Ram Temple a great place to take plunge into the pool of spirituality, will promote spiritual tourism, says Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel – New…

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Saying that from time immemorial pilgrimages have been one of the most powerful motivator and a boost to travel, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel said that the grand Ram Temple will boost the religious/spiritual tourism in the country.

Mr. Patel said that spiritual tourism has proven resilient to the pressure borne by the global recession because it is then not seen as a luxury but a travel with a purpose.

Adding further, the minister said, Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, is a great place to take a plunge into the pool of spirituality. The city is dotted with temples and is one of the most venerable cities of ancient India. Ancient beliefs say, the gods themselves created this city. This is a great moment of faith and spirituality.

He further stated that the concerned ministry, under its Swadesh Darshan Scheme- Integrated Development of Theme Based Tourist Circuits is developing tourism infrastructure across the country. Ram katha gallery and park, Ram ki paidi, development of Guptarghat and Laxman qila ghat, rejuvenation of Ayodhya street, multipurpose hall at Digambarakhada etc. are some of the components to be covered in the project.

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Small Changes Can Lead to Big Results | Spiritual and Physical Wellness – ChicagoNow

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By Sheri McIntosh, Saturday at 11:49 am

When I was in college, I decided that I would become a vegetarian. I thought I would immediately give up all meat and animal byproducts. My vegetarian experience lasted two weeks. I did the process wrong. I should have taken steps to become a vegetarian. I should have started with vegetarian days instead of thinking I could do it immediately.

When we decide we want to make changes we need to make realistic goals. We want to lose 10 pounds in a week, and when we do not reach that goal we are frustrated. It took years to gain weight, yet we want to become slim in weeks. In fact, if you do lose weight fast you are more likely to gain it back because you have not learned how to sustain healthy eating habits. Think about it this way, if you lose pound a week that is 26 pounds in a year. We should tell ourselves that gradual is okay. Taking small steps can lead to big results. If you want to lose weight, think about small nutritional changes you can make. Search the Internet for healthy recipes. Instead of eating a dessert everyday try eating dessert every other day. Use smaller plates to reduce portion size. Replace unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. For example, you can eat cucumber slices with light vinaigrette dressing. Instead of eating potato chips try making your own zucchini chips. (The following link provides a recipe for zucchini chips. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/242066/easy-baked-zucchini-chips/)

Being fit is part of overall health. However, if you have not exercised since high school, you should not try to run a marathon day one. That can lead to frustration or injury. (Stay safe with your exercising.) If you are just starting to exercise you should start slow. For instance, you can take a ten-minute walk or slow jog. As time goes on you can increase time and speed. If walking or jogging is not your cup of tea, YouTube has free exercises for beginners. There are fitness groups you can join to help you with the process. If you can afford it and want to spend the money, you may want to consider a personal trainer to help you get started.

Living a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing journey. There are no quick fixes. Do not fall for advertisements that promise quick results without any effort. If you decide you want to make changes start small and gradually improve. You may experience setbacks or not see results as fast as you would like. Do not give up.

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Small Changes Can Lead to Big Results | Spiritual and Physical Wellness - ChicagoNow

Life and Death Meet in Spiritual Arrog Adventure – GameIndustry.com

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Hiya game fans! Modern Gamer here for another exciting and bizarre Saturday morning review. So let me start off with my recent stories. So I have some sad news to share. Recently two relatives of my husband recently passed away (within weeks of each other). Funerals are hard for me. For some reason looking at dead bodies makes me think theyre going to jump up and scare me, (ridiculous fear I know) aside from the sorrowful goodbyes because we are going to miss them. So why did I bring up the funerals? Well, the game I played is a wonderful puzzle game that walks you through a bizarre world of death at its different stages. I say its bizarre because I dont think my editor knew what he was going on when he assigned it to me. So let me tell yall about it.

First, the story is about the passing of life. It walks you through an old woman whos going through the journey of letting go. It has a series of really neat puzzles that are guided through stars and constellations. If anything it helps you relax as you play. But then I died after I solved the puzzles and from then on it was about remembering all the waking life. It was almost spiritual I would say. I think what the developers did was great and if this is based on the South American tradition of what people go through in death. It is amazing! The puzzles are a lot of fun too. If anything its relaxing and (if youve lost someone recently) I think it would be a kind of therapy after the funeral.

The artwork is amazing! I was surprised to learn that it had been done with unity. Im not really into game engines as much as I used to be, but I say this because its all hand-drawn. I mean this literally looks like a freakin coloring book! Its all 2D! Its also in black and white. Being into the 2D animation, I have to say is brilliant. Black and white allow for so much time to focus on hand-drawn art. The animation isnt as easy as it looks and literally your life goes by in seconds. Then you look up and its been like hours. Seriously I give these guys major cudos. The detail is fabulous especially if you like those sketch type line drawings. Exquisite!

Lastly the puzzles, its intermediate and but it gets a bit harder as it goes on. I have to say that it was really fun over all. I think everyone should give this a try. Aside from Evans Remains, this is one of the most relaxing puzzle games Ive ever had the pleasure of playing. Before I log off I would like to say that my husband and I are fine. We miss our loved ones, but are happy they are no longer suffering. Thanks for taking the time to listen to this Saturdays Modern Gamer review!

Thats all for now! Catch ya next Saturday! Curious what the Modern Gamer does in her spare time? Check out woodlingsart.com and patreon.com.Shurale to find out!

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Relive the final descent of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – Spaceflight Now

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A video from SpaceX shows the companys Crew Dragon capsule plunging toward the Gulf of Mexico, then unfurling a series of parachutes to slow the spaceship carrying two NASA astronauts from 350 mph to a relatively gentle 15 mph for splashdown Sunday.

The dramatic tracking video released by SpaceX late Monday shows the capsule deploying two drogue chutes at an altitude of around 18,000 feet, or 5,500 meters, while moving at about 350 mph, or more than 560 kilometers per hour.

Moments later, four giant orange and white main parachutes fired out of mortars on the side of the Crew Dragon capsule at an altitude of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters), then began opening to their full size to slow the spaceship from 119 mph (191 kilometers per hour) to around 15 mph (24 kilometers per hour) before splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico around 34 miles (54 kilometers) off the coast of Florida near Pensacola.

The successful return to Earth with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken closed out a 64-day test flight, the first orbital mission by astronauts on a U.S. spaceship since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. The commercial capsule was built and is owned by SpaceX, the private space transportation company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

The successful two-month test flight to the International Space Station sets the stage for the first operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft later this year. That mission will deliver four astronauts to the space station for a stay lasting around six months.

Hurley and Behnken named their reusable Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour after NASAs retired space shuttle, on which both astronauts flew earlier in their careers.

The Dragon Endeavour spacecraft launched May 30 atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, then autonomously docked with the space station May 31. During their two months on the orbiting research complex, Hurley and Behnken assisted the stations other three crew members with maintenance, scientific experiments, and a series of spacewalks to complete a multi-year effort to upgrade batteries on the labs solar power truss.

Hurley and Behnken boarded their Dragon spacecraft Saturday and undocked from the space station, heading for an on-target splashdown Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico.

For more details, read our full story on the splashdown of the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft with Hurley and Behnken. Additional photos of the Crew Dragons splashdown, and views of Hurley and Behnkens exit from the spacecraft and return to shore via helicopter, are posted below.

The photos also show numerous private vessels approaching the spacecraft after splashdown. NASA and SpaceX officials say they will reassess their security and ocean clearance policies before the next Crew Dragon splashdown.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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Relive the final descent of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft - Spaceflight Now

Virgin Galactic’s Supersonic Jet Is a Commercial Failure in the Making – Motley Fool

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Last week, Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE) delayed its first commercial space flight again: this time to 2021. However, the buzzy aerospace start-up offered investors and fans a new reason to be excited, announcing that it had completed the initial "Mission Concept Review" for a new supersonic jet that would travel at Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound, or roughly 2,300 miles per hour).

Virgin Galactic's management appears to be very excited about this concept. Earlier this year, then-CEO (and current chief space officer) George Whitesides argued that the annual revenue opportunity from supersonic passenger travel could be $10 billion to $15 billion. Unfortunately, the business plan is unlikely to live up to the hype.

The design concept revealed by Virgin Galactic calls for a small cabin seating between nine and 19 passengers, along with a triangular delta wing and engines supplied by Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce has experience in this area, having built the engines for the Concorde supersonic jet decades ago. The plane would reach Mach 3 at an altitude exceeding 60,000 feet.

Virgin Galactic envisions a flexible cabin that could support luxurious business class and first class seating. The company noted that the proposed supersonic jet would be able to use existing airport infrastructure. Virgin Galactic also mentioned using sustainable aviation fuel to reduce emissions.

Image source: Virgin Galactic.

The commercial failure of the Concorde -- the only supersonic jet ever to see regular passenger service -- is a big reason for caution. Despite high hopes initially, airlines lost interest due to development delays and cost overruns. Only 14 Concorde jets were ever used for commercial flights, and the only customers were British Airways and Air France, which faced government pressure to fly the Concorde, which was developed by a British-French joint venture.

Aside from the high cost, there were numerous problems with the Concorde concept. Most notably, many countries (including the U.S.) have banned supersonic flights over land due to the "sonic booms" that come from breaking the sound barrier. While the FAA is reviewing its noise standards for supersonic flight, it is not reconsidering the ban on supersonic flight over land. Unless policies change, these restrictions dramatically reduce the addressable market for supersonic travel.

Supersonic travel is also extremely environmentally unfriendly. The Concorde burned about 6,700 gallons of fuel per hour. Next-generation supersonic jets are likely to burn five to seven times as much fuel per passenger as comparable subsonic jets, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Leaving aside the cost of all that fuel, the environmental impact could lead to regulatory issues and cause many people to avoid supersonic flights. Using sustainable jet fuel (such as biofuels) would only partially address this issue.

A Mach 3 jet would make round-trip travel in one day feasible for 85% of the most popular global airline routes, according to Virgin Galactic's management. That may be true in theory, but the nature of time zones limits the utility of long-haul supersonic travel.

For example, on the popular New York-London route, a traveler taking a 6 a.m. flight out of New York wouldn't get to London until 2 p.m., assuming a realistic gate-to-gate travel time of three hours. That might be fine if the goal is to squeeze in a single two-hour meeting. But if you need a full day in London, a traditional subsonic redeye flight is more convenient, given that virtually all full-service airlines have flat-bed seats in international business class today. By contrast, taking a supersonic redeye flight would mean arriving in London with no time to sleep.

Supersonic travel would be more useful on transpacific routes -- assuming the plane had sufficient range. Many major routes from the West Coast to Asia and Australia are 6,000 miles long or more. The Concorde didn't have enough range to serve such routes. Virgin Galactic may opt for greater range, but that would come at the cost of even higher fuel burn.

The Concorde supersonic jet was a massive commercial failure. Image source: Getty Images.

Whereas the Concorde at least aimed to serve moderately wealthy passengers (with the potential to seat up to 128 customers), Virgin Galactic's Mach 3 concept is basically a high-speed luxury business jet. Ticket prices will be lower than the $250,000 Virgin Galactic plans to charge for brief trips into space, but not by all that much.

Sales of large, long-range business jets have been lackluster in recent years. Virgin Galactic is unlikely to do any better. The appeal of a jet capable of flying Mach 3 will be severely limited by the acquisition cost, operating costs, environmental impact, and lack of utility for many heavily traveled routes.

Perhaps Virgin Galactic will find a way to add range, mitigate environmental impacts, and bring the cost of supersonic travel down to a reasonable level. However, I wouldn't count on it, and neither should you. Investors should hope management sticks to its main niche of space travel and doesn't throw away lots of money trying to develop a supersonic jet that is extremely unlikely to be profitable.

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Virgin Galactic's Supersonic Jet Is a Commercial Failure in the Making - Motley Fool

Clearfield will be next city to bring UTOPIA Fiber internet to residents – KSL.com

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CLEARFIELD UTOPIA Fiber is coming to Clearfield.

On Thursday, UTOPIA announced a $13.8 million agreement with the city to build a fiber-to-the-home network, giving the city's 32,000 residents access to some of the nations fastest internet speeds.

The first home is expected to be connected in late 2020. Clearfield will be the 15th Utah city to have residential service through the inter-local agency. UTOPIA started as a group of 11 cities that joined together in 2004 to bring fiber internet to residences and businesses in their areas. The group lays down fiber optic cables, then leases the infrastructure to local internet service providers so residents can choose from a variety of providers.

Its already been a busy year for UTOPIA. In February, the company announced West Point would be getting residential service; in April, it finished the infrastructure build for Morgan; and in July, it announced a project to help fight wildfires. And thats all with internet demand surging. UTOPIA saw sign-ups actually grow from June to July a pattern that has been consistent since the pandemic took hold.

Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepherd said the citys population is expected to increase by nearly 50% by 2040, and he believes the agreement with UTOPIA is key to a successful economic growth in the city.

"Our residents require better internet options, the freedom to choose from multiple providers, faster speeds, and affordable prices," Shepard said in a statement. "UTOPIA Fiber has been delivering that for our business community and were excited to expand fiber access to every home in the city."

Once the network is constructed, residents can choose between 13 service providers via UTOPIA Fibers open access model. Prices begin at $65 per month.

With the coronavirus pandemic driving internet usage to record levels, UTOPIA executive director Roger Timmerman said in a statement the new infrastructure will help Clearfield residents better adapt to a world that is going more and more online.

"Clearfield residents will now have the power to work remotely, participate in distance learning, access telehealth, and stream video on multiple connected devices, without the slowdowns or buffering of a typical network, Timmerman said.

The $13.8 million projects is being financed through revenue bonds issued through UTOPIA Fibers sister agency, UIA, and backed by the city. Like all UTOPIA Fiber projects since 2009, the Clearfield build will be paid for by subscriber revenues.

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Clearfield will be next city to bring UTOPIA Fiber internet to residents - KSL.com

What if humans weren’t the center of every narrative, but instead animals were? – Berkshire Eagle

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By Jennifer Huberdeau, The Berkshire Eagle

WILLIAMSTOWN A black panther rises from a river; a lioness, at its edge, dips a toe into the water as a lion stands guard. Behind them, myriad animals roam a hillside that leads, in the distance, to the ruins of a city, where only broken skyscrapers remain.

The panther gazes into the distance, beyond the viewer, who is of no importance; of no consequence, anymore. Is this a dystopian view of the future, or a non-human animal utopia?

"Animals will return to the vacuum left by humans," we are told by artist Lin May Saeed, in the minimalist text accompanying "Panther Relief."

In this wall relief, as in all of her work, animals non-human animals as she refers to them are always front and center. Saeed's work, seen in her first solo museum exhibit, "Lin May Saeed: Arrival of the Animals," on view at The Clark Art Institute's Lunder Center through Oct. 25, centers around the lives of animals and human-animal relations.

"She is a storyteller who takes narratives from mythology, from theology, from different stories and she thinks about what would happen if humans weren't at the center of every single narrative and if we weren't so anthropocentric," said Robert Wiesenberger, associate curator of contemporary projects at The Clark. "As she tells these stories, you'll see subjects about animal subjugation and oppression; animal liberation; cohabitation with humans as a kind of utopian possibility for the future. All of that is done, I think, with a lightness of touch and even a sense of humor. I think in all of those ways, she's a really distinctive artist. I don't know of any other artist today who focuses on animals with this particular commitment to them."

The materials Saeed uses to create those stories are as distinct as the subjects of her artwork. The Berlin-based artist of German-Jewish and Iraqi descent, prefers to sculpt with a readily available material: polystyrene foam, better known as Styrofoam. The non-biodegradable plastic, easily salvaged by the artist, not only lends itself to carving, but is for the artist, a reminder of the impact of humans on the environment.

"She's very aware that its very environmentally disastrous. She's interested in transforming it. She is interested in it for several reasons," Wiesenberger said. "It's easy to get. It's cheap. It's much easier to sculpt than stone. For her, the history of sculpture is such a man's world, very masochistic. It's about who has the strength to make huge sculptures of heavy materials; who has the funds to have a studio and to have assistants. The fact that she can do all of this on her own is very important to her; very empowering.

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"On the other hand, the history of animal welfare and animal rights is overwhelmingly a women's world. For Lin May Saeed, it is maybe one explanation of why the history of art and the history of animals have rarely overlapped and when they do, its very unfavorable to the animals. So for her, she's trying to create a new iconography of interspecies solidarity. We are all animals; our fate is intertwined."

The unfavorable intersection of art and animal histories begins Saeed's career-spanning show, in a cave-like entry way filled with art of past artists woodcuts by Niccolo Boldrini and Albrecht Durer and studies and drawings by Felix Bracquemond, Theodore Chasseriau and Michael Snyders that use animals as window-dressings, secondary subjects and food. Only two drawings, one by Eugene Delacroix and Rosa Bonheur, both 19th-century French artists, feature their animal subjects, a tiger and a lioness, predominantly in their images.

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The retrospective begins in the next gallery, introducing Saeed to the audience with some of her more easily accessible works steel gates that depict parables and other tales. Here, she, like many artists before her, tells the tale of St. Jerome and the lion. But, unlike those before her, in Saeed's "St. Jerome and the Lion," the man does not dominate the space or command the viewer's attention. The lion is not subjugating itself, as in Durer's "Saint Jerome in His Cell" in the previous gallery, but an equal in placement, height and prominence.

In another gate, "Toreador," Saeed flips the traditional narrative of the bullfighter and bull. Here, her gate shows the bull triumph over its would-be assassin. And yet, the story changes again, in "The Liberation of Animals from their Cages XXIII/Djamil Gate," in which a masked human is breaking the bonds of a camel.

The gallery moves on to her Styrofoam reliefs and sculptures, where in the center of the room two sculptures, "Calf" and "Pangolin" stand upon their shipping crates, as if celebrating their liberation. "Pangolin," newly created for the exhibit, is Saeed's latest commentary on the treatment of animals.

The pangolin the only mammal completely covered in scales and often called "the world's most-trafficked animal in the world you've never heard of" accounts for at least 20 percent of the illegally trafficked animals in the world. Although the sale of pangolins is illegal, the mammal is still highly sought out for its scales, which are used in Chinese medicine, and for its meat, which is considered a delicacy.

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"It's also believed to be one of the original hosts of the coronavirus," Wiesenberger said, referring to studies that suggest COVID-19 likely emerged from recombination of viral genes in bat and pangolin coronaviruses that resulted in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its jump to humans.

Both liberated non-human animals gaze awestruck upon the brightly-colored "Hawr al-Hammar/Hammar Marshes," a bio-diverse marshland utopia in which reed islands float by water buffalo. The real marshes exist in southeastern Iraq, part of the Mesopotamian Marshes, which are thought to be the basis for Eden. The marshes have seen their share of human intervention. Drained by Saddam Hussein, they were restored in 2003, but by 2015 had seen their waters recede again, prompting a shift from farming and fish to a tourism economy.

In the next gallery, Saeed's work envisions an uprising of non-human animals in her drawing "War," and examines the consequences of human dominance with "Cleaner," a humanoid figure in hazmat-like clothing, holding an animal covered in oil.

The show ends in another cave-like atmosphere, this time, with Saeed's interpretation "Seven Sleepers," a Christian and Islamic parable in which seven men escape religious persecution in a cave. They break bread and fall asleep for 300 years, reawakening in a time when their faith is the major religion and they are persecuted no more. In some versions of the story, the seven are accompanied by a dog in the cave or guarded by a dog.

Saeed, in her sculpture "Seven Sleepers," makes the dog one of the seven, moving past the idea that all seven sleepers were humans.

"Once you start scratching on this topic of animals and animality, you quickly get to almost every issue we're grappling with today, whether its environmental, human rights, or the pandemic we're experiencing. It's all there but it's in stories that are accessible to people and relatable. A lot of us love animals, but it's hard for us to square our love of specific animals with the way we treat non-human animals as a whole. It's just really tough to explain. But, in this utopian world [created by Saeed], we move beyond that. It might seem like a crazy world, but it might be the only answer we have."

If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.

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Katie Taylor open to fight with former UFC champion Cris Cyborg – Pundit Arena

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Katie Taylor remains open to the possibility of welcoming Cris Cyborg Justino to the realm of professional boxing.

Dubbed a legacy fighter by promoter Eddie Hearn, Taylor reportedly wants to see out her career with the biggest fights possible rather than rest on her laurels and coast to an undefeated professional record.

The Bray boxer will be put to the test in her next outing, when she will rematch Delfine Persoon and aim to remove any doubt following the pairs controversial first bout.

Taylor vs. Persoon II will take place on August 22 at Hearns Matchroom Fight Camp in London.

Having successfully negotiated the captivating rematch, Hearn revealed in a recent IFL TV interview that Taylor is hoping for some fascinating match-ups including clashes with Amanda Serrano, Cecilia Braekhus and former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.

Hearn said: She wants Persoon, she wants Serrano, she wants Braekhus, she wants Cyborg. Im not saying shes done after that, but thats what motivates her.

While Cyborg possesses devastating power in her hands, as well as some kickboxing experience, she would understandably be considered a significant underdog against Taylor under boxing rules.

Legendary MMA referee John McCarthy has compared a potential Taylor vs. Cyborg bout to the professional boxing debut of Conor McGregor, who was stopped in the 10th round of his clash with Floyd Mayweather three years ago.

McCarthy told Sky Sports: For Cris to step into the realm of fighting a boxer like Katie Taylor, its a tall order. Thats a Conor McGregor trying to take on a Floyd Mayweather. Thats usually not going to go good for you. The same as if Katie Taylor tried to step into a MMA ring. Thats not going well for her against Cris Cyborg.

If Cris is going to do boxing, obviously shes got to have a name shes going against, but I would say pick a name thats not quite Katie Taylor!'

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Katie Taylor open to fight with former UFC champion Cris Cyborg - Pundit Arena

Nelson Cruz has the mask needed to help us take down all the robot cyborgs (Video) – FanSided

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Nelson Cruz, Minnesota Twins. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

Nelson Cruz just donned the greatest mask weve ever seen since Darth Vaders.

Cruz is a man, hes 40 and hes got a mask designed to take down the cyborgs. We know theyre coming because eventually, theyll get here and were not going to be ready for them. If The Matrix, Terminator and Back to the Futuremovie franchises taught us anything, it is the future cannot be trusted, especially when youre dealing with cyborgs. They dont care about your feelings at all!

Thankfully, Cruz is like Tom Brady and Paul Rudd in that he doesnt age. When these vicious blood-thirsty robots attack our planet, probably from within because some scientist will let them out of the laboratory, Cruz will be ready to go full-onBear Jew on all those stupid, idiot robots. While hes no Eli Roth, he does play the same sport Teddy Ballgame once did, so weve got that going for us.

It doesnt matter if your star slugger ghosts you ahead of a Sunday matinee or even your ace pitcher pops his Achilles on a nationally televised game on FS1, as long as Cruz has a bat in his hand and a mask like this, we know that we can beat the robots. We have to believe we can. It wont be easy, but Commander Cruz has our backs and will lead us to victory, one swing at a time.

If we didnt like Cruz so much and he wasnt wearing that sweet Dominican flag t-shirt, we may have been convinced he was a cyborg. You can never be too sure. Then again, he did walk through a bunch of fake virtual fans as the champion of real life he is. If he was a cyborg he would never be able to do such a thing. Its one of the few Is he a human or is he a cyborg? tests we have.

We care about the man behind the mask more than youll ever know, as Cruz is our only hope.

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Nelson Cruz has the mask needed to help us take down all the robot cyborgs (Video) - FanSided

Canadian Julia (The Jewel) Budd to fight Jessy Miele in Bellator 244 co-main event – Vancouver Courier

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Canadian featherweight Julia (The Jewel) Budd will face Jessy (The Widowmaker) Miele on Aug. 21 in the co-main event of Bellator 244.

It's the first fight for the 37-year-old from Port Moody, B.C., since January when she lost her featherweight title to Cris Cyborg at Bellator 238.

The main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., sees two-division Bellator champion Ryan (Darth) Bader (27-5-0 with one no contest) defend his light-heavyweight title against Russia's Vadim Nemkov (11-2-0).

Bader also holds the Bellator heavyweight championship.

Budd (13-3) had not lost since November 2011, running up a 11-fight win streak prior to facing Cyborg. She is 7-1-0 since signing with Bellator in 2015.

The 35-year-old Miele (9-3) has won four straight and five of her last six. She was slated to meet Leslie Smith at Bellator 241 before the card was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

Lightweight Lance Gibson Jr., Budd's stepson, takes on Shane Kruchten on the undercard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.

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Teen Titans Go!: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Episodes, According To IMDb – Screen Rant

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Teen Titans Go! has quite a reputation with many fans with some episodes being ranked very highly and others very lowly. Here are 5 of each.

Teen Titans Go! has quite a reputation with many fans. While it follows the Teen Titans cast that's been around since the mid-2000s, the content that is there is nothing like the fans would've thought of. This had led to many fans that don't like the show at all.

RELATED:5 Ways Teen Titans Go! To The Movies Proved To Be The Best Teen Titans Movie (& 5 Times It Fell Short)

That being said, there are plenty that also really like the show and believe it has some form of merit in one way or another. As such like everyshow, there are plenty of good episodes but also a lot of bad ones. Here are the 5 worst episodes of the show as well as 5 of the absolute best according to IMDb.

Starting this list is one of the worst episodes in the series. Called "Easter Creeps", the general synopsis of the episode is how the Tooth Fairy plans to take over Easter and it is up to the Teen Titans team to stop it.

RELATED:Teen Titans Go!: 5 Ways It's Actually A Good Reboot (& 5 Ways It's Just Bad)

As entertaining as the synopsis may sound to some people, it didn't really hit a lot of people when it first released. The running gag for this episode, in particular, is that the Easter Bunny wants everyone to eat his chocolate eggs and how it seems to be the second time someone wants to take over Easter.

One of the better episodes of the show is a part of a four-part storyline. When it aired it totaled to almost an hour in the broadcast. This episode is mostly a Cyborg focused episode where he gets trapped within an alternate reality called "The Night Begins To Shine."

It is there that an evil dragon wants to steal Cyborgs song for its own nefarious purposes. Although it was only the first episode, it was a decent way to set up a couple of crescendos that eventually come through in the later episodes.

The "Bottle Episode" is the 29th episode of Season 3. It is here that the Teen Titans end up being trapped inside a giant bottle within their living room. It is there that they spend the majority of the episode talking about their past songs, wins, and their numerous injuries.

Essentially outside of that and a song or two, they spend the majority of the episode trying to figure out a way to get out of a bottle. Not much else really.

The second part of the four-part episode series, "The Day the Night Stopped Beginning to Shine and Became Dark Even Though It Was the Day Chapter Two: The Story in Your Eyes" is focused on Beast Boy's side of the story. Where he feels the loss when he doesn't have his best friend Cyborg around.

However, things begin to change when he goes to find himself and meets a legendary musical artist.

Waffles is one of the more straightforward episodes of Teen Titans Go. Essentially, it is about how Cyborg and Beast Boy play a little game: Who can last the longest by only saying the word waffles?

Throughout the entire episode, it goes through extreme lengths on simply talking in the language of waffles from the waffle song to Beast Boy flirting with Raven. By only saying waffles. It ispretty astonishing how far the episode is willing to go by just saying waffles.

The third part, "The Day the Night Stopped Beginning to Shine and Became Dark Even Though It Was the Day Chapter Three: Playing Hard to Get" has the Teen Titans travel back to the reality where Cyborg is currently stuck in.

When Beast Boy returns back to Titans Tower, he tells the rest of the team that he has found one of the members and that they need the rest of them. When they learn they can't sing anymore, the Titans use the song Forever Mine to travel back to the other reality. A decent episode that leads to the crescendo that happens in the next episode.

After a series of comments where the boys are more superior then the girl members of the Teen Titans. These sexist comments essentially create an issue where the characters create a competition in order to truly determine which gender is the best.

After Beast Boy and Cyborg loses to Starfire and Raven, they start to act like girls. To stop this, Robin attempts to give cooties to Raven and Starfire in order to bring the boys back.

The final part of this entire event, "The Day the Night Stopped Beginning to Shine and Became Dark Even Though It Was the Day Chapter Four: Night Begins to Shine", the Teen Titans and the musicians face off against the evil dragon and its forces.

All of this in order to take control of the Night That Begins To Shine. After the band that was introduced in the earlier episodes succeeds in destroying the dragon through their music they begin to rebuild the world and everyone sings the Night That Begins To Shine.

The worst episode of the entire series according to IMDb.In spite of the title of the episode, Slade himself doesn't actually show up in the episodeat all. Cyborg and Beast Boy decide to have a clown to party with which terrifies Starfire.

RELATED:Teen Titans Go! 10 Powerful Character Cosplays

However, the Clown ends up going insane when Cyborg and Beast Boy modify it and it thengoes on to ruin a lot of children's entertainment everywhere.Due to the false advertising of the episode, this episode is easily the most hated.

In contrast to the worst episode is the best episode according to IMDb. 4o% 40% 20% is kind of a precursor to the day that night stopped series of episodes as it is about the song of the Night Begins To Shine. The song eventually got really popular with a lot of people.

RELATED:Teen Titans Go! To the Movies: 100+ Hidden Easter Eggs

It is a Cyborg focused episode that talks about his strength and will come from the song rather than his actual cybernetic body. The episode went on to be enjoyed by both fans and critics, as it still remains the highest-rated episode currently.

NEXT:Titans: 20 Strange Things About Robin And Starfire's Relationship

Next 10 Most Chilling Quotes From American Horror Story (So Far)

Richie Nguyen is an aspiring comic book creator and journalist living in Calgary Alberta. A lover of anything pop culture since childhood, Richie Nguyen is sure to write plenty about the newest comic book, manga and movie news. Having written journalistic coverage during his time at Mount Royal University's Calgary Journal, as well as interning in Tourism Calgary, Richie has plenty of experience writing things from general news to listicles. Outside of work, Richie actively plays video games, spends time with his family and friends, and of course drawing to one day achieve his dream.

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Teen Titans Go!: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Episodes, According To IMDb - Screen Rant

Heart of America Library News – ThePierceCountyTribune.com | Rugby, Pierce County and North Dakota news, sports and information – Pierce County…

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The Library Bingo prizes have gone out and were well received by all. We will be doing Library Bingo again in the month of October, so watch for details.

The Adult Book Discussion group will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 10 a.m. in the West Room. The book the group is reading is "Strange But True" by John Searles, a fiction selection that involves a family that must confront secrets buried and lies told. If you are interested, pick up a copy at the circulation desk.

The Heart of America Library was one of the two places in our community that hosted a representative from the U.S. Census Bureau for an hour last week. The census workers are beginning to knock on doors that have not responded to the census. If you have not completed a census report, save them a stop and get yours done today! Each person missed means about $19,000 lost to our community over the next ten years. Those dollars add up fast, so do your part and be counted.

New adult fiction large print titles this week are "The Refuge" by Ann H. Gabhart,"A Walk Along the Beach" by Debbie Macomber, and "Lost and Found Bookshop" by Susan Wiggs.

Other adult titles are "The Apostle" by Brad Thor, "Home Before Dark" by Riley Sager, and "The Perfume Collector" by Kathleen Tessaro.

Junior selections added this week include "Cyborg Circuit Overload" by J. E. Bright, "Beast Boy Bro-Down" and "Growing Painz" by Steven Korte, "The Dragon's Eye" by Sarwat Chadda, and "Stormspeaker" by Christina Diaz Gonzalez.

New magazines this week are People, Time, Better Homes & Gardens, Horse Illustrated, National Geographic, Real Simple and Web MD.

The Heart of America Library would like to express a sincere "thank you" to the following for memorials and donations to the Heart of America Library:

In Memory of Alan Rasmusson by Meredith Schultz, Peg Stadum and Elsie Davidson;

In Memory of Margaret Rogelstad by Mary Jelsing;

In Memory of Wanda Nielsen by Mike & Vernice Brossart, Scott & Joni Johnson, Lillie Dickens, Jim & Kristi Blessum, Charles & Jan Repnow, Pat Bye, Myrna Baumann, and Family & Friends;

In Memory of Dr. Roger Hasey by Pat Bye.

The next meeting of the Heart of America Library Board of Trustees will be on Monday, Sept. 14, at 9 a.m. in the West Room, Heart of America Library.

We have free wifi access, two public computers, copy machines and also a fax machine for use by our patrons. Copies are 25 cents for black and white and 60 cents for color. It costs $1 per page to fax.

Friend us on Facebook! Or check out our website at http://www.rugbyndlibrary.com.

The library's regular operating hours are:

Monday through Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Heart of America Library is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Heart of America Library News - ThePierceCountyTribune.com | Rugby, Pierce County and North Dakota news, sports and information - Pierce County...

To give myself a vacation, I sent my phone on a trip – The Boston Globe

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The woman eyed me suspiciously over her mask, and picked up her tape gun just in case.

My phone is in this box, and since its not quite safe to take an actual vacation, Im trying to give my brain one by sending my phone on a trip cross-country, I explained. Id like it to go ground, so it can see America. Have you read Kerouac?

I could sense the clerk was trying to decide if I was dangerous or just dumb, so I quickly paid my $31.85 it turns out its weirdly complicated and expensive to make a package travel slowly and hustled through the glass doors with a pep in my step.

What would I do with myself now that I was no longer a cyborg hooked permanently to most of the worlds knowledge and every one of its complaints?

That question was still going through my mind as I arrived at my house a few minutes later and immediately got on my computer to check my e-mail and Google Did I miss anything?

It always takes time to settle into a vacation, and when I awoke the following morning I instinctively reached for my phone in its usual place on the nightstand. Instead I felt the strangest thing: a book.

The book did not have a built-in clock, so I went to my kitchen, looked at the time on the microwave, then kinda stood there trying to remember what we did in the mornings in the 20th century. I think maybe we milked animals.

I resisted the urge to go on my computer or turn on the television, so I opened that book thing and began to read. This lasted for nearly three pages before my attention span wore out. But I remembered that I owned many more books that I had also not read, so I went to my shelves and started pulling down volumes. The new me was going to be so much better than the old me, I promised myself. And this was only the beginning; ahead of me were days and days of such lies.

This included the vow that I would spend more quality time with my family. Which I did, if you count my children hovering around me and repeating the phrase You just keep using mamas phone when Id ignore their requests for ridiculous things like my undivided attention or food.

I only use her phone when its something important, Id correct them as I checked the weather and the latest memes.

To truly feel the freedom, then, I had to go out into the world, alone. My wife dropped me at the beach one day so she could have a vacation from me, and I had to stay there until she picked me up at a specified time and place. A specified time and place! It was like the 90s.

Another time I went to the grocery store alone, armed only with a printed list. I felt as vulnerable and exposed to the world as someone climbing Mount Everest. Normally, Id be able to text my wife constant questions like: What is okra? Instead, I had to ask for the help of other humans. Other humans!

I survived. But it was moments like those that taught me what it truly meant to live phone-less in the modern world. It was not zen. It was not the key to being more present. It did not make all the bad news and Kardashians disappear.

No, it was about being a chore to everyone else in your life. Not a single day went by where my experiment did not create a headache for someone else. This included strangers. Picture me walking up to you in a mask and shouting: Is this okra?

I had thought the experiment would end with me quitting my smartphone forever. At the very least, I thought Id trade it in for a flip phone. Instead, it forced me to accept that my phone is both the cause of my issues and the only thing that cures them.

My phone returned on a Thursday. It had been gone for 11 days. Where had it traveled? I have no idea. Id strapped it to a giant battery pack so I could track its movements. But like everything else to do with this experiment, that had failed almost immediately, at a truck stop somewhere in central Pennsylvania. And if theres anything sadder than realizing you cant live without your phone, it is central Pennsylvania.

Hopefully my phone went on to more exciting places. Hopefully I will too, when all this is over. In the meantime, Ill be dumb-thumbing my way through the Internet, searching for another answer.

Its probably on page four of one of these books. Too bad Ill never get that far.

Billy Baker can be reached at billy.baker@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @billy_baker.

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To give myself a vacation, I sent my phone on a trip - The Boston Globe

Cyborg Actor Ray Fisher ‘Will Not Relent’ When Speaking Out About Joss Whedon and Producers – Epicstream

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More people are starting to speak up about toxic work environments and besides the people over at the Ellen show, Cyborg actor Ray Fisher has named Joss Whedon for abusive behavior on the set of Justice League, calling out producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns for being enablers. With Fisher getting backlash for his statements, he is adamant about making Whedon, Berg, and Johns accountable for their actions.

Fisher posted:

We dont know the specifics of the risks that Fisher is taking, but it has been said that he cant go into detail about these abuses because of an NDA he had signed with Warner Bros; if anything, WB is said to have the right to sue him if he speaks out about his experiences making Justice League.

So far, we dont have any solid details on what Whedon did on set, but some word is going around that he was being very rude and arrogant in front of everyone, trashing Snyders original plans for the movie. Take note that Snyder had left the project due to the loss of his daughter, so you could say that trashing on him would have been in very poor tasteif these rumors turn out to be true.

We dont know how Fisher plans on moving forward with these statements, but I have a feeling that the public is now behind him. If WB does intend to keep him quiet with an NDA, then its just going to turn out worse for the studio.

Hopefully, Fisher gets to speak his truth, because I just want to know what exactly went down on that set.

For now, fans wait for Snyders original version of Justice League which is set to hit HBO Max sometime in 2021.

Read Also: DC Star Ezra Miller Reportedly in New Controversy Compared to WB Sex Scandal

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Cyborg Actor Ray Fisher 'Will Not Relent' When Speaking Out About Joss Whedon and Producers - Epicstream

10 New Things You Need To Know About The Flash Movie – Animated Times

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Flash Might not be the strongest but definitely, the fastest of all the Superheroes. Ironically his movie is taking the longest time to release. Due to Justice League, this movie became the center of all the controversies. There are Number changes in the film starting from the scriptwriters to the Directors. Not only this, but there were also rumors that this movie production has halted for a period. A few days back, Warner Bros. revealed the dates for The Flash movie. 3rd June 2022, but The trailer has not released yet.

Here are the ten things You need to know if you are a Flash fan

According to the comic version of Flashpoint, there was a battle between the Aquaman and Wonder Woman. The War Zone was created by Barry Only. According to reports, there will be no sort of conflict between the Aquaman ( kingdom Atlantis) and wonder woman( kingdom) in the movie. So, We are not going to see Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa for the role of wonder woman and Aquaman, respectively.

It is quite disheartening for the fans. We can see the positive side, that DC extended Universe can focus on the lead hero Flash.

After the Justice League Movie, there were many rumors related to the casting of The Flash, but till now, the only confirmed one is Ezra Miller as Barry Allen. A few months back, the film director Andres Muschietti said that the few casts from the justice league would be in The Flash.

In a recent Tevlesion shoot scene, Barry said that I told Victor this was possible.

So who is this Victor? Is it, Cyborg? Fans took it to Twitter and believed that they might see Ray Fischer in Cyborgs role again.

Kiersey Clemons was set her debut film in the movie Justice League, though scenes were removed and. Kiersey had played the role of Iris West, who had an ideal attachment towards Barry Allen. The turning point was when the director got changed from Rick Famuyiwa to Andrs Muschietti due to some creative issues with the production team.

According to the reports ofThe Illuminerdi, now DC extended Universe is planning for a new person to portray the character of Iris West Somewhere aged between 21-25, who characterized as a brave and Intelligent reporter. The news of Iris West in DC is confirmed, but will it be an African-Woman?

As we have seen Candice Patton in the role of Iris West so it likely to be DC will continue the same pattern. Still, there is no official news regarding who will be playing the role of Iris West.

It was quite unbelievable for the fans when it announced that Jeffery would not be there in The Flash movie, and instead, we will see Michael Keaton for the role of Batman. ( After more than 30 years). Jeffery played the role of Thomas Wayne in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Recently Jeffery joked that it was Michael Keaton who took away his part.

In the movie, Barry Allen will create a Multiverse to go back in time to save her mother from death. There he will meet with Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as Batman and Joker. Rumors are confirming that we will see Michael Keaton in the role of Batman, and if it continues, we may also see him in the Bat-Girl movie.

Recently the social media, including Twitter, Outraged with anger when a video has gone viral Where Ezra was pushing a female to the grounds and choking her out. The rage spread like fire in public demanding they do not want Ezra in The Flash. The anger was also justified.DC doesnt want the Franchise hero to go around in public and create troubles. Considering he played a significant role in the fantastic beast, it is still in Dileammna about his future in the franchise.

To prove his father is not guilty and save his mother, Barry will go back in the past. Barry wanted to show that the murder done by none other than reverse Flash, and he was the real culprit. Going back in time indicates that Barry is breaking the law of nature by altering the future. So we might see several changes in the new world of DCEU. Maybe a complete restart.!

Batman was the savior and protector of Gotham City. When it comes to the Superhero suit in DCEU, Batman has the best suit among all the others.

There are gossips that the suit will be similar to theKingdom ComeBatman Costume. We might see a vintage Batsuit in the movie. Dceu partisans are all set to compare it with the Ben Affleck Batman and Superman Batsuit.

When it comes to Flash, the no. of writers is uncountable. There were many controversies with the writer and the production team. The first writer and director were Grahame-Smith, and now the current Director is Andy Musrettti. Due to so many group changes, we may find various alterations in the movie at multiple scenes.

The last thing for the people who are eagerly waiting for this movie is that shooting will begin soon after Ezra completes his work with the Fantastic Beast team. Filming will most probably start in the early-mid of 2021 and hopefully going to release on the promised date, 3rd June 2022. However, there are no words of Honour for the shooting years due to the ongoing Corona Virus Pandemic.

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10 New Things You Need To Know About The Flash Movie - Animated Times

According to Hofmann: Sage against the machine | According To Hofmann – Uniontown Herald Standard

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I didnt want to write yet another column about my ongoing belief that computers are going to take us over like I learned from movies like The Terminator, The Matrix and Throw Momma From the Train, but please keep in mind that the machines were the ones forcing my hand (well, both hands since I type) to write about just that.

Their latest attempt is to take away our thoughts.

Okay, maybe I presented my conclusion too soon, so let me reel that back before the nice young men in their clean, white coats come to take me away.

I guess it all started with the auto-correct feature that exists on various word processor programs, search engines and cellphones.

You start typing a word or even a sentence, and the computer tries to figure out what word youre typing like its a constant guessing game that only the computer is playing.

Id love to try some of your a[arsenic?] ap[apes?] app[appendages?] appl[appliances?] apple[apples? Its apples. We knew it all along!].

Like most people who are lazy, I welcomed the computer-generated suggestions as it kept me from extra typing, saving me time to reflect on what I wrote and even more time to realize what I wrote makes me sound even more like a drooling dunce.

However, I then noticed my email starting to act fun[funky, right?] no! funny.

It seems email programs are adding new help features every other week, starting with suggested replies at the push of a button.

If you dont know what I mean, the next time you reply to an email or a text message, youll see there may be a few choices displayed around where your text is to appear. If you click on one of the choices, that will be your answer, saving you from typing it.

The problem I found with that is whenever someone who knows me sends me a message, theyre not expecting me to respond with the generic, lame answers the program provides. Normally, I reply with a snarky comment or a statement of self-flattery. I know, right? Thats surprisingly humble of me.

For example, if someone texts me a dirty joke, chances are Im not going to reply with LOL or I enjoy your humorous anecdote or My sympathies to the nun who walks into a bar.

It goes without saying theres no good computer-generated option to fit ones personality unless you are a cyborg, but it goes with saying that the computers provided replies cant fit into 92% of conversations.

To better illustrate, I conducted an experiment where I sent messages to myself and tried to answer with all the answers provided.

MARK ONE: Can you sit on a cactus for me, please?

MARK TWO: Of Course! You bet! What kind?

MARK ONE: Lets go with the Jumping Cholla cactus The barbs are hollow and when they make contact with the moisture of someones skin, they actually curve and lock into place underneath the top layer of epidermis. Its really painful.

MARK TWO: Sounds good. Sounds good to me. Perfect!

MARK ONE: So, how did it feel sitting on that cactus?

MARK TWO: Pretty good. It was fine. Not bad.

It says in the Bible that laziness brings on a deep sleep...unless you have curved cactus barbs in your rump because you were too lazy to type a negative response to your psychotic friend.

The whole thing even jumped to social media where, the other day, I was responding to a post informing me that mean people suck with an emoji of a devil face sticking out its tongue because I happen to be mean and take delight in mocking such posts.

However, when I went to reply, a row of emoji faces popped up and what did I see? A hand expressing thumbs up, balloon letters spelling out You Go, Girl!, a frowny face, a crying face and a unicorn farting a rainbow.

The computers didnt even give us time to get comfortable with them telling us how to speak and think and moved on to tell us how to feel!

Thats why we have to fight these software programs with sarcastic cleverness at every turn and not settle for their easy answers as our thoughts and our feelings are at stake!

If we dont, then we will regret no[nothing, because Im just kidding. LOL! Thank you! Sounds great! Have a nice day! You, too!]

According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, Good Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One...and Dying, Too and Stupid Brain, are available on Amazon.com. He co-hosts the Locally Yours radio show on WMBS 590 AM every Friday.

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According to Hofmann: Sage against the machine | According To Hofmann - Uniontown Herald Standard

ShareRing Uses Blockchain To Solve Self Sovereign Identity And Proof Of Health Simultaneously – Forbes

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Proof of Health to Travel

As the lockdown wears on and travel and tourism, a USD$9 trillion industry in 2019, continue to be restricted, ShareRing is one company that has been innovating to use blockchain technology to solve the issue. ShareRing is a platform that wants to take the hassle out of travel, with its all-inclusive travel app for both businesses and consumers led by CEO and Founder Tim Bos along with the other 5 founders including Jane Sadler-Kidd. The team recognized the potential to disrupt the fragmented sharing economy with blockchain technology and launched an enterprise-ready blockchain geared towards the travel, sharing and on-demand economies. According to Kidd ShareLedger is a custom-designed, immutable blockchain database built on top of the Tendermint blockchain. Its fast, highly scalable and extremely flexible compared to existing platforms such as Ethereum.

Imagine stepping off the plane and knowing all your travel needs can be securely booked and managed from your phone. No more juggling handing over passports, travel documents or bank cards. ShareRings travel app will create a more cohesive customer experience by bringing all the necessary activities and bookings into one ecosystem, including hotel check-ins, flights, visa and tourist applications, Covid-19 tests, self-sovereign digital identity cards, mobile wallets, payment solutions and vehicle rentals.

They are also launching the world's first anonymous contact-tracing passport that can be integrated with e-visa on arrival systems (eVOA), travel insurance companies, airlines, hotels and retail shops. While contact-tracing applications have undergone harsh scrutiny since the pandemic began, with studies showing many tracing applications lack adequate security, are manual and expensive to execute. ShareRings self-sovereign identity storing model overcomes the major hurdle of securing data integrity by ensuring data privacy through anonymous distributed ledger cryptography.

Travelers Proof of Health is tied safely to a QR code which is scanned by airports, hotels or shops to reveal the status of their test, allowing for more freedom of movement and interaction with customers. Identity information is never stored on the blockchain and cannot be altered, preventing falsification and fraud where other contact tracing apps had third party storage of data. According to Kidd When someone signs up for a ShareRing ID, we take their photo, video selfie, name, DOB, address, etc and store it in an encrypted file that never leaves the users device. We also take a fingerprint of the data and documentation and store that on the blockchain. The file is encrypted with your public key, so only you can access it. You can also back it up to your Google Drive, or other cloud storage. If any information is changed it will not be recognized by the blockchain and the user will be forced to recreate their ShareRing ID. When you use one of our services like the COVID-19 app, the app will send only the necessary information to the government (anonymously) to allow others to be notified if they have been in contact with you. This is critical while many governments are considering mandating, and some have, health certificates in order to ease lockdown measures and re-open borders and struggling economies safely. As Kidd explains We have designed this application with government, tourism and health regulator requirements in mind. Our Covid-19 passport is perfectly suited to their standards, very low-cost, built to be easily integrated into any application, and encourages adoption among the population by building it in a way that provably safeguards their privacy. This should enable them to safely screen travelers and keep their essential workers protected in the event of an outbreak.

The app is part of a broader ecosystem of blockchain products the company has built. ShareRings application has already been integrated with more than 2.6 million hotel and activity providers around the world and they already have a sharing marketplace removing middlemen like Uber and AirBnb. SharePay is their stablecoin which 'hides' the confusion of cryptocurrency from the end-user. The payment of services and goods between user and service provider will be made in SharePay.

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ShareRing Uses Blockchain To Solve Self Sovereign Identity And Proof Of Health Simultaneously - Forbes

The Blue House Is Taking Initiatives To Position South Korea As A Blockchain Hub – Forbes

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Front gate of South Korea presidential office is also known as The Blue House due to its blue color ... [+] roof tiles, Seoul, South Korea.. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Cheongwadaealso known as the Blue House for its blue roofis the official residence and executive office for the President of South Korea. In a bid to overcome the crises, South Korean President Moon Jae-in addressed business leaders from 9 key industries. In an unofficial translation on the Office of the President, President Moon Jae-in said, For its part, the Government will strive to nurture future technology professionals while supporting Korean companies efforts to innovate. We are expediting the training of experts in such new industrial areas as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain technology, future cars, drones, intelligent robots, smart ships and biomedicine.

I am confident that if businesses, the Government and the people all join forces, we will be able to surmount the industrial crisis caused by COVID-19 and be reborn as a powerhouse in an era of the digital economy, said President Moon Jae-in. In light of global economic uncertainty, Korea is taking ample measures to foster blockchain innovationnot only from a legislative stancebut also from a progressive stance towards cryptocurrencies as a whole.

A short background of Koreas viewpoint

South Korea was not always pro-crypto and this can be traced back to the crypto bull run of 2017. During the bull run, a large percentage of South Koreans invested, in so much that, South Korea became one of the biggest markets for bitcoin. The term bitcoin zombies emergedreferring to people addicted to checking the price of bitcoin.

When the bull market took a massive dive in 2018, many South Koreans lost a lot of moneyand some even lost their houses in the process. It didnt take too long for the Korean government to intervene and blacklist ICOs. Government intervention was also likely to be largely influenced by other cultural aspects, such as:

Suicide: According to the World Health Organization, South Korea has the fourth-highest suicide rate in the world.

Gambling: South Korea is home to 23 casinos. By law, only one casino is available for South Koreans to gamble, located in a remote area in the countryside.

Given that cryptocurrencies are high-risk volatile investments, plus factor in high suicide rates and the South Korean governments conservative attitudes towards gamblingthen, it becomes easier to see why the South Korean government was anti-crypto. Fast forward to 2019, Korea began introducing new regulations and has since changed its stance on crypto.

Regulations on virtual assets

The South Korean government has been working with local blockchain advocates to help introduce more concrete legislation surrounding the treatment of virtual assets. Simon Kim, CEO of proprietary blockchain venture fund Hashed, is one such advocate. Hashed is a significant backer of Asian blockchain projects including Klaytn and Terra. Kim is a director of the Korea Blockchain Association and is also involved in government initiatives around cryptocurrency regulation.

In an interview, Kim told me that the Korean Financial Services Commission does not regulate proprietary funds (a fund that invests with their own capital) in the same way that the SEC regulates US-based venture fundsproprietary funds are not required to submit periodic fillings via the FSC, Form Ds or disclose their information to the public. Depending on a funds registration status, it can either be launched under the FSC; or the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS). However, publicly listed companies are required to submit similar information to that of U.S. companies and disclose periodic filings.

July 2020, saw the rollout of a new tax ruling that will tax gains on cryptocurrency at a rate of 20%. Kim also advised the government in the drafting of a March bill that ensures Korea complies with FATF guidelines regarding virtual assets (VAs) and virtual asset providers (VASPs). This includes legal definitions, and the requirement of virtual asset service providers such as cryptocurrency exchanges to report to the Financial Intelligence Unit.

Speaking of the move towards a more regulated blockchain landscape for Korea, Kim said Although lack of clear regulation brought certain freedoms, it has ultimately been a bottle neck for blockchain related businesses in Korea. The new regulations mark a fresh beginning for Korea as it takes its first step to create a more hospitable environment for VAs and VASPs.

Kim also believes that this approach is helping Asia to spearhead blockchain innovation, in comparison with the often draconian approach of the US SEC. He added: While western projects such as Telegrams TON have been cancelled and Facebooks Libra delayed, Asian platforms have successfully launched and continue to onboard users. Among these are Samsungs blockchain integration into its Galaxy smartphones, and Terras Chai mobile payment initiative.

The one-step model

The South Korean government has also been experimenting with various blockchain legislative initiatives. In April last year, the government set up 14 special regulation-free zones with 84 regulation-related exceptions. Out of these zonesthe Busan crypto regulation-free zone, modeled after the Swiss town of Zugrepresented a major shift in government attitude towards cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. However, this didnt come without speculation, with some accusing the government of choking innovation.

In relation to these special regulation-free zones, President Moon Jae-in said earlier this year, Now tests related to such new industries as telemedicine, blockchain and the hydrogen economy can be conducted, and innovative industries are being created through the strengths of provincial areas.

This month, Haeundae Beachone of the most popular locations in the Busan crypto regulation-free zoneis expected to begin accepting crypto payments such as bitcoin and ethereum for watersport fans. The intention is to turn Haeundae Beach into a crypto beach, however, these plans are likely to be delayed as the Busan area was recently hit hard with an intense monsoona common occurrence during the months of July and August.

Furthermore, President Moon Jae-in went on to say that, The Government will further accelerate regulatory innovation while enhancing the strengths of local areas through decentralization. In regards to decentralization, the South Korean government proposed an amendment to the Local Autonomy Act, that if passed, will transfer administrative authority from central to local governments in these special regulation-free zones.

The decentralization experiment has been dubbed as a one-step model. The idea behind itif there is a mechanism for compromise in place that supports small concessions to take a large step forwardthen this will lead to a breakthrough in regulatory innovation. In light of this one-step model, last month, the South Korean government revealed that it granted the South Korean province Gyeongbuk, a permit to run a Special Industrial Hemp Free Zone. The zone will allow the province to industrialize medical hemp on the blockchaina major shift from conservative thinking to progressive.

The global race for CBDCs

In response to Chinas CBDC, the U.S, Australia, the Philippines, the European Central Bank, and many other countries are now considering rolling out CBDCs. This may bode well for crypto; however, not all are in agreement. Some have speculated that central bank digital currencies have nothing to do with cryptocurrenciesand are just a solution for a cashless society.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) originally had no interest in creating a Korean central bank digital currency (CBDC). Since then, it has now changed its tune. In March this year, the BOK began reviewing the issuance of a Korean CBDC and is now working on a 22-month pilot scheme that will see a build and test of the CBDC pilot system in 2021.

With economic uncertainty, inflation concerns, quantitative easing, governments racing towards CBDCs in reaction to the looming Chinese digital Yuanwhen looking to the future, how will the 2020s be remembered: As COVID-19; the black swan stock market crash; a global currency war; or the golden era of bitcoin?

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The Blue House Is Taking Initiatives To Position South Korea As A Blockchain Hub - Forbes

Virgin Galactic partners with Rolls-Royce as it looks to build an aircraft for supersonic air travel – CNBC

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Space tourism venture Virgin Galacticannounced it signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to develop an aircraft for supersonic travel, giving a first look on Monday of the coming vehicle's design.

Supersonic travel is a long-term bet for Virgin Galactic, which has been developing reusable spacecraft capable of sending people on short trips to the edge of space for more than a decade.

Virgin Galactic said it completed a mission concept review alongside NASA of its supersonic vehicle design and now will work with the Federal Aviation Administration to create a framework for certifying the aircraft for flight. Previously Boeing's venture arm invested $20 million in Virgin Galactic, specifically toward helping the company build a supersonic aircraft.

"We have made great progress so far, and we look forward to opening up a new frontier in high speed travel," Virgin Galactic chief space officer George Whitesides said in a statement.

British aerospace company Rolls-Royce has a notable history making aircraft engines, including having built the engines that powered the supersonic Concorde aircraft.

The initial supersonic design targets Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound, using a delta-wing aircraft. Virgin Galactic said the aircraft would be capable of carrying between 9 and 19 passengers and would cruise at an altitude above 60,000 feet.

While Virgin Galactic's current focus is on its space tourism business, Wall Street analysts point to the potential its supersonic aircraft would have to disrupt the commercial airline market. Morgan Stanley in December highlighted Virgin Galactic's supersonic potential, with the firm forecasting $800 billion in annual sales by 2040 for high speed travel.

The company's design puts it into a development race against a few other private firms, some of which have been working on next-generation supersonic aircraft for several years. Boom Supersonic, Aerion Supersonic, and Spike Aerospaceeach are working on supersonic jets and, before the the coronavirus pandemic, those companies expected to conduct test flights as early as 2023 or 2024.

Virgin Galactic is finishing development testing of its SpaceShipTwo series of spacecraft, mostly recently installing the cabin's interior as it looks to begin flying passengers for the first time. The company's spacecraft manufacturing subsidiary building the second and third spacecraft for Virgin Galactic's fleet, underway at the company's facility in Mojave, California.

Virgin Galactic's spacecraft, left, alongside the next in the company's fleet under construction.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic shares rose 7% in trading to close at $24.02. The company reports earnings after the bell Monday.

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Virgin Galactic partners with Rolls-Royce as it looks to build an aircraft for supersonic air travel - CNBC

Forget SpaceX: Invest in This Instead – Wealth Daily

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Earlier this week, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), capping off what will go down in history as a truly groundbreaking mission. After docking with the ISS two months earlier in late May, the astronauts have officially completed the first-ever crewed commercial flight of SpaceXs Dragon capsule.

Of course, astronauts have been flying to the ISS for decades, but the successful mission marks a critical moment in U.S. space exploration and travel a moment of domestic independence. After a long period of reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets for ISS docking, NASA is now working with SpaceX, a private American company instead.

NASAs shift to a private launch partner comes with more than a nationalistic benefit too. The cost of a seat on SpaceXs Dragon crew capsule comes in at $55 million. The cost for a seat on Roscosmos Soyuz rocket is nearly double at $90 million.

NASA already has its Crew-2 targeted to launch in spring 2021. This wasnt a one-off, in other words; its arguably the dawn of a new era in space travel.

As one might expect, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was ecstatic upon the missions completion. This is an enormous win for his company, and it puts him in an incredibly influential position as far as NASA missions are concerned. Heres what Musk had to say at the welcoming ceremony:

I do think what this heralds really is fundamentally a new era in spaceflight. We're going to go to the moon, we're going to have a base on the moon, we're going to send people to Mars and make life multiplanetary, and I think this day heralds a new age of space exploration. That's what it's all about.

Musks bold ambitions to colonize space have never been a secret, but after putting astronauts on a spaceship, sending them to orbit, and then returning them home safely, those ambitions have never been closer to reality. At least, that may be the way it seems.

Im a pretty big fan of science fiction, but Ill be the first to admit that colonizing the moon and going to Mars isnt quite as alluring as a man like Musk makes it out to be. We already know what its like on both of these celestial bodies: Its barren, cold, and utterly unlivable. Even if the most dire predictions of climate change were to wreak havoc on Earth, humanity would still be much better off sticking it out right here.

That isnt to say that humans wont eventually need to extend their reach or that space exploration isnt important, but we will have to find something more livable before we get there; neither Mars nor the moon are it.

Considering Elon Musks intellectual prowess, its difficult to believe he hasnt considered that the temperature on Mars averages out to negative 81 degrees Fahrenheit, that the atmosphere is almost entirely carbon dioxide, or that the planet is prone to violent dust storms that kick up toxic soil. Could Elon really be this clueless about the inhabitability of Mars? Probably not.

Love him or hate him, Musk is no dummy, if measured only by the simple fact of what he has accomplished. Musk is a one-of-a-kind businessman who knows how to leverage lofty promises for funding and media attention. He channels his inner Tony Stark, promising humanitarian advancements and convincing the government to subsidize his operations.

You see, Musks most newsworthy ambition may be advancing humanity into a multiplanetary species, but the real long-term business model of SpaceX isnt about NASA contracts: Thats just the starting point. The real moneymaker for SpaceX is its Starlink network: a constellation of thousands of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites designed to cover the entire Earth.

Late last month, Morgan Stanley released a research report updating its long-term valuation estimate for SpaceX. The investment bank believes the companys value could soar to as much as $175 billion because of Starlink.

Of course, Starlink is still a private company, so as far as retail investors are concerned, its off the table until the company holds an IPO. But SpaceX isnt the only company building out this new kind of LEO constellation; Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), OneWeb, and Boeing (NYSE: BA) are just a few companies working on similar networks.

Those who have been with us long enough know that weve been talking about LEO constellations and the moneymaking opportunity surrounding them for the last half-decade. For instance, I was shouting from the rooftops for investors to buy Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD), a critical satellite component supplier, as early as 2016. The stock shot up over 300% during that time frame.

Now, on the heels of SpaceXs successful Dragon crew launch, the institutions are finally catching up. RBC upgraded Aerojet to Outperform on Wednesday, with a $54 price target. The company is far less attractive today than when we first began covering it, but its a future-minded stock that investors can still feel comfortable holding long term.

That all said, investors looking to get in on private companies akin to SpaceX arent to be pigeonholed to the public stock market for these kinds of huge gains: There are new and emerging opportunities in private equity that have recently become accessible to Main Street investors.

Ive heard from countless investors recently who have been begging for easier entry into private companies. The demand isnt surprising at all because this is how billionaires like Elon Musk ultimately make their wealth: by securing ownership before everyone else.

In fact, the demand for private equity is so great, I personally know an analyst who left his desk at Morgan Stanley to teach Main Street investors how to get in on private equity deals without having to be an industry insider or an accredited investor.

He recently launched a new investment service called Main Street Ventures where he lays out a simple three-step system for pinning down the most compelling private deals. He sent me a video explaining the system in a private email last week, but Im sharing it with you right here, because the public needs to see it.

Until next time,

Jason Stutman

@JasonStutman on Twitter

Jason Stutman is Wealth Daily's senior technology analyst and editor of investment advisory newsletters Technology and Opportunity and Topline Trader. His strategy for building winning portfolios is simple: Buy the disruptor, sell the disrupted.

Covering the broad sector of technology and occasionally dabbling in the political sphere, Jason has written hundreds of articles spanning topics from consumer electronics and development stage biotechnology to political forecasting and social commentary.

Outside the office Jason is a lover of science fiction and the outdoors. He writes through the lens of a futurist, free market advocate, and fiscal conservative. Jason currently hails from Baltimore, Maryland, with roots in the great state of New York.

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Forget SpaceX: Invest in This Instead - Wealth Daily