of them choosing to stay in the waters off of Maui during their visit.
Maui is considered by many to be the epicenter for whale watching in the Hawaiian Islands.
Whale watching season generally runs from December through April, when the tropical waters off Maui's South coast are teeming with North Pacific Humpback Whales. However, our tours start at the beginning of January, guaranteeing whale sightings!
The best way to see these whales on a Maui whale watching tour is with Redline Rafting. We endeavor to create the ultimate whale watching experience for our guests; our marine naturalists keep the tour educational and exciting, while you enjoy the benefits of having only 23 other passengers on board with you.
Seeing Humpback whales in paradise on a Redline Rafting tour is an opportunity that simply cannot be missed!
A smaller group helps create a more intimate setting in which our tour guides and naturalists have the opportunity to answer more of your questions. Imagine riding out to sea on our safe rafts as the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean mists your smiling face and the salty breeze blows through your hair, all while a happy Humpback mugs for your camera!
Kelly and Sean of Redline took us out whale watching. I loved that there were only around 12 adults on the boat. I appreciated the way Sean would gently turn the boat around so that everyone got a really good look. We had some terrific activity, whale-wise. Kelly's knowledge was really appreciated. I highly recommend!!!
Had an awesome outing with Seth and Alex. They showed us a good time and kept the schedule loose. We had lots of time in each spot and saw a bit of everything. Redline supplied loads of food and drink as well as complimentary wet suits for anyone that wanted one. A top notch experience!
We took the five hour snorkeling trip to Molokini, etc and had a great trip! We spotted a whale shark on the backside of Molokini and so many whales! They even went out of the way to follow a pair having fun with some fin slaps and breaching. Great trip- thanks to Seth and Alex for everything!
We booked the 10:00 am whale watching tour for our family of four. We really enjoyed Captain Andy and Sean and how informative they were. We came up on a momma and baby, who swam right under our boat. It was amazing, an experience we will always remember. Thank you!
We offer a convenient South Maui departure location, and because of the agility of our vessels you will find that you're spending less time searching and more time whale watching. Not only will you return from your whale watching adventure with priceless photos and with more knowledge of these majestic marine mammals, you'll also have made everlasting memories and had the time of your life. We invite you to come see why many consider whale watching aboard a raft is the only way to do it!
What to expect on our whale watching tour
to ask
Humpback whales
We hope to see you during one of our whale watch rafting adventures, where we are certain that you will have the time of your life. And remember, due to the nature of marine life every single trip we go on is different. You never know what amazing sights you'll see during a Redline Rafting adventure!


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- 360º OBJECT
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Red Door VR Limited, UK - Panoramic Photo Equipment Specialists - pageloads from 11th November 2007:


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It's bidding season right now the Foreign Service, which means that everyone wants to know what is great and not so great about all of the posts that they're considering spending their next two years at. We've been in Dushanbe for almost two years now (our two-year anniversary is next month) and so I feel like I can tell my own story of what is great (and not so great) about this very little-known sleepy post-Soviet posting.
1. The money. For some people, money is not a consideration. Why worry about money when you'll be dead some day and won't be able to take it with you? Experience is what you're after, not money! Most of these people, however, aren't expecting their sixth child. So for us, money is an important consideration. And Dushanbe delivers. Dushanbe just got designated as a hard to fill post, which means that, if you extend to three years (which we did), you get an extra 15% on top of the 30% differential we already have. Add that language incentive pay (about $10,000 a year) and 5% COLA, and you're talking about some serious cash. For us that means we make 60% over Brandon's base salary. Our financial planner is very happy with us right now. Oh, and there are also two R&Rs for a two-year tour.
1. The travel. Not only is it an unholy pain to get to Dushanbe, it's also a lot of trouble to leave here. Sometimes it's nice to take a little weekend trip with the family. I'm stuck at home all day with the children and I like to leave, if only for a long weekend. This was easy in Egypt - the Red Sea had a selection of European resorts that offered great local rates. In Baku we took the train to Georgia and went up to the mountains. In Dushanbe, we've gone camping. Twice. There are a couple of 'resorts' on a reservoir that are supposed to be okay, but you never quite know with Tajikistan. It's pretty likely that you'll be in local standard housing eating local food surrounded by locals staring at you. An interesting cultural experience yes, relaxing no. And that's it. Uzbekistan needs a visa, Afghanistan is understandably not an option, and Kyrgystan is too far to drive to. Want to get out of the country and go somewhere nice? Save your pennies for a plane ticket. And for us, seven plane tickets are a lot of pennies.
2. The housing. Everyone here lives in housing that is above the regulation square footage for their rank and family size. We have a three-floor, almost 6,000 square-foot house. Our top floor is entirely open and the children drive a little-tykes car around the space that would make for a really, really great-sized New York apartment. Because of safety regulations, there are no apartments in the housing pool. So you want a house? Come to Dushanbe!
2. The housing. Although large, the houses are all amazingly shoddily built. Our house is covered in elaborate molding - and all of it is styrofoam. Five children and styrofoam molding does not mix well. Before we moved in, the whole house had to be re-wired (aluminum electrical wiring generally isn't a good idea) and so every single room had conduits running to every outlet, switch, and light. And they pop off the wall pretty easily. Don't ask me how I know this. Our main power line has a bad connection to the city power, so on laundry days we can either dry the clothes or air-condition the house. Same for when I have to cook dinner. I've yet to be in a house with actual hardwood floors, and some houses have plank flooring that has been painted an amazing mustard brown-orange. Stairs are never regulation height, and not all master bedrooms have bathrooms in them. So, you get a large house, but it will have it's terribly annoying quirks.
3. The community. Like all small, remote posts, Dushanbe has a great community. When there is literally nobody else, you find friends very easily. There are regularly hosted CLO get-togethers, lots of birthday parties, soccer taught by dads, pool parties, and house parties. If you want to have friends in Dushanbe, you can have them. Everyone has a sense of adventure, and most people are pretty happy to be here.
3. The schooling. Although we homeschool, I've heard lots about the school. As in all remote places, the schooling options are extremely limited. Although there is an Indian-run, British curriculum school, all the children here attend QSI. Currently they have about 100 children in K-12, and the majority are elementary-school aged. The classes have one teacher per grade, so you're stuck with what they have, and the classrooms are small because the school is housed in several houses. There are also not very many extra-curricular activities - Tae Kwon Do and tennis are the only two I've heard of. If you want an amazing school with a variety of activities and an amazing campus, go somewhere else.
4. The weather. Yes, it gets hot in July in August. Not enough to rival those really hot places (I'm talking to you, Dubai), but in the upper nineties and low hundreds. But Dushanbe truly has four seasons and nice, long fall and spring sandwiching a very bearable two-month winter. It's sunny a majority of the days and you can get out and do something most of the time here. And for those hot days, the embassy has a pool.
4. Shopping. There is pretty much nothing to buy in Dushanbe. The locals make embroidered Suzanis and you won't be able to get out of here without buying two or three, but that's about it. The grocery stores are equally unimpressive, and the restaurant options are limited. If you're looking for somewhere to drop all of that extra cash you're making, the most exciting place is in your bank account. Which is probably not a bad thing.
5. Traffic. Yes, everyone hates the way the locals drive, but I'm pretty sure that's universal for everywhere outside of Western Europe/the Anglosphere. Which is most of the world. Yes, you get cut off in traffic, honked at, passed on the left over a double yellow line, and almost hit reckless pedestrians on a daily bases. But there just aren't that many cars. On a really, really, really bad day you may have to wait through three of four traffic light cycles - at the one busy traffic light on your entire commute home from work. I'm pretty sure we'll never live in a place with lighter traffic than Dushanbe. At least until we retire to rural middle America.
5. Lack of employment. Not that this is something I deal with, but I've heard about it from other spouses. Your options are: 1. the embassy. They've worked quite hard to provide as much employment as there are EFMs looking for employment (although the process can sometimes be longer than it's worth), which has definitely been appreciated. But outside the embassy, your options are pretty much at 2. a local school. QSI had hired a few EFMs and several local kindergartens have also hired spouses to help with English classes. But that's it. So if you're looking for amazing EFM employment, don't come to Dushanbe.
And, as a special bonus!
6. The people. Tajiks are the perfect blend of hospitable and leave-you-alone. Maybe it's because I'm almost always out with my five children (and they love children here), but I always have someone willing to make a kind comment or help me out. Tajiks are very happy with their relative anonymity and enjoy a pretty robust internal culture that they are proud of. I got to attend a wedding recently, and those around me warmly welcomed me to the party, and then had a great time celebrating the bride and groom. Nobody got a picture with me, and nobody looked at me like I didn't belong. It's really a great place to be an expat.
And one more:
7. The mountains. If you like to hike, Dushanbe is the post for you. The mountains start about 20 minutes outside the city and pretty much don't stop for the rest of the country. If I didn't have children (and was in better shape), I would spend my weekends on one of the innumerable trekking routes (also known as sheep trails) that crisscross the mountains. The few tourists that do come come for the trekking because it really is amazing. The mountains are stunningly beautiful and completely uncrowded. I never regret an opportunity to get out and explore the countryside of Tajikistan.
So, if you're looking for a high money-making post with lovely scenery, large housing, and a great community, Dushanbe is the place for you.
But, if you're looking for a city with lots of things to do and high-quality anything with lots of travel opportunities and world-class schooling, you're better off in Vienna.
It's all what you're looking for!
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Top (and Bottom) Five of Dushanbe
Posted by Sherwood family at 12:19 PM
Labels: Living in Dushanbe
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text:
Some of my personal favorites:
|To Kill a Mockingbird
|Where The Red Fern Grows. I remember this being read to us in elementary school.
We cried at the end.
|For Whom the Bell Tolls
|Fahrenheit 451
|Totally insane tat for Lord of the Flies
|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
|Hitchhiker's Guide again
|Kafka's The Metamorphosis
|Be sure to scroll down to the comments, a lot of pics being posted there.
This one is for The Silence of the Lambs.
H/T to Midnight Ink on FB for the link.


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Bash, 39, cut his teeth as a top aide to California Representative Jane Harman and then shepherded Leon Panetta, Obama's pick to be CIA director, through the confirmation process. He made such a good impression on Panetta that the top spook hired him.
Who is your political hero/inspiration?
The seven CIA officers who gave their lives in service of our country on December 30, 2009, in Afghanistan
What's your go-to political blog?
Mike Allen's Playbook
If you weren't working in politics, what would you be doing?
Realistically, practicing law. Preferably, practicing guitar.
What's the most overlooked issue facing America these days?
The vulnerability of our country to cyber attacks.
Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?
Working in the Intelligence Community to help stop terrorists from getting nuclear weapons. That would be a game-changer.
Next George P. Bush


text:
Minecraft's blocky aesthetic was massively spruced up with the introduction of ray tracing enabled by Nvidia's RTX graphics cards earlier this year. And now, that feature is coming out of beta, and path-traced ray tracing is available to all Windows 10 Minecraft players with the GPUs that support it, Nvidia announced in a blog post on Tuesday.
If you missed the beta or other examples in 2020, ray tracing allows for realistic, physics-based lighting in games. Minecraft traditionally shirks realism in favor of a pixel art, sandbox fantasy aesthetic, but the pairing works well here. The changes to lighting are most immediately notable in reflections in water, shadows that respond dynamically to light sources, and different intensities of light.
Along with lighting, RTX ray tracing also allows for more detailed "physically-based rendering" (PBR) in texture packs, including the ability to set the relative reflectiveness of each object. Minecraft players on Windows 10 will have access to a special PBR version of the default texture pack for use while playing, or until their favorite creator releases their own updated pack.
Running the game with ray tracing seems like it could be a big hit to performance, but Nvidia says DLSS 2.0 support on RTX cards, which stands for Deep Learning Super Sampling, should keep the game running at a high frame rate.
Using artificial intelligence to save time rendering high-resolution images, RTX 2060 owners can get around 60 frames per second playing at 1920 x 1080 resolution in Nvidia's Quality Mode. Players with GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 cards should be able to get "well over" 60fps playing in 4K, Nvidia says. All of these benchmarks were set under Nvidia's specific testing conditions which can be viewed on their blog.
You'll need at least a GeForce RTX 2060 or better to run Minecraft with ray tracing, and relying on an older card might be your best bet given how difficult it can be to get a newer 30 series one. Head to Nvidia's blog for full instructions on how to enable ray tracing in your game, download some custom maps, and update your texture packs to support PBR.


text:
Anchor Bay Films has acquired North American rights to In The Blood, starring Cam Gigandet and former MMA fighter Gina Carano.
The movies focuses on a female character played by Carano. When Ava's husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, she sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible. The producers Shaun Redick and Pay Mansfield of Movie Package Company say that the film represents the start of a strong female franchise character and audiences are going to love seeing Gina Carano as Ava.
Anchor Bay plans a 2014 theatrical release and will be distribute with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
While waiting for the release date, you can browse through some set photos in our gallery.


text:
California native Mackenzie Johnson, or MAKJ on stage, has had no downtime since the onset of his new career as a music producer and DJ. Starting from a young age, he traveled often for his previous profession and was exposed to the various musical stylings in nightclubs at the time, gifting him with a vast knowledge of dance music and DJ techniques. Back in the States, MAKJ apprenticed the late DJ AM, who is world renowned for his scratching skills.
Fast forward a little bit, and Mackenzie is getting his bootlegs and mashups played on Hardwell and Tiesto's radio shows, exploding his career forward at an exponential rate. This year, he has releases lined up on Hardwell's Revealed Recordings label, the Bingo Players' Hysteria Records, Nicky Romero's Protocol Recordings, and Robbie Rivera's Juicy Music, not to mention continuing residencies in Vegas and bookings at top festivals. We had the chance to ask MAKJ a few questions this week, so catch the full interview after the jump! Also, don't miss him headlining the Yost Theater in Santa Ana this Friday with Henry Fong!


text:
Join a passionate team of Sage X3 !!
Our people are our greatest asset.
We are constantly seeking to recruit talented people in our core disciplines for following roles :
- ERP implementation consultant having a minimum of 4 years of practical experience with any of the following modules : Finance, Sales, Distribution, Production, Inventory, CRM, Business Intelligence and Reporting. We provide training and coaching on Sage ERP X3 platform.
- Safe X3 development. Min 2 years of experience.
- ERP Project Managers and Project Directors. Min 5 years experience in an ERP context. PMP certification required
- Java developers for Liferay platform
- Mobile iOS and Android developers
- Interested? We would like to hear from you.
You can apply now.
Even if you do not see a position that matches your experience, submit your CV and we will review your qualifications if an opportunity becomes available.
Email to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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You are here > Home > Hall of Merit > Discussion
Hall of Merit
— A Look at Baseball's All-Time Best
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Most Meritorious Player: 1996 Ballot
For 1996, each voter should rank the top 14 players from all leagues combined.
Balloting is scheduled to close at 4pm EDT on 7 September 2016.
Anyone can vote, even if you do not normally participate in Hall of Merit discussions. If you have never participated in an MMP election, just post a preliminary ballot in the discussion thread by 6 September 2016.
For detailed rules see one of our previous ballots.
DL from MN Posted: August 24, 2016 at 03:19 PM | 18 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Related News:
Reader Comments and Retorts
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.1. bjhanke Posted: August 28, 2016 at 06:19 PM (#5291398)
This is Brock Hanke's FINAL Ballot for 1996. I'm in the middle of convention season, so I didn't have time to write comments. I can hear the cheering from here.2. Qufini Posted: August 28, 2016 at 06:37 PM (#5291408)
1. Barry Bonds
2. ARod
3. Chuck Knoblauch
4. Jeff Bagwell
5. Ken Caminiti
6. Ellis Burks
7. Ken Griffey, Jr.
8. Barry Larkin
9. Brady Anderson
10. Jim Thome
11. Kevin Brown
12. Bernard Gilkey
13. Mike Piazza
14. Pat Hentgen
1996 Ballot:3. OCF Posted: August 28, 2016 at 08:46 PM (#5291485)
1. Alex Rodriguez, SS, Seattle Mariners: top five OPS+, 1st in AL RC, adds +8 defense from shortstop
2. Barry Bonds, LF, San Francisco Giants: 2nd in OPS+, 1st in NL RC, adds +10 defense in left
3. Kevin Brown, P, Florida Marlins: 215 ERA+ is crazy good
4. Mark McGwire, 1B, Oakland Athletics: leads AL with 196 OPS+
5. Ken Griffey Jr., CF, Seattle Mariners: +32 on defense plus a pretty good bat (154 OPS+)
6. Jeff Bagwell, 1B, Houston Astros: top 3 in NL in both OPS+ (178) and RC (156)
7. Ken Caminiti, 3B, San Diego Padres: Just a smidge behind Bagwell in every category
8. Mike Piazza, C, Los Angeles Dodgers: top five OPS+ while wielding "the tools of ignorance"
9. Jim Thome, 3B, Cleveland Indians: still holding his own at third while posting a 167 OPS+
10. Gary Sheffield, RF, Florida Marlins: awful defense (-16) keeps him behind the other big bats
11. Chuck Knoblauch, 2B, Minnesota Twins: does everything well
12. Ellis Burks, CF, Colorado Rockies: the +12 defense gets him on the ballot as much as the 149 OPS+
13. Pat Hentgen, P, Toronto Blue Jays: top pitcher in the AL
14. Barry Larkin, SS, Cincinnati Reds: sneaks onto the ballot once more
15. Frank Thomas, 1B, Chicago White Sox: 2nd in AL in OPS+ but dragged down by playing time and poor defense
16. Brady Anderson, CF, Baltimore Orioles: as an O's fan, I would have loved to find room for him on the ballot
17. Edgar Martinez, DH, Seattle Mariners
18. Greg Maddux, P, Atlanta Braves
19. Mo Vaughn, 1B, Boston Red Sox
20. John Smoltz, P, Atlanta Braves: beats out Bernard Gilkey and Mariano Rivera for the top 20
1. Alex Rodriguez4. MrC. Posted: August 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM (#5291586)
2. Mark McGwire
3. Ken Caminiti
4. Mike Piazza
5. Kevin Brown
6. Jim Thome
7. Barry Larkin
8. Barry Bonds
9. Roberto Alomar
10. Gary Sheffield
11. Chuck Knoblauch
12. Ivan Rodriguez
13. Brady Anderson
14. John Smoltz
Comment: When I made my preliminary ballot I used a 3 year average of DRA fielding runs to adjust the batter and pitcher values. Since then i have done some thinking and have concluded that a 3 year average is more appropriate for predicting future performance, but that current year value is better reflected by using current year fielding runs saved and thus current year value. So i have recalculated my WARR values accordingly. My final ballot for 1996 is as follows:5. ThickieDon Posted: August 30, 2016 at 10:29 AM (#5292501)
1. Barry Bonds 9.31 WARR
2. Ken Camaniti 8.89 WARR
3. Alex Rodriguez 8.16 WARR
4. Kevin Brown 7.88 WARR
5. Robbie Alomar 7.67 WARR
6. John Smoltz 7.63 WARR
7. Roger Clemens 7.55 WARR
8. Albert Belle 7.31 WARR
9. Chuck Knoblaugh 6.94 WARR
10. Jim Thome 6.87 WARR
11. Greg Maddux 6.86 WARR
12. Pat Hentgen 6.74 WARR
13. Jeff Bagwell 6.72 WARR
14. Tom Glavine 6.45 WARR
The rest of the top 20
Bernard Gilkey
Alex Fernandez
Chuck Nagy
Ellis Burks
Mike Piazza
Edgar Martinez
1. Barry Bonds - top 3 hitter, still a stand-out baserunner and solid defender6. DL from MN Posted: August 31, 2016 at 01:59 PM (#5293278)
2. Alex Rodriguez - among the best fielding SS in MLB, by far the best hitting SS in MLB; led MLB in AVG, 12th in OBP, 5th in SLG
3. Ken Griffey, Jr. - slots #3 through 8 were really close; Griffey compares well offensively to the rest of the pack while having the best defensive year of his career (though I believe TZ overrates him, it's still enough to propel him over Knoblauch, etc.)
4. Chuck Knoblauch - by fWAR, it's a top 20 modern-era 2B season
5. Ken Caminiti - top 5 bat and solid defense; season compares favorably to the offensive season of a typical HOF 3B
6. Jeff Bagwell - top 5 bat
7. Mike Piazza - top 10 bat, bump for position
8. Jim Thome - top 10 bat, slight bump for playing a decent 3B
9. Bernard Gilkey - excellent, overlooked all-around play
10. John Smoltz - impressive work over 250+ IP; K%/BB% was (at the time) one of the best ever
11. Mark McGwire - best bat
12. Barry Larkin - best SS
13. Kevin Brown - best ERA+
14. Gary Sheffield - 2nd best bat
Pat Hentgen completed 10 games and pitched solidly for a huge amount of innings; Ellis Burks played good 'D' and put up huge numbers (albeit at Coors); Frank Thomas and Albert Belle put up big production at the plate but were docked for defense/position.
All fell just short of the top 14.
1996 Ballot7. caiman Posted: August 31, 2016 at 02:59 PM (#5293313)
1) Barry Bonds - best bat, decent fielding
2) Ken Caminiti - small postseason bump
3) Alex Rodriguez - great hitting season for a shortstop
4) Kevin Brown - best pitcher
5) John Smoltz - huge postseason bonus (15% of total innings)
6) Mike Piazza - C bonus, small postseason bonus
7) Greg Maddux - huge postseason bonus (15% of total innings)
8) Jeff Bagwell - big bat, okay glove
9) Pat Hentgen - best AL pitcher
10) Ken Griffey Jr - great all-around season
11) Barry Larkin - A-Rod was better hitting and fielding
12) Roger Clemens
13) Chuck Knoblauch
14) Bernard Gilkey - good fielder
15) Gary Sheffield - big bat, bad glove
16-20) Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Brady Anderson, Jim Thome, Ken Hill
21-25) Roberto Alomar, Steve Finley, Lance Johnson, Frank Thomas, Mark McGwire
26-29) Alex Fernandez, Charles Nagy, Juan Guzman, Ellis Burks
Here's the RPA rated top players with the runs produced above the median:8. neilsen Posted: September 05, 2016 at 02:24 PM (#5295422)
1. Gary Sheffield 64.68 runs
2. Mark McGwire 61.07 runs
3. Frank Thomas 60.54 runs
4. Barry Bonds 56.58 runs
5. Jeff Bagwell 56.42 runs
6. Jim Thome 48.27 runs
7. Albert Belle 44.80 runs
8. Mike Piazza 44.49 runs
9. Edgar Martinez 42.43 runs
10. Greg Maddux 41.87 runs
11. Brady Anderson 41.23 runs
12. John Smoltz 38.95 runs
13. Bernard Gilkey 36.53 runs
14. Ken Caminiti 36.16 runs
15. Alex Rodriguez 35.01 runs
16. Mo Vaughn 34.37 runs
17. Ken Griffey, Jr. 34.14 runs
18. Kevin Brown 33.39 runs
19. Pat Hentgen 32.75 runs
20. Roger Clemens 31.60 runs
21. Barry Larkin 30.97 runs
1996 Ballot :9. DL from MN Posted: September 06, 2016 at 09:47 AM (#5295628)
1. Barry Bonds
2. Alex Rodriquez
3. Ken Griffey Jr.
4 .Kevin Brown
5. Roger Clemens
6. Ken Caminiti
7. Barry Larkin
8. Jeff Bagwell
9. Mike Piazza
10. John Smoltz
11. Gary Sheffield
12. Ellis Burks
13. Jim Thome
14. Gary Maddux
neilsen - since you haven't voted in a while you should have some comments. Your ballot isn't that controversial but I would be interested to know why Clemens and not Pat Hentgen.10. EricC Posted: September 06, 2016 at 11:26 AM (#5295731)
1996 MMP ballot.11. DL from MN Posted: September 06, 2016 at 11:44 AM (#5295747)
1. Alex Rodriguez. Top SS and all-around MLB player.
2. Kevin Brown. Top pitcher.
3. Pat Hentgen. Top AL pitcher. Most MLB IP, but less effective than Brown.
4. Chuck Knoblauch. Top 2B, having his career year.
5. Barry Bonds. Top MLB OF.
6. Mike Piazza. Top C.
7. Ken Caminiti. Top 3B.
8. Roberto Alomar. My system likes 2B for some reason.
9. Ken Griffey Jr. Top CF; not sure about high defensive WAR.
10. John Smoltz. Next best P,
11. Greg Maddux. and his teammate.
12. Jeff Bagwell. Top 1B.
13. Albert Belle. Top AL LF.
14. Gary Sheffield. Top RF.
Voted recently, haven't voted yet: Tubbs, Binkley, John Murphy12. Tubbs is Bobby Grich when he flys off the handle Posted: September 06, 2016 at 12:44 PM (#5295785)
DL, I won't be putting in a ballot for this season. I tried to put one together earlier this week but couldn't put a good one together & will be far too busy the rest of the week, so do not extend the deadline for me13. John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: September 07, 2016 at 08:06 AM (#5296229)
I'll have something by today.14. Tubbs is Bobby Grich when he flys off the handle Posted: September 07, 2016 at 10:31 AM (#5296296)
I was able to take what I started & finish. One thing that stood out to me was how gawdy the power and walk totals got. With 94 & 95 being strike shortened we see the full effect here of power and patience overtake the game. The numbers are also getting sillier. No postseason bonus but small credit for playing on a Division-contender15. Michael J. Binkley's anxiety closet Posted: September 07, 2016 at 02:04 PM (#5296453)
1. A Rodriguez wow this kid is for real, I remember the MVP debate of him vs. Juan Gone & not being on a contender hurt
2. Bonds 40/40
3. Griffey
4. Knoblauch easy to forget how good this ding dong was
5. Caminiti
6. Larkin good as MVP but lost in shuffle of power hitters
7. K Brown sub 2.00 in this silly era
8. Bagwell very consistent like Griffey & Bonds
9. Smoltz
10.B Anderson
13.Piazza catcher bonus
Honorable mention: Gilkey, Burks, Sheffield, Maddux, Vaughan, Edgar, R Alomar
It is interesting how many of these top choices came from non-contenders
1996 MMP ballot:16. John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: September 07, 2016 at 02:25 PM (#5296469)
1. Barry Bonds
2. Alex Rodriguez - AL MMP
3. Ken Caminiti
4. Mike Piazza
5. Kevin Brown - MMPitcher
6. Jeff Bagwell
7. Ken Griffey Jr.
8. John Smoltz
9. Barry Larkin
10. Mark McGwire
11. Pat Hentgen - AL MMPitcher
12. Chuck Knoblauch
13. Greg Maddux
14. Jim Thome
15-20. Bernard Gilkey, Gary Sheffield, Tom Glavine, Brady Anderson, Ellis Burka, Roger Clemens.
Official 1996 MMP Ballot (no postseason bonuses):17. DL from MN Posted: September 07, 2016 at 04:15 PM (#5296525)
1) Ken Caminiti: Best ML player and third baseman.
2) Jeff Bagwell: Best ML first baseman.
3) Barry Bonds: Best ML left fielder.
4) Alex Rodriguez: Best ML shortstop and AL player.
5) Mike Piazza: Best ML catcher.
6) Chuck Knoblauch: Best ML second baseman.
7) Bernard Gilkey: Best NY Met.
8) Gary Sheffield: Best ML right fielder.
9) Barry Larkin: Best NL shortstop.
10) Mark McGwire: Best AL first baseman.
11) Ken Griffey, Jr: Best ML center fielder.
12) Kevin Brown: Best ML pitcher.
13) Roberto Alomar: Best Baltimore Oriole.
14) John Smoltz: Best Atlanta Brave.
Best AL pitcher: Pat Hentgen.
closed18. DL from MN Posted: September 07, 2016 at 04:34 PM (#5296536)
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Ramon L. Jimenez, MD, receives American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' highest leadership honor
NEW ORLEANS, La. (March 8, 2018)–The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today presented the 2018 William W. Tipton, Jr., MD, Leadership Award to Ramon L. Jimenez, MD from Monterey, Calif. at the Academy's 2018 Annual Meeting. With this award, Dr. Jimenez becomes the second person in the history of the Academy to win both the Tipton Leadership and the Diversity awards.
The Tipton Leadership Award recognizes Academy members who have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities which have benefitted the orthopaedic community, patients, and/or the American public. The award honors and celebrates the life, accomplishments and qualities of the late William W. Tipton, Jr., MD, an orthopaedic surgeon, educator and former AAOS chief executive officer.
Dr. Jimenez knew at an early age that he wanted to be a leader and emulate the role models and mentors he encountered throughout his childhood, education and career. As a second-generation Mexican-American, his parents instilled in him the importance of working hard, receiving a good education and assimilating, while remaining true to his culture.
Dr. Jimenez embraces the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield" as this sentiment has been a benchmark that has helped shape a career-long history of leadership focused on giving back to his profession, his heritage and the community.
During his career, Dr. Jimenez has worked diligently to advance important causes and initiatives that benefit his patients, colleagues and the profession, including his commitment to identifying and training the next generation of orthopaedic physician leaders. "Ramon has an unwieldly penchant for mentoring and developing leaders as part of his leadership processes," said Mitchel B. Harris, MD, Chair, AAOS Leadership Development Committee.
Embracing diversity in the orthopaedic work force is another passion for Dr. Jimenez. As a result, he was one of the founding members of the AAOS Diversity Advisory Board and oversaw efforts to improve patient care domestically and internationally by leading the development of the AAOS Culturally Competent Care curriculum.
"Ramon has an appreciation of his heritage and a unique ability to help his community understand the cultural and material challenges of diversity," said William J. Robb III, MD and the 2017 Tipton Award recipient.
In 2009, Dr. Jimenez, along with Alberto A. Bolanos, MD, founded and serves as president of the American Association of Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons with the mission to mentor young Latinos to a career opportunity in orthopaedics. Dr. Jimenez continues to serve as president of the organization.
Dr. Jimenez also served as the president of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation where he built partnerships and increased development funding by seven figures.
With deep ties to his hometown of San Jose, Calif., Dr. Jimenez has become very involved with The Foundation for Hispanic Education, which oversees three local charter high schools and provides education and resources to support English language learners and educators. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the organization and is the chair of the charter school committee.
"Ramon has the ability to bring people of divergent ideas together and quickly move everyone in the same direction," said Basil R. Besh, MD. "Through his influence and inherent charm, he's able to get people to see the big picture and focus on how an issue will be viewed in the future, rather than just in the moment."
Over the past 40 years, he has been involved and served the Academy at many levels including the Board of Directors, Board of Councilors, Leadership Fellows program, patient and public education, physician-patient communications, along with the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative.
Additionally, Dr. Jimenez has held leadership positions at the Western Orthopaedic Association, and the California Orthopaedic Association. He was chief of staff and on the board of trustees at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, and serves on boards at Santa Clara University, National Hispanic University and Palma High School.
"Bill Tipton was a very close friend of mine and to be given an award that embodies who he was as a person and a leader is an honor and a privilege," said Dr. Jimenez. "When Bill sat down with you and asked you to become more involved with an organization or initiative, you immediately wanted to echo his commitment and emulate the type of leader he was."
Dr. Jimenez founded and managed a five-person practice in San Jose for 35 years where he specialized in arthroscopy, reconstruction of hips and knees, and spine procedures. He is currently a senior consultant for an orthopaedic and sports medicine group in Monterey.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
With more than 38,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is the world's largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, champions and advances the highest quality musculoskeletal care for patients, and is the authoritative source of information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related issues.
For more information, contact:
Kayee Ip 847-384-4035 312-543-3211 email@example.com
Lauren P. Riley 847-384-4031 708-227-1773 email@example.com
Visit AAOS at:
Newsroom.aaos.org for bone and joint health news, stats, facts, images and interview requests.
ANationinMotion.org for inspirational patient stories, and orthopaedic surgeon tips on maintaining bone and joint health, avoiding injuries, treating musculoskeletal conditions and navigating recovery.
Orthoinfo.org for patient information on hundreds of orthopaedic diseases and conditions.


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So its summertime, yes!! Im sure you are like the rest of us and are loving the warmer weather and having fun in the sun and all that summertime brings like no school and going to the beach right? How about hot and humid weather? Probably not that part!! I think this is like the worst weather, because you cant hardly breath!! Oh No!! So what to do, head for the water, beach, anything to cool off!! Thats when we get desperate to feel relief, right?? So thats what we did, and probably what most mainers did too! I saw pics of friends on instagram, there were quite a few people at the lake we were at!!
Some of my first experiences with this type of weather was here in Maine!! In Washington we have a more drier heat, i feel its alittle more bearable even though the temps can get past the 100's although thats not comfortable either but this hot and humid is much worse in my mind… horrible actually, it doesn't help that you feel sticky all over too!! So after the ac didn't do much to cool our home we headed to the lake!! It was awesome and a wonderful idea!!
The beautiful thing about Maine is that there are rivers, lakes and beaches and the ocean, all under an 1hr drive away from where i live and for most people because the state is narrowly shaped and the amount of rivers and lakes and even ponds nearby!! It is a truly amazing thing, back home we had a river close by and the nearest lake was probably 2 hrs away!! It wasnt' our habit to get out much and enjoy nature either so it was a lose lose!! Lol!! But here in maine they even make provisions so you could enjoy the outdoors and lakes here in Maine!! The state even offers Park passes to state parks and some have beaches, like Sebago Lake 🙂 thats beautiful too!!
On this outing we went to Tripp Lake, situated outside of Mechanic Falls!! It's literally located off the side of the road!! Nothing fancy but so so nice for for anyone looking to just get out and cool off, also nice for families with kiddos because its a shallow part of the lake!! Unfortunately Pets were not allowed!! But Bruno loved being under the shade, much better than being hot at home, so my husband and i took turns watching him!! But he took a dip too before we went home at a place close to the public's place to swim 🙂
The kiddos just loved the cool water, playing and throwing sand, as you can see here!! Lol! It was so refreshing and awesome to cool off!!
The scenery was so pleasant, and so refreshing and green too!! I love the trees, grasses and bushes…we even caught the sun going down…it was a beautiful sunset, but it was alittle different because it seemed like a cloud caught the sun just right so it reflected off the water and gave the allusion of an amplified sunset!! It was gorgeous!!
So when it gets hot, drive to where there's water!! Getting outside and cooling off is a beautiful thing!! Love Maine, they dont call it vacationland for nothing!! Feeling pretty blessed to live here!! Hope your enjoying your summer, hope you can get out and enjoy nature in your area.. Im sure you can find places to visit near you and get out and enjoy the fresh air!!


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Think about the last time you had to learn something entirely new, which is now part of your daily routine. Maybe it was navigating the commute between home and work. Or coding, or maybe even learning to type.
Remember how long it took and how many mistakes you made? Remember how much thinking you had to do about it, and how tiring it was? But after lots of practice, it became easy and nowadays you don't even have to think about it, it just happens.
Everyone has an "operating system": a collection of habits and judgements created by the accumulation of experience which controls most of what you do most of the time. It's what allows people get to familiar places without getting lost, how experts discern real antiques from fake, and why you're able to get out of the way of an oncoming vehicle before you've even consciously registered what's happening.
Your subconscious operating system is fast, efficient, and best of all: cheap. "OS tasks" such as driving, brushing your teeth, and surfing the internet require so little effort you can probably do several of them at once.
Conscious work, on the other hand, is slow and expensive. It requires much more effort. Imagine if you had to do everything you need to do at the level of someone who was just learning how to do them. It would take forever! You probably wouldn't get much done.
So, out of necessity, we rely on our OS to handle most of our daily activity. But this also means that we spend most of our waking hours "on autopilot" – managed by a process that we are not aware of, nor have very much control over.
Everything that's happened for you until now contributes to the creation of this system and it will continue to evolve for as long as you live. You can either let it grow on its own or you can craft it intentionally – but either way it will develop and determine most of your acts and decisions.


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Here are some ideas to help you control the amount of time you spend on Social Media sites. A lot of the tips will help with Twitter and LinkedIn as well but I'm mostly referring to Facebook.
- Install a block on your computer to limit the time you are able to access sites: Leechblock is for Firefox, Cold Turkey is a similar programme for Windows and Self Control is for Macs.
- Unfollow people or pages you are just not interested in.
- You can unfollow friends and they won't know about it, so it's not as harsh as unfriending someone.
- Stop notifications – we get a little adrenalin rush when we hear or see that someone has noticed us, we can't help it, our brains do it. This can get addictive so if you stop the audible notifications at least it will help keep things under control.
- You can stop all notifications from everywhere if you like.
- Do you really know and like all your friends? It may be time for a kind cull.
- If a page you are not interested shows up in your newsfeed unlike it right then and there.
- Ignore requests to play games (you can hide them on your timeline).
- Ignore new friend requests unless you actually know and like them.


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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- F. Sherwood Rowland, the Nobel prize-winning chemist who sounded the alarm on the thinning of the Earth's ozone layer and crusaded against the use of man-made chemicals that were harming earth's atmospheric blanket, has died. He was 84.
Rowland died Saturday at his home in Corona del Mar of complications from Parkinson's disease, the dean of the University of California, Irvine's physical sciences department said Sunday.
"We have lost our finest friend and mentor," Kenneth C. Janda said in a statement. "He saved the world from a major catastrophe: never wavering in his commitment to science, truth and humanity and did so with integrity and grace."
Rowland was among three scientists awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize for chemistry for explaining how the ozone is formed and decomposed through chemical processes in the atmosphere.
The prize was awarded more than two decades after Rowland and his post-doctoral student Mario Molina calculated that if human use of chlorofluorocarbon, a byproduct of aerosol sprays, deodorants and other household products was to continue at an unaltered rate, the ozone layer would be depleted after several decades. Their work at UC Irvine built upon findings by atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen.
Their prediction caught enormous attention and was strongly challenged partly because CFC's non-toxic properties were thought to be environmentally safe. Their work gained widespread recognition more than a decade later with the discovery of the ozone hole over Earth's polar regions and leaders of nations worldwide began to act to ban or curb usage of the chemicals.
"It was to turn out that they had even underestimated the risk," a Nobel committee said in its award citation for Rowland, Molina and Crutzen.
Molina said his former mentor never shied from defending his work or advocating a ban on CFC.
"He showed me that if we believe in the science ... we should speak out when we feel it's important for society to change," Molina told the Associated Press.
His work on ozone depletion made Rowland a prominent voice for scientists concerned about global warming.
"Isn't it a responsibility of scientists, if you believe that you have found something that can affect the environment, isn't it your responsibility to do something about it, enough so that action actually takes place?" Rowland said at a White House climate change roundtable in 1997.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?" he asked.
Rowland, who was known by those who knew him as "Sherry," was survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Joan, a son and a daughter.


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WALKING THE SPIRITUAL PATH WEBINARS BEGIN TUESDAY 4/30. CLICK here for more info!
Welcome to the seventh day of the journey.
We continue with this week's kavannah (intention), which is
Waking Up.
(Journey of the Soul: Making the Omer Count is a project of Rabbi Jill Zimmerman and Rabbi Cindy Enger. To subscribe and receive each Omer day in your email, please click here.)
As Pesach moves to its close, so does the first week of the Omer. Beginnings and endings are powerful times. On this day, we arrive at the ending of this first part of our pilgrimage together and prepare to cross over into the next stage of our journey.
At this moment of transition, as we rest in the shelter of Shabbat, we share a blessing from Rabbi Sheryl Lewart (z''l), inspired by the biblical verse, "When you cross the Jordan you will find a place of refuge." (Numbers 35:10-11)
May you be blessed on your journey,
Finding comfort and refuge as you travel.
As you step into the strange
And become a stranger,
May each traveler, wanderer, and seeker you meet
Offer wisdom and empathy.
As you step into the unknown journey of your life,
May you be protected from all harm.
May you learn and grow from encounters
With gentle teachers and sympathetic guides.
May you hold onto the awareness that
You have the courage to walk away from difficult situations.
You will move towards compassion and clarity,
Awareness, and appreciation.
You will find answers and more questions.
May you find what you seek.
Rabbi Sheryl Lewart, Blessings for Life's Journey: Transformative
Meditations and Readings, (pages 30-31) *
Spiritual practice: This week has been about Waking Up. Spend some time in silent reflection or journaling what this week has kindled in you. Notice the feelings that arise and just breathe into whatever shows up: excitement, fear, anticipation, sadness, hope, joy…. Pay attention to whatever arises, and then gently return to your breath. Within each moment, we can always return to the constancy of our breath.
Sharing our experience: Every day, more and more people are signing up to join us on this Journey of the Soul. In the spirit of becoming a community of travelers, if you'd like to share something from your experience of receiving these emails, mindfulness practices, and counting, we'd love to hear from you. You can post on Rabbi Jill Zimmerman's Facebook page as a comment on the day's teaching or write us privately.
Blessing for Counting the Omer:
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha'Olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al sefirat ha'omer.
Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Holy One of Blessing, who makes us holy with sacred obligations and commands us to count the Omer.
Counting: Today is the seventh day, totaling one week of the Omer: Hayom shiva yamim, she-haim shavua ekhad la-omer.
Blessings to you on this new day. We are delighted to journey together. Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Cindy Enger and Rabbi Jill Zimmerman
email@example.com email@example.com
* We feel very honored to share Rabbi Lewart's blessing with you. Her beautiful book of blessings was published posthumously. She had completed the final draft of this book, a compilation of her life's work, in the last weeks of her life. Rabbi Sheryl Lewart passed away on November 30, 2012 three years after a recurrence of breast cancer.
Rabbi Lewart served as rabbi of Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, California, the largest Reconstructionist congregation in the world. She was a spiritual teacher who lectured and led workshops and seminars in Mystical Judaism.
We'd love for you to join us. To subscribe to our daily Omer emails, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/dpZm5r
*For more information on what the "Omer" is and why we "journey" and how we "count", click here


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A second Google A.I. researcher says the corporate fired her.
Two months after the horrific exit of a well-known artificial intelligence researcher at Google, a second AI researcher at the company said she was fired after criticizing the way employees were treated for alleviating bias and toxicity in their artificial intelligence combat systems.
Margaret Mitchell, known as Meg, one of the leaders of Google's Ethical AI team, posted a tweet Friday afternoon saying, "I'm fired."
Google confirmed that her employment relationship has ended. "After reviewing the conduct of this manager, we confirmed that there were several violations of our code of conduct," the company said in a statement.
The statement went on to claim that Dr. Mitchell violated the company's security guidelines by removing confidential documents and private employee data from the Google network. The company previously said Dr. Mitchell tried to remove such files, Axios news site reported last month.
Dr. Mitchell said Friday night that she would have public comment soon.
Dr. Mitchell's post on Twitter comes less than two months after Timnit Gebru, the other head of the Ethical AI team at Google, said she was fired from the company after criticizing its approach to minority attitudes as well as its approach to bias AI After the departure of Dr. Gebru from the company criticized Dr. Mitchell emphatically and publicly expressed Google's stance on the matter.
More than a month ago, Dr. Mitchell that she was banned from her work accounts. On Wednesday, she tweeted that she stayed locked out after trying to get Dr. Gebru who is black to defend.
"Exhausted from the endless deterioration to save the face of the upper crust in tech at the expense of minority minority careers," she wrote.
Dr. Mitchell's departure from the company was another example of the mounting tension between the top management of Google and the workforce, who are more open than those of other large companies. The news also highlighted a growing conflict in the tech industry over the bias around AI, linked to issues affecting the recruitment of employees in under-represented communities.
Today's AI systems can bear human prejudice because they learn their skills by analyzing large amounts of digital data. Because the researchers and engineers who build these systems are often white men, many fear that researchers are not paying this topic the attention it needs.
Google announced in a blog post yesterday that a company executive, Marian Croak, who is Black, will oversee a new group within the company dedicated to responsible AI


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If you caught the Lavinia stamps shows recently on Hochanda tv you will have been smitten like me with the tiny but mighty Pipin the bunny stamp! In today's project we see how even the smallest of feature images can take centre stage in some of our larger pieces.
Here are the stamps used:
The steps:
The process began as usual by creating a random inky background using a mix of brightly coloured ink sprays. Once sprayed on to the card and spritzed with water a clean dry piece of card is placed on top. When pulled apart two prints are revealed. I choose this one. I trimmed it down and could see that the light centre presented the perfect stage for Pipin.
To create a light source and a focal point for Pipin, I added a circle painted in white gesso. I then used my pastel pencils to blend in some colour.
I created a mask from copy paper for Pipin. I stamped him in dark yellow Versa Claire ink. I placed the mask over the top and then stamped the mushroom in the same ink behind him and just under the sun. I used water colour markers to build up the colour on Pipin leaving his head fairly light. I added colour to the mushroom and a light shadow underneath using my charcoal and pastel pencils. I added spots to the mushroom using a white gel pen.
Next I built up the scene stamping the mushrooms a number of times in the same ink but this time, second generation ( having stamped lightly on copy paper first to remove some of the ink). I also stamped using only part of the stamp by wiping off the ink of the larger mushroom to create variety. I used the mini mushroom too. The stamping in this area was lighter because it would be affected by sunlight. I used pastel pencils to emphasise the light and added a few whips of mist across the stems. The same applied to the stamping of the orchids. As well as using 3 colours of purple from pale to dark depending on how close to the sun, I also twisted the stems into curves to add extra movement. Later I lightly coloured them using clear mica ink for a little sparkle.
The stamping of the foreground mushrooms was achieved using the dark purple ink and some of the techniques from above. The idea was to have something to draw the eye up to the focal point of the picture. I added white gesso to their tops so that I could create a neutral canvas for adding colour. To colour I used a combination of paint pens and pastel pencils. I also added dots of colour about the foreground using the paint pens. The highlighting was done using my white gel pen. If you look closely you will also see that I added a tiny eye and nose to Pipin using a fine black liner pen.
Finally, the glitter was added.
Pipin certainly looks like a brave little bunny basking in the sun in the midst of his magical mushroom landscape…but he would equally be at home on a small card with a tiny touch of colour.
Till next time….


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Bob Moriarty
Jun 2, 2014
I mentioned two weeks ago that we were in a necessary and desirable correction. After dribbling sideways for the last couple of months, gold finally fell out of bed on Monday as it began the final bottoming process.
I've mentioned many times before the value of being able to measure investor sentiment using the ratio of the XAU over gold. I know of no one who has ever made a fortune doing squiggles on a chart. If the value of the dollar changes every single day, the value today cannot be the same as the value yesterday or 34 years ago so you are treating a curved value as a fixed value. If charting worked, we would all be rich. Likewise with fundamentals. At every top there are 100 fundamental reasons why you should buy. And at every bottom there are 100 fundamental reasons to sell. That's what makes tops and bottoms.
Markets move on the psychology of investors. Investors are a herd and when they all want to buy, you should sell to them. When they all want to sell, you should buy from them. Right now investors hate gold. When you have major banks telling people "don't be tempted to buy gold mining stocks" when they are at the lowest prices relative to gold in history, you are seeing a giant buy signal.
As the chart of the XAU over gold shown below shows, we had a low for gold and gold shares in late June of 2013, another test in December of 2013 and another retest now. The ratio is actually lower than it was in June and slightly above where it was in December. In either June or December, the signal provided an excellent opportunity to invest in resource stocks if you were then willing to take a profit two to three months later. Most investors won't take a profit, they want to sell at new lows and buy at new highs.
(Click on images to enlarge)
Even Kitco and that has to be the home of the gold bugs, came out with their weekly survey showing 2/3 of respondents being negative on gold.
Savvy investors should remember back in December, the Wall Street Journal did a hatchet piece on Eric Sprott at about the same time CNBC set up Frank Holmes to show how stupid gold investors are. That's one of the 100 fundamental reasons for selling gold that you see at a bottom. They hate gold so you should. Actually if you are savvy, that's a giant buy signal.
My temptation is to say the July bottom that everyone is calling for may come earlier than expected. Remember, Mr Market does whatever he has to do to prove the biggest number of investors wrong. When you absolutely for certain know where the market is going to go, you will be wrong.
I made a one day trip to Burkina Faso a little while ago to see the mine groundbreaking for True Gold at their Karma Gold mine. I met Dwayne Melrose when he was country manager for Minco Silver over six years ago in China. He has an interesting habit of under prompting and over delivering. That's quite refreshing in the mining business.
He's brought that habit over to True Gold. When I first visited the project a year ago they were talking about producing some 70,000 ounces of gold a year. With the drill results they were reporting that were not included in the 43-101 it seemed obvious that they had a lot more ounces than they were reporting. I was right, they have updated their 43-101 and are now talking 97,000 ounces a year production over an 8.5 year mine life at a 43% IRR.
But even a casual look at their resources shows a lot more gold in the ground. Their indicated resources of transition and sulfide material show an additional 1.9 million ounces. Toss in the inferred resources that they can increase the quality of by more drilling and you have another 2.3 million ounces of gold. They are now talking about increasing capacity and perhaps an additional leach pad and production of as much as 140,000 ounces a year. That would be nice.
I like the habit of understating expected results. Their feasibility study called for an initial capex of $131.5 million. Dwayne and his crew have completed their detailed engineering and construction-level design work and come up with $9.7 million in savings over their initial figures. In a world where 100% cost overruns are common, it's refreshing for surprises to be the nice kind.
I happen to be a big fan of Mark O'Dea and his stable of companies. He was the brains behind Fronteer and subsequent sale to Newmont for $2.3 billion. Today he is the Executive Chairman of both Pilot Gold and True Gold. Based on what I know about him he is better at monetizing assets than anyone in the mining business. He knows how to raise money and how to hire and keep the best teams in the business.
True Gold has the equity necessary to build the Karma Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. With groundbreaking taking place in May of 2014, the company has an 18-month time line to commercial production that is expected by the end of 2015. The project has an all-in cash cost of about $720 per ounce of gold and a remarkable 43.1% IRR at $1250 gold. With gold at $1350, the IRR goes slightly over 50% and at $1500 gold almost 60% IRR.
As a result of recent fund-raising, TGM has $63 million in cash. Their next step will be to set up a debt facility to finish the mine. I see them continuing to drill and upgrade their existing resource as well as to move forward briskly into production.
As a result of the price of gold going down, everyone has slowed the pace of going into production. The Karma Mine of True Gold will be one of the few opportunities to invest in near term production. The price has been held down by the certainty of needing to raise equity but that is past.
True Gold Mining has one of the best technical teams in the world and has the strongest management people. Expect them to continue to surprise in a good way and look forward to the first gold pour in about 18 months.
True Gold is an advertiser and as such I am biased. As always you are responsible for your own due diligence.
True Gold Mining
TGM-V $.375 (May 30, 2014)
RVREF-OTCBB 397.5 million shares
True Gold Mining website
Bob Moriarty
321gold Ltd


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During the year 2020 the last pruning management cycle within the framework of the LIFE SARMIENTO project is being developed. The vineyards pruning waste is being managed for its transformation into compost. After the last collection of vine shoots, they were stored at the collection points and after being chopped and transported to the transformation site, they are currently in the composting phase.
During composting, the temperature and humidity are monitored to determine the moment of turning, the addition of water and microorganisms. The inoculated microorganisms favour the decomposition of the pruning waste and give the final product biostimulant and biofertilizing capacities.
Four years after the beginning of the project, more than 1,152,530 kilos of vine shoots have been managed to prevent their burning in more than 400 hectares corresponding to the Bullas PDO, thus avoiding the emission of more than 2,900 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere and contributing to the mitigation of climate change.
The application of compost to the soil contributes in turn to slowing its degradation, improving its fertility, biodiversity, resistance to erosion and its yield, which increases its capacity to adapt to climate change.