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Movie Discussion > Interviews > Point Break interview: Luke Bracey on playing Johnny Utah, amazing stunts and more!
Point Break interview: Luke Bracey on playing Johnny Utah, amazing stunts and more!
By Marriska Fernandes on December 21, 2015 | 1 Comment
Australian hunk Luke Bracey takes the lead in the Point Break reboot, set to hit theatres on December 25. The actor brings charisma to the classic hit as he steps into the shoes of Johnny Utah, originally portrayed by Keanu Reeves. The 1991 film has been re-imagined for a bolder and more adventure-savvy audience, bringing death-defying stunts to the forefront. Tribute sat down with Luke Bracey to discuss his initial apprehensions, jaw-dropping stunts and the last thing he did to test his limits.
Congratulations on the film! What was it like remaking Point Break?
Thank you! It was amazing. There was no pressure. We're paying ultimate respect to the original by showing how much we love it by saying we need another one. We need one now with tow surfing instead of just paddling surfing, one with wingsuiting, one for kids who have seen all the GoPro videos on YouTube. For me it was really exciting as I'm a huge fan of extreme sports. I grew up surfing. I grew up on the beach in Sydney so surfing for me is part of my life.
My favorite scene is when Johnny lands after the wingsuit flying – your expression summed up everything.
Was that it? I'm so glad because I was talking to Jeb Corliss who was the wingsuit coordinator and he was helping us with that whole thing. I remember when we did that scene he came up to me after we filmed it and said, "That's exactly what it feels like, bro." I'm so happy that he saw the scene and came up to me. I felt proud. He was like, "What you just did is exactly how I felt when I did this jump in China."
When you were told you'd be playing Johnny Utah in Point Break remake, what was your first reaction?
Wow, I was actually quite silent. I was in shock a bit. Getting asked to be Johnny Utah – I couldn't believe it. I certainly didn't take it lightly. I felt the responsibility and the love for that movie. I was so happy that I got to be the one who got to do it because I loved it so much. I had a big smile on my face. My friend was with me. I had got off the phone, was kind of quiet and my mate was like, "How did it go?" and I was like, "I'm Johnny Utah, bro!"
Did you have any apprehensions?
Yeah, absolutely. I have apprehensions before anything. Every job I get is kind of terrifying. And I hope it always is. It makes me work hard. I know exactly how little I know (Laughs). That really kind of helps me in a way. But once I talked to the director and read the script, I knew this was the only way to do it.
What did you like most about playing Johnny?
I liked that I he is so driven and focused that kind of breaks out the fear for him. That really helped me. I remember just before I went over the edge at Angel Falls and do that rock climbing bit, I was pretty cool and calm and then suddenly I've got the harness on and I'm strapped in and they go, "Okay Luke, over you go." Suddenly my heart starts going 20 miles an hour and I'm like, "What am I about to do? Really? Am I about to do this?" I tell myself, "Okay, mate, you're Johnny Utaaaahhh, go over that edge!!!" You know what I mean?
That's hilarious and insane! So you were really close to the action?
Yeah, pretty close. (Laughs) Right up until the pros go off the edge. That rock climbing, the last few meters off the Angel Falls in Venezuela, that was me hanging out there!! I did the towing around, the surfing in Teahupoo, I did everything up until letting go of the rope. I got to do a bunch of tumbling in the big surf – that was about six hours of being in a rollercoaster getting absolutely thrown around in Tahiti – that was awesome. Just before the wingsuiting, when you see us standing on that cliff, we are standing on that cliff! (Laughs) I actually got kind of comfortable up there after a while. The first couple of times you kind of don't even want to look at it. After we spent couple of weeks on top of the mountain, we get a bit comfortable. But still, one lookout and a gust of wind and you're not so sure then. (Laughs) It was kind of cool getting close to it.
When it came to these stunts, which one was the most memorable experience for you?
I'd say probably seeing the wave break at Teahupoo. It's such a beautiful and ugly thing at the same time. You don't want to get anywhere near it but it' so gorgeous. It's such an amazing experience to see the power of nature in that way in such a confined and close proximity. Also, watching the wingsuiters was cool. Standing on the edge as they jump off and you can't believe you saw just that. They fall off for about four seconds and you're like, "Oh God! Oh God!" Only one person has done that before – that crack that they go through. But to have four people flying in formation – it's never been done. You're never seen sports like this before.
Now that you've seen these death-defying stunts up close, if you could, which one would you attempt?
I'd say surfing, I'm happy with the surfing. I'd love to experience the wingsuit flying but I'd never try it because (laughs) I want to live. I think it would be the most exhilarating thing – proximity flying.
Johnny pushes himself and is constantly testing his limits. What was the last thing you did to test your limits?
Make this movie! (laughs) Seriously. It was hard; the pressure of it, the schedule was insane. We went to four continents in six months and I'm not allowed to get sick. Then having the energy for all the scenes, knowing the lines, staying fit and healthy and not getting injured – the whole movie was a real test for me. When I got to the end of this movie I was caught emotionally, physically and creatively. I was just absolutely drained. I was lucky I got to go to Australia in December and sat on the beach for a month. I got to spend Christmas and New Year with my family and friends.
Bodhi, the anti-hero, is quite pragmatic and believes everyone is responsible for his own choices. No apologies, no regrets. What do you think?
I think you have to take responsibility for yourself but at the same time everyone has got a responsibility to society and world. So it's finding that mix between the two. Bodhi thinks he has found that. I'm kind of Utah's side and don't think the end justifies the means and people being hurt. I like the idea of having a responsibility to yourself and your environment around you but you've also got a responsibility to your fellow man. It's a dream, isn't it? If we could all just live together and be happy. I'm not so naive to believe we'll all be holding hands but I'm a glass half full kinda guy. This movie comes at a pretty good time, it's got a bit of a message environmentally and with the Paris climate conference happening right now. There are some crazy things happening in the world but I have faith in humanity. I think we'll be alright.
You'll be starring in the Mel Gibson film Hacksaw Ridge. What can you tell us about that?
That was pretty amazing. I got to work with Mel Gibson. That was sick. It's about a guy called Desmond Doss. He was a medic in World War II and the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. He refused to carry a weapon – not even a knife or a gun during battle. He single-handedly saved 75 guys in the most amazing act of heroism. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard the story before. But it's a true story and Andrew Garfield plays Desmond. I get to play the guy carrying the gun. We butt heads in the start but we realize that we are similar people and we become good friends. I get to play a pretty cool dude and to have Mel Gibson come and give you tips on that was amazing.
What else is next for you?
Christmas with my family and my girlfriend in Australia.
Thank you so much for chatting with us.
Thank you! Lovely to meet you.
~Marriska Fernandes
Point Break opens in theatres on December 25.
alfonce ngeno • December 11, 2016 @ 7:57 AM
congrats men.your movie comands enormous view in our country kenya.hope u will one day come and shoot your next video at mt kilimanjaro.
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CEI Comments on Possible Federal Automated Vehicle Pilot Program
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in response to its advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the Pilot Program Collaborative Research on Motor Vehicles with High or Full Driving Automation.
Dockless Bikes, E-Scooters, and Urban Transportation Policy Hypocrisy
In August 2017, I wrote about the municipal government cronyism and monopoly franchise agreements driving the controversy over unsubsidized dockless bikesharing companies. In the rapidly evolving world of privately financed urban micromobility, electric scooters have now joined dockless bikesharing at the center of the debate. Here, municipal cronyism also appears to have evolved from protecting subsidized monopoly providers into classic shakedown efforts.
Will New Congress Seek Reforms to Highway Taxation?
Could the 116th Congress be the perfect storm for mileage-based user fees? With a divided Congress and with the current surface transportation law expiring at the end of September 2020, shoring up the Highway Trust Fund with user fee alternatives to fuel taxes could be a bipartisan affair.
Can Self-Driving Taxis Reduce Urban Poverty?
In last year's omnibus spending package, Congress allocated up to $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to conduct a study on the workforce impacts of automated vehicles (AVs). USDOT recently requested comments on the scope of this study and I have submitted comments on behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in response.
David Friedman Swings and Misses at AV START Act
Axios recently launched a newsletter dedicated to automated vehicles. In the most recent issue, David Friedman attacks bipartisan legislation in Congress aimed at speeding regulatory modernization for highly automated vehicles (HAVs), commonly called self-driving cars. Like Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Joan Claybrook before him, Friedman regurgitates debunked talking points in opposition to the Senate's AV START Act.
Environmental Protection Agency Considering Backdoor Subsidies for 'Talking Car' Tech
During the final days of the Obama administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed its "talking car" mandate. This would have required new vehicles to come equipped with radios to communicate information to other vehicles in order to convey hazard warnings to drivers. This was to use a specific communications protocol known as dedicated short-range communications (DSRC). The proposal was deeply flawed in numerous ways, as CEI pointed out at the time.
Automated Vehicles 3.0 Guidance Continues Green-Lighting Innovation
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released the third iteration of its guidance for automated vehicles, Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0). Notably, this guidance is the product of a department-wide effort that covers all surface transportation modes, including the interface of maritime infrastructure and trucks at intermodal port facilities.
VIDEO: Self-Driving Cars Will Make Traveling Safer and More Efficient
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is releasing a new video today on automated vehicles (a/k/a self-driving cars) and how they could make our roads dramatically safer. They could, that is, as long as government regulators don't throw up unnecessary roadblocks to their delpoyment. See what Congress can do to get the automated future rolling in this recent blog post.
To Promote Highway Safety and Innovation, Senate Must Pass AV START Act
It has now been over a year since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan SELF DRIVE Act by voice vote. Its companion bill, the Senate's AV START Act, was passed out of the Commerce Committee on a unanimous vote nearly 10 months ago. Since then, the Senate has failed to bring it to a floor vote.
Senate Should Pass on Joan Claybrook's Advice and Pass AV START Act
Why are self-styled safety advocates opposing the first legislative step that could help usher in the greatest automotive safety improvements in history? This is a question to ask a handful of senators, led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who are holding up Senate passage of the bipartisan AV START Act, which would establish the first nationwide regulatory regime for highly automated vehicles (HAVs), often called self-driving cars. The House's companion bill, the SELF DRIVE Act, passed that chamber by voice vote in September 2017.

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Last I left off, Erica and I finished climbing Kilimanjaro with Zara Tours and we were back at the Springlands Hotel. We had an additional rest day here, which was a godsend. I ended up getting pretty ill that night and I needed that extra day to rest and feel better for the second part of my African visit: meeting up with Nomad Tours for our 10 safari!!
That next morning we took a special " shuttle van" toward Arusha. Really it was a taxi cab that we ended up sharing with another hotel guest, to another taxi cab in the center of Moshi who then took Erica and I to Arusha where the fellow hotel guest was taking another taxi to Niarobi. It was interesting to see this is the way to get between Moshi and Kenya if you didn't fly into the local airport. The cab driver dropped us directly at the Ndoro Lodge where we were meeting up with Nomad Tours and I think it cost like $15 USD each? Worth it.
The tour that I signed up for with Nomad is the Serengeti & Zanzibar 10 Day Trek South. The group technically met in Nairobi where they spent the day driving to Arusha, Tanzania. Since Moshi (where we were) is the town next to Arusha, it made more sense to meet the group at the first hotel in Arusha, rather than travel back to Kenya only to spend the day driving back to Tanzania. This was easy enough to coordinate with Nomad Tours and another couple in the group also met up with the group in this way.
I should also note that Nomad offers different levels of accommodation. Since Erica and I are doing this on a budget we signed up for the "camping" package. It also makes it more of an adventure! This means that we camped in tents (provided by Nomad Tours) and we had to bring along a sleeping bag and pillow. We alway had access to showers and bathrooms as well. The other option is "accommodation" which means a more typical hotel room, but it is a more expensive package.
Another great thing about this tour with Nomad is that this 10 day tour is just one portion of a longer trek. I was doing 10 days of the trek, but Erica was continuing on with the tour for a total of 30 days. This means that if I want I can save up for another trip I can literally pickup with the tour right where I left off and still get to see the same things Erica is seeing now. This also means there is turnover within the tour group as people finish their time and leave, and new people come in for another portion of the trek.
For my 10 day portion of the tour, we were a group of 18 with 2 guides. All of the other guests were from Europe and everyone was over 18. Erica and I were the only Americans. There was a German couple on their honeymoon (in their early 30's), a father and son from Croatia (in their 40's and 60's?), an aunt with her college-aged nieces from Amsterdam, just to give you a sense of the wide age range of all the guests. This was not a party tour of 21 year olds (thank god!).
Above is Tommy! Each of the Nomad trucks is named after a deceased musician, and we got Tommy. You can see the truck is huge and has tons of compartments for all the gear. Within the truck are lockers and every guest gets 1 (so bring a lock!), comfy seats, and the seating is elevated so you san see above other vehicles which makes the drive more enjoyable. You can also probably guess that this large vehicle stands out on the road, so everywhere we went kids would wave to us. It was adorable.
Above and the next few photos are all the Ndoro Lodge just outside of Arusha where we spent night 1 and night 5 of the tour. Above is the restaurant portion, and below are the hotel rooms for the guests with the accommodation level travel package.
The campers (aka me) slept through this gate in a beautiful open courtyard. The tents aren't out in the courtyard photo above, but I'll have photos later of our tents. You can see to the left is a clothing line which is great for cleaning and drying clothes, which was very handy when we stayed here night 5 after visiting the Serengeti.
Once I was finally feeling better I could finally enjoy a post-Kilimanjaro beer! What better beer to order than a Kilimanjaro beer! The restaurant/bar at the Ndoro Lodge had all sorts of drinks, and our meals were prepared by our Nomad Tour guides (Norman and Servius) and included in the price of the tour.
The next morning we drove to the Meserani Snake Park and Maasai Cultural Museum as we made our way out to the Serengeti to start our safari! These photos are from our Tommy truck, which is why they are blurry, but I wanted to give you a sense of the landscape around Arusha. ***One thing to note- be careful when taking pictures from the van, as police have road blocks all over Tanzania and even if you accidentally take a photo of a police officer you will be fined a lot of money.
The Snake Park is very scary for this girl. The only thing scarier than heights are snakes! Part of me considered not going in, but I think my imagination would have made it worse. It's like I needed to go in just to see that these snakes were locked up, and thankfully most of them were.
Oh dear lord, just so many nightmares about this place. I think I was the only person in the group who was afraid of snakes. There was a portion of the tour where they let you hold little snakes, which of course I didn't participate in, but everyone in the group seemed to really enjoy it. I personally would rather take a nap in the crocodile pit than hold a snake.
The nice thing about the snake park is that there were other orphaned animals too. We got to see several large turtles (above).
Look at this cutie above. She had been rejected by her tribe (they had a sign explaining it) so being here is better for her health. I heard other people saying that she could slap high-fives! So adorable.
Here are a few of the larger crocodiles.
Do you see that little crocodile hiding in the water?
After the Snake Park, we walked over to the Maasai Cultural Museum. The tour was lead by a Maasai Warrior (not pictured), and was filled with these life-sized dioramas.
This is the portion of the museum all about circumcision. It was disturbing.
There's a portion of the museum dedicated to the clothing and how each outfit represents something different within the tribe. For example boys wear different colors and patterns after they are circumcised at 15 years old.
The museum exits into a women's market. Each of these huts (and there are many more un-pictured) is a stall with different jewelry and craft items for sale. I avoided taking pictures of the women selling them, as I was trying to be sensitive to the culture.
Up next, we make our trek through the Ngorongoro Crater on to the Serengeti where by sunset we have our first game drive! Spoiler- we see lions!
This entry was posted in Adventures!, Africa, Travel and tagged #SistersOnSafari, Kilimanjaro, Nomad Tours, Safari, Serengeti, tanzania by LifeAbsorbed. Bookmark the permalink.


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The Financial Services Act 2012 (Mutual Societies) Order 2013
Paragraph 11
Impact Assessments
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This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum
11.—(1) Section 36A(1) (power to make prohibition orders) is amended as follows.
(2) For "Authority", in each place, substitute "appropriate authority".
(3) After subsection (5D), insert—
"(5E) The PRA must consult the FCA about the terms of the prohibition order in question before giving a warning notice or a decision notice under this section.".
(4) In subsection (6), omit ", and shall keep a copy of the order in the public file of the society".
(5) After subsection (9), insert—
"(9A) The PRA must give the FCA a copy of any order issued under this section.
(9B) The FCA must keep a copy of any order issued under this section in the public file of the society.".
Section 36A was inserted by the Building Societies Act 1997, section 14 and amended by S.I. 2001/2617.
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Impact Assessments generally accompany all UK Government interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector, civil society organisations and public services. They apply regardless of whether the regulation originates from a domestic or international source and can accompany primary (Acts etc) and secondary legislation (SIs). An Impact Assessment allows those with an interest in the policy area to understand:
Why the government is proposing to intervene;
The main options the government is considering, and which one is preferred;
How and to what extent new policies may impact on them; and,
The estimated costs and benefits of proposed measures.


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Algorithm Bias
The Grey's Anatomy Effect
Zombie Chic
Paper versus Pixels
Motivator or Menace?
Building With Qubits
Therapy Bots
Weaving and Coding
Follow the Narwhals
Animal Expressions
Your Daily Dose of Fitspiration
By Lucy Hicks
A tan, slim woman balances on her left foot with her right leg and arms outstretched, parallel to the ground. The New York skyline at sunset looms in the background, but this stunning view is not the most noticeable feature of the image — the woman is wearing a barely-there, red and white thong bikini, showing off her sculpted booty as she balances.
"We love a good NYC view," she writes in the caption.
We love a good NYC view 🦋 New Yorkers, comment below some good rooftops you recommend shooting at 👇 #seltering
A post shared by Jen Selter (@jenselter) on Aug 24, 2018 at 7:24pm PDT
"Wow, you look perfect," one commenter writes. Another says, "You are my inspiration!!!!"
This picture is one of thousands on Jen Selter's Instagram page. She is a professional fitness influencer — someone who makes a living through fitness-based social media accounts, mainly on Instagram and YouTube. Through post-workout selfies, "What I Eat in a Day" videos and bikini shots, these social media personalities aim to inspire others to live healthier lives — and look good doing it.
While their intentions might be noble, experts believe these fitness-inspired social media accounts are perpetuating unrealistic body standards that can negatively impact body image and even result in disordered eating behaviors. But this problematic body image sells; when fitness influencers try to modify their posts to promote overall wellness, their popularity and profits take a hit.
The beginning of social media instigated a new age of body comparison. Not only can we now envy the abs or the long legs of Gwen Stefani, we can also easily compare our bodies with those of our friends, colleagues and thousands of well-toned strangers. Sometime after the launch of Tumblr in 2007, the 'thinspiration' movement sprung up to take advantage of the image-first platform. Women posted images of other very thin (sometimes unhealthily thin) women as motivation for weight loss. Instagram was created in 2010, offering another venue for this kind of visual content.
At some point, "fitspiration" branched off from thinspiration, as a response to the dangerous and problematic "never thin enough" mindset. Rather than pictures of collarbones and thigh gaps, "fitspo" featured toned abs and, of course, firm butts. Originally thought to be a move in the right direction since blogs featuring these images claimed to preach healthy lifestyles, fitspiration became just as—if not more—problematic for women, says Kate Mulgrew, a psychologist at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
"Not only do they have to be thin, they have to be fit and toned as well," Mulgrew says. "This whole other level of ideal that women have to work towards is just as difficult to achieve."
The research backs her up. A 2015 study found that viewing fitspiration photos on Instagram decreased self-esteem and increased body dissatisfaction. Another study in 2016 found that, out of 101 women who post fitspiration images, nearly a fifth of the women were "at risk for diagnosis of a clinical eating disorder." In the comparison group of women who posted travel images, that rate was just 4.5 percent.
"It seems likely, at least for some women, that even though they may present as fit and healthy, regularly posting fitspiration is a culturally sanctioned way of rationalizing dietary restriction, disordered eating, and over-exercising," study authors Grace Holland and Marika Tiggemann, both of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, wrote in the paper.
While this study is part of a relatively new field of research, a growing number of studies support the hypothesis that social media negatively impacts body image and is correlated with disordered eating behaviors, Holland and Tiggeman found in a 2016 review. This is particularly true for appearance-based sites like Instagram. In one study analyzing the content of fitspiration images, out of 290 images featuring women, over 75 percent were considered "thin" and 56 percent had visible musculature. Just 17 percent of images featured women with average body types, and under 8 percent featured overweight women.
"Fitspiration's avowed aim to promote health and fitness over thinness and weight loss for women (like it's dysfunctional counterpart, thinspiration) is undermined by the great majority of women represented in its images still corresponding to the thin and toned ideal," authors Tiggemann and researcher Mia Zaccardo, also of Flinders University, wrote in the study. "It's overrepresentation of particular body types serves to inaccurately conflate fitness with thinness (or muscularity), suggesting that adequate fitness cannot be achieved unless one also looks a certain way. This may lead people to engage in dysfunctional behaviors surrounding diet or exercise in order to achieve the ideal figure, despite being fit and healthy."
While research on the potential harms of fitspiration continues to emerge, the demand for the posts keeps growing. Fitness influencers like Jen Selter represent the latest iteration of fitspiration. Their Instagram feeds consist of selfies, healthy recipes, workout routines and inspirational messages for their followers. YouTubers vlog their daily routines, documenting everything they eat that day, their workouts and daily errands.
To those who don't understand how these people make money: think advertising. If fitness Instagrammers and YouTubers have enough of a following, they can partner with brands to promote gym clothing, nutritional supplements, makeup and other lifestyle products. The top fitness influencers like Jen Selter can make millions of dollars each year, according to Business Insider. But you don't need to have millions of followers to make "fitness influencing" a full-time job — Forbes reports that someone with 100,000 followers can charge 5,000 dollars per post.
And to gain viewers (and make more money), you need to show some skin, says Sierra Nelson, a fitness Instagrammer and personal trainer in Los Angeles.
"I immediately know that if I am putting up a photo where I'm in my bathing suit, or you can see my full body, that it is just going to get more likes and views, which is tricky," she says.
How do you #DareToBeChampion in your own life? #sponsored. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is to never compare my journey to anyone else's & to be proud of even my smallest wins. . Every day I wake up, no matter what obstacles or setbacks I'm faced with, I focus simply on how I can be better than I was the day before. We get so caught up in the macro of our lives, but the micro is where the magic happens. Small daily changes we make to better ourselves & HONOR ourselves that ground us, center us, & create REAL change. . What small changes in your life are you making to be your own @champion? #YourSoulSexy #TeamYSS #ChampionUSA #SelfLove #SelfGrowth #Motivation https://izea.it/aB7Fgxz
A post shared by SIERRA NIELSEN (@sierranielsen) on Aug 29, 2018 at 5:05pm PDT
Nelson, who has 186,000 Instagram followers, started her Instagram account during a fitness challenge. While earlier posts on her account focus more on appearance, she says she has tried to incorporate more holistic messages in her posts. But she acknowledges her new approach may not be as profitable for newcomers still building an audience.
"Unfortunately, the photos that do really well and go viral and get tons of likes are the photos that are perpetuating these body image problems and disordered eating," Nelson says.
Yami Mufdi, a fitness instagrammer with 65,200 followers and personal trainer based in Houston, also started her Instagram account while focused more on appearance. She was preparing for a bodybuilding competition and wanted to document her progress. Since her shift to incorporating a newly discovered interest in wellness, she has noticed a lull in people commenting, liking and sharing her posts.
Day 1 of Anaheim Fit Expo is a wrap!💪🏼 Always a great time with my @bodybuildingcom family but I'll be honest, my favorite part is getting to meet you guys face to face and hear about your journeys! Thank you to all of you that stopped by and shared a little bit of your life with me! We'll be doing it again all day tomorrow so if you're around, come say hiiii!💙 #teambodybuildingcom #anaheimfitexpo #bodybuildingcom ⠀ ✨ps. Less than 30 days until my FREE @mbstribe Fest in Nashville, TN! Click the link in my bio to RSVP! You're not gonna want to miss this!✨
A post shared by Yami Mufdi (@yamimufdi) on Aug 25, 2018 at 6:55pm PDT
"When people are scrolling and they see this beautiful picture of a girl that is perfect in every way—regardless of if it is photoshopped or not—that will definitely cause more engagement than a picture of me meditating," she says. "I know that when you shift your focus, you are going to lose a bit of engagement but at the same time, there are days that I'm like 'I wish my Instagram wasn't lacking in engagement anymore. I wish it was the way it was.'"
neither Mudfi or Nelson responded to requests to comment of specifics on how much they charge per post in time for the article; however, they both are not solely dependent of Instagram for income. They also work as personal trainers and sell their fitness programs online.
Not only do these more "wellness-based" posts draw less of a following, they also can attract harsh comments. In one recent post, Nelson wanted to communicate to her followers that despite being a personal trainer, she still has cellulite. (In reality, around 80 to 90 percent of women have cellulite, many of whom are extremely fit.)
Raise your hands if you've got cellulite?! If your thighs touch!? Wanna know what that means? It means you are F*UCKING BEAUTIFUL. That you are HUMAN. And that you are NOT ALONE! 🖤🙌🏻 . These photos are real, raw, untouched, no fancy lighting & unflexed. I was nervous as hell to take these photos because, to be honest, I took a break from intense training for almost a month. Life got super chaotic & I found myself falling back into my old habit of constantly worrying about & taking care of others & neglecting myself. . The old me, would have taken these photos & immediately seen all of the "flaws" & imperfections. I would have spent the entire day in a funk, crying & tearing myself apart. The new me…the me that's focused on my INTERNAL world… was able to actually genuinely smile & be proud of these photos, cellulite and all. To feel good about myself regardless of the way I looked. . The past two weeks I have been SO inspired by my amazing new #YourSoulSexy tribe for really putting themselves out there, for being vulnerable and committing to creating a life that FEELS good on the INSIDE. . The truth is, if we constantly let our external world define us, we will NEVER be truly happy. True health and happiness must start within. . So please, do me a favor babes, and give that cellulite and them juicy thighs some extra love for me today babes because you are beautiful and perfect just as you are! 🖤🙌🏻💫 P.S. #YourSoulSexy #SelfLove #SuperSoulSunday #SoulFit #SelfLoveWarrior #TeamYSS
A post shared by SIERRA NIELSEN (@sierranielsen) on Feb 25, 2018 at 3:15pm PST
Though she largely received positive messages from that post, one person commented that she should delete the photo, "because no one wants to see that aged banana body." ("Banana body" refers to a slim body shape.)
"Regardless of how many positive comments I get, it is difficult as a human being not to focus on that one negative thing," Nelson says. "You become afraid to actually be real and then we resort to all these editing apps to get rid of that cellulite, to make our booty just a little bit bigger, to make our waist a little bit tinier, because that's what we feel is going to be accepted as worthy."
Though both Nelson and Mufdi recognize that there is a problem, they say there is no easy fix. Ultimately, Instagram algorithms determine whose posts will be seen, consequently go viral and make more money. For Mufdi, a drop in engagement is worth it for her happiness.
#TransformationTuesday because 1 year ago to the day, I won 1st place at the #EastCoastCup & I can't believe how much has changed in just one year. 🤷🏻♀ Sometimes, I feel as though I never even competed because the year of prepping came and went so quickly (As did the weight gain🤣) seriously though, for those inquiring minds, depending on the day, I'm up about 20-25lbs from stage weight. Sometimes it gets to me & sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I think that I just wasn't "strong enough" or didn't have the will it took to stay relatively close to "stage lean". And then I think- um, you weren't really eating during this time and THAT usually brings me back to reality bc if you know me, you would know your girl LOVES to eat. 🤣 Point of this post is that like I said, sometimes the weight gain gets to me but then when I put these pictures side by side, I see that not much has changed. Yes, I have more weight around my body, primarily hips & thighs but aside from that, I realize that I'm #MoreThanMyBody. I'm still the same Yami. The same girl that choose to follow a goal and see it through. The girl on the left had one goal & one goal only: to compete. The girl on the right, well, she currently has a bunch of goals that are setting her heart on fire and isn't so focused on the outward appearance. I've grown so much in this past year (thanks #Yoga) and shifting my focus to make things less about me and more about YOU and the community we've created. Together. I'm super pumped to share everything that I've been working on behind the scenes and hoping to announce them soon! 🙏🏼 Remember, life is about transforming time and time again. We're not meant to stay in the one place in our lives. We change, we evolve, we grow. If you're in a season of transformation, like me, embrace it fully and with open arms. You never know where it'll take you! I love you guys! ❤ #LiftAndBeLifted #TeamBodybuildingcom #BestSelf
A post shared by Yami Mufdi (@yamimufdi) on Oct 10, 2017 at 5:53am PDT
"When I was posting all my progress pictures of me in bikinis, I wasn't really fulfilled; I wasn't really happy," she says. "We [think], 'when I lose these 20 pounds, 30 pounds, I will be happy,' but when I was at my skinniest, or my leanest, I was like 'I have to lose five more pounds.'"
Sharing these experiences, as well as being more open—despite the potential criticism—might be the best way forward. Nelson also hopes that Instagrammers truly take greater stock in how their content impacts their viewers.
"We are collectively creating a more body-obsessed and disordered-eating society by the content that is being put out on a daily basis," she says. "I'm really happy that there are lots of different new influencers that are coming out and preaching body positivity. But we just need more of it."
Top Photo Credit: Pixabay
Motivator or Menace? Read More Previous Next


Loopmasters has released Radiophonic Synth Workshop Vol. 2, a sample library featuring a collection of evolving sequences and textures.
Using free running LFO's and long envelopes to modulate the expressive analogue voices of synthesizer legends such as Elka Synthex, Oberheim 4Voice, Roland System 100, Korg Mono/Poly and Octave Cat. This pack is all processed through genuine vintage reverbs and delays along with valve equalization to bring out the best sonic qualities from these classic hardware synths.
73 Long Evolving Textures and Sequences.
Includes Inter Galactic Space Drones, Broken Chimes and Bleeps, Machined FX, Scrambled Secret Messages, Huge Evolving Textures, Sci-Fi Backdrops, Long Sweeping Pads.


text:
God's Good Man is a 1919 British silent drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Basil Gill, Peggy Carlisle and Barry Bernard. It was based on a 1904 novel by Marie Corelli. Its plot involves an heiress who marries a much poorer man.

Cast
 Basil Gill as Reverend John Walden
 Peggy Carlisle as Maryilla Vancourt
 Barry Bernard as Julien Adderley
 Hugh Dabernon-Stoke as Oliver Leach
 Teddy Arundell as Bainton
 Julian Henry as Lord Roxmouth
 Temple Bell as Cicely Bourne
 Kate Gurney as Mrs. Spice

References

External links

1919 films
British silent feature films
1919 drama films
1910s English-language films
Films directed by Maurice Elvey
Films based on British novels
Films based on works by Marie Corelli
British drama films
British black-and-white films
1910s British films
Silent drama films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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Quick Answer: What New Situation Is Addressed In Deuteronomy 12 26 How Do The Ten Commandments Provide A Structure To The Laws Of Deuteronomy 12 26?
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' The Greek name of Deuteronomy, however, is merely a translation of the Hebrew Mishneh Torah, which literally means 'Repetition of the Instructions.
' The Book of Deuteronomy is, above all, a reiteration of the laws given by God to the Israelites in previous books of the Torah (i.e., Exodus, Leviticus)..
When translated from the Greek Septuagint, the word "Deuteronomy" means "second law," as in Moses' retelling of God's laws. The dominant theological theme in this book is the renewal of God's covenant and Moses' call to obedience, as evident in Deuteronomy 4: 1, 6 and 13; 30: 1 to 3 and 8 to 20.
Deuteronomy, Hebrew Devarim, ("Words"), fifth book of the Old Testament, written in the form of a farewell address by Moses to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land of Canaan.
The Book of Exodus teaches God's redemption of Israel and an understanding of sin through the requirements of the law. First, God saved His people out of slavery in Egypt through a series of plagies. To Jews and also Christians, it is a reminder of God's miraculous redemption.
It is a guide to understanding God's holiness, which means that people must be holy and create a holy society. The priest instructs the people to live holy lives and follow the laws. … In many ways, the Book of Leviticus schools people of faith about God's holiness. It also clarifies God's expectations for his people.
The two sections of Moses' second speech is the general statement about covenant law, and then specific stipulations and application of the law to Israelite society and culture.
The book of Deuteronomy was written to teach us that living as the people of God means that we are a people of devotion and love (Deut. 6:5) and no matter how often we fail God will continue to be faithful to us. God chose Israel to be His people, not because they were special or significant in any way (Deut.
Tigay notes, the opening verses of Deuteronomy clarify that Moses is speaking "to the people in the land of Moab, at the end of their wanderings, shortly before they would enter the promised land."18 Moses thus exhorts a people en route to possession; they stand ready to receive the land, "just as the Lord, the God of …
The purpose of Deuteronomy to the original audience was that of reiterating the law and applying it to their lives, as they were about to enter the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. … The name Deuteronomy comes from the Septuagint's Greek title for the book, to deuteronomion, meaning "second law" or "repeated law," a name tied to one of the Hebrew appellations for the book, Mishneh Torah.
Moses reiterates the history of Israel, as well as, the Ten Commandments to remind the Israelites what God expects of them. hence, the name Deuteronomy which literally means "second law" {aka Moses gives "the law" for the second time}.
Bible Gateway Deuteronomy 28 :: NIV. If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
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An aerial view of Splashmins' beach area. Photo courtesy of Splashmins.
Oh boy, did Splashmins blow my scepticism out of the water (pun intended).
After about an hour's trip, by car, from east coast Essequibo, we arrived at the park/hotel/resort, which is located in the Madewini wetlands area, on the Soesdyke-Linden highway, approximately midway between Georgetown and Linden, on an imaginary horizontal line, about 10 to 15 minutes east of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
I must admit I was excited to spend some alone-time with "the wife".
After calling ahead to find out if the resort had television and WiFi access in its rooms, and finding out "yes", I packed my laptop and the over-700-page tome I'm currently reading, "Mask of Treachery", by John Costello — just in case the venue didn't deliver on all the "inclusions" in the package. Like I told you, I was sceptical.
Construction on the 400-acre Splashmins — a man-made fun-park and resort, encompassing the Madaweni Creek and nestled within the company's over-700 acres of lush, tropical rainforest that showcases Guyana's natural beauty of flora, fauna and fish-filled waterways — began in May 1997, and was officially opened in April of 2000, by the Ashmins Group of companies.
The "black water" creek — that starts at the Demerara River and meanders its way, eastwards, through the resort, and onwards beyond the Soesdyke-Linden highway — was, originally, (in the part that's in the park) about, on average, 15 feet wide, with an approximate 60-foot wide band of nine-feet deep marshland/swamp on its north and south banks.
To fit in with the innovative and expansive vision he had for the property, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lennox John, in the beginning, cut down trees and subsequently combined 72 million tons of sand, available on the property, to back-fill the nine-foot swamp that edged the north creek shore.
He also enlarged the creek itself, converting it into a lake, by dredging to deepen and widen it, to its current measurement of approximately a mile long by 500 feet, at its widest — an area that includes an inlet on the south shore and two more on the north shore, giving the body of water the look of an outstretched arm, with the thumb pointing upwards, and first two fingers ajar and extended downwards, at its western end.
The south bank of the creek was left in its almost natural state, with trees and shrubs, beyond which are acres of grasses, palms and literally hundreds of fruit trees, including, among others, coconuts, sugar cane, soursop, mangoes, kuru, sideoms and limes.
This 25-acre, lushly-vegetated area houses Splashmins Eco Adventure Park and Camping Grounds that accommodates hundreds of individuals for fishing and swimming in the south inlet of the creek, bird watching, camping, bush cookouts, lazing in hammocks slung between trees and fruit picking — with one condition: the fruits have to be consumed on the property.
The creek's north shore boasts a quarter-mile long, white-sandy beach — where guests can sunbathe, swim, play volleyball, beach soccer, picnic etc. — that is paralleled by a palm-lined, brick walkway.
Just beyond the bustling beach/walkway area is an enormous, manicured, spotlessly-clean 163-acre park — short-cut, lush lawn, interspersed with 12-to-15-foot-high, piston-shaped ficus trees; firs; diverse varieties of flowering plants and palms; and almond trees.
The park — which exhibits the appropriate ambiance for weddings and other social occasions — is also dotted with numerous picnic areas; an open-air bar; a 24-seat restaurant; oblong and circular benabs, with both thatched and zinc roofs; an enclosed conference room that accommodates up to 70 persons for business meetings etc.; an open-air banquet hall; a basketball court; and a night-lit cricket/soccer field.
To the west of the cricket/soccer field is the hotel, consisting of three two-story, orange and yellow condo-like buildings, each containing eight air-conditioned suites, with individual balconies, queen or king-sized bed, bathtub with hot and cold water, Wifi, television, iron and refrigerator with beverages.
The hotel in which we stayed. Photo courtesy of Splashmins.
The first thing that should have given me a hint at the exceptional service that was to follow was: on finding out that we had been booked in a ground-floor room, I enquired if we could be transferred to one on the second floor.
I'm a Capricorn, I like heights, okay.
Malinda, from housekeeping, who welcomed us at the booking office on the hotel site, briefed us, showed me to the free parking area, said, with a genuine, wide smile "no problem", then personally took us on a tour of the available, second-floor rooms, one of which we took, that had a view of the lake and a king-sized bed.
An example of one of Splashmins' hotel rooms. Photo courtesy of Splashmins.
The company's promotional brochure promised, that for my wife and I, the total cost of the "Weekend Getaway" would be 49,995.00 Guyana dollars (approximately $312.50 Canadian or $238.07 US), and would include: a stay of three days and two nights; live entertainment; bonfire night; beach volleyball; a buffet dinner; use of the resort's amenities; a soca boat ride and lake tour; and horseback riding.
We actually ended up getting, not only the items listed above but also an additional two breakfasts, two lunches and an extra dinner — my second surprise.
I felt like I had gone to heaven.
After settling into our spacious room and chatting on the balcony, shaded by the spread-eagled fronds of a towering palm tree, at about 7PM, we made our way to the small, unpretentious, but intimate, 24-seat restaurant for dinner, which blew my mind.
We had barely seated ourselves when, out of nowhere it seemed, appeared a personable, smiling waitress with a courteous welcome, and two glasses of naturally-pure cherry juice.
In under two minutes, the waitress returned, outlined, verbally, what was on the menu for dinner that day (I guessed that the management preferred the personal touch, since there was no printed menus in sight), then took our order for, get this: "pineapple chicken and carrot rice", which even sounded delicious, if that's possible.
When the servings arrived, my wife and I were impressed, not only with how expertly they were dressed, but how ample they were, even containing tossed salads, which we didn't expect.
Our meals looked and smelled so good, that I dug-in, immediately, forgetting to even say grace. Listen, this is "the God's truth", the food — no strike that, because it deserved a more appropriate description: cuisine — was absolutely delicious, no joke; we totally enjoyed the experience.
By now, you should have definitely gotten the correct impression that I am a "foodie". I don't eat only to satisfy hunger, but for the relish and pleasure; I love food, end of story.
That surprised me, since at all the all-inclusive resorts that we have ever been to, whether in Cuba, Jamaica, Antigua, and the Dominican Republic, eating was always buffet format — serve yourself.
After dinner, we exited the restaurant, immediately in front of which, were chairs arranged in a semi-circle, adjacent to a roaring, dazzling, over-five-feet high bonfire that was set up on the beach, and where the weekend getaway guests were to meet for "games night".
When all the guests had assembled (eight of us), a tall, muscular, handsome, personable gentleman took centre stage, with his assistant, and with microphone in hand, introduced himself as Joel Cole, the co-ordinator for the resort's weekend package's actvities, who immediately attempted to get us to participate in the "games" he had planned for the evening.
Because of a "knee issue" on my part, my wife and I declined involvement, so also did the other six guests, initially, but that didn't faze Joel, who kept on, gently but persistently persuading the other six, to loosen up and give his "games" a try, which they reluctantly did.
He started them off with an easy warm-up task: "chipping" or slow-tramping around the bonfire a few times, accompanied by soca music.
Next came a bout of "musical chairs", which was won by one of the wives, whose name, my wife and I found out later, was Ammelia, who, in the end, beat out her own husband, Jason, for the win. Ammelia was a fierce competitor.
Then came a game that required the guests to divide into two teams that somehow, miraculously it seemed, culminated with the three couples, being split up and ending up on a team that their spouses weren't.
First, the team members, on each of the two teams, had to assign numbers, between one and three, to themselves that involved consultation and discussion among themselves. the game also involved planning and plotting strategies to outfox the opposing side.
The idea was: the two teams lined up opposite each other, with a "bone" placed on the sand, in the centre of the space between them, and when the co-ordinator called a number, between one and three, randomly, the team member on each team with that number, sprint to the "bone", pick it up and run back to their side, without being touched by their opponent.
Well, in no time at all, the participants were really in to the spirit of the game — laughing, celebrating with each win, and by the end of the game of 15 "sprints", things had gotten very, very competitive, with Ammelia's team coming out on top.
The final game was, again, a competition between individuals: a "spoon and lime" (instead of egg) race, which was won by, guess who? Ammelia.
By the end of "games night", four couples, who had started out as complete strangers, were talking with each other, animatedly, and had formed a bond. It certainly seemed, to me, like Joel knew why he had persisted in getting involvement in the games.
He revealed his motivation to me, in an interview on the last day of the getaway, after we had checked out, noting that he was not surprised by the change in guests' attitude towards each other.
He related that he had seen it happen many times before, in the year that the "weekend getaway" package has been in effect, adding that it was somewhat of a goal of his to create camaraderie and a bond between his guests.
He pointed out that he has seen cases, where couples came individually, and by the Saturday night dinner, requested that instead of sitting separately, if the resort could join a number of tables together, so that they could all sit, as one group.
"That is something that we pride ourselves on. As a matter of fact, we actually use that as one of the tools of our promotional campaign — people come individually, but by the first event they become friends," he gleamed.
The stunning sunset we saw, from the beach's walkway, on our first evening, on our way back to our room.
The next day, Saturday, was booked solid: 7-8AM — Madeweni Expedition and Nature Walk; breakfast between 8 and 10; volleyball, between 11AMm and 12:30PM; lunch, at 12:30PM to 2PM; 2-3PM — break; 3PM to 5:30PM — Soca Boat Ride: 5:30PM to 7:30PM — "Do your Own Thing"; and 7:30PM to 9:30PM — Beach Buffet Dinner and Entertainment.
My wife and I begged off of the nature walk. We wanted to sleep in a little later, after all, we were on a vacation, of sorts, and I wanted to make sure I had enough rest and energy, with which to attack breakfast (smile).
But, being a bit curious, I cornered Joel, later, and asked him to describe the scenery along the walk, and how it went.
He explained that the area, Madewini, in which Splashmins is located, is basically a tropical forest/jungle, teeming with wild life and flora, and the Madeweni expedition and nature walk was designed to give resort guests an opportunity to explore and experience it.
The walk (3.89 miles long, outgoing and incoming) actually comprises of a hike through the forest, along a section of a loam road that was built by Splashmins and runs from the resort to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. It also includes expeditions along trails — constructed by the local Amerindians, who have been living in the area for decades — that branches off of the road.
Our fellow resort guests on the nature walk. Photo courtesy of Splashmins.
A woodpecker, photographed by Joel, on the nature walk.
And also a toucan. Photo by Joel Cole.
When "Hon" (now you know, my wife and I call each other "Hon") and I got to the restaurant for breakfast, the other three couples were already there, looking exhausted from their experience on the nature walk.
Breakfast was a gastronomic delight, starting off with cherry juice and fruit salad for both of us. Hon had boulanger (egg plant in Canadian) and choka; and I put away pot bake and stew fish; followed by coffee and tea, respectively — and this was only breakfast, can you believe it?
We skipped the volleyball session, again because of my knee issues, and when we got back to the restaurant for lunch, although the volleyball net was still up, the other couples were nowhere to be found. Then after a few minutes one of the couples crawled in, explaining that after breakfast they went back to bed, fell fast asleep, right through the volleyball time period.
A little while later, Joel's assistant dragged herself in, and explained that she had just awakened. One by one, the other couples came in, with the same story, so, it appears that the net was forced to played volleyball with itself.
Lunch was exceptional: curry chicken and rice for Hon; and pot roast chicken and chow mein for me. Both of us also had tossed salad and cherry juice, of course. By this time, I was soooo impressed with the cuisine, I asked to see the chef (noticed I didn't say cook) so that I could compliment the obvious genius.
She came out, introduced herself and thanked me, profusely, for the compliment on her cooking, or should I say, "cheffing"? Sorry but I don't remember her name. She told us that she was a proud graduate of "Carnegie" and that cooking for her was a passion.
For the non-Guyanese reading this, "Carnegie" stands for Guyana's Carnegie School of Home Economics, founded in 1933 that became a respected institution for excellence in food preparation, among other things.
At a little after three-thirty in the afternoon, after waiting for a number of new couples, who were supposed to have booked in earlier, we took off, in the company's pontoon, with soca music blaring, on our cruise around the lake, with Joel as the tour guide, and Ryan, the driver.
My wife and I on the soca boat cruise. Photo by Joel Cole.
Since no one seemed interested in dancing to the soca music, we lazily sailed up the southern inlet, and disembarked at the dock at the resort's Eco Adventure Park and Camping Grounds, where we spent about 20 minutes exploring the venue, picking fruits, taking pictures and watching some of the 20-something-year-old campers, who were swimming and frolicking in the waterway.
Ammelia and Jason relaxing on the Eco Adventure Park and Camping Grounds. Photo by Joel Cole.
After clambering back aboard, we exited the inlet, turned west and then north into the first, then second inlet, mesmerised by the affluent, private, waterfront homes of the Madewini Estates.
One of the many opulent Madewini Estates mansions, we saw while on the boat cruise. Photo by Joel Cole.
Madewini Estates, situated at the western-most area of the north shore of the resort, is a collection of mansion-like, opulent homes, offering luxury retirement and vacation living, with a range of fully customizable villa designs, laid out over 230 acres of the 400-acre Splashmins Resort.
Residents of the Madewini Estates Resort Community have free access to all the amenities of the Splashmins resort, along with the security, peace of mind and social lifestyle that come with community living, the developer's marketing material promises.
An aerial view of some of the Madewini Estate homes. Photo courtesy of Splashmins.
After about an hour we returned to the launch area, where another couple, who had arrived late, was waiting for the cruise. Joel, being the empathetic and thoughtful personality that he is, offered to take them, and anyone else of the disembarking party who wanted to go, on another cruise — of course, three of the couples, including Hon and I, went back for a second helping.
By the time we got back ashore, there was only about two hours for us to rest up and get ready for the beach dinner buffet and entertainment, performed by solo pannist, Detroy.
We arrived a bit late for dinner, and was surprised to find that we were the last to show up, and that the guests had just about doubled.
The dining area, created on the beach, immediately in front of the restaurant, was cordoned off by about-six-foot poles, topped with Tiki-torches that provided soft, romantic illumination and also reflected off silky-looking, semi-transparent, beige cloth material that was draped, banner-like, between the poles — all this under a clear, starry, moonless night sky, and with the strains of R&B, soca and reggae music, emanating from the steelpan, which Detroy's extraordinary talent made "talk". The ambiance was perfect.
A sectionof the dining area on the beach. Photo by Joel Cole.
At the buffet station, which was set up, just north of the dining area and staffed, Hon selected pigeon peas cook-up, with macaroni pie and stewed chicken, and for salad, sliced cucumber with a lump of chicken salad on top. I had steamed trout, macaroni pie and tossed salad. And for desert, we were served, the best tasting custard (that was topped with multi-coloured sprinkles) Hon and I have ever had.
I knew, right there and then, that I had died and gone to heaven!
In our interview, Joel mentioned that the entertainment varies each week and that to date, they have had dancers, singing and dancing, karaoke, an acrobat, but mainly singers in the reggae, soca and R&B genres.
"While entertaining the guests is our main priority, we have also provided a venue for Guyanese acts to be able to perform in front of a crowd, every single week. Since we started, over a year ago, we have had over 40 different acts come and perform for the guests, here, at Splashmins," he said.
"And we're proud of that; firstly, for giving the guests, who show up every weekend, an absolutely wonderful performance", and secondly, to give local artistes a platform to exhibit their talents….."because the music industry in Guyana is still a budding one, and we would like them to have as many opportunities as possible, to perform in front of a crowd, and we can provide that, so, we kill two birds with one stone," he elaborated.
The last day of the weekend getaway encompassed: breakfast, between 8-10AM; from 9-11AM — horseback riding; 11AM to 12PM — games time; noon — check out and lunch.
For breakfast, we enjoyed fruit salad, cherry-orange juice, saltfish and "float" bake and "boil and fry" — sweet potatoes, ripe plantains and cassava boiled and then fried with seasonings and onions. Hon had coffee and I had tea.
We then went horseback riding, packed, checked out, then returned to the restaurant for lunch that consisted of: fried trout with eddo leaf cook-up for Hon; and I wolfed down barbequed trout, with eddo leaf cook-up and macaroni pie — and, of course, we both washed down lunch with cherry juice.
Hon making horseback riding look easy — and fun. Photo by Joel Cole.
I again asked to see the chef, who I explained to, that her delicious cooking had added tremendous fulfilment to our weekend, and thanked her, again. She smiled, warmly, humbly accepted my praise, and told us that we had "made her day", since she strives to impart happiness to folks, through her cooking.
Yes, that Hon and I frollicking in the water. Photo by Joel Cole.
In addition to its splendid natural beauty and fantastic fare, the thing that truly impressed my wife and I about Splashmins, was the genuinely-courteous, friendly, attentive, cordial and helpful behavior of the management and staff towards their guests — from the owner, to Joel, the waitresses, chef, bartenders, cleaners, housekeeping, horse trainer, boat driver, gardeners etc.
By the way, it was Joel, who is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of marketing and promotion company, Creative Concepts, who came up with the idea of the "Weekend Getaway" package and sold it to Splashmins' owner.
Listen, I don't want to leave you with the impression that everything at Splashmins was all "honky-dory"; there was a hiccup: the resort's "Super Wifi" was not powerful enough for me to access Netflix, CNN, other mainstream websites, or even my own Pride News Online website.
But, it turned out that, in the end, it didn't matter, since I was so busy having a grand ole time, I didn't have a chance, or the time, or inclination to use the Wifi, my laptop or read my book, anyway.
I think I could guess what you are thinking now: They got the good treatment because he is the publisher and editor of a popular, influential and second-oldest (36-years-old) Caribbean-, Black- and African-Canadian newsmagazine, so, obviously, Splashmins put on a show for them, anticipating a written review.
Hey, if that's your thought, you're pretty smart — but dead wrong!
When we booked our romantic getaway, we did not disclose, either that we were from Canada or that I owned Pride News Magazine. And secondly, initially I did not even think about, much less plan, writing a review; as a matter of fact, I rarely write for Pride — I just edit, manage, publish and pay the bills.
Here I was, all alone with my alluring wife — no children or mother-in-law in sight — in an environment conducive for romance, for two-and-a-half days, and I would be thinking about writing a review? You've got to be kidding me! You joking, right?
But, and here's the big but (no pun intended), after a day-and-a-half of soaking in views of an enchantingly-beautiful natural landscape, including exotic flora and fauna; a mesmerising body of water, shimmering under a stunning sunset in the evening, and canopied by a blotchy-clouded, half-moonlit night, ablaze with twinkling stars — and spying satellites, at night; exquisite, mouth-watering cuisine; exceptional, courteous, personable customer service; enjoyable camaraderie with new-found acquaintances; many softly-whispered conversations with my beau; and much more value than I had anticipated and paid for, the spontaneous coercion just came naturally — I had to tell this story to as many people as I could, so that, hopefully, they could feel the intoxicating joy that my wife and I had experienced.
It wasn't until the Saturday night, after dinner and the entertainment, that I informed the "Weekend Getaway" package's coordinator, Joel, about who I was, professionally, and what I had in mind, because I needed to get some photos and official information about the resort, and a few comments from management.
Just before we left the resort for home, I came out of the restaurant, after my interview with Joel, and stepped into a conversation between Hon and one of the other wives, who suggested, strongly, that we contact her in the future.
After this interaction, on our way to our car, we were approached, and stopped, by Jason and his wife, Ammelia (the Champ as I called her), who explained that she had pointed out to her husband how lovingly Hon and I always acted towards each other, and suggested to him that that is how she "would like them to be, when they got to our age".
After a lengthy and meaningful conversation, Jason subsequently gave us their contact telephone numbers for follow up, and requested ours, which we gave, willingly.
I am not saying that we gained friends, it's way too early for that, but we do intend to follow-up with these two couples and…who knows where things could end.
So, now that you've been told, when are you going to check out Splashmins? They're just waiting to entertain and please you.
Just read your piece, "An Enjoyable And Unexpectedly-Memorable Experience In One Of Guyana's Tropical Forests", with great interest and pride [pun intended]!! Having just returned from a few glorious months in Guyana, it was affirming to read about how impressed you were with your experience at Splashmins.
While I didn't get to Splashmins this visit, I experienced similar, uniquely-Guyanese, attentive service, excellent cuisine [I'm a 'foodin' too] and personalized meal requests — and breathtaking scenery, flora and fauna — at the following establishments, to name a few: Herdmanston Lodge in Georgetown; Rupununi Eco Hotel in Lethem; Aruwai Resort in Mazaruni.
Like Francis Jeffers (a non-Guyanese Pride reader, who wrote a letter complimenting Guyana's beauty) I really hope that more Guyanese will take the opportunity to explore and experience our "beautiful Guyana".
Great article and review. Respect to the resort management and I sincerely hope that readers will be encouraged to visit Guyana.
The beauty of the Guyana interior is amazing and I do hope that I get to experience this resort on the near future.


China continues to be among the world's worst abuser of press freedom and jails the largest number of journalists in its prisons, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on April 25. In addition, the press freedom watchdog warned that authoritarian countries across Asia seeking to further consolidate their rule are copying Beijing's model of media control and censorship.
In its newly released 2018 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders evaluated 180 countries in terms of journalistic freedom and the degree to which governments across the world censor their own press. China is ranked 176th, with only Syria, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and North Korea ranked worse.
"China is the biggest prison in the world for both professional and non-professional journalists," said Margaux Ewen, North America Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders, during the presentation launching the organization's 2018 index in Washington D.C.
According to the index, China's state- and privately owned media are now under the Chinese Communist Party's tight control. Foreign reporters trying to do reporting in China are encountering more and more difficulties due to the regime's censorship and suppression.
More than 50 Chinese journalists and bloggers are currently detained in conditions that pose a threat to their lives, the index says, as evidenced by the fact that two imprisoned bloggers died last year due to untreated cancer while in detention.
Ewen also said that a grave concern for press freedom in the Asia-Pacific region is the export of the Chinese regime's "exploitation of authoritarian model of information." Cambodia and Vietnam have adopted this model and imposed extensive suppression of the media.
Cambodia, for example, closed more than 30 media outlets in 2017, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had been "very outwardly" insulting toward media and media freedom, according to Ewen. Among the Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia is generally seen as having been dragged closest to China's orbit.
The index also says that under tougher internet regulations by Beijing, Chinese citizens can now be jailed for the comments they make on news items that they post on a social network or messaging service, or even for sharing content the regime doesn't approve of.
The Reporters Without Borders index echoed another report also published on April 25 by Freedom House in advance of World Press Freedom Day, which says that internet censorship and surveillance reached new heights in China in 2017. Chinese bloggers and social media users continued to be censored and arrested by the Chinese regime for critical online comments or efforts to share information about human rights.
Taiwan, the democratic island nation that Beijing claims as part of its territory, is ranked 42nd in the latest World Press Freedom Index, an improvement of 3 places over 2017 and the highest score for press freedom in Asia. The index says the main threat to media freedom Taiwan faces comes from China, which has been exerting growing economic and political pressure on the Taiwanese media.


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Double the fun! Inspired by the 80's Memphis design movement that celebrated bright colors and graphic patterns, these beautifully crafted notebooks feature two very different designs on the front and back covers as shown. 8.25" x 5.75". 64 blank pages. Sewn Binding. Made in Italy (of course).


This article was adapted with permission from a talk Pentagram partner Natasha Jen gave for the MA Design Research, Writing, and Criticism Department at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Read a counterpoint from Adobe principal Khoi Vinh here.
What's missing in design as a practice and as a group of professionals? The one thing I feel is missing is a kind of sense of skepticism from designers.
Digital platforms provide an incredible opportunity for us to make our voice heard. But yet at the same time, we don't really choose the platforms or even the format through which we react with. So you see a condition is that we tend to resort to the things that are provided to us without us really questioning it.
This incredibly reduced form of looking at design is very common nowadays–we can just basically click on a button. One out of the three things is awesome or is it really bad and then that is the design criticism that we have right now.
And I haven't actually seen much skepticism from designers about these platforms and mediums and blogs and channels that are provided to us. I haven't seen much of that yet, but then I think that if we look around into other adjacent fields, we see that in art–not that all artists are critics–as a field they tend to just be a lot more reflective.
I think we should strive to do a lot more reflection as a group. So I would like to propose the idea that the designer is a skeptic. I know that skepticism is not necessarily encouraging and positive work, but I think that really opens up the ability for us to question things around us, and that also asks us to think about a cultural and attitude shift that needs to happen.
Design thinking embodies our obsession with prescription. I gave a talk on design thinking and my issues with design thinking last year and got a lot of responses. We crave prescriptions and mythology in general– as a profession and as a society. That probably explains the proliferation of design thinking.
Prescriptions create a kind of prison, in terms of how we can think about things and how we work. But a very linear methodology-based way of working completely removes other possibilities.
With 3M Post-it Notes–a hallmark of design thinking–you can do a lot of quick brainstorming and collaborations, right? But if you actually look at what's on the stickers, they are all just thoughts from our heads, right? That is questionable because it removes a lot of the other possibilities and materials that you can bring in to actually really enrich the discussion.
So from prescription, I would like to go back to some of the old ways of working. That is not just going back to old mediums, but rather it's the idea of going back to the very notion of explorations.
I look at an image of [legendary designers] Charles and Ray Eames working in their studio, and the first thing that I notice is all the stuff that they have in their studio. Of course, that was before the internet and computer came about. But what was special about their way of working is that they were just really curious about everything around them, and they collected everything possible. It was through genuine interest in the world around them and through exploration they were able to develop this incredible body of work.
If you looked at that body of work from today's lens, you would find much of it really crazy, like how is that even possible? And why would they do that? There is no focus whatsoever, right? But if you put the business focus aside, you see that they translated their exploration directly into their work and created this incredible body of work that is still inspiring us today.
We have entered an age of the democratization of design. The assumption is that by democratizing design, we're actually able to create better design. I don't think that. I'll propose a different idea that's what I call cross-pollination between domains.
But there's also this assumption right now with the word "empathy" that we should just give people the pencil, and let them actually design because we have to create this kind of user-centric solution. It's too simplistic to draw that equation–that being empathetic to your audience or users equates to giving them the ability to tell you how to design or drive how you design.
I want to bring out a historic example. This is really an interesting case. And I got to know this project when I was at SVA in 2001, through my art class. The artists Komar and Melamid work as a pair. And each of them has his own body of work. So in early '90s, they had this idea. They wanted to know what true "people's art" would look like. This, I think, is the only and perhaps largest of user research in art ever.
So they created this project that is called the "Most Wanted and Least Wanted Paintings." How did they do that? This was before the internet came about. So they couldn't actually put out an online survey and send it out to millions of people. They didn't have Facebook at that time. So what they did was they literally traveled to these countries. They're 14 countries that they traveled to. And you see from the list they're culturally quite different with the majority being in Europe but America is also on the list.
They wanted to find out, out of each country: What would their most wanted painting look like, as well as least wanted? So they asked very simple questions–similar to what we ask our users today.
What colors do you like? Do you like warm colors or cool colors? Do you like to see colors blended into each other or do you like to see them separate? In America, the answer was predominantly blended color.
Out of the answers, they started to realize the paintings. America's favorite painting was a very classic landscape with people in it and two deer on the right with a tree in the foreground, a little hill on the left, and a lake and mountains in the background.
In France, they had some pretty similar results with the exception that there were some haystacks in the foreground. There was also that tree and there's a lake and there's a mountain in the back, and there are two deers Iceland is almost the same compositionally as well as thematically.
So it is astounding that, first of all, they so similar in terms of themes, objects, and compositions. Even more astounding to me is how generic they are. This is very kind of enlightening study in that, not all user feedback is good. And oftentimes user feedback is the bottom line and we should strive to do better than that.
So what I would like to propose is this idea of cross-pollination between different domains. It simply means that designers should get into other domains–ones that are typically outside of our own comfort zone.
One interesting example for me is this architecture group in the '60s called Archigram. Archigram was a group of architects, and they never got anything realized. That was not their agenda to get their thinking built but what they were trying to do is to agitate modernism, which again, was on the rise at that time. They created a medium that is very unconventional in the architecture realm–a zine–and they focused on issues such as technology and architecture, mobility, modularity.
So they would propose things like the whole city can move. Things like that. These are some examples from their really large body of work, and as you can see here, none of this is traditional architecture drawing. These are so exuberant and stylistically diverse that they're inspiring to look at, and you don't even have to be an architect to enjoy these images.
In issue four, they completely borrowed the language of Marvel Comics. They just use it as is, but the content was their original content. I find that clash and that cross-pollination really interesting. That kind of thinking is missing in our field of design right now. Everything feels sterile and safe. So I would like us to get out of our comfort zones and get into our domains.
We have too much jargon. And I think that we're also responsible for creating a lot of jargons. Both in design thinking and also in branding, there's ton of jargon. We have to shift our focus from jargon to vocabulary. Again, old-school vocabulary. You can't have any meaningful or deeper conversation unless you have a rich set of vocabulary.
Design thinking is full of jargon, and most of it is confusing and doesn't mean much at all. Take words like, "unleash" or "unlock." You hear these two words quite often in design thinking. I find that problematic because design itself is not just like you're letting go of this beast and it's going to go save the world. Design is a lot more nuanced, but because of a lack of vocabulary, we begin to see simplistic words used over and over and over again.
That lack of vocabulary has real consequences in the world, not just on paper. Think about an MRI room for children. This is a pretty terrifying experience for kids to go through these machines, for adults even. So let's say you're trying to figure out, "How can kids enjoy such an environment?" And the solution is to create a lot of cartoons and plaster them around the wall, around a whole machine.
That intent is great. But the solution and execution is terrible. There are so many other things that can be questioned, like the dimensions of the room, the ceiling height, the lighting, the textures. It's about all the other things that you not actually see in graphics. And that requires a great interior designer or architect to answer these questions.
Once you bring in these experts, you begin to have a deeper vocabulary to critique such a design. So that a lack of design vocabulary is an issue that we really have to address as an industry.
We are in an era of innovation. I gathered a quick, small collection of the word "innovation" in relationship to design thinking. And I found a false promise that design thinking guarantees innovation. But innovation is different from invention. You can invent something but if you fail to bring it to market, that is not innovation. Innovation is that process from inventing something and making something to bringing it to a market and mass adoption.
All the tools that we're in love with and that we rely on are examples of innovations. They're great. But in looking at the "right now," you begin to fail to look back or look forward. So these great products result in incredible problem in e-waste and no, it's not just e-waste, it's basically pollution of all kinds. Plastic as well.
Plastic was an innovation back in the day. So was the atomic bomb. That changed the game of warfare. If you just focus on innovation then you actually fail to look at history and also what we can learn from history.
Now, in the last few weeks, we're so angry at Facebook, through this exposé of Cambridge Analytica. And there's a movement, #DeleteFacebook. But #DeleteFacebook is not the solution here. It's a symptom of looking at right now. Social media is not going away. Invasion on our privacy or our personal data is not going away. Deleting Facebook is not going to change anything.
It's not a question of taking away social media. We might as well just take down the internet. It's about how we can use it, how we can regulate it so that it can serve us better.
I propose that we go from a society obsessed with how things work–that's functionalism–to craft. Right now, we want things to work. The professor Brett Waters teaches at Stanford about design thinking, and he wrote a piece titled, "Design Thinking Is Not About Design." That caught my attention.
Design is an engineering methodology, according to Waters, for developing successful products. Design thinking has nothing to do with making something pretty and everything to do with making something useful. For example, an engineer could use it to develop an ugly machine that does its job beautifully. This statement fails to recognize the importance of beauty and how beauty is actually intelligence, is rigor, is culture. It embodies so much more of us people than sheer functionalism.
Take the work of Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen. If you look at her dresses, you see that there's nothing about them that look like normal clothes. And there's something so spectacular about them that you question their usefulness. They may not be useful, but you can see incredible craft and use of material and technology to create these things that almost look like some ancient artwork from ancient culture.
And the other example is the Aspen Art Museum designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. The façade is a basic looking façade, but the technology and material required to go into it is actually really, really difficult. The material is a combination of paper and a little wood with resin. It is fireproof and incredibly strong. It's structurally sound but it's also incredibly beautiful.
So this dichotomy between functionalism and beauty, between something that actually works versus something that's just pretty–that should be completely dissolved. It's not serving us any good.


Fewer prosecutions should be brought against police, fire brigade and ambulance staff who commit driving offences while responding to emergencies, according to draft guidance issued by the Crown Prosecution Service on Thursday.
There may also be no public interest in charging individuals whose driving results in members of their family or close friends being killed because they will already have suffered overwhelming grief, the same public consultation suggests.
The decision to review the guidelines follows criticism earlier this year of the CPS by the Police Federation for prosecuting a Hampshire police officer, PC James Holden, who pursued a serial burglar driving a van that ended up crashing into level crossing barriers.
Holden was cleared of dangerous driving and no one was injured in the incident but officers around the country have subsequently been reported to be scared of being prosecuted for answering 999 calls. Many have called for the law to be changed.
Launching the public consultation, the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, explained: "The issues that arise for prosecutors when deciding to charge someone with a very serious driving offence – particularly where there has been a fatality – are inevitably difficult and sensitive.
On police, ambulance and fire brigade drivers, the draft guidance advises prosecutors to use discretion in deciding whether or not a prosecution is required in the public interest if an offence is committed while responding to an emergency call.
"It is very unlikely to be appropriate to proceed with a prosecution on public interest grounds if a police officer, ambulance driver or firefighter commits a driving offence while responding to an emergency call unless the driving is dangerous or indicates a high degree of culpability," the new advice proposes. In the existing guidance, the equivalent word is simply "unlikely".
The DPP said: "Those who work in the emergency services need to know that they can respond to an emergency call without fear of prosecution for doing their job.
"This is not a licence for emergency workers to act with immunity from prosecution, but it is important to appreciate that police officers, ambulance drivers and firefighters sometimes need to drive in a manner which would be not be considered acceptable by other drivers."
Senior CPS staff must still be consulted in cases involving fatal accidents.
In April, following Holden's acquittal, the Police Federation contacted the CPS to raise its concerns. At the time, it warned: "The real problem is the law and the lack of protection it offers police pursuit drivers … It seems there is a willingness to hold an officer legally responsible for the danger created by the driver he is pursuing … Does this mean all officers who pursue could be liable for causing or perpetuating that danger?" The CPS consultation is partially a response to those fears.
In so-called "nearest and dearest" cases, the amended guidance indicates it may not be in the public interest to prosecute where a suspect has lost a "loved one" as a result of a fatal collision.
Starmer said: "The decision over whether to prosecute can be extremely challenging; for example where a parent's careless or dangerous driving has led to the loss of their own child, which will inevitably bring with it enormous grief and terrible bereavement.
"This circumstance must, of course, be balanced against the need to ensure the safety of other road users – and if there is evidence to suggest that an individual presents a continuing danger to other road users then the proper course may well be to prosecute on public interest grounds once there is sufficient evidence to do so."
The changed wordings have now been put out to consultation. Responses to the CPS are due by 8 November 2012.


Lots of great Indian food. They're well known for their nasi kandar and biryani. Their 'Biryani ayam deen' (chicken with a thick onion paste/sauce and biriyani rice) is highly recommended and one of my favourite meals in Penang. I also had their 'ayam ros' chicken curry with biryani rice which was great too.
You can have the vegetarian "biriyani kossong" ('kossong' means zero and in this context, refers to no meat) with some curry sauce to pour over it for only RM3, which makes a cheap lunch!
Update: I went back and had the biryani ayam deen in the evening and it wasn't as fresh and the meat was slightly dry. Hopefully it was just a one off.
Note: I think they do roti canai in the evenings. Biriyani seems to only be in the mornings and lunch.


Nestlé has signed an MoU with the University of Kelaniya's Department of Marketing Management. The Company has come on board as strategic partner for the University's 'Certified Professional Marketing Graduate (CPMG)' programme, which offers high performing students an additional professional qualification in marketing on top of their degree.
The agreement is part of Nestlé's new initiative to support youth employment in Sri Lanka, called 'Nestlé Needs Youth', by providing young people with skills and training to enhance their employability, a press release stated.
As part of CPMG, the top 30 students following the University's 'Diploma in People Skills' were taught and trained by Nestlé employees on 15 subjects covering Collaboration, Leadership, Innovation and Personal Development. The sessions were held at Nestlé's Training Centre in its head office, where in-house facilitators shared theoretical and practical applications using various training interventions.
Students also participated in field visits across three regions for an in-depth insight and real experience of the market. The first batch of the 'Diploma in People Skills' recently graduated, receiving their certification from Nestlé and the University of Kelaniya.
The top 10 students will be awarded sales training stints with the company for six months.
Nestlé also provides young people with employment; today, 35% of Nestlé's workforce are under 30-years and 60% of its total workforce are millennials. The Company is also actively engaging in readiness-for-work activities for youth – through digital media and events such as job fairs and workshops – on CV writing and interview preparation.
Nestlé MD, Shivani Hegde said, "Part of our purpose as a company is to help develop thriving resilient communities. Nestlé is committed to promoting decent employment and diversity, and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. Young men and women are the future of our societies and our economies. Yet traditional education is often no longer enough.
Young people need the right skills to help them in a rapidly changing, digitalised work environment. It will be hard to thrive as a corporation and help the communities we are part of to grow unless we can tap into the skills of young people who will drive the next wave of development. This long-term approach has always been part of Nestlé's DNA."Visit www.nestle.lk for more information, the release concluded.


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Video: M8 Competition drag races S1000 RR bike in BMW showdown
Home » Video: M8 Competition drag races S1000 RR bike in BMW showdown
When people think of the fastest vehicle BMW makes today, they usually come up with the same answer: the M8 Competition. That may be true for cars, but let's not forget that BMW also makes bikes.
The BMW Motorrad has been doing that for a long long time and learned a lot in the process. That's why BMW is able to offer superbikes for those of you out there who prefer two wheels instead of four.
As we all know, bikes are faster than cars for a simple reason: the power to weight ratio. They usually have incredible amounts of power available per kilo, especially when compared to certain, heavy cars.
The video below wants to find out whether the new M8 Competition can keep up or even beat the fastest road-legal bike BMW Motorrad can offer, the BMW S1000 RR. Looking over the specs, things don't look good for the car.
The M8 has 625 HP at its disposal but, when taking into account the weight it has to carry around, it all adds up to about 327 HP per tonne. As for the bike, its 1-liter 4-cylinder engine makes 204 HP.
Chip in the weight and you get a power to weight ratio of … drumroll please … 1052.7 HP/ton. That's basically three times more than the car. However, the race is set up for a traditional 1/4 mile run. That means, traction will play a huge role here.
Video: 840 HP BMW M5 drag races McLaren 720S
It's unquestionable that the bike will be faster but it will require longer strips of road to get to unleash its full potential. On the 1/4 mile run, the car might have the advantage because is all-wheel drive and the weather wasn't all that great either, with low temperatures affecting the grip tires could hold on to.
Nevertheless, this turned out to be a lot closer than I expected and you'll see why in a moment.
BMW S1000 RR