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Australian Journal of Education
Article Title
Rethinking our assumptions about teachers' job satisfaction in China and the West
This study examined job satisfaction among schoolteachers in Beijing and compared the findings with what is known from the English-language literature. The Chinese teachers, like their Western counterparts, found satisfaction in student progress and a supportive teaching environment but they enjoyed close collaboration with colleagues in executing their duties, welcomed government intervention, and were content to stay out of school governance—arrangements teachers in the West might find unacceptable. The pattern of job satisfaction among Chinese public schoolteachers was similar to the many Western private schoolteachers, and the Chinese private schoolteachers' pattern of job satisfaction more like that of Western public schoolteachers. The findings reveal considerable commonalities in what is satisfying to the Chinese and Western teachers but also major differences. These contrasting findings underscore cultural diversities among teachers in different societies, point to the need to go beyond labels (public/private) to examine school structures, and raise the possibility that policies proven successful in one situation may not work in another.
Recommended Citation
Kwong, Julia; Wang, Haiping; and Clifton, Rodney A.
"Rethinking our assumptions about teachers' job satisfaction in China and the West,"
Australian Journal of Education: Vol. 54:
2, Article 1.
Available at: https://research.acer.edu.au/aje/vol54/iss2/1


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What makes you beautiful? In the modeling world, beauty means perfect facial features and a tall, lean body. By perfect, they mean a perfectly symmetrical face. The eyes cannot be too close together or too wide apart, the mouth cannot be too big or too small, the eyebrows have to be just so. And don't forget the nose; a big or crooked nose is just not acceptable.
This reminds me of the old Jennifer Aniston vs Angelina Jolie debate. Which one is more beautiful? If you asked Ms. Aniston, she would probably say Ms. Jolie is. Technically, according to the criteria above, Angelina is probably more beautiful. On the outside. What the Jennifer fans know though is that external beauty is not always the most attractive quality one can possess.
In my opinion, beauty lies within regardless of what the outside looks like. Beauty is not just skin deep. I remember my mother offering the advice "looks will only get you the first five minutes, after that you're on your own." At the time I was a teenager, getting ready for a dance, so that advice fell on deaf ears. It did sink in eventually though.
Those who spend all their time preening for a camera and need constant reassurance of how beautiful they are seem too shallow for my liking and are not so beautiful. The song "You don't know you're beautiful" followed by "That's what makes you beautiful!" by One Direction proves I'm not the only one that thinks so.

subset: commoncrawl


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Recently, I worked on a new Resco implementation for one of our clients. During UAT, their end users saw a lot of possibilities with the Global Maps. Many of their users do a significant amount of traveling, visiting existing customers or working new leads. They really appreciate that they can look up a customer and see all of the other customers that are located nearby; then they can plan to make more stops because they will already be in the area.
In order to get the most out of the map, end users asked if we could display different colored map pins depending on fields on the account record. The specific request was to display different colors based on the combined values of two option sets. For example, if Option Set 1 = Value 1 and Option Set 2 = Value 1 display a blue pin, if Option Set 1 = Value 1 and Option Set 2 = Value 2 display a green pin, etc.
While researching online, I found this YouTube video. The video was created by Resco to explain Maps in Resco Mobile CRM. In the video Lukás Lesko explains many topics, including how to add a custom map pin based on the value of a single Option Set by passing the value of the option set to the map pin control of the view used on the map. This is a great solution assuming you only want to display dynamics pins based on a single option set. What if you want to display different pins based on a range of a currency field (like Annual Revenue), or a whole number field (like Number of Employees, or a combination of two option sets (like I was tasked to do)? Taking some inspiration from the aforementioned video, specifically the "Static Custom Map Pin" part, I came up with my own idea which worked out great and can be used for any criteria you can think of.
- Source your map pin images.
- In my case, I needed 6 different color map pins. Resco was nice enough to provide me with PNG files of the map pins that come with Resco by default, which was great since I would not have to worry about playing with the scale of the images (by the way they are 64 Pixels by 105 Pixels). I then copied the pins and recolored pixel by pixel in MS Paint until I had the 6 colors the users wanted. If you don't want to have to create your own images, there are some websites online where you can buy different icons, including map pins, like ICONFINDER or your marketing department might be able to help you source your map pin images.
- Import your images into your Resco Project
- There is a walkthrough in the Resco Webinar but the process is fairly simple.
- Open Woodford
- Navigate to Images
- **Optional. Click on Directories on the right, then New Directory. Make sure there are no spaces in your directory name
- Click Add
- Select your Directory
- Leave Platform as Common Images
- Leave DPI XHDPI
- Add a Name
- Click on the symbol and find your image
- Click add
- There is a walkthrough in the Resco Webinar but the process is fairly simple.
- Open the view that is used for the Global Map
- Most of the time your view will only have 1 row, add a map pin the row. It should look something like this:
- Now clone this row as many times as needed. In my case I cloned the row 5 times, giving me a total of 6 identical rows.
- Click On and define the criteria which determines which row is used for each record. This step is where this approach is better than the one in the webinar since you can define pretty much any criteria. If you can define your criteria in an advanced find you should be able to replicate it here.
- Click through your rows and changed the map pin Binding to the image you want to use. In the screen shot above I am using the image that I added to my directory called CustomImages.customGreyPin.png
- Save and Publish
Now when you look at the Global Map in Resco, you will see that the map pin used for each record is the pin that you defined for the row that matches the criteria you specified in the Row Script. My previous blog post has a screen shot example showing four different dynamic pins on the Resco Global Map.
If you've been having any issues with the Resco Global Map zooming in, or your current location or map pins not displaying, take a look at my previous blog post.
For more information about getting the most out of your Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution, contact our experts at RSM 855-437-7202 or check out our Microsoft Dynamics Community News Publication.
by Steve Trefz for RSM


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"If a creative person has a sense of humor, a sense of style and a certain amount of stubbornness, he finds a way to do what he needs to in spite of the obstacles."
© 2000 Nita Leland
|email:Nita Leland
|© 1998-2012 Nita Leland All Rights Reserved.
|Webmaster:Amy Elieff Brown


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Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has held crisis talks with the club this week after reports claim that the apparent interest from Real Madrid has seriously turned his head, according to The Sun.
Mats Hummels Man United latest: Borussia Dortmund star to reject move to Old Trafford
Man Utd set to swoop on star Ajax gloveman as replacement for David De Gea
Man United to make last ditch £250,000-per-week attempt to keep David de Gea
The 24-year-old had looked to be heading back to the Spanish capital at the end of the season, but the crowd's reaction during last weekend's 1-1 draw with Arsenal has now left him torn over what to do.
The Old Trafford faithful chanted 'David de Gea, we want you to stay' throughout the game, and his decision will not be helped by the fact the he picked up the Players' Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards last week.
De Gea has now consulted with representatives from the club as well as members of his family over what to do, though it is thought that he is still edging towards making the move to Real with a deal likely to be made next week.
United have tried desperately to convince him to stay by offering a new deal worth £250,000-per-week.


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Our experience in helping our customers choose the right garments for their specific needs has helped us build a solid reputation since we started trading back in 1987. We are always happy to advise the best solution for your needs, here are some Frequently Asked Questions. If you have a question that isn't listed, simply call us!
Yes we supply an extensive range of clothing to suit your needs. We can also embroider and print goods supplied by customers in some cases.
Ordering is easy; by telephone, email, fax, or arrange to visit us and discuss things. We will help you every step of the way and guide you to ensure you get exactly what you need.
Our standard lead times vary between 7 and 20 workings days (depending on what is ordered) and we offer an Express Service if you needs things delivered fast. Fast approvals and payments speed things up - it's safe to say most customers can expect a delivery within 2 weeks on most occasions.
We can best advise on positions for your logo. Chest, sleeve, back - think about what you wear the uniform with and the impression you want to make, we can send visuals to you of your logo in different positions - making it a simple decision. (Remember you can have the logo in more than one position!)
Both applications have benefits and it really depends on two main factors - your logo and the size you need it to be. Embroidery is suited for breast size logos, printing for larger format branding. We can advise what will give your logo the best look.
Our range online is by no means comprehensive. We couldn't possibly show all the garments we have at our availability - we regularly source specific products for customers who need something different or require exact specifications.
We advise you try garments on for size and refer to size guides we can make available. We provide samples if they are required. Once garments are decorated, unless faulty, cannot be returned or changed without charge.
Yes. If you cannot or prefer not to collect, we offer a courier service via UPS. Traceable online you will have a tracking number and can follow your order from when it leaves us to when it gets to you. Carriage is charged, look out for occasional 'Free Carriage' offers.
Most commonly this is done by email. We can accept your logo in most formats. For embroidery we can work with any image from bitmap to Jpeg, or business card or letterhead. We have an Artwork Guide to help you along. Save money and avoid artwork charges by sending us Vector Graphics such as Adobe Illustrator or EPS.
Our Mix and Match Policy helps you get the best price for every order. Select any garments included in our mix and match offer, select your personalisation option, and receive our bulk purchase discount! Minimum product quantity applies. The more you order, the better the price - we have several price bands with pricing!
We never proceed with any application until you have signed a pre-production proof. We always ask for approval on repeat orders, just in case your logo has changed. We will work to your exact requirements and advise the best method to get you the best result.
We open Monday to Thursday 9am till 5pm, we do not close for lunch. Fridays we are open 9am till 4pm.
We do work most Saturdays but do not always open the Trade Counter. A telephone call to check is the best method - we will be as helpful as always to try and accommodate your needs!
Yes of course. We offer help and advice on all aspects of artwork, as well as offering a design and redraw service, making sure you logo looks tip top.
Every garment is folded and bulk packed free of charge. We do our bit for the environment and no longer individually bag garments, however, it is a service we offer, from as little as 10p per item.
You will receive a PDF copy of a Sales Order for your approval/reference. If you do spot a discrepancy simply contact us and we can amend anything prior to production.
Call us and we will be happy to help! We have excellent lead times and can get you your items quickly and efficiently.


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Residencia Machado offers the best rates all the year.
|Occupation for 1 - 2 adults
|25,00 CUC/day
|Supplement 3rd adult
|5,00 CUC/day
|Supplement 4th adult
|5,00 CUC/day
|Less than 14 years, (free)
0,00 CUC/day
|Month (ask owner)
|--,-- CUC/month
|Occupation for 1-2 adults
|20,00 CUC/day
|Supplement 3rd adult
|5,00 CUC/day
|Less than 14 years, (free)
|0,00 CUC/day
|We accept payment in currency (euro, dollar, pound) and bank transfer.
If you need to cancel or change the reservation, please let us know as soon as possible. The House is available upon arrival and must get off to 12:00 hours on the day of departure.
Reservations by phone
Make a booking could not be easier. Call us at 00 34 649579526
00 Mobile (53) 54070956 00 fixed (53) 21641137
Reservations online
You can also make a reservation through our website. Use our contact form and make your reservation right now.
Also by sending us an email to one of the following addresses:
einymachadohotmail.es or ilianamfnauta.cu


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Permanent secretaries reassigned
Felex Share Herald Reporter—-
PRESIDENT Mugabe has appointed and reassigned 24 permanent secretaries to match the reorganisation and reconfiguration of Government ministries in the wake of the swearing in of Cabinet ministers recently.The new Cabinet, dubbed Team Zanu-PF, has 26 ministers and 24 portfolios.
The move saw 23 officials being retained as permanent secretaries, with a few being reassigned.
Chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda said in a statement yesterday that the appointments were made in terms of Section 205 (1) of the Constitution.
He said the new appointments were on performance contracts.
"In terms of the new Constitution, permanent secretaries are appointed on performance contracts and their reappointment is dependent upon good performance in line with the results-based management system which is now guiding the operations of the new Government.
"Those former permanent secretaries whose names are not on the list of those appointed are advised to immediately contact the chairman of the Civil Service Commission," Dr Sibanda said.
Dr Thokozile Chitepo, who was a principal director in the then Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, has been appointed permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Those retained are Mr George Charamba (Information, Media and Broadcasting Services), Dr Washington Mbizvo (Higher and Tertiary Education), Mr Melusi Matshiya (Home Affairs), Mrs Abigail Shonhiwa (Industry and Commerce), Mrs Sophia Tsvakwi (Lands and Rural Resettlement), Mr Willard Manungo (Finance), Ambassador Joey Bimha (Foreign Affairs), Dr Gerald Gwinji (Health and Child Welfare), Mr Martin Rushwaya (Defence), Mrs Eveline Ndlovu (Small, Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development), Mr Partson Mbiriri (Energy and Power Development), Mr Munesu Munodawafa (Transport and Infrastructural Development), Engineer Samuel Kundishora (Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services), and Mr Killian Mupingo (Local Government, Public Works and National Housing).
Mrs Virginia Mabhiza previously with the Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs ministry is now permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
Mrs Constance Chigwamba moves from the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture to that of Primary and Secondary Education.
Mr Ngoni Masoka has been moved to the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Ministry from the then Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development.
He was replaced by Mr Ringson Chitsiko who is coming from the then Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management.
Dr Perpetua Gumbo, who was permanent secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, is now in the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development.
The Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Development permanent secretary is Mr George Magosvongwe who was in the same ministry when it was the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment.
The new Tourism and Hospitality Industry permanent secretary is Ms Florence Nhekairo, who was in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
She takes over from Mrs Margaret Sangarwe who has been dropped.
Mr Prince Mupazviriho has been moved from the Mines and Mining Development Ministry to Environment, Water and Climate.
He was replaced by Professor Francis Gudyanga who was in the then Ministry of Science and Technology Development.
Those dropped include Mr David Munyoro (National Housing and Social Amenities), Labour and Social Services secretary Mr Lancaster Museka, Engineer George Mlilo (National Housing), Mr Tedious Chifamba (Regional Integration and International Co-operation), Mr Elias Mutowo (State Enterprises and Parastatals).
Others are Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango (Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development), Mr David Mangota (Justice and Legal Affairs) who was appointed High Court judge last December and Dr Desire Sibanda (Economic Planning and Investment Promotion).


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If you're reading this, you probably know that I'm obsessed with longevity. But to really understand longevity, you must understand metabolic health, insulin resistance and, by extension, one of its end-results: type 2 diabetes (T2D). Though my medical practice does not focus on type 2 diabetes, I have taken care of several patients with T2D over the past few years. When I was in medical school I was taught many things about T2D, but one stands out most: T2D is incurable, I was told. Once you have it, you've always got it, and the best one can do is "manage" it as a chronic—but irreversible—condition.
But is this really true? Asked another way, is T2D reversible?
My obsession is partly due to my personal journey to better metabolic health, which I've documented elsewhere on this blog, and spoken about publicly. But those facts alone, don't fully explain why I wanted to be involved with Virta Health (I'll get to them shortly). T2D is a massive societal problem that has the potential to literally bankrupt countries: More than 29 million Americans have T2D and more than 80 million are pre-diabetic. And whether you view it through the lens of population health, or the lens of an individual patient, T2D is perhaps the biggest healthcare challenge of our generation.
At the population level, T2D costs Americans more than $300 billion per year: one of every three Medicare dollars is spent on T2D, and one of every six healthcare dollars is spent on T2D. At the individual level, patients and payers (employers and insurance companies) spend thousands of dollars (often more than $10,000) in annual expenses for medications and procedures with significant side effects, and much higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, blindness, amputation and kidney disease.
The traditional approach—which is clearly not working—is to "manage" this chronic condition with medications and the ever-ubiquitous "eat-less-avoid-fat-exercise-more" lifestyle interventions. At best, this approach only slows down the progression of the disease. Furthermore, many diabetes drugs have their own side-effects and diabetes management has a dismal diabetes reversal rate of about 1%. To date, the only clinically proven way to reverse T2D has been bariatric surgery, which is costly and not without risk. If one great thing has come from bariatric surgery, besides the obvious help to those have been successfully treated, it is that any physician or scientist paying attention to the results can't help but notice that the reversal of T2D in these patients post-operatively seems uncoupled from their weight loss. In other words, adiposity, while correlated with T2D, is not likely the cause.
Every doctor has his (or her) "Patient 0"—the one who really got him (or her) thinking. I'd like to introduce you to mine, RB. When I met RB, he was a 37 year-old Mexican man with a family history of T2D who had a "high" glucose level on a screening blood test. His two-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is below.
You don't have to read these for a living to see this isn't ideal. As you can see, his fasting glucose was 258 mg/dL and his fasting insulin, 30 uU/mL. When given 75 g of glucose, his glucose rose to 344 mg/dL at 60 minutes and 408 mg/dL at 120 minutes, all the while his insulin level fell from 30 to 24 to 23. These numbers alone confirm the diagnosis of T2D. But if we needed more evidence, his HbA1C was 9.7%, corresponding to an average blood glucose of 232 mg/dL (today the diagnosis of T2D is defined by HbA1C >= 6.5%, but I much prefer to use OGTT).
Ordinarily, for a patient with this degree of disease and beta-cell fatigue, I would have opted for at least two drugs, metformin (cheap) and a DPP4 inhibitor (not cheap) and most doctors would have gone straight to insulin, as well. However, due to the patient's financial circumstances, we opted to only use metformin and dietary modification. The patient worked very long hours in construction and, frankly, was pretty much exercising all day, so there was no way adding more exercise to his day was going to work. If we were going to fix him, it had to be through nutrition. I spoke with one of my mentors, Dr. Naji Torbay, a remarkable endocrinologist who has the largest diabetes reversal program in Dubai and Lebanon, about this case. Even he thought it would be tough, but he'd reversed cases like this, so we gave it a shot.
What happened over the next 5 months surprised me, as even I did not anticipate the alacrity of RB's reversal. Below is a snap shot of RB's labs from March 1, 2016 about 5 months after the OGTT, above. On the right side you can see the results from September 28, 2015, including the HbA1C of 9.7%, the fasting glucose of 258 mg/dL, and the fasting insulin of 30 uU/mL (HOMA-IR calculated at 19.1).
As you can see, the HbA1C fell to 5.3%—that's even below the threshold of pre-diabetes—and the fasting glucose and insulin fell to 102 and 10, respectively (HOMA-IR calculated at 2.5).
RB doesn't have diabetes any more. RB will avoid the amputations that destroyed the lives of his family. RB will not die prematurely from heart disease in his 50s. RB got a new lease on life.
If you think I'm telling you this story to impress you, you're mistaken. Countless doctors (though not enough) know how to do what I did with RB—it's actually simple biochemistry, and if a former surgeon like me can learn it, certainly anyone can, as long as one has the ability to frequently and safely manage medications and guide necessary behavior change. But sadly, most people like RB don't have this option, and even if I and countless other doctors devoted the rest of our lives to helping everyone like RB out there, we could not put a dent in this problem, which is where Virta Health comes in.
Disclosure: I am an advisor to Virta Health and I have invested in the company, because I believe their approach is the best one to solve this problem—not the other way around.
Is it possible to deliver systematic diabetes reversal results (like the case above) safely, sustainably, and at scale among average diabetics?
Of course, even with the correct biochemical/nutritional approach, there are number of challenges to make T2D reversal possible at scale:
- Eliminating diabetes medications safely requires day-to-day (not monthly) careful adjustments by a physician. This is not how physicians work and would not be cost-efficient.
- Anything nutrition related requires a very high degree of individualization based on health status, lifestyle preferences and other life circumstances. For the 1% DIY'ers (who probably disproportionally read blogs like this one) any extreme approach can work, but at a population level, it won't be enough.
- Both the patient and physician would need near real-time biomarker (e.g., CGM) data to adjust meds and the overall intervention. [By the way, I get asked all the time—mostly on Twitter—what CGM is…for those about to ask, here you go.]
- All behavior change and lifestyle interventions have failed at scale because only a small fraction of the population is able to DIY through complex decisions in today's environment and life circumstances. This would require a near real time "personal coach" who can address any situation (e.g., family struggle, travel, new job, holidays).
It appears that we may be a step closer to somebody solving this challenge. Today, the first results of a T2D reversal clinical trial were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research that show a promising new way to look at T2D: it is reversible in a large percentage of average patients, safely and sustainably. The trial was conducted by Virta Health, an online diabetes reversal clinic, which uses technology and artificial intelligence to solve the above mentioned care delivery challenges. The entire intervention is managed by physicians and the nutritional approach is based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis (which I've written about extensively in the past and throughout this blog).
The trial took place in Lafayette, IN, in partnership with Indiana University Health. A total of 262 women and men with T2D enrolled in the Virta Clinic. Average age was 54 (Stdev: 8); BMI 40.8 (Stdev: 8.9) and two-thirds of the patients were female. The trial will continue for at least two years, and data from the first 70 days were published today.
After just ten weeks:
- 56% of the diabetics enrolled achieved an HbA1C below the diabetic range (6.5%), while eliminating hypoglycemic medications
- Almost 90% of insulin users had it either completely eliminated (close to 40%) or reduced
- Mean body mass reduction was just over 7%, which is quite significant, but also shows that diabetes can be reversed before massive weight loss (i.e., it's not the obesity that causes type 2 diabetes, which is consistent with the gastric bypass literature)
- Patient completion rate was >90%, which is remarkably high in an outpatient-based intervention.
- Reported feelings of hunger decreased from the pre-trial level (this seems to be a strong indication that will-power driven caloric restriction was not a factor in weight loss)
- Importantly, there were no serious adverse events, no incidence of symptomatic hypoglycemia, and no incidents of ketoacidosis.
The trial is ongoing with one-year data expected to be published shortly.
Yes, this is only one clinical trial and 70 days is not very long, but these data force us to consider that there is another way to look at T2D: it is not a chronic condition that gets progressively worse. With the combination of the right science and technology, it can be reversed at scale and among average diabetics. Clearly we need to look at the long-term success, and see many more patients succeed safely, but this is more promising than anything I have ever seen. I've seen some of the preliminary 1+ year analysis and the results look very impressive. I look forward to sharing them as they become publicly available.
If you are interested, you can learn more about Virta and their diabetes reversal science here. I'm excited to be a very small part of this organization and I look forward to the day when every patient with T2D at least has the chance to try an approach that can potentially reverse their condition.


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Morehouse's offense has been clicking on all cylinders this season, and that continued on Saturday.
It came away with a blowout win over Central State, winning its home opener 41-14. Morehouse is now 3-0 on the season.
Central State took control early after an 82-yard drive that was finished by a one-yard run by Jerry Lanier. Morehouse immediately marched down the field on a 61-yard drive that was capped off by a Santo Dunn three-yard run.
But after that, the Maroon Tigers upped their game and went to work on Central State.
Morehouse put up 31 unanswered points after CSU's first touchdown drive in the 1st Quarter. The Maroon Tigers were lighting up the scoreboard while Central State was lighting up the turnover side of the stat sheet.
.@MaroonTigers with a TD and they lead @GO_MARAUDERS 17-7 at halftime pic.twitter.com/dGk2GUZhNc
— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) September 15, 2018
Despite going 16 for 29 with 291 yards and one touchdown; CSU QB Trent Mays threw three interceptions in the contest. After two of those interceptions, Morehouse scored on their following possessions. Mandrick Ray picked off Mays twice and Detrick Vanover grabbed one pick as well.
As the Maroon Tiger defense was putting in work, so was the offense. Quarterback Michael Sims threw for 227 yards while competing for 23 out of his 36 passes. He added one more TD in the air and ground respectively. Santo Dunn also added two TD's on the ground.
The Beast in the East might be @MorehouseFB they lead @GO_MARAUDERS 31-7 late in the 3Q. pic.twitter.com/x1BsUrtoyP
— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) September 15, 2018
Overall, Morehouse was effective on every side of the ball. They will be looking to keep that same consistency as they face Miles in the Chicago Football Classic this week. The Maroon Tigers defeated Miles last year by only three points. Although Miles is currently 0-3, they always play Morehouse very tough.


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October 27th, 2012
Enter here for a chance to win a 1-week for 2 to any Transat Holidays South destination. I have a new goal. I want to win one trip per year for the next…let's say…rest of my life. And I'd like to start with this one. Good Luck!
Entry Frequency: single
Age: age of majority
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This Friday Buff Monster's Mister Melty and his undead twin Zombie Mister Melty return in a new killer looking glow in the dark colorway! Both versions were cast in GID soft Japanese vinyl, and will be available in both unpainted and painted editions. The Painted Glow in the Dark Mister Melty figures will be hand painted by Buff in a variety of sprays with a glossy finish. Each figure stands 3" tall and comes bagged with a header.
All four Mister Melty colorways go on sale at 10am EDT this Friday, March 27th, at the Buff Monster online store. The Unpainted Edition figures will retail for $30 each, while the Painted Edition will retail for just $5 more ($35 each). If you order both of the painted figures (Original and Zombie), Buff will throw in a free unpainted glow in the dark 2-Faced head!


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The physical forces acting upon bullets travelling through water are very different from those acting upon bullets travelling through air due to the much higher friction of the liquid medium. This fact allowed Norwegian physicist Andreas Wahl to shoot himself with a rifle in a pool and survive as shown in the video below.
Firing guns underwater produces interesting effects that are explored in the video below by Destin from the YouTube channel SmarterEveryday. He shoots an AK-47 rifle underwater and explains some of the science involved in the effects.
Several approaches have been used to increase the distance that bullets can travel underwater from the APS underwater riffle to supercavitating ammo.
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September 2023


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Two weeks ago I made my third and final visit of 2014 to the brilliant Dodford Manor in Northamptonshire. I was there to photograph Ash and Andy's wedding which was held in the beautifully converted barns at the venue. We were incredibly lucky to have a day with dry weather as in the days leading up to the event the country had been battered by high winds and horizontal rain.
The ceremony, which was held in the Mortain Barn, was a lovely affair with friends and family travelling from as far as the USA to be there for Ash and Andy's big day. Ash looked stunning in her Maggie Sottero "Bernadette" dress from Special Occasions in Stanford Le Hope, Essex. The bridesmaids wore dresses from David's Bridal and the groomsmen's suits were from Moss Bros. The bridal party's hair and make-up was by Ella de la Victoria and the wonderful flowers were by Jack Haddon of Northampton.
After the ceremony everyone headed into the Oak Barn for the wedding breakfast. The bride and groom had organised a host-a-roast, which is a traditional roast dinner with all the trimmings carved ceremonially by a guest "server" at each table. This proved to be great entertainment as the guest carvers tackled the incredibly crispy cracking on the pork roasts.
Once the speeches were finished (I really shouldn't mention radishes) and the cake cut the guests were entertained by the band High Frequency, who kept the dance floor packed until the small hours. Here's a few pictures from Ash and Andy's wonderful wedding . . .


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Sunday, September 30, 2018
Laissez faire
[Daily Abstraction 218093001. Painting available].
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Feet on the ground
Besides, this saying surely is a great life motto!
[Daily Abstraction 218092901. Painting available].
Friday, September 28, 2018
Can you sleep at night? Or are you afraid of things that may happen when you're asleep? Afraid of people doing things you are not aware of; things you don't see. At the same time there are people risking their lives to prevend terrible things to happen.
Last night this became perfectly clear as the Dutch police arrested a group of 7 terrorists before they could carry out their violent plans.
Sleep well...
[Daily Abstraction 218092801. Painting available].
Thursday, September 27, 2018
And maybe creativity. perseverence and a range of skills. I love order but I'm also a firm believer of chaos and coincidence.
So why the golden square in a field of chaotic, rounded shapes? You figure it out. As I don't have the knowledge to answer that question.
[Daily Abstraction 218092701. Painting available].
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Antartic realm
[Daily Abstraction 218092601. Painting available].
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Ray of light
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available].
Monday, September 24, 2018
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available].
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Roses are red?
When seasons change, plants change their colors. This pickleweed, growing in salty marshlands, becomes beautiful red. Have a look at some photos of 'the real stuff' below. I'll tell you, not only roses are red!
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available].
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available].
Memory Lane
[Daily Abstraction 218092201. Painting available].
Friday, September 21, 2018
What´s your story
It's like the paint in the sand on the background; its just floating around going nowhere. But boy if it only could tell us its story...
[Daily Abstraction 218092101. Painting available].
Thursday, September 20, 2018
[Daily Abstraction 218092001. Painting available].
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Sunken forest
[Daily Abstraction 218091901. Painting available].
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Tears of joy
[Daily Abstraction 218091801. Painting available].
Monday, September 17, 2018
In a flash
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].
Sunday, September 16, 2018
New kid
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].
Saturday, September 15, 2018
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].
Friday, September 14, 2018
Spectacular wood
Wait a minute... What are you babbling boy?
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].
Thursday, September 13, 2018
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Roxanne... you don't have to...
Oh no, no, no... Reading or hearing the name Roxanne is all it takes to instantly remember the song by The Police. And you know what? Umm... read on!
[Daily Abstraction 218091201. Painting available.]
Oh no, no, no... Reading or hearing the name Roxanne is all it takes to instantly remember the song by The Police. And you know what? Umm... read on!
[Daily Abstraction 218091201. Painting available.]
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Blue pencil
[Daily Abstraction 218091101. Painting available.]
Monday, September 10, 2018
A glass of Monday
Nay, it's not a real glass. I know... I made up this title, thinking about our 24/7 economy. Monday's were said to be the worst day in the week. Due to the new economy, every day can be Monday. So does that mean every day is just as bad as Monday? No. Depends upon the way you look at it. A glass is either half full, or half empty. That's up to you.
[Daily Abstraction 218091001. Painting available].
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Nevil's beach
Curious about the lyrics? Click here!
[Daily Abstraction 218090901. Painting available].
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Plain simple
[Daily Abstraction 218090801 Painting available]
Friday, September 7, 2018
Autumn colors
[Daily Abstraction 218090701/ Painting available]
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Presenting eInverter Eco in a metallic grey finish, that is designed to enhance the décor of your room. This model is the perfect combination of advanced technology complimented by its modern design. With up to 75% energy efficiency and heat and cool function, this model is the ideal choice for your space without compromising on quality.
- Up to 75% Energy Efficient
- DC Inverter Compressor
- R410a Gas
- Low Voltage Operation (145V-260)
- Turbo Operation
- 100% Copper Pipe
- Heat & Cool Function
- 5 Year Warranty


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Contest rewards innovative design of applications and plug-ins using GigaSpaces' OpenSpaces Framework with $25,000 in prizes
NEW YORK, NY – December 10, 2007 – GigaSpaces Technologies (www.gigaspaces.com) today announced the launch of the OpenSpaces Developer Challenge, which will award $25,000 in prizes to developers who build the most unique and innovative applications or plug-ins for the OpenSpaces Framework. OpenSpaces is an open source development solution for building linearly scalable software applications. It is widely used in a variety of industries, such as Wall Street trading applications, telecommunications platforms and online gaming.
The Challenge is designed to encourage innovation around OpenSpaces and support the developer community. Prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 will be awarded to those who submit the most promising applications that were built using OpenSpaces, or plug-ins, and other components that extend OpenSpaces in pioneering ways.
"We've made a huge investment in OpenSpaces internally at GigaSpaces, but we recognize that we have only scratched the surface of its potential," said Nati Shalom, GigaSpaces chief technology officer and founder. "With this Challenge, we are inviting the developer community to show us what we're missing, while contributing to the community at-large. Developers will have the added bonus of possibly earning some prizes in the process."
The OpenSpaces development framework is designed to simply and dynamically scale out a software application across many computers ? also referred to as "cloud computing". It is unique in that it addresses applications that have been traditionally difficult to distribute in this manner, including high-throughput applications that are stateful, transactional or data-intensive. OpenSpaces leverages GigaSpaces' eXtreme Application Platform (XAP) as the middleware implementation, and is based on the popular Spring Framework developed by SpringSource.
"OpenSpaces enables Java and Spring developers to achieve new levels of performance and horizontal scalability using the familiar Spring component model," said Adrian Colyer, SpringSource chief technology officer and OpenSpaces Developer Challenge judge. "This Challenge broadens the applicability and adoption of OpenSpaces and Spring, creating a virtuous cycle of growth and innovation for the benefit of the entire industry."
Submissions for the OpenSpaces Developer Challenge will be accepted between December 10, 2007 and April 2, 2008. All applications will be reviewed and judged by a panel of industry experts, and the winners will be announced on the OpenSpaces.org Web site on April 22, 2008. The awards ? including the $10,000 first prize ? will be presented to the winners at a gala in San Francisco during the JavaOne 2008 conference in May. Winners will also be recognized in a worldwide press announcement.
The OpenSpaces Developer Challenge marks the latest initiative by GigaSpaces to encourage development and innovation in the developer community. The Company provides developers with easy access to GigaSpaces' products and solutions through its Start-Up Program, which provides qualified companies and individuals with full, free and perpetual use of the Company's flagship product, GigaSpaces XAP. In addition, the Company provides a free Community Edition of its product and contributes to several open source initiatives, including the Spring Framework and the Mule ESB.
To encourage "early bird" applications for the OpenSpaces Developer Challenge, ten $1,000 prizes will be drawn among those applicants who submitted an application concept (not actual code, just the concept of the proposed submission) by January 29, 2008.
Interested developers should:
Go to the OpenSpaces Developer Challenge Web site: http://www.openspaces.org/display/ODC/OpenSpaces+Developer+Challenge
Read the Challenge guidelines and FAQ's
Develop a killer application or plug-in based on OpenSpaces
OPTIONAL: Submit their application concept by January 29 to be eligible for the ten $1,000 "early bird" prizes
Submit their actual application (including code) by April 2, 2008
Additional information on the Challenge is available at http://www.openspaces.org/display/ODC/OpenSpaces+Developer+Challenge
About GigaSpaces
GigaSpaces provides a single infrastructure software platform for application scalability and performance. GigaSpaces' unique approach enables developers to write their business logic as if writing to a single computer and then seamlessly scale out the application linearly anywhere, and on-demand. GigaSpaces customers include leaders in the financial services, telecommunications sectors and government institutions, including: Société Générale, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Dow Jones, Virgin Mobile, Nortel and Hutchison 3G, where the need for mission-critical high-performance, low-latency, reliability and scalability necessitates an alternative to traditional approaches. GigaSpaces was founded in 2000 and has offices worldwide.
For more information, please visit http://www.gigaspaces.com, or visit the company's blog at http://www.gigaspacesblog.com.
For additional information, contact:
Rachel Miller
SHIFT Communications
Tel: (+1) 617-779-1856
Email: email@example.com
Corey Manley
GigaSpaces Technologies, Inc.
Tel: (+1) 415-449-1557
Email: email@example.com
GigaSpaces is a trademark of GigaSpaces Technologies, Inc.


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GC/ MS Analysis Preparation
You are here: Home / GC/MS Analysis Services from Innovatech Labs / GC/ MS Analysis Preparation
We will be closed from Monday, 12/26/22 through Monday, 1/2/23. The office will be re-open on Tuesday, 1/3/23. We will respond to your request shortly after the 3rd. Happy Holidays!
Material Testing Lab | Innovatech Labs
Material Testing Labs Innovator
Innovatech Labs, LLC
13805 1st Ave N, Ste 100
Plymouth, MN 55441


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"Great for users. Great for publishers. And great for Apple" - Alex Watson on Newsstand at news:rewired
"I hate getting my credit card out to pay for things on the internet, but as journalists and publishers we want everybody else to do it" - Katie King, MSN
One of the panel sessions I attended at news:rewired was devoted to the notion of paid content. It featured some interesting insights from Alex Watson of Dennis Publishing and Tom Standage from The Economist, as well as some scrutiny of the Guardian's business model, which, for those of us who work there, made for some uncomfortable listening.
Alex Watson
Alex Watson was presenting the approach that Dennis Publishing have take towards building iOS apps and making available their titles in Apple's Newsstand. He started by stressing that the app store is best understood as a retail environment, not as a search environment. Placement is everything, he said, and he illustrated that with graphs that showed huge spikes when their titles or apps were featured prominently by Apple.
It is always good to get some real numbers in a case study like this, and Alex revealed that since the launch of Newsstand, Dennis Publishing have seen 3.5m downloads of their apps and titles, which have yielded (once Apple and VAT have taken their share) over $400,000 in revenue. Not to be sniffed at, but Alex pointed out that if you have had a million downloads of an app as people get a free trial, and not many people convert, then you've spent an awful lot in bandwidth.
Alex reminded us that the iOS audience is a demanding one - they expect bulletproof reliability, and they want device specific features and high production values. It is all to easy to get a one star review in the app store due to minor defects with the first release of an app.
For most publishers Alex Watson believes that the only way they can achieve scale of publishing is to take a hybrid approach - using third parties to effectively render PDFs within shell apps for some titles, using platforms like Adobe's systems for others, and doing some custom in-house HTML5 development. Once you get some sense from the data as to what is successful, you have a better idea of which titles to invest in.
Newsstand is, he said, "great for users, and great for publishers. And great for Apple." There was one cautionary note thought - Dennis have been unable to make in iPad app for Bizarre, as they are unwilling to compromise on the content to meet Apple's content rules and regulations.
Next I'll have my notes from the digital editor of the Economist, Tom Standage, explaining how their digital strategy was ensuring the magazine will continue to thrive in the future.
This is one of a series of blog posts featuring my notes from news:rewired:
"Did we get something of journalistic value?" - Liz Heron
"The Guardian's Facebook app" - Martin Belam
"Great for users. Great for publishers. And great for Apple" - Alex Watson
"The Economist's shift to digital"- Tom Standage
"The alchemy of media business model innovation" - François Nel
"Social media, investigative journalism, ethics and security" - Nicola Hughes
"Less is more - social media at the BBC" - Chris Hamilton
"Watch this (social) space..." - Darren Waters
"Me and my big photo of Mark Zuckerberg" - Nate Lanxon
"Social media optimisation" - Q&A


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Switched Page 48
"This is you calm?" I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"No." Tove stared off at nothing again, then turned back to me, his green eyes meeting mine. "You intimidate me."
"I intimidate you?" I laughed, unable to stop myself, but he wasn't offended. "I'm the least intimidating person ever."
"Mmm." His face hardened in concentration. "Maybe to some people. But they don't see what I see or know what I know."
"What do you know?" I asked gently, startled by his confession.
"Have they told you?" Tove eyed me again.
"Told me what?"
"Well, if they haven't told you, I'm certainly not going to." He scratched at his arm and turned his back to me, walking away and looking around the room again.
"Whatever it is you're doing, it's not helping," I said, growing frazzled. "You're only confusing me more."
"My apologies, Princess." Tove stopped moving and bowed at me. "Finn wanted me to talk to you about your abilities. He knows you can't start your real training until after the ball, but he wants you to be prepared."
"Finn asked you to come over?" My heart thumped in my chest.
"Yes." His brow creased with confusion. "Does this upset you?"
"No, not at all," I lied. Finn had probably asked Tove over so he wouldn't have to deal with me. He was avoiding me.
"Do you have questions?" Tove stepped closer, and I was once again struck by the subtle green tinge to his skin. On a less attractive guy it might've been creepy. But on him it managed to look strangely exotic.
"Tons," I said with a sigh. He cocked his head at me. "You'll have to be more specific."
"You have nothing to be afraid of, you know." Tove watched me closely, and I think I might've preferred it when he was scared to look at me.
"I'm not afraid." It took effort not to squirm under his gaze.
"I can tell when you lie," he said, still watching me. "Not because I'm psychic, but because you're so obvious about it. You should probably work on that. Elora is very good at lying."
"I'll practice," I muttered.
"That's probably for the best." Tove spoke with an intense sincerity that I found disarming. His disjointed insanity even had its own charm. He looked down at the floor, his expression turning sad. "I rather like you this way. Honest and flustered. But it'd never work for a Queen."
"No, I don't suppose it would," I agreed, feeling a bit melancholy myself.
"I'm a bit scattered too, if you hadn't noticed." He gave me a small, crooked smile, but his green eyes stayed sad. With that, he crouched down, picking up a small oval stone off the floor. He flipped it around in his hand, staring down. "I find it hard to stay focused, but I'm working on it."
"So . . . not to sound mean or anything, but why did Finn want you to help?" I rubbed my arms, hoping I didn't upset him by asking.
"Because I'm strong." Tove tossed the stone aside, apparently tiring of it. "And he trusts me." He looked back at me. "So let's see what you can do."
"With what?" I asked, confused by the abrupt change of subject.
"Anything." He spread his arms wide. "Can you move stuff?"
"With my hands, yeah."
"Obviously." He rolled his eyes. "You're not a paraplegic, so I assumed you were physically capable."
"I can't do much. Just persuasion, and I haven't used it since I've been here."
"Try." Tove pointed to the chandelier dangling above us. "Move that."
"I don't want to move that," I said, alarmed.
An image flashed in my mind. The painting I had seen in Elora's room, all dark smoke and red fires around broken chandeliers. Except the image in my mind seemed much more vivid, as if I could smell the smoke and see the fire raging, casting new shadows in the painting. The sound of glass shattering echoed in my ear.
I swallowed hard and shook my head, taking several steps back from the chandelier. I hadn't been underneath it exactly, but I wanted to get farther away.
"What was that?" Tove asked, cocking his head at me.
"Something happened." He studied me, trying to decipher my reaction, but I just shook my head. It felt like too much to explain, and I wasn't sure that I hadn't imagined it. "Interesting."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"I hate to do this, since you look so frightened, but I need to get you out of my head." He looked up at the chandelier, and my eyes followed his.
My heart raced in my chest, and my throat felt dry. The crystal shards twinkled and chimed and started to shimmer. I took several steps back, wanting to yell at him to stop, but I didn't even know if he'd listen. Then the whole chandelier started to sway, and I couldn't hold back.
"Stop!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the front hall. "Why are you doing that?"
"I am sorry." He exhaled deeply, and looked back down at me. I kept my eyes locked on the chandelier until I was certain it'd stopped moving. "I had to do something, and there was nothing else in the room I could move, except for you yourself, and I didn't think you'd like that either."
"Why did you have to move anything?" I snapped. My panic had started to fade, replaced by a pulsating anger, and I clenched my fists at my sides.
"When you get frightened like that, you project it so intensely." He held up his hands, pushing them out to demonstrate. "Most people can't hear it or feel it anymore, but I'm particularly sensitive to emotion. And when I move things, it helps focus me. It kinda shuts off the noise for a while. You were too strong. I had to silence it." He shrugged. "I'm sorry."
"You didn't need to freak me out like that." I calmed a bit, but my words still came out hard. "Just don't do that again, please."
"It's such a shame." Tove watched me, looking both bemused and rueful. "They won't even be able to see what you really are. They've all gotten so weak that they won't be able to tell how powerful you are."


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Upcoming COVID charity events extend golf's long history of staging 'Challenge' matches
There is nothing new except what has been forgotten, an old French proverb noted with uncanny precision, not unlike that exemplified by Tiger Woods with five-footers to win. Speaking of Tiger …
Coming on May 24, The Match: Champions for Charity will have Woods and Peyton Manning competing against the team of Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. Coming sooner, on May 17, is the TaylorMade Driving Relief event, with Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff facing Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson in a team skins game at Seminole Golf Club in nearby Juno Beach.
Suddenly, challenge matches are in vogue—to fill a void on the golf schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic and to generate charity funds in a time of need. Last Thursday, organizers of The Match said the exhibition will bring in more than $10 million for coronavirus relief programs. The Driving Relief event is expected to raise more than $4 million for similar COVID-19 efforts, the American Nurses Foundation and the CDC Foundation.
More accurately, challenge matches are in vogue AGAIN. They are not new. In fact, they are old, but how old? Well, when doing an archeological dig for golf history, best to start by digging in the auld sod. Scotland.
Here we find that in 1843, Allan Robertson of St. Andrews played another Scot, Willie Dunn, in a renowned challenge match, 20 rounds in 10 days on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Robertson, ahead by two rounds with one to play, was declared the winner.
It was not the first challenge match, but given Robertson's place in golf history—the best player of his era, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and by some accounts the first golf professional—it's a good place to begin.
"Professional matches, first reported in St Andrews in the 1830s, were common by the 1840s," the British Golf Museum website says. "The stakes, which were often high, were put up by backers, rather than the players."
At the time, these matches were the only way professionals could make money actually playing the game, though perhaps earning less than punters in the galleries holding winning hands.
"Challenge matches are the life of golf," Scottish professional Andrew Kirkcaldy wrote in his biography, "Fifty Years of Golf: My Memories," published in 1927. "I wouldn't give a button for an exhibition game. Man against man, and pocket against pocket, in deadly earnest is the thing.
"These challenge matches are real tests of golf. There are far too many exhibition matches nowadays for the top notchers. The rank and file of the professionals do not get a fair number of chances. There's many a young player today who might now and again beat a champion and do himself some good."
One of the most memorable challenge matches of the era was a three-rounder, 20 holes each, that Robertson and Old Tom Morris played against brothers Willie and Tom Dunn. At stake was £400, an enormous sum in those days. The match was tied going into the third round, when Robertson and Morris overcame a four-hole deficit with eight to play, winning six straight holes to prevail.
The Scots naturally exported the challenge match to the United States. Once there, these events became grand spectacles that could be used not just to help the players profit but work as fundraisers for worthwhile causes. When the U.S. became involved in World War I, Bobby Jones had just turned 15, too young to serve. Instead, he was enlisted to participate in Red Cross challenge matches to raise money for the war effort.
Perry Adair, Elaine Rosenthal, Bobby Jones and Alexa Sterling pose during 1917 golf tournament benefiting the American Red Cross in Montclair, N.J.
Jones often was joined by fellow Atlanta teens Alexa Stirling and Perry Adair, as well as Chicagoan Elaine Rosenthal, who was in her early 20s. They became known as the Dixie Kids and toured the country playing exhibitions, raising $150,000 in the process.
Post-war, in 1926, Jones played professional Walter Hagen in a match billed as "The Battle of the Century." It was a 72-hole affair that Hagen won decidedly, 11 and 10.
When World War II began, golf, notwithstanding its reputation as an elitist sport that many thought should be avoided, stepped up substantially in aiding the war effort, urged on by those like Herb Graffis, an esteemed golf writer who later was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. "Golf, to deserve its right to boast of itself as being a gentleman's game," Graffis wrote in Golfing magazine, "isn't to be played these days unless it's played for somebody else, the soldiers, sailors and marines that we who are not in uniform must back up in our fullest, fittest way."
So it did with the return of challenge matches that raised vast amounts of money for U.S. defense bonds and war relief, and featured any combination of stars of stage, screen and golf course.
Ed Dudley, president of the PGA, and Fred Corcoran, its tournament bureau manager and a promoter extraordinaire, enlisted Bing Crosby and Bob Hope to play a series of exhibition matches with professionals, the first of which included Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas.
"Dallas' most glamorous golf show of all time," the Dallas Morning News called it.
The next day, Crosby paired with friend Jimmy Demaret in a match against Hope and Nelson at Brae Burn Country Club in Houston. It attracted the largest crowd in Texas golf history, larger even than the U.S. Open played at Colonial Country Club in 1941.
Lesser lights also did their part. Pros Wiffy Cox and Joe Turnesa played a match against Willie Klein and Jack Mallon at Rockville Country Club on Long Island and raised enough money to ship a million cigarettes to servicemen overseas.
In 1943, the PGA Tour went on hiatus and a large swath of its players enlisted in the military. Nelson, however, was classified 4-F because of a mild form of hemophilia, so he was unable to serve in uniform. Instead he traveled the country, often with Jug McSpaden, playing matches on behalf of the war effort. Nelson had played 35 exhibition matches by the end of February 1943.
One of the most famous challenge matches, worthy of an entire book by noted author Mark Frost titled, simply, "The Match," occurred at Cypress Point in 1956. It was suggested by Eddie Lowery, a successful car dealer in the San Francisco Bay area (who, as a boy, was on the bag when amateur Francis Ouimet's famously won the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline). Lowery boasted he had two amateurs working for him who could beat any two players, professionals included, in a best-ball match.
So it was that Ben Hogan and Nelson agreed to play the amateurs, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. The scores: Hogan 63, Venturi 65, and Nelson and Ward 67s. Reportedly, all bets were forgiven in the wake of astounding and memorable golf.
Television soon recognized an opportunity, in the interest of ratings, to spotlight some of the game's elite by staging series of matches. The professionals also recognized an opportunity, to bolster their bottom lines, transitioning challenge matches back away from philanthropy and into a commercial enterprise. In 1961, "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf" debuted with a match between Billy Casper and Mario Gonzalez in Rio de Janeiro. The show ran through 1970 and returned in 1994 for another 10-year run.
Byron Nelson and Sam Snead after finishing the first 36 holes of the 72-hole War Bond match, ease their burning feet at Oakmont Country Club, near Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, the era of the Big Three—Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player—was evolving and the threesome latched onto the growing influence of television with a made-for-TV series, "Big Three Golf," a series of matches played in the U.S., Scotland and Japan. In the 1980s, challenge matches morphed into The Skins Game, the high-stakes four-player duel becoming a Thanksgiving weekend staple for golf fans until the 2008.
When the Tiger era began, Woods was too dominant to be part of a triumvirate. Instead, he took on several different challengers in a series of individual and two-man team matches on Monday nights from 1999 through 2005—the Showdown at Sherwood, the Battle at Bighorn, and the Battle at the Bridges. They aired on ABC television, though the ratings steadily declined each year after the second event. In 2012, it returned once more with a Woods-Rory McIlroy match, the Duel at Lake Jinsha in China.
The concept was resurrected again in 2018. On the day after Thanksgiving, Woods played Phil Mickelson in "The Match," [a pay-per-view event that played to tepid reviews and is unlikely to have a book written about it.
Last year, it was the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins, with Woods, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama competing for $350,000 staged by GOLFTV.
RELATED: From Tiger club twirls to Peyton Manning bombs, The Match has a Super Bowl-like list of prop bets
These latest Challenge matches come full circle of sorts, with charities being the big beneficiary while also sating, for the moment, an audience starved for fresh action. However these matches play out, they will face a high bar to match the colorful commentary Kirkcaldy provided in recounting one match in his book.
"Ben Sayers and I played a 72-hole match at Sunningdale and Walton Heath," he wrote. "Lord Riddell, as he is now, offered a prize of £50. The English people seemed to find in us a great diversion, giving us credit for humor we were not aware of.
"For instance, when my ball was going straight to a hole at Sunningdale, Ben made a move as if he would like to stop it. I took him by the collar and said, loud enough for the crowd to hear, 'Ye wud hae kiekit it oot, wud ye?'"


text:
The Colorado Buffaloes continue a strong weekend for the University's athletic programs with a commitment from junior college cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. After going unrecruited coming out of high school he received attention from both Washington and UCLA. The Sacramento, California corner will enroll in January and will have four seasons to play three.
Sanchez becomes the sixteenth commitment in the Buffaloes 2014 class.
Welcome aboard, Ahkello!
|Ahkello Witherspoon
Image courtesy of Buff Stampede
Position: Cornerback
Other Schools of Interest: Fresno State, UCLA, Washington, UNLV, Utah State
Status: Verbal to Colorado


text:
I woke up one morning last week with a banging headache. Except it wasn't morning, it had slipped into the afternoon and I was late to get the train back to Bristol. It was the 1st of January 2018 and I had spent the weekend hiking muddy paths and sitting by a roaring cottage fire with my closest friends eating cheese and playing Absolute Balderdash. I couldn't want for more. Except for, of course, an answer to the general underlying discontentment I felt with all aspects of my life.
Simple right?
Thinking back, my existential crisis started last October when I was enjoying a glass of wine at a monthly goal setting event with my woman's support group. I thought about talking about my recent holiday to Australia and how it had helped me to reach my fitness goal, or how I had reached my goal of redecorating my house when suddenly I blurted out: 'I'm not enjoying my job!'.
I suppose it's not uncommon for people to fall out of love with their jobs, but you see I didn't think that I had. In fact, I thought I loved my job. What was even more unnerving was the response from my group, 'Thank goodness! We've been waiting for you to realise that for ages.'
Oh. Was I the only one who didn't know?
This is the day my mission really started. A mission to work out what I really wanted, what was my purpose? My values? And well, I was surprised to find that I wanted to change almost everything, but let's get to that later.
After a couple of months of reflection and asking other people how they found their purpose and what they felt their values were, I gave myself the challenge of working this all out during my 2 weeks of Christmas leave, except I didn't have any eureka moments. Until I got the train home that is….


text:
The time has come for the class of 2021 to move on to bigger and better things. The question is, have you figured out what graduation gift your soon-to-be-graduate needs? For some, graduation is routine and not their first rendezvous but for others, this is all new! It can be a nerve wracking transition for a lot of people but luckily I've got you covered in the graduation gift department! Below is my Graduation Gift Guide which includes so many must-haves especially for those headed into the next chapter of their lives. I've got you covered from college needs to what's trending for those teens – check it out below!
4 Replies to "Graduation Gift Guide Pt. 1"
Thanks so much. I have 3 to buy for this year. This was very helpful.
I would like to be on list for Madrid!!!


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Some people use family birthdays, others use lucky numbers while there are those that swear by a fail-safe "system".
There are almost as many ways of choosing lottery numbers as there are chances of winning it.
With an estimated £7.6 million jackpot up for grabs in tonight's double rollover, picking the right numbers could change your life.
However, the first thing to realise is that the odds are stacked against you.
The chance of winning the National Lottery jackpot is one in 13,983,816 while there is a one in 2.3 million chance of getting five numbers plus the bonus ball.
There is a one in 55,000 chance of five of your numbers being selected by the lottery machine.
To win the Euromillions jackpot there is a one in 116.5 million of all your numbers being drawn.
Is there a way of narrowing those odds? Let's take a look at some of the options:
Picking the most commonly drawn numbers
One approach would be to choose the numbers that come up most often. At the moment the most frequently drawn ball is the number 44.
Since the National Lottery began in 1994, it has been drawn 253 times.
The other most common numbers are:
38 – 251 times
40 – 249 times
23 – 248 times
39 – 246 times
33 – 245 times
However, their frequency of appearance is no indication that they will be drawn together. In fact, the chance of these numbers cropping up in a winning combination is the same as any other set of six.
Choosing the birthdays of family or friends
For those who use birthdays, five of the most commonly drawn numbers are more than 31, meaning they are not likely to have picked them.
Sticking to birthdays certainly limits the range of numbers you can choose and this is a common system, so more people are likely to pick those numbers, meaning you may have to share your prize.
Overdue numbers
Another approach that is commonly used is to look for numbers that have not come up in a while.
Human intuition tells us that if something has not happened in a while, then it is probably overdue.
Currently the most overdue number is 48 – it has not been picked in nearly 81 days. Similarly, the numbers 23 and 46 last appeared 77 days ago.
The 21 ball came up 63 days ago while number 14 was selected 60 days ago and number 2 emerged 56 days ago.
The least picked numbers are 20, 13, 21, 41, 16, and 37.
However, while the concept that things which are overdue will eventually happen makes sense, it does not mean they will when it comes to the National Lottery.
Dr John Haigh, an emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Sussex who has written a paper on the statistics underlying the National Lottery, said: "Just because a number has not come up for a while does not mean it will in the next draw.
"Just as you flip a coin, if you get five heads in a row, it does not mean the next time it is more likely to be tails. The odds are still 50/50.
"So with the lottery, they remain one in 14 million."
Lucky numbers
Like birthdays, this is a common approach, steeped more in superstition than any real logic. But some people are naturally drawn to certain numbers in the same way they may have a favourite colour.
Interestingly the most commonly chosen numbers are those that end in a 7 according to work done by experimental physicist Jonathan Clarke.
The key here is having enough lucky numbers to fill an entire lottery ticket – if you have to borrow numbers from someone else then they are not really lucky any more are they?
And if you win, are you going to share the jackpot with them?
Picking previous winning numbers
Analysis of the Swiss lottery revealed has revealed a surprising trend – people tend to choose their numbers based on the previous week's winning numbers.
Others were found to use the jackpot numbers from two weeks before and some further back than that.
Does this make any difference? Sadly, Dr Haigh tells us the odds remain the same. But it does make picking the numbers easier.
Best performing ticket
If you had selected the ticket 03 06 13 23 27 49 in every draw since the National Lottery started you would have won £2,017,671 according to analyst Richard Lloyd.
He has found that this ticket has been the best performing in the history of the lottery so far in terms of the number of prize winning matches.
However, the odds of that combination coming up again remain the same.
Lottery systems and prediction software
There is a multitude of books on sale giving advice about how win the lottery.
For upwards of £20 of your hard earned money, you too can learn how to use complicated maths or systems like wheeling to pick your numbers.
Wheeling, which is one of the most popular systems, involves buying multiple tickets and using seven numbers rather six across those, for example.
Prediction software is also widely available on the internet with accompanying claims of great accuracy.
In fact, none of these have ever been proven to be effective and experts say those that with enough people using these systems, simple statistics says some people will win using them.
Indeed, perhaps the only people who really win from these approaches are the people who pocket the cash being paid for the books in the first place.
Random selection
Surprisingly, this is seen as the best approach by experts.
Not because it increases your chance of winning, but because it increases your chance of winning MORE.
By selecting numbers that use systems employed by others, it is more likely that other people will also have picked those numbers too.
If your numbers were to win the jackpot, then you would have to share more of your prize with those other people.
Randomly plucking numbers means the combination is least likely to have been selected by someone else.
"If you pick the least popular numbers and win, then you will probably share your jackpot with fewer people," explains Dr Haigh.
Aesthetic approach
In the ninth ever draw of the National Lottery in 1995, there were a record breaking 133 winners who shared the £16 million jackpot.
Analysis of the numbers revealed an interesting phenomenon – all of the numbers were contained within the three inside columns of the playing slip at the time.
There were also no two numbers on the same row nor adjacent to each other. It appears the numbers were selected randomly for the way they looked on the slip.
Dr Haigh says: "This is a really lazy way of choosing numbers as it is an easy thing to do.
"People do like to make pretty patterns on their playing slip.
"Research on the Swiss lottery has also shown that a lot of people select numbers that go diagonally across or down the slip, for example."
However, Dr Haigh has some final words of wisdom that may help you decide which of these methods to use.
He says: "Whatever method you chose, the chances of your six numbers coming up remain the same. It is ridiculous to think otherwise."
But remember, if any of these tips actually do result in a jackpot win, I'm more than happy to share some of the prize.


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2021 has been a record year for the golf business
This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The COVID golf boom continues in 2021
In August 2020, we wrote in The Morning Brief that the golf business was booming during the pandemic.
In August 2021, the industry only looks stronger.
Within the last week, we've seen golf's two biggest publicly-traded companies — Titleist parent company Acushnet (GOLF) and Callaway Golf (ELY) — report quarterly results. And these reports indicated that just about every benefit that accrued to the industry during the pandemic has only improved this year.
Golf requires two things that some consumers found abundant during the pandemic — disposable income and idle time. The sport's earned reputation is shaped by there being only a select group of people with ample access to both. But during the pandemic, millions of consumers suddenly found themselves thrown into both categories.
The latest data from the National Golf Foundation shows that rounds played through June are up 23% year-to-date, and running 19% above the 2017-2019 average.
Rounds at public courses are also outpacing growth in rounds at private clubs, with public rounds played up 26% this year against a 13% increase in private loops. Data that confirms what your humble public-playing author finds out each weekend: you can't get a tee time anywhere these days.
"According to Golf Datatech, rounds played in June remained at an all-time high, and retail demand remains elevated," Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer said on the company's earnings conference call.
"More anecdotally," Brewer added, "private club memberships are also experiencing exceptional demand, with [waitlists] developing at many clubs across the U.S. and the U.K. With more options for activities opened this spring and summer compared to last year, we were cautious that there could have been a potential slowdown in golf participation and/or demand. However, thus far, we're pleased to report that we're not seeing this from our seat in the market." (Emphasis ours.)
Ahead of second quarter earnings season, we argued in The Morning Brief that comparisons to 2019 would be key for businesses across the economy, with investors trying to make sense of which trends that took off during the pandemic would stick — and which would fade away.
And Brewer's framing also shows how even those in the golf business were skeptical that 2020's rush into the sport would be sustained.
"So what we saw in the second half of 2020, rounds were up 25% versus the prior year," Acushnet CEO David Maher said on the company's earnings call.
"I think [2019] is a good baseline, right? We made the comment that rounds in the first half were up 20% over 2019. And just looking forward, I would think we'd see rounds of play up in the second half of this year in the 15% to 20% range versus 2019," he added.
As for how this boom has translated to the income statement for both companies, Callaway reported golf equipment revenues that rose 91% in the second quarter, while Acushnet said golf club sales rose 111% and golf ball revenues were up 98.1%. Adjusted EBITDA also rose sharply for both — rising $94.7 million at Acushnet in the second quarter and by $135 million at Callaway.
Another development in the golf industry to watch will be Taylormade's potential move to public markets, following the company's recent sale to South Korea-based Centroid Investment Partners for just under $1.9 billion.
And as the world reopens and a new generation of golfers acquaints themselves with the sport's challenges and frustrations, the future for the game still looks bright.
And one key theme to watch is that "new participants are increasingly younger," Maher noted. "They're hooked on the game. They want to get better. We've talked about increased lessons throughout the industry in all markets, and that continues. And as a result, the game has become less intimidating and more welcoming."
By Myles Udland, reporter and anchor for Yahoo Finance Live. Follow him at @MylesUdland
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