text:
George W. Bush to address Summit, receive award
by Matthew A. Rarey
President Bush to address Legatus Summit and receive Cardinal O'Connor Award . . .
Legatus will present President George W. Bush with its prestigious Cardinal John J. O'Connor Pro-Life Award at its annual Summit, Feb. 4-6, in Dana Point, Calif. Previous recipients of the award include Fr. Frank Pavone (Priests for Life), Fr. Thomas Euteneuer (Human Life International), Judie Brown (American Life League), Sen. Rick Santorum, Sen. Sam Brownback, and Rep. Henry Hyde.
In one of his of his last acts as president, Bush declared Jan. 18, 2009, as "National Sanctity of Human Life Day," stating that the "the most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent." It was the culmination of eight years of pro-life policies that included opposition to embryonic stem-cell research, the appointment of two pro-life Supreme Court Justices, an executive order barring federal funds to be used for abortion-related projects abroad, and a rule protecting federally funded health employees from taking part in abortion or practices that conflict with their faith.
Bush will accept the award and address Legatus members for the first time since leaving office one year ago. He previously spoke at Legatus' first annual pro-life conference in Washington, D.C, in early 2001 shortly after taking office as the nation's 43rd president.
The President joins an already impressive host of speakers at the upcoming Summit, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista, Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), entrepreneur Frank J. Hanna III, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, and Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A medical panel, moderated by Ascension Health president Tony Tersigni of Legatus' St. Louis Chapter, will discuss the future of health care in America.
The Summit's theme, Challenging the Culture, is just what Legatus members are asking for, said the event's chairperson, Kathleen Eaton.
"I've been speaking to a number of Legatus chapters about the Summit, and people are really excited," she said. "It's been a rough year on a number of fronts, and they really need this shot in the arm. They want to come together to pray and learn more about what the Church is saying on different issues."
Three ways to register:
Call: (866) LEGATUS (534-2887)
E-mail: conferences@legatus.org
Online: legatus.org


text:
#GoGetter Spotlight
All Things Melanin Blog
All Things Melanin
The Black Detour - Black Culture Unfiltered #GoGetter Spotlight
Media is a gateway to provide information to the public. Often times, when it comes to news pertaining to the African American community, it's not always portrayed correctly. The Black Detour is an advocate for sharing and providing news information for the African American community; the good, bad and everything in between.
Created from scratch, they are a media company that is changing the narrative and telling stories that go untold or don't get the attention they deserve. The Black Detour saw a need and instead of being upset, they moved to action and created the platform that was needed to tell our stories, our way, truthfully. This month, we're highlighting The Black Detour for their drive, storytelling, and for being a media company that is a #GoGetter in every sense.
What is your definition of a #GoGetter?
A go getter is someone who doesn't take no for an answer and strives for greatness in everything they do.
Describe The Black Detour and its importance to black culture?
The Black Detour is an independent media outlet that advocates for Black people to not only be empowered but informed on issues in the Black community. We're part of a growing movement in America to empower Black people all across the United States. At our core, we stand with Black people and want our voices, opinions, and thoughts heard. The Black Detour is vital to Black culture because it's a space that provides our culture to be unfiltered and unapologetic to our plight in America.
What is the inspiration behind starting The Black Detour?
The Black Detour was created to change the negative perception of Black people and teach people about Black history that they often don't teach in school.
What would you say is the hardest part about starting an independent media outlet?
Creating multiple revenue streams outside of the traditional ad dollars many mainstream outlets are tied to.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start some type of outlet (media, magazine, etc.) but doesn't know where to start or have the resources? Any tips on what has worked for you all?
Go ahead and get started. The Black Detour was started on a shoestring budget. Use what you have if you don't have capital to invest, utilize what you do have. For example, The Black Detour didn't have a lot of monetary resources but we did have time. Therefore, we took the time to create a detailed plan on how we would build an audience and create something that would be interesting to our target audience. Research and always be willing to learn and shift your business model.
What is your biggest dream for The Black Detour?
The Black Detour has many plans and goals for the future. One of those goals are to get 1 million people to visit our publication a month. We're currently averaging around 220,000 visitors a month.
What is one setback The Black Detour has experienced and how did you overcome it?
In June 2018, The Black Detour was about 6 months old when an article was published that was shared over 500,000 times. This caused our publication to crash and brought multiple issues with our website. The obstacle caused various issues that led to our publication being offline for about two weeks. We overcame this issue by staying the course and not letting the moment cause us to forget our end goal.
With all that's going on in the world, what keeps you all motivated to keep going and sharing news, even if it's not the best?
The need for our people to know what's going on in the world and remembering how imperative information is to move forward.
How can people keep up with The Black Detour?
Visit us at theblackdetour.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @theblackdetour
In today's time, it's important to be informed and know what's going on. Head over to the Black Detour and subscribe to stay informed on all things for our culture!
#GoGetter Spotlight - Courtney of Magnolia Juice
#GoGetter Spotlight - Dara Ates of Lashy by Dara
#GoGetter Spotlight: Alyse Hope of EAT. PRAY. HOPE.®
© 2023 All Things Melanin®
#GoGetter Series

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


University of Minnesota Health is a collaboration between University of Minnesota Physicians and University of Minnesota Medical Center. We provide best-in-class clinics, specialty care and hospitals throughout the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
M Health offers a wide range of pediatric primary and specialty care services as well as a renowned team of medical experts. Search the full range of pediatric care and services delivered by M Health. We've got more than you imagined.
Our patients come from across the region and world to receive care from our renowned experts. Discover their stories on the M Health blog.


I have sample library that uses midi CC to go through 4 different articulation options (ie - midi CC 110 selects something at 0-25, 26-50, etc). I'd like to have push buttons that send "midi CC 110, velocity 35", and have different buttons that select these options.
I'm having a problem getting this to work. OSCulator seems to want to give push buttons a hard 0 or 127. How do I fix this?
There is no very practical way of doing this right now.
- and set Output Min and Output Max to the value you want to output divided by 127.
In your case, the MIDI value 35 will be 0.2756.


The Sandreschi Cartonificio, to speed up the ordering process of the various products on request, has developed the "service" digital area.
In the form below, you can order the product according to the desired characteristics and customize the product request by filling in the fields with the desired values. An e-mail with the data entered will be sent directly to the Cartonificio Sandreschi.
First choose the "area of application"
Choose "the product" to customize the fields with the desired values, within the indicated range limits.
Write a message describing quantity etc.
The processing of personal data is carried out in order to contact you personally and is carried out in compliance with European Union Regulation no. 679/2016 (GDPR) on the protection of personal data. Your data will be used exclusively by Cartonificio Sandreschi s.r.l. and will not be disclosed to third parties.


text:
package nfs

import (
	"github.com/sacloud/libsacloud/v2/helper/validate"
	"github.com/sacloud/libsacloud/v2/sacloud"
	"github.com/sacloud/libsacloud/v2/sacloud/types"
)

type ApplyRequest struct {
	ID   types.ID // for update
	Zone string   `request:"-" validate:"required"`

	Name           string `validate:"required"`
	Description    string `validate:"min=0,max=512"`
	Tags           types.Tags
	IconID         types.ID
	SwitchID       types.ID       `validate:"required"`
	Plan           types.ID       `validate:"required,oneof=1 2"` // types.NFSPlans.HDD or types.NFSPlans.SSD
	Size           types.ENFSSize `validate:"required"`           // types.NFSPlans.HDD or types.NFSPlans.SSD
	IPAddresses    []string       `validate:"required,min=1,max=2,dive,ipv4"`
	NetworkMaskLen int            `validate:"required"`
	DefaultRoute   string         `validate:"omitempty,ipv4"`

	NoWait bool
}

func (req *ApplyRequest) Validate() error {
	return validate.Struct(req)
}

func (req *ApplyRequest) Builder(caller sacloud.APICaller) *Builder {
	return &Builder{
		ID:             req.ID,
		Zone:           req.Zone,
		Name:           req.Name,
		Description:    req.Description,
		Tags:           req.Tags,
		IconID:         req.IconID,
		SwitchID:       req.SwitchID,
		Plan:           req.Plan,
		Size:           req.Size,
		IPAddresses:    req.IPAddresses,
		NetworkMaskLen: req.NetworkMaskLen,
		DefaultRoute:   req.DefaultRoute,
		Caller:         caller,
		NoWait:         req.NoWait,
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Calvin Marcus
Malvin Carcus
January 30 – March 26, 2016
Individual Works
Individual Works Thumbnails
Martini Shirt (Coldwater Cleaners: "We Love Our Customers"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, painted wire hanger, plastic, paper tag, receipt, staples
(104.1 x 53.3 x 2.5 cm)
Martini Shirt (Executive Image Cleaners), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, painted wire hanger, plastic
Martini Shirt (Fashion Cleaners: "Cleaning and Tailoring"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, wire hanger, plastic, staple, receipt, cardstock brochure
Martini Shirt (Hilltop Cleaners: "Environmentally Safe Dry Cleaning"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, plastic hanger, plastic
Martini Shirt (Professional Dry Cleaning and Finishing Care: "Fresh as a Flower"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, painted wire hanger, plastic, safety pin, paper tag
Martini Shirt, 2015
Martini Shirt (Silver Glen Cleaners: "Thank You! We Appreciate Your Patronage"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, painted wire hanger, plastic, pin, paper tag, receipt
Martini Shirt (Mendel's Hollyway Cleaners: "The Greener Cleaner to the Stars"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, wire hanger, plastic
Martini Shirt (Flair Cleaners: "For a Cleaner Environment"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, painted wire hanger, plastic, staples, paper tag
Martini Shirt (Imperial Cleaners: "2 Hr. Cleaning, 4 Hr. Shirt Laundry, Instant Alterations, No Extra Charge"), 2015
screen printing ink, sewn linen, wooden buttons, wire hanger, plastic, paper tag, staples
Automatic Drawing #3, 2015
oil crayon and Flashe on gessoed linen
triptych, each panel:
96 x 41 x 1 1/2 inches
(243.8 x 104.1 x 3.8 cm)
Automatic Drawing #12, 2015
(121.9 x 243.8 x 3.8 cm)
David Kordansky Gallery is pleased to announce Malvin Carcus, an exhibition of new work by Calvin Marcus. This will be the artist's first exhibition with the gallery. It will open on January 30, 2016 and remain on view through March 26. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, January 30 from 6:00pm until 8:00pm.
Calvin Marcus constructs his practice starting with the most basic of materials: himself. Nonetheless, his work is not concerned in any overt way with his own biography or the specifics of his life. He is interested, rather, in the artist's persona as it takes shape through carefully directed formal decisions and conceptual structures. The mixed-media paintings, sculptures, and drawings that result are as notable for their meticulous attention to craft as their surreal humor, evincing a playfulness borne from multivalent gestures and variance among serial forms.
Malvin Carcus centers around two new bodies of work installed according to a specific architecture, designed by the artist, that heightens their narrative overlaps. The viewer enters a space reminiscent of a hall of portraits, except that in this case the "portraits" are replaced by a series of shirts that have been fabricated by the artist, and that bring together strategies related to drawing, printmaking, performance, and readymade sculpture. Made from linen fabric onto which he has printed sketch-like images of a martini glass and olive, these idealized "leisure shirts" are worn by Marcus as he goes about his life. After a given period, each is then brought to a different Los Angeles dry cleaner. The finished pieces, as displayed here, retain all of the plastic covers, tags, and other interventions the cleaners apply to them; any remaining stains, meanwhile, reflect the impossibility of completely removing the presence of the artist himself from whatever he makes. In addition to providing a wry commentary on the nature of an artist's labor (itself considered by many to be a rarefied form of leisure) the shirts pose a potential trajectory through the cityscape Marcus appears to inhabit.
The series of paintings that make up the second half of Malvin Carcus also perform a kind of mapping, albeit of a more interior, cerebral sort. If the shirts communicate a sense of the world outside the studio, the paintings reflect an imagined world generated completely inside it. Each is prepared according to an identical format: four-by-eight foot supports of portrait linen have been exactingly gessoed, sanded, and tinted to produce a surface that the artist describes as "ergonomic", one that is intended to mimic the look and texture of paper as closely as possible. Accordingly, the action performed on these grounds is in many ways closer to drawing than it is to painting. The canvases are laid out on tables or the floor so Marcus can move freely among them, using black oil stick crayons to create imagery in an automatic, unedited fashion. Disregarding their status as individual artworks for as long as possible, he produces images that flow from his mind, through his hand, and across the surfaces of the paintings without mediation, generating discernible tension between the care taken to prepare them and the methodology (or apparent lack thereof) by which they are inscribed.
The images that come about through this process are as heterogeneous in their mood, style, and complexity as they are straightforward in their execution. Passages full of repetitive doodles give way to intricately rendered scenes imbued with semblances of narrative; flatly sketched groupings of lines alternate with modeled, representational forms. In keeping with this fluidity, the orientation of each painting is not fixed until it is installed, and is determined largely by the way imagery carries over from one canvas to the next. Seen together, these works depict the unfolding of the artist's imagination in real time, granting exponential new breadth to Marcus's already broad definition of self-portraiture. Like the "Tischmatten" (table mats) of Dieter Roth or the allegorical expanses of Cy Twombly, they transform the simplest of impulses, to scribble a line and see where it goes, into a metaphor for the ever-shifting contours of the human mind.
Calvin Marcus (b. 1988, San Francisco) was recently the subject of solo exhibitions at Peephole, Milan (2015); C L E A R I N G, New York (2015); Chin's Push, Los Angeles, (2014); and Public Fiction, Los Angeles (2014). His work has been featured in group exhibitions internationally including Repainting the Image After Abstraction, White Cube, London (2015); Le Musée Imaginaire, Lefebvre & Fils, Paris (2015); and Works on Paper, Greene Naftali, New York (2015). Marcus lives and works in Los Angeles.


You got everything else silenced with SilenX. The last thing left is your stock chipset cooler. The tiny 40mm fan whining with a high pitch. Time to do something about it. SilenX brings you the iXtrema Pro Chipset Cooler, a heatsink that puts stock chipset coolers to shame. Complete with an LED fan, this piece of art doesn't only perform well, it looks awesome!
Pure Copper Heatsink The pure copper SilenX IXN-40C features optimum fin density for superior airflow and maximized heat dissipation.
Ultra-quiet The tiny 40mm fan delivers superior cooling performance at a whisper-quiet 14dBA and provides brilliant illumination during operation with embedded LEDs for eye-catching fun.
Universal Compatibility Compatible with most Northbridge chipsets with mounting holes or spring mounts, the SilenX IXN-40C comes with convenient hooks, bolts and links for easy installation.


Signature Bank is committed to protecting your information and we want to ensure you by providing the complimentary identity theft service described below. When you open a personal checking account, you are automatically covered with up to $5,000 of Identity Fraud Expense Reimbursement Coverage2.
Restoring one's name and good credit is time consuming and expensive. Identity theft victims must endure a number of costly steps to re-establish their identities and dispute fraudulent debts and accounts opened by and identity thief. As a Signature Bank account holder3, you are protected with up to $5,000 of Identity Theft coverage to cover expenses incurred in the recovery of a stolen identity…such as lost wages, legal fees, certified mail and long distance charges. Members who fall victim to identity theft receive an ID Theft Customer Guide to assist in the process of restoring identity profiles and credit records and the help you better understand the recovery process. Your coverage also includes toll-free telephone access to consumer fraud specialists, should you become victim of identity theft. With the help of a recovery specialist, the time and stress associated with recovery can be dramatically reduced. You will also have access to an online identity theft news center and can register to protect your debit and credit cards with one phone call should they become lost or stolen. 1Javelin Strategy and Research. Identity Fraud Survey Report, February 2013. 2 Identity theft insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of Chartis Inc.
The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy described. Please refer to actual policy for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions. 3 Account holder includes personal checking account and money market account.


text:
CNN Exclusive: Despite voting against its creation, Boehner will keep independent ethics panel
Washington (CNN)- Although he opposed its creation, incoming House Speaker John Boehner will keep an outside ethics watchdog– the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) - intact when the GOP takes control of the House of Representatives in January.
The independent, non-partisan panel investigates allegations of wrongdoing by House Members.
Some outside reform groups, concerned that a Republican-led House might do away with the office, have lobbied Boehner, R-Ohio, to retain it. The office, which can initiate its own investigations, was established in 2008 by the current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. But most Republican leaders, including Boehner, voted against its creation. A board of eight private citizens-non-House Members-oversees the office; four board members are appointed by Democrats and four are appointed by Republicans.
A copy of the language included in the House Rules package that Republicans will unveil Wednesday– and obtained by CNN– shows virtually identical wording to the language that Democrats used in their rules for the current session of Congress.
GOP Transition chief Greg Walden, R-Oregon, told reporters last week that ethics was not an issue that Republicans focused on when mapping out changes to the House rules.
"As I've said from day one that wasn't on our list of activities and the only group that I'm aware of that's suggested doing away with the OCE is a proposal from the Congressional Black Caucus, so I do not anticipate any change," Walden said.
Last summer, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, proposed changes to the office to limit information it could release about its work and change the standards of proof it would need to pursue investigations.
The proposal followed the OCE's referral of a case against California Democrat Maxine Waters, a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, to the House ethics committee.
Waters has challenged the charges, calling them unfounded, and the ethics committee postponed a scheduled hearing on the case in September.
The office does not have subpoena power, but it can launch probes independently. After the OCE reviews matters, its members can vote to forward its findings to the House ethics committee, which conducts formal probes and ultimately decides whether a Member of Congress has violated any House rules. OCE publicly releases information on its investigations each quarter, which is one reason that Members of both parties have criticized it, arguing that releasing information on alleged violations before investigations are completed makes a member appear guilty before having any opportunity to respond.
Brendan Buck, spokesman for the GOP transition team, says the office will continue to operate without any changes in the 112th Congress.
"It will continue to operate and can make its own personnel decisions," Buck said.
A planned 5% across the board budget cut for House offices next year would apply to leadership, committee and Member offices, but would not affect the OCE.
The GOP transition team was tasked with making suggestions for changes to the House rules. They plan to post their rules, which will govern the chamber, online on Wednesday. Approving these rules is one of the first orders of business when the new Congress is sworn in on January 5th.
Filed under: House of Representatives • John Boehner • Office of Congressional Ethics
Four and The Door
Americans from across the country have spoken and for the first time in 2 years Washington politicians are listening. Yes.
December 21, 2010 08:36 pm at 8:36 pm |
well thats a surprise! the right first positive step taken by the new leader of the house. people respect congressman who work from their american heart before working only at all cost to either ideology that has poisoned our congress into the worst i have ever seen in my 60 years. its a first step only lets see how lang it last!
I'm not a fan of Boehner, but I have to give him credit for a big, important move here. He ought to be applauded for putting politics aside and doing the right thing.
GonzoinHouston
He won't interfere with the board until it investigates a few republicans. Then he'll gut it.
Cry baby Boehner
Boehner was warned by the Tea Party to keep the Ethics Commission. The Ethics Commission should get ready for it's first defendant congressman from Florida....Get your popcorn ready!
December 22, 2010 01:01 am at 1:01 am |
Must be nice being in the GOP these days. "Although I thoroughly oppose this cake, it's baking and the ingredients involved in it's creation, I have concluded that for the sake of the American people, I must to the best of my abilities partake in the eating of said cake along with a tall cold glass of milk, which will subsequently cost the American taxpayer $800M – $2.49 for the milk, $799,999,997.51 in various cost overruns and earmark allotments which I rigorously oppose while simultaneously and reluctantly voting for their approval."
Brendan H., San Antonio, TX
Boehner will keep it – until the first Republican gets called-out, then he'll disband it, quickly! Just watch! Of course, he'll have a good cry over it, first, but he will disband it!
Besides, he has more important things to do like breaking-up health care reform to make room for the GOP's non-existent plan, right?
This is not a surprise. If there is one thing that Republicans know how to do (besides cutting taxes and causing deficits) it is to investigate Democrats. Republicans turned that into a full-time occupation after they took over Congress in 1995. We are heading for a re-run. Of course, 1996 turned out to be pretty good for Democrats after Republicans predictably overreached.


"I need to tell you something." Jiya said when I lay on our bed.
"What is it?" I asked her frowning.
"I am dating someone." She replied, and I looked at her wide eyed.
I took a deep breath and asked, "From when?"
"From two weeks." She replied.
"But you are still my wife right? Why are you dating already and whom are you dating?" I asked her not at all believing it, but it was hurting.
"We are just talking to each other for now, but will go on a real date soon. I know I am still your wife, but you said you will give me whatever I want right?" She asked staring at me in blank expression.
"Right! But there are still two more weeks for the time to end. So please don't do this." I said pulling her in my arms.
"Why?" she asked, hugging me back.
"Just wait until these two weeks." I replied.
"Ok! I will not meet him until these days." She said nodding, and I continued to hug her not leaving her at all.
I thought we were fine when we had that movie marathon two weeks back, but looks like she was disturbed that day for the decision.
She has been dating for two weeks? And I don't even know about it. I am so stupid.
From the next-day onwards, I didn't let her stay away from me at all. I didn't let her talk to anyone on the phone always keeping her busy.
"So what do you want to do today?" she asked typing on her phone after one week.
"We both will hide our phones and not touch them for two days." I replied, and she nodded after a few minutes.
We roamed all around Ahmadabad and then spent time home completely in silence. We didn't leave a single thing from doing.
"We are getting late. Where is my phone?" she asked and I gave her phone when I also got ready.
"Thank god!" she said and immediately started typing.
The next week I tried to flirt with others so that she will get jealous, but she didn't even glance at me.
"What happened to you, Mr.Mehra?" Lily asked when I tried to flirt with her.
"Nothing! I am sorry about my behavior." I replied walking away.
Jiya, Jiya! You are killing me. Do you know that? I reckoned frowning and walked outside the cabin in the evening to see her talking on the phone laughing.
"Ok! We will meet tomorrow night." she said hanging up.
"Where are you going tomorrow?" I asked her finally not able to stop it when we both lay on the bed.
"My date." She replied, closing her eyes.
"But... I asked you to." I trailed off not knowing what to say.
"I know! And tomorrow is the last day Ajay so it will not matter. By the way, select a dress for me tomorrow." She said, still with closed eyes.
"I am busy." I mumbled.
"What? But tomorrow is Saturday and there is no office." she said opening her eyes frowning.
"Who is the guy?" I asked her frowning.
"Surprise! But you will meet him tomorrow." She replied, smiling and drifted off into sleep.
The next day I saw her running around the house sitting on the bed. She wants to finish all the work so that she can get ready properly.


"LOGISTICS IN 2030 – CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD"
On 7 and 8 November the conference 'Logistics in 2030 – Challenges and way forward' took place in Brussels. Commission Vice-President responsible for transport, Siim Kallas opened the event by highlighting the importance of the logistics sector for the EU economy and the role the European Commission can play in creating an environment enabling the sector to continue growing and keeping its global competitive edge.
The two-day conference was attended by over 250 people from across and outside Europe. Attendees representing the full range of businesses and stakeholders involved in freight transport logistics - service providers, transport operators and shippers -, engaged in expert discussions on major challenges and possible strategies.
Vice-President Kallas said: "With so many "pieces of the logistics puzzle" represented here today, this conference is an excellent opportunity to hammer out specifics of how European logistics should develop in the years ahead. The best ideas should be incorporated into a strategy paper early next year, with concrete steps forward for further discussion and consultation. It's now time to talk concretely about what we want to achieve and how to go about doing it. This conference is a starting point for us to map out together the way forward for this vital industry."
Audio and video recordings and presentations .


text:
Twist Return with Sophomore Album 'Distancing'
Hear the lead-off single "Venus" via a new video
By Exclaim! Staff
Toronto's Twist have at long last announced their sophomore album. Titled Distancing, the release will arrive on December 7 via Buzz Records.
The album follows Spectral, the 2016 debut full-length by the duo of Laura Hermiston of BB Guns and Holy Fuck's Brian Borcherdt. For a taste of what's in store, you can hear the new song "Venus," which has arrived via a video.
In addition to Hermiston and Borcherdt, the new album finds the duo joined by members of Zeus, Biblical and Michael Rault's backing band in the studio. The resulting 10 tracks were captured during a series of sessions at Toronto's Palace and Union Sound studios before being mixing by Michael Butler (Beta Frontiers).
According to a press release, "When she began the writing of a sophomore album, Hermiston took stock of her shifting surroundings in a life that exists in a constant state of flux. Examining her experiences with bad habits, unhealthy relationships, and the pervasive sexism of authority figures, she channelled these desires for distance from negative forces into a thematically cohesive collection of songs."
In a statement, Hermiston said, "I don't think this record is making any big statements on the complex world we're living in right now. I write about my experiences with sexism and people who act entitled to take advantage of you because that's what I feel like I can comment on honestly. In the past I've felt like my voice isn't heard and had to bite my tongue to avoid stirring up drama. I wanted to speak up about my personal experiences while still saying something universal."
Down below, you'll find the album's tracklist, as well as some upcoming tour dates and that video for "Venus."
2. Towers
3. Distancing
4. Places
5. Venus
6. Waves
7. Nice Age
8. Parade
9. Tunnel
10. Blowing
12/05 Montreal, QC - Turbohaus
12/07 Asbury Park, NJ - AP Brewery
12/09 New York, NY - Alphaville
12/10 Washington, DC - Songbyrd Vinyl Lounge
12/12 Cleveland, OH - Mahall's Locker Room
12/13 Hamilton, ON - The Casbah
12/14 Toronto, ON - Grolsch Spaces x Northern Contemporary
POP AND ROCK
More Twist


NYCeTwits » Blog Archive » Gary Vaynerchuck: Crush It!
As you know, freelancing is all the rage now. And with the high rate of unemployment, there is no wonder that people are trying to get themselves out there in this world of new media. Well, for those who wish to follow their passion and get paid for them I highly recommend Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuck.
I own this book, and I can tell you that it is a quick read about everything that is the new media, placed before you in layman's terms. He goes into detail on how now is the perfect time to turn oneself into a signature brand and connect with followers thru social media and the like. He also refers to the use of "sweat equity", so one can turn one's dreams into a reality.
I've been a fan of Gary's for years now. Even though he's from New Jersey (we won't hold that against you), this young man has turned his family wine store into Wine Library , a 50 million dollar online enterprise. With podcasts and public appearances, from Jet's games to Conan O'Brien (go, TeamConan), this guy has been proof positive that he practices exactly what he preaches.
Let me know what you think of the book – I'd really like to know if you enjoyed it like I did!


When Business and Technology is your V1s10n.
What can Vis10n do for you?
V1s10n is a company built with IT professionals dedicated to understanding your business to bring you the most innovative technology to streamline your processes and stay on the Leading Edge. What sets V1s10n apart from our competitors is our desire to understand your V1s10n. If we don't see your V1s10n, we won't write the first line of code until we do.


text:
Ban fracking? Good luck with that, Mr. or Ms. President
Mike Soraghan, E&E News reporter Energywire: Friday, December 6, 2019
A president can't ban hydraulic fracturing, but that hasn't stopped Democratic candidates from saying they'll do so. Nicholas A. Tonelli/Flickr (drilling rig); Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders (Sanders); U.S. Senate/Wikipedia (Warren)
The Democratic presidential candidates who promise to ban fracking are keeping a secret: The president can't do that.
At least five contenders for the Democratic nomination have called for a "fracking ban" in their plans for fighting climate change and shifting to renewable energy. The slogan appeals to the party's most left-leaning voters.
But banning hydraulic fracturing would take an act of Congress. And getting Congress to do it would be difficult, even if the Democrats control both chambers.
The oil and gas industry, though, shouldn't take much comfort from that, energy analyst Kevin Book says. There are still a lot of ways for a president to affect the industry unilaterally.
"This is probably one of those areas where it makes sense to take them seriously rather than literally," said Book, of ClearView Energy Partners.
There are signs the industry is taking the prospect seriously. The energy arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report this week warning of the economic effects of ending fracking in New Mexico, where Permian Basin oil drilling is boosting the state's budget. And the American Petroleum Institute, after an October Democratic debate in Ohio, accused pro-ban candidates of undermining that state's economy.
And major oil companies are being pressed on what they would do if the federal government were to enact policies to limit or end drilling (Energywire, Nov. 4).
A president could ban new drilling and fracking on public lands, a concept supported by most of the Democratic contenders. That is a stark contrast to President Trump — who has prioritized increased domestic production. It's also a contrast to former Democratic presidents, including Barack Obama, whose administrations routinely presided over public land drilling. Still, only about 10% of the country's drilling occurs on federal land.
The administration could also use regulations to clamp down on the industry's emissions, making it too expensive to operate. But oil companies and others might be able to block such rules, or a public lands drilling ban, in court for years.
With a Congress united behind him or her, a president could enact laws with even more impact on oil and gas production, and that includes banning fracking.
But lawmakers would have to get past the political might of the oil and gas industry, the thousands of jobs in the sector, and voters very sensitive to increases in the price of gasoline.
"We could pass national legislation," candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden said at a CNN forum on climate issues in September. "But I don't think we'd get ... the votes to get it done, to say all fracking goes away now" (Climatewire, Sept. 5).
And "banning" any development would raise questions about whether the government was taking away people's ability to use their own property. The mineral rights to oil and gas are often held by farmers and other individuals, rather than oil companies. If the government had to compensate the owners of all such rights, the cost could be monumental.
The prospect of such a ban has not been widely examined, even though it could put hundreds of thousands of people out of work. And a sizable chunk of them are in swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The industry employs hundreds of thousands of employees, but not the millions often talked about. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows more than 470,000 people worked in oil and gas production in 2018, bringing in wages of more than $54 billion.
One reason for the lack of scrutiny could be the fuzziness of what a fracking ban would look like. And a reason for that is the many different definitions of "fracking."
A plan that 'ticks all the boxes'
Technically, hydraulic fracturing is a segment of the well construction process in which massive volumes of chemical-laced water and sand are forced down the well to crack open rock and release oil and gas. That's the definition oil companies and their political supporters prefer.
But many people, particularly industry critics, lump nearly everything about oil and gas production into the term "fracking" — from clearing the well pad to disposal wells and pipelines.
Food & Water Action, an environmental group that is one of the loudest advocates for a fracking ban, defines it as "any unconventional stimulation" of an oil and gas well, said Mitch Jones, director of the group's Climate & Energy Program. "Unconventional" generally means fracturing combined with wells that run horizontally under the ground.
That combination is what led to the drilling boom that has made the United States the world's top oil producer.
But that definition would still allow new development of vertical wells, including offshore wells. The offshore industry says only about 10% of its wells are fracked.
Different states have enacted fracking bans using different approaches. New York's ban still allows low-volume fracking on conventional wells. In 2014, the Empire State's 12,826 wells produced more than 350,000 barrels of oil and 20 billion cubic feet of gas. A moratorium imposed in Maryland in 2015, however, prevents any kind of hydraulic fracturing, no matter how small the volume.
The only federal legislation to be introduced that approximates a ban was Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's "Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act," H.R. 3671, in 2017.
Gabbard's bill, which never got a hearing, would have placed a moratorium on federal permits for "new major fossil fuel projects." Although fracking and drilling wells on private land don't require a federal permit, approval is often needed for essential infrastructure such as pipelines.
Unlike other proposals, that approach could wallop offshore drilling, if not end it.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has the Democratic presidential field's most detailed plan for banning fracking and dealing with the fallout, Jones said.
"His is the one that ticks all the boxes," he said.
That includes plans for helping those who might lose their jobs. Sanders' plan proposes spending billions of dollars on what he calls a "just transition." He wants to guarantee five years' worth of earnings and job training for any displaced worker.
"My enemy is ... not the working people in the fossil fuel industry," Sanders said in a September interview with Colorado Public Radio. "My enemy is climate change."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) doesn't have a plan for what to do with displaced oil workers. She has said in interviews and on Twitter she wants to ban fracking, along with ending drilling on public lands on "day one" in the White House. But her long list of plans doesn't address the aftermath of such a decision. Warren's campaign didn't respond yesterday to a request for more information.
Other presidential candidates who say they support a fracking ban include Gabbard, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Marianne Williamson and billionaire former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer. Steyer's campaign says such a ban would have to be done deliberately.
"Tom supports a ban on fracking," Steyer's campaign said in a statement to E&E News. "He knows we need to push as hard as possible to make the transition as fast as possible, but it is crucial that we do this on a managed, responsible timeline."
Twitter: @MikeSoraghan Email: msoraghan@eenews.net
Warren wants Perry to quit pipeline company board
Greenwire: Monday, January 20, 2020
Bloomberg would mandate electric cars by 2035
Greenwire: Friday, January 17, 2020
Bishop running for Utah lieutenant governor
E&E Daily: Friday, January 17, 2020
Bloomberg releases more climate plans
E&E News PM: Thursday, January 16, 2020
Liz Cheney takes a pass on open Wyo. Senate seat
Greenwire: Thursday, January 16, 2020
Focus on Fracking
Could centrist Pa. governor chart Dems' course on energy?
Energywire: Tuesday, January 7, 2020
2020 HINDSIGHT
Shale pioneer's death ended era for U.S. oil and gas
Energywire: Monday, December 23, 2019
U.S. Chamber issues warning about Democrats' fracking ban
Greenwire: Thursday, December 19, 2019
BLM clears fracking hurdle for Calif. leasing
'Russian roulette'? EPA weighs release of drilling wastes
Energywire: Tuesday, November 26, 2019


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Man shot by Hummelstown cop had relapsed into heroin addiction, search warrant states
Published: Feb. 04, 2015, 5:39 p.m.
Matt Miller | mmiller@pennlive.com
david Kassick search warrant
State police have secured a search warrant for the car driven by shooting victim David A. Kassick.
A 59-year-old man who was shot and killed by a Hummelstown police officer Monday had recently relapsed into a heroin addiction, according to a search warrant state police have secured in the case.
The warrant filed with District Judge Lowell Witmer cites an interview police conducted with Dale Kassick, the brother of shooting victim David A. Kassick, the same day of the shooting by Officer Lisa Mearkle.
Trooper Tandy Carey states in the warrant that Dale Kassick said his brother "had a known heroin addiction and related that he had relapsed approximately two weeks ago."
The warrant Witmer approved allows state police, who are investigating the shooting, to search a 2009 Saturn Aura that David Kassick was driving before he was killed during what police described as "altercation" involving Mearkle in the first block of Grandview Road in South Hanover Township.
Police are specifically looking for drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to the warrant. The vehicle is in a garage at state police Troop H Headquarters.
In the warrant, Carey states that the fatal confrontation began just after 4 p.m. Monday when Mearkle, who was on routine patrol, spotted the Saturn on South Hoernerstown Road. The car had an expired inspection sticker, Carey wrote.
Kassick fled when Mearkle tried to pull him over, drove to 32 Grandview Road, then got out of the car and ran across the yard to 36 Grandview Road, the warrant states. "An altercation ensued between (Mearkle) and (Kassick), shots were fired at the scene and (Kassick) succumbed to those injuries," according to the warrant.
The warrant does not give details of the "altercation" or state whether Kassick was armed.
It does state that a hypodermic needle was recovered next to his body. Also, according to the warrant, a spoon with residue "known to be drug paraphernalia" and Suboxone strips were found on Kassick's body. Suboxone is used to treat opiate addictions.
Carey noted that Kassick had a history of drug-related criminal convictions. He spent time in federal prison in the 2000s on a heroin dealing conviction.
Securing the warrant was part of the investigation state police are conducting into the shooting. The results of the probe will be presented to Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico, who will then decide whether the use of deadly force was justified.
Mearkle, a 14-year police veteran, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the shooting.
Follow @MatthewSMiller2


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The Power Plant utilizes 96 units of Brand New Caterpillar G3512B diesel generator sets rated at 1200 ekW at 0.80 Plant Factor (Lagging) at 1500 RPM, 50HZ, 600V continuous services at site with a total generating capacity of 100.32 MW. The Plant was based on a 3 Years Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), which has recently been extended to another 5 years up to February 2019. The plant supplies power to BPDB's 132 kV Grid in Dhaka.


2. Richard Egarr at Weill Recital Hall.
3. Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic.
4. Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. John Eliot Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists at Lincoln Center.
5. Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera.
6. Sequentia at Music Before 1800.
7. The Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall–Tchaikovsky and Bartók.
8. Bruckner's Symphony No. 5. Daniel Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin at Carnegie Hall.
9. Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Metropolitan Opera.
10. Jürg Widmann and Mitsuko Uchida in Zankel Hall.


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Get Cultural With New York's Winter Film Awards Festival
Dr. Kristina Nelson February 17, 2017 5:44 PM
If you love Indie films and are looking to get a bit cultural with your movie-watching experience, then New York City's Winter Film Awards (WFA) is perfect for you. The WFA is a volunteer organization that uses the concepts of film and film-making to promote the beauty of diversity.
What the Winter Film Awards Festival Offers
Taking pride in selecting the films they show because of their emphasis on cultural variety, one of their goals is to allow their audience to enjoy films most movie-goers would not usually consider. The organization's mission is "to recognize excellence in cinema and to promote learning and artistic expression for people at all stages of their artistic careers with a focus on nurturing emerging filmmakers and helping them gain recognition and contacts to break into this difficult industry."
The WFA's sixth festival boasts an interesting list of new filmmakers from around the globe. The diversity present in this line-up is demonstrated by the numbers the WFA shared about its festival. According to the WFA, "For the 2016 Festival, 86 films from 26 countries were selected for screening, 40% made by women, 40% made by people of color, 26 first-time directors. 75% had a budget under $50k, and a half passed the 'Bechdel Test.'"
Winter Film Awards Festival's Focus on Diversity
Awards will be handed out for the best films in the lineup, including Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Best Original Score, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Student Film and the NY Perspectives Award for best depiction of the New York multi-cultural experience.
Film lovers everywhere should attend this interesting event since the WFA brings to its audience unique films that create inspiration, cultural understanding, and respect for the filmmakers. One thing that makes the WFA different from some of the other film festivals in New York is their focus on diversity as well as their goal of promoting new filmmakers.
For more information about events like the Winter Film Awards Festival, stay with us here at Eventcombo. Here at Eventcombo, we offer not only helpful articles about event and event planning, but also the opportunity to sell your tickets online through our website to increase your ticket sales.
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As a consultant, you are called upon to set the example for your client and help set them up for long-term success. Likewise, any serious consultant should take the proper precautions to ensure their own long-term financial safety. Don't leave yourself at risk; make the choice to get covered now.


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Tommy Vig (* 14. Juli 1938) ist ein ungarischer Musiker des Modern Jazz (Vibraphon, Schlagzeug, Komposition), der fünfzig Jahre in den Vereinigten Staaten wirkte.

Leben und Wirken
Vig galt als musikalisches Wunderkind und gab schon früh Konzerte mit seinem Vater, dem Klarinettisten György Vig. 1947, mit neun Jahren, war er als Schlagzeuger der Gewinner des MGM-Jazzwettbewerbs in Budapest. In der Folge machte er Aufnahmen in Budapest mit Chappys Mopex Big Band (auf dem ungarischen Mesterhang-Label) und in Wien mit Ernst Landl und dem Hot Club Vienna (auf Elite Special). Er studierte am Bartók-Konservatorium in Budapest. Nach der Niederschlagung des Ungarn-Aufstandes flüchtete er 1956 nach Wien, wo er mit Fatty George und mit Joe Zawinul spielte. Nach seiner Übersiedlung in die Vereinigten Staaten studierte er an der Juilliard School of Music Komposition. Er arbeitete mit Bill Evans, Duke Jordan, Peter Ind und Mat Mathews. 1968 nahm er mit Miles Davis und der Band von Gil Evans am Berkeley Jazz Festival teil. Er ließ sich dann in Las Vegas nieder, wo er mit Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis junior, Tony Curtis, Diana Ross und den Carpenters auftrat. 1971 sendete der ungarische Rundfunk ein Konzert mit Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, Aladár Pege und Imre Kőszegi, das in den USA auf dem Mortney-Label veröffentlicht wurde.

Dann ging er nach Los Angeles, wo er in den Studios als Musiker und Komponist arbeitete. Er schrieb die Filmmusik zu den Filmen Nightmare Circus und Texas Lightning (1981). Als Perkussionist nahm er an den Aufnahmen zu Quincy Jones Filmmusik zu Roots teil. Auch kooperierte er mit Henry Mancini und Don Ellis. 1984 leitete er während der Olympischen Spiele das Olympic Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. Weiterhin organisierte er das jährliche Las Vegas Caesars Palace Jazz Festival. Mit Lajos Dudas trat er 1986 auf dem Jazzfestival Münster auf (Album Mistral); eine neuerliche Tournee schloss sich 2006 an. Auch nahm er mit dem hr-Jazzensemble und mit Martin Breinschmid auf.

Zehn Jahre lang war er der Vize-Präsident der American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Seit 2006 lebt Vig mit seiner Frau Mia wieder in Ungarn.

Preise und Auszeichnungen
1994 erhielt er vom staatlichen Rundfunk in Budapest den "ungarischen Grammy" (eMeRton-Preis). Von der ungarischen Jazzföderation wurde er 2006 mit ihrem ersten Preis für musikalische Arrangements ausgezeichnet. 2011 erhielt er die Gold-Medaille des ungarischen Präsidenten.

Werke

Diskographische Hinweise

 The Tommy Vig Orchestra 2012 Featuring David Murray – Klasszikus Jazz Records (2011)
 ÜssDob – Tom-Tom Records (2008)
 Now and Then – Pannon Jazz (1947–2003)
 Tommy Vig 1978 – Dobre Records #1015 (1978)
 Somebody Loves Me – Dobre Records #1005 (1976)
 Tommy Vig in Budapest – Mortney Records #71425 (1972)
 Just for the Record – Private Pressing (1971)
 The Sound of the Seventies – Milestone Records #9007 (1968)
 Encounter with Time aka Space Race – Discovery Records #70925 DS-780 (1967)
 The Tommy Vig Orchestra – Take V Records (1964)

Kompositionen (Auswahl)
 Concerto for Clarinet, Vibraharp and Orchestra
 Concerto for Vibraharp and Orchestra
 Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra
 Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra
 Four Pieces for Neophonic Orchestra
 Collage for Four Clarinetists
 A Clarinetist and a Harpist
 Budapest 1956 (Concerto für Jazzschlagzeug und Orchester)

Kompositionen für Film und Fernsehen
 1983: Sweet Sixteen
 1982: They Call Me Bruce?
 1982: The Kid with the Broken Halo (TV-Film)
 1981: Texas Lightning
 1981: Ruckus
 1979: Starsky & Hutch (Fernsehserie)
 1975–1976: Doctors' Hospital (Fernsehserie)
 1975: Forced Entry
 1974: Nightmare Circus (oder The Barn of the Naked Dead or Terror Circus)
 1970–1980: This Is the Life (Fernsehserie)

Lexikalische Einträge
 Carlo Bohländer, Karl Heinz Holler: Reclams Jazzführer (= Reclams Universalbibliothek. Nr. 10185/10196). Reclam, Stuttgart 1970, ISBN 3-15-010185-9.
 Leonard Feather, Ira Gitler: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X.

Weblinks
 Offizielle Website
 Welcome to Hungary ! The Tommy Vig Orchestra 2012 featuring David Murray in Allaboutjazz (englisch)
 Besprechung Now and Then (englisch)

Einzelnachweise

Jazz-Vibraphonist
Jazz-Schlagzeuger
Arrangeur
Komponist (Jazz)
Filmkomponist
Musiker (Ungarn)
Ungarischer Emigrant in den Vereinigten Staaten
Ungar
US-Amerikaner
Geboren 1938
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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STDs, Shame, and the Sabbath: Orthodox Jews Reflect on How They Learned About Sex
Modern Orthodox children aren't as sheltered from secular life the way some more strict Jewish denominations are, but talking about sex is still taboo, and can leave kids confused – I know I was.
by Jackson Krule
28 February 2016, 2:30pm
Illustrations by Koren Shadmi
This article originally appeared on VICE US.
I first learned about sex in the bathroom of my co-ed yeshiva day school when I was eight. While we huddled around an automatic hand drier, two of my kippa-wearing, tzizit-wielding friends told me roughly what happens when a man masturbates: "You rub your dick a lot and then white stuff shoots out!" I listened in horror, unsure if they were joking. I was too scared to ask my parents or teachers and embarrassed to ask my friends to clarify; I wouldn't hear about sex from my teachers until I was nearly 13.
I grew up in Teaneck, a town of 40,000 in northern New Jersey, which has, by my count, at least 18 Orthodox synagogues. For the first 17 years of my life, I split my time in a variety of Modern Orthodox Jewish schools in Manhattan, Paramus, and Riverdale. Half the day was devoted to Jewish classes with the other half committed to a secular curriculum. In these schools, the classes mixed boys and girls together, one of many ways being Modern Orthodox differs from being ultra-Orthodox/Hasidic.
We'd study Talmud, but still read Harry Potter. We'd observe the Sabbath, but still discuss last night's episode of The OC . Despite my relatively-liberal religious upbringing (at least compared to many other Orthodox Jews), there were still limitations and filters through which we learned about the world around us. For example, talking about sex was something that just didn't happen. Nevertheless, thanks to pop culture and the internet, I pieced together some information about intercourse the way any preteen might.
Still, my school didn't formally broach the topic until the year before high school when an awkward rabbi who gave us a rough outline of all the terrible things that can happen as a result of sex: babies, disgusting rashes, dick discharges, and, of course, AIDS. Not once during the class was sex described as a mitzvah or something to be celebrated with a partner, which is how some observant Jews interpret sex between married couples.
"While not unique to the Orthodox community, sex education is not about sex in Orthodox schools," says Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus, a modern Orthodox Jew with a PhD in Human Sexuality and the founder of the women-focused sex psychology group Maze Women's Sexual Health. "Rather, it's about how not to get pregnant and how not to get STDs. Nobody talks about pleasure or the kind of framework sex can fit into and I feel like that's what kids are really curious about. And that's what they should be talking about, in addition to how not to get pregnant and how not to get STDs."
By the time I got to college, I felt a huge culture shock. The casualness of sex among my newfound college friends was startling—I had never discussed anyone's sex life before. It was only after considerable time spent with people from different backgrounds that I realized how my introduction to sex affected my own sexuality, and how the lack of sex-positivity ended up complicating my entrance into an independent adult life.
"I'll talk to a young [Orthodox Jewish] girl, and she'll feel horrible about being sexually active before marriage," Dr. Marcus told me over the phone. "This will be a two-year blip in her life, but nobody in the Orthodox community sees it that way. [To many Orthodox teenagers], the things they do when they're 18 feel like the be-all and end-all of life."
Recently, I became interested in finding others Jews who grew up in the small Modern Orthodox world before exploring their own paths. I wanted to know how other people with such a limited education of sexuality as a teenager handled the transition into a world where suddenly sex seemed to be everywhere. I reached out to four former Orthodox Yeshiva students around my age and asked them about what their sex education was like growing up and how it influenced their sexual activity and outlook on sex as teenagers and young adults. The interviews were conducted anonymously (mostly for their parents' sake) and have been edited for length and clarity.
Grew Up in New Jersey
Currently Lives in New York
Religious Status: Unaffiliated
VICE: What was your sex education like growing up in an Orthodox Yeshiva high school?
Talia: From what I remember, we had what my school called "Health Ed" in 11th and 12th grade. Once a month, for a few months, the instructor—either the school psychologist or the college guidance counselor—went over dealing with stress, sleep, and a very light version of sex education. The sex ed piece was focused on how reproduction works, without much detail.
Did your family talk about sex openly?
Not at all. I never even heard the word sex in the house. We didn't even talk about kissing or what a physical relationship with someone my brothers or I were dating might look like. I got most of my sex ed from watching TV and movies and reading books, which I think my parents assumed. I realized that sex was present in the world, but I had no communication about it with anyone until that mediocre sex ed class in 11th grade.
What was it like losing your virginity?
I was comfortable with it. I was no longer Orthodox and I was dating a non-Jewish guy who was older than me. I actually had to kind of convince him. He knew about my religious upbringing and was kind of nervous about being the one to "take away my virginity." We did not talk about it a lot since it made him nervous. The physical tension was intense and sex actually helped relieve that.
Learning what you did growing up, was there stress at the beginning your sex life?
It took time to reconcile. My mom's reaction to telling her I had sex was, "Your namesake is turning in her grave." Which was rough stuff; my namesake is my grandma. I told her because she asked me straight out and I decided it was silly to lie. My parents and I eventually went to family therapy and sorted it out and we now actually have a very strong relationship. We still don't talk openly about who I really am... I think that's the one thing I wish was a bit different.
Are you open about your sex life with your friends that are still Orthodox?
With the ones who want to hear it, yes. The ones who identify as Orthodox but are having sex themselves like to hear about it and like to reciprocate and share their own stories, fetishes, and general feelings around it. Most of these people are in monogamous relationships and I think they justify it through that. I also know many people who identify as Orthodox and justify their desire for sex by only having anal, because somehow that somehow makes it OK.
Grew Up in Manhattan
Currently Lives in Manhattan
Religious Status: Self-Identified Pagan
VICE: How did you first learn about sex?
Sam: I think I learned from reading this young adult sci-fi novel in third grade, as well as from conversations with friends and stupid teen movies. I remember searching for the word sex on like Microsoft Word Clip Art in computer class in elementary school and seeing the gender symbols.
Did you learn about sex from your parents or school?
My family never really sat me down to explain because I assume they knew I knew about sex. In terms of sexual content in religious texts, my school usually skipped those passages or used euphemisms we would take literally.
As you got older, did the lack of communication about sex affect you?
In like seventh or eighth grade, I was really repressed and compulsive about trying to adhere to all the micro-details of the ritualistic stuff we were taught to do. It became like a form of OCD that I'd waste hours on—not meditative prayer, but anxious fiddling. Finally, I realized that wasn't what God would want, and then I became much more relaxed about sex. Over the next few years, as I saw adults become more extreme with enforcing these rules, it left a worse and worse taste in my mouth.
What was high school like?
For a while, I managed to fit in among various sub-areas of the modern orthodox bubble, but then as I got older, my relationship with my parents suffered (in the typical ways) and I began to draw away from these sub-groups. I never enjoyed being called or considered "off the derech" (path) because I continued to carry a strong sense of interpersonal ethics. But facts of my lifestyle made me feel like an outsider.
Which parts of your lifestyle that made you feel like an outsider?
Well, I'm gay and I was in the closet about my sexuality and didn't tell people that I was hooking up with people I met online. Inherently, that private aspect of my life made me feel like I didn't belong. In high school, I would ditch school, go on these fucked-up solo adventures, and be very much be on my own. At the end of high school, I ended up beginning to date this older guy who encouraged my personal interests and made me feel like perhaps I had a place I could belong. This relationship was kept secret from almost everyone, besides my closest friend and a teacher who I would talk to about it.
How did your parents react to your sexuality?
My parents knew since I was 16 because they had installed spyware on my computer, so they saw what I was looking at on the internet. My dad took it very bad and our relationship took a downward spin for a number of years. I didn't come out during school because I thought I'd get kicked out, but I wish I had in retrospect. That being said, I don't feel angry at Judaism itself, but rather its institutionalization.
Are you comfortable with your sexuality now?
Yeah, absolutely. The eroticism in the bible (both straight and gay) always seemed pretty explicit to me. The pain I felt related to my upbringing was more of a social isolation. Sexuality doesn't make me feel uncomfortable. I wish I was more open with it during school, and even if being forced to come out to my family was traumatic, I'm still glad it happened.
Grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn
Religious Status: Secular Jew
VICE: Do you remember how you first learned about sex?
Ben: When I was 12 or 13, I went to Jewish sleepaway summer camp. My counselors played us one of the American Pie movies.
So you learned about sex from Jason Biggs?
Essentially. It was my counselors who discussed it with me for the first time, but they were just a few 17- or 18-year-old guys and were probably misinformed themselves.
Did you have any formal sex ed?
Nope, not at that point. I had it maybe in like tenth grade, but by then I already had my first sexual experience.
Do you think you would have benefited from having sex ed before then?
Totally, especially if my understanding of it at that point was just what I gathered from American Pie. I made a point to have my first kiss before I entered high school because I didn't want to be behind everyone else. So I kissed a girl in camp the summer before freshman year. Then, when I got to high school, I found out I was only one of a handful of people who kissed someone else before.
How did you feel about sex as you continued going to a Yeshiva high school?
I came from an even more Orthodox culture in Flatbush, so I thought it would be different going to a slightly more liberal high school. But at my school, guys and girls totally conflated money with popularity and sexual hierarchies; it was kind of messed-up.
Sex was also a way to rebel against the administration's constant nagging about tzniut (sexual modesty). Also, bringing attention to tzniut brings attention to those things, which were not allowed. It was like telling someone they can't have something, only making him want that previously unknown, unattainable thing even more. That was one of my first ways of realizing how distant I felt from the "Ortho" ways. But you also were conditioned to feel guilty for being interested in those forbidden topics. My high school set people up for that "othered" feeling, either while they were in high school or after.
How does your family feel about you having a sex life before marriage?
Well, they're used to it now. I've been out of high school five years and I'm dating a non-Jewish girl. That's a huge issue for them, though. And mind you, I'm a Jewish studies major, and committed wholeheartedly to my Jewish identity and community at large, but sometimes it's hard for Orthodox people to see outside of their monolithic understanding of Jewishness. The situation with my girlfriend is tough; my parents and I don't talk about her at all. It's an unspoken thing, and it causes me a lot of anxiety.
At what point did your thinking about sex change and evolve?
Once I started having oral sex in 11th grade, I was all in. My secular education in high school, however limited, showed me how wonderful it could be. Like watching any Goddard films outside of school, you just want to have passionate sex like that.
Currently Lives in Israel
VICE: Can you tell me about your religious background?
Rebecca: I grew up in a house with mixed views; my dad is Modern Orthodox and my mom is pretty much traditional, but not observant. I went to a Modern Orthodox school and I was very involved in the Jewish community. I went to synagogue and observed shabbat, etc. After high school, I became a lot less observant. Now I live in Israel on a kibbutz (a communal settlement), I work on Shabbat, and I don't go to synagogue.
Do you remember sex-ed in elementary school/high school?
I don't think I had sex ed at all in elementary school or high school. My mom used to tell me to use protection and I used to go to the gyno, so I pretty much knew about sex, but I guess I learned a lot on my own.
Was your mom always liberal in her attitudes towards sex?
She has always been liberal—thankfully. My mom's side of the family is also really secular, so I felt that I always had them to talk about these kinds of things with. Sex was not a taboo subject with them.
How did you reconcile your mom's views with the strictness of your high school and tziniut?
It was hard in elementary school because I was embarrassed about the fact that my mom is not religious and I felt like I wanted to keep the status quo. In high school, I matured and I grew to appreciate the way she was. I felt like she was there for me to talk about certain things, stuff I knew that my girlfriends' moms were more conservative about. She was the cool mom.
Did the students at your school have the same level of understanding about sex? Or was there more of a divide?
In high school, most of my friends started having romantic relationships. All of a sudden lots of people were hooking up. I think they did what was natural. It's not like they were rebellious about it, but we did have fun and smoke and go to parties because I went to a Modern Orthodox school and the students that go there have an open mind. It was not like the single-sex schools.
Do you ever feel guilty about your adult sex life?
As I got older, I released the guilt that school made me feel about sex, but it took a while. When I graduated and had sex for the first time, I kind of felt bad about it because [my partner] was kind of a "bad boy." But I feel like if sex was a more normal thing in high school then I would have felt more comfortable about the whole topic in general. Today, I have a good relationship with my father and mother. I live with my boyfriend and it's all good with them. The fact that they even know I'm in a serious relationship makes them happy.
Visit Jackson's website and Instagram for more of his photo work.
More on VICE:
We Asked People About the Times Condoms Have Broken On Them During Sex
Meet the Lawyer Defending Your Right to Sext
Why Is the UK Suddenly So Obsessed with 'Chav Porn'?
VICE US
sex and religion
orthodox sex
jews sex
sex shame
queer jews


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The Hungarian Olympic Committee (, MOB) is the National Olympic Committee representing Hungary.

History

The Hungarian Olympic Committee was founded on 19 December 1895, as sixth in the world, following the French, Greek, American, German and Australian Olympic Committees.

List of presidents

Member federations
The Hungarian National Federations are the organizations that coordinate all aspects of their individual sports. They are responsible for training, competition and development of their sports. There are currently 33 Olympic Summer and five Winter Sport Federations in Hungary.

See also
Hungary at the Olympics

External links
 Official website

Hungary
Hungary at the Olympics
1895 establishments in Hungary
Sports organizations established in 1895


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News from Keystone Symposia
The (Petri) Dish
External Blogs & Posts
Keystone Symposia Congratulates Nobel Winners
Keystone Symposia Congratulates the 2012 Nobel Prize Winners
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Keystone Symposia extends our congratulations to the recipients of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Research, and Sir John B. Gurdon of the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge, whose awards were announced Monday, October 8, 2012.
A Japanese physician and researcher, Dr. Yamanaka has been a frequent participant in Keystone Symposia conferences. Most recently, he co-organized the February 2010 conference on "Stem Cell Differentiation and Dedifferentiation" in Keystone, Colorado; delivered the keynote address at the March 2012 conference on "Cardiovascular Development and Regeneration" in Taos, New Mexico; and will co-organize Keystone Symposia's 2014 conference on "Stem Cells and Reprogramming."
Sir John Gurdon, a British developmental biologist, has been participating in Keystone Symposia conferences since 1975. He previously won the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research award in 2009.
The two scientists share the Nobel Prize for their ground-breaking discoveries that mature, adult cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent. This work holds enormous scientific promise and has greatly expanded the field of stem cell research since it provides an alternative to using embryonic stem cells.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
We also congratulate the two winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, American biochemists Brian K. Kobilka of Stanford University School of Medicine and Robert J. Lefkowitz of HHMI/Duke University Medical Center. Announced on Wednesday, October 10, 2012, these recipients won for their pioneering work in G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), which have proved to be one of the most effective drug targets, used in approximately half of all medications.
Dr. Kobilka has been a long-standing participant in Keystone Symposia meetings. He presented earlier in 2012 at our joint structural biology meetings and will be co-organizing our 2014 conference on "G Protein-Coupled Receptors: Structural Dynamics and Functional Implications," which will be held jointly with a meeting on "Frontiers of Structural Biology." Likewise, Dr. Lefkowitz has participated in a wide range of cardiovascular and receptor meetings dating back to 1978.
We look forward to all four scientists' participation in our upcoming conferences.


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Hi Annabelle, August 28 was once again time to renew my membership. Last year I thought I had it set up for automatic renewal and found out I did not. However, I did have it on auto this year, but it said my card was not valid. It does not expire until next year, when another card will be issued. But, I entered a new card, so will it automatically charge, since Aug. 28 has passed, or what do I do? Thanks!
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Walkies! Fit Bites Beef Flavor Dog Treats 4 oz.
Pork liver, pea flour, potatoes, dried whole eggs, glycerin, flaxseed, sugar, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid) barley flour, tapioca flour, beef, sweet potatoes, natural smoke flavor, sodium lactate, salt, lactic acid, chicken cartilage, palm oil, phosphoric acid, salmon oil, zinc propionate (a preservative) calcium propionate (a preservative) molasses, caramel color, garlic, mustard, iron oxide (a color) taurine, yucca schidigera extract, natural flavor, carrots, L-Carnitine.
Daily exercise (especially walking) not only keeps dogs fit, it's the key to keeping them happy, healthy and well behaved. Walkies Fit Bites are made to keep dogs moving.


US President Donald Trump once described NATO as obsolete.
Then when he came to the military alliance's gleaming new headquarters in Brussels this year he rounded on its members, demanding they cough up more cash.
"Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying for their defence," said Trump.
But the criticism was turned back on Trump later in 2018.
Watch how Trump's tumultuous relationship with NATO, and its key members in Europe, has unfolded over the last 12 months in the video player above.


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Chase's version of musical chairs: nine drivers to battle for five advancement spots at Dover
By Jerry BonkowskiSep 21, 2014, 6:36 PM EDT
When NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France announced the revised format for the Chase for the Sprint Cup earlier this year, he promised drama, pathos and intrigue as the 10-race playoff played out.
Well, here we are just two races in and there's going to be a boatload of the France-promised drama, pathos, etc., heading into next Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway.
The third race of the Chase, Dover will also mark the cut-off for the first of three elimination rounds in the playoffs.
More: Joey Logano avoids "yellow fever," wins at N.H. to advance in Chase
In a racing version of musical chairs, four drivers will be eliminated after Dover. And heading there, right now, a total of nine drivers are on the elimination bubble.
Five of those nine will make it, four won't.
And there is only 12 points separating those nine drivers.
Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards are tied for eighth in the Chase standings, each 40 points behind series leader Brad Keselowski.
AJ Allmendinger is one point back, in 10th place, 41 points behind Keselowski, while Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are tied for 11th, both 42 points back.
At this juncture, Kahne and Newman are on the good side of the Chase cutoff bubble.
Then there are the four drivers who, as of this writing, are on the outside looking in, with one race left to put themselves back on the positive side of the ledger.
Chase standings after New Hampshire:
1 Brad Keselowski
2 Joey Logano -1
3 Kevin Harvick -7
4 Jimmie Johnson -17
5 Kyle Busch -20
5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. -20
7 Jeff Gordon -27
8 Matt Kenseth -40
8 Carl Edwards -40
10 AJ Allmendinger -41
11 Kasey Kahne -42
11 Ryan Newman -42
13 Denny Hamlin -48
13 Greg Biffle -48
15 Kurt Busch -50
16 Aric Almirola -52
Denny Hamlin suffered the biggest blow of all Chase drivers Sunday, dropping seven places from sixth to a tie with Greg Biffle for 13th, both drivers 48 points behind Keselowski.
Hamlin had one of the roughest days he's ever had in his Cup career Sunday. First, he suffered a problem with the fuel filler receptacle, which prevented his team from being able to add fuel to Hamlin's Camry.
Then, as if to add insult to injury, Hamlin's day came to a crashing halt when he was involved in a three-car wreck with David Ragan and Martin Truex Jr., relegating Hamlin to a disappointing 37th-place finish.
Biffle, who barely managed to make the Chase as one of three drivers without a win thus far this season (and all three, Biffle, Kenseth and Newman remain winless in 2014), just could not get on track in Sunday's race – one that he has previously won – and finds himself in 14th place in the rankings heading to Dover.
Unless Biffle makes a dramatic turnaround and garners a top-five finish next Sunday, his Chase hopes are also likely over.
Kurt Busch struggled Sunday, first with a loose wheel, and then later wrecked when a severe tire rub caused him to hit hard into the Turn 3 wall. As a result, Busch dropped six places in the standings to 15th, leaving him 50 points behind Keselowski and eight points behind the present cut-off guys, Newman and Kahne.
Last, but not least, Aric Almirola rebounded strongly from last week's Chase-opening disappointment at Chicago. Almirola finished sixth at New Hampshire. Ironically, he was running sixth at Chicagoland when the motor on his Ford Fusion let go, relegating him to a 41st-place finish in that race.
And while he finished strong Sunday, Almirola unfortunately failed to gain even one point on Keselowski, remaining 52 points back – the same margin that he trailed Keselowski by coming into Sunday's race.
Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (both 20 points behind Keselowski), who are tied for fifth, and seventh-ranked Jeff Gordon (27 points back) are all mathematically eligible to be eliminated, as well, but the odds of that happening are unlikely, given the edge they have over the rest of the Chase field.
Follow me @JerryBonkowski


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Life, by Chance
Created Feb 10, 2002 | Updated Dec 21, 2007
I admit that sometimes I feel tempted to give in to that desire. To that desire, that wish to believe that the world makes sense, that things happen for a reason. Sometimes I yearn for just a minute of peaceful faith that cause and effect are more than just the inevitable consequences of freak chances, of coincidence.
I know better, of course.
Philip Anderson, 32, was unlucky. His girl cheated on him and he found out. By chance, he found out. It took a nervous breakdown of his colleague and the subsequent devastation of his cubicle at work for him to come home early for the first time in seven years. He could have gone to do some shopping. He could have gone to have the brakes of his car fixed. Yet he chose to go home. Only to find his girl in bed with some man he had never met before and had no intention of ever meeting again. Being a man of passion and strength, Philip did what was to save my life, in the long run – he drove to the next best bar and got drunk.
David Steadman, 56, was unlucky. His job demanded him to be in three different downs at virtually the same time, and after a day of driving a rented car, he felt exhausted and sleepy. David was thought of highly by those who asked for his advise, and he was always willing to give it. He had found out long ago that people would often turn to him for help and he could not turn them down; he could not help it. The harder it was for him to accept that he, too, needed help from time to time. Asking for it was difficult, however, and he would rather try to find a solution on his own. That day, he had gotten himself completely lost in a town that looked exactly like the two he had been in before. He had phoned his wife to tell her he would not come home tonight and was now desperately looking for a hotel to stay overnight.
Yvonne Bouchard, 19, was unlucky. She missed her friends from back home, she missed Paris, and she regretted her choice to come to this godforsaken place to be an au-pair girl. She disliked Sheryl, who treated her like a slave; she abhorred Tom, who liked to come into the bathroom and pretend to shave while she was taking a shower; she hated little Tyler, who insisted on having Chocolate Fudge covered ice cream with whipped cream and pistachios at ten at night and who would then complain about a bad stomach and bad dreams.
I was lucky. I lived.
At 23:15, Philip had drunken up enough courage and anger to face his girl. Nineteen minutes later he was in his car. He did not start driving immediately. For a few minutes he just sat there, staring at the darkness ahead, listening to the radio. If it had not played REM at that time, things would be different now. But REM it played and Philip waited to listen to the song. Then he took of.
Yvonne was taking a walk in the streets. At 23:31 her room had become too small for her to breathe, and she needed fresh air.
David was still lost. He was driving in circles to find the hotel he had finally managed to book a room in on the phone.
It was 23:42, precisely, when Philip turned onto Carlsen Ave, swerving over to the left side of the street. David was jerked awake from his trance-like state by two headlights coming at him, no more than just a few meters away. He remembered the lady from the car rental service smiling and saying, 'Now, be good to our Chevy here,' as he swung the steering wheel to avoid the collision. He hit Yvonne, instead, who had just made up her mind to quit the job.
Philip got a couple of years on probation.
David got depressed and needed help from a psychiatrist.
Yvonne got killed.
I got her kidney. I lived.
I admit that sometimes I feel tempted to believe things make sense. I feel tempted to give in to the desire to believe that things happen for a reason, that people get what they deserve.
But sometimes I ask myself, what if? What if Philip's colleague had not had that breakdown? Or what if Yvonne had liked her family? Or what if the radio had played Garth Brooks? What if and what if not. David could have stopped and asked for directions. Philip could have had a different girl, altogether. Yvonne could have gone to Philadelphia. I could have died.
Every now and then, my friends watch the news on TV and shake their heads. Why this war, why that catastrophe, this is not fair, that does not make sense.
I know, of course.
I liked this.
Yelbakk
Alternative Writing Workshop


America worships the idea of the 'first responder'. This role, usually male and police officer or fire fighter is seen as a protector and valiant hero who can rescue us whenever we are in trouble. First responders come to a violent situation or run into a burning building without thinking about their own safety. Conversely, America has stigmatized the 'pink ghetto', professions like teaching that are predominately female and require no weapons and focus on nurturing and caring. Unglamorous professions life teaching require hours of time spent with young people, patiently building their resolve, character and intelligence.
Currently two issues, gun violence and fair labor practices, have involved the effects of educational stigmatization. These two issues exemplify the poor condition for teachers and how the right is attempting to destroy public education. The first issue of gun violence involved a Florida shooting which lead Trump proposing arming teachers and administrators. the second issue centers on fair labor practices in a West Virginia teacher strike that started on Thursday. These two issues are related and are the result of conservative attempts at delegitimizing and eventually destroying public education.
The West Virginia teacher strike, the largest educational strike in the state's history, is a result of poor pay and poor working conditions for teachers in the state. West Virginia, which ranked 48 out of 50th in teacher's salary, has closed all public schools in the state. While West Virginia has a history of militant labor movements and commentators on the right and left have diagnosed the problems of the region, the state has yet to figure out how to stop its teacher shortage.
What unite the political action of the West Virginia teachers and the Florida students are their attempts to push back against the degradation of education in this country. Teacher unions, while no panacea, are the only effective large-scale organization to fight for fair labor practices on behalf of educators and therefore students. A poorly paid and poorly equipped teacher is a poorly educated student. In a state like West Virginia that does not have collective bargaining, large-scale strikes are the most effective way to bring the capitalist government to heel. Mass shootings, in turn, are the most effective form of political speech the right has yet devised. Student activism, not a good guy with a gun, is a more effective way of preventing future mass shootings and truly protecting our school.
The right, and its elected representatives in the Republican Party, have essentially abjured responsibility of ever limiting guns or protecting our schools. Acting in bad faith, the NRA blames the left for exploiting gun violence, when in fact gun violence is a feature not a bug of the right's political agenda.
The right is destroying our civil fabric by destroying teacher morale through poor working conditions and the murder of young children in their own schools. The right no more wants to facilitate a reduction of school gun violence than a car thief wants to facilitate car alarms. Teacher shortages and school shootings work together to facilitate the enshrinement of white supremacy and patriarchy in U.S. political life. The Republican Party is the servitor of this reactionary and dreadful strain of political thought in American life and should not be negotiated with under any circumstances.
In a liberated society a school would be a place of wonder and joy for the children and the dedicated professionals who have undertaken the momentous task of educating future citizens. Instead, in our society, teachers are forced to hide students while their friends are murdered down the hall.
Our teachers are America's true first responders, the men and women who put their lives on the line emotionally and sometimes literally for our children. Stigmatized and brutalized through poor working conditions, lack of support and now the literal threat of violence, teachers are responding with urgency and valor to the four-alarm emergency that is a child's life in a capitalist society. The question is how will we stand in solidarity with our teachers and their students, or will we turn our back on them while the bullets fly.
Your passion in extolling the critical value of public education is a note that should resound through our society.


When it's time to get work done we all sit down to our personalized workspaces. Everyone's looks a bit different and is tailored to their environment – cafe, open table, standing desk, home office, or cube. Wherever we are, we're hoping to get into a productive state to get stuff done.
For those with steady workspaces we can look at all the elements that help put us in our productive state. From physical notebooks to changing the room's colors and mood, there are many different tools we can use to help us throughout the day. Some of these things you have already (To-Do's / sticky notes to self), but others may be worth experimenting and seeing what results they have on your personal productivity. Nothing is a one fit solution, experiment what stimulates your personal productivity.
Productivity Trackers, Creativity Stimulators, & Workspace Essentials.
Let me know what you use in your day to day! Please reach out to by email.
We are so good at getting distracted and equally as bad at regaining our focus. Throughout the day when distractions arise, we need a trigger that helps us regain our focus and get back to work. Here are some products that can help you track your time or your activities to help you measure and manage your daily productivity.
If you've ever used the Pomodoro Technique before you know the importance of uninterrupted work sessions. The technique follows 25 or 50 minute sessions of work followed by 5 or 10 minute breaks. A physical timer on your desk is optimal as we know how distracting our phones can be.
This desk widget lets you quickly select an activity and get to work. After that your activity is automatically tracked and logged to their mobile app. As someone who loathes manually tracking time this can be a huge time saver to allow us to concentrate on getting stuff done.
Look there's a ton of apps on your phone or desktop that can help you track your time, and we'll cover those to on Prod Stack. But sometimes putting your phone away and allowing yourself to get into a groove without distractions is exactly what we need. A physical time tracker is perfect as you flip the hourglass and get to work. I like this set as it has 30 minute and a 5 minute timer, so one to track your productivity, and one to track a quick break.
When working at our desk we often need visual stimulators to help us get into a productive state. Here are things I've experimented with at my desk to help me be more mindful and present, as well as creative and focused.
We are so good at getting distracted and equally as bad at regaining our focus. Throughout the day when distractions arise, we need a trigger that helps us regain our focus and get back to work. This digital photo album can be a great tool if you include images that stimulate your own productivity. Whether thats family, a relaxing beach, the color green, or a motivational quote, just be careful not to include too many images that change rapidly and diverting your attention again.
Change your mood as fast as you change the color of the light.
When left to our own devices we are very bad at getting un-stuck or changing our mood. We need triggers to aid us and sometimes it's as easy as seeing a different color to change our state of mind. Mood lamps are a favorite of mine to quickly change your thinking. While you probably can't get away with putting a smart bulb into your co-working space you can bring a portable mood light to help regulate your mood in your cubicle or work station.
We all get anxious and stressed throughout the work day, this is common. What's uncommon is having ways for us to regain our clarity and sense of focus. Don't let one distraction, lead to half a day of wasted productivity. Having some trigger on your desk that can allow you to regain focus is key. I like Zen Garden's to stimulate creativity and to gather my thoughts.
Laptop stand that raises your computer to eye level preventing you from slouching and fixing that bad posture!
We spend so much time on our computers hunched over in a slouched bad posture manner. And improving one's posture can do wonders to how they feel throughout the day. Along with standing desks, this raised laptop stand brings the laptop screen to eye level which in turn restricts you from tilting your head down and straining your neck.
Keyboard wrist and support to aid in pain relief and hopefully make you conscious of your posture to stop slouching!
We spend so much time on our computers and often in a slouched bad posture manner. A wrist pad often can make a ton of difference in the long run to help decrease discomfort while working.
I really like this water bottle because it makes drinking the recommended amount of water an after thought. Rather than drinking when thirsty and guesstimating how much water you've consumed, this bottle by Cactaki tells you when to drink and how much. One less decision for you to make throughout the day!
If you are traveling and working remotely you know the importance of space, so get a pen that's 4 in 1!
As a visual person, I often need my written goals and to-do's to stand out against less important reminders. And I don't like to carry around a ton of pens, so this 4-in-1 pen is perfect. Especially while traveling we all don't want to be burdened with a bunch of pens to make our colorful to-dos.
You know what these are for – Jot down your to-dos and self reminders. But don't confuse these as a full fledged daily planner!
Okay you can laugh at this inclusion on the list, but it's always handy to have a sticky note available to write down quick reminders. Don't treat your brain like a hard drive, off load unimportant information to any notecard in your workspace. Writing down simple notes to your self help you to stay present and focused while working.
For those that brave new frontiers in the personal productivity world, here are some next level ideas for creating your perfect workspace. These solutions won't be for everyone but maybe one or two is a fit or they inspire you try something new.
No time to get to the gym in the morning or during lunch? Test out the Cubii Jr. which is a small compact elliptical perfect for under your desk. We sit majority of the day when working, so why not harness some of that time to fitness?
If the under the desk elliptical is as daunting for you as it is for me, then the desk hammock foot rest should be more your speed. We all enjoy taking our shoes off and kicking back at our desk, and if you are able to stay comfortable and remain productive, then invest in this cool product.
First off, ask your employer to purchase a standing desk for you for health reasons. If not start with a convertible standing desk where you can switch between standing and sitting throughout the day. I like this option which allows you to add a keyboard and suspend it lower than the screen if you need.
Next best thing to a standing desk would be an exercise ball chair. If you can handle bobbing up and down and the lack of a built in back support, then this exercise ball chair is worth testing out for your work space. I like the built in ring at the base which will keep you from bouncing around the office and situated in one space.