You outnumber any (probable) normal visitors 20-1, so presumably, I'm writing for you more than anyone else.
That's not true. I write for me more than anything. I don't self-promote like I used to, partially because I don't have much to say of consequence, at least for a space like this. I don't even know what this space is, to be quite honest. And yet I continue to pay the $0 a year (plus domain fees) to host this site (thank you, Groupon) to post random songs and lines and quotations that fit my mood.
So here's one for you, and by you, I mean me.
I am incredibly afraid of the future.
It's not a fear that things won't work out. They have, and I suspect they will again. History does tend to repeat itself. But it's a fear that it won't work out just the way I want it to. Or maybe a fear that I'll let people down. It's also a fear that I don't know everything I need (or want) to know to make the "best" decisions; an insecurity about what people feel about me.
It's weird. It's not the same insecurity that I used to have. I remember it, almost like a 3×5 – I'm not good looking enough, I'm not funny enough, I'm not charismatic enough, I'm not fit enough, I don't have enough hair. These questions no longer haunt me – for the most part…I'm still worried about the hair. But there's an insecurity that's keeping me up until 2:45 in the morning – an insecurity that in the end, even though the end is Good, it's still not what I want right now.
If you, and by you I mean you and not me, happen to come across this and think something's wrong, there isn't. Just life. I need an outlet that's pseudo-public because I process better to an audience, even if they're imaginary.
So, this is me. Listing out my fears. In vague and abstract terms. To confess, if only to myself, that I'm afraid. And that confession's a good place to start.
I'm still afraid I'll regret this.
And I'm still a little afraid I'll be Tyrese.
But mostly the other ones, too.


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text:
Russian president's decree on retaliation measures to oil price cap almost agreed
As Alexander Novak said, Russia is ready for a reduction in oil output in 2023, but it will not trade under the terms of the oil price cap
© Dmitry Rogulin/TASS
MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The Russian president's decree on retaliation measures to the oil price cap has almost been agreed, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview aired by the Rossiya-24 TV news channel on Friday, adding that it suggests the ban on supplies to countries and companies supporting the price ceiling.
"As far as the price ceiling is regarded, the presidential decree is being readied now, it has almost been agreed and it is expected to be released soon. The decree suggests the ban on supplies of oil and petroleum products to countries and legal entities that will require the price cap imposed by the European Union to be observed in contracts," he explained.
Russia is ready for a reduction in oil output in 2023, but it will not trade under the terms of the oil price cap, Deputy PM noted.
"We are ready to accept a partial reduction in output. <…> At the beginning of next year, the reduction may be by around 500,000-700,000 barrels per day, or around 5-7% for us, which is a minor volume, though such risks exist," he said, noting that it is unacceptable for Moscow to be captured by decisions taken by hostile countries.
Cargo vessel carrying 63,000 tons of Russian grain arrives at Egypt's Safaga port — portal
The Russian grain delivered to Safaga is reported to fall under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ла Кристалина има више значења:

 Ла Кристалина (Кармен), насеље у савезној држави Кампече у Мексику
 Ла Кристалина, Лос Пасос (Кармен), насеље у савезној држави Кампече у Мексику
 Ла Кристалина (Сан Педро Тапанатепек), насеље у савезној држави Оахака у Мексику

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: MongoDb speed decrease I use mongodb to store compressed html files .
Basically, a complete document of mongod is like:
{'_id': 1, 'p1': data, 'p2': data2, 'p3': data3}

where data, data1, data3 are :bson.binary.Binary(zlib_compressed_html)
I have 12 Million ids and dataX are each one average 90KB,
so each document has at least size 180KB + sizeof(_id) + some_overhead.
The total data size would be at least 2TB.
I would like to notice that '_id' is index.
I insert to mongo with the following way:
def _save(self, mongo_col, my_id, page, html):
    doc = mongo_col.find_one({'_id': my_id})
    key = 'p%d' % page
    success = False
    if doc is None:
        doc = {'_id': my_id, key: html}
        try:
            mongo_col.save(doc, safe=True)
            success = True
        except:
            log.exception('Exception saving to mongodb')
    else:
        try:
            mongo_col.update({'_id': my_id}, {'$set': {key: html}})
            success = True
        except:
            log.exception('Exception updating  mongodb')
    return success

As you can see first I lookup the collection to see if a document with
my_id exists.
If it does not exist then I create it and save it to mongo else I update it.
The problem with the above is that although it was super fast, at some point it became really slow.
I will give you some numbers:
When it was fast I was doing 1.500.000 per 4 hours and after 300.000 per 4 hours.
I suspect that this affects the speed:
Note
When performing update operations that increase the document size beyond the allocated space for that document, the update operation relocates the document on disk and may reorder the document fields depending on the type of update.
As of these driver versions, all write operations will issue a getLastError command to confirm the result of the write operation:
{ getLastError: 1 }
Refer to the documentation on write concern in the Write Operations document for more information.
the above is from : http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/applications/update/
I am saying that because we could have the following :
{'_id: 1, 'p1': some_data}, ...., {'_id': 10000000, 'p2': some_data2}, ...{'_id': N, 'p1': sd3}
and imagine that I am calling the above _save method as:
_save(my_collection, 1, 2, bin_compressed_html)
Then it should update the doc with _id 1 . But if the thing that mongo site is the case,
because I am adding a key to the document it does not fit and should rearrange the document.
It is possible to move the document in the end of the collection, which could be very far on the disk. Could this slow things down?
Or speed slow down has to do with the size of the collection?
In any way to you think it should be more efficient to modify my structure to be like:
{'_id': ObjectId, 'mid': 1, 'p': 1, 'd': html}
where mid=my_id, p=page, d=compressed html
and modify _save method to do only inserts?
def _save(self, mongo_col, my_id, page, html):
    doc = {'mid': my_id, 'p': page, 'd': html}
    success = False
    try:
        mongo_col.save(doc, safe=True)
        success = True
    except:
        log.exception('Exception saving to mongodb')
    return success

this way I avoid the update (so the rearrange on disk) and one lookup (find_one)
but the documents would be 3x mores and I would have 2 indexes ( _id and mid ) .
What do you suggest?

A: Document relocation could be an issue if you continue to add pages of html as new attributes. Would it really be an issue to move pages to a new collection where you could simply add them one record each? Also I don't really think MongoDB is a good fit for your use case. E.g. Redis would be much more efficient.
Another thing you should take care of is to have enough ram for your _id index. Use db.mongocol.stats() to check the index size.

A: When inserting new Documents into MongoDB, a Document can grow without moving it up to a certain point. Because the DB is analyzing the incoming Data and adds a padding to the Document.
So do deal with less Document movements you can do two things:

*

*manually tweaking the padding factor

*preallocate space (attributes) for each document.
See Article about Padding or MongoDB Docs for more Information about the padding factor.
Btw. insetad of using save for creating new documents, you should use .insert() which will throw a duplicate key error if the _id is already there (.save() will overwrite your document)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Writer. Thinker. Strategist. Creative Tight Rope Walker.
Nina Gass is your solution for compelling, custom content for a book, blog, website, magazine or social media platform.
In the spirit of collaboration, she delivers your vision and ideas in a clear, targeted way to attract and retain your audience across all demographics.
Having dived into nearly every industry under the sun during her stints with PR, creative, Internet marketing, branding and publishing agencies and as a freelance writer, Nina continues to build a diverse, eclectic knowledge base that she accesses to write on just about any topic or niche.
A true Jill of all trades, Nina goes beyond her talent for writer to offer a vast skill set that includes research, editing, project management, social media platforms and technology.
An innovative way to share your vision with prospects, customers, and employees.
…on time and within your budget.


Since childhood many people dreams of becoming a doctor but very few can turn this dream into reality. If you want your dream to be real then start taking online NEET biology courses from today itself. The world needs good doctors, so you become one of them. Help poor people by becoming a good doctor.
Best coaching for NEET biology is only available in the internet. Traditional classes are not as good as the online classes. Reputed teachers teach in the online classes. Sometimes these online coaching centres hire doctors to teach through videos. No where you will get doctors teaching you for the entrance exams, so use this opportunity to the fullest. You will find these classes more interesting. This is something new to you, so you will enjoy the classes a lot. The subject itself is interesting; you just need to pay attention in the classes.
These teachers give extra time after each class; use this extra time to discuss your doubts. Where ever you are facing any kind of problem tell the teachers, they will immediately solve it. Do not shy away from them, immediately tell your problems. These teachers arrange parent's teachers meeting once every week or month just to discuss about the child performance.
Start loving the subject. If you fear biology then it will become a big problem. Once you start your online classes you will see how interesting this subject is. You will get to learn new things about our human body daily. Online NEET biology courses will help you to score good marks. It is not necessary that you have to be super intelligent to be a doctor, only hard work, concentration and punctuality will help you to become a doctor.
The class timings totally depend on the student and not the teachers, so whenever you are free you can switch on your computer or laptop and start studying. These online coaching classes give ample of notes, study materials hence you do not need to buy any extra books or waste time going to the library. Remember one thing clearly that you have to appear for you class 12's board exams also. You have lot of other subjects to study as well so you cannot afford to waste time going from one tuition class to another. Once you start your online classes you will find free time for yourself. You will get extra time for resting also. Take rest whenever possible. Eat healthy food, fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your body hydrated. Unless and until your body stay healthy your brain cannot function well. Since you have very less time for the exams you cannot afford to fall sick. Falling sick means wasting 4 to 5 days in the bed and you cannot do this.
If you do not know about any online coaching centres then invest some time on the internet. The internet is full of online courses; see which one will be good for you. Read the comments and reviews properly.


text:
Tag Archives: spears
Britney Spears – Womanizer (Video)- Britney Is Back
October 15, 2008 vineetnov	1 Comment
Britney Spears, the pop queen is back and this time she is looking extremely gorgeous with her body back in perfect shape. She has been working too hard to get back in shape and all the hard work has finally given the required result.
The new single "Womanizer" simply rocks.
Feels great to have her back to normal and hot shape again.
Watch the video! (Parental Guidance Advised !! Really Hot!!)
britneyspearsvideowomanizer
Justin And Britney Reunite!!
September 7, 2008 vineetnov	1 Comment
The 'Toxic Girl' and the 'Sexy Back' singer are finally going to reunite for a song in Britney's next album.
They were actually going to reunite for Britney's last album "Blackout", but Britney missed out on the recording session at producer Timbaland's studio. After that, they had decided to reunite for a few concerts, but Justin didn't show up for any of them.
Britney has even written a song named "My Baby", on her two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James for her next album and says that it is beautiful song and that she is proud of the song.
Only time will tell if Justin and Britney will actually unite this time or not. Lets see…
I am looking forward to their reunion… Are you?
babyblackoutbritneyjustinmyreunitespearstimberlake
The Toxic Girl Finally De-toxicated!
August 21, 2008 vineetnov	Leave a comment
For the past 18 months the disturbed Britney Spears has undergone a lot of troubles. But sources have said that she is finally back to normal. Don't know what was going inside her mind all these days, but we can say that everything happens for a cause.
Now she has planned to release another album. She has already started writing the lyrics for the pre-planned album. She told the OK magazine that she has written more songs than her last album "Blackout" had which had released somewhere around November 2008.
Lets all hope, she maintains this calm set of her mind in the future and that her next album does much better than "Blackout" .
blackoutbritneyspearstoxic


The Victoria County Water Utility is responsible for providing safe drinking water to over 400 customers within Victoria County. The Utility currently operates four supplies, including Little Narrows, Ingonish, Neil's Harbour and Dingwall.
Cash - please do not send cash in the mail.
Cheques - made payable to 'Municipality of Victoria'.
Credit Card - Visa & MasterCard are accepted through Paymentus, a third-party automated payment system. A 1.75% service charge will be added to any credit card payments. A valid email address is required. Credit Card payments can also be made through Paymentus toll-free telephone line by calling 1-855-748-6067.


text:
Texas church shooting leaves at least 26 dead, 20 injured
American on American violence strikes again.
NSFW SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TEXAS — A church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday has left 26 people dead and 20 wounded, authorities said.
The shooter was a white male dressed in all-black tactical gear and a ballistic vest, according to CNN. He has been identified as Devin Kelley of New Braunfels, ABC New reported.
Kelly entered the First Baptist Church and opened fire with a Ruger AR rifle around 11:20 a.m. before fleeing the scene in an SUV, said Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt, according to KSAT.
As Kelly was attempting to leave, a local resident used a rifle to engage him. The shooter then fled the church, according to CNN.
After a short car chase, authorities found the suspected shooter dead from a gunshot wound inside his truck. Officials are still trying to determine Kelly's cause of death.
Earth's ozone hole shrinks to smallest size since 1988


text:
Thu, 11/17/2011 - 06:07 — Piranha_Plant
This is completely wacko! PETA is claiming that Mario is sending the wrong message when he wears the Tanooki suit and that it tells people it's OK to wear a REAL tanuki raccon dog fur coat. How many of you had the urge to go out and buy a tanuki fur coat after playing Super Mario Bros? Yea, I didn't think so. PETA, you so crazy!!
This is Mario's respond to PETA:
Piranha_Plant's blog
Tue, 10/25/2011 - 03:55 — Piranha_Plant
If you love the Wii system and what Nintendo has done with this wildly popular console, then consider what this post will do for you as you look to buy Wii and Wii U accessories as well. Here we will get into the essentials you will want for your Wii collection- Controllers, Arcade Sticks, collectibles.. you want to know all about it and that's what we're here to talk about. Let's get into the review, shall we? First up are the controllers.
Wii controllers have changed the way you hold the remote. You might remember it with the two button configuration that was so classic as you play Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo. Now the game
Tue, 11/10/2009 - 06:36 — mario
Last night I was lucky enough to play the New Super Mario Bros games for Wii a little earlier than the store release. A friend of mine had it and we played the heck out of it! The game is everything I though it'd be and then some. Having multiple players on the same screen is very cool, but at times I found myself tracking the wrong player while my player is off somewhere in the corner.. it takes a little getting used to when you first play. The graphics and background music is great!
mario's blog
Tue, 06/30/2009 - 21:29 — Princess_Peach
Hi! I've spent the last few days scouring the internet to find cool Mario art created by fans and came up with a bunch of really nice fan art. You can check them out in the new Mario Art Gallery here:
http://www.wiilovemario.com/Mario-Art
Princess_Peach's blog
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 21:27 — mario
As I was looking around the 'Net for cool Super Mario videos, I stumbled across this amazing guitarist, Sungha Jung. Sungha is an 11 year old guitarist that can ROCK!
We just launched AccessorWiis.com -- AccessorWiis is a Nintendo Wii accessory site. The site is still in it's beta stage, but we figured everyone can get a sneak peek while it's being worked on. AccessorWiis has listings for Wii controllers, light guns, wheels, cables, stands, faceplates and just about everything Wii accessory related. Check it out: http://AccessorWiis.com
Sun, 02/15/2009 - 09:06 — mario
Wii Love Mario is currently looking for Super Mario Bros fans that are willing to add content to the site. If you're interested, please email us @ [email protected].
We've added a section with all the Nintendo DS storage devices. This should make it easier for shoppers that are undecided on which Nintendo DS storage device they'd like to buy.
http://www.wiilovemario.com/Nintendo-DS-storage-devices
Today we added a new category under Wii'deos for Super Mario Bros Sheet Music. Now you can start playing our favorite theme song:
http://www.wiilovemario.com/Super_Mario_Bros_Sheet_Music
iTouchDS - A Nintendo DS storage device like the R4DS, DSTT and others
Custom Mario mushroom beanies
Play all of your old school cartridges on one console: RetroN 5
Super Mario Bros Theme on Body Drums
Great Giana Sisters DS
Zelda theme played by Sungha Jung
Wii Fit (Wii Health Pack) helps video gamers battle the bulge
The Evolution of Nintendo's Game Controllers


If you want to book Gas Refill then starts to use customer care number instead of using a distributor phone number. Booking through customer care number is more convenient and this facility 24 hours available so for. If you are doing booking of your gas refill using distributor number then you may get into troubles like the phone is engaged or not picked by the distributor or distributor phone line is not working. So to avoid these hurdles start to use IVRS numbers to book the Gas Refills.
1. Call Below IVRS Number, Choose Language and Options.
2. Provide a Gas agency land line number without STD Code digit and Confirm the agency Name.
3. Provide a Gas Consumer Number and Confirm Booking.
Dial HP GAS number as 9990923456 for Delhi / NCR and provide a Landline Number as for Gaurav Enterprises Adhoc, Ghaziabad is 4731037 and followed the instruction of IVR and provide a Consumer Number as 123456. You will get an SMS of booking details on your mobile as booking completed.
As SMS sent, you will be getting a confirmation number of gas booking on your mobile.
This entry was posted in Customer Care on October 30, 2012 by Yogesh Bajpai.


text:
Neeraj Chopra Biography – Records, Future Planning
His dedication to Gold
A league of his own
Chopra Living Style and Dressing Sense
80m mark at the National Institute
Major achievements:
Why did he sacrifice his long hair ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Sacrifices for Gold
What was Neeraj Chopra's role in the Indian Army, and how did it help him succeed?
Chopra, Neeraj In the upcoming season, the focus will be on the 90m and other major events.
Struggled for weight loss
90 meters and above
The Other Side of Stardom
Neeraj Chopra discusses his weight loss and what India gained from winning the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Challenges caused by COVID
Athlete: 5 Things You Didn't Know Chopra, Neeraj
1. Being overweight Chopra, Neeraj
2. The Reliable Athlete
3. The number of medals awarded Neeraj Chopra was the winner.
4. Ground-Breaking Initiatives
5. Genus Coach's training
Neeraj Chopra has been everywhere since winning the Olympic gold medal. Responding to the sublime and the absurd in cavalcades and on stages, besides the great, among the throng of the commoner, on TV and video.
Chopra has shined with his gold and his 1,000-megawatt smile, always with the reminder that he wants to be more than that medal, no matter how dizzy the podium he's been hoisted upon.
"When I first began competing internationally, I became aware of Abhinav Bindraji… I realized that winning an Olympic gold medal was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for India". Chopra, who is just the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold in Tokyo, claims that only one person had won it.
He tells me that "I am the same person I was before". And he goes on to say, Of course, it's great that people are aware of and admire you, but what's even better is that now everyone recognizes my sport. You informed them about it before, but they still didn't get it. Everyone in India now understands what a javelin is. That makes me really delighted. Tokyo's euphoric aftermath has also reminded him of the significance of safeguarding his sport and, with it, himself.
Read more: Best Horse Racing Betting Sites in India 2022
Chopra has discovered a version of himself in an eight-and-a-half foot, 800gm streamlined carbon-fiber flying machine that no one could have imagined when his family crammed a 13-year-old into a bus bound for Panipat's stadium from Khandra, a town of 2,153 people. He was going there at the request of an uncle who wanted the fat adolescent to lose weight. Despite the different sports available at the stadium, the javelin seems to have found him.
When he first tried out the javelin, his early instructors were taken away by how easy it was to throw and how flexible his limbs were. Chopra's inner athlete seemed to be waiting for the javelin to set him free. He explains it's a part of me. It's associated with my name—Neeraj Chopra, a javelin thrower, is my pehchaan. I'm a part of it. This has always been the case. This victory came before the medals, the renown, and the glory.
Chopra understands he has a bullseye on his back in three major competitions in 2022: the World Athletic Championships (July), the Commonwealth Games (July-August), and the Asian Games (July-August) (September). He also realizes that he will have to hide his public face at some time. Now everyone thinks Neeraj manaa Nahi Karta, but I'm afraid I'll have to say no.
They'll feel horrible, but I'm not going to cut corners with my training. "I'm going to fold my hands and proclaim that this can't go on any longer. If I do all of this, I won't be able to do anything else in my sport, the javelin champion says of his intentions to lay away from the gold before it becomes too heavy to bear. I'm a professional athlete, and I have to work. It's not that my Olympic gold means I don't have to accomplish anything else".
Those who win several Olympic medals are remembered. He conjures the likes of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, and he wants to channel the excitement around Indian sports into providing millions of youngsters with what he lacked. Chopra is well aware that he must utilize his position to promote the Indian track and field.
He prefers to communicate in Hindi, with Haryanvi proverbs thrown in for good measure. He is articulate and enthusiastic. More fields, trainers on those grounds, and regular tournaments are his "greatest goal" for Indian boys and girls, he adds. If a hamlet does not have its own ground, there is at least one nearby that is shared by adjacent settlements. And they'll be aided by coaches.
When I go to Europe, all age groups compete in 15 to 20 contests every season. Children may track their development via competitions. Otherwise, you merely train without knowing where you're going."
Read more: How to Pick the Best Betting Sites in India
Today, India's most-wanted sports celebrity wants to keep his private Neeraj, pursue his passion for photography with a new Sony DSLR, and resist social media narratives and random bullets fired from his shoulder. He stepped up when fake anger spread via frenzied news channels regarding Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem practicing with Chopra's javelin before Chopra's maiden Olympic toss.
I'd encourage everyone not to utilize me and my views as a means to advance your vested interests and propaganda, Chopra said on Twitter. Sports teaches us to work as a team and to be together. I'm going to keep my shoulder safe, give it a break, he chuckles, now an Instagram influencer with over 4.9 million followers. Remember, I need to utilize it to throw the javelin. I'm not a big fan of social media, but if I'm sure I'm 100% correct, I'll speak out.
According to Instagram, Chopra's final not-so-quiet activity before departing for the Maldives was to visit 'Bindraji' in Chandigarh, which he did in addition to showcasing his nasty acting abilities in the Cred commercial. Bindra gave Chopra a puppy named Tokyo when he discovered he was a dog lover. It's not only in the name that there's synchronicity. Chopra had informed Manisha Malhotra, director of sports excellence and scouting at JSW Sports, about his favorite dog breed—a golden retriever—before the Olympics.
This is the first time a male athlete has graced the cover of Vogue India. Movie stars show up now and again, but no athlete had ever done so until Chopra. Even cricketers aren't immune. It's not as strange a combination as it looks. Chopra had his own style even before the rest of the world recognized who he was. In school, he wore his hair long. It acquired a ponytail while competing, much to the chagrin of rural Haryana. It was assigned to me to cut it. 'Cut it, it's too hot.' 'You can't be an athlete if you have long hair, so chop it.' I just maintained it and they became used to it.
He used to spend time while waiting for the bus home on the Panipat highway by picking through the cast-off shirts stacked upon bed linens. Chopra, who now has endorsement agreements with everyone from online education powerhouse Byju's to Tata AIA Life Insurance, says, it was a dream of mine that one day "I'd be able to go into a Nike or Adidas shop and purchase their shoes and apparel." He's excited about his new sports gear, but he also says he likes formals, as well as jeans with leather or a regular jacket.
When a youngster hurled javelins close to the 80m mark at the National Institute for Sport in Patiala in 2016, the Indian army recruited him onto its sports quota at the age of 19. Chopra's parents required some persuading, but he was captivated. After all, his native state of Haryana annually enlists thousands of young men and women in the armed services, whose bravery is legendary in the countryside.
Chopra, who is personable and pleasant, has managed to maintain his modesty despite his high-profile success. "I don't do things so that I may boast about myself. There's no way. I do it because I like it and it makes me feel wonderful." His hair is cropped these days since it interferes with the sport, but he has India hooked on his look". Olympic golds accomplish just that: they put a Haryanvi country child in the limelight alongside high-fashion. But it's all because of what the young man has accomplished: he has risen to the top of competitive athletics and made the globe his village.
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At the Tokyo Olympics, he won gold.
Gold medalist at the 2018 Asian Games
Gold medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
2016 Junior World Champion
Holder of the junior world record
Neeraj Chopra won not just India's first Olympic gold medalist in 13 years, but also the country's first track and field athlete to do so. Before the Games, the javelin thrower had his famed long mane shaved, and he revealed why.
Long-haired athletes have already made news in India. One of them was Neeraj Chopra. The adolescent showed off his hairdo after he won the World Junior Championships in 2016. The gold medal was slung around Neeraj's neck with his long hair falling over it on the top step of the podium at the Asian Games in Jakarta.
Neeraj used to be adamant about keeping his long hair since he thought it looked nice on him. The outstanding athlete, though, opted to cut his long hair short before the Tokyo Olympics, the biggest event of his embryonic but successful career.
Neeraj revealed why he ditched his long hair at the media organization's conclave 2021 on Friday (October 8).
My haircut didn't help things, since it kept falling over my eyes. "I clipped it because of this. People would have pointed fingers at my long hair if anything bad had occurred," Neeraj Chopra remarked."
"I tried wearing a hat and even a scarf to hide my head. At the tournament, however, nothing worked. The hair used to tumble forward as I felt for the final brake. My face was soaked with perspiration."
Handling my hair took up half of my focus.
Read more: Which is the Best Online Betting Site in Asia?
Well, Neeraj's sacrifice of his long hair wasn't the only one he made on his way to the historic Olympic gold medal. Neeraj stated he felt terrible even if he missed one repeat during his exercises, stressing that he never missed his coach's instructions.
On the tee, "I used to do everything my coach said. I felt awful every time the teacher requested me to do anything, such as skipping one repetition during my workout. I never stopped working out, he remarked".
In the much-anticipated final, Neeraj topped the qualifier with a single throw and won a historic gold medal for India by throwing the best throw of 87.58m.
The lengthy hair was gone, but Neeraj's swag was still visible. When he hurled the javelin over the 87-meter mark on a steamy evening in Tokyo on August 7, the javelin thrower believed he'd done enough. The 23-year-old lifted his arms in pleasure, a reflection of the new-age athletes' confidence.
We all know javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra as a gold medalist Olympian after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but few people know about his role in the Indian Army. Chopra enlisted in the Indian Army in 2016 as a Junior Commissioned Officer and Naib Subedar with the 4 Rajputana Rifles, one of the army's oldest rifle units. JCOs reach the rank of Naib Subedar after 20 years of service. Chopra was promoted to the rank of Subedar following his performance at the Asian Games.
Chopra won gold in the javelin throw with a world-record distance of 87.58 meters at the Tokyo Olympics on August 7, making him the first Indian to win a gold medal in an athletics event. With Subedar Chopra's victory, the hard work and dedication of Mission Olympics Wing were highlighted.
For his sporting achievements, he received the Arjuna Award in 2018 and the prestigious Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2020. Chopra was honored with the Khel Ratna Award, also known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, for his Olympic performance. It is the highest athletic accolade that India has received.
The great javelin thrower would almost certainly have made it on his own, but the Army's assistance proved crucial. According to India Today, the CRPF, Delhi Police, BSF, and Railways all rushed to recruit Neeraj, but it took a few senior Army commanders and exceptional sportsmen to convince him to join the RajRif, a regiment with great athletes in athletics, rowing, wrestling, and basketball.
Neeraj Chopra enjoys the arduous nature of his training. He's relieved to be back in the life of an athlete, away from the excitement and never-ending celebrating festivities that accompanied his Tokyo Olympics gold. Just in time, too, since the next season will leave the 24-year-old with little breathing room. Chopra aspires to accomplish it all in a year that includes the Athletics World Championships (15-24 July, Oregon, USA), the Commonwealth Games (28 July – 8 August), and the Asian Games (10-25 September).
Chopra has yet to begin javelin-specific training at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in the United States. Instead, he is focusing on his fundamental fitness. During a press conference on Thursday, he confessed that the four-month layoff after the Tokyo Olympics caused him to gain about 13 kg.
"Maza aa raha hai, zor lag raha hai, training mein aa raha hai." Athlete wali life shuru ho Gayi hai (In training, I am having fun and pushing myself.) "The athlete's life has begun," Chopra remarked from his headquarters in San Diego, California, smiling but looking tired.
Here, I'm simply going through the motions. Breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by a nearly two-hour training session, lunch, and then a return to our apartment to unwind. I'm back in the center by 4 p.m. for another two to three hours. "When I go home, I unwind. Before calling it a day, I talk to friends or family members or go out to get some necessities".
Chopra has been doing this exercise for 22 days and is quickly approaching his fitness goals.
"I really wanted to go back to training and focus only on my game. Before I came, I had gained around 12-13 pounds and had a low level of fitness. I ate everything on my break after Tokyo". Chopra continued, I've shed more than 5 kg and am closer to my off-season weight. Because my body was in pain when I initially started exercising, I had to put effort into my workouts. You get physically exhausted, and you must also mentally push yourself. But I'm going about it with a positive mindset and making sure I don't hurt myself. I'll start javelin training as soon as possible.
How does he intend to transition from one big event to the next, some of which, like the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games, overlap?
Although some are quite close, "I want to cover all of the big events. Right now, I'm not intending on missing any of them, and I'm practicing in such a way that I'll be able to attend all of them. He replied that the remainder is up to the coach and our federation (AFI)". All of these events are taking place in different countries, and we need to figure out how we're going to compete with the rising number of COVID instances.
Chopra, who came into the big league with a gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Championships, said he would give it his best to bring India its second medal During the World Championships on the big stage.
"I'll put my heart and soul into it. He said that after Anju Bobby George, no Indian had won a medal at the global championships."
For the next season, he wants to break the 90-meter barrier. He has moved closer to the national record each time he has established it. This year, Germany's Johannes Vetter cleared the 90m barrier seven times, including a season-best 96.29m in May. Vetter, on the other hand, was unable to repeat his outstanding performance in Tokyo, ending in seventh place (82.52m). Chopra got an 87.85 out of 100. Chopra's personal best is 88.07, which he achieved last year in a domestic meet.
It's vital to get this done (90m). Medals are one thing, but distance is another. I'll be among the best throwers in the world if I can reach 90 meters. Vetter is present, and Andreson Peters is close, according to Chopra. "I'm close to it, but I don't give it any thought. And I'm not being forced to do anything. I'm certain that with the right preparation, I'll be able to complete it on my own time."
Chopra's training will now focus on improving his technique and biomechanics, as well as his speed and power.
Small adjustments like my blocking leg bends or the positioning of my right leg may help us improve, he remarked. I can also improve my explosive strength, core strength, and speed by working on my explosive strength, core strength, and speed. That will be beneficial to my technique. Only the distance can be crossed when a little bit of everything is combined.
In the United States, Chopra is guided by his coach Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha.
In contests, "I am extremely different. My mind and body have distinct reactions. I felt at peace, just like during the Tokyo Olympics. I wasn't oblivious to the pressure, but I was prepared to provide a strong performance he remarked". "I can't predict if there would be more pressure or incentive after Tokyo right now. I'll attempt to go on as usual, but after one or two tournaments, I'll have a better idea of how it feels."
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Chopra became an instant superstar after winning the gold in Tokyo, in a nation where Olympic heroes are uncommon. Chopra claimed he has learned what it takes to cope with celebrity after being surrounded by a lengthy frenzy.
It gave me such a warm feeling when people told me how proud they were of my performance. I was meeting folks from all walks of life and dealing with a variety of issues he said. It gets tough if you don't want to go someplace or just don't feel like it, but you still have to do it. After all, you're the same individual who has to split his or her time. When people say things like he's changed it hurts and creates negativity.
"I was able to handle everything because I had a great squad and family, but many athletes may struggle when a lot of things come up at once and it's tough to concentrate on your game."
All of it is now behind him. Chopra's new season symbolizes a fresh start.
On August 7, 2021, Neeraj Chopra's javelin throw of 87.58 meters will not only go down in history as India's first Olympic gold medal in track and field sports, but it will also launch the nation on the path to athletic glory. At least, that's the hope of the man with the golden arm.'
From the anonymity of being a sports prodigy in a cricket-obsessed nation to becoming the poster boy for India's bright future on the field, the 24-year-old from Khandra in Panipat is certain that this is only the beginning as he prepares for a hectic season in 2022 in the United States.
Training has been excellent for the last three weeks. Yes, at first, fitness was a little lacking, but it is gradually improving "During a news conference on Thursday, Neeraj Chopra remarked.
Training is progressing well. "I'm working on my fitness and endurance. Corona may cause tension, but I am prepared. Coaches claim that if I focus more on technique, I would be able to pass the figure of 90 meters indefinitely."
The javelin starter has already managed to lose some of the weight he acquired after his Tokyo victory.
Neeraj's strategy is to become in shape first, then work on the flaws in his technique on his way to breaking the 90-meter barrier.
He also discussed realizing Milkha Singh's dream of winning Olympic gold. Just months before Chopra's amazing performance, the 'Flying Sikh' died at the age of 91.
It was a fantastic experience to realize the ambition of famed athlete Milkha Singh, who has inspired so many people across our country. He has made our country proud on several occasions, and it is vital to acknowledge him at such a momentous occasion, according to Neeraj.
His desire was to see an Indian athlete win gold in the Olympics. At the time, I recalled his comments and hoped he could have been here to watch his dream come true Added he.
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When asked what his gold medal means for the Indian sport of javelin throw, Neeraj said that he has motivated the youngsters.
As an athlete, the year 2021 has been fantastic for me; "I had a bright start to my Olympics with a gold medal, and both the Olympics and Paralympics have been fantastic for Indian sports this year." Despite certain challenges caused by COVID, 2021 was a wonderful year for sports Neeraj said.
Winning the gold felt fantastic. Playing at the Olympics and winning gold has been a boyhood goal of mine. Javelin is receiving a lot of attention these days as a result of my efforts. For the younger generations, opportunities have now been established. Previously, youngsters had no idea how to begin playing Javelin, but times have changed, and many people are now interested in this sport "Added he.
Despite cherished recollections of the previous year, Neeraj is glad to be back in the 'life of an athlete.'
He described his daily schedule as follows: "I have breakfast at 7.30 a.m., then practice and relax after lunch. In the evening, rehearse once again. I go to the gym twice a day to practice". Training is enjoyable for me. That's how easy life is.
When asked what he hopes for Indian sports in the coming years, Neeraj stated that elite Indian athletes will have more opportunities to compete in international events and that young people will be exposed to sports and will have equal access and opportunities to participate in them – whether to remain in shape or to pursue them as a profession.
Even if he isn't ready to say whether he will be able to compete in the National Championship in March or whether the pressure will get to him when he returns to the field, Neeraj is anxious to go back on the field and put himself to the test once again.
Neeraj Chopra, the world's fittest athlete, was overweight as a youngster. One's grandma, like any child's narrative, enjoys feeding dishes in the hopes of dropping weight. Even his grandmother's cooking was a hit with Neeraj. When he was 12 years old, he had acquired roughly 90 kg. When he started practicing Javelin Throw, he eventually became fit.
Neeraj Chopra's power at junior level performances has already reached new heights, as there is no limit to what he can do. Yes, this is before the much-publicized Olympic gold. He earned a gold medal at the IAAF World U-20 Championships in Poland thanks to a fantastic throw of 86.48 meters. As a result, India won its first gold medal in athletics at a global level. It was a great occasion for India since India had set a new world record in that category.
Neeraj Chopra had a successful sporting career. His records show that he has won an untold number of medals since he began his career. In 2018, he won the gold medal in the Asian Games. He won gold medals in both the Asian Championship and the South Asian Games. At the Commonwealth Games, he achieved the same results with a javelin throw of 86.47 meters. He is the first Indian to win a gold medal in a Commonwealth Games event.
Neeraj Chopra knows no bounds; he has smashed every record established at Nationals. He went on to smash his first record in the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 87.43 meters. Later the same year, at the Asian Games, he shattered his own record, and he repeated the feat at the Indian Grand Prix with a throw of 88.07 meters.
Neeraj Chopra was formerly coached by great coach Garry Calvert, who died in 2018. He is now being taught by German Uwe Hohn, a former coach with a successful track record in sports. In the Javelin throw, he had broken through about the 100-meter mark.
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Applied Positive Psychology Epigenetics and Obesity
Tosh | August 30, 2015
Paper details:
This is a 3000 word positive psychology article for publication in a peer reviewed journal. The paper must be edited and pass for publication. The references should be listed as 1,2,3, in the text and not as it is now done with names and dates.In the reference list they should be numerical and not alphabetical.
This article gives an understanding of Positive Psychology (PP) as an evolutionary discipline, Applied Positive Psychology (APP) as its arm of practice and Positive Psychology interventions (PPI) as the tools of trade. The paper further shows how PP relates to Epigenetics and offers a possible solution to the obesity crisis through four defined sections;
Background to Positive Psychology- Applied Positive Psychology and Positive Psychology Interventions (PP, APP & PPI)
Epigenetics – The study of Epigenetics affecting present and future generations – Genotypes to Phenotypes
Obesity – The Obesity Crisis and how Epigenetics and PPI's can affect outcomes for present and future generations.
Positive Psychology Interventions (PPI's) – To combat the obesity crisis
Finally implications and conclusions from the evidence are explored, along with onward looking possibilities for future research incorporating a multi-disciplinary focus.
Background to Positive Psychology, Applied Positive Psychology and Positive Psychology Interventions (PP, APP and PPI)
Positive Psychology emerged in its first wave in 1998 as an antitheses to 'psychology as usual' which mostly focused on identifying and correcting dysfunction as its core purpose. Ref. Psychological distress being deemed actionable if meeting categorised and listed criteria set out in the manual of dysfunction, or as it is more commonly termed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – DSM
Perhaps the inevitable consequence of focus on dysfunction, would eventually lead to the study of function as a natural progression of dyadic process addressed by Dr. Martin Seligman credited as the founder of modern day positive psychology ref. Dr Seligman and colleagues co-authored a positive focus manual designed to explore the possibilities of optimum function through Core Strengths and Virtues –CSV (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) which sought to counteract the dysfunction focus.
Positivity and living a good life was not however a new concept having connections to the earlier 20th century discipline of humanistic psychology (Resnick et al., 2001).
The term itself, Positive Psychology is credited to the Psychologist Abraham Harold Maslow best known for his contribution to modern psychology with the Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1943)
The new PP pioneers included Martin Seligman with his focus on authentic happiness (2002), Ed Diener with a reputation in the field of subjective well-being (1984), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi eschewing the virtues of flow (1988), Barbara Fredrickson with her focus on positive emotions (2001), and Sonja Lyubomirsky and her work on the genetic and environmental components of happiness (2008) to name a leading few.
However just as in other scientific disciplines discovery involves theory change – a continuous evolving process including observations, feedback, experiment, interpretation and re-interpretation of data which derive new results (Popper, 1963) thus PP had inevitably started to go through a similar process.
Positive psychology research and practice reached an era of criticising the very discipline as a whole, even questioning whether it had any validity or even a rationale to exist at all. (McNulty & Fincham, 2011).
The criticism levelled at PP had little effect on proponents such as Seligman who were driving forward and evolving the discipline with great enthusiasm into a worldwide movement. (ref)
Not all of the attention to the new discipline was flattering though, and some went even further to imply it could be detrimental to human life. (Ehrenreich, 2009) At an unfortunate time during which the USA increased involvement of its troops in foreign lands, Ehrenreich intonated PP interventions employed by the United States army were implicated in leading soldiers to their deaths. Buoyed up with what was termed false positivity and over estimation of their abilities a position which highlighted the value of 'negative' emotions such as fear.
Further opposing views came from English professor Eric Wilson who put the case for those who wished to remain 'melancholics' exploring this notion in his book . While he had no wish to romanticise clinical depression, the professor however argued for the inspirational motivational states that arise from melancholia. Worrying that they could be completely wiped out if we continue with the compulsion to treat every negative mood as 'bad'. Further purporting that if such a state had prevailed historically we may never have been honoured with the works of such greats as Van Gogh, Keats or Beethoven. Wilson (2008)
Such considerations certainly make one appreciate just how complex, intertwined and multipronged are the workings of human emotions and their unique and subjective effects on the holder.
Getting to the middling point depends upon hitting both extremes of high and low and what emerges is a state that incorporates aspects of both. As an astute thinker put it – creating a 'higher' unity that transcends and yet preserves the truth of both extremes (Mills, 2000).
Later, evolving further after attracting much criticism and fierce debate PP came into full swing to answer, elaborate and explore how positive and negative emotions could impact and enrich the human condition. We might call this the 'second wave' of PP (Held, 2004). The focus of the second stage or PP 2.0 as it is often referred focuses firmly on empirically valid study and research (ref) with an applied rationale using positive psychology interventions (PPI's)
PPI's being defined as 'empirically-validated interventions designed to promote wellbeing in a non-clinical population.' (Lomas, Hefferon & Itai, 2014) However not to detract from their potential for clinical use it should be stated that PPI's have been used with great success in treating mental illness. (Seligman et al, 2005)
To make a simile for the relationship between the traditional and the newest branch of psychology consider Newton's 3rd Law of motion which states that when a body exerts a force on a second body an opposing force of equal magnitude but opposite direction results. (Newton, 1726)
Positive Psychology could be equated to a force of equal magnitude as that of psychology as usual, and as such their existence could actually be dependent upon each other. Or as physicist David Bohm states; 'nothing simply surges up out of nothing without having antecedents that existed before' (Bohm, 1959) It is therefore no surprise that the study of function arose out of the study of dysfunction, and will likely remain inextricably linked.
Epigenetics – The study of Epigenetics affecting present and future generations Genotypes to Phenotypes
Epi-genetics is a Greek term meaning 'above' or 'on top of' genes. (Carey, 2011) This fascinating subject is the study of how genes can be turned on or off through a control switch genes have been found to posses.
Epigenetic changes do not actually alter the genetic code, or as it is known the DNA sequence (genotype). Rather the epigenetic changes are like a switch that sit on top of the genome and affect how the cell reads that genetic code. (Spector, 2012) We cannot alter the sequence of our DNA however a wide variety of environmental factors affect the expression of how those genes are activated or inactivated. Gene expression is related to the chemical messengers (usually proteins) governing the cell which determine the behaviour of the cell – phenotype (Spector, 2012)
As the foetus grows in early development the majority of cell activity is governed from within the existing cells or adjacent cells. (Gidekel, et.al. 2002 In this crucial stage of development, the food the mother consumes plays a large part in the development of the epigenome. (Gidekel, et.al. 2002 However as well as nutrition having a large role to play, stress hormones also affect signals to the cells. (Gidekel, et.al. 2002) Which signifies the wider environment of the mother is already affecting the child's development.
Post-natal development continues to shape epigenetic expression through wider environmental factors. (Carey, 2011) Physical activity, social interaction and nutritional elements continue to affect the individual by transmitting information from cell to cell. (Spector, 2012) It is these signals that direct intra cellular learning and physical growth. (Spector, 2012)
As the child grows the organs develop and most significantly the brain (Kolb, et.al., 1998). At a younger age neuro plasticity – the way in which brain matter volume increases or reduces and neural connections alter is at its height (Kolb, et.al., 1998). The young brain is very impressionable much more so than it will be as it matures.
The upside is that children and young people advance faster in cognitive processes however conversely the downside is heightened neural susceptibility to being impacted by adverse nurturing experiences and physical or psychological maltreatment. (ref)
Depending on learned experiences the cells go through Mitosis – cell growth and replacement, a lifelong process (Schwartz, 2012). The salient factor to consider is the the prudence of ensuring cells, especially brain cells acquire good information to lay the template for future neural growth and reorganisation. This neural-pruning takes place in childhood, puberty and throughout later life. (Naftali & Rodrigue 2006)
However not only does environmental influence affect neuro plasticity in the current functioning but can have far reaching implications for subsequent generations. (Carey, 2011)
As an example in practice; heritability of epigenetic factors has been explored in mice where the parental mice were trained to be fearful of a certain smell. Later their offspring, conceived long after the experiment ended, were found to have a heightened sensitivity and the same fearful reactions despite no previous olfactory exposure to the target odour. The gene involved was found to be unaltered in any way in its transmission to the later mice but the epigenetic markers on top of the gene were activated. (Callaway, 2013) Giving further weight to earlier studies which found as individuals develop, morphogens activate or silence genes in an epigenetically heritable fashion, giving cells a "memory" (Reik, 2007)
In a recent epigenetic obesity study it was found that the early environment of the child induces altered epigenetic regulation resulting in an altered phenotype. (Lillycrop & Bruge, 2011). The authors further noted the escalating rate of the incidence of obesity over the past 20 years can no longer be solely explained by purely genetic and adult lifestyle considerations.
Of further note "Plasticity – the capacity of organisms to change in response to varying conditions – is a wide topic however an understanding of plasticity is now recognised as being fundamental to an understanding of evolution" (Gissis and Jablonka)
From the evidence it would be reasonable to conclude the DNA strand of code (genotype) does not change or alter, however epigenetic activation/inactivation affect how the genes are expressed due to a range of environmental factors which shape the learning and expression of genes (phenotype) during the lifetime of the individual and in a heritable way which is passed on from generation to generation.
The obesity crisis and how Epigenetics and PPI's affect outcomes for present and future generations.
What shall be termed in this discussion The Obesity Crisis has reached an all-time high with predictions that 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese by the year 2050 (Forsight, 2007)
In the western world where The Obesity Crisis is at its height food appears to be connected to emotions as well as nutrition, which is a crucial point when considering interventions that target causes (Ganley, 1989). We associate that 'little treat' as our reward for various achievements throughout the day or week. Emotional eating is a firmly accepted occurrence (ref) and most of us have at some time or another eaten because of entitlement, anxiety, depression or other emotions not in the least related to physical hunger.
Coupled with the fact that nowadays we have a much more sedentary culture than previous generations. (ref) Travelling by car door to door, sitting at computers for hours at a time and generally eating more calorie laden food while taking less exercise are all factors in an obesity crisis that could potentially bankrupt the health services. Modelled projections suggest that in the UK alone indirect costs could be as much as £27 billion by 2015 (Butland, Jebb & Kopelman, 2007)
Considering that being overweight is associated with low self-esteem and depression (Wiley-Blackwell. 2008) it would appear a good idea to tackle this peculiar myth that food makes us happy and instigate interventions to alter this awry perception.
Professor Kevin Fenton of PHE warned "Obesity is a complex issue that requires action at national, local, family and individual level. Everyone has a role to play in improving the health and wellbeing of the public and children in particular"
The rational for ensuring children are raised within an environment that includes positive and productive early experiences would appear to be firmly established by research (ref), although it is worth considering the wisdom of early intervention as a concept has been around for many years prior to this scientific stance. (Fenske, et.al., 1985)
A damaging way that children are often rewarded is with food or food related treats. A whole culture of food related to fun experiences has sprung up with themed restaurants that stress family time is centred around eating and promoting the concept that eating junk food is a fun and positive activity for the family to spend time participating in. (ref)
Long term self-satisfaction from doing tasks is the goal rather than instant food rewards. Being approved of and praised for effort raises children's levels of self-esteem. (Dweck, 2007). Children who are verbally praised for trying hard (rather than for innate abilities) were more likely to have a go at tackling difficult tasks was an additional finding within the same study.
Obesity is not just about eating less and moving more, it is also about our emotional connections with food as we have lost touch with our inner selves. We have made lifestyles that have become the inheritance of our children who start their lives with predispositions we have epigenetically engineered for them. If we want them and their children to have a better inheritance we have to change the environmental influences that alter phenotypical expression.
PPI's – Positive Psychology Interventions for The Obesity Crisis
Present obesity initiatives or Obesity as Usual focus on weight reduction and exercise (Aicken, Arai & Roberts, 2008). This symptomatic approach where the exercise does not produce anything or the diets fail to consider the emotional connections, has had little success if the rising figures and cost predictions discussed earlier are considered. From these earlier discussions there appears to be a rationale to tackle obesity at cognitive, emotional and physical levels and stages of development, starting prenatally. Interventions should be preventative and additionally have the capacity to be useful if children and adults are already or become overweight.
The intervention plan based on developing a community interaction strategy (appendix 1) is presented as a humble starting point which could be adapted and further developed for various communities.
Community based interventions could address present obesity, promote better physical and mental health and carry the potential for preventative and future epigenetic change. Community Participation Hours (CPH) credits offer an additional incentive for reduced taxes in recognition that those costs would be more than recouped through lower obesity, mental and physical health costs to government services.
Conclusions and Implications
Just as psychology as usual has been affected by the new breed of Positive Psychology, obesity as usual needs to give way to new thinking. The Obesity Crisis is not just about eating less and moving more but connected to a vast range of biological, genetic, epigenetic, lifestyle, physical, emotional and psychological processes that we have the ability to affect and change given effective environmental interventions.
From the evidence it would be reasonable to conclude that the main DNA strand of code (genotype) does not change or alter however a range of environmental factors shape the learning and gene expression (phenotype) in present and future generations.
Considering the findings there is a basis to consider how epigenetic expression gives an enormous amount of control, over ourselves and future generations. Adapting environmental influences can affect chemical reactions of proteins and the current expression of genes, as well as the heritable component of epigenetic phenotypes.
Changing behaviour and initiating PPI's based around children and communities from a young age could alter epigenetic makeup and predisposition to develop obesity for their own lives and future generations.
The implications of these findings suggest future outcomes depend upon the cognitive, emotional and physical experiences people are exposed to across the whole lifespan from conception onwards which have the potential to shape future physical and psychological epigenetic component abilities, inabilities and predispositions of present and subsequent generations.
Onward Focus
Ante-natal care could include epigenetic counselling components for expectant families to stress the vulnerability of offspring to modification.
Future social policy could also be informed by the outcomes of pilot studies for community based programs such as those outlined in the PPI section of this paper (Appendix 1) which have the potential to produce a significant amount of actionable information.
APPENDIX 1 Positive Psychology Community Plan Interventions
Level Location Initiatives/Interventions Benefits
Government Self-sufficiency training and productive food growing in a dedicated school garden that every school would have
Exercise programs / healthy canteens
Antenatal care dedicated to lifestyle/epigenetic knowledge and responsibility
GP's encouraging anti-obesity initiatives/ mandatory child obesity check-ups
Credits awarded for Community Participation Hours (CPH) Children growing up with self-sufficiency awareness/ thrift resourcefulness/seasonal knowledge / Peer support and bonding / meaningful work
Fitter happier workforce less time off
Grassroots change for future generations / better choices more awareness / stopping the cycle
Monitoring and encouraging the community / point of reference of changes in nations health
Tax incentives for those who participate in certain amounts of CPH with initiatives for both individuals and companies /extra benefits for the unemployed who participate.
Local Community Spaces
Food Growing Allotments / Community Greenspaces maintained and cared for by the community.
Self –sufficiency co-op centres run by the community e.g. Making eco-bricks from shredding recycling materials to heat schools/centres instead of fossil fuels/ Recycling re-using and repairing focus Community spirit less vandalism more care for own spaces
Community self-sufficiency and sustainability / saving money
Local produce less pollution
Community Appreciation
Comradery / developing organisation skills
No barriers to participation
all fitness levels / economic status open to participate
Participating in running and maintaining the local and national initiatives using the produce from the community spaces in healthy cooking/ storing/freezing/ redistributing to others. Making, using and distributing the eco bricks. Children given chores at home and for the community spaces to ensure at least an hour of (CPH) activity every day. Better mental/physical health
More community focus
Less money spent on food
Less spent on entertainment
Empathy development
Feeling needed and useful
Better future health for now and later epigenetic change
Individual Home More active community participation less sedentary and alone time more people time. Practicing Meditation and Mindfulness
More bikes less cars
Better physical and mental health
Community spirit and empathy development / sense of achievement/ developing optimism/ Self-awareness and spiritual development / encouraging positivity/ Less pollution
Collective Responsibility Community Visiting the sick in hospices hospitals and community
Visiting the elderly and those who are alone and in need or housebound. Offering lifts and community transport More community awareness /caring / empathy development / awareness of mortality / sharing knowledge and wisdom of the aged / joy of giving / developing self-respect/ appreciation
Less reliance on public health services
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Michigan St. Spartans vs Wisconsin Badgers Box Score on Mar 11, 2022
Mar 11, 2022 - Post Season
NEUTRAL Game Recap
Michigan St 69 Wisconsin 63
Friday, March 11, 2022 06:30 PM (ET)
Michigan State hands No. 12 Wisconsin second straight loss
Tyson Walker scored nine of his 11 points down the stretch to pace Michigan State to a 69-63 victory over 12th-ranked Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament at Indianapolis.
The Spartans (22-11), seeded seventh in the tourney, will face Purdue (26-6), ranked ninth in the country, in Saturday's semifinals after the Boilermakers defeated Penn State (14-17) later Friday night.
Wisconsin (24-7) lost consecutive games for the first time this season. The Badgers dropped to the No. 2 seed and missed a chance for the outright regular-season title with a 74-73 loss at home to Nebraska in the last game.
Walker, scoreless in the first half, hit consecutive jumpers to put the Spartans up 62-58 with just under a minute remaining. Chucky Hepburn hit a 3-pointer to pull Wisconsin within 65-63 with 16 seconds left, but Walker closed it out with four consecutive free throws.
Marcus Bingham Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Michigan State, which had split with Wisconsin during the regular season.
Brad Davison scored 23 points and Hepburn and Johnny Davis had 11 each for the Badgers.
Davis, the Badgers' leading scorer and rebounder, was questionable after being injured on a flagrant foul against Nebraska. He made just 3 of 19 shots and missed all five 3-point attempts.
Bingham scored all of Michigan State's points during an 11-2 run, putting the Spartans up 47-42 with a layup.
After a layup by Wisconsin's Steven Crowl, Joey Hauser connected on the Spartans first 3-pointer after 10 misses, and then added a jumper to make it 52-44 with 6:47 left.
Wisconsin had taken its first lead at 32-30, erasing a four-point deficit on a 3-pointer by Steven Crowl, the first of the game by either team after a combined 13 misses, and a three-point play by Davis.
Wisconsin also was just 12 of 21 from the free-throw line. Michigan State, which struggled with turnovers in the final minutes of its 76-72 victory over Maryland on Thursday, had just seven turnovers against the Badgers.
Michigan State managed a 24-22 lead after a lackluster first half in which each team managed just seven field goals and were a combined 0 for 11 from beyond the arc.
The Spartans took their biggest lead of the half at 14-6 as Wisconsin hit just three of its first 16 shots. Davis made just 1 of 10 shots before the break and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
Michigan St.
MSU 24 45 69
WIS 22 41 63
MSU 3 (9) 135.5o
WIS -3 135.5u (3.5)
Michigan St
M. Christie 32:00 2-5 0-0 4-4 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 2 8
T. Walker 32:00 3-9 0-2 5-7 0 0 0 0 7 1 0 0 0 11
G. Brown 22:00 2-4 0-2 0-0 0 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 0 4
M. Bingham Jr. 22:00 7-11 0-0 5-7 0 2 9 11 0 1 1 1 3 19
J. Hauser 19:00 4-7 1-2 0-0 0 0 4 4 0 4 0 1 0 9
A. Hoggard 21:00 3-6 0-1 2-2 0 0 4 4 4 2 1 1 1 8
M. Hall 18:00 1-5 0-3 0-2 0 1 4 5 0 4 0 1 1 2
J. Akins 17:00 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 2 3 0 2 0 0 0 0
J. Marble II 17:00 3-3 0-0 2-2 0 0 4 4 0 2 2 2 0 8
Total 200:00 25-52 1-11 18-24 5 32 37 11 19 4 7 7 69
48% 9% 75%
B. Davison 35:00 8-15 3-8 4-5 0 0 3 3 3 5 0 0 0 23
C. Hepburn 35:00 4-9 3-5 0-2 0 0 3 3 4 3 0 1 0 11
T. Wahl 35:00 3-4 0-1 2-4 0 3 2 5 0 1 2 1 1 8
J. Davis 34:00 3-19 0-5 5-6 0 1 10 11 3 4 1 3 0 11
S. Crowl 21:00 4-6 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 9
C. Vogt 13:00 0-1 0-0 1-4 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 0 1 1
B. Carlson 11:00 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 2 3 0 3 1 0 0 0
J. Davis 10:00 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0
J. Neath 6:00 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date: Friday, March 11, 2022 6:30 PM ET
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Referees: DJ Cartensen, Robert Riley, Lamont Simpson
Attendance: -


text:
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text:
BREAKING THE HABIT
Posted on June 20, 2012 by Bishop Tony
I've been co-opted to a group charged with implementing our bishop's vision to turn the diocese towards outreach and re-birth as eucharistic communities in mission. Implicit in this challenge is a return to an older pattern of identity, although a modernized version of that identity. The Canons (rules) of the Episcopal Church recognize that our definition of the word "parish" is territorial. The church buildings, those who worship therein and the clergy who serve are charged with the care of civil communities or areas and to bringing the wholeness of the Gospel, 'the saving of souls and the care for people in "their daily life and work" to all who respond to the church's mission until "the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord Christ"..
It is clear that the greatest obstacle to embarking on such a project is the present understanding our parishioners have of what the local church is, and what it exists for. During the last two hundred years, since the church was disestablished in many of the former colonies, the local Episcopalian community has transformed itself from a territorial entity into a membership entity. The very term "membership", although not without biblical antecedence as in 1 Cor. 12, that is to say connected parts of a body, organic unity, nowadays implies joining something and is loaded with secular ideas about dues and board meetings, mission statements and all the descriptions used by service organizations, including the sort of rivalry one expects to find in choosing to join the Rotary Club rather than the Lions or the Oddfellows. In short Episcopalians have turned inwards and the horizons set have been largely centered on programs, services and activities provided by and for members. A product of this has been the transformation of the role and identity of clergy from that of parish priest to that of chaplain to those who belong and with that transformation has come a list of demands made of "members' towards their chaplains which consume most of the time and energy of clergy and which hang over clergy as a list of expectations to be satisfied.
It is this paradigm which must be broken if we are to realize mission as being something other than the task of recruiting new members to ensure the viability and "success" of a congregation. The bewildering variety of Christian bodies in America have for centuries relied on brand loyalty, attractive worship and program and a sufficient pool of disaffected Christians 'in search of a church'. If this has become an enormous burden on congregations, it has had a crippling effect on clergy, upon whom the expectations of congregations has settled as the person largely charged with 'attracting new members.' Even when a more healthy vision of the ministry of the laity has developed, the basic pattern remains, that of communities of faith finding ways to make themselves attractive and lively and appealing. Now of course Christian corporate life is supposed to be all that. But the consumerist, shopping mall method is centered on making what happens within the community assembled in its buildings appealing to others. Rather like a shopping mall, each store has its brand identity and struggles to portray itself in an attractive manner. Success is measured by sales. Many of the self-help solutions pedaled by church growth organizations, center their task around teaching "members' how to welcome new visitors or shoppers, how to get them to return, and how to persuade those attracted through the front doors to come back.
I have already written at length about the fact that fewer and fewer Americans are now 'shopping' for what is offered by competing stores, 'denomination' – the very name denotes a brand identity – and that in an unclubbable age, in which fewer and fewer people join service clubs and associations, the churches experience the same identity crisis. Nothing is more dispiriting than to labor long and hard to peddle a product which few think they need, which provides no buyers' thrill, let alone remorse, particularly in the case of smaller local churches whose resources are utterly consumed in the upkeep of buildings and paying the salary of staff. But while there is considerable frustration and even depression in our eucharistic communities, there's no real understanding that the model is broken irreparably and must be replaced if the life of local churches is to survive and experience new life. In short the first task the churches have is to understand, as if their life depends on it, is that the model we have used, once successfully, is as dead as the proverbial dodo. And if this is true at the basic local level, it is equally true at diocesan and national church levels.
One of the obstacles to understanding this to be true, is the continued relative success of larger congregations and the ever present presence of so called 'mega churches' upon whom Episcopalians pour scorn while secretly yearning for the success these congregations explore. For laying aside the problem of the longevity of such congregations over the long term, what is not understood is that their success is rooted in their ability to create alternative community life, albeit at some price to those who join, in a world in which the old glues of society, the extended family, community identity is disappearing. Indeed the church has always, at its best, constituted an alternative culture, even when that culture was roughly coterminous with that of secular society. Those who propose a form of Christianity largely informed by secular cultural mores, one which fits in with contemporary culture are yearning for a survival of religion which reflects the life-style, music, literature and lifestyles of those around them. If that form of culture seems to be hostile, the temptation is to withdraw and build safe places for the elect. It is no accident that the success of evangelical churches in large part is identified with their existing in communities which retain vestiges of popular Christian lifestyles, or they survive where pockets of such a memory exist in sufficient strength to continue to create a pool of likely converts. If this is true of the evangelical churches, it is equally true in the case of successful progressive churches, which are planted in areas where there are pockets of progressive thought, susceptible to the claims of religious groups which bless their concerns.
For the most part, Episcopal parishes, outside big cities or suburbs, largely located on the East and West Coasts of America, exist where neither pool of likely customers dwell. They exist in places where the general public pass our buildings daily without seeing them, where people ignore the church pages in newspapers and don't feel drawn to surf the internet in search of 'a church home'. As I have remarked before at length, a growing constituency of people around our churches have little or no idea of what we do inside our red doors, have no belief that whatever goes on has any impact on the complexity of modern living or thinking or experiencing life and are impervious to our usual 'sales pitch'. I hasten to add that God's mission is to add to the church "those who shall be saved", for it is God's mission. But resting on that fact is a cop out. We are called to be the agents of God's mission. If God had intended to do it apart from the church, the church would not exist. Given these extraordinary facts it is easy for us to say with the disciples, "Will God, when He comes, find faith on earth?' That the church is growing apace in Africa and Asia means nothing to us, conditioned as we are to believe that such foreigners have yet to catch up with the modern world, poor things.
These thoughts press hard on me as I prepare for the Celebration of a New Ministry for my two tiny congregations in Southern Illinois, and for myself, a seventy-two year old, who perhaps should be retired and is linked to the past glories of Anglicanism by upbringing and sentiment. I have now lived in Glen Carbon, Illinois for just over a month. Glen Carbon is a village, something rather quaint in a country of 'cities'. Just over twelve thousand people live within the borders of this village. The Christian community is served by half a dozen or so churches, reflecting the usual brand names, of which the tiny Episcopal church 'attracts' just over forty people. The village consists of a former coal mining community, its inhabitants a mixture of the descendants of those who came from Great Britain and Slovakia at the turn of the last century and a newer community of retirees, those who work at the local university or who work in larger surrounding communities or in St. Louis, scarcely half an hour away across the Mississippi. Part of Glen Carbon now encompasses the larger stores which have spilled out of Edwardsville, such as Walmart and some restaurants. Thus Glen Carbon is divided between those who live inwardly struggling to preserve some sort of community identity and those who look to Edwardsville and beyond.
As I encounter local residents, I'm armed with three weapons. My English accent makes people stop me and ask me what accent I have and questions about why I am here at all! I carry a stick, to hold me erect, one with interesting carvings on it which similarly invites questions. When I wear my uniform, other questions arise. "Are you Catholic?" When I say I am their Episcopal priest, more often than not I am met with instant incomprehension. A few ask whether that is the "gay church". Young people seem glad that I chat, welcome me when we meet again, but that has much to do with my being a foreigner or my doing a rather odd job. I was trained to always reach out to the people I meet when I'm wearing my dog collar. One never knows what reaction I will meet. If I bring up the fact that I am the pastor at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, most have no idea where that church is hidden, for hidden it is nowadays by new buildings, let alone what it exists for. At least I have somewhere to begin contact, something I shall have to be patient in working on. I also know that those who will be with me on Saturday when I become official have none of my 'talking points' available, and have been taught not to share their faith, but to rely on the building, the sign, occasional advertisements in the local newspapers and community letters, and the cache of being Episcopalians. They do so with the added burden that our Episcopal faith has but a tenuous existence in this part of the world, and the movers and shakers in the community who built the church for themselves and their miners are long gone.
It is true that my parishioners and their co-religionists in an even small church in nearby Granite City have fewer resources than those in larger communities, but across this diocese the story is roughly the same. Our congregations at best are stable but aging and at worst are dying out. If we are to be faithful to the Great Commission, we must break the mold brutally. Our addiction to things as they have been is terminal unless we embrace our addiction and seek a cure. That the old pattern of denominational consumerism is dying is, after all, a good thing. It has enabled us to concentrate on the incidentals of brand religion while ignoring the purpose and work for which our Lord created his Church. Thus bound up with our seeking a cure for our chronic addiction is a willingness to re-learn the basic truths of Christian Faith and practice. Only then may we begin to tackle the task of offering Christ to a hungry and perplexed secular world.


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Protecting Yourself from Dengue What do you need to do?
Dengue, now a seasonal menace every year in India, has arrived rather early this year in some parts of the country.
With health authorities gearing up for vector-borne diseases in the tricity, months before monsoons, it is important to be cautious.
According to the WHO, there are about 190 million cases of dengue worldwide with 96 million cases needing treatment. In India too, there is 25% increase each year, mainly attributed to heavier monsoons and ineffective preventive steps to check mosquito breeding.
A record number of cases were reported from Panchkula and Mohali last year, as a result of which the authorities concerned have already started sensitising residents to take precautionary measures.
In this scenario, what can be done? What steps can citizens take?
Dengue is a tropical disease that originates from four different viruses. Carried by the Aedes egypti mosquito, symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains as well as skin rash. While there is currently no vaccine for dengue, it can be prevented by improving hygiene levels and prevention of mosquito breeding.
Dr Parvinder Chawla, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital Mohali, gives some useful information and tips below:
Why are some people more susceptible to Dengue?
They live in a high-risk zone which has dingy, unclean surroundings with stagnant water that encourages mosquito breeding
People who have been infected with dengue before as they have low immunity
What are the most commonly associated symptoms that could be associated with the onset of Dengue?
Pain behind the eyes
High fever reaching 40°C/ 104°F
A probable diagnosis can be made by assessing:
The temperature
Associated symptoms such as nausea and vomiting
Rash and general pain
The common tests used in dengue diagnosis are:
Complete Blood Count. A falling hematocrit in the initial days of fever is a very strong pointer towards the diagnosis of dengue fever and the likelihood of developing severe dengue.
ELISA test for dengue NS1 Ag
PCR for detecting viral DNA
Serum IgG and IgM test
Platelet count is usually normal during the initial days of fever and thus does not have diagnostic value in this phase.
Suggested approach on Treatment:
Please seek medical advice immediately if common symptoms persist
Drink plenty of fluids
Symptomatic relief can be sought using paracetamol
Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen / other NSAIDS (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) since they can increase the risk of bleeding
Follow instructions of medical practitioners diligently
If Dengue fever progresses to severe dengue, look out for these symptoms:
Severe pain in the abdomen
Bleeding from any site
How to prevent dengue:
Make sure all egg-laying habitats of mosquitoes, such as open and stagnant water sources are cleaned up
If there are any open water sources you cannot eliminate, cover them and apply appropriate insecticides
Use protections such as window screens, long-sleeved clothes, insecticide-treated materials, coils, vaporizers and repellant creams to avoid being bitten by mosquitos
A person can suffer from dengue a second time if the viral strain is different from the initial infection. The second episode of dengue is usually more severe than the first one. Hence ensure adequate protection
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