About an hour ago I resigned myself to writing a woe is me post. While I am still wallowing, I'm also not freaking out and this is due in great part to my husband, the unicorn.
Miles is a rare breed of partner. Grant you, before I got sick he was a typical spouse. Then, once started getting bad, and he learned that it was not me being ridiculous or dramatic. Two words never to be heard again because the panic attack I had during & after the fight made him realize that no, it's not my doing. He changed himself into the man he felt he needed to be, eating right & working out, helping me find a therapist, and doing more at home with our daughter. He went from good looking quarter horse to unicorn.
Only it wasn't the general changes that made a difference, it was how much he settled in to being MY husband with a steady attitude to all of it. We worked together and that helped keep me somewhat balanced before the dog bite. When I could no longer work in the office he was available every second, he even picked up in the restroom asking if it was poop level urgent because he knows I hate any restroom phone calls. Every night he sat with me for hours and I talked through my experiences, my psychosis, anything I needed to talk about. He no longer blamed me for things outside of my control, and he knew what they were because we talked constantly, at least at first. He did this for over a year an a half before my meds started to reduce the amount I needed that release of information. I became more independent and was able to handle all of the stimuli that made me feel so much flux & dysphoria.
I and all of my associated professionals agree that I wouldn't have gotten to where I am, with no hospital stays, without him. He didn't read books, every time he looked he saw phrases like 'caging their emotions' or promoting the feeling that the person with Bipolar should be looked down on, controlled, pitied, etc. There was nothing he was willing to bring into our home. Instead he, with dyslexia, will read anything I give him, even if it was 600 pages. I say he should write his own book, but he says that he knows me, not everyone with the disorder.
It may be a best selling pamphlet?
The unicorn name came from an online support group. It was early in my days as a crazy person and we were talking about spouses. Without reading the comments I submitted mine and it was met with much jealousy & joy, and the only other woman to read that post with a good husband. Someone said unicorns and it stuck. Even after that fun conversation, I didn't completely get it until hearing multiple stories of shaming, gas-lighting, belittling, & in some cases, abuse. The stories came in from every gender, socio-economic class, and throughout the country. She and I spoke for a bit about where we were in our progress vs. some of the others, and then about how much of that progress we assign to having good mates. Looking at the comparisons, we are about 90% sure that without good support at home it's near impossible to make much progress, unless you are very strong of will.
Please be a unicorn to those you love.


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Platania  è un comune italiano di  abitanti della provincia di Catanzaro in Calabria.

Geografia fisica

Territorio
Platania sorge sull'estremo lembo di uno dei contrafforti del monte Reventino del massiccio silano, che, aprendosi a ventaglio, degradano dolcemente verso la pianura lametina ed il golfo di Sant'Eufemia. Il borgo della provincia catanzarese, affacciato sulla piana di Lamezia Terme, si è sviluppato sulle pendici meridionali del monte Reventino a 750 metri di altezza s.l.m. Il suo territorio (26,84 km²) è compreso tra 350 e 1417 metri di altitudine (cima del monte Reventino) e confina con i comuni di Decollatura, Conflenti, Lamezia Terme, Serrastretta.

Orografia
Monte Reventino m 1.417; Monte Faggio m 1.316; Monte Castelluzzo m 1.201.

Idrografia
Cascata della Tiglia (Panetti) ;
Torrente Piazza (Granci); Torrente Occhiolungo; Torrente Canne

Origini del nome

Storia

Simboli
Lo stemma e il gonfalone del Comune sono stati concessi con il Decreto del presidente della Repubblica del 3 gennaio 1972.
 Stemma

 Gonfalone

Monumenti e luoghi d'interesse

Società

Evoluzione demografica

Tradizioni e folclore
Novena di San Michele Arcangelo – dal 19 al 28 settembre
Oltre alle abituali veglie di preghiera che si protraggono dal 19 al 28 settembre all'interno della chiesa madre, parallelamente si svolgono altre veglie nei diversi nuclei abitati, che si trovano nel territorio comunale, allorché la statua del Santo è portata in processione. La sera del 27 il simulacro rientra in paese accompagnato da una fiaccolata che anima il corso principale.

Novena di Natale - dal 16 al 25 dicembre
Lungo le vie del paese, alle prime luci dell'alba, è consuetudine suonare melodie natalizie per annunciare l'imminente nascita di Gesù Bambino.

La Focara - 24 dicembre
La notte della vigilia di Natale si accende un falò (focara) davanti alla chiesa madre, per aspettare la nascita del Redentore.

La Strina - dal 24 dicembre al 6 gennaio
È un tradizionale motivo musicale che, di casa in casa, viene cantato da gruppetti di amici durante le ore della notte. Le famiglie offrono agli inattesi ospiti ogni tipo di leccornia.

Geografia antropica

Frazioni
Ciurra, Foresta, Fossa Don Paolo, Granci, Reillo, Mercuri Tedesco, Sambate, Campo Chiesa, Pietra, Panetti, Perricchi.

Altre località del territorio
Timpone, Sirugo Sopra, Sirugo Sotto, Boscaino, Acquavona, Sirianni, "Patruna Vicchiu", Cuvoli, Scavello, Savocà
Punti panoramici
località Boscaino; località Savocà; località Sirianni; località Domus
Aree per picnic
Colle Zingari è un'area attrezzata con panche, tavoli e barbecue
Località Savocà: area attrezzata con panche, tavoli e barbecue nonché una fresca sorgente naturale.

Economia

Infrastrutture e trasporti
Platania è attraversata dalla strada provinciale 159.

Amministrazione

Sport
L'ASD Platania Calcio nella stagione sportiva 2018 /2019,dopo solo un anno dalla sua rifondazione, riesce a conquistare la promozione in seconda categoria, vincendo la finale Play Off contro il Curinga Calcio.

Platania Scherma, associazione sportiva, si occupa di promuovere la scherma su tutto il territorio comunale.
I giovani atleti platanesi partecipano con assiduità ad un gran numero di competizioni (nazionali, interregionali e regionali) ottenendo spesso buoni risultati.

Note

Voci correlate
 Comunità Montana Monti Reventino Tiriolo Mancuso
 Diocesi di Lamezia Terme
 Lametino
 Reventino

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Comuni della provincia di Catanzaro

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


China is one of the largest producers of instant noodles in the world. People in China and Hong Kong consume billions of instant noodles annually. But that is slowly decreasing, and it's a good economical sign for Beijing. A report by the BBC stated that China and Hong Kong, which together consumed more than 46 billion packets of instant noodles in 2013, consumed 8 billion less instant noodle packets in 2016.


Does your room feel a little boring? Enlist your favorite American super hero with this Captain America Decodant Blue Canvas Print. Featuring Cap in art deco style, this unique item is sure to stand out. Made by Artissimo Design, this canvas print is perfect for decorating themed rooms as well as filling out dull living spaces. This striking art piece measures 20-inches tall x 16-inches wide x 1 1/4-inches deep.


text:
News and resources on experimental films
Calls for entries
Continuous calls
Self-published editions
Videos on the net
Festivals map
...a piece of news
...a call
...an event
...a directory entry
...a venue
Alberto Cabrera Bernal (b.October 1976) is a Madrid-based filmmaker, artist and teacher, working in various formats, from video to 35 mm, using almost exclusively archive material, between appropriation and structural cinema.
His films have been shown in international venues and festivals such as Anthology Film Archives (New York), Images Festival (Toronto), EXiS (Seoul), CCCB (Barcelona), Cinemateca Brasileira (Sao Paulo) or Views from the Avant-Garde (New York). He has given workshops and master classes on avant-garde cinema in institutions and centers like Matadero Madrid or TAI School. He has been the subject of several articles, such as Four Ways to Define Cinema. Alberto Cabrera Bernal, Beyond any Orbit. Decentered Audiovisuals, or Contemporary Appropriation Audiovisual Ways, Styles and Formats in Spain.
He is the co-manager of Angular, an international experimental film DVD publisher that will launch their first volume mid-2014.
A selection of his filmography can be seen at PLAT.
http://cabrerabernal.org/
https://vimeo.com/cabrerabernal
40° 25' 0.39" N, 3° 42' 13.644" W
Events/articles
Filmadrid 2015
Cinema Anèmic #02: Blanca Viñas & Albert Alcoz
Kinoplaylist: Laida Lertxundi & Alberto Cabrera Bernal
Xcèntric: Exquisite collages
Projektion - Situative Systeme
Taller de apropiación fílmica en 16 mm
Muestra itinerante de found footage Playtime
Artists (by country)
Artists - Search
Works (A-Z)
Works (by year)
Works - Search
This article is part of the Experimental Cinema Wiki. You are welcome to join us and then edit it. Be bold!
is an independent website dedicated to provide information and promote experimental & avant-garde film.
Feel free to collaborate sending us information about events in your area, publications, your creations, or writing on and expanding our wiki section.
Directory entries
© Experimental Cinema 2019

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Change color value programmatically in Android I have an XML file in the drawable folder.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle"
    android:padding="10dp">
    <solid android:color="#2A3B5E"/>
    <corners
        android:bottomRightRadius="15dp"
        android:bottomLeftRadius="15dp"
        android:topLeftRadius="15dp"
        android:topRightRadius="15dp"/>
</shape>

I would like to change the color value. Is it possible to change the value programmatically?

A: Already answered here!
It retrieves the background containing the drawable shape that you want to modify; otherwise you can instantiate programatically a new  ShapeDrawable, assigning all the properties that you like.

A: You can do that via LevelListDrawable.
Check android docs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
These 22 States Love Playing the Lottery the Most
See which states enjoy gambling the most.
By Alexandria Bova July 28, 2020 Savings Accounts 101
31 Surprising Facts About Retiring You Probably Didn't Know
littleny / Getty Images
According to the American Gaming Association, 2019 was a record-breaking year for gambling, generating $43.6 billion in gaming revenue. This was the highest-ever annual total — and it looks like Americans are only upping the ante.
The U.S. Supreme Court started allowing legalized sports betting in most states in 2018, with half of Americans now living in states where sports gambling will be fair game. Online gambling is also on the rise. With the increased use of smartphones and high-speed internet, online gambling makes it far easier for people to bet from the safety of their own homes.
The acceptance of gambling within our culture is also steadily increasing. According to a 2018 poll by Gallup, 69% of Americans say gambling is morally acceptable — the highest level of acceptance in the 16 years of the survey. And with the average American spending $288.06 on lottery tickets per year, it's clear that many people love to press their luck.
To figure out which states enjoy playing the lottery the most, GOBankingRates analyzed lottery ticket sales and prize data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This study also looked at data from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's (FINRA) 2018 National Capability survey, with respondents answering a variety of questions, including, "Over the past 12 months, approximately how often did you buy a lottery ticket?"
The states are ranked from least to most spent per capita annually on lottery tickets and include only the top 22 states. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah do not have a lottery system and were excluded from this study. You may be surprised to learn that some of America's smaller states are more willing to gamble the most money away.
Annual amount spent on lottery per person: $264.27
Tennessee residents spent more than $1.36 billion on lottery tickets in 2017 alone, with the total winnings at $948.33 million.
Based on the FINRA survey, 15% of New Hampshire residents said they purchase a lottery ticket about once a month. This is four percentage points higher than the national average.
Twenty-one is the most frequently drawn number in the Missouri Lottery at 349 times as of Jan. 24, 2020. Missourians also spent over $1.2 billion on lottery tickets in 2017.
Thomas Kelley / Getty Images
Ten percent of Kentuckians have bought a lottery ticket within the past week. Their overall 2017 winnings totaled nearly $629 million.
Davel5957 / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Lottery winnings in Virginia reached $1.4 billion in 2019. Luckily, all Virginia Lottery profits have been used for public education across the state.
sestevens / Getty Images
Four percent of state residents buy a lottery ticket every day. North Carolinians spent $2.26 billion on lottery tickets in 2017, with winners taking home a total of $1.54 billion.
xavierarnau / Getty Images
The Illinois Lottery website boasts that the state lottery has contributed over $21 billion in revenue since 1985. Citizens of Illinois spent over $2.84 billion on lottery tickets in 2017 alone.
Ohio is the first state to cross the $300-per-person mark. Total winnings in the state are over $1.9 billion, with Ohioans spending over $2.8 billion on lottery tickets in 2017.
voshadhi / Getty Images
While over half of Oregon's lottery funds go to public education, it also helps other state programs, with 25.5% going to economic development and job creation and 15% going to state parks and natural resources. What's more, 1% of funds are allocated for problem gambling treatment.
Florida had the second-highest total in lottery ticket sales in the study at over $5.82 billion in 2017 alone. Surprisingly, 40% of Florida residents said they hadn't bought a single lottery ticket in the last year, according to the FINRA survey.
Total traditional game sales were more than $4.5 billion as of June 2019, with over 66% of sales from scratch-offs.
ShriramPatki / Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Michigan Lottery provided $941.3 million for education in 2018, with $2.5 million going to schools every day.
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
South Carolina Lottery money goes straight to higher education programs, with nearly $4.25 billion going toward student scholarships. Lottery ticket sales totaled $1.52 billion in 2017 alone.
Residents of Connecticut spend $141.64 more per person on lottery tickets than Tennessee residents, with lottery ticket sales totaling almost $1.15 billion in 2017.
sborisov / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Casino gaming revenue supports the Maryland Education Fund; however, lottery profits primarily support the Maryland General Fund. This is a source of funding for public education, public health and safety services, with some profits supporting horse racing in the state.
West Virginia's lottery ticket sales are far lower than most other states on this list at $6.1 million. However, the annual amount spent per person still places it among the top seven.
Ultima_Gaina / Getty Images/iStockphoto
With Atlantic City as a large attraction, it's no wonder that New Jersey residents play the lottery more than most. Around 12% of New Jerseyans say they play the lottery once a week.
Five percent of Georgia residents play the lottery every single day. The state generated more than $4.02 billion in ticket sales in 2017.
New York sales and net wins totaled $10.29 billion in the 2018-19 fiscal year, with $3.47 billion going to school aid.
DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
For such a small state, Delaware residents spend an obscene amount per person on lottery tickets. However, 38% of citizens said they have never bought a lottery ticket, according to the FINRA survey.
SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Rhode Island has the second-highest annual amount spent on lottery tickets per person on this list. However, it also has the second-lowest amount of lottery prizes awarded at just $157 million.
Massachusetts residents spend over $300 more on lottery tickets per person than Rhode Island, with 5% of citizens saying they play the lottery every day. Lottery ticket sales reached $5.09 billion in 2017 alone.
21 Hacks To Reduce Your Healthcare Costs This Year
The Downsides of Retirement That Nobody Talks About
Tips To Keep Your Finances in Order Without Sacrificing What You Want
Methodology: To determine which states loved playing the lottery the most, GOBankingRates looked at lottery ticket sales and prizes data from the United States Census Bureau. The study ranked the states from least to most spent per capita annually on lottery tickets. Per capita figures were calculated by dividing the total lottery ticket sales and total lottery prizes — per the Census Bureau — by the respective state's population. For each state, the following question and data set from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's 2018 National Financial Capability survey was sourced for supplementary information: "Over the past 12 months, approximately how often did you buy a lottery ticket?" Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah do not have a lottery system and therefore were excluded from the study.
26 Signs You're Actually a Cheapskate
Here are some ways you might be taking frugal living too far.
I Put 50% of My Income Into Savings — Here's How
Discover how to up your savings game.
By Sam DeBianchi
Refusing to Wait for Congress, These Cities and States Are Handing Out COVID-19 Relief
By Nicole Spector
Can You Afford to Die in Your State?
Things You Can Get For Free in Every State
By Alexandria Bova
How Much It Costs To Become President of the United States
By Laura Woods
States Where Identity Theft Runs Rampant
The Total Amount of Unclaimed Money in Every State — Is Some of It Yours?
The (Minimum) Emergency Savings Needed in Every State
GOBankingRates > Saving Money > Savings Advice > These 22 States Love Playing the Lottery the Most


text:
From There to Eternity
My Journey In and Out of "ISKCON"
By Rajj Kotecha
In the late summer of 2010, I was morose. I was at home on the outskirts of Mumbai (Bombay) sitting on the couch, flipping through television channels. There I contacted Aindra Prabhu performing kirtana. I had known that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a bhakti yogi, but I was amazed to find out Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Lord Gauranga, God, Krsna, the Supreme Lord in golden form. Lord Nityananda was Balarama. I happened to read a few introductory sentences of one book where it was stated that anyone who does not chant the name Gauranga and Nityananda in this age is most unfortunate. It just hit me very strong, and I became serious about devotional life. I found some forums on the INTERNET stating that chanting Gauranga and Nityananda is non-different from chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, so I took it up enthusiastically.
At this time, I had been attending yoga classes. In philosophy discussion, we were asked to present our understanding on selected verses of Bhagavad-gita. Although I was previously interested in sankhya yoga, I discovered that it was atheistic. Now my interest grew in Bhagavad-gita, the theism attributed to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. I was many times coming across Srila Prabhupada's teachings during various web searches on different topics, but I still had not researched who Srila Prabhupada was.
I was becoming convinced by reading Bhagavad-gita that bhakti-yoga is the topmost yoga. These so-called teachers of philosophy were uselessly misinterpreting the verses. The meaning in Srila Prabhupada's purports were self-evident. After reading Perfection of Yoga, I was firmly convinced that bhakti-yoga was better. Thus, I felt uncomfortable in my current situation. I desired to know who Srila Prabhupada was. I searched on YouTube and came across Srila Prabhupada's poisoning; I was shattered to know that some of his disciples may have poisoned him.
Begin the "ISKCON" Trip
Then, at the end of December, 2010, after yoga class, I visited the Mumbai "ISKCON" temple. I picked up a copy of Bhagavad-gita and bought it. I was short of ten rupees, but the devotee who sold it to me anyway invited me to attend something called the youth program. I decided to do so.
I was, by this time, chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra and was intently reading Srila Prabhupada's books. I was also reading Srila Prabhupada's instructions about chanting. My home environment was ridden with tension. I was not completing things that I had started, leaving them half finished.
Sometimes, I used to visit what was called the ISKCON Youth Forum office. By this time, I had caught the attention of the speaker of the program, who happened to be the head of department of this office. He invited me to Jagannath Rath Yatra in the summer of 2011. Later, during this yatra, I was aghast at seeing the mismanagement in book and food distribution.
Still, I decided to take up chanting sixteen rounds, but I couldn't do it for more than a few days. The next week, I attended a program held by Radhanath Swami. I was introduced to one more devotee, from my college, who happened to be of the same caste, and he knew my cousin-brother intimately. He told me about dovetailing activities is Krsna consciousness. I was intently listening to Radhanatha but found his lecture boring.
Gradually, I started spending more time at the temple. I had once again picked up chanting sixteen rounds per day. In the morning, I used to reach the temple by 7.30 or 8.00 a.m. and spent the next two hours chanting. Although I had mildly appreciated Bhagavatam class during my initial visits, I really preferred chanting japa. Then, slowly, under the guidance of the departmental head, I began distributing books. My parents were puzzled, since now I was leaving home early in the morning and returning late at night. I was a getting the hang of distribution, and my shyness was disappearing. Also, a brahmacari used to assist us enthusiastically; he was a Radhanath disciple. He was also a bit irregular. He used to tell us about initiation, but I found him to be little more than a cloned facsimile of his "guru."
The temple eating facility was a very dirty place, full of insects, discarded food, and rather animalistic behavior; it was in the section known as the basement. I spoke to the departmental head about these conditions. He told me that the visitors were less advanced souls, and we must tolerate their behavior; I was not satisfied with this explanation. He assured me that he would speak to the person in charge of that department, who turned out to be a grumpy, foul-mouthed "brahmin." That fellow particularly liked to chastise the security guards, but this was nothing new.
The next three months, a subordinate friendship with an established book distributor, who was like a mentor, developed. I had, by this time, shifted from attending lectures to distributing books for the whole evening. Our stall was outside. The authorities didn't like the idea of us distributing books out there, however. Our scores increased for three months straight and never before had book distribution been carried out from this stall. However, my departmental head would often disappear into his office, especially when I needed him to be with me to protect me from the battering by the vikarmis.
During this time, I had discovered The Guru Business on the INTERNET. I was shattered once more by learning about such a murder in the movement. It produced more dissatisfaction. I also discovered a schism, one camp of which called themselves rittviks; the Mumbai temple was involved in a court case with that rittvik Banglore temple. One of the main men accused in the Sulochana dasa murder case turned out to be Radhanath Swami. I felt great fear. I even discovered a few sites listing the bogus gurus of "ISKCON." During book distribution, seeing the behavior of so many congregational devotees, I felt that something was wrong.
I asked my departmental head about these problems in "ISKCON" and mentioned the rittviks. He didn't appreciate my question and chastised me heavily: "What do you want to do? Change the entire thing? You can't do it! Just have faith in your service and Srila Prabhupada. Book distribution is the best service, so chant sixteen rounds." I foolishly bought it. After all, I was considering him my "siksa guru." I had even once asked him how I could know about my nature. He told me that chanting makes one transcendental; we must not think about who we are in material life. I was not convinced. As such, he told me that, if I wanted to, I could dabble in some astrology.
I appeared for my exams and thereafter immediately got heavier into book distribution. We were getting adoration from the student devotees and our names were even announced after mangal arati. During these times, I was entertaining ideas of rittvik, since I was not at all satisfied with the sannyasis. I noticed some senior men had homosexual tendencies, and I was becoming disillusioned by all of them.
After three months of book distribution, my mentor left for his native place to explain things to his parents about his joining the temple. I felt lonely. Also, devotees used to flatter me, asking how I managed to distribute so many books. They used to tell me how advanced I was. I used to tell them to read books and sometimes instruct them with a misunderstanding that I was their siksa guru.
On the INTERNET, I had found one devotee burning copies of the Lilamrta. Now I was learning about the book changes. I was never fond of the Lilamrta. I sometimes observed that a few devotees were imitators of Srila Prabhupada. Around this time, I came into initial contact with the Vaishnava Foundation website. I went through a number of articles such as Krishna Consciousness and Cracked Cord of Discord. I was firmly convinced that Lilamrta is offensive. In these articles, I found something which seemed to apply to me but, being on the mental platform of accept/reject, I soon rejected it as mental speculation on the part of the author.
The next day, I approached my departmental head with questions about the book changes. He said that they were only slight grammar changes, as Srila Prabhupada's English was "unique." I wasn't convinced. I told him I had found something else on the web. He became furious and said that the INTERNET is a place of so much rubbish. Allegedly, many devotees in the past had fallen victim to propaganda from the INTERNET. He said that it should be avoided, since it was very bad for spiritual life. He told me that he had contact with Jayadvaita Swami—the chief devotee behind all of the book changes--and that he would visit the temple during the G.B.C. meetings next year. It was suggested that I approach him with my doubts.
Once, during book distribution, I spoke to a person who calmly listened to me without opposition. After I stopped speaking, he told that he had been a devotee in the Mumbai temple a few years back. He had helped the current temple president (who, at that time, was also the manager of the guest house) to collect crores of rupees, in order to allegedly build a complex for the temple inmates. It was to be called "Heaven on Earth." In prosecuting that pie in the sky, this fellow told me he laundered thousands of rupees and had been caught. The temple president did not protect him, he was threatened by the temple authorities and kicked out. He told that the temple president is the most rascal person you would find. I seriously thought he might indeed be right. He advised me that I owed it to myself to get the real facts. I would see him more over the next few weeks, especially at Sunday feasts.
I was scared, because I thought he may be harmful to my spiritual life. Still, I knew he was serious. He would tell me that he could bring the whole temple complex down, including the president. He helped me to realize the contradiction of the authorities renting out a temple hall for business exhibitions and other non-Vaishnava purposes, such as mundane marriage ceremonies. I finally started to see some light.
After this, I only wanted to become educated in the eternal philosophy, and considered that solely pushing books was not enough. In the temple, however, our youth group in-charge was not at all interested in training us. We used to have small meetings comprising students, who were then put in charge of organizing some kind of Saturday program, along with what was supposed to be a follow up. All these discussions were just so much hot air, disorganized—and philosophy was almost always missing. I finally avoided them altogether. I had some ideas I wanted to develop, but my suggestions were always neglected. The leaders used to spend so much time plotting and scheming, but all their plans would more or less always fail.
Down Some More Rabbit Holes
I happened to find a site called Rupanuga Vedic College. With my departmental head, I discussed the prospects of my visiting this college, but he told me that the West is really tough for practicing Krsna consciousness. He suggested the Bhaktivedanta College, where the courses were accredited. I looked at the syllabus, and it didn't exactly seem to be imparting Krsna conscious education. Nevertheless, I convinced my grandfather about the idea, explaining to him the details of the course and how I could become a professor of religion after its completion. He agreed to it, so I prepared to secure a passport. I was especially interested in the traveling sankirtan party the college advertised. I thought I could get training in book distribution and also learn more about the eternal devotional philosophy.
On this basis, I researched on topics related to Danavir Goswami, the headmaster. He had written academic papers. I became a bit peeved when I similarly found that there were criticisms of these papers. I found an article called Guru Tattva by Sadhudas Anudas, wherein he used the term "corporate" in refering to "ISKCON".
Just after my local college again started up in the fall of 2011, I came to also find out about V.O.I.C.E. (Vedic Oasis for Inspiration Culture and Education). Its leader was but another Radhanath disciple. That made me hesistant, and the books were arranged in textbook manner, with a fill-in-the- blank format and was not supposedly based on Srila Prabhupada's books. Also, I had found out that its psychological seminars--which I eventually found time to attend--were all based on written works centered around the power of mind control. I had no taste for hearing lectures along these lines. V.O.I.C.E. had a rigorous time-table indicating that it may be bona fide, but I soon realized that the whole scam was simply mechanical.
Prior to my planned journey to America and the Rupanuga Vedic College, I was considering an option of becoming trained in the temple program. It was called the Vaishnava Training Academy. Once moving into the temple, I felt enthusiastic—for the first few days. I got access to the brahmacari kitchen and used to help there in the afternoons. Three other helpers had been employed, along with a main cook and his paid assistant. Standards were very poor, and rats could be seen scampering all over the place. It was very dirty. Having moved to the temple, I found the food too heavy. Sometimes menus were foolish. These so-called bhaktas were not different in their behavior from basement people, except they wore saffron dress. We were all trained to overlord those below us in the hierarchy, also.
Actually, I even kow-towed to the other co-departmental head of the youth wing. He was bold and audacious. He had a personal servant, a young boy who lived nearby the temple. That boy later, under his direction, suddenly moved to Mayapur, and this made me wonder. The co-departmental head was also a teacher at the Vrindavan Institute of Higher Learning. He told me about his big, big plan to establish 108 centers throughout Bombay. He started laying the scheme out, and he told how he had everything ready. Just as Srila Prabhupada had 108 temples established worldwide, this fellow would have 108 such centers—but all in one Indian metropolitan area. He outsourced work to me, beginning with pamphlet distribution.
I was having problems washing clothes. I was not able to read. My book distribution output was going down. My time management was weak, and I was compromising on studies, with exams right around the corner. Somehow or other, I was able to pass them. Right after the exams, I was entrusted with "GBC seva," along with some other students, under the guidance of the aforementioned co-departmental head. I was critical of the GBC, as I could observe their actual behavior. The practice of eating leftover food from the "sannyasi" plates was eagerly followed by some devotees; once the show was over, everyone would just pounce on leftover food.
Around this time, I was growing more and more dissatisfied with my decision to move into the temple. I also read in a purport where it was mentioned that demons would dissipate the eternal knowledge and its absolute value for no one's benefit, and they would devise all types of interpretations according to personal whims. The thought crossed my mind that this was just what I was experiencing in this setting. I needed a retreat, as I was becoming convinced that I was surrounded by sahajiyas, with whom I had no eternal connection. I found this retreat by gaining access to the temple library.
During this time I found out from a disciple of Danavir Goswami that his college program had failed completely. It now consisted of nothing but an online course. I began to yearn for getting back into book distribution. A new counselor asked me to join another youth preaching program in a college at Jaipur, so I gave that a try. The temple was only under construction, however, with a few brahmacaris and couple of grhasthas, who all had television sets in their apartments. There was no activity at the temple, except when it came time to eat. The whole atmosphere was quite disgusting.
In the month of December, 2011, a Mumbai marathon had been initiated. This superficially changed the atmosphere in the temple. In no small part, this may have been due to a program accompanying this marathon, viz., those who went out had a full feast of food served to them every night. I also thought I should go out, because I could step my game up—and, yes, I could also get more and better food. Despite the fact that I was once again reading Srila Prabhupada's books, I felt duped by the entire thing, as it seemed to me to be solely a business arrangement.
After the marathon, another brahmacari devotee joined at the book stall. He used to distribute books near the main book stall within the temple, under the auspices of the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Now he had shifted to the outside stall, since there were some problems with the management. I used to discuss various institutional problems with him; he was of the opinion that all of those were solely due to envy.
I used to serve the head librarian during the afternoons before going out for books. He was definitely overburdened and readily accepted my help. But he was a sycophant to higher ups and would easily lose his temper. I was getting affected by his association, but he would let me access controversial or even taboo books. I had found him accessing adult sites.
One Vaishnava Training Academy fanatic spoke to me how we should simply follow the authority, that this is the only basis for spiritual life. He pointed out how my distribution figures had fallen. He reminded me that I had been caught surfing on the INTERNET by the other co-departmental head. He browbeat me: My seva was failing! He expressed his serious displeasure with me. I told him I needed proper time to study and mentioned how essential it was to discuss topics related to controversies. He did not accept any of this, but, instead, reminded me how a devotee, who had been in the high post of temple commander, was removed and forced from the temple, simply because he developed problems with management.
I was confronted by the departmental head, who made it clear that he was not pleased with my attitude; he said that I had to become humble. Soon thereafter, the Vaishnava Training Academy fanatics approached me, asking if I was actually comfortable living within the temple. I was open to where they were coming from, as it appeared to be a chance to leave. I told him that obviously I was not doing well, pointing to being unable to follow up with Vaishnava Training Academy, as well as the fact that my enthusiasm for distributing books had diminished. I suggested that I would rather shift back home. They said that I had to change my view in order to stay. I had to realize that, no matter how devotees behave, it does not really matter, since we are all diseased, and, therefore, gathered at the temple for treatment. I was by this time not buying any of it, seeing clearly that all of it led down but another rabbit hole. I had read the article by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta entitled Organized Religion in the library, and I was beginning to see the hypocrisy.
In due course, I made repeated trips home for prasadam and accessing the INTERNET, since that facility was now restricted to me at the temple. By this time, I also started again listening to Aindra prabhu's lectures and kirtans. I used to listen to a lecture where he urged all the institution's devotees to revolution. I was not fearing authorities much anymore.
At the temple, I convinced the brahmacari at the book stall to perform sankirtan. I had a mridunga, and it went on very nicely for a few weeks. The book stall was right outside the temple, and the authorities were not pleased. They said it was no use performing there and gave strict orders to close it down. I even kow-towed to the Bhaktivedanta Institute devotees for some service, against my better judgment. I had an association with its leader once and asked him about various issues confronting movement. He was vague in his answers. I told him about my condition and accompanied him to his room. As soon as we entered, he lied down on his sofa and assured me not to worry about any problems. He was most unimpressive.
My Emergence from "ISKCON"
Around this time, I came across the article Ages and Stages of Man and Movement, written by Kailasa Candra dasa, the leader of the group. I had previously (but only once) come to this site and even saved that same article for further reading. This time I read it completely, and I was blown away. As a student, one of my favorite subjects was history. I kept in mind this site for reading some more of its articles, and I regularly did so. From this site, returntosquareone.com, I was directed to a site called the Vaishnava Foundation. It jogged my memory that I had once previously accessed this site also, where I had found that article on Lilamrta.
What I was observing within the "ISKCON" temple was so clearly and logically presented in these articles. One article by Kailasa Candra prabhu caught my attention in another way, especially a paragraph found in Beyond Contradictory Religions:
"Confirmation of one thesis results in the logical exclusion of all others which oppose and contradict it. This exclusion creates spiritual ramifications, and these force dynamic changes in intelligence. When the logic and authority is bona fide, those changes are evolutionary. When something is both shastric and logical, it automatically shatters and constrains anything which had previously covered it."
I had felt like this after having initially read the Bhaktivedanta purports, as well as reading Bhagavatam slokas in the library. Now I was feeling the very same thing again. I felt such relief. I also started watching and listening to the videos available at this site. I could now see things more clearly, and I felt fearless. I got this realization that the so-called devotees I had been associated with were all karmis. They had made their ashram a joint mess. I was also re-developing faith to follow the bhakti process at home, after reading On Sufficient Guidance. I studied this article thoroughly. I then found it easy to deal with other temple devotees, who, by this time, were neglecting me. I wanted to tell them about these articles.
Spring of 2012 was approaching, my exams were finally over, and, the next day, I was a bit late for mangal arati. I received a message from a senior devotee to empty my space in order to accommodate a new man, and I did that enthusiastically. I sent off an e-mail to Bhakta Eric Johanson. Then, on Eric prabhu's advice, a week after recovering from a minor accident, I went to the temple and collected my belongings. I did not want to be confronted by anyone. While returning home, I was feeling joyous. I was soon engaged in translation seva for the Vaishnava Foundation.
I was slow to begin it, however. I visited the temple one day, on plea of a Vaishnava Training Academy devotee who had arrived from Delhi for a few months in the month of January. After translating, I experienced a new spurt of energy; I was feeling confident that day. I was picking up. He was quite charismatic and well-liked by everyone. He was leaving to return to Delhi, so he mentioned he wanted to see me one last time. I thought I would preach to him and inform him about all these bogus guru issues. I had found him more sane than most of the other devotees and a bit more clear-headed, but he was initiated by Gopal Krishna Swami. However, as soon as I reached temple, he was nowhere to be found.
I went to the book stall, and I saw the departmental head with his team of chelas in full swing. I just stood there, and, in the meantime, spoke to a devotee who had been friendly to me. Previously that day, he had also called me. I spoke to him and confronted him with the issues. He was hearing patiently, but, at a certain point, he started attacking every point I made.
He said how he had been part of the institution for four years, how all the devotees had helped him, how he was even allowed an accommodation, personal income from distributing books. He advised me not to think about politics. I left him and then bumped into my mentor. He asked me why I had stopped coming to temple. Now I realized I had made a mistake by speaking too freely.
Finally, the devotee whom I had come to meet asked me to accompany him to the VTA room. Many devotees were present; it was a set-up. They were not happy to see me. He started love-bombing me. He told me that devotee association is very important. To some extent, the whole experience psyched me out, and, as a result, on the way back home, I wasn't feeling good. I felt I shouldn't have gone there that day and felt sorry for myself.
Soon after this, I e-mailed Eric prabhu and concentrated more on translation work. Also, a few days after this incident, I found I had some belongings of that departmental head (it was a bag he had given me for book distribution). So, I decided to return it to him. I was more cautious this time, and I gave him his belongings and decided to leave. I think I was subconsciously wanting to confront him, to let him know the facts and the truth.
He asked me to keep the item, saying it now belonged to me. Then he asked me how I was carrying on with my sadhana at home, whether I was still chanting or not. I answered in the affirmative. He calmly explained the importance of chanting in devotee association. Then I straightway said that "ISKCON" had deviated from Srila Prabhupada's instructions. I first presented him with a brief idea of the first transformation, the selection of gurus by ecclesiastical process (Adi-lila, 1.35, purport).
He got quite agitated and presented a time, place, and circumstance rationalization. I stressed the term ecclesiastical. He did not know of it, so he asked me what it meant. Then, when I told him, he stated that I was directly trying to interpret Jiva Goswami. I asked him how a guru should be selected. He told me that those who like a certain devotee's preaching, as long as he was one of the approved gurus of "ISKCON," they can then ask him to become their diksa-guru. I told him that this is what Srila Jiva Goswami's warning is all about, and it's confirmed in Srila Prabhupada's purports. I told him how the procedure of appointing gurus, by veto or by vote or by no objection certificate is all bogus.
He again argued time, place, and circumstance. He claimed there had been a successful reformation. This argument set me back a bit. I replied that, although such was the case, a large number of devotees still believed all the zonal acharyas were bona fide. He covered that by saying they only made a mistake. It was O.K. now. He said we should not target devotees like this, since that is Vaishnava aparadha. I told him if a person falls down, then why in the first place he should have become guru.
He asked if I was free from falling down. He again warned me that I was offending them. He told that there were qualified devotees now, citing Bhakti Caru as his leading example. I raised the topic of the book changes. This made him severely agitated, red with anger. He asked me to read some position papers so I could get my misconceptions solved. He told my that my attitude had worsened and said it was becoming detrimental. He then bluntly told me that I was not advancing in spiritual life.
I again contacted Eric prabhu. Over next couple of weeks, I would receive calls from that book distributor mentor. He would just go on speaking. In the beginning, I got rather angry, but later I answered him with cooly and soberly. I also received those aforementioned position papers.
Much before this time at college, I had met one former "ISKCON" devotee, who had been a brahmacari and, after that, had enrolled for a course a year back. However, he had left college some years ago when he joined the Mumbai temple. He found contradictions, so he had decided to shift back outside after a few months. He had warned me to be careful not to join the temple, but I did not listen to him, because I thought he was weak. I met him again now, as our classes were on the same floor.
I started discussing the deviations with him. He thought his initiation was bona fide and told me that we must not read shastras; let the scholars discuss the controversies. He had inquired from his guru about the 1978 deviations, and he told me that they are all humble since that time, having admitted their faults--after all, everyone is conditioned. He asked me what I would have done. They should still be respected since they had served Srila Prabhupada, and the way they were now doing it was the only way the parampara could go on.
However, he really did not fazed me. I am now a member of the Vaishnava Foundation and engaged in its service. Looking back, there was really no alternative. I had confirmed this organization's thesis, and that excluded all of the other rationalizations these so-called devotees presented. My decision had made a dynamic change in my intelligence. I was now on the path of eternity, having surpassed the station of the temporary, represented by "ISKCON" and its apologists. My path is now shastric, logical, and has shattered whatever sentimental attachment I had previously had for the temporary cult. All glories to the teachings of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.
Quotes from the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are copyright by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust


Building Information Modelling has been around in some form or another for over 20 years. It's only in the last 10 years that awareness of the technology and what it can do has started to catch on. However, we are a long way from the "tipping point" when BIM appears to become adopted universally, almost overnight.
The Government's Level 2 mandate has been with us for over 12 months but it hasn't had the impact that was expected. Despite the best efforts task force groups and other agencies, it seems that industry was just too far behind to catch up with the legislation.
So, has BIM been pushed too far too soon? Are we trying to run before we've fully learned to walk?
The impact of a lack of experienced staff has already been seen, with companies reporting problems in recruiting skilled engineers and technicians. The lack of understanding of the software and the lack of awareness of industry standards go hand-in-hand. For BIM to become the norm, industry standards must be adhered to, and interpreted correctly. Contractors, project teams, and especially clients must understand exactly what is needed, and what should be delivered. Without this, BIM becomes a potential further cost – with no way to quantify the work carried out nor the return on investment. Result: clients cease to specify BIM on new developments.
It was thought that Level 2 would lead to greater understanding and acceptance throughout the industry. The results of two recent surveys show that Central Government is not fully on board with its own mandate. Tier 1 contactors are reporting that some government departments are not making BIM a requirement for large scale projects. If this does not happen, there will be no 'trickle-down effect', and BIM take up will become even slower.
Although the large contractors are gaining more experience with technology, smaller organisations are reluctant or unable to invest huge sums and periods of time in the software, staff and training, especially when many of their clients don't specify it. Some companies still think it's more hype than anything else.
The answer to the problem seems obvious. Just about every survey undertaken in the last year has indicated that client take up is key. Currently, there is too little understanding, and too much variation in the interpretation of the data and delivery standards. Level 2 focuses on collaboration between project teams, and aspects of the software such as clash detection, without specifying the amount of information required to produce the model.
3D laser scanning and point cloud modelling mean you can collect a vast amount of data very quickly. But just because you can collect data on everything, doesn't mean you have to do so. At present, the amount of data collected is down to the individual BIM manager and their expertise, so clients can end up paying for an enormous amount of data, much of which may not be appropriate to their project.
Many groups and organisation are working hard to introduce guidelines and promote best working practices. Unfortunately, we're still a long way from achieving this level playing field. Considering how long the industry has been reliant on traditional methods of design and construction, any change is going to be gradual.
Should we have waited before imposing Level 2, allowing BIM to continue to grow "organically"?
BIM may have been around for about 20 years but it still counts as new technology. It's a significant shift in thinking for everyone, and although the pace of change is increasing, there's still a long road ahead.


Home PERSPECTIVES Money, Finance & Banking Why a relook at the global credit crisis?
The global credit crisis that started in the US in 2008 and spiraled to each and every corner of the world also had its share of impact on India. The impact on India was not great at that time because India opened its doors to the global economy pretty late and hence was cushioned from major impact.
You may ask why I am raking up an eight-year old history today. It is because in the last decade India has taken several steps to be one among the more active players in the global economy. In view of this, it is feared that if there is a repeat India may not be that lucky the second time.
It is therefore necessary to understand well what exactly happened in the US back in 2008.
What exactly is the credit crisis?
The above terms might look confusing right now, but the important question is, who was affected in it? Bankers? Common people? The answer unfortunately is – Everyone!
How did the Credit Crisis happen?
If we take two groups of people, home owners and their investors, the first group represents their mortgages, while the latter group represents their money. Again, the mortgages represent houses, while the money represents large intuitions such as insurance companies, mutual funds, and the like. So what makes these two groups come together? The financial system. And this financial system, i.e. the banks and the brokers, are commonly known as 'Wall Street'.
Earlier, the investors sat on a pile of money and looked out for a good investment. Traditionally they went to the US Federal Reserve and bought treasury bills, believed then to be the safest investments. But in the wake of the dot com bust and the 11th September attacks, the then Federal Reserve Chairman lowered interest rates to only 1% to keep the economy strong. Since 1% was extremely low, investors backed out from buying treasury bills. On the other side, banks could now borrow from the Federal Reserve for just 1%. This basically made borrowing easier for banks as there was abundance of cheap credit. As a result banks went crazy with Leverage.
Case A: Mr. A has Rs. 10,000 and with it he buys a box. He then sells the box at Rs. 11,000. He makes Rs. 1000 profit. A good deal!
Case B: Mr A has the same Rs. 10,000. With that he goes and gets Rs. 9, 90,000 more. So now he has Rs. 10, 00,000 in his hand. With this he buys 100 boxes and sells them at Rs. 11, 00,000. From this money, he pays back Rs. 9, 90,000 + Rs. 10,000 interest. So leaving his initial Rs. 10,000, he makes Rs. 90,000 profit. A great deal!
So leverage turns good deals to great deals. Wall Street took out a ton of credit, made great deals and grew tremendously rich. The investors saw this and also wanted to be part of the action. So Wall Street came up with the idea to connect the investors to the home owners through mortgages.
A family who wanted a house, saved for the down payment, contacted a mortgage broker, who in turn connected to a Mortgage Lender who gave them a mortgage. So the family bought a house, the broker earned a good commission. Win-win situation for all.
Gradually Investment bankers also started buying mortgages from the lenders at a good price. So the investment bankers bought millions of such mortgages which paid them millions of mortgage amounts every month. These accumulated mortgages were called Collaterized Debt obligation (CDO). A CDO basically had three parts to it- the safe, okay and risky parts to put it simply. When money came in, it filled the safe part first, cascaded to the okay portion and lastly into the risky portion.
This basically meant that if a homeowner was to default, less money would flow in and the risky portion might not get filled. To compensate this, the risky portion was offered at a higher return and the safe portion, at a lower return. To make the safe portion all the more safer, banks insured it with a small fee which was called the credit default swap. The banks did all this so that the credit rating agencies ranked the safe portion as safe AAA investments, the okay portion as BBB and didn't rate the risky portion of it. Now, due to the AAA rating, the investment bankers could sell this to the investors who were only looking for safe investments to begin with. The okay portion was sold to other bankers and the risky portion to hedge funds and other risk takers. So the investment banker made millions, repaid his loans and the investors found a good mode of investment much better than the 1% treasury bills. Again, a win-win situation for all.
Since investors were so pleased, gradually they started wanting more CDO slices. So there was a pressure on the entire chain to find more home owners. But they were no more to be found. Everyone who qualified for a mortgage, already had a house by then. So now they had another idea. They made the rule that incase homeowners default, the lender would be the owner of the house. This would work since property prices were forever going up, so there was nothing to lose for the lenders. So lenders started adding risk to new mortgages, such as – no down payment, no proof of income and no documents at all. So instead of lending to responsible home owners, or the Prime mortgages, they started lending to the not-so-responsible home owners, or the sub-prime mortgages. And this was the turning point!
When the defaults started happening first, it was foreclosure for the lender which essentially meant that one of his avenues of money suddenly turned into a house. At first there was no problem. When this happened, the lender just put it up for sale. But when more and more defaults started happening, the money generating avenues all started turning into physical houses. In no time, there were suddenly too many houses, more supply than demand, causing the cost of houses to fall. This created a problem with the home owners still paying their mortgages. As all the houses in his/her neighborhood went up for sale, value of his house fell and they start wondering why they were paying such high mortgages and they simply walk out of their houses. In this way housing prices plummeted throughout the country and for the investment bankers there was a huge accumulation of worthless houses. They could not sell their CDOs to investors anymore, neither could they sell the houses to anyone. Investors had also bought thousand of these seemingly time bombs. Lenders could not sell their mortgages anymore since the banker could not buy and brokers were anyways out of work. The entire financial system got frozen. And then the system collapsed. Everyone started going bankrupt. Lastly, the investors called up these very home owners and informed them that their investments have become worthless. And in this way, the crisis flew in a circle – the global credit crisis.
With the entire world getting affected with the global financial crisis, India's growth rate declined too, especially because its export market took a hit.
Disconnect with the Global Economy: It was not too much connected to it to bear the major blunt.
Less dependency on housing sector: Unlike US, Japan and Europe, private has never been a main part of the domestic economy of India.
Strong Financial System: A highly regulated and conservative financial system did not allow banks to take deposits to enter into speculative activities and buy mortgaged back securities like other banks throughout the word.
Next articleIn the knowledge age knowledge has become a force, an energy!


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Anti-government protests subside in Turkey
Written by VOANews on June 2, 2013 in Europe, News - No comments
Residents of Istanbul and Ankara woke up to a quiet morning Sunday as demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to have subsided for now.
Thousands of Turks in Istanbul had protested well into Saturday night in what has turned into a nationwide anti-government out-pouring.
Protesters in the capital Ankara set fires to cars and buildings, causing clouds of smoke to mix with of tear gas.
What had started as a small sit-in against the renovation of a central Istanbul square has spiraled into chaos as thousands took to the streets to protest against what they see as Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style.
Erdogan vowed to press ahead with the redevelopment project and called for demonstrators to end their protests.
Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said more than 900 people have been arrested in protests across the country, while 26 police officers and 53 citizens have been wounded. Some of those arrested have already been released.
Analysts say the unrest signifies growing discontent over the policies of the Islamist-dominated government, which some accuse of becoming increasingly authoritarian.
Mine Eder, a political science professor at Istanbul's Bogazici University, tells VOA the movement is drawing from a broad range of the Turkish population.
"I think is sort of a spontaneous civil movement that started with the ownership of the trees and sort of turned into this 'We've had enough with this government and with this style of governance and with the unwillingness of the government to listen to us'," she said.
Eder says many were frustrated at a perceived decline in freedom of expression following a series of harsh police crackdowns on protests, including at this year's May Day rally. Others, she says, were frustrated by high unemployment rates.
She says the government's response shows it is concerned that the protests could spiral out of control, potentially challenging its rule.
Rights groups have already expressed concern at the authorities' use of force in dealing with the protests.
Amnesty International said Friday that the Turkish authorities should "stop using excessive force against peaceful protesters" and called for an investigation.
A U.S. State Department spokesman said Washington believes Turkey's long-term stability, security and prosperity is best guaranteed by upholding the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association.
Source: VOANews.com
Bulgaria summons Turkish ambassador over 'interference' in its elections
EU foreign ministers: 'Serious concern over situation at Greek-Turkish border'
Bulgaria will want more EU aid to deal with migrant situation at Turkish border – Interior Minister
EU interior ministers 'strongly reject Turkey's use of migratory pressure for political purposes'


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Mark Steven Kotsay (né le 2 décembre 1975 à Whittier, Californie, États-Unis) est l'actuel instructeur des frappeurs des Padres de San Diego de la Ligue majeure de baseball.

Kotsay joue dans le baseball majeur au poste de voltigeur de 1997 à 2013.

Carrière de joueur

Amateur
Après des études secondaires à la Santa Fe High School de Santa Fe Springs (Californie), Mark Kotsay suit des études supérieures à Cal State Fullerton où il s'illustre sous les couleurs des Cal State Fullerton Titans. Il remporte les College World Series avec les Titans en 1995 et est désigné meilleur joueur du tournoi.

Kotsay est drafté le 4 juin 1996 par les Marlins de la Floride au premier tour ().

Sélectionné en équipe des États-Unis à l'occasion des Jeux olympiques de 1996, il remporte la médaille de bronze à Atlanta.

Professionnelle

Marlins de la Floride
Il passe une saison en Ligues mineures avant d'effectuer ses débuts en Ligue majeure le 11 juillet 1997. Laissé de côté en séries éliminatoires de 1997 où les Marlins remportent leur première Série mondiale, Kotsay est un régulier de l'équipe pour les trois saisons suivantes, se distinguant en offensive avec des moyennes au bâton s'élevant entre ,270 et ,300 et au moins 50 points produits chaque année entre 1998 et 2000.

Padres de San Diego
Il est transféré chez les Padres de San Diego le 28 mars 2001 à l'occasion d'un échange impliquant plusieurs joueurs.

Athletics d'Oakland

Kotsay est échangé aux Athletics d'Oakland le 26 novembre 2003. Le joueur de champ extérieur réalise alors sa meilleure saison en 2004 (0,314 de moyenne au bâton) et termine  du vote désignant le meilleur joueur de la saison en Ligue américaine.

Il participe pour la première fois aux séries éliminatoires en 2006 avec les Athletics. Le parcours d'Oakland s'achève contre les Tigers de Détroit en Série de championnat.

Braves d'Atlanta
Kotsay est échangé aux Braves d'Atlanta le 14 janvier 2008. Il réussit un cycle le 14 août ; c'est le premier joueur des Braves a réaliser une telle performance depuis Albert Hall en 1987.

Red Sox de Boston
Il est transféré chez les Red Sox de Boston le 27 août 2008 lors d'un échange contre Luis Sumoza.
Kotsay prend part à ses deuxièmes séries éliminatoires en 2008. Le parcours de Boston s'achève contre les Rays de Tampa Bay en Série de championnat. Durant la saison, Kotsay joue au premier but en plus de sa position habituelle au champ extérieur.

White Sox de Chicago
Il est échangé aux White Sox de Chicago le 28 juillet 2009 contre Brian N. Anderson. Il prolonge son contrat chez les White Sox le  en s'engageant pour la saison 2010 contre 1,5 million de dollars. Il voit peu d'action en défensive durant son séjour à Chicago, les White Sox ayant souvent recours à ses services comme frappeur désigné.

Brewers de Milwaukee

En février 2011, Kotsay, qui est agent libre, signe pour une saison avec les Brewers de Milwaukee. Avec ,270 de moyenne au bâton en 104 parties, Kotsay, qui est de retour au champ extérieur, aide les Brewers à décrocher le titre de la division Centrale de la Ligue nationale de baseball. Il n'obtient qu'un seul coup sûr en deux rondes éliminatoires et est le dernier des Brewers retiré dans le match qui voit le club être éliminé par les futurs champions du monde, Saint-Louis, en Série de championnat.

Retour à San Diego
Le , Kotsay accepte un contrat d'une saison à 1,25 million de dollars pour retourner à l'une de ses anciennes équipes, les Padres de San Diego.

Le , Kotsay annonce qu'il prendra sa retraite à la fin de la saison en cours.

En  matchs dans les majeures, Mark Kotsay compte  coups sûrs, 353 doubles, 48 triples, 127 circuits, 720 points produits, 790 points marqués et 98 buts volés. Sa moyenne au bâton s'élève à ,276 et sa moyenne de présence sur les buts à ,332.

Carrière d'instructeur
Assistant au directeur-gérant des Padres de San Diego en 2014, Kotsay est nommé instructeur des frappeurs de l'équipe en , succédant à Phil Plantier.

Notes et références

Liens externes
  Fiche de Mark Kotsay sur le site de la MLB
  Statistiques de Mark Kotsay sur baseball-reference.com
  Statistiques de Mark Kotsay sur thebaseballcube.com

Joueur américain de baseball
Joueur des Marlins de la Floride
Joueur des Padres de San Diego
Joueur des Athletics d'Oakland
Joueur des Braves d'Atlanta
Joueur des Red Sox de Boston
Joueur des White Sox de Chicago
Joueur des Brewers de Milwaukee
Voltigeur des ligues majeures de baseball
Instructeur des Padres de San Diego
Médaillé de bronze olympique américain
Joueur de baseball aux Jeux olympiques d'été de 1996
Naissance en décembre 1975
Naissance à Whittier (Californie)


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FLESH & BLOOD #1 review!
Flesh and Blood, Book One
Monsterverse, 2011
$14.99 US
Trade Paperback. 104 pgs.
Written by Robert Tinnell. Illustrated by Neil Vokes.
Cover by Dan Bereton.
www.monsterverse.com
The initial popularity and attention garnered by Flesh and Blood, Book One and its subsequent success constituted one of the "feel-good" stories of 2011 publishing. The advance solicitation through independent comic stores for Flesh and Blood and its promise of an original graphic novel that paid tribute to the classic Hammer horror films was more than enough to grab the attention of fear fans.
Flesh and Blood started the new year out by winning Best Original Horror Graphic Novel of 2011 during the Third Annual Awards at ComicMonsters.com. Now in its second printing, Flesh and Blood will also become available in bookstores nationwide via Bookazine, a large book wholesaler to book retailers and libraries. Flesh and Blood, Book Two is expected to be released in May 2012, initially through the same independent comic store outlets that helped spread the word. In the introduction to Book One, Tim Lucas (editor of Video Watchdog) makes repeated reference to the Hammer film legacy. Lucas claims that Flesh and Blood is "nothing less than the epic Hammer horror film that generations of fans have yearned to see" and he calls it "the wish fulfillment of Hammer's fan base." It's a great prelude to the graphic novel itself; but it left this reviewer a little apprehensive—wondering how Flesh and Blood could possibly measure up to those expectations.
Flesh and Blood, Book One does not disappoint. Page after page, panel after panel, the script and art deliver on the promises and praise of the introduction. And it's only just beginning. After an exhausting and chilling start, there are three more volumes to follow. This is an epic saga, and readers may wonder in delight at what other terrifying treasures are yet to be uncovered. There is a film-like pacing throughout which only enhances the memories of those classic Hammer movies of the 1960s and 1970s. Reading Flesh and Blood is similar to holding the storyboards in your hand for a new Hammer filmic fear fest. Viewing the gorgeous art of Neil Vokes is almost like looking at animation cels. However, they are not simplistic in appearance, and the work is more detailed. These are not cartoon animation cels—more like adult animation cels where the images are more horrifying, bloody, and also erotic. Both Hammer Studio's bloody tendencies as well as its suggestively sexual open-bodice female characters are represented and recreated here.
Flesh and Blood's writer Robert Tinnell humbly appreciates the growing fan reaction as sales continue to climb higher. "I'm a fan myself," he explains. "I love horror in all its forms. When I began this 'obsession' with Flesh and Blood I hoped to craft a horror tale for the ages with literature's greatest iconic characters like they had never been seen before but also very grounded in the Gothic traditions, atmosphere and exotic places these characters and stories are known for. I wanted an epic sweep to how its story builds across decades and centuries but always tightly centered around the human side to every dark fall from grace or heroic triumph of each of its ensemble of characters. It is quite a challenge to get a proper balance to it all. Fortunately, to push and pull me at times I also have the perfect collaborator in the superb illustrator, Neil Vokes."
Neil Vokes smiles devilishly when he hears this. "Sometimes it is more like we really are monsters tearing at each other's throats to get to the end of a scene." He laughs and explains further: "Bob and I have been working together for several years now on many books (The Black Forest, The Wicked West). We don't have to be nice to each other all the time because in the end we want the same thing—which is the very best effort towards making a moment pop with the right amount of big grand action or quiet nuanced subtlety. Somehow, we've grown to know each other so well that we can ride hell or high water through the wild parts of the creative process and end up with something the fans enjoy. I am astonished at how completely that Flesh and Blood has been embraced by the fans and greatly appreciate their kind acknowledgments in the press and the passion they show for it at signings. It is what keeps me drawing at my desk day in and out, trying to do my best. I know the audience is out there, waiting for the next book . . . and I don't want to disappoint them."
Robert Tinnel's script pays homage to the genre and utilizes characters and situations to the maximum in what Lucas referred to in his introduction as the "epic juncture of Hammer's great horror franchises in one dramatic, compelling . . . 'monster rally.'" Classic characters as well as names of places will stir the memories. If you are a fan of Hammer Studios, you'll also recall the names of characters matching those of actors, directors, and producers in Hammer history. The artwork is incredible and the colors by Matt Webb are vivid. There is much use of red and orange/blue and gray to outstanding effect—warmth and cold, fire and ice, light and dark, passion and frigidity. Some of the images seem as if viewed through eyes glazed over by blood. As drawn by Vokes, Dr. Frankenstein resembles actor Peter Cushing. Dracula looks like actor Christopher Lee. Carmilla reminds of actress Ingrid Pitt. And Horst resembles the actor (Horst Janson) who portrayed Kronos in the classic Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter.
There is a great but short reference article in the back of the book with further information on some of the characters. This is followed by a second story, to be serialized in future volumes. "Operation Satan" is also very short, just three pages to set the stage for a story that is described as a homage to another classic film series—The Quatermass Trilogy. It's also written by Robert Tinnell with black-and-white art by Bob Hall, tones by Kerry Gammill, and lettering by Rick Lebo.
Plans are for continuing volumes to be released quarterly. Flesh and Blood, Book One begins in the sinister shadows and candlelight glow of Transylvania with Dracula and Baron Frankenstein in the 1880s. Plans are to conclude the epic in Book Four in the garish neon streets and darkened alleys of swinging London in the 1970s with many tragic surprises and shocking twists along the way. This is grand genre storytelling of supernatural terror with the forces of light and darkness battling across time and in the most exotic regions of this earth and perhaps . . . other worlds.
—Michael J. Clarke
Posted by Neil D Vokes at 12:18 PM No comments: Links to this post


This holds true today. A number of bloggers and lifestyle websites over the years have put together guides on how to create a capsule wardrobe and how to maximize the items you have, and in my aspiring minimalism, I have finally decided to try the practice for myself.
Getting back to basics: In the aforementioned aspiring minimalism, I wanted to get back to the basics. Keeping up with trends and fast fashion can put a strain not just on your wallet, but also your mental health if it is not something that is incredibly important to you. So, I've decided to pare back and keep only a few pieces that I love.
Mindful of what I spend my money on in my wardrobe: This speaks to the financial part of it. I want to have more power over my spending decisions, as right now I feel a little off the rails. I want to spend my money wisely in terms of wardrobe pieces simply because I want to have things that are going to last.
Aspiring minimalism: Again, aspiring might be the key word here, but I am interested and invested in having less and maximizing the uses I can get out of things I bring into my home. Consumerism can be dangerous, especially if you don't trust yourself (and there are days where I don't).
Being excited about my closet: this really should say it all, but I am one of those people who reach for the same 5 things because they are what I feel good in. Why should I have 18 other things in my closet if I feel good and love those 5?
Speaking as someone who is a serial list-maker, this was the most exciting part for me. What did I have in my wardrobe that would serve as my core? How did I want my style to represent me? What did I actually like and feel good in? These were all floating through my head as I made my capsule wardrobe list. I knew that I had to take the current weather into account as well as the seasons I was planning for. It's still summer-ish. (As of this writing, the forecast says rain, 80-ish degrees, and humidity. Ah, seasons.) While this capsule wardrobe starts out as a "fall/winter" wardrobe, I still needed to plan for the transition.
How many items should I include? This can vary according to your lifestyle and needs. I chose to aim for 30 items, which would include the following categories: Tops, Bottoms, Dresses, Shoes, and Other/Free-for-all. I would NOT include Tees, Jackets/Outerwear, Accessories, Pajamas/Loungewear, Activewear, or Undergarments. My goal was to dial back and fall back in love with the clothes I wear on a daily basis.
Next came the purge. I did this over the Labor Day weekend and it ended up being a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I used to hate going through my closet as a kid, but it's a ton of fun as an adult. (This may be a sign of getting old, guys. Send help.) It's so liberating! Go through the entire closet and pull out everything. Put it on your bed in piles. My piles ended up being: Keep for Capsule, Keep for Storage (to be reassessed in Spring), Donate, Sell, and Recycle/Trash.
I found out, in doing this, that I have far more "activewear", "pajamas/loungewear", and "tees" than I realized. (New challenge in spring may be to dial those back. How many do I actually need?) But I am pleased with my results. I ended up with still under 40 items, but because of the transition planning/trips coming up that I knew I would want specific items for I ended up with more than the planned 30. For my first capsule wardrobe/minimalist wardrobe, I think that's not bad.
As part of my planning, I knew there were going to be things that I did not own that I would want to buy. There are 6 items that I wish to purchase. I planned for them in my initial assessment, but I am going to circle back and review as part of my budget. For me, those are a black turtleneck, a sweater dress, ankle boots (in black and tan), a black "leather" skirt, and a red dress. These are a combination of trendy items and staples that I have had my eye on for a while but haven't pulled the trigger on in favor of finding the right time/best value. (Leather is optional, but given that it is an item I will likely wear over and over, I am willing to spend a little more for the value of it.) That being said, I am going to try to buy secondhand where I can (ThredUp is a favorite of mine) and sustainable where I cannot. Wish me luck!
At the end of the day, there are some things to be gained from doing something like this other than more closet space and extra hangers. (So many hangers.) I want to keep track of my thoughts over the next few months and see if anything shifts. I would like to gain more overall discipline in my spending habits. Am I buying trendy items because I think they will actually work for my lifestyle, or because they look good on the bloggers I love? I also want to gain more of a mindful approach to my closet and style, finding my personal style and what makes me happy.
My next purge? Probably my office. I have so many notebooks and writing supplies, old electronics, and just miscellaneous items, and as part of my zero-waste challenge, I intend to recycle as much as I can.
Have you tried implementing a capsule wardrobe? Did it work for you? If you have minimalist aspirations like me, let me know! Let's (struggle) journey together.
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When rumors began circulating about extensive reshoots taking place on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, reports also began to surface about the involvement of Tony Gilroy in the process. Gilroy was, reportedly, brought in to supervise the reshoots and write new material for new for the film. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has some new details on what Gilroy's role on the film was.
Gilroy, writer of several Bourne movies and director of best picture Oscar nominee Michael Clayton, first was brought in to help write dialogue and scenes for Rogue's reshoots and was being paid $200,000 a week, according to several sources. That figure is fairly normal for a top-tier writer on a big-budget studio film. But as the workload (and the reshoots) expanded, so did Gilroy's time and paycheck.
Gilroy started on Rogue One in June, and by August, he was taking a leading role with Edwards in postproduction, which lasted well into the fall. The reshoots are said to have tackled several issues in the film, including the ending.
That sounds like a pretty sweet deal for Gilroy. It will be interesting to see what his influence was on the final film. It would also be fascinating to learn the true story of what went down behind the scenes that led to Gilroy's involvement. But that's a story we probably won't hear for many years, if ever.


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You've seen the unboxing, now I'm gonna share with you my honest review of the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100 NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. I received the device a couple weeks back but I was only able to set it up and start trying it out last week.
Btw, the model that WD sent me to test and review is the 8TB EX4100 variant of the WD MyCloud Expert Series line that is powered by a Marvell® ARMADA™ 388 1.6 GHz dual-core processor and 2GB DDR3 memory. It also has four bays and comes with two 4TB WD Red NAS hard drives that can be configured using multiple RAID options (depending on model) including RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 JBOD and spanning modes.
I've been testing out this beast of a device for about a week now and I can frankly say that it's totally awesome and I LOVE IT!
Setup was a breeze. I just followed the instructions provided in the quick start guide that came with the package and I got the thing running in a few minutes. All I needed to do was to plugin the power cable as well as the ethernet cable then press the power button. After that, I opened my web browser and typed in http://wdmycloudEX4100 (http://wdmycloudEX4100.local for Mac) to start the initial setup.
Then I was asked to create an administrator account/password to keep the device safe and secure.
Next thing I did was to update the firmware.
After updating the firmware, I proceeded to creating/adding Users, Groups and Folders (Shares).
You can add/create as much users as you want and set limits to the files/folders each user can access and set quotas on how much disk space is alloted for each user.
Now that I have the Users, Groups and Folders (Shares) setup, I went on to upload some movies and videos. For testing purposes, I tried uploading files via WiFi and with the laptop plugged in to the router and the upload speeds were pretty good for both connections. I got about 4 MB/s using WiFi and about 11.5 MB/s when plugged in to the router. With those speeds, I was able to upload a single HD video with a file size of 1.53GB within 1 minute & 45 seconds. I also tried uploading twelve HD videos at once with a total file size of 11.5GB and was able to upload all of it within 17 minutes. These results are only based on my initial testing and I'll update this post in case I come up with new upload speed results.
Backup all my photos, videos, movies, mp3s and other important documents.
Share photos and videos with family and friends.
Automatically backup photos & videos from mobile devices.
Stream videos/movies to multiple mobile devices at home and during road trips.
Backup all my photos, videos, movies, mp3s and other important documents – Before I got the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100, I only had less than 2TB of space for storage & backup. I had a 1TB WD Elements and a 320GB external hard drive which I salvaged from an old Toshiba laptop. I was already thinking about getting an additional external hard drive because both drives were almost filled to capacity. Now that I have the MyCloud EX4100, I don't have to worry because I have all the storage space I need and more to keep all my photos, videos, movies and mp3s.
Share photos and videos with family and friends – With the help of the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100, I can now easily share photos and videos with family and friends. I don't have to lend my SD card (which can be misplaced or damaged) or send photos through email. In the past, I would sometimes use Google Drive or Dropbox but often times it becomes ineffective because not everyone has a Google or Dropbox account. With the MyCloud EX4100, I can share files with anyone connected to my WiFi network or allow access to family and friends so they can view and retrieve files online.
Automatically backup photos & videos from mobile devices – Prior to having the WD MyCloud EX4100, I would backup the photos and videos from my Android devices by either using a USB cable and plugging it in to my computer or wirelessly thru apps like AirDroid, Box, Dropbox or Google Drive. Now, I can backup all my photos and videos automatically and save it on the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100 with the help of the WD My Cloud app. This gives me a better peace of mind knowing that I have copies of the files in my possession and not just stored somewhere in the cloud by Google or Dropbox.
Stream videos/movies to multiple mobile devices at home and during road trips – At home, we have several mobile devices – Android phones & tablets as well as iPhones & iPads. Uploading movies or videos to each device can be time consuming especially with Apple devices since you'll have to do everything through iTunes. Now I can just upload those videos to my WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100 and each mobile device in the house can access those videos separately at any time. I can also share the videos with guests who are connected to my WiFi network.
Having kids & toddlers with you on a road trip can be quite challenging. They get bored easily and one of the effective ways to keep them calm and preoccupied is to let them watch videos or movies. I have several videos & movies stored on my phone and tablet but since storage space is a bit limited there are times when the kids get bored watching the same videos again. The task becomes easier with the videos and movies stored in the WD MyCloud EX4100, I can stream the media straight to the mobile device so the kids can watch more of their favorite videos/movies.
Chromecast support (Android) – Almost forgot about this feature which I'm sure any Android & Chromecast user would love. Using the WD My Cloud app, you can stream all your media (movies & videos) to your Chromecast. Make sure that the Chromecast is ON and that you're connected to the same network and open the WD My Cloud app, go to your media folder and click on the Chromecast icon and voila! You can now enjoy watching your favorite videos and movies on your TV.
Aside from the quick and easy setup as well as the benefits I mentioned above, there are a lot more things to like about the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100. One is the overall size of the device. For a NAS, it's not too big or bulky so it doesn't take up too much space and can be stored easily. The EX4100 has four bays, two of which is already used by two WD Red hard drives so the two extra/empty bays can be fitted with another set of WD Red hard drives or any compatible drives to further increase the storage capacity of the device.
With the built-in Twonky DLNA-certified (Digital Living Network Alliance) Media server you can stream content to compatible devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, media players and other DLNA-certified devices. It can also be synced with the iTunes server so you can access your media anytime/anywhere through the iTunes player. Another useful feature for Mac users is the ability to create TimeMachine backups with this device without having to worry about using up space on the internal hard disk or having to plugin an external hard drive.
The WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100 is great for personal use – backing up photos, videos, documents, etc. but it can also be a very useful tool for professional users such as photographers, videographers, graphic designers, web designers and other creative professionals or prosumers. This device allows them to work and access their files anytime wherever they go so it doesn't hinder their creativity and it also allows them to share their work with colleagues or with clients. It could also enable these prosumers to have a more affordable or cost-effective solution (compared to using a public/commercial cloud) in providing their virtual/digital services.
I've only been using this device for about a week so there are still a few features/options that I haven't tried. Most of the stuff I shared with you today are only my initial impressions of the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100. I might update this post or publish a follow-up review if I come across something relevant and worth sharing with you guys.
If you're looking for a private cloud storage solution for your personal or professional needs, I highly recommend the WD MyCloud Expert Series EX4100. It's an awesome product, not only in terms of features and capabilities but also in performance and quality.
The WD My Cloud Expert Series high performance NAS device comes in 2 variants, the EX2100 and the EX4100. The EX2100 is available in 0TB (casing only), 4TB (2x2TB), 8TB (2x4TB), and 12TB (2x6TB) while the EX4100 is available in 0TB (casing only), 8TB (2x4TB), 16TB (4x4TB), and 24TB (4x6TB). The models that come with disks are covered by a 3-year limited warranty, while the diskless (casing only models come with a 2-year limited warranty.
Last but not least, thanks to our friends from WD, we'll be giving away a 4TB My Cloud WD EX2 worth $349.99 to one lucky JaypeeOnline reader/visitor. I'll be posting a separate giveaway post containing the instructions and rules within the next few days so watch out for it.
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by WD but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
I also plan to buy that for me. thanks for sharing your review it guide me for buying.
How much noise and how often does the fan turn on? Thanks.
Hi Francis, sorry for the late reply. Anyways, to answer your question – the WD My Cloud EX4100's fan turns on when it is in use and regarding the noise, it's very minimal. You're welcome!


text:
Former UH track star Cameron Burrell, son of school's track & field head coach, dies at 26
The former NCAA National Champion competed in UH's track and field program from 2013 to 2018.
Author: KHOU 11 Staff
Published: 3:32 PM CDT August 10, 2021
Updated: 4:17 PM CDT August 13, 2021
HOUSTON — Former University of Houston sprinter Cameron Burrell, son of the school's head track coach, Leroy Burrell, died Monday, the university said. He was 26.
The former NCAA National Champion competed in UH's track and field program from 2013 to 2018. He won the individual national championship in the 100-meter in 2018, equaling his dad's accomplishment 28 years earlier. He also ran the anchor leg of UH's 4x100-meter relay team that year and won a national championship in that event.
"My family is extremely saddened with the loss of our son, Cameron, last night," Leroy Burrell said in a statement. "We are going through profound sorrow and ask that all of our friends, extended University of Houston family and the track and field community in the U.S. and abroad allow us to gather with our closest family and friends. We are profoundly grief-stricken and thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and support. We will forward more information when it is available."
We mourn the passing of one of our @UHCougarTF greats.
Rest in Peace, Cameron
READ – https://t.co/ydUIL8ouvh pic.twitter.com/YFlonnK8lk
— Houston Athletics (@UHCougars) August 10, 2021
Leroy Burrell released the following statement on Friday:
"On Monday evening, our family's hearts were broken with the passing of our son, Cameron, who took his own life.
"While much of the world knows Cameron from his accomplishments in competition, he was so much more as a son, a father, a brother, and as a man. We love him, and we will miss him forever.
"We may never know why Cameron made such a decision. We encourage anyone who may be struggling in their lives to reach out for help. You are not alone, and you are surrounded by more people who love and care for you than you may think in a dark moment.
"If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
"As our family navigates through this emotional time we will have no further comment and request privacy."
.@UHCougarTF Coach Leroy Burrell and his family have released an additional statement on the passing of their son, Cameron. pic.twitter.com/owDtM2hukn
Cameron Burrell was named to First Team All-American in the 60-meter three times in his career (2014, 2017 and 2018) during the indoor season. He was a three-time First-Team selection from 2016 to 2018 in the 100-meter during the outdoor schedule and was an All-American as the team's anchor leg in the 4x100-meter relay in 2014 and 2018.
Cameron Burrell was also a member of the United States 4x100-meter relay team which earned gold at the World Junior Championships in 2012 and silver at the 2019 World Relays. He anchored the U.S. relay team to gold at the 2018 Athletics World Cup.
On June 8, 2017, Cameron Burrell became the 121st man to break the 10-second barrier over 100 meters with a time of 9.93 seconds, eclipsing his dad's school record by .01 of a second. He repeated that feat in the 2018 USA Championships.
Cameron Burrell is survived by his father, Leroy, his mother, Michelle Finn-Burrell -- both Olympic gold medalists -- brothers, Joshua and Jaden, and numerous family members and friends.
A visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, inside the A.D. Bruce Religion Center at 3841 Cullen Boulevard on the UH campus. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at Westbury Church of Christ, 10424 Hillcroft Street.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to a scholarship fund for Cameron Burrell's daughter, Amora, may be made here.
VP Harris' husband to represent US at Paralympic Games in Tokyo
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