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Tony Vandenberg: the first windsurfer to complete the North Carolina Challenge
October 6, 2014 | Windsurfing
Tony Vandenberg is the first windsurfer ever to complete the WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge (NCC), a 100-mile sailing marathon held in the Pamlico Sound region.
It's one of the toughest sailing experiences in the world. The NCC is a circular race in a counterclockwise direction with start and finish at the same location on Cedar Island.
Kayakers and sailors are expected to complete the race in two days. Alligators occasionally come up to greet the adventurers. Tony Vandenberg finished the event in fourth overall, first in the Class 4 sailing division.
The intrepid windsurfer rode his 298-liter Starboard Phantom windsurf board for a total of 17 hours and five minutes (camping time excluded).
On the first day, Vandenberg challenged an energy-draining swell.
"Phantom is a beast to sail downwind in the three-four foot, abnormally fast waves and gusting winds. I'm exhausted.
Forced to abandon my harness due to the downwind, I sail completely sheeted out, my arms catching the full force of the wind. I'm sailing and surfing, and at this point, it's all brawn," reports Tony Vandenberg.
"I continually move forward and aft to prevent the bow from plunging into the back walls of upcoming waves, or cliff diving into the troughs of some of the rogue six-eight foot waves coming my way.
I surf down these latter waves, both feet on the very last inch of the stern, heels hanging in space."
Vandenberg started the second day at 5:30 am "knowing that this second half of the course will entail a constant battle to work up against head winds at the best possible combination of speed and travel angle while fighting oncoming chop and waves."
As he comes around the last cape, the windsurfer sees the large silhouette of a ferry moored at the dock adjacent to the finish line.
Eager to avoid screwing things up at the last minute, Vandenberg keeps his centerboard down as an early warning system and backs off the throttle.
"Spotting the little inlet for the finish by the dock, I see a Hobie TI sail entering it first. My attention is diverted as the wind suddenly blanks, and I almost take a dive in the last seconds of the race."
Tony Vandenberg, also known as "Bermudaboy", sailed for 92.2 nautical miles. Who shall dethrone him?
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You can staycation in your very own Hobbit House in Yorkshire in 2022
Live like Bilbo Baggins in your very own Hobbit House, complete in this quaint Yorkshire staycation near the sea. By Sophie Smith
Feeling like going on an adventure in 2022?
We've got the perfect place.
Set in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside, you can live like Bilbo Baggins in this one-of-a-kind staycation that's shaped like a traditional Hobbit House.
Located in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, the North Shire staycations have all the circular doors and tiny homes to make all your Hobbit a reality – all without a dragon in sight.
Credit: North Shire
The road goes ever on and on until you find your private oasis, but once nestled into the cosy quarters of the North Shire staycation, you can live like a Hobbit for as long as you please.
The website states that the two bedroom staycation is "surrounded by natural beauty and stunning views over long grassy cow fields out to sea"- what could be a more peaceful way to start 2022?
As the owner's very first shire house, they regard it as a magical place in beautiful countryside and perfect for family holidays that brings the imagination of children and grown ups alike to life.
Once through the circular green door, the property itself briefly comprises of two bedrooms, bathroom and living quarters with a fully fitted kitchen and seating area around a large dining table next to a cosy electric fire.
Image: North Shire
Overall the property can sleep up to six people, either as a combination of four adults and two children or two adults and four children as across the two bedrooms there are two double beds and two singles.
The Hobbit house is just one of the unique staycations offered by the North Shire in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The company also own a Harry Potter Groundskeeper cottage inspired by Hagrid's home in the bestselling movies.
Inside, wizarding wannabes and muggles will find an overwhelming gothic demeanor that nods to favorite wizarding tales, not just through the furnishings but the fields that lead to views of the Yorkshire coast too.
For more information, including how to book your visit to North Shire, visit their website here.
Featured Image – North Shire
Penguins allowed to roam freely after the aquarium closed to the public
Aldi take a stand against 'caterpillar cruelty' by announcing limited edition Cuthbert
Aldi has taken things to the next level by announcing a limited edition Cuthbert the caterpillar cake.
Councillors say Greater Manchester residents 'will go mad' if forced to have seven different bins
The government is looking to introduce new measures to standardise the waste collection process in England from 2023.
Self-isolating Man Met students can now get free Rudy's pizza and Shindigger beer delivered to halls
There will be 200 free pizzas delivered in 50 packs of four for the ultimate student lock-in pizza party.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


You have to work through many problems during your life.
You have to decide how you will spend your time? What will you become familiar with, and what talents will you develop? Whom should you marry? How can you best raise your children? What kind of job should you have so you can pay for the things you need and want? How will you cope with frustrations and disappointments? How will you cope with losses and death itself?
This is the most fundamental issue a person ever faces. As we have seen in our last studies, the Bible clearly teaches that the corruption we all inherit from Adam and the sins that flow from it separate us from God.
Being separated from him, no one can see things as they really are. In this state the person is spiritually dead. A spiritually dead person has no real satisfaction in life. He has no way to grow spiritually. He has no way to deal with the imperfections in those around him, and he has no eternal hope. The Bible tells us that in God's eyes lost lives are deeply offensive.
Paul has proven so clearly in the first part of Romans that since all inherit Adam's corruption and guilt, no one is able to make himself right with God. Our depravity poisons our motives and keeps us from doing anything that truly honors God. Our guilt is so great, even for one sin, that no matter what else we do, we cannot save ourselves.
Here is the dilemma: The payment demanded is complete separation from God for all eternity. To ignore the just penalty each person deserves would violate divine justice. So then, how can anyone ever be saved from this horrible future?
Paul summarized this universal and total inability of fallen man in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The whole first part of the letter shows that no one is exempt.
All who have descended from Adam are corrupt and therefore commit sins. This includes Jews and Gentiles, the educated and the ignorant, those having the Scriptures and those left with only the declarations of nature and human conscience. They all fall short of the glory of God.
There are many ways in which we come short of this glory. On the one hand, fallen sinners cannot glorify God and enjoy him forever, but here the word "glory" is used in a different sense. It is a glory that comes from God.
The original word translated "praise" is "doxa" (δοξα). The same word translated "glory" here. The Pharisees received glory from men, but they will not get the same from God. As sinners, there is no possible approval from God for anyone. Since we lack any hope of approbation from God, we need a righteousness that is not our own.
The solution God reveals for providing this righteousness is astounding.
By "Righteousness" we mean perfect obedience to God's moral principles. No one can be righteous by keeping the law. All have inherited the guilt of Adam's sin. Therefore from the time a person is conceived, he is morally offensive to God. No one can obey all of God's law perfectly without even one lapse or failure.
Since no one is able to be righteous on his own, God, by his grace, provides righteousness to fallen humans by means of the gospel.
Dr. Haldane says the expression "the righteousness of God," "is one of the most important expressions in the Scriptures." Somehow, by grace, the perfect holiness of God becomes ours. With it come all the benefits of being perfectly holy. We have the comfort and fellowship of God promised to us for all eternity. That is the Gospel. Truly good news.
This is the heart of the gospel message. What we unworthy sinners cannot have by even our best efforts, is provided through Christ. Only he could provide us with the blessings of holiness without violating the demands of justice.
Jesus was a real human, perfectly holy. At the same time he was God, infinitely powerful and worthy. By Sovereign decree Jesus was made to be the representative of his people. He was perfectly obedient to every point of morality and worship. He suffered the penalty of the law, though he himself did not break it.
Only Jesus could both be sinless and suffer to pay the penalty for sin. A creature may either keep the law, or suffer its condemnation, but Jesus was no creature. He was the Creator who humbled himself to suffer and die as one of his own offensive creatures. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might have righteousness in him. God's righteousness is credited to us freely, and our guilt is credited to him.
This was not a new idea. It is the consistent message of the whole Bible. God always promised to provide righteousness to unworthy sinners by grace alone through faith. It was witnessed to by "The Law and the Prophets" (an expression used for the whole Old Testament). Noah was called a preacher of righteousness in 2 Peter 2:5, and is called an " heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." in Hebrews 11:7.
In the next chapter of Romans (Chapter 4) Paul shows how Abraham was made righteous by faith alone. The whole Levitical system of regulations and sacrifices under Moses points to the coming of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, to pay for his people's sins. The Psalms and the Prophets base their whole idea of righteousness not upon our earning it, but upon the work of a promised Messiah, which is applied to individuals by faith in this promise.
But how is this Just? How can sinners be justly counted as righteous?
There are several principles here that explain how Christ justifies us while remaining just.
This Justification is a gift of God's grace. This means there is no merit to it. Nothing a person does even contributes to it. It is wholly the work of God by grace alone.
The work of Christ is called "redemption". He paid the awesome price we owe for our offenses.
There is a hint in the Old Testament law to help us understand what Jesus did. Leviticus 25 presents the law of redemption. Sometimes people got into deep financial debt. They would have to give up their possessions or bond themselves as slaves to work off the debt. In time they could redeem back their possessions, or their freedom, by paying the price of redemption. No one had the right to redeem by this law, except the person himself, or a close relative. The price of redemption had to pay the debt in full.
This law, like the others, was given to lay the foundation for the redemption of souls by Christ. Here God defined the language he would later use in explaining the gospel.
For our spiritual redemption from sin the debt had to be paid in full, but the price is infinite. No one can pay it. Even though a person suffers in torment for all eternity, his debt is never satisfied. Jesus, the infinite God in human flesh, could pay it in moments on the cross. What we cannot satisfy in all eternity, was satisfied by our infinite Redeemer on the cross.
Therefore the redeemeer of a lost soul cannot be the person himself. He can never pay the price. However, Jesus was made of Adam's family, kinsman to the race of Adam. As the only kinsman-Redeemer able to meet the price of our debt, he has redeemed all those of the race given to him by the Father (John 6:37).
Our Redeemer provides us with the Righteousness of God by "propitiation". To "propitiate" means to appease God's wrath. To remove God's holy anger, our offensive sin and guilt must be removed. As long as the offense remains, there can be no restoration to fellowship with God.
Jesus, by shedding his infinitely precious blood for those the Father had given to him, paid their debt, removed their guilt, and took away the cause of offense before God. God is "propitiated" because the cause of his wrath is removed.
All through human history, God had purposed the death of Christ as the way of Righteousness. In the past, sin was passed over by the forbearance of God awaiting the fulfillment at Calvary. Now, in the ages after the cross, the way of Righteousness is fully disclosed.
Since our righteousness is from Christ by grace, and not from ourselves, there is no place for bragging. No one on his own is better than anyone else. No one is more corrupt. If we come to Christ by repentance from sin and by faith in his work, we have come by God's grace, not by anything that we have done.
The word "law" has 3 different uses in this passage.
1. It means the written Books of Moses. In the last part of Romans 3:21 it speaks of the "Law and the Prophets" which is a term used for the whole Old Testament.
2. It means the stipulations of God's covenant in Romans 3:21, 28 and 31. These are the moral commandments, the ceremonial laws, all types of revealed law. These are the rules God has given at various times for his people to live by.
3. It means a principle by which things operate. In Romans 3:27 it is used that way. We use the word "law" similarly when we speak of the law of gravity, the law of supply and demand, etc.
So then, by what kind of principle are we Justified before God? Not by a principle of works. No one can qualify by law-works because no one is without sin. We are re-born by the principle of faith.
This is not "faith" as the world sees it. No one is justified by a blind leap in the dark. That is foolishness, not holiness. No one is justified by scientific analysis. Faith is not a judgment based upon experiences. Trusting in a chair to hold you up, or in a bridge to hold you up is not what is meant by "faith" here.
This faith is a special quality implanted into us by the grace of God when he makes us alive in Christ. John Calvin reviewed the Scriptures about faith and came up with this description: Faith is "a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favor toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds and sealed on our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Institutes 3.2.7).
Since faith is a grace implanted into unworthy sinners based on the propitiation of Christ, it is not the cause of our justification, it is the instrument God uses in justifying us. By grace, God grants faith to us so that by it he might justify us through our resting not in anything we have done, or in any merits of our own, but in the shed blood of Christ alone.
How this humbles us! Even our faith and the desire to come to Christ is ours as an undeserved gift of God! There is absolutely no grounds for boasting at all.
There is only one God. He is Creator and Lord of all humans. Those who remain in sin and have no faith in Christ as their Redeemer still answer to him. This also means that no one has an advantage. All who are saved are saved by grace.
This is the answer to the dilemma: God's Justice is not set aside in saving us. Its demands are fully met! God does not just pardon us from the penalty of sin. He pardons us by satisfying sin's penalty by the Savior.
In the work of the Gospel, God's perfect justice and mercy are blended into one glorious message.
The whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, the writings of Paul and James, the sayings of Jesus, all teach but one way of justification, one way only that lost sinners can be counted as righteous. The one perfectly obedient and infinite Savior, who is God incarnate with a full human nature, paid the price of redemption to meet the demands of the law and propitiate God's wrath.
So the law is not set aside or nullified. Its demands are fully met!
There is an immensely practical lesson in this gospel of grace. Not only is it a call to the unsaved to come to Christ and find deliverance. It is also a warning to redeemed believers to have a right attitude toward themselves and others.
Since we are redeemed by grace and not by our merits, this makes us all equal, equally lost that is. Undeserving, unworthy, unrighteous, criminally condemned before God. Therefore no one has the right to demean or ridicule another.
When conversations turn to ridicule of friends, neighbors, co-workers, or our national leaders, we need to take a different path than the world that boasts in its own works and worth. We need to remember the doctrines of total depravity and of grace.
If not for the grace of God, and the awesome price paid by our Saviour, we would be as blind, and as unbridled in sin, as anyone else. Holiness and spiritual understanding are not special talents or personality traits. They are graces of God upon undeserving sinners.
May God forgive us when we forget that, and while professing to believe in grace alone we live as if we are better or have earned our standing before God. May we never be among those putting others down or ridiculing those who do wrong.
This does not mean we excuse sin or by-pass right civil punishments for crimes. It does mean that we treat even the criminal, the perverse, and the foolish with the humility that refuses to gloat over grace, and demean what we too would be if not for Christ's love.
How humbly and thankfully we all ought to live if we are to represent the good news, the gospel of Grace, which justifies unworthy sinners by faith alone in Christ alone.


The Labor Movement is back.
This may look absurd, and rightly so. The idea that people should be forced to sell their labor at the threat of being replaced by robots, and in response call for the right to better pay instead of the right to be replaced by said robots is kind of absurd, isn't it? Because, what exactly are robots for anyway?
Technological advancement is the boon of human progress, not its bane. Whereas once over 90% of human labor was dedicated to agriculture, in the U.S. it is now 1.1%. What if we had looked at the tractor in fear of it reducing the need for our labor? Where would we be now?
We must not be fooled however into thinking that just as agricultural labor moved to manufacturing, and manufacturing is moving to service industry labor, that service industry labor will be safe or move to something else again entirely. For this is no longer about tractors replacing human horsepower, but hardware and software replacing human brainpower.
Still believe there is nothing to worry about and everything will be okay?
We need to understand and comprehend this ongoing replacement of human labor. It will not be stopped, nor should it. Humans need to sleep. Humans need to eat. Humans are slow. Humans make mistakes. Humans get bored. Humans take time to learn. Humans require wages and salaries… and that right there is the biggest issue of all.
There are already instances where it costs more to pay a human than to buy a machine or make use of an app. This point is even being reached in places of exceedingly cheap human labor like China, where even Chinese workers are now being replaced. However, instead of openly embracing this accelerating automation, wage laborers tend to fight against advancing technology for fear of losing jobs, because again, humans are the ones who need wages and salaries, not machines.
Why not? Shouldn't saving labor be technology's entire focus? It certainly seems so, but we would all rather eat than watch robots do our work for us as we starve. But we could eat and watch robots do our work for us as we thrive. By forcing the false choice between the two instead of embracing both, we push against human progress, just as if we had pushed against tractors on farms.
A large increase in the federal minimum wage would mostly only help those at the very bottom of the labor market, leaving out in large part the great majority above the very bottom and all the unemployed denied access to the labor market entirely. Meanwhile, the increase in mandatory labor costs would only serve to increase automation in a way that only increases inequality. Owners of capital would come to own more capital, and those without capital would find it even harder to sell their labor at all.
Another group of workers a minimum wage does little to help are those increasingly employed within the "gig economy", where people aren't actually employees for companies like Uber and Lyft or TaskRabbit and Fiverr. Instead they are just earning microwages as independent contractors precariously gaining $10 here and $5 there from gig to gig, with nothing remotely close to being definable as job security. These are people who labor economist and co-founder of BIEN, Guy Standing has dubbed the "precariat" — the growing class of people who live day to day, never knowing if they will be able to earn enough to meet their needs.
A higher minimum wage is a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem.
So what exactly should service industry workers, gig economy workers, and every other kind of worker be fighting for on Labor Day in the 21st century in a world of advancing technological unemployment and increasing financial instability?
The right to say "No" to involuntary labor and "Yes" to machine labor.
You may have heard of something being discussed more and more frequently. Its name is basic income. It goes by other names as well — names like a negative income tax or a citizen's dividend. It could also be called the Individual Opportunity Grant, or simply a universal income floor. The name however does not matter so much as the idea, and the idea is simple.
Every citizen should be freed from involuntary labor by leveraging our massive gains in productivity via technology to universally supply every citizen the means to unconditionally meet their most basic needs. Then, and only then, would selling one's labor to others in the labor market become fully voluntary and all laborers finally welcome the loss of their jobs to advancing technology.
It's important to also not look at the flawed welfare system that exists today and see it as evidence that people won't work without force. Our current system creates welfare traps where the removal of benefits as income rises results in little to no net gain. Would you work if you were living in poverty and a minimum wage job meant keeping fifteen cents for every dollar gained through your efforts? It is exactly this trap we need to remove by not clawing money back from people who are seen as no longer needing it badly enough.
People work. People will always work. Even when half of our jobs have been entirely replaced by hardware and software at some point in the next 20 years, people will continue to work. The work will just be different and not necessarily involve monetary exchanges. We need not require anyone be involuntarily forced to work for work to be done.
Perhaps you are now thinking this all makes sense, but where will the money come from? It will simply come from the share of productivity gains made possible by technology that should already be shared. Meanwhile, as automation continues, this surplus will only continue to increase. The argument can even be made that an unconditional basic income will actually save us money.
Perhaps you are now thinking this all makes even more sense, but what of the jobs no one likes that need to be done, and can't yet be done by robots? What about them? Unattractive jobs people don't want to take, can and will always be made to become attractive by paying people enough for them to choose to do them voluntarily. There exists no job that won't be done for the right price.
So, for everyone with a job and everyone seeking one, as we today celebrate Labor Day and look forward to a growing new Labor Movement resurgence, instead of a higher mandated wage for an hour's labor, let us all consider the alternative idea of fully voluntary labor and the ability to just walk away from jobs offering low pay and poor working conditions. Let us put aside notions that the other side must by definition always be wrong, and consider both the "conservative" idea that no one should be forced to pay another a minimum wage, and the "liberal" idea that no one should be forced to accept an unlivable minimum wage.
This is the age of technological emancipation from labor itself.
We need only actually embrace it.
Without a basic income, today we celebrate Human Labor Day.
With a basic income, tomorrow we celebrate Machine Labor Day.
Special thanks to Steven Grimm, Arjun Banker, Topher Hunt, Stern Andrew, Keith Davis, Mark Witham, Albert Wenger, Larry Cohen, Joshua Grant, Chris Smothers, Danielle Texeira, Paul Wicks, Liane Gale, Jan Smole, Joe Esposito, Jack Wagner, Richard Just, Stuart Matthews, Natalie Foster, Chris McCoy, Michael Honey, Daniel Brockman, Gary Aranovich, Kai Wong, Peter Titus, Robby Olivam, John David Hodge, Louise Whitmore, Dan O'Sullivan, Robert F. Greene, Martin Jordo, Victor Lau, Shane Gordon, Paolo Narciso, Johan Grahn, Tony DeStefano, Andrew Henderson, Erhan Altay, Bryan Herdliska, Stephane Boisvert, Rise & Shine PAC, Kirk Israel, Luke Sampson, Lee Irving, Dave Shelton, Bryan Herdliska, Amy Shaffer, Tod Backe, all my other funders for their support, and my amazing partner, Katie Smith.
If you liked this article, you can support it and future articles with a small patron pledge on Patreon.
Scott Santens writes about basic income on his blog. You can also follow him here on Medium, on Twitter, on Facebook, or on Reddit where he is a moderator for the /r/BasicIncome community of over 29,000 subscribers.


Good afternoon, everyone! The DialSource offices will be closed December 22-25 for Christmas and January 1 for New Year's Day. We'll be here the rest of December and look forward to supporting you in the new year!


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Our mission is to educate hearts and minds for God.
As missionaries, we are guided by the sacraments, virtues, and sacred traditions of the Catholic Church.
Living as disciples of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we strive for academic excellence and humble service to all.
Welcome to Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart Cathedral School is committed to keeping tuition affordable for every family seeking Catholic education for their children.
We encourage every family to reach out to use about their particular situation. We will inform you of every possible subsidy and discount available.
Our Tuition
Our Application
Gardiner Scholarship
Florida AAA
Special Needs, valued members.
In 1990, Sacred Heart Cathedral School opened the Morning Star Program to offer services to children with a variety of special learning needs.
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Ascensus
Welcome to Sacred Heart Cathedral School, where we live as disciples of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, striving for academic excellence and humble service to all.
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Join the Sacred Heart Family.
At Sacred Heart, we live as disciples of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, striving for academic excellence humble service to all. Founded in 1906, we are rooted in our Catholic identity, and flourishing in East Hill.
We invite you to look around, to reach out, and ultimately, to discover the difference of Catholic Education.
Living as disciples of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we strive for academic excellence and humble service of all.
Fully Catholic,
As a family of faith, Sacred Heart Cathedral School is rooted in Jesus Christ and oriented towards Heaven. We are fully alive and eager to live out our faith.
It is our goal that students will not only have academic success but understand that Jesus is the reason for our school. Our faith educates us in who we are and informs how we live each day.
Education of the
whole person
Our curriculum is built around the mission of our school to educate the whole person – hearts and minds – for God. Our students strive for academic excellence in our rigorous, but supportive environment where timely feedback, modeling, and cross-curricular approaches serve to lead students toward truth, beauty and goodness.
Our faculty and staff are experienced and qualified educators who strive to be faithful witness of the Gospel for all our students. Our faculty collaborates across all grade levels to create a curriculum that engages every student.
Family in Faith
Since our founding in 1906, Sacred Heart Cathedral School has partnered with students and families in a common vision to educate the hearts and minds of young people.
We live this out through high quality class instruction, collaboration with our parents, and students who are highly motivated to learn in a warm and nurturing faith-filled environment.
Join the Sacred Heart Family
We are first and foremost a Catholic school, committed to the holistic education of our students. Located in an older, established – but changing – neighborhood, Sacred Heart Cathedral School serves the educational needs of our own parish children as well as many from other parishes, and some non-Catholics.
For over 100 years, Sacred Heart School has maintained its quality of education and Christian standards. Explore the difference of a Catholic education.
It is the policy of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee to admit students of any race, disability, color, sex, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.


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Sex, drugs and violence; all in a night's work for Monique. Fox Emerson's debut title gains 5-Star Reviews on Amazon
A young and vulnerable girl is pulled into a world of drugs and cruelty by perverse and devious people.
Trapped by an invisible prison of fear that is created by those who use her, she finds herself in a shocking world that she cannot escape. Just as her life begins to spiral out of control, she is forced into prostitution by her abusive and sadistic boyfriend.
When she becomes pregnant and flees with her unborn child, she meets the first person who can really help her. But can she escape her past and create a future for her daughter?
Monique must begin breaking bad habits if she is to survive. Her involvement in the European drug trade puts her and her daughter at risk. Does she escape the shackles of her former life?
Monique is based on a true story exploring the dark world of drug trafficking and prostitution with an honest tell-all voice.
Monique is available as an eBook and on Paperback on Amazon – link.
"I met with the central character several times over the course of a year as I wrote the book, I found her life story fascinating, almost something I would expect to read in a book, or watch in a movie. I never thought I'd meet someone who's life was so different and so connected to the underground. When Monique allowed me to write her book, i wondered if I would do it justice, whether I could be that voice that could bring her tale to the reader and make her proud. I hope I've done that, I really hope that the reader finds the story as interesting as I did in writing it.
It's not a prostitute biography or a story that is sexy, nor is it a story that is simply gritty and disturbing, though there's a combination of those elements throughout the book. As you will see in this book, it took a long time for Kelly-Anne to begin breaking bad habits. Whether it was giving up crack cocaine or getting away from the drug trade and from the drug trafficking world she'd inadvertently entered."
Goodreads reviews for Monique


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Pickleball! It's the Fast-growing Sport With the Funny Name
By: Melanie Radzicki McManus | Sep 3, 2019
Pickleball players use a paddle that's smaller than a tennis racquet but larger than a ping-pong paddle and bat a whiffle-type ball back and forth. RichLegg/Getty Images
If you've heard of "pickleball," chances are you associate the sport with seniors. That's not surprising, as it was the 55-plus set that began growing the paddle sport with the quirky name around the late 2000s. But today, pickleball is attracting players of every age as it explodes in popularity across the U.S. and around the globe. There are even whispers that it may become an Olympic sport. But what, exactly, is it?
How Is Pickleball Played?
Pickleball is a combination of badminton, ping-pong and tennis. It's played on a badminton-sized court (indoor or outdoor) with a low net like that used in tennis. Players wield a paddle that's smaller than a tennis racquet, but larger than a ping-pong paddle, and bat a whiffle-type ball back and forth. Games may be played as singles or doubles, with doubles being the most popular. Most games are played to 11 points, with a two-point spread needed to win, and each game typically lasts just 15 to 20 minutes.
Play starts with a player in the right-hand service square serving the ball. Serves must be made underhand, with the paddle below the waist, and diagonally. In addition, the ball must clear a 7-foot (2-meter) "non-volley zone" that's in front of the net. The receiving team must let the ball bounce once before returning it. If the receiving team returns the serve, the serving team must also let the ball bounce once before hitting it. Once these two bounces occur, players may hit the ball off a bounce or in the air.
Play continues until someone faults. A fault occurs when the ball is hit out of bounds, doesn't clear the net or is volleyed from the non-volley zone, among other conditions. Only the serving team can score. The serving team continues to serve until there is a fault on the service.
In 2018, more than 3 million people in the U.S. were playing pickleball, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's annual Pickleball Participant Report. That's about twice as many people as were playing in 2010, and makes pickleball one of the fastest-growing recreational sports in the U.S. and North America. What's the appeal?
Experts say the game is easy to learn, doesn't take a lot of time to play and is accessible, as players just need a racquet and ball. It provides a great workout, too. And for experienced players, pickleball can become a fast-paced, strategic game. It's also just plain fun.
Janice Holsinger, 66, has been regularly playing pickleball in an indoor league near Madison, Wisconsin, for several months now. "I like it because it's great exercise and very social," she says in an email, adding she tried it because she was looking for an activity she and her husband could participate in together.
The Origins of Pickleball
Pickleball's roots stretch back to the mid-1960s, when three men — Bill Bell, Barney McCallum and Joel Pritchard — created the game to entertain their kids. No one can say for sure why or how the game spread from their backyards on Washington's Bainbridge Island. But today, several decades later, the game is everywhere. Some 15,000 indoor and outdoor pickleball courts are scattered across North America at nearly 7,000 locations, according to the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA). In addition, the game is being introduced to kids in middle school and high school physical education classes, it's an intramural sport on many college campuses, and pros are emerging.
In 2018, the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships drew more than 2,100 competitors, according to Selkirk Sports, which manufactures pickleball paddles. And the 2018 USA Pickleball Nationals attracted 2,300 players who came from 46 states and multiple countries. Competitive players include active and retired tennis pros, such as JoAnne Russell, a former Wimbledon Doubles champ.
Pickleball may even become an Olympic sport one day, especially if the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) gets its way. Established in 2010, the IFP's goal is to make pickleball ubiquitous around the world. It's well along the way. In less than a decade, IFP membership has mushroomed to include the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, Pakistan, the Philippines and Spain.
The one thing about pickleball that puzzles many people is its silly name. Why "pickleball," when no pickles are involved? There are two stories behind the name. The most frequently cited is that Joel Pritchard, one of the game's inventors, had a dog named Pickles, who would grab the ball during their games and run off with it. But the more plausible explanation comes from Puget Sound blogger Tristan Baurick.
In 2009, Baurick wrote that the name actually came from Pritchard's wife, Joan Pritchard, a competitive rower on Bainbridge Island. Joan said she started calling the unnamed game "pickleball" because its combination of different sports reminded her of the pickle boat in crew, which is comprised of oarsmen selected from the leftovers of other boats. Several other family members revealed that they didn't even get their dog, Pickles, until several years after the game was invented.
No matter how it got its name, pickleball appears to be here to stay.
NOW THAT'S INTERESTING
The world's first pickleball-themed restaurant, Chicken N Pickle, opened in Kansas City in 2016. The venue features food, alcohol, outdoor lawn games and both indoor and outdoor pickleball courts. A second location was subsequently opened in Wichita, Kansas, with two more slated to open in San Antonio, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2020.
Melanie Radzicki McManus "Pickleball! It's the Fast-growing Sport With the Funny Name" 3 September 2019.
HowStuffWorks.com. <https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pickleball-fast-growing-sport-with-funny-sounding-name.htm> 20 January 2021
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Q: Can you destruct an object and have nullish coalescing for potential undefined constants? I use React, so I have a props object, for example:
const props: { id: number, name?: string} = { id: 1 }; // not defining the `name`
const { id, name } = props; // here the `const name` becomes undefined forever and even if I use the defaultProps pattern of React, Typescript still shows warnings for potential undefined

Is there any way to use nullish coalescing while destructing the object?
I cannot use this (due to ESlint rule defined by the team):
const name = props.name ?? 'placeholder name';

A: You can assign a default value if the name is undefined, without using optional chaining:
const { id, name = 'placeholder name' } = props;

A: To solve this possible problem i do it
Example:
const defaultValue = 'It's a Empty Value';

let {name, age, lastName} = person;

$('#div_Teste').append(`<p>Name: ${name ?? defaultValue}, Age ${age ?? defaultValue }, Last name: ${lastName ?? defaultValue}</p>`

I have put nullish on the moment to use the variables.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Our softwood decking is ex 32 x 125mm (finished size approximately 28 x 120mm) and comes in 4.8m lengths. The timber is grooved for a slip resistant surface and pressure treated. We also stock a range of hand and base rails, spindles, etc. to compliment the decking. Hardwood decking is available as a special order. Base timbers in many options and we can help you plan your project.
Larch Lap panels are 6 feet wide and stocked in 3, 4, 5 and 6 feet high.
Square trellis 6' by 1', 2', 3', 4', 5' and 6'.
Standard fence posts are either 100 x 100mm or 75 x 75mm in various lengths up to 3 metres. 150 x 150mm posts are in 2.4m only. We also keep 2.4 metre lengths of 100 x 125mm for closeboard fencing, both notched and unnotched. Other sizes can be made to order.
We have Larch Lap 1800 x 900mm gates. Feather Edge gates and Tongue & Groove gates can be made to order to your specifications.
We have all the components for closeboard fencing. They are sold individually so you can tailor to your needs. A bay of closeboard fencing would be 3 metres long and include featheredge boards, gravel boards, a post and arris rail. Capping is optional. We can make featheredge in large sizes suitable for cladding. We stock several sizes of gravel board to suit many garden projects. All fencing products are treated.
Corrugated clear PVC sheeting 0.8mm thick. Sizes 762mm wide from 1830mm up to 3050mm long. Fixings and flashing to suit. Heavy duty 1.1mm available to order. Multiwall Polycarbonate to order only.


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Home > Television > Reality TV > American Idol
Meet Hannah Everhart, the Sassy Singer Who Amazed the Judges of 'American Idol'
Feb. 21 2021, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
The Season 4 premiere of American Idol introduced viewers to extraordinarily talented singers like DJ Johnson, Anilee List, and Grace Kinstler, and the next episode of the show is expected to up the ante even further.
The second episode features performances by rising stars like Hannah Everhart, a 17-year-old artist from Canton, Miss., whose larger-than-life personality and unmatched stage presence left Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie in awe. So, did she get a golden ticket?
'American Idol' contestant Hannah Everhart is bound to attain a cult following.
A devoted horse rider and barbecue rib enthusiast, Hannah is about to garner unmatched popularity with her strictly no-filter approach, unique observations, and, of course, her incredible singing chops.
"I never thought I'd be on a camera, on TV. The bright lights are ... bright," Hannah said in an American Idol promo.
In the same clip, the 17-year-old chanteuse walked viewers through some of her favorite activities, such as riding her horse or stopping by the gas station for a generously-portioned serving of barbecue ribs.
Asked about whether she knew she looked uncannily similar to Katy Perry, Hannah said that she gets the comparison all the time. She modestly chalked it up to her eye color — which is blue, just like Katy's.
"Every time I get my hair done ... 'Wow, she looks like Katy Perry!' Maybe it's the eyeballs. We've both got blue ones, and they are big!" she said.
"Are you the country version of me?" Katy asked Hannah in the clip, before she went on to add that, "Were we separated at birth?"
"Something like that," Hannah responded mysteriously.
Source: ABC/ YouTube
Hannah started her 'American Idol' audition with a brilliant rendering of "The Wayfaring Stranger."
To kick off her audition, Hannah delivered a performance of the folk and gospel song, "The Wayfaring Stranger." But the judges stopped her halfway through to encourage her to give it all her might.
"Go full slab on this," Katy said.
"Your 50 percent whoops everybody in your little hometown. But if you start going 100 percent, you are going to start whooping people on American Idol," Luke Bryan told Hannah.
Hannah showed her real strengths the second time around. She also presented a beautiful rendition of "At Last" by Etta James. Although the judges seemed to agree that Hannah is a promising singer, it's uncertain if she received a golden ticket.
A post shared by hannah everhart🌛 (@thehannahjeverhart)
Hannah has already been introduced to fellow 'American Idol' contestant Alex Miller.
Hannah's unique personality shines through her Instagram content as well. The 17-year-old often takes it to the social media platform to post impeccable selfies.
Occasionally, she shares posts celebrating those closest to her, such as her dad, David. Sporadically, she also treats her followers to videos capturing music-making sessions. Take a clip posted on Feb. 5, 2021, for instance, in which Hannah and her dad perform "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town.
As a recent Instagram Story reveals, Hannah even got the chance to meet fellow American Idol contestant Alex Miller, which could potentially indicate that she got the chance to spend more time on set.
We only have one question left: Did Hannah receive a golden ticket?
Catch new episodes of American Idol every Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC to find out.
There Was Not a Dry Eye in Sight After DJ Johnson's 'American Idol' Audition
Grace Kinstler Left an 'American Idol' Judge in Tears and That's a Good Thing
A Contestant on 'American Idol' Is in a Famous TikTok Singing Group With Her Family
Latest American Idol News and Updates


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All Basketball News
Canadian Basketball
By Noah Davis February 25, 2022 429 views
TEAM: Golden State Warriors
Height/Weight: 6′ 6″, 215 lbs
Date of Birth: 1/28/1984 (38)
COLLEGE: Arizona
DRAFT INFO: 2004: Rd 1, Pk 9 (PHI)
EXPERIENCE: 17th Season
PLACE of BIRTH: Springfield, IL
Golden State Warriors: 2013-2019, 2021-CURRENT (7 SEASONS)
Miami Heat: 2019-2021 (2 SEASONS)
Denver Nuggets: 2012-2013 (1 SEASON)
Philadelphia 76ers: 2004-2012 (8 SEASONS)
Finals MVP (2015)
All-Defensive 1st Team (2014)
All-Defensive 2nd Team (2011)
All-Rookie 1st Team (2005)
Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was chosen to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice and was an NBA All-Star in 2012. With the Warriors, he won three NBA championships and was voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2015. He also represented the United States at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning gold medals on both occasions.
Iguodala was voted first vice-president of the National Basketball Players Association in February 2019. (NBPA). In that role, he took over for LeBron James. Beginning in 2013, he served as vice-president of the NBPA executive committee.
Philadelphia 76ers (2004–2012)
Iguodala warming up prior to a game for the 76ers
2004–05 season: Rookie season
2005–06 season: Sophomore season
2006–07 season: Leadership role
2007–08 season: First-round exit
2008–09 season: Second first-round exit
2009–10 season: Reunion with Allen Iverson
2010–11 season: All-Defensive Second Team
2011–12 season: All-Star selection
Denver Nuggets (2012–2013)
Golden State Warriors (2013–2019)
2013–14 season: All-Defensive First Team
2014–15 season: First NBA championship and Finals MVP
2015–16 season: Sixth Man of the Year runner-up
2016–17 season: Second NBA championship
2017–18 season: Third NBA championship
2018–19 season: Fifth-straight NBA Finals
Miami Heat (2020–2021)
Return to Golden State (2021–present)
Q: Why is Andre Iguodala out?
A: Andre Iguodala is out because of swelling in his knee that developed after Game 1, in which he scored seven points and three assists in 12 minutes.
Q: Why did Iguodala win Finals MVP?
A: Iguodala won out due to a combination of defense, statistics, and the aura surrounding James.
Q: What is Andre Iguodala doing now?
A: He is currently playing for Golden State Warriors.
Former Collegiate Basketball Player Currently working as a sports writer sports enthusiast and Basketball lover
D'Angelo Russell
Who is Bridget Carleton? A Look at the Biography, Career and her Run with the Canadian Women's Teams
By Noah Davis September 21, 2022 0
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By Aiden J. Miller June 8, 2022 0
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Lürzer's Archive honors Phoenix creative and celebrates advertising professionals internationally
PHOENIX (Aug. 16, 2016) – LAVIDGE, a full-service advertising, public relations, communications, consulting and interactive marketing agency, is proud to announce that Chief Creative Officer Bob Case has been recognized as one of 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide by Lürzer's Archive. The publication serves as a creative resource for advertising professionals globally.
Case was honored for his artistic efforts on an engraved raven that was used as a logo for Rusty Wallace Brewing Company.
"Lürzer's Archive is a bible in the advertising industry," said Case. "It's an honor, but it's also really cool at the same time. Getting to do work for the agency and seeing it be rewarded on a global scale is truly spectacular."
Since 2004, Archive has been publishing the "200 Best Series." In 2009, the "200 Best Illustrators" list debuted, which showcases the best of the best. This year, there were 3,300 submissions total which were narrowed down by the editors with a jury.
To view Case's work featured in the "200 Best Illustrators 2016/2017" issue, visit http://bit.ly/2aBWjzv.
About LAVIDGE
LAVIDGE is a Phoenix-based full-service advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency. Since 1982, LAVIDGE has specialized in developing brand positioning for products and services. Agency clients include Phoenix International Raceway, Banner Health, McDonald's, United Rentals and many more. LAVIDGE offices are located at 2777 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix. More information on the agency can be found at www.lavidge.com, friend on Facebook or follow on Twitter or Instagram.