text: Aug. 19 2019 "The shape of the seafloor affects how water moves over it, and that impacts what animals are going to live there. The environment, the topography, how much food is falling down, all makes a difference to what can live there and what does live there." Head down to the depths with ROV SuBastian to explore some of the never-before-seen terrain and life around the Emperor Seamount chain during the #DeepSeaDiversity expedition. Author Mónika Naranjo-Shepherd


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Baekje Dynasty Historic Sites (World Heritage)
With the appointment of outstanding sites of the Baekje dynasty, UNESCO is dedicating itself to the heyday of ancient Korea in the 5th and 6th centuries, when a lively exchange with China and Japan marked the height of the Baekje empire.
According to traditional Korean history, the Baekje empire in the southwest of the Korean peninsula was founded in 18 BC. Founded. Together with Koguryŏ and Silla, it dominated Korea before being subdued by Silla in 663.
The places selected as World Heritage Sites date from AD 475 to 660. These are the historical areas of the former capitals Buyeo, Gongju and Iksan, including a fortress, royal tombs, palaces and temples. They testify to the spread of Buddhism as well as to the Chinese role models in art and culture.
Baekje Dynasty Historic Sites: Facts
Official title: | Baekje Dynasty Historic Sites |
Cultural monument: | Architectural and cultural examples from the heyday of the Korean Baekje dynasty between the 5th and 7th centuries AD, including the Gongsanseong Fortress in Gongju, the royal palace in Wanggung-ri and the royal tombs in Songsan-ri and Neungsan-ri (in Buyeo); also various pavilions, shrines, temples and pagodas |
Continent: | Asia |
Country: | South Korea |
Location: | West of south korea |
Appointment: | 2015 |
Meaning: | UNESCO emphasizes the importance of the sites as an interface of technological, religious, cultural and artistic exchange between the early East Asian kingdoms in Korea, China and Japan. |
Namhansanseong Mountain Fortress (World Heritage)
The origins of Namhansanseong go back to the 7th century, but the mountain fortress 25 km southeast of Seoul only gained its real importance as a kind of alternative capital for the Korean Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). Namhansanseong was expanded several times in anticipation of an attack by the Sino-Manchurian Qing dynasty, most notably in the early 17th century. The fortress performed important administrative and military functions at that time. 4,000 people were able to find shelter in its huge walls.
In its appreciation of this site, UNESCO emphasizes that the mountain fortress represented a synthesis of defensive military technology of Japanese-Chinese origin on the one hand and the introduction of western concepts – above all the introduction of weapons with gunpowder – on the other. At the same time, Namhansanseong is also considered to be a continuously inhabited city for centuries, with traces of a multitude of military, civil and religious buildings as a symbol of Korean sovereignty according to hyperrestaurant.
Namhansanseong Mountain Fortress: Facts
Official title: | Namhansanseong Mountain Fortress |
Cultural monument: | Extensive mountain fortress with numerous military, civil and religious buildings that have been built over centuries and have been used continuously |
Continent: | Asia |
Country: | South Korea |
Location: | 25 km southeast of Seoul |
Appointment: | 2014 |
Meaning: | Exceptional example of a fortified city and a symbol of Korean sovereignty |
Historic Villages: Hahoe and Yangdong (World Heritage)
Hahoe and Yangdong's history dates back to the 14th century. They are the most representative clan villages of the early Choson dynasty. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the villages and their surroundings, ideal for Confucian culture, were hailed by poets.
Historic Villages: Hahoe and Yangdong: Facts
Official title: | Historic Villages: Hahoe and Yangdong |
Cultural monument: | Village complexes of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) in Southeast Korea founded in the 14th and 15th centuries and expanded into the 18th and 19th centuries; Settlement structure strictly oriented towards clan structures and the Confucian principle, embedded between the protective mountain slopes in the back and the river as well as the cultivated fields; Houses of the upper class in the middle of the villages including buildings for religious, meditation and study purposes, around that clay dwellings of the simple residents are grouped with thatched roofs |
Continent: | Asia |
Country: | South Korea |
Location: | Yangdong and Hahoe, Southeast Korea |
Appointment: | 2010 |
Meaning: | Exceptional evidence of an integrated settlement oriented towards social structures; outstanding examples of an early targeted design of the village habitat |
Sansa, Buddhist mountain monasteries in Korea (world heritage)
Sansa, Buddhist mountain monasteries in Korea (world heritage)
Buddhist influences have been evident on the Korean peninsula since the 5th century. During the time of the "United Silla" (668–935) Buddhism became the state religion. That changed in 1392 under the Chosŏn dynasty, which ruled until 1910. The new rulers disempowered the Buddhist clergy and made Neo-Confucianism the state philosophy. Despite centuries of oppression, the tradition of Korean Buddhism has been preserved. The seven mountain monasteries from the 7th to 9th centuries are holy places and religious centers where the faith is still practiced today.
Buddhist masterpieces: According to tradition, the once important Buddhist center, the Beopjusa Temple with 60 buildings and 3000 monks, was founded in 553.
Destroyed by the Japanese in the 16th century, it was rebuilt around 1620. After numerous alterations and renovations, the monastery still comprises 20 buildings, including the five-story »Hall of Eight Images« in the typical East Asian pagoda construction. The original structure of the Beopjusa Temple, founded in 676 by the monk Uisang, was largely destroyed by several fires. The main hall from the late 14th century, in which there is a gilded clay sculpture of the Buddha Amitabha (2.78 m high), is the oldest surviving wooden structure in Korea. The landmark of the Magoksa temple complex near the city of Cheongju is the stone pagoda in the middle of the main square.
Its tip is made of bronze, which suggests Tibetan influence. The peculiarity of Tongdosa, the temple complex on Mount Chiseosan (founded in 646), is the relic that is said to come from the religious founder Buddha Siddhartha Gautama.
Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea: Facts
Official title: | Sansa, Buddhist mountain monasteries in Korea |
Cultural monument: | 7 mountain monasteries: T'ongdosa, Bongjeongsa, Beopjusa, Magoksa, Buseoka, Seonamsa and Daeheungsa, founded between the 7th and 9th centuries. |
Continent: | Asia |
Country: | South Korea |
Location: | in Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeonggi-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Jeollabuk-do and Jeollallanam-do provinces |
Appointment: | 2018 |
Meaning: | unique testimony to the cultural tradition of Korean Buddhism |

subset: commoncrawl


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I thank you, Lord, that we do not have to extract things from you, and that you extract things from us.
permalink source: Chris PhillipsA man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants.
permalink source: SchopenhaeurWe implore the mercy of God, not that He may leave us at peace in our vices, but that He may deliver us from them. - Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), from Pensees (Thoughts), Part IV: 553, translated by W. F. Trotter. New York: P. F. Collier, c1910. The Harvard Classics, v. 48. from the INTERNET MODERN HISTORY SOURCEBOOK <<www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1660pascal-pensees.html>>
permalink source: Blaise PascalHow does God state that deliverance is effected? Well, in the first place, we are not told that sin as a principle in us is rooted out or removed. To reckon on that will be to miscalculate altogether and find ourselves in the false position of the man we considered earlier, who tried to put down the twelve shillings in his pocket as fifteen shillings in his account-book. No, sin is not eradicated. It is very much there, and, given the opportunity, will overpower us and cause us to commit sins again, whether consciously or unconsciously. That is why we shall always need to know the operation of the precious Blood. But whereas we know that, in dealing with sins committed, God's method is direct, to blot them out of remembrance by means of the Blood, when we come to the principle of sin and the matter of deliverance from its power, we find instead that God deals with this indirectly. He does not remove the sin but the sinner. Our old man was crucified with Him, and because of this the body, which before had been a vehicle of sin, is unemployed (Romans 6:6).[5] Sin, the old master, is still about, but the slave who served him has been put to death and so is out of reach and his members are unemployed. The gambler's hand is unemployed, the swearer's tongue is unemployed, and these members are now available to be used instead "as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:13). Thus we can say that `deliverance from sin' is a more scriptural idea than `victory over sin'. The expressions "freed from sin" and "dead unto sin" in Romans 6:7 and 11 imply deliverance from a power that is still very present and very real -- not from something that no longer exists. Sin is still there, but we are knowing deliverance from its power in increasing measure day by day.
permalink source: Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life, Chapter 4Some days you go from bad to worse... <img src="http://glenandpaula.com/quotes/uploads/1112208072Clipboard01.gif" width="468" height="351" />
permalink source: Unknown


text: I'm in a little trouble lately because I'm kind of addicted to Jeremiah's Gelati. I noticed a new store opened up in Jax Beach and it's difficult to resist. Paige loves it too and we've gone a few times and sampled a few of the flavors. Paige's favorite is Strawberry and mine is currently Pina Colada. So delicious!


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Worldwide free shipping in 3-4 weeks at the moment!
All our handmade chastity keys with padlock will be delivered with a padlock from the brand Yale. This padlock will fit all standard chastity devices. It is also possible to manufacture a key with a different padlock. (A smaller Abus padlock for the brand Red Chili Devices for example).Contact us for more information about the possibilities.
When you order a handmade chastity key you will receive an "In case of Emergency" key.This is the factory key of your Yale padlock.The key is placed in a membrane box and sealed with a wax seal with BDSM logo.


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The Golden Community Resource Society has received two generous donations from the Columbia Valley Credit Union and Western Financial, which will go towards the Kinsman Park project.
The project will update the playground equipment at the park, as well as add a washroom facility to the area.
The project has a total price tag of $68,500, and thanks to these two donations as well as a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust, they are ready to start construction. The Town of Golden has made in kind donations to get the job done.
The new playground equipment will be in place in June. The washrooms will be constructed this year, however will not be placed at the park until next year.


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After using Practical Ayurveda, Tamara Wilson said, "I have worked with 81 (yes, eighty-one!) different practitioners and you have given me the most relief!"
Ayurveda means science of life, a full understanding of life, looking at life in its wholeness. Ayurveda is universal, not limited to one country or culture. Ayurveda applies to human life everywhere.
Practical Ayurveda™ seeks to provide holistic ayurvedic help with a global perspective. Everyone can benefit! Practical Ayurveda™ offers very distinctive approaches to wellness and improvement of life, including shirodhara, nasya, Marma Shakti Infusion Therapy, organ dhara, lifestyle evaluation, precision aromatherapy, Whole Life coaching, and precise dietary suggestions. Practical Ayurveda™ provides these and other profoundly transformative practices to enable people to upgrade themselves and become more of who they really want to be.
Take advantage of Ayurveda and help yourself to improve physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
WhatsApp phone consults available for many cities around the world!
Send a text message to 3104302209!
Today we have a global economy so we can take advantage of the best herbs from around the world and use them to help us in an Ayuvedic approach.
Practical Ayurveda™ offers you Nature Power™ with a top of the line array of high quality, superior potency products. Many of our products are multi-purpose. We sell organic and wild-crafted herbs from many companies and countries. We also promote the use of vegetarian capsules made of vegetable cellulose. We help people to steer clear of allergy and illness-linked synthetic chemical ingredients. Ask us about unique health products specifically recommended for your health and lifestyle.
The goal at Practical Ayurveda™is to help people to get healthy, stay healthy and live productive, meaningful lives, as defined by the individual.
Some people come to Ayurveda in order to improve their life without focusing on a specific problem. In order to solve any given life problem, be it physical, mental, spiritual or emotional, it is most effective to look deeper for root causes of the problem. Twenty people may have the same symptoms of a problem, from external appearances, yet the original causes can be quite varied. Thus the appropriate steps to wellness may be different for different people.
Suggestions may be made so a person can figure out how to help address each root which contributes to any given illness or issue.
Ayurveda focuses on removing ama or toxins, balancing doshas, improving digestion, increasing the integrity and harmony of the dhatus (tissues), balancing the whole system, and creating a state of contentment in every cell. Much of this can be accomplished by living more in tune with nature.
The exact adjustments in lifestyle which are necessary to yield productive, healthy results are one of the keys. The type of chikitsa, or helping activity, has to be determined on an individual basis. Lifestyle, including the timing and patterns of eating, choice of food, balance of rest and activity, bedtime, etc. has a huge impact on health and the balance of mind and body.
Detailed nutrition/eating/diet plans may be suggested which include how much per day and many times a week it would be ideal for a person to eat any given item. Diet plans can be very precise, geared towards nourishing you given your prakruti (constitution) and vikriti (current imbalance). This yields vastly better results than generic dosha diets.
Many illnesses have emotional roots and techniques may be suggested for individuals to use at home to help themselves. Suggestions are made to help people discover for themselves their own best life-path, or dharma.
Everything we do affects our balance of elements and doshas.
One goal of Yoga and Ayurveda is to promote, in people's lives, the quality of sattva, which is harmony, clarity and consciousness. We aim at every step to boost the prana, life force, and the sattva, purity and balance, of each client. This gives people a big boost in their efforts to advance on the path of Yoga.
The principles of Ayurveda apply to everyone on all parts of the globe.
WhatsApp phone consults available for many cities around the world!
Daren Black, M.A., Ayurvedic Healer, Holistic Health Educator, and Yoga Exponent, has been working with daily meditation, yoga, mantras, herbs, oils and holistic health for over 47 years.
After several bicycle and car accidents Daren was left with chronic debilitating pain. Fighting multiple simultaneous illnesses, including brain injury, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, hypoglycemia, candida, chronic fatigue, allergies, and parasitic infections, Daren hit bottom in 1987. Disgusted by doctors' orders to eat meat every 3 hours and sick of being hungry, in pain and tired all the time, Daren pursued multiple avenues of healing. Daren's life was transformed by intensive use of yogic breathing practices, mantras, study and implementation of ayurvedic principles and lifestyle changes, careful consumption of herbs and large doses of Divine Grace.
Daren credits spiritual and humanitarian leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with literally saving his life. Gurudev Sri Sri has designed self- development programs that provide techniques to live a deeper, more joyous life. Gurudev Sri Sri has established nonprofit organizations that recognize a common human identity above the boundaries of race, nationality and religion.
Studying directly with Gurudev Sri Sri, Daren was the first man in California to become a teacher of the Art of Living. The Art of Living Foundation is a nonprofit, volunteer-based NGO providing social support to people in many countries around the world.
Encouraged, inspired and guided by Gurudev Sri Sri, Daren has developed Practical Ayurveda™ to make Ayurveda more user-friendly. Daren is also the founder of Nature Power™ an Ayurvedic herb and oil company. Practical Ayurveda™ offers Ayurvedic health, beauty, knowledge and lifestyle Programs.
Click here to schedule a consultation either in person or remote by phone!
Disclaimer: Statements on this site are intended to be informational only and are based on years of accumulated experiences within the realm of Ayurveda. Before embarking on undertaking to improve one's health it is wise first to consult with professionals. These statements have not been investigated, evaluated, or approved by the FDA. Nothing said here is intended to diagnose, treat, prescribe or cure disease. If you have a medical problem please see your doctor.
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. 2019 Practical Ayurveda™
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A large-scale solar project in Muskegon County may come to light within the next couple of years.
Kansas-based Tradewind Energy Inc. negotiated terms with Consumers Energy in Jackson to purchase land lease options on the Muskegon County wastewater management site in Moorland Township, south of Apple Avenue.
Tradewind and Consumers have estimated a solar plant on the 1,900-acre site would create 125 megawatts of electricity. Tradewind also estimated the project would generate about $75,000 in annual property taxes for Muskegon County.
Tradewind Energy and Muskegon County originally entered into a solar lease agreement in August 2016. The lease granted Tradewind the right to develop a solar farm on the property.
The Muskegon County Board of Public Works agreed to ratify a previously executed solar lease, easement and real estate purchase option with Tradewind Energy on Sept. 25, 2018. The agreement will allow the company to assign the agreements to Consumers Energy, which is considering moving forward with the solar project.
Jonathan Wilson, economic development manager for Muskegon County, said Tradewind Energy performed all the permitting, site work, title work, testing and due diligence on the site, which will allow Consumers more freedom by simply building on the previous work done.
Details of the project still are being completed, including a construction timeline. Roger Morgenstern, senior public information director for Consumers Energy, said the September lease transfer was one step in a complex process, and Consumers has not decided definitively to pull the trigger on the project.
Consumers now will utilize the studies and due diligence that Tradewind performed since 2016 to determine if it's viable for solar.
Wilson added most of the site's acreage is farmland, and the county can continue to use it as such until Consumers notifies the county it is ready to begin construction.
"We're definitely not close to construction," he said. "They (Consumers) were talking about the end of 2019. If we can get something up by 2020, I think that would be more realistic."
As the Business Journal reported in July, Consumers Energy released a draft clean power plan to the Michigan Public Service Commission. The plan calls for the elimination of Consumers' coal-based electric generation by 2040 and the addition of 5,000 megawatts of solar energy.
Consumers Energy also has two solar gardens at Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University that generate up to one and three megawatts of electricity, respectively.


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Raining iPAQs
This was also the largest ever launch of iPAQ handhelds ever–five new iPAQs will hit the markets in the coming months. The iPAQ 212 Enterprise Handheld boasts a sharp 4-inch VGA touchscreen that renders text clearly at the tiniest sizes, and is the ideal for professionals on the move. The iPAQ 612 Business Navigator is the ultimate converged device–quad-band GSM, HSDPA, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), 3-megapixel camera, GPS navigation–all in a diminutive package. It also sports an iPod-like 'smarttouch" navigation scheme using the raised ring on the keypad, apart from the touchscreen and scroll wheel. All the iPAQs run on Windows Mobile 6, complete with the new Office Mobile.


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Movie Details
In Theaters: April 21, 2006
On Video: N/A
Director(s): Christophe Gans
Genre(s): Horror
Production Co.: Davis Films
Distributor(s): TriStar Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Website(s): Official Site
Our Review: N/A
Running Time: 125 minutes
Credits Running Time: N/A
During the Credits
There are scenes from the movie animated in a creepy way during the credits of Silent Hill.
After the Credits
There is no stinger after the credits of Silent Hill.
Special thanks to geicogecko for the stinger submission!
Stinger information added and verified by Paul Curtin


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Indoor cats have many benefits. These cats live longer and safer lives than cats who are allowed to hunt and explore outdoors. Enrichment (mental and physical stimulation) such as games and toys for indoor cats is important to replace some of the stimulation and activity it would otherwise receive as a free-roaming animal.
Cat vet, Dr Kim Kendall and Dr Robert Holmes explain further about cats and the indoor life. Dr Kim says on her blog, "Outdoor cats indoor pets", cats can be happily kept inside all the time. Many people do so and would have it no other way. They say they have deeper and more satisfying relationships with their cats, and the cats are healthier and live longer. Keeping cats permanently indoors requires more effort on your part according to Dr Kim.
Dr Robert Holmes. a contributor to Dr Kim's blog says that we can enrich the daily life of the indoor cat to replace some of the stimulation and activity it would otherwise receive as a free-roaming animal.
The environmental enrichment for indoor cats puts complexity, unpredictability and choices into a cat's daily life. Without these things, many animals and people become frustrated in confinement and show signs of boredom – greater reactivity, irritability and exaggerated or unusual behaviour.
The Cat Protection Society recommends to keep cats either indoors all the time or outdoors in a securely fenced area and inside from dusk to dawn.
More on enrichment for indoor cats
Enrichment toys for indoor cats.
9 Tips for apartments living with indoor cats


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Tri Clamp process connection
Tri Clamp (sometimes referred as Tri Clover) is a commonly used sanitary fitting with a clamp end ferrule, size (1", 2", DN20, DN40, etc) of a Tri Clamp is determined by the tubing outer diameter and the norm used (USA uses ASTM while Europe and Asia uses mostly DIN/ISO norm). The components of the Tri Clamp connection and commonly available materials are:
Clamp ferrules (material: 304/304L, 316/316L)
Gasket (material: FKM, Viton, FPM, etc)
Clamp (material: 304/304L, 316/316L)
Tri Clamp adapter design considerations
To connect the inline viscometer SRV or inline density and viscosity meter SRD using tri-clamp connections is easy. We recommend that you design the adapter keeping the following in mind:
- Avoid stagnant fluid zones around the sensing element
- Ensure best fluid transport across the sensing element - the better the transport, the better the measurement tracks the actual changes in the fluid
- Avoid deposits on the sensor, but if you have some possibility of deposit then place the sensor in a way that the sensing element sees least deposits and any sedimentation only affects the neck of the sensor.
- However, if there are any deposits, the sensor detects and can warn customers (digital communication needed)
- Remember: Sensor measures what is around it
Special consideration for real world applications aka non-Newtonian fluids
Non-Newtonian fluids make up 99% of applications and have a strong dependence of viscosity on shear rate.
- Shear rate is affected by the flow conditions imposed on the fluids by the pumping and the piping.
- If the fluid has very different flow rates across the sensor and is not consistent then the measurements will also change as the fluid flow rate changes across the sensor.
Designing your flow-through adapter/cell/spool in a way that makes the flow regime consistent across the sensor is important to get stable, consistent readings from the sensor in your application.
Rheonics Tri Clamp adapter recommendation
The design we propose for the adapter takes the points mentioned above into consideration. The sensor is long enough that you can introduce the sensing element in a flow through section by tilting the sensor. For larger ID pipes (>2", >DN50), you can install the sensor vertically while keeping the points mentioned above in consideration.
The example below shows a 2" pipe. The design has the following advantages:
- ensuring complete sensor sensing element is in the flow
- make it easy to create hygienic connections
- removable to check and clean sensors when and if needed
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of flow field around the sensing element
CFD uses numerical analysis to analyze and solve fluid flow problems. It is commonly used in fluid mechanics to solve and visualize flow field around structures. We have used CFD to analyze the flow velocity around the sensing element and used it to minimize low velocity flow around the sensing element.
CFD results analysis:
- BLUE shows low flow velocity regions which is minimized around the sensing element
- BLUE areas around neck of sensor shows low fluid velocity in that region but it is ok as neck is not contributing to the measurement.
- We also recommend orienting the sensor so it faces the oncoming flow, this ensures better cleaning of the probe by having higher flow velocity of the fluid around it, however it is generally not an issue if it faces away from flow
- there should be good gap between the sensing element end and wall of pipe to ensure large solids in flow (if present) does not get stuck in between.
Download drawing for a 2" Tri Clamp pipe adapter.
Download 3D STEP file for a Tri Clamp SRV - viscometer
Download 3D STEP file for a Tri Clamp SRD - density and viscosity meter
Download 3D STEP file for a 2" Tri Clamp flow through adapter with SRV
How to select the correct Seal Ring for Tri-Clamp adapters?


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As a follow up to our Birding for Beginners Webinar in mid-July (2020), we are hosting chat sessions with DOAS Board Members through the summer. If you have a bird question or observations you would like to share, please join us! Our hosts for this evening are DOAS Co-Presidents, Andy Mason and Becky Gretton.
Attend the Next Chat
You can register once for the series and attend using the same login information.
Upcoming Summer Bird Chat Session Dates and Times
Thursday, August 27, 2020 – 7:00-7:30 PM
PRE-Registration Required (You may register once fore series)


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What Is the Freedom of Speech?
Free speech is one of the most debated issues in the United States. Since the right to speak freely is one of the most important provisions in the U.S. Constitution, it stands to reason that Americans have long sought to preserve and understand this freedom and its implications.
But before discussing any nuanced cases involving the right to free speech, we should answer one basic question: what is the freedom of speech?
The freedom of speech is the ability to say, write, or otherwise express ideas and beliefs without facing punishment or retaliation from the government.
Which amendment guarantees the freedom of speech?
The freedom of speech is guaranteed to all Americans by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It states in part, "Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech."
The Founding Fathers understood how important it was to allow every citizen to speak freely, and that is why they amended the Constitution to enshrine this right.
What is important about the freedom of speech?
Speech is the way we express our thoughts. Therefore, the only way to ensure a truly free society is to allow its members to enjoy the freedom of speech.
When we talk with other people, we shape each other's ideas, learn about each other, and grow in understanding. We work together in exploring our world and expand our knowledge and human systems—all through speech.
To live freely in accordance with your beliefs, you must be able to express those beliefs in public. If the government can dictate what you can or cannot say, it has the power to make you express ideas that violate your beliefs or keep you from expressing what you do believe. When the government controls speech, a society is not free.
The freedom of speech also protects more than just spoken words. Generally speaking, artists who express messages through their creations are engaging in speech, and these expressions are protected by the First Amendment. Just like the government cannot determine what words you say, it also cannot control what ideas you express through different mediums.
When government officials attempt to control speech, they are not simply limiting the words that come out of your mouth. Words are more than mere noises in the wind. Rather, to control speech is to try to control what you think and what you do. If government officials have the power to censor speech, they have the power to influence your thoughts and beliefs. That is why the freedom of speech is a fundamental part of any free society.
Is the freedom of speech dangerous?
An increasing number of people argue that free speech is dangerous because it allows people to say hurtful things. They argue the freedom of speech is just a piece of rhetoric used by those who want to spew offensive ideas.
In reality, free speech is a right that every individual possesses as a human being created by God. This right is not limited to people of any belief, but rather extends to every person and belief system.
It is true that not all ideas are good or beneficial. Some ideas are bad, false, or even evil. But the way to respond to these negative ideas is not to shut down speech through government interference. In fact, it is exactly the opposite.
In a society governed by free speech, each person can express their beliefs. If someone expresses a bad idea, every American has a right to respond to that statement with a positive and truthful one. Robust debate is essential to determining which ideas are true and good. When more people speak up for the truth, false and worthless statements are recognized for what they are.
Sometimes, a discussion with someone who holds different beliefs than you can help you see a new perspective. It may even help you view the truth in a new light. But even if it does not, it is important to remember that those with different views are human beings with dignity just like us, and their right to free speech is just as important as ours. If their right is taken away, ours can be taken away just as easily.
A society without the freedom of speech is far more dangerous for its citizens than hearing a bad idea. If every citizen does not have the freedom of speech, then government officials will get to decide which ideas can be expressed. That is too much power for anyone to wield.
If government officials in a society without free speech have bad ideas, they can implement them and censor anyone who disagrees. Instead of a robust debate over what is good and true, such a society is forced to promote only the preferred false and worthless ideas or face brutal government retaliation.
For much of human history, free speech did not exist. And in many countries across the world today, it still does not exist. These countries are ruled by dictators who ensure those who disagree with them are silenced, imprisoned, or even killed. The authors of the Constitution guaranteed our freedom of speech to protect us from that danger.
What is compelled speech?
When we think of free speech, the first thing that comes to mind is often the freedom to say what we believe. But what about our freedom not to say things we don't believe?
Compelled speech occurs when the government forces you to articulate, advocate, promote, communicate, or otherwise express messages or beliefs you do not want to. Thankfully, the First Amendment also protects us from being compelled to speak, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that compelled speech is unconstitutional.
Alliance Defending Freedom has represented many clients seeking to defend their freedom from compelled speech. Most recently, in 303 Creative v. Elenis, ADF attorneys successfully protected artist Lorie Smith from being compelled by the state to express messages that violate her beliefs. Here are some of ADF's highest-profile Supreme Court cases involving free speech:
National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra
In 2015, a California law required pro-life pregnancy centers to inform pregnant women that they could obtain free or low-cost abortion services in the state. In addition, the law required non-medical pregnancy centers to add large disclosures stating they were not medically licensed, wrongly implying they were not qualified to offer services or materials to pregnant mothers.
ADF attorneys represented a nonprofit network of pregnancy centers called the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) before the Supreme Court in a lawsuit against California's policy. They argued pregnancy centers could not be forced to distribute materials advertising abortion because it violated their deeply held religious beliefs.
In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that California could not compel pro-life groups to advertise a message against their beliefs. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, "the people lose when the government is deciding which ideas should prevail."
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Cake artist Jack Phillips received a request in 2012 to create a custom wedding cake celebrating a same-sex marriage. As a Christian, Jack believes marriage is between one man and one woman, so he politely declined the request.
But members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission took it upon themselves to punish Jack for his religious beliefs. They held he violated the state's anti-discrimination law, even though they had excused three bakers who refused to create cakes opposing same-sex marriage for a religious man.
ADF represented Jack at the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that he cannot be compelled to express messages he disagrees with. The Court held that Colorado was wrong to punish Jack because it had acted with clear hostility toward his beliefs, but it did not rule on the free speech violation in Jack's case.
303 Creative v. Elenis
Lorie Smith is a graphic artist based in Colorado. In 2012, she decided to start her own graphic art and web design studio, 303 Creative, where she seeks to create custom art and websites promoting ideas that she deeply cares about—those that are consistent with her faith.
But the same law used to target Jack in the Masterpiece case threatened Lorie's ability to say what she believes without fear of government punishment. While she wanted to create custom art promoting biblical marriages, she realized the law would force her to also create custom art celebrating opposing views of marriage. This would violate her beliefs.
With the help of ADF attorneys, Lorie challenged the Colorado law and sought the freedom to create art without being compelled by the government to express messages that conflict with her faith. ADF delivered oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Dec. 5, 2022.
In June 2023, the Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that Colorado cannot force Lorie to express messages she disagrees with. The decision reaffirms the right of Lorie and all Americans to create freely in accordance with their beliefs without fearing unjust government punishment.
The freedom of speech under attack
Compelling speech is just one way government officials have threatened the freedom of speech in recent years. Sadly, many Americans have seen their right to speak freely fall under attack in many different sectors.
Public schools
Across the country, public school teachers have been punished for choosing which messages to express or not to express. For example, Peter Vlaming, a high school teacher in Virginia, was fired because he declined to refer to a female student using male pronouns. ADF attorneys are representing Peter as his case awaits a ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court.
Similarly, Tanner Cross is an elementary school teacher in Virginia who opposed a school board policy requiring teachers to deny the truth about what it means to be male and female. When he expressed his concerns, he was suspended. ADF attorneys represented Tanner at the Virginia Supreme Court, which affirmed his right to voice his concerns about the policy. Two other teachers, Monica Gill and Kim Wright, have joined Tanner in seeking to strike down the school board's unconstitutional policy.
But teachers are not the only ones who have experienced attacks on their right to free speech. Liam Morrison, a seventh-grade student at John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School in Middleborough, Massachusetts, was punished after wearing a shirt expressing a message that was important to him.
In March 2023, Liam wore a shirt to school displaying the message, "there are only two genders." The principal removed him from class and told him he must change his shirt to remain at school. Liam politely declined to change the shirt, and the principal sent him home for the remainder of the day.
A couple of months later, Liam wore a shirt with the message, "there are censored genders." Once again, the principal told him he must change his shirt to attend class, and Liam agreed only so that he did not miss another day of school.
ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit after the second incident, but a federal district court ruled against Liam's freedom of speech. ADF has appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit and is asking the court to protect his First Amendment rights.
College campuses
Attacks on free speech have also made their way into higher education. In another injustice involving the use of preferred pronouns, philosophy professor Dr. Nicholas Meriwether was threatened with "corrective actions" from Shawnee State University after declining to refer to a male student with female pronouns. ADF filed a lawsuit against the university on behalf of Dr. Meriwether and eventually secured a victory for the professor at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
At Georgia Gwinnett College, student Chike Uzuegbunam wanted to speak and hand out pamphlets sharing the Gospel. But college officials twice stopped him from doing so, violating his First Amendment rights.
After ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit against Georgia Gwinnett College, the college amended its policies in an attempt to avoid accountability for censoring Uzuegbunam's speech. Because of the changed policies and the fact that Chike had by this time graduated, two courts dismissed the case. ADF appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in an 8-1 decision that the college officials (and other government officials) should not get a free pass for violating constitutionally protected freedoms.
In the marketplace
The 303 Creative and NIFLA cases above are prime examples of the government violating the First Amendment by compelling speech. But they are far from the only examples of free-speech violations in the marketplace.
When Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski founded Brush & Nib Studio in 2015, they wanted to use their skills of painting, hand-lettering, and calligraphy to create art consistent with their beliefs. But they soon found out a Phoenix law would force them to create messages promoting events that conflicted with their beliefs, including same-sex weddings. ADF filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brush & Nib seeking to protect the studio's freedom of speech.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brush & Nib, recognizing that Joanna and Breanna have a right to run their business in accordance with their beliefs and cannot be compelled by the government to speak messages or celebrate events that go against their faith.
Steve and Bridget Tennes were kicked out of a farmer's market after stating their biblical beliefs about marriage. The Tenneses own and operate Country Mill Farms in Charlotte, Michigan, a second-generation family farm.
For years, the farm sold its produce to all customers at the East Lansing Farmer's Market, where the city repeatedly invited them to participate as the only organic apple grower. That changed after Steve and Bridget were asked a question about their family's view on marriage on Country Mill's Facebook page.
As Catholics, they gave an honest answer based on their biblical beliefs. East Lansing officials saw that post and immediately worked to ban Country Mill from its farmer's market. The officials went so far as to change the market policies to exclude Country Mill and only Country Mill from future market participation.
The case was tried before a district court in July 2022, and we are awaiting a ruling from the Court. However, the district court already ruled that the Tenneses can sell their produce at the farmer's market while the case proceeds.
The cases listed above are just a few of the many examples of attacks by the government on the freedom of speech. While various courts have struck down some of these attacks, one thing is clear: some government officials are actively attempting to violate free speech rights around the country.
The authors of the Constitution left no question about their intentions regarding the freedom of speech. They wanted every American to enjoy it, and they wanted to protect Americans from government officials infringing upon it. Now more than ever, we must strive to preserve the Founders' vision of a free America.


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How Much Of A Mortgage Do I Qualify For
Mortgage is everyone's number one concern when buying a house, so understanding how it all works is vital for your home decision making.
Your house is definitely one of the biggest and most important decisions in our life. When buying a home, everyone asks "how much can i borrow?", in fact this should be the second question you should be asking.
Instead, you should be asking what house meets your affordability. That's because, with all the frustration involved in wanting to have an approval for a home loan, lenders are more than often loaning out more money than you can afford to pay off.
However, the good news is that calculating a smart home budget isn't as complicated as it sounds. It's quite straightforward and doesn't consume much time, if you do it the right way.
Keep reading to understand just how you can calculate how much of a mortgage you qualify for.
How Much Mortgage Can I Afford
We understand that buying a home isn't just exciting but also involves a lot of angst. As much as you want to be a homeowner, a lender will be more than willing to loan you money. Moreover, the more the money they loan out, the happier they will be.
You'll understand this when you calculate the estimated interest charged on your loan amount. It's definitely a huge number. This sure sounds surprising, but to be honest, this is the reality when it comes to loaning a mortgage amount.
However, once you know how much mortgage you can afford, you'll indefinitely want to learn how much of it you can borrow. In order to calculate how much home you are able to afford, is when the mortgage qualification calculator comes in.
There are a few items to be taken into account when calculating your affordability for a mortgage like your monthly debts, household income and your current available savings for a house down payment.
Mortgage Qualifier Calculator
It's a basic concern of every home buyer to understand their monthly payments. Even though your household incomes and monthly debts might be stable, you could still face unexpected financial circumstances that can have an impact on your savings.
This is the Bank Rate's mortgage calculator which we will be sharing with you how the calculations are done.
Mortgage Calculator: Bank Rate
A mortgage calculator requires you to input these numbers:
Annual Income (Before Taxes)
Before you start planning on the type or even the style you want your house to be renovated in, you need to punch in your annual income, before taxes into the mortgage qualifier calculator. Remember to include your partner's or co-buyer's annual income as well if applicable.
Remember to include all of your revenue streams from investment profits and alimony to rental earnings coming in each month.
Down Payment
The next number you're supposed to punch in is the total down payment. A down payment is a part of the sale price of the house you're hoping to buy, which isn't financed.
Whether you're loaning the mortgage amount from a bank, credit union or any other form of londer, a down payment is mandatory. It allows the lender to know if the borrower is a risk when loaning out the amount and if they're serious.
Interest Rates
The interest rate will be calculated according to the current rate in place right now, in the state you're planning to purchase a home. Getting a low interest rate allows you to save a lot of money over your loan term.
Lenders have a few criterias when deciding the interest rate, such as high credit scores, low debts and the amount of your down payment.
According to bakrate's recent survey, the 30-year mortgage loan terms interest rate is 3.030% with an annual percentage rate of 3.390%. And the 15-year mortgage loan term interest rate is 2.580% with an annual percentage rate of 2.910%.
The more popular loan term is the 30-years term, but it ultimately depends on you as people also tend to choose a charter pay off term.
Lastly, you need to tally up all your expenses and input the number in the mortgage calculator. These expenses include the money that is paid or used on a monthly basis. Remember to be accurate on the number, as you need to be aware of how much you are spending.
Your expenses will allow the calculator to calculate just how much mortgage you are able to afford.
By including all of the above information in the mortgage qualifier calculator, it will give you an estimate of the maximum amount of mortgage you're eligible for and a rough calculation of your monthly mortgage payment.
"What If" Scenarios
The interesting part of the mortgage dualifer calculator is that you can utilize is it to run some possible scenarios such as:
- What's the maximum number of years you'll live in this home? This will have a great impact on your decision when you're choosing a loan term. The longer the term is, the more afoodable your monkey payment will be.
However, do note that you'll eventually end up paying a larger amount of interest during the long term. Whereas, if you were to choose a shorter term, such as a 15-year fixed rate mortgage term, your interest will be less but the monthly payments will be considerably higher.
Hence, it's important to know just how long you plan on living in the house you're purchasing. - Should you opt for an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)? If you intend on staying in the house for just a couple of years, 5/1 ARM is likely to be a good option for you. You'll be able to enjoy lower fixed interest rates for the first five years, but it will change yearly once the initial years are over.
- Are you loaning too much? Of course, lenders will be more than happy to have you receive a big loan, but the question is, how does it make YOU feel? Does it make you comfortable with how it'll affect your monthly budget?
Also consider how the loan amount will impact your future spending goals like holidays and savings. - How much down payment should you make? Now, this is the big question you should be asking yourself when buying a house. Do you prefer to put down a smaller amount and make it up by paying larger monthly payments, and perhaps having to even pay mortgage insurance? Or vice versa?
Think it through before you decide on your down payment amount. Take your current savings and expenses into consideration as you don't want to take up an additional loan to cover your day-to-day expenses just because you've decided to put down a large down payment.
Factors Impacting How Much You Can Borrow
Lenders in general have certain factors that they consider when determining the mortgage amount you qualify for, such as:
Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio
Your DTI does a comparison of your monthly income in relevance to your monthly debt. Individuals who have a higher debt relative to their monthly income, will have a high DTI as compared to someone who has a lover debt relative to their monthly income.
Your DTI ratio is vital as it shows lenders your bandwidth to take up more debt. In simple terms, the higher DTI you have, the harder it'll be for you to get a mortgage, and even if you do get a mortgage, it'll be highly unlikely that you get a good interest rate.
You can easily calculate your DTI by adding up you totally monthly debts, and divide it by your monthly income, both before taxes and deductions
Hence, as a borrower it's best to pay off your existing debt as much as you can so that you are qualifiable for a mortgage, and have the room to make the monthly payments. By paying your debts off, you'll indefinitely be in a much favourable position to accommodate your monthly costs.
Credit Score
It's always smart to have your credit in order before you decide to apply for a mortgage. You can check and evaluate your credit via these three agencies – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You're eligible for a free copy yearly per each agency.
Your credit score will have an impact on the pricing of your loan. If you find errors in your credit report, make sure to alter the agency as soon as possible. You'll have to further prove that the claims are wrongly reported by showing evidence, such as payment history.
Your Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio
The loan-to-value ratio is the amount of money you'll be able to put down. Technically, the lower this ratio is, the higher your chances of getting a mortgage and a lower interest rate. A ratio with 80 percent or low, will help you in avoiding paying for private mortgage insurance and will further enable you to qualify for more than one loan option.
What Is A Good Loan-To-Value Ratio? Generally, the lower your LTV, the better your chances are of getting approved and getting a lower interest rate. An LTV of 80% or lower will help you avoid paying for private mortgage insurance and will allow you to qualify for a wide range of loan options.
In many aspects we need to be aware that the money lending industry is in some ways working against our best interests. If the lender deems you as a qualifiable borrower, there's a high chance that they will approve you for the maximum loan amount. In fcat, they might just get a little too generous.
Buy a home means that you'll be dealing with large numbers, and that too quite often. The main challenge when it comes to buying a house, is having a house that meets both your current and future needs.
Moreover, it's also important to leave money for your other priorities, such as travelling etc. All in all, don't just lose hope after speaking to a new lender, speak to more than one as it may be illuminating to realise the different loan amounts elders are willing to qualify you for.
We hope this shed light on just how much of a mortgage you are eligible for and what can be done to improve your chances in getting one or qualify for one.


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Gold Coast Halal Meats
9/7 Brown St
Gold Coast
(07) 5591 3828
Moderator Notes:
Gold Coast Halal Meats have is a small team of experienced Butchers that can deliver a range of Halal Meats for every need. No matter what your need we can cover it - if you are looking for Halal Chicken, Halal Beef, Halal Lamb, Halal Whole Lambs, Halal Smallgoods or just want choices cuts such as Wagyu or Angus we can help.
Halal Status
Halal Authority
Meat Types
Halal Certified Store, Halal Certified Supplier
Halal Beef, Halal Lamb, Halal Chicken, Halal Smallgoods, Halal Sausages, Halal Hamburger, Halal BBQ Packs
Minimum order of $100. Gold Coast Halal will deliver to your door in the Southport and Gold Coast region daily and Brisbane area fortnightly
Direct to Public
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Eminence Speaker Company
Eminence Speaker builds loudspeakers that are used around the world. Kentucky Life visited their Henry County headquarters.
From the initial output of three 18-inch speakers per day, Eminence Speaker Company produces over 10,000 speakers per day, and employs almost 200 people.
Bob Gault was an engineer at Magnavox when he decided to start his own speaker business back in 1966.
"He was really a production genius," said his son Rob, who now runs the business. "He knew how to make them efficiently. … It grew from a 5,000-square foot plant to an 80,000 square foot plant over the next couple of decades."
Eminence has sold to all the major sound amplification and professional sound companies. "If you're at a concert, there's a real good chance that the equipment came from Eminence," he said. "There's also a real good chance that the musician decided to replace whatever came stock, which might have been Eminence in the first place, with another Eminence."
Chris Rose, president of Eminence Speaker, explained the design process. "Loudspeakers have to match the type of enclosure they're going in," he said. "Our designers are very good about giving them the performance they need."
They can tweak their product to the range a performer or company requests. "It all depends on what sort of frequency range that they want to produce or replicate," Rose said.
The company makes many different sizes and configurations of voice coils for the loudspeakers. "The length of the coil has a lot to do with what you are doing," Rose explained. "For a guitar speaker, you might have a really short coil that only moves a little bit. But for a big subwoofer, you got a long, tall coil that moves a lot more air."
The company uses a 600-ton multi-press to punch out steel discs for the speakers. "This is one that Rob's dad, Bob Gault, helped to design," Rose said. " … The demands of industry are for more power and more air, so we definitely find ourselves using the larger press more often."
On the assembly line, speakers are built from the foundation up, Rose said. "Each of these employees are doing quality checks on the work other people have done. So the human element is extremely important, and these people are what make our company. So we are really, really proud that we've not automated things and keep people involved."
This segment is part of Kentucky Life episode #2111, which originally aired on March 26, 2016. Watch the full episode.


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This episode of the Film Room should have been out on Friday afternoon, but things got in the way of that being the case. Instead, you're getting it just several hours prior to tipoff on Saturday evening. Either way, this edition is going to take a look at a little third quarter razzle-dazzle by one Blake Austin Griffin – or, Bad A** Griffin if you so prefer. The game was hanging in the balance prior to this level of domination and it just goes to show you how amazing of a player the power forward can truly be. Prepare to fall in love all over again.
At halftime, the Los Angeles Clippers led the Dallas Mavericks by just 8 points. The team from the Lone Star State had managed to keep the game close to a respectable deficit despite their depleted roster. While they were doing their best to claw into the game even more, one man routinely kept denying them a realistic chance at victory. There aren't many things Blake Griffin can't do on a basketball court. What he does better than most anyone else is actually put the ball through the hoop. Points are fun. Hell, Griffin is fun.
We're going to pick up the action just a few moments after the second half gets underway. Already, the Mavericks had cut the lead to just 5 points and it appeared like the Clippers would be sleepwalking through much of the second half before trying to eke out a win in the closing moments once again. Instead, what we got was Griffin being the unstoppable force of nature that he is. So, without further ado, let's take a gander at the footage for this Film Room and give all praise to the Oklahoma kid.
This is a pretty long play in terms of time, but it's one that serves many benefits. The team attempts to run J.J. Redick off of two baseline screens and have him curl to the left elbow for a jumper. It's a variation of a HORNS set that the team often runs. Griffin sets the screen for Redick and moves up a little bit towards the right elbow. When Redick comes off of the second screen, he has no angle to shoot. Instead, he finds Griffin open at the right elbow because Zaza Pachulia got lost in the defensive spacing. Griffin gets the ball, shoots, and nails a jumper. Just like that, the Clippers see their lead increase.
As you watch this play develop, two things happen that are of note. The first of which is Lance Stephenson and DeAndre Jordan nearly run into each other at the left elbow. As weird as this is, it also screws up the Mavericks. Devin Harris looks confused and doesn't know what to do. The second is that Stephenson slips to the corner after setting a worthless screen. This is what forced Pachulia to get lost in the spacing. With no one able to choke down on the corner, Pachulia sort of just hovers there because he thinks a pass might be going to Stephenson. When the pass goes to Griffin, Pachulia is too far away to do anything about it. It's something that pays off for the Clippers.
A couple minutes later, the team still is clinging to a 5 point lead and come down the court in a semi-transition opportunity. It forces Dallas to get setup without knowing where to be. As Chris Paul flies down the court, he runs into a 1-5 pick-and-roll with DeAndre Jordan. On the backside of the play, Griffin is sort of just hovering the right elbow in case Paul turns down the Jordan screen for a different one. However, that's not all he's doing. When Paul comes off the screen and Jordan rolls, Dirk Nowitzki – Griffin's primary defender – starts to move with Jordan here. This allows Griffin a ton of space. Paul recognizes this and flips a right-handed pass into Griffin's shooting pocket. Griffin sizes Nowitzki up for a brief moment, and then knocks down the shot.
This is another case of the team having hard-to-guard players. Jordan's screen-and-roll game is so deadly and scary that it forces Dallas to rethink how they're going to even exist. Nowitzki looks clueless as to what to do and that hesitation is all the Clippers needed. It was a brief moment of weakness that was exploited by a superior offense. When Griffin's jumper is going like this, there's really not anything a defense in the league can do to stop him. You don't want to close out on him because he'll just drive right by you, but you also don't want the guy taking wide open shots that he's knocking down. It's death by massive gashes rather than papercuts.
This is one of the plays the Clippers run a lot of with their base personnel. Chris Paul probe dribbles until a suitable screen is set by Griffin just below the arc. Paul then threads the needle with a pocket pass to a rolling Griffin. Here, Dallas does a great job of crashing down to stop the Griffin roll to the rim. Except, that's also a downfall. You see, when Griffin rolls to the rim, Devin Harris leaves Lance Stephenson wide open in the corner so that he can help stop Griffin's rim run. While Stephenson struggles to shoot at times, it's still a massively high-quality look for an average shooter. Shots like these went to Matt Barnes the last two years. They're going to Stephenson now. Stephenson misses, but it's still a super quality look.
Despite the miss off of one his passes, Griffin does the smart thing here. Instead of just continuing to drive and probably drawing an offensive foul, Blake makes the intelligent pass to the corner for a wide open three. There's nothing wrong with missing a shot like this. Theoretically, these are misses you can live with because of how uncontested they are. Would a better shooter have knocked this one down? No one knows. The process matters a lot in basketball and, no matter what the result of this play says, the process was off the charts.
Nothing elaborate here from Griffin. This is just a good ol' fashioned hustle play and putback jam. Everything before this play is pretty gorgeous, though. The Clippers run Redick off of a pindown screen that is designed to get him either an open three from the wing or a pull-up jumper in the mid-range. Due to the lack of true contact made on the screen, Redick's defender never gets lost. This forces Redick to put the ball on the floor and make a quick pass to Jordan, who then makes one pass to his left to Stephenson in the left corner. Stephenson gets another wide open corner three, but he misses this one, too. From there, it's all Griffin. He spots no one boxing out and makes a rim run that culminates in a thunderous dunk.
Plays like these are lovely because it shows how huge one play can ultimately be for a team. The Clippers are only up by 5 points here. Had Griffin not followed up the Stephenson miss with this putback dunk, then Dallas has a chance to cut this lead to either 2 or 3 points. That's a huge swing in a game. We hear it all the time from Mike Smith and Ralph Lawler; sometimes a dunk is worth more than just a couple points. In this instance, it was. It showed that if the star of the team was going to keep playing hard then everyone else had better do the same.
When we talk a two-man game, usually it's something far more elaborate than what happens here. Lance Stephenson gets the ball in transition and attempts to push it up the floor. Blake Griffin recognizes that Lance might need help, so he runs up and sets two screens that do enough of a job on Devin Harris. When Stephenson cuts back to his left after the second screen, he passes to Griffin and Blake is left open enough by Zaza Pachulia. Griffin turns, rises, and fires. Two more points as the ball hits the bottom of the net.
Years ago, this is a play where Griffin probably shot fakes and tries to bully Pachulia to the rim. Instead, we get to see the refinement of his game. This is what years and years of hardwork and dedication can do. It's not just the fact that he makes the shot. It's also the confidence that he displays in even attempting it in the first place. He's calm, cool, collected, and confident. Everything happens in one fluid motion for him. He gets the ball and goes right up with the shot. No wasted motion, no wasted anything. Love it.
On this play here, there's a lot going on. Griffin gets the ball in transition and is sort of wild so he passes back out to Paul at the top of the arc. From there, the two initiate a pick-and-roll with the help of DeAndre Jordan. Paul fires a pass back to Griffin at the left elbow and, rather than taking the semi-open jumper due to Pachulia's quick contest, Griffin takes one power dribble before sizing up the defense. Griffin pivots and passes off to Stephenson on the wing. Griffin then walks up and sets a screen on Harris as he gives Lance the sign to move to the top of the arc. Stephenson adheres to Griffin's instructions, comes off of Griffin's screen, and knocks down a three-point shot to give the team a double-digit lead.
Yet again, we get to see Griffin's calmness and headiness on display. On the initial part of this, Griffin holds the ball up rather than driving wildly. Couple years ago, this is a turnover or offensive foul. After kicking it out to Paul, he directs Chris where to go. After getting the ball back, Griffin then is smart enough to not force a heavily contested shot. He probes and finds the open man. And then, he tells the open man where to go for a wide open shot. Perhaps he was just in the zone and knew where everyone should be. Still, this is a play that shows you Griffin's maturity on the offensive end and displays his knowledge of where guys should be, and what shots they should be shooting.
How do you continue to make the opposition pay? Run more pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop action. Here, we get the pop instead of the roll. Paul comes off of a Griffin screen that rubs Raymond Felton out of the play. As Paul clears Griffin, Charlie Villanueva has to step out and deny any action by the ball-handler. Felton's recovery is slow, plodding, and lazy. It allows Paul to pinpoint a pocket pass to Griffin. The pass hits Griffin and Blake rises up for a jumper before Villanueva can even recover back. Ball goes in, points go on the board, and the Mavericks are left wondering if there's anything they can do to stop this blitzkrieg.
With the team leading by double-digits now, Paul enters the frontcourt and starts to amaze with his ball-handling ability. Griffin runs up to set Paul a double-sided screen. Chris runs through one side and then comes back around the other in an effort to lose Felton. As Paul comes off of the second screen, he sizes up Zaza Pachulia and goes right at him. Pachulia – ahem – falls to the ground, which leaves Felton in a tough spot. Paul turns and passes back to Griffin at the left elbow. Rather than take the extremely wide open jumper, Griffin waits for Felton to move towards him. This gives Griffin the lane he needs to drive. Griffin power dribbles towards the rim and looks to go up for a shot, but he gets grabbed by Felton and fouled.
Could Griffin have taken the open jumper? Sure. He probably would have made it, as well. However, he clearly wasn't comfortable with the shot or the rhythm in which he got it. Instead of forcing the shot from distance, he made the conscious decision to drive to the rim. The other alternatives here for him were to pass to Lance Stephenson at the top of the arc when he started to drive, or kick it back to Paul in the left corner for a wide open three. Griffin got greedy here, but it also worked out. It still shows you the kind of things he can work on in the long run. But, primarily, it shows you just how good he can be in all phases.
Having Blake Griffin on your favorite team isn't even fair right now. The man has turned into the best offensive power forward in the NBA and continues to light it up on a nightly basis. While we're only just two games into this current season, it appears as if Griffin is on the verge of something special here. His minutes might be going down this year, especially if the bench plays well, but it doesn't mean his impact will be felt any less. For one stretch of the third quarter, Griffin was the engine of the offense. Whether he was knocking down jumpers, attacking the rim, or finding the open man, Griffin was someone the Mavericks had no answer for. And, quite frankly, they are not alone in being left in the dark as to how to stop this freight train of a man.


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"Thomas Merrill is a remarkable talent. He as been my driving coach, and at times my co-driver, for the past seven race seasons. As much as I admire Thomas's accomplishment's as a race car driver, it is his coaching skills that I find truly outstanding. Thomas has the ability to reinforce what I am doing correctly, and to identify where my opportunities to improve are. He is a good data analyst and is able to quickly turn a data download from the car into two or three points to focus on to lower lap times. But what sets him apart from others, is ability to communicate clearly and succinctly what you need to do to be a better driver. I have spent my business career looking for great talent for teams that I have led and my approach to racing is no different. Thomas is a great talent and it is a privilege to have him as my coach."
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Data and video have changed the game for analysis in the modern era, and it keeps evolving. Get more out of your data and video with driver coaching.
Off to a new track? Let's work together to get you comfortable and up to speed quickly.
Radio coaching is key for any racer looking for a competitive edge, improved race craft, and consistency management.
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Web headlines that work: 5 essentials for success
On the web, headlines rule. Here's how to write great headlines for your hospital's digital content.
The headline is the single most important element of a digital story. If it's not good, the rest of the content won't be read.
Whether it's a blog post or a hospital service page, Coffey's editorial team puts a lot of thought into the digital headlines we create. We've come up with a set of general guidelines to help us write headlines that grab attention and compel people to read the digital content we create for our clients.
The 5 C's of great hospital web headlines
A great web headline should be:
- Clear.Clever, pun-filled headlines can be fun to write. But on the web, you need to focus on being clear first and foremost. No confusing wordplays or jokes, no ambiguity about what people will find after they click.
Pro tip: Give your headline the clarity test. Paste it into a Word document without any other content from the story. Can it stand alone? Show it to some colleagues. Do they get it?
- Concise.How long should your headline be? A variety of opinions are just a Google search away. Often, people say 6 words is the ideal length. At Coffey, we approach it a bit differently. Rather than counting every word, our motto with web headlines is: "Make every word count."
- Catchy.People scan web copy—headlines included. To make sure your headline text is formatted to capture the attention of those selective scanners, focus on the first 3 words and (if your headline is long enough) the last 3 words. This is the text that's most likely to be read.
- Clickable.To get clicks, a web headline should have at least 1 of these elements:
- Helpfulness. Let readers know how your article will solve a problem or address a need.
- Urgency. Make it clear why it's important for people to click right away.
- Appeal. Focus on what's unique or interesting about your story in the headline.
- Credible (not clickbait).I've fallen for clickbait. You probably have too. If so, you know how disappointing it can be to click on a compelling headline and be greeted with lame—or totally unrelated—content.
In healthcare marketing, trust is important. Your headline is a promise you make to your readers. Don't mislead them.
Learn more about creating compelling healthcare content
Does your online content engage healthcare consumers? If you're not sure, we'd be happy to help. Give us a call at 888.805.9101, or email us.


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1 609 512 1468
1 609 512 1546
134 Franklin Corner Road, Suite 106, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Health Coach Services at Princeton Integrative Health takes a Functional Medicine approach to enhance the well-being of individuals and to facilitate the achievement of their health-related goals and healthy aging.
We will work with individuals to develop long-term behavior change that builds motivation and promotes self-determination, self-efficacy, and a sustainable lifestyle from the inside out. The support is designed to bring clients increased levels of energy, physical activity, improved sleep, and clarity of mind.
Health Coach Services address:


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Yin Feng-yu
From EastKingdomWiki
Photo |
Yin Feng-yu |
Information |
Resides: Shire of Anglespur & Barony of Concordia of the Snows |
Status: Active |
Awards: Order of Precedence |
Heraldry |
Heraldry Needed |
Award & Office Badges |
Yin Jinyu (Previously known as Yin Feng-yu (殷風雨)) was introduced to the SCA by attending the regular weekly Rapier fight practices in both the Barony of Concordia of the Snows and the Shire of Anglespur back in January 2014. Her first event was The War of the Roses, May 2014 and has been hooked since. Her passion largely being in fencing, Yin has dabbled in Archery.
Yin Jinyu was born and raised within the city of Guangzhou in the late 1500s. Her mother worked in a brothel and her father is unknown. Jinyu was taken by the Wokou at a young age during one of the raids outside the city walls. During her captivity she learned for the first time about the outside world and the sea. She spent her young days working on the deck and traveling with the Wokou where she learned many forms of combat, religion and culture.
- Cadet: Aziza Andrade
- Provost to Anastasia da Monte
- Captain and Cofounder of Eisenhorne
- Former Cadet to Isabel Chamberlaine
Offices & Positions
- Rapier Marshal at Large (October, AS 50 - Present)
- Strategical Commander of Eisenhorne
- Deputy Senschal for Shire of Anglespur (AS 50 - AS 51)
- Queen's Guard (Avelina III A.S. 50)
- Queen's Guard (Anna III A.S. 50)
- Northern Army Executive Officer (Pennsic XLVI 2017)
- Baronial Fencing Champion, Concordia of the Snows, 5/28/17 till 5/27/18
- East Kingdom Rapier Melee Champion (Pennsic XLVI 2017)
- Deputy Fencing Marshal in Charge of Concordia (AS 51 till AS 52)
- Queen's Guard (Matilde 2017-2018)
- Rapier Marshal in Charge of Barony of Concordia of the Snows (Oct. 2017 - 2020)
- Rapier MIC of War of the Roses (2018)
- East Kingdom Rapier Singles Champion Alternate (Pennsic XLVII)
- East Kingdom Army Executive Officer (Pennsic XLVIII)
- East Kingdom Rapier Melee Champion (Pennsic XLVIII)
- Knight Marshal of Barony of Concordia of the Snows (March 2019 - 2021)
- Queen's Guard (Margarita '19-'20)
- Consort's Deputy Guard Captain (Alberic 2020-2021)
- Award of Arms | Nov 2015
- Order of the Friends (Concordia) | Nov 2015
- Order of the Ram's Horn (Concordia) | May 2016
- Order of the Silver Rapier | May 2016
- Order of the Golden Rapier | March 2019
- Concort's Award of Esteem | August 2021


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Students - How To Get Your Deposit Back
It is not too early to start thinking about your deposit return at the end of your tenancy. Cleaning throughout the year will make it easier when you come to vacate the property at the end of your tenancy.
If you are currently a student renting out a property, you will be aware of the deposit that you had to pay to secure your home. As I am sure you are aware, this will be returned at the end of your tenancy minus any deductions that may have to be made for any damage or cleaning that is required.
But, how do you get back as much deposit as possible?
We have put together our top tips on how to protect your deposit.
It is important to keep on top of your cleaning. This can sometimes be the biggest deposit deduction for some student properties. Regular cleaning throughout the year will make sure the property does not need a deep clean at the end of the tenancy. Make sure you clean the bathroom and kitchen to avoid any build up of limescale and dirt (especially the toilet). Making sure the property is clean throughout the year will also reduce the risk of pests.
If you allow mould to build up and don't resolve the problem, then you could face deductions. Make sure you tackle this as soon as you notice it. If you haven't already, see our previous article on condensation and how to prevent it.
You will also need to make sure that all rubbish is removed by the end of the tenancy. Otherwise, you may be charged for the removal of this. If you have a large amount of rubbish, it would be advisable to visit your local community recycling centre.
It is easy to forget about the fridge and freezer. Make sure these are cleaned and emptied. It is best practice to defrost the freezer before you leave the property.
The cooker can build up with dirt and grease if it is not cleaned regularly throughout the year. Make sure you clean it often to avoid it being a hard job at the end of the tenancy.
Broken Items:
Let's face it, accidents happen, and items can get broken. It is always best to try and replace the item yourself as it may cost a lot more money if you leave it for your landlord to deduct from your deposit. For example, it may be best to replace a broken toilet seat or cups than leaving it till the end of your tenancy.
If you are responsible for the damage, you should think about replacing the items yourself at a much more reasonable price. However, if you are not responsible for the damage, then you will not need to replace it. If the item is something too expensive or big, such as a washing machine or oven, it is always best to contact your landlord.
Missing Items / Missing Keys:
If any of your housemates are missing or have lost keys, then there will be a charge for replacement. If a number of keys are not returned or there is a worry about the security of the property, then the locks may have to be changed and this will cost money.
Make sure you leave the landlords belongings in the property at the end of the tenancy. If any items are missing, then you may be charged for this. If you move items around the house, it is best to return them back to the place they were originally in.
If your property benefits from a garden, you will be liable to make sure the garden is clean and tidy at the end of the tenancy. This means that you will need to weed and cut the grass. It always best to keep on top of this throughout the year rather than tackling it at the end.


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I had a textured black that lost the compressor, a Maytag bottom freezer. I liked the configuration so well I bought another one. This one has a smooth front, textured sides, even though its the same model. I do like the textured better, this one does show prints, but not like stainless does.
I have a Samsung french door frige. It has a smooth front and textured sides. I love it. The is no ice or water through the door. It is very easy to keep clean...I just wipe the finger prints away with a microfiber cloth.
My house is VERY dusty (drives me crazy) and I do have to dust the handle on the bottom freezer every day.
I do not allow anyone to put anything with tape or magnets on the front. I don't want scratches.
I would never again buy a refrigerator with a textured front door. My old one was very difficult to keep clean. It held the dirt in the textured surface.
Thanks Carmie, you probably have the model I'm looking at. My husband's cousin has a black textured front and she HATES the texture too because she said it is very hard to keep clean but I thought just the opposite would be true.
On 6/24/2014 brii said:All my appliances are white. I am very happy with them.
Same here. Also, I love having the ice and water dispenser in the door. I use it all the time.
On 6/24/2014 shopqvcless said:Thanks Carmie, you probably have the model I'm looking at. My husband's cousin has a black textured front and she HATES the texture too because she said it is very hard to keep clean but I thought just the opposite would be true.
My refrigerator is Model RF263....26 cu ft. It's pretty big and always stuffed full. I like that I can control the temp in the frige and freezer and even boost the temp if I put something in it that needs to be cool or frozen quickly.
I have had a lot of refrigerators, but this one is my favorite.
I buy everything in black. Refrigerators.........oven.......law furniture. I heard it makes you look thinner.
I know you are looking for a new fridge, but just wanted to put this out there. A few years ago we had work done in our kitchen and a new stove & dishwasher in black. My fridge was almond, not that old, and a new one was not in the budget.
I ignored the almond fridge for a while until it made me crazy. Then, I painted it black. All by myself! It had the textured surface, which worked great. I took off the removeable trims and taped the rest. Mine has the ice in the door, but the cover plate came right off, as did the trim tracks running down the doors.
I used Rustoleum Appliance paint and a small roller. I didn't even unplug it, just rolled it into the middle of the kitchen floor on newspaper. The paint dried to the touch in less than a half hour, and I gave it a second coat the next day. No roller marks even showed against the textured surfaces. In the following days I opened the doors and carefully painted the interiors of the doors. Then I painted the soft vinyl door handles with leather (shoe ) paint for flexability.
Looks great, works fine and can be washed just as before. Someday I'll get a new fridge...or not.
Sorry... my spelling was a mess...
I have a 28cu.ft Samsung French door with the pull out snack drawer plus the water and ice on the door absolutely love this item. It is smooth black not a problem taking care of it. No problem with hand prints on it. It absolutely runs so quiet that you never hear it running at all. Some times I even open the door to see if things are cold because I never hear the motors running. I would buy this product again. We use the water and ice dispenser all the time. Good luck finding something you like. This one came from Sears great price it is so big but they did get it through our 36 inch door opening. Ice and water dispenser hardly take any space up. bottom pull out freezer never let me down always room in it for everything. Can you tell how much I love this Samsung?
OP Just a question...why are you picking black appliances? Just curious. You are remodeling your kitchen and it just sounds like you are picking ""old"" choices. Its up to you though. If thats the look you want then go for it. But it just seems to me that your brand new kitchen won't really look new when you are done with it. Just an observation. Enjoy your remodel!
My mom says the same thing--her fridge is black, as is the stove. If she changes to stainless, the stove looks weird and so does the microwave.
I have the same issue, but in white. If I changed up the fridge to stainless, the white microwave has to go. So I stuck with white. It looks all built in as I have white cabinets. I wouldn't have chosen white kitchens for myself, but that's what we got when we bought our house ten years or so ago.
If I had black, I'd be sticking with it. I like the look of the textured black fridges.
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text: Have a taste for brains? The Diefenbunker is looking for you. Courtesy the Diefenbunker Stories Zombies needed at the bunker By Jake Davies - West Carleton Online August 20, 2019August 20, 2019 wadmin 0 Comments You need to login to view this content. Please Login. Not a Member? Join Us


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Go for the fresh air of the country with a naked cake. Naked cakes have only minimal icing, giving it a rustic feel. That makes the cake the star of the show.
Add homemade jam in between each layer for a cake that says this is one to savor the best of the natural world.
For the bride who really loves the country, nothing says the outdoors like a profusion of flowers across the top. Duplicate your wedding bouquet on top of the cake.
Many brides also love the idea of thinking in new ways about the flowers they use. Opt for a mixture of flowers and large icing branches. The branches can help define each cake layer.
If you're going to have a fall or winter wedding, you can still have a wedding cake that reflects nature. Cakes that look like a birch or aspen tree are the ultimate country wedding cake design.
A cake in the shape of a pumpkin is right for the wedding close to Halloween. Although you can also add pumpkins, or other fruits and vegetables for a natural country design.
Ladies, look to leaves for inspiration. A series of lovely cascading leaves with patterns and colors take directly from actual leaves in fondant can be used to create drama.
The same is true of items like acorns and sprays of mistletoe you'll see at this time of the year.
Color can be an important part of the wedding cake you have in mind. Think about the colors you see everywhere you look right now as you see the location.
Rich green, deep brown, scarlet tulips and even the pattern you see on the side of a horse can all serve as great inspiration for a wedding cake that shows who you are today.
A rustic wedding cake is one way to add something with a welcome bit of informality for your country wedding.


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Carbon-cutting policies at the forefront of the world's biggest automakers' business plans
Some of the world's biggest automakers are adopting carbon-cutting policies despite an expected fall in car sales post-COVID-19. Macro trends have been identified explaining why the shift to sustainability is accelerating across the globe.
The world's biggest automakers are making commitments to tackle their carbon emissions. Adopting carbon-cutting policies in their business models seems to be at the forefront of a lot of automakers minds. Porsche have a solid commitment to sustainability and reducing their carbon emissions. It seems many other large companies are following suit.
It is clear that the world is accelerating up their commitments to a clean future and adopting carbon-cutting policies post-COVID.
Just this week, German automotive company, BMW, have set a huge goal of reducing its carbon emissions per car by at least one-third by 2030. By developing and selling electric vehicles, incorporating more sustainable materials, working with its supply chain vendors and adopting clean energy facilities, BMW hopes to achieve its sustainability targets.
As part of an accelerated push into the technology to catch up with Tesla, BMW intends to offer 25 electric and hybrid models by 2032. Concerning their huge targets, Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Zipse said: "We will report on our progress every year and measure ourselves against these targets". He also added that BMW will "overachieve" meeting stricter emission limits that are taking effect in Europe this year.
BMW also wants a third of its cars sold in Europe to be electric by 2025. Earlier this month the German automaker signed a $2.3 billion order for battery cells made by Sweden's Northvolt AB to help with their sustainability plans.
Ford and Volvo following the trend
American automaker, Ford, announced last month their plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. This is a striking commitment for an American company, and they are the only full-line US automaker doing its part to reduce CO2 emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
To achieve their goal, Ford will focus on three areas that account for about 95 percent of its CO2 emissions; vehicle use, supply base and company's facilities. The company pledge to 'protect the planet, put people first and create tomorrow, together'.
Mary Wroten, director of sustainability at Ford has stated that Ford is aiming for 2050 to align with the Paris Commitments and because: "…Anything after 2050 is unacceptable climate change risk".
With Asia rapidly switching to sustainable modes of transport, the continents largest automakers are also pledging carbon-cutting policies.
Volvo Cars, owned by China's Geely Holding (not to be mistaken by Volvo Group) is pledging to become carbon neutral by 2040. By 2025, Volvo Cars plan to reduce the CO2 footprint of each car it makes by 40 per cent.
Chief Executive of Volvo Cars, Hakan Samuelsson stated concerning their commitment to sustainability: "We will address what we can influence, by calling on our suppliers and the energy sector to join us in aiming for a climate-neutral future".
Why are companies committed to carbon-cutting?
Although automakers are expecting slower sales this year to a global recession, three macro trends have been identified behind the carbon-cutting policies adopted by car companies;
Regulators in Europe and China are tightening emissions rules and pushing automakers that sell into those markers to launch zero/low-emission vehicles. Although the US, at a federal level, is lagging behind in this movement, Joe Biden has promised to return the US to the Paris Agreement if he becomes president.
Over the years the auto industry has been slow to adopt zero-emission vehicle technologies. Opening up opportunities for sustainable EV companies like Tesla and Nikola to emerge. Losing market share, and fear of losing market share is a key driver of remaking the auto industry around sustainability.
The pandemic as a learning tool showing the need for change. "Build back better" is a refrain used repeatedly in relation to rebuilding post-COVID-19 sustainably, urging companies and leader to adopt carbon-cutting policies. In Europe particularly, there has been a huge push for the adoption of clean transport with the EU's €750bn recovery plan to boost transport.
The identification of these macrotrends, along with the world's biggest automakers committing to carbon-cutting policies, shows the worldwide commitment in transforming the mobility industry. It is exciting to think of what is to come in the world's recovery post-COVID-19.


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Born: early First century
Died: ~84
FEast: Oct. 18th
Patron of:
artists, writers, physicians and surgeons, livestock farmers
St. Luke
Luke's origin and identity will likely always be a bit of a mystery. Tradition holds, however, that he was possibly the only New Testament author that was not Jewish first - he was likely born a Greek Gentile in Syria. We can guess this based on wording that seems to exclude him from the Jewish group, and because of how many times in his Gospel he mentions times in which Jesus helped or praised Gentiles. We do not even find some of those stories in the other Gospels.
Luke is mentioned by St. Paul as a physician, and it is very possible that this was his trade not by choice, but because he could have been born an enslaved person and trained in medicine to aid the dominant family.
Very likely, he never knew Jesus, but he spoke to many people who did, and became a companion on St. Paul on his journeys. He was even the only one to remain for the duration of Paul's final imprisonment.
Luke's Gospel is also characterized as the most joyful of the Gospels. Due to the wording he chooses and the stories he includes, it is also known as the Gospel of the oppressed - women, the sick, the poor, and foreigners are all shown to be more important to Jesus in his Gospel than the others. He focuses on mercy and salvation, as well as the importance of the Holy Spirit.
He also likely wrote the book of the Acts of the Apostles. His highly educated, precise, and forgiving tone is the same in both books. No one can be sure how Luke died, but tradition holds that he was martyred after what was likely a long life, either in Greece or what is now France.
Luke's symbol is an ox or bull because they are animals traditionally used for sacrifice, and Luke greatly stressed Jesus' sacrifice for the world. He is also traditionally believed to have painted the first icons - though there are not many facts to prove it.
Remind us that artists and creators in this world are so necessary. All of us are called & tasked to share in God's continual creation. Whether it is in the form of the arts, ideas, work, families, or leadership, we must never cease to thank God for our gifts and better the world by using them.
Art Reflection
To incorporate Luke's main skills and professions, I included a pen, a brush, and a paint cloth as well as a professional shirt for his physician's job. I wanted his expression to be a kind one because of his Gospel's clear concern for the oppressed populations that Jesus came to serve. His eyes are a clear blue to symbolize a deeper sight that he had to allow him to find such love and compassion.