text:
Willie Apiata
Westpac ambassador since 2014.
Willie Apiata is a quintessential Kiwi - hardworking, humble and honest. It's these qualities, honed in his home town of Te Kaha and through his career in the New Zealand Army, which led him to performing one of New Zealand's most heroic acts of bravery.
In 2004 he was awarded the honourable Victoria Cross of New Zealand for the role he played in a firefight in Afghanistan. In 2008, Apiata donated his VC to the NZSAS Trust, so that "the medal is protected for future generations".
His truly incredible story of courage, brotherhood and survival inspires Kiwi's to be more community-minded and to treasure our loved-ones. This admirable attitude is why he is widely regarded as one of the most trusted New Zealanders.
Willie has worked alongside Westpac since 2014 to foster strong, supportive communities and mentor youth to become great leaders. Willie also represents New Zealand on the global stage, inspiring our sports teams, soldiers and attending official events.
Westpac is extremely proud to work with Willie to inspire New Zealand's future leaders,support our communities and to help us grow a better New Zealand for future generations.
Westpac Sponsorships
Growing the next generation of environmentalists
BLAKE Leader Award - Youth Category
New Zealand War Memorial - Le Quesnoy, France
Business Excellence Award Registration Form
New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards
Franchise Awards
Sir John Kirwan
Sophie Pascoe
Richie McCaw

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Not sure many old school fans are going to like this one. Again they have gone away from the cotton shirt that all the fans are happy with for the plastic feeling one. The best shirt for now has yo be the euro/LV offering at least it has the classic hoops and its made of cotton.


Piano is a very interesting instrument and even though it may seem difficult to learn, I use various creative skills to teach and make it seem easy. Some of these skills include using audios, and colorful keys i.e pasting colorful papers on each key so that the student can understand and remember what she/he is been taught. Application and feedback is also very key.
My work with my students involves creating a program that suits my students needs, we map out goals and assess our goals every week.


Farécla is proud to have earned a reputation for delivering excellent product performance, satisfying the demands of both the professional bodyshop trade and car owners for whom only perfection will do.
The new range of G3 formula products are designed to give you all the tools you need to leave your cars paintwork fully cleaned, renovated & protected against the elements.
Motostop Belper offers the full range of Farecla products. Please call us on 01773 822511 if there is something particular you require that is not on our site & we will be more than happy to help.


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Iurii Feting: Bibinur (2009)
reviewed by Elena Monastireva-Ansdell © 2011
"Life for the Land"
Following a prominent thematic trend in Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and other post-Soviet national cinemas, Iurii Feting's beautifully filmed parable from Tatarstan sets out to reaffirm Tatar traditional values, native spirituality and the love of the ancestral land. The land, its ancient traditions and the concern over their current state lie at the center of the visual and narrative fabric of the film. The parable genre helps articulate this message, but in so doing it impedes deeper psychological analysis.
The film's title character, the eccentric old woman Bibinur whose Tatar name means "the mistress of light," personifies the moral force of the land with which her hard but virtuous life, shown in flashbacks throughout the film, is so tightly interwoven. The flashbacks are motivated by the heroine's prophetic dream at the beginning of the film: learning about her approaching demise, the woman revisits her past, while at the same time arranging for a better future for her land and the fellow-villagers she will leave behind.
In the new, capitalist reality of the 2000s the sacred land of their forefathers becomes the property of a wealthy Tatar businessman, a former villager now living abroad. His untimely death shortly after buying the land brings his sole heir, the western-raised youth Djikhangir to his ancestral village to sort out his assets. His father's purchase of this strange, destitute and god-forsaken land is a riddle to Djikhangir who intends to sell the plot to eager Chinese entrepreneurs. He nevertheless decides to spend the time afforded by the negotiations to walk around the land and understand its secret appeal. Staying at Bibinur's modest home for the night, he feels humbled by her simple life. The story of Bibinur's selfless love for her adopted children, which he clairvoyantly sees in her fogged mirror framed by old family photos, resonates strongly in the soul of the youth who has had ample material goods but little parental affection. Sensing Djikhangir's inner need to belong, Bibinur patiently guides him in discovering the land of his ancestors and its immense potential. She connects him not only with the land's past but also its future: from a wise villager tending to a destroyed mosque Djikhangir learns that generations of his ancestors served as local mullahs; he later decides to gift "his" land to Bibinur's teenage protégé, a troubled but earnest orphan who overcomes his lack of belief and puts his special talents to use by serving his people as a mullah.
Following in the wake of Ildar Iagafarov's internationally acclaimed Kuktau (2004), Bibinur was seen by some critics as an encouraging sign of a new trend, the emergence of Tatarstan national cinema within the Russian national film industry. This sentiment certainly guided the organizers of the 32nd Moscow International Film Festival when they included Bibinur in the "Perspectives" competition (Infox.ru). Filmed by a Russian director and camera operator (Maksim Drozdov received the Golden Osella for his camerawork on Aleksei German Jr.'s Paper Soldier [Bumazhnyi soldat, 2008]), Bibinur nonetheless turns out to be an inherently Tatar film given its sources of funding, its grounding in Tatar culture and the abundant Tatar talent involved in making the film.
The film's initial budget of a half-million dollars came from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in 2006. Producer Svetlana Bukharaeva of the Tatar "Sabantuy" studio secured the additional half-million necessary for the completion of the film from Tatarstan's cultural authorities. Tatar actors playing in the film come from professional and amateur theaters across Tatarstan, including those in Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk and Almet'evsk. The film's central heroine is convincingly played by such diversely chosen performers as Firdaus Akhtyamova (the old Bibinur), Tatarstan's People's Artist and an actress at the Tatar State Theater; Rezeda Khadiullina (the young Bibinur), a student at the Moscow State Service Institute and an actress at an amateur theater in Kazan; and Renata Minvaleeva (the little Bibinur), a preschooler from St. Petersburg. Ernest Timerkhanov, a Tatar actor at St. Petersburg Lensovet Theater, quite believably plays Djikhangir, while Vali-abyi, the old keeper of the destroyed mosque is charismatically portrayed by a local villager, Nasikh Fazyarakhmanov. Fluent knowledge of Tatar was one of the criteria in choosing actors. The film is shot almost exclusively in Tatar, with a stylized male voice-over added for Russian-speaking audiences. Filmed on location in a remote Tatar village of Algai, the film is based on works by renowned Tatar writer Ayaz Gilyazov, subsequently adapted for the screen by his son, the playwright and scriptwriter Mansur Gilyazov.
Premiering in October 2009 at the Fifth Golden Minbar Festival, a Kazan-based International Festival of Muslim Cinema, Bibinur was not part of the competition due to its late submission. A year later the film won the festival's main prize just as Firdaus Akhtyamova garnered the title of the best female actress. The film was also well-received at the Eurasia International Film Festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where Rezeda Khadiullina prevailed in the category "New Name in Cinematography." Bibinur was the only Russian entry in the "Perspectives" competition at the 32nd Moscow IFF.
Even though Bibinur generated a fair amount of praise in the Russian-language press, not all aspects of the film are equally compelling. Remarkable acting and vivid cinematography coexist with a simplistic and predictable plot that does little justice to Gilyazov's original writings. The metaphoric possibilities of the parable genre, especially when compared to the literary original, are not fully realized. The film in fact appears to be circumscribed by its genre: several scenes that address the emotional theme of the search for one's roots cry out for a deeper psychological analysis of the characters' feelings, reactions and motivations. Other scenes that, by contrast, rely on heavily clichéd portrayals, seem to pull the film back into the realm of a rather simplistically conceived parable. This generic tension suggests that the director may have been subconsciously grasping for a more flexible genre of the contemporary drama to address the emotionally charged theme of understanding who we are in the globalizing world.
Drozdov's skillful camerawork transports the viewer into the enchanted world of its virtuous heroine, a world defined in opposition to the inhospitable environment in which other characters lead a rather deficient existence. A deserted misty path winding through a blooming orchard shedding its snow-white petals leads little Bibinur to the majestic old willow that houses the souls of her deceased ancestors. Brilliant sunlight reflecting off shimmering leaves combines with the vibrant colors of her ancestors' clothes to infuse the scene with a powerful life-force: though departed, Bibinur's ancestors inform her identity and imbue her with a solid moral grounding. The sturdy tree trunk that Bibinur caringly whitewashes every year and the clear spring at its roots, provide a striking contrast to the oozing ankle-deep mud that covers village roads and, in turn, the villagers. Color also lights up the harsh reality of the otherwise black-and-white film in the scenes that take place in the ruins of the old mosque. Ever since the mosque was destroyed in the early Soviet years and villagers used the stones for their own construction needs, old Vali has been collecting the fragments and assembling them at the original site. Every time characters enter Vali's sacred domain, the shot gradually transitions from black-and-white to pastel to brilliant color as if infusing those who cross the holy threshold with new life. Outside of these sacred spaces of ancestral memory and religious veneration, Bibinur's humble home stands out as a special place in the village. The light mist that perpetually envelops Bibinur's yard protectively swathes the magic apple trees planted by her late husband that are believed to possess curative powers. The theme of the family as a protective foundation is reflected in Bibinur's misty old mirror: heavily decorated with family pictures around the perimeter, it provides the contemporary viewer with the flashbacks to the heroine's difficult but wholesome past. It is in or around these special locations and objects that most meaningful exchanges between Bibinur, Djikhangir and the orphaned teenager Mansur take place. The full potential of these inherently psychological scenes, however, is consistently undercut by the psychological minimalism of the parable genre, as well as by recurring transitions to highly clichéd descriptions of the contemporary reality.
The villagers' capitalist existence is presented in a harsh black-and-white color scheme; the village is mired in mud and besieged by capitalist hawks. The enterprising Chinese not only want to build a pork canning factory on this Muslim land, but also refuse to hire local workers, because Vietnamese laborers "eat less." This level of caricature pervades other aspects of village life that are beyond the sacred realms inhabited by virtuous characters. If going to the mosque involves a gradual, contemplative change of mood and color, transitions to the muddy village scenes are consistently jarring and shocking in their vulgarity: green pastures and melodious chirping of Vali's colorful song birds, give way to croaking crows and offensively loud advertising projected from a van promoting a sleazy dish network whose name translates as "Paradise on earth." Perpetually stuck in the boggy road, the van gets a push from the eager villagers who seem not to mind getting splashed by the mud coming from its wheels. Feting's Russian and Tatar businessmen, with the singular exception of Djikhangir, appear in similarly exaggerated and unbelievable terms: they are crude caricatures depicting unscrupulous deal brokers or dumb grunt gangsters completely incapable of any moral reflection or spiritual transformation.
Compelling in her devotion to her adopted children and to the orphaned Mansur and Djikhangir, Bibinur nonetheless can be exasperating in her overly extolled meekness and goodness. Her self-effacing motherly nature appears particularly clichéd when contrasted with the assertiveness and pragmatism of her adopted children's urbanized aunt. The aunt, who comes to collect the children upon their mother's death, is shown in a farcical, disparaging light, even though she is obviously a successful and powerful Leningrad woman. She wears a manlike suit, smokes cigarettes and hopelessly lacks mothering skills. She bosses her brother Gabdullah and other men around to the point of breaking a doorframe in the village sovet. Most shockingly, she plans on sending the children to a boarding school in Leningrad. In an obvious contrast to her sterile city-bred foil, Bibinur's virginal body spontaneously produces breast milk to feed the orphaned children. Such jarring disparity between the two female characters, while reminiscent of the Veronika-Irina contrast in Cranes Are Flying (Letiat zhuravli, Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957) lacks its psychological and ideological complexity. Other female characters in the film also fail to approach the impossible ideal set by the title heroine: other than a compassionate post office clerk, most of the village women come across as quarrelsome, selfish and materialistic. It is almost ironic then, that Bibinur's adopted children have all forgotten her in their pursuit of urban and western comforts, while her quarrelsome romantic rival's daughter lives with her parents and expects a child. Bibinur's adopted son now lives in the United States; he has not written or called his mother for years, and declines to talk to her when Djikhangir contacts him by mobile phone. After so many years of silence, the son's unwillingness to engage (he offers only the lame excuse that he is driving and has to keep his eyes on the road), deprives the audience of any greater understanding of their relationship.
The failure of the plot to touch the viewer more profoundly is especially disappointing given that the original work by Ayaz Gilyazov, written in the spirit of village prose, provides deeply moving and subtly metaphorical inquiries into the moral and spiritual state of Tatar society in the early 1980s. In interviews with the filmmaker and producer there is much confusion about the original sources for the film, but out of the several works mentioned, the novel On a Friday Night (V piatnitsu vecherom, 1980) appears to have the most relevance for the film. However, even here the scriptwriter Mansur Gilyazov discards the original plot, reducing the novel's complex symbolism and psychological depth to an easily digestible parable.
In the novel, the symbolism of Bibinur's light-giving name and nature is meaningfully reinforced by other light and fire imagery. Perpetually short of money due to her small pension, Bibinur buys cheap matches at the village store as an admittance pass to this contemporary social hub. This incidental detail is later used to highlight the heroine's romantic passion, spirituality, and ardent devotion to her adopted children. Early in the novel, Bibinur attends the funeral of the village chairman (notably named Djikhangir) whom she both respected and secretly loved. Having never experienced romantic passion before due to the necessity to devote her life to those in need, the old Bibinur belatedly finds the love of her life in a much younger man who has inspired her with his determination to improve village life and morals. After the funeral she uses her matches to light a campfire near a cemetery wall. Reflecting upon her unnoticed presence at the funeral, she wonders if it was her transparent, grief-stricken soul in the shape of a butterfly wing, and not her physical body, that followed her beloved to his final home. The imagery of a butterfly and an open flame central to the scene evokes Sufi poetry with its prominent trope of a moth burning in a candle in order to fuse with the Divine. If this peaceful and reflective scene conveys Bibinur's longing to rejoin the Creator, then the novel's final scene, also involving fire, is emotionally anguished and disturbing. On her way through the woods to save her estranged children, Bibinur is attacked by wild dogs. Climbing up a tree, she uses her matches to light up a branch to scare the dogs away. When the whole tree suddenly catches fire the badly injured Bibinur tries to extinguish the flames to prevent a forest fire, while the wild dogs lurk in the dark. Her lonely and painful demise brought about by her children's moral failings highlights the tragedy of the materialistic and soulless society as a whole. Bibinur does not save her land and her people, but she does attempt to remain a loving mother to the children who failed her until her last breath.
This complex metaphysical subtext built upon fire imagery devolves in the film to a poorly conceived ploy used to prepare the heroine's actions in the climactic scene. In Bibinur's prophetic dream, the wise Vali gives her a box of matches with a Soviet emblem on the cover. Upon waking she takes the box to the old man who briefly comments that "matches mean fire, fire means death." As if not trusting the viewer's ability to make connections, Feting on not just one, but two occasions makes Bibinur fetch kerosene from her barn to light up damp wood in her stove. He additionally reminds the viewer about her possession of the matchbox by having her light Djikhangir's cigarette after his bodyguards fail to do so with their fancy lighters. In one of the flashbacks, Bibinur's husband refuses to wait while she fetches him matches thus foreboding his death on the assignment. As a result of these constant reminders, the audience comes well prepared for the climactic scene, in which Bibinur saves Djikhangir's life by using kerosene to blow up a killer hired to shoot him. Tied up in her barn from which the killer takes aim, Bibinur opens the familiar valve and saturates the hay around her with kerosene thereby initiating the fatal explosion. The snow-like ashes caused by the conflagration produce a conversion in Mansur who earlier stated that only snow in the middle of the summer would make him believe in God. This incongruous plot twist takes Sufi fire imagery to an entirely different level.
Similar instances of crude imagery or needless repetition include excessive cuts to both the dish-TV van and the old willow. The story of the old mosque is also told one time too many just as the symbolism of Mansur's final call to prayer from the ruins of the old mosque is needlessly spelled out when at the very end the film cuts to a contemporary city in which the now omnipresent satellite dishes project their message of Paradise on Earth to the oblivious masses. This latent distrust of his viewers' ability to hear his metaphorical "call to prayer" locks Feting in the confines of the self-imposed genre thereby hindering his discussion of Tatar national identity at a deeper level.
Elena Monastireva-Ansdell
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Afanas'eva, Natal'ia "Perspektivy tatarskogo eposa i pol'skogo istoricheskogo iumora." Infox.ru, 21 June 2010.
Bibinur, Russia, 2009
98 minutes, black & white and color
Director: Iurii Feting
Scriptwriters: Mansur Gilyazov, Iurii Feting
Director of Photography: Maksim Drozdov
Composer: Radik Salimov
Producer: Svetlana Bukharaeva
Cast: Firdaus Akhtyamova, Ernest Timerkhanov, Ruslan Mustafin, Nasikh Fazyarakhmanov, Rezeda Khadiullina, Renata Minvaleeva, Nailya Gareeva
Production: Sabantuy Studio with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and Tatarkino of the Ministry of Culture of Tatarstan
Languages: Tartar, Russian


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Dogs, the Rhythm Method and a Moon Base
February 18, 2012 · by JD · in Political · 1 Comment
The run-up to the nomination of the eventual GOP standard bearer has moved into decidedly hysterical territory. Apparently the thought of a Moon Base, which Mr. Gingrich emphasized would naturally be an American Moon Base, satisfied my neighbors in SC, and they decided that Newt Gingrich would make a fine President (further illustrating my need to move out of the Dirty South). My friend Dan Medeiros thoughtfully laid out the absurdity of a Moon Base in his wonderfully comical piece, Optimism and Lunacy in the state of Moontana. Newt triumphantly took the torch as the latest leader in the Republican race with his trouncing of Mitt Romney in SC and headed south to the phallic-shaped state of Florida.
Mitt Romney felt the need to step up his game to the tune of $14 million in advertising during the stretch of the campaign that led to the Sunshine State Primary election. It's been reported that over 90% of this advertising in Florida was negative, with most of it targeted against Newt Gingrich, looking to topple him off of the high horse he was riding as he rode south out of South Carolina. This led to a concession speech by Newt Gingrich in Florida that sounded more like a victory speech. I imagine at some point, perhaps when the attack ads surpassed the $10 million mark, Newt started taking it personally. But it seems to have had a real effect as Newt Gingrich has been spiraling down the perennial polls ever since.
Mitt Romney has been saddled with the heavy weight of his odd statements during the campaign, that I imagine will make a fabulous commercial when you string them all together. But having stumbled across a website entitled Dogs Against Romney, I think that Mr. Romney's political career may not survive the combination of his personal oddity, the manner in which he made his millions, the way he shelters his money off shore to avoid US taxes, his particular flavor of religious predilection, and the casual, joking manner in which he shrugs off his abuse of man's best friend.
By now you may have heard the tale of Mitt Romney putting his Irish Setter in a crate, strapping that crate to the roof of the family car, and driving from Boston to Canada on vacation. The terrified pooch lost control of his bowels and let loose a stream of diarrhea that alerted the young Romney boys as the rear windows featured a river of brown fecal matter. Romney, in his unflappable manner, pulled into the first available gas station, rinsed off the excrement of fear, and got back on the road. What struck me as the most appalling aspect of this affair is his response in an interview with FOX's Chris Wallace in which he laughs about it, proclaims that the crate was "airtight" (which of course would have killed the poor Setter in an agonizing suffocation), and even had the gall to say that the dog loved to ride up there and used to jump up on the roof on his own. Mr. Romney's slide into the most disliked man in America may be inevitable.
Which brings us to the rise of the Knight of Magistral Grace of the Knights of Malta, Rick Santorum. I mistakenly categorized Mr. Santorum as a second-tier candidate in my preview of the GOP race last spring. In what can only be described as a political shockwave, Rick Santorum now leads all his competitors in National Polls. Coming off a trio of wins in some states that I'm not sure mean anything (no offense Missouri), Rick's brand of social conservatism, aka radical extremism, has caught on with an increasingly desperate Republican electorate. How else could one explain that a man who has said these kinds of ridiculous things during this campaign, may now represent the GOP's best hope to regain the White House?
Catholic Bishops, roused out of covering for pedophiles and dodging the taxman, descended upon Washington, DC to protest mandatory insurance coverage for birth control. The Catholic Church believes every sperm to be sacred and opposes all forms of women trying to take control of their lives, preferring them caught in the animal cycle of reproduction. Astonishingly, the GOP leadership has jumped on this Crazy Train and made this a fight they're willing to have in an election year. Rick Santorum, feeling this groundswell of support, took to the airwaves to say that while some people may not think it's a President's job to concern himself with the sexual behavior of consenting adults, he disagrees.
"One of the things I will talk about that no President has talked about before is I think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea. Many in the Christian faith have said, "Well, that's okay. Contraception's okay."
It's not okay because it's a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. They're supposed to be within marriage; they are supposed to be for purposes that are, yes, conjugal, but also procreative. That's the perfect way that a sexual union should happen."
Ignoring the obvious issue of the impending population bottleneck as the planet exceeds 7 billion humans, and the economic issues facing Americans who try to raise families, one has to wonder how choosing to force women into paying for contraception by allowing employers and insurance carriers to opt out of providing coverage for it, even when it's medically prescribed, is a winning political platform.
So Faithful Reader, here we find ourselves, in the midst of a race to displace President Barack Obama from his perch atop the US political hierarchy. The men who seek to do so seem more unfit with each passing day. As the economic news continues to improve and public confidence continues to climb, I have seen nothing that would change my opinion from my early previews of this race: I don't think the President has to worry about calling the moving company to come pack up his stuff yet.
Tags: 2012, Birth Control, Catholicism, Dogs against Romney, Election, GOP, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Politics, presidential politics, Rick Santorum, Women's Reproductive Rights
Rick Ladd · February 22, 2012 - 12:03 PM · Reply→
Excellent pseudo-analysis =;^D. God (if you'll pardon the expression), these are some fucked-up, hate-filled jackasses.
← Calling All Humanists
Christians and The Second Commandment →


text:
// Copyright 2011-2016 Google LLC
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.

package com.google.security.zynamics.binnavi.Gui.MainWindow.ProjectTree.Actions;

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;

import javax.swing.AbstractAction;
import javax.swing.JFrame;

import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
import com.google.security.zynamics.binnavi.Database.Interfaces.IDatabase;
import com.google.security.zynamics.binnavi.Gui.HotKeys;
import com.google.security.zynamics.binnavi.Gui.MainWindow.Implementations.CDatabaseFunctions;

/**
 * Action class that can be used to refresh the raw modules of a database.
 */
public final class CRefreshRawModulesAction extends AbstractAction {
  /**
   * Used for serialization.
   */
  private static final long serialVersionUID = -1897655675643051878L;

  /**
   * Parent window used for dialogs.
   */
  private final JFrame m_parent;

  /**
   * Database whose raw modules should be refreshed.
   */
  private final IDatabase m_database;

  /**
   * Creates a new action object.
   *
   * @param parent Parent window used for dialogs.
   * @param database Database whose raw modules should be refreshed.
   */
  public CRefreshRawModulesAction(final JFrame parent, final IDatabase database) {
    super("Refresh");
    m_parent = Preconditions.checkNotNull(parent, "IE01909: Parent argument can't be null");
    m_database = Preconditions.checkNotNull(database, "IE01910: Database argument can't be null");

    putValue(ACCELERATOR_KEY, HotKeys.REFRESH_RAW_MODULES_ACCELERATOR_KEY.getKeyStroke());
    putValue(MNEMONIC_KEY, (int) "HK_MENU_REFRESH_RAW_MODULES".charAt(0));
  }

  @Override
  public void actionPerformed(final ActionEvent event) {
    CDatabaseFunctions.refreshRawModules(m_parent, m_database);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Read about the 4C Project in the news!
The EC has launched a major new project to help organizations invest confidently in digital curation and preservation.
4C - 'the Collaboration to Clarify the Costs of Curation' – brings together 13 agencies in 7 different countries so that organizations can approach their investment in data curation and preservation with greater certainty and with greater clarity about what they'll get back in return.


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Monday 25 June 2018 (other days)
Let us rejoice in the Lord, with songs let us praise him.
Other saints: Saint Luan (520 - 592)
Saint Moluag, (Lua, Luan, Murlach, or Lugaidh) was the first bishop of Argyll and the Isles. He was a hugely important associate of Columba. Whilst Columba worked among the Celts, Moluag worked among the Picts. Columba settled on Iona, Moluag on Lismore.
He was trained at Bangor and went on to found 100 monastic settlements in Ireland and Scotland. He settled in Clachan, Kintyre and at Lismore, which was to become the seat of the Bishop of Argyll & the Isles.
He died at Rossmarkie on the Moray Firth on June 25th 592.
Barra Catholic
Second Reading: St Gregory of Nyssa (335 - 395)
Gregory of Nyssa was the younger brother of St Basil of Caesarea ("St Basil the Great"). He, Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, "Gregory of Nazianzus", are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They were active after the Council of Nicaea, working to formulate Trinitarian doctrine precisely and, in particular, to pin down the meaning and role of the least humanly comprehensible member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Basil was the leader and organizer; Gregory of Nazianzus was the thinker, the orator, the poet, pushed into administrative and episcopal roles by circumstances and by Basil; and Gregory of Nyssa, although not a great stylist, was the most gifted of the three as a philosopher and theologian. Together, the Cappadocian Fathers hammered out the doctrine of the Trinity like blacksmiths forging a piece of metal by hammer-blows into its perfect, destined shape. They were champions – and successful champions – of orthodoxy against Arianism, a battle that had to be conducted as much on the worldly and political plane as on the philosophical and theological one.
The works of Gregory of Nyssa whose extracts appear as Second Readings are not as rhetorically beautiful as those of Gregory of Nazianzus, who was an acclaimed orator; but they are helpful and clear. Most of them are commentaries on Scripture passages. They involve the mind and deepen the understanding.
Leviticus 20:26 ©
Be consecrated to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I will set you apart from all these peoples so that you may be mine.
Wisdom 15:1,3 ©
You, our God, are kind, loyal and slow to anger, and you govern all things with mercy. To acknowledge you is indeed the perfect virtue, to know your power is the root of immortality.
Baruch 4:21-22 ©
Take courage, my children, call on God: he will deliver you from tyranny, from the hands of your enemies; for I look to the Eternal for your rescue, and joy has come to me from the Holy One at the mercy soon to reach you from your saviour, the Eternal.


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HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro awarded with two accolades at The Times of India Gadgets Now Awards
NEW DELHI, 31 JANUARY 2019: At a glittering awards ceremony organised by Gadgets Now, one of the leading technology website, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro was awarded with honorary title of 'Best Innovative Smartphone of the year' and 'Best Camera Smartphone of the Year' under the jury and people choice category.
The entry was shortlisted by a jury that included veterans from tech industry, such as Prasanto Kumar Roy, former Nasscom VP, Subho Ray, President, IAMAI, Kishore Bhargava, CEO, Linkaxis Technologies, Nalin Mehta Editor, Times Of India ( Digital ) and Manisha Singh, Editor at Gadgets Now. HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro has been awarded as the best innovative smartphone of the year for introducing many first innovations in the industry.
Delivering the best-in-class on device experience, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is the perfect example of strength and style representing the pinnacle in mobile luxury and innovation. The smartphone is powered by Huawei's densest and highest performing system on chip (SoC) to date—the Kirin 980. Manufactured with the advanced 7 nm process incorporating the powerful Cortex-A76-based CPU and Mali-G76 GPU, the SoC offers improved performance and a smooth user experience. The smartphone comes with the world's first 40 W HUAWEI Super Charger that can charge the phone's long lasting 4,200 mAh battery to 70% charge in 30 minutes. It also comes with feature like reverse charging.
With the world's first On board AI Kirin 980 processor and dedicated NPU, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro Series automatically identifies more than 1,500 scenarios across 25 categories and selects photography modes and camera settings to deliver incredible, professional-looking images - even for amateur photographers. The new camera enables consumers to enjoy true macro performance without splurging for a dedicated macro lens. HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is the industry's first smartphone to support macro photography, capable of focusing on an object as close as 2.5cm—exceeding even the capability of the human eye.
The product has received over 11 awards across various categories- 'Phone of The Year' in the 91mobiles Smartphone Awards, In addition to this, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro was also bestowed awards by leading publications such as, Digit, Stuff, MKBHD, Android Headlines, among others.


text:
Zieria hydroscopica är en vinruteväxtart som beskrevs av Duretto & P.I.Forst.. Zieria hydroscopica ingår i släktet Zieria och familjen vinruteväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Vinruteväxter
hydroscopica

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Neptune shipyard launches AIDAnova engine unit in Germany
Meyer Group unit Neptun shipyard has unveiled the first of two floating engine room units (FERU) for the AIDAnova cruise ship in Rostock, Germany.
The 120m-long, 42m-wide engine module is set to be transferred to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where AIDAnova is currently being built for AIDA Cruises.
It is expected to begin its three-day journey today (25 September), depending on weather conditions.
The module is approximately three decks high and carries AIDAnova's four dual-fuel Caterpillar engines.
AIDAnova is due to be completed by next year and will be able to operate both in ports and at sea using environmentally friendly and low emission fossil fuel.
The ship expects to almost eradicate emissions of fine dust and sulphur oxides by using LNG, as well as permanently reduce the emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases.
AIDA Cruises notes that more than 500 shipyard workers and 500 external employees are currently engaged in the construction of AIDAnova at the Neptun shipyard.
"The 180,000t AIDAnova vessel will feature more than 2,500 staterooms and is expected to provide cruise services around the Canary Islands in Spain."
Additionally, 120 Caterpillar employees are involved in the assembly of the engines.
The 180,000t AIDAnova vessel will feature more than 2,500 staterooms and is expected to provide cruise services around the Canary Islands in Spain from December next year.
The second ship of the same class is expected to join AIDA Cruises' fleet by 2021.
Meyer Werft Papenburg will be responsible for construction of the vessel.
Image: AIDAnova's first floating engine room unit lifted into the water at Neptun shipyard in Germany. Photo: courtesy of AIDA Cruises.
Martechnic
Oil Quality Management
Techwind MarineLifts
Lift Installation and Maintenance Services for Ships


One can find numerous guys who are afflicted by gynecomastia, in which case surplus tissue builds around the breast area. This condition might lead to high levels of anxiousness. Males might find it quite awkward to participate in certain sporting events, given that the extra tissue around the breast region brings about a soreness, or due to the fact it might be necessary to lose their shirts. There might be several triggers that bring about male breasts. One reason may be that the unwanted surplus breast tissue was produced during puberty and refused to leave. Then again, in case you truly desire to feel cozy in your body again, you might always consider gynecomastia (male breast reduction) in your city.
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With regards to bilateral mastectomy gynecomastia, you're going to discover particular pluses and minuses to look at. Regrettably, men and women have a tendency to ignore the drawbacks and give attention to the strengths. However, the downsides deserve more attention, considering the fact that they may affect the choice. Consequently, spend time on exploring the downsides. You may not even acknowledge some of them, or there might be ways of getting rid of some others. It is vital to know both sides.
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text:
Q: Determine single unique substring per string in list of strings with shared prefix or suffix Suppose I have a list of strings with a shared prefix &/or suffix.
I want to determine the single unique substring per string.
IF the strings share neither prefix nor suffix, return an empty string.
examples:
1
Input:
      { "Katie walked to the beach in her fresh new kicks",
        "Katie walked to the arcade in her fresh new kicks",
        "Katie walked to the gazebo in her fresh new kicks"}
Output:
      { "beach",
        "arcade",
        "gazebo"}
--------------------------------------------------------
2
Input:
      { "Eric walked home with nothing",
        "Brad jogged home with nothing",
        "Brad jogged home with seven bucks"}
Output:
      {""}
--------------------------------------------------------
3
Input:
      { "Jill had fun",
        "Jill had salad for lunch",
        "Jill had twins!" }
Output:
      {"fun",
       "salad for lunch",
       "twins!"}
--------------------------------------------------------
4
Input:
      { "Bread",
        "Butter",
        "Bill Nye" }
Output:
      {"read",
       "utter",
       "ill Nye"}

interested in pseudocode, java code, or suggestions.
EDIT:  thank you, commenters & answerers, for helping me understand this problem better -- my question was nonsense, as worded earlier.  hopefully it is consistent now.  i think some of these answers are correct, i will examine w/in a couple days

A: Try this.
static List<String> uniqueString(List<String> lines) {
    List<String> uniques = new ArrayList<>();
    if (lines.size() == 0) return uniques;
    String prefix = lines.get(0);
    String suffix = lines.get(0);
    for (String s : lines) {
        while (!s.startsWith(prefix))
            prefix = prefix.substring(0, prefix.length() - 1);
        while (!s.endsWith(suffix))
            suffix = suffix.substring(1);
    }
    if (prefix.length() == 0 && suffix.length() == 0)
        uniques.add("");
    else
        for (String s : lines)
            uniques.add(s.substring(prefix.length(), s.length() - suffix.length()));
    return uniques;
}

@Test
public void testUniqueSubstrig() {
    System.out.println(uniqueString(Arrays.asList(
        "Katie walked to the beach in her fresh new kicks",
        "Katie walked to the arcade in her fresh new kicks",
        "Katie walked to the gazebo in her fresh new kicks"
    ))); // -> [beach, arcade, gazebo]
    System.out.println(uniqueString(Arrays.asList(
        "Eric walked home with nothing",
        "Brad jogged home with nothing",
        "Brad jogged home with seven bucks"
    ))); // -> []
    System.out.println(uniqueString(Arrays.asList(
        "Jill had fun",
        "Jill had salad for lunch",
        "Jill had twins!"
    ))); // -> [fun, salad for lunch, twins!]
    System.out.println(uniqueString(Arrays.asList(
        "Bread",
        "Butter",
        "Bill Nye"
    ))); // -> [read, utter, ill Nye]
}

A: Ignoring example (2), which should give the output mentioned by @j_random_hacker, we could use the following simple method which has O(n) time complexity:

*

*Start from index 0 and go to the right until there is a mismatch in characters. Let this be at 'l'.

*Start from the end of the string and go to the left while counting characters until there is a mismatch in characters. Let this be at 'r'.

The substrings you need are between 'l' and 'r' (inclusive) from all of the strings.
For example:
Input:
      { "Jill had fun.",
        "Jill had salad.",
        "Jill had twins." }
Step1 gives: 8 for all three strings (this should always be a single index)
Step2 gives: 1. This maps to 11, 13, 13. (string-length - r)
Hence the substrings are 8-11, 8-13, 8-13 which are {"fun", "salad", "twins"}.
EDIT: This needs to be special-cased for the case there l==0 and r==0. In that case we need to return "" as per the new wording of the problem. Note that the special case is not ugly; it in fact captures the departure from semantics in the problem perfectly.

A: Assuming that all the strings start with the same text, "Katie walked to the ", use this snippet:
String place = "Katie walked to the YOUR_PLACE_HERE".split(" ")[4];

In a method:
public String[] getPlaces(String[] strings) {
    String[] places = new String[strings.length];
    for (int i = 0; i < strings.length; i++) {
        places[i] = strings[i].split(" ")[4];
    }
    return places;
}

A more versatile method would be:
public static String[] getPlaces(String[] strings, String splitString) {
    String[] places = new String[strings.length];
    for (int i = 0; i < strings.length; i++) {
        places[i] = strings[i].split(" ")[splitString.split(" ").length];
    }
    return places;
}

A: you can also try this simple way using regex!
 public static void main(String[] args) {
 String[] str = new String[4];
 str[0] = "Katie walked to the beach in her fresh new kicks";
 str[1] = "Katie walked to the arcade in her fresh new kicks";
 str[2] = "Katie walked to the gazebo in her fresh new kicks";
 str[3] = "Katie walked to the mall in her fresh new kicks";

 for (int i = 0; i<str.length; i++) {
 System.out.println(str[i].replaceAll("Katie|walked|to|the|in|her|fresh|new|kicks", ""));
 }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Public release of a report on the readiness of key Government agencies to cope with Y2K issues will act as a powerful incentive for those lagging to improve their act, said Associate Minister of State Services and Minister for Information Technology, Maurice Williamson today. Mr Williamson was commenting on a report to Government from the State Service Commission's Y2K project office which shows how prepared departments and agencies were late in 1998 to manage the Year 2000 problem.
The report is just one of the measures in the Government's ongoing strategy to manage problems arising from the changeover to the Year 2000.
"This report is an early warning system for Government and the public. It shows where the areas of concern are, what measures have been taken and where efforts need to be concentrated.
"Our first priority is to the public who want to be informed and know they can have confidence in publicly provided services when we move into the new millennium.
"While most Government agencies were well advanced in their preparations, others still had much work in front of them."
The assessments in the report were based on information gathered in late 1998 and most agencies would have made significant further progress since then, Mr Williamson said.
"This is the first check up on departments progress on Y2K readiness. This is the first in a number of regular reports that Government will release so the public can see progress for themselves. "This report is a consistent benchmark for government and the public to measure progress against.
"While I am pleased the report has identified areas for improvement, overall progress to date gives me confidence that the state sector has taken on board this Government's commitment to this critical issue. "Careful monitoring of Y2K readiness in the state sector will continue in the interests of New Zealanders. Ministers will be reminding chief executives and boards of the need for continued vigilance and to reallocate their resources to this critical priority," he said.
Mr Williamson said that he hoped the Government's example in releasing its own report would encourage private sector organisations to do the same.
The New Zealand public has a right to know what's going on, not just in the Government sector, but right across New Zealand, said Mr Williamson.
In the past two weeks, the Government's Y2K Readiness Commission has launched its campaign to raise Y2K readiness among New Zealand's 240,000 strong small business sector. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has also issued Y2K compliance guidelines for consumers who own, or are intending to buy, household appliances that contain computer technology.
"In March and April, the Y2K Readiness Commission will be taking the message to businesspeople and local government chief executives attending a Y2K summit in Wellington at the end of March.
"When it comes to Y2K, there are no alternatives. We have one opportunity to get it right, we know the deadline and the Government is determined to see it is met so that the public of New Zealand can have confidence in the services provided by Government that they depend on," Mr Williamson said.
The report will be available on the Y2K Readiness Commission website at www.Y2K.govt.nz.


Depending on the nature of the accident, the first insurance claim should be against the insurance of the at-fault party. For example, let's say you're hurt in a car accident caused by the other driver. That person's insurance is responsible for covering your injuries. It is critical that you contact an attorney before you have any sort of conversation or meeting with the at-fault insurance representative.
Should you find out that the other party was uninsured, the next point of contact for your coverage is your insurance company. If you have Personal Injury Protection (PIP)then be aware that this covers not only your medical expenses but lost wages. However, you may need to pay your co-pay or deductible when you access your PIP coverage.
If you're facing surgery, rehabilitation or other therapy for a life-altering injury caused by someone else's negligence in their home or on their property, their home owner's liability insurance should cover your injuries from the event. If they are uninsured or under-insured, your health insurance should provide you with treatment while you're waiting on the outcome of your case, though you will need to receive refusals or "declines" from these other insurance options before applying your care needs to your personal health insurance.
Depending on the extent of your injuries and the ultimate result of your case, your insurance needs may change. For example, if you are assessed after all possible medical treatment and this review determines that you are fully disabled, you will eventually be eligible for Medicare upon receiving your disability status.
While your case is pending, there should be no gap in your health insurance unless you are unable to pay to keep your health insurance in place. Depending on the insurance status of the person who harmed you, the first path to place claims are their insurance, then to seek coverage from your own insurance. Should you need to turn to your own health insurance for medical care related to an injury, your insurance has a right to reimbursement from any final settlement. In fact, if and when you receive a settlement, be aware that your health insurance may file a lien on your settlement to cover their expenses incurred while covering treatment for your injury.
This is called subrogation, and it's one of the many reasons you want an attorney on your side during this difficult time. Most health insurance companies have subrogation clauses as a standard part of their contract language. Looking at it from their point of view, it makes some sense; if you hadn't been injured, they wouldn't be out the money for your care, so if you receive a settlement from the person who injured you, they should get a portion of that settlement. They are not, however, entitled to a full list price payout of any tests, diagnostic tools, surgeries, medications or therapies. Subrogation only entitles your health insurance to be reimbursed for what they actually spent on your care. Because they pay an adjusted price agreed to after negotiation, that is the amount for which they get reimbursed.
Should you be found to be fully disabled, however, you will be eligible for Medicare two years after you start to receive disability payments per the SSA website. Some states offer a gap coverage while you wait for Medicare to be made available to you. Your attorney and your health care providers can give you information on what options are available for your care in your state.
Suffering a life-altering injury at the hands of a negligent person can be very frightening. It's tempting to want to clear away the damage and anxiety and quickly move forward as best you can. Do not act in haste. Contact an attorney to help you make the best decisions for you and your loved ones. It may lead to a fight, but with the right team on your side, it's a fight you can win.
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Cyberspace is very quiet! Where is everyone, are there no travelers on the information superhighway? Since I posted my first each ONE REACH one blog, no-one has replied! I thought blogs were about conversations, not monologues!!!!
Maybe the questions I have been asking are not unique?
Someone leant me a book a while back – a short one 'cos otherwise I'd probably not have read it! It was by Mark Greene, and called "Imagine – how we can reach the UK." [It is usually the titles of books that do the most for me – when I left the NAO to move here, my old pastor gave me a book called "The art of pastoring – without the answers!"] The idea of being imaginative and creative got me thinking – with such a creative God, such a fantastic role model to follow, how can we be creative with the timeless truths we've been entrusted?
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to "set forth the truth plainly for God has made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God." (2 Cor 4:2 & 6 paraphrased). When I think of this, I think of Aesop's fable, of the wind and the sun competing and battling to get a traveler's cloak off. The wind battered the individual, and the traveler pulled his cloak tighter; the sun sweated, and the traveler voluntarily took his cloak off.
The message of Christianity is true! Jesus really lived, really died and really rose again, it was an event in history. It is an event that gives real hope for a hurting world, and when we realise what we've been rescued from and for what, we should be the happiest people on the planet (or at least in Preston!!!) In fact we should be so happy, that we shine infectiously so people see something attractive in us that makes them want to know more.
If you could reach one person, who would it be?
If you could reach one person, what would you have to do differently to what you do now?
How can you invest in someone's life over the next 12-months to walk with them towards Jesus?
It was from this that the creative thinking sprang. Christianity, and being part of an incredible family should be attractive, it should be fun, yes fun! It should also be natural, not forced, pressurised or heavy, but an integrity that says this is real, it's the best thing you could ever do, but it's your choice.
That's not to ignore the battles of life – but as that great philosopher Adrian Plass wrote, "you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow!" And that's why each ONE REACH one is about intentionally journeying with people toward Jesus, something that we've developed and still are developing here at FFMC, and something that I'll talk about more in my next blog!
But for now, how can you shine with an attractiveness that makes being a Christian the best choice anyone can ever make?
In the interests of constructive and meaningfull evangelism, how do you as a church propse that we meet a need to reach people whose opinon of church is very negative due to people(s) unfriendly and negative reaction to meeting new people.
I recently took a group of guys along to a community garden project near where I live and attached to my local church. unfortunatley they recieved a negative reaction. Is this because as a church today we are not good at welcoming new poeple or is it that we may need to change how we do church, not our message but the way we get out an meet new poeple. Was not Jesus counter cultural and even subversive in his dealings with the pharisees and other people he me during his life time. When looking at the way jesus met people, should we not be doing the same?
I can only suggest that we need to reach out in a non judgemental way and accept people for who they are not what we think they may have done.
I think that "Little Brother" has a good point. How do we reach out. The power of personal relationships is still key to the way that we do evangelism, but I there comes a point where that personal relationship need to meet "the church". We need to make sure that the meeting is as fantastic as it can be.
I'm not sure Jesus was counter cultural, it depends on what you think defines the culture of his day. Was the culture defined by the elite, or by the people that Jesus met with every day.
In response to your first question: In order for it to be a conversation then you need to comment elsewhere too. Where else are you commenting? I'd be interested to find out.
Thanks Little Brother, great question and one I guess we are not alone in having to answer!
Jesus encouraged the Disciples to "go" and make disciples of all nations, yet so often as Christians our message is "come" (and before anyone says, I know Jesus told a parable of a banquet where he said come as well!) In evangelism there are two general philosophies – "centripetal" and "centrifugal" evangelism. One pushes everything to the centre (internal to the church) the other pushes everything to the edge (outside the church).
Personally I think we need to balance our approach between inviting people to come to us, and going to meet them. Both are important. But when you go and meet people where they are, as Jesus did being counter culture, you say to people that you value them enough to give them your most precious gift – time. As you do this, and people meet you on their turf, barriers get eroded. What we are finding is that as we do this, people say I want to know more and begin to journey with us. And that is important – journeying with people, not asking them to take a leap on their own.
So in answer to your question I'd respond with each ONE REACH one. If we take responsibility for our friends so that we journey with them, we bring them into our circle of friends; if our friends know what we are trying to do I believe because they value us and share our heart, there is more chance of a warm welcome for the new person.
But have fun as well – nothing puts people at ease quicker than a joke and a laugh, seeing that being a Christian doesn't mean having a sense of humour bypass!!! No Christian lobotomies here!!! Ask Graham C – I know he loves my jokes!!! Mind you, no-one bought me a new joke book for Christmas……..
Stop telling the jokes? Have you heard the one about…….
Well the responses from my comments about Jesus being counter cultural appears to have had some response!
I also belive strongly that there are lessons we can learn form this "perhaps thinking outside the nice christian box" would be a start.
I guess there are many ways in how we reach out to people and the way that works for me, may or may not work for you!
As such I have only made comments on "big brothers" (Chris Drury) sermon as it gave me cause for thought!
I look forward to hearing any other comments and or sermons in the future!
I'm leaving a message here just to see if you receive the email notification.


text:
Remember The Wrestler: Erick Schmitt, Clarinda
by Joshua Swafford on April 22, 2020
This is the first wrestler from Clarinda that I have written about in one of these and I hope it's not the last, for Clarinda has produced some seriously good wrestlers. Whenever we (Mepo) met up with Clarinda at state or wherever it may have been, it was kind of like when we met up with South Tama and Winterset…which means it seemed like we only had 1-2 guys who actually didn't have terrible, horrible, very bad, no good days when we wrestled against them. And it's not that we were having bad days necessarily. They made us look bad… because they were so good… and balanced. We had a guy who set the Mediapolis career pins record in 1999 (which was broken 2 years later by yours truly 😉 ), and in his first trip to state, he ran into a Clarinda wrestler and was beaten worse than I had ever seen him beaten before. It was against a guy named Erick Schmitt. I have that match on tape somewhere in my house, for I just watched it a couple months ago and I wanted to wait to post this article until I found it again , but I've had no luck. I'm guessing one of my daughters did something with it for who knows what reason. Not to mention, this guy was one of my best friends back then and even though he's the most laid back dudes I know, I don't think it would be cool of me to post one match of his… which happens to be the worst beating he ever took. Anyways, take it from me, though. Erick Schmitt was really, really good. Along with that, he continues to be very supportive and although I don't know him very well, if it's one thing that has been obvious to me in our limited interactions it's that he loves Clarinda wrestling. And on a side note, this one is hands down, the one that I can personally relate to the most out of any I've done so far.
Some of those Clarinda teams of the 90's and early 2000's were great and straight up fun to watch, that is, of course if you aren't watching them while they pinned you as you were simultaneously staring at the rafters.
I started in 2nd grade and some of my buddies were doing it after school. I think I just tried it out to have something to do after school and not have to ride the bus home.
I have a nephew that wrestles in middle school for Glenwood now, but that's about it. Two other nephews gave it a shot, but didn't stick.
I mainly wrestled local tournaments in SW Iowa and had some success in those. I didn't wrestle AAU until 8th grade and think I got bounced in the blood round. A couple guys I remember going back and forth with were Mike Marshall and Shaun Sanden from Atlantic.
110-37ish
6th as a sophomore and 5th as a senior.
Most of my challenges were self-inflicted. Nutrition, cutting weight the right way, etc. Hindsight is 20/20 and there's a lot I would do different now. I always made weight, but there was an impact on performance as the season went on.
Mike Moreno is one of the best in the game. He knows how to get his teams ready and really relates well to his wrestlers. He cares just as much about his state champs as he does his JV guys. Very humble and a great role model. One of my closest friends to this day.
We had some tough teams at Clarinda in the mid-late 90's. We won traditional state in 94, runner up in 97, and 3rd in duals in 97. Probably lost less than 10 duals over the 4 years, most of those in 95.
I think everyone looked up to the Brands brothers and Lincoln McIlravyas kids back then. In HS, David Kjelgaard was on another level. I also remember the Sanderson brothers featured in Sports Illustrated for Kids when they we in grade school. That was pretty cool how that turned out.
Did you wrestle for Moreno? Were you part of the championship team?
Yes, my freshman class was his first year at Clarinda and we won the title that year with a great group of seniors. Damian Moses, Ryan Isaacson, Dave Wimberly amongst others. I made it to districts that year and got granby rolled in the 3rd period to miss out on qualifying. I have a feeling our team score would've been the same at state whether I qualified or not haha.
Did you ever watch Mike Wells in HS? Quite an animal, eh?
I actually was a volunteer assistant his sophomore year and wrestled with Wells everyday. He was fearless and a great competitor. Great on top with arm bars and was a pinner. Crazy how close he was to being a 3x champ.
What do you remember about wrestling Josh Keller from Mepo?
Haha, I know this is a loaded question. We met 1st round of state in 97 and at state duals the following week. Tough kid that just kept coming and wouldn't quit.
There are several: Yianni, Burroughs, Dake, Taylor, Cox, Lee are all a blast to watch compete. Sadulaev and Chamizo are fun to watch internationally when not wrestling Americans.
Who would you consider the GOAT Iowa HS wrestler?
David Kjelgaard was the best I ever saw in Iowa.
I think any individual losses sting in the postseason, so none really stand out. From a team standpoint, we had a big lead at Hawkeye 10 tournament when I was a senior and just melted down in the medal matches. Glenwood came back and beat us by a point or two. But we regrouped and had a good run at the state tourney a few weeks later.
If you could go back and change one thing about your wrestling career, what would it be?
I would make sure I went to practice to get better at wrestling and not cutting weight.
Most memorable was probably sectionals my freshman year. I had only been in the lineup a few weeks and pretty sure I had a losing record at the time. I won 1st round and had the top seed, who may have been state ranked in the 2nd round. I hit a throw in the first period and hung on to upset him.
Matt Anderson and Jimmy Rodgers were two of the most accomplished.
Matt Anderson. He and I were good friends through Junior High and High School. I beat him early in the year my senior, his junior year. We wrestled several more times that season and he was relentless each time. I'm not even sure he liked me anymore as a friend after that, lol.
I wrestled some freestyle in the spring/summer.
How would the guys from your day stack up against the guys today?
I think they'd do just fine. Wrestling is wrestling regardless of era. I'd say one thing I've noticed is there seem to be a lot more falls now, and i don't know what that is a byproduct of. I look at dual scores now and regularly see scores like 48-38. We would wrestle teams like Glenwood, Lewis Central, and Winterset and the scores would be like 24-20, with a bunch of tough kids in both lineups. Just doesn't seem as common now.
No, I was done after HS.
I was probably best on my feet. Good double leg, low single. No one was afraid to go underneath me, but I was solid in all positions.
How many guys in high school did you go back and forth with or exchange wins with?
Guys I recall trading wins with were Matt Anderson, Nick Rengstorf, Jason Robinson, Ben Lawrence.
I played football and a lot of N64/PlayStation back in the day.
Oh yeah. Isaacson, Dan Casey, Brad Honnold, Pat Gregory were all guys I scrapped with in the room who were around my weight. Justin Riddle was smaller, but a great leader in the room.
KC Chiefs, STL Cardinals, Nebraska and ISU in college.
Mainly raising my 2 young girls now. I used to be a lot more fun. I do play some fantasy football and FanDuel. We like to binge watch TV and travel when the kids allow us.
I can't say enough about the impact it has had. It makes a person so mentally tough and helps you to handle and bounce back from a challenge or setback and move forward. I have a great network of friends that I wouldn't have otherwise without the sport.
I live in the Dallas, TX area with my wife and 2 girls. I've been in insurance sales for about 16 years and currently work for Distinguished Programs out of NYC as a Sales Executive.
How fun is wrestling history to you?
I really dig it. It's easy for me to go down a rabbit hole watching and reliving the matches you've been posting. I love to look at old state and NCAA brackets to see how they played out.
I am just a fan at this point. I think I've been to the NCAA tournament almost every year since 1999, with only a couple misses. I watch a lot of international freestyle as well.
Ask questions and listen. Make the most out of your practice time.
No chance unless we can do 15 second periods.
In addition to some of the guys I've already named, Brent Jennings, Aaron Davidshofer, Paul Honnold, Jeff Bevins, Aaron McClain, Curt Dow all had lasting impacts as coaches. Kristi Moreno has been a wrestling mom to hundreds of us over the years and seen more matches than most who have competed. My parents and all the others for their support (time and financial).
I'm sure some reading this will remember the flooding of the Rodeway Inn after the state finals in 95. I think I was trying to sleep on the floor in about 2 inches of water.
For trivia, none really about myself. However, my friends always looked to me as the wrestling almanac to remember matches, opponents, or stats. I'm still that way, to an extent.
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