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Supreme Court Eases Campaign Finance Curbs
In a sweeping decision, the Supreme Court struck down Thursday the ban on corporate spending on federal and state elections. The much-anticipated opinion opens the way potentially for hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent on this year's midterm elections.
MADELEINE BRAND, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Madeleine Brand in California.
MELISSA BLOCK, host:
And I'm Melissa Block in Washington, where today, the Supreme Court issued a major and long-awaited ruling on campaign finance. By a five-to-four vote, the court swept aside the century-old ban on corporate spending in elections. The decision potentially transforms the influence of big money in government.
BRAND: It leaves corporations free to spend unlimited amounts of shareholder money to influence elections. And it leaves unions free to do the same with their members' money.
NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports.
NINA TOTENBERG: Since 1907, the nation's campaigning finance laws have, for all practical purposes, banned corporate spending on candidate elections. In 1947, the ban was extended to unions and in 2002, Congress passed the McCain-Feingold Law to plug loopholes that had emerged over the years. One provision banned broadcasting a candidate ad 30 days before an election if it was financed with corporate funds. The Supreme Court upheld the law seven years ago citing earlier rulings on corporate spending, but today a decidedly more conservative court with two new Bush appointees now in the mix reversed that ruling.
The decision came in a case brought by a conservative nonprofit group that made a film attacking Hillary Clinton and wanted to run it in a day shortly before the presidential primary campaign. The court agreed today that the film was an attack ad, not an issue ad. But it says that the group should have been able to run the ad as it wished. Writing for the five-justice majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy acknowledged the longtime ban on corporate spending, but said it is censorship that is vast in its reach and that it should not have been upheld by the court previously.
When government seeks to use its full power to command where a person may get his or her information, said Kennedy, it uses censorship to control thought. The First Amendment right of free speech confirms the freedom to think for ourselves. Joining Kennedy in the majority were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Scalia, Alito and Thomas. Thomas was the lone dissenter from the second part of Kennedy's opinion upholding laws that mandate disclosure of information about who pays for political ads.
Writing for the four dissenters, Justice John Paul Stevens called the court's decision a radical departure from 100 years of law. Speaking from the bench in a halting voice, the 89-year-old Stevens accused the majority of ignoring thousands of pages of congressionally compiled evidence about the corruptive influence of corporate money in politics. And he blasted the majority for imposing what he called its own agenda on public policy while ignoring the branch of government charged with making such policy choices: Congress. Nothing in the current law, he insisted, bans corporations from expressing an opinion.
In this case, the nonprofit organization that wanted to use corporate money to fund its ad campaign already had a political action committee of regulated and legal donor funds that could have been used right up to Election Day to fund TV ads. Instead, it wanted to use corporate general treasury funds and for the first time today, the Supreme Court said it could. Joining Stevens in dissent were Justices Ginsburg, Breyer and Sotomayor. Reaction to the decision was fast and furious. President Obama, in a statement, condemned it as a victory for Wall Street, big banks, big oil, health insurance companies and other powerful interests.
But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell praised the court for quote "restoring the First Amendment rights of corporations and unions." Whether they loved it or hated it, campaign law experts called the decision an earthquake in First Amendment law. Here's Rick Hasen of Loyola Law School, who writes a blog on campaign law.
Professor RICK HASEN (Law, Loyola Law School): It is transformative. It's going to have major effects not only on federal elections, but in state and local elections, including judicial elections across the country. Much more money is going to flow into those elections. That raises concerns about both corruption and inequality.
TOTENBERG: Indeed, 24 states also have corporate spending bans that likely now will be struck down. Hasen, like many other critics of today's ruling, accused the court majority of substituting its judgment for that of Congress.
Prof. HASEN: This is an activist court. It reached out and grabbed this case and used it as a vehicle for transforming First Amendment law.
TOTENBERG: For campaign reformers, today's ruling was a doomsday. Fred Wertheimer has helped craft campaign reform legislation since Watergate.
Mr. FRED WERTHEIMER (Campaign Reform Advocate): This is a disaster for the American people. It's going to unleash unprecedented amounts of corporate influence seeking money on elections. It's going to create unprecedented opportunities for corporate corruption of government decisions. It is a change in the character of our elections and our democracy.
TOTENBERG: Wertheimer said that corporations may now spend $5 or $10 million, for example, to defeat just one or two members of Congress hostile to their interest, and that that will be enough to send a message to the others.
Mr. WERTHEIMER: Now what that does is create fear among all members and it would not take more than a couple of examples of corporations spending enormous amounts to defeat a member who voted wrong to affect the entire psyche of the congressional decision-making process.
TOTENBERG: Jan Baran, who has brought many of the cases challenging campaign regulations in recent decades, says campaign reformers are hyperventilating.
Mr. JAN BARAN (Election Lawyer): It is true that unions and corporations under this opinion will be able to pool their money or spend their money and it could affect an election, but the way it's going to affect election is that it's going to express certain opinions about candidates. And as the court noted today, that's what the First Amendment protects.
TOTENBERG: Brad Smith, another critic of campaign restrictions, agrees.
Mr. BRAD SMITH: At a federal level, I think there is no reason to believe that we're going to see the kind of outpouring that some of the more histrionic horror stories have set. We expect to see more speech. We think that's a good thing, but the idea that corporations are going to devote 10 percent of their profits or something like that to make independent political expenditures is just absurd.
TOTENBERG: So, in terms of the political landscape, who benefits from today's ruling? Most experts including those who applaud the ruling say Republicans will benefit most. Again, Jan Baran.
Mr. BARAN: The potential beneficiary here would be the party or the candidates who are perceived as being more beneficial to free enterprise and business.
TOTENBERG: And Loyola Law School's Rick Hasen.
Prof. HASEN: Republicans are going to benefit on the presidential level because I'm sure they were scratching their heads about how they could match the Obama $745 million campaign fundraising juggernaut that he had in 2008. So now they've got one way to try and equalize things.
Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.
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Supreme Court Rips Up Campaign Finance Laws
The decades-old system of rules that govern the financing of the nation's political campaigns was partially upended by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued just ahead of the pivotal 2010 midterm congressional election season.
Thursday's landmark decision, approved by a 5-4 margin, could unleash a torrent of corporate and union cash into the political realm and transform how campaigns for president and Congress are fought in the coming years.
Republicans and Democrats scrambled to untangle the full implications of the decision to overturn a 20-year-old Supreme Court ruling that barred corporations from spending freely to support or oppose candidates.
"It's the most major Supreme Court decision in the area of campaign finance in decades — and a significant First Amendment decision," says Nathaniel Persily, a political scientist and law professor at Columbia University. "We don't know its practical impact yet, and I don't think it's the last word from the court," he said.
News Analysis
The new ruling blurs the lines between corporate and individual contributions in political campaigns. It also strikes down part of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that banned unions and corporations from paying for political ads in the waning days of campaigns.
Even before the court's decision, national political campaigns had been growing increasingly expensive. Watchdog groups worry that by removing limits on expenditures by corporations that are not coordinated with candidates' campaigns, the court will boost the role of special interests in politics.
"As long as they do it independently, they can spend whatever they want," notes NPR's Nina Totenberg. "It will undoubtedly help Republican candidates since corporations have generally supported Republican candidates more."
Some important limits do remain intact: Corporations still cannot give money directly to federal candidates or national party committees. That ban dates to 1907. The justices also upheld some other restrictions, including disclosure requirements for nonprofit groups that advocate for political candidates.
Persily says the ruling is just the latest in a series of decisions by a conservative court that has already whittled away at campaign finance laws.
"On its own, it will not be responsible to opening the floodgates to corporate money ... because the floodgates were pretty wide open to begin with," Persily says.
In terms of the 2010 midyear elections, Persily predicts there will be some advertisements run by corporations and unions that wouldn't have been run otherwise; however, the previous standard was fairly permissive.
NPR's Peter Overby says that while the impact on national elections may not be fully clear yet, the decision is likely to be felt in judicial elections at the state level.
"There's a national trend of increasing spending in judicial elections, and the players who have the biggest stake in these elections are lawyers, unions and corporations," Overby says. "The corporations and unions have been trying to find ways to get in, and this decision seems to erase the restrictions that were there."
President Obama swiftly blasted the court's decision, calling on Congress to devise a "forceful response" as quickly as possible.
"The Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics," Obama said in a statement. "It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans."
On Capitol Hill, reaction was deeply divided between supporters of the campaign finance rules that were rejected and those who defended the court's ruling.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, said lawmakers have to use the decision to help voters understand how broken the system is.
"This has got to be a wakeup call to every citizen that they cannot allow the big corporations to call the shots on these elections," he said.
House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio called the decision "a big win for the First Amendment" as long as donors disclose every dollar they spend on campaigns.
"Let the American people decide how much money is enough," he said.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said lawmakers must now focus on creating a system where campaigns can be financed fairly. "It is the only way [we] can ensure that our candidates and elected officials focus on addressing the nation's problems and not on the limited interests of the wealthy and powerful few," he said.
One potential vehicle for Democrats to try to limit the impact of the ruling is through a bill Durbin is co-sponsoring called the Fair Elections Now Act. It aims to allow candidates to choose to run for congressional office without relying on large contributions, big money bundlers, or donations from lobbyists.
But with Thursday's decision, the Supreme Court came down with a sweeping free-speech justification that could restrict Congress's flexibility to re-establish new regulations.
"We find no basis for the proposition that, in the context of political speech, the government may impose restrictions on certain disfavored speakers," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. "The court has recognized that First Amendment protection extends to corporations."
In a powerfully worded, lengthy dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens lamented the decision and called the majority "profoundly misguided." He said, "The court's ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions around the nation." Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor joined Stevens' dissent, parts of which he read aloud in the courtroom.
The original case before the court seemed an improbable vehicle for such a dramatic re-examination of campaign funding regulations.
Brought by Citizens United, a nonprofit group, against the Federal Election Commission, the case presented a seemingly straightforward question: Do campaign finance restrictions on corporate spending apply to Citizen United's plan to run advertisements for an anti-Hillary Clinton documentary at the peak of her 2008 presidential run?
But the high court ended up in a much broader examination of constitutional issues that questioned the entire system that has been built up over decades to regulate the role of corporate money in politics.
Ever since justices first heard arguments on the Citizens United case last March, they have gone to unusual lengths before rendering a decision.
The court scheduled a rare re-argument in September — a month before the fall term officially began. And justices ordered lawyers from both sides to expand their scope to address not just the corporate electioneering issue at play in Citizens United but the constitutionality of all limits to corporate political speech.
Thursday's decision was even issued on a day the court does not normally deal with such issues.
At the center of the court's inquiry is the McCain-Feingold Act, which prohibited "electioneering communications" paid for by corporations or unions from being broadcast or transmitted 30 days before a presidential primary and 60 days before the general election. Opponents of the law say it allows the Federal Election Commission to in effect restrict free speech.
But the court also reached even further back to re-examine a 1990 precedent that upheld restrictions on corporate spending to support or oppose political candidates.
Citizens United, which filed the suit in 2008, is a nonprofit group that advocates for conservative ideals and candidates.
Citizens United wanted to air a 90-minute documentary chronicling Clinton's more than 30 years in public life from a conservative perspective through news clips, interviews with acquaintances and other material. Citizens United spokesman Will Holley said the film was sold online and through retailers for $19.95 and was in limited distribution at select movie theaters during 2008.
But questions arose when Citizens United sought to advertise Hillary The Movie on television in January 2008 — the same month as major Democratic primaries — without running any disclaimers or disclosures of donors.
The FEC barred the ads from running without the disclaimers. Citizens United claimed that the advertisements were commercial speech more akin to a documentary, rather than opposition to candidate Clinton.
NPR's Andrea Seabrook and Liz Halloran contributed to this report


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2016-Did a great job for the team, earning the spot to handle the teams kickoff duties, field goals, PAT's, and was the top punter. Missed 3 games during the season due to injury and after returning to action, he took care of kickoffs and PAT's. Ended the season with 27 made extra points on 30 attempts, was 2 for 4 on field goals, and punted 14 times. Was the team's punter during the first 3 games of the season prior to his injury where he netted 461 yards of field position for the COMMANDOS. His most productive game as a punter came against Cane Ridge when he punted 5 times for 156 yards that included his career long punt of 43 yards. Attempted field goals against McGavock, Siegel, and Beech. Connected on a 23 yard field versus McGavock while hitting a season long 25 yard field goal in the Siegel game. Hit his first 11 extra points of the season giving him 47 consecutive PAT's made before missing one against Cane Ridge. His 47 consecutive made PAT's is the longest streak of made extra points in HHS football history. Hit PAT's against McGavock, Siegel, Cane Ridge, Beech, Hillsboro, Glencliff, and Hunters Lane. Tied his career best going 6 for 6 on PAT's against Glencliff.
2015-Had an excellent season for Hendersonville, handling all of the kicking duties. He kicked the ball off for the COMMANDOS, as well as kicked for extra points and field goals. He finished the season missing only one PAT, finishing with 51 makes on 52 attempts, and connected on his last 36 extra points. He also was 5 for 7 on field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards. He was named 2nd team 'ALL-COUNTY' for his play throughout the season as well as winning the team award for 'SPECIALTY PLAYER OF THE YEAR'. He made at least one PAT in all 12 games including going for a career high 6 for 6 against Cane Ridge, Gallatin, and Glencliff. His lone miss of the season was in the team's 30-16 victory over Beech. He attempted field goals in 6 different games being true on 5 of his 7 attempts. He made a career long 43 yard field goal against McGavock, hit a 41 yarder against Beech, made a 32 yarder against Station Camp, 23 yarder versus Glencliff, and a 22 yarder against Hunters Lane. He missed a 41 yard attempt versus Cane Ridge and missed a 24 yard attempt against Station Camp. He also ended the season with 2 tackles on kickoffs. He was credited with one tackle against Cane Ridge and added one versus East Nashville.
2014-Played on the JV team while getting the opportunity to kick 9 extra points for the District 9-AAA Champion COMMANDOS. He connected on 8 his 9 PAT's during the season. He kicked 2 PAT's versus both Hunters Lane and Portland. He was perfect against the Warriors and was 1 of 2 against Portland. He also had 1 extra point against Wilson Central, Lebanon, Brentwood, Gallatin, and Independence.
2013-Was the Freshman teams kicker and helped them to an undefeated season that was capped off with a 33-30 win over the previously undefeated Oakland Patriots in the Freedom Bowl. He was very coachable and worked hard to do everything that was asked of him. For his play throughout the season, he was voted as the teams 'Most Valuable Specialty Player'. He wore jersey #30 for the Freshman COMMANDOS.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hello, my name is Dioneo, and I'm a masturbator.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Merry Masturbation Month!
Hello, my name is Dioneo, and I'm a masturbator.
8 comments:
I celebrate the joy of masturbation long and often. Thank you for inviting me to celebrate along with you and the masses.ReplyDelete
Happy wanking! :-)
I'm imagining a virtual circle jerk. And I like it. Everybody now! :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 1, 2011 at 11:03 AM
I will celebrate. Right. Now. ;-)ReplyDelete
As the clock struck midnight, I do believe I was actively celebrating (wink)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 1, 2011 at 4:40 PM
Fucked last night. Played this morning.....Happy Masturbation Month!!!!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 1, 2011 at 8:22 PM
I had no idea there was an International Masturbation Month...ReplyDelete
Let's celebrate then!
I saved hard and long to afford the batteries...now if you will excuse me, I need to go and do some shopping!ReplyDelete
And you congratulations on being Pink's blog of the month!!
Thanks, Hedone! Masturbating is even more fun with others!ReplyDelete
Thanks, Pink! Now that's a lovely thought!
Thanks, Sweets! Hope you had fun! (I know I did)
Thanks, Kirsti! What a coincidence... ;)
Thanks, Carolina, and welcome to the site! You're on a roll! I look forward to reading through your blog.
Thanks, R! Well, *National* Masturbation Month was started in the 90s in San Francisco. I don't know when it got promoted to International (or maybe I just promoted it). But this is one issue on which all nations of the world should be able to agree.
Thanks, Raven! I'm sure those batteries will be put to good use. And thanks for the congrats. I'm following in some lovely footsteps!


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Share On:
Indian equity benchmark indices viz. the S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty 50 index registered small gains last week amid mixed global cues. However, the overall sentiment in the broader market was subdued during the week.The Sensex rose 134.50 points or 0.47% to settle at 28,468.75. The Nifty advanced 28.15 points or 0.32% to settle at 8,821.70. The BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.33% and the BSE Small-Cap index declined 0.98%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.Read More


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|October 8th, 2005
Topic: On Leave: Senior airman talks about serving in Iraq
By David Brensilver
Published on 10/7/2005
East Lyme - Asked how she reacted when her son, 23-year-old Jacob Taylor, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force three years ago, Niantic resident Anna Stadnick recalled, "I was afraid. I was terrified."
But, she said, he insisted on signing up.
"He was clearly disturbed with the Sept. 11 events," Stadnick said, adding that Taylor's decision to enlist, back in March 2002, was also based on the same military perks that might determine whether he re-enlists in 2008. "The education thing was a real big sell" for Taylor, said Stadnick.
On a sunny morning last week, Taylor was anything but busy in the middle of a month-long leave from duty. He'd just woken up and hadn't showered. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Taylor embodied relaxation. But talking about what he's been up to of late elicits a very different image.
From January to July, Taylor, a senior airman, was deployed to Iraq from the Aviano Air Base, in Italy, where he was stationed some two years ago. Prior to his deployment, he spent two months training at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Taylor worked with a prison detail at Camp Bucca, an internment facility near Um Qasr.
Asked about reports of prison abuse in places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, with regard to his job at Camp Bucca, Taylor said that, while he saw "none at all" where he was, it was talked about incessantly.
"That's all they talked about ... because of the scandal that happened," Taylor said, and that he and those he worked with were constantly told to watch their step.
Taylor, who was part of the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, described Camp Bucca.
"The internment facility is just a holding tank," he said. "I'm there to guard detainees and personnel."
As a matter of example, Taylor talked about transferring detainees to intelligence facilities, and standing outside to make sure personnel are safe, and "to make sure detainees aren't abused (or) hurt."
He declined to opine about whether he believes prisoner abuses have been isolated or systemic. "It's not my place to say that," he said.
Stadnick said she talked to Taylor about her concerns about prisoner abuse, and he assured her that the U.S. Air Force had trained and briefed him enough to make her sufficiently confident.
And though Stadnick said she has "very strong thoughts" about the war, she did say, in the context of her son being in the armed forces, "It really doesn't matter what my opinion is.
"I think he has a very good, noble sense of why we're there," she said, "much more so than I have."
The next stop for Taylor, in a matter of weeks, is Osan Air Base, in South Korea. Once there, he said, "I want to get on town patrol" to deal with "rowdy personnel." He said, "I like the cop work more than I like the security work."
If that doesn't work out, Taylor said he'll put in for an office job, which would allow him to work toward the education that's important to him.
"I want a degree," he said, and a career, should he decide not to make one of the military.
His mother said, "Before he came home he was dead-set on signing up again, on re-enlisting," but that, since he's been home, her son has felt some discouragement about not having had time, to this point, to work toward his degree.
Right now, Taylor said he's leaning toward not re-enlisting.
But for now, he's enjoying hanging out with friends, both old and new, and enjoying his "relaxation time."
Asked whether he was looking forward at all to leaving for South Korea, Taylor said matter-of-factly that it's his job, his career at this point, but that, "at the same time, there are things here that I just don't want to leave."
His mother can identify with that. She said she'd be "perfectly happy" if, in 2008, her son decided not to re-enlist, because she doesn't want to think about him going back to Iraq.


text: Sweatshirts are super cute and trendy lately! We love how this comfy piece has become more prolific. There are great options out there for the weekend, lunch, dinner, and even some that can be worn to work! Wear a sweatshirt with jeans for an easy look or contrast its slouchiness with something sleek like a pencil skirt.


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Hartford, Connecticut
This was a breakthrough city…where the prayerwalk was a great mix of folks across the bandwidth of church life…pastors, leaders, intercessors, families; everybody. I made a new friend in Pastor Rick McKinniss, a tell-it-like-it-is brother who is full of grace. Great combo. Looking forward to going back to Hartford. Thanks Rick!
(And Audrey!)
(And Pastor Marion!)


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They claimed they offered animal shelter dogs. Manatee County says that's not true.
A statement on the Petland Bradenton website stating that they offer adoptions of Manatee County Animal Services animals has been removed.
By 10 a.m. Monday, Petland Bradenton had removed the statement, which had stated they offer adoptions of Animal Services small dogs and puppies in their store, which was followed by a disclaimer of "COMING SOON."
"I had it down this morning," Petland co-owner Stephen Benecke said Monday.
The removal of the statement came a few days after Manatee County Attorney's Office sent a demand letter to Petland on March 2, asking them to remove the inaccurate statement, according to a county email.
"In the letter, we will also inform the proprietor that legal action may be forthcoming," County Attorney Mickey Palmer said.
But Benecke said Petland had removed the statement from the website's homepage when they were first notified by the county attorney, but says they "didn't realize it was on the second page."
"We thought it was purely on the homepage," Benecke said. "It was a mistake. We had it rectified immediately. As soon as I got in this morning, it's gone."
In an email to county commissioners on Feb. 24, Palmer said Petland has had the statement on its website "for quite some time."
"No such arrangement has ever been in place and there are no ongoing discussions regarding such an arrangement," Palmer said in the email. "Repeated pleas on the part of the Animal Services Division and on the part of this office, directly to the proprietor, to remove the inaccurate statement, have been to no avail."
In September 2015, Petland Bradenton offered to house up to 15 dogs from Animal Services at its store, 3530 53rd Ave. W., Bradenton.
"We are very excited to begin bringing in adoptable pets from the shelter and helping find homes for them," Benecke said at that time.
On Monday, Benecke said, "We tried, but it never came to fruition, unfortunately."
Petland Bradenton was at the center of a September 2015 commission meeting, where commissioners discussed an ordinance to ban pet stores from selling animals from puppy mills.
Many Petland employees spoke at the meeting, where they denied claims that they get animals from puppy mills. The commission elected to not move forward with the measure.
Claire Aronson: 941-745-7024, @Claire_Aronson


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Selected Publications
Brown, T. L., Lee, J. D., & Fiorentino, D. (2018). Effects of alcohol at .05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) on low speed urban driving. Traffic Injury Prevention, 19 (52), S175-S177. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2018.1532220
Liakoni, E., Dempsey, D. A., Meyers, M., Murphy, N. G., Fiorentino, D., Havel, C., & Benowitz, N. (2018). Effect of γ-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) on driving as measured by a driving simulator. Psychopharmacology. 235(11), 3223-3232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-5025-2
Fiorentino, D. D., & Martin, B. D. (2018). Survey regarding the 0.05 blood alcohol concentration limit for driving in the United States. Traffic Injury Prevention, 19(4), 345–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2018.1424840
Fiorentino, D. D. (2018). The effects of breath alcohol concentration on postural control. Traffic Injury Prevention, 19(4), 352–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2018.1423561
Karabati, S., Ensari, N., & Fiorentino, D. (2017). Job satisfaction and subjective well-being: A moderated mediational model. Journal of Happiness Studies. Doi: 10.1007/s10902-017-9947-x
Fiorentino, D. (2016). In defense of standardized field sobriety tests: Part 2, rebuttals to common criticisms. Counterpoint, 1(4), 261-284.
Fiorentino, D. (2015). In defense of standardized field sobriety tests: Part 1, a review of their logic and history. Counterpoint, 1(1), 22-30.
Brown, T., Lee, J., Schwarz, C., Fiorentino, D., & McDonald, A. (2014). Assessing the feasibility of vehicle-based sensors to detect drowsy driving (Report No. DOT HS 811 886). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Fiorentino, D. D., & Moskowitz, H. (2013). Breath alcohol elimination rates as a function of age, gender, and drinking practice. Forensic Science International, 233, 278-282.
Fiorentino, D., & Shannahan, R. (2011). Operator drug– and alcohol-testing across modes (CTBSSP Synthesis 23). Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences.
Fiorentino, D. D., Dietel, B. M., & Jimenez, D. D. (2011). Development of sobriety tests for the marine environment. Transportation Research Record, 2222, 85-89.
Fiorentino, D. D. (2011). Validation of sobriety tests for the marine environment. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43, 870-877.
Lee, J. D., Fiorentino, D., Reyes, M. L., Brown, T. L., Ahmad, O., Fell, J., Ward, N., & Dafour, R. (2010). Assessing the feasibility of vehicle-based sensors to detect alcohol impairment (Report No. DOT HS 811-358). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Bishop, S. C., Johnson, G., Smith, L., Fiorentino, D. D., Garcia, T., Garcia, R., Breyer, C., & Loomis, W. D. (2009). Manual versus automatic sampling variations of a preliminary alcohol screening device. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 33, 521-524.
Blomberg, R. D., Peck, R. C., Moskowitz, H., Burns, M., & Fiorentino, D. (2009). The Long Beach/Fort Lauderdale relative risk study. Journal of Safety Research, 40, 285-292.
Fiorentino, D. D. (2008). Cognition, but not sensation, mediates age-related changes in the ability to monitor the environment. Psychology and Aging, 23, 665-670.
Fiorentino, D., Cure, M., & Kipper, J. (2007). Programs across the United States that aid motorists in the reporting of impaired drivers to law enforcement (Report No. DOT HS 810-750). Washington, DC: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Fiorentino, D. D., Berger, D. E., & Ramirez, J. R. (2007). Drinking and driving among high-risk young Mexican-American men. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 39, 16-21.
Allen, R. W., Park, G. D., Cook, M. L., & Fiorentino, D. (2007). The effect of driving simulator fidelity on training effectiveness. Proceedings of the Driving Simulator Conference – North America, Iowa City.
Ferguson, S., Burns, M., Fiorentino, D., Williams, A. F., & Garcia, J. (2002). Drinking and driving among Mexican American and non-Hispanic white males in Long Beach. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 34, 429-437.
Moskowitz, H., & Fiorentino, D. (2000). A review of the literature on the effects of low doses of alcohol on driving-related skills (Report no. DOT HS 809 028). Washington, DC: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Moskowitz, H., Burns, M., Fiorentino, D., Smiley, A., & Zador, P. (2000). Driver characteristics and impairment at various BACs (Report no. DOT HS 809 075). Washington, DC: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


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11.43 Acres Berry Patch Rd., Murphy, NC 28906 US Murphy Land for Sale
11.43 Acres Berry Patch Rd., Murphy, North Carolina
Mountain Retreat on 11.43 +/- unrestricted acres with 460 ft
Property Details
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- Lot Size: 11.43 ac
- Style: Creek, Views
- Schools: Cherokee Co. NC
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Property Description
Mountain Retreat on 11.43 +/- unrestricted acres with 460 ft. of rushing Camp Creek and Mountain views. This family retreat has been enjoyed by all for camping, hiking, waterfall views, fishing and being close to Lake Apalachia. Good roads, underground power and you own both sides of the road. Camping or making this your future Cabin - the only thing you'll miss when you're back home are the soothing rushing creek sounds!
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Talk about bravery! Talk about going above and beyond!
Three START Resource Center Counselors showed acts of selflessness and bravery during the most recent Hurricane on October 11. While everyone made vast preparations for Hurricane Florence, even in our Western region, we felt like Hurricane Michael would pass us by like most any storm.
Well, did it ever! Our START West Resource Center experienced the wrath of the storm with four trees falling on our facility, all while we had 2 START guests and 3 Resource Center Counselors inside. One Counselor was located in our sunroom and looked up to see the neighbor's tree falling and she yelled for everyone to get out. She and her peers were able to get the guests from the house and outside to safety without injury.
The house and vehicles were not so lucky. While everyone was visibly shaken up, one of the staff managed to call emergency personnel and the fire department arrived on the scene and helped them to gather needed items from the house for the guests. They were then instructed to take the guests to our local vocational unit where they waited on family members to pick the guests up since they were unable to return to the home.
Our Resource Center is non-operational at this time while we await reconstruction from the storm's damages. We are in the process of developing ways to assist our START families during this time they are not able to utilize our facility. We are also helping our staff to find work at our local Health Services unit in Statesville until our home is up and running again.
We are grateful as a START team that no one was injured during this devastation, as things could have obviously turned out very differently. As the pictures show, we are quite lucky!
A special thank you goes out to Candace Heaggans, Naquita Gregory and Shaquawn Ramsey, pictured from left to right, as they were present during the heroics and made sure our START guests were safe, above all else! We will be back! #STARTSTRONG
A special thank you to Cindy Myers and Michael Heller for their help during all of this!
Michelle Kluttz
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It's safe to say I'm completely obsessed with bao buns. After having them at Wagamamas my obsession grew during my travels to Australia last year. I tried to eat as many as possible in China Town in Melbourne, in Sydney and Perth!
I haven't found many places in the UK that do them yet, especially not in the south! Although I'm sure there's loads of places that do them in London before you start @-ing me.
Anyway, you'll imagine my surprise when Henry and I were walking through Southsea looking for somewhere to eat and stumbled on Two Doors Down. Continue reading "Bao buns at Two Doors Down in Southsea"


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Buy-side forced to find new methods of financing
Asset managers will have to find new sources of funding and liquidity as balance sheet pressures continue to hit banks.
Tech firm has developed a solution it says will provide CCPs with more suitable risk management tools.
At a time where cost efficiency has become the new world order, outsourcing almost everything from trading technology to post-trade processes has become the next big thing.
Basel Committee confirms important meeting to finalise reforms to Basel III has been delayed.
European Commission and Council chiefs laid out their regulatory issues prior to September's G20 summit in Hangzhou.
The repo market has been under increased pressure from regulations.
The Basel Committee has received mounting pressure to review its capital framework.


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The Oslo Metal bottle is designed by Norway Shop in cooperation with WayNor. This Norwegian metal bottle is a part of exclusive Oslo collection which you can find only in Norway Shop. This Oslo travel bottle is decorated with Norwegian flag and pictures of Oslo's seightseens such as Holmenkollen, angry boy statue, Royal Palace and other.
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The high of this metal bottle Oslo is 17 cm / 6,69 inch


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Rotary Paper Trimmers are made for very accurate trimming of 1 to 15 or so pages at a time. By using a circular blade to cut straight through the material, you can cut and trim paper, lamination, and other similar items with ease. Lengths are available starting at 12" and go up to 100" in length for all your trimming needs.
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Most of the rotary cutters below have grids and size markings for fast, accurate cutting. Many models come with features like self sharpening steel blades, automatic clamping, safety cutting heads, and even slotted sides for cutting oversized documents and materials.
Skyline offers a wide variety of lite and heavy duty rotary paper cutters and rotary trimmers as well as replacement blades to fit your needs. Whether you are looking for a small rotary trimmer that you can use on craft projects or a large rotary trimmer for trimming your banners and laminated materials, Skyline has the trimmer for you. Check out our rotary cutting machines here.
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Deuce 'n a Quarter is an entertaining five piece rhythm & blues band that will keep you moving to their soulful sound of blues covers and original music! Help us to spread the word by inviting some good friends to join you for a night of great music, made from scratch pizza and craft beer.
View the full schedule and subscribe to event updates here: www.facebook.com/weaselboybrewing/events


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- Summerfield Retirement Living
911 North 800 West, Orem, UT, 84057
Community InformationSummerfield Retirement Living is an assisted living facility in Orem, UT. Summerfield Retirement Living offers activities at their location for residents. These activities generally allow residents to maintain healthy lifestyles by encouraging movement and socializing with their peers.
Being able to chat with other residents becomes an important part of many peoples' lives and Summerfield Retirement Living offers common spaces indoors to support that need. The benefit of living in an assisted living community is that making meals can be costly and time consuming process so Summerfield Retirement Living provides meals for residents.
Staff is awake and available 24 hours a day so if any emergencies occur no matter the time, there will be someone ready to help. Making sure residents with diabetes monitor their insulin levels is clearly an important task and Summerfield Retirement Living can help with that task.
Unique Features* Restaurant style dining, includes two meals
* Open snack area
* Movies piped into apartments from big screen in community room
The minimum age that a resident may be is 55 years old.
StaffingNurses on Staff24-Hour Awake StaffVisiting NurseHomecare OnsiteVisiting PodiatristVisiting Physical Therapist
Facility Care Level
Care Level Percentage Light Care 0% Medium Care 100% Heavy Care 0%
Summerfield Retirement Living prefers that residents need: light care, medium care, heavy care
Additional ServicesDiabetic Care
The community can help residents monitor their blood sugar but cannot give insulin injections.
Memory Care Offered
This community employs technology to prevent residents from wandering and becoming lost, for example bracelets that will ring an alarm if the resident leaves the community.
Incontinence Care
Incontinent residents must be able to manage incontinence themselves. This staff at this community can remind incontinent residents to use the restroom. This community can care for residents with bowel incontinence. This community can care for residents with bladder incontinence.
Non Ambulatory Care
This community can provide a 2 person assisted transfer for residents who need help transferring, for example, from a bed into a wheelchair.
TransportationResident Parking AvailableComplimentary TransportationProperty Convenient to Busline
SmokingAllowed Outdoors
Additional AmenitiesActivities OnsiteActivities OffsiteDevotional Services OnsiteDevotional Services OffsiteOutdoor Common AreasIndoor Common AreasBeautician Onsite
Other ServicesWheelchair Accessible ShowersHospice Available
MealsMeals Provided
Activities ProvidedGames, Singers, Musicians, Scenic drives, Movies, and Social gatherings.
Average Room Pricing at Summerfield Retirement Living
Room Type Assisted Living Studio Averages $1,900 - $2,400 Monthly 1 Bedroom Averages $2,300 - $2,900 Monthly Semi-Private 2 BedroomsDisclaimer: The prices, amenities, features and care offered at senior communities are all subject to change; therefore information on this community profile may be out of date. Please note the costs per community are rough estimates; actual costs may vary depending on special offers and discounts, additional fees for services and care, and availability.
Estimated Fees at Summerfield Retirement Living
Fee Type Assisted Living Community Fee Averages $1,900 - $2,400 One-time Respite Fee Buy-In Fee High Care Needs Fee Averages $700 - $900 Monthly Medium Care Needs Fee Averages $400 - $500 Monthly Low Care Needs Fee Averages $100 - $200 Monthly 2nd Person Fee Averages $700 - $900 MonthlyDisclaimer: The prices, amenities, features and care offered at senior communities are all subject to change; therefore information on this community profile may be out of date. Please note the costs per community are rough estimates; actual costs may vary depending on special offers and discounts, additional fees for services and care, and availability.
Paying for careCommercial InsurancePrivate paySocial SecuritySeparate pricing structure for careVeteran's benefits
Nearby Communities
If Summerfield Retirement Living isn't quite what you're looking for, take a look at a few other nearby communities that might be a better match.
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Nearby Cities
|Number of Facilities
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|3 miles
|4 miles
|American Fork
|6 miles
|Cedar Hills
|7 miles
|9 miles
|Spanish Fork
|16 miles
General Pricing Information for Orem Assisted Living
|Room Type
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|Average Cost
|Maximum Cost
|1 Bedroom


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Your WMFHA/NAA membership includes access to Visto, the new online hub for multifamily professional development brought to you by the NAA Educational Institute and Grace Hill. There you can access credential courses, continuing education programs, and recorded seminars from NAA events.
Visto is your complete, on-demand training platform to develop your career.
Browse Credential Courses
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Multifamily Insiders' Webinar Wednesdays


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Becker's has been family owned for over 90 years!
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Mini Hollow Blocks are sized to standard unit-block construction. Beautifully constructed with birch plywood and solids. Edges are rounded and surfaces are sanded smooth for safety and hours of creative play, problem solving and mathematical reasoning. Largest block size approximately 11" x 6" x 3". 16 pieces. Ages 3+
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The secret life of a pretend housewife: Episode 3
'Failing at getting kids to do chores' is the title of this episode. (And btw. Wow. Episode 3. This is very unlike me.)
One of the common assumptions about large families is that of course my children will help me. That by somehow being in a largish family, their desire to serve one another will be stronger than other kids. It's not true. They're as lazy and self focused as everyone else.
So I still have to work hard to get them to help out and contribute. Which is a problem, when you're as haphazard and disorganised as me. So they'll make their beds diligently for a few weeks and then I'll run out of 'hassle-puff' (as I call it) and the whole thing collapses again.
Is it possible to get them to do housework without the charts and chore list? I think so. As they've got older it's become a norm that if Mum asks for help, you need to be obedient and contribute. So they do actually do lots of housework, but it still requires me to get them moving on it.
I'm sure there are many good parents who would think this is a hopelessly, unstructured system (as I often feel it is). But more recently I've had various children come into the kitchen when I'm looking (and sounding) stressed out at dinner time asking if they can help. Or my 7yo just set the table for us last night - unprompted. It's not all bad. But there are still issues with the kids who manage to get away with doing nothing. The upside of being in a big family - easier to hide and not be noticed if you just keep quiet!
I think next week will be the end of my 'series'. I'm exhausted by all this structure!


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Lehigh Valley Rocks Movie Teaser
A mini Rock Documentary/Teaser of the Metal and Rock music scene from the 1980ies in the Lehigh Valley, PA.
A mini Rock Documentary/Teaser of the Metal and Rock music scene from the 1980ies in the Lehigh Valley, PA.
The man who spurred the legal inquiry into Lehigh Valley Health Network's charitable giving may also weigh in on the case, a judge has ruled. In a two-sentence order, Lehigh County Judge Brian Johnson granted permission to Robert Young, a retired Lehigh County judge himself, to file a friend-of-the-court… This story original published here: Business …
This was such a great event! I took home first place a second year in a row!!! Enjoy this piece as o had fun doing it!!!! ♡
The IronPigs will wear the special uniform on June 10 as part of their Salute to Philadelphia promotion, the club announced at a press conference March 22, 2016 in Allentown.
On February 21, 2015, a coroner declared Justin Smith, 25, of McAdoo, PA, dead. Justin was found frozen solid in a snow bank from the previous night, after temperatures had dropped to -4 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Amazingly – thanks to incredible teamwork among first responders and Lehigh Valley Health Network caregivers in both Hazleton and …
Found Frozen: Man Found After Record Cold Survives Hypothermia – Lehigh Valley Health Network Read More »
A new dining option has opened at The Shops at Madison Farms, the retail portion of the community quickly growing on 100 acres of old Bethlehem Township farmland. Chipotle Mexican Grill opened there Friday, developers The KRE Group and The Silverman Group announced. In the last month, Elite Nail… This story original published here: Business …
Chipotle opens at Madison Farms in Bethlehem Township Read More »
MSTS Lehigh Valley Passenger Trains featuring, The Major, The Maple Leaf, The Lehighton Express, The John Wilkes, The Asa Packer and the Black Diamond. Video taken on the Scale Rail Lehigh Valley Route ('The Anthracite Project') with BLW/ZT ALCO PAs (www.valleypass.com) and soon-to-be released rolling stock from ZosaTrains and from the Bureau of Technological Toys.
The Lehigh Valley Auto Show 2016 opens its doors March 16 for a sneak peek. The show starts Thursday, March 17, and continues through Sunday, March 20, at Lehigh University Goodman Campus in Bethlehem. Visit glvada.org for ticket information and tim


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HOUSTON, TX -The current Ebola Virus outbreak in West Africa is the worst of its kind in history but strides against this deadly virus are being made right here in Texas. At UTMB Dr. Thomas Geisbert and his team have successfully tested their work on animals, but need the funds to get it to the public.
But funding is hard, says Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and fellow in duisease and poverty at Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Dr. Hotez says, "A lot of the vaccine development has to come from the non-profit sector because the multi-national pharmaceutical companies have not taken them up in a substantial way."
Hotez goest on to point out there`s a link between the lack of funding to treat Ebola, and the lack of funding for tropical diseases we already have on the Gulf Coast.
He explains, "Chagas Disease effects.. kills an estimated 10,000 people every year, Dengue Fever kills an estimated 20,000 people every year"…"We don`t really pay much attention to them because they disproportionately effect people in poverty, just like Ebola effects people in poverty."
Dr. Hotez says the chance of Ebola coming to Houston isn't high, but also isn't zero. And he hopes the fear of what might come doesn`t overshadow the diseases that have already arrived.


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Jesus Paid Enough
Jesus Paid Enough
by Trudie Schar
This person had done so much to ruin me that I didn't know if I had it in my heart to forgive. Over the previous months, I had gone through many messy steps to try to attain healing.
It had begun with realizing this feeling of anger that I noticed in my life stemmed from unforgiveness. Realizing this was certainly my first battle. I wanted to run, I didn't want to face the hard reality. I just wanted to stuff it back down inside and not deal with it.
After digging into the Word, I realized the severity of unforgiveness. I read things such as,
"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."[i]
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Yet it didn't sink in. Yes, I wanted God to forgive me my many sins. However, I wasn't the one who needed forgiveness at this exact moment, rather I needed to extend forgiveness.
I pleaded with God to show me how to forgive.
I went through a stage of grieving. Grieving for my loss. Grieving for the sin of unforgiveness in my life. Grieving for the years I had spent building this hatred and bitterness.
I journaled a lot. I wrote down my feelings of guilt, shame, confusion, and pain. I wrote down every single thing this person did. God brought many things to my memory as I did this exercise, and I got it all out on paper. It felt good in an angry sort of way, as if I was writing a list of someone's counts against them, condemning them, piling heaps on them higher and higher. But it also felt so freeing. Instead of holding it in, I was able to get it out in the open.
I got professional, Biblical counseling. I read many, many books. I dealt with a lot of ugly, hurtful, sad feelings. However, forgiveness continued to elude me.
God had laid on my heart a date by which I expected to have healing, but I still wrestled with this forgiving thing.
I was less than one week from that date on my calendar and still nothing. That afternoon after church, I was thinking about the messages from the day.
I had a conversation with myself. "Has this person done me wrong? Yes, certainly, he owes me."
I continued this conversation and asked myself, "What would repay the debt this person owes me?" $10,000? A house? New car?
The Holy Spirit brought this beautiful picture to my mind. I was sitting in a courtroom. The person who had wronged me was sitting on the opposite side. God was sitting before us in the judge's seat. It was just the three of us.
God looked at the list of wrongs. He knew everything. Yes, it was clear that this person was guilty. The judge brought the gavel down and the sentence was guilty. He was about to give out a sentence: 10 years jail time without parole… $10,000... I wasn't sure of the punishment.
At the back of the courtroom the door opened. Jesus walked down the long and quiet aisle. He walked up to the judge and asked if He could have a word. He said, "What does the guilty one owe? I will pay this debt. I will pay all of it."
The judge asked me, "Is that enough? Do you accept the payment of this man, Jesus? Do you accept His payment for full reimbursement for all you were wronged? Is His payment enough?"
I had to say, "Yes, Jesus, You paid enough."
Jesus. He had paid the debt in full. He gave His entire life to pay the debt for the guilty. His life offering was more than enough!
"And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."
Friend, this Jesus wants to meet you in the courtroom today. He wants to offer the same to you. He wants to pay all of the debts that others owe you. He gave his entire life for those debts. He has already paid them. Whether the person who wronged you has admitted his sin or not. Whether the person who wronged you wants your forgiveness or not. Jesus walks up and offers his payment. The judge asks you, "Did Jesus pay enough?"
When you accept His payment as enough, you will find freedom. You will find forgiveness.
Friend, I pray you walk away from the courtroom whispering, "Jesus paid enough."
[i] Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV
[i] Matthew 6:14-15 KJV
[i] Matthew 6:12 KJV


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Archiso is a small set of bash scripts capable of building fully functional Arch Linux based live CD and USB images. It is the tool used to generate the official CD/USB images, however it is a very generic tool and it could potentially be used to generate anything from rescue systems, install disks, to special interest live CD/DVD/USB systems, and who knows what else. Simply put, if it involves Arch on a shiny coaster, it can do it. The heart and soul of Archiso is mkarchiso. All of its options are documented in its usage output, so its direct usage won't be covered here. Instead, this wiki article will act as a guide for rolling your own live media in no time!
- 1 Setup
- 2 Configure our live medium
- 3 Build the ISO
- 4 Using the ISO
- 5 Installation without Internet access
- 5.1 Install the archiso to the new root
- 5.2 Chroot and configure the base system
- 5.2.1 Restore the configuration of journald
- 5.2.2 Reset the pam's configuration
- 5.2.3 Remove special udev rule
- 5.2.4 Disable and remove the services created by archiso
- 5.2.5 Remove special scripts of the Live environment
- 5.2.6 Set the password of arch
- 5.2.7 Create an initial ramdisk environment
- 5.2.8 Normal configuration
- 6 See also
Before we begin, we need to install archiso from the official repositories. Alternatively, archiso-gitAUR can be found in the AUR.
Create a directory to work within, this is where all the modifications to the live image will take place:
~/archlive should do fine.
$ mkdir ~/archlive
The archiso scripts that were installed to the host system earlier now need to be copied over into the newly created directory you will be working within.
Archiso comes with two "profiles": releng and baseline.
If you wish to create a fully customised live version of Arch Linux, pre-installed with all your favourite programs and configurations, use releng.
If you just want to create the most basic live medium, with no pre-installed packages and a minimalistic configuration, use baseline.
So, depending on your needs, execute the following, replacing 'PROFILE' with either releng or baseline.
# cp -r /usr/share/archiso/configs/PROFILE/ ~/archlive
The build scripts require that the loop kernel module be loaded.
# modprobe loop
If you are using the releng profile to make a fully customised image, then you can proceed onto #Configure our live medium.
If you are using the baseline profile to create a bare image, then you won't be needing to do any customisations and can proceed onto #Build the ISO.
Configure our live medium
This section details configuring the image you will be creating, allowing you to define the packages and configurations you want your live image to contain.
Change into the directory we created earlier (~/archlive/releng/ if you have been following this guide), you will see a number of files and directories; we are only concerned with a few of these, mainly: packages.* - this is where you list, line by line, the packages you want to have installed, and the airootfs directory - this directory acts as an overlay and it is where you make all the customisations.
Generally, every administrative task that you would normally do after a fresh install except for package installation can be scripted into
~/archlive/releng/airootfs/root/customize-airootfs.sh. It has to be written from the perspective of the new environment, so / in the script means the root of the live-iso which is created.
Installing packages
You will want to create a list of packages you want installed on your live CD system. A file full of package names, one-per-line, is the format for this. This is great for special interest live CDs, just specify packages you want in packages.both and bake the image. The packages.i686 and packages.x86_64 files allow you to install software on just 32bit or 64bit, respectively.
I recommend installing "rsync" if you wish to install the system later on with no internet connection or skipping downloading it all over again. (#Installation)
Custom local repository
You can also create a custom local repository for the purpose of preparing custom packages or packages from AUR/ABS. When doing so with packages for both architectures, you should follow a certain directory order to not run into problems.
For instance:
- ~/customrepo/x86_64/foo-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz
- ~/customrepo/x86_64/customrepo.db.tar.gz
- ~/customrepo/x86_64/customrepo.db (symlink created by
- ~/customrepo/i686/foo-i686.pkg.tar.xz
- ~/customrepo/i686/customrepo.db.tar.gz
- ~/customrepo/i686/customrepo.db (symlink created by
You can then add your repository by putting the following into
~/archlive/releng/pacman.conf, above the other repository entries (for top priority):
# custom repository [customrepo] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = file:///home/user/customrepo/$arch
So, the build scripts just look for the appropriate packages.
If this is not the case you will be running into error messages similar to this:
error: failed to prepare transaction (package architecture is not valid) :: package foo-i686 does not have a valid architecture
Avoid installation of packages belonging to base group
By, default
/usr/bin/mkarchiso, a script which is used by
~/archlive/releng/build.sh, calls one of the arch-install-scripts named
pacstrap without the
-i flag, which causes Pacman to not wait for user input during the installation process.
When blacklisting base group packages by adding them to the
IgnorePkg line in
~/archlive/releng/pacman.conf, Pacman asks if they still should be installed, which means they will when user input is bypassed. To get rid of these packages there are several options:
- Dirty: Add the
-iflag to each line calling
- Clean: Create a copy of
/usr/bin/mkarchisoin which you add the flag and adapt
~/archlive/releng/build.shso that it calls the modified version of the mkarchiso script.
- Advanced: Create a function for
~/archlive/releng/build.shwhich explicitly removes the packages after the base installation. This would leave you the comfort of not having to type enter so much during the installation process.
Adding a user
User management can be handled the same way as during the normal installation process, except you put your commands scripted into
~/archlive/releng/airootfs/root/customize_airootfs.sh. For further information have a look at User management.
Adding files to image
The airootfs directory acts as an overlay, think of it as root directory '/' on your current system, so any files you place within this directory will be copied over on boot-up.
So if you have a set of iptables scripts on your current system you want to be used on you live image, copy them over as such:
# cp -r /etc/iptables ~/archlive/releng/airootfs/etc
Placing files in the users home directory is a little different. Do not place them within airootfs/home, but instead create a skel directory within airootfs/ and place them there. We will then add the relevant commands to the customize_root_image.sh which we are going to use to copy them over on boot and sort out the permissions.
First, create the skel directory; making sure you are within ~/archlive/releng/airootfs/etc directory (if this is where you are working from):
# cd ~/archlive/releng/airootfs/etc && mkdir skel
Now copy the 'home' files to the skel directory, again doing everything as root! e.g for .bashrc.
# cp ~/.bashrc ~/archlive/releng/airootfs/etc/skel/
~/archlive/releng/airootfs/root/customize-airootfs.sh is executed and a new user is created, the files from the skel directory will automatically be copied over to the new home folder, permissions set right.
Boot Loader
The default file should work fine, so you should not need to touch it.
Due to the modular nature of isolinux, you are able to use lots of addons since all *.c32 files are copied and available to you. Take a look at the official syslinux site and the archiso git repo. Using said addons, it is possible to make visually attractive and complex menus. See here.
Login manager
Starting X at boot is done by enabling your login manager's systemd service. If you know which .service file needs a softlink: Great. If not, you can easily find out in case you're using the same program on the system you build your iso on. Just use
# systemctl disable nameofyourloginmanager
to temporarily turn it off. Next type the same command again and replace "disable" with "enable" to activate it again. Systemctl prints information about softlink it creates. Now change to ~/archiso/releng/airootfs/etc/systemd/system and create the same softlink there.
An example (make sure you're either in ~/archiso/releng/airootfs/etc/systemd/system or add it to the command):
# ln -s /usr/lib/systemd/system/lxdm.service display-manager.service
This will enable LXDM at system start on your live system.
Changing Automatic Login
The configuration for getty's automatic login is located under email@example.com/autologin.conf.
You can modify this file to change the auto login user:
[Service] ExecStart= ExecStart=-/sbin/agetty --autologin isouser --noclear %I 38400 linux
Or remove it altogether to disable auto login.
Build the ISO
Now you are ready to turn your files into the .iso which you can then burn to CD or USB: Inside the directory you are working with, either ~/archlive/releng, or ~/archlive/baseline, execute:
# ./build.sh -v
The script will now download and install the packages you specified to work/*/airootfs, create the kernel and init images, apply your customizations and finally build the iso into out/.
Rebuild the ISO
If you want to rebuild your iso again after a few modifications, you have to remove lock files in the work directory:
# rm -v work/build.make_*
Using the ISO
Just burn the iso to a cd. You can follow CD Burning as you wish.
See USB flash installation media.
See Multiboot_USB_drive#Arch_Linux.
Grub4dos is a utility that can be used to create multiboot usbs, able to boot multiple linux distros from the same usb stick.
To boot the generated system on a usb with grub4dos already installed, loop mount the ISO and copy the entire
/arch directory to the root of the usb.
Then edit the
menu.lst file from the grub4dos (it must be on the usb root) and add these lines:
title Archlinux x86_64 kernel /arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz archisolabel=<your usb label> initrd /arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img
Change the
x86_64 part as necessary and put your real usb label there.
Installation without Internet access
If you wish to install the archiso(e.g. the offical monthly release) as it is without an Internet connection, or, if you don't want to download the packages you want again:
First, please follow the beginners' guide and skip some parts(like #Establish_an_internet_connection) until the #Install_the_base_system step.
Install the archiso to the new root
Instead of installing the packages with
pacstrap(as it downloads every packages from remote repository and we have no Internet access now), please copy everything in the Live environment to the new root:
# time (cp -ax /{usr,bin,lib,lib64,sbin,etc,home,opt,root,srv,var} /mnt)
Then, create some directories and copy the kernel image to the new root, in order to keep the integrity of the new system:
# mkdir -vm755 /mnt/{boot,dev,run,mnt} # cp -vaT /run/archiso/bootmnt/arch/boot/$(uname -m)/vmlinuz /mnt/boot/vmlinuz-linux # mkdir -vm1777 /mnt/tmp # mkdir -vm555 /mnt/{sys,proc}
After that, please generate a fstab as described in Beginners' guide#Generate_an_fstab.
Chroot and configure the base system
Next, chroot into your newly installed system:
# arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash
Please note that before you configure the locale,keymap,etc,... there are something necessary to do, in order to get rid of the trace of a Live environment(in other words, the customization of archiso which does not fit a non-Live environment).
Restore the configuration of journald
This customization of archiso will lead to storing the system journal in RAM, it means that the journal will not available after reboot:
# sed -i 's/Storage=volatile/#Storage=auto/' /etc/systemd/journald.conf
Reset the pam's configuration
This configuration of pam perhaps break the security of your new system, it's recommend to use the default configuration:
# nano /etc/pam.d/su
#%PAM-1.0 auth sufficient pam_rootok.so # Uncomment the following line to implicitly trust users in the "wheel" group. #auth sufficient pam_wheel.so trust use_uid # Uncomment the following line to require a user to be in the "wheel" group. #auth required pam_wheel.so use_uid auth required pam_unix.so account required pam_unix.so session required pam_unix.so
Remove special udev rule
This rule of udev starts the dhcpcd automatically if there are any wired network interfaces.
# rm /etc/udev/rules.d/81-dhcpcd.rules
Disable and remove the services created by archiso
Some service files are created for the Live environment, please disable the services and remove the file as they are unnecessary for the new system:
# systemctl disable pacman-init.service choose-mirror.service # rm -r /etc/systemd/system/{choose-mirror.service,pacman-init.service,etc-pacman.d-gnupg.mount,email@example.com} # rm /etc/systemd/scripts/choose-mirror
Remove special scripts of the Live environment
There are some scripts installed in the live system by archiso scripts, which are unnecessary for the new system:
# rm /email@example.com/autologin.conf # rm /root/{.automated_script.sh,.zlogin} # rm /etc/sudoers.d/g_wheel # rm /etc/mkinitcpio-archiso.conf # rm -r /etc/initcpio
Set the password of arch
The customization script created a normal user called
arch for the Live environment. You can set a passwd for user
arch in order to login with this username(there is no passwd for
arch by default):
# passwd arch
Or, if you don't want to use this username, please remove this user:
# userdel -r arch
Create an initial ramdisk environment
Please create an initial ramdisk as described in Beginners'_guide#Create_an_initial_ramdisk_environment.
Normal configuration
After all of these, now you can follow the beginners' guide and finish the installation.


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The first thing I
ate devoured from Whisk + Brush was a pumpkin cinnamon roll at a B:Hive Holiday Pop-Up Shop last year, and it was the best cinnamon roll I've ever had. And I'm not a big pumpkin fan either. I went back for a second only minutes later and they were sold out. They were that good. Major props to baker babes Becca & Betsy. I'm excited to have them on the blog today not only because they make amazing food and share recipes on their blog, but also because they've got a Kickstarter underway for a doughnut truck. And tomorrow's your last day to back it!
Sami: Tell us all about the Doughnut Food Trailer!
Becca & Betsy: We're renovating a 1975 camper into the Whisk + Brush food trailer so we can bring a delicious menu to the streets of Bridgeport, CT and beyond! Enter Dixie, our Doughnut Diva. She's strong, cute, and totally thrilled to soon be pumping out an extensive slew of doughnuts, both sweet and savory. Our goal is to hit $12,000. If you'd like to help, pledge here!
{ recipe: alleluia jalapeño pretzel }
Sami: How did Whisk + Brush come about?
Becca: It was fate. We started out as coworkers in the financial industry. One day, I had an idea for a food blog and shared it with Betsy. Within 2 months it was up and running and I was offered a catering gig (I never planned on venturing into catering). I kept bringing Betsy on to help with events. We had this effortless, fun flow of working together. Without much talk regarding roles and duties, we both naturally settled into our positions and from there it hasn't stopped. And since undergoing the newest venture of a Doughnut Food Trailer, our working bond has become even stronger and more fantastic.
{ recipe: mango caprese salad }
Sami: How did you acquire your culinary skills?
B&B: We both learned from our mothers. Although our backgrounds and childhoods differ in so many ways, our mothers are very similar. Strong, independent woman who know how love with fierce, yet gentle love. We both grew up helping in the kitchen and eating dinners as a family.
Sami: When you're not whipping up your own amazing food, where do you eat?
B&B: We love supporting the locals. Our faves are Harborview Market, Walrus + Carpenter, Source Coffeehouse, Au Vucchella, Leisha's Bakeria, Timothy's Ice Cream… the list goes on.
{ recipe: buttermilk cinnamon rolls }
Sami: What's your catch phrase?
B&B: "Whose idea was this?!" We tend to shout this at each other in the midst of catering, frying up doughnuts, rushing around the kitchen. It usually gets said when we're both hustling, under a time crunch, and trying to multi-task like crazy. It always makes us laugh because we know the only persons to blame for our craziness is US!
{ recipe: pea + plum falafels }
Sami: What feeds (pun intended) your creative energy?
Becca: For me, I'm most creative when my plate is full (no pun intended). I try to stay busy with focused, challenging work because it keeps me firing on all cylinders. The key is finding a way to stay organized with the creativity. There have been so many times that Betsy and I have been in the thick of a catering job or working at the farmers market, and I have a million ideas come to me, but we forget to write them down.
{ recipe: chicken tortilla soup }
Sami: How do you combat creative block?
Becca: My creative blocks occur when I'm in a slump. Whether that's due to exhaustion or maybe a lighter schedule or those oh-so awful funks when you question your choices, I hit walls when I'm flirting with laziness. I find that putting time aside to cook something for myself without any kind of agenda, project, or documentation in mind ends up rejuvenating my soul.
{ recipe: it's a new day smoothie }
What do you love most about being entrepreneurs?
B&B: Doing it together. Betsy always says, "Being an entrepreneur is like jumping off a cliff and building a plane on the way down." If we didn't have each other, we'd be flat on our faces, but together… we're starting to see the plane (or the doughnut truck) take shape. And that's really exciting.
{ recipe: spicy chicken + doughnut }
If you could give your fellow entrepreneurs one piece of advice, what would it be?
B&B: Say yes to EVERYTHING. We headed into this venture thinking about what our ideal situation/work/clients would look like… and things were slow. We were being picky and weren't taking chances and challenging ourselves, thus our growth was minimal. While taking a course through Women's Business Development Center, Becca was told "Say yes to everything. And keep saying yes for longer than you think you have to." The reality is, when you're starting off, no one knows who you are or what you're capable of. And while you may know what your time and talent is worth, others don't yet. So, say yes to everything. We have taken on some really awesome work and we've also had many crap jobs that paid us pennies and left us questioning our decision, but so many rippling effects and opportunities have come from taking those risks. We're wiser, better, and more confident because of those experiences. And while we still say yes to most of what comes our way, we are better equipped for handling every facet of the job.
{ recipe: whiskey face punch }
Sami: What do you do to relax?
Becca: Wine. Sweat pants. Couch.
Betsy: See above. This is why we're good friends.
Sami: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
Becca: Thailand. The culture and country have always fascinated me and I have such little know-how when it come to the cuisine… although, I definitely know how to eat it.
Betsy: Australia. Only because I'm obsessed with kangaroos.
{ recipe: chunky monkey quesadilla }
Sami: If you could invite 3 people (alive or dead) over for a picnic, who would you invite?
Becca: My Grandma, Kris Delmhorst (my favorite musician) and John Steinbeck (my favorite author). I figure, my grandma can help me cook while Kris serenades us and Steinbeck provides conversation.
Betsy: My Grandma, Joe Vilane (the dance choreographer), Celia Cruz (my favorite salsa performer).
Betsy — please put me on your picnic invite list so I can finally learn how to dance. ;) Check out Becca & Betsy's delicious recipes on the Whisk + Brush blog, and support their Kickstarter campaign to help them bring their Doughnut Food Trailer dream to life! Tomorrow's the last day to pledge.


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The Middle East and North Africa's first commercial-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) facility was unveiled on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, UAE earlier this week. The facility is expected to clean up to 800,000 tons of CO2 a year.
The process of carbon capture and storage, or CCS, involves collecting the gas from facilities that use fossil fuels and storing it to limit the emissions produced by heavy industries. According to the World Bank, the carbon emissions in the world notably increased from 3 metric tons per capita in the 1960s to 4.99 metric tons per capita at last count.
The carbon-capture facility was developed by Carbon Capture Company Al Reyadah, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Masdar which is the the clean technology and renewable energy arm of Abu Dhabi's Government. It will clean up emissions produced by Emirates Steel Industries (ESI), which produces clear CO2 with 98% concentration.
Carbon dioxide will be collected on site at Emirates Steel and then it will be compressed and dehydrated. The captured CO2 will then be transmitted via a 42 kilometer pipeline, built with the new facility, to ADNOC's North East Bab (NEB) and Bab onshore oilfields.
"This project has been under study for a very long time and now it is a reality," the UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei told AFP . "When it is fully operational it will remove CO2 equivalent to taking more than 170,000 cars off the roads."
In 2013, the facility's AED 450 million (USD $122 million) procurement and construction contract was awarded to Emirati company Dodsal Group. The CCS technology has been applied before in several projects in the US, China, as well as Algeria and Canada.
The UAE has been putting notable effort and resources into green and environmentally-friendly project projects. Dubai is currently building the world's largest concentrated solar power (CSP) as well as a sustainable city with solar water heaters and green home appliances for its residents. The city promises a 100% water and waste recycling and "natural biodome greenhouses, organic farm and individual garden farms for local food production."


text:
Enjoying God for All He's Worth
The other day I enjoyed a particularly breath-taking moment with God. I had just finished a good work out and was eating some fruit in the living room while my wife rested from a long day. I like fruit, but for some reason, I was particularly aware of it's sweetness this day.
I intentionally slowed my pace so that I could really enjoy the sweetness more thoroughly. As I did I began to take note of a few other delights as well. I focused on the beauty of some roses sitting on our coffee table, relished the companionship of my wife and relaxed in the silence of a nice Spring evening.
This was the first time in several weeks, maybe even months, that I had slowed down enough to really savor life. My wife and I have been busy preparing for our first child, selling our house and taking care of our daily affairs. It has been particularly easy to miss out on all the good around us.
A Taste of Something Sweeter
For some reason, on this particular night, however, God seemed to put the world on pause so that I could enjoy him in a way I hadn't for quite some time. Then it hit me. I wasn't just enjoying the fruit, the flowers or my wife, I was enjoying God through the fruit, the flowers and my wife.
Psalm 19:1 says, "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." The same is true of the rest of creation as well. God radiates his glory, excellence and beauty. It proceeds from him, like light and heat proceed forth from the sun. All of creation then reflects God's glory, excellence and beauty in one way or another to one degree or another, like the moon reflects the light of the sun.
That's breath taking enough as it is. When we take a step back to meditate on this Scripture a little longer, it becomes even more breath taking. This ultimately means that fruit is only sweet because it reflects the sweetness of God's glory. Roses are only beautiful because they reflect the beauty of God. Companionship is only enjoyable because it reflects the companionship we can have with God through Jesus.
Seeing and Savoring Christ
Amazing right? It gets even better. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the "radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature." Romans 1:19-20 reminds us that God has made himself known plainly through creation. This means that things like a refreshing Spring rain, a savory meal or an adventurous road trip are all means by which we can enjoy more of all that God is for us in Jesus.
It is through Jesus that we enjoy, as Ephesians 1 says, "every spiritual blessing." It is through creation that we get to savor those spiritual blessings through tangible experiences that bring the many benefits of Christ's work to life for us. God's glory is to be seen and savored through all of creation as creation redirects our hearts back to the good things we have in Jesus Christ. Next time you do something that you enjoy, let your enjoyment of God's creation redirect your heart to God so that you can enjoy him for all that he's worth.
The Best Encouragement Ever
Encouragement. It's something we all crave. We all want to be told when we've done something well, that our efforts made a difference or that our circumstances will improve. A few thoughtful words can improve our outlook, the right words bring lasting change.
Known Challenges & Temporary Disappointment
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of hosting a weekend conference with Living Hope Church. The conference was just a short 24 hours. It started Friday night and ended Saturday night, but it required some significant work. We had about a dozen volunteers contribute several hours worth of free labor.
By the date of the conference two of our volunteers were unable to participate in the event they worked so hard at. Their babies were due that weekend. They couldn't justify leaving town when their wives could go into labor at any minute. Both men were disappointed, but knew they needed to put their wives first.
At the end of the event I publicly recognized everyone who helped with the conference. I intentionally explained that some of the volunteers didn't even get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. It was a comment I thought would go unnoticed, but it didn't.
Unseen Treasures & Eternal Encouragement
Shortly after the event was over a gentleman that I didn't know pulled me aside. He told me to inform the two volunteers who weren't able to attend that he was praying that God would give them extra treasures in heaven. His response caught me off guard, but it also gave me great joy!
This guy didn't offer some hallow, half-hearted consolation such as "I'm sorry they couldn't make it." He was genuinely interested in their well-being. He knew that missing out on the reward of there efforts that weekend didn't mean they had to miss out on their reward at all.
By keeping an eternal perspective, this man was able to offer encouragement that surpasses any encouragement I've ever heard before. He understood that there is more to life than meets the eye, that this world is not all there is and that those who believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in a place far better. His encouragement was so life-giving because he focused on the unseen treasures that last for eternity, rather than the temporary pleasures that fade with time.
Life is hard. Disappointments are frequent. Setbacks occur regularly. Next time a friend, family member or co-worker needs an uplifting word, choose to offer encouragement that will last. Give them a deeper experience of Jesus by reminding them that in Christ believers have treasure in heaven that will never spoil or fade!
"This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18


text:
Is it just me, or have you turned into a nation of robotic words and motions with no personal connection? You walk into a store, make a purchase at the cash register, and the clerk says "have a nice day" without any emotion…and without even looking at you! Someone bumps into you in the hallway and they mutter, "excuse me", without a pause, without a look, without any real sincerity. Your boss says "good job" without the least bit of realism or gratitude. Don't you hate that?
"Going through the motions" has permeated every aspect of life. You no longer think about what you say, you don't stop to look people in the eye, and you don't look for any bit of authenticity in our words. It's just the same words, over and over…blah, blah, blah, blah. There's no authentic connection.
The same is true of our actions. You go through the day, the week, the month, on autopilot until one day five years later you're like, "how did I get here"? It's similar to when you're driving your car, get caught in a day dream, look up and suddenly 50 miles have passed. You think, "how did I get here"?
Is that what our lives have come to? Autopilot and blah, blah, blah? If authentic relationships and living a meaningful life are what you want, you won't get it this way. And while I can't speak for everyone, I can speak for myself and many of the clients I've coached—authenticity and meaning are a big deal.
So how do you get more authenticity and meaning into our lives and reduce the blah, blah, blah?
You do that by being intentional. Being intentional means that you think about what you want, who you are, and what you want to express. You think about the connections you want to make. You think about your goals, your dreams, your passions. You think about what you want to leave behind. And from there you make intentional choices. You don't speak without thinking . You don't mutter and not make eye contact. You MEAN what you say and you connect with the person you're talking to. You also break out of the normal routine and decide what activities, tasks, and actions should be a part of your day. You stop doing what you did yesterday just because it's comfortable and familiar.
When you plan your week, ask yourself, "what do I want to feel and experience this week". Who is it important for me to connect with? What is most important in my life and what will I do to make sure I invest is that.
I know you're all thinking that's easier said than done. I get that for sure. However, if you expect to enjoy life and not just exist, making a meaningful life a priority is the only way to get there.
For example, you can say over and over that getting healthy is really important and something you want and need to do. But if you never get to the gym, is it really that important to you? Yes, you're busy, you have jobs, kids, cooking, cleaning, homework, laundry…. But look at the gyms and fitness centers. They're full of people JUST LIKE YOU that MAKE TIME to invest in themselves and what's important to them.
You all get the same 24 hours every day. Will you continue to "go through the motions" and make excuses or will you take ownership of your life and live intentionally?


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We are excited to once again be partnering with Design Core and AIA Detroit to present a special edition of PechaKucha Night Detroit at Drinks X Design!
This time, the theme will be "NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT" -- Design Core has selected the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood to be the location of their monthly Drinks X Design event, which will focus in May on the direct impact that creative work can have on neighborhoods.
Our line-up of speakers on our Storefront Stage at the Grand River Annex will be anchored by Dan Pitera, FAIA, the Executive Director of the Detroit Collaborative Design Center at Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. We are rounding out the lineup with other designers, creatives, and community-impact volunteers, sharing their NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT projects and stories in the PK 20slides x 20 seconds format.
As DrinksXDesign is a 2.5 hour event and PK Night is one of several activities, each of our presenters will share twice to enable a greater audience to engage with the work. Presenter order will be revealed at the event.