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New Grymkin Warlock Released

This month sees a slew of Grymkin releases, from Privateer Press, which makes me a happy follower of the Defiers. All ready available are the Twilight Sisters and many other units including The Murder Crows. To be honest though I still think the best is yet to come!

A while ago I had a quick look at the Grymkin book ‘The Wicked Harvest’, and I was slightly under-impressed. However we’re starting to get some models in hand, and although I haven’t received the Army Box yet, I have to say the models are very nice. There is a nice mix of metal and plastic miniatures coming out with many having components of both materials.

The Wanderer

Grymkin Warlock The WandererThe first release I will look at is The Wanderer, this model comes with 3 road markers which can be used to cause untold headaches for your opponents and generally give the Wanderer a fair amount of unpredictable movement. The Wanderer model is nicely sculpted with lots off detail, including a scenic base which matches the road markers.

As a Warlock the Wanderer is a weird mix of aggressive support. The Latern as a weapon confers two bonuses, the first allows friendly faction models to attack an enemy hit by the Latern without using focus. It also adds 2″ to the charge of models charging it for the next turn. The second bonus is that models hit by the Laterns attack lose stealth and suffer -2 defence for a turn. Which of these effects is more useful will be situational but I would imagine charging without using focus is going to be more popular.

The Wanderer has 4 spells he can call on, the one that really stands out is Star-Crossed. Costing 3 focus you add a dice to every enemy attack within the Wanderers control range. Once rolled the highest highest result is discarded. Useful as long as your opponent doesn’t roll lots of 6’s.

The next unit I will have a look at is the Grymkin Murder Crows.

Grymkin Unit Murder Crows

 As always keep checking back with TTGUK for more Tabletop Gaming Greatness. You can find us on Facebook and please feel free to support us on Patreon
About Darren 531 Articles
An on an off gamer for twenty years, but in the last few years has spun away from his favourite Dark Angels and is loving the new found versatility and variety in the miniature universe

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Lyme and Autism

Common Symptomatology Between Lyme and Autism

When speaking with children who are chronically ill, it can be difficult to understand what is causing their symptoms. Children, naturally, might not know how to accurately describe their pains or illness. When there are multiple symptoms, it can be even more challenging as they grow and change so quickly. For children with autism or other language disorder, they may be limited or unable to communicate why they feel the way they feel.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Lyme disease are examples of what seem to be entirely different diseases, but they share an overlap of symptoms. While autism is usually seen as a developmental disorder and Lyme an infectious disease, the two have more in common than you might think. There are interesting connections between the two, especially when diagnosed in children.

Symptoms Shared by Both Autism and Lyme:

  • Neurological symptoms that include difficulty with communication and confusion, disorientation, muscle twitching, sensitivity to light, brain fog, and delayed development.
  • Psychological problems that impact behaviors, obsessive-compulsive disorder, an increased sense of doom, anxiety and outbursts.
  • Physical health issues such as muscle weakness, arthritis, and rashes.
  • Gut health issues including food allergies, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Diagnosing Lyme Disease

These symptoms are common features of autism and Lyme disease. Coincidentally, many of these symptoms are also displayed in auto-immune disorders. Blood tests may help determine if your child has been exposed to the Lyme bacteria, but current testing for Lyme disease is not very sensitive and misses many people who have had previous exposure. According to the CDC, Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis, which means it is based on signs and symptoms. Lab tests only help confirm that exposure. Because it can be difficult to tell the difference between symptoms caused by autism and those caused by Lyme disease, you may need to work with a Lyme specialist who can help determine if your child has been exposed and if treatment is warranted.

Treatment Options for Lyme Disease

Nutritional Support

There are treatments that benefit Lyme and autism alike. Focusing on gut health has been an important part of treatment for both conditions. This is because we are seeing the benefits of specific diets in patients with autism and/or Lyme. Nutritional support strengthens the integrity of the intestinal membranes, balances the billions of bacteria in our gut and improves digestion and elimination. All of this help support the immune function of the gut, which ultimately affects brain function.

An effective nutritional protocol would support the immune system, reduce symptoms, calm the nervous system and strengthen the body’s ability to fight infections. Autoimmune conditions such as autism and Lyme disease benefit greatly from proper diet and lifestyle modifications. Removing casein, dairy, sugar, processed foods and gluten from the diet will allow the body to heal and aid in the detoxification process, naturally.

Managing Stress

Also, reducing environmental factors like external and emotional stressors are extremely important for both Lyme and ASD. Stress responses increase the load on the immune & nervous system, which can lead to exhaustion and further relapse into symptoms. Identifying these triggers help you to work around them and eventually train your nervous system to create new patterns and get rid of the old ones.  Autoimmune conditions have very unique impacts on the immune system, especially Lyme and autism.

Treating the Infection

Above all, treating the infection is important in overcoming Lyme disease. Treatment options may include antibiotics if the exposure has been recent or herbal therapies if the infection has been long-standing. The benefit of herbal therapy is that it is effective in targeting infection, but also helps reduce inflammation, support the immune system, improve circulation and helps with tissue repair. Consider speaking to a specialist about your child’s symptoms, especially if they mimic other autoimmune conditions. And never be afraid to get a second or even third opinion, as it may be necessary in order to get to the root of problem.

Additional Information

For additional information about diagnosis and treatment options for Lyme disease, please watch the following presentation from the East Coast TACA Autism Conference.

About Darin Ingels, ND, FAAEM, FMAPS

Dr. Ingels is a respected leader in natural medicine with numerous publications, international lectures, and almost 30 years experience in the healthcare field. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from Purdue University and his Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Ingels’ practice focuses on environmental medicine with special emphasis on chronic immune dysfunction, including autism, Lyme disease, allergies, asthma, PANDAS, recurrent or persistent infections and other genetic or acquired immune problems.

*All content in this article is for informational purposes only. Furthermore, it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have.

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For the Love of Animals: Meet the Trailblazers Behind Taiwan’s SPCA

Although pets are ubiquitous around the modern city of Taipei and throughout Taiwan — with over 2.5 million pet cats and dogs accounted for in 2020—best practices for pet owners and anti-cruelty laws are relatively new on the island. For example, Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) was enacted in 1989 to prevent the sale, trade, and display of wild and endangered animals. In 1998, the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) was passed to set guidelines for pet owners, including penalties for animal abuse, as well as requirements for things like ready access to water and outdoor exercise.

Video interview with Connie Chiang, the co-founder of Taiwan SPCA.

Fortunately, Taiwan’s animal protection laws are continually evolving and setting guidelines for pets and businesses involving animals. Leading the way for the education and enforcement of these laws are the co-founders of Taiwan’s first SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). (Read also: How to Celebrate Earth Day in Taiwan)

Connie (姜怡如) and Annie Chiang (姜怡帆) are sisters originally from Taiwan who grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Familiar with Canada’s BCSPCA (The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the siblings were surprised to find that no such resource existed in Taipei when they moved back to their motherland after college. “Growing up, everyone was familiar with adopting animals from the local SPCA,” says co-founder Connie.

Growing up as an animal lover, Connie Chiang, the co-founder and executive director of the TSPCA, has made improving animal welfare in Taiwan her mission. (Photo/Yi-choon Tang)

Out of a love for animals, the two sisters, along with their friend and fellow Canadian Beki Hunt, began sheltering strays and rescuing animals with their own resources while simultaneously working full-time jobs. “We all started out as volunteers,” stated Connie. Together, the three animal lovers practiced “Trap- Neuter-Return,” or “TNR” for short, a system for controlling animal population by fixing, vaccinating, and returning stray animals to their territory. (You might also like: 4 Rescue Cat Cafés in Taiwan Cat Lovers Can’t Miss!)

The TSPCA is the only NGO in Taiwan that goes to every corner of the country to investigate possible cases of cruelty to animals.

After realizing the limitations of housing animals in their own homes, and that the root of the problem was actually the lack of legislation to protect animals, the three women started the Taiwan Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) (台灣防止虐待動物協會) in Taipei in 2009. In 2010, TSPCA became an official non-profit organization and the island’s first SPCA.

Animals that need medical help will also get the necessary treatment under the TSPCA’s guidance and care.

SPCAs around the world operate independently from one another, with different boards of directors, organizational structures, and different goals. Taiwan’s SPCA adheres to an underlying philosophy known as the “The Five Freedoms of Animals,” namely the freedom from thirst and hunger, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, freedom to express normal behavior, and the freedom from fear and distress. But what makes the TSPCA unique is the founders’ tenacious mission to enforce Taiwan’s anti-cruelty laws with an educational approach.

⬆⬇Not only does the TSPCA help regular pets like dogs and cats, the organization also cares about the welfare of show animals such as sheep and gibbons

For example, the most egregious case the organization encountered was an endangered Malayan sun bear that had spent almost all of its life in a small cage. After the incident, the small non- profit conducted their own research and uncovered that 22 other endangered and exotic animals were still living as domestic pets across the island in violation of Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act. Upon this discovery, the TSPCA held a press conference in June of 2019 to bring public attention to these violations. As a result of these efforts, all but two of the endangered animals have now been successfully released and rehabilitated at various wildlife sanctuaries throughout Taiwan, while the fearless leaders continue to work tirelessly to rescue the remaining animals. (Read also: In search of the elusive Formosan black bear in Taiwan)

For Connie, the most memorable case since founding the TSPCA is rescuing a Malayan sun bear from a dog-size cage it was housed in for years.

Taiwan’s SPCA also pursues its mission to enforce anti-cruelty laws through a process called a Cruelty Investigation. “It’s not a standard approach for NGOs…no one else does it,” Connie explains about this unique system.

TSPCA’s Cruelty Investigation is usually triggered by people’s complaints regarding a violation of the Animal Protection Act. Although Taipei’s citizens can report acts of animal abuse directly to the local animal protection authority — Taipei City Animal Protection Office (台北市動物保護處), the TSPCA is often the first to receive such complaints from Taipei and beyond due to its reputation throughout the island. As such, the organization provides an online reporting system for members of the public to report a case and provide evidence. Unique to Taiwan’s SPCA, a TSPCA investigation is a practice that combines the non-profit’s educational efforts with the enforcement power of Taiwan’s legal authorities.

Many of the abuse cases that the TSPCA handles are actually related to “improper animal feeding,” owing to the owners’ lack of care toward their pets.

After receiving a complaint, the TSPCA will first determine whether the alleged animal abusers have broken the law. “Our first goal is always to educate,” says Connie. If the TSPCA determines that the Animal Protection Act has been violated, they educate the offenders about the best practices for care of the animals and offer support and assistance. For example, after explaining why a dog needs more exercise, they will offer the owner a free leash. Then, if the abuser does not rectify the situation per the TSPCA’s recommendations, the TSPCA will contact legal authorities.

Next, Taipei’s law enforcement will issue a Compliance Order that allows the offender a chance to change their behavior in order to comply with the Animal Protection Act. Finally, if the offender does not comply with the government orders, a fine ranging from NT$15,000 to NT$75,000 will be issued in accordance with the act. The animal may also be confiscated.

If an animal is confiscated by local authorities, the TSPCA’s work doesn’t stop there. Although the TSPCA lacks an animal shelter of its own, the organization will actively help with the placement of the rescued animals, including coordinating with foster volunteers and pet hotels that provide adoption corners. Sometimes, the founders of the non-profit will even foster the animals themselves if the shelters are full. “It’s no surprise that my sister and I now own six rescue dogs and one rescue bird ourselves,” Connie laughs.

With only four investigators on their team, the TSPCA successfully handles around 600 investigations around the island per year. (You might also like: Travel Deeper to Zhushan: A Eco-friendly Day in Bamboo Mountain)

In addition to these procedural investigations, the TSPCA founders also lobby the government for continual reform to animal protection laws. For example, thanks to their lobbying efforts, clearer pet-rearing requirements and regulations on exhibit animals have been written into law. The TSPCA also successfully lobbied to outlaw the use of animal testing for cosmetics in Taiwan. Similarly, the founders participate in public hearings, seminars, and symposiums, providing research and suggestions for the animal-related issues at hand.

One of the TSPCA’s missions is to teach the next generation to treat animals right through many kinds of educational speeches or activities.

In line with their educational mission, the Chiang sisters created their own curriculum for teaching the public about animal welfare. In collaboration with the Taipei City Animal Protection Office, the TSPCA provides ten schools in Taipei with their curriculum and equips teachers with the materials necessary to teach animal welfare to their students. “It’s been really successful,” Connie said. “We teach teachers how to teach animal welfare to students. One school had 100 teachers show up!” The TSPCA also promotes its educational campaigns via social media and holds pet behavior training for adopters and the general public.

Foreigners in Taipei can promote animal welfare in the city by serving as foster volunteers for the animals rescued by the TSPCA and Animal Protection Office. “Since we don’t have our own shelter, we are reliant on foster volunteers,” says Connie. For those with limited time or resources, one can sign up with the TSPCA to volunteer at the nearby Ruifang Animal Shelter (瑞芳動物之家), where each month 25 volunteers take dogs on walks, bathe the dogs, and cut their nails. Foreigners in Taipei can also volunteer at public shelters to give the animals an opportunity to get outdoors and socialize with animals and humans alike. (Read more: 6 Cafes to Enjoy Pet Day in Taipei)

Being a volunteer, or even adopting a rescued animal at the adoption fair, is the most helpful way to support the TSPCA’s work.

Additionally, foreign tourists can contribute to the TSCPA’s cause by volunteering with other animal welfare organizations during their short stay on the island. For example, visitors can volunteer at shelters like The PACK Sanctuary (台灣巴克動物懷善救援協會) or directly with Taipei’s Animal Protection Office.

Taiwan’s SPCA is a small but mighty team, leading the island towards a cruelty-free environment for all animals. To further the advancement of safety and well-being for animals, the founders plan to continue researching, campaigning, and lobbying for improvement of animal protection laws and enforcement measures, as well as spreading awareness of an “Adopt, Don’t Shop” mentality throughout Taipei and beyond.

(Words by: Francesca Chang; Photos by: Yi-choon Tang, Taiwan SPCA)

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found at the website of Taipei Travel Net (

Read More Extraordinary Stories in Taiwan


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Confused By Prefix, Joseph Epstein Receives Colonoscopy From Dr. Pepper

WALL STREET – Believing that everyone daring to use the prefix “Dr.” must have a medical degree, Joseph Epstein mistakenly received a colonoscopy from a Dr. Pepper can earlier today.

“This is my problem with people just throwing around the term ‘doctor’ without a full grasp of what it really means,” said Epstein while walking bow-legged with a soda can stuck in his sphincter. “People like myself are going to get hurt. The number one danger facing America right now is too many people with non-medical doctorates.”

Epstein made headlines earlier this week for an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing First Lady-elect Dr. Jill Biden, a Ph.D. holder from an accredited university, for using the prefix she earned even though she isn’t a medical doctor. He has also sued the children’s book author, Theodor Geisel, for medical malpractice for tricking children into believing that hopping on pop was a physician-prescribed treatment.

“A wise man once told me ‘I’m representin’ for them gangstas all across the world. Hittin’ them corners in them low-lows, girl. Still takin’ my time to perfect the beat, and I still got love for the streets,” said Epstein, using a quote from Dr. Dre. “Can Jill Biden give that kind of medical advice? I don’t think so.”

Despite condemnation from both medical and academic professionals, several prominent Republicans rushed to defend Epstein from the counter response to his op-ed, including outgoing Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who was awaiting a pap smear from a pair of Dr. Martens boots.

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Calling In Sick

For the last two mornings, I have had this strong desire to call in sick.

Now I’m not sick, mind you.

But the bed felt awfully warm. And there were some things on my schedule that I simply didn’t want to face. And I knew the days ahead were long.

So I thought, “wouldn’t it be OK, just this once, to pretend like I’m sick?” Just spend the day reading the novel I’m enjoying, checking the Tennis Channel, maybe even working out.

But no.

There is the rather obvious matter of honesty. Once you start lying, then the lies begin to cascade down through the rest of your life.

Yet there is an even more important reality: those things I didn’t want to face and those meetings I didn’t want to have would still be there whenever I came back from being “sick.” Better to address difficult things first rather than delaying what is inevitable.

So I showed up.

That’s a prerequisite for success anyway, isn’t it?


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Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Things Heard At Ginghamsburg UMC

I spent three days in Ohio last week at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church’s Change The World Conference. I went as part of the Reynolds Leadership Program which sends 25 pastors from North Carolina to various training events four times per year.

Ginghamsburg is a Methodist miracle. When Michael Slaughter became the senior pastor there in 1979, it averaged 90 people in worship & met in a two room church building. Today, with Slaughter still at the helm, it hosts about 4400 people per weekend meeting in sites throughout the Dayton area. It has long been known for innovation in worship, commitment to small groups, and a focused ministry with and for people on the margins of society.

These days, Slaughter serves as more prophet than pastor; more agitator than chaplain. Because of that, he and his team of speakers delivered some memorable — and provocative — one liners. Here are five of my favorite:

1. The church’s job is to bring the resources of heaven down to earth, not to send disembodied souls to heaven.
2. If it’s not good news for the poor, it’s not good news.
3. You don’t have to scream Jesus if you do Jesus.
4. Stop asking ‘how many people do we get in?’ Start asking, ‘how many people who are in are we getting out (into the community)?’
5. If you don’t serve, you’ll feel uncomfortable in this church.


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Education union surveys members, over 80% concerned about Arkansas schools reopening in fall

by Roby Brock ([email protected]) 799 views

The Arkansas Education Association’s survey of members finds that a supermajority of respondents are concerned about reopening schools this fall in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey, released Wednesday (July 15), fielded more than 6,100 responses from members with more than 88% being from teachers. Of those teachers, roughly 44% are from the elementary level, 20% teach middle school, 27% cover high school grades, and 9% were classified as other.

About 58% of those surveyed said they are working more since in-person school closed in March 2020, while 14% said they were working less and 27% were working about the same.

When asked if they were worried about contracting COVID-19, 83% said they were concerned.

More than 84% said they were concerned regarding the health risks for returning to in-person school this fall, while 15% were unconcerned.

Students and family members were of higher concern to the educators surveyed than their own health.

Just under 90% said they were concerned about health risks to students when or if schools reopen, while only 8% were unconcerned. Nearly 88% were concerned for family members this fall, and about 10% were not concerned.

Another finding from the survey suggested that it may be impossible to socially distance if schools reopen. Nearly 97% said it would be difficult to socially distance and account for other practices in public schools, while just 2% said it would not be difficult.

A final finding from the survey asked educators about leaving the profession or retiring early.

Q: Has COVID-19 made you think about leaving the public education profession or retiring earlier than planned?

36.58% – No
3.31% – Yes, leaving the profession
30.13% – Yes, considering leaving the profession
3.56% – Yes, retiring earlier than planned
10.5% – Yes, considering retiring earlier than planned
0.43% – Retiring as planned this year
15.49% – Unsure

When asked about the AEA survey, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he had not seen it but understands the concerns.

“I think it’s natural that whenever people look at the future and there is any uncertainty, they get nervous about it. So I think it’s a natural reaction that there is a lot of questions that parents have, a lot of questions that teachers have, and, you know, I encourage them to follow closely what the state plan that has been outlined. I think it gives confidence. There is a level of flexibility with the local districts,” he said.

The governor also said state and local education officials are continuing to work on how to respond to positive COVID-19 tests among students and staff.

“A lot of these details are still being worked out because we still have about 30 days before the beginning of school,” he said.

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Video Game Review: WWF King of the Ring (NES)

The original WWF wrestling game for Nintendo was a piece of shit. I mean, it was passable in 1989 when I first played it but it’s a clusterfuck of buggy controls, strange physics and is limited by its roster and only having one match type.

This was the fourth WWF game for NES, after the three Wrestlemania games. This one took the King of the Ring tournament format and brought it into the game.

Now while this is limited by having basic one-on-one or tag team matches, it does boast a bigger roster than the original Wrestlemania game.

However, what makes this much, much better than Wrestlemania is that it is playable!

This game isn’t hard to figure out pretty quickly and you certainly don’t get as frustrated with it as you do the other early WWF titles. Sadly, there isn’t much as far as move sets go. I’m not even sure if you can do finishers. This is basically a button masher and as long as you can adapt to the patterns of the game, it’s really damn easy.

But because of this being a basic bitch of a wrestling game, it gets repetitive fast and after playing through one tournament, there isn’t much else to keep your attention.

Rating: 5.5/10
Pairs well with: other NES wrestling games: Pro Wrestling, Tag Team Wrestling, WCW Wrestling and WWF WrestleMania Challenge.


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‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 8 advance review: Every Minute Counts.

‘Timeless’ has been doing a beautiful job of featuring each character this season and revealing a bit of their past. We’ve come to love these characters without knowing that much about their lives. Wyatt, Connor, and Emma have opened-up to share their troubles and fears so far. In every situation, their revelations have come about in different ways. All of which had personal significance. In “The Day Reagan Was Shot,” we will come to see Agent Denise Christopher in a way that only makes us respect her even more.

The writers cleverly mix things up again with a bait-and-switch. In Washington D.C., 1981,  John Hinckley Jr. (Erik Stocklin), a Jodie Foster fanatic, plots to assassinate President Reagan in an attempt to win her love.

As Connor so eloquently puts it, “Those of us with life experience better sit this one out.” So Jiya occupies the fourth seat on her first proper mission to the past.

Timeless - Season 2

This foursome knows how to rock ’80s style. Thanks to Jiya’s five finger discount shopping, she leaves with some vintage loot. (I don’t even care that there is no way to practically explain the ladies’ fabulous hair and make-up in every time period.) The costumes too wonderful, so we roll with it.) Jiya, way to work the blue eyeshadow and curls. Lucy is owning those oversized glasses. Looking fierce!

The Time Team thinks they are going back to save Reagan, but quickly realize that Rittenhouse is targeting Agent Christopher.

We find out exactly how immensely important her role has been in the fight against Rittenhouse. Her death would result in an automatic win for the baddies because she won’t be there to take them down every step of the way. Yeah, so no pressure Time Team!

Karen David (‘Galavant,’ ‘Once Upon A Time’) does a delightful job channeling Christopher as a rookie cop. She always seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, but in the early 1980s, it was for a totally different reason.

The team splits up into pairs. Rufus and Wyatt track down the sleeper agent, while Lucy and Jiya pose as P.I.s and talk to Christopher.

The awesome thing is seeing how well Christopher works with the girls, even in the past. She inherently trusts them. Their interaction is very endearing and even hilarious at times.

As you can tell by the concerned look on Lucy’s face, the case isn’t the only thing they need to help Christopher with. During Lucy and Jiya’s intervention, we get to learn about her childhood and family. We even learn a little bit more about Jiya too, since their families have something in common.

Timeless - Season 2

Instead of giving us a history lesson, we learn about what truly matters in life and how we should strive to remain true to ourselves. We are also reminded to cherish every minute we get with our loved ones. Sakina Jaffrey delivers a very moving performance, especially since the stakes have never been higher for Agent Christopher.

As promised, your teasers:

  • There are good and bad Riya moments that will give you different kinds of feels.
  • There is a nice Lyatt moment when they confront Broofus (brooding Rufus).
  • Flynn has an enlightening heart-to-heart with Agent Christopher.
  • We find out new info about the journal hand-off. But it still raises more questions.
  • We will get a better understanding of how Rittenhouse sleeper agents operate.
  • Wyatt may be growing a little suspicious of Jessica.
  • Sadly, there is no Emma.

Disclaimer: Don’t ask me if Jessica is pregnant. I will neither confirm or deny that rumor/theory.

If you are freaking about Jessica in any way, just ask yourself: Do you honestly think Wyatt will believe anything Jessica says if he is suspicious?

Try to keep that in mind and breath.

My take: I have a feeling the Jessica conundrum will come to a head in the finale. Hopefully, we won’t have to worry about her interfering with Lyatt in Season 3.

Check out the latest sneak peeks posted on SpoilerTV: HERE

What do you think, Clockblockers? What are you most excited to see in the episode? Do you look forward to learning more about Agent D.C.?

Share your thoughts below and/or on Wednesday during #TiffsHappyHour!

‘Timeless’ airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 7 review: Women’s Rights Done Right

2 thoughts on “‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 8 advance review: Every Minute Counts.

  1. S02 has been great, esp ep. 2. Cant say the same for the Jessica intrusion.
    I was hoping they’d resolve this Jessica thing earlier but we’ve now gotta wait till ep 10. I wish they’d thrown some other obstacle at Lyatt. Its done nothing good for the fanbase.

    The show deserves a S03! #Timeless

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Do you find yourself saying “I need to eat better” or “I should to go to the gym”? Managing our health and doing the “right” thing is a constant push/pull.

We know what it takes to be healthier and yet, we’re busy and tempted by fast food and other quick temptations.

I believe that most people really do want to improve their health. It can just be so damn hard.

Especially when we use words like ‘need‘ and ‘should‘. It’s a little nag to our subconscious that we’re somehow screwing up.

Mindset is Everything

People ask me all the time how to get motivated. (I wrote an article about one solution here.) They also want to know how to eat healthier.

I struggle with all these things too, so I totally get it. One of my mottos that I have (and have probably said before!) is that I do more things right than I do wrong. This equals a healthy lifestyle in the long run.

And it’s the long run that matters, right?

One of the keys to being healthy is your mindset and how you look at health.

Train Your Brain

Years ago, I met with a coach who specialized in neurolinguistic programming (NLP). It was my first exposure to NLP and I was fascinated!

NLP, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, is the art and science of excellence, derived from studying how top people in different fields obtain their outstanding results.  –

The coach marketed herself with “Train Your Brain”. She had an emphasis on fitness because she had raced on the U.S. Ski Team. I wanted to work with her because she knew what it took mentally to take her fitness to an elite level.

My Powerful Mindset Shift

After that session with her, I started to look at my health and fitness differently. I started asking myself this one simple question regularly…and I still do it today!

And the best part is that it can work with ANY aspect of your life!

Check out the video to see how you can quickly switch your mindset and improve your health.

Take Action Now

Tell me in the comments below how you’re going to apply this mindset shift to your life. I want to hear from you!

Photo credit: ©Depositphotos/@stocksnapper


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Supreme Court refuses to hear case about 2017 Marine recruit hazing death

The decision ends a three-year legal battle against the military that began when a 20-year-old Marine from Michigan died during...

Supreme Court refuses to hear case about 2017 Marine recruit hazing death

Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it wouldn't hear the case brought against the U.S. military by the family of a 20-year-old Marine from Taylor who died four years ago during boot camp, ending a three-year legal battle.

In a one-page order, the justices indicated they would let stand the decision by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss the wrongful death suit brought by the parents of Raheel Siddiqui in 2017.

The appeals court ruled last year the lawsuit is barred under the oft-criticized Feres doctrine, which relegates claims related to injuries to active duty military personnel to the military courts, not the civil courts.

“Unless and until” the justices overturn the 70-year-old Feres doctrine, the courts remain bound by it and, “accordingly, find plaintiffs’ claims barred for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,” the 6th Circuit wrote last year.

The Siddiqui family had sued the Marine Corps in 2017, alleging he was assaulted, hazed, tortured and discriminated against at the training depot on Parris Island, South Carolina, because of his Muslim faith.

The complaint argued that Marine recruiters misled Siddiqui by not warning him about the abuse of other Muslim recruits at Parris Island, and that military officials were negligent in failing to protect him once at the training depot, where Siddiqui died in March 2016 after falling three stories.

Siddiqui's parents, Ghazala and Masood Siddiqui, argued the government was also negligent by almost immediately declaring their son's death a suicide without fully investigating the circumstances.

'An ideal opportunity to address injustice'

The family's lawyer expressed disappointment after the order was published Tuesday.

“This case was an ideal opportunity for the court to address the injustice that the Feres doctrine has created and perpetuated for decades,” attorney Shiraz Khan said.

“While we are disappointed that we will not have an opportunity to argue this case before the Supreme Court, our fight for justice is not over. Evidence has a way of speaking for itself, and we will be looking into the possibility of legislative solutions for the benefit of all Americans.”

Khan had argued that the Feres doctrine did not apply to the case because Raheel Siddiqui had not yet started his active military service and was a civilian when he first started meeting with Marine recruiters in 2015.

The appeals court disagreed by arguing that “if Siddiqui's death was incident to his military service, then a claim of negligent enlistment relating to his death is also barred by Feres.”

“There is no dispute that Siddiqui was on active duty when he died, and we conclude that his death during basic training falls squarely within the wide reach of the Feres doctrine,” Judge Jane B. Stranch wrote for a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit.

Like the district court, the appellate panel criticized the Feres doctrine's reliance on the military's so-called “generous” no-fault compensation, saying it's outdated.

U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow in his November 2018 ruling said the $100,000 death benefit and $400,000 life insurance payout that the Siddiquis received “are mere fractions of most wrongful death awards.”

The September 11th Fund’s awards for wrongful death ranged from $2 million to $3 million, Tarnow noted.

A Marine investigation into Siddiqui's death recommended discipline against several Marine supervisors including Gunnery Sgt. Joseph A. Felix Jr.

A military court last year affirmed Felix's conviction and 10-year prison sentence for crimes including the abuse of three Muslim recruits, including Siddiqui.

Felix's former supervisor, Lt. Col. Joshua Kissoon, pleaded guilty to charges including negligently returning Felix to work while he was under investigation for hazing another Muslim recruit.

©2020 The Detroit News – Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News View Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News's articles


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The Tax-Free Retirement Savings Option

Mar 26, 2019 | 0 comments

If you are looking for tax-free income and more flexibility during retirement, perhaps you should look into investing in a Roth IRA. While Roth IRA contributions are not sheltered from current taxes like contributions to traditional IRAs, they offer other tax benefits during retirement.

The Roth IRA advantage

  • Retirement withdrawals (including earnings) are tax-free. As long as you wait to take distributions until you are 59 ½ or older, the full amount of your Roth account is tax-free!
  • Save taxes on other earnings. During retirement, withdrawals from traditional IRAs increase your taxable income. This can bump other earnings into a higher tax bracket and potentially increase the taxability of your Social Security benefits. Conversely, Roth withdrawals are not reported as income, keeping tax rates as low as possible.
  • More flexibility during retirement. Once you turn 70 ½, the IRS requires that you take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from traditional IRAs. If you don’t, you’ll get hit with a 50 percent penalty! There is no such requirement for Roth IRAs. You can leave (and even contribute) funds to grow in the account as long as you want.
  • Contributions can be withdrawn tax-free at any age. If you have financial hardship and need to make an early withdrawal, only the earnings in a Roth are subject to a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. Meaning, Roth contributions can be withdrawn tax-free and penalty-free at anytime. This is because you use after-tax funds to make your original Roth contributions. This is not the case with traditional IRAs — the full withdrawal is subject to the penalty if you make it before you turn 59 ½.

The Roth IRA is not for everyone

While there are many reasons to consider contributing to a Roth IRA, they are not for everyone. Here are some factors to consider:

  • Income limits. While there are no income limits if you wish to roll funds from other accounts into a Roth IRA, there are income limits to contribute to a Roth IRA. For 2018 they are $135,000 single ($137,000 in 2019) and $199,000 married ($203,000 in 2019).
  • 5-year account requirement. To receive the full tax-free benefit of Roth investment earnings, you must have your Roth account for five years before making withdrawals.
  • Future tax uncertainty. While no one knows what the future holds, keeping tabs on tax trends is an important aspect of retirement planning. Increasing or decreasing tax rates may ultimately determine the best type of retirement investment for you. In addition, the government has the power to change the taxability of your IRA if they deem it necessary.

If you are looking to maximize your savings for 2018, you still have until April 15, 2019 to contribute into an IRA.

Please contact me directly if you need more information on an IRA.

Diane Gardner
c/o Adept Business Solutions
PO Box 1132
14567 W. Highway 53
Rathdrum, ID 83858

Phone: (208)687-0508

What If You Are Throwing Money Out The Window?

Do  You Know The Health Of Your Service Business?


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Red Sox Put Up Black Lives Matter Billboard Outside Of Fenway Park Despite Recent Actions Showing How Little They Care About Black People

The Red Sox have made headlines by putting up a new sign promoting black lives matter outside of Fenway Park overlooking the Mass Pike.

The comments section is the usual battle between woke BLM supporters and conservatives who understand that BLM is a Marxist organization that wants to abolish the police, jails, capitalism, and the nuclear family. But these people on both sides are overlooking the most important part here that the Red Sox hope you will be distracted by with the sign – the Red Sox have never cared about black lives. Putting up a sign like this is nothing more than divisive virtue signaling meant to garner attention towards a sport that is losing younger fans by the day.

Here’s some examples of just how little the Red Sox care about black lives.

1. Ownership and upper management at the Red Sox is almost exclusively white. Almost every person listed on their website as front office is employees is white, and the vast majority are white males.

This is the Fenway Sports Group.

2. They just traded a black MVP in the prime of his career (Mookie Betts), along with black World Series hero David Price, for an unproven white player with a history of domestic violence (Alex Verdugo), because the black player wanted to be paid a fair market rate that reflects his talents. The white ownership refused to pay him what he was worth because they did not want to have to pay the luxury tax. He wasn’t cheap, but management could certainly afford him. They just didn’t want to pay a black man that kind of money if it meant money out of their pockets.

3. For years the Red Sox covered up for pedophile clubhouse employee Donald Fitzpatrick as he used Red Sox memorabilia to specifically target and lure young black boys, and sexually assaulted them at Red Sox facilities. The Boston Globe, which owns the Red Sox, first reported on this on July 7, 2020. But BET reported it in 2011. They’ve resisted efforts to pay survivors.

4. The Red Sox rarely do anything to bring inner-city youth to games. However, they do put on events that are likely to bring in white people with money, such as post game yoga sessions for $60 a pop on the field. Their tickets are among the most expensive in MLB, which makes it harder for black children to become accustomed with a sport that has seen a declining percentage of black players over the years.

5. The COVID crisis has killed black people at a disproportionate rate. While Patriots owner Bob Kraft personally flew his team plane to China to pick up millions of PPE equipment, the Red Sox largely stood by and did nothing, despite having the financial resources to seriously help the community. A month after the crisis began they announced that they would be providing some relief to the community, but the process for obtaining help was complicated and required approval from the organization.

6. In response to the death of George Floyd the Red Sox put out a generic statement offering their support for black lives matter. The press release urged people to donate to a number of “charities” that help black people, including the Minnesota Bail Fund which mostly bailed out white Antifa who were arrested for looting. It also urges people to donate to Monica Cannon-Grant’s illegal non-profit Violence In Boston INC, despite the CEO’s long and documented history of racism and abuse directed at black women.

It urges people to read the historically inaccurate 1619 project from the New York Times, except they’re so unfamiliar with it that they list it as the 1916 project.

It urges people to read a book called “So You Want To Talk About Race,” written by an overtly racist woman named Ijeoma Oluo, who once posted on social media that she believes white people in a Cracker Barrel were going to kill her for no reason other than the fact that she is black.

They asked fans to ponder the following:

  • How can you support people of color in your community?
  • What are your local politicians’ policies on ending police brutality?
  • Were you ever taught about race and culture? If not, how can you start to educate yourself?
  • What is your plan to help end racial discrimination and systematic oppression?
  • How can you effectively prepare yourself to have progressive conversations with friends, family, colleagues and peers?
  • How can you be actively anti-racist instead of simply “not-racist?”
  • What do you want to learn more about?

This is nothing more than pandering nonsense that does nothing to help save black lives. All it does is line the pockets of multi-million dollar organizations who profit off of the racism-industrial complex, and make white people feel good about themselves.

The Red Sox don’t care about black people. They care about making and saving themselves money. They support BLM because BLM it’s likely to play well with Uber-liberal Massachusetts residents. They think they’re helping race relations by calling their fans racist when they pretended to believe Torri Hunter and Adam Jones, who both made up lies about being called the n word at Fenway Park. They think they’re helping by changing the names of public streets in Boston because a previous owner from a hundred years ago was racist.

They’re not.

At the end of the day the Red Sox are an organization that has the power to empower the black community, but instead they do nothing for them and put billboards on the Mass Pike for woke points.

Please consider supporting local journalism by donating to the Turtle fund:

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Hello Turtle Riders. As you know if you follow Turtleboy we are constantly getting censored and banned by Facebook for what are clearly not violations of their terms of service. Twitter has done the same, and trolls mass reported our blog to Google AdSense thousands of times, leading to demonitization. We can get by and survive, but we could really use your help. Please consider donating by hitting the PayPal button above if you’d like support free speech and what we do in the face of Silicon Valley censorship. Or just buy our award winning book about the dangers of censorship and rise of Turtleboy:

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Coming up short after 12

tcr! · Jan 24, 2018 at 8:00 pm

Audio (MP3): 20180124 - Coming up short after 12

Video (MP4): 20180124 - Coming up short after 12

Well into my way of twelve step recovery I confused the word “practice” with “perfected” somehow.

Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and had perfected practiced these principles in all our affairs.
Step 12 of Alcoholics Anonymous

I thought that because I’d worked all the other steps and had arrived at number 12 that I should be over some hump. Passed the bump. Made the jump. Maybe even overflowing with love while walking with spiritual principles or whatever.

Like I had crossed some finish line because I had had a spiritual awakening.

It wasn’t something that I consciously thought. I knew the step used the phrase “practiced these principles”, similar to applying them but for whatever reason I was holding myself to a “perfected” standard. Below the surface. Like not holding myself wide awake in front of my eyes, but more like how that creepy horror show music playing softly in the background holds you.

Of course then would feel like I was coming up short and imperfect. And not know why.

But… Just because I’ve had that spiritual awakening that doesn’t mean I’ve perfected anything. I have to continue to practice the principles much the way Maggie needs to practice her cello.

Granted with working the others steps and making it to twelve I have been elevated to a new plane of existence but I’m not cured or healed. By any stretch.

Okay that “elevated” part sounds a bit arrogant. But I have changed.

It’s funny how our minds can know something but then deeper down in the canyon we believe or feel something else.

If something’s bothering me, I should investigate. Even if it seems minor.

If anything is making me feel bad about me, something’s off. No matter how slight or subdued or subliminal it may feel.

I need to have a look under the covers to see what’s going on, see what’s what. And in this case then discard that ridiculous notion of perfection. Just because I got to a certain point in life that doesn’t mean I’m going to stay at that point. I need to continue to do those things that got me there.

#advancedsoul #twelvesteps #diariespodcast #diariesvideo

jimi hindrance experience jimi hindrance experience · Jan 26, 2018 at 9:42 am

“You’d be arrogant too if you were me.”—-jimithesaint said that. i was here and heard him say it. If I ever learned anything that I still remember it’s to take everything with a grain-o-salt, “Don’t become a Saint by Tuesday.” “This Too, Shall Pass.” You’re not as good or bad as your best/worst self says you are. You’re a whole lot more human than human.

T, I love you more than sitting next to T——, the girl with the best boobs in the office.

tcr! tcr! · Jan 27, 2018 at 7:45 am

“Don’t become a Saint by Tuesday.” — I love that one.

And thanks! You’re one of my best friends since my first self-imposed divorce.

It’d be better if you signed in before commenting

Momma J Momma J · Sep 25, 2020 at 5:34 pm

Love you, my son. You are kind and sincere and doing well

tcr! tcr! · Sep 25, 2020 at 8:11 pm

Thank you, thank you!

Momma J Momma J · Sep 25, 2020 at 8:27 pm

You’re welcome!

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What to reply to a computer science student who asked you to be his accomplice in cheating?

You probably are familiar with the phenomenon of students, who pay other people to write term papers, theses and projects for them to submit in order to meet academic requirements.

Few years ago, a computer science student named R. (a pseudonym) approached me and asked me to write for him and his partner a computer program, so that they will submit it to meet a requirement in order to pass a course, which they were studying.

Instead of taking money from him, I replied to him as follows.

I am approaching your question from the point of view of a mentor, teacher or a wise person needing to advise a young person, who is in a difficult situation and who is considering a bad solution to his problem. What the young person really needs is not to have someone else do his project for him, but long-term thinking: what are the long-term consequences of this solution, what alternative solutions exist, which obstacles exist in the alternatives, how to overcome those obstacles, the need to summon courage to change course.

For starters, as far as I am concerned, what you asked for is in the grey area between cheating and having an original solution to the problem. This is because certificates are not worth that much in the vocation of software development. Either the developer knows how to program or he doesn’t know, no matter what degrees or impressive certificates he has. If he does not know how to program, then within half a year his employer, if the employer has a clue, knows about it, and gives him a kick in the ass – reducing the long-term damage. Also, there are several people, who take on big projects and hire other people to do the actual work. However, the difference is that they have to provide the project with services such as marketing skills, project management, search and selection of development tools, money handling, etc. – instead of (or in addition to) software development skills.

Now to the point. Before proceeding further with what you and your partner are contemplating doing – I highly recommend that both of you read Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” and follow Peter Keating’s career development in the book. He started out relying upon other people, like you are contemplating doing, made an impression on the right people and reached the top of his profession.

But… he didn’t last long and eventually he fell. And the sad truth is that he trained for the wrong vocation. There was a vocation that suited him perfectly, and he could really excel at it, but his mother pressed him to learn the vocation he actually learned (and in which he eventually failed). The saddest thing about his story is that when he realized which vocation is right for him and started engaging in it – it turned out that he started it too late and could not reach a high level of proficiency in that vocation.

If you and your partner decide to pay someone else to do your project, then:

  • Anyone, who knows that you have done this, will be unable to help you look for a job, because they will have to lie if they vouch for your software development skills.
  • During software development work, there are periods of extreme pressure. Schools plan their course syllabuses so that an average student can handle the resulting pressure (with some sighs and groans). At work, pressure can be unlimited. So if you are unable to cope with pressure in school, it is very unlikely that you can cope with it at work. So you should consider a vocation, in which there is no such pressure.
  • You give up the fight to be really good professionals, who know when to accept failure like men (even at work there are some projects which fail, due to all kind of reasons, such as over-optimistic effort estimates, and it’s better to admit failure and move on to another project), and instead of accepting failure and its consequences, you are heading toward pretense.
What to do now?

I suggest that you first carefully review the decisionmaking process that led you to decide on a vocation in the software world. If you have taken psychotechnic tests and consulted with a specialist in the area of vocational selection, one of the tests was probably as follows:

  1. Go over a very long list of topics and highlight those which interest you.
  2. Group the interesting topics into groups, such that the topics in each group have the same theme from your point of view.
  3. Go over the groups and identify potential vocations related to each group.

Why am I telling you all this? Because if you kept the papers from your evaluation (or you can get them), you might find there a clue for identifying a vocation, which really attracts you and in which you can excel.

The next step is to determine if you have relatives, who are unwilling to accept that your future is not in the lucrative and profitable software world, but in another direction. Then check if and how to neutralize their influence upon your choice of the vocation that fits you.

I assume that the computer world is appealing to you, so you may want to check out some other vocations in this world besides writing software (I remember that in Hadassah Institute for Professional Selection Counseling in Jerusalem, where I did my vocational counselling, there was a library with descriptions of thousands of vocations – such a library could help you choose the right vocation for you). Examples: training, installation and configuring, software testing, maybe even administrative project management. Then go on to specialize in the vocation that suits you and in which you can excel.

True, you already started studying and already invested two years in your studies, and now I am proposing to write off all this investment and start over? Yes, however as far as getting a certificate or a degree is concerned, some of the investment will probably be lost. But as I said above, certificates are not that valuable in the software world. Like a pilot’s license does not turn someone, not having the aptitude to pilot, into an ace fighter pilot; also a software developer’s certificate does not turn someone not fit to be software developer into a great software developer. In terms of content – I’m sure you’ve learned something that will help you in any direction you choose for the rest of your life. And as far as the requirements for finishing your studies are concerned, once you know which direction is right for you, you probably can switch to a major which fits your vocational goals. In this case, you’ll probably be able to use some of the credits of the courses that you already completed. So what you already studied is not a total loss.

A student, who is paying someone else to do his homework, term papers, projects or theses, is like a basketball player who is paying someone else to go to his team’s practice sessions.

Orphan Technologies

Hi-Tech is failing people with disabilities

The other day, Nathan Zeldes wrote to me:

Between us, I’ve always been pissed off by the lack of progress in hi-tech solutions for severe handicaps; the fact that even the legendary Stephen Hawking was using a robot voice sounding like a Commodore 64 shows how little incentive companies (and society) have in driving leading edge solutions that could liberate people from severe disabilities.

To which I replied:

The problem is a lack of incentive to develop technologies which would help only few people. It just is not profitable. People cannot have a decent standard of living or support wife & children by working only on such problems. Subsidizing the development of such a technology could lead to the basic problem of socialism (possibility of turning a profit NOT by serving another person, the basis of “true” capitalism).

A similar problem exists with “orphan medicines” – medications and
procedures for treating very rare illnesses.

What could be done?

In discussions with Nathan Zeldes and with Dr. Yoav Medan (who is involved with the orphan technology of 3D printing of prosthetic hands), the following ideas were mentioned.

1. Students doing Final Projects

  • STEM students, who do their final projects, can profit from working
    on an orphan technology as their final project. The students provide
    a service and in exchange for it, they gain experience which will help
    them later make more money in their careers.
    However, most students cannot bring a product to market. The
    best they can do is to solve problems in a local and limited community.
  • People, who are not students, could gain both experience and reputation by working on such problems.
  • Companies could sponsor such projects, in order to get favorable
    advertising, improve their reputation, etc.
  • It would be a good idea to develop ways to quickly monetize experience/reputation to allow people to live well by doing those projects for a living.

2. Dual-use Technologies

For the deaf and HOH (Hard of Hearing), most of the relevant technologies happen to have dual use, starting from Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. Robert Weitbrecht’s acoustic coupler was useful not only for allowing deaf people use teletypes over phone lines (and not only over telex lines) but also for other data communication users.

My personal experience was with adding Hebrew support to the Nokia 9110 and Nokia 9210 smartphones at the beginning of 21st century. Those cellular phones were very useful for the deaf in the pre-SMS era thanks to their ability to send and receive FAX messages. Since Hebrew support was useful also for Hebrew-speaking hearing people, it was a profitable endeavor for Erez Zino and me. See also: כנגד קול הסיכויים (in Hebrew).

A variant of this approach is for biotech and pharma companies, when developing a new technology, to first develop it to treat orphan/rare diseases. This gives them regulatory and reimbursement advantages. Once the technology is developed, it is applied also to common diseases, for which established therapies already exist.

An example is Minovia, which is developing a cell therapy technology to treat mitochondrial diseases. They began by targetting the Pearson Syndrome, which affects only 100 children worldwide.

3. “Micro-business” methodology and support services

Orphan technologies become orphan because the Hi-Tech world is based upon economics of scale. To develop a technology, you need a sufficiently big market to make it worthwhile. A business needs to have a minimum size to have any chance for success.

A methdology, infrastructure and support services to facilitate “micro-businesses” would overcome the above barrier. A micro-business would be a business, which does not require more than few hours a month, after some reasonable initial investment in building it, and would be very profitable (in terms of net income per hour) serving its very limited market.

One such possibility is to have spread out creativity centers (both physical and in the WWW) which help people develop their ideas. Examples: TAMI hackerspace and HAIFAUP.

4. Affluent end-users subsidizing the development

One could get affluent people needing an orphan technology to fund its development. Even if they are few, just one millionaire, with a child afflicted with the problem, could be enough to fund the orphan technology’s development.

Variations of this approach:

  • Government funding of technologies needed to rehabilitate army veterans with disabilities.
  • Collaboration with a non-profit devoted to the disease in question. Some of them have money or access to donors.
  • Philanthropic funding (from people not needing the orphan technology or themselves).
  • A variant of philanthropic funding is to use crowdfunding websites (Headstart, FundIt, PipelBiz, Indiegogo, KickStarter, etc.) to donate to a project.
  • Some companies declare upfront that they will allocate a certain percentage of their profits to social causes (including orphan technologies development), without expectation to make any financial returns.

5. Impact Investments

Some people invest not only for profit but also for social impact. They invest in underserved areas where they can see an eventual upside. An example is Social Finance Israel.

The 2010’s John Galt project – Artificial Photosynthesis

The 2010’s John Galt project – the most important technology to be developed this decade:

Artificial photosynthesis.

Technology for using solar energy to bind carbon dioxide with hydrogen from water, and convert them into carbohydrate fuels.

The technology will have the following benefits:

  1. Solve the problem of global heating, thanks to removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  2. Make it possible to power everything using solar energy – directly during daytime, and indirectly (through burning the carbohydrate fuels) at night and bad weather.

The biggest drawback: drastic change in the economic power structure worldwide, because countries and companies with coal, oil or gas deposits would no longer have power over their clients.

פרויקט ג’ון גאלט של שנות ה-2010 – הטכנולוגיה החשובה ביותר לפיתוח בעשור הנוכחי:

פוטוסינתיזה מלאכותית.

טכנולוגיה לשימוש באנרגיית השמש כדי לקשור פחמן דו חמצני עם מימן מהמים, ולהמיר אותם לדלקי פחמן-מימן.

לטכנולוגיה כזו יש שני יתרונות גדולים:

  1. פתרון לבעית ההתחממות הגלובלית, הודות להסרת פחמן דו חמצני מהאטמוספירה.
  2. אפשרות להשתמש באנרגיית השמש כדי לספק כוח לכל צרכני החשמל – ישירות בשעות היום ובעקיפין (באמצעות שריפת דלקי פחמן-מימן) בלילה ובמזג אוויר סגרירי.

החסרון הגדול ביותר: שינוי דרסטי במבנה הכוחות הכלכליים בכל העולם, מכיוון שארצות וחברות שיש להן מרבצי פחם, נפט וגז, יאבדו את הכוח שלהן על לקוחותיהן.

Guest Article: What to Expect from Forex Trading

By: T.H.

If you’re thinking about trading currencies as a way to diversify your portfolio or as a means to supplement your income, you probably know all about the risk and reward potential. What you probably won’t know until you get started, is exactly how the industry works. Success in the world of currency trading, also known as foreign exchange or Forex trading, actually begins long before the first trade is placed.

In order to ensure a positive trading experience, traders must first choose the right Forex broker, from literally hundreds of brokers worldwide. Making the choice from such a large menu can be difficult, but there are ways to make it easier. Forex broker reviews, for example, can help traders get an understanding of what their options are. Bear in mind, however, that that won’t necessarily provide the truest picture as in some instances there may be some bias toward those brokers which remunerate the website for their “honest” assessment. How other traders rate their experiences with a specific broker is an alternative way to assess a Forex broker. But again, this may not provide the truest picture as you cannot know whether the trader is just expressing “sour grapes” for what would otherwise be construed as risky trade activity – in other words, the trader may have lost all his money because he didn’t know what he was doing in the first place. Therefore, diligent traders should make sure to read both types of evaluations, and to weigh their reliability carefully.

Once a trader has narrowed down his options, he can take them for a test drive by using each broker’s free demo account. Once you’ve got your demo set up you can start making trades, fine-tuning your strategy and seeing how it works with each broker.

The demo period is also a great time to assess the responsiveness of the Forex broker, so make sure to ask questions – lots and lots of questions about anything you are unsure of or want to know more about. What you want to gauge is not only how quickly your question was responded to, but also how thoroughly and comprehensively the response was. Was the response timely and did it satisfy you? When there’s real money at stake you don’t want to be left in limbo by some bimbo; if you need an answer, you need one that satisfies your needs appropriately.

The brokers’ fees are also things that you will need to take into consideration; most brokers build their fees into their spread, which is the difference in pips between the bid and ask price. Spread fees vary from broker to broker, and may seem insignificant at first blush but can add up over the long run; ideally, the smaller the spread the better for you. Your potential Forex broker might have other fees that you should be aware of so look for the Fee schedule on their website and ask your broker’s representative about anything that doesn’t sound right or simply for more information.

Once you’re comfortable with using the platform, and are okay with the spreads and fees and the responsiveness of the Forex broker’s team, now’s the time to consider funding your real account. But before you do that, it’s critical to understand that you should never risk any money that you cannot afford to lose. It’s a simple fact: Forex trading is risky and no Forex broker can guarantee that you will always win. In fact, the majority of Forex traders don’t profit as much as they’d like.

For this reason, Forex trading isn’t for everyone. If you can’t afford to lose some money, you should consider alternate investment opportunities. If you have a tendency to be hasty, you may want to consider strongly whether the volatile Forex market will play to your strengths or whether haste will cause you to lose your money too quickly.

It is absolutely critical to understand that currency trading isn’t about getting one good trade. It’s about maximizing profits and minimizing risks over the long run. How do you achieve all that? By paying attention to these “rules” of Forex trade:

  • Start small; 1% or 2% of your capital is generally a good amount to bet
  • Don’t be greedy; if you’re in the green, lock in or take your profit
  • Don’t get cocky; overconfidence is the quickest path to failure
  • Don’t be impatient; patience is not only a virtue it’s a necessity in Forex trading
  • Diversify your portfolio but don’t over-diversify; rely on only a few pairs to spread risk
  • Make good use of the Stop Loss feature
  • Cut your losses (don’t push back a Stop Loss!)
  • Learn from your mistakes

For a conscientious person, Forex trading can provide excellent opportunities for financial gain. But for those who are just looking for a quick buck, currency trading may not be the best way to go. When exploring your options, make sure to know your broker, know yourself and to make careful, educated decisions.

Getting insurance companies to play fair

In a regime, in which people are supposed to be self-reliant and to take responsibility over their lives, insurance companies have a critical role.  A responsible person would pay premiums so that any calamity, which he cannot handle by himself, will be handled instead by the insurance company.  So that the person would not become burden on the public.

Unfortunately, in pseudo-capitalistic oligrachic regimes, insurance companies tend to emphasize their profits over security for the insured.  So a strong mechanism to keep them honest is needed.  The following proposal addresses this issue.

A proposal for billionaires who wish to contribute to the community without supporting parasites:

Start a foundation which helps insured people, who were screwed by the insurance companies.
The foundation will work as follows.

  1. The insured will provide documents – the insurance policy, all documents he gave the insurance company to get the insurance money due to the event insured against, and documents attesting to the fact that the insurance company rejected his claim due to unjustified reason.
  2. The foundation will check the documents and verify that everything is correct.
  3. If all is correct, the foundation will pay the insured the money that the insurance company was supposed to pay him. The insured will sign a commitment to reimburse the foundation any monies he gets from the insurance company due to compromise, court proceedings, or thanks to a manager’s golden heart.
  4. The foundation will sue in the insured’s name the insurance company and bring to the court its heavy guns (high caliber lawyers).

The billionaire’s donation is needed for running capital and to cover claims in which the court found for the insurance company.

Learn to develop for the Android, contribute to Free Software and advertise yourself

During the last few weeks I developed an Android application for helping people prepare for the Israeli driving theory test.  The application uses the questions database available from http://data.gov.il/dataset/249 (and the corresponding ones for Russian and Arabic).  It was a nice and fun exercise, which helped me master more parts of the Android development platform.

The application is now at version 0.1 and is working.  Its look and feel is not polished, yet; and some missing features have been identified by comparing it to three other applications available from Google Play doing the same thing.

Today the source code has been released under the GPLv3 and is available from https://github.com/tddpirate/teuria and if you are looking for an Android developer with few weeks worth of experience and known quality of work, you may have a look at the above.

Please call me back at my expense (an idea for a needed service)

The following is a service which telephone service providers (both landline and cellular) ought to provide their clients.

Whenever A calls B and leaves him a message “Please call me back”, it should be possible for A to optionally specify that the callback will be charged to him rather than to B.

Eventually, people will avoid calling back unknown numbers unless they are marked as “please call me back at my expense”.

This practice will eventually put out of business all fraudulent businesses, which thrive on getting people to call back numbers with very high rates.

Technical implementation should be relatively simple.

Whenever A sets the option to charge him for callbacks, the service provider will issue a random and for one-time use number, which B will use to call A back at A’s expense.

How to validate the market for your startup idea?

The Smart Bear discusses the question of market validation and suggests that startupists look for 10 people who say that they agree to pay money for the novel product of service to be developed by the startup.

I suggest that if the product or service is useful for business use (rather than being a consumer product), then the question be formulated as: how much money do you think your business can save by using our product/service?

איך לאמת את השוק של רעיון הסטארטאפ שלך?

הדוב החכם דן בנושא אימות השוק ומציע, שיזמים המקימים סטארטאפים יחפשו 10 אנשים, שיגידו שהם מסכימים לשלם כסף תמורת המוצר או השרות החדשניים, שיפותחו על ידי הסטארטאפ.

אני מציע, שאם המוצר או השרות שימושיים עבור עסקים (להבדיל ממוצר צרכני), השאלה תנוסח כך: כמה כסף אתה חושב שהעסק שלך יכול לחסוך הודות לשימוש במוצר/שרות שלנו?

Out of control wrong number

טעות במספר שיצאה משליטה

כשאני בבית, אני בודק כל פעם אם הגיעו אלי SMS-ים בטלפון הסלולרי שלי.

באחת מהבדיקות האלה שמתי לב שהיתה לי שיחה שלא נענתה יחד עם SMS מאותו המספר.

תוכן ה-SMS היה: “לא מבין מדוע כל כך קשה לדבר איתך – נא חזור אליי בבקשה – ש___ מ___”

חשבתי שזה מישהו שקשור לחברה שאני מחכה לתשובה ממנה בקשר לפרויקט שעשיתי יחד איתם, ומשום מה לא אמרו לו שאני חרש.

עניתי לו: “אני חרש. הקשר איתי רק באמצעות מסרונים ודואר אלקטרוני. במה אוכל לעזור לך?”

התשובה שלו פיזרה את הערפל: “לא חזרת אליי לגבי הצעת המחיר שלכם בנושא ____” (נושא שלא קשור לתוכנה).

מכיוון שלא הגשתי הצעות מחיר בנושא הנ”ל, התשובה שלי היתה “ייתכן שיש לך טעות במספר. אני פרילאנסר בתחום התוכנה ושמי עומר”.

ואחר כך לא היו SMS-ים נוספים ממנו.

When I am at home, once in a while I check my cellphone to see if I got SMSes.

In one of those checks, I noticed that I got an unanswered call along with a SMS from the same phone number.

The SMS contents were “I do not understand why is it so difficult to reach you. Please return to me – S___ M___”.

I thought it is from someone associated with a company, from which I am waiting for an answer about a project which I did with them; and that due to some reason, no one told that person that I am deaf.

I replied: “I am deaf. I can be contacted only via SMSes and E-mail. How can I help you?”

His answer dispersed the fog: “You did not return to me about your bid for ____” (something not related to software).

Since I never bidded about this subject, my reply was “you may be having a wrong number. I am a freelance software developer and my name is Omer”.

There were no subsequent SMSes from him.

Benefits of Free Software to people with disabilities

After attending the August Penguin 2010 conference, Ilana Benish wrote (in Hebrew) about the benefits of Free Software for people with disabilities.

I would like to make also the following points:

  • Working on Free Software projects, like working on any volunteer work, is a way for software developers with disabilities to prove their worth to prospective employers.  This can serve to overcome prejudices and resistance by prospective employers, especially those who were burned by people who proved to be capable of drawing a salary and incapable of delivering results.
  • Like working on other self-benefit projects, working on relevant Free Software projects can empower people with disabilities, who can now help themselves rather than rely upon other people to help them.


text:
Seeking the Lord’s Direction

In their hearts humans plan their course,  but the Lord establishes their steps.      Proverbs 16:9

Assignment: IF you could have three wishes, what would they be?

Answer: To never be born. To never be born. To never be born.

This wasn’t the response I ever expected to receive from any of my students. It was a question included within a diagnostic survey, which I used at the very beginning of the course to help me better understand my students and where they were coming from in life to the point they entered my classroom. The girl was a freshman, around age fourteen. To not want life—ever. What prompted her to write this three times for her three wishes?

Reading that response was like a Frank Capra moment with George Bailey on the bridge ready to jump and the angel Clarence showing up, rather clumsily, to save him as George declares he wishes he had never been born. And I was a new teacher—with no wings. Do I jump into this, like Clarence, and take the dive to get involved-or just pass it on to the counselor?

It is a choice we make in our lives with the people we encounter. Involvement or disengagement, empathy or apathy, personal or impersonal–or none? Before the choice is made, we should ask ourselves the wristband question: “What would Jesus do?”

When the Lord saw an opportunity to reach a soul, He engaged: with the Samaritan woman at the well, the crippled beggar at the pool, tax collectors, James and John, lepers, the adulterous woman, a rich young ruler, the Pharisees, religious leaders at the temple as a youth, and more and more throughout His life here on earth. Even when alone, He engaged with God.

We have become a society of lesser engagement. We may have 800+ Facebook friends, but how do we really classify 95% of the encounters on a scale of true involvement? We even have a growing constituency called “None” in this country who are not particularly associated with any religious group and may not even believe in God.

If we are here, God has a purpose for each and every one of us:

Acts 26:15-18. God’s purpose for the Apostle Paul: 15 “And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen Me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles—to whom I send you 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ ”

John 15:16 –“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.”

Purposeful engagement. It is what the Lord modeled for us-and what he expects of us. So, yes, I jumped and helped this girl who had no purpose to find one by letting her know I cared, I was praying for her, and I was there for her. I had her for three years in English 9-11 and followed her through her senior year. She got through school. She endured more struggles regarding the answer to those three wishes, but the last time I saw her, she was pushing a shopping cart with two little children inside, beaming that she was happily married. God had a different plan for her than those three wishes she wrote down that day.

  In their hearts humans plan their course,  but the Lord establishes their steps.      Proverbs 16:9

And we may be the ones God uses to encourage those moves with our purposeful engagement in others’ lives.

(Sharon G. Tate 10/09/16 blog)  Meditations on God’s Word

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