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InFocus M680 Mobile (White 16GB)

Rs. 8299.00 (approx)
Rs. 8490.00 (approx)
Rs. 8900.00 (approx)
Rs. 8999.00 (approx)

Quick Specs:

  • - Primary 13 MP, auto-focus, OIS, dual-LED (dual tone) flash - Secondary 13 MP - OS Lollipop 4.5 - RAM 2 GB

Infocus launches another smartphone with an iPhone like glossy designed body running on Android lollipop Version packed with an octa-core processor. It got the specs of a mid-range phone. Let's get into the detailed review of this stylish smartphone.

Infocus M680 comes with a 5.5-inch display. It just looks like iPhone with its similar design. The front panel is dominating. It has a metal panel to the sides. The side panels and the lower panels look glossy with stylish design. The rear panel consists of smooth finish and hard. It has medium-sized panels. It is available in cream and white colors.

The volume rockers are present on the left side and the power button located on the right side. The power slot and the 3.5mm headphone jack is present on the top. At the rear, there is a camera with LED flash to the center. The secondary camera on the front upper panel. The rear panel is removable and when you open it you find removable battery, Micro sd card, and sim slots.

The branding comes to the back side and on front side written very small with silver color. The stereo speakers are located on the lower back side. The three capacitive buttons come on the display but not on the lower panel which gives a very good space to hold the device.

Infocus M680 is 5.5 inch IPS LCD display that displays around 16M colors. Its display is made of IPS panels consisting of multi-touch capacitive touch screens. Barring a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. Consists of wide viewing angle with a pixel density of 401ppi.

Infocus M680  comes with a 5.5” display with IPS panel technology and having fast running 1.5Ghz octa-core processor . It has a ROM of 16GB with 2GB RAM and external memory expandable up to 64GB. It is running on the android v5.1 Lollipop OS.

At the rear side, it has 13MP camera with LED flash. It consists of features like Geo-tagging, touch focuses Face/smile detection panorama, HDR, and Zoom. 13MP secondary camera for capturing great selfies and video calling. Accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors are available.

It contains a 2000mAh Li-ion removable  battery. Micro USB v2.0.HTML browser. It comes with wifi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM radio. It is a dual sim smartphone with nano sim slots with 4G connectivity. The device supports OTG.

The device looks like a thing of beauty especially the white piece. The octa-core processor helps in running smooth flow of apps and games. For storage purposes, it comes with 16 GB ROM and further can be expanded up to 64GB with the use of micro sd card. For the connectivity, the dual sim phone supports wifi, blue tooth, and GPS.

The camera is ok for taking good images in different light conditions. The front camera I also performing well. Coming to the gaming zone it is a very smooth player with all the mind games and some high games.

No hiccups are seen while gaming. It can play many games like Asphalt 8 and Front Line Commando and much more. The overall performance of the device is ok but I felt the specs are a bit low comparable to the price point.

Infocus M680 is a dual sim smartphone with the mid-range configuration. It is performing at its best. I think the device is overly priced comparing to the specs and hardware were given. There are no lags noticed. You can get this phone for Rs.9999/- @ Snapdeal.

InFocus M680 Mobile White 16 Full Specifications

Brand InFocus
Model Name M680
Model ID
Release Date December 2015
OS Lollipop 4.5
Weight 158g
Dimensions 156.00 x 76.80 x 7.25mm
2G Network GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE
Type Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.5 inches
Screen Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Touch Multi-touch
Speakers Yes
3.5MM Jack Yes
Alert Types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Noise Cancellation Yes
Mic Yes
Primary 13 MP, autofocus, OIS, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Secondary 13 MP
Video 1080p@30fps
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR
Data Connectivity
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Edge Yes
3G Yes
WLAN dual-band, DLNA, hotspot
Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP
Infrared N/A
USB microUSB v2.0, USB Host
Internal Storage 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
External Storage up to 32 GB
Memory Slot microSD
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
CPU Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
Graphics Yes
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Browser HTML5
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
Radio FM radio, RDS
Java No
Others N/A
Battery removable Li-Po 2600 mAh battery
Talk Time N/A
Standby Time N/A
Colours Gold
Warranty 1-year manufacturer warranty for Phone and 6 month

InFocus M680 Mobile White 16 Reviews

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Capsule Reviews

Dennis Brown and Deanna Jent suss out local theater

The Boys from Syracuse Reviewed in this issue.

Driving Miss Daisy A dream cast -- Diane Peterson, Dennis Lebby and Gary Wayne Barker -- delivers a competent, if unmemorable, rendition of this 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner about the relationship between an aging Atlanta dowager and the black chauffeur her son foists upon her. There's nothing overtly wrong with this production; it's just that too many of the play's simple truths come across as simplistic homilies. One senses that director Edward Coffield did not push his actors -- or his designers -- to excavate the material as deeply as they're capable of. The result is highly watchable, but it's all a little too cutesy-quaint for its own good. Performed by the New Jewish Theatre through May 28 at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus, Creve Coeur. Tickets are $20-$22 ($2 off for JCC members). Call 314-442-3283. (Dennis Brown)

Rigoletto Reviewed in this issue.

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Social Europe needs a positive vision

In his magisterial One Hundred Years of Socialism, Donald Sassoon described how, under the influence of the 19thcentury German leader Karl Kautsky, the European social democrat movement embraced a mechanistic scheme by which the immanent crisis of capitalism would somehow issue in a transition to socialism. This conveniently offered a reassuring fatalism about the future and a legitimation of cautious reformism in the meantime.

The crucible of war, factory occupations and the rise of fascism led the imprisoned Italian communist leader Antonio Gramsci to the sober conclusion, however, that following such a crisis ‘morbid symptoms’ would appear. Radical change in Europe – ‘The People’s Home!’, ‘a National Health Service’ – stems from popular hope, not fear. If only more on the contemporary European left had understood its 20th century history they would not have been so shaken when the biggest crisis of capitalism for three quarters of a century did not automatically lead to a left-wing revival.

Indeed, quite the contrary, with the same deflationary austerity whose imposition in pre-war Germany fuelled the rise of Nazism being dogmatically re-presented, in the manner of medieval medical leeches, as the only remedy for the crisis and with the main challenge to that discourse – outside of Spain and, partly, Greece – coming from the populist radical right. This new authoritarianism is not just manifested in anti-system leaders like Marine Le Pen of the Front National but in the nationalistic ‘illiberal democracy’ trumpeted by office-holders like Viktor Orban in Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey and of course Vladimir Putin in Russia.

‘Social Europe’, in that context, has proved far from an enduring acquis and in hindsight more a brief, western-European historical interlude in which the moderate Christian-socialist Jacques Delors sought, as European Commission President, to balance the drive towards the ‘single market’, in which national democratic regulation was cast as illegitimate ‘state aid’ – without, crucially, reregulation at the European scale of the transnational genie now out of the bottle.

Indeed, so far has the discourse been transformed by the loss of regulatory instruments that the left is now fighting a rearguard action against the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), hoping to remove the investor-state dispute settlement clause. This would give transnationals the power to sue mere democratically elected governments for having the temerity to believe those national levers of regulation remained in their hands.

The commemorations this year of the onset of the first world war remind us of how just debilitating was the split in the European left as ‘national’ socialist parties followed ‘their’ competing imperialist powers. The demise of internationalism as a founding left-wing value, while apparently unproblematic in thetrentes glorieuses of Keynesian demand management and expanding welfare states, is now, a century on, really coming home to roost.

True, the European Parliament elections last year for the first time saw a genuine transnational personalisation of the contest, in the shape of Martin Schulz as social democratic candidate for the Commission presidency, but the Party of European Socialists remains a thin carapace over the national parties, some of whom – again particularly in Spain and Greece – have been hopelessly tarnished by their association with austerity in office, while others – especially in south-eastern Europe – have been tainted by corruption.

The European left desperately needs a political project which can take the form of a portmanteau banner behind which all can rally and which can resonate in the European public sphere, yet can be subject to further national, regional and local specification. The ‘Good Society’ discussions, involving intellectuals and activists from across the continent and supported since the onset of the crisis by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, have provided a helpful umbrella for that project to emerge.

Reregulation at the European scale involves key measures to place a precarious labour market on a more secure foundation, notably a Europe-wide minimum wage, the extension of the already-agreed youth guarantee to adults and the outlawing (as in the Netherlands) of zero-hours contracts. Measures such as these can stem a race to the bottom – including the exploitation of immigration in the enlarged EU by cowboy capitalists and the political exploitation of that in turn by the populist xenophobes.

Reregulation also entails constraining overblown financial capital through the long-awaited financial transactions tax. And it requires an ecological modernisation of industrial capital, driven by replacing the ineffectual, market-based carbon-trading scheme by an effective EU-wide carbon tax.

The revenues arising can be the nucleus of the fiscal capacity essential to give Social Europe real meaning. The new Commission President, the centre-right’s Claude Juncker – tainted by his association in office with the beggar-thy-neighbour tax practices of his native Luxembourg – has advanced a £300 billion investment package but with utterly implausible assumptions as to the multiplier effects of a very modest public pump-prime.

Fiscal and monetary policy must be unleashed if Social Europe is to become more than rhetoric. The economically illiterate fiscal brakes on member states must be removed to allow borrowing for public investment and measured fiscal consolidation. And the mandate of the European Central Bank must be liberated from pursuit of the scourge of non-existent inflation to become a lender of last resort with a commitment to full employment across the eurozone.

Most enticing in this context is Giacomo Corneo’s idea, advanced at the latest Good Society discussion in Berlin, of rethinking a transition to socialism as the accumulation of public capital through sovereign wealth funds. As Henning Meyer has extended it, a European fund could be a powerful symbol of stability and force for recovery.

This column is part of our Social Europe 2019 project.


text:
Beginners Guide for Climbers

Publications > Books > Beginners Guide for Climbers
Authors: Sophie Mitchell
Published: February 2012
Stock: In stock

Price: £9.95

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A new book aimed at young climbers learning the National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme (NICAS). It features cartoon illustrations giving step-by-step instructions on the basic skills required for Levels 1, 2 and some of 3 of the scheme and is fully endorsed by NICAS. It is also endorsed by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

The book comes with a robust hardback fold-out cover and is package with a short section of cord which enables readers to practice the knots they are learning in the book.

It costs £9.95 and be available from this site, as well as specialist outdoor retailers and climbing walls.

The book has been written and illustrated by Sophie Mitchell. You can see more of Sophie's work on

“The NICAS trustees are delighted to recommend this book with its innovative approach to introducing the basic skills of climbing. Sophie’s wonderful artwork will have special appeal to young readers and will help them develop a thorough grounding in these fundamentals. The knowledge, technical skills and attitude required to become a safe climber are clearly described whilst still conveying the fun and excitement of this challenging sport. Climbing develops fitness, movement skills, teamwork, and determination and this lively book is sure to enthuse many budding young climbers on their way.”

- Guy Jarvis, NICAS Chair

“The MCofS supports the NICAS scheme as an excellent way to engage young children going to climbing walls, to learn the basics of safe climbing and to keep them motivated through their early years discovering our unique sport. A picture is worth a thousand words, but only if it is relevant, and despite there being many instructional handbooks available, this is the first book designed to appeal to children with its clear and often funny cartoon depictions of the best way to learn vital skills. It is a perfect resource for parents, climbing coaches and children themselves to help them through their NICAS achievement.”

- Kevin Howett, MCofS Development Officer

Free Posters for Download

We have produced a couple of free posters to support the book which use Sophie Mitchell's excellent drawings. These can be freely downloaded and printed off for display at climbing walls or anywhere else.

Printed Poster Versions - We haven't printed any copies of these posters and they only exist in PDF format. If you would like printed poster versions then there are a number of web sites offering relatively cheap poster printing solutions - try searching for poster printing from PDFs. Prices can be less than £10 including delivery. No bleed or trim is required, just print to paper size.

Left - Pre-climb Checks Poster. Right - Belay Sequence Poster.

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7635 Main St is aland property for lease in Zachary, LA.

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Home » Bags » Women's Bags » Shoulder Bags

Textured PU Stitching Rivet Shoulder Bag - Black

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Handbag Type: Shoulder bag
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Reflection Paper

Read: Public Victory: Paradigms of Interdependence (p. 183 – 203)
During your reading, additional time should be spent on gaining an understanding of the
following terms: The emotional bank account, the six major deposits that can be made
into the account (understanding the individual, attending to little things, keeping commitments, clarifying expectations, personal integrity, and apologizing when
withdrawal are made).Personal Reflection Papers: The personal reflection papers provide an opportunity

for students to offer their own assessments of the problems posed in the unit. Students will complete their assignments from their own perspective and
personal experiences. Unlike the reaction paper, the reflection paper does not require
documentation from professional sources to substantiate positions.

The writer needs to know that I am a substitute teacher professional and I work at a public elementary school in an urban community. The writer can incorporate their own experience when reflecting on this reflection essay however, the writer must incorporate CLEAR EXAMPLES to emphasis the understanding of the material. The writer can use own experience just relate it or keep in mind my profession as a substitute teacher.

Also the writer need to answer the following questions on a separate page. The writer can use their own experience to answers the questions however the answer must present clear EXAMPLES and have some relevance to my profession as a substitute teacher professional.
The questions are as follows,

Have you ever been relating a problem to a friend or co-worker, when they interrupted you by stating that they knew exactly what you meant, the same thing happened to

them? In other words, evaluating you from their autobiography.Have you been guilty of doing the same to others, judging them and their problems from your perspective?
Based on your new understanding of this information, offer ideas on how you plan on not repeating this practice and how you could tactfully keep them from doing the same.
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TRUE Strength: How To Develop Strength That Transcends The Gym

Zach Even-Esh Trap Bar Deadlift
Just shy of five years ago, the news was reporting that a storm would hit the tri-state area.

I had been through snow storms and blizzards many times. Schools shut down, people stay home, and then you go out and shovel. Eventually the snow melts and we move on, no big deal. A hurricane, on the other hand, is something I had never experienced.

On the news, I’d seen reports about the aftermath of hurricanes, but there’s a world of difference between seeing something on TV and experiencing it first hand.

My kids were young at the time, ages six and four. Just babies. As the days drew closer and Hurricane Sandy was making its way towards the "Jersey Shore" you could feel the tension in the air. There was an eerie calmness that I couldn’t explain or describe.

Contractors drove around and people flagged them down to nail plywood over the windows on their houses. The supermarkets quickly ran out of food. People drove near and far to buy generators to prepare for power outages. Gas stations ran out of gas as families stocked up.

I recall the night we set up our beds and blankets in the basement in case the winds broke the windows. I remember the sounds of the wind and how the building shuddered as the wind picked up speed and hit our home. It sounded like a train was literally charging through the house.

I stayed slightly optimistic and felt that "this too shall pass." I would wake up and things would be OK and everyone would just move on, like all the snow storms I experienced since childhood. We woke up that morning and it was sunny yet strangely quiet.

There was no power. For much of New Jersey—especially in and near beach towns—it was the same. After scrolling through Twitter, I saw how my small town was hit extremely hard, especially the mile closest to the beach.

That area was blocked off for two weeks after the storm so it didn’t immediately hit me as hard as when I finally saw the aftermath firsthand. I filled the generator’s gas tank about 3/4 full and carried it outside to power up a section of the house.

I remember how heavy and awkward that generator felt. As a strength athlete, was glad I lift heavy odd objects all the time.

In fact, for the previous Summer, I had always left a barbell loaded up with anything ranging from 225-325lb on the garage floor. A few times a day I would walk by the bar and hit a few reps of the deadlift with no warm up.

I did the same with pull ups throughout the day. This is called "grease the groove", or in simpler terms, "training to be dangerous". You want to train your body to be ready in less than optimal conditions.

I wanted to train myself to be strong without the perfect warm up, or any warm up for that matter. As I carried the heavy generator, I also wondered who out here was struggling to carry a generator? Someone in their 40s or someone in their 70s? Nowadays, it’s hard to say who might be fit for life’s unexpected turns. In this day and age, many young adults are weaker than men in their 60s who regularly experienced manual labor.

After the storm, the social media news feeds weren’t sharing much positive news, unfortunately. For whatever reason, I began to feel the stress—the stress of being an entrepreneur, the stress of seeing homes destroyed—and I internalized a lot of it. I often ask athletes, "What’s tougher, that set of twenty squats, or the last argument you had with someone?"

It’s amazing how emotional stress feels tougher on your body than the stress of a physical workout.

I certainly felt the stress and let it get to me.

The news feeds showed the entire area within a mile the beach in my hometown was heavily flooded. Most people were forced to evacuate their homes.

The news also showed special fire rescue teams saving people, sharks swimming on the flooded streets, people traveling the flooded streets on jet skis and more. Other news detailed crimes like looters kayaking in to rob evacuated beachfront homes, and people stealing generators from backyards.

For the first few nights, I kept the generator running until about midnight, then I would wake up to shut off the generator and carry it into the garage. Around 5AM, I’d wake up to carry the generator outside, and turn it back on. This helped the kids stay warm and reduced the chances of anyone trying to steal the generator from my backyard.

Every time I lifted and carried that generator, I felt the pride of being strong. Waking up late at night or early in the morning while my family slept, I felt pride in being mentally strong, doing whatever I had to do as opposed to saying, "I’m too tired, that’s too heavy, etc."

I shut down my gym for two weeks minus one day. Parents from other towns unaffected by the storm e-mailed me everyday asking me to open the gym. Others emailed to ask me to hold an online fundraiser to help people affected by Hurricane Sandy.

But, the whole time I was thinking, man, I just wanna get my kids a hot meal. I don’t have any power in my house and my business is essentially shut down. People didn’t understand that I was also affected by the storm. Ironically, my gym located in Edison, NJ was on the one street that had power. Every town in New Jersey was affected differently. I live in a small beach town called Manasquan and it was impacted big time.

But, seeing what’s happening on "the news" is one thing, seeing and experiencing it yourself is a different story.

On my way up to Edison, I saw a line at a gas station that looked more than a mile long. Since I had heard stories of people fighting in the gas lines, I decided to find a gas station off the beaten path so I could fill up before heading home that night after going to my gym in Edison.

The drive up to Edison from my Manasquan home was eerie. I passed two marinas that looked scenes from a bad monster movie. The boats were practically piled on top of one another, as if a monster swept through and pushed them all out of his way.

After I shut down the gym, I drove through Edison and few surrounding towns searching for a gas station. The majority were closed because they had no power. The few that had power were shut down as they were out of gas by early afternoon. I finally found a gas station, filled up, and got back home.

The next day things were the same. The streets of my town were still flooded. Parents at my gym who owned boats or "shore houses" lost their boats and homes. I got a flood of emails from parents who had end their kids’ memberships at The Underground Strength Gym.

Since we were closed for two weeks, I refunded half of everyone’s membership, even though I lost about half my members that same week. The governor of New Jersey cancelled Halloween, and I remember hearing people complaining about it.

It was a good reality check to see that everyone has different priorities. People complain about what is important to them. What’s important to you won’t be the same for the next guy.

I remember saying to myself, If those people could experience some tough squats then they wouldn’t be complaining about Halloween!

I saw some people enjoying the period of power outages, drinking beer while walking down the street while enjoying this "vacation" of sorts. But, the strangest things were negatively affecting me, and I was stressed out about anything and everything. Looking back, I would have reacted differently. Feeling overwhelmed by a storm was so foreign to me that it took me for a turn.

A week or two after the storm, when the water finally no longer flooded the streets in my town, I took a bike ride past the barricades. What I saw hit me BIG time.

My family and a close friend were with me. My buddy was from New Orleans and had experienced loss on a level that I could not relate to—years ago he lost his home, car and everything else he owned in a storm.

He said that he became unattached to everything after he lost it all in a hurricane. I rode my bike through town and saw mattresses piled up on sidewalks, a blender, various household items, furniture, a stuffed teddy bear and baby cribs.

I remember being so grateful that my kids hadn’t experienced this type of loss—or the feeling of complete loss. I wanted to help but had NO clue how. For some reason, seeing the teddy bear and baby crib affected me the most.

After about two weeks, the power was restored in our area, and schools were back open. Some areas seemed normal, but the homes on the beachfront to about a mile inland told a different story.

A few weeks later, while randomly searching for warehouse space near my home, I actually found a spot right in Manasquan. It sounded too good to be true. I’d been contemplating opening a second location of The Underground Strength Gym, and closer to home. This warehouse space was only a bike ride away.

But, opening a second location would be no easy task if I decided to move forward. The economy in New Jersey took a hit from the storm and I still had to finish The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning. The warehouse space was right over the railroad tracks—and exactly where the water had traveled inland from the beach a mile away. The majority of the homes near the warehouse and even further inland were ruined by water damage or completely destroyed.

I decided that calling the realtor won’t hurt. We took a walk through the old warehouse building hidden behind the railroad tracks and two other buildings. At first look the place looked like a bomb went off inside. It was old, there was saw dust and grease on the floor, the walls, the beams and anywhere else. I hoped it could work, but hope could not help me. It was gonna take serious work.

I checked the walls for any signs of calcification of water from the storm and it was clear. I closed my eyes for a few seconds to imagine what this space COULD be instead of what it currently was.

After seeing the town of Manasquan crushed from Hurricane Sandy I felt that this gym would be much more than just a place to train athletes. My idea was to help others develop strength in AND out of the gym. I decided this gym had to be a place that changed lives through STRENGTH.

My thoughts were that I could train anyone who needed help after the storm, help them build confidence. I wanted to train anyone who wanted to work hard.

I told the realtor I wanted to make it happen, and signed the lease late that week. Everything began to come together, or, fall apart…
Manasquan Underground Strength 2017
With one gym struggling after Hurricane Sandy, a book deadline that had to be extended, and now an old warehouse that had to be renovated, the stress started to get to me. I began to get sick and felt like I had an ongoing flu.

I stressed out and had recurring dreams about the houses I saw the day I rode my bike past the barricades—when I saw the stuffed teddy bear on the sidewalk, the mattress, the blender and more. That beat up teddy bear I saw on the sidewalk piled among the ruined furniture stressed me out in a way words can not describe.

The stress got me sick while I had zero energy, something I don’t recall ever experiencing before. After about a week, I felt a little better, then got sick again and the cycle repeated for at least a month. I lost 15-20 lbs just from the stress. My house hadn’t even been directly affected but seeing the damage to my town along with the stress of the Hurricane seemed to crush me.

I could only imagine what people who actually lost their homes were experiencing. My days and weeks were a blend of cleaning the new warehouse, traveling about one hour each way to coach at The Underground Strength Gym in Edison, writing The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and repeating the cycle.

As I was writing the book and missed the first deadline, I corresponded with John Du Cane and requested another deadline extension because I began to write more about LIFE than training in the book.

I thought of the books that changed my life and inspired me—they were ALL a blend of training AND life stories. They shared the challenges the authors overcame through STRENGTH.

My writing began to unfold in a much more powerful way once I began to go beyond the my thoughts and philosophies regarding training. Did the world need a book on how to squat with a sandbag? Or, would this book inspire anyone, let alone change their life?

Setting a bigger, deeper goal inspired me to get off my ass and stop focusing on the past. Moving forward was my only option, I told myself.

My health began to improve, and of course my mindset also improved. I felt stronger, in the gym AND in life. I started training almost every day and got back to some simple rituals that always helped me move forward:
  • Read at least two pages every night from a book that inspires me.
  • Eat strong, no junk food.
  • Train at least five days a week.
  • Focus on helping others, while taking the focus off myself.
These simple steps gave me a feeling of Relentless Optimism. It was a reminder that being "STRONG" meant much more than how much weight I could put on a bar. TRUE strength must transcend the gym walls. I had to be stronger for my family, stronger for the athletes I train and stronger for my own town and community.

My wife and kids came to the gym and helped me paint the walls, the floors, renovate the bathroom, create an office for the gym, lay down the turf, the rubber flooring and more. A one man army can only do so much and go so far, without a team. With even a small team, you will always achieve more than if you work alone.

I was super busy but I trained any time and anywhere I had the opportunity. Some sessions were in my garage gym, with nothing but a barbell and a few kettlebells. I did farmer walks up and down the street, power cleans and deadlifts, then calisthenics at a playground using monkey bars, picnic tables and more.
Edison Wrestling Manasquan
On other days I would write for 45 minutes and then do push ups, lunges and squat jumps for 5 minutes. I did this for a few rounds throughout the day. It felt great!

To take the focus off myself, I began organizing local events at the new gym as well as organizing seminars. I called the local high school and offered free training to any athlete who lost their home because of Hurricane Sandy. I heard nothing back from the school but the goal was to keep trying. If I was trying to help, then I was still moving forward. That’s all I could control—my OWN efforts.

I found that the more I moved forward instead of staying in place, the more everything else—from training, to life to business—improved. I viewed everything as training.

Waking up earlier than normal was "training" for me. Staying up an hour later than normal to write my book was also "training". I took the focus off of myself and focused on contributing.

I realized that far too often I would hone in on circumstances and hold on to them. I used to fixate on what happened instead of how could I help someone else. But, the first way I can help others is to take care of myself by being strong, healthy and resilient.

If you want to be better at serving others, step one is helping yourself first! Build yourself into a Stronger Person, both physically and emotionally.

How did I get more resilient? By finding the beauty in the struggle instead of allowing the struggle to keep holding me down. I heard a great quote from Dan Sullivan that inspired me, "All those things that seem to oppose our goals are actually the raw material for achieving them."

I had to constantly remind myself of that quote (I still do to this day) so I could start viewing everything as an opportunity and not an obstacle. The more I focused on building the second location for The Underground Strength Gym, and finally finishing The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength, the faster I moved on both.

I took the focus off of myself and focused on how many people I could help. My health improved along with this stronger attitude and my energy dramatically increased as well.

Tough times can be viewed in many ways. Some view them as a punishment, others see them as a gift. When I came back to reality and stopped making things more difficult than they truly were, I began attracting success faster.

Simple things became the gift. Food on the table? Yes. Roof over my head? Yes. Compare this to my Grandparents, who escaped the holocaust and lost their entire family to the holocaust. My Grandfather fought in the Polish Army, the Russian Army and then the Israeli Army.

I thought about how my Grandfather would laugh at "my problems" if he saw me. So take a step back and look at what you once thought were your "problems". It’s very likely that these things are the raw materials you need to build and attract more success.

A strong mind and a strong body go hand in hand. Your training should train your body AND your mind. Squatting more than anyone else in the gym, while still unable to handle life’s ups and downs is not true strength. Train so your strength transcends the gym walls.

Zach Trap Bar Deadlift thumbnailZach Even-Esh is the Founder of The Underground Strength Gym, the Author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning, and the Strength and Performance Coach for Rutgers University Wrestling Team. Zach also serves as a consultant for coaches and sports teams around the world.


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New York, NY

Contact / Directions

Chelsea Piers, Pier 62

Click for full-size map (PDF)

Map of Chelsea Piers

GPS Address: 40.7472 N, 74.0097 W

There is a cross-town bus on 23rd street that stops in Chelsea Piers across from 23rd street. (This is a westbound bus, that will go across the West Side High way and drop you off in the Chelsea Piers complex) This stop is directly across from Pier 62 on the West Side Hwy.

The C, and E trains stop at 8th Avenue and 23rd Street, and several other trains stop within walking distance as well. Please make sure to leave adequate time to arrive for your sail or cruise 20-30 minutes before departure time!


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Walking Around Salton Sea: Day 5

Saturday, day #5, was planned to be the shortest and easiest day of the walk so far and I was looking forward to it.

Starting in Desert Shores and walking north only 12 miles to the Whitewater River channel was planned to take only 5 hours. “Easy”. I was able to sleep-in until 6:30AM and would have the entire afternoon to rest, eat, sleep, or do whatever I wanted.

When I did the planning for the walk I could have made today the finish – a 20 mile day, instead of 12 miles Saturday and 8 miles to the finish line on Sunday, but I knew that by the 5th day both the crew and I would be tired so I decided to finish with the last 2 days being short ones. I’m glad I did. I needed this rest and I was looking forward to the afternoon.

Just like Day #4, I don’t remember much of the day. Brain-burn, sleep deprivation, and overall exhaustion was starting to creep up to me.  As I write this and reflect on the day, I have only small glimpses of memories of what took place that day.  I don’t remember waking up, I don’t remember what was for breakfast, I don’t remember being driven to the starting-point in Desert Shores.  The rest of the day is only fuzzy memories, mostly jogged by photos and video that I have saved.

First on the schedule for the day was a live phone-in radio interview with KNews 94.3, a local Palm Springs station.  Standing in the parking lot of the Johnsons Landing RV park where the motor home and my team stayed for the night, I waited for the radio station to call.  Right on time, my iPhone rang. Before I could even say ‘hello’ the show producer very quickly said something about speaking clearly and loudly, and before I could ask any questions, I was connected to the show’s host, the name of which I cannot remember.  I don’t remember what questions he asked and I don’t remember how I answered. I do remember that toward the end of the interview the host, who had just admitted to being new to the area and a bit ignorant of Salton Sea, asked or said something about Salton Sea being “dead, ugly, and smelly”.  I remember that I got a bit pissed off, and started to rant about people being ignorant about Salton Sea and went on about the vast bird life, plant life and overabundance of tilapia, and yah, “sometimes it does have an aroma”, the “smell of adventure!”.  The only other thing that I can remember is that the interview went on for 18 minutes. I am told by a few of the people that listened to the show live that it went well. Both educational and entertaining, so they said. I’ll take their word for it.

Palm Springs K-NEWS 94.3FM

Saturday Morning Radio Interview

Starting the day

Not long after the radio interview I filled my backpack with water, strapped my mud-shoes to it, crawled into the Jeep and headed to Acapulco Lane in Desert Shores where I finished day #4 the previous evening.

By 9:30AM I had already walked 2 miles and the temperature was approaching 100°F.  The heat wasn’t bothering me much but I was already feeling the effects of brain-burn and sleep deprivation.

While walking through the marinas north of Capri Road, a spot that I had just re-scouted 6 days prior, I got myself “lost” in the maze of marinas.  If you are familiar with this area which is well-marked, you will probably realize how ridiculous that sounds, but it illustrates how poorly my brain was functioning.  After zig-zagging and back-tracking several times and adding at least an extra mile to my walk, I finally made it past the back of the Fire Department building and back onto the shoreline, walking past a now land-locked marina with a beautiful yet eerie red-algae bloom.

Red algae bloom at Salton Sea

Red algae bloom in a land-locked marina

As soon as I reached the barnacle covered beach I really started to feel just how tired my body was.  Each step felt like my feet were full of lead and I had to fight my urge to stop and rest.  I wasn’t out of breath, my heart rate was not high, and I was barely even sweating, yet all I wanted to do was lay down.  I knew this feeling.  I’ve felt it before. It was ‘the wall’.  No more energy. Even though it looked like I still had plenty of ‘reserve’ energy on my belly hanging over my belt, my body had decided otherwise and was telling me it was done with this 5 days of nonsense. I ate a snack and kept moving, but at a pace far slower than on any previous day.

Old boat marina equipment at Salton Sea

Old marina equipment north of Desert Shores

It was beginning to warm up, and I was feeling bad. Tired, lethargic, and just plain yucky.  After about 6 miles, roughly half-way into the day’s walk I posted my first and only video update for the day.

Walking along this section for shoreline between Desert Shores and the Whitewater River channel was uneventful, or at least, I don’t remember anything unusual.  This section is a mixture of deep barnacles, swampy areas and mud, but only mildly difficult and with only small water crossings.  Unfortunately, roughly half of the canals and water crossings that were in this area when I scouted it in 2014 were now dry.
As with most of Salton Sea, I came across a few boats and at least one good spot to rest.

Old motor boat abandoned at Salton Sea

Old couch at Salton Sea

As I made my way north toward the Whitewater River my pace slowed dramatically and I found myself almost 2 hours behind schedule.  The plan was for the camera crew to make the 2-mile walk from Lincoln Street along the river channel and meet me at the shore. After some scenic long-distance shots of me approaching and drone-shots of me crossing the river we would make the 2 mile walk back to the vehicles and head back to camp for some lunch and much needed rest.

Heat of the day

By now the heat of the day was coming on.  Along the shoreline where I was walking the temperature was a ‘balmy’ 105°F. Comfy by my standards.  Temperatures just a few hundred yards inland, and along the road that parallels the Whitewater River channel the temperatures were a bit higher, and by the time I arrived were approaching 115°F. On the road which is like a giant sun-reflector the heat ‘bounces’ off the hard surface, making it feel like walking on the inside of a broiler.

I was accustomed to temperatures as high as 120°F, as was Blake, the film producer.  We had both been training in the heat during the last year, and although not always enjoyable, we were both well acclimated to the heat.  The rest of the film crew however, freshly shipped-in from Washington state were not as well acclimated nor trained on how to prepare for temperatures and humidity at Salton Sea in the summer.

What would happen next is still a bit hazy in my memory.  I remember seeing the film crew on our shared GPS trackers already at the Whitewater River when I was at least an hour or more away.  I remember thinking something to the effect of “I hope they brought enough water” and “I hope they wore hats this time“.

I made it to the Whitewater River at least an hour late, but I can’t remember actually crossing it, although I know I did. I also remember seeing the film-crew, carrying no water, and without hats and chuckling to myself.  After that I remember starting the walk up the road along the river toward Lincoln Street and how hot it was – probably the hottest so far, with no breeze and no shade trees. It was hot. I remember that it was hot.

“Heatstroke Road”

This is the post I made to Facebook regarding what happened next, made just a few hours later:

Today cameraperson Taylor learned what heatstroke is!

..at the end of my walk this afternoon Taylor (camera person) and Corbin (director) had to walk the nearly 2-mile road down to the mouth of the Whitewater River channel to get some film of me crossing the river. Temps were about 107°F, and with the heat reflecting off the hot dirt road, my thermometer read 115°F. After walking 2 miles down the road, standing around taking video of me in the sun for at least 45 minutes, then starting to walk the 2 miles back to the closest area we could get the Jeep, she reported that she was feeling sick to her stomach.. after a quick rest (in the sun, as there is NO shade anywhere nearby) she resumed walking and then started feeling chills.. soon after she had to stop and was not able to continue.. Blake (producer) and I were walking about 1/8 mile behind after seeing her sit down and start walking again several times, and then NOT get back up we knew exactly what was happening. That ground was far to hot for anyone to want to stay down on it.

Blake and I both know what to do if either of us were to get dehydrated or heat-stroke while walking.. We quickly grabbed one of our towels for some makeshift shade, got a salt-cap into her, and started pouring our remaining drinking water over her to get her cooled down. Blake (the hero!) then ran the last 1/2 mile to the Jeep and grabbed cold gatorade and water and brought back to her. after about 30 minutes she was feeling well enough stand up (insisting that we NOT call 911.. even though both Blake and I had our finger on our 911-speed dial buttons) and we were able to help her back to the Jeep that John had already gotten pre-cooled with the air conditioner.. I’m happy to report that after a few hours in the air-conditioning, some rest a cool shower, more water and food, Taylor is ready to come and film me at the finish line tomorrow!

I took this video with my iPhone after Taylor was able to sit up and speak.  About 30 seconds into the video it begins to break up and ‘pause’ because my iPhone was getting too hot and starting to overheat.  Only a few minutes after this the iPhone fully overheated and stopped working until later when I cooled it down in the Jeep.

Thankfully, only a few hours later Taylor was back to her old-self and ready to get back on the shore.

Taylor Bennett feeling better after a bit of heat exhaustion

Two thumbs-up!

Only one more day

The remainder of the day went as-planned: resting, eating, sleeping, and resting more.

Day #5 and 94 miles were now behind me. Beginning the next morning, the last day of my walk, I had only 8 more miles to go and I knew that this would be the most difficult 8 miles of the entire walk.  Day #6 would not be easy and the only thing on my mind was the mud and “death beach” on the schedule for the next morning.

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• News Ticker alerts

Yesterday (Sept. 24), Peggy Chapman, regional human resources director for Lee Enterprises, which is selling the North County Times to the Union-Tribune, wrote to Times employees that the "UT intends to bring on all employees as of October 1 in their current positions and salaries." Then she noted, "I must add that a handful of managers will not be presented offers from the UT, but they have been notified and will remain to help with the transition." (Note: companies making an acquisition often do not make significant layoffs until they determine the magnitude of job duplication.)

  • News Ticker alerts

Visduh Sept. 26, 2012 @ 8:48 a.m.

As you point out, the layoffs tend to follow, not precede, the change of ownership and control. I suppose this is good news for the staff, but now they wait for the other shoe to drop. It will.

Don Bauder Sept. 26, 2012 @ 1:12 p.m.

Your wisdom is always obvious, Visduh. I've been in financial writing for almost 50 years, including the conglomerate era. Before an acquisition or hostile takeover, the acquirer almost always says there will be no layoffs, or there might be force reduction, but only by attrition. It is seldom true. Best, Don Bauder

GBonaros_UTSanDiego_PR Sept. 27, 2012 @ 12:17 p.m.

U-T San Diego Official Statement

As with all mergers, there are consolidation realities to consider. Should the deal close, U-T San Diego will be looking for efficiencies where there are redundancies as it evaluates the best way to merge both organizations.

Don Bauder Sept. 27, 2012 @ 6:28 p.m.

Some NC Times people have already been axed. The U-T is saying here that there will be more. Best, Don Bauder

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Orpen Rest Camp

Discuss the different camps and roads of the Kruger National Park
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Unread post by Krokodile » Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:45 pm

The camp shop is pretty good, considering the size of the camp. There again, there is currently no restaurant at Orpen, so it needs to be. Satara is only a couple of hours slow drive away on the tar, and being a large camp has a better choice.

We have always had great game viewing in the area - rhino and jackals aplenty and a lion kill on the Tamboti turnoff once. There are also some lovely drives in the area (if you've not been there, visit the angels favorite, Bobbejaankrans :lol: . Have never seen much on the Timbavati road although the picnic spot down there is gorgeous. The Orpen area is not quite as open as the Satara area, but you should expect similar type of viewings, although maybe a few less cats.

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Unread post by Shidzidzii » Wed Aug 24, 2005 9:03 am

I agree with all the sentiments expressed.
Orpen is a lovely old world charming little camp with the bush on your doorstep and silence at night.
Tamboti is good value and an authentic BUSH tented camp an experience not to be missed.
Maraoela is in my opinion the best camp to caravan or camp - it's privateand intimate , surrounded by the bush and that special atmosphere and even has a communal freezer sponsored by the East Rand Honory Rangers (THANKS AGAIN).
As you may guess I stay regularly (first visit was 40 years ago) at all 3 and could not pick a favourite however they are all 3 rated above all the other camps in my opinion .
Game viewing in the area is excellent especialy when the undergrowth is burnt away. This has been a problem the last couple of years with less sightings (as elsewhere) but the resumption of a burn programme will restore the veld quickly. The only area I may concede as being beter is Lower-Sabie to Crocodile Bridge.
All the roads in the central area are feasable for day trips and lots of picnic sites to visit too.
And reservations especialy last minute one's are easy to get because of the larger camps holding all the reputation - long may it stay that way.
And the staff are all special too being less pressured.

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Unread post by Stoffel » Wed Aug 24, 2005 4:33 pm

I love Kruger in general.
And I always feel privileged to stay there - no matter which camp.
But everybody normally has a favourite (for various reasons).
Personally I prefer the smaller camps and bushveld camps (the latter is unfortunately normally too expensive for me).
We do not care about restaurant facilities, but some people do (especially overseas visitors as they normally cannot bring all necessities with needed for self catering).
For this reason Orpen is one of our favourite camps (actually the favourite).
I have not camped in many camps yet, but of the few I visited, Maroela is no. 1.
I have never stayed in Tamboti myself, but everybody that did so and which I have come upon, says it is tops.

But my main reason for giving preference to the Orpen/Maroela area is my personal experience regarding game sightings.
I have mentioned on some of the other forum pages before that I've been keeping record of all personal mammal sightings in Kruger since 1987.
During this time I travelled more than 9000 km's and stayed in the park for 70 nights.
I had some exceptionally good sightings in the Orpen/Maroela region (especially when Rabelais Dam was still in existence), but have never been really fortunate with predators.
But all in all it is a fantastic game area.
However, I also had my disappointing visits to the area.

From contributions to the forum, I gather that Satara and Lower Sabie are regarded by most forumites as the better camps in Kruger for general game viewing.
Personally I had wonderful experiences in the Lower Sabie region (which are according to my records the second best game area), but Satara is rather low on my personal list (for game as well as atmosphere).

I regard Pretoriuskop as a poor game area in general (although I had some exceptional sightings there too), but for my personal taste it is a camp with a lot of character and charm.
Therefore I love Pretoriuskop, although I never go there with expectations to see a lot of game.

But the diversity in 'first choices' regarding camps in Kruger amongst forumites is one of the nice things to read about on this forum.
If everybody wanted to go to the same place it would have been chaos.

Actually our Orpen lovers should stay quiet about our little haven.
Quite a pity that the rustic huts now also have to make way for "development and progress".

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Unread post by Herman » Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:49 pm

Jose wrote:Hope they will leave the spoors intact. Apart from the lion and leopard mentioned by Loams, there is also a nice buffalo print in the cement between the two office buildings behind the shop.

When I first read about the spoor here, I thought real lions might have walked over the wet cement while they were still building the camp ! On our recent visit to Orpen we stayed in no 3 and right in front of that hut is giraffe and jackal spoor, so I guess they were made by the builders using moulds?
BTW the building site around 1 and 2 was fenced off so I couldn't see if they left the lion spoor intact - didn't look like they did, because there was new paving around. I must say the improvements in Orpen look nice. I agree that it will change the atmosphere a bit, but as long as the camp stays small it'll still be nice. In my book the best renovations ever done was in Punda, where they left the exterior of those old huts and just upgraded inside.
Last edited by Herman on Sun Oct 09, 2005 9:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Unread post by LittleLeopard » Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:22 am

Vonnie wrote:Other than the presence of the webcam - what makes Orpen so special?

Like some other Forumites have mentioned on these pages, it has this kind of "untouched" atmosphere and character, more than any of the other major camps in Kruger.

I have always found Orpen-Satara one of the best gameviewing areas in the centre of the Park :P

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Unread post by christo » Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:29 am

I suppose what makes a camp special differs from person to person.

For close up and personal game viewing I only need to refer to the webcam sightings, all visible from the camp.

The atmosphere has been written about, but if you have not experienced it firsthand, you might not understand.

My best experiences were out of season when only a few huts were occupied. The tranquillity and nightsounds are amazing.

I myself am always thrilled by the big cats, of which there are plenty in the vicinity.

Should you wish to venture to spots like Kapama, the Panorama route and the Blyderivierspoort, it can all be easily utilized as a daytrip from Orpen.
Last edited by christo on Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Unread post by Shidzidzii » Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:55 am

The upgrade to huts no 1 and 2 is STUNNING .

Features :
Bathroom that is not pokey with toilet on one side, clear-glass shower on other and washbasin in centre opposite a space saving sliding door .
Natural slate tiles and wickerwork light fitting for a very African feel .
The original bedroom now has a slate tile floor, tinted glass sliding door and picture window , natural wood bedroom suite , airconditioner , BIC and matching curtains and quilts in very attractive fabric.
The original verandah is now a kitchenette with all the utensils and appliances that you may need including twin hotplate and sink .
Cupboards are natural wood with black marble tops .
The fridge has a key to lock up against the baboons but I wonder how long before someone "loses" that.
Arguably the most outstanding feature (as we are here for the outdoors) is the new verandah .
IT IS SPACIOUS (HUGE) extending in front of the bedroom and kitchenette with slate tile floors and attractive furniture .
The roof and screen wall is done in rough wood but it also has a polycarbonate (clear plastic) roof above (hidden) for waterproofing - best of both materials .
Where a tree encroaches they just let the roof go around it so you have roof and tree above you .

When all the other improvements are also complete ORPEN could really become the finest gem .
What with a "cuddle-puddle" overlooking the waterhole I imagine this could be ideal for a romantic second honeymoon or "whatever" .
It just gives that "feel" now as nowhere else .
A very warm congratulations to SANPARKS you have outdone yourselves here .

The other huts are being converted a pair at a time every 6 months .
The disturbance is very minimal .

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Unread post by bucky » Sun Jan 29, 2006 10:31 pm

I have always had brilliant trips in the orpen area .
It was better when the rabeleis dam was still a dam , but its still good .
The family cottages there are in my opinion 1 of the nicest family units in the park , with a great verandah .

The only drawback I found last trip , was being overtaken every morning by the staff bus motoring people to the concession camp past talamati .

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Unread post by Shidzidzii » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:24 pm

1. A new entrance gate reception office , parking area and commercial centre is being built (close to complete) just outside the current camp ensuring privacy to the camp in future. The idea is to keep the Orpen entrance gate aspect separate from the Orpen camp facilities .

2. A new day visitor centre and pool is being developed well outside the camp to keep Orpen private.

3. The 50 year old huts are being renovated (beautifully) as discussed before. The first pair is complete and a further pair will be completed every 6 months . The disturbance is minimal in the camp .

4. A small pool is being built for Orpen residents only . Should be complete by next summer (hopefully by August for Vaatjie).

5. A new gate (same as the one about a kilometer from Orpen is now) is being erected at the common entrance to KNP , Manyeleti and Timbavati (about 8 km Westwards). From there you drive in the Greater KNP Conservancy at 50 km/h until you reack Orpen entrance gate reception office and get your permit to enter KNP proper. All internal fences are already down ( or is that falling down rather ) .

6 The funding was given by the Poverty Alleviation Fund to create employment.

7. Unfortunatly the tar road to Satara - H-7 , will probably get busier not quieter.
Maybe it is time for a few gravel loop roads (a-la-Pretoriuskop) to be constructed to disperse traffic . In years gone by you just needed to go and park at Rabelais dam but the 2000 floods sadly put an end to that era. But Orpen camp is one where you can forego your afternoon drive and just birdwatch in camp and in the dry season watch the waterhole pantomime.

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Unread post by Shidzidzii » Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:26 am

In the 2000 floods the Rabelais dam wall broke and caused a severe erosion gully downstream.

Before that , and the dam still held water , there were always game around which was superb for parking and waiting any time of day and only 12 km from Orpen.

I have witnessed a pair of Cheetah males kill an Impala there .

Apparently the latest research on Sodic Soils points to the area as unsuitable for a dam because of the overgrazing impact . As conservationist we accept that but what a pity from a game-viewing aspect .

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Unread post by bert » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:31 am

Was my first time at Orpen
Everybody working there, from the gate attendent, reception, shop to the hut attendent were all very friendly and helpfull
Did their best to make you welcome

Although its a gate camp, once on the terrace of your hut you never had the notion that many cars pass by.

And the waterhole is a gem. Always had something to watch and the nightsounds were great.

Just a pity that the pool wasnt leafless. A croc would have got lost there.

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Unread post by Shidzidzii » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:26 am

News about the pool and building work .

The pool will be OPEN as from the school holidays and the long weekend - 22nd September , at last .

The new reception centre is "awaiting funds" before work commences again for the final finishing work .

Interesting though I was reading a November 1991 issue of CUSTOS magazine when the reported on previous upgrades -
- 3 family cottages completed
- Escom electricity laid on
- huts wired for lighting and refrigerators
- "new" reception office and shop (ie the current one as before that it was the cubicle in the middle of the road) .
Up until then the huts had parrafin lamps (later gas) lighting ,
there was a communal parrafin fridge (ala picnic spot fridges) ,
the bathroom hot water geyser was wood fired (donkey boiler which still stands in the back) but there was a Lister generator for bathroom lights only till 9 pm when it would be lights out until an hour before gates open when it would be restarted .
The day visitors picnic spot had braai fires which did supply coals for evening braai's to the huts (by the hut attendants) . The kitchen had a coal stove for hot water and kettles .
The shop only had dried goods and cooled drinks until then . You always brought ice from Satara for sundowners.

How we take amenities for granted !
And rememeber the attendants had duties and hour before and after gates - generator , coal stoves , kettles and donkey burner etc .

The conversion to gas skottel braais was in March 1990 , however Orpen and Punda Maria camps and Babalala and Pafuri picnic spots still had hardwood communal fires for a couple more years (Orpen till November 1991) .

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Orpen Upgraded Units

Unread post by Elsa Hattingh » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:18 am

This is how the upgraded units look in Orpen. It is Stunning.
Last edited by Elsa on Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: pics resized.

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Unread post by Stoffel » Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:49 pm

MLAMBANE wrote:An excellent camp!

I love every single place in the park, but I believe in "Good, Better, Orpen!"

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Unread post by Bush Baptist » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:15 pm

And you have the floodlit waterhole with the webcam thrown in. :dance:
Whatever (according to BB): "You are correct but I don't want to admit it".

In a world of grey, be RED

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A Sacramento Country Day School Newspaper

The Octagon

SCDS switches from local photographer to national company Lifetouch

(Photos by Amalie Fackenthal)
Marigot Fackenthal, ’17, said she preferred her ninth-grade ID card from Mira Loma High School to her tenth-grade one from SCDS. Mira Loma’s ID card photo was taken by Lifetouch National School Studio, while Country Day’s was by Swentowsky Photography.

Country Day is switching school photographers for the 2017-18 school year.

The new photographer is Lifetouch National School Studios, which takes pictures for many area schools.

Head of school Lee Thomsen said that SCDS wanted to go “in a different direction” with the school’s photos.

“Every year as a school we look at our business relationships with outside vendors,” Thomsen said.

SCDS has worked with Swentowsky Photography for 10 years, according to Thomsen.

In a previous Octagon story published in print last November and since taken down from the online site at Thomsen’s request, high-school students expressed their opinions about their high-school photos.

In an Oct. 18 poll, 55 percent of 115 students said their photos were fine, 27 percent said they didn’t like them, 10 percent said they hated them and eight percent said they liked them a lot.

Common complaints from those who didn’t like their pictures were unnatural coloring, odd posing and strange Photoshopping.

Sophomore reporter Larkin Barnard-Bahn said she wrote the article after “noticing how often students complained about their ID cards.”

She said that photographer John Swentowsky explained to her in an interview for the article that there wasn’t enough time to make the changes students wanted.

Swentowsky Photography faces a deadline, meaning taking multiple photographs of each student and adjusting lighting to suit students would be nearly impossible, Swentowsky explained in that article.

“When I wrote the story, I hoped that (Mr. Swentowsky would) adopt the tips that the students and parents gave, resulting in better pictures,” Barnard-Bahn said. “It was one of the first articles that I ever wrote; I didn’t expect it to result in anything big. However, I’m glad the school listened to the students’ opinions.”

In an email sent to Country Day parents in  mid-July, Swentowsky, studio director Catherine Ramsey and accounts manager Donna Lauppe said Swentowsky Photography will “miss being (Country Day’s) school photographer!”

“It has been our privilege to provide you with the very best of service and quality, which only a local professional photographer with 38 years of experience can provide,” the email said.

“We’ve enjoyed seeing your children every year and watching them grow up!”

The email goes on to suggest to parents that if they would like the school to continue to contract with Swentowsky Photography, they should contact the headmaster and school administrators.

“After all,” it continues, “you, the parents should have a say in your child’s school photos.”

According to Thomsen, of the parents who did contact the administration, “the majority – I would say all but one – were supportive of the change.”

Swentowsky’s studio director, Catherine Ramsey, said that Swentowsky declined the Octagon’s request for an interview.

The school has a one-year contract with Lifetouch, according to Lifetouch account executive Angela Steinhoff.

“(The contract is) customary – what we do with all of our school partners,” Steinhoff said.

Other high schools in the greater Sacramento area that contract with Lifetouch include Mira Loma High School, Rio Americano High School, and Jesuit High School.

Rio Americano student Ellery Schlingmann said that while she’s never seen odd coloring or Photoshopping in her pictures, she’s also never purchased Lifetouch’s “touch up” package.

Marigot Fackenthal, ‘17, a former Mira Loma student, said her photo in her freshman year at Mira Loma was “much better.”

“It was true to color,” she said. “I looked like me. In my Country Day photos I looked like a different person.”

“I hope that (Lifetouch) does what the students and parents (I spoke to) want: take multiple pictures with good lighting and natural-looking Photoshop effects, if they are applied,” Barnard-Bahn said.

The decision to switch was made after a meeting in early spring of Thomsen, director of technology Tom Wroten and director of communications Julie Nelson.

“We felt that Lifetouch would offer us an ease of capability to do certain things we (want) with the pictures,” Thomsen said.

Barnard-Bahn said she hopes that some of those things include taking multiple pictures with good light and using natural-looking Photoshop effects.

By Sahej Claire

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TGA Warns of Problems with Boston Scientific Defibrillators

TGA Warns of Problems with Boston Scientific Defibrillators

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text:
Perspective on global economic and fixed income developments

Embracing the improbable

September 2016

Key takeaways:

  • Improbable doesn’t mean impossible, as illustrated by Brexit, negative interest rates overseas, and the Fed’s failure to hike interest rates so far in 2016.
  • Although economies in Japan, Europe, and many other overseas countries are rocky, we believe U.S. economic fundamentals seem reasonably sound.
  • Given the complex market backdrop, the Fed may not commit to raising interest rates until it’s convinced that such a move poses minimal risks.
  • Maintaining a well-diversified portfolio that includes fixed income can potentially help your portfolio when improbable events occur, and in our view, represents a crucial step toward long-term financial success.

Unexpected and improbable events occur in all aspects of our lives, particularly when it comes to investing. The current financial climate provides numerous examples of this reality. From negative interest rates in several parts of the developed world, to the U.K.'s unprecedented decision to leave the European Union (E.U.) in June, to U.S. interest rates remaining historically low for far longer than we once imagined, it's a whole new world out there. In spite of all these improbabilities, we believe that one particular point remains clear: U.S. bonds are just as important as ever.

Improbable doesn't mean impossible

As improbable as it may be, the U.S. economy isn't anywhere near where many pundits had predicted in the aftermath of the financial crisis. More than seven years into the official recovery, economic growth remains unremarkable, consumer prices are well contained, and short-term interest rates are really close to where they were at the end of 2008. Meanwhile, yields on government bonds have generally bucked conventional wisdom and fallen, instead of rising. What's behind this unusual series of events?

Lackluster economic growth in G7 countries has certainly played a predominant role, prompting certain central banks to adopt negative interest rate policies in a desperate attempt to stimulate growth. The notion that a country would actively push short-term interest rates into negative territory may have seemed improbable only a handful of years ago. Surely, such an effort would be expected to cause savers to pull their funds from local banks, stuff their mattresses full of cash, and the financial markets would face a meltdown. Yet this hasn't been the case.

If you're questioning the likelihood of someone accepting negative interest rates on a deposit, consider the situation in Switzerland. Swiss banks have started charging consumers to hold deposits instead of paying them interest, yet consumers aren't pulling out all of their cash. So although the thought of depositing $10,000 only to receive, with certainty, $9,950 one year later may have once seemed improbable, there's no escaping this present-day reality. Perhaps these savers view 10 to 20 basis points of negative yield as a small price to pay for safeguarding their deposits.

Switzerland isn't the only central bank employing negative interest rate policies. The Bank of Japan recently joined the below-zero bandwagon, with Sweden's central bank and the European Central Bank (ECB) having previously adopted such an approach. Their rationale is simple: they're forecasting that super-low rates will motivate consumers to spend more, and help companies to borrow more, hire more, and expand. This, they hope, will translate into faster growth.

The Brexit improbability

Europe, where lackluster growth has been an ongoing story since the financial crisis, is facing its own improbability. “Brexit,” the nickname given to Britain's vote to exit the E.U., sent shockwaves throughout the markets in late June. It's interesting that some forecasts just before the U.K. referendum estimated the outcome as essentially too close to call. Yet investors seemed shocked at the reality that the U.K. is now charting a course out of the E.U. Meanwhile, the Bank of England is desperately trying to avoid the country's economic collapse, having cut short-term interest rates to the lowest levels in centuries.

Furthermore, 10-year Treasury yields have fallen about 70 basis points (a basis point equals 0.01%) or so this year through the end of August—including an approximately 15 basis point decline since Brexit—since the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised rates at the end of last year, and in spite of the Fed's initial forecast for four interest rate hikes in 2016. So much for the misconception that U.S. bond yields couldn't possibly go any lower!

A different ballgame for the Fed

Unlike other G7 central banks, the Fed is trying to raise rates, a hope that they've been expressing off and on since late 2015. At a high level, the U.S. jobs market is cooperating, with the unemployment rate hovering below 5.0%, signs of wage pressures emerging, and the overall jobs market now seeming generally healthier.

However, one of the Fed's central mandates—and historically, one of the main reasons for raising interest rates in the first place—is to keep inflation in check, and inflation just doesn't seem to be much of a problem right now in the U.S. Factor in the tame inflation with merely modest economic growth, and this gives the Fed more flexibility regarding interest rate policies.

Nevertheless, a healthier economy in the U.S. compared with other G7 countries and the Fed's desire to resume raising rates means that yields on U.S. Treasuries are higher than yields on government bonds from other developed nations. The chart below illustrates this relationship, showing the comparatively attractive yields of 10-year Treasuries versus the yields of like-maturity government bonds from other countries.

An appealing yield

The generally higher yields of U.S. Treasuries make them attractive compared with bonds from other G7 countries, driving up international demand.

These higher yields enhance the international appeal of U.S. Treasuries. To buy these securities, investors overseas need to trade in their local currencies for dollars. This additional demand can lead to U.S. dollar appreciation, which makes U.S. goods and services more expensive overseas, reducing foreign demand and potentially acting like a brake on U.S. growth.

From this perspective, it's not surprising that the Fed is moving so slowly toward raising rates, and probably looking for the perfect moment before doing so. One of the things we think the Fed would like the least—and which would hurt its credibility the most—would be to raise rates only to have to lower them all over again a few months down the road if the U.S. economy stumbled. We think that this makes it even more possible for short-term rates to stay lower for longer.

Although economies in Japan, Europe, and other developed overseas countries are still somewhat rocky, U.S. fundamentals seem reasonably sound.

Key takeaways

With this improbable backdrop in mind, what do we see in store for the fixed income market over the near-term? Although economies in Japan, Europe, and other developed overseas countries are still somewhat rocky, U.S. economic fundamentals seem reasonably sound. Yet with the Fed highly sensitized to even small data changes, it's possible that disappointing numbers just prior to a policy meeting could derail any plans the Fed might have to raise rates. In addition, even though the Fed doesn't explicitly say much about stocks, a spike in volatility like the one we witnessed in late June after Brexit might keep the Fed on hold for longer. In our view, this all means that the Fed has much to consider, and that it may not fully commit to raising rates until it's convinced that such a move poses minimal risks.

In our view, this all means that the Fed has much to consider, and that it may not fully commit to raising rates until it's convinced that such a move poses minimal risks.

So what are the key takeaways for investors? Namely, that improbable doesn't mean impossible, so maintaining a well-diversified portfolio always makes good sense. We believe that a well-diversified portfolio includes an allocation to fixed income, and U.S. Treasuries in particular. These securities can help to balance the equity portion of your portfolio when it's most in need of support, and if you wait until an improbable market event occurs to diversify properly, you may miss out on some of the potential benefits. Moreover, in the current environment, bond yields could potentially stay low for much longer than previously anticipated, and we think this is particularly true for U.S. Treasuries. In short, fixed income is just as important now as ever!

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Brett Wander, CFA
Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income
Charles Schwab Investment Management
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