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At 1080p, max settings with 8x nvida aa, high quality in the control panel, and max ryzom settings i only get 100, and that is using 100 percent of my gpu, and around 15 percent of my 4.5 ghz 6700k.... if I am not using my shadow, and use the laptop I get around 20-25 fps at 1080 max settings 8x aa, high quality radeon settings.
Personally, I get the sort of framerates you get using a far lower percentage of my 1050Ti. But most of us either have 60hz monitors that make such high framerates irrelevant or are picky enough about gaming to already have nothing less than a GTX1070 in the first place and probably just traded twin-1080Tis-in-SLI for 2080Ti.
So In conclusion, I don't recommend buying any graphics card any more, if you have fast internet, because you can get a high end gaming computer for a low monthly fee, and they upgrade their systems.
The shadow cloud computer I use gets around 60-70 fps at max settings 8x aa, high quality at 4k resolution. Which in turn means I can get that on my laptop, making gaming computers useless.
Some of us have issues with cloud computing. Exactly what those issues are varies from person to person, but many of those issues revolve around a not-always-top-notch connection to a remote system that is not under your control. At best, it adds latency; not so much an issue for Ryzom as for other games, but I would rather not add 50-500ms latency to my single-player games. We won't even get into the privacy issues except to say that, justifiably or not, they are a concern for many.
Then there is the monthly fee aspect; Shadow is not a charity. At $35/month, it would take less than a year for a modest gaming PC to pay for itself with the savings. A mere 5 months would cost more than a 1050Ti.
Also, it's only available in certain areas. VERY few, in fact. Ironically, you'd think that Microsoft's hometown (Redmond, WA) would be one of the areas with access to that technology, but it's not available in the state.
In short, Shadow may be worthwhile to those in a limited geographical area who insist on paying a premium to play on laptops or Macs that are inherently weak for gaming due to their lack of GPUs and who lose more than $35 in their sofa every month, but not for those that have a desktop PC built within the last 5 years or who even notice household expenses in their personal finances.
---Do not assume that you speak for all just because you are the loudest voice; there are many who disagree that simply have no desire to waste words on you.


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subset: commoncrawl


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H.E. Dr. Barham Salih the President of the Republic received Mr. Frank Pac Jensen the Norwegian Minister of Defense, at the presidential office in Baghdad today morning Wednesday October 10th 2018.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Jensen congratulated President Barham Salih on the occasion of assuming his duties as President of the Republic, and he conveyed a message from Erna Solberg, the Norwegian Prime Minister, to President Barham Salih, expressing her wishes for success in the performance of his duties.
His Excellency praised the role of the Norwegian forces, within the international coalition against terrorism, and supporting the Iraqi armed forces in various formations, stressing the importance of strengthening military cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of providing and training the Iraqi army and develop its combat capabilities.
President Barham Salih praised the military performance of the army, the federal police, the popular mobilization and the Peshmerga forces, as well as their efforts to confront the terrorist organization, stressing the importance of preserving the achievements of all formations of the Iraqi armed forces and working to strengthen the national role of the military establishment.
The President also stressed the importance of the positive role of Iraq in addressing regional and international tensions, which leads to stability in the region.
For his part, the Norwegian Minister of Defense, affirmed his country's commitment to support Iraq in all areas, stressing that his country is moving forward to strengthening the military capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces.
Mr. Jensen also noted the importance of all parties working to ensure that terrorism does not return to the region, and that efforts should be intensified to defeat it and eradicate it completely, as well as the importance of rebuilding the areas affected by terrorism.


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Take part in CEJA's #veggieselfie campaign to support EU farmers hit by the Russian ban
Following the Russian import ban on agricultural products from the EU, the European Council of Young Farmers has launched a social media campaign to urge people to buy and eat European perishable fruit and vegetables in an attempt to support farmers struggling with their decline in export sales following Russia's import ban. The European Commission has been quick to introduce support measures for domestic producers, but vast numbers of farmers will still be negatively affected by Russia's retaliatory measures.
CEJA is asking the general public, decision-makers, other stakeholders and farmers themselves to take selfies of them eating EU fruit and vegetables and spread the word on social media accompanied by the hashtag #veggieselfie. CEJA hopes that this will encourage people to go out and buy some EU fruit and vegetables but also to promote our products to markets outside the EU.
Take your own #veggieselfie and post it to CEJA's Facebook page on www.facebook.com/cejayoungfarmers, Tweet it to CEJA on @_CEJA_ or email it to the office at email@example.com


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Class Shirt Design: S
Great for up to 300 signatures or typed names.
Many schools that have a mascot with a paw love this design. We have combined the paw print with the year. The fun paint splatter border and background give this design a lively and dynamic feel. Remove the splatters for a cleaner sleeker look.


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This latest round started with Ray Rice, but it isn't merely about a need to look tough on domestic violence. And I mean every single snap! He under threw Ted Ginn Jr.
In a July visit, Zinke expressed doubts that much scientific study went behind the drawing of its boundaries. From London to Chicago, players, coaches and fans took a knee in protest of the President and youth baseball jerseys his divisive rhetoric.
I don know him. Arguably bigger.. Unfortunately, Johnson's dreams were cut short when he was subsequently cut from the team two months later.
1, the NFL Network will be carried throughout Comcast's service areas on a programming package called Digital Classic, which has around 10 million subscribers..
Of the more than 13,000 votes cast, here is how it broke down:. ALLEN PARK Matthew Stafford was on the periphery of the MVP race before a finger injury took a teal basketball jersey bite into his numbers in the final month of the season.
I don't know anyone who has. The actions of NFL players remained in the spotlight after Trump, in a Saturday tweet, urged all NFL players to stand for the national anthem.
They were searching for a gunman and ordering patrons who cowered near craps tables and slot machines to run for the exits..
Williams IR assignment was a surprise, but he couldn finish Thursday exhibition finale because of an ankle issue that merited more concern from medical staff after Friday exam.
Marshawn's a great back. The 2017 NFL free agent market will soon be infused with a bunch of veteran players released by teams for salary cap reasons.
But as much as football thrives on seating us front row at a war, it gotten a lot harder to ignore the fallen or to pretend that they bounce back up.
The order is based on how the teams finished last year. The stunning move came with Sarkisian less than cheap nhl jerseys a month into what was to be his first full season running Alabama offense, a job he took over for the national championship game in place of Lane Kiffin.
And he has devoted himself obsessively to learning about concussions and helping other players who are suffering.. Saffold describes his relationship with the Rams new veteran linemen as telepathic..
For me, then, class means you are a player who always positively affect a game, in any context. Paul's who won national honors and national championships at Alabama.
The Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC West division and earned home field advantage in the playoffs on Sunday night in Seattle, after beating the St.
Of course, Green got hurt and Warner put together a three year run orchestrating the Greatest Show on Turf to the tune of a record of 35 8 as a starter, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 12,612 yards, 98 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
It seems that only the lesser teams in the league are willing to give up a home game and make the long trip across the Atlantic for the annual regular season game.
Vermeil saw something in Warner he didn't know exactly what but made the decision to keep Warner over Furrer in '98. These include Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports Net, and several Fox College Sports Network channels.
Other topics cover engineering positive brand impacts and avoid devastating damage, using crowdsourcing and nfl items for sale retweets, and lifting a brand from relative obscurity to significant popularity.
District Court claimed that the league and Patriots failed to protect their players safety, leading to the disease that deprived Hernandez 4 year old daughter, Avielle, of her father companionship..
10, 1897. No one does that as effectively as Watt, who consistently draws double teams to create one on one opportunities for his fellow Texan pass rushers..
Louis to throw for 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns and rank third in the league with a passer rating of 104.6. Got the e mail maybe two weeks ago about the event.
Teams generate millions of dollars of revenue, and the coach with enough winning seasons under his belt can damn near get away with murder..
And I'm fully aware that eight of those games I just listed came under the previous coaching staff (although that means two have come under Fuente's watch).
Scott deals with some of the biggest sports investors in the universe and nobody works harder for his players than "The Great Scott".
Another advertiser that is said to have curtailed its NFL spend is Nissan, which last season spent $81.4 million on in game inventory, making it the league's No.
Anderson (ankle), S Omar Bolden (hamstring), S David Bruton Jr. "A few were, I'd venture to say, appalled that I was using someone that young," says Jim Young, then, as now, the coach at Penn State.
Pay less attention to smaller muscles such as biceps, triceps and calves. Goodell strongly backed the players and criticized Trump for unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL while several team owners issued similar statements.
We're expecting our first child in December.". Grade: D. Thus, a head coach could take $75,000 as a salary and leave the remainder to be divided up among the assistant coaches.
Tampa Bay finished fifth in total offense and 10th in total defense in the NFL in 2015 a pairing of rankings not usually associated with a losing team.
The officers later died.The rare attack from within the contested site, revered by both Muslims and Jews, raised new concerns about an escalation of violence.
At the end, he was in charge of the NFL rulebook, ran the clock on draft day and had a cameo appearance in the movie "Draft Day" and gave final approval on trades and waiver claims..
In the spring, NFL personnel started speculating that Darnold could be a top pick in the 2018 NFL draft should he decide to skip his final two seasons of college eligibility.
The Statement must also include all of http://www.cheapsoccerjerseyschina.com/ the material noted in Appendix One.With the assistance of appropriate League committees, the Commissioner will evaluate the proposed transfer and report to the membership.
More on Reddick: the jersey shop Haddon Heights, Temple product Haason Reddick drafted by CardinalsWhat they're saying: Browns coach Hue Jackson: question but we going to start him over there on personalized nfl jersey defense for sure.
We have so many female reporters that are sideline reporters, also in the NFL. Since I still own shares ofJets stock in Santonio Holmes, I am still hoping that Sanchez can get it together and make these guys start to be productive.


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Kaapschon is a 144ha farm on the picturesque Viljoenshoop road in the Elgin district. The farm driveway is lined by an avenue of tall, shady trees and the active farmyard with numerous farm buildings is surrounded by healthy, young orchards. Joseph Hendricks owns Kaapschon and has been farming here since 2004 when he saw the opportunity to buy the farm.
"At the time my fruit trading business was doing well enough to extend my business to farming and production, I made the decision to buy Kaapshon," explains Joseph. "I bought the farm on my own through a loan from the Land Bank (Land and Agricultural Bank of South Africa) without any grants or loans from the government. This worked out well now in the long run and has been a good balance for the fruit trading business."
The farm is 144ha in total and there are 90ha of orchards of the farm. Since Joseph bought the farm he has replanted many of the orchards as a lot of them were quite old and needed to be replaced. Initially he also had to do a great deal of infrastructure repair as the farm had been somewhat neglected before he bought it. Over the past few years the farm has renewed 60% of the orchards and these young trees are now starting to come into production which is successfully boosting the business's income. During 2012 Kaapschon also received assistance to plant 5ha of trees from the Hortgro Tree project and these orchards are now also producing well.
"In retrospect I must say that looking at farming from the outside looks a lot rosier than it is when you actually get into the business. Once I had bought the property I realised that this was a tough business to be in especially when you consider the risks and capital involved. Despite this, it has been my vision from the start to be one of the best black farmers in the region and to show the industry around here that it can be done successfully. I also want to progress to the point that I am a 100% commercial export farmer.
"Our management are practical, hands-on farmers who have learned their skills through practical experience on the job. They are an effective team and they make use of new technology in their production practices to continuously improve our production and general farming techniques. My son Wesley is part of the management team. We also make use of technical advisors in various aspects of our farming practice and I strongly believe that this expert advice makes a difference to our bottom line."
Of the 90ha of orchards, the farm has 74ha of apples and 16 ha of pears. The biggest apple variety is Golden Delicious and the biggest pear variety is Packhams Triumph. Kromco packs and exports Kaapschon's export fruit.
"The Jobs Fund contacted us in 2015 about the possibility of receiving funding. This was real good news as we still needed to replace a number of our older orchards," explained Joseph. "We were approved for funding and the process started in 2016. To date we have received a large portion of the funding to establish 27ha of orchards. The Jobs Fund is providing me with funding and I am buying the inputs such as trees, poles and irrigation myself. The varieties that we have received are Sundowner, Rosy Glo, Decarli Gala, Big Bucks and Royal Beaut.
"We currently have 60 permanent employees and 200 seasonal workers and the new orchards will definitely create additional jobs on our property. I believe that in employing people, our responsibility is much more than just paying them a wage for their labour. On the farm we have a good crèche for the young children of our workers and we maintain a strong focus on the spiritual development of our people.
"We received funding for two tractors and I decided to add to the funding to buy better tractors than what are available through the Jobs Fund. We are very grateful to the Jobs Fund as their assistance is really helping us a great deal. I will be adding to these funds with a loan from the Land Bank."


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TORONTO — LeBron James scored 33 points, Kevin Love had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers secured their second straight trip to the NBA Finals by beating the Toronto Raptors 113-87 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night.
It"s the third finals appearance in team history for the Cavaliers. Cleveland lost to Golden State in six games last year and got swept by San Antonio in 2007.
For James, it"s his sixth straight trip to the finals, including four with Miami. He finished with 11 rebounds and six assists.
Kyrie Irving had 30 points and J.R. Smith had 15 for the Cavaliers, who will face the winner of the Golden State-Oklahoma City series on June 2.
Cleveland would open at home against the Thunder but would be on the road against the 73-win Warriors, who trail 3-2 against Oklahoma City heading into Saturday"s Game 6.


text: In what one mentions the groups to it with necessities special, more specifically to the acometidos ones for mental upheaval, the evolution in the thematic one was not distinct of others as much, the same one was influenced by social, cultural, economic aspects, politicians, and diverse other factors that perpassaram for the subject finishing for corroborating in some way with the current scene understood by Mental Health, that according to World-wide Organization of Health (2005): ' ' State of well-being in which the individual carries through its abilities obtains will deal with estresses normal of the life, can work productively and fruitfully and is in conditions to contribute with its comunidade' '. Of the opposite the absence of individual capacity can be understood for insanity to collaborate in society, as well as incapacity to play necessary activities for its life. These concepts make to emerge that some factors possess special relevance in the alteration of the form to perceive and to act front the psychic health. For more information see Rory Sutherland. They are: – The psicofarmacolgicas influences in what it concerns the discovery of new classrooms of used drugs to being in the treatment of the psychic adoecimento, beyond the new form to intervine in the psicossocial scope; – The movement for the human rights that came to be intitled aposteriore for Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, that means inherent the necessities basic the all human being, as right the life, the health, the feeding the liberty of speech and all the other factors that allow the human beings to live with dignity. This document affirms despite all the human beings possess independent human rights of the physical state, social and mental where they meet; – Protests organized for professionals of the area of Mental Health, beyond people attacks for upheavals psychic and its familiar ones that they did not agree more to the form of the treatment given to the patients with mental adoecimento e, therefore, clamavam for a more efficient intervention and efficient e, over all more humanizado. .


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On January 11, 2017, EPA published a proposed new rule that would require hardrock mining facilities to post security or prove their financial responsibility under Section 108(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund). Owners and operators of such facilities can already be held strictly liable under CERCLA for cleanup of hazardous substances. Soon they may also be required to demonstrate their financial strength as a condition of operating. The total financial obligations imposed by the new rule could exceed $7 billion.
The new rule will apply to over 200 mines and processing facilities that produce gold, silver, copper, lead, iron ore, molybdenum, uranium and other hardrock minerals in over 30 states. Four types of operations will, however, be exempt: (1) placer mining; (2) exploration; (3) "[m]ines with less than five disturbed acres that are not located within one mile of another area of mine disturbance that occurred in the prior ten-year period, and that do not employ hazardous substances in their processes"; and (4) "[p]rocessors with less than five disturbed acres of waste pile and surface impoundment."
The new rule requires calculation every three years of the amount of security to be posted by looking at price deflators and the type of facility. As an example, EPA proposes the following for a single heap leach operation:
????????? = the most recent available GDP Implicit Price Deflator for year y; and
????????2014 = the GDP Implicit Price Deflator for 2014
i = the ith response category (e.g., water treatment costs);
n = the total number of relevant response categories;
r = EPA region r (e.g., EPA Region 3); and
s = state s (e.g., Montana).
The formula will require some effort to figure out and must be certified by an independent qualified professional engineer.
The types of financial security that companies can use, depending on the situation and their financial strength, include letters of credit, surety bonds, insurance, financial tests, corporate guarantees, trust funds, and other financial instruments, some of which may be mixed and matched to add up to the required amount. Owners or operators of multiple facilities will also be allowed to post one bond or other financial instrument to cover all of their facilities. The total amount of security will not be reduced by doing so, but it may make administering the security easier.
The full rule will be phased in over four years. Demonstration of financial responsibility for health assessment costs will be required within two years of publication of the final rule. Demonstration of financial responsibility for 50 percent of the response and natural resources damages amount will be required within three years, and for 100 percent within four years.
Although EPA states that the new rule is not meant to preempt, duplicate or disrupt existing state reclamation bonding programs, it seems inevitable that there will be some overlap. "EPA expects CERCLA § 108(b) to effectively complement" state programs, but mining companies will undoubtedly complain about having to post duplicative financial security for the same reclamation work.
The mining industry has long argued that EPA's proposed financial assurance requirement would duplicate reclamation and closure bonding requirements already mandated by federal and state law. One might expect that the proposed regulation would be a target for the Trump administration's promised effort to rein in costly EPA regulations, but this new regulation will not go away altogether because it is required by court order in a mandamus petition filed by the Idaho Conservation League and other environmental groups in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. In Re: Idaho Conservation League, No. 14-1149 (D.C. Cir. January 29, 2016). The court ordered EPA to develop draft CERCLA 108(b) regulations for hardrock mining by December 1, 2016, and final regulations by December 1, 2017.
A copy of the proposed rule may be found at 82 Fed. Reg. 3388. Comments should be submitted by March 13, 2017.


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Harvest Season Preparations | Protecting Your Gourds & Pumpkins
- Protect during growth
- Allow for full ripening
- Preserve from pest birds
Fall is upon us, which means it's almost time to harvest your pumpkins and gourds. Preparing your gourds and pumpkins for harvest takes time and commitment. Harvesting too early results in underdeveloped gourds. Harvesting too late could mean rotten produce or run ins with frost. Below are a few tips to ensure a bountiful harvest this season.


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- Two Perspectives of the Mind
July 21, 1985
In an earlier lecture, I spoke about Buddha's explanation to Ananda in the Shurangama Sutra of the two perspectives, or views, of the mind. There is only one mind, but there are two basically different ways to look at it.
The first perspective is that of the mind of ordinary sentient beings. This is the mind of attachment, the mind which keeps us moving between birth and death, the mind which creates all dharmas, all phenomena. This phenomena-creating mind is the mind of arising, because that which is created necessarily contains discriminations, differences – particulars that are not in unity.
The alternative perspective is that of the mind of the Buddha. According to this view, there really is no mind. This is the state of non-arising which is our true self-nature. And to realize this self-nature is to realize the dharma of non-arising. When this is achieved, the bondage of samsara is broken, and vexations are ended. Not one single dharma (in the sense of "phenomenon") can arise out of this "uncreate" stage. In this stage, there are no true and no false dharmas; there is no dharma at all.
For the remainder of the lecture I will be speaking, for the most part, about the first perspective, the mind of arising, and the ways by which we may affect this arising.
When we say "all phenomena are created by the mind," we must understand that something in the mind is manifested and then brought into the world. Generally, we begin with a desire for something. For example, a couple I know had no children for the first three or four years of marriage. The husband's father visited them one day, and said, "You may not want children, but I'm looking forward to being a grandfather." The couple decided to have a baby, and after some time, the wife gave birth to a girl. When the girl was two, the parents thought that they would like to give her a baby brother. But the next child turned out to be another girl. The desire for a child started the process that led to birth of one girl and then another, but the couple wanted a boy. So you see, you may get what you want, but you may not get it in the way you want it.
The idea behind "created by the mind" is often misunderstood: When I was in Japan, a friend of mine married. His first child was a girl. He had a second, and then a third child – all girls. He approached me and said, "Master, I no longer believe in Buddhadharma! The sutras say all phenomena are created by the mind. O.K., I've had a boy in mind, for some time now, and all I've gotten were girls!" I said to him, "You've misinterpreted the teachings. It certainly doesn't mean that all you have to do is to wish for something and it will suddenly appear out of thin air. If that were the case you wouldn't have to work. You'd never have to lift a finger. You would simply say, 'I want a beautiful wife,' and presto, she would appear. A beautiful house? A fortune in gold? It would all be yours just for the asking." For one thing, good fortune on demand like this would be quite contrary to the laws of are creations of the mind," means this: Sentient beings are filled with desires and intentions to do all manner of things. The actions that result from these intentions have consequences. These consequences are what create all phenomena.
To really create something of significance takes more than just wishing. Here is an example: Chan Master Hsu-yun (Empty Cloud) (1840-1959) traveled widely during his lifetime, and wherever he went, he undertook the building of a monastery or temple, or he would oversee the repair or renovation of an existing temple. People who saw his accomplishments would often ask, "How is it so easy for you to build one monastery after another?" The master replied, "It is because I have monasteries in my mind." Others would say to him, "We too have monasteries in our minds." But Empty Cloud said, "No, I have monasteries in my mind, you people do not. This is because I have been building monasteries in my head, stone by stone, for a great while. These monasteries are already solidly built. Now, when I want to build a temple or a monastery, the task is easy because they have already been built in my mind. What you call monasteries in your minds are not really monasteries. You haven't even taken the first step towards building a monastery."
Then someone said to the Master, "A monk should be like a floating cloud or running water. There should be no attachment to worldly things. Why then do you keep on building monastery after monastery? And what's more, in the past monasteries have come to ruin or been destroyed by malevolent people. This will happen to the monasteries that you build – you are providing the opportunity for people to do evil and amass bad karma. Why do you bother doing all this?"
Empty Cloud said, "When people let monasteries go to ruin or destroy them purposefully, this is the force of karma. At those times, when sentient beings have little merit, virtue, or good karma, then monasteries will fall into ruin or be destroyed. On the other hand, when their merit, virtue, and karma are better, there will be a need for monasteries, and they will be built. Certainly, at some future time they will go to ruin. But I don't concern myself with things to come. If there are two or three good people who will live in a monastery, that merits its existence. If someone comes tomorrow and tears it down? I don't concern myself with that, nor do I concern myself with what happened in the past. I do what has to be done now."
"And according to Buddhadharma, all things result form actions formulated in the minds of sentient beings. These things are comparable to flowers in the sky or the moon shining in water. They are illusions. Flowers don't grow in the sky; the moon is not submerged in a lake. Such actions spring from the minds of sentient beings. Nevertheless, these Dharma activities are what I want to do in every moment. Monasteries, temples, places to practice in– they are all comparable to reflections of the moon in the water. Still I build these things wherever I go, at every chance. I know that they may pass away like the reflection of the moon. Maybe I do these things because I am just an old fool."
When we say that all phenomena are creations of the mind, we are not talking about a wandering mind. That is, idly daydreaming and doing nothing will never enable you to create or build anything. But if your mind really moves in a particular direction, it will have the tendency to produce action according to the original idea or a thought. What you do or accomplish amounts to a creation of your mind. And again, if you have a particular feeling towards somebody or something, you will immediately form a relationship with that person or that thing. In that sense, such people and things are creations of your mind. People whom you have never met, or whom you have never heard of, have no existence for you. According to the nature of causes and conditions, we all have had a relationship to the Buddha. All sentient beings are in the mind of' the Buddha.
The number of people that you can think of, with whom you can have relationships, depends on your level of attainment, your wisdom and ability. Someone with little wisdom or ability cannot have a relationship with a great number of people or things. A great religious teacher is concerned with all beings in the world. Parents are concerned with the welfare of their children. The president of a country is concerned with the citizens of that country. What the mind encompasses is determined by the nature of the individual, his stature, vision, and goals.
The strength of a relationship depends on the presence the other person has in your mind. A long-time female disciple of mine finally got married. Still she assured me that I was number one; her husband was number two. When she and her husband came to see me, even he said this was true. But I said, "It's not true. You have the number one position. Your wife sees me only two or three times a year. The rest of the time she stays home and takes care of you." The husband said, "When she's home, my wife scolds me constantly. She would never make such remarks to you." Once again I said, "This is only because she lives with you and sees me so infrequently. If she saw me more frequently, who knows how she might act."
Only things to which we have a deep attachment or things we seriously would like to do really exist within our minds. I'm sure that this woman disciple considers me important, but her husband is also important. These are two very different relationships. What she expects from me and what she expects from her husband are two very different things. Only when we are close to someone or something, do we really take him, her, or it seriously. These people or things live in our minds. We read that the world contains over four billion people. We have only met a tiny percentage of these people, and the number of them that we have had any real relationship with, that live in our minds, is very small. Does this mean that these four billion don't exist for us? Not exactly. That we were born on the earth in the same era means that in the past, we have had some karmic relationship with each other.
In the Avatamsaka Sutra, it says that the mind is like a master artist who can paint whatever is perceived in the five skandhas. What is now in the mind can be manifested in the world. And what now exists in the mind will probably be manifested in the future. An analogy I often use is to compare the mind to a great water tank filled with grains of sand which are continually rising and sinking. Every time the mind moves, it is like adding a color to a grain of sand. A strong feeling or reaction will add a deep hue to the sand that will not wash away for a long time. Milder reactions add lighter colors that fade quickly. A grain that sinks to the bottom will eventually rise to the top and you will see it again. Good karma and bad karma come and go in this way – always the results of our own thoughts and actions, now appearing now disappearing, sometimes good fortune, sometimes misfortune. We often speak about promoting the welfare of the poor or doing something for our own good. Rarely do we speak of promoting disaster for ourselves. But it is a fact: all disasters are created by us for ourselves.
If there is something strong in the mind, some thing with a deep color, it is hard to prevent it from resurfacing. The builders of a waste treatment plant in Kao Hsiung, Taiwan found that the plant created more waste than it cleaned. They had good intentions, but the nature of the problem and the factory itself undid the original purpose. Another example would be the side effects that a drug might produce – sometimes worse than the disease it is meant to cure. In our daily lives we may not think of creating disaster for ourselves, but somehow we end up creating bad karma. We don't really wish to cause harm to other people, but we often harm them despite ourselves.
Wars have occurred throughout history for a variety of reasons – ideological, political, and economic. Often leaders wage wars for what they consider good reasons, but nonetheless, they cause great suffering. Marx may not have been evil, in fact he was motivated by a desire to help people, but his teachings have caused great suffering. We have seen how all things are created by the mind, and how good and evil karma may result from these creations. We cannot prevent these things from occurring, cannot stop the creations of' the mind, until we reach the second stage of the mind – the non-arising, the uncreate.
If you wish to do something – make a vow as we say in Buddhism – do you seriously start building the object of your desire or intention in your mind? When you do, your mind is truly creating something. If you are really putting all your effort in this direction, then that is the truth of "all phenomena are created by the mind." So to my friend who had three daughters, I might have said, "I know of' another family with three sons – they balance out the girls in your family." Or if you look at the situation in another way, if we can strive and attain Buddhahood, then what is the difficulty in having a son?
Here is a story of a childless couple who strove through great difficulty to have a son. They were in their late forties and had been trying to have a child for years. They went from temple to temple, praying to various deities. Nothing happened, until one day they met an old monk who said to them, "Find an old monk in poor health, take care of him, and eventually you'll have your son." The couple located an old monk in a nearby temple who was seriously ill, and they took him home and nursed him back to health. But he was very old, and after only two years he was on his death bed. He said, "You have been so kind to me, how can I repay you"? The couple said, "You don't really owe us anything – we did this for you because we wanted a son." The old monk said, "Fine, I'll come back to you as a son." After some time the wife gave birth to a son. He was a wonderful boy, and he was devoted to the couple. But when he was in his teens, the first monk who originally gave the couple advice, met the young boy and said, "You know, you're really an old friend of mine." The boy suddenly realized who he was, and said, "Well here I am. I had no choice – the old couple, they were so nice to me."
There probably was a better way for the monk to help this couple than to come back as their son. But the point is that if we seriously want something enough, we should not only build it in our minds, but we should also strive to help others at the same time. Eventually we will achieve what we want. Yes, you can get what you pray for, but you must also perform good works if you really want to have your wishes fulfilled.


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PAST: Swimathon 24th September 2016
For a second year SPEAR are proud to have a team taking part in the annual Richmond Swimathon held at Teddington Pools and organised by Twickenham Rotary Club.
SPEAR staff and volunteers will be taking part in a relay trying to complete as many lengths as possible in 55 minutes.
Although it is too late to join Team SPEAR, we appreciate the encouragement shown, and there's always next year!
If you would like to support the team's efforts please go to the team captain's JustGiving Page
SPEAR is happy to donate 30% of Swimathon funds raised to the Rotary Club in acknowledgement of organising the event and of all the hard work it undertakes. The Rotary Club will then donate these funds to many different charities.


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Celebrate the holidays and experience the magic of Broadway with Irving Berlin's White Christmas, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, and more!
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Irving Berlin's White Christmas is the musical stage adaptation of the beloved classic film. This family holiday favorite will roll into Dallas, where it will play at the Music Hall at Fair Park, December 5-10, 2017 presented by Dallas Summer Musicals.
White Christmas tells the story of two showbiz buddies who put on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn and finding love in the bargain.
This show is full of dancing, romance, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written, including "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," "Happy Holiday," "Sisters," "Blue Skies," and the unforgettable title song, White Christmas promises to be a merry and bright experience for the entire family
The New York Times exclaims "this cozy trip down memory lane should be put on your wish list." And, the New York Daily News hailed the show as "a holiday card come to life."
Star-Studded Cast
Tony Award-winning actress Karen Ziemba, currently on Broadway in PRINCE OF BROADWAY, has been cast in the role of Martha Watson. She will be joined by Sean Montgomery as Bob Wallace, Jeremy Benton as Phil Davis, Kerry Conte as Betty Haynes and Kelly Sheehan as Judy Haynes.
The cast also includes Arlington, Texas native Sarah Fagan, along with Kelly Black, Stephanie Brooks, Darien Crago, Laurie DiFilippo, Drew Humphrey, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Matthew J. Kilgore, Brianna Latrash, Ann-Ngaire Martin, Danny McHugh, Chris McNiff, Bryan Charles Moore, Kristyn Pope, Sean Quinn and Chelsea Williams.
Buy Your Tickets for Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Tickets are now on sale at DallasSummerMusicals.org or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Single tickets can also be purchased in person at the Music Hall at Fair Park box office Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets please call 214- 426-4768 or e-mail groups @DallasSummerMusicals.org.
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Dallas Summer Musicals
Music Hall at Fair Park
December 5 -10, 2017
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical
Your family will love this heart-warming holiday classic. Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical features the hit songs "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas" (written by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss) from the original animated series.
Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday loving Whos. The magnificent sets and costumes inspired by Dr. Seuss' original illustrations help to transport you to the whimsical world of Whoville, while the music and book of Mel Marvin and Timothy Mason breathe new life into this timeless story of the true meaning of Christmas.
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
Winspear Opera House
Tuesday, December 5 -17
Other Christmas Entertainment
Dallas Theater Center
Wyly Theatre
December 5 – 28
Meyerson Symphony Center
December 21-22, 2017
HOME ALONE: Holiday Movie In Concert
Meyerson Symphony Center
December 21-22, 2017


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Imagine a teenage girl who lives with her brother and her parents in the top floor of a house, in a relatively nice area. She'll be glad there's no school, until the tension started building and smoke appeared on the horizon. Her brother should be sitting exams, only they've been cancelled.
Their father's friend will turn up with blood on his face – "They've got the voter's lists!" – and still, their parents will tell them it's okay. They don't own the house – their names aren't on the list. No one will know what ethnicity they are, or what language they speak. They'll stay inside and shut the doors.
That's what they do, when the mob starts up the end of the street with their torches and knives and sticks and the stuff they'd already looted. Her mother will start packing her jewellery, just in case.
But that guy they'd been living next to for the last seven years? The one who'd bought the children sweets, who came over for cups of tea? He will find himself a big stick too, and go out to join the mob. Our girl might see him as she peers through the window - as he points at their house.
She'll never see her mother run so fast as when they race down the inside staircase – the one they never use – and out the back. She won't get a chance to see her house again, because there won't be time to turn around. Two streets over, they will find the family who takes them in – five hours huddled underneath furniture when the place is searched, and then out because the family has small children and they're scared too.
Somehow, she'll lose her family as she wanders around on the streets, looking for refuge. Someone will ask her father a question - she won't understand that they're asking where the dogs are. He knows their language, but he can't fake the accent, and she runs when she sees the sticks come down on his back. Maybe she won't get a chance to see her family again, either.
Maybe she'll be lucky enough to find a quiet moment, a new hiding place. A street that hasn't been ravaged, that doesn't have charcoal for houses and corpses across the road. She'll wonder if that makes it any safer. She's not street-savvy, like her brother or even her parents.
Somehow, she'll end up at a school. There are priests. They can't give her food. But her heartbeat will slacken a little. She can wipe the sweat from her face and sit. There must be hundreds of people in the school – people she knows, too. None of them will have seen her family, and she won't have seen theirs. She can be relieved, hearing their stories, that she hasn't recognised any of the bodies. She didn't linger long enough to look. A friend's mother will find her a corner to sleep in.
In two days, they'll be put on a bus, then an overcrowded cargo ship. It'll be another three days without food before they reach the north.
This is where the government sends them, to be safe with their own people. She will never have been here before – many of her friends haven't. They'll put her in an orphanage, before she finds a distant aunt. Days without school are most days here. She'll get used to the sound of explosions and gunfire - used to the feeling of terror every time an aircraft passes overhead. The checkpoints. The soldiers.
This is the land they're fighting over.
The riots have happened before. They'll happen several more times in her life, assuming she gets another decade or so. She'll see fighting on the streets, and three armies battling for control. She'll plead for her life at a checkpoint because a soldier didn't – or did – like the look of her.
She'll lose another family to the war.
Maybe she'll call herself lucky to leave the country, and raise her children to speak a different language.
Maybe she'll never leave the country. Sometime within the next twenty-six years, she will end up standing behind a barbed wire fence in a plain full of sewage and sickness and starvation. More corpses, but they won't bother her any more. Her teeth will number sixteen and she'll be half the weight she was as a teenage girl. She may not call herself lucky then, but she'll still be luckier than some.
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Things Are About to Get a Lot More FFUN in NipawinNews Apr 2nd, 2018
FFUN Group announces its latest acquisition of Nipawin Chrysler Dodge in Northeast Saskatchewan
MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2018 – SASKATOON, SK — The FFUN Group is one of the fastest growing companies in Canada, and that growth continues with the recent acquisition of Nipawin Chrysler Dodge, a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and recreational dealership in northeast Saskatchewan. Effective April 2, 2018, this partnership gives the FFUN Group twenty-three locations in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario.
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, as does small town Saskatchewan, Nipawin Chrysler Dodge owners, Ivan & Lyle Stankowski, began looking for a strategic partner to help expand the business and stay competitive. "We have been courting with the FFUN Group for nearly 3 years," said Ivan Stankowski. "We needed support and the more we got to know them, the more we were assured that we found a company that is committed to Saskatchewan, shares our same values, and most importantly, will allow us to better compete for your business, ensuring we'll be a mainstay in Nipawin for years to come."
With the FFUN Group already operating another Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in their portfolio, this was built to be an easy transition. The bigger change for the local dealer was the access to group-wide inventory, in-house financing and best practices. This includes additional manpower and expertise to help them compete in an ever-increasing digital world. Yet none of these are additions by subtraction.
"Every staff member was offered a job, and everyone stayed. I think that tells you a lot about the value they're bringing to us and our team's views on it," added Stankowski.
The FFUN Group was established in 2003 in Saskatoon, and have quickly risen to become one of the most active and recognized companies in Saskatchewan. Serving their customers with brands they know and love, such as Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Kia, Acura, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Ford, Lincoln, Harley Davidson, Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo, Can-Am and many more, the FFUN Group is about more than just selling and servicing motor products. They are about providing a fun and enjoyable purchase and post-purchase experience. This is a big reason why they are one of the fastest growing businesses in the country and have been recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed companies.
Mark Loeppky, CEO of the FFUN Group, said the new staff and location in Nipawin are a welcomed addition to the group. "Nipawin Chrysler Dodge has a phenomenal reputation in the local community and beyond. Meeting with their staff I was blown away by their positivity and particularly, their longevity at the company. Their commitment just shows the passion to these brands. We're hoping by adding their local expertise to our industry-leading resources, we'll be able to create an even better customer experience for everyone in this corner of the province."
It's this continued commitment to growing their presence in the community that resonated with Stankowski. "Despite being so driven to grow, the FFUN Group's corporate culture is all about a positive attitude and creating lasting relationships. We're thankful for Mark and the FFUN Group for investing in Nipawin and recognizing the potential of this community. It's up to us now to use these new resources and keep delivering that personalized service our customers have come to expect."
Two changes are currently planned for the dealership. After 34 years with the business, part-owner Lyle Stankowski will be retiring. He was an integral part of this company's success and this transition. Ivan Stankowski will remain as general manager and dealer partner. The dealership will also see is a divisional split. The automotive division will continue to be operate as Nipawin Chrysler Dodge, while the recreation division will take on the new name, Nipawin Motor Sports & Marine. All locations will remain on main street in Nipawin.
– ### –
About the FFUN Group
Since its inception in 2003, the FFUN Group has established itself as one of Canada's leading privately-owned businesses. Built on a customer-centric, no-nonsense platform, it has since expanded to encompass a blend of these traditional community-focused values with an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit. Within a short timeframe, the FFUN Group has grown to operate 5 separate divisions representing over 20 businesses across Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario. The FFUN Group is committed to bringing fun to life for employees and customers alike, that's why their product lines have been strategically sought out to grow alongside their customers. From their first dirt bike to a spacious RV for the family, all the way to a luxury automobile. FFUN is more than a name; it's an outlook, a way of living and doing business. It is a group of companies unified by a culture of quality, passion, empowerment, innovation, optimism, and growth; each working to make the world a "FFUN" place! For more info, visit www.ffun.com.


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Need a more restful night's sleep? or a cooler more comfortable car seat? Then Chillmax Pillow is the answer. On hot sticky nights, getting a restful sleep can be hard but the soft comfortable gel inside the JML Chillmax Pillow will absorb excess body heat and dissipate it away from your skin, giving you a cooling sensation for up to three hours.
Place inside your pillowcase or on top or in direct contact with your skin, so you can enjoy the soothing cooling effect. On the hottest nights place it in the fridge for a few hours prior to going to bed, for the ultimate cooling experience.
Because Chillmax Pillow is light, foldable and slim, you can easily take it away with you in your luggage when travelling to warm places. Better still, carry it with you on the plane or in a hot car for cooling you down on the journey, and because there is no need to refill or add water, it's always ready to use.
The cooling effect of the Chillmax Gel means that it can be used for all kinds of applications where things get overheated. Placed beneath a laptop, it acts as a great cooling mat that keeps your lap and the laptop cool and safe. Wrap Chillmax Pillow around sore or aching joints like ankles and wrists, after strenuous exercise.
With the Chillmax pillow, you never need to worry about being hot and bothered again.
- Naturally cooling gel pillow
- Chillmax Gel transfers heat away from your body
- Use as a pillow, mat or cushion
- Use to cool laps and laptops when working
- For extra cooling, refrigerate before use
- No need for water or refilling
- Portable and travel size
Length: 51cm Width: 33.5cm
Package Content
1 x JML Chillmax Pillow


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The $5000 Gaming Laptop
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Hey guys. I'm Smoothie, support for Cloud 9 and this is our coach Reapered. And we're here to visit the new house. – Why, hello
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Warnings from the Old Testament. Flee from idolatry. All things are permissible. Do all for the glory of God.
VERSE 1. Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
our fathers. That is, the Old Testament people.
under the cloud. They lived in the presence of the pillar of fire and cloud, enjoying supernatural guidance and protection and favor.
VERSE 2. and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
baptized into Moses. The Old Testament people were "baptized" by passing through the Red Sea.
VERSE 3. and all ate the same spiritual food;
spiritual food. The Old Testament people ate the supernatural bread from heaven:
Exodus 16:4. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
VERSE 4. and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
spiritual drink. The Old Testament people drank from the rock in the desert:
Exodus 17:6. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
the rock was Christ. Paul says the rock they drank from was Jesus Christ.
VERSE 5. However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
with most of them. The behavior of the majority was displeasing to God. In fact, except for Joshua and Caleb, everyone in an entire generation was disqualified for the prize. They died in the desert:
Numbers 14:29. Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me,
Even Moses and Aaron were disqualified from the prize:
Numbers 20:12. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you didn't believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
We should be careful that we ourselves are not disqualified:
1 Corinthians 9:27. but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
VERSE 6. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
not lust after evil things. The battle is in our desires. Do we want forbidden things?
VERSE 7. Don't be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
VERSE 8. Let's not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.
commit sexual immorality. That is, "indulge in immorality" (NAB translation).
Paul is almost certainly referring to an incident in Numbers chapter 25, where Israelite joined in Canaanite fertility rites by having sex with Moabite prostitutes.
It was part of worshipping Baal Peor.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites often fell into the apostasy of worshipping Baal. In this case, 23,000 people died in one day. Read more »
VERSE 9. Let's not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.
VERSE 10. Don't grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer.
Holman Christian Standard Bible: Nor should we complain as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer.
Some people are always complaining. Or arguing. Those are destructive habits. They harm the individual. And the community. They need to STOP. Read more »
VERSE 11. Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
VERSE 12. Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn't fall.
thinks he stands. Peter boasted that he was standing firm. But within a few hours, he had utterly failed.
Matthew 26:35. Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you." All of the disciples also said likewise.
VERSE 13. No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
NIV translation: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from First Corinthians.
not .. tempted above what you are able. God will not allow the circumstances of temptation to rise beyond your strength.
The LORD God is filling us with his can-do power. Even if we don't feel that limitless power right now, one day we will! Read more »
VERSE 14. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
flee from idolatry. To flee is to run away from.
VERSE 15. I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say.
VERSE 16. The cup of blessing which we bless, isn't it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn't it a sharing of the body of Christ?
The cup of blessing. This is almost certainly a reference to the cup used in the Lord's Supper.
isn't it a sharing of the blood of Christ. Paul says the wine is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
The bread which we break. This is almost certainly a reference to the "bread" consumed during the Lord's Supper.
isn't it a sharing of the body of Christ. Paul says the bread is a sharing in the body of Christ.
VERSE 17. Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread.
VERSE 18. Consider Israel according to the flesh. Don't those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
VERSE 19. What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
VERSE 20. But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don't desire that you would have fellowship with demons.
they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. This is a strong statement. in essence, Paul sees any non-Christian deity as a demon.
fellowship with demons. Paul wants Christians to distance themselves from demonic involvement.
VERSE 21. You can't both drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can't both partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.
VERSE 22. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
VERSE 23. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up.
All things are lawful for me. For the Christian, all things are permissible:
1 Corinthians 6:12. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.
not all things build up. Even if something is permissible, it might not be beneficial.
VERSE 24. Let no one seek his own, but each one his neighbor's good.
Let no one seek his own. We are to overcome self-centeredness.
each one his neighbor's good. Instead of self-centeredness, we are to focus on other people.
VERSE 25. Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience,
sold in the butcher shop. The issue at stake is whether we should buy food that has been sacrificed to idols.
asking no question. The solution is to not worry about it. Instead, just buy what you need.
VERSE 26. for "the earth is the Lord's, and its fullness."
VERSE 27. But if one of those who don't believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience.
VERSE 28. But if anyone says to you, "This was offered to idols," don't eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, with all its fullness."
VERSE 29. Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other's conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience?
why is my liberty judged by another. Many Christians sit in judgment over others. They witness behaviors and condemn the person.
VERSE 30. If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for something I give thanks for?
VERSE 31. Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
NIV translation: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from First Corinthians.
VERSE 32. Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;
VERSE 33. even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.


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About Inner Child work, writing, and healing from sexual abuse. My book, The River of Forgetting, tells my healing journey, beginning with the moment a memory ambushed me.
Abandonment and the Inner Child
I was abandoned at age two, when my sister Suzie was sent away to a special school for kids with Down syndrome. Not only was she gone, but my grief was ignored—worse, I was expected to be cheerful and fix up my parents' feelings. The grief-stricken two-year-old was all on her own. I feel it afresh now that my sister Suzie has died. But now I'm able to listen to this Little Girl and console her and tell her it's OK to grieve. Grieving feels scary; it means going to painful, lonely places, but I need to do it. I sit with this little girl every morning, and she cries often these days.
I was abandoned again by abuse. My father, whom I loved, used me sexually, and so this adored person turned into someone else, an alien stranger at times. I was only 3 years old, and suddenly my world was exploded, no safe core of protection. When my mother refused to listen, she betrayed and abandoned me yet again.
It's through years of therapy and creative-arts healing that I have found a strong Inner Adult to hold, love, and cherish my abandoned Inner Child. I describe this transformative process in my ("inspiring," "unforgettable") book, The River of Forgetting: A Memoir of Healing from Sexual Abuse.
Abandonment calls up the most basic human fears. We are social animals. We need to be raised socially and be shown how to have our emotions and live a full human life. Early abandonment means that there's always a howling child inside, wondering where love and connection have gone. We need to reconnect and heal that wounded inner child.
Using writing as a tool for personal transformation--free Teleseminar
Tuesday, February 7th at 4 PM (Pacific Time)
Tuesday, February 7th at 4 PM (Pacific Time)
Laura Davis is an internationally known author and teacher, co-author of The Courage to Heal.
During this live one-hour call, Laura discussed 5 strategies for using writing as a tool for personal transformation. The call was recorded and you can listen to it any time.
Download the free file (It's big, though) at http://lauradavis.net/roadmap/teleclass-follow-up
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Member of Parliament for Broxtowe, Anna Soubry MP, has welcomed the Chancellor's announcement today that fuel duty is to be frozen and the planned 3p rise in August will not be imposed.
Talking about today's announcement, Anna Soubry said:
"The planned rise in August was part of Labour's failed fuel duty policy. Today's announcement is very good news for hard working families and businesses.
We now need to make sure the price at the pumps reflects the falling cost of petrol and diesel and ensure motorists pay fair prices and are not being ripped off. "


text: Page ContentDoors Open - 2019On September 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. a selection of Simcoe County's cultural and heritage buildings will participate in the Doors Open Ontario program, welcoming residents and visitors to see and learn about their unique features. Again this year, the Midland Heritage Committee and the Midland Planning Department invite you to discover first-hand seven of Midland's hidden heritage treasures, some of which are rarely open to the public.Admission to Doors Open sites is free for everyone. Show up at your venues of choice and enjoy!For further information on these sites, please click here. For the full sized poster, please click here. Hillside Holme - 251 Queen StreetEnjoy your warm welcome to this lovingly maintained and richly furnished historic property, a legacy of one of the founding families of 19th century Midland. For more information, please click here. Ken Snider Memorial Museum - 422 Gloucester StreetCome see a comprehensive collection of weapons, medals, uniforms and other militaria proudly presented by members of Branch 80 of the Royal Canadian Legion in remembrance of their relatives and friends in the service.For more information, please click here. Midland Curling Club - 474 King StreetVisit this venerable Club, celebrating its centenary this year, and immerse yourself in the artifacts, stories and history of the sport in Midland and area.For more information, please click here. Midland Fire Department - 550 Bayshore DriveJoin our local heroes as they demonstrate their equipment and explain their techniques for fire suppression, rescue, basic life support, life-threatening emergencies and dangerous conditions.For more information, please click here. Midland Lawn Bowling Club - 664 King StreetJoin your hosts, members of this prestigious Club on the shores of Little Lake, and marvel at its beautiful playing surface, one of the finest in Southern Ontario.For more information, please click here. Templeton House - 639 Dominion Avenue Come visit one of the oldest (1879) buildings in Midland, see the evidence of its log cabin construction and marvel at the many vintage furnishings and artifacts.For more information, please click here. Tripp's Paint Shoppe - 259 King StreetVisit this historic building and welcoming staff. Once a billiards room, it's now a retail destination, crammed with vintage furniture and lovingly restored original features.For more information, please click here.


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Read more of these encouraging words from the New International Version of the Bible."This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ..." (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Why should we value life?
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26)."This is what the Lord says--your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself ..." (Isaiah 44:24).
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him" (Colossians 1:16).
Who is responsible for life and death?"The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up" (1Samuel 2:6)."This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place" (Jeremiah 22:3).
Is abortion the solution to an unplanned pregnancy?"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15)."There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12).
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The gradebook module is an integral part of every CLE course. Instructors can organize and calculate grades without Excel or a calculator, and students can track their own progress, without having to ask the instructor. With the recent update to Moodle 3.2, the CLE gradebook has received a number of improvements, including: Continue reading
Category Archives: Content Creation
CLE Upgrade Coming July 1
As announced in our April post, the UCSF Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) is getting an update. The CLE (powered by Moodle) will be upgraded from version 2.7 to 3.2 on July 1, 2017 and will be unavailable from 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM to complete the upgrade.
This upgrade will introduce new features for a number of activities and improvements to the overall user experience. These changes will benefit faculty, students, and staff. We put together a handout that highlights some of the most notable new features. Please have a look and reach out to us if you have any questions. Continue reading
Digital Media Creation Tools
Did you know that the Tech Commons has applications and resources available to help you create a variety of digital media projects?
With so many tech tools at your disposal, it can be confusing which application to use. In this post, we'll give you an overview of our most popular applications and how you can use them for your digital media projects.
Sneak Peek at the New CLE
The UCSF Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) is getting an update! The CLE (powered by Moodle) will be upgraded from version 2.7 to 3.2 on July 1, 2017. Although we are still working on finalizing some details, we would like to give you a quick heads-up that some exciting new features are coming your way.
Here are some highlights of the most notable updates:
- Global Search—This long-awaited feature is finally with us! With this powerful search tool, you can search everywhere on the CLE that you have access to. A student can search their courses for particular lecture notes, for example, or an instructor could search for subject-related activities.
- Recycle Bin—You no longer need to panic when you accidentally delete something you didn't mean to. The Recycle Bin allows course instructors and managers to retrieve course elements they have mistakenly deleted. Category Managers can also restore courses.
Go Beyond the Basics with the New Advanced Techniques in the CLE Course!
We are pleased to announce a new online workshop designed to teach you the advanced features of the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE)!
This online training is self-paced and covers the intermediate and advanced features of the CLE such as organizing course materials, generating activity reports, applying restrictions, and creating Groups and Groupings. The course also includes sections that cover the Quiz activity and the Gradebook.


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Rhythm Restaurant
Don't forget to check out our Rhythm restaurant which is located upstairs and is open on the nights of all of our shows. Grab a bite to eat either before or after the show. View the full menu below.
We also have a Barbeque on the back of the venue when the weather is nice during the shows.


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It's long been a popular event in literary circles--an author "in conversation" on stage with someone who can chat knowledgeably with them about their work. Our own GK has hosted a number of these, conversations with Bill Moyers and John Lithgow and Billy Collins and Walter Mondale.
I've seen Anthony Burgess ("A Clockwork Orange") in conversation with the literary editor of the Edinburgh daily newspaper, and Lynne Truss ("Eats, Shoots, and Leaves") in conversation with Sally Williams, the former literary editor of the Star Tribune.
It's intimate and relaxed and can be great fun when the chemistry is right.
The e-mail I got this week announcing an author conversation coming up this fall, however, drew me up short.
John Reimringer, St. Paul author of the Minnesota Book Award winning "Vestments," a serious novel about faith and family and temptation, will be in conversation with ... Molly Ringwald? Did I read that right?
I did. Molly Ringwald, pictured here during her movie-glory-days of the 1980s, is also a writer. Her first book, "Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family and Finding the Perfect Lipstick," was a Los Angeles Times best-seller.
The New York Times describes it as "a lighthearted guide for women ... who want to be reminded of their youthful, carefree selves," and while it might be entertaining to hear John Reimringer in conversation with Molly Ringwald about the perfect lipstick, that's not gonna happen.
Nope. Her new book is a collection of linked short stories, called "When It Happens to You," stories of love, loss and betrayal, according to the Website of her publisher, HarperCollins.
What a curious matchup. How can you not go? It all happens at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Common Good Books, 38 S. Snelling Av., St. Paul.


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Emergency Operations Committee makes strides in ensuring school safety
To ensure the safety of Wilton's public school students and staff, the District Emergency Operations Committee implemented and enhanced a number of initiatives this year.
The committee is a broad-based representative group comprised of Wilton public school and town staff.
On June 21, three of its members — Wilton High School social studies teacher Brian Jacobs, Human Resources Director Maria Coleman, and Deputy Fire Chief Mark Amatrudo shared some of the committee's recent work and accomplishments with the Board of Education.
Coleman said the committee "met monthly" and "looked at the emergency plans for the district, identified needs for training and provided training."
"The overall goal was really to ensure that we had consistency of practice and language as it related to emergency plans for the district," she said.
All-Hazards Manual
Jacobs, who serves as the instructional leader for the committee, said "one of the biggest projects" the committee has to undertake each year is updating of the district security plan.
"This year resulted in a sort of catch-all [manual] for any information that might be necessary to maintain safe and efficient operation in case of any kind of emergency the school district might face," he said.
The District All-Hazards Manual includes "a tremendous amount of information that could be used to respond to a number of potential crises that we might have to respond to," said Jacobs, such as phone chains, emergency contacts, school maps, and emergency drill plans.
Response protocol
This year, the committee fully implemented a standard response protocol created by the I Love You Guys Foundation, said Jacobs, which creates "a consistent plan that can be used across all schools" for lockdown, lockout, evacuations, and shelter-in-place emergency responses.
The protocol also provides a "clear description of what the expectations are for teachers and students in order to maintain a safe environment and efficient response to emergencies," he said.
Jacobs said there has been a "very good response from teachers."
"As we went through a variety of drills throughout the school year," he said, "we found that they were more comfortable with what their responsibilities are, understanding specifically what drills are being run and what their expectations are."
The protocol is posted throughout each school building, visible for a "quick review" in the event of a real situation, he said.
Emergency drills
The committee also expanded different drills across district this year.
"Each school has to maintain a variety of 10 different drills throughout the school year, including all the drills that we have within the response protocol," said Jacobs.
This year, the committee stepped up its efforts with the types of drills and their complexity, said Jacobs, by creating "more situations" and conducting "unannounced drills."
"We put them in situations where they have to think on their feet a little bit and weren't necessarily expecting something to happen because in the real world, of course, you're not going to get a forewarning for an actual emergency," he said.
"This has been an effort that we've been moving toward to try to create the most realistic situation that we can in order to get our students and our staff as familiarized as possible with what their responsibilities would be if something ever does require an actual response."
In the past, most drills have been conducted when students are in classrooms, said committee member and Middlebrook Dean of Students Jory Higgins. This year, the schools tried something different — a lockdown drill from the cafeteria.
"One of the things we can try to do is challenge ourselves to be ready for the unexpected," said Higgins.
"With the thought that staff are supposed to have duty-free lunch and there's food that we don't want to have wasted or sitting out," Higgins said, "we set up a schedule by which we could practice in the morning."
Students were told to go in the cafeteria "like it's lunchtime," sit where they normally do, and were given instructions on what to do "when the time comes," said Higgins, "and they were able to do it very, very well."
After the cafeteria drill, Higgins said, the committee went over what worked and what didn't, and received suggestions from school resources officers.
Reunification and kits
"The procedures to reunify parents with students after an emergency is a very high-stress, very critical situation," said Amatrudo, who was named 2016 Emergency Manager of the Year by the Northeast States Emergency Consortium. "It's complicated, it's dynamic and there's a lot of emotion involved."
During the year, the committee had the opportunity to develop a large-scale plan for each of the schools.
"In that process, the groups developed their basic structure for the plan — where they will go — and really mapped things out," said Amatrudo.
"The next step — and the challenge for this coming year — is to start actually walking through those, ultimately to test them, refine them and then implement them."
Federal grant funding through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program was used to implement a radio system that allows the schools to communicate directly with first responders in emergency events.
"Our region received 600 portable radios and a bank of 700 MHz channels. It's actually built off the towers that the Connecticut State Police uses," said Amatrudo.
"The system provided us a vehicle whereby we could link the school, the school district office, the fire department, police department, dispatch center and the EMS folks on one frequency in the event of an emergency at the schools."
There are radios in all four schools, as well as the central office, and all administrators and main office secretaries are trained to use them.
"When we started phasing in security cameras about eight years ago, we recognized that it was going to be a gradual process of assessing our needs and adding cameras," said Coleman.
This year, a tactical expert from the Wilton Police Department and a security company representative joined an administrator in walking through the high school and around the perimeter "to identify any additional areas of vulnerability," said Coleman.
"We've found over the years that they're not always being used for large-scale emergencies, which is a good thing," she said.
Rather, the cameras are often used when there's an injury or disciplinary incident that needs to be investigated. They're also preventative.
The committee will look at recently received quotes from a camera company and make a recommendation for the purchase of additional cameras, which, Coleman said will either be funded "through a grant or through any security task force funding that may be available."


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"I'm not hungry."
This phrase evokes heartache, frustration and fear for families battling anorexia nervosa. Food becomes foe. And the driving force is a need for control.
National Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA) Week from February 23-March 1 will raise awareness of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia nervosa and binge eating.
NEDA provides startling facts about eating disorders. Among them:
- Females with anorexia between ages 15 to 24 are 12 times more likely to die from the illness than all other causes of death.
- 10 million males in the United States will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life.
- 42% of first through third graders want to be thinner.
"I'm not hungry."
The transition from middle school to high school is daunting for most teens. Imagine attending a different school – in a new state – your freshman year. That was my sister's experience in the 1980s. Back then, eating disorders didn't receive the media attention that they do today. The warning signs weren't as easy to detect.
That's why we didn't realize at first that my sister was starving herself.
There were rituals. She cut food into tiny pieces (it tricks your mind into becoming full) and obsessively baked (but refused to partake). She only used certain dishes. She said she was eating when she wasn't. All the while, she poured energy into exercise and academics and maintained a 4.0 GPA (perfectionism is often a sign of anorexia).
It was a long road, but my sister overcame anorexia with the unwavering support of my parents and by realizing that some things in life are out of our control. Today, she's happy, she's healthy and she's an inspiration to me.
There is hope.


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Pope Francis makes historic visit to UAE
ABU DHABI - A groundbreaking mass was said before an estimated 180,000 people in Abu Dhabi by Roman Catholic Pope Francis. The event was the first of its kind in the Arabian Peninsula.
Mass is the central ritual in the Catholic Church where the Eucharist is consecrated and distributed.
As part of the UAE's "Year of Tolerance," the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced a public holiday February 6 for private sector workers and gave away tickets to the mass. The government provided about 1,000 buses to transport people from various emirates.
"I am visiting [the UAE] as a brother in order to write a page of dialogue together and to travel paths of peace together," Pope Francis said ahead of his trip.
The location of the mass — Zayed Sports Stadium near Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — was said to have symbolic meaning in reinforcing the UAE's commitment to tolerance and ensuring that one's religious beliefs can flourish in a country that embraces diversity and encourages multiple faiths to co-exist side by side.
As part of his 3-day visit to the UAE — the first by a Catholic pope to the Arabian Peninsula — Francis joined al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb in appealing for the world to come together and promote the concept of human fraternity.
A document — "Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" — stated that "faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. Through faith in God… believers are called to express this human fraternity by safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the poorest and those most in need."
Through the document, they declared what they described as "the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard," stressing their commitment to religious freedom.
The declaration pointed out the need to protect the rights of women, children, the elderly, the weak, the disabled and the oppressed.
It is seen as a "breath of fresh air" to people of goodwill, said Bishop Miguel Ayuso Guixot, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, who told Emirati state news agency WAM that the future of humanity passes through the promotion of a culture of dialogue.
"The signing of the document in Abu Dhabi is an appeal, which means that there exists today a wounded humanity," he said. "Therefore, it is an appeal to people of goodwill but also a duty for every being that we must absolutely seek mutual ways of collaboration and knowledge. It was a historical moment to witness."
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan allocated land on Saadiyat Island to build a landmark under the name of "Abrahamic Family Home" in commemoration of the pope's visit and his meeting with the grand imam, as well as the declaration.
The landmark is to symbolise the co-existence and human fraternity by people from various ethnicities, nationalities and beliefs in the United Arab Emirates.
There are an estimated 1 million Catholics living in the Emirates, including Jean-Baptiste Flour, 33, who was among those who attended the pope's mass.
"As a Christian, I feel blessed to welcome our pope," said Flour, who is from France and whose 5-year-old son, Cyprien, received Francis's blessing when he placed his hands on his head.
"The visit sends a very strong message to the region and the world that 'yes, it is possible.' Pope Francis wants to lead by example and show the world that we can possibly win against war and terrorism if we fight together," Flour said.
He said the United Arab Emirates was a leading country in that regard, expressing hope that it would continue to demonstrate that such a feat is achievable.
"There are many Catholics in the UAE who have massively contributed to building the country over the past two decades. They are here because they know they can practice their religion freely," Flour added.
"This visit was certainly a first and small step but hopefully a giant leap for mankind."
Rudolf Bahri, a 35-year-old Lebanese-French in Dubai, said the pope's visit was a major step for the entire region towards tolerance and the unity that has been promoted for many years among all living in the Middle East.
"As a Christian Maronite from the region, I am proud to live in a country that protects my family," he said. "I have more confidence to call this place home, knowing they are opening up more and more and accepting other religions and beliefs. It's just another sign that gives me confidence for the future of my two children, growing and living in the UAE."
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE vice-president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed presented Francis with the original document signed in 1963 by Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1928-66, granting land to build the first Catholic church in Abu Dhabi.


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Thursday, August 26, 2010
Young T. A.
Posted by CWM at 5:08 PM No comments:
Sofia's Birthday Cupcake
It's so much better to watch this video in HD and full-screen. Just click on the video, and when it comes up in the YouTube window, change from 240p to 720p, and click the full-screen icon (those four arrows to the right of the resolution toggle).
Posted by CWM at 4:58 PM No comments:
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text: Tales of the Past and Present, Part 7: Down and Out Vivaaldi / Sep 18, 2019 / Storyline Hello everyone! Part 7 of our guild storyline is up, which you can read here. . The Sha'tor come face to face with the Shat'alor and are faced with the hard truth about their kin. 0 Likes


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So, hooking the thing up is… a little daunting. I opted to mount the two base stations to the walls, as the instruction video states that they should be above head at least 6.5ft. I went up to about 7.5-8ft and you need to angle it down about 35 degrees:
The picture to the side makes it look as if the lighthouse isn't pointing down, but it is. The light itself seems to shoot upward. maybe to bounce off the ceiling? who knows, it works how it's supposed to and that is all that matters. Both stations are set to opposing channels (A/B, or B/C) and need plugged into a wall outlet for power. They have bluetooth built in as well and, in a perfect world, that BT connection to the Linkbox allows for the system to put the base stations into sleep mode. I say perfect world, which this isn't, but I'll leave all bugs for the end of this section.
Once you have the base stations setup, the headset plugged in and the controllers paired and powered up Steam should auto-recognize that you've got a new toy hooked in and prompt you with this:Install it. It'll add a little icon to your Steam program in the upper-right, right next to the Big Screen Mode. Just press this and Steam will initiate the headset, base stations and controllers. in a perfect world, again, all will turn green and you are free to put on your headset! BUT WAIT! You now have to setup your room! A few slides will pop up with different instructions. "Point controller at your monitor." "Place both on floor." "Draw the outline of your play area." and so on. it's a few final steps, but then… it's time to put on your headset!
Once inside your greeted with a vast void of lines and nothing. Press the system button on the controller, which is fully visible through your headset, and you are greeted with, essentially, Big screen mode in VR. It's the BSM screen floating in front of your face. The system will automatically show your VR titles, the VR store, etc. but you can run non-vr games as well in "Theater Mode" in which you are playing the game on a virtual big screen. No head-tracking or 3D, but it's still cool…when it works.
In terms of technical wizardry VR does some interesting things to maintain playable framerates and performance without making you motion sick, which can happen easily.
First up is something called "Interleaved Reprojection" Check the link for a more technical run down, but the basics is it will dynamically reduce the hertz rate of the game in order to maintain consistency and reduce motion sickness which can get worse if the framerate is swinging wildly. VR needs 90fps to feel right, but if the game can't maintain that rate then Interleaved Reprojection kicks in it cuts that in half to 45hz, locking the game to only render 45fps and SteamVR fills in the rest of those frames up to 90 with the previous frame the game creates. Is this noticeable? Yes if you are walking around with room-scale. The tech isn't that great at anticipating forward or backward movement, but it does a decent job with rotating and turning your head. This happens until the system can reliably keep 90 pure frames again. The jumps are noticeable and you are sacrificing overall raw performance, but you are keeping your brain from melting. Not literally, but you will get eye-strain and motion sickness if it fluctuates too much and that is going to kill overall entertainment and desire to play in the future if you keep feeling sick when you do it.
Most games also make use of Resolution scaling. Basically the ability to change the resolution without changing the resolution. I know that sounds stupid, but it's extremely useful for systems that simply don't like certain resolution settings, in fact, must LCD monitors look best at their recommended resolution setting and looks fuzzy or unfocused on anything other. This is a good way to set that resolution for it's optimal picture quality and then set the resolution scale lower to keep framerates high. The Resolution Scale simply renders the game at much finer variations and will cause "jaggies" but to a much less extent and gives you far more control as to how much you are willing to deal with, as opposed to huge resolution drops that can distort the image ratio and bloat HUD and GUI text.


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Apple is looking to acquire a 55 percent stake in a joint venture between Sharp and Taiwanese company Powerchip formed to develop chips for use in smartphone displays, according to a new report by Japan's Nikkei business newspaper. The stake Apple is after is currently owned by Renesas Electronics, and the division is called Renesas SP Drivers. It consists of around 240 Japan-based… Read More
Read more : Apple Said To Be Looking To Bring Display Chip Design Mostly In-House