Cherish the Small Comforts that Bring Your Joy in an Unsettled World – Jewish Journal

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Weve recently moved. Our family feels blessed that our children will create memories in this beautiful home. The kids have claimed their spaces, started to decorate their rooms and seem to have forgotten that they lived anywhere else.

Our home has become more than a dependable place. My husband and I breathe a sigh of relief when we walk through the door, as if the confusion and horrors of the outside cant possibly penetrate our inner sanctum. The mental game we play with ourselves is perhaps one many of us choose to enter: If we just close the curtains and turn off the news, then everything will be OK.

We know, everything is not OK. Far from it. Yet, maybe one of the ways to wade through the waters is to find those pieces of comfort that displace the feeling of being unsettled.

What brings you comfort during an unsettling time? Some simple favorites: Watching the waves crash on the beach, eating a heaping pile of spaghetti and meatballs, five pairs of hands putting together a seemingly impossible puzzle, and prolonged snuggling at bedtime with plenty of lullabies. Do these comforts change the realities of the outside? Not at all. Do these comforts help relieve our unsettled spirits? For a few blessed minutes, yes.

The Talmud explains that three areas ease a persons mind: a pleasant voice, sight and smell. Meaning, sometimes, a beautiful piece of music or prayer, seeing someone that brings joy to your face and smelling the sweet aromas of a favorite recipe are more healing than we imagined. Does listening to classical music in your backyard replace the Hollywood Bowl? Never. Does watching grandchildren through a screen replace physical hugs and kisses? It cant. However, we must take comfort in the ways we can, knowing that these substitutions are not forever. And surprisingly, some of those substitutions can quell the heart in more ways than one.

Emerson reminds us that, Nobody can bring you peace but yourself. We can retrain our senses, allowing simple pleasures to settle our souls. The unsettled world is still there, not to be ignored, eager for our willingness to engage, change and mend. But to brace ourselves for the ongoing struggle, we must find those comforts that nourish, replenish and restore.

In this unsettling world, may a few comforts bring us joy and a lingering peace.

Shabbat shalom.

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Cherish the Small Comforts that Bring Your Joy in an Unsettled World - Jewish Journal

Liberty Broadband to merge with GCI Liberty – RCR Wireless News

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Two Liberty companies are being rolled into one, bringing together the parent company of Alaskan telecom company GCI and Liberty Broadband, which holds a 25% stake in cable provider Charter Communications.

The stock-for-stock transaction will combine the two companies and values GCI Liberty at $8.7 billion; it is expected to close in the first half of 2021. As reported by MultiChannel News, the two companies are investment vehicles of billionaire and cable cowboy John Malone, who serves as chairman of the board of both companies. The transaction will simplify and reduce the costs of operating and administration as public companies, although the companies also noted that a potential benefit is [improved]flexibility for future strategic combinations.

Liberty Broadbands primary asset is its 25% stake in Charter and subsidiary Skyhook. GCI Libertys principal assets consist of GCI Holdings and non-controlling interests in Liberty Broadband, Charter Communications and LendingTree.

Greg Maffei, Liberty Broadband and GCI Liberty President and CEO, said the transaction is financially attractive and beneficial for both companies.

In related news, GCI Liberty reported its quarterly results and saw a 5% increase in revenue, including 6% year-over-year growth in wireless consumer revenues and a 10% jump in data service revenues, offset by falling voice and video revenues. GCI said that it has seen a substantial increase in network traffic since early March, with utilization stabilizing at approximately 25% greater than pre-COVID-19 levels and that its network continues to perform well. GCI began turning up 5G service in April and in June, began a 5G roaming relationship with T-Mobile US.

GCI continued to make substantial financial and operational progress during the quarter, said GCI CEO Ron Duncan in a statement. Despite the challenges of serving our customers in the midst of a pandemic, we added 3,700 consumer cable modem customers during the quarter. Our consumers responded to 5G service, faster speeds and improved coverage from our wireless network upgrades and we added 3,500 new consumer wireless subscribers sequentially.

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Falwell on leave from Liberty presidency – Inside Higher Ed

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The Executive Committee of Liberty Universitys Board of Trustees announced Friday that it "requested that Jerry Falwell Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as president and chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately."

The statement from the board said little more than that. But the board acted amid a growing scandal over a photograph that Falwell posted on his social media accounts and then removed.

The photograph showed him on vacation with his pants unzipped, holding a drink, and with his arm around a woman.

Late Friday, Jerry Prevo, chairman of the board, issued this statement: "In the 13 years that Jerry Falwell, Jr. has served as president of Liberty University, Liberty has experienced unprecedented success, not only academically and financially, with a world-class campus, but also spiritually. As we enter our 50th Anniversary year, we have been blessed to grow to a record 120,000 students, both residential and online, and continue to fulfill our founders mission to train champions for Christ across the world. Unfortunately, with this success and the burdens of leading a large and growing organization comes substantial pressure. Today, my colleagues and I on the Liberty University Board of Trustees and Jerry mutually agreed that it would be good for him to take an indefinite leave of absence. This was a decision that was not made lightly, and which factored the interests and concerns of everyone in the LU community, including students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, leaders of the church, as well as the Falwell family. To support Jerry through this period, we ask that our entire community lift him up in prayer so he may be able to fulfill Gods purpose for him and for Liberty University."

A top Republican in the House of Representatives called for Falwell to leave his position.

Representative Mark Walker, the vice chair of the House Republican Conference and a former Liberty faculty member, said on Twitter, "Jerry Falwell Jrs ongoing behavior is appalling. As a Music Faculty Advisory Board Member and former instructor @LibertyU, Im convinced Falwell should step down. None of us are perfect, but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better."

In a radio interview (before Walker's comment), Falwell said the photo was taken at a costume party and was just in good fun.

Falwell has recently been involved a series of controversies -- while receiving praise from some Republicans for his close ties to President Trump.

In May, at least four black faculty and staff members at Liberty resigned in protest after Falwell tweeted an image of a face mask with a picture from Virginia governor Ralph Northams medical school yearbook that shows two men, one of whom may be Northam, wearing blackface and Ku Klux Klan robes, respectively. Falwell's comment: "If I am ordered to wear a mask, I will reluctantly comply, but only if this picture of Governor Blackface himself is on it!"

Last year, a dozen faculty members at Liberty's Rawlings School of Divinity learned they would not have their contracts renewed, representing significant cuts to the on-the-ground instructional work force of the Christian university in Lynchburg, Va.

At the beginning of President Trump's term in office, Falwell said he would be leading a White House task force on higher education. But no task force emerged.

Falwell is arguably the best known leader of an evangelical college, but has not always acted with them. Liberty is not a member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The CCCU has worked against the Trump administration's positions on immigration.

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North Liberty police move into new $5.7 million home – The Gazette

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Background

NORTH LIBERTY In April 2019, the city of North Liberty broke ground at the corner of Cherry and Main streets on a new station for the citys growing police department.

Police Chief Diane Venenga earlier told The Gazette that the department had completely outgrown its station at nearby 5 E. Cherry St., where it had been operating out of for about eight years.

That building wasnt actually designed to hold a police department. It was a farmhouse converted into a dental office that in turn served as city hall.

After the groundbreaking last year, officials told The Gazette the roughly $5.7 million police station would be finished by April 2020.

Like so many other projects, police stations are not immune to the impact of COVID-19.

The police department just started moving into the new station this past week, Venenga said.

We were on schedule to finish in April, then COVID hit and really delayed things, City Administrator Ryan Heiar said. Between contractors having to split shifts and reduce on-site employees to delays in shipping, the project really slowed down.

There are a few items left to complete, but a temporary occupancy has been obtained and police now are operating out of their first building actually designed to house a police department.

It feels great to be in the new facility, Venenga said. Its nice to have space to move around. And its also nice to have space that we can put everything in and be organized and just make it an efficient operation since it was designed for a police station.

Venenga previously told The Gazette that evidence was stored in a furnace room and meetings were held in the hallway at their previous station.

The new 16,000-foot facility addresses those issues, Venenga said. She lauded a training room that can host up to 50 people and can also be used as a public meeting room, as well as the laundry area and locker room. She said officers are already using the buildings workout area.

The building features a secure detention area where officers can safely detain suspects before transporting them to jail. A sally port will allow officers to secure and process vehicles. The new station also has its own forensics lab, which will cut down the amount of evidence the department sends to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation crime lab.

We have room to grow in this facility up to 40 officers, Venenga said.

The department currently employs 24 sworn officers and two support staff members.

Moving into a facility big enough and designed for a police department is definitely a morale boost, Venenga said.

The officers are excited to come to work and use the facility, Venenga said, noting officers have an easier time doing things like entering evidence into a computer. Its quick and easy for them to take care of what they need to take care of.

The police station is part of what city leaders ultimately envision as a civic campus. Heiar said the nearby fire station was just repainted and new doors have been ordered.

These aesthetic and functional improvements will match the colors of the new police station and further enhance the whole civic campus concept, he said.

Heiar expects the City Council to discuss a new City Hall later this year.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

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North Liberty police move into new $5.7 million home - The Gazette

New York Liberty beat the Washington Mystics 74-66 – Aug 9, 2020 – Sports Are From Venus

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The New York Liberty have beat the Washington Mystics 74-66 from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The win is the Libertys first of the season, after starting the bubble season, 0-5. The Mystics fall to 3-3 this season. The win was head coach Walt Hopkins first as the New York Liberty head coach.

The Liberty were led by three players in double digits, center, Amanda Zahui B with, 14 points, guard Layisha Clarendon with 14 and guard Kia Nurse with 17. The win was punctuated by a late block by Zahui B on Messeman, for her 100thcareer block, also leading to some words between Mystics guard Hines Allen and Zahui B. About the words Zahui B, shed some light on what was said, They were just talking. and my teammates told me to just stay poised.

All this comes after a team meeting, trying to right the ship yesterday, after the 30 point loss for the Liberty at the hands of the Minnesota Lynx. Coach Walt Hopkins detailed the meeting saying that the entire team put all their emotions about being in the bubble out, and talked about their daily things that were in their control, whats your controllable todayeverybody controlled their controllable today.

Washington struggled only shooting 4 of 16 from beyond the arch, which Clarendon chalked up the defensive scheming by the Liberty. While the Liberty shot 12-32, good for 37.5% from three point range.

The New York Liberty are back in action on August 9thwhen they face the Las Vegas Aces. The Washington Mystics are back in action on August 9thagainst the Indiana Fever.

For more thoughts and opinions from Max, check out hisauthor page.

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New York Liberty beat the Washington Mystics 74-66 - Aug 9, 2020 - Sports Are From Venus

Liberty has 3 open dates on the 2020 schedule, here are a few rescheduling options – A Sea of Red

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With every passing day and week, we get more and more football news from the various conferences and schools around the country. These ripple affects spread far and wide and many of them ultimately reach Liberty.

Just this past week the Flames were confirmed for the 3 ACC plus one games that were originally scheduled against Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and NC State. Liberty also lost two games this week as UConn canceled its season and the Mid American Conference did the same forcing the Flames to lose a scheduled game against Bowling Green.

As we enter a new week and Liberty returning to the practice field on Monday, the Flames currently have 9 games scheduled for the 2020 season with openings on Sept. 5, Sept. 12, Oct. 3, and Oct. 31.

Its likely Liberty will elect to keep the Sept. 5 date open and not attempt to schedule a game that weekend as most schools and conferences are starting no earlier than Sept. 12.

Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze just said Friday the Flames are looking to open the season on Sept. 12 against an FCS opponent yet to be determined. Its also likely the Flames will only look to schedule at most two games to get to 11 games on the schedule to keep at least one date open throughout the fall.

Heres a look at teams across the country, with a special focus placed on teams within driving distance of Lynchburg, who have openings on the same dates as Liberty.

With the NCAAs decision to allow FBS opponents to count up to 2 wins over FCS opponents towards bowl eligibility this season, Libertys desire is obviously to play 2 FCS teams in 2020. Western Carolina, as of now, is still scheduled to visit Lynchburg in November, and the Flames would like to add a home opener on Sept. 12 against an FCS opponent.

Elon is still attempting to play this fall despite the CAA and James Madison pushing their season to the spring. The Phoenix are expected to hit the practice field again on Monday. Could we see Elon added as Libertys season opener or will the Phoenix make the same decision as the Dukes and punt on a fall season?

The Big South is one of a small minority of FCS conferences that are still working towards a fall football season. Gardner-Webb, Kennesaw State, and Monmouth could all play on Sept. 12 without making any additional changes to their schedules.

Robert Morrisis still attempting to put together a full 2020 schedule and they were supposed to play at Bowling Green on Sept. 12 until the MACs decision this weekend.

Like the Big South, the Southern Conference is still planning on a fall season and Chattanooga, ETSU, and Samford could all play on Sept. 12.

If Liberty is unable to finalize a deal with an FCS team and options continuing to dwindle, the Flames could look to a number of FBS teams nearby with openings on Sept. 12 Navy, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Marshall, Coastal Carolina, and Appalachian State are all available that weekend.

Army has just 5 games on their schedule right now and they are open on October 3rd.

In addition to Sept. 12, Old Dominion is also available this weekend as they lost a game at UConn. Lynchburg is much closer than the trip to the northeast anyways.

Similarly, Appalachian State is also open on Oct. 3.

FBS Independents Army and BYU are both available on Halloween.

Middle Tennessee Stateis open this weekend as well.

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Liberty has 3 open dates on the 2020 schedule, here are a few rescheduling options - A Sea of Red

Local View: Wearing a mask is an expression of liberty – The Columbian

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Gov. Jay Inslees statewide mask order that took effect June 26 has its fair share of detractors. For many, the requirement to wear a face mask in public as a preventative act against the COVID-19 pandemic is inconvenient and disruptive to daily routines. However, those claiming personal liberty as justification for ignoring or defying social distancing and face mask protocols only acknowledge half of what liberty means. This half acknowledgment can and will hurt their own case in the long run.

The COVID-19 response at both the state and federal levels is commonly framed as a public welfare vs. liberty argument by both sides of the mask debate. One side argues that requiring face mask use promotes the public welfare through preventing disease transmission in public spaces, while the other side argues that such requirements impinge on individual liberties, especially if fines or other punishments are levied against those refusing to wear a mask.

The arguments used by those opposing mandatory mask orders relies almost exclusively on an expression of short-term negative liberty, when an understanding of governments role in promoting positive liberty through collective coordinated action is necessary to best address the pandemic and reopen our communities sooner.

The difference between negative and positive liberty is most succinctly understood as a difference between freedom from and freedom to.

Negative liberty is often expressed as an individuals freedom from government constraint. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, which prevents governmental interference in religious practices, is a clear example of a negative liberty. Positive liberty involves freedom to do something or the ability to make autonomous decisions about how ones life goes.

Rather than refraining from action, this view of freedom might require government to provide resources or act in other ways to solve problems involving public coordination. Public education is one such example of positive liberty, upholding the view that all members of society should be free to pursue education and to be free from the ill-effects of ignorance.

The two sides of liberty come in conflict on a regular basis, and in some cases negative liberties are suspended without any concern. Imagine a police officer taking the car keys from someone under the influence of alcohol before they have a chance to get behind the wheel. That individual might claim they have been deprived of a liberty to drive when they pleased. However, by infringing on that individuals immediate negative liberty, the officer protects the more important freedom we all have to drive safely on the road without fear of drunk drivers.

A similar argument can be made with regard to the statewide mask order in Washington. Requiring individuals to wear a face mask under penalty of fines does deprive them of a negative liberty, but it strengthens a greater liberty which can only be protected through coordinated public action; it creates conditions by which we can all safely access social services and businesses. Furthermore, any effect on negative liberty can and should be temporary provided widespread mask use is maintained until COVID-19 is brought under control.

It is fine to express annoyance and frustration at a statewide mask order, but choosing to defy such requirements based on a liberty-based argument ignores the long-term welfare and liberty harm that may be done. In situations such as the state response to COVID-19, wearing a mask in public spaces is an expression of liberty. It shows that we want freedom to access our communities and economy, and that we want freedom from disease.

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Liberty football notes: Quarterbacks Willis, Ferguson splitting reps at first team, and more – Lynchburg News and Advance

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Quarterback Chris Ferguson prepares to unleash a pass Friday during the opening of Liberty's training camp.

Malik Willis looks for an open wide receiver during Friday's opening of training camp at Liberty's indoor football practice facility.

Johnathan Bennett goes back to deliver a pass during Friday's opening practice of training camp in Liberty's indoor football practice facility.

Hugh Freeze inherited a potent Liberty offense in 2019 that featured a three-year starter at quarterback in Buckshot Calvert. The signal caller was entrenched at the position, which didnt create much competition at all in training camp.

Calverts graduation following his illustrious career opened up competition at quarterback, which Freeze and his staff will take full advantage of during this training camp.

Malik Willis and Chris Ferguson are alternating reps with the No. 1 offensive unit in the first seven practices to give Freeze plenty of chances to see who will seize control of the position heading into the Sept. 12 season opener.

Johnathan Bennett ran with the third string in Fridays first practice, and Freeze said the redshirt freshman will have opportunities to get additional reps with the second string throughout camp.

Im really excited about the competition we have there. Just in Day 1 today, I thought it was very competitive, Freeze said after Fridays practice. Malik and Chris and JB all looked pretty, pretty good. I love competition in the rooms. Thats why we brought in the ones we did, and Im just excited to see it play out. I think weve got really good options there from one day of practice, but really excited about the competition there.

Willis, an Auburn transfer, entered training camp as the expected starter, and Ferguson, who transferred from Maine this past offseason, was a close second on the depth chart.

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Judge Stephen Williams On Forced Public Confessions – Cato Institute

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Roger Pilon has already paid tribute in these columns to D.C. Circuit Judge Stephen F. Williams (19362020), arevered friend and inspirational figure to many of us here at Cato, and agiant of administrative law whose scholarly and writing interests extended to such farflung fields as preRevolutionary Russian history. Some other appreciations: Fredrick Kunkle/Washington Post, Jonathan Adler first and second, Ben Wittes (friendship began after Wittes wrote something unfair about the judge, who characteristically overlooked it), Aaron Nielson (noting that Williams was famous for the regularity with which his clerks went on to become respected legal academics), Notice and Comment multiple authors, Nathaniel Zelinsky.

In his post linked above Aaron Nielson hails Judge Williams as a man of courage who was not afraid to speak out to what he perceived as threats to liberty. Nielson cites Williamss2016 opinion in alabor relations case, HTH v. NLRB, which hinged in part on the circumstances under which the National Labor Relations Board can order managers of acompany that has violated labor law to read aloud to workers the terms of anotice drafted by the Board, reciting past violations and promising to sin no more. Williams cited the words of thenJudge Ruth Bader Ginsburg in an earlier (1983) D.C. Circuit case, Conair v. NLRB, objecting to apersonalized order requiring anamed executive to read such anotice (I would not single out the president [of the company] here, or any other named individual, hand him lines, and make him sing.) Alas, Ginsburgs view did not prevail in that case, and her words came in adissent. In the 2016 case, which raised similar issues, Williams wrote:

Its worth pausing to think briefly why so many of our distinguished predecessors have used the terms humiliating and degrading, ignominy, and confession of sins for amandatory readingespecially by anamed perpetratornot to mention why thenJudge Ginsburg acknowledged that an order of this sort would occasion no surprise in asystem in which those who offend against state regulation must confess and repent as ameans of selfcorrection, or to educate others. Id. at 1401. For those familiar with 20th century history, such an order conjures up the system of criticismselfcriticism devised by Stalin and adopted by Mao. Criticism generally took the form of an attack on the target by his or her peers at ameeting with fellow workers, spouting claims fed them by powerful members of the Communist party (on pain of themselves being tagged enemies of the people), and then regurgitated by the target (selfcriticism) in the hopes that full confession might avert dispatch to the gulag, torture or execution.

What is the subtext communicated by the sort of scene the Board would mandate? What is communicated to the assembled workers and the perpetrator himself? You see before you one of your managers, who normally has aresponsibility to make important choices as to your work. But who is he? Not merely is he alawbreaker, but he is apathetic creature who can be forced to spout lines some government officials have put in his mouth. He is not even aparrot, who can choose when to speak; he is apuppet who speaks on command words that he may well abominate. We have successfully turned him into apathetic semblance of ahuman being. Of course, one may say, here it is just that the mighty have fallen; he was alawbreaker. But fallen so low? Fallen to acondition that denies his autonomy? Cf. United States v. Gementera, 379F.3d 596, 611 (9th Cir. 2004) (Hawkins, J., dissenting) (saying that the sole purpose of asentence requiring aconvicted mail thief to stand outside apost office for eight hours wearing asandwich board stating, I stole mail. This is my punishment was to turn him into amodern day Hester Prynne).

Liberty was asafer thing with Judge Williams standing guard for it.

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Judge Stephen Williams On Forced Public Confessions - Cato Institute

16-year-old killed in off-road rollover crash near Liberty Park – AL.com

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A 16-year-old boy was killed in a rollover crash while trail riding in south Jefferson County Thursday night.

The crash happened about 6:30 p.m. in a wooded area near the 4500 block of Old Overton Road. Birmingham and Vestavia Hills police as well as Jefferson County sheriffs deputies responded to the scene. Rocky Ridge and Vestavia Hills fire medics also were at the location.

The location is off Overton Road and Interstate 459 near Liberty Park. First responders are parked just inside the gates of Cahaba Park Church, formerly the Carraway Davie House event center.

Authorities said the teen boy and two other teens were jeep riding on a power line trail when the vehicle flipped, and the 16-year-old passenger was ejected. The other two teens were not injured but were visibly distraught at the scene, as were family members of the teens.

The crash happened in the woods and, as of 8 p.m., traffic fatality investigators were just arriving at the scene to begin the trek to the site. The crash remains under investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office.

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Utahns speak out against masks at ‘Rally for Liberty’ in Orem and during county commissioner’s town hall – Daily Herald

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A few hundred Utahns huddled around the amphitheater at the Orem City Center Park on Wednesday evening waving American flags, holding signs with slogans like Dont Mask Our Kids and COVID 1984 and, noticeably, not wearing masks or face coverings during a rally against government mask mandates.

The Rally for Liberty in Utah County featured a number of prominent speakers, including Ammon Bundy and Shawna Cox, anti-government activists who were part of an armed militia that took over an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016, who called mask requirements unconstitutional and claimed masks are harmful to adults and children.

Bundy, clutching a microphone and wearing faded leather boots and a chocolate brown cowboy hat, told the crowd that solidarity was the way to stand up to government mandates, such as the statewide mandate for public K-12 schools this fall.

Plan on standing and uniting together, because that is what it will come down to, he said. It will come down to each one of us saying no. And then as the powers come to come and force us in whatever were saying no to, then our neighbors will come around us and defend us and defend each other. Thats exactly what happened at the Bundy Ranch, thats what must happen all over the United States and all over the country if we are to preserve liberty.

Bundy asked the crowd, which ranged from elderly couples to parents with their toddlers and infants, a question: Who has the right to rule you?

No one! shouted one woman. I do! yelled another. God! another person said.

It is not about a mask, Bundy said. It is not about a virus. It is about, whose right is it to rule? Who has the right to rule your life? Your time, your labor? Who has the right to control your body?

We are entering the greatest battle to defend individual rights that has ever been waged before, he continued. If we lose this battle, then we and our children will be plunged into the depths of darkness for many generations. This darkness will be more severe than ever before.

Salem resident Amberli Nelson, who told the rally attendees she was a mother of seven, called the statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools an unprecedented usurping and an abuse of Utah Gov. Gary Herberts executive powers, adding that she wanted to unmask the truth about masks and the many other ways the government in the state of Utah is masking the truth.

The time has come to unmask ourselves, unmask our voices, and unmask our righteous rage at the unlawful acts of tyranny that are being hurled at us daily, dressed up with official-sounding titles such as mandates, Nelson said over the cheering crowd.

Nelson said wearing masks should always and only be a choice and never an act of compulsion by mandate, calling the school mandate a social experiment to see which residents would comply with government orders.

Remember we did not hire our representatives and elected officials to protect our health, she said. We hired them to protect our liberties. Its our job to protect our health, and its still our right to choose how and when and where.

Enoch Moore, a member of Defending Utah, an organization that exposes the truth regardless of its popularity and promot(es) liberty while exposing shills and fake friends of freedom, encouraged parents to pull their kids out of public school if possible and, if unable to, to tell their kids to ignore the mask mandate.

Refuse all testing, Moore told the crowd. Refuse to get your temperature taken. Refuse to wear a mask of any kind. Refuse anything that could be classified as medical treatment (to which) they did not consent. Teach your children not to consent, because they are following the law when they dont consent. And make sure they have like-minded friends at school, because they will try to turn the children against the parents.

At the same time Bundy was telling the audience about the 2016 armed standoff against the federal government, Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee was holding a virtual town hall with residents who had questions or concerns about the school mask requirement.

Lee, who on July 15 requested the commission consider asking the governor to give the county compassionate exemption from the one-size-fits-all mask mandate in Utah Countys public schools but later withdrew his request, told a dozen town hall attendees that he nixed the request because his concerns were addressed in exemptions clarified in a health order issued by the Utah Department of Health on July 17.

I wasnt attacking necessarily the full exemption to masks, because thats not an area that was even really on the table for discussion, Lee said. Thats going to be at the governors level and with the state health department and probably some others there. I was trying to find a way in a compromise, which is the hardest position to be in. Because I can see that, you know, no masks, full masks, were both going to be really hard to play. So I was trying to find some compromise position.

Lee encouraged those who were concerned about masks in schools to reach out to their representatives and senators in the Utah State Legislature, adding that he supported local control and believed that decisions on masks should be left up to individual school districts.

Lee originally intended to hold the town hall at the Utah Valley Convention Center but announced Tuesday it would instead be held online. The commissioner attempted to organize a town hall with county superintendents on July 28, but it fell through when some school officials expressed concern.

Healthcare executives and infectious disease experts have repeatedly told state and Utah County officials that masks are an effective way of slowing the spread of COVID-19 and arent harmful for those without respiratory-related medical conditions.

Connor Richards covers government, the environment and south Utah County for the Daily Herald. He can be reached at crichards@heraldextra.com and 801-344-2599.

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Utahns speak out against masks at 'Rally for Liberty' in Orem and during county commissioner's town hall - Daily Herald

Gettysburg? The Liberty Bell? Trump Weighs R.N.C. Speech Options – The New York Times

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One such venue that drew Mr. Trumps attention was Gettysburg, a wide-open national park with a built-in theme about a country divided against itself. The aides thought the setting would flatter Mr. Trump by allowing him to draw a comparison he loves: one between himself and Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Trump delivered a speech at Gettysburg during his campaign four years ago, calling it an amazing place and suggesting that the country was as divided as it had been during the Civil War. He also said that the election was rigged against him and that he planned to sue the women who had accused him of aggressive sexual advances (he never did).

A White House official said the president was leaning toward a series of speeches that could be held outdoors in different places, and a stage that would serve as the main hub of activity all week in Washington. It is also not yet clear if any of the ambitious plans will come to fruition for a convention set to start on Aug. 24.

Some aides have been pushing for Mr. Trumps own Washington hotel, just down the street from the White House, to serve as the convention week hub. But other Washington locations are currently being more seriously considered.

Conventions have gone the way of the dinosaur, said Brian Ballard, the top Republican lobbyist in Florida and a major party donor, who was one of the key fund-raisers for the convention when it was set for Jacksonville. But the acceptance speech matters more than anything else. I hope they find an iconic location. It will be unique, and make history.

Mr. Trump has also indicated both privately and publicly that he likes the idea of giving his renomination speech from the confines of the White House a move that would technically be legal but blurs the line between political candidate and public servant. Other presidents have come close to the line President Barack Obama filmed two political advertisements in 2012 from the chief of staffs office in the West Wing and Trump advisers said they were on solid legal footing if Mr. Trump spoke from the residence rather than the West Wing.

So far, however, little except an overarching theme about the forgotten men and women of America has been finalized, and Mr. Trump has been characteristically indecisive about signing off on any plans. Tim Murtaugh, the campaigns communications director, said the convention would still be a celebration of the accomplishments of President Trump on behalf of all Americans.

Aides said they were planning programming that would reflect the kinds of stories highlighted every year during the State of the Union address, featuring speakers who are regular Americans with stories to tell about how their lives were affected by opportunity zones, school choice scholarships, or other initiatives promoted by the administration.

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Gettysburg? The Liberty Bell? Trump Weighs R.N.C. Speech Options - The New York Times

Petition Calls on U. of Lynchburg to Cut Ties with Liberty U. and Falwell, Sr. – Friendly Atheist – Patheos

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The University of Lynchburg, in Virginia, is home to a $22 million dorm called Westover Hall. If you go to the rooftop terrace, youll find a plaque honoring the late Christian bigot Jerry Falwell, Sr. (below).

Thats because Liberty University donated $1 million to build that residence hall (including a nearby parking lot) while allowing some Lynchburg students to use Libertys facilities.

Now a bunch of former University of Lynchburg students are calling for the school to make a clean break from Liberty and Falwell.

It wont happen. But a Change.org petition with over 800 signatures highlights the concerns:

[Newer students] did not sign up for an institution that upholds (or is perceived to uphold) the damaging ideology of Jerry Falwell Sr.. We look forward to a bright, vibrant future for the University of Lynchburg. This is a step in the right direction.

I agree with their sentiment. Falwell famously blamed 9/11 on pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. He supported school segregation in the name of God. He opposed making Martin Luther King, Jr.s birthday a national holiday. He was a moral monster whose greatest sinwas arguably raising a son whos even more despicable than him.

But again, the building is there. Its not going away. Students would have a better chance of success raising money for a second plaque that points to the Falwell one and says We oppose his bigotry. (Hell, Id donate to that.)

The Richmond Times-Dispatch, by the way, has a hilarious-slash-depressing bit of both-sides-ism in an article about this controversy:

His values do not align with what the University of Lynchburg says they want to be, said Johnathan Harris, a 2002 graduate who penned a letter to school leadership asking them to remove Falwells name from the dorms terrace. His rhetoric represented that of racism, bigotry, placism and sexism until the last day.

In a brief interview Friday, Jerry Falwell Jr., who took over the presidency of Liberty University in 2007, disputed the claims that his father was a bigot.

Theres no need for Jr.s opinion here. If youre writing about the KKK, you dont need to quote the son of a Grand Wizard saying, My daddy wasnt a racist. Jerry Falwell, Sr. was a bigot. Full stop. We dont need a second opinion from anyone.

(Screenshot via YouTube. Thanks to everyone for the link)

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Petition Calls on U. of Lynchburg to Cut Ties with Liberty U. and Falwell, Sr. - Friendly Atheist - Patheos

On the move: Square Caf leaving Regent Square for East Liberty – TribLIVE

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Square Caf will be serving customers in East Liberty come September.

After more than 16 years in the Regent Square section of Edgewood, the restaurant found a new home in the former location of Spoon and BRGR. It is 8,000 square feet with a rooftop deck that, with outdoor heating, can be used nearly year-round.

A few days ago the Square Caf Facebook page alluded to something happening.

Spoon and BRGR in early July announced they were closing. Square Caf owner Sherree Goldstein said when she heard about the space being available, she talked to the landlord and signed a lease.

The plan is to open in early September. They are currently painting and cleaning the space. She intends to keep all employees and hire some new ones.

Square Caf, which serves breakfast and lunch, will eventually be open for dinner and have alcohol, she said.

It was time, said Goldstein.We didnt feel very welcomed by the borough.

The issues included a dispute over outdoor seating last year. After placing tables and chairs along the sidewalk, she was told there were too many and they were too close to the sidewalk. It was resolved by the borough council, which allowed the seating to continue.

The most recent situation involved signs she placed in front of the restaurant to alert people that they can order food for pickup or delivery. They let people know Square Cafe was not only delivering meals but also offered to provide everyday essentials such as produce, milk, bread, butter and flour.

She said they received a citation from Edgewood and was treated rudely when she called the borough to discuss the citation.

We, like every other business, are just trying to survive during this pandemic, she said.

The Regent Square neighborhood includes portions of the municipalities of Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg. Square Cafe is on the Edgewood side of South Braddock Avenue. Across the street is Swissvale, where Goldstein owns another business, My Goodness Market. She said she has the same signs there and was not cited for those.

Edgewood Borough manager Rob Zahorchak said Square Cafe received a warning letter saying the signs did not comply with the boroughs ordinance, and that it could face a possible citation.

He said the borough has rules for all businesses governing the number of signs, their size and where they are placed. Businesses are also required to apply for a sign permit, which needs approval.

In this instance, none of that happened, he said. No one asked if they could do that. She was warned to please take them down to be in compliance, like every other restaurant and business in the borough. It is my understanding that it is the placement and the type and the number of signs that violated the zoning ordinance.

He said he doesnt plan to take any other action.

Former Edgewood Borough Council President George Fuller said he hadnt heard about the citation. He said its unfortunate something couldnt be worked out.

She does a good business there and the food is good, he said. She takes care of her employees and you dont always see that from restaurant owners. Theres something to be said for that.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories:Edgewood | Food & Drink | Lifestyles | Local | Allegheny

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On the move: Square Caf leaving Regent Square for East Liberty - TribLIVE

MITs Video-Conferencing Platform is All About Impromptu Conversations – Enter21st

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As the Coronavirus-led pandemic has locked up many of the international inhabitants indoors, working from residence utilizing the assistance of expertise has turn out to be a norm in 2020. So, with the obligatory lockdowns in place, we have now seen a large improve within the utilization of video-conferencing platforms like Skype and Zoom. However, digital conferences nonetheless lack a number of the key options of in-person conferences like these hallway talks between you and your colleague earlier than. So, to make digital conferences extra like bodily ones, MIT researchers have created an open-source video-conferencing platform that helps impromptu conversations.

The announcement of the brand new platform, Minglr, lately got here from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Developed by a staff of researchers of the college, Minglr is particularly designed to assist these non-public and sudden conversations that individuals have following or previous to an workplace assembly. Its goal is to make distant working rather more fascinating (Indians already prefer it although) by making digital conferences rather more like actual, bodily ones.

I think ad-hoc interactionsthose hallway conversationsare among the most important things that people miss in todays work-from-home environment, says the Professor of Management on the MIT Sloan School of Management and the staff chief of the undertaking, Thomas W. Malone.

So, with the goal to make the digital conferences extra attention-grabbing, Professor Malone collaborated with an MIT Sloan Ph.D. scholar, Jaeyoon Song, and the Associate Professor for Information Systems and Network Science on the DAmore-McKim School of Business, Chris Riedl to develop a prototype open-source software program for video-conferencing referred to as Jitsi.

So, Minglr works principally like every other video-conferencing platform ou there available in the market. However, when you go online to the platform and be part of a gathering, you will notice a listing of people who find themselves accessible to speak. The system additionally supplies a listing of people that particularly wish to discuss to you. You can then choose anybody from the listing to enter a personal room to talk or converse over a video name with that particular person for so long as you wish to.

The open-source platform went for the pilot check on the June MIT Collective Intelligence 2020 assembly. And in response to the working report by the staff, most people who attended the assembly hinted that sudden conversations in lobbies, hallways, or by the espresso machine had been a very powerful elements that attracted visitors at educational conferences.

Now, the staff of researchers is planning to make Minglr accessible for anybody who needs to make use of the platform. The researchers additionally need builders to make use of and as its an open-source platform, they even need the builders to contribute their half to make it extra helpful sooner or later.

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MITs Video-Conferencing Platform is All About Impromptu Conversations - Enter21st

MITs New Video-Conferencing Platform is All About Impromptu Conversations – Beebom

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As the Coronavirus-led pandemic has locked up most of the global population indoors, working from home using the help of technology has become a norm in 2020. So, with the mandatory lockdowns in place, we have seen a massive increase in the usage of video-conferencing platforms like Skype and Zoom. However, virtual meetings still lack some of the key features of in-person meetings like those hallway talks between you and your colleague before. So, to make virtual meetings more like physical ones, MIT researchers have created an open-source video-conferencing platform that supports impromptu conversations.

The announcement of the new platform, Minglr, recently came from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Developed by a team of researchers of the school, Minglr is specifically designed to support those private and sudden conversations that people have following or prior to an office meeting. Its aim is to make remote working much more desirable (Indians already like it though) by making virtual meetings much more like real, physical ones.

I think ad-hoc interactionsthose hallway conversationsare among the most important things that people miss in todays work-from-home environment, says the Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the team leader of the project, Thomas W. Malone.

So, with the aim to make the virtual meetings more interesting, Professor Malone collaborated with an MIT Sloan Ph.D. student, Jaeyoon Song, and the Associate Professor for Information Systems and Network Science at the DAmore-McKim School of Business, Chris Riedl to develop a prototype open-source software for video-conferencing called Jitsi.

So, Minglr works mostly like any other video-conferencing platform ou there in the market. However, when you log on to the platform and join a meeting, you will see a list of people who are available to talk. The system also provides a list of people who specifically want to talk to you. You can then select anyone from the list to enter a private room to chat or converse over a video call with that person for as long as you want to.

The open-source platform went for the pilot test at the June MIT Collective Intelligence 2020 meeting. And according to the working report by the team, most of the people who attended the meeting hinted that sudden conversations in lobbies, hallways, or by the coffee machine were the most important factors that attracted guests at academic conferences.

Now, the team of researchers is planning to make Minglr available for anyone who wants to use the platform. The researchers also want developers to use and as it is an open-source platform, they even want the developers to contribute their part to make it more useful in the future.

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MITs New Video-Conferencing Platform is All About Impromptu Conversations - Beebom

Celebrities have literally stripped ’empowerment’ of all meaning – The Big Smoke Australia

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The origins of this trend were unclear some claimed it was inspired by Alexandra Ocasio-Cortezs speech in US Congress about misogyny (AOC notably didnottake up the challenge) while others claimed the source was a movement protesting the high rates of femicide in Turkey.

However, very few of the millions of #challengeaccepted photos on Instagram contain the original Turkish hashtag#istanbulszlemesiyaatr, which demands enforcement of a human rights convention to fight violence against women.

Without any call to action, all that these photos have succeed in achieving is diluting the #challengeaccepted hashtag so that pictures of murdered women in Turkey now appear alongside pouting shots of Cindy Crawford and Eva Longoria.

Aside from the question of whether one can be challenged to do something that isnt remotely challenging (challenge: a stimulating task or problem), I would also ask what is empowering about posting a photo on a platform that is designed precisely for this function.

empowerment| im-pau(-)r-mnt: the granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or duties

In the era of social media marketing via buzzwords and hashtags, empowerment is frequently co-opted by advertising campaigns particularly those aimed at women. Consumerism now thrives on selling female empowerment back to women:Want to be empowered, ladies? Use this shampoo, buy this car, join this weight loss program, wear this lipstick!

As a concept, female empowerment has been reduced to signifying literally anything that a woman does.

Take Khloe Kardashian signing up to be a brand ambassador for a protein shake to empower young women by showing their ex what he is missing. It shouldnt need pointing out, but apparently it does, but there is nothing particularly powerful about women drinking protein shakes instead of eating so they lose weight for the sake of a man who dumped them.

Khloe Kardashians passionate advocacy for female empowerment has not stopped there. Her denim clothing line too isall about empowerment making the women feel great about themselves.As if gender inequities can somehow be addressed by wearing the right pair of expensive jeans.

Meanwhile, when her sister Kim broke the internet by posting a nude selfie for International Womens Day, she spurred a debate about whether or not this was an act of female empowerment.Kim Kardashian herself said: I am empowered by my body. I am empowered by my sexuality. I am empowered by feeling comfortable in my skin I hope that through this platform, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world.

She has since createda womens empowerment add-on for her personal emoji collection successfully monetising feminism and turning it into yet another Kardashian product. I personally couldnt care less whether Kim Kardashian posts nude selfies, but she is a woman of immense power and she is simply exercising that power, not reclaiming it for girls and women around the world who are powerless.

It might look like I blame the Kardashians, but whatever other talents they lack, they are truly masterful in marketing themselves (and the brands that pay them a fortune to do so) in the modern age. They understand that the appeal of social media lies in its simplicity in flattening the world to pretty pictures and aspirational hashtags. In doing so, it voids terms like empowerment of any actual meaning and transforms them into tools for capitalism.

According to its dictionary definition, empowerment refers to the act of placing power in the hands of those who have been excluded from it. So what does posting a selfie on social media do to empower women? Very little, unless they live in a country where women are specifically banned from posting black-and-white photos of themselves on Instagram.

When a woman does something, it is not inherently empowering just because a woman is doing it despite what the hashtags would have you believe. It only becomes a form of empowerment if the woman has been denied the right to perform this action by existing power structures.

So by all means, post your selfies and drink your protein shakes just dont call it female empowerment. Much like the millions of black tiles shared on Instagram in performative support of the Black Lives Matter movement, it only serves to make us feel like were doing something of any substance.

But no matter how many products we buy or pictures we post that are supposed to empower us as women, we still havent closed the gender pay gap or given women worldwide the right to control their own bodies. Women still cant live without fear of sexual harassment or abuse. And the women in Turkey continue to be murdered, their faces appearing in black and white media images.

Nowthatis the real challenge.

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Celebrities have literally stripped 'empowerment' of all meaning - The Big Smoke Australia

Education Professor, Ph.D. Student Recognized for Counseling Research – The Local Voice

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Ole Miss

Published on August 10th, 2020 | by TLV News

Amanda Winburn, associate professor of counselor education at the University of Mississippi, has been awarded the Outstanding Contributor Research Professional Award from theMississippi Counseling Association.

Michael Russo, a doctoral candidate in the counselor education and supervision program, also was awarded the Outstanding Contributor Research Student Award.

The Outstanding Contributor Research Award encourages counselors to carry out organized research in their respective fields in both the professional and student categories. The selection criteria include research applicability to counseling, originality, validity and presentation.

Faculty and students who contribute to research do so in a way that eventually bridges research to practice and impacts services in counseling and education, said Rick Balkin, UM professor of leadership and counselor education. Dr. Winburn is the real deal with exemplary contributions in all areas of teaching, research and service, and Michael Russo has had a very successful doctoral program experience with state and national recognitions and publications.

Winburns research areas include advocacy in school counseling, bullying, wellness and, more specifically, play therapy. Her research has recently been featured in journals including the International Journal of Play Therapy and Professional School Counseling.

I am interested in this line of research because I believe that advocacy is at the heart of everything that we do as school counselors and play therapists, Winburn said. Learning how to become stronger, more effective advocates for our profession or our programming ultimately impacts our students and clients in very positive ways.

Winburn also won the School of Educations 2019 Outstanding Teacher Award. She has been involved with play therapy at UM both in a clinical setting and by actively conducting research.

I think conducting research is just a natural extension of my passion for school counseling, Winburn said. When you believe in something as strongly as I do, you want to explore the field and try and answer as many questions as possible.

Russo, a Dayton Beach, Florida, native, came to Ole Miss in 2018 to join the doctoral program. He was recognized with the student award based on his overall research agenda, which focuses on neuroscience-informed counseling.

Much of my published work is focused around the integration of neuroscience into counseling as well as the empowerment of individuals to reduce symptoms associated with anxiety and trauma through neurofeedback, Russo said. Through counseling processes, such as neurofeedback, individuals can reduce clinical symptoms associated with mental health diagnoses.

Russo recently co-authored an article with Balkin that was published in Counseling Outcome, Research and Evaluation. Together, they evaluated adolescent male perceptions of working alliance, problem severity, well-being and crisis stabilization throughout a 10-week course of residential treatment.

To be blunt, this award isnt about me, Russo said. This award is about the clients that I have had the honor to watch grow and have had the courage to challenge stigma, sign up for a research study and reclaim control of their brain to promote greater regulation within their lives.

The MCA is a branch of theAmerican Counseling Association. It works in Mississippi to encourage the personal and professional development of counselors, influence decisions that affect the counseling profession, and promote the progress of counseling.

The MCA will honor Winburn and Russo at a virtual conference on November 11th.

By Meaghan Flores

Tags: Amanda Winburn, education, Michael Russo

TLV News The Local Voice is a bimonthly entertainment guide and newspaper based in Oxford, Mississippi, covering and distributed in North Central Mississippi, including Oxford, Ole Miss, Taylor, Abbeville, Water Valley, Lafayette County, Yalobusha County, and parts of Panola County, Marshall County, and Tupelo . The Local Voice is distributed free to over 255 locations in North Mississippi and also available as a full color PDF download worldwide on the internet.

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Education Professor, Ph.D. Student Recognized for Counseling Research - The Local Voice

15 Engrossing Artist Biographies and Memoirs to Read Now – AnOther Magazine

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August 10, 2020

Summer is upon us and this year, more than ever, it feels pertinent to pick holiday reads that will uplift and inspire. Where better to turn to, then, than artists memoirs and biographies filled as they are with tales of overcoming lifes hardships, fights for justice and recognition in and outside of the art world, the quest to forge a legacy through art, and, more often than not, a juicy scandal or two to keep the readers interest piqued. Here, weve selected 15 of our favourites for your perusal, spanning the empowering, the ephemeral, the political and the downright provocative (Diego Rivera, were looking at you).

Faith Ringgold is one of Americas most renowned artists and activists, whose inherently political, exquisitely executed work from story quilts to paintings tackle civil rights and gender inequality head on. But Ringgold has had to fight hard for her successes, a story she shares in her stunning, illustrated memoir We Flew over the Bridge. In it, Ringgold details the many prejudices shes battled and the challenges shes faced in balancing her thriving artistic career with motherhood, sharing words of advice and empowerment along the way. It makes for magical reading; in the words of Maya Angelou: Faith Ringgold has already won my heart as an artist, as a woman, as an African American, and now with her entry into the world of autobiography (where I dwell), she has taken my heart again. She writes so beautifully.

Amazing Grace paints a poignant picture of the celebrated African American artist Beauford Delaney, a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and later following a move to Paris in the 1950s a noted abstract expressionist. Delaneys tale is both remarkable and heartbreaking: he was a much loved character, who counted Henry Miller and James Baldwin among his close friends, yet he often felt isolated and underappreciated, struggling with mental illness throughout his life. His wonderfully vibrant paintings boast an extraordinary psychological depth, betraying the hardships he faced and his determination to keep going no matter what. He has been menaced more than any other man I know by his social circumstances and also by all the emotional and psychological stratagems he has been forced to use to survive; and, more than any other man I know, he has transcended both the inner and the outer darkness, Baldwin once wrote.

A memoir quite unlike any other, this book by American photographer Sally Mann weaves together words and images to form a vivid personal history, revealing the ways in which Manns ancestry has informed the themes that dominate her work (namely family, race, mortality, and the storied landscape of the American South). Mann decided to write the book after unearthing a whole host of unexpected family secrets deceit and scandal ... clandestine affairs, dearly loved and disputed family land ... racial complications, vast sums of money made and lost, the return of the prodigal son, and maybe even bloody murder while sorting through boxes of old family papers and photographs. In gripping prose, she allows us to follow her on her resulting journey of self-discovery, shedding pertinent light on her image-making practice at every turn.

David Wojnarowiczs beloved collection of creative essays, Close to the Knives, remains a vital work a scathing, sexy, sublimely humorous and honest personal testimony to the Fear of Diversity in America (as per its inside flap). Its an intensely powerful memoir that guides the reader across the American artists life from his violent suburban childhood through a period of homelessness in New York City to his ascent to fame (and infamy) as one of Americas most provocative creators and queer icons inciting action and self-examination on every page. In the words of Publishers Weekly: What Kerouac was to a generation of alienated youth, what Genet was to the gay demimonde in postwar Europe, Wojnarowicz may well be to a new cadre of artists compelled by circumstance to speak out in behalf of personal freedom.

Patricia Bosworths fantasticDiane Arbus biography takes a deep dive into the turbulent life of the seminal American imagemaker, whose unflinching photographs of marginalised groups sought to challenge preconceived notions of normality and abnormality with extraordinary results. Through Bosworths shrewd investigation, and interviews with Arbus friends, colleagues and family members, we learn of the ideas and inspirations that drove her, the fears and anguish that plagued her, her pampered childhood and passionate marriage, and the tragic turn her life took in spite of growing artistic acclaim resulting in her suicide in 1971.

This book is the brilliant tale of five brilliant women artists: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler, who burst onto the male-dominated New York art scene in the 1950s, smashing down gender barriers along the way. Each was an indomitable force in their own right Krasner, an assertive leader and hellraiser; de Kooning, a great thinker; Hartigan, a fiercely determined housewife-turned-painter; Mitchell, a vulnerable soul with a steely exterior and prodigious talent; Frankenthaler, a well-schooled New Yorker, who shunned a traditional career path to follow her dreams. But together, from their cold-water lofts, where they worked, drank, fought, and loved, they changed the face of postwar American art and society forever.

Gordon Parks autobiography Voices in the Mirror is a compelling and empowering read. It traces the American photographers difficult early life in Minnesota where he became homeless, following his mothers death through his groundbreaking and meteoric rise as an image-maker (the first Black photographer at Vogue and Life, no less) and thereafter as a Hollywood screenwriter, director and novelist. Parks was a man of great compassion and courageous vision, whose work spanned intimate portrayals of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini; of the Muslim and African American icons Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad and Muhammad Ali; of the young militants of the civil rights and black power movements; and of the tragic experiences of the less famous, like the Brazilian youngster Flavio. Suffice to say that incredible stories andwords of wisdom abound.

Ai Weiweihas spent his entire career creating very beautiful, deeply political works that challenge and confront his countrys totalitarian regime to global acclaim. But rising the ranks to become Chinas most famous living artist and activist has come at a price. In April of 2011, just six months after his vast, thought-provoking sculpture Sunflower Seeds was installed in Tate Moderns Turbine Hall, Weiwei was arrested at the Beijing Capital International Airport and detained illegally for over two months in dire conditions. Shortly after his release, Barnaby Martin travelled to Beijing to interview the artist about his imprisonment and to discover more about what is really going on behind the scenes in the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party. Hanging Man is the result a highly informative and stirring account of Weiweis life, art, and activism, as well as a meditation on the creative process, and on the history of art in modern China.

In Gluck, author Diana Souhami examines the radical life and work of British painter Hannah Gluckstein (1895-1978), who took on the name Gluck, with no prefix, suffix, or quotes, in her twenties to reflect her gender non-conforming identity. Famed for her masculine, undeniably chic style of dress, her passionate affairs with society women, and her emotive portraits, flower paintings and landscapes, Gluck was provocative and tender, fierce and gifted in equal measure and decades ahead of her time. This excellent biography captures this paradoxical ... woman in all her complexity, to page-turning effect.

As its title suggests, this book is not a biography as such, but a series of nine interviews with the inimitable figurative painter, Francis Bacon. They were conducted by the late art critic and curator David Sylvester over the course of 25 years, from 1962 to 1986, and thereafter compiled into what has long been heralded a classic, offering an illuminating glimpse into one of the great creative minds of the 20th century. In it, the British painter contemplates the fundamental problems involved in making art, as well as his own obsessive thinking about how to remake the human form in paint (to quote the books back cover), revealing a great deal about his radical practice and storied past in the process. Cited by David Bowie as one of his all-time favourite books, it is essential reading not just for Bacon fans, but for anyone in search of creative impetus.

My Art, My Life by Diego Rivera is a wild read, offering juicy first-person insight into the world of the larger-than-life Mexican painter. Rivera recounted his lifes story to the young American writer Gladys March over the course of 13 years, leading up to his death in 1957. The book sheds fascinating light on Riveras radical approach to modern mural painting, his strong political ideology and his equally unerring devotion to women (he marriedFrida Kahlo not once but twice, youll remember). In the words of the San Francisco Chronicle:There is no lack of exciting material. A lover at nine, a cannibal at 18, by his own account, Rivera was prodigiously productive of art and controversy.

First published in French in 1994, and since expanded and printed in English, True Stories, by the French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, is a real gem. Calles idiosyncratic oeuvre comprises controversial explorations of the tensions between the observed, the reported, the secret and the unsaid, in the words of the books cover, spanning photography, film, and text. Many of her pieces revolve around the documentation of other peoples lives, and the insertion of herself into them (think: her 1980 work Suite Vnitienne, where she followed a stranger from Venice to Paris), but True Stories is entirely focused on Calle herself. Through a montage of typically poetic and fragmented autobiographical texts, and photographs, the artist offers up her own story childhood, marriage, sex, death with brilliant humour, insight and pleasure.

This book centres on the late Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa best known for her breathtaking hanging-wire sculptures and bold, urban installations and fountains. Asawa survived an adolescence spent in World War Two Japanese-American internment camps, before securing a place at the revolutionary art school Black Mountain College. There she discovered her signature medium as a lyrical means of challenging the conventions of material and form. Later, Asawa would become a pioneering advocate for arts education in her adopted hometown of San Francisco, while raising six children, battling lupus and continuing to work. By incorporating Asawas own writing and sketches, photographs, and interviews with her loved ones, Marilyn Chase conjures up a fully rounded image of a visionary creator, who wielded imagination and hope in the face of intolerance and transformed everything she touched into art.

German Dadaist and collage artist Hannah Hchs esteemed career spanned two world wars and most of the 20th century, and by the age of 83, she was ready to reflect. The result was her final, largest photo-collage, Life Portrait (1972-3), comprising 38 sections and measuring nearly four by five feet. It is a self portrait-cum-memoir, alluding to the different periods of Hchs life and work, while ironically and poetically commenting on key political, social and artistic events from the previous 50 years. It also includes imagery of her favoured themes and inspirations (fashion imagery, news photographs, African art and pictures of plants and animals) as well as multiple pictures of herself, identifiable by her signature bob haircut. This unique book presents the collage section by section, alongside relevant quotes and explanatory texts by Alma-Elisa Kittner, acting as a brilliant meditation on Hchs final masterpiece, and the lifes work it represents.

Roxana Robinsons acclaimedGeorgia OKeeffe biography is a sensitive and enthralling investigation into the life and work of the so-called mother of American Modernism. It takes an in-depth look at OKeeffes influences, from abstraction and photography to Asian art, and how she assimilated these into her singular painting practice the red hills, the magnified flowers, the great crosses and white bones. It also shines a light on the many intense relationships the artist forged throughout her life, from her marriage to the revered photographer Alfred Stieglitz to her scandalous relationship with Juan Hamilton, a man six decades her junior. Best of all, it includes plenty of OKeeffes own words in the form of her letters and writings allowing the artist herself to play a key role in the telling of her own multifaceted, infinitely inspiring story.

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15 Engrossing Artist Biographies and Memoirs to Read Now - AnOther Magazine

Culture: beyond parties and perks | NCET Biz Tips – Reno Gazette Journal

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Kay Salerno and Shila Morris Published 8:52 a.m. PT Aug. 10, 2020

NCET helps you explores business and technology.

Kay Salerno and Shila Morris(Photo: Provided by NCET)

When we think about workplace culture we often picture the motivational poster on the wall or the annual holiday party, but culture that actually motivates employees to stay longer goes far beyond these things, and isnt as "fluffy"as you may imagine.

Being restaurant owners in these times has put us on the small business frontlinesof the pandemic, and what we know is this: Businesses are navigating brand-new waters in a brand new social landscape, and key team members who have the energy and stamina to keep up and stay positive are essential to keep business running.

The challenge then becomes:How do we keep those people, without begging, bribing or bullying them, and how do we find more of them?

What weve found, and what research shows, is that company culture is the way.

Culture, as defined by Merriam-Webster is "the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization."

The key word that we as leaders often miss is "shared."

Our personal attitude, values, goals and practices make up our own character, but designing a company character, aka company culture, means that these things are shared by the individuals within the organization.

So how do we do that especially with a younger workforce that cares less about bottom line results and more about social impact?

With systems of culture that promote: empowerment, character development, communication, safety and trust.

In other words, we create an environment that tells them, "We want more for you than fromyou."

We can do this in a variety of ways, from personal and professional growth investments to recognizing significant personal milestones. But if youre on a tight budget and want to start steering your culture in a new direction, consider shifting something that doesnt cost any money, wont require any additional time, and will help you achieve your desired results without a motivational poster: intentional language shifts.

Its so simple it doesnt seem like it would have that much impact, but small language shifts are the little hinges that swing open the big doors of employee engagement and retention.

Here areour top threelanguage shifts you can start using right away:

1. "But: vs. "and":Consider the following two sentences: I like that idea, but I dont think it will work. I like that idea, and I think its worth considering.

2. Problem vs. opportunity. Do you have a problem with a young employees email etiquette, or an opportunity to grow professionally?

3. Help me understand. One of the best phrases you can use when you need to give reprimands or feedback. Help me understand why you responded the way you did. Help me understand why this continues to be an issue for you.

These language shifts indicate to an employee that youre on their side, that you are assuming they have good intent, and that you want to help them succeed.

As you begin to communicate like this, youll see employees start to be more engaged and empowered. Theyll feel more emotionally safe and better understood, and with that comes more trust, and with trust comes loyalty.

Intentional communication is the first step in building the company culture that goes beyond parties and perks and creates that loyalty and engagement that will help us not only keep our employees but keep them happy.

Learn about Cracking the Culture Code at NCETs Biz Cafe Online on Aug.19. NCET is a member-supported nonprofit organization that produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology. More info at http://www.NCETcafe.org.

Kay Salerno and Shila Morris are the sister co-owners of the Squeeze In restaurants (squeezein.com) and are Northern Nevada natives who are energized by adding value to other entrepreneurs and family businesses.

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Culture: beyond parties and perks | NCET Biz Tips - Reno Gazette Journal