This week sees teams around the league kick off the season with media days and training camps. Actual NBA basketball is just days away.
It was at once a chaotic offseason and a quiet offseason. LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, DeMar DeRozan, and DeMarcus Cousins may have all changed teams, but many other teams stood pat, waiting for next offseason, which should be a doozy.
With the NBA season just around the corner, here's a look at where all 30 teams stand heading into training camp.
One thing to know: The Hawks made the surprising move of the draft by trading Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young while acquiring a 2019 first-round pick. A lot is now riding on Young, who many suspect GM Travis Schlenk took to be the next Stephen Curry. No pressure, Trae.
One thing to know: The Kings have a plethora of young, intriguing players. Now it's a matter of seeing which ones stick. Rookie big man Marvin Bagley III lost some luster heading into the draft, but he figures to help the Kings on the offensive end this season.
One thing to know: The disastrous Nets-Celtics trade is finally in their rearview mirror, and the Nets can reap the benefits of losing, now that they have their own draft pick. On the horizon is a large amount of cap space in a big free-agent class.
One thing to know: In Bamba, the Magic added another lengthy, athletic big man with high defensive upside, but with a questionable offensive fit. Aaron Gordon, second-year forward Jonathan Isaac, and Bamba provide length for days, but the spacing and ball-handling is still a major question for Orlando.
One thing to know: 2018-19 will be another rebuilding year for the Knicks, particularly with Kristaps Porzingis recovering from a torn ACL. As they develop the intriguing young core they've built, all eyes will be on the 2019 offseason when they have cap space and figure to be major players in free agency. Could the end of the Knicks' woes be near?
One thing to know: The Suns have an intriguing young core with Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and rookies Ayton and Bridges. They've added some veteran pieces, but are still reportedly in the market for a point guard. The Suns are in on the playoff chase, but it'll be an uphill climb.
One thing to know: There's no doubting the talent in the Bulls' core of Carter, Parker, Lauri Markkanen, and Zach LaVine, but fit and defense will be a major issue. There's a sense that this may be a make-or-break season for head coach Fred Hoiberg.
One thing to know: The Mavs were the big winners of the draft when they traded up to get Luka Doncic, the 19-year-old MVP of the Euroleague and No. 1 prospect in the minds of many. With Doncic, second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and proven veterans like Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, Dirk Nowitzki, and Jordan, the Mavs could be fringe playoff contenders this year.
One thing to know: On paper, the Pistons have the talent to compete for a playoff spot in the East, but over the last two years, the squad has underwhelmed. Will a full year with Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond together, plus Dwane Casey, be enough to put them over the edge?
One thing to know: It's fair to ask what, exactly, the Heat are doing. Miami stood pat on a roster rich in competent players, but no stars. Over the past two seasons, the Heat have a win percentage of .518, suggesting they're merely an average team. They'll compete, but at the moment, it doesn't seem as though there's much in the cards beyond a 40-44-win season.
One thing to know: Thought to be a playoff contender last year, the Grizzlies went into a nosedive after injuries to Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. They bottomed out, added a versatile big man in Jackson, and tinkered with edges. If Gasol and Conley are healthy, the Grizz will be in the playoff mix, but it's a big "if."
One thing to know: The Wolves finally broke their long playoff drought last year, but is it already over? Jimmy Butler has requested a trade and wants out sooner than later. Where he lands and what the Wolves get in return will say a lot about how their season goes.
One thing to know: The Cavs suffered a pretty big loss this offseason. In the post-LeBron world, they re-signed Kevin Love to a huge extension and took some flyers on young players. If Love can assume the No. 1 scoring role, the Cavs might have enough to contend for a low playoff seed, but it will be difficult, given how much James did for them last year.
One thing to know: The Hornets are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2017-18. They hired head coach James Borrego, a former Spurs assistant who will look to push the pace. Bridges, Parker, second-year guard Malik Monk, and a healthy Nic Batum should help the Hornets with scoring and shot-creation — major problems for them in the past.
One thing to know: The Clippers have quietly positioned themselves for tons of cap space next year while building a talented team that could compete this year. Better health from Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverley, and Avery Bradley ought to keep them in the playoff hunt again.
One thing to know: The Spurs finally broke it off with Kawhi Leonard, dealing him to the Raptors after months of drama. In return, they got DeRozan, a high-scoring guard to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge and their cast of role players. With the departures of Ginobili and Parker, it's as different as we'll ever the Spurs under Gregg Popovich, but they have the talent to stay in the playoff picture.
Biggest offseason additions:Signed Dwight Howard, traded for Austin Rivers, drafted Troy Brown Jr.
One thing to know: The Wizards have yet to evolve into the true Eastern Conference contender that many expected when they paired John Wall and Bradley Beal together. Last year's team was plagued by locker room issues, but it's unclear if the additions of Howard and Rivers, two players who have had locker room issues themselves, will help.
One thing to know: The Pelicans made an inspired run after DeMarcus Cousins' injury last season, even taking a game from the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs. On paper, they're worse without Cousins and Rondo, but Randle should thrive next to Anthony Davis, and if Jrue Holiday plays as he did in the playoffs, the Pelicans should be right back in the mix.
One thing to know: The Blazers flamed out of the playoffs in an embarrassing first-round sweep to the Pelicans. But they're counting on continuity, with two All-Star guards in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, and re-signed center Jusuf Nurkic. Look for second-year big man Zach Collins to take strides this season.
One thing to know: The Bucks never quite took off as expected after trading for Eric Bledsoe last year. The mid-season coaching switch didn't help things. They'll be hoping Giannis Antetokounmpo can continue his superstar development while hoping Budenholzer can get more out of the supporting cast.
One thing to know: No matter the puzzling moves they made afterward, the Lakers are winners of the offseason for landing LeBron James. The surrounding pieces may be odd, but James, coupled with internal improvement from an impressive young core, should be enough to add 10-15 more wins this season. Will that be enough to make the playoffs in the crowded West? Most in the NBA think so.
One thing to know: The Pacers were the surprise of the NBA last year, with Victor Oladipo making the leap to All-Star guard. This offseason, they retained their core while adding more playmaking and shooting. The team that nearly knocked out LeBron James and the Cavs in the first round should be improved this year.
Biggest offseason additions:Signed Isaiah Thomas, drafted Michael Porter Jr.
One thing to know: The Nuggets missed the playoffs but were just three games out of third place. Such is the competition in the West. This year, Paul Millsap, who played just 37 games last year, should provide help, while Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris should improve. Thomas and Porter were potentially big upgrades who came at a cheap cost. The Nuggets are one of a few Western teams who truly stand to improve this year.
One thing to know: Plans for a big summer fell through for the 76ers, so they stood pat. While they didn't add much around them, the hope will be that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid get even better and that Markelle Fultz actually plays.
One thing to know: The Jazz were one of the better teams in the NBA in the second half of the season, and they had a strong showing in the playoffs. Continuity from last year, plus development from Donovan Mitchell, should make them one of the West's best teams this year.
One thing to know: The Rockets were a few missed threes away from knocking off the Warriors and making the Finals. Their success last season makes their offseason all the more puzzling — they downgraded in perimeter defender and shooting, two things needed to beat the Warriors. Nonetheless, James Harden and Chris Paul will give them a shot against anyone, and there's a sense their offseason has set them up for a bigger move down the line. Jimmy Butler, perhaps?
One thing to know: The Thunder are one of the big winners of the offseason for re-signing Paul George. Now they'll be hoping for addition by subtraction after trading Anthony, who wasn't a good fit last year. George and Russell Westbrook make the Thunder as dangerous as any team, though Westbrook might miss the beginning of the season while he recovers from offseason knee surgery. Shooting is still a concern, but the Thunder should be more dangerous in Year 2.
One thing to know: The Raptors took a big swing on Kawhi Leonard, hoping that in one year, they can convince the star forward to re-sign with them, rather than booking it for LA. It's a worthwhile risk after the Raptors flailed out of the playoffs and looked to be going nowhere. If Leonard is healthy and willing to play hard for them, this team has all the makings of a contender, particularly now that LeBron James is in the West.
One thing to know: The Celtics decided to sit back and see what this deep roster can do together. Gordon Hayward, of course, went down in the first game of the season, and Kyrie Irving didn't play in the playoffs. That didn't stop a rag-tag Celtics squad from going to the Eastern Conference Finals and taking LeBron and the Cavs to the brink of elimination. Take their two star players, plus the development of young players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier, and oh boy, the Celtics might be special this year.
One thing to know: The two-time reigning champions somehow added the best center in the league in DeMarcus Cousins to get even better this offseason. Depth and fatigue (mental and physical) may be an issue for these Warriors in Year 5 of their run, but really, nobody in the league even compares. Cousins will be an interesting curveball this season, but it sure feels as though, once again, it's the Warriors' season to lose.


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Q: Building profiling support into the code I wish (I dont know if its possible) to build profiling support into my code instead of using some external profiler. I have heard that there is some profiler api that is used by most of the profiler writers. Can that api be used to profile from within the code that is being executed? Are there any other considerations?

A: If you don't want to use a regular profiler, you could have your application output performance counters.
You may find this blog entry useful to get started: Link

A: The EQATEC Profiler builds an instrumented version of your app that will run and collect profiling statistics entirely by itself - you don't need to attach the profiler. By default your app will simply dump the statistics into plaintext xml-files.
This means that you can build a profiled version of your app, deploy it at your customer's site, and have them run it and send back the statistics-reports to you. No need for them to install anything special or run a profiler or anything.
Also, if you can reach your deployed app's machine via a network-connection and it allows incoming connections then you can even take snapshots of the running profiled app yourself, sitting at home with the profiler. All you need is a socket-connection - you decide the port-number yourself and the control-protocol itself is plain http, so it's pretty likely to make it past even content-filtering gateways.

A: The .NET framework profiler API is a COM object that intercepts calls before .NET handles them.  My understanding is that it cannot be hosted in managed (C#) code.
Depending on what you want to do, you can insert Stopwatch timers to measure length of calls, or add Performance Counters to your application so that you can monitor the performance of the application from the Performance Monitor.

A: There's a GameDev article that discusses how to build profiling infrastructure in a C++ program. You may be able to adapt this approach to work with C# provided objects created on the stack are freed on exit instead of left for the garbage collector
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/programming/features/enginuity3/
Even if you can't take the whole technique, there may be some useful ideas.

A: What I've done when I can't use my favorite technique is this. It's clumsy and gives low-resolution information, but it works. First, have a global stack of strings. This is in C, but you can adapt it to C#:
int nStack = 0;
char* stack[10000];

Then, on entry and exit to each routine you have source code for, push/pop the name of the routine:
void EveryFunction(){
    int iStack = nStack++; stack[iStack] = "EveryFunction";

    ... code inside function

    nStack = iStack; stack[iStack] = NULL;
}

So now stack[0..nStack] keeps a running call stack (minus the line numbers of where functions are called from), so it's not as good as a real call stack, but better than nothing.
Now you need a way to take snapshots of it at random or pseudo-random times. Have another global variable and a routine to look at it:
time_t timeToSnap;
void CheckForSnap(){
    time_t now = time(NULL);
    if (now >= timeToSnap){
        if (now - timeToSnap > 10000) timeToSnap = now; // don't take snaps since 1970
        timeToSnap += 1; // setup time for next snapshot
        // print stack to snapshot file
    }
}

Now, sprinkle calls to CheckForSnap throughout your code, especially in the low-level routines. When the run is finished, you have a file of stack samples. You can look at those for unexpected behavior. For example, any function showing up on a significant fraction of samples has inclusive time roughly equal to that fraction.
Like I said, this is better than nothing. It does have shortcomings:

*

*It does not capture line-numbers where calls come from, so if you find a function with suspiciously large time, you need to rummage within it for the time-consuming code.

*It adds significant overhead of it's own, namely all the calls to time(NULL), so when you have removed all your big problems, it will be harder to find the small ones.

*If your program spends significant time waiting for I/O or for user input, you will see a bunch of samples piled up after that I/O. If it's file I/O, that's useful information, but if it's user input, you will have to discard those samples, because all they say is that you take time.

It is important to understand a few things:

*

*Contrary to popular accepted wisdom, accuracy of time measurement (and thus a large number of samples) is not important. What is important is that samples occur during the time when you are waiting for the program to do its work.

*Also contrary to accepted wisdom, you are not looking for a call graph, you don't need to care about recursion, you don't need to care about how many milliseconds any routine takes or how many times it is called, and you don't need to care about the distinction between inclusive and exclusive time, or the distinction between CPU and wall-clock time. What you do need to care about is, for any routine, what percent of time it is on the stack, because that is how much time it is responsible for, in the sense that if you could somehow make that routine take no time, that is how much your total time would decrease.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The Human Spirit
Ancient Culture
← Hope Springs Eternal
Finding Our Way Forward
Even though the world seems to be under a cloud of serial struggles and daunting difficulties presently, there is still good cause to be hopeful that we will find our way through whatever comes. It's not because we can just wish it all away, or because we can delude ourselves with confabulated stories about what is actually taking place in the world. It's because we humans have, over the millennia, consistently demonstrated the capability to repair what we've done or begun in the wrong way, and to turn the challenges we face into opportunities, by deliberately and purposefully working toward those aims with hope and determination to make them a reality.
We sometimes lose sight of our history as human beings. Our focus is too often narrowly confined to recent history, and only to the events of our collective recent memory. Thirty or forty years ago, none of us who are old enough to remember well the state of the world back then had any idea what the state of the world would become in 2020. Young people who weren't even born yet in the 1980's and 1990's have only a very short span of history to draw upon for viewing the events taking place now, and unless those of us who can remember those times have some sense of the history of humanity, it may not be possible to have sufficient perspective to conclude that we have endured through times that contained much greater peril and challenges for the world.
This is not to say that we shouldn't be concerned or that the difficulties we face currently are any less urgent to address. It's not simply a matter of the degree of peril that informs the times we live in; it is the need for us to bring a degree of perspective to these times informed by our mutual history.
We are capable of fixing what's wrong and we can educate ourselves to better understand what it is that is needed to put us back on the road to progress, but the way to start back in that direction requires us to step back a bit first, and at least look at what led us to be in these circumstances, aside from the most recent news reports on television and the internet. We don't really have to go back that far to see the difference between the way things are now and the way they used to be before the technological explosion brought the invention of digital devices and instant communication of events from all over the world.
A good illustration of how life has changed over the years can be found in my experience of responding to a recent column by Marc Fisher of the Washington Post, which expressed sadness about the loss of the neighborhood bookstores to the much more economical and less complicated practice of ordering books online at places like Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com. In much the same frame of mind as many of us who cherish the experience of walking amongst the rows of freshly printed pages and browsing our favorite sections, inhaling the scent of new books and cappuccinos, and thumbing through our cherished, secret, and silent worlds, Mr. Fisher's lament struck such a chord with me that I emailed him expressing my empathy and agreement.
Not even thirty years before that, I wrote a letter to a well-known columnist, Darryl Sifford of the Philadelphia Inquirer, about a column he wrote. I typed my message on a manual typewriter, neatly folded the single sheet of paper upon which I typed, stuck it in an envelope with a stamp on it, and mailed it. A week later, he responded with a nice note, which he also typed on a manual typewriter, and mailed to me. I sent my email to Marc Fisher by clicking "send" on my Hotmail account with my "mouse" at 5:58 PM and received his response at 6:04 PM, just six minutes later!
Going back a bit further in time, the presence of televisions in homes across the USA only became commonplace in the 1950's, and was, at that time, the primary medium for influencing public opinion, with newspapers a close second. Prior to WWII, the invention and usage of the telegraph took place in the 1830's and 1840's, and radio communications came later in the 1890's. These inventions revolutionized long-distance communications of the day, which previously took place over much longer periods of time.
Within the time frame of the establishment of the independence of what would become the "United States of America," writing letters or conducting any sort of regular correspondence between individuals took weeks or months to send, be received, and for the recipient to respond. Communicating with individuals overseas in England or France was only possible by placing your correspondence on a boat heading that way, and news of any kind was painfully slow in arriving and being dispersed out into the world-at-large.
There was no formal highway or railway system. You rode a horse or hired a carriage to travel whatever distance you needed to go. At Monticello, the famous home of Thomas Jefferson, when anyone was invited or expected to visit, they had to plan weeks in advance, and no guest could be expected to stay less than a week or so. Travel was an onerous endeavor for anyone needing to arrive anywhere with any urgency.
Imagine the logistical challenge faced by both the British and the American militaries to marshal their forces for battle, slogging their way through largely unchartered terrain, with no well-established roadways or knowledge of which route might best be chosen. It's a wonder at all that our country was able to get itself off the ground under such daunting conditions, and other urgent matters like healthcare, education, commerce, social interactions, and the necessity of conducting the foundational financial operations of such a large organization must have been exponentially more difficult given the state of the world at that time.
We take so much for granted these days as we travel with relative ease, flying large distances to nearly any destination in a matter of hours; driving our cars and assorted other vehicles to places even hundreds of miles away in a day or two. I can communicate with anyone interested in receiving such communication instantly just about anywhere in the world.
I can speak to and see each of my family members simultaneously, regardless of their location, as long as they have internet access, and before long, depending on the affordability and widespread availability of recent technological innovations, it's likely we may eventually be able to enjoy a virtual reality experience of sitting next to them in real time.
There are a number of options in this regard which exist already that are not widely available, but which can mostly be accessed by those with sufficient resources and relevant knowledge of how to access them. Eventually, it will likely be as common to possess such technology in the future as owning a cell phone is today, and people may one day look back at our options for communication in our "modern" society in the 21st century and muse about how quaint it was to push buttons and swipe screens on one of those "old-fashioned communicators."
As always, the future holds enormous promise and potential for both progress and difficulty, and it is really up to us which option holds sway in the main. I suspect that the choices we make in the near future will have lasting effects that may be even more difficult to mitigate unless we begin to take the time to consider the broad scope of ideas and efforts made by our ancestors to resolve and build upon, what were for them, serial struggles and daunting difficulties.
With best wishes for a prosperous and healthy new year to all my subscribers and readers…John H.
Filed under Computers and Internet, Consciousness, human nature, Personal, Philosophy, The Human Spirit Tagged with modern life, nostalgia, self-awareness, technology
About jjhiii24
Way back in 1973, as a young man embarking on the journey of a lifetime, I experienced what Carl Jung described as "the eruption of unconscious contents," which compelled me to seek the path I continue to pursue to this day. The path of discovery has led me through an astonishingly diverse range of explorations in philosophy, science, and religion, as well as the many compelling ideas in the literature and scriptures of the cultures of the world. There is, in my view, a compelling thread made up of components of each, that runs through the fabric of life. The nature and study of human consciousness has been a compelling subject for me for more than twenty years. I have spent a great deal of my time and energies trying to come to terms with my own very particular "inner experience" of life, and to somehow understand how the events and flow of my temporal life have directly been influenced by the workings within. Sharing what I have come to understand about my own "Inner Evolution," has tasked my intellect and communications skills in a big way. I am only just beginning to feel confident enough in the results of my study and contemplation to express the many various aspects of what I have uncovered within myself. I am hopeful that my own subjective and personal experience of my own "human spirit" will resonate with others, and encourage them to explore their own.
2 Responses to Finding Our Way Forward
Anthony Garner says:
You are quite right of course that we have made miraculous discoveries these last few hundreds of years and in many senses the world is a far better place to live in. Technologically our progress has been staggering, although I still yearn for the greener and less populated world of Jefferson's day.
Nonetheless we are where we are and in general terms thank god for that. Whether humanity survives long enough to ascend to de Chardin's Omega point is a moot point, but I have no doubt that somewhere at some time an intelligent race will (or has already) risen to what we might understand as godhood. Thanks to science and technology.
Politically, psychologically and economically we have a long way to go and are still, in many senses, savages. True, many countries now have free medical care for all and a welfare state. Thank god. But suffering is still not far removed from those days when the Buddha told us that human life IS suffering.
We have a long way to go to achieve a truly just world where we replace greed and violence by co-operation and kindness. Where we achieve plenty for all and post scarcity. Where we do away with despotism and evil.
But, you are right. We are taking steps in the right direction.
Perhaps in the future a wiser people will no longer be tempted to elect Trump or Hitler. Or to put up with the likes of Robert Mugabe or the Chinese gerontocracy. I hope those days come to pass.
jjhiii24 says:
It could be argued that even with the sometimes astonishing leaps in technological innovation, which seem to occur on a fairly regular basis these days, that the humans employing such advances are themselves not progressing on equally regular timetables. It could also be true that the world of Jefferson's day, in some clear ways, represented an advantage for the people of that day, when the world was greener and less populated, that we can only read about now and lament its absence, but recognizing the opportunities in and necessity of progress generally, it makes more sense in my view to keep our focus forward-looking, and to use our knowledge of those advantages from our history to apply them in whatever way we can in our modern world.
Humanity may one day have a population reversal, should the current trends toward smaller families and larger numbers of individuals forgoing children altogether continue, and our technological innovations may eventually include solutions to both the climate challenge and to a more stable and sustainable population in the future. The more difficult tasks of reducing greed and violence, and directing our species toward a greater degree of cooperation and kindness are no less urgent. Coming to terms with our "savage roots," creating a future that alters these primal tendencies sufficiently to eliminate despotism, and actively promoting the creation of "wiser people," requires what I would describe as a kind of "spiritual reckoning," or at least, a serious effort to understand our true nature in a way that uplifts and addresses those urgencies.
Those of us writing about these ideas are engaging these subjects mindful of the lessons of our ancestors, and it is my hope to be a contributor to the trends you articulated so well in your comment.
Kind regards…John H.
Hope Springs Eternal
Our Spiritual Path
Thanksgiving Isn't Always Easy
A Cascade of Autumn Leaves
Appreciating the Change of Season
A Teacher's Dream
Hello October!
A Little Parenthesis In Eternity
The Brain is not the Mind
Sunrise to Sunset: A metaphor for life
Anonymous Love Letter
Tempus Fugit - Time Flees
Library Love and Publication Passion
Your Web of Joy
A Tree of Life Story

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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'Hands to serve, hearts to love': Mother Teresa's care focus of Catholic medical symposium
mwiering@CatholicReview.org
The photo showed an elderly man, dead, lying on a cot, a flower garland resting on his body. In Kolkata, India, Susan Conroy had loved and cared for him, and had comforted him as he died.
Blessed Teresa of Kolkata had shown her how.
During a June 8 symposium for Catholic medical professionals in Baltimore, Conroy, 49, shared her story with photos from a summer working with Mother Teresa at her Home for the Dying and orphanage.
About 130 doctors, nurses and other health care workers attended the afternoon symposium at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital. It was organized by the Archdiocese of Baltimore with the support of four other Baltimore-area Catholic hospitals: Bon Secours Health System, Mercy Medical Center, St. Agnes Hospital and University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.
Its theme was "Reflecting Christ while Healing the Wounded: Faith, Hope and Love."
In a changing health care landscape, patients' human dignity is a constant, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said in his opening remarks. Catholic health care providers' responsibility "is that every life in your hands is valued and protected," he added.
In an hour-long presentation, Conroy, a native of Maine and EWTN series host, said Mother Teresa taught that the only way to be happy is to learn to serve. Conroy wrote about her experience in "Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity," published by Our Sunday Visitor in 2003.
Beginning with her trip to India, Conroy knew Mother Teresa for 11 years.
She described heading to Kolkata as an idealistic rising college senior, despite warnings from Indian acquaintances that it would be too dangerous for a 21-year-old woman to travel alone. She called the journey a "leap of faith," and urged attendees to rediscover the "youthful idealism" that decreases fear.
"Mother Teresa welcomed anyone with 'hands to serve and a heart to love' to help," Conroy said, repeating the beatified sister's mantra.
Cheerfulness, joy and a sense of humor were also necessary, she said.
"The spiritual gifts we brought were more important than the medical care," Conroy said. "Our spiritual life is the greatest gift we can give to anyone."
She spent her mornings with the children at the Missionaries of Charity's orphanage and afternoons at the Home for the Dying, where the Missionaries and their volunteers brought men and women dying on the streets of Kolkata. Most of the dying were in India's lowest social caste, the "untouchables."
Mother Teresa served Jesus "in his distressing disguise of the poor," said Conroy, who added that Mother Teresa was motivated by love and sustained by prayer, and that scores of young medical students and nurses volunteered with her to learn how to work with compassion.
"When someone is dying, medicine doesn't help, but love does," Conroy said.
The "living saint" would urge people who wanted to leave their homes to serve with her in India to stay put and find the suffering and lonely in their own communities.
"God isn't calling us to do huge things on this planet," Conroy said. "He is definitely calling us to do small things with great love."
The symposium also featured a panel that addressed a range of issues facing Catholic medical professionals, from the meaning of authentic Catholic care to the privilege of caring for the sick and dying. Speakers included Dr. John Bruchalski, founder of Tepeyac Family Center in Fairfax, Va.; Dominican Father Albert Duggan, Johns Hopkins Medicine chaplain; and Daniel Blomberg, legal counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C.
Pope tells presidents only God can bring peace to the Holy Land
Some pass on gym, get exercise at church
Gerry Sandusky on Alzheimer's


While a full scale remodel or redecoration is likely something you don't do too often, small tweaks to your home can be a great way to awaken your home and make your tired space feel new again. The Columbus movers have a few decorating tips with a twist—they are all do it yourself projects to embark on rather than simply buying ready-made items at the store. The Columbus movers want to help you create storage solutions and save money, so let's get started!
One of the most overlooked places is the home entry. No one really spends time here, it's a drop zone for keys, mail, and more, and it doesn't get the storage solutions or TLC it needs! Remedy this by repurposing a table or dresser from another area of the home as an entryway piece. Use a container for trinkets like writing utensils and a lint brush, and a larger bin for keys to go in. File mail and separate it for recipient as soon as it enters your home to reduce the pileup of clutter.
The front porch is another neglected area. Make your home inviting by focusing on this crucial area of the home. Lighting can play a major role in the feel of the front porch area, and it's also a smart idea to paint the front door a warm and inviting color. A new door knob and lock set is fairly inexpensive and it can change the entire look of the door, so it's worth looking into. Spray paint old pots with a metallic finish to give a luxe look to everyday items.
Have a designated electronics hub. Chargers, cases, batteries, and the electronics themselves can get misplaced, tangled or cluttered. Keep these items streamlined and organized by creating a charging station. Using drawer separators like in kitchen drawers, segregate electronics and have a space for recharging and locating all of your electronic goodies.
Amp up the yard by planting a DIY garden. Find flowers ideal for the climate, and pick out flowers in colors that draw you in. A garden is a great way to inject (literal) life into your home and also provide some soothing elements to your everyday home life.
DIY some texture to your walls. Molding is a great way to dress up a wall without the frustration of wallpaper. Molding, traditionally at the top of the wall, can be used throughout the wall's entirety to build depth and section parts of the wall in a manner that comes off as luxurious. Choose molding that fits your home's style.
Paint an accent wall. Have the coziness of painted walls without the full blown commitment of painting every inch. An accent wall is a great way to attract attention to a particular area of the home. Try and accent wall in various rooms of the house to add a pop of color and change the overall attitude of a space.


text:
Niphanda är ett släkte av fjärilar. Niphanda ingår i familjen juvelvingar.

Kladogram enligt Catalogue of Life:

Bildgalleri

Källor

Externa länkar

Juvelvingar
Niphanda

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Michael Henry Lewis
Obituary of Michael Henry Lewis
After a valiant fight with various illnesses, Michael (Mike) Henry Lewis went home to be with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus. Mike is survived by his loving wife Jane Lewis (nee Weaver), his children; Tracy Marie Prescott, Michael Jeffrey Lewis and Derek William Lewis, his loving step- children; Jessica Fediw, (Stefan), Samantha Daniel, Aaron Daniel, Marnie Brunton (Neil), his loving sisters-in-law; Linda Nowlan and Wendy Clarke (Brian), many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Predeceased by a loving sister, Sylvia Barber, brother, Dennis Lewis and grandson Brandon Prescott. Mike worked at various factories in St. Thomas, as a nurse in Simcoe, ON and as a maintenance cleaner at STEGH and took pride in being a hard worker no matter what his circumstances. Mike was also a strong sportsman, known as "Never miss Lewis", he played the position of out fielder in baseball, apparently never missing a ball sent his way. He was also an avid swimmer, hockey player and pool player. At the age of 33, Mike became born again and assisted Pastor Merv Earhart in his ministry at Good News Christian Centre. He was a kind, caring and generous friend to many. Many thanks to all the staff at CCC unit at STEGH and the wonderful caring staff at Caressant Care, Bonnie Place, St.Thomas. Cremation has taken place. Private Services. Memorial donations, in honour of Mike can be made to his church, St.Thomas Community Church. Arrangements entrusted to St. Thomas Elgin Cremation. Share a memory at www.cremationbydennings.com.


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Lawsuit Against Crown Prince for Khashoggi Murder
Jamal Khashoggi was a fierce advocate for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He believed that respect for political and civil rights of all individuals would provide the solution to the problems of war and instability that plagued the Arab world.
As a journalist and as an adviser to members of the ruling elite, Khashoggi tried to work from within the system, advocating for democratic reforms. When working from within became no longer possible, Khashoggi continued the struggle from without.
From self-exile in the United States, Khashoggi became an outspoken critic of the anti-democratic forces of oppression. In the end, those forces of oppression could no longer abide this champion of democracy. Khashoggi was murdered for the power of his ideas, and because, even in the face of mortal danger, he refused to remain silent.
As a Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi criticized the militant strain of Islamic extremism and advocated democratic reforms as the most effective way to tackle terror, stop bloodshed and political violence in Arab countries. His advocacy and ideas drew the ire of the powers that be. In November 2016, the Saudi government banned Khashoggi from writing in newspapers, appearing on TV and attending conferences.
Rather than remain silent, Khashoggi made the difficult decision to leave his country, moving to the United States in June 2017. As an exile, Khashoggi grew more bold in his criticism of the autocratic policies of the Saudi government and Crown Prince MBS. He also continued to champion democratic reforms for his country and for the entire Arab world.
A timeline of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and its aftermath
Saudi agents and consular officials carried out the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. See the abridged timeline of events below, or view the full account here.
Before the Murder
Jamal Khashoggi went into a self-imposed exile in September 2017, leaving Saudi Arabia for the United States. In August 2018, Khashoggi's fiancé Hatice Cengiz told him that to be married in Turkey, where she is from, he needed to obtain a certificate of marriage eligibility from the Saudi authorities.
August-September, 2018
Planning and Preparations
On October 1 and the early hours of October 2, 2018, 15 Saudi officials arrived in Istanbul. The following is a list of the 15 Saudi officials, along with their government positions.
The Disappearance and Murder of Jamal Khashoggi
The Saudi Consul General ordered non-Saudi staff at the Consulate to either not report to work on October 2 or to leave the Consulate at noon. At 1:15 pm, Khashoggi entered the Consulate by himself, after leaving his phone with Ms. Cengiz, who remained outside. Turkish Intelligence assessed that he may have been dead within ten minutes after entering the Consulate.
Initial Reactions and the Beginning of Turkey's Investigative Process
According to Turkey's Chief Public Prosecutor, the Turkish authorities opened an investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi on the evening of October 2, after Ms. Cengiz called the local police about Khashoggi's disappearance. On the evening of October 6, Turkish officials communicated to the press that, "The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Khashoggi has been killed at the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated, and the body was subsequently moved out of the Consulate."
Saudi Arabia's continual denials and scene clean-up
On October 7, the Saudi Press Agency published a statement from an unnamed Saudi official dismissing reports that Khashoggi had been killed in the Consulate. On October 15, United States President Donald Trump tweeted that he had spoken to the Crown Prince who had denied knowledge of "whatever happened to Khashoggi."
Later in the day, commenting on his conversation with the Crown Prince, President Trump said, "I don't want to get into his mind — but it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows? We're going to try getting to the bottom of it very soon. But this was a flat denial."
Saudi Arabia's admission and arrests
On October 19, in a statement on Saudi state television, the country's Chief Prosecutor admitted that Khashoggi had been killed in the Consulate. He said that a fistfight had broken out between Khashoggi and Saudi officials in the Consulate, which led to Khashoggi's death.
On October 21, Saudi authorities announced that they had detained 18 individuals as suspects in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The suspects included the 15 individuals identified by Turkey, as well as three Consular security attachés.
The Turkish investigation continues
On October 25, Saudi Arabia's Office of the Attorney General declared that it had determined that the killing of Khashoggi was premeditated.
On November 5, the Third Criminal Court in Istanbul issued arrest warrants for the 15 Saudi officials and three members of the Consular staff. The same day, the Chief Public Prosecutor issued extradition requests for the 18.
October 25 - November 5, 2018
Indictments and trials in Saudi Arabia
On November 15, Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor Shalaan Alshalaan announced that the Saudi authorities had detained 21 individuals in relation to Khashoggi's killing and indicted 11.
On May 21, 2020, Khashoggi's former fiancé Ms. Cengiz tweeted, "Nobody has the right to pardon the killers. We will not pardon the killers nor those who ordered the killing."
Other Saudi measures
On March 14, 2019, , the Head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, delivered remarks to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in which he stated that Saudi Arabia has taken the measures required "for us to resolve this heinous crime."
On April 10, 2019, Salah Khashoggi, Mr. Khashoggi's son, rejected the claim that a settlement has been reached.
Turkish indictment and trial
On March 25, 2020, Turkish officials announced the indictment of 20 Saudi nationals on charges of murder and incitement to murder in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Special Rapporteur Callamard attended the Turkish trial.
On July 3, she expressed hope for the precedent the Turkish trial might set: "If the process works, what this trial will strengthen is the possibility of universal jurisdiction."
The next trial hearing is scheduled to take place on November 24, 2020 in Istanbul.
View Extended Timeline
UN Special Rapporteur's Recommendations
The bulk of the Special Rapporteur's Report on Jamal Khashoggi's murder, published on June 19, 2019, concerns documenting the past, providing details surrounding the murder and its aftermath. In contrast, the Report's recommendations section focuses not on the past, but instead on the present and the future.
In her recommendations, the Special Rapporteur urges a variety of international actors, including countries, international organizations, corporations, and civil society, to mobilize to ensure justice and accountability for the murder of Khashoggi, and to set up mechanisms to deter such extrajudicial and grievous human rights violations in the future.
Outrage is the word that describes the international reaction to Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Nations, international organizations, corporations, and civil society groups condemned the murder and demanded justice for Jamal. Reactions included press releases and reports, visa bans and sanctions, conference boycotts and cancelled business deals, investigations and resolutions, arms embargos and lawsuits.
Part of the outrage stemmed from the brazenness and savagery of the murder and from the astounding incompetence of the Saudis as they tried to cover up the act. The aggrieved denials of Saudi officials fell apart hour by the hour as the Turkish government time-released pieces of evidence for maximal damage to Saudi Arabia's reputation. Indeed, for several weeks, it was not clear whether the mastermind of the murder Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would weather the storm and maintain his hold on power in Saudi Arabia.
Public and Media Reaction
'…just as the state in the mid-1970s encouraged a massive modernization drive aimed at updating the kingdom's physical infrastructure, services, industrial output, and economy, it now needs to do the same to modernize the kingdom from within: its thought, its system of government, and its administrative, educational and legal structures."
This section provides excerpts from select articles written by Khashoggi from August 2002 up to his death in October 2018. The articles reflect the evolution of Khashoggi's ideas and his embrace of democracy as the solution to the problems of the Arab world.
Read More Excerpts
"When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming of intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, and then I tell you that I'm from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?"
- JAMAL KHASHOGGI, WASHINGTON POST, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017


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Jewish Badges During the Holocaust: The Othering of Jews Across Nazi Europe
By Miranda Bannister
Tuesday, November 23, 2021 • From the Collection
On November 23, 1939, Hans Frank, the Nazi Governor-General of occupied Poland, decreed that all Jews in Poland over the age of 10 were required to designate themselves as Jewish by wearing a white arm badge with a blue Star of David whenever they went out in public. It was the first time that the Nazi government had legally required Jews to distinguish themselves in appearance from the rest of the population. This requirement, later implemented across Nazi-occupied Europe, became one of the most widely applied, visible, and infamous methods that the Nazis used to alienate Jews as "the other."
Frank's order was only the beginning. On September 1, 1941, Reinhard Heydrich ordered all Jews over six years old in the Reich, Alsace, Bohemia-Moravia, and the German–annexed territory of western Poland, to wear a yellow Star of David in public. Heydrich's command extended the public marking of Jews with the Star of David into virtually every part of Nazi-controlled Europe. Denmark and Southern France were the only exceptions.
The star was worn both on the left side of Jews' outer clothing, and on their backs, so that anybody in front of or behind them could easily identify them as Jewish. Each badge was supposed to be four inches long. The word Jude (Jew) on the badges, sometimes written in a local language instead, imitated the appearance of Hebraic type.
Yellow star, Jude. Gift of Joel R. Hamel. 6.84.
The yellow star that belonged to Kurt Hamel in Germany bears the characteristic marks: black hand stitching along the edge of the fabric, and the word Jude in a font that looks like Hebraic type. The star, which is 3 3/4 x 3 inches long, now resides in the Permanent Collection of the Museum. Gift of Joel R. Hamel.
Badges differed by country, in language, style, and material, though the yellow Star of David with black lettering was the most common. This broad range of languages and styles on the badges worn by Jews across Europe allude to the ubiquitous discrimination they faced in every country under Nazi control.
Yellow Star, Jood. Gift of Seymour Frank. 39.93.
Another star in the Permanent Collection from the Netherlands bears the word "Jood," the Dutch word for Jew. A Holocaust survivor gave it to the sailor Seymour Frank, who sailed to Amsterdam with the Merchant Marines, who subsequently donated it to the Museum.
As the practice of forcing Jews to label themselves spread across Europe, Jews scrambled to comply with Nazi laws using whatever materials and resources on hand. Some stars were made by machine, some were handstitched carefully, and some were hewn from non-fabric materials.
Bulgarian Jewish Star button of Rosette Bakish. Gift of Rosette Bakish. 275.88.
Rosette Bakish's star, worn in Bulgaria circa 1944, is one example. The star, made of Bakelite and pigment, functioned as a button. It is one of the smallest in the Permanent Collection at 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 x 1/16 inches.
Yellow star of Judith Aklipi. Gift of Goldie Damast. 1747.91,
The machine-made star worn by Judith Aklipi nee Berkowitz in 1940 and 1941 is formed from two interweaving triangles. Aklipi was deported from Saveni, Moldavia, then Romania, with her eight children to Transnistria. She wore this star on the train when she was transported.
Every Jewish badge that has survived the Holocaust once functioned as a tool to dehumanize a Jewish individual and strip them of their dignity. The diversity of these stars, which now reside with families and in museums around the world, is a poignant representation of how many countries and communities across Nazi Europe ultimately participated in this practice.


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WORKPLACE HEALTH CHALLENGE IS IMPROVING WORKPLACE INJURY AND CHANGING EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER MINDSETS
IN-DEPTH NEWS FEATURE:
Workplace Health Challenge (WHC), an intensive workplace health improvement program, is seeking to minimise workplace injury and illness that Work Safe Australia estimates cost more than $50 billion a year.
Workplace injuries and illnesses, state the Australian Bureau of Statistics, are both physical and psychosocial and can have an impact on long-term health. In fact, research indicates that sitting down for prolonged periods at work can increase heart disease, diabetes and mortality risk.
Australian Health Survey results agree that radical change to Australian health is a must. While smoking is down three percent in the last four years and drinking rates have dropped 1.4 percent, the number of people considered overweight and obese has risen by more than two percent. This means that nearly two-thirds of the Australian population are classified as overweight or obese.
WHC has been implementing policies, procedures and programs since 2002 that are transforming individuals and the workplace. Many WHC participants have reduced high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lost five to 50 kilograms of body fat, and have improved muscle strength and body tone as well as gained more energy and vitality.
Workplace Health Challenge's Events are Having a Profound Impact
Workplace Health Challenge (WHC) and Operation 10 Kilos founder Julian (Jules) Smith is intent on changing the mindset of employees and employers when it comes to fitness, health and well-being. Smith, who holds a bachelor of health science degree from RMIT University, has been working since 2001 to bring these innovative events to workplaces throughout Australia and around the world.
The events yield multiple benefits, including those that impact the corporation's bottom line – reduced sick leave, improved time management skills and greater productivity. Employees see that their employers are concerned about their health, wellness, and quality of life. The life-saving results of these programs are also helping prevent early death from illness and disease.
"While these types of benefits have been proven, it's still been a tough battle over the years to convince some organisations," said Smith. "These organisations have not placed an importance on health and well-being programs for their staff. Our response was to start offering our events 'free of charge'," he said. "We have gone from just five to 10 workplaces each year to hundreds of organisations that now pay a small entry fee per participant. These include both owner operators and large corporations in Australia and across 80 countries."
Workplace Health Challenge Utilises Team Principals to Encourage and Motivate
Smith believes the four-time per year, twelve-week long WHC events are a must do for workplaces. Although all health, fitness and weight loss programs share the same principles – eat healthy, exercise and stay motivated – what makes WHC different is the impact it has when an entire workplace is involved.
"The power of the WHC lies within the workplace environment and is based on the 'peer group pressure principle," said Smith. "We are all in this together," he said. "WHC is the ultimate team event. Success comes from the teamwork because those participating are encouraging, motivating and disciplining one another to achieve the program goals."
"WHC is based on a system of success that includes eating five to six healthy meals a day, implementing a sound and simple exercise program of under three hours per week and utilising the systems in our book to track and monitor progress," said Smith. "Having four events that coincide with the seasons helps keep participants on target. It's a long-term strategy where organisations and individuals use a multi-year plan to achieve their goals."
2013's New Workplace Health Challenge, Operation 10 Kilos, Will Be the Ultimate Challenge
Smith feels all his efforts, over the years, have produced numerous memorable results – from a feature story on Channel 9's A Current Affair to every organisation that has ever 'given the WHC a go.'
"Since humble beginnings where the first ever WHC event and program was launched in my former football club, West Brunswick Football Club in Victoria, Australia, the WHC grew into a workplace based concept," said Smith. "My thought was if it worked so well for a bunch of amateur footballers by transforming their lives, then it will 'bloody' work for a workplace," he said.
"Officially, WHC first launched within the power and mining industry in La Trobe Valley, Victoria, Australia at Hazelwood Power Station," said Smith. This program had over 8 companies participate and well over 100 employees join, including staff from companies such as Fluor, BAE Systems and Alstom."
Since then, says Smith, staff and management from organisations such as Cadbury Schweppes, ANZ Bank and Australia Post, as well Telstra, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australian Customs and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), just to name a few, participate in WHC events and programs.
The many participant success stories, from the local football club where the program initially launched to those across all industries, have been the inspiration for Smith's number one health and fitness tip.
"Don't Quit," said Smith. "We'll be updating the program to reflect our new 2013 strategy," he said. "But be warned, this will be the ultimate challenge!"
To find out more about Workplace Health Challenge and the new program, Operation 10 Kilos set to launch this year, or to register your interest, visit www.workplacehealthchallenge.com. Julian Smith can be contacted directly at info@workplacehealthchallenge.com.
Posted in Lifestyle Tagged diabetes and heart disease,health,Health and Fitness,InShape NewsFlash,Julian (Jules) Smith,lifestyle illnesses,National,Nina Gass,nutrition and dietetics,Operation 10 Kilos,Tricia Leanne Snell,Workplace Health Challenge
DIETICIAN SHAMALA RATNESAR TACKLES LIFESTYLE DISEASES WITH TOTAL LIFE SOLUTION
LAYNE BEACHLEY AIMS TO LEVEL THE AUSTRALIAN PLAYING FIELD WITH STAR FOUNDATION


Week of Apr 8, 2019: Forget about package tours and other sorts of hand-holding as the week begins. A wild streak on Monday morning should develop into a full-blown burst of energy that will carry you through Wednesday. Now is the time for bravely exploring foreign shores (and charming the foreigners thereon!). On Thursday and Friday resist your usual instincts for going slowly and making sure everyone else is happy. Your boldest growth will come from an extravagant action (and maybe even extravagant souvenir purchases). This weekend count on easy connections and elegantly dovetailing details.


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Rising Number of French Jews Making Aliyah
There was a 62 percent increase in French immigration to Israel in 2013
By Liam Hoare
December 30, 2013 • 5:32 PM
People sit outside the'Florence Kahn pastries shop on July 12, 2013 in the Rue des Rosiers, the Jewish area of the Marais district in Paris.(MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)
Aliyah rates from Western Europe increased by 35 percent in 2013, with 4,390 people immigrating to Israel from Western European countries as compared with 3,258 in 2012, according to data released by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israel Ministry of Immigration and Absorption.
The most dramatic upturn in aliyah rates, though, was seen in France. In 2013, 3,120 new olim, or people making aliyah, arrived in Israel from France, compared to 1,916 the previous year, marking a 63 percent increase. 2013 was also the first year since 2005 that more Jews immigrated to Israel from France than from the United States, despite the massive disparity in size between the two communities. Even more striking, the increase in French aliyah rates was the driving force behind a 7 percent increase in the total number of Jews who moved to Israel this year.
There are two major factors that explain the rise in French aliyah rates, Shay Felber, the Jewish Agency for Israel's deputy director general for community service, explained. The first is the ongoing economic malaise in Europe, which is affecting France in particular. Unemployment peaked at 11 percent in July and August, and after negative growth in the third quarter, the French economy is in danger of falling back into a recession. Such problems are "pushing young Jewish students to leave France in search of other job opportunities," Felber said.
The other factor is anti-Semitism. "Although it has been going down over the past couple of years, French Jews remained concerned about the future," Felber said. Indeed, a recent survey published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights showed that 85 percent of French Jews believe anti-Semitism is a problem in their country, with 70 percent fearful of becoming the victim of a hate crime. As a result, 51 percent of French Jews frequently avoid wearing, carrying, or displaying items that might help identify them as Jews in public.
But these factors alone don't account for the upturn in French aliyah rates, or explain why Jews seeking to leave France would choose Tel Aviv and Jerusalem over London or Montreal. Rather, the trends represent an expression of the French Jewish community's increasingly Zionistic mentality, particularly among young French Jews, and a manifestation of efforts by the Jewish Agency, the Israel government, and other non-profits to cultivate Jewish identity in France.
Programs such as Masa Israel Journey and Bac Bleu Blanc, which bring young French Jews to Israel for educational trips or volunteer opportunities, have been successful in encouraging aliyah. "This year, almost 1,000 young French Jews will have used Masa," Felber explained, "and 70 percent of the students coming through the Masa programs go on to make aliyah." Other factors for potential olim are familial connections between France and Israel, plus the community of around 100,000 French-speaking olim already living in Israel.
Overall, though, while other Western European nations did see an increase in aliyah rates, no other country exhibited an increase of the same statistical significance. The Netherlands, for example, saw a 54 percent increase in aliyah rates, but the uptick was a result of only 74 olim. Similarly in Belgium, a 46 percent increase in aliyah rates was accomplished by just 240 new immigrants. As for France, where the situation for the Jewish community gets more dreary by the day, there is little reason to think that French olim won't outnumber their American counterparts once again next year.
Related: Sweetening the Deal
French anti-Semitism
French Jews
By Armin Rosen


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The 2021 WWE Forever Purge - Part 3 of ?
By Gonzo,
June 25, 2021 in The PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
Just now, D.Z said:
Yeah explains why they got rid of Eva.
It doesn't explain why they brought her back though.
Triple H is partly to blame for his. He sold the NXT roster a pack of goods. Hoarded a ton of talent from the indies and wasn't giving them a long-term future in WWE.
Ineptitude of the highest degree.
In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared specific notes regarding several of the 18 WWE wrestlers released Thursday.
Main roster talents that were cut all have a 90-day non-compete so they are free and clear on February 2nd, 2022. Those under NXT contracts have a 30-day non-compete with their contractual freedom coming on December 4th.
Having said that, he believed Ember Moon falls under the 90-day non-compete because, despite returning to NXT, she was under a main roster deal.
Meltzer said there was a plan within WWE to repackage Karrion Kross for a third time as he had been pulled from TV by Vince McMahon because he hadn't gotten over, especially with his new look. On Twitter, Kross joked with a fan who wondered if he could get Kross' helmet.
B-Fab was believed to have signed a new deal just last week, making her release surprising.
Similar to Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado had requested his release.
An idea for Harry Smith was to make him a primary figure in NXT UK, but due to travel not opening up, they chose to keep him on the main roster instead. He worked one SmackDown dark match in July, got COVID-19, was told to keep that quiet, and that was that.
Eva Marie was off WWE TV as she is filming a movie.
Krone Meltzer
LocationSackets Harbor, NY
17 hours ago, Matt D said:
Netflix Pro Wrestling
I'd watch it!
Anyway, when they said Harry Smith was released, are we talking about Davey Boy Smith Jr. Harry Smith here? If so, I really had no actual clue that he was signed. That was at least the second time his WWE stint amounted to nothing (much).
Dolfan in NYC
LocationThe 718
That's clearly faked because Seth isn't on it.
The more I think about Keith/Mia, the more I think they may have fallen under the non-vaccinated termination list. I understand long-term Covid is a motherfucker, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't get jabbed after that, and that's ultimately what did them in.
Not saying for sure, but that seems like at least one possible explanation.
AxB
LocationStaffordshire Moorlands, England, Europe.
Reported that WWE wants to get rid of some of the old male vets.
1 minute ago, AxB said:
There's nobody left to even acknowledge me!
48 minutes ago, BobbyWhioux said:
again, you need to have a heart before you can have a heart attack
No argument there. But no billionaire got to that point by being remotely nice.
It's clear that Nick Khan's approach is a combination of sports analytics and golden-age Hollywood studio play. The executives control everything, even more than usual. They want moldable talent to make into stars specific to WWE's wants/needs. They choose who is moldable. They will create every detail of a wrestler's persona. And if you pass their test, you'll be successful and make good money. But if you fall short of expectations, they sweep you out and find someone younger and more pliable.
They're creating a 3-tier system: the core group of bankable stars (around 6-8 wrestlers at any given time), a secondary group who may grow into superstardom but will be good B-listers if not, and everyone else is a bit player in the act. And honestly, that's not the worst concept to have. It's a diluted version of Marvel, in a way. But because Hunter (with Vince's approval) hoarded so much talent over the past 5-6 years, the bloodletting to achieve that concept is nasty work.
2 hours ago, The Natural said:
5 minutes ago, D.Z said:
Who's left? Ziggler, Rey, Roode, Shelton, AJ, anyone else come to mind?
Just now, Shartnado said:
Thinking of NXT oldies, and Morrison. Ziggler will survive.
1 minute ago, Shartnado said:
Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton.
WWE's 2021.
I hope that most of those released aren't too disheartened for too long, and from a completely selfish point of view, I'm happy to know that some of those great talents will be back on TV shows that I actually watch
Ziggler will survive.
No one will survive! Speaking of NXT vets, there's not a ton of them left, either, at this point!
RIPPA
Going by the roster on WWE.com
AJ (who reportedly is dealing with an non-injury medical issue if I remember the phrasing correctly)
John Morrison
MVP (Out injured)
R-Truth
Rey Jr
Robert Roode
Shelton Benjamin
Jinder Mahal
Kofi Kingston
Shinsuke Nakamura
(I didn't include folks like Orton, Drew, Lashley who are in the world title picture)
Nia posted on her IG that she asked for a mental health break in September, which WWE supported. She was scheduled to return on November 15, but she didn't feel ready and asked for an extension. She got released right after. She thinks it was a late decision with bad communication where certain office didn't talk to each other about what they were supposed to do, I'm gathering.
I also gather that she isn't vaccinated, so there's also that.
Edited November 5, 2021 by Burgundy LaRue
LocationDown the Rabbit Hole
18 minutes ago, RIPPA said:
Of that list, we know Owens is gone in January. Miz isn't likely going anywhere as he's been doing well on the main stream stuff lately. Cesaro is likely a lifer, as is Kingston (so long as New Day rolls on). Everyone else is likely fucked.
Technico Support
LocationThe Land of Pleasant Living
3 hours ago, Craig H said:
Never forget:
https://streamable.com/ap0ooh
Brock made Lee look like a star and I think you could tell that Lee is someone Brock would have liked to work against.
The only thing WWE had to do with Lee was keep doing this and instead they fucked it up. There is no easy layup WWE won't miss. I'm honestly shocked Ricochet is still in WWE because he's another dude they've totally fucked up on.
I knew Keith Lee was fucked when Vince decided to change his gear and tell him to tone down his style. As I posted then, he literally hired a big dude who could fly and then told him to cover up his body and not fly.
If they release Shinsuke, that might be interesting. To see where he goes, and if he stops half-assing it when he gets there.
Jeff Hardy they'll hang on to, because they know he's more valuable elsewhere.
R-Truth seems to be a Vince favourite, or he wouldn't have been there this long.
Elsalvajeloco
LocationNWA (Northwest Arkansas)
18 minutes ago, Burgundy LaRue said:
As someone who spent like 12-13 years here (I think I started regular posting here around 07-08ish) defending Dana White and the UFC sometimes, even I must I admit there is a limit to how far I will go with my defense though. I don't think anyone is arguing about being nice or that corporations are not greedy. However, at some point, we can all say that WWE is a shitbag company and they've done things that no one can defend or justify. And I would like to think I have a good gauge on companies like that working for Walmart corporate for about 3 and 1/2 years. Moreover, I think because of this that they've seen a massive decline in popularity. We can make excuses about cord cutters or alternative options for entertainment or w/e, but we have several years in the last 35 years as examples that show that wrestling done right (obviously the word right can mean many things to many people) can attract eyeballs. I feel like the stigma they've definitely earned has become a repellant for interest in pro wrestling. The people who basically deny they have earned it and/or say "well it sucks but that's corporations for you" are the people on the Titanic who weren't convinced there was a huge problem until the ship literally cracked in half.
Back in the 2000's, Meltzer would "joke" about Vince believing women were too old to be on tv once they turned 30. He actually seemed fascinated by Layla El (not in a creepy way) because she managed to stay on tv till her mid-to-late 30's.
I won't be too surprised if that joke comes back into vogue a couple years from now.
Edited November 5, 2021 by Eoae
BobbyWhioux
LocationThe Billie Kay School For Journalism
It will never not be topical while Kevin Dunn draws breath, supposedly
Edited November 5, 2021 by BobbyWhioux
Dec 29 RIPPA locked this topic


Most of the people we have met who have issues with their visas, are people who are seeking either permanent residency or eventual US citizenship. We have worked with workers at local meat packing plants as well as students and faculty at local colleges. Christopher Foster spent time as a volunteer working with foreign students seeking asylum or adjustment of their student status, and he is very familiar with those issues.
At Foster Law Office, our Iowa City immigration attorneys will work toward accomplishing your goals, whatever they may be.
There are other less common types of visas. Please contact our law firm with your questions and we will either help you directly or provide a referral.
For experienced and competent legal advice, please call our law office at 319-383-0405 or toll-free at 866-781-3971, or send our attorneys an e-mail.


This route becomes visible on the eastern side of the valley several miles upriver.
Anchor: Bring anchor and v-thread material.
These routes require a long approach best made by snow machine. Access the Matanuska River from multiple locations. Probably the best location is the Hick's Creek parking area on the north side of the Glenn Highway. Take the Hicks drainage down to the Matanuska River and head up river to the confluence with Glacier Creek. Head up river on Glacier creek for several miles.
Send us a link to your video on this climb.


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Meet the New Kid on the EV Block: The Byton M-Byte
The Chinese made M-Byte is set for full production by the end of 2019.
By Christopher McFadden
In just under 20 months since it made its CES debut, the Byton M-Byte is almost ready for sale. This incredible achievement is impressive enough, but the M-Byte has some killer features that might just make it a hit on the EV market.
RELATED: A BRIEF HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF ELECTRIC CARS
What is the Byton M-Byte?
The M-Byte is the debut EV for a Chinese EV startup called Byton. Byton first announced their new EV 20 months ago at the 2018 CES.
But, incredibly, the car's final production version SUV was debuted at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday this week. They also announced that the premium SUV with its dashboard-spanning screen would go into production at their newly completed automotive factory in Nanjing, China by the end of the year.
Source: Byton
According to Byton, the entry-level M-Byte should be able to churn out about 360 km per charge. Prices will start at around $45,000 when it finally goes on sale in China in 2020.
They plan to begin exporting it to the U.S. and Europe by 2021 at the earliest.
What is M-Byte's USP?
One of the main features of the M-Byte is its 48-inch (122cm) dashboard spanning screen. Not only that, this dashboard actually rises up from the interior like a sort of ridge between the car's front pillars.
It will also have an 8-inch (20 cm) touchscreen in the center of the steering wheel. This is a relief to many who loved the M-Byte at the 2018 CES.
There were concerns that were just daring concepts that wouldn't make it to production. The company appears to have made good on their promises and even seem determined to add another touchscreen to the SUV for this year's CES.
Co-founder and CEO Daniel Kirchert told The Verge that "all these screens remain in the production version."
"In fact, Kirchert says, the only main feature Byton touted in the concept that won't make it to production was the idea of using facial recognition to identify whoever is approaching the car," notes the Verge.
But that's not all. The M-Byte will have a comparable range to some other market leaders.
Further to the entry-level model performance on a 72 kWh battery detailed above, their proposed more expensive all-wheel model should give owners about a 435 km range off its 95 kWh battery pack.
Of course, the M-Byte will never match the performance of the Tesla Model X or Porsche Taycan. But it was never designed to do so.
It was intended from the start to be a solid, reliable EV for a reasonable price.
How did they manage to develop it so quickly?
First off, Byton's founders, Daniel Kirchert and Carsten Breitfeld, used to work for BMW in a previous life. The experience they gained there helped them get a headstart with their ambitions for the M-Byte.
However, shortly after the M-Byte's debut at CES 2018, Breitfield left Byton to run another Chinese startup. Undaunted, Kirchert managed to steady the ship and deliver on the promises made back in 2018.
But no startup can survive without funding. Where is it coming from?
As it happens, Byton is mainly funded by the Chinese state-owned First Automobile Works (FAW) who were the very first large automaker in China.
"What started as cooperation — where FAW agreed to help Byton establish its supply chain and solve other logistic headaches — has bloomed into a more involved partnership, one that Kirchert says will be explained in greater detail in the months to come. FAW is also interested in the platform Byton has developed (which Byton already plans to use to power a second vehicle, a sedan known as the K-Byte)," states The Verge.
Tesla's Competitor BYTON's "Future Proof" Car M-Byte Is Ready to Go Later In 2020
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Snow White - disney fashion | Disney Bound I love the shoes and dress!
Get ready for some fun in the sun with Disney Mickey Mouse styles, now at Target.


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Budapest: Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
3.9 / 5 677 Reviews
See the sights of Budapest at your own pace with a ticket for the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus. Drive past the Parliament Building, Buda Castle and Chain Bridge. Discover the Citadel and Jewish Synagogue. Add on an optional boat cruise or night tour.
Duration 1 day - 72 hours
Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, Polish, Portuguese, Russian
English Spanish Turkish Chinese Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hungarian Italian Japanese Arabic Polish Portuguese Russian
Explore Budapest at your own pace from the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus
Enjoy panoramic views of the imperial city from the open-top upper deck
Marvel at the Gothic Revival façade of the Hungarian Parliament Building
Discover the beautiful St Stephen's Basilica
Take advantage of a boat or night tour, depending on the option selected
Go to the Jewish Museum and Synagogue on Dohány Street
Admire an icon of the 19th century at the famous Chain Bridge
Wander the historic Buda Castle complex
Ride the famous Budapest Castle Hill Funicular
See more of the city with access to the red and purple bus lines
Discover Budapest on your own terms with a 24, 48 or 72-hour pass for the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus and see sights such as the Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle, and Chain Bridge. Explore the Citadel, and see the Jewish Synagogue, Memorial and Museum on Dohány Street.
Add on a 1-hour cruise of the Danube River to enjoy panoramic views of the imperial city by day and night, including the vast Gothic Revival façade of the Hungarian Parliament Building complex.
Explore both Buda and Pest, hopping off at any of the 31 stops along 2 different routes. Your ticket includes a fantastic discount booklet, that provides great discounts at some of the city's most popular attractions, as well as a free walking tour and bike tour.
If you choose to do a night tour, you'll have the chance to see this beautiful city under a blanket of darkness. See Budapest lit up in all its glory as you pass sights such as St Stephen's Basilica, Liszt Ferenc Square, Keleti Railway Station, Margaret Bridge, and more.
Red Route Stops:
Stop 1. St Stephen's Basilica
Stop 2. Chain Bridge (Pest)
Stop 5. Kalvin Square
Stop 8. Opera
Stop 9. Liszt Ferenc Square
Stop 10. Heroes Square
Stop 11. Keleti Railway Station
Stop 19. Margaret Bridge (Buda)
Stop 20. WestEnd Shopping Centre
Stop 21. Parliament
Yellow Route Stops:
Stop 1. Andrassy Ave. 4
Stop 3. Marcius 15. Square
Stop 4. Fovam Square
Stop 6. Corvin Plaza
Stop 7. New York Palace
Stop 8. Corinthia Hotel
Stop 10. Opera
Hop-on hop-off bus tour ticket
1-hour boat tour (depending on option selected)
Panoramic night tour (depending on option selected
Discount booklet, including a free walking tour and a free bike tour
Multilingual commentary
Tickets to attractions
Budapest: 48-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Ticket and Cruise
Budapest 24-Hour Ticket - Bus Only
Budapest 48-Hour Ticket - Bus, Boat & Night Tour
Budapest: City Night Tour Only
• Red Route runs from 9 AM - 4 PM, every 30 minutes. The duration of a full loop is 2 hours and 20 minutes.
• Yellow Route runs from 9 AM - 4 PM, every 30 minutes. The duration of a full loop is 1 hour and 20 minutes. The yellow route is seasonal, and operates until 1 November 2019
• Boat Tour runs from 10 AM - 9:30 PM, every hour. The duration is 1 hour. Meeting point - Marcius 15 Square, dock number 10
• The boat tour operates daily from March 26 - November 1, 2019. Some of the cruises stop at Margaret Island, please check the timetable upon arrival
• Note that each boat tour requires a minimum of 10 passengers
• The Night Tour departs at 8 PM and the duration is 1 hour and 50 minutes. Meeting point - St Stephen's Basilica, Red Route stop 1
• Note that the Night Tour is not a hop-on hop-off service
• You must bring a printed voucher for this tour. All vouchers can be redeemed at any of the stops along the routes
Budapest: 24, 48 and 72-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
Duration: 24 - 72 hours
Budapest: 2-Hour City Tour with Hotel Pick-up
Budapest Card: Public Transport, 30+ Top Attractions & Tours
Duration: 1 - 120 hours
Budapest: 1-Day Unlimited Cruise Ticket
City Sightseeing Europe
Dubai Activities
Nice Day Trips


Heat a skillet with olive oil and cook each side for about 4-6 minutes. Watch your patties, they cook fast!
Serve over a salad or your choice of vegetable. Cooked patties can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.


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Home	Latest	What's Next For NASA? Photos & Video
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What's Next For NASA? Photos & Video
by alex August 27, 2018
written by alex August 27, 2018
Video, Photos and Articles/Texts are all borrowed from NASA's Official Website – All rights reserved by NASA
NASA's vision: We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind
What's out there? How do we get there? What will we find? What can we learn there? What we can learn just by trying to get there. That will make life better here on Earth? Thousands of people have been working around the world — and off of it — for decades trying to answer all these questions
By reading the relevant article from NASA's official website, "What's Next for NASA", dated April 24, 2018, we learn more about the next goals and steps on space exploration. From the aforementioned article we Learn:
Solar System and Beyond
NASA will add to its existing robotic fleet at the Red Planet with the InSight Mars lander set to study the planet's interior. The Mars 2020 rover will look for signs of past microbial life, gather samples for future return to Earth and investigate resources that could someday support astronauts.
Photo by: NASA Solar System Exploration
"The solar system, delivered: new postage stamps from the US Postal Service will celebrate planetary exploration, including the New Horizons Pluto flyby. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/1Ty1UBb"
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the premier observatory of the next decade, studying every phase in the history of our Universe in infrared, while the Parker Solar Probe will "touch the sun," travelling closer to the surface than any spacecraft before.
Sending Humans Out into Solar System: Moon to Mars
Building on this growing scientific knowledge of our solar system, NASA is developing the most advanced rocket and spacecraft to lead the next steps of human exploration farther into space than we have ever traveled before. Launching from a revitalized NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's powerful Space Launch System rocket will carry astronauts aboard NASA's Orionspacecraft to the Moon, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems needed for challenging missions to other destinations, including Mars, and deeper into space.
"Ahuna Mons on Ceres is a volcanic dome unlike any seen elsewhere in the solar system. Our Dawn team reveals new details about this strange cryovolcano and five more intriguing insights about the closest dwarf planet to Earth."
NASA will test its new deep space exploration system beginning with an integrated, uncrewed flight of SLS and Orion, known as Exploration Mission-1. During the second and subsequent early flights, NASA will develop new technologies and techniques and apply innovative approaches to solving problems in preparation for longer-duration missions far from Earth. NASA will build up its deep space capabilities before ultimately sending humans to the Red Planet.
Humans are already living and working off the Earth in the one-of-a kind research laboratory in microgravity. The International Space Station serves as a blueprint for global cooperation and scientific advancements, a destination for growing a commercial marketplace in low-Earth orbit, and a test bed for demonstrating new technologies. Research on the station is the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, sending humans into deep space.
Photo by: International Space Station Live
"Your home planet, as seen from Mars. From the most powerful telescope orbiting Mars comes a new view of Earth and its moon, showing continent-size detail on the planet and the relative size of the moon. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2iZ9GJK"
NASA is helping transform aviation by developing advanced technologies for revolutionary aircraft shapes and propulsion, and for the airspace in which they fly, which dramatically improve efficiency, reduce noise and maintain safety in more crowded skies.
NASA is working now to design, build and fly new experimental aircraft – X-planes – that will prove the dramatic benefits of advanced technologies in piloted flight, including a Low Boom Flight Demonstrator which will provide data that could open the door to supersonic flights over land.
Space Tech
On Earth and in space, NASA is developing, testing and flying cutting-edge technologies for a new future of human and robotic exploration. Technology development at NASA provides the onramp for new space technologies, creating a pipeline that matures them from early-stage through flight.
Photo by: Mayur Borse
We'll continue to evolve technologies like advanced solar electric propulsion, deep space navigation, new green propellants, and in-space manufacturing and assembly. These new space technologies will advance NASA's capabilities to help us reach our future deep space destinations.
NASA's current and future Earth missions use the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future.
NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Critical to understanding how our planet's natural resources and climate are changing, our observations form the foundation for important environmental planning and decisions by people all over the world.
Photo by:NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
"Breathable air is necessary to sustain humans on Earth and in space. There's now a new public competition looking to improve air quality and health in both places: http://go.nasa.gov/2jHdofv"
Aliada Restaurant, a TRU Astorian Flavor…
From NASA's Article "Launches and Landings" we learn the Next steps of NASA for this Year (2018):
Date: September 10, 2018 – 6:32 p.m. Eastern – Mission: HTV-7 Cargo Spacecraft Description: Launch of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) H-IIB rocket from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan, with the "Kounotori7" HTV-7 cargo ship, delivering supplies to the International Space Station.
Date: September 15, 2018 – Launch Window: 8:46 a.m. — 9:26 a.m. Eastern – Mission:ICESat-2. Description: The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, spacecraft will lift off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on the final launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. ICESat-2 will provide precise measurements of the changing height of Earth's glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice.
Date: October 4, 2018 – Mission:Expedition 56 Landing– Description: NASA astronauts A.J. (Drew) Feustel and Ricky Arnold, and crewmate Oleg Artemyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will undock their Soyuz spacecraft from the International Space Station and land in Kazakhstan.
Date: October 11, 2018 – Mission:Expedition 57 Launch– Description: Astronaut Nick Hague of NASA and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Nikolay Tikhonov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will launch to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Targeted Date: November – Mission:Commercial Crew SpaceX Demonstration Mission 1 (Uncrewed) – Description: NASA and industry partners are targeting the return of human spaceflight from Florida's Space Coast. These flight tests will prove the space systems meet NASA's requirements for certification to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. For this uncrewed flight test, SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
Date: November 26, 2018 – Mission:InSight Landing on Mars – Description: The Entry, Descent and Landing phase is the final plunge of the Mars InSight Lander through the Martian atmosphere. It lasts about six minutes and delivers the lander safely to the surface of the Red Planet.
Date: December 13, 2018 – Mission:Expedition 57 Landing – Description: Astronauts Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA), and cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, will undock their Soyuz spacecraft from the International Space Station and land in Kazakhstan.
Date: December 20, 2018 – Mission:Expedition 58 Launch
– Description: NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos launch to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Photo by: Space Exploration
"The Ring Nebula. A planetary nebula (also called M57 & NGC 6720) one light year across in the northern constellation of Lyra. M57 is 2300 light years from Earth."
MarsMission to MarsmoonNASASpace Station
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text:
A New Paroches
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman
A number of years ago, Rabbi Ezriel Tauber, shlita, gave a lecture on the Holocaust in New York City to a secular audience. At the end of his talk, a young lady walked over and told him that she came from an assimilated family in Austria. She explained that her father had been religious before the war, but as the sole survivor of his family, he became so bitter against G-d that he went back to Vienna to raise an assimilated family. The woman had been fascinated to hear a positive interpretation of the Holocaust and eventually she became a complete ba'alas teshuvah. Her father was devastated. "I ran away from all that. Are you crazy to go back?" But she did go back and even made aliyah, settling in Jerusalem.
Some time later, Rabbi Tauber was invited to deliver a lecture in a hotel in Tiberias over Shabbos Chanukah. The very same woman was there and she told him that her father was visiting from Vienna and she was spending some time with him in Tiberias. Rabbi Tauber suggested that maybe if she brought her father that evening to his lecture it might soften him up a bit toward Judaism. She brought him to the packed lecture hall where Rabbi Tauber spoke eloquently. He drove home the message that each and every Jew is an ambassador of Hashem, and as a result every Jew has the chance to sanctify G-d's name. Hashem gave every Jew a pure neshamah, a candle to light up the dark, and no one can replace the light he will spread. The light that is not spread leaves a dark area in the world, which prevents Mashiach from coming.
Rabbi Tauber explained that there are two types of Kiddush Hashem. One is to die for Him and one is to live for Him. The second is more difficult. He illustrated this idea with a true story. In Treblinka, one of the worst concentration camps, the Germans eliminated more than 800,000 Jews in less than one year. But they were not satisfied in killing them alone. They hung a paroches, the covering from an aron kodesh, at the entrance to the gas chambers inscribed with the words "This is G-d's gate; the righteous shall pass through it." These cynical Germans thought they could humiliate the Jews in the last moments of their lives, hoping they would curse G-d before they died. The exact opposite happened. Even the assimilated Jew, without understanding why, would sing, "Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu, How fortunate are we that we are being killed as Jews." This drove the Germans crazy. Instead of humiliating the Jews, they lifted them up.
"This," said Rabbi Tauber, "is called dying al Kiddush Hashem. And if you are going to die, you might as well die sanctifying His Name. The challenge is for those who survived Treblinka. Finding themselves alone in this world without their family, those who walked with Hashem without complaints, who raised a family, made a new paroches that says 'This is the gate of Hashem.' In this generation, we are all Holocaust survivors. Every one of us is a victim of the gas chambers. We are victims of the Western gas chambers. Spiritually, we are being poisoned. Our brains do not function. We are addicted to the stupidity of Western society. Those who live in the warmth of Yiddishkeit are like those liberated from the camps. This is the time to rebuild ourselves by becoming proud Jews. This is the reason Hashem made miracles for us, enabling us to survive!"
When the lecture was over, this young lady ran over to Rabbi Tauber. She said that her father was in the audience and he wanted to talk to him. A few moments later she escorted her father to the front. He walked with his head down, and when he lifted his face up, Rabbi Tauber could see that his eyes were swollen with tears. He said in a Polish Yiddish, "I was in Treblinka working at that gas chamber. I saw my family killed in front of my eyes. I saw the paroches you spoke about, and that made me an apikores. I couldn't forgive G-d for keeping me alive with all these horrific memories."
Rabbi Tauber asked him whether he had found his answer tonight. Hadn't he thought that he could get away with raising an assimilated family? And look, one daughter was married to a gentile and the other, who had been non-religious, had come back to Hashem. "Your daughter is the one who is making that new paroches with her own hands," he told him. "This is the gate of Hashem. Can you run away from that?" Slowly but surely, the Yid from Vienna became a ba'al teshuvah.
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular "Torah Tavlin" book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new "Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim" in stores everywhere. You'll love this popular series. Also look for his book, "Heroes of Spirit," containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman's weekly "Torah Tavlin" sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


We are offering £50 of itunes vouchers for the person that comes up with a company name that we choose.
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