text:
Jr. Team Possible: Emilia Scovel
August 9, 2015 October 29, 2015 / jlstrattonpossiblebooks
Introducing our newest Junior Team Possible member, Emilia Scovel. She was nominated by the amazingly kind and hard working two-time Paralympian, Cortney Jordan, who affectionately refers to Emilia as her "Mini-Me."
Emilia and Cortney at a swim meet together. Photo Credit: G. Scovel
Since kids talk more honestly with kids, Emilia was interviewed by Nolan and Caitlin via FaceTime. When starting the interview Nolan and Caitlin reassured Emilia that this wouldn't be just a bunch of questions, but that they could talk about lots of stuff. However, it didn't appear that Emilia needed any reassuring. She looked fashionable for an early Sunday morning interview. In a colorful outfit accessorized with a headband and lip gloss, she smiled confidently and spun around a bit in her parent's office chair. She was ready.
How old are you? I'm eight years old.
Nolan (10) and Caitlin (7) are excited by this answer because Emilia is between their ages. Emilia is excited because her sister, Bella, is ten. There are shouts for Bella to join us, and we are introduced to Bella on the screen.
Do you have any pets? I have a dog named Barley. He likes to cuddle under blankets.
Then, Barley makes a brief appearance to say hello and wag his tail.
What sports do you play? I swim. I play basketball, just for fun, with my dad and sister because we have a hoop in the front yard, and I used to play tennis.
What foods do you like? I like pizza. Sometimes I have it with pepperoni, and sometimes I go with plain cheese. I like tacos, too.
Nolan expresses his appreciation for pepperoni pizza, while Caitlin explains how she prefers vegetables on her pizza.
What books do you like to read? I love to read fairy tales and books about dragons. I really like Rumpelstiltskin and Puss and Boots.
"Interesting…" Nolan replies. I guess our resident book guru is pleasantly surprised with Emilia's choices.
Disney Pixar Inside Out Characters
What movies do you like to watch? I like to watch scary and romance movies. I really like Maleficent. I also like Back to the Future and Star Wars.
Caitlin jumps in to ask an important follow up question.
Did you see Inside Out? Yes! I really liked it.
Everyone is excited to talk about their favorite characters in the movie. Emilia's favorite characters are Joy and Disgust.
What superpowers do you have? Fashion. Keeping my dog calm. Remembering facts. I am a history lover. Every day I come home from school and say, 'Hey Mom, I learned a new fact,' and then I start spitting out facts about history.
Emilia's mom, Gigi, explains further that Emilia can even remember all sorts of family events including who was there and what they were wearing. Emilia agrees and states that she even remembers times from when they lived in Malaysia. This comment solicits a surprised reaction and great interest from Nolan and Caitlin.
Emilia and her sister, Isabella, traveling in New Zealand. Photo Credit: G. Scovel
Emilia shares that for three and a half years from when she was 3 to 6 years-old, she lived with her family in Malaysia and traveled to many countries in the area including Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore.
Nolan asks if she ever saw someone play a didgeridoo. Emilia thinks about it and says, "No, but I did get to pet a kangaroo and koala." Caitlin, our resident animal lover, is very envious.
Emilia proudly holds up her Coaches Award. Photo Credit: G. Scovel
What accomplishments in sports are you most proud of? At my last meet for the summer, I got second place in breaststroke. This year I also got the Coaches Award for the Makos (her club team). The Coaches Award is when all the coaches vote for the swimmer who is the best listener and who tries very hard.
"Very impressive!" replies Nolan with admiration. Emilia smiles.
What are your ultimate sports goals? I want to swim in another Paralympic meet. I want to grow up to be like Cortney.
Nolan smiles and says, "That's a good goal." Caitlin adds, "I was guessing you would say something about Cortney."
Why do you look up to Cortney? I look up to her because she has the same disability as me. We have a lot in common, and I just want to grow up to be like her.
Nolan whispers to me, "Can I tell her about Nick?" I encourage him to share Nick's sports story.
"We have a cousin, Nick Springer, and he was in the Paralympics. He played wheelchair rugby."
Caitlin interrupts, "He still does."
"Well, he does still play wheelchair rugby, but in 2008 he won a gold in Beijing." Nolan then explains how Nick contracted meningococcal meningitis at the age 14 and to save his life the doctors had to amputate his arms below the elbows and his legs above his knees. Nolan concludes, "He is amazing and he can do anything. He can even use chopsticks."
Emilia then proudly shares how one of Cortney's friend is also missing portions of his limbs and the amazing things he can do. She also explains how her young friend, Gracie, has gone through multiple operations to lengthen one of her legs. Gracie is only five years-old, but Emilia plans to teach her how to swim. We all wonder if Gracie will be Emilia's "mini-me", and if Nolan and Caitlin will get to interview her in a few years.
What makes a good teammate? Cheering each other on and teamwork like saying, 'Yeah, let's do that!'
What makes a good coach? What makes a good coach is someone who knows how to make the team believe in each other and makes the team do their best.
Emilia snowboarding at Wintergreen Resort. Photo Credit: G. Scovel
How do you define ability? Ability means you can mostly do anything, and you don't need help.
"Wow!" replies Nolan.
Gigi, Emilia's mom, elaborates by explaining that they were worried about Emilia when they were preparing to live in Malaysia. They did not know how her disability would impact her life overseas or how they would be able to meet her needs. However, Emilia was so strong nothing stopped her including a broken left foot. In Cambodia, she climbed all the steps to the temples they visited and never complained. "Nothing stops this kid," her mom proudly states, "It is hard to tell her 'no'."
Emilia then shows us the braces for her left leg. She has had three braces. She was fitted with her first brace when she was a toddler, and it went up to her knee. Her second brace covered her calf and had a hinge at the ankle to allow for more movement. She explains that she got to pick out "all sorts of crazy colors" with her sister to make her brace totally unique. The third brace that she currently uses is smaller and goes just above her ankle. Nolan shares that his cousin, Stephen, has cerebral palsy and he wears a very similar brace on his right leg. Emilia smiles and adds that she and Cortney both have left sides that work differently.
What advice do you have for other young athletes? Try your best and never give up and have fun.
"I love those words!" exclaims Caitlin.
"Yeah, words of wisdom by Emilia!" declares Nolan, "She is great at this!"
Nolan and Caitlin suggest to Emilia that she should do more interviews. We are all confident that there will be many more interviews and awards in the future for Emilia.
Jr. Team Possible
Cortney Jordan, Emilia Scovel, Jr. Team Possible, Nick Springer, Paralympics
← Post Rio Interview with Nolan and Caitlin
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3 thoughts on "Jr. Team Possible: Emilia Scovel"
Laurie Ann Thompson
Great interview! Thanks for letting me "meet" Emilia! 🙂
Cutie Patootie! I'm very impressed about the second place breaststroke. That is a HARD stroke. Keep swimming, Emilia!


text:
Markus Duesmann to move to Audi's top job
By Steve Garnsey2019-11-18T15:56:00+00:00
Markus Duesmann will join Audi as CEO in April 2020
Markus Duesmann will become CEO of Audi on April 1 next year and will also join the board of management of German parent company Volkswagen Group.
Duesmann has held several managerial positions at BMW and was its board of management member with responsibility for purchasing and the supplier network until July 2018, around when VW flagged he would be joining its senior management.
Duesmann takes over from Bram Schot at Audi who will leave the company by amicable mutual agreement at the end of March, VW said.
"Bram Schot took over the management of Audi at a difficult time, very successfully managed the business and initiated important changes. For this he has our sincere thanks," said Herbert Diess, chairman of the board of management of VW Group.
Schot became interim chairman of Audi's board of management after the post's occupant Rupert Stadler was arrested in 2018 on charges of fraud and misrepresentation as part of the Dieselgate emissions scandal.
As for Schot's successor, Diess said: "As an excellent engineer, Markus Duesmann will do everything in his power to leverage the full potential of the Audi brand and as such will once more demonstrate our commitment to the promise Vorsprung durch Technik."
His responsibilities within the group's board of management will include research and development.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Eagles remain perfect in 9-AA
Craig Harris
charris@mtcngroup.com
WESTMORELAND The Westmoreland High School boys basketball team didn't sit in a favorable position with three minutes remaining in Friday evening's district contest with visiting Greenbrier.
However, the Eagles managed to erase a six-point deficit and took control in overtime for a 55-49 victory over visiting Greenbrier.
Westmoreland (8-4) remained unbeaten in District 9-AA play and won its fifth consecutive game.
"Coming into the year, we knew had chemistry," Eagle senior guard Dalton Leath said. "This group has been together a long time.
"I feel like we have more basketball players this year. Brad (Evans, a graduate from last season's squad) is a good athlete, and Michael (Evans, another 2015 graduate) is a good athlete. Everybody has been here since summer this season. We're working with guys we've had since the summer."
Those four district contests have all been decided by 11 points or fewer, including one-point victory over perennial power Cheatham County.
"Us knocking off Cheatham was a shock to some people," Leath said. "Cheatham County has been the upper dog, the bigger team. They had (standouts Jordan) Darden and (Jake) Saunders (two seasons ago). I'm not going to say teams were scared of them, but you knew you had a lot to deal with. I don't think anybody is really scared of us.
"Everybody is pretty even right now. We have to bring our game every night. If we do that, we'll be okay. We'll be able to compete."
Bobcat junior guard Austin Richardson made his fourth and final 3-pointer with 3:26 remaining, creating a 42-36 score. However, he picked up his fifth foul seconds later, fouling out with a team-high 16 points.
It was another 3-pointer that helped quickly thrust Westmoreland back into the contest as Leath tossed in one from the top of the key with two minutes remaining as he was fouled. He made the ensuing free throw to complete the four-point play.
Then, in the final minute, junior teammate Colton Pippen and Leath made one free throw each, sending the contest to overtime.
"We didn't make foul shot like we needed to make down the stretch," Eagle head coach Jason Graves – whose squad connected on 25 of 40 at the free-throw line – said. "That's something you need to do to win close ballgames, but we didn't have the turnovers and got stops on defense. Greenbrier was in foul trouble, and we were able to take advantage of that.
"We won a ballgame when we probably should have lost. That shows a lot of heart and character to find a way to win when it's not your best night."
Westmoreland took its first lead when senior guard Caleb Graves drove along the baseline and converted a layin with 2:20 left. His ensuing free throw placed the Eagles in front to stay.
The Bobcats had four players to foul out, and Leath and Caleb Graves made free throws over the final 80 seconds to seal the win.
Greenbrier (2-9 overall, 0-3 in District 9-AA) scored the game's first seven points and led by as many as nine points on three different occasions in the first half, lastly on junior Will Hodges' baseline jump shot with 2:14 remaining in the half.
Caleb Graves made two free throws with two seconds remaining in the half, creating a 20-13 halftime score.
"We were going too fast offensively and not fast enough defensively," Jason Graves said. "That needs to swap. You need to play hard on defense and be patient on offense. We just didn't make shots and kept shooting them."
Leath added, "We weren't all on the same page. I have to slow down. When one guy is not on the same page, it slows everybody down. We've shot the ball better. Colton is big for us right now. We have to get him the ball."
Leath finished with a game-high 21 points, and Caleb Graves and Pippen scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"Coach said in the locker room that, right now, we have a target on our back," Leath said. "We have to take that into consideration. We have to push harder, because we know other teams are going to push harder.
"We can't peak. We have to peak at tournament time. We just have to work harder and keep doing what we're doing."
Westmoreland will be playing in Macon County High's Nera White Invitational, facing Red Boiling Springs at 5 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Reach Craig Harris atcharris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.
GREENBRIER (49) – Austin Richardson 16, Austin Merrill 8, Jordan Perdue 8, Michael Parker 5, C.J. Bryant 3, Andrew Cline 3, Jace Derseweh 2, Will Hodges 2, Bailey Young 2.
WESTMORELAND (55) – Dalton Leath 21, Caleb Graves 12, Colton Pippen 11, Zeke Webb 6, Lucas Garrison 3, Landon Graves 2.
Half: 20-13, Greenbrier. End of regulation: 44-44. Three-point goals: Greenbrier 4 (Richardson 4), Westmoreland 3 (C. Graves 1, Leath 1, Webb 1). Records: Greenbrier 2-9 overall, 0-3 in 9-AA; Westmoreland 8-4, 4-0.


Injuring your ACL can be career ending for athletes and devastating for active individuals. The ACL is located inside the knee joint and is responsible for stabilizing the knee. When it is damaged, drastic changes in movement patterns occur.
Jeffrey Yaste, MD, offers a minimally invasive approach to reconstructing an injured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The approach gives patients a new ACL much like the one they were born with and is most helpful in preventing reinjury to the knee. With few orthopedic surgeons trained in this surgical approach, Dr. Yaste's technique is making Asheboro, North Carolina, a destination sports medicine center.
An anatomic ACL reconstruction can be performed by using the patient's own tendon or a donor tendon.
Because the surgeon is trained to be precise about the placement of the new ACL, the anatomic ACL procedure allows the ligament to perform and function just like the one the patient was born with.
An anatomic ACL decreases the chances of reinjury in the patient's knee, making it less likely for the patient to require a second surgery.


Find complete instructions on how to construct a deck from the ground up.
Learn how to choose the best materials for building your new deck.
Learn to securely install a ledger board to attach the deck to your house.
Learn how to add stability to your deck by correctly framing its perimeter.
Learn how to safely install the joists and decking boards for your new deck.
Learn how to properly install the outer railing for your deck.
Learn how to properly install sturdy, safe stairs for your deck.
One of the first things to keep in mind for your backyard deck is that it's a connective space—it bridges the gap between outdoors and indoors. For this reason, you may want to actually cover a portion of your deck—the portion adjacent to the house—and then consider including landscaping around the perimeter of the deck. These two touches can subtly remind guests of the connection between the home and the backyard, and position the deck as a welcoming space between them.
Secondly, don't be afraid to take advantage of the contours of your backyard. If it slopes down, a two or multi-tiered deck may be a great way to work with the landscape as opposed to trying to tame it.
If you're working with a small space, consider a low-profile, one-tier deck, or one with just a few steps leading to the top platform. This will help take advantage of an economical amount of space, but still make for an attractive transition from indoors to outdoors.
Whether you're building a multi-tiered monstrosity or a humble single stepper, you may want to consider adding a focal point for your backyard deck. After all, it's going to be a gathering place for friends and family. Consider adding a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, seating or dining area.
It's a big, empty space — put it to good use with these smart under-the-deck storage ideas.


text:
Lanzhou University of Technology () is a scientific and technological university located in Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu Province, China.

History
Lanzhou University of Technology was established as Ganzhou Technical School in 1919. In 1958, the school was renamed to Lanzhou Polytechnic Institute. In the same year, it merged with Gansu Communication College and changed its name to Gansu University of Technology. In 1965, the university broadened its curriculum when three specialties from Northeast Heavy-Machine Building Institute, and one specialty from Beijing Machine-Building Institute became a part of the university. The above specialties were a part of First Machine-Building Industry Ministry of China prior to transfer. Subsequent to the reorganization of the State Council of China in 1998, the university is administered by the provincial government and central government. The university was renamed Lanzhou University of Technology in May 2003 following approval by the Education Ministry of China.

Location
The school is located in Qilihe District in Lanzhou city, the capital of Gansu Province. It has two campuses with a land mass area of 2430 acres and building area of 2,220,000 m2.

Administration

Faculty structure
The university comprises twenty-one colleges and departments, sixty-five Undergraduate programs, eighty-six master's degree programs, twenty-six Doctorate Degree programs, one National Key lab, twelve Provincial Engineering Investigation Centers, and fifteen University Enterprise Engineering Investigation Centers.

The university has 15 academic disciplines of Provincial importance that form an academic system with its own distinctive qualities.

Staff
The university has 2309 faculty including 1570 full-time lecturers, 890 professors and associate professors and 130 doctoral tutors. The university has a total of 27599 full-time students among them 3878 graduate students.

Foreign exchange and international students

There are 279 international students at the university from 35 countries. The school has a developed exchange program where it offers 2+2 and 1+2+1 programs in collaboration with universities from overseas.

References

External links
Lanzhou University of Technology Official Website

Universities and colleges in Gansu
Educational institutions established in 1919
Technical universities and colleges in China
1919 establishments in China

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Beverly is a self~taught weaver starting back in 1976. She has given classes for 4~H groups, 2nd grade classes for a unit on Norway, Elderhostal groups and taught at Vesterheim in Decorah. She regularly demonstrates at their Norway Christmas Celebration.


text:
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 */
function session_service($config)
{
    session_name($config['name']);
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


SlidePresenter is hiring for several positions to join its team in Frankfurt, including a Junior Sales Manager, a General Manager, a Business Development Trainee, and a UI/UX Designer. Several internships are also available at the company, which offers chance to work with a highly motivated team and to play a determining part in the development of a new enterprise.
Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees, has a mission to cultivate a more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable world, and aims to plant a billion native trees by 2020. The startup is looking for a Software Developer with a full-stack mindset and expertise in devops and infrastructure to join its team in Berlin. The developer will maintain and improve its infrastructure codebase and share ownership of the production systems.
Based in Berlin, Neuraum Ventures GmbH is hiring for a Senior Data Scientist for its key portal Fertighaus.de. The ideal candidates should have experience or at least interest in machine learning and the usage of live streaming data, and should like to work independently, push for high quality work results, investigate beyond the obvious, and challenge the status quo.


All Right, some great news, this blog had reached another milestone. It has finally reached 400 posts already. This is the 401th post. It had been a long time since I started blogging.
Some great news and bad news.
The good news is that I MIGHT remove most of the ads if I make money from investing (Because I do not see any click from there. But Google Adsense and some ads might still retain). But the bad news is that I might still continue with paid blogging.
Currently I am still thinking of the holiday tour. I am the only one planning this entire trip this year. Ahh.


I spent my afternoon catching up on housework and paperwork. Oh, and I baked a double batch of these.
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies, so good and at least a little healthy.
I just made those last night- they are currently my favorite cookie! I try to switch them up by adding cinnamon or a similar spice or doubling the banana sometimes, adding more oatmeal or blending the oatmeal in the food processor, and I almost always add 1 c ww and 1/2 c white flour instead of the other way around.
I also wanted to say that I am really enjoying this blog- thank you!
I will definitely try these – thanks for the recipe! I'm always looking for a healthier cookie recipe.
These looks so darn good and they're healthy!! Can't beat that!!
Just made these and they ARE good:) thanks for sharing the recipe.
I, too, have really been enjoying this blog. It's definitely a new favorite of mine.
love love love love your site. i need to try these cookies. they look delicious.


The Gift Shop at The Umstead Hotel and Spa features a wonderful variety of artful, unique gifts that reflect the Hotel's natural surroundings and exquisite in-house art collection. The warm, modern shop is a jewelbox of delights displayed among native floral and woodsy elements.
Browse this online shop for the perfect gift for a loved one, or a treat to remind you of your stay with us. From luxurious products in our Signature Umstead line to unique one-of-a-kind gifts, there is truly an indulgence for everyone.


Yes, I just like to give my feedback to SWBF2, but after not even 2 weeks, it seems to be closed. So why?
Well, I just tried to take the survey, but it's closed. Looks like I'm 11 days late.
Yeah, why is this thread still pinned if the survey is dead?


text:
\subsection{Distributed Training Setup}
\subsection{Federated Learning Setup}\label{federated}
We consider a distributed training setting with $N$ clients. Client $i$ has a local dataset $\mathcal{D}_i$ with $D_i$ data points. The total number of data points across all clients is $D = \sum_{i\in[N]} D_i$.
The clients are connected through a central server that coordinates the training.

The goal is to train a model $\mathbf{w}$ to minimize a global loss function
\begin{equation}
F(\mathbf{w}) = \frac{1}{D} \sum_{i=1}^{N} \sum_{j=1}^{D_i} l(\mathbf{w}, \mathbf{x}_{ij}) \label{eq:global1}
\end{equation}
where $l(\mathbf{w},  \mathbf{x}_{ij})$ represents the loss of a single data point $\mathbf{x}_{ij}$ in the local dataset $\mathcal{D}_i$ of client $i$.

By defining a local loss function
\begin{equation}\label{localoss}
F_i(\mathbf{w}) = \frac{1}{D_i} \sum_{j=1}^{D_i} l(\mathbf{w}, \mathbf{x}_{ij})
\end{equation}
for client $i$, the global loss function in \eqref{eq:global1} can be written as
\begin{equation}
F(\mathbf{w}) = \sum_{i=1}^{N} p_i F_i(\mathbf{w})
\end{equation}
where $p_i := \frac{D_i}{D}$ and thus,
\begin{equation}\label{eq:sump}
\sum_{i\in[N]} p_i = 1
\end{equation}

We next provide the details of training in the conventional federated learning setting \cite{mcmahan2017communication}. In this setting, the server maintains a global model that is updated locally by the clients. The local updates are then aggregated at the server to update the global model.  As such, the training process consists of local and global update iterations.

Each iteration (local or global) is represented by a discrete time instant $t\in\{0, 1, 2, \ldots\}$. It is assumed that a global update occurs at every $T$ time instants, where $T$ is the number of local training iterations that take place between two global updates. Without loss of generality, we assume that a global update occurs when $t\mod T = 0$, and let
\begin{equation}
\mathcal{T} = \{t: t\mod T  = 0\}
\end{equation}
denote the set of time instances at which a global update occurs, which we also refer to as {\it synchronization steps}.

At the beginning of each global round $t\in\mathcal{T}$, the server sends the current state of the global model to the clients, which is denoted by a vector  $\mathbf{w}^{(t)}\in \mathbb{R}^d$ of dimension $d$, where $d$ is the model size.
Then, all or a fraction of the clients update the global model $\mathbf{w}^{(t)}$ through $T$ local training iterations, using their local datasets.
The set of clients that participate in training at a given iteration depends on the specifics of the client scheduling algorithm, which could range from all clients to a small fraction of clients. We let $\mathcal{S}_t$ denote the set of participating clients at iteration $t$.

Local training at the clients is performed through stochastic gradient descent (SGD), in which the model parameters are updated iteratively in the negative direction of the gradient evaluated over a random sample (or a minibatch) from the local dataset.

To present the details of the local training process, we consider a synchronization step $t\in\mathcal{T}$, at which the server sends the current estimation of the global model $\bw^{(t)}$ to the clients. We also let $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t)}$ denote the {\it local} estimation of the model parameters at client $i$ at time $t$. Accordingly,  we will call $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t)}$ the {\it local model} of client $i$ at time $t$.

When $t\in\mathcal{T}$, client $i\in[N]$ sets its local model as,
\begin{equation}
\mathbf{w}_i^{(t)}\leftarrow \mathbf{w}^{(t)}.
\end{equation}
In other words, at each synchronization step, clients synchronize their local models with the current state of the global model.
Then, client $i\in\mathcal{S}_t$ updates their local model through $T$ SGD iterations,
\begin{equation}\label{localupdate}
\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j+1)} = \mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j)} - \eta_{t+j}  \nabla F_i(\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j)}, \xi_{i}^{(t+j)})
\end{equation}
for $j\in\{0, \ldots, T-1\}$, where $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+0)} = \mathbf{w}^{(t)}$, $\eta_{t+j}$ is the learning rate (step size), and $\nabla F_i(\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j)}, \xi_{i}^{(t+j)})$ denotes the stochastic gradient of client $i$,
with $\xi_{i}^{(t)}$ representing a uniformly random sample (or a minibatch) from $\mathcal{D}_i$. The stochastic gradient is an unbiased estimator of the true gradient of client $i$,
\begin{equation}
\mathbb{E} [\nabla F_i(\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j)}, \xi_{i}^{(t+j)})]
= \nabla  F_i(\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j)})
\end{equation}
where $\nabla  F_i(\mathbf{w}^{(t+j)})$ is the true gradient of client $i$, i.e., the gradient of the local loss function \eqref{localoss} evaluated at $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+j)}$.

At the end of $T$ local SGD operations, clients $i\in \mathcal{S}_{t+T-1}$ send their local updates  $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+T)}$ from \eqref{localupdate} to the server. For all clients not participating in the current global round, i.e., for clients $i\notin\mathcal{S}_{t+T-1}$, it is assumed that   $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+T)} = \mathbf{w}^{(t)}$.

Finally, the server updates the global model,
\begin{equation}\label{eq:aggregation}
\mathbf{w}^{(t+T)} = \sum_{i\in[N]} p_i \mathbf{w}_i^{(t+T)}.
\end{equation}
by aggregating the local models of the clients. After updating the global model, the server sends the updated global model $\mathbf{w}^{(t+T)}$ to the clients for the next iteration.

We use the term \emph{global round} to refer to the block of $T$ time instances between two consecutive syncronization steps (global updates). In other words, global round $t$ corresponds to the block of time instances $t\in\{t, \ldots, t+T-1\}$.

We also note that our focus is on the conventional synchronous federated learning setup, in which all clients participating at a given global round perform the same number of local training iterations and the global model is updated only at specified time instances  $t\in\mathcal{T}$. Asynchronous learning scenarios in which clients can perform varying number of local iterations and communicate their local models with the server at arbitrary time instances are interesting future directions, but are beyond our scope.

\subsection{Energy Profile of the Clients}\label{sec:energy}

In this work, we consider devices that are powered by the small quantities of energy generated from the ambient environment, such as solar, kinetic, ambient light or RF energy \cite{ tan2010energy, parks2013wireless, kim2014ambient, gorlatova2015movers}.
Clients can participate in training  only if they have available energy to do so.

It is assumed that it takes $E_i$ global rounds for device $i$ to generate enough energy to participate in one global round of training, which includes the energy cost of computing the $T$ local updates from \eqref{localupdate} and communicating it with the server.
We call $E_i$ the energy renewal cycle of client $i$.

As we demonstrate in our experiments, in this setting, i.e., when clients have intermittent energy arrivals, the conventional federated learning setup from Section~\ref{federated} might bias the model towards clients with more frequent energy availability. This calls for an energy-aware client scheduling and training strategy which we study in this paper.

{\bf Main Problem.} Given the above energy arrival and training setup, the main problem we study in this work is, {\it ``How to design a scalable federated learning framework for devices with intermittent energy availability?''}. In the sequel, we provide a practical federated learning framework that takes into account the energy limitations of the clients during training, while ensuring theoretical convergence guarantees.

\subsection{Client scheduling} \label{scheduling}
The first component of our framework is client scheduling for training. Client selection in conventional federated learning algorithms are primarily based on the assumption that all clients are inherently available to participate in training if chosen, or that client dropouts occur uniformly at random (which does not bias the training), and focus on selecting the clients  to maximize the  convergence rate or to reduce the communication overhead of training \cite{mcmahan2017communication, bonawitz2017practical, LiHYWZ20, chen2020optimal, cho2020client}. In contrast, in our setup, not all clients can participate in the training process at all rounds. In particular, if a client has participated in one round, they may not have enough energy to participate in the next round. Moreover, the energy availability of the clients is non-uniform, i.e., some clients have less frequent energy arrivals than others.

A naive approach for client scheduling is to schedule clients as soon as they have collected enough energy  to participate in training.
However, as we will demonstrate in our experiments, doing so can bias the trained model towards clients with better (more frequent) energy availability.
Another approach is to wait until all clients become available for training, and then use a conventional client sampling algorithm. However, waiting for all clients to have enough energy can significantly increase the total training time needed to achieve a target performance level.

Instead, we propose a simple client scheduling protocol that can be performed locally by the clients. In our protocol, clients participate in training through a stochastic process based on their energy profile. The details of this process is as follows.
First, we note that it takes $E_i$ global rounds for client $i$ to harvest enough energy to participate in one global round of training\footnote{For simplicity, we assume that  when $t=0$, all clients have enough energy to participate in one global round. Our results hold even if clients start at different time instances.}. When $t\mod (E_i T) = 0$, client $i$ samples an integer $J$ uniformly at random from the set $\{0, \ldots, E_i-1\}$. Then, within the $E_i$ global rounds starting at the time instances $\{t, t+T, \ldots, t+(E_i-1)T\}$, client $i$ only participates during the global round that starts at $t+JT$, and does not participate in the remaining global rounds.

We note that the client selection algorithm decides whether or not a client will participate at a given global round.
If a client chooses to participate at a global round starting at some $t\in\mathcal{T}$, then the client participates for the whole duration of that global round, i.e., for $\{t, \ldots, t+T-1\}$, by computing the local model as in  \eqref{localupdate}.
As such, for any global round starting at $t\in\mathcal{T}$, the set of participating clients $\mathcal{S}_t$ at time $t, \ldots, t+T-1$ satisfy,
\begin{equation}
\mathcal{S}_t = \mathcal{S}_{t+1} = \ldots =  \mathcal{S}_{t+T-1},
\end{equation}
i.e., the set of clients participating in a given global round stays the same throughout the duration of that global round.

As we demonstrate in our theoretical analysis, the proposed client scheduling strategy provides provable convergence guarantees for the global model.

\subsection{Local training}\label{sec:localtrain}

At the beginning of each global round, the server sends the current state of the global model to the clients.
The clients then locally update the global model on their local datasets.

The details of this local update process is as follows.
Consider a global round starting at some $t\in\mathcal{T}$. Then, the server sends the current state of the global model $\mathbf{w}^{(t)}$ to the clients.
Then, clients choose whether or not to participate in the current global round, based on the client scheduling process from Section~\ref{scheduling}. Clients who choose to participate in the current global round then compute a local model, by updating the global model $\mathbf{w}^{(t)}$ through $T$ local SGD iterations as in \eqref{localupdate}.

After $T$ local SGD iterations, client $i\in\mathcal{S}_{t+T-1}$ sends a  local update to the server. The local update is defined as,
\begin{equation}\label{localupdateg}
\mathbf{g}_i^{(t+T)} \triangleq E_i (\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+T)} - \mathbf{w}^{(t)})
\end{equation}
which is obtained by shifting $\mathbf{w}_i^{(t+E)}$ by $\mathbf{w}^{(t)}$ and then scaling it  with respect to the energy renewal cycle $E_i$.

\subsection{Global model update}
After receiving the local updates in \eqref{localupdateg} from the participating clients, the server updates the global model as,
\begin{equation}\label{globalmodelupdate}
\mathbf{w}^{(t+T)} = \mathbf{w}^{(t)} +  \sum_{i\in S_{t+T-1}} p_i \mathbf{g}_i^{(t+T)}
\end{equation}
and sends the updated model $\mathbf{w}^{(t+T)}$ back to the clients, for the next iteration.

We note that the complexity of Algorithm~\ref{Alg} is the same as that of  conventional federated learning, i.e., the federated averaging algorithm (\emph{FedAvg}) from \cite{mcmahan2017communication}.
In the following, we demonstrate the theoretical convergence guarantees of our framework.

\section{Introduction}
\input{01_Intro.tex}

\section{Problem Formulation}
\input{02_ProblemSetting.tex}

\section{Federated Learning  with Intermittent Resource Arrivals}
\input{03_System.tex}

\section{Convergence Analysis}
\input{04_Convergence.tex}

\section{Experiments}
\input{05_Experiments-arxiv.tex}

\vspace{-0.2cm}\section{Conclusion}\label{conclusion}
This paper proposes sustainable federated learning with the  utilization of intermittently powered devices, where a large number of remote devices are expected to perform training on a daily basis.
We demonstrate a simple and scalable federated learning strategy with provable convergence guarantees, for devices with intermittent energy availability, and show that the proposed framework can significantly improve the training performance compared to the energy-agnostic benchmarks.
We hope our work to open up further research on  sustainable learning in large-scale federated and decentralized settings.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
En pédologie, une fosse pédologique, dite fosse d'essai dans le contexte du BTP, est une excavation creusée dans le sol, afin de permettre l'analyse de son profil (horizons pédologiques). Les informations recherchées sont la texture, la couleur, la structure et la composition du sol (teneur en matière organique, en oligoéléments, polluants éventuels...) en fonction de la profondeur, ou encore des indices d'engorgement en eau ou de richesse en pédofaune. Des conclusions en sont tirées en matière de pédogenèse, de texture du sol et de bien d'autres caractéristiques d'intérêt agronomique, hydrologique et écologique.

Cette fosse est généralement creusée lors d'une étude agro-pédologique, d'une étude géologique ou lors la reconnaissance d'un site forestier, agricole ou devant faire l'objet d'une construction. Selon le contexte et les besoins de l'étude, la profondeur de la fosse peut varier entre un et quatre mètres.

Dans le contexte agricole, sylvicole, agroforestier
Les fosses pédologique sont très utilisées pour comprendre et évaluer les caractéristiques des sols forestiers, cultivés (profil cultural, évaluation du comportement mécanique du sol sous culture, de ses qualités structurales, d'après la granulométrie, la porosité, la densité apparente...), les éventuelles séquelles des pratiques agricoles antérieurs (labour notamment, source de semelle de labour), et notamment pour la viticulture , ou pour l'établissement « bilan hydrique ».

Pour l'évaluation environnementale et l'observation de l'environnement à long terme
De nombreux sites de référence d'observatoires de l'environnement et d'observatoires des sols, utilisent des fosses pédologiques.

Dans le secteur du BTP

Des fosses d'essai sont creusées avant toute construction de surface ou souterraine.

Elles servent par exemple à déterminer la nature géologique, biologique et physique des sols, ou encore les caractéristiques de la nappe phréatique du site. Elles peuvent contribuer (tout comme en milieu agricole) à évaluer la « courbe de retrait » (degré de rétraction du sol en fonction de sa teneur en eau ; mesure calculée à partir d'un « rétractomètre »).

Intérêt archéologique
L'archéologie s'intéressent aussi au profil pédologique, qui peut apporter d'intéressantes informations sur le type d'anthropisation laissé sur la paysage pédologique agricole par l'utilisation du feu et les pratiques agricoles préhistoriques ou historiques.

En outre, des objets d'intérêt archéologique peuvent être trouvés lors de creusements de fosses pédologiques (artefacts, charbons de bois utiles pour la Pédoanthracologie .

Réglementations
Une fosse ne doit pas être creusée au voisinage de réseaux enterrés, et les fosses dont la profondeur dépasse 1,3 mètre doivent être sécurisées contre un effondrement structurel, si quiconque doit y pénétrer.

Valorisation et conservation des données
Depuis les années 1900, une tendance favorise l'intégration des données pédologiques dans un systèmes d'information géographique et de suivre des réseaux de placettes de références, par exemple, en France, dans le Réseau de mesures de la qualité des sols de France (RMQS). En forêt la position des placettes suivies est déterminée en fonction de la typologie des stations forestières.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Bibliographie

 Le sol la terre et les champs - Pour retrouver une agriculture saine Claude et Lydia Bourguignon éditions du Sang de la Terre, 2008

 Jabiol Bernard, Baize Denis (2011) Guide pour la description des sols - Editions Quae
 Duchaufour Philippe, Introduction à la science du sol  Dunod, 2001
 Fitzpatrick Ewart Adsil, Pedology, Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1971
 Philippe Duchaufour, Introduction à la science du sol: sol, végétation, environnement, Dunod, 2001.

Articles connexes

Liens externes
 Association française pour l'étude du sol
 Groupement d'Études Méthodologiques pour l'Analyse des Sols
  Société belge de la science du sol (BBV-SBSS)

Pédologie
Géologie


text:
Blog Site Map PHONE: 772-589-7777
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8/Jan/2019 LOCAL NEWS
Extraordinary Property Of The Day: Surf Club - 4780 Highway A1A, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Built by Beachside Premier Builder, come view this luxurious oceanfront townhome located in the heart of Vero Beach's charming Seaside Village. Spacious, luxurious, and brand new, oceanfront home featuring a guest house, private pool and spa, ...
16/Oct/2018 LOCAL NEWS
Bringing Home a New Furry Friend
On Saturday, October 13, Coldwell Banker Paradise hosted the New Dog, Old Dog Pet Adoption Day at the Satellite Beach office. The animals that were present were up for adoption, and Coldwell Banker Paradise is dedicated to finding you the right ...
Halloween Happenings in the Paradise Footprint
October is here!! And we have all of the spooooooktacular happenings all over Paradise for you! Don't know what to do with your little monsters? Where should you haunt with your new costume? We have the details right here! Grab those trick or ...
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Welcome to FLColdwellBanker.com, your one-stop source for Treasure and Space Coast, FL, real estate.
Use our state-of-the-art property search, including an interactive map search, to find homes for sale on the Treasure and Space Coast. These listings are updated daily from the MLS.
Or, use our Community Guide to help you in your search for Florida real estate listings. Our community searches will keep you up to date with the latest properties in the areas you are interested in.
And, for your convenience, be sure to register for a free account to receive email notifications whenever new homes for sale come on the market that match your specific criteria, and save your favorite properties for quick and easy access whenever you need — it's fast, easy, automatic and FREE! With a Property Tracker account, you'll be among the first to know about the newest homes for sale on the Treasure and Space Coasts.
Thanks for visiting FLColdwellBanker.com, home of exquisite properties and excellent service.
REAL ESTATE POWERHOUSES JOIN FORCES ON FLORIDA'S EAST COAST
Vero Beach, FL (JANUARY 2019) – Schmidt Family of Companies announces its merger with Coldwell Banker Paradise, (www.FLColdwellBanker.com), on Florida's East Coast. Coldwell Banker Paradise has a sales force of over 280 agents and brokers with 11 offices spanning 135 miles of coastline in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, South Hutchinson Island, North Hutchinson Island, Vero Beach, Sebastian and Melbourne, Florida offering real estate services including Luxury, Residential and Commercial sales, Relocation, Property Management, Concierge Services and Community Association Management.
"Focusing on their core values of family, trust and a deep commitment to community, the Schlitt's legacy goes beyond their decades of service and good family name. We are enthusiastic about building on both our companies' long-lasting traditions while we continue to deliver on our common goals of exceptional service to our clients," said Ken Schmidt, CEO, Schmidt Family of Companies. The legacy of the Schmidt and Schlitt families represent 157 years in the real estate industry.
Ed and Marguerite Schlitt opened Ed Schlitt Real Estate in 1953. They were joined by their daughter, Linda Schlitt Gonzalez in 1972 and by their son, Steven Schlitt, in 1998. Their sister Barb Schlitt Ford and Linda's two children, Andrew and Melanie Gonzalez, also joined Linda and Steven in the family business. Following the traditions of their parents, Steven and Linda will continue to lead Coldwell Banker Paradise as one of the Schmidt Family of Companies. "In many ways, Coldwell Banker Paradise is a family that holds true to the values instilled by our parents that hard work and humble service is the highest calling. We are incredibly proud to be joining forces with a company that has, at its core, that same value to deliver the highest level of service to our clients and our communities," said Linda Schlitt Gonzalez. Added Steven Schlitt, "We are at our heart innovators. It is what my father was and it is what puts us at the top of the marketplaces we serve. This merger follows that plan of action, putting our agents, brokers and our clients first. It's a bold and exciting new time for us."
Schmidt Family of Companies is a fifth-generation full-service real estate brokerage firm founded in 1927 with Coldwell Banker offices in Florida, Michigan, northeast Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mike Schmidt, President of Schmidt Family of Companies shared, "We are very excited about this new phase in our company's development. We are clearly in a growth mode and today's announcement is another positive sign for the viability of this region's economic future. We are committed to ensuring that all home buyers and sellers receive the best imaginable service and that our agents and brokers are afforded every opportunity to maximize their business potential."
"The never-ending goal of the Schmidt family is to maximize synergies from Florida to Michigan, Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands and this has been greatly enhanced by the addition of Coldwell Banker Paradise. This on-going expansion across Florida, pairing the West and East Coasts of the state, continues the vision of developing partnerships that not only increase our footprint but continue to enhance the quality and professionalism we strive to provide to our clients everywhere we serve," said Steve Carr, President of Florida Operations.
Charlie Young, President and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, "I have worked with Ken and Mike Schmidt for many years and have always been impressed. The Schmidt team has done an amazing job of increasing their company's footprint over the years yet never wavered on their dedication to ensuring the needs of their agents, brokers and clients are met. The Schmidt Family of Companies, who now has the most U.S. offices in the Coldwell Banker network with the merger of Coldwell Banker Paradise, understands the value of joining forces and has aggressively sought to do that and then seamlessly integrates the newly joined family."
Schmidt Family of Companies has over 80 Coldwell Banker offices and 1,700 agents and brokers across Florida, Michigan, northeast Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Century 21 Schmidt Real Estate in Venice, Florida. Annual sales volume in 2018 is $3.5 Billion with 18,259 transactions on the buy and sell side.
Coldwell Banker Paradise
1950 US-1
Vero Beach, FL 32960
55+ Communities
Homes under $250,000
© Copyright 2019 Coldwell Banker Paradise. All Rights Reserved.


For those interested in the facts and statistics about New York, this page is for you!
There is a reason why they call New York the "Melting Pot"! In essence what this means is that New York is a blend of different cultures, nationalities and ethnicities. Nearly 50% (48,8) of New Yorkers speak another language at home other than English!


Mark Ricciuto – Australian Rules football legend, entrepreneur and family man – was born in 1975 in Waikerie, South Australia. A rural town, with a population of approximately 5000, Waikerie is where Mark received his all-important football beginnings and his passion for the sport was ignited.
Starting as a junior with the local Waikerie Magpies Football Club, it was here where those natural skills, hunger for the game, and instilled work ethic – which ultimately took him all the way to the top – first came to light.
With proud Italian heritage, With proud Italian heritage, Mark Ricciuto was raised alongside five sisters on his family's vineyard in the agriculturally-significant Riverland district of South Australia. To this day, the orchard remains in the family, maintaining his deep fondness and connection with the area. Located by the banks of the mighty Murray River, Mark stills considers this region to be very much his home.
Married in 2008 to Sarah, the couple have six extremely energetic children – Sophie, Rosie, Nick, Joe, Rocco and Tom. Who knows, perhaps a future Adelaide Crow in the midst?
Following his AFL career, Mark Ricciuto now wears many hats, continuing his deep association and passion for the sport of Aussie Rules. Media commentator for Triple M and FOX FOOTY; successful businessman and entrepreneur; and, co-author of his book – Roo: The Mark Ricciuto Story, Mark Ricciuto continues to promote Australian football, while successfully applying those awesome skills he showed on the football field to the world of business.


text:
package arez.test;

import java.io.File;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;
import javax.annotation.Nonnull;
import jdepend.framework.DependencyConstraint;
import jdepend.framework.JDepend;
import jdepend.framework.JavaPackage;
import jdepend.framework.PackageFilter;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
import static org.testng.Assert.*;

public final class JDependTest
{
  @Test
  public void dependencyAnalysis()
    throws Exception
  {
    final JDepend jdepend = new JDepend( PackageFilter.all().excluding( "java.*", "javax.*" ) );
    jdepend.addDirectory( compileTargetDir() );
    jdepend.analyze();

    final DependencyConstraint constraint = new DependencyConstraint();

    final JavaPackage arez = constraint.addPackage( "arez" );
    final JavaPackage braincheck = constraint.addPackage( "org.realityforge.braincheck" );
    final JavaPackage spy = constraint.addPackage( "arez.spy" );
    constraint.addPackage( "arez.annotations" );
    final JavaPackage component = constraint.addPackage( "arez.component" );
    final JavaPackage internal = constraint.addPackage( "arez.component.internal" );
    final JavaPackage jsinterop = constraint.addPackage( "jsinterop.annotations" );

    arez.dependsUpon( jsinterop );
    arez.dependsUpon( braincheck );
    /*
     * The arez.spy and arez packages form a loop but rather than squashing spy into arez
     * it was decided to keep them separate as everything in arez.spy should be optimized out
     * during production builds and keeping them in separate packages makes it easy to verify
     * this constraint.
     */
    spy.dependsUpon( arez );
    arez.dependsUpon( spy );

    component.dependsUpon( arez );
    component.dependsUpon( braincheck );

    internal.dependsUpon( arez );
    internal.dependsUpon( component );
    internal.dependsUpon( spy );
    internal.dependsUpon( braincheck );

    final DependencyConstraint.MatchResult result = jdepend.analyzeDependencies( constraint );

    final List<JavaPackage> undefinedPackages = result.getUndefinedPackages();
    if ( !undefinedPackages.isEmpty() )
    {
      fail( "Undefined Packages: " +
            undefinedPackages.stream().map( Object::toString ).collect( Collectors.joining( ", " ) ) );
    }

    final List<JavaPackage[]> nonMatchingPackages = result.getNonMatchingPackages();
    if ( !nonMatchingPackages.isEmpty() )
    {
      final StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
      sb.append( "Discovered packages where relationships do not align.\n" );
      for ( final JavaPackage[] packages : nonMatchingPackages )
      {
        final JavaPackage expected = packages[ 0 ];
        final JavaPackage actual = packages[ 1 ];

        final ArrayList<JavaPackage> oldAfferents = new ArrayList<>( expected.getAfferents() );
        oldAfferents.removeAll( actual.getAfferents() );

        oldAfferents.forEach( p -> sb
          .append( "Package " )
          .append( p.getName() )
          .append( " no longer depends upon " )
          .append( expected.getName() )
          .append( "\n" )
        );

        final ArrayList<JavaPackage> newAfferents = new ArrayList<>( actual.getAfferents() );
        newAfferents.removeAll( expected.getAfferents() );

        newAfferents.forEach( p -> sb
          .append( "Package " )
          .append( p.getName() )
          .append( " now depends upon " )
          .append( expected.getName() )
          .append( "\n" )
        );

        final ArrayList<JavaPackage> oldEfferents = new ArrayList<>( expected.getEfferents() );
        oldEfferents.removeAll( actual.getEfferents() );

        oldEfferents.forEach( p -> sb
          .append( "Package " )
          .append( expected.getName() )
          .append( " no longer depends depends upon " )
          .append( p.getName() )
          .append( "\n" )
        );

        final ArrayList<JavaPackage> newEfferents = new ArrayList<>( actual.getEfferents() );
        newEfferents.removeAll( expected.getEfferents() );

        newEfferents.forEach( p -> sb
          .append( "Package " )
          .append( expected.getName() )
          .append( " now depends upon " )
          .append( p.getName() )
          .append( "\n" )
        );
      }
      fail( sb.toString() );
    }
  }

  @Nonnull
  private String compileTargetDir()
  {
    final String fixtureDir = System.getProperty( "arez.core.compile_target" );
    assertNotNull( fixtureDir, "Expected System.getProperty( \"arez.core.compile_target\" ) to return directory" );
    return new File( fixtureDir ).getAbsolutePath();
  }
}


Here are some up close and personal chocolate Labrador retrievers in our O So Chocolate Labs Personal Checks. Labs are great fun and love to swim, play catch, and are great with children. They originally worked alongside fishermen in Newfoundland helping to pull in fishnets and their feet actually have webbed paws. Labs are some of the most popular dogs in America and are highly intelligent and trainable.


Mammootty and Jewel Mary's Onam release "Utopiayile Rajavu" highlights some current socio-political issues of our society.
Megastar Mammootty and Jewel Mary's Onam release "Utopiayile Rajavu", which was released on Thursday, 27 August, has garnered mixed response from the audience.
The film, which is a socio-political satire that has been directed by popular filmmaker Kamal, marks the comeback of the director-actor duo after 9 years. Their previous release was the critically acclaimed 2006 film, "Karutha Pakshikal".
The movie deals with the story of sculptor and social figure CS Swathanthran, played by Mammootty, in a fictional land named Kokranghara. He is the son of a freedom fighter.
However, the Kerala audience's response on social media suggests that the film has failed to meet the expectations of the Mammootty starrer. Some even mentioned that the film has some similarities with Biju Menon's hit film "Vellimoonga", released in 2014.
But from the critical reviews, it is understood that "Utopiayile Rajavu" promises some funny moments and many have appreciated Mammootty's performance. The film also highlights some relevant socio-political issues.
Jewel Mary and Mammootty get along well and convincingly execute emotions together.
Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Kamal struggles to fix his narrative on the ground and the characters behave out of control. But, the movie regains grip and ends up with a satisfactory note.
The movie keeps its place and at the same time incorporates current social and political issues with the main narrative. Utopiayile Rajavu is for those who love to watch a fictional place and its characters tell their story that reflects our current space and time. And, the team has done that convincingly and with a breath of fresh air.
Utopiayile Rajavu is a one time watch. Watch it for Mammotty's performance and a village backdrop story. The movie has some comedy elements and entertaining spots.
The movie is rich with perfect comical situations and has criticized the attitude of the society towards the sensitive topics including religious beliefs, in a humorous way.
The script is penned by PS Rafeeq. It is a bit hard to deal with the genre, magical realism. But here, the scenarist has succeded in making a perfect blend of magical realism and satirical comedy, with his brilliant screenplay.
A feel good entertainer recommended to all movie lovers.


Please pray for Ann Chastain as she speaks at the Friendly Hills Presbyterian Church near Greensboro, NC, October 1-2. She will speak about Project Hannah's ministry at the Saturday Ladies Brunch at 10:30 am. She will also speak about Project Hannah's ministry during her TWR presentation on Sunday morning, October 2nd.


text:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'exhausted' in official photo
By Bang Showbiz in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 23 May 2018
The intimate official photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day captured the couple in a moment of ''exhaustion'', photographer Alexi Lubomirski has revealed.
The intimate official photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day captured the couple in a moment of ''exhaustion''.
A picture of Meghan entwined the legs of her new husband Prince Harry on the Windsor Castle terrace was released by Kensington Palace earlier this week, and photographer Alexi Lubomirski - who had just ''three and a half minutes'' to shoot the couple alone - is thrilled with the ''magical'' picture, especially as it was so natural.
He said: ''We went out there and had about three and a half minutes to take some quick shots because everything was running like clockwork.
''It was just one of those magical moments when you're a photographer and everything falls into place. I said 'Just before you go in, sit on those stairs'.
''And she just slumped between his legs and there was this moment where they were just laughing because they were exhausted and thinking finally it's all over. It was one of these beautiful moments.''
Kensington Palace issues three images altogether, including one of the couple with their bridesmaids and page boys, and another of them with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, senior members of the royal family, including Harry's father Prince Charles and stepmother Duchess Camilla, his grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, his brother Prince William and sister-in-law Duchess Catherine, and the young bridal party.
And the 42-year-old photographer was determined not to make the pictures too ''regimented and linear''.
He told the BBC: ''I didn't want it to feel like a sports team photo or an army photo, regimented and linear.
''So we talked about how we could break it and get some rhythm and asymmetry into it and it all came down to very little tiny things - nothing crazy.
''In terms of how were placing people - we wanted some people sitting, some people standing, kids on parents laps and that was a huge thing to get that realness out of it.''


text:
Chloe Aftel
Interview 022 • Nov 6th 2014
Interview by Lou Noble
About Chloe Aftel
Chloe Aftel lives in Los Angeles and works in Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Detroit and San Francisco as a local. With a strong focus on narrative photography and a MFA from USC in film production, she specializes in still and motion storytelling. Chloe's work has been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, New York Magazine, Fast Company and Rolling Stone Magazine among other publications. Exhibits include MOPLA and New Visionaries.
Chloe sees each photograph as a one-frame movie still and each person as someone with a story to tell.
Flickr »
It's a breath of fresh air, getting to talk to someone who's really considered their craft, who's constantly looking to grow and challenge themselves. It's one of the joys of talking to photographers for TPJ, was definitely a part of the fun in talking to Chloe Aftel, whose work is both aesthetically stunning and provocative.
To begin, what is it that drew you to photography specifically?
I was in film school, and I was very unhappy there, it was a really difficult place.
Where were you going to film school?
USC. I thought it was going to be much more of a community experience than it ended up being. And so, I was learning about the elemental parts of lighting, and I was like, "okay, I want to really create something of my own, and take this idea of a filmic narrative and put it in into a still frame," I had enough basic tools that I could understand how to do it. I could light, very remedially, to accomplish that.
So I taught myself, basically, how to use hot lights and how to light with hot lights, and then I started to shoot these one-frame movie stills, these very ornate scenes with these girls posed in all these different ways and places. Which, I think, is how everyone begins: "Oh, I'm going to do this nouveau-fairytale thing." So I started doing that on my own, and I did a lot of them. I really enjoyed it, and I didn't really think anything of it at all, I just needed an outlet, I needed something to create that was my own, where I wasn't dependent on other people and could just execute something the way I saw it.
I did that, got through the rest of film school, and when I graduated, I don't totally remember, I submitted my work to Fuji, they had a student photographer of the year competition. I don't even remember how it occurred, or what I submitted, I just sent it in and never thought about it again.
Were you shooting on film?
Yes, all film. I taught myself how to light with hot lights, but I mean movie hot lights, so it was a whole thing. So I did all of that, I submitted this picture, and I was living in New York managing a film production company because I was still, "oh, I think I'm going to pursue this movie thing more and see what happens."
I love motion, but I really love short form, and I really like the world of short form, like commercials and music videos, where you have an idea, and particularly with music videos you can get particularly creative, do something, and then move on to the next project. Which is also really nice about photography. So I was managing this production company, and I just got a call asking if I was Chloe Aftel, and they said, "oh, you've won this competition!" And I didn't know what they were talking about. And then I thought maybe it was a solicitation. So I was like, "sure, send me an email about it." But then I got the email and realized, hey, this was legit. I won Fuji's Student Photographer of the Year, that year. Which…I don't know why they chose me, but whatever. So I started thinking, "oh, maybe I don't totally suck at this and can pursue it a little more," because I had been shooting on my own anyways.
The thing about photography for me was that I loved film, I loved the idea of a narrative, loved the idea of a still frame that told a story, but what I really liked about it was having a still frame you had to actually investigate a little bit, and I tried to maintain that, where it's not just a flat expression. Where there's something happening. Whether it's something off frame or in the frame, the emotion, that it feels real and genuine, which I find interesting. Because those very forced, weird things where someone's contemplating their naval, and you have no idea what the hell is going on, that is just not my aesthetic. And there's the super-retouched digital world, where someone isn't actually responding to anything, that is not my aesthetic.
So it became, "how do I make this interesting, but also make it so someone can walk away with different impressions?" You could see it one way, and I could see it another way, and someone else could see it a third way. But there's at least enough context where there is some structure holding it together. I just really liked that. Then I got an offer to run a studio for a very famous photographer here. So I came back to LA and I was like, "fuck it, let's see what happens."
Which photographer?
Peggy Sirota. I ran her studio for two years, got to see how it was done, learned an enormous amount, then I decided…I had been shooting the whole time and was getting published the whole time, and thought, "let's go for it." So I just went out on my own and have been working since then. But you know, it sounds like a rather simple story, but there's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into building each little piece to sort of go where you want to go.
Do you feel comfortable with where you are now?
I don't think so, but I don' t think that's…I know it's a cliche, but I feel complacency is not a good thing. I'm not sure if it's death, but it's certainly not a positive. I think being satisfied with yourself breeds the kind of work that is redundant and over time becomes tremendously uninspired. People that don't really think about where they are or assess it, go into these areas where it's not really working anymore and it's of a mess.
So no, I don't feel satisfied with what I'm doing, but I think that's the exciting part. Someone will show up and I'll think, "okay, how do I get this done, how do I capture this experience or whatever the fuck it is," and that is THAT person, then you'll meet someone else and it will be a whole different game.
That's what is exciting about it, that it changes so drastically, you never know what someone is going to bring to the room that day. They may be really out there, or they may be really shy, or putting their head to the side and making little bunny ears is the only way they want to take a picture. And the question becomes: how do you deal with and interact and get someone to trust you over and over again? To see what's possible with them rather than having these stock props and stock responses, that you try to generate over and over again. At least that's what I think.
Which is what I'm here for!
That's my response, does that answer the question, in a very convoluted way?
That's perfect! I first discovered you on Flickr, which was all Polaroid.
What is it that draws you to more antiquated film mediums?
I shoot a lot of instant film, and I love shooting instant film. And Flickr was the one place where that stuff could really live. Because on my website, sometimes it's just too out there for regular commercial work. I don't want to alienate people or scare them if there's this barrage of very dreamy stuff, so I feel like having another avenue where…it makes sense, and you can see it in a larger capacity and all the different ways that it's been done, that's great. The website is more editorial and advertising, but I do a ton of film on my website.
For me, I love film, I love instant, and I love the instantaneousness of digital. It is really nice to be able to look at something and think, "this is what I have." However, when I shoot digital, 99% of the time I'm shooting film concurrently with it. If for nothing else than for a color match. Because, to me, digital lacks some of the depth and a lot of the color play, off the bat, that you can get with other mediums. For me it's like, "oh, okay I'm going to shoot this digitally," and take it to my poor retoucher, who has become really well-versed at turning digital into film. I'll go to her and say, "I want it to look like this stock."
Or if there's an older stock or expired stock I'm interested in replicating with this particular shoot, I'll shoot a roll of that so she can at least see the light goes this way, this goes this way, the green goes that way, the yellows are over here or whatever. Then we also do a lot of work to give the image more depth, which is a lot of what would be dodging and burning when you would print.
But in this case, it's more like dodging and burning with the tools, and making it so every layer feels concurrently either darker or lighter with how far away it is from the subject, depending on how the subject is lit. That's a large part of what we do, but I think for me, and I always feel like such a douche saying it but I just think it's true, there's a beauty to film and there's a beauty in the way that because I think it's a tangible, physical thing, it just handles shifts better. There's shifts in skin tone, there's shifts in light, there's shifts in a bright window onto a face. There's just a way that it handles that gradient more eloquently than digital does. And so it's trying to figure out with digital, how to get some of that true change back into the medium. I feel like as long as I have something to draw from, that's great.
For instant, for me, I know people feel it's very nostalgic, but that's not my take on it. I feel like it puts it into this sort of other world. There's a dreaminess, there's a color play, there are flaws that you don't get in anything else, but the way I feel about instant is also the way I feel about a Holga. Where there's a way that you can manipulate images, and overlay them on top of each other, which you can do also on traditional film cameras, but it's a sharper image. But I think of some of the toy cameras where everything's not so exact, and that it allows the image to go into a strange or dreamy or less literal direction. And exploring that is really fun. And if you can make me not sound like a douche while saying that, I would be totally grateful.
I'll just totally rewrite that whole thing.
Okay thank you…"I like bunnies."
Exactly. What I don't hear from people when we usually talk about Polaroid film is that step away from the real, the literal.
At least that's my feeling, because it takes it into a whole other arena where you're in a different place. It is beautiful and wonderful, but that's part of what's nice. And I don't feel, "you're in the '70s"; you're in the current time, just a different place. And it is sad to me that the medium has been so reduced to just a nostalgia. Because I just don't think that's all it has to bring.
When I first started getting serious about photography as a hobby, it was all Polaroid, all the time. The Polaroid 680 was the only camera I had.
It's a good camera, has a lot of feelings.
I only went to film because they stopped making Polaroid.
Would you use Impossible Project?
I do, from the beginning.
It's been a challenge.
The film has struggled, but I do love them.
Even if it's not formulated correctly, just by pure happenstance you throw it down so it's darker because you know the film fails anyways and you're just like," fuck it, let's see what happens," and you get something that's white-washed up to maybe their shoulders, and then a face, and then it goes back into whiteness again, and then you're just thinking, "yeah this is pretty awesome, actually. Didn't expect that to happen, but I'll take it, looks good." That's part of it. And if you're reliant on it for consistent results it can be frustrating, but on the other hand, when it does pull out something crazy, and it's beautiful, I feel like, "okay, that's what we're doing, that's what we're doing."
Yeah, that's what I had to reconcile.
I understand, I totally understand.
As I was doing my research on you, I was surprised. I found that I had a very jaundiced view of your work just from what I…because I mainly look at your work in just one or two places, turns out that there's a much wider…
Yes! I love lots of different kinds of assignments. And I love lots of different ways of shooting. So the thing that I feel has gotten a little bit lost these days is the idea that a photographer is an approach, not a very specific style. It's an interpretation of something. That's really exciting, "oh, you want me to shoot this can of beans on the floor or do you want me to shoot someone jumping off of a building?" The question is, how does this person see it, not can this person shoot bunnies in a field and then more bunnies in a field and that's what they do: they shoot bunnies in a field. It's an approach, a way in which you execute something.
For lack of a better word, it's a way in which you see the world. And I think that, rather than it being, you only do it this way, and you only retouch that way, and you only do super-digital images, the question is: what is the feeling? What is the way you look at things, and is that interesting? And then how do you apply it to an incredible breadth of subject matter? That, for me, is what is so exciting, you never know what assignment is going to come next, but it's always a challenge, or a lot of the time it's a challenge. You can think to yourself, "oh, I've never done that before, how would I accomplish this, how do I interpret this?" I always enter a shoot with a plan, but that plan might go right back out the window because it won't be what needs to get done. But I think that I would like to approach…I would like to have an idea, and if the idea fails, that's cool. But I think it's better to at least consider the scene before you enter it, if that makes sense.
It does! I notice the personal projects you have on your site, are…
Darker?
Not darker, but they're very…you're looking at marginalized groups, if you could put it that way.
Yes, except for my beautiful ladies I think aren't that marginalized, unfortunately.
Very stigmatized!
Yes! A tough life for these girls. But what is nice about them is that it's a relationship over years at this point. I've really gotten to…I don't know if it's an evolution, but I've gotten to build a relationship where I am able to work with and explore who they are in a very broad breadth. And as they change, the images have changed as well. So that part I enjoy. But no, the gender queer and the furries, the children with rare genetic conditions, I think the other thing about them, with an exception of the furries series, which was meant to be more lighthearted because I think they're marginalized so often in a very negative light.
I don't know, people get all high on their own supply that these groups need to be talked about and put out in the world. I have a lot of ideas about gender dynamics and how people do live and the identity that one constructs for themselves. And also, physical things that one is born with and how that affects their life or physical changes one needs to have to feel comfortable. I find that whole idea of gender, sensuality, and sexuality to be very interesting. I think the work that I do tends to be quite sensual regardless. I think having people really let you in, in that way, and being able to explore it is very unusual. I also think, without wanting to toot my own horn, being able to shoot people that choose to live in a way that's not the traditional standard and being able to explore that and then being able to present it is very rewarding and exciting.
I just shot a girl that's intersex yesterday, and afterwards it was one of those experiences where you met someone and you really had to think about how you're going to shoot them what do you want to feature? She's a very beautiful girl, but technically she's intersex, and there's so much stigma, and inappropriate feeling about that. She passes very much as strictly female, and I think that's what's interesting to me. There's nothing wrong with her, there's nothing that should be seen as alien or not okay about her, yet she is stigmatized and I think struggles tremendously because of how people treat her. And then the question is, how do I present this girl. Part of it too is the images, from time to time, are somewhat erotic and somewhat sensual. And people will look at them and think it's a woman or think it's a man. Then I'll say, "this is my gender queer series and is an anatomical male that presents as female," and you can see people don't know what to do, because they're wrestling with themselves.
Wrestling internally.
And I don't give a shit, this person should be able to live however they want. And moreover, the fact that there is so much judgment and so much weirdness but that it's coming from the observer, it is coming from someone else. The people that I've shot actually, as long as the world doesn't attack them or do inappropriate, savage things towards them, they all seem really okay with who they are, and actually very happy and it is sad to me that they can't just be themselves.
So I'm not on some mission, but I feel, very selfishly, I am gaining a huge amount from being able to interact with them and photograph them and the challenge of figuring out how to do it justice, I hope. Also, I feel lucky that I get to do it. I don't feel that there's some soapbox that I'm going to get on top of and bang my drum, that is really a way to be self-serving. I think that because people want to talk about them, because people are interested, and perhaps I can speak of it in a way that isn't totally a sound bite. Because I have been exposed to a lot of different pieces of it at this point, I would like to do that. Beyond that, it's just something I really want to do, and I'm grateful for that.
What is it that draws you in? I hadn't even crystalized it in my own head until we started speaking about it, what draws you in to these different marginalized groups?
The children…I don't know, I've haven't thought about it in terms of an overarching context, because I think it's different. With the furries…again, the people I've met…I think part of it is really spending time with and connecting with the actual people. And some people are weird as fuck, and some people are really fabulous and interesting and dynamic; it just varies person to person. With the furries, it's like they had been treated, I think, very badly, and they're an eccentric group, and I like that about them.
I think there's something interesting about people who want to dress up as animals and the idea of even human-ness or gender is, again, sort of not really a part of what they're talking about, but this other personality. One guy I shot had this amazing fur suit…there are so many ways that these people express themselves. It's like, okay, what is that about, what does that mean, who are you, let's sit down and explore it. That I really love.
With the children with rare genetic conditions, it's a marginalized group in a different way, where people think, "oh, that kid's sick, different, I don't know what to do with that kid." And I think, okay let's talk about it a little bit, let's see what it is. And then the thing about the kids that really kills me is that because they're such a small set of the population, so there's so little funding and so little interest.
That to me is a travesty because, cancer: a lot of money. Leukemia: a larger amount of money. There are places where people feel that the money is more justified, but I also think that suffering is suffering. Alienation is alienation. Even just endeavoring to understand a little bit of what progeria looks like and what this kid is going through, because they're still just a little kid, their body is just aging at a tremendously accelerated rate, but what does that mean? Okay, you can treat this kid like any other kid, I mean you can't toss them around too much, but you can treat her like any other kid. You can talk to her, play with her, interact with her, and it's the idea that people feel they shouldn't approach them, or shouldn't look at them, that it's inappropriate to even be curious about it. I hope in some way there's a way to lift that a little, but to also understand that this is serious, and a lot of these kids die very young; they should enjoy the time that they have. Rather than feeling like they're "other" and that people don' t know how to deal with them so they just don't. That is very painful and unfortunate.
Then with the gender queer, again for me, I've always just felt that gender is not a binary thing. It's not this or that. because I've met many people where it's not and it's not a dude that would want to fuck every dude you meet. It's not just one dude that would consider that. It's like okay, great, I don't totally understand why what people are interested in sexually is even a topic of discussion anymore. I feel like do whatever you want to do and enjoy yourself. As long as it's consensual, who cares? I feel like people look at certain groups and talk about them in a way without any understanding, like gender queer is often seen as gender-confused and my experience with them is they are not confused at all. These people are very clear on who they are. It just doesn't fit within the normal binary context by which we understand everything. But that doesn't mean it's not around.
So the thing is for me dealing with different communities and interacting with them is just very enriching. Going to someone's house and having them trust you and be willing to expose themselves, I don't mean just physically, but put their face in your context. That is very rewarding. And again to feel that you have done a good job with that, not that you've done some neutered picture that no one would find offensive, but rather that you hope that you've gotten some sense of them or that you've pushed it a little bit, and presented them in a way that wasn't expected necessarily.
Very provocative.
Yes, that is really interesting.
Do you feel like your photos are secondary to the exploration or the experience with these people?
No, if I don't get a picture I like, I am not pleased with what I have done. I have to leave…and that's my feeling with anything, I have to leave with one…even if it's the job that is incredibly challenging, I have to walk away with one picture I like. That is the goal. If I can walk away a thousand I'm really happy, but I will not walk away from something that I feel like I didn't do a really good job.
So you're a little bit more focused on the result than the process?
Yeah, but in the process, again because I know that everyone douches out about catching the moment and being authentic and whatever, but the real way, at least for me, to do that is to have a connection. And to accept and interact with the person on their terms, then figure out where to go. I see that you like this and you don't like that, you want to do this and not that; okay, how do I put that into something that to me feels real and right and true.
Do you feel like you already had the tools to create a connection with people before you went into this? Or do you think that you learned as you went how to talk to subjects or how to open people up?
I have always been interested in people, whoever the hell they are. They don't have to be a celebrity or whatever, I'm genuinely interested. I'll meet someone I don't know, and I'll ask what they do, what they're interested in, how do they feel about this, do they like the color blue, whatever. I just want to get a sense of who they are. And with a subject there's a more focused intent. Where it's like great, I want to know about you, tell me what it is you feel comfortable, and then in doing so, you sort of feel it out. Is this pushing it too far, can I ask about this, can I do this other thing, and you sort of see where their lines are. Also if I can tell that they are really controlling, like a celebrity and the PR is there, like, why don't you look at stuff as we go, and that can take a bit longer because there's more cooks in the kitchen, but by that same thing I feel like letting people know that their say matters and that you're not there just to exploit them or get something and run away. Rather, you really want something collaborative. I feel like that then engenders a feeling of, great, let's explore. Let's see what we can do," rather than I want them over here looking this way because I have an agenda of who they are. So that's what works.
Makes sense. Are there things you still want to work on as a photographer?
Totally! I mean, I love lighting, but I love doing other kinds of lighting and exploring. The hardest thing in my opinion is lighting to make it look real. People always talk about it just being off the cuff, and the thing for me is making it off the cuff is a huge amount of intent. You can go and run & run and shoot the shit out of something, that's fine, but to really get something to where it feels beautiful and interesting and authentic and there's enough going on in the frame for the person that's in it to play off of and react to or engage with. I mean, that's why the cinematic part was so important to me, because I feel like you are creating a little movie, because you want it to be, "what's going to happen next?" That there is a context to this moment. Rather than it being this staged pro-forma thing. Again, that' s just my interest. So it's like how do I explore that and what does that look like.
What do you specifically want to work more on? Lighting…
I would love to work more on lighting, just because I really enjoy that. I would love to…I don't know. I would love for something I don't expect someone to think of me to do to float across my desk. It's just such a variety. I love shooting underwater, I love shooting weird people in eccentric places. That's why editorial is so fun.
They'll say, "go shoot this rich person in their insanely wealthy house," and I'm like, "no problem," let's go see what happens. It's not a very simple response, because I just want something I haven't done before, and sort of, like the one thing I would want in that context is some time and the patience of the subject. Because sometimes you get 20 minutes and you can get something good, but it's really nice when you can have a little time to get in there and figure out if you're into this or into that.
I shot William Friedken for Vogue, and I thought I was going to get 20 minutes, but they gave me 2 hours at the end of the day, which was fabulous, and he's really into pandas. I went into his office, and there's all these pictures of pandas everywhere. And I asked why, and he just said, "I really love pandas." And I was like, I love this. I love that the dude that did the French Connection and The Exorcist has these pictures of pandas all over his office. And then all of his awards, and all of his stuff, and I'm like this is great. I'd love to set that up, and do a portrait of him that is more appropriate for his reputation, but you get these very different pieces of someone, and having the time to explore the different bits, I really love.
And I think this will be the last question: Do you keep track of contemporaries, or do you try and isolate yourself?
I definitely look at what other people are doing. It's tricky, you know? Because there are some people I really admire, and I will check in on them from time to time to see what they are doing. But they tend to be so different from me that it's like, oh god, that's awesome, they did such a great job with that. There's this one woman in England who does her own printing and her own hand-tinting of everything. She does exclusively fashion work, I believe it's Ellen…
Ellen Rogers?
Yes. Ellen Rogers. I love her.
She's on Flickr, that's how I know her.
And she's so fabulous, and I think that she's so different. I look at her work and think, "man, that is the shit, that's so awesome." And you know, it's so different that it's not, "oh my god I don't want to do something like that," you're not contextualizing it against your own stuff. It's like, that's amazing, that's inspiring, that's beautiful, cool, and just walk away. And the other people I bid against or who I'm in competition with a lot, I don't look that often. If I know I'm bidding against someone, I'll want to get a flavor of what they offer compared to what I offer, because I want to make it clear that with them you get this, and with me you get that.
So it has helped me see the different things that people are looking for? But otherwise, no, I look to other stuff like paintings and films to draw references from, and there are some people where I feel…I'll see a couple shots and think that's a strong execution that will go in my reference file, but I think…no. It's dangerous because you want to feel that an idea is your own. And I think the only reason why I look at other people's work is to make sure that I'm not doing something similar to what they're doing. So it's more this person already did it, and did it well, so no we're not doing that shot. Or something else, like how can I do this differently and how can I have some sort of ownership over it. A lot of people do rip other people off, which is lame. For me, it's only a context of ,"cool, they did this and did it very well, let's find a different way to execute that idea."


ItemI-03790 - All Sooke Day; logging sports.
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Our ministry comes from a long history of preaching the gospel. Starting out in 1972 working under the leadership of Evangelist Bill Lowery and the Christ is the Answer Crusades Tent Ministry. See sidebar links History and Travel List.
Every day we make decisions as to what is important, what is worthy of our time, our talents, out treasures and our money. I know first hand how easy the things of the world, unexpected events, crisis of every kind, draw us away from the committed life we know we should be living, and yes of course want to live.
Ours is not so much a problem of not knowing, as it is of not doing! The forces of hell are arrayed against us, determined to rob us of a full reward, and to rob the unreached of their souls. You and I may be the only ones standing between them and the pits of hell. We carry an awesome responsibility.
While we say... this is too heavy, who can bear such a burden, here comes our Eternal Hero saying "take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light". "It is He that is at work within us, to will and do His own good pleasure". How great to let Him work through us, using us in ways we can hardly imagine!
There is so little open air evangelism, revivals in churches seem to be a thing of the past, a great effort is going forth to remove all traces of God from public life and because iniquity does abound, the love of many has waxed cold.
I believe, we are in the last days and God is raising up an army of dedicated christian solders, to fight the good fight of faith and to show the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He loves them beyond comprehension. If you are a born-again Christian, stand up and spreading the gospel. The harvest is great, but the labours are few.
The Lord will use you to spread the gospel here in the United States and abroad.
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A while back I got invited to go Rafting with a group of guys off of Connexion.org. A Guy I had been chatting with (Solomon) invited me along. So I came to Colorado a few days early so I could go to Grand Junction and do some shopping as well as spend some time in Rifle with my dad.
Friday came along and I got myself checked into the Caravan Inn which is a nice place for the price and I'd definitely stay there again. After getting settled in I went down to the hot springs to finally meet some of these people I was going to go rafting with. At first I thought I didn't know anyone on the trip. But then I found out that Bob, who I had met at a gay even in Grand Junction, and who it turns out just lives up the street from my dad, was also there.
So we played around in the hot springs pool for an hour or so then we went and grabbed some food from Juicy Lucy's. Great food there. I had a delicious salmon with herbs. After that we headed off to the Loyal Brothers martini bar. Sad to say I had a few too many that night. So, the next day I was pretty hung over trying to get to the rafting event.
We went with Whitewater Rafting out of Glenwood Springs. It's the company Solomon is a guide for. It's a great company with great guides and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go on a day rafting trip.
38 guys ended up turning out for the event. We split up into five rafts. I ended up going in a raft with Solomon as our guide and Ladd, Dave, David, Reed, Christopher, Ryan, and Steve as my raft mates.
I have to say this was one of the most fun rafting trips I have been on. The river was quite nice and had some pretty good rapids. But the crowd is defiantly what made the trip. I can say I'm looking forward to it again for sure.
We took out at New Castle and headed back up to the rafting building then headed out for a brew and some wings at the Brewpub. After that I had a fresh eclectic cuisine at the Rivera. I ended up getting the calamari and a baby bok choy salad with duck and a miso vinaigrette dressing. Mmmmm.
After there and some interesting confrontations with the police and two of our group members, (they were being too loud and obscene with family and children around), we headed back up to the Loyal Brothers for some more drinks. And we had another interesting event with one of the same guys from the police incident. He ended up attacking one of the Cougars there at the bar. A couple of the others in our group kindly made him get up and found someone to take him back to his motel room. A little bit after this everyone started turning in and we ended such a great trip by midnight Saturday night.


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text:
Weekly rainfall wrap + rain outlook, 17 March 2021
Bureau of Meteorology, March 17, 2021
THUNDERSTORMS and showers produced moderate falls across the west of Western Australia and the northern tropics, while moderate falls were recorded across central to south-east Queensland, north-east New South Wales and western Tasmania.
Past seven days: At the start of the week, surface troughs extended across the west and north of Australia, and another surface trough extended from the north-west through central Australia to the south-east. Embedded low pressure systems were located over the north and south-west of Western Australia, and over central Australia.
Showers and thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of the surface troughs, with moderate falls from the eastern Pilbara to the south coast, and the Kimberley in Western Australia; across most of the Northern Territory; western and southern Queensland; parts of South Australia agricultural districts, and northern New South Wales.
The surface trough in central and south-east Australia deepened and moved slowly east and north through inland Queensland and New South Wales, and generated further moderate falls over southern Queensland, central to eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria.
In the middle of the week, thunderstorms continued over the Kimberley and north-west Top End in the Northern Territory, and in the interior and south of Western Australia, southern parts of the Northern Territory, and northern parts of South Australia. Moderate falls were recorded as the trough and associated cloudband moved through southern Western Australia, southern Northern Territory and South Australia, ahead of a cold front tracking the country's southern coastline.
In the last part of the week, a cold front and surface trough moved across south-east Australia. Moderate falls were recorded in western Tasmania, eastern Victoria and south-eastern New South Wales with the passage of the cold front. The surface trough deepened and extended north across the Kimberley to the base of the Top End in the Northern Territory, and through Queensland and north-east New South Wales. Widespread moderate falls were recorded across eastern and north-eastern New South Wales, through parts of central to south-east Queensland, the Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country; also across central parts of Northern Territory and the Kimberley.
At the end of the week, the surface trough moved eastwards across Queensland and generated thunderstorms and showers, with moderate falls in areas from north-west to south-east Queensland. Thunderstorms and moderate to locally heavy falls were recorded in the Kimberley, parts of the Top End in the Northern Territory and the Cape York Peninsula.
Rainfall totals in excess of 200 mm were reported in the east Kimberley in Western Australia, including the highest weekly total of 234 mm at Flora Valley.
Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in the Kimberley, north-west and southern parts of the Northern Territory, and small pockets across southern Queensland and north-east New South Wales.
Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded across the Kimberley; in northern, western and southern parts of the Northern Territory; in parts of the Cape York Peninsula, and areas across western and southern Queensland; areas of the east coast of New South Wales extending to inland districts, and a small area of western Tasmania.
Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded across northern and parts of southern Western Australia, remaining areas of the Northern Territory, northern and south-east parts of South Australia, most of Queensland except the north-east coast, northern and eastern New South Wales, central to eastern Victoria, and western Tasmania.
Highest weekly totals
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
142 mm Rosebank (Repentance Creek)
134 mm Nashua (Wilsons River)
128 mm Mooral Creek (The Den)
53 mm Mount Baw Baw
47 mm Gelantipy
40 mm Orbost, Mount Moornapa
146 mm Aurukun Shire Council, Carneys Creek, The Ranch
143 mm Weipa Eastern Ave
234 mm Flora Valley
221 mm Old Mornington Homestead
215 mm Lake Argyle Resort
28 mm Kimba
27 mm Wharminda
26 mm Cowell (Winter Springs)
89 mm Mount Read
72 mm Queenstown (South Queenstown), Zeehan
195 mm Bradshaw
164 mm Inverway
150 mm Bradshaw – Koolendong Valley
Rainfall outlook