Mira Ptacin. Shane Thomas McMillan

At the center of most religions, youll find faith. It has no factual grounding and depends almost entirely on suspended judgment. Despite its inherently elusive nature, society asks us to draw lines around which kinds of faith are acceptable and which are absurd. Resurrection and heaven? Fine. Ghosts? You have to be crazy.

But how did society get here?

This very American conventional wisdom was not always so. At the suggestion of a friend, author Mira Ptacin looked into Camp Etna, a community established in the late-19th century for mediums and Spiritualists two hours from Ptacins home on Peaks Island, Maine. This wasnt Colonial Williamsburg for mediums; it remains an active site for believers, fully operational as a community. While Ptacin had never heard of it, Camp Etna was once a bustling home to American Spiritualists who drew countless numbers of visitors ranging from the faithful to curious and even skeptical. Author Mira Ptacin is both curious and skeptical for reasons that unfold throughout the course of her terrifically engaging and empathetic new book.

SEE ALSO: In Jami Attenbergs All This Could Be Yours, a Family Confronts Its Patriarch

The In-Betweens examines American Spiritualism and the work of mediums through the history of Camp Etna. Blending history and reporting, Ptacin tackles her subject with enthusiasm that is as critical as it is open-minded. From her first encounters with a table tipping ceremony to interviews with a series of resident Spiritualists, Ptacin is fascinated the history of the site itself. But shes also pulled in by the largely forgotten impact Spiritualism made on American history.

It should be noted that American Spiritualism doesnt refer to an American sense of spirituality; it is itself a religion that is dominated by women. A pair of sisters, Kate and Margaret Fox, became the central force around which the religion developed, despite the existence of previous seers. The Foxes were mediumsnot to be confused with psychics. They differ from psychics as mediums are said to possess the ability to communicate directly to specific dead individuals; psychics are said to possess intuition that can reveal information about a living persons past, present or future. The Foxes drew an enormous audience, eager to receive word from the beyond.

The In-Betweens by Mira Ptacin. Liveright

For once in American history, women dominated the spotlight. Ptacin writes, While seeking a higher power was nothing new, the Fox sisters message rode on the American yearning to go it alone, to live ones life in accordance to self-guidance and ones individual intuition without needing someones permission, without hierarchy, without interference of the Church or any other institution. The Fox sisters represented something that had been feared by many, yearned for by others, and only imagined by the patriarchal American society at the time: a womans right to self-sovereignty. This agency bridged Spiritualism with the suffragette movement in the 19th century. In so far as doctrine goes, Ptacin notes that, Spiritualists have two major beliefs in their faith: that it is our duty to practice the Golden Rule, and that we humans can talk to the dead if we want to. With great simplicity and incredible mystery, this religion made its mark on first wave feminism and on the brutal trauma laid bare by the American Civil War.

Swallowed by a more static and textbook expression of battles, war dead, assassinations, and public formal speeches, the Civil War was in many ways the culmination of American greed and evil as well as a horrifically bloody tragedy experienced on a very intimate level. Whats lost in our more public understanding of the Civil War is the impact this trauma wrought on American society at large. Ptacin notes that most antebellum Americans did not belong to a church, and only about 25 percent belonged to a Christian denomination. Mourners needed hope, something different from the youre-born-a-sinner, fire-and-brimstone afterlife theyd been told to fear and respect. American Spiritualism emerged to fill this void.

Setting out to write about this topic, it was clear that there was more than enough material to write a book. Ultimately, Ptacin realized that in order to fully contextualize these contemporary mediums, she would have to construct a concise history of American Spiritualism. In order to fully explain the fact that this is a religion still self-identified as a strong, independent, faith-based subculture of women (and a few men), Ptacin must stress the dominant role played by women.

This is the first time Ive written history, Ptacin mentions in conversation by phone. I asked myself: is this is feminist history? But, in the end, I felt that this is simply history. Just because its not the story thats been passed down to us again and again doesnt mean its a feminist outtake. Its a story that wasnt told because mostly because it involves so many women. While this should not be classified as feminist history, Ptacins work is a feminist actrecovering a largely unspoken story surrounding the aftermath of the Civil War.

Another thing I realized was what a huge responsibility it was to do this work. While there may be some who might question the authority of a writer without academic credentials, this question of legitimacy has also served to write many marginalized people out of conventional history. When there are barriers to joining the conversation, your voice remains silent. Previously, Ptacin has fielded questions about whether or not she was old enough to write a memoir (her first book Poor Your Soul: A Memoir was published when she was 36). She comments, Many feel we havent earned it yet. Its just kind of baffling to me.

Yet this new writing came naturally to her because of its sensational and fascinating nature. The history wrote itself because, I mean, it was just so crazy that its all true. And each segment I included within each chapter contained a very obvious beginning and such a clean conclusion. One story that Ptacin relates is that of longtime paranormal skeptic Harry Houdini who made a pact with his wife that she should attempt to communicate with him after his death. It was a challenge she accepted, holding sances for a decade before giving up and accepting the final silence of death.

Regardless of whether or not you actually do see or hear spirits, developing a faith that allows you to be open to their existence is another way of coming to terms with death and dying. It is itself a conversation beyond the grave which, in turn, offers its own grace. As Ptacin dug deeper, speaking with more and more mediums and Spiritualists, she wrestled with her own deep lossesthe death of her younger brother at the hands of a drunk driver and a baby she lost through miscarriage a decade earlier. With a light hand, Ptacin blends these moments of memoir into her reporting and historical work. Its a rare book that manages to incorporate what are often distinctly different styles of writing, but Ptacins infectious confidence and probing curiosity negotiates these different voices.

With such rigorous work, the reader may wonder if its made a believer out of her. The answer is not so simple. What I found to be so valuable from these mediums is that they would say things that, even if they were like kind of vague, you clung to she muses. It actually doesnt matter if it was true or not or if they could physically see something or not. My therapist asks a lot of questions. And thats what shes supposed to do, but her job is not to tell me anything. But I always get really frustrated when I met the therapist because I want her to just skip the chit chat and tell me what to do. She never does that. But this medium would. They might just talk for 20 minutes and say, You know, you need to stop doing this. You could do this, do this and this. And it was really, really helpful. If they were incredibly specific, youre blown away.

Ptacin notes that even the mediums would acknowledge that theirs is an imperfect practice. One of the mediums told me, If were 80 percent accurate, were really, really, really good. But otherwise, were on point just about 60, 50 percent of the time. Mediums help people by offering a narrative that allows us to become our own heroes, Ptacin continues. And the part of the narrative is indicating when youre going uphill to overcome an obstacle and encouraging us to overcome it. They also taught me that its completely possible to make up your own rules and live life according to your instinct and your intuition. The affirmation of womens feelings and impressions is as necessary today as it was in the mid-19th century.

Rather than recognize the validity of womens agency through institutions, society or capital, American Spiritualism elevated the status of women through their gut impressions as well as an emphasis on observation and intuition. Thats the major thing I learned from them. And I think thats what I really wanted to learn. Ptacin notes. Beyond simply recovering history, This was worth investing my time to make this a book. The In-Betweens is a powerful book about listening to yourself and finding faith therebeyond doctrine, belief in everlasting life, with or without engagement with religion or God.

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The In-Betweens Uncovers How Spiritualists and Mediums Have Shaped America - Observer

Architectural firm Perkins and Will Canada became its own design client when it needed a creative approach for its office space.

Scott Norsworthy

The former Toronto office of the architectural firm Perkins and Will Canada was a brick and beam factory constructed in 1914 that once housed an assembly line for Model T Fords. While the buildings funky ambience rendered it an attractive workspace for the young creative design team, its off-the-beaten-path location, at Dupont and Christie Streets, was inconvenient for both employees and clients.

With the lease coming up for renewal, a search for office space closer to the core turned up a real gem in Torontos central financial district: one floor in a 1960s heritage tower built by well-known Canadian architects Crang and Boake Inc.

A quick peek behind the acoustic panels revealed high ceilings with a handsome waffle design, and the whole space showed great promise as a bright open office with great downtown views, according to Andrew Frontini, principal at Perkins and Will.

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But there was a snag. The floor space totalled 8,500-square-feet, a full 3,000-square-feet smaller than the former office, which had already seemed tight for the growing firm. A creative approach was needed, Mr. Frontini says, and so the company became its own design client.

The office living room serves as an informal meeting zone.

Scott Norsworthy

We started out by forming a committee and held an all-office meeting to get a collective vision about how we work and the kind of work we do, he says. We wanted to include every single person in the office, not just senior leadership. Anonymity was allowed and brutal honestly encouraged.

In the old office, the firm had conducted a survey to determine how many desks were being used at any given hour throughout the day, and this turned out to be a key planning element for the new space. With many of the staff members out attending meetings or at site visits during the day, and others gathering in collaboration areas, the assigned desks were less than half occupied for much of the time.

Collaboration means pulling up a handy place to perch.

Scott Norsworthy

Even at maximum occupancy, only 62 out of 80 desks had signs of life at them at the same time [with] not necessarily a person working at them, but work or a coffee mug on them, says Jon Loewen, an associate and member of the office search team.

An open concept approach incorporating shared workspaces seemed logical, and the new office design would replace seating assignments and private offices alike with 54 hot desks that could be claimed by anyone. There are four small focus rooms that can be closed for private meetings, and another space, fittingly known as the phone booth, ideal for quick one-on-one discussions or private calls.

A waffle-design ceiling was an attraction in the downtown space.

Wallace Immen /Wallace Immen

The redesign freed up enough space to accommodate a large common area with chairs and tables and a wellness room for employees who are feeling unwell or just need a few minutes to themselves. Health and wellness are important for all our employees, and all of the materials used were vetted for potential chemical emissions even in their production, Mr. Loewen says.

It was about creating a whole range of environments for different kinds of work and multiple spaces for collaboration, Mr. Loewen says. There are a total of 119 chairs and stools that are capable of serving multiple functions, which facilitates impromptu meetings.

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To help people adapt to this new kind of work environment, senior urban designer Clara Romero spearheaded an etiquette committee. We developed rules for the new space because nobody owns anything and everyone is accountable for everything from kitchen cleanliness to that stapler you use, she says.

Architectural model shop at Perkins & Will has a mascot.

Wallace Immen

These etiquette standards dictate that firm members arent allowed to camp out for long periods in any of the four collaboration rooms, nor can these be booked in advance and tidying up after yourself is a golden rule. Everything goes away if you leave your workspace, Ms. Romero says.

The committee is not about policing things; its more about making people aware and discussing which things are working well and what might work better, Ms. Romero says. It gives everyone input and they can experiment in how to make the most efficient use of the space.

Elevator bay entrance to Perkins & Will office. There's no receptionist in the new office space.

Wallace Immen /Wallace Immen

There is no receptionist in the new office space. Visitors arriving from the elevator lobby at the corner of the lounge area can ring a bell for attention, but the etiquette rules suggest that whoever is closest should greet visitors and connect them with the person or people they are meeting. There are usually people sitting and working at tables and chairs in the lounge thats near the coffee machine.

Its up to you to be hospitable and welcome a guest from the moment they arrive, Ms. Romero says. Whats great is that clients really get to experience and feel how we, as a firm, collaborate.

Office etiquette rules suggest the closest person should greet visitors.

Wallace Immen /Wallace Immen

Instead, the reception corner has become a show-off space, with the firms awards displayed on the wall and a window revealing the shop, where designers build models of proposed buildings. Theres a 3-D printer and laser cutter for creating models, but much of the work is still done by carving wood or foam with scalpel-like knives.

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A long hardwood table along the edge of the lounge zone makes an attractive area for people to work and lay out sketches and is big enough for large meetings and social gatherings. When work needs to be put away, everything goes into a wall of open shelves that also house the firms library of material sample books.

A long hardwood table along the lounge zone makes an attractive area for people to work.

Wallace Immen /Wallace Immen

In the former office, there had been bays of filing cabinets and stacks of bulky binders. When we moved, people were freaking out about getting rid of binders and mounds of files, Mr. Frontini says. It was like archeology, and the fact is that most of them had not been opened in 10 years. Turned out most of this material could be classified as security blankets.

The new way of working has been well received by staff, according to Eunice Wong, a recently hired urban designer.

All the young designers on the team feel happier in this kind of work environment, with the freedom to come and go. Best of all, theres no shame to conform to a9-to-5 work schedule, and staff are free to work whenever and wherever they feel inspired.

Collaboration has increased as well, Mr. Loewen says.

There's a place for everything in the free form office.

Wallace Immen

Getting all the materials out in more visible shared areas actually helps foster collaboration as people in other specialties who might not otherwise have seen it look at it and can make suggestions.

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This doesnt mean Perkins and Will forgot about the future. Despite being smaller than the old office space, the design of the new office has an adaptable room that allows the firm to consider future expansion.

When we moved in 2018, there were 70 employees, and now there are about 85 and we have the flexibility to accommodate more, Mr. Frontini says. We treated the move and design of the space in the same way we would approach a new project for a client. It needed a program and data backing it up, a framework of goals and a timeline for reaching it.

Everything is out in the open and has to be tucked away when you finish.

Scott Norsworthy

The rest is here:

What happens when architects design their own studio? - The Globe and Mail

For her 105th birthday on Oct. 30, Erma Mohl received a key to the city.

The Seaside Manor resident is the oldest at the facility. She first fell in love with Florida eight years ago while on vacation, and she loved it so much she never returned home to Pennsylvania, a city proclamation states. Mohl was born in Ruscombmanor Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1914. She grew up on a farm with her four siblings, milking cows and doing other chores before school each day.

Erma Mohl and Mayor Bill Partington. Photo courtesy of Jenn Elston, Ormond Beach public information officer

She had no electricity, no running water and had to walk 2.5 miles to school every day, the proclamation reads. Mohl later moved to Reading, Pennsylvania and ran a house cleaning business. She has sevenchildren, ninegrandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

As aWorld Wrestling Entertainment fan, she watches wrestling twice a week. Mohl also enjoys gameshows and reality TV.

"She never smoke or drank, but was fond of coffee before having her last cup 65 years ago," the proclamation reads."She has a great sense of humor, is always laughing and smiling, loves to have fun, and is the life of the party. She eats at least one Hershey chocolate bar a day, is still looking for a good man, and contributes her long life to staying positive, minding her business, and practicing the Golden Rule."

For the last several months, three local children's charities worked together to raise money and awareness for their individual nonprofits through a collaboration created by 71 MVP, a charitable organization that aims to emulate the humanitarian spirit embodied in baseball MVP and philanthropist Roberto Clemente.

Kamari H., Kameera H., Willem M., Caleb M., Aiden S. with Robin Markus, Joe Sullivan, Randy Dye, Nikki Risley, Robin Beaulieu, Linda Hannon, Barbara Cochrane and Kim Lembrich. Courtesy of Jonny Nomad Media

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties, Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Volusia School Fuel organization were eachpresented with a $100,000 check on Oct. 29.A charity drawing for a limited edition $100,000 Dodge Demon began November 2018 with the goal to sell 1,971 tickets for $210 each, according to a press release. The drawing took place on September 28, 2019 and the winner was Billy Willoughby of Ormond Beach, who was watching live on Facebook.

For more information about 71 MVP, visit clementecar.com

Ormond Beach resident Trey Heller of Boy Scout Troop 468 recently earned his Eagle Scout award.

Trey Heller, of Troop 468. Courtesy photo

His Eagle Scout project was to redo the outside and build up the inside of the Seabreeze Color Guard trailer. Heller is Kim and Melissa Heller's son. He is a senior at Seabreeze High School, where he is on the golf team, cross-country and track team. He has a GPA of 4.3.

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Oldest Seaside Manor resident recognized by city on 105th birthday - Ormond Beach Observer

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have come forth unveiling their secret to making their relationship flourish despite the test of time and distance in owing to arduous work commitments.

With their first wedding anniversary drawing near, the pair have been rather busy keeping up with their professional schedules.

However, we still find pictures of the two together time and time again as the couple never fails to warm their fans hearts with the love they share.

Priyanka Chopra to unite with Ranveer Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis next?

In order to fight through the distance both of them have, Priyanka has revealed that both of them will never go more than two or three weeks without seeing each other.

This rule holds out no matter what part of the world the husband-wife duo is currently residing in.

Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas light up Diwali in the most festive way ever

Priyanka also revealed that they video-call all the time and make an effort to make sure the other is fully aware of whatever is going on in their lives.

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Priyanka Chopra shares the one golden rule to keep up with Nick Jonass life - Geo News

Charm is one of the base features of charisma. You will never be a truly charismatic individual if you dont take charm seriously.But before I start sounding like a romantic comedy trailer take a step back and think about it. Charm is the alluring side of charisma. The most important side.It is the constituent that draws people in and projects a more confident and attractive image of your persona.

So you need to learn some of the ways that charming men use their talents when they want to improve.Not only that but you need to understand that you will never become a great leader, if you dont know how to use your charm and this lack of knowledge can hamper many of your efforts to better yourself and develop the kind of iconic personality that is a magnet for successful enterprises.

And no matter what you may hear, charm is a trait all of us have. The secret is to unlock and harness its power and use it as a foundation for developing your winning personality.So why do charming people have it better and how can you become more enchanting and attractive by using simple strategies to improve your game?

We have all seen charming people. They seem to effortlessly work a room while others admire and compliment them. And often they will be called upon first and consider reliable, trustworthy and knowledgeable, right off the bat. They are not necessarily the funniest, smartest, most competent, or best-dressed people in the room. But they can get away with murder. Imagine that you are part of a police detective squad that just cracked down the biggest case ever and, in comes Jake Peralta, from Brooklyn 99, stealing your thunder. The difference is that a comedy show is not the competitive, active, performance-driven setting your life is.

Charming people will always have an edge on everybody else because they are impulsive, seductive creatures. And that needs to be your starting point into motivating yourself to improve this side of your personality. Because, as I previously mentioned, charm is a trait that everybody has but only a few use. Even if you have a truly evil personality being charming will still help. After all the best villains are always the charming ones. The golden rule of a charming personality is Charm yourself first.

It will not only test out your charming methods but it will give you the confidence to display when needs be, the full force of your enticing ways. No matter how many strategies and tips you read, it will all come down to the way you can sell it. Owning your inner charm is not just a good way to do that. It is the only way.So what are the best strategies that can help you better display your charming personality?

1. Great posture

The way the move their chin. Keeping your head up is a sign of confidence, and the way you present your jawline is seen as a sign of masculinity. And it has always been one. Just take the ancient Greek statues, and name a famous one where the protagonist does not have a great chin or at least good cheekbones. Men who know when to keep their chin up appear to be more confident and more assertive than their counterparts, even though in reality they can be as self-aware as the next guy.

The key is knowing when to lift your chin during decisive points of the conversation, and when to lower it during the "Working our way up to conclusion" phase.

This little balancing act will be easy to work out in any conversation and will make people feel more attracted to you, and more naturally inclined theyll be to regard you as a confident, no-nonsense individual. It will come with an interesting side-effect too. Lifting your chin just a little bit is a more appealing position for the face because it helps define the jawline and creates a slimming effect for the neck region.

Nobody knows or cares if that is the case, but what you should know, is that it works. People will always respond well to a person that seems to have their undivided attention.Charming means to treat everyone the same way. With a lot of respect and kindness. That is part of the charming man's ability to get away with murder. You simply can not bring yourself to stay upset with a truly charming guy.

Often, people put on a face during social events, or when meeting important individuals. There will be no such thing in a charming mans DNA. If you want to be seen as a charming, reliable person and build on your

Charm works better when your magnetism is augmented by more than one listener. And that is not all. People tend to look more attractive and charming when in groups. Because it shows off their great communication skills and makes you look as instinctive and characteristic as possible. To achieve this, always try to agree rather than disagree when in a group. This is a little trick, that will get you a long way. Not only will everyone in the group like you but people outside the group will get the sense that you are a reasonable and collected person, that doesnt feel the need to prove himself.

So if you want to work on your image and get people to find you as likable and attractive as possible you can not overlook the group factor.Make sure you relate well to your peers, and business partners, and others will be immediately drawn to you.

Touching the arm, or shoulder, of the person you are talking to can be a very powerful gesture. And there are two sides to this. First, this kind of interaction is somewhere above your normal handshake and below a friendly hug. That makes the person feel a bit more special than other people, even though you dont know each other that well, or you just met. Secondly, it increases the chances of getting the result you want. People tend to be more compliant after this kind of interaction and find the person doing the touching more friendly and attractive.

Bear in mind, that you have to use and restrict touching, so as not to look like a

Charming people are seen as trustworthy, and introducing touching into your everyday arsenal will only reinforce that. Just make sure your gestures appear natural and are at the right time. So as not to appear fake. Do it while you shake people's hands, after a good punchline, while bumping into acquaintances or excusing yourself to go somewhere else. Always stay relaxed and smile while doing it.

Because things are not always what you might think. Charming, confident men dont just

The eyes are an important source of information and vulnerability and charming men know that they are one of the best ways to get people attracted to you.

Because basically we're all more likely to do business and build professional and personal relationships with people who can convey honesty and who are polite, modest, agreeable, kind. And eyes are the best non-verbal way to deliver all that information about you.

In the end, don't forget you will never be charming if you don't bring yourself to follow the golden rule. Charm yourself first. Enjoy, and turn all your interactions into familiar, natural and open-hearted affairs. True effortless charm comes from within. Your mission as an iconic man is to tame it and use it to achieve your goals.

Continued here:

5 strategies of effortlessly CHARMING MEN - How to ensure you'll be instantly attractive - IconicMan Magazine

The fan favourite couple are set to hit the rocks afterVanessa is left horrified when Vinny spills that Charity was involved with the casino heist.

Despite feeling betrayed and lied to, Vanessa decides to confront her fiance and give her the opportunity to tell her the truth about what she had done.

However, according to official soap spoilers, Charity refuses to come clean to Vanessa. Her decision leaves a devastated Vanessa with no choice but to end their relationship.

Emma Atkins, who plays Charity, opened up toInsider Soapabout how her character's world "comes crashing down" after the split.

Charity swears on her and Vanessas kids lives that shes telling the truth, when she knows its a lie, she said.The golden rule is that you never swear on your childrens lives certainly not on the life of somebody elses child,as she has done with Vanessas son Johnny. So this betrayal is far too big for Vanessa to take.

She added that she doesn't think Charity believes it is really over between them until Vanessa breaks the news to the pub.

Vanessa has it out with Charity and says, Its over! she continued.I dont think Charity believes it until Vanessa snaps and tells the whole pub what shes been up to. Everyone is disgusted.

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Emmerdale confirms Vanessa Woodfield and Charity Dingle are going to split up - Her.ie

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Thinking about investing in cryptocurrency? It is definitely a tempting prospect, but just like any investment you should consider it carefully before you actually put any of your hard-earned money into it.

Before you actually invest, there are five tips that you must know that could help shape your decision.

Expect Unpredictable Market Volatility

Although you may do your best to stay informed and try to predict market trends, cryptocurrency markets are known for being volatile. Over the years there have been several instances where the market value crashed by 50% or more, leading to tremendous losses across the board.

It is important that you are fully aware of the market volatility, and take it as well as the other cryptocurrency investment risks into account when investing. To cope with them you should always stick to the golden rule of investing: Dont invest more than you can afford to lose.

Do Your Own Research

Listening to advice from cryptocurrency experts may sound like a good idea but that can backfire. Experts are really a dime a dozen in the cryptocurrency world, and many arent as reliable as you think.

At the end of the day the best thing to do is to do your own research into cryptocurrencies. The more you understand cryptocurrency and the market, the better. By doing your own research youll also be able to quickly figure out which experts are worth following, and which ones you should ignore.

Dont Fall for the Bonuses

Some cryptocurrency exchanges nowadays offer various sign-up bonuses and other incentives. In many ways they are similar to the welcome bonus up to 7 bitcoins and others that are offered by online casinos.

In general you shouldnt fall for such bonuses as they tend to have lots of conditions and really arent as attractive as they look. Instead you should focus on the details that matter, such as the jurisdiction, reputation, fees, payment methods, and identity verification.

Overall it is better to focus on finding an exchange that is reliable and fits your requirements.

Temper Your Expectations

Many new investors make heavy losses when they first get into cryptocurrency. The main reason for that is because they have high expectations, and often end up biting off much more than they can chew.

Right from the start you should temper your expectations. The fact of the matter is that it is close to impossible that you will be able to become a millionaire overnight, double your investment, or anything like that.

The best thing to do is to take it slow, be careful, and steadily learn more about cryptocurrency.

Keep Track of Your Investments

From the very first day you should make it a point to keep track of your investments. Check on how the cryptocurrencies youre invested in are performing, determine how much profit or loss youve made, and try to identify the reason why.

Tracking your investments closely will let you learn more about the market and the cryptocurrencies that youre interested in. On top of that it will let you make key decisions at the right time.

Final Words

Investing in cryptocurrency is exciting, and there is definitely a lot of potential for profit. Now that you know the tips listed above, it should be easier for you to seize the opportunities that come your way and take advantage of them.

Although that may be the case, you should still be prepared for some ups and downs. That is simply the nature of the market, and you need to be able to weather some storms along the way.

See the original post:

5 Tips You Need to Know Before Investing in Cryptocurrency - TechBullion

In the path of the proposed Northern Corridor Highway, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah, Jan. 9, 2019 | Photo by Sarah Thomas/Conserve Southwest Utah, St. George News

OPINION The 43rd St. George Marathon took place this October on a course cradled by stunning public lands. At mile 16, runners entered Snow Canyon State Park ensconced within the larger Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Their dreams of beating a personal record or qualifying for Boston found space to take shape between the cliffs and peaks of Snow Canyon and Red Mountain in the west and the basalt mesas and coral sandstone of Red Cliffs in the east.

Debbie Zockoll holds the world record marathon streak for women and completed her 43rd St. George Marathon this year. She grew up with Red Cliffs as her playground, and today it has become her office and refuge. She trains on the 130-mile trail system protected in the NCA and believes these trails improve balance by encouraging runners to slow down and watch where they place their feet on the red earth. After the race, its become tradition for Zockoll to celebrate at Chuckwalla with family and friends.

The scenic beauty of our public lands in Washington County is world-renowned and drives our economy, providing thousands of jobs in hospitality and tourism. Red cliffs circle our community and support our transition to a future grounded in tourism and outdoor recreation, an industry that provided 110,000 direct jobs and $3.9 billion in wages in the state of Utah in 2017.

As a conservationist working for a small nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding public lands in Washington County, I am often asked to make dollars and cents arguments for why the land I love should remain protected. Like the Mojave Desert tortoise who collects the most vibrant, eye-catching flowers to eat in spring, I collect numbers like these:

The St. George Area Sports Commission calculated that in 2017, 42 major athletic events brought more than 62,000 participants and over 116,000 out of town visitors to the area resulting in $78 million in direct economic impact. Iron Man 70.3 brought in $7 million in 2017. In 2018, the Huntsman World Senior Games had an estimated $17 million economic impact. In 2017, the St. George Marathon brought in $3.2 millionfrom athletes and their entourages spending $175 per day in our community. Touted as one of four marathons to build a vacation around, and one of the ten most scenic, the money spent by folks who linger post-race in Red Cliffs really stacks up, like cross-bedded layers in the colorful Navajo Sandstone that surrounds us.

Major sporting events like the St. George Marathon advertise using images of the red rock country we have been wise enough to protect. Iron Man sizzler videos show runners and bikers traveling through Red Cliffs NCA praising its basalt flows and beautiful sandstone, saying that the scenery gives them goosebumps. Goosebumps made possible because Washington County residents wanted the open space surrounding them protected.

In 2006, over 3,000 people decided on 10Vision Dixie principles to guide growth. Guard signature, scenic landscapes, and Provide rich, connected natural recreation and open space are two that will enable St. George to host the Full Iron Man in our beautiful backyard in 2021.

A major part of Washington Countys allure is the 45,000-acre Red Cliffs NCA, designated by Congress in 2009 to protect nine values, including exquisite scenery. Caught between the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, the land is a study in transition, bold color and dramatic contrasts, a highly scenic area that, for most visitors, typifies the rugged and beautiful American Southwest.

By protecting scenic land, plants and animals that depend on it for their survival also benefit. On one of her visits to Chuckwalla, Zockoll remembers her grandson exclaiming, Grandma, look at that rock, its moving! It was a threatened Mojave Desert Tortoise, one of 20 threatened, endangered and sensitive species like the Gila monster, kit fox and burrowing owl who are protected in the Red Cliffs NCA.

When Zockoll taught first grade in St. George, she wanted her students to have respect for wildlife and nature. She took them outdoors, encouraged them to look at lizards and insects, but told them, dont put anything in a jar because it has a family, just like you. This ethic of reciprocity, treating others the way you wish to be treated, applies to wildlife and beautiful land, too. Adopting the golden rule on visits to Red Cliffs would reduce the number of dog off-leash, litter, off-trail travel and wildlife harassment incidents.

On a bigger scale, applying the ethic of reciprocity to growth and transportation planning would reduce support for projects like the Northern Corridor Highway that would devastate the sensitive ecology and economy of our region. Note that the root of both these words is ecos, from the Greek oikos, or house. How we care for our home, our wealth and our family members human and non-human matters.

Our scenic heritage is fundamentally important to the continuation of our individual and collective well-being, to economic prosperity, to a healthy and sustainable environment and to the quality of everyday life. Yet, we are starting to lose the precious beauty of this place, and we must do better by not building the Northern Corridor Highway through pristine landscape that was supposed to be protected by legislation. Conservation of our scenic beauty will keep our desirability and appeal over the long-term to attract new residents, businesses and tourists to our area.

Its up to us to ensure that public lands in Washington County continue nourishing our bodies, spirits and economy. To protect your beautiful backyard, please consider getting involved in the upcoming public comment period on the proposed Northern Corridor Highway.

Zockoll says it best: In my mind, it makes me think Im alive if Im out there soaking up the red rocks.

Submitted by SARAH THOMAS, Land Program Manager at Conserve Southwest Utah.

Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

Letters to the Editor are received from the public and are not the product of St.George News, its editors, staff or contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are strictly the responsibility of the person submitting them; they do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News. Letters to the Editor, op-eds, and other news matters may be submitted for consideration to St. George News via email to: jkuzmanic@stgnews.com.

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Letter to the Editor: Save Washington County's scenic beauty: Say no to Northern Corridor highway - St George News

Recently a letter to the editor was published under the heading Trump and supporters reject Golden Rule." Well, I happen to support Trump, so does it follow that I also reject the Golden Rule? The letter was written in such a way that readers could be glad if they agreed with the author. But if there was any disagreement with the author, then the reader should be ashamed because they are clearly taking a position against individuals, minorities, immigrants etc. Words such as hate groups, discrimination and self-righteous individuals were used to make the authors points.

During the course of our nations founding there was much debate. Many different points of view were expressed. And what came out of that environment was the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution. These documents define the most successful nation in history. Certainly our country is not perfect, but we wont ever find a perfect country on this side of heaven. However, it appears to this citizen that we rarely place competing ideas side by side and then have a rational discussion. And that is to our detriment.

When we respect points of view that differ from our own, a door is opened to a better outcome. By insisting on my way or the highway, we cheat ourselves and those who disagree with us because options develop as opposing ideas are discussed and explored more deeply. For example, many feel that our borders should remain as they have been, relatively uncontrolled. Is this in harmony with the Golden Rule or, more importantly, with the Constitution? What does history have to say about open borders? Countries that cant or wont control their borders do not survive. Perhaps it is better to insist that immigration happen on a controlled, legal basis.

Our borders are just one example. There are many issues that we have allowed to become polarizing. I have watched this happen over the course of my 66 years. This should please none of us. As Ben Franklin said when asked what kind of government had been created, he responded with just a few but weighty words: A republic, if you can keep it. Well, what are we going to pass on to our children and grandchildren? I certainly hope we can recover what we have lost as a nation. But only God knows if we will succeed.

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Letter: I hope we recover what we have lost as a nation - SW News Media

The royal family has plenty of unusual traditions to follow. They are not allowed to speak publicly about politics, they have to carry black clothing with them whenever they travel in case someone dies, and they have to show they are in mourning. The women in the family have to follow a strict set of rules about the makeup they wear and how they style their hair.

One of the rules the royal family is expected to keep has to do with the press. It has been described as Queen Elizabeths Golden Rule, and it explains her legendary dignity in the public eye.

The queen refuses to get involved with any of the drama stirred up by the tabloids, and insists her relatives always do the same, declaring: Never complain, never explain. But for Prince Harry, following this edict eventually became impossible.

When it first came out that Prince Harry was dating an American actress, the public was enraptured. They could not get enough information about Markle, and people were soon emulating her style.

When they were married in May of 2018, royal fans everywhere tuned in to watch the stunning event. The happy couple was wildly popular all over the U.K.

But the tabloids in England have an appetite for scandal, and soon rumors started to swirl about Duchess Meghan being locked in a feud with her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. In November of that year, Prince Harry and Markle decided to move out of Kensington Palace. They had been living there along with Prince William and Duchess Kate, and speculation about why they left exploded.

Suddenly, the public was lead to believe that Markle, the American upstart, was causing strife for Middleton, a well-loved English girl and the future queen. As far as the press was concerned, the gloves were off.

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While at Victoria Yards in Johannesburg this afternoon, The Duchess of Sussex had the opportunity to learn more about the importance of, and how to enable a wellbeing economy thanks to Co-Director of the Makers Valley Partnership, Simon Sizwe. Simon was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Young African Leaders Initiative programme initiated by President Obama, and he explained that by investing in the overall well-being of a community and its people, and focusing on that economy, you can enrich everyone for a better quality of life. She also met with the owners of Sobae Frozen, an entrepreneurial duo who created their small business as a solution to food waste, creating vegan sorbet from unused fruit from Victoria Yards. At the end of her visit, The Duchess was moved by the original poetry of Belita Andre, the winner of the Poetry Grandslam. In her reading she said: The Makers Valley is a social and enterprise hub, a wave between my corner of the world and yours. Insisting that beyond the anchors of survival. How to make sure that everyone gets to shore, pass around an ocean of stars, not because our sleepless nights are equal but because our dreams are. #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 30, 2019 at 11:06am PDT

The tabloids werent satisfied with guesses about the supposed feud, and they started to really dig. Even when Markle became pregnant and eventually gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, the press continued to hound her.

The royal couple insists that many of the damaging stories that have been printed about Markle and their relationship are outright lies.

Then a tabloid known asThe Mail on Sundaygot ahold of a private letter Markle had written to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. They published excerpts from the intensely personal message.

For Prince Harry, it was the final straw.

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has come to an end, but The Duke and Duchess have had the opportunity to look back on an incredible 10 days through South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Malawi. Thank you for following along! Their Royal Highnesss journey took them 15,000 miles across southern Africa where they were greeted by so many amazing people along the way. They witnessed the great partnership between the UK and Africa, met local community groups, leaders, and youth and elders, who all imparted knowledge and inspiration. On their final day of the tour, The Duchess said: Please know that you have all given us so much inspiration, so much hope and above all, you have given us joy. During their tour, The Duke and Duchess unveiled three new Queens Commonwealth Canopy projects, protecting forests and planting trees, and worked with the British Government to announce investment of 8m in technology and skills in the region. The Duke traveled to Angola to focus on the ongoing mission to rid the world of landmines, an extension of the work that was pioneered by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The Duchess announced gender grants from the Association of Commonwealth Universities to improve access to higher education for women, as well as four scholarships for students studying across the commonwealth. Throughout this trip they were able to join an important and essential conversation about the rights of women and girls not isolated to Southern Africa, but also globally. Throughout this visit, The Duke and Duchess were struck by the spirit and generosity from every community they visited. Speaking to young entrepreneurs in Tembisa, a township in Johannesburg, The Duke said: As I raise my own son, I want to make sure that what Ive learned here the value of the natural world, the value of community and friendship is something that I can pass on to him. Thank you to everyone who supported from afar, and those who have followed along the way! We hope you enjoy this wrap up video to the tune of a wonderful song by The Soweto Gospel Choir, a favourite of The Duke and Duchess. Video SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Oct 4, 2019 at 8:23am PDT

Although he seems to love and respect his grandmother, the Queen, Prince Harry obviously adores his wife. Whats more, the issue of the press intrusive behavior in his life is painful.

Its rumored Prince Harry always felt regret that he couldnt protect his mother the late Princess Diana from the same treatment, which many believe led to her death. But this time around he is not a child. It was time to leave Queen Elizabeths Golden Rule behind: Prince Harry was ready to have his say.

On a website that was created solely for this purpose, Prince Harry posted an announcement. It stated that the press had been engaging in a propaganda campaign against them, and taking advantage of their silence by publishing things that werent true. He said that they were taking legal action againstThe Mail on Sundayfor publishing Markles letter.

The announcement is unusually emotional and blunt for any communication from the royal family. But although Prince Harry may have disappointed Queen Elizabeth, what he says sounds like a true and loving defense of his wife.

I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long, he said. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in.

It was a brave thing for him to do. One might even sayprincely.

The rest is here:

Prince Harry Destroys This Royal Tradition in the Best Way Possible - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 26: Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X speak onstage during the 2019 MTV ... [+] Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV)

Old Town Road by Lil Nas X received Diamond Certification by the RIAA this week. It became the 33rd in history and the fastest to achieve the honor. Not bad for a song that was originally produced in Atlanta for less than $50.

Diamond is 10 times platinum, when a single achieves the equivalent of 10 million units when combining sales and streaming. Here is a list of the 33 courtesy of Business Insider which includes three singles by both Eminem and Katy Perry. Diamond symbolizes the top honor in the recording industry, but it is also the new standard for achieving prosperity in business. Acting in accordance with the Diamond Rule is the next evolution of managing relationships and winning in sales. Its the 4.0 version that tops silver, golden and platinum approaches in business.

Lets look at 1.0, 2.0, and the 3.0 versions for background:

The Silver Rule is do no harm. As stated by Zigong, a disciple of Confucius, in the book Analects, What I do not wish others to do unto me, I also wish not to do unto others. The Silver Rule merely shares what not to do. Its not a bad start. Case in point, beginning in 2000, Google famously coined Dont be evil as part of the companys corporate code of conduct. The problem with Silver is that its not prescriptive. It doesnt tell you how to treat others in business.

Throughout nearly every culture and religion, the Golden Rule has become the gold standard of human dynamics. The Golden Rule is simply treating others the way you would like to be treated.

If the Silver Rule deals in what not to do, the Golden Rule broadens it to all situations. In 2015 with the founding of Alphabet, Google revised its motto of Dont be evil to Do the right thingfollow the law, act honorably, and treat each other with respect. This approach by Google is more aligned with the Golden Rule. Marriott even has an entire advertising campaign around the Golden Rule.

Unfortunately, in sales and managing relationships, the Golden Rule a bad rule.

Heres why: In most sales organizations, an acceptable conversion rate is about 25 percent, which means that only one out of every four opportunities converts into a sale. Because you were taught to follow the Golden Rule, its fair to assume you know what your clients want based on what you would want if you were them. Unfortunately, just looking at the conversion rates tells us that theres an issue. If anything else in our businesses was failing 75% of the time, we would immediately look for ways to improve.

The Golden Rule leads to suboptimal results. This is because not everybody wants the same thing or to be treated the same way. We always assume that if something is good for us, then it must be good for everyone else. And, that if we want to be treated in a certain way, then that must be how everyone else wants to be treated. Turns out, that assumption couldnt be further from the truth. It leads to failed sales opportunities and strained client relationships all the time!

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1961: Entertainer Perry Como rehearses on set of his TV show "Perry Como's Kraft ... [+] Music Hall" in New York. (Photo by Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

FACT: Gold is worth significantly more per ounce than silver. It can be as much as 100 times more valuable. It is also the denser of the two metals, which makes a specified volume of gold worth far more than an equal volume of silver. The very first Gold Certification Award by the RIAA was earned in 1958 to Perry Como for his hit single Catch A Falling Star.

The next level of the Golden Rule was popularized by Dr. Tony Alessandra in 1996. It simply is treating others the way that they want to be treated. Grounded in emotional intelligence, the Platinum Rule asks you to accommodate the feelings of others.

Dave Kerpen outlines the shortcomings of the Golden Rule in his book The Art of People. Kerpen writes,

"The Golden Rule, as great as it is, has limitations, since all people and all situations are different. When you follow the Platinum Rule, however, you can be sure you're actually doing what the other person wants to be done and assure yourself of a better outcome."

The Platinum Rule is more outward facing in its approach. The focus shifts from, this is what I want, so I'll give everyone the same thing to let me first understand what they want . . . and then I'll give it to them. One of the challenges when completely focusing on the other person is that we can overlook how were feeling and reacting to a situation. For example, we may go into a meeting with the best of intentions to apply the Platinum Rule, but then something happens where we feel upset or disrespected or unheard, and then our capability to actually apply the Platinum Rule is interrupted. Therefore, while the Platinum Rule is aspirational, we must also be true to ourselves and neutralize our biology in order to be capable of addressing the needs of others.

Considered one of the wealthiest Americans of all time, John D. Rockefeller, business magnate and philanthropist, clearly understood the intrinsic value of the Platinum Rule. He said that,

the ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.

When you play the game of business by following the Platinum Rule, every game is an away game. You never have the home field advantage because success in the game is filtered through the needs and concerns of the other person. Your playbook focuses only on knowing how others want to be treated and whats important to them.

Johnnie Taylor

FACT: Platinum is more sought after than gold because it is rarer. Only 160 tons of platinum are mined annually around the world, as opposed to 1,500 tons of gold. Also, platinum is denser than gold; a platinum ring will weigh significantly more than a same-size ring in gold. Platinum is the new symbol of prestige. Think of the platinum credit card, which often has better benefits and privileges than the gold card. In the 1970s, the RIAA awarded the first Platinum Single Award. It was earned by Johnnie Taylor for the song Disco Lady.

The Diamond Rule takes the Platinum Rule to the next level. The key here is understanding both our own biology as well as that of our prospects and customers. Treating someone the way they want to be treated is tricky enough under normal circumstancesbut what happens when things start to get heated? In the immortal words of former boxing heavyweight champion,

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

Pressure can trigger a biological response that causes us to act in an unpredictable and irrational manner. Under pressure, our brain activates a hard-wired survival strategy every time it detects a perceived threat.

Why is the Diamond Rule so critical in sales and managing relationships?

The answer is simple. A sales situation is inherently full of pressure. To quote the late artists David Bowie and Freddie Mercury in Under Pressure, Pressure pushing down on me. Pressing down on you. Pressure can make things unstable. In sales, you need to manage yourself and your prospect/client through these difficult situations. The Diamond Rule combines elements of both Gold and Platinum. Said simply, the Diamond Rule is the art of managing yourself under pressure and addressing the needs of others to avoid their triggers.

Rooted in the understanding of our own behavioral style and the style of others, the Diamond Rule allows you to solve problems and achieve prosperity in the pressure-filled game of business.

Practicing the Diamond Rule requires two elements: 1) you have to see your own predictable behavioral style when pressure hits, and 2) you need the capability to assess prospects/clients relative to four different, predictable behavioral styles based primarily on how people respond biologically to pressure.

Since we all tend to be pretty strong in only one of the four styles of Control, Influence, Power or Authority, its no surprise that we tend to connect with those whose style is similar to ours but find ourselves challenged to connect with those who have a different style. Therefore, when working outside of our own category, we may be less effective, leading to upwards of a 75 percent failure rate in sales conversion.

The Diamond Rule is the most advanced approach for working effectively with other people. As a combination of the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule, it requires you to consider and satisfy your own instinctive concerns and needs while simultaneously addressing the needs of others. While it takes keen awareness and presence to pull this off, it is truly the Holy Grail of human dynamics.

Diamond Rule behavior means effectively managing your identity (personal brand) with others even when your biology (survival response to pressure) is getting triggered (feeling under attack) in the game of business.

When you adhere to the Diamond Rule, you rise above pressure, reaching an elevation that makes it easy to focus on solving client problems and reducing the pressure they feel. This makes you stand out as unique and better in the eyes of your client, dramatically increasing your ability to win business.

A diamond is a symbol of wealth and wisdom. The more you mine for diamonds in your pursuits, the more success you will reap. Unlike Gold or Platinum which can be molded, you need to work with the natural elements of Diamonds and the natural reactions of human biology.

Are you ready to go Diamond to win in sales and managing customer relationships?

Singer Elton John performing a rewritten version of his song 'Candle in the wind' as a tribute to ... [+] Diana, Princess of Wales, at her funeral. Over a million mourners lined the route of the funeral procession through London. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

FACT: Diamonds are crystals of pure carbon that have formed under a combination of high temperatures and extreme pressure in the Earths mantle. Diamonds are not found on the Earths surface, they must be mined with a pick-axe while tunneling deep in the ground. Given the process of sourcing diamonds and their value, they are much more precious and expensive than gold and platinum combined. CASE(S) IN POINT: Its no coincidence that Diamond Medallion is the highest status on Delta Airlines. Status has four levels: Silver, Gold, Platinumand Diamond. To achieve Diamond Medallion status, you must travel 125,000 medallion qualifying miles a year. Thats exactly the amount of Gold (50,000) and Platinum (75,000) combined. Candle in the Wind by Elton John was the first single to achieve Diamond certification status by the RIAA.

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Old Town Road By Lil Nas X Goes Diamond And You Should Too In Business - Forbes

Your brain performs a little trick every time you turn around to look at something. Instead of presenting you with a disorienting blur of ocular input before your eyes can adjust to the new field of vision, it backfills your memory a few seconds using whatever you're looking at now.

It's a subtle piece of business. You usually don't even notice, unless you look too quickly at a blinking light and feel for a moment that one of those blinks is taking awfully long. If you ever looked quickly at a flashing alarm clock as a child and felt like you could momentarily control time, that's why.

Saccadic masking is also more or less the experience of reading Mira Ptacin's The In-Betweens, a deft account that begins as a social history of Spiritualism and moves into memoir so quickly it can take a second to realize you've backfilled something that wasn't quite there.

The book takes place largely around Camp Etna, a Spiritualist enclave in Maine over a century old. At one point it was a veritable Disneyland of table-tipping, spirit photography, and barbershops, and Ptacin nimbly traces the movement from the early days when Spiritualism offered women (often via mediumship) a public voice and sense of authority to its heyday as a ghostly carnival, into the public backlash at the hands of skeptics like Harry Houdini, to the New Age of crystal healing and the even newer age of high-tech ghost hunting.

Now, Camp Etna is the home of a few holdouts from the last generation of Spiritualists before the New Age, and some of those New Agers hoping to reinvigorate the community and the business of Spiritualism. This is where things get personal, as Ptacin visits the various Spiritualists living at Camp Etna and experiences some of that table-tipping, dowsing, and aura-reading firsthand.

Increasingly, as she spends time at Camp Etna, Ptacin finds herself believing: if not in a particular tipped table, than in the ideals of Spiritualism, where believers emphasize the Golden Rule of kindness, the importance of intuition, and the power of things not seen. For Ptacin, this last which ties into how Spiritualism treats death, grief, and mourning proves powerful. But Ptacin has an eye for how to balance the loving (occasionally breathless) portraits of practitioners with the inevitable surreality of the situation; at one point she passes "an assemblage of Buddha statues and one large angel holding a chalkboard with the word vibration written on it."

And there's that saccadic masking, where it can seem as if something has been touched on, when you were really just passing by it. In particular, though Ptacin clearly takes note of the sage, the Buddhas, the name-the-chakras singalong set to "Do Re Mi" (a chilling thought), she never presses her subjects about the ways modern Spiritualism borrows deeply from Indigenous and Eastern traditions with little but some lip service in return. Even when attending a powwow (which spurs sweepers like "Despite all that had been destroyed and taken from them, the Native Americans still lived in reverence with Mother Nature"), there's precious little perspective to be found from the people from whom Spiritualism and its related trends have so liberally and profitably borrowed.

That Ptacin left such topics untouched can give the social history the air of a scrapbook from a beloved summer camp rather than a particularly journalistic endeavor. But that's not a surprise; even in her moments of ambivalence, she's deeply sincere about the residents of Camp Etna, and her desire to understand Spiritualism and, inevitably, herself. Luckily, she brings a dry eye with her for the detail work, and even if things wrap a little neatly, at its best The In-Betweens captures its own chaotic energy a flawed community of colorful characters whose generational or ideological differences can usually be smoothed over in the name of healing, belonging, and walking your cat.

Genevieve Valentine's latest novel is Icon.

Excerpt from:

Blending Memoir And Reporting, 'The In-Betweens' Dives Into An Otherworldly Community - NPR

I am a woman, a Jew, a doctor, the mother of a gay son, and a feminist who attended an elite womens college. My youngest son is a junior at Park City High School and his brothers are in college, so the proposed Welcoming Schools curriculum at Trailside Elementary will not affect my family directly, yet this program concerns us.

I understand why the parents who filed the cease and desist order have done so anonymously. The vilification of anyone not toeing the party line is horrible. Just read the letters that have been written to the editor. Or read the quote by Andrew Caplan, president of the Park City Board of Education, who likened these parents to hood-wearing Klansmen.

My gay son was sickened during the bear spray attack at PCHS. I have not seen the level of condemnation for this attack as is being directed towards parents concerned about the proposed curriculum at Trailside. In fact, some have said the attack that injured my son, a member of the LGBTQ community this curriculum is designed to welcome, is justified because he is conservative. The hypocrisy is palpable.

As a life-long feminist, I am concerned with the attempt of the transgender movement to erase many gains we women have made over multiple decades. In recent years, transgender athletes have decimated womens sports by shattering records thereby dashing biological females life-long dreams. Hard fought Title IX protections are vanishing. Rapists identifying as women are being moved to womens prisons; battered womens shelters are forced to admit biological males identifying as women who could endanger the residents the shelter hoped to protect; and transgender women with penises are openly using locker rooms where I, other women, and young girls change. Many liberal democrats and prominent members of the gay community are concerned as well. What about our safe spaces?

As a doctor, teaching gender fluidity is politics, not science. Women have two X chromosomes and men have an X and a Y chromosome. As a libertarian, I truly believe that you can identify as whatever you choose, share your bedroom with whomever you love, and raise your kids however you believe, but you should not be able to force your beliefs on me nor mandate how I raise my children.

Each family is unique with its own issues. As a Jew, I worry about the 2017 FBI statistics showing 58% of religion-based hate crimes in our country are perpetrated against us, and, on a per capita basis, Jews are 3 times more often victims of hate crimes than members of the LGBTQ community. I became a single mother when my children lost their father at ages 7, 9 and 11. At home, we read special age-appropriate books written by elementary experts to help process our loss. I am not asking the school district to read from the Torah or enact a special program to help other families in the school understand the trauma of losing a parent. Other children in similar circumstances could benefit from such a program. Yet asking the entire student body to participate would be ludicrous.

We all need to teach our children to live by the Golden Rule. It should be applied regardless of religion, color, gender, political affiliation or sexual orientation. Programs geared towards certain special groups will, by definition, marginalize others.

Many of you disagree, and I respect that. Thankfully, we live in a country where that is our right. Because of this disagreement, this is a subject matter best left to parents to address at home. We moved to Park City in part because of the highly ranked school district. According to US News and World Report, PCHS dropped from 200 in the nation in 2011 to 3,381 in 2019. Graduates are only 37% proficient in reading and 40% in math. The new PCSD administrators should focus their attention on academics, and let the parents worry about the rest!

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Guest editorial: Vilification of anyone opposed to Welcoming Schools program is unwarranted and wrong - The Park Record

I have been covering the bioethics movement since the late 1990s, writing several books (one award-winning) on the subject.

When bioethics began, there was a great internal intellectual struggle for dominance between Paul Ramseys traditional Christian-focused sanctity-of-life thought and the lapsed Episcopalian priest Joseph Fletchers crassly relativistic autonomy utilitarianism. Alas, Fletcher won that battle and the mainstream movement became, if not strictly utilitarian, certainly utilitarianish.

Bioethics also veered sharply left politically with ambitions of leading the technocracy in which movement luminaries would be the new high priests establishing public health policies, funding priorities, and determining the ethics of medicine (such as obliterating the rights of medical conscience). You certainly saw that paradigm in action in the administration of the Affordable Care Act, although the laws most dangerous technocratic threats were blunted by subsequent events, such as the repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).

For a time, it looked like bioethics would assume broad societal power. But now, Nature perhaps the worlds most prestigious science journal has published a long, and I must say surprising, piece concluding that at least with regard to biotechnology, bioethics is obsolete. From, Ethical ResearchThe Long and Bumpy Road from Shirked to Shared, by Sarah Franklin, the chair of sociology and director of the Reproductive Sociology Research Group at the University of Cambridge.

Just as the ramifications of the birth of modern biology were hard to delineate in the late nineteenth century, so there is a sense of ethical bewilderment today. The feeling of being overwhelmed is exacerbated by a lack of regulatory infrastructure or adequate policy precedents. Bioethics, once a beacon of principled pathways to policy, is increasingly lost, like Simba, in a sea of thundering wildebeest.

Exactly true. For example, rather than push hard for international regulatory controls of CRISPR germ line genetic engineering techniques in humans, bioethicists mostly wrung their hands and advocated a non-binding self-restraint until the technology becomes safe.

Franklin says bioethicists have ceased being thought leaders but merely so many PR professionals in the service of Big Biotech:

The field no longer relies on philosophically derived mandates codified into textbook formulas. Instead, it functions as a dashboard of pragmatic instruments, and is less expert-driven, more interdisciplinary, less multipurpose and more bespoke.

In the wake of the turn to dialogue in science, bioethics often looks more like public engagement and vice versa. Policymakers, polling companies and government quangos tasked with organizing ethical consultations on questions such as mitochondrial donation (three-parent embryos, as the media would have it) now perform the evaluations formerly assigned to bioethicists. Journal editors, funding bodies, grant-review boards and policymakers are increasingly the new ethical adjudicators.

And here I thought the power of bioethics was alarming! But the virtual moral anarchy dictated by the golden rule (he who has the money makes the rules) Franklin describes is even worse.

In a social-media-saturated age wary of fake news, the new holy grail is the ability to create trustworthy systems for governing controversial research such as chimeric embryos and face-recognition algorithms. The pursuit of a more ethical science has come to be associated with building trust by creating transparent processes, inclusive participation and openness to uncertainty, as opposed to distinguishing between is and ought

The result is less reliance on specialized ethical expertise and more attention to diversity of representationThe implication of this new model is that the most ethical science is the most sociable one, and thus that scientific excellence depends on greater inclusivity. We are better together we must all be ethicists now.

In such a milieu in which there really is no right and wrong, who needs bioethicists?

The huge problem Franklin ignores is that we are not having the kind of democratic discourseabout the future of biotechnology that Franklin envisions. Good grief, these issues barely break into the news.

Franklin is right that bioethics has lost substantial influence in biotechnology, which is a distinction without a substantial difference as the movement has mostly served as a rubber stamp for approving controversial research in the media and halls of government anyway.

But it is much too early to put the movement into hospice care. Bioethics still exerts tremendous influence in the public policy of healthcare. So, we are stuck with the worst of both worlds. We stand helpless before a biotechnology sector creating inventions of almost limitless power beyond substantial ethical or legal control as our medical system is dominated by so-called experts who deny the sanctity and intrinsic dignity of human life.

Unless there is a great ethical awakening, this will not end well.

Photo credit:Ousa Chea viaUnsplash.

Cross-posted at The Corner.

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Nature: Bioethics Is Obsolete - Discovery Institute

Time with your thoughts sans social distractions can also be restorative, build your confidence and make it easier for you to maintain boundaries, Ms. Roberts said. In addition, it can boost productivity, engagement with others and creativity, and a study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science found that brainstorming was enhanced when participants alternated between brainstorming alone and with a group.

In a twist on the golden rule: treat yourself as you would treat others. Dont flake. Be open to exploring new interests. Make space in your life and put in the time, even if its just spending 30 minutes a week reading at a cafe.

If youre just getting started, take small steps, Dr. Grice suggests. Time spent alone is a great opportunity to explore new interests, but it doesnt mean you have to totally push yourself outside of your comfort zone. And if the thought of spending time alone is especially stressful or triggering, that could be an important sign that you may need professional support, Dr. Grice adds.

But if youre at a loss as to how to jump in, plan out something that you know that you will enjoy doing, maybe something that helps you feel more productive, or helps you be more relaxed, Dr. Nguyen said.

If youre having an especially hard time listening to the thoughts inside your head, journaling can be a great way of working through and evaluating those emotions, Ms. Roberts said. And though its tempting, try not to be on your phone, because its too big of a distraction. Instead, Dr. Coplan suggests reading, making crafts, going to a movie, grabbing a meal, visiting a park, trying to learn a new skill or any one of the infinite options available besides making your alone time about other people and obsessively checking social media.

Ultimately, each person will have a different ideal balance between how much time they spend alone and with others, but nobody is going to be optimally served by doing only one or the other, he said.

Above all, the most important step in being able to reap the benefits of time alone is simple, Dr. Nguyen said: Take the opportunity to say, This is the time where I can give something to myself, and just endorse that, in this moment, you are your first choice.

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Why You Should Find Time to Be Alone With Yourself - The New York Times

The government is on course to overshoot its deficit target this year by 16bn after a series of spending pledges, a slowdown in the economy and the spiralling cost of student loans stripped the Treasury of 43bn.

The Resolution Foundation, an independent thinktank, warned that the 27bn of spending headroom set aside by former chancellor Philip Hammond in March to cope with the costs of Brexit had evaporated over the last six months, leaving the government with a hefty deficit.

In a report that was due to be released ahead of Sajid Javids first budget on 6 November, which was scrapped last week, the independent thinktank said the Treasury was going to be left with little option but to break its rule that caps the annual shortfall in spending at 2% of GDP.

Labour has criticised Javid for refusing to publish official budget forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which are expected to be cancelled along with the budget, knowing they are likely to show the government has breached its deficit rule.

A slowdown in the economy this year following a slump in manufacturing and construction activity has reduced government income by more than 10bn in the next financial year, the report estimated.

Revisions to the treatment of government liabilities, including student loans, many of which are unlikely to be repaid, added a further 19bn to the total deficit. Extra spending commitments on hospitals, police and schools added another 13bn, the report said, increasing the shortfall between income and expenditure since March to 43bn.

Without tax increases or a retreat on spending pledges, the deficit next year was likely to be nearer 3% and possibly higher should Brexit knock GDP growth, hitting government income further.

Richard Hughes, an economist at the foundation, said Javid should ditch inflexible fiscal rules that can only be met with short-term decisions that harm the economys future.

He sad: Fiscal rules have guided, if not always bound, tax and spending decisions over the past 20 years from Gordon Browns golden rule to George Osbornes goal of eliminating the deficit.

But with the UKs current fiscal rules set to expire next year, and the government on course to miss them by 16bn anyway, the chancellor should take this opportunity to rewrite the fiscal rule book and set a new framework to guide government policy over the coming decade.

The UKs new fiscal rules should reflect current economic realities such as record low interest rates, and the broad political consensus around the need to invest in improving productivity, tackling climate change, and renewing our public service infrastructure.

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UK Treasury on course to exceed this year's deficit target by 16bn - The Guardian

WEST CARTHAGE Helping those with cancer for several decades, the annual Turkey Bowl will be played at noon, Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Danny Dorchester Memorial Field at Donald F. Getman Memorial Park, 23 Franklin St.

The Turkey Bowl is a touch football game which pits the East Carthage and West Carthage teams against one another. The game is held to raise money to directly help people in Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis counties through contributions to Fund for Hope, Ryans Wish, Jefferson/Lewis Cancer Services and Gouverneur Breast Cancer Fund. Several events are held throughout the year to contribute to fundraising efforts.

During the game, concessions will be available at the Anna Rounds Snack Shack.

The game is followed by an awards dinner and dancing at the Carthage Elks Lodge, 511 Fulton St., Carthage. The dinner is booked but the public is welcome to come for the dance at 9:30 p.m. with music provided by Tough Luck.

Each year the Turkey Bowl committee selects honorary cancer survivors. Laurie Simser, Bobbie Cheal, David Ward, Jim Taylor, Kathy McIntosh and Scott Benson have been named as this years honorees. The honorary cancer survivors will lead the half-time Jana Patchin Walk Of Hope which all cancer survivors are invited to join.

Mrs. Simser of Natural Bridge, has been a professional pet groomer for 24 years but has been unable to work for the past 20 months.

After having irregular periods and two surgeries, doctors told her a hysterectomy not needed. However when she went to Syracuse to consult about the surgery, the gynecologist did a biopsy and diagnosed her with Endometrial Cancer.

I should of listened to myself and pushed to have the hysterectomy years earlier, she said. Having to tell my husband and children was very hard and it was a very scary time.

Following the hysterectomy the doctor said the cancer was more than 50% through the wall lining so further treatment would be needed. A second opinion at Dana Farber in Boston confirmed that chemotherapy needed to be started soon. Gall bladder surgery delayed treatment. Mrs. Simser decided to also have radiation.

Three treatments of Chemo the Chemo was a very, very strong dose and it took about eight to nine hours each time I went to have a treatment. Then I did 25 days of radiation. And then another three treatments of the chemo, said the survivor. The chemo really did a number on me. I was sick, tired, fatigued. I was in the ER four different times with back, sternum and stomach issues.

She said losing her hair had not bothered her much and had a hair shaving party, with her sisters, daughter-in-law and my best friend.

Mrs. Simser did not let the cancer treatments stop her life.

During the treatments my beautiful daughter got married at our house with about 160 people invited, she said. Of course I was feeling like crap, but I was not going to miss the wedding for anything and I did make it through.

After 21 months, Mrs. Simser said she is still not feeling herself.

Ive been to two different physical therapist, had a scope to look into my stomach and now I am seeing a neurologist to try and find out what is the matter with my sternum and back, the survivor said. My last treatment was October 2018 and my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer November 2018. Cancer really sucks! You go thru so many emotions when told You have Cancer. Shock, denial, frustration, scared, anger, emotional and physical distress. Cancer has really stopped me from living the life Ive been used to. Not working effects our income with having only one of us working now.

Mrs. Simser said she is honored to be a Turkey Bowl Honorary Survivor.

Im not a person who likes to be the center of anything, but the cause is so very needed. Ive known of the Turkey Bowl and very humbled to be part of it. Im so ready to get my life back and do things i used to, she said. If I can get one women to listen to their own body and not let a doctor tell you no it will be so worth it.

Mrs. Cheal of Natural Bridge, is the best friend Mrs. Simser spoke of. Mrs. Simser had her last chemotherapy treatment in October 2018 and Mrs. Cheal was diagnosed in November with breast cancer.

Mrs. Cheal was diagnosed through a follow up ultrasound after having two biopsies with negative results at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Center in West Carthage.

They found a different spot, said Mrs. Cheal. It came back as stage 1 ductal carcinoma, she said. After three surgeries, four chemo treatments and 33 radiation treatments I am cancer free since June 7.

The medical records clerk at Carthage Area Hospital was out of work for two and a half months.

My uncle Dennis was having treatments the same time I was having treatments, Mrs. Cheal said. Cancer does not care who it picks or when it picks you. Our lives are forever changed. Its hard to explain how it changes you.

She said she was helped by some of the organizations that the Turkey Bowl donate to.

The Turkey bowl is very important to this community, said the cancer survivor. Every person they had me contact was friendly and helpful. Every single one of them offered me rides, advice and if I just needed to talk to someone. I am forever grateful for them.

Mrs. Cheal and her family have supported the Turkey Bowl for a number of years and her son plays in the football game.

I am very proud they asked me to be an honorary, she said. You never know when its going to be you needing them. I never thought I would.

After being hoarse and having a sore throat for a long time, Mr. Ward of Carthage, was diagnosed in 2017 with laryngeal carcinoma cancer of the vocal cords.

Although there was family history with both parents having throat cancer that was ruled out and an ears, nose and throat doctor found cancer on Mr. Wards vocal cords.

He underwent 25 radiation treatments and in November 2018 was cancer free. With effects from the radiation swallowing was made it difficult and his voice has been effected.

Being honored is a good thing it helps knowing that so many have gone through some form of cancer and we havent gone through it alone, said Mr. Ward in an email.

Mr. Ward has supported Turkey Bowl in the past, building and donating a Yankee chair with the help of his brother, Kevin, and wife, Pauline.

The Turkey Bowl is a wonderful charity because they help locally they put so much time and effort into raising money that help out cancer patients with the added expense that some people dont think about such as gas to get to treatment, parking, food it all adds up and being able to receive a help for the small things is a big deal.

Mr. Taylor of Natural Bridge was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007 and again in 2017.

He was treated in Utica and at the Walker Cancer Center in Watertown receiving chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy.

According to Mr. Taylor, who is retired from the Carthage Central School District, he will receive the hormone therapy for the remainder of his life.

We have had a hard struggle with life itself, said Mr. Taylor. We have just been helped by the Turkey Bowl and I cant thank them enough. Its very hard to ask for help from anyone at all and I so appreciate it from the bottom of my heart knowing someone is there to help us need.

Ms. McIntosh of Lowville was a registered nurse for 20 years at Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown, and has been disabled since 2001.

I found my breast cancer on self exam in November 1998, said Ms. McIntosh. I was 38 years old and had two children ages 4 and 13. I had chemo and radiation 1998-1999. I returned to work I thought I was cured. In 2001 the cancer came back in my spine and ribs. More chemo and radiation. I was not able to work and went on disability. In 2004 headaches brought me to the diagnosis of metastasis to my brain. Had more radiation to my brain and then a procedure called gamma knife radiation at Roswell Cancer Center in Buffalo, I continued chemo until 2009 when the doctors felt there was no more cancer. Now at 2019 I am remission after 21 years from stage 4 breast cancer.

The cancer affected her life in many ways.

I am not able to work, had no energy and had constant side effects related to long term treatment, she said. Over the years my children were first in my mind. I wasnt going to die til they grown, which they are, but the journey has affected them as well.

Although she had not heard of the Turkey Bowl, Ms. McIntosh said she was proud to be a survivor and was excited they had asked her to be a part of the event.

They are a great support for survivors, she said, noting she has been involved with American Cancer Society and Relay for Life. I support all fundraising for cancer support and research and encourage everyone to support these valuable funds.

Mr. Benson of Carthage is a bus driver for Carthage School District.

Pancreatic Cancer was detected May 25, 2016, during a scan due to pancreatitis, said Mr. Benson.

He had a Whipple surgery in 2016, underwent a long recovery from surgery and then many rounds of chemotherapy in Syracuse.

It was thought to be dormant but on latest scan in August but due to a recent hospitalization it was shown to be active and new spots had developed on the liver as well, said Mr. Benson. I will start another round of chemo again this coming Oct. 29.

Mr. Benson said his cancer has taught him to never take life for granted and it (cancer) can happen to anyone.

Due to his illness, Mr. Benson was out of work for three months after surgery and now will have to travel to Syracuse for treatments at a minimum of once every two weeks.

The financial strain is that we are a two income household and it was all on my wife while I was laid up because as we know the bills dont stop and of course it has caused things to fall in arrears but we do the best we can, he said.

Mr. Benson said he is honored to be part of the Turkey Bowl and to be among the wonderful people that have been honored before me.

He feels the public should support the Turkey Bowl because of the great things it does for those having a tough time and helps to give one less thing to stress about.

Each year, the Tehonica family gives honors someone in memory of Lily Techonica.

The Lily Award is given in honor of a person teaching and living the Golden Rule, said Matthew Tehonica. What this young lady started at the age of 25 was and is spectacular. For nine years she has helped people in need voluntarily and has created a network of over 4,000 people in Central New York Mom would be proud of this young lady.

Working through Facebook Keri Lynn Courtright organized a network of connecting people in need with those who can help free of charge Pay It Forward CNY

Ms. Courtwright, who works in the janitorial department at Syracuse Universitys Carmelo Anthony Center, with co-administrators has help hundreds of people who are in emergency need following a fire or medical emergency as well as those who are struggling to make ends meet on a weekly basis. Besides providing for day-to-day needs the group provides school supplies to start the academic year, baskets at Easter and dinners for Thanksgiving.

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East vs. West in annual Turkey Bowl Nov. 2 - NNY360

In the 11 years since the financial crash, house price growth has outstripped wage growth. However, that seemed to ease in April when data from the Rightmove Property Index showed the average wage outgrew house price inflation for the first time.

Despite this, the affordability of houses in the UK has remained a hot topic and research from Cogent suggested people were overstretching themselves, breaking the 28 per cent golden rule by committing more than a third of their salaries to mortgage payments in order to get onto or remain on the property ladder.

This week, Mortgage Solutions asked:Do you follow the 28 per cent golden rule of how much income should be spent on mortgage payments when advising?

The so called 28per cent rule, also called the 28/36 rule, of how much income should be spent on household costs is a common sense rule used by lenders to assess whether they want to lend to an individual.

As far as I am aware, most of the lenders applying this rule originate from the USA.

As mortgage intermediaries, VA Mortgages do not adopt such a rule specifically. We do, however, carry out a careful and thorough fact find with our clients assessing both hard and soft facts so that we can agree with them an affordable monthly budget for mortgage costs.

Given our current low interest rate economy, it is also important to discuss the impact of future interest rate increases.

If the 28per centrule is valid today, it may well not be in a couple of yearstimeif interest rates go up at a faster rate than earnings.

Mortgage intermediaries are obliged to assesswhether or notany recommended mortgage contract is suitable for a prospective client; included in this is the need to consider the expected criteria of the proposed lender including the expected affordability criteria.

As all intermediaries will know, there isnt a one size fits all approach with affordability criteria from UK lenders.

We think a far better approach is to treat each set of clients as individuals and arrive at a sensible budget for both their present day and future circumstances before making a suitable recommendation.

Locking them in to a static, arbitrary, debt to income ratio could lead to a recommendation of an unsuitable mortgage and future problems for both client and intermediary.

Matt Tilbury, senior mortgage and protection adviser at Just Mortgages

The area of the country I work in Im based in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk is a property hotspot, so the climate of the last few years has been one where house prices have been outstripping income.

This inevitably means that there is pressure on the 28 per cent rule on more occasions than previously, and as result it is being exceeded purely so peopleare able tobuy a house.

However, this is only ever done with a strict and thorough budget planning and analysis.

If the clients are going to stretch their budget, it has to be affordable nowand in the future, so we will spend a lot longer going through bank statements to a near forensic level, to ensure we have a full picture of lifestyle and spending habits.

Only then provided the clients total outgoings remain within 75 per cent of net income do we proceed.

In summary, the rule is still useful and should stand, butas long asstrict controls are in place to ensure clients are not overburdening themselves with repayments they cant afford, a certain amount of flexibility should also be allowed, perhaps with regional variations on the percentage.

We are an evolving nation with a dynamic propertymarket,so mortgages and the industry more widely need to adapt to reflect this.

PiersMepsted, managing director of Financial Advice Centre

To many the rule may seem unrealistic, but every enquiry received by a broker should be investigated, understood and advised upon on its own merit.

Many borrowers push the boundaries of borrowing to the maximum that lenders offer in this climate as the house prices rise faster than the rise in average income.

Many factors are to consider here and again, every set of circumstances must be evaluated.

Low interest rates are currently supporting affordability we help borrowers exercise caution and consideration if the rates increase particularly at an accelerated rate for many borrowers.

Another factor is clients looking to push their capacity to leapfrog ahead to avoid the costs of multiple moves. For example, first-time buyers looking to buy what would be their third or fourth home in a higher interest rate climate.

Every personal situation is different and must be taken in its own merits.

As an advising brokerage looking at long term advice when considering mortgage borrowing we do see a concern if the market moves quickly in say the next five years with increased borrowing rates.

Generally, we cant ignore a statistic like this when advising clients however rather than sticking to percentages its more important to make sure borrowing is sustainable and as future-proof as possible with each clients desired lifestyle.

Shekina is a reporter at Mortgage Solutions. She has over two years experience in the B2B publishing market, with previous industries including the pet, funeral, hospitality, retail and jewellery trades.Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS

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'If clients are stretching their budget it has to be affordable now and in the future' Marketwatch - Mortgage Solutions

The NRL's competition brains trust will enter into a meeting nextThursday to discuss some of the game's most contentious rules as a means for improving the spectacle in 2020.

As revealed by The Daily Telegraph and NRL.com, a key focus of the meeting will be amendments to the structure of golden point, following a number of games in 2019 that were cruelly decided by a field goal.

Key minds within the game such as NRL CEO Todd Greenberg, incoming ARLC chairman Peter V'Landys, former chair Peter Beattie andKangaroos coach Mal Meninga will all form a part of the 12-man committee.

An adoption of the NFL "sudden death" system will be debated, where if one team kicks a field goal during golden point, the opposing team has a right of reply. However, when a try is scored, the game is decided.

More: South Sydney Rabbitohs confirm immediate retirement of Sam Burgess

Another option to be discussed is whether either a golden try or 10 minutes of extra time should be implementedinstead.

The NRLsuggestedit would consider overhauling the golden point rule post-season, off the backa number of golden point controversies rocked the competition earlier in the season.

The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield reported in Aprilthe NRL would consider an AFL-style system in its end of season committee meeting, where the distribution of points would be reconfigured.

Under this system, the winning team would gain four points, losers would get one point, while golden point would be scrapped altogether and both teams would be awarded three points for a draw.

Beyond the golden point rule, the involvement of team trainers behind play will also be top of the agenda, following the grand drama that took place in the grand final.

Just two minutes into this year's finale, Roosters trainer Travis Touma was struck by the ball following a Raiders charge down, however the tricolours were controversially handed back possession.

It brought to a head the furore which has so often surrounded trainers behind allowed on the field so freely during games.

Meanwhile, its understood the competition committee will also discuss reintroducing a five-minute sin bin, along with a captain's challenge, among other gameplay issues, with the hope of reinvigorating the game.

Read more here:

NRL to discuss amendments to golden point and other contentious rules - Sporting News AU

It was on Halloween Day, Oct. 31, 1970, this weekly column originally titled as Rambling Rhodes was published for the first time in the Saturday afternoon edition of the Savannah (Ga.) Evening Press.

Never in a million years much less with the passing 49 could I have expected this simple column about country music and its related forms would still be around with the myriad of changes in the daily newspaper publishing industry and my own personal life.

It never would have begun in the first place if not for Tom Coffey and Wally Davis (managing editor and city editor respectively of the Evening Press and Savannah Morning News) who wanted me to write it.

And it could have ended a little over a year later in November 1971 when I transferred within Southeastern Newspapers Inc. to the Augusta Herald. But managing editor David Playford and city editor John Barnes wanted me to continue it.

Chronicle Publisher William S. Billy Morris III in December 1972 had my column moved from the Saturday afternoon Herald into the combined Sunday edition of the Herald and The Chronicle, and that began boosting its circulation and readership.

And Im eternally grateful to him for all the good things that developed from that including giving scores of area civic club talks, authoring three regional and four national books, writing album notes for several artists, having my articles published in almost every major national bluegrass and country music magazine, being nominated in the non-performer category to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and being inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

In 1996, The Chronicle went online and so did my column, literally expanding its readership worldwide. My first online column (Dec. 6, 1996) was about the death of Tip Toe Through The Tulips ukulele playing Tiny Tim and his visit to my home in Belvedere during one of his Augusta trips.

And thanks to some wonderful editors over the years, including current Applause editor Mary Frances Hendrix, my column has survived.

For many of you, the first time that you read about George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, The Judds, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire or Barbara Mandrell most likely was in this column when I was interviewing those unknown newcomers about their first or other early released singles.

Thats when they were making their first area appearances with Brooks at the Ninth Street Riverwalk amphitheater before it was named for Jessye Norman; Strait with his Ace in the Hole band at McKinneys Pond near Millen, Ga.; Parton going solo (after her years performing with Porter Wagoner) with her new family band in North Augusta High School; The Judds singing in a field at Uncle Toms bluegrass festival near Edgefield, S.C.; Bryan at A Day in the Country festival at Augusta Riverfront Marina; McEntire in a small auditorium in Greenwood, S.C., and Mandrell performing three shows a night for an entire week at the Country Carousel nightclub on Broad Street.

For many years, big city publicists for major stars heading for Augusta would ask me what The Chronicles circulation was, and that often would determine whether they would set up a phone interview with their famous client. Some publicists still asked that question for a few years after the worldwide web came into being. But I would just reply, My circulation is exactly the same as The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.

I soon came to realize the influential power of the internet and that we at The Chronicle no longer were writing for just Augusta area readers.

Thats when I started getting emails about my Ramblin columns from James Brown fans in Russia, country music fans in South America and bluegrass music fans in European nations.

It seems very fitting that a few days ago in Nashville, Tenn., the Country Music Association held a ceremony to induct into its Hall of Fame four individuals: Ray Stevens, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn) and Jerry Bradley.

Unless we crossed paths at some Nashville party, I dont recall meeting Bradley, who was chief of RCA Records Nashville division. However I did once meet his father, Owen Bradley, also an inductee into the CMA Hall of Fame, briefly in the main back hallway of the Grand Ole Opry House.

Owen produced scores of Decca Records hits of Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells, Red Foley, Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, Ernest Tubb and a bunch of other legends.

Its a different story with Georgia native Stevens and Oklahoma native Dunn whom I have known since the very beginning of their musical careers.

Stevens, born in Clarkdale and raised in Albany, performed for a sock hop in my gymnatorium in Chamblee (Ga.) High School in the early 1960s with a then unknown local singer named Mac Davis opening for him.

Dunn will tell you that I did the first professional interview with him in May 1983, seven years before he was paired with Brooks. He was singing for the independent Churchill Records label in Tulsa owned by music industry giant Jim Halsey, who had created the Augusta Sound label to release recordings of our own local legend James Brown.

Nineteen years ago in observing the three decades anniversary of this column I concluded it writing:

My mother, father (Ella and Ollen Rhodes) and stepmother (Jean Swann Rhodes) taught me to follow the golden rule and treat others as you want to be treated. So for me the greatest and proudest moments come when this column helps something good happen to someone else.

It doesnt seem like I have been doing this column for 30 years, and I have no idea how much longer I will continue to write it. Its been a great journalistic journey, and I thank God and all of you for sharing it with me.

That also seems like a good ending for this one.

Reach out to Ramblin Rhodes at don.rhodes@morris.com.

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Ramblin Rhodes: For 49 years, country music column has helped good things happen - The Augusta Chronicle