The final polls published in Israel this evening will indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud is edging ahead of its closest rival the Blue and White party and Bibi is on course to lead the next Government of Israel. The exit poll broadcast on Tuesday at 22:00 will confirm the prediction.
I might be wrong. It's possible that a large number of undecided voters will swing behind Benny Gantz. Or that one or more of the small right-wing parties fail to win any seats, making a new Netanyahu led Government impossible. But if Bibi does become the next Israeli Prime Minister, here's why it happened.
It's worth assessing the enormity of the achievement. A fourth election win in a row, five in total if you include his time as Prime Minister from 1996-1999, and the chance to overtake David Ben Gurion and become Israel's longest serving Prime Minister. He has done this in difficult circumstances. The Attorney General recommended he be indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He will have a hearing later this year and, when the Attorney General makes a final recommendation that he be indicted, Bibi is heading to trial. A new political force emerged to challenge him consisting of three former IDF Chiefs of Staff led by Benny Gantz. Just last week, missiles were fired from Gaza, highlighting the unfinished business of last year and Bibi's inability to deal properly with Hamas.
Why did none of this matter? The corruption charges were expected to dent support for Likud and drive away moderate right-wing voters. That hasn't happened. Likud has been predicted to win between 28 and 31 seats since the start of the campaign. This is almost exactly the same number of seats that Netanyahu won in 2009, 2013 and 2015. The base has stayed loyal and Bibi's strategy to talk constantly about the corruption cases, alleging a leftist witch hunt, and playing down the substance of the cases, has worked. When the Attorney General announced his decision to indict Netanyahu his supporters priced it in to their calculations. Likud support didn't budge and the percentage of Israelis preferring Netanyahu to Gantz as their Prime Minister increased after the indictment announcement.
Bibi's record in office matters and its solid. On the bread and butter economic issues most Israelis feel the country is heading in the right direction under his leadership. Unemployment is low, the economy is growing and the advanced knowledge-based sector of the economy powered by tech and innovation is booming. There is shocking inequality, basic goods and housing are far too expensive, but this has not hit Netanyahu's reputation for economic competence.
In foreign affairs and diplomacy Netanyahu has spent the last two years highlighting his successes to the Israeli public and showing off an impressive amount of top rank world leaders. Closer ties with India and China, new alliances with Eastern European and Eastern Mediterranean states, diplomatic relations growing with Muslim African countries, warming relations with Gulf States, friendships with populist strongmen in Brazil, Hungary and the Philippines. Above all, Netanyahu's relationship with Trump has paid rich dividends. A US Embassy in Jerusalem, formal recognition of the city as Israel's capital and just recently US recognition of Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights. These wins were banked with seemingly nothing required in return and without any pressure from the US for Israel to change tack in relations with the Palestinian Authority and with full support for its strategy in Gaza against Hamas. Last May, Trump pulled the US out of the JCPOA Iran nuclear deal and reimposed tough sanctions on Iran, something Netanyahu had been calling for ever since the deal was signed in 2015.
In Syria, Netanyahu managed to navigate a brutal and complex civil war avoiding major Israeli involvement but approving extensive IDF operations against Iranian forces in Syria. These missions severely impaired Iranian forces without any serious injury or loss of life to Israeli personnel. Netanyahu's business-like relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed Israeli operations to continue even after Russia intensified its presence in Syria. On the basic issue of security there are problems – missiles from Gaza and terrorist attacks in the West Bank. But by the standards of Israeli history the last four years have witnessed a small number of serious terrorist attacks and very few fatalities in IDF combat operations.
Bibi's triumph also has much to do with the skill of his opponents. When Benny Gantz entered politics Netanyahu faced his most serious challenger for years. Gantz has done well. From nothing he has moulded a political force that could win 30 seats. But to win he needed to convincingly beat Likud by a clear margin and that isn't likely to happen. The campaign wasn't strong enough, its vision was not clear, its split ticket – with Gantz and Lapid sharing the post of Prime Minister in rotation – was confusing and its punches hurt Netanyahu but not enough to build momentum. Above all it never properly decided what product it was selling. Was this a new, more centrist, unifying future for Israel or was it just Bibi's brand of right wing security policies without the corruption.
This has been a messy and toxic campaign. Israeli elections have always been a raucous and bizarre festival where parties jostle on the national stage and scream for attention. But Bibi's campaign will be remembered for the careless manner in which he has ruptured the foundations of Israeli democracy – the constant vilification of leftists and his accusation that Gantz will form a government with Arab parties. He worked to ensure a merger of Jewish Home with Otzma Yehudit and bring racist Kahane inspired thugs into the Knesset. His defence against corruption allegations involved undermining the state institutions that guarantee the rule of law and throughout the campaign he has slammed the media for its fake news. Just this week he attacked the President claiming he is attempting to install Gantz as Prime Minister.
If Bibi does lead the next Government, he faces huge challenges. His coalition negotiations with putative right-wing allies will involve enormous concessions to their West Bank annexationist agenda in order to secure their support as his criminal case heads to trial. His other option is to reach out to Gantz and ask him to join a national unity Government, something Gantz has explicitly ruled out. But when the results are clear on 10 April the real negotiations will begin. In that frenetic environment, almost anything is possible.


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SWE ENSV
ARON ANDERSSON - THIS IS MY STORY
Aron Andersson has an athletic track record longer than most of us will ever achieve and a will of steel to always take on new challenges, with charity as an ever-present factor. The road to get here has not been easy - when Aron was only nine years old, he lost the ability to walk.
Meet Aron Anderson. He has cycled from Sweden to Paris, performed a "Swedish classic" within 24 hours, swam across the Åland sea using just his arms, and become the first person in a wheelchair to ever climb the mountain of Kebnekaise. Add four Paralympic Games in three different sports and a bunch of European- and World Championship medals and you get a track record that few people reach in an entire lifetime.
When Aaron was eight years old, he was diagnosed with cancer in the pelvis. Two years and several treatments and surgeries later, the cancer was gone, but life had changed since he now was partially paralyzed. He directly decided, however, that the wheelchair would never confine him, neither socially nor physically. Here is his story.
On May 8, Aron Anderson is participating in the Wings for Life World Run for the second time. In 2015, he won in Kalmar and became the first national winner in a wheelchair - ever. This year he will head for victory in Dubai.
We can all contribute to spinal cord research. Sign up for the race today - together we run for those who can't. 100 percent of your entry fee goes to spinal cord research.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Sunflower-Influenced Solar Panels 'Could Harvest 400% More Energy'
By: Kelly	Category: Solar	Comment: 0
Researchers have developed 'SUNbots', which feature innovative 'stems' able to point solar panels directly towards light sources.
That's the suggestion from researchers at the University of California Los Angeles and Arizona State University, who have developed an innovative new type of solar technology they have christened SUNbots.
Each SUNbot can automatically bend towards light thanks to its 'stem', part of which is made of a material that heats up and shrinks when exposed to light – this causes the stem to bend, pointing the solar panels 'flower' directly towards light sources.
When the solar panels are ideally positioned, they create a shadow over the stem, meaning it stops bending.
Many living organisms track light sources and halt their movement when alignment is achieved – this is called phototropism and allows plants and trees to maximise the efficiency of their photosynthesis.
Researchers tested the stems by building panels of SunBOTs, each of which are less than a millimetre wide, with and without the bendy stem technology – those with the special stems were able to harvest up to 400% more solar energy.
They said: "This behaviour mimics the elegant agility of living systems, which leads to novel intelligent materials.
"Practically, our SunBOTs provide a long-sought solution to energy harvesting via the autonomous maximisation of the input power density."
The researchers add the artificial phototropism mechanism they have created has potential impacts across a number of energy, robotics and environmental applications.
Source:Energy Live News


When you are challenged by vein clusters or less defined spider veins, the Laser Essential & Skin Care clinic in Toronto provides treatment to help eliminate the problem. Spider veins are often fueled by factors such as heredity, obesity, occupations that involve a lot of standing, and hormonal influences, impacting nearly 30% to 60% of adults, often in women than in men, but no longer do people have to live with these unsightly blemishes.
The Laser Essential & Skin Care clinic of Toronto offers Lutronic Clarity Laser therapy, a state-of-the-art system laser technologies to treat varying degrees of spider veins. Whereas in the past men and women were forced to turn to debilitating surgical procedures to treat spider veins, the Laser Essential & Skin Care clinic offers a non-invasive technique with minimal pain and downtime.
Lutronic Clarity Laser Therapy has successfully eliminated spider veins for thousands of patients worldwide. For clusters veins, the therapy typically requires numerous treatments. The course of treatment often extends over a period of months, during which time patients will realize a gradual disappearance of spider veins and the minor temporary discoloration that sometimes accompanies the laser therapy. In cases of smaller veins, the results are sometimes immediate.
How does Lutronic Clarity Laser Therapy work?
Lutronic Clarity Laser Therapy, typically sends a small spot of laser light through the skin, where it absorbed by the blood within the vein. The heat coagulates or clots the blood, destroying the function of the vein. In time, the vein is absorbed by the body and fades from sight.
Patients often describe each pulse of laser light as "a slight sting" or "pinch" much like the snap of a rubber band. Topical anesthetics are available, but most patients do not require them. At the Laser Essential & Skin Care clinic, patients also benefit from the cooling effects of our Synercool Cryotherapy system, which blows a steady stream of cool air onto the area being treated. The Laser Essential & Skin Care clinic is one of a few clinics in Toronto to offer the Zimmer Cryo Chiller technology, and we offer it to patients free of charge.
The cost of Spider Veins removal Laser Therapy varies depending on a number of factors. The size and location of Spider Veins, as well as the number of treatments required to eliminate them, are all factors that dictate the cost. The Laser Essential & Skin Care clinic always strives to offer the lowest prices of any Laser Therapy clinic in Toronto, and offers financing plans to make procedures affordable to all clients. Schedule a free consultation with Laser Essential & Skin Care in Toronto and learn more about how affordable and competitive our Spider Vein Removal treatment pricing plans are.


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Northern State University
Northern State University in Aberdeen
Northern State University offers 192-degree programs and 42 via distance education. Student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1. 1 high safety campus. Acceptance Rate is 83%. The most popular test is SAT - 8% of students submitted it in comparison to 91% of students who submitted ACT. 38.2% are women, and 61.8% are men. 6% percents of international students. Northern State University is a member of 6 athletic associations. The average annual total cost of attendance at Northern State University is 14597$, that is above national average. Total price of living is between $12563 and $19505 per year. 46% of full-time Northern State University students completed their education in 150 percent of time: graduation rate is at the level of national average. Average salary after attending is $33,600, so if you studied 2 years, you'll get your funds back in less than 2 years.
Download Northern State University Whitepaper!
Download the PDF with FULL information about the Northern State University from opened government trustful sources - right now!
The Northern State University is a public and non-academic-year institution, so it's net price represents an average of all programs and includes only undergraduates who first enrolled in the fall term and pay in-state tuition and receive Title IV aid.
Depending on the federal state, or institutional grant and available, Northern State University students in your income bracket may pay more of less than the overall average costs.
$0 - $30,000 $11,757
$30,001 - $48,000 $11,777
Admission considerations
Secondary school GPA
Secondary school rank
Secondary school record
Completion of college-preparatory program
Admission test scores
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
Neither required nor recommended:
Formal demonstration of competencies
Typical room charge for academic year: 3204
1280 of Northern State University undergraduate students were awarded with some type of financial aid, it's 43 percents of all undergraduate students. This makes Northern State University number 10 in the amount of financial aid awarded to students among all educational institutions in South Dakota.
Students at Northern State University awarded 5 types of loans or aids, the biggest percent of students received a any financial aid.
81.4% $2,881
Graduate programs or courses are offered via distance education
Other alternative tuition plan
Here are the learning opportunities available in Northern State University.
Teacher certification: approved by the state for initial certification or licensure of teachers
Study abroad - programs and arrangements offering students a possibility to complete part of the college program studying in another country.
Athletic associations
Member of National Athletic Association
Member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
NCAA/NAIA member for football
NCAA/NAIA member for basketball
NCAA/NAIA member for baseball
NCAA/NAIA member for cross country/track
Northern State University graduation rate is below the national average.
46% of full-time students enrolled for the first time to Northern State University completed the education program and got a degree in 150 percent of the expected time of completion.
Graduation rate is the percentage of institution's new-entering, first-time, first-year undergraduate students who complete their program within 150% of the published time for the program. Graduation rate excludes an extensive number of students. This index doesn't consider students of nontraditional enrollments - part-time students, students who enroll mid-year, and who transfer from one institution to another. So graduation rate alone can create a misleading perception. Completion rate in the form of total number of students receiving any types of awards/degrees creates a complete picture. Combining this data with graduation rate is a better way to compare institutions.
Applying information
Average number of admissions to one applicant
Average number of applicants to one enrolled
The percentage of students given offers out of all those that applied.
In comparison to National Average
Northern State University acceptance rate is above national average.
In comparison to state Average
Average acceptance rate for institutions in state is 81%, so acceptance rate value is above state average for 2% only.
In comparison to an average acceptance rate in of colleges in $10k - $20k price range
Average acceptance rate for all institutions in state in the same net price range is 68%, so Northern State University acceptance rate value is above state net price average for 15%.
Admissions yield
Of those that receive offers to enroll, this is the percent of students that actually do enroll. It is equal to the number of students that enroll divided by the number of accepted students multiplied by 100.
Full-time retention rate
Part-time retention rate
The Northern State University full-time retention rate is 67% and part-time retention rate is 60%.
Retention rate is the percentage of the institution's first-time first-year undergraduate students who continue at that institution the next year. E.g., full-time students who study in the fall semester and keep on studying in the same program next fall semester are counted in the retention rate.
Retention rate is an important index: if it is high, it demonstrates that school has quality curriculum, positive student environments and cultures as more students choose to continue their studies.
Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking Northern State University students submitting SAT scores
Composite SAT Range (25th - 75th):
SAT Range by section (25th - 75th)
Critical Reading: 420 - 490
Math: 440 - 550
Writing: 0 - 0
SAT Test Score Range
ACT scores
Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking Northern State University students submitting ACT scores
Composite ACT Range (25th - 75th):
ACT Range by section (25th - 75th)
English: 17 - 24
Math: 17 - 25
ACT Test Score Range
SAT Score Converter
The new SAT is scored out of 1600 after the adjustments made in 2016. The old SAT was scored out of 2400. If you took an old SAT, you can convert your score to the new SAT score using the SAT Score Converter.
New SAT to Old SAT
Old SAT to New SAT
Enter your total & section scores (Please enter all 3 scores)
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
Convert Scores
An estimate of what your score would have been on the old SAT
TOTAL SCORE out of 2400
From Critical Reading + Math + Writing
SECTION SCORES
Reading and Writing out of (1600)
Math out of 800
See Colleges that Match Your Scores! >>>
Enter your test scores(Please enter all 3 scores)
An estimate of what your score would have been on the new SAT
Reading and Writing out of 800
For the High School Class of 2016:
Most students in the Class of 2016 will take the old SAT, and most colleges will convert new SAT scores to old SAT scores.
Most students in the Class of 2017 will take the new SAT, and most colleges will convert old SAT scores to new SAT scores.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Northern State University is 18:1, that means that for every 18 students the institution has one professor, lecturer or specialist with a degree in education. Lower student-to-faculty ratio is better - it means that professors can dedicate more time and attention to each student.
In Northern State University the biggest percent of students are enrolled in on-campus courses.
Here are the students enrolled exclusively in distance education courses at Northern State University and grouped by their location. Distance education courses are the most popular for students located in South Dakota.
The percentage of crimes on Northern State University
The campus located by 1200 S Jay St address in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Northern State University in comparison of all branches in the US. It is calculated as the average percent of crimes yearly by five years of data for every campus, based on an overall number of students studying there. The branch is a part of Northern State University with 0.11% of maximum crimes a year. The most often crimes detected on Northern State University are burglary and forcible sex offense.
Northern State University offers 192 programs in total: 123 are for Bachelor's degree, 24 - for Master's degree, 21 - for less than 1-year certificate programs, 18 - for Associate's degree, and 6 are Postbaccalaureate certificate.
This is the middle number of programs in comparison with other 31 universities in South Dakota state. Northern State University is one of the few institutions in South Dakota that offers an Associate's degree program.
There are 42 distance learning programs that are provided in the Northern State University: 18 are for Bachelor's degree, 12 - for Master's degree, 9 - for Associate's degree and 3 are less than 1-year certificate programs.
Note, that programs offered via distance education might be entirely online as well as partially online and require on-campus meetings. So explore each program to make sure you can commit.
Here you can find the data on instructional activity in measured in total credit and/or contact hours delivered by institutions during a 12-month period. Also we shown the South Dakota state average data to help you compare.
Northern State University provides coursework for undergraduate students and graduate students.
In 2014-2015 academic year estimated full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment was 2078 students with 62336 сredit hours for 12-month instructional activity period. The enrollment for graduates was 217 with 5213 credit hours.
The most popular majors counted as percentage breakdown of degrees awarded in every single discipline in Northern State University
9% — Education
3% — Biological and Biomedical Sciences
2% — Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
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Address: 1200 S Jay St
Institution's internet website address: northern.edu
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Day 17 - Prayers Going Nowhere?
Do you ever wonder if your prayers are having any effect? Could it be that our prayers are just bouncing through the air without completing their mission? How could that be?
The prayers of a person who is in right relationship with God are powerful and will hit their target. If you feel like your prayers are falling flat, check into your relationship with God. The more intimate, close and "right" you are with God, the more your prayers will pack a powerful punch.
The one walking closely with God… walking in humility and the fear of the Lord has the amazing privilege of seeing God move mountains through his prayer. God does not want our prayers to be ineffective. He longs to partner with us in bringing his kingdom to this earth.
When you are walking in righteousness, you have God's guarantee that your prayers will be powerful and effective.
God sees what man does not see. He notices the quiet whispers of a longing heart. He recognizes the silent pleas of desperate soul. Nothing goes unnoticed with God. He is present.
The Pharisees of Jesus' day wanted men to notice their prayers. They were more concerned with human applause than with God's intervention. That's why Jesus makes a point of telling his followers that God hears their secret prayers. Jesus is always more interested in our heart than our public display of loyalty.
When it seems like you are alone and no one is listening, God is. Pour out your heart to him in the secret place. He will hear you and reward you. That's his promise. His presence and breakthrough are on the way.
Don't we wish the process of prayer was like cooking in a microwave? Press a button, and thirty seconds later, your food is cooked. Why does it seem to take a lot longer for our prayers to take effect? Isn't there a simple button we can push?
Prayer is a relational process. God desires to work with us in the fulfillment of his purposes for us. He does not leave us as bystanders as he moves with power throughout his kingdom. As we pray, pray and pray again, our spiritual muscles are expanding. God is growing us and growing the answer to our request at the same time. Our faith gets stretched as we persevere. This perseverance "must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:4 NIV). Added to that, perseverance in prayer is required to deal with the forces of darkness opposing you.
God is not hard of hearing. Sometimes, an answer to prayer comes quickly. Often, perseverance is required. So, don't give up. Keep asking, seeking, knocking. Keep praying, believing that every breath poured out to God is valuable and is moving his hand to action.
Thanksgiving in prayer is vital for the power of God to be released. It should never be considered an optional extra in our prayer lives. Thanksgiving draws faith out of our prayers. And faith is necessary to please God and gain his reward (Hebrews 11:6).
Paul consistently thanked God for the churches that he cared for (See Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:3; Philemon 1:4). Paul's relationships with these churches wasn't always conflict-free. He often had to bring strong alignment. But he always thanked God for them. In fact, he didn't stop giving thanks.
When does your thanksgiving stop? When someone annoys you, can you still give thanks for them? When a friend offends you, will you choose to give thanks? This type of thanksgiving is a choice to be obedient to Jesus. He said to us, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17 NIV).
Is prayer a duty for you, or do you know the joy of prayer? Prayer becomes a job to do or a task to complete when we forget the One we are talking to. The more non-relational your prayer life is, the more lifeless it will become.
Paul prays with joy because he is confident in God. He is confident that God is actually responding to him and actively answering his prayers. Paul is confident that God always keeps his promise - his promise to complete the good work he started.
Joy in prayer comes when you are in love with the One you are talking to. Just the fact that you are together talking almost means more than what is actually said. Joy is birthed out of the love relationship with God. Joy is then communicated in your conversation.
Do you look forward to your special conversations with God? Do you anticipate his presence with joy? This is the life he has called you to. This is the prayer life that can be yours.
Do you have a sense that you should share the good news of Jesus with those around you? Do you sometimes lack courage to speak out?
What was the secret of boldness for the disciples in the book of Acts? The Holy Spirit. How did they access the power of the Holy Spirit? Prayer. It is in prayer that we communicate with the Holy Spirit. We express our love. He responds. And he gives us power for evangelism.
Although they already spoke the Gospel with courage, the disciples still asked the Holy Spirit for more boldness. Paul also asked the Ephesian church to pray that he would be fearless in his evangelism (Ephesians 6:19). If you want effectiveness and power in your proclamation of the Gospel, ask for it.
Pray for boldness. Pray for power. The Holy Spirit will certainly respond with evangelism opportunities and courage for you to speak.
Prayers running on empty? How do you pray meaningful prayers that God will respond to? In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus highlighted the prayer of the tax collector as the meaningful prayer. The Pharisee's words were empty. What was the difference?
Humility vs. Pride. When prayers are spoken to make someone look good or as a religious form, pride has entered in. There is always an empty ring to the proud prayer. That is not a prayer that God will respond favourably toward. Pride always reverts back to self. So too, proud prayers will revolve almost exclusively around the speaker's personal world.
Are your prayers full of humility? God will be sure to respond to you. For "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). Humility in prayer is reflected in language that recognizes clearly who God is, and that you are not Him. The humble prayer is one that is filled with worship (God-directed) and intercession (prayer for others). It is fine to pray for yourself, but let the bulk of your prayer life be directed away from self. Be open and honest before God in prayer. These are the humble prayers that please God's heart.
"Saul… did not inquire of the Lord."
We are taught as children to dress ourselves, feed ourselves and work for our own money. Often we are taught that the goal of life is to be self-reliant. Independence is raised up as one of the highest values of life.
How did Jesus, the Creator of the universe, live on this earth? Jesus says, "… the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." John 5:19 NIV Jesus is completely dependent on his Father. There is no self-reliance in Jesus, the King of Kings. Who are we to think that we could do it on our own?
King Saul thought he could do it on his own. He consistently did not inquire of the Lord. His self-reliance manifested itself in prayerlessness (1 Samuel 15 and 28). And his end was destruction.
Self-reliance leads to prayerlessness, which leads to destruction. Resist the temptation towards self-reliance by pausing often through your day to intentionally listen and talk to God. Live like Jesus, not Saul.
How active is your prayer life? Do you use all tools available to hear God's response? He waits to listen to your voice. He wants to be found. He longs to open up the door. That's his promise.
Often when we pray, we are put off when the "answer" does not quickly appear. Today's encouragement from God's word is to use all that you have been given to hear God. Keep using your mouth to ask and enquire of the Lord. Seek his truth in the Bible. Reach out to "knock" on opportunities to hear God's voice through trusted Christian friends, times of worship and quiet reflection.
God has promised that you will receive revelation from him. He always keeps his promises. And God loves to involve you in the fulfilment of his promises. That's why he tells you to get active - ask, seek and knock. And don't stop. He will surely make himself clear to you.
Pray without ceasing. Pray continually. Never stop praying. Sound like an impossible mission? Can you do this?
In another passage, Jesus says to "remain in me, as I remain in you" (John 15:4). He is referring to a relationship between himself and his disciples that is much like a branch remaining attached to a vine. There is not a constant connecting and disconnecting process through the day. The branch stays or remains in the vine. If a branch does not remain in the vine, it will wither up and die.
Constant prayer is like a branch remaining in the vine. Your relationship with Jesus can be one of intimacy where his words are pouring into you and your words are pouring back to him. The connection between Jesus and you can always be open. This is made possible by his act of intercession on the cross. But, this connection is kept active and alive through your conscious choices to remember him… to listen, to speak, to worship and thank him.
Your intentional choices to surrender moments of your day to listen, worship, ask and love Jesus will add up to a life of constant prayer… a life of remaining in him… a life where the connection between you and God is always open. This is a life that produces great fruit in your character and your ministry.
Jesus looked out on the crowds of people gathered before him. They were desperate and hurting… such incredible need there before him. Jesus was moved to compassion. He felt the pain of the crowd deep in his spirit.
What did Jesus' compassion move him to do? Pray. Pray for what? Pray for more missionaries… more people who would reach out and minister to these hurting ones. One would think that Jesus, as God in the flesh, would simply sort everyone's problems. But, Jesus said that more missionaries would be needed to gather in the harvest. He wants us to be involved in his purposes!
Our gut response to overwhelming need is often to do nothing or try to do everything. But Jesus tells us to pray. When we pray, we understand what our role is in the moment. When we pray for missionaries to come, we multiply ministry. Prayer unlocks the ministry and power of the Spirit to the multitudes.
So partner with Jesus today, as you pray for more missionaries. Who knows - you might become the answer to your own prayer!
Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. In doing this, he disarmed the devil, stripping him of authority (Col. 2:15). Jesus then shared this authority with his church. He gave us the keys of the kingdom to call heaven down to earth.
Our intercession in prayer activates this authority. As God leads us to stand in the gap and pray for a given situation, people group or community, we are called to "bind" the works of the enemy and "loose" the Holy Spirit into that situation. This is how we activate our authority.
As we follow God's leading to pray for peoples and nations, we can travel the world in intercession. And this type of traveling is not a holiday. We engage in a real battle in the heavenly places that has specific and timely impact in our world. Our intercession actually makes a difference!
As you read the news today, take a moment to ask God how you can intercede for those involved in that current event. Take up your authority to push back the enemy and bring God's presence into nations and situations far from your home. Travel the globe with God in intercession.
Have you prayed the same prayers for too long? Find yourself rehearsing phrases that you've repeated for years? God wants to put a new song in your mouth.
The Psalms are full of prayers to God set into songs. David found a new song, a new prayer, when he was set free from his dire circumstance. A new reason for thanksgiving precedes a new song. A full heart of gratitude will burst out in new prayers to God. Lifeless, repetitious prayers indicate a self-focused gaze.
Philippians 4:6 says to present your requests to God with thanksgiving. And that's when his peace will come. Thanksgiving in prayer brings freshness into our spirit and mouths. The thankful heart becomes the most creative heart in developing new ways to express worship to God.
Try singing a new prayer. Think of something you are grateful for that you haven't spoken about for awhile. Ask God to put a new song in your mouth. Then open your mouth and start singing.
Do you have family members that are not saved? Have you been trusting God for their salvation for quite some time? Don't give up. Keep praying. God is listening and responding, even when you can't see his obvious movements.
God is patient with your family member, not wanting them to perish, but rather repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Their salvation is His desire. Therefore, we can have confidence in our prayer life… "that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). So keep praying. God is listening and responding.
It is important to pray that our unsaved family member will see and hear. We should cut off or bind up "the god of this age that has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel" (2 Cor. 4:4).
Also, pray that your family member will hear the good news. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them" (Rom. 10:14 NIV)? Wait, then take God's opportunity to speak about Jesus. In the meantime, keep praying over the eyes and ears of your unsaved family member. Trust that God is on the move!
We often run out of words when we pray. Mere language cannot express the longings of our hearts. But, do not worry. God knows that we don't always know how to pray. He understands our limitations. He groans with us and on behalf of us. When we don't even know what we really need, the Holy Spirit knows. He actually prays for us.
Claim this promise for yourself and those you pray for. The Holy Spirit is already interceding for you and them according to God's will. He is praying the perfect prayers. Trust him and pray in communion with him.
Do you ever feel alone in your prayer life? Feel like you are carrying burdens that no one really understands? The truth of God's Word is this: you have two intercessors covering you.
The Holy Spirit is interceding for you according to God's will. He knows the perfect way to pray for you, and he is doing it right now.
Jesus, also, lives to intercede for you. He is at the Father's right hand talking about you. What would they be talking about? They are speaking of their love for you… how thrilled that you can be in their family, all because of Jesus' intercessory work on the cross. The intercession of Jesus happened 2,000 years ago on the cross and is being applied to your life today, because Jesus lives. He is for you, not against you!
Be led in prayer by the greatest prayer warriors, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Listen for his promptings in prayer and watch the answers appear.
There is a prayer that pleases God - a prayer that he responds to - the prayer of faith. There is a prayer that God does not reward - the prayer of unbelief. How can you be sure that your prayers hit the mark each time? Take another look at the verse above.
It all starts with believing that God is… that he is alive and active on your behalf. If there is a question on this point, you will feel the need to take on God's role. And that's where the trouble begins. But the starting point of God's character - his power and authority in your situation lays the foundation for the breakthrough ahead.
The prayer of faith then continues with a commitment to gain God's reward. He has promised to reward those who earnestly seek him. This fierce tenacity in prayer is motivated by the promise. Go out and grab hold of God's promise. This is the prayer of faith.
James 5:15 says "the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well." Faith is the key for effectiveness in prayer. It is faith that acknowledges who God is. Faith determines to keep praying, to keep pressing for the reward. It is faith that pleases God.
What are your greatest tools in prayer? Your eyes and ears. Jesus - the Creator of the universe - said that he does nothing by himself. He only does what he sees the Father doing. In other words, Jesus watched and listened before ministering.
When you pray for someone, do you just start speaking words that you hope will be beneficial? Or do you wait for a moment, asking the Father to show you what he is already saying and doing? If you think that you are starting the ministry moment, then you will think you need to finish it. But, if you realize the truth that God is already working, you can simply ask him what your role is.
Practice asking the Father how you should pray before you start speaking. Ask him to help you see with spiritual eyes what is really going on in a person's situation. As you begin praying, continue to check back with the Father as to his leading. This is how Jesus worked with his Father.
Where is Jesus seated right now? At the right hand of the Father. What does that mean? Jesus is seated on the throne, a position of honor and authority next to his Father. According to the passage above, where are you? You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. That means you are in a position of authority in Jesus. We are told to set our hearts and minds on this truth.
Why is it important to fix our gaze on this truth? We are called to live and pray out of a place of authority. Do you ever find that you whine at God in your prayers? Do you pray out of a place of hopelessness and weakness? How does that line up with the true picture that you are seated in a place of authority in Jesus? We are called to speak and declare our prayers in the authority of Jesus. We have been given the keys of the kingdom to bind and loose on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 16:19). In other words, we have authority to call heaven down to earth, to declare God's rule over this world.
Be done with passive praying. Take up your authority today in prayer as you partner with Jesus in bringing his kingdom to this earth.
Everyone has an opinion about their leaders. It is seen as fitting and normal to judge and critique those in authority. But do we follow Jesus' command and pray for them.
Our leaders will govern most effectively when the church is praying for them. Have we ever thought that problems in government are sustained through a prayerless church?
This Scripture also tells us to give thanks for our leaders. Does thanksgiving characterize your conversations regarding your leader, no matter what political persuasion you have?
Turn from complaint and judgement. Take time today to thank God and intercede for your national leader and the leader at your work place.


Many of the children returned from the visit very keen to undertake watersport activities that, under normal circumstances, they may never have experienced. "Ultimately, if only one child came back and looked at a boat in a different way, then from that moment forward, the trip was a great success. When it came to choosing an outdoor education provider, the most important factor for our school was being promised that the children received an experience that was truly unique. UKSA delivered in all aspects." UKSA offers a safe learning environment for schools up and down the country, with uncontested levels of enjoyment from our students.


K'jipuktuk (Halifax) - The 2013 federal budget is bad for our maritime economy, and will do little if anything to improve lives of Nova Scotia's workers, students, and people living on low income, concluded speakers at the Federal Budget Watch in Halifax concluded.
The Federal Budget Watch, an annual event in Halifax, is a way for community activists and trade unionists to understand what the just announced budget measures will mean for Nova Scotians. This year the event was held at the Italian Cultural Centre where people gathered on March 21st to watch the budget on TV and listen to trade unionists and community activists comment on it.
Buott doesn't buy Harper's claim that the economy is improving. "In NS right now unemployment is higher than it was at the peak of the recession in 2008, we have about a 9.3 percent unemployment rate in Nova Scotia, that is about 47,000 people who are unemployed," Buott pointed out. "This is a jobless recovery. Corporate profits have recovered, but in Atlantic Canada 10 people are competing for every job that's been created. In Cape Breton that number is 16," said Buott.
Other trade union speakers were Chris Di Liberatore, representing the Public Service Alliance of Canada, and Brad Smith, speaking for the Mainland Nova Scotia Building and Construction Trades Council.
Di Liberatore expressed his concern about the job cuts in the public service that started with last year's budget and worried about their impact on workloads of civil servants and wait times for citizens. He also argued strongly against the trend to privatize social programs, in particular programs for youth at risk, people with disabilities, and homeless people.
Smith talked about the budget measures to address perceived skills shortages in Canada's labour force, arguing that inter-provincial wage gaps for skilled labour need to be closed if we want to stop out-migration to Alberta. "There is no skills shortage in Nova Scotia. However, there is a shortage of cheap skilled labour in Nova Scotia," said Smith.
High tuition rates and inadequate financial aid have meant that Nova Scotia students graduate with an average debt of $31,000, the highest in the country, Graham said.
Christine Saulnier, director of the Nova Scotia office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), talked about the Alternative Federal Budget that the CCPA recently released. The detailed document takes a stand against austerity and proposes investments in infrastructure, childcare, pharmacare, affordable housing, income support and post-secondary education.
Both Ian Johnson of the Nova Scotia Citizens Health Care Network and Angela Giles of the Council of Canadians echoed many of the themes first touched upon by other speakers.
Johnson strongly argued in favour of a national pharmacare program, an initiative that would actually result in savings because of economies of scale, according to Johnson. He also called the lack of appropriate dental services in public healthcare a tragedy.
Giles, invoking World Water Day, talked about the lack of commitment by the Harper Government to protect this precious resource and to invest in water and wastewater infrastructure in First Nations communities.
Michael Bradfield of Nova Scotians for Tax Fairness talked about the need to implement a taxation system that supports greater equality. Talking about the capital gains tax he invoked the example of Chris Huskilson, president of Emera. Huskilson at one time made $4 million in profit through the sale of stocks, only half of which got taxed. "So if you wonder what gets my blood boiling, that's one of the things," said Bradfield.
Sharon Murphy, well-known local poverty activist, provided the last words, once again raising doubts to Harper's claim that the economy is improving.
"If the economy is doing so well, how come I am out freezing my buns off on the picket lines, with the postal workers, the transit workers,the health care workers, the Nova Scotia government employees who work with the disabled and seniors," asked Murphy.
"How come I am going out on home visits with St Vincent De Paul, and I see people who live in third world conditions", Murphy asked.


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Analysis: Military Intransigence Signals Dead End for Peace Process
TIMELINE: China-Myanmar Relations
China, Myanmar Agree 15-Point MoU on Economic Corridor
Father Recalls Family's 3-Month Jungle Ordeal After Fleeing Fighting
Union Gov't Urged to Halt Spread of Aung San Statues in Ethnic States
NLD Defends Party Member Scorned for Marriage to Army Officer
Why Peace is So Elusive
Almost Half of Myanmar's Shoe Factories in Danger of Shutting Down, Manufacturer Warns
Police Seize 1.6M Meth Tablets in Rakhine State
Yangon Municipal Elections Expected to be Held in December
One Rescuer Dead, Teams Stuck on How to Bring out Thailand's Trapped Boys
Rescued Chilean Miner Sends Message of Hope to Trapped Thai Boys
Malaysia's Mahathir to Visit China After Putting $20B of Projects on Ice: Sources
Thailand Boat Accident: One Dead, 56 Missing After Tourist Boat Sinks
Yangon Has 4th-Fastest 4G Speeds in East Asia, Survey Finds
Major International Contractors Express Interest in Elevated Expressway Project
NLD Dismisses Ethnic Minorities' Objections to Aung San Statues
Two Men Jailed for Three Months for Taking Part in Mandalay Peace Protests
Post-Independence History Told Through Artists' Memories
Warrant Issued for Thaksin Over 2006 Loan to Myanmar Junta
Trapped Thai Team Gets Diving Lessons as Rescuers Weigh Extraction
Killings Sow Fear Inside Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh
Army-Backed Mytel Ordered to Halt 'Shake' Program
Families of Detained Reuters Reporters Struggle to Stay Positive
Obsession With Statues Only Fuels Distrust in Union Government
All Members of Northern Alliance Invited to Attend Panglong Peace Conference
Corruption Czar Puts Bribe Payers on Alert
World Bank Denies Blocking Myanmar Projects to Pressure Govt on Rohingya Return
Disaster Cave Slated to Be Thailand's Next Tourist Attraction
3 Civilians Reportedly Killed by Landmines in Shan State in June
Is Modi Govt Getting its Act Together for a Better Act East Asia Policy?
India Asks WhatsApp to Curb Spread of False Messages
Ambitious Plans for Southern China Megalopolis Trigger Big Hopes and Fears in Hong Kong
Former Malaysian PM Pleads Not Guilty to Breach of Trust, Abuse of Power
Local Clothing Brand Gives Humble Cotton the Feel of Luxury
President's Office Probing Source of Leaked MOU on Rohingya Repatriation
Protest Against Planned Statue of Gen. Aung San in Loikaw Turns Violent
Director of Govt Investment Body Bullish on New Companies Law
Soil Dumping Worsens Impact of Flooding in Mining Areas, Activists Say
NLD Won't Support Quota for Women in Political Positions
Monk Who Predicted Thai Cave Rescue Hailed for 'Intervention'
Man Who Attacked Aung San Suu Kyi Residence Jailed
Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week
Vietnam Jails Former Central Bank Official Amid Graft Crackdown
Found Alive on 10th Day, Thai Boys' Cave Ordeal Not Over
Trump Moves to Block China Mobile's US Entry, Citing Security Concerns
UN Chief Calls for More Pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya Returns
Govt Investment Body to Share Regulations for Companies Law Soon
At Long Last, Mon Parties Agree to Merger
The government cluster, the Tatmadaw and parliamentarians, hold discussions ahead of the union peace conference at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Naypyitaw on June 21, 2018. / Myanmar State Counsellor's Office / Facebook
By Nyein Nyein 6 July 2018
YANGON — A year ago, the ethnic group signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement signed a part of the Union Accord, which lays out 37 principles for federal union, "out of necessity" at the 21st Panglong peace conference. The agreed principles already exist in the current laws and 2008 constitution, thus the question remains as to whether the negotiators will be able to create an NCA-based federal constitution without it being dominated by the current military-backed constitution.
The leaders of the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) stated at the time that they were told the entire peace process could not proceed if they didn't sign the Union Accord. The leaders asserted that the government (the NLD administration and Tatmadaw), the EAOs' negotiation counterparts, refused to accept any of their alternative proposals and insisted that the NCA was the only pathway to peace.
The negotiations have continued but with both sides never being fully agreed on certain issues.
Despite the many areas of disagreement, the third session of the 21stUPC is due to convene next Wednesday. Among the issues left to discuss are whether gender equality should be included under the political agenda, as it is stated in the current political framework that at least 30 percent of the positions in the political leadership should be reserved for women.
Other key issues on the agenda of next week's conference are how to ensure equality and fair distribution of powers over land use and natural resources; social and economic policies; and political issues not included in "the package talks" of drafting the state constitution or secession.
The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee's working panels for each sector — politics, security, social, economic and land and environment — have been discussing the new principles, and they will meet again early next week (July 8-9 before the main conference) at a gathering where some 700 delegates are supposed to provide their views on the already laid-out principles in each of the five sectors.
The principles are technically based on the public consultations each EAO has held with their people in the past few years. This year, as the New Mon State Party signed the NCA, the public recommendations gathered at their Mon National level Dialogue will also be included in the discussion.
Yet when it comes to the agreement at the union level and discussions at the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), many of the key points have been omitted, say the civil society members who raised them during the ethnic political dialogues.
A new political framework is needed that goes beyond the 2008 Constitution
Through the lens of land sector negotiations, the Karen Peace Support Network made the point this week that changes in the political dialogue framework would help to establish a genuine and inclusive nationwide political dialogue.
The KPSN said that in the land and natural resources sector, "federal reform is inextricably linked to genuine potential for peace, and as such the lack of reform remains a major driver of conflict."
A network of more than two dozen indigenous Karen community-based organizations, the KPSN closely studied the recommendations made during the Karen public consultations and the agreement reached on the land and environmental sector at the union peace conference.
Saw Alex of the KPSN noted that more than 80 percent of the recommendations, which reflect the ethnic group's desires, were rejected during the different stages of the negotiations at the UPDJC.
"While the framework for political dialogue cites "all inclusive political dialogue" and "equality and self-determination" as central tenets of the process, Tatmadaw representatives continue to block federal proposals across all five sectors of political dialogue, including political, economic, social, land and natural resources, and security," he said.
KPSN also highlighted that the 37 principles were signed by a very limited number of representatives and did not follow the procedure established under the framework for political dialogue. It said the lack of recognition of the federal policy proposals as the basis of the union accord "showcases the lack of good faith in the current peace negotiation process."
The network added that a genuine peace that "is equitable for all people of Burma (Myanmar) is impossible without respect for ethnic land rights." It claims the Tatmadaw and the elected-civilian government use the peace negotiation "to further legitimise the centralisation of ownership, management and control over land and natural resources" but undermine the key goal of the process is the establishment of a democratic federal union.
Tatmadaw would not mind if peace process collapsed
Despite the EAO leaders being fully aware that the process has not been implemented in accordance with the framework, they were intimidated and forced to sign the accord. Both in the political dialogues and joint ceasefire monitoring committee, the Tatmadaw representatives dominate the talks, and uphold the military's stance on the "six points" policy, one of which is to abide by the existing laws and 2008 Constitution.
According to sources close to the talks, the negotiations could not move forward until the Tatmadaw representatives got what they wanted; if not there has been the implied threat that the process would come to an end.
In May last year, Sai Nguen of the Restoration Council of Shan State told the Shan Herald News Agency that one crass but revealing statement used by the Tatmadaw during the talks was "We [Tatmadaw] don't mind if the peace process collapses." It has been true for more than five years, since the NCA negotiation began.
Padoh Nay Tha Blay, a member of the Land and Environment Working Committee of UPDJC, was quoted as saying in the KPSN case study that even though they put forward key proposals based on policy recommendations from the Karen National Dialogue at the land sector negotiations, "these key articles were blocked."
"The government and military representatives to the UPDJC have colluded in using the Tatmadaw's 2008 constitution to block our policy recommendations," added Padoh Nay Tha Blay, who is also the head of Karen Agriculture Department of the KNU.
And it's not just the land sector, problems exist in other areas as well. The principles set in the economic sector are very general and need a Fresouric and detailed provision of authority to the states for the fiscal governance of the energy, trade and environmental segments, as urged in the fiscal federalism study by the Ethnic Nationalities Affair Center last month.
In the first Union Accord, there were 12 principles under the political sector; 11 under the economic sector; four under the social sector; and 10 in the land and environment sector; and none for the security sector.
Even with the NCA implementation, the hurdles that have been raised have led observers to see that the peace process is a "dead-end." Besides, the NLD government is currently not able to bring the active armed groups based in northern Kachin state and northeastern Shan State to sign the NCA.
In the almost seven years since the peace negotiations started, the fighting between the Tatmadaw and the EAOs in Kachin and Shan states have displaced more than 150,000 civilians. In Karen state, where the ceasefire has been implemented, more than 8500 civilians have still been displaced from their homes by fighting, according to KPSN.
EAOs' lack of a unified position weakens the dialogue
When the generals are so intransigent, on both political dialogue and joint ceasefire monitoring, the EAOs leaders do not have "a unified position" to represent the EAO cluster.
A negotiator from the EAO side told The Irrawaddy that when the Federal Army issue was raised during negotiations, there was no common voice among the EAOs that they would support the principles of a "Federal Army." The Federal Army concept has been rejected by the Tatmadaw, but it is upheld by the EAOs — both signatories and non-signatories of the NCA.
"EAOs representatives were weak in negotiating their proposed principles and political party representatives were not able to negotiate effectively," according to Padoh Saw Hser Pwe, the joint general secretary of the KNU was quoted as saying in the KPSN study. He is a member of the UPDJC's social sector working committee.
He added: "From the military side, they discussed from the same position. They would only discuss issues that were to their advantage; if not, they would refuse to talk about it. It also appeared that the government and parliament were on the same side as the military during the negotiations."
Salai Yaw Aung, a representative to the Union level Joint ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC-U) from an NCA signatory, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, said: "The unity is only on paper" for the EAOs. Thus, they look weak in the eyes of their negotiating adversaries, he said. Even though the EAOs have strong leaders, most of them fail to speak up at the negotiating table.
"The disagreements among the EAOs are seen as a sign of weakness and the negotiating partners know that," therefore, he said, when these issues are discussed, it affects the whole process.
For the upcoming conference, it is pretty clear that there has been no agreement on discussing many of the key federal policies. Only when the Tatmadaw and the NLD leaders prove their political will and the ethnic leaders press to reflect their peoples' voices, will we move closer to achieving a new democratic federal constitution.
Nyein Nyein The Irrawaddy Nyein Nyein is Associate Editor at the English edition of The Irrawaddy.
She has tirelessly covered almo…


Tumbling by Caela Carter. Grades 7+. Viking. June, 2016. 432 pages. Review copy provided by publisher.
There's the gymnast who hasn't played along with the Olympic coach's master plan. There's the gymnast who would rather be anywhere than at the Olympic trials. There's the gymnast who isn't eating anything. There's the gymnast who doesn't think she has a chance. There's the gymnast carrying a secret.
For these five girls, the next two days are a pivotal point in their lives. It's the Olympic trials, an intense last gymnastics meet that will decide the American Olympics team. Dreams will be realized. Dreams will be crushed. Mind games will be played. Secrets will be spilled. Friends will be betrayed. Decisions will be made.
And at the end of it, there will be an Olympic team. A handful of girls who will go on to compete for gold and glory.
This behind-the-scenes look at the Olympic trials is a great choice for anyone who's waiting eagerly for the Olympics to start back up in August.
I am definitely one of those people who can't wait for the Olympics in August, so this was right up my alley. I don't have the experience to know for sure, but the book seems very well researched, including lots of details of the minutiae of gymnastics life. A lengthy glossary includes lots of gymnastic terms.
Besides being a solid sports book, this is a great book for teens who enjoy the ~drama~ of it all. Any sport has psychological aspects to it. Combine that with a gaggle of teenage girls, all thirsty for a chance at their Olympic dreams, and you get quite the soap opera (in a good way, I mean).
The cast of narrators is diverse in a surface-level way (there's the African American, the Jewish girl, the half-Asian girl, the closeted lesbian), but the focus here is on the sport and the relationships of the characters to one another and to their own goals.
For younger teens looking for more gymnastics this summer, try Gold Medal Summer by Donna Freitas (Arthur A. Levine, 2012). Older teens might enjoy gymnastics memoirs like Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu (Touchstone, 2012).
Readers who gravitate toward the drama between the girls might like Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (HarperTeen, 2015).
Readers may also enjoy dance stories like Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo (Random, 2016) or Pointe by Brandy Colbert (Penguin, 2014).


Like humans, even dogs are at a risk of contracting nail disease. It is very seldom that dogs have this disease. The fungus that causes this disease in dogs is called Blastomyces dermatitidis and this fungal ailment is prevalent in moist surroundings like damp ground surface, any place where water collects and soils. It has been observed that male dogs are more prone to nail disease than females. Another thing that results in dogs getting this illness is excessive licking of their body.
There might not be any visible signs of this disease and it may require even a few days before the disease is detected as it does not cause the instant problem to the dog.
1) There is a possibility that the dog suffering from nail disease is uninterested in his food or may be he does not have the appropriate amount of nutrients that help in keeping the dogs skin and nails healthy.
2) Another major sign of nail disease is the condition of the dogs feet. If they are broken or fractured then it may cause nail disease.
a) Onyxis means a nail that appears abnormal. It can damage only one nail or even some of the nails and is causes agony to the dog.
b) Onychoschisis which means that the nail splits.
c) Perionyxis results in the dog having irritation in the nail fold.
d) Onychorrhexis means that the fragile nails break off.
e) Onychogryphosis and Onychoclasis- In the former one the nails look deformed and elongated. In the latter one the claw of the dog gets fractured.
The treatment in this disease is taking proper care of the dog. The dogs nails should be trimmed after an interval of a few days. Also, care should be taken that adequate hygiene level is maintained and that the dog is healthy. The dog must not be allowed to go in damp places and contract this ailment as it can relapse.


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Games and comics and rock and roll – are all my brain and body needs
shoutybeardything
Dice over Discord
So, what have I, and my brain, been doing since last I wrote? Not much. Work. Bought a new pair of headphones and the S26 Doctor Who set. 3 versions of Battlefield to watch, a new cut of The Curse of Fenric and an enormous pile of supplemental material (Scripts and production paperwork!) to make my way through! I don't know why I adore making of material so much, but it certainly brings joy and then some. Tracey and I watched Detective Pikachu tonight and while it was enjoyable, I can't help but wonder how Bill Nighy got involved (Outside of the obvious fact that the man has bills to pay), and I suspect I'd get a lot more of the jokes and background details if I knew anything about Pokemon.
Thanks to a subscriber deal I also picked up the PDF of the John Carter of Mars RPG for free, and it's very, very pretty. I haven't had time to delve into it yet beyonf the opening pages, but upon hearing about it my wife all but demanded to play a Thark, as in her words "I want green babies!" For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, just imagine the following picture tinier and cuter:
I don't know if I'll ever run it, despite my wife's "You buy it, you run it" policy. I need to dig into it more beforehand to see if I can think of adventure ideas. I know comparatively little about the setting, mostly what the film gave us, the glorious beautifully designed mess that it is. I wasn't a fan of the prologue, feeling it took too long to get us to Mars, but oh, once it did… Making Dejah Thoris more than a damsel in distress was a sensible decision and getting to see/hear the likes of Willem Defoe and James Purefoy chewing scenery as only they can is a delight. Plus a mini Rome reunion with Ciaran Hinds!
Staying on gaming, I ran Destination Mongo, my Flash Gordon adventure, for some friends over Discord yesterday. While fun was had, or certainly seemed to, I'm still not fully sold on voice chat gaming. I was hoping for video, but my tiny laptop couldn't hack it sadly. It's not that it's bad, and I certainly feel I could have been a better GM, but it really makes me miss the communal feeling of a group around a table. Yes, it meant that friends from far away could join in the fun and that's wonderful, but only hearing people's voices means I miss a lot of visual cues. Also, they can't see it when I'm distracted writing down funny lines from them, some of which are below.
"Everybody follow me! After you…"
"Did you learn cooking in the Jackie Chan kitchen?"
"Stop talking and hit something!"
"I will happily let you use that skill for violence."
I'll certainly do more of it, if only in the hope of getting better, but also to scratch the itch. If this is all the gaming I'm going to be doing for the forseeable future, then I'd like to get better at it. We had one of our regular games last week with 1 player on video, and it helped an immense amount in focus and reactions. I'm trying not to worry about when lockdown ends and take it day by day, but there are times when the uncertainty does weigh heavy on me.
To end on another emotional note, it was the 9th anniversary of the death of Elisabeth Sladen last week, and a tribute was put online. Written by former Who producer Russell T Davies, it's a wonderful tribute to both Sladen the actor and Sarah Jane the character. And yes, I couldn't help but hope for a few words from Tom Baker or Jodie Whittaker, but my head-canon (along with a lot of Twitter) is that given the Doctor is referred to as he throughout, that no-one noticed the 13th Doctor up the back.
You will cry. I certainly did.
Sleep beckons. Be seeing you.
April 26, 2020 by shoutybeardything	Leave a comment
Some early sketches
I miss LARP. The fun of it all, of getting together as a group, the shouting, silliness and shared experiences. The drama, excitement and escapism. Also, the dressing up and trying to thump each other with foam swords. It's superb fun and more people should do it. Granted, it's not as if I was doing much of it before lockdown, but there were plans to, and that's one of the things that's irritated me the most about the whole thing. Anyhow, the point.
I didn't plan to write this. A few weeks back I acquired both seasons of Britannia, and had idle thoughts about a LARP in that setting, then set it aside. I'm meant to be writing a game about Minbari politics for Pheno, but a couple of days back my brain misfired, in that wonderful way it does, and I started writing. It's that wonderful feeling of needing to finish something, and the brain shouting at BRIAN BLESSED volumes "HEY! HERE'S ANOTHER DIFFERENT THING YOU COULD BE DOING!" So, I'm putting it down, to try to get it out of the head. Please don't take this as an indication that I'm actually working on this. It's idle work to try to fire up the brain for the thing I should actually be doing, and in all likelihood will soon join the other partially written projects on my Google Drive. Either way, I hope you like it. May it inspire you in your efforts.
THE SETTING.
Britannia. Roman-era Britain, or something resembling it if you look at it upside down with the lights off. The Iron Crown of the High King of the Picts lies in his tomb and none have dared to quest for it for a decade or more. The tribes squabble amongst each other, bickering over lands and resources, while beasts of legend lurk in the forests and fens. All the while, a larger threats lurks, that of invaders from the South, seeking to crush the last vestiges of free land under their iron boots…
Damn, I do love writing flavour text. Almost as much as my wife enjoys interrupting me reciting it. Moving on. I'm not giving it a date, so I can mess with history. As far as I know, Hadrian's Wall hasn't been built, Bouddica hasn't rebelled and the 9th Legion hasn't marched into oblivion. Well, maybe. I'm not suggesting we go full Xena, but something close. History is a wonderful thing, and can be just as fun when it's ignored for the sake of drama or fun, as my Musketeers convention games can attest to.
PC's – PICTISH TRIBES:
North – Forest folk. Seen as secretive and more savage than others. Reputed to favour human sacrifice in their magics. Not completely evil, but there's a reputation that exists.
East – They have villages along the coast and are known as fisher folk. Explorers, hunters and traders. Or the other idea was basing the visual look of the Seal people from the film The Eagle, and making them head hunters.
West – Consider themselves the most ancient of the tribes, seen as wizards, scholars and famed for their priests skill at divination. Maybe clad in furs and skins, I dunno?
South – Pastoral and friendly. Craftsman and builders, renowned for their skill at the arts. Perhaps they trade with the others the most?
I'd want something in the background to distinguish between the tribes, a favoured colour or style of dress to help make the difference between them obvious. At minimum, I'd make half the tribes have a matriarchal leadership, the others patriarchal (No, I've not idea which I'd choose) and abolish gender stereotypes. I'm already rewriting history, so why not make it a little less horrible?
IN GAME LOCATIONS:
Holy ground, possibly a Druidic enclave.
Local village
Roman military forward camp
Tribal meeting place, possibly also featuring an arena for combat between tribal champions, an agreed upon way of solving tribal disputes.
MONSTERS/CREATURES:
Romans. I can see the first contact with a Legion in Testudo going horribly, as this strange iron beast marches towards them. Maybe later they'll be added as PC's.
Fay/Elven creatures. Forest folk, selkies and mythical beasts.
Something resembling the Wee Free Men. Thieves of cattle and goods, a nuisance at first, but could grow more dangerous if angered.
Very loose adaptions or hints at the Arthurian and Robin Hood myths.
The Worms of the Earth. Fuck yes REH.
I know very little about British/Pictish mythology, but I'm sure there's plenty more that I could mine for ideas.
MAGIC – IS IT A THING?:
Sort of. There's things that are claimed to be magic by the Druids. No-ones exactly sure if it's real magic, and the Druids aren't talking. Such things mostly involve potions, or occasionally shared hallucinogens. Some Druids practice divination by reading animal entrails and the like. Ceremony and ritual are important, magic in this game doesn't involve fireballs getting flung about. I see a fiery pre-battle speech giving bonuses and morale being incredibly important. Do you stand against impossible odds and inspire a legend, or do you run and live to fight another day, your honour stained with cowardice?
Melee: Swords, daggers, axes (all single handed) and spears are the main weapons, with clubs and staves for the poor or different. Ranged wise, you can choose between bows, javelins and throwing knives/axes. I'm sure there's companies out there making foam rocks as well, if you're really cheap. Shields (Ranging from small bucklers to larger oval models) are used by many while armour wise mostly leather is used. Some metal armour, whether forged locally or stolen from Roman invaders could be found, but will be very rare and used only by the high of status or very wealthy. Opinions on armour vary between the tribes, with some regarding it as cowardly, while others will take all the help they can get.
Fast and deadly. I like the idea of a 'Just before you die' ability, so you have 10 seconds to be suitable dramatic before you cark it, or something that lets you hold on, but as soon as you stop screaming or chanting you're dead. Amp up the combat, so to speak, not to movie flashy, but make it big and dramatic so the gods may see you and be entertained. I'm aware of British chariot warfare, but can't think of a way to make that LARP safe. Well, short of having two people holding hobby horses running in-front of the chariots driver who's got them on a harness, and by that stage to me it's less a LARP and more a kink and I'll just leave that there.
If I was going to be really intense about this, which being a hypothetical I can be, I'd want to set a kit standard and make people buy appropriate looking weapons rather than re-suing medieval style kit. There's a couple of company's that make Celtic and Roman style weaponry, and while I'd allow Viking era gear, that would be the latest period that I'd allow. My distaste for overly ornate weaponry still stands, but I'll refrain from stepping on that soapbox this time.
The films Centurion, The Eagle and the 2004 King Arthur come first to mind, with a heavy dose of Robert E Howard's Bran Mak Morn stories. The Doctor Who episode The Eaters of Light, the myths from the Rivers of London novels by Ben Aaronovitch and the Slaine series from 2000AD also should be on the list. As for games in the setting, the only one I've seen so far is the UK game Dumnonni Chronicles, which seems a bit more fantasy than this game seems to be, but the kit standard is gorgeous.
POSSIBLE PLOT:
As for what will happen, I have no idea yet. The first idea I had was of a famous Gaulish Druid visiting, but can you blame me? Sure, the prospect of players in a continuing game getting hold of some of his magic potion is slightly terrifying (In a game balance sense), but once you've drunk it, it's gone. A short think for more ideas produced things like infighting between the tribes, a wedding or a funeral, religious festivals/conflict, young warriors seeking to prove themselves worthy, games (both combat and bardic) and the threat of the Roman invaders.
*whew* Now that that's out of the system, hopefully I can get back to Minbari politics. In Valen's name…
Be seeing you…
Addendum: Clothes maketh the man
Bit of a short update that I meant to add to the last entry. My wife and I are currently watching Good Omens, having recently finished season 1 of The Witcher. We enjoyed the show, but I can't argue with my wife's reaction at the end of the season, which I will sum up here: "WHAT? The whole things been a prelude?" The cast do their jobs well, especially the children, and Henry Cavill has quite the talent for conveying a lot with a look and an annoyed grunt. (And is quite the Warhammer 40K nerd) If I had to pick, I'm really not a fan of the amount of reverse grip nonsense in the sword work. I'm still not sure where that trend started, but I think The Force Unleashed? Look, it's pretty, and works well for the show, but even as a novice historical fencer it bugs the hell out of me.
As for Omens we're 4 episodes in at the time of writing and it's beautifully Pratchett in feel. It's been a long time since either of us have read the book, though I'll likely go through it when we're done with the show. I didn't want to be constantly going "But this was different in the book!" all the way through it. I'm sure there are changes, but I'm content to wait to re-discover them. It should come as no surprise that I'd like a lot of Crowley's costume in my wardrobe, though I couldn't hope to match David Tennant's swagger in a million years. Or the scarves, though that's more for my rather long and scrawny neck. And yes, Aziriphale's coat is lovely, but I really don't think that colour is me.
Staying with costumes, another few photos from the new production of Dune have been released, and well, they're quite pretty. I can't help but think back to the rubber(?) stillsuits from the Lynch movie and wonder how uncomfortable they must have been to wear. I've a making of the film book around here somewhere, I must dig it out at some point.
No news, actually some news.
Augh.
Not much has happened since last entry. Picked up some new scars (A few minor scalds from hot bacon fat while cooking my wife breakfast), turned 40 (As did Iron Maiden's first album!), had a wonderful little backyard birthday party with just my household, and felt loved and cared for. Work has been nothing less than flat out, as given that we supply jigsaw puzzles among other things, we think we're an essential industry. Thanks ScoMo. *sigh*
Things… aren't good brain wise. I spent a lot of the long weekend asleep, or trying to sleep, and while there's an element of recovering from the working week, it ain't all that. It's not that I feel bleaker than normal, more running on fumes. An early morning not quite anxiety attack today didn't help either. Well, less attack and more I was an idiot and took a quick look at the news after peeing. Someday I'll stop myself from doing that, but not today. I'm also kicking myself slightly for not getting up and writing down what was in my head at the time, as I'm all but certain it was more gripping than this. At least it felt that way, but the line between crushing boredom and high drama is very thin around 4:15am.
How am I coping with conditions at the moment? I don't know. I'm the only one in my house going outside on a regular basis, so little has changed for me. Sure, I'm trying to avoid people, not make trips I don't need to and wash my hands more, I'm not ignoring things. Sure, the trains have been great, the term 'Reverse Olympics' comes to mind (Kids, ask your parents), but that's not exactly something I should be cheering about. As for at home, I'm as introverted as my wife is extroverted, so I'm OK seeking less attention and would be happy for a lock down (Well, for a short time), while she's climbing up the walls with the limited contact with people she's having. Alas, the other 3 of us in the house aren't enough. We're doing what we can in the meantime, and hopefully cabin fever can be kept at bay.
I'm kinda looking forward to booking a hotel room when this is done and having sometime to myself. At least, I like the idea of that. As with many of my ideas, I'm not sure if I should actually go through with it, but I'm certainly thinking about it. I should use it to write my Pheno freeform, but that's suffering writers block. It's time to break out the B5 20th Anniversary Blu-rays and soak them in, that should help kick start something. Assuming I don't start crying when I realize just how many of the cast have died. Or maybe I'll just wear a cloak when I take the bins out. It's been too long since we've reminded the street we're nerds, and that should change. In other rubbish news, the very friendly cat up the street's humans are leaving soon and I'm really going to miss her.
There are bright spots though. Whilst the attempt to run one of my old games didn't work, one of my players volunteered to run the scenario from the back of the new Alien RPG. Good fun was had, and I spent a lot of it desperately trying not to metagame. And yes, I would up dead. Switching universes, a friend of mine was looking for lines to practice her calligraphy on, and I decided to ask for an excerpt from possibly my favorite Babylon 5 exchange. It turned out better than I could have hoped for. It's a piece I turn to frequently for solace in times such as these. The artist in question can be found here, and I cannot recommend her work highly enough.
And I can't end without talking about another part of my childhood passing, with the death of Tim Brooke-Taylor. The Goodies was a massively important part of my childhood, and helped shape, I like to think, a good part of my sense of humour. The out-poring of love for him I saw was heartwarming, as owing to the repeats in the 80's there's a massive chunk of my generation that you only have to hint at a giant kitten or a black pudding to reduce them to floods of laughter and wonderful memories. Heck, that episode killed a man from laughter. Getting to see them live was a highlight and I'm gutted I didn't get a chance to tell him how much his work meant to me.
I know I'm of the age where the icons of my childhood are set to pass (I know I'm going to be inconsolable for at least a week when Tom Baker goes), and they've been doing so on a regular basis for the last 20 years or so, but knowing that Coronavirus took him, and not natural causes hurts that bit more. I've been very lucky that this is the first time that corona has affected me in any way, and I'm still hoping that it will remain so. My heart goes out to all affected, and I hope that things will improve swiftly. I don't know what the future holds, but it's my hope that the spirit of kindness that's been blossoming continues on. Hopelessly idealistic I know, but some days I can't help myself.
It's only rock and roll.
No. It's not. Mick Jagger lied. To borrow a line from, I think an English football manager, it's not life or death, it's much more important. I recently mentioned I was curating a playlist about my aging. Well, this is it. I've tried to keep this short, and somewhat on topic. I could have just added songs I like, but that would have been a massive list and kinda defeated the point of this. I've tried to keep it to a few pertinent observations on each track, though I should warn that requests for more detail I can do.
Culling things wasn't easy, though keeping it to things on Spotify helped slightly. For starters, that cut the Rollins Band's All I Want, while a lovely song (at least compared to their usual output), brings back some mighty painful memories of my youth. Of going out into the world being like an untrained puppy, looking for affection or attention, but with no idea whatsoever of how to get it, or deal with it. Ahhh, memories.
Anyhow, here goes.
I'm 18 – Alice Cooper. The epitome of teen angst and confusion. It doesn't get better than this. It's a notch on my bucket list that I've seen Alice perform this twice.
I Don't Want to Grow Up – The Ramones. A cover of a Tom Waits tune, it hits me where I live, so to speak. That fear of the future, of struggling for an answer to 'what to do you want to do with your life?' I hated that question as an adolescent and still do.
My Shit's Fucked Up – Warren Zevon. What more is there to say? Zevon had a wonderful knack for the macabre and miserable, and he sums it up perfectly here.
Trouble In My Brain – The Sunnyboys. Lead singer and songwriter Jeremy Oxley was a master at songs such as this, and knowing he was suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia at the time only adds to it's poignancy.
Don't Damn Me – Gun's and Roses. It's slightly mortifying to me how swiftly this implanted on my brain from the time I first heard it. "Sometimes I wanna kill, sometimes I wanna die. Sometimes I wanna destroy, sometimes I wanna cry." Me at 14, and still today, to no small degree.
My Pal – God. Just flat out brilliant. Written when the band were in their teens, it's just amazing. The footage of them performing it on Countdown (I think – it seems to be live, which that show rarely, if ever, did) is well worth a watch.
I Believe in Miracles – The Ramones. Alas, the album version isn't on Spotify, so this one (From 1991's Loco Live) will have to do. It's a haunting tune about being a fuck up, but still having hope, like a lot of Dee Dee Ramone's best songs from the later era of the band.
Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night – Iggy Pop. From his most recent album, it's smooth jazz over Iggy's reading of the poem. That description may sound odd, but it's utterly hypnotic.
Midlife Crisis – Faith No More. I've just turned 40. How could I possibly leave a song with this title off the list?
Paranoid – Black Sabbath. It's not the quintessential Sabbath tune for my ears (That's Black Sabbath or War Pigs for my money), but this sums up how early 20's me felt about my place in the world. Plus, that riff.
Descent into the Maelstrom – Radio Birdman. It's not New Race or Aloha Steve and Danno, but for me the surf drums, the barked "2,3,4!" and Rob Younger's howl all combine into one of the most electrifying openings of any rock song. The recent film about the band is mandatory viewing for those with an interest in music doco's.
Depression – Black Flag. Short, fast and ugly, Henry Rollins roar has rarely sounded more berserk.
Love Song – The Damned. Sure, it doesn't match the theme of this playlist, but to me it's the greatest love song ever written and I will fiercely defend that to the end of my days.
Blow Up the Outside World – Soundgarden. Haven't we all had days where we felt like this? RIP Chris Cornell.
Wasted Years – Iron Maiden. This one brings back painful memories of wandering around Melbourne one night in, I think 2001, listening to this on repeat, lost both in body and soul and utterly missing the point of the lyrics. I found where I was staying on the trip after about 2 hours of semi random wandering hoping for a landmark, but didn't get the point of the song for many years afterwards. Better too late, than not at all eh?
So, I'm 40. Happy Birthday to me! And now, GET THE HELL OF MY LAWN, YOU DAMN PUNK KIDS! 🙂
April 5, 2020 by shoutybeardything	Leave a comment
It is late, but I have words.
Couldn't sleep, had too many words buzzing through my head, so I hope by writing them down, I'll be able to sleep. It's been a hell of a week, about which I shall spare you. Instead, I have had… an idea. Long term readers, or people who've played my convention games will know how dangerous that can be.
Here we go. YouTube recommended me episodes of the 80's GI Joe cartoon, and having little else to do on the train, I thought why not? I have observations.
1: This show is pretty damn awful.
2: Were I a drinking man, playing some sort of game where you drink each time someone yell's "Yo Joe!", escapes a vehicle wreck or parachutes from an airplane, you would be very drunk pretty damn quickly.
3: Given the resources Cobra must have access to, given the vast amount of underground bases, wacky super weapons and the like they possess, not to mention the sheer amount they must spend on ejector seats, parachutes and other crash proofing technology, why seek world domination through military might? Just do it the (other) American way – buy elections.
"Duke, we've just found out that Major Bludd is running for Governor of Boise, Idaho!"
"Right, two can play that game. Scarlett, you and Gung-Ho get started on Shipwreck's campaign announcement speech. Yo, Joe!"
Yeah, it doesn't quite have the same spark to it. Anyhow, this sparked something. I have occasional thoughts about trying GM'ing outside of conventions. I had a group of players keen for a Torchwood Sydney game I'd brainstormed with some of them, or that post apocalyptic LARP idea that I thought about dusting off for a few seconds last week. I shut that thought down, reasoning that in the age of isolation what hope is there and also that running a game that had germ warfare and out of control viruses in the current climate wasn't exactly sensible. I still love the idea of dressing crew in bloodstained koala onesies to act of Drop Bears though. Sorry, back on topic…
Yes, I'm getting to the point here, despite all evidence. We go back a few years now, to Fair and Balanced. Oh, 2016, remember when we thought that was as bad as it got? Happy times they were… I'm still impressed by how that game's reputation has spread, having seen several sharp intakes of breath and "YOU?" when it's mentioned I was responsible for that monster. I've resisted writing a sequel, owing to not being able to out crazy reality. I wrote a blurb at one point and may someday make that public – I'm still quite proud of the opening line of "The shining city on the hill is now a strip mall."
The canon ending of Fair and Balanced was the PC's, having helped tear the country apart, discovering that Obama was about to announce he was stepping down and returning fair elections to the people. That (generally) took place at some sort of press conference, but I had a thought about amping up the crazy a little. Well, more than a little. The Democrat Party records vault, where Obama's secret Kenyan birth certificate was kept, is under the Watergate Hotel, for starters.
So, Obama's giving the big mystery speech, but when the PC's kick things off his security doesn't move. Why? Because his lectern transforms into a suit of robot armour and he joins the fight. Maybe he's secretly a cyborg, who can infect all he touches with socialism, like some sort of Communist Ultron and has an army of Muslim Kenyan ninjas at his command! Of course, there would be something else in the PC's way, that being the terrible threat of MECHA JOE BIDEN.
I might sketch this out for a 5th anniversary re-run of the game, give people the option for how bat-shit crazy things go. "Do you want it relatively normal, slightly crazy or full Godfrey Ho?" I might not be able to out-crazy reality, but I can give it a damn good go.
Well, that went well…
Harrumph
2020, 24 Hours to go…
WITNESS ME
By Crom, Ymir and Set!
Revving up the engin… on Fly the Crimson Skies!
All I need is an ide… on Expectations, revelations and…
William on Triggers, and how to deal with…
Stace on It's not all doom and…
Benj on He'll save every one of…
Brain Goblins
gig review
TV/Movie review
Zedtown


text:
Q: Removing some tabs on account page not working I have created this file :
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<page xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:View/Layout/etc/page_configuration.xsd">
    <body>
        <referenceBlock name="customer-account-navigation-newsletter-subscriptions-link" remove="true"/>
        <referenceBlock name="downloadable_customer_products_list" remove="true"/>
        <referenceBlock name="customer-account-navigation-product-reviews-link" remove="true"/>
    </body>
</page>

in the following folder : app/design/frontend/Magento/MyTheme/Magento_Customer/layout/customer_account.xml.
But this doesn't work. any idea what's am I missing ?
I have tried to :

*

*magento cache:clear & magento cache:flush

*magento setup:upgrader & magento setup:di:compile.

None above solutions are working and the tabs like newsletter,product-list,prodcuts-reviews is still appear.
Here is my code structure look like :
 ▾ [✗]app/
  ▾ [✗]design/
    ▾ adminhtml/
    ▾ [✗]frontend/Magento/Aura/
      ▸ etc/
      ▸ i18n/
      ▸ layout/
      ▸ Magento_Catalog/
      ▾ [✗]Magento_Customer/layout/
          [✹]customer_account.xml
      ▸ Magento_Newsletter/email/
      ▸ Magento_Theme/
      ▸ media/
      ▸ web/
        composer.json
        registration.php
        requirejs-config.js
        theme.xml

As you can seeon the Magento_Customer/layout there is some xml file where I put the code above.

A: You need to keep this code in your xml file,
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<page xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:View/Layout/etc/page_configuration.xsd">
    <body>
        <referenceBlock name="customer-account-navigation-newsletter-subscriptions-link" remove="true"/>
        <referenceBlock name="customer-account-navigation-downloadable-products-link" remove="true" />
        <referenceBlock name="customer-account-navigation-product-reviews-link" remove="true"/>
    </body>
</page>

You have giving reference for downloadable product is wrong.
Remove var and clear cache.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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