Category Archives: Golden Rule

If you are an artist, designer, writer, poet, singer, performing artist or any other creative talent, you look should reflect what you do and who you are.

Being artistic does not mean choosing offbeat fashion, or wearing out of the ordinary clothing, but reflecting your creativity through your personal style. Individualism is the key word to follow. Some of historys greatest artists have also been some of historys best dressed men as well.

Without diving into the world of radical trends, a creative professional can easily shape a wardrobe to stand out in the crowd and get noticed.

My tip: Universal rules of fashion dont apply to everyone. Find a style that reflects who are or what you do.

Mandarin collar shirts

Just as button down shirts are associated with corporates, Mandarin collar shirts (sometimes also called Chinese or Band collar shirts) are identified with men who are artistic or have a distinct style of their own.

Tuck these shirts into your lowers for a more formal feel or leave them out for a more relaxed or laid back look. Always button up all the way to the top to allow the collars shape to become more pronounced and distinct. A Mandarin collar shirt should speak for itself, so go easy with your styling and limit the number of accessories you wear with it.

Given how they fasten, a Mandarin collar shirt has to be worn without a tie, but that does not mean that you cant wear them under a smart jacket or with a snazzy suit.

You can also layer your Mandarin collar shirt underneath a full sleeve top (or a fitted sweater in winter). Button it up all the way up to your neck, then pick a matching pair of trousers for the perfect weekend or leisure look. You could also wear these shirts over knee length shorts.

Style tip: Make sure that the collar is properly adjusted: If you can slip two fingers between the collar and your neck, then the fit is perfect.

Casual shirts

Choose a shirt that you do not have to button up completely. Alternatively, leave the first few buttons open to lend a more casual look and feel to your overall look.

A spread or round collar is ideal and will compliment almost all face and body types. Some men like to choose a camp collar, but I often find that these collars make your body and shape look rather boxy and wide.

Depending on the season and your personal comfort, you can choose between a half or full sleeve shirt. I normally find it easier to ask men to roll up a full sleeve shirt as and when they want to. That way you can always wear the same shirt two ways full sleeve for a more dressy occasion and rolled up when you want to look and feel more easy.

Style tip: Plain shirts are more versatile than printed ones. You can always mix and match a plain shirt with trousers, jeans and even shorts and make them look different each time you wear them.

Jackets

Multicoloured silk pocket square by Chokore on a structured band collared cut sleeve jacket

Theres no rule that says creative men cant wear jackets or suits. Regardless of who are, a structured and fitted silhouette is always recommended. Suits should look as custom made as possible.

You may want to tweak your jacket with an interesting set of buttons, contrasting coloured or textured lapels or just dressing the look with an eye catching pocket square or tie.

Style Tip: Jackets must end just over or above the hip.

Lowers

Always choose your lowers based on the occasion, time of day, season and your mood. Obviously more formal and dressy occasions demand a pair of smart trousers or dress pants but you can always experiment with the style, cut, colour, fabric and pattern.

I recently came across a very dapper business suit which had a contrasting coloured fabric band that ran from the waist till the ankle. Not only, did this give the (rather short) wearer a longer silhouette, but also made people notice him in the crowd, where everyone else wore plain and staid corporate wear.

Jeans have come a long way from being industrial wear and arent always considered casual dressing, unless of course you course you wear a pair that has been textured, treated or ripped. I rarely recommend a weathered pair, as they have an extremely street look and feel to them. If you are hung up on wearing jeans, try experimenting with unusual colours instead, breaking away from the conventional blue, black and white.

You can variate between a snug, straight or comfort fit. Snug fit will work if your legs are slim or athletic and the lower part of your body isnt either too skinny or too heavy.

Style tip: When in doubt, choose a comfort fit.

Prints

The trick with wearing prints is to choose a pattern that compliments both your body type and your lifestyle. This applies to ties, shirts, jackets, suits and socks.

Some creative men like to wear unusual prints. I have seen just about everything possible: floral, geometric, abstract and unusual prints like bees, images of popular paintings, oriental patterns and even cartoon characters!

The problem with unusual and distinct prints is that you cant repeat them too often as they get noticed and people will easily recall the print whenever you wear it again. In the age of fashion recycling its important to pick prints and patterns that can look different when you wear them.

I always find small and subtle prints both easy on the eye and a safe option for almost any body type. The golden rule: the larger the print, the wider and fuller you are going to look.

Style tip: As prints make a statement, even before you speak - choose a pattern that reflects what you want to say!

ETHNIC DRESSING

Some creative and artistic men I know sport some really well put together ethnic looks. These include, kurtas, achkans and bandhgalas. If you are opting for some of these garments ensure they are either custom made and give you a smart silhouette. Oversized dressing isnt even an option when you are opting for a more traditional look.

Fusion clothing (a mix of two different styles) like Asian western or Indian Western can look very aesthetic, provided of course you dont experiment to the point where you start looking out of place or over the top. Japanese design influences are very strong this year and for good reason their clothes are well structured, often simple and normally very subtle.

Style tip: Carefully tread the fine between festive and traditional clothing.

Colours

Shades of being, brown, grey, black and white are instantly associated with being creative. Having said that, so are some bright colours which make a bold and strong colour statement.

Always choose colours based on your skin tone. Men with dark or dusky complexions look great in white, beige and warm colours, whereas men with pale or light skin tones should opt for pastels or bright colours.

Fabrics

Fabrics like cotton, linen, jute and those made with natural fibres are ideal. Some men also carry off metallics very well, but of course theres always a time, place and season to wear them.

Accessories

Scarves & stoles

Organic cotton stoles in natural dyes by Sonia Singh for Indigo Amour

India has a rich handloom tradition and with fashion going local over global, I suggest investing in a few handmade scarves or stoles with interesting weaves, embroidery or embellishments.

Support our weavers and craftsmen by buying hand spun traditional scarves. If you look out for them, you will find some very beautiful modern (and practical) pieces that no luxury or mass market brand will ever be able to make. You can wear these with just about everything from casual to formalwear.

Socks

Theres been enough talk about coloured or printed socks and I personally feel this was a trend that has thankfully now faded out. At the end of the day, its best to match your socks with your clothes.

Not wearing socks is neither hygienic or a trend. Do not attempt to wear leather loafers or formal shoes without socks. If you are wearing sandals or slippers, you may choose to skip wearing socks, provided of course your feet look clean or you do regular pedicures to keep them looking good.

Jewellery

Neck piece by Ayesha Accessories

An artistic eye knows that one prominent accessory speaks more than many! Keep that accessory simple for the day and eye catching for the night.

Handmade neck pieces that have a natural look and feel will always draw attention. Alternatively you may opt for a jewelled brooch with a formal or evening look. Vintage designs and antique pieces will always be a conversation starter.

Author bio: The author is an image, style and grooming consultant and trainer.

From HT Brunch, May 24, 2020

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Original post:

Mens style and grooming by Yatan Ahluwalia: Dressing up the creative men - Hindustan Times

Valorant's closed beta is ending soon and its release date is on the horizon, but the game has huge problems that need to be addressed first.

A lot of hype has been building up around Riot Games' new tactical shooter, Valorant.With an interesting set of playable characters, different guns and character abilities to add strategic variation,plus some pretty interesting lore,Valorant appears to be an almost complete game even though it is currently still in a closed beta phase. After about a month, Riot has stopped dropping beta keysand has announced that the closed beta will end on May 28 with the full game launching less than a week later on June 2.

With Valorant's official release fast approaching, there are some huge problems that Riot will need to address. These affectfairness in matches and will affect the longevity of the game if not fixed. To its credit, Riot has acknowledged some of these issues and promised to work on solving them. With that in mind, here are some of the problems that Riot Games will need to fix before June 2.

RELATED:Valorant's 5 Best Easter Eggs and References

Currently,Valorantsports three different maps for players to compete against each other in. Their names are Split, Bind, and Haven. At first glance, these maps appear interesting, as their level of detail, coloring, and settings are distinct from one another and tell a story about Valorant's world. However,after a few games, playersbegan to notice that these maps were designed inefficiently, which affects gameplay.Valorant plays a lot likeCounter-Strike: Global Offensive, and one thing that has keptCS: GOfun is its maps.Thosemaps feel open, never getting in the way of the player and making great use of space.

By comparison,Valorant'smapsare extremely claustrophobic,don't make good use of player space andhave strange rotation routes. They are overly simplistic and very boxy with large walls and little variation, as well as random structures that are only there to break lines of sight. Players can never see beyond the room they are in, and maps are cluttered with corners and angles to hide in.

All of this makes it so it is nearlyimpossible to clear a room without getting shot by an enemy hiding in a corner. Rotations are also way too long simply because of the way the maps are designed. Of course, some of these design choices are probably intentional, meant to be overcome by certain character abilities, but it sometimes feels like players are fighting with the maps rather than one another.

RELATED: Valorant Lore: Who Are the Radiants?

Peeker's Advantage is abit complicated to explain and a controversial topicamong players of first-person shooters. This basically refers to players peeking around a corner having an advantage over a player standing still due to latency in online games.Because of how information is gathered and dispersed within the game to each player's monitor, the one peeking will see theirtargets first. Other factors go into this, such as the distance between players and the distance between cover, buta common theory is that the game's Fog of War technology to combat wall hacks is to blame.

Imagine taking two side steps from out behind a corner to peek down a hallway where another player is standing still. In the time it takes the peeking player to make two full steps and shoot their enemy, the player at the end of the hallway will only see the first step, or maybe even half of that first step, before they die. This essentially means that peeking from behind cover gives the peeking player an extra second to identify, aim and shoot their target while players out in the open will be a second behind because, on their screen, the peeker has barely moved out of cover.

When exploited properly, this means players have no time to react to what shouldhave been a risky and potentially costly peek and makes it that much harder to hold an angle. Riot Gamesmade a statement about the peeker's advantage and attempted to fix it, but the problem still remains.

RELATED:Can't Get Into the Valorant Beta? Try These Games

Gun accuracy is a major mechanic in tactical FPS games and seems to always have one golden rule:moving while shooting should affect the gun's accuracy, causing unpredictable spray patterns that make bulletsless likely to actually hit their target. But inValorant, guns are stillpretty accurate while a player is movingand even when they are jumping. A good example of this are the game's shotguns, which players can jump with to land headshots or use while running up to an enemy. This is one of the reasons shotguns especially good when using Jett due to her high mobility and ability toglide above the heads of her enemies.

Counter strafing is also pointless in Valorant, as shots are still accurate even without the professional mechanic added in. Counter strafing is a technique used a lot by pros in shooters where, while moving sideways,the player adjuststheir aim to accommodate forthe change in positions before coming to a complete stop to make an accurate shot. Timing is keywith this mechanic, butaiming with a gun while moving is far too easy in Valorant. In fact, rumor has it that players have even made their movement and firing keys the same key bind.This is really interesting because Riot Gamesitself has stressed the importance of shooting and intended to make ita consequential action that demands high skill.

KEEP READING:Understanding Valorant's Anti-Cheat Controversy

Star Wars: Skywalker's Saga's Biggest Coward Was Almost a Tragic Sith Lord

Graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a Bachelor's Degree in English Creative Writing. Spent many days self learning and academically learning skills relative to writing fiction, writing non-fiction, writing poetry, photography, film, and media/film editing. Also has experience with web development and is working on a project that acts as an interactive book trailer (linked in "website"). Aspires to be an author of his own work anywhere from articles and essays to novels and poetry. Loves to play video games, writing, making YouTube videos, streaming on Twitch, spending time with family/friends, and playing handball.

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Valorant: What Riot Needs to Fix Before the Game Releases | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Tom Petty was a man of wisdom who had an unmeasurable impact on artists he would inspire with a level of supreme musicianship. However, his long-time friend Stevie Nicks would be influenced by Petty in an entirely different way back in 1994, a moment which would re-evaluate how the Fleetwood Mac singer views herself as a person as well as an artist.

Their friendship between the two began in 1981 when Nicks decided she wanted to be in Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers which, Im sure we can all agree, would have been an incredible meeting of minds. However, the potential collaboration broke Pettys golden rule of no girls allowed.

During Nicks show at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown on September 15 2017, shediscussedthe making of her 1981 solo album,Bella Donna. Nicks detailed her visit to Atlantic Records then-president Doug Morris and made her pitch for the record: So, listen, what Id really like to do is be in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers band. He says, No. Thats not going to happen.' Nicks smiled, and relayed Morris next comment: You obviously havent heard Tom Pettys mantra: No girls allowed.'

On not being able to become one of The Heartbreakers, Nicks then decided to settle for the next best thing which was to work with Pettys producer Jimmy Iovine. The pair then started dating and living together, which gave Nicks further chance to live out her dream and get a close-up look inside the world of Tom Petty.

The songwriter would often come around to listen to mixes of the record, the Petty super-fan described hiding in the basement trying undercover which she jokingly likened to being a secret reporter at the White House! Iovine didnt think Bella Donna had a stand out single so recruited Petty to write and performStop Draggin My Heart Around with Nicks which would become one of her biggest solo hits and cement her long friendship with Tom.

Following Pettys tragic death aged just 66 in 2017, Nicks sat down with Rolling Stone and revealed the life-changing stern advice that he handed her back in 1994. The Fleetwood Mac member was going through a turbulent period both personally and professionally following a stint in rehab, she had run into an old flame which had left her shaken to her core and asked Petty to help her create art out of this less than pleasant experience.

Nicks recalled: I asked Tom if he would help me write a song. And he said, No. You are one of the premier songwriters of all time. You dont need me to write a song for you. He said, Just go to your piano and write a good song. You can do that.

The advice that Nicks was given would result in her 2014 song Hard Advice which is a thank-you note to Toms method of tough love which gave her the confidence boost she didnt want to hear at the time but instead needed. She also revealed: The chorus goes,Sometimes hes my best friend.It was reallySometimes Toms my best friend.

I changed it because I knew Tom would not want me to say his name, Nicks said. Thats how well I know him.

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This is the life-changing advice that Tom Petty once told Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks - Far Out Magazine

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I was born in the St George area but I grew up a Balmain fan.

My brother was five years older than me and a huge Wayne Pearce fan so naturally I would follow whatever he did. After back-to-back heartbreaking grand final losses for the Tigers in the late 80s, I was in my early teens by then and decided it was time I followed my team, the St George Dragons.

Only two years later my team was in the grand final but lost consecutive grand finals to Brisbane. I was convinced I was cursed, so by the time 1994 rolled around, I wasnt paying too much attention to my beloved Dragons, for fear I was the dreaded jinx.

I had finished school the year before and went straight into work as a wedding DJ, so my weekends were non-existent, meaning the only time I could let my hair down was during the week. Thankfully there was a place I could go.

The Roundabout Hotel, or Rounders as it was commonly referred to, was located on Forest Road in Hurstville.

On a Tuesday night they had dollar drinks, so one Tuesday in 1994 I found myself there with my best mate ready for whatever the night may bring.

As we chatted away, my mate stopped mid sentence, his jaw dropped and he struggled to get out his words before blurting out: Oh man, thats Gorden Tallis!

(Photo by Getty Images)

Who is that? I said as I turned around to see who my friend was so enamoured with.

What! And you call yourself a Dragons fan.

He had a point, but as I eluded to earlier, the pain of my fandom jinxing two teams to lose consecutive grand finals within a few years of each other had me trying reverse psychology, and my support was by not paying attention.

My mate went on to explain what a damaging runner this Gorden Tallis was for St George and how he would lead the club back to the the grand final. This was long before YouTube and social media existed, so I had to imagine all my mate told me on this exciting young prospect.

A few hours passed and we were at that point of a night out where it can go either way, but hey, it was dollar drinks and it was my weekend so I wasnt going to bail early.

My mate went and got another round while I made another trip to the bathroom. It was empty, most patrons had left hours earlier, no doubt due to having to get up and go to work early the next day. Not me, though, I was going to sleep in and get up at the crack of noon.

As I stood and let the dollars Id spent flow, the door to the bathroom opened and then slowly closed. A figure stood next to me, but as far away as possible, almost as if they were practicing social distancing way before it became a thing.

I could see a hulking figure in my peripheral and decided to break the golden rule and turn to greet the man mountain, only to realise it was none other than Gordy himself.

I felt like I should say something, so I managed to get out Hey mate, hows your night going?

Tallis turned his head and looked through me like a cane toad ready to crush the cockroach that I was. I dont want to exaggerate, but it was almost as bad as what Gordy did to poor Brett Hodgson some years later in Origin, but with no physical contact.

The silence was deafening, to say the least. I quickly looked down and made a beeline to the sink to wash my hands and leave the bathroom before I was rag-dolled like Brett Hodgson.

Now the night had gone either way. I went and found my mate and said: Lets go after this one.

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The night I crossed paths with the Raging Bull - The Roar

Officials were quick to move once the property owner noticed something was amiss.

For many of those who own cats, our furry friends are more than just a housemate. Theyre special companions who we form memorable connections with, even if at times our laser beam-chasing, catnip-loving buddies look down on us humans for our lack of feline superiority. However, in some tragic cases, there are households where cats receive treatment they dont deserve, especially for these 238 underfed cats found living in one house in Sapporo.

Rented out by a couple in their 50s and their son, the house was discovered to be crammed with cats after the building owner paid a visit over missing rent in late March. According to a volunteer from a local animal welfare NPO who was later called in, some cats were so skinny that you could see their bones, and there were numerous cat bones scattered throughout the house. Considering the bleak living conditions of the cats and how malnourished they were, its highly likely that they cannibalized deceased or weakened members of their group in order to survive.

Logically speaking, one might assume the couple and their son were part of a crazy, terribly unethical breeding scheme, which is unfortunately not an unusual circumstance in our modern world. But after further interrogation, it was revealed that they simply didnt spay or neuter their cats, which is an essential process to control local cat populations.

Though its rare in Japan for over 200 animals to be recovered at once, luckily for the found kitties one of Sapporos most active organizations for animal welfare stepped in to ensure all of them could receive adequate care, whether its from the loving support of a foster family or medical assistance from an animal welfare facility.

While its a bit of a surprise that no one in the neighborhoods vicinity heard or smelled the cats, it comes as no shock that many Japanese netizens took to the keyboard to show contempt for the cat owners as well as sympathy for the poor animals:

In reality, the truly pitiful ones here are the owners of these cats for not doing anything to help them.People should be restricted to only taking care of the number of pets they actually can.Imagine being born and dying in the same place its just too tragic to comprehend.

Many Twitter users also paid homage to an old commercial which advocates for the proper care of our feline BFFs. Based off a song from the late 70s called Kanpaku Sengen (Proclamation of the Emperors Regent), the advert is appropriately re-titled as Nyanpaku Zengen, or the Proclamation of the Cat Regent.

The golden rules of cat treatment decreed by Nyanpaku Sengen are the following:

1. When it comes to whats good for my bodily health, dont hesitate even if I scratch back!2. Dont let me wander outside.3. Dont own more of me than you can care for!

The third rule is indeed a resounding sentiment when it comes to this story, and were happy to hear that the cats in this case are in good hands now. If you own a kitty yourself during these strange times, make sure to check-in and give them a good cuddle or a chat if they prefer non-physical contact!

Source: NHK News WebTop image: Pakutaso Want to hear about SoraNews24s latest articles as soon as theyre published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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A shocking discovery in Sapporo as 238 cats are found living under one roof in dismal conditions - SoraNews24

Chris Fox, CP24.com Published Wednesday, May 20, 2020 7:47AM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, May 20, 2020 2:46PM EDT

Ontario officials are now recommending that anyone travelling on public transit use a face covering to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney made the recommendation during a press conference at Queens Park on Wednesday, though she said that anyone under the age of two or with a respiratory condition would be exempted, as will anyone who is not capable of removing the face covering themselves.

She said that her government is also working on a clear set of guidelines for public transit agencies as the economy begins to reopen and transit ridership presumably begins to rise back to more normal levels.

Those guidelines, she said, will include a request that transit agencies admit fewer passengers, ensure the availability of hand sanitizer as passengers enter and exit vehicles and set up plexiglass barriers between riders and operators.

The TTC has previously said that its ridership is down about 90 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic, though there is a thought that more people will be taking public transit in the wake of retail stores being permitted to reopen on Tuesday.

If you are going out for necessities or if you are taking public transit and you can't keep two metres apart, we recommend that you wear a non-medical mask or a face covering, Premier Doug Ford said at Wednesdays news conference. As the chief medical officer has said, anything that covers your nose and mouth can help protect you and people around you."

Federal public health officials have previously said that people should wear non-medical face coverings whenever they are in public and dont believe that they will be able to maintain a distance of two metres from other people, though the province had not explicitly made that recommendation itself.

On Wednesday they did issue that advice, taking the additional step of saying that all public transit riders should also wear masks.

(Chief Medical Officer of Health) Dr. (David) Williams has always said that wearing a mask doesnt necessarily protect you from COVID-19, but it will protect others from you and so previously it wasnt necessary because we were asking people to stay home, stay inside, only go outside if absolutely necessary to get food or get medicine, Health Minister Christine Elliott said when asked why her government hadnt previously made the recommendation. The situation has changed now with the reopening somewhat of the economy and more people will be outdoors and there may be situations where they cant maintain the physical distancing, which continues to be the golden rule.

Read more here:

Public transit riders in Ontario now encouraged to wear face coverings to limit spread of COVID-19 - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Rev. Candace McKibben, Guest Columnist Published 9:25 p.m. ET May 3, 2020

Candace McKibben(Photo: Candace McKibben)

I have thought about the difference between prescriptive and descriptive several times of late. It is a distinction I first remember considering in seminary regarding scripture. We learned the importance of distinguishing between passages that describe what was happening and those that prescribe what ought to happen. This distinction is functional in linguistics, business, ethics, psychologyand more.

It is where we sit in the midst of this pandemic as we are learning daily the description of how the virus operates and the prescription of how we can best respond. The challenge is the unknown and the humility required for us to follow those prescriptive precautions known to be effective, when we are longing to return to some semblance of normalcy sooner rather than later.

The discipline in following the prescribed wisdom regarding COVID-19 comes from a place deep in the human spirit. Most religions and cultures have some prescription for how we treat ourselves and others and the significant relationship between the two. It is so prevalent it is known as the Golden Rule. Not silver or bronze;this rule takes first place.

From the Buddhist, Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful, to Zoroastrianisms, That nature alone is good which refrains from doing to another whatsoever is not good for itself, the wisest among us realize the mutual benefit in looking out for each other.

Dr. Karen Armstrong, who has conducted decades of research on the worlds religions, says Confucius was the first person known to offer the Golden Rule when he told his disciples, Never treat others as you would not like to be treated yourself. Jesus, some 500 years later told his disciples, quoting Leviticus 19:18, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Whether approached negatively or positively, the intent is the same. We are to take into account the well-being of others in how we act.

Last summer, my granddaughter Rylee and I were driving from Jacksonville to Cocoa Beach when I asked her about her collegeapplication process. She told me she had to write an essay about her core values. I was intrigued and asked her what values she identified, expecting to hear love, courage, honesty and the like. Instead she said, Knowledge, accountability and reciprocity.

Reciprocity is the moral principle at work in the golden rule. As humans, we have the capacity for empathy, for understanding and relating to the feelings of another, for putting ourselves in the shoes of another and acting accordingly. I agree with Rylee. It is an important value, perhaps now more than ever.

As we think of the pandemic and the suffering it is causing globally, both literally and figuratively, as it impacts the whole globe in holistic ways of health and well-being, it is tempting to retreat. It is also understandable to focus on me and mine. But it is not our better angels at work when we do so. When we insist on our way at the peril of others, we are forsaking our better nature.

As we move forward, we want to find ways to continue to protect ourselves and others by washing our hands well and frequently, by wearing masks and gloves when out for necessary business, by limiting physical proximity to others while retaining social contact in the ways that are not threatening to ourselves or to others, and by doing what we can safely do to support the needs of those who are hardest hit by this pandemic.

As community members and leaders, we can listen to the wisest counsel and use our best judgment regarding re-engagement in society, caring about our own well-being and that of others. We can remember the potential for harm in not being cautious, not just harm to ourselves, but harm to others which inevitably diminishes our own spirits.

If we can continue to practice the Golden Rule, which is the prescribed way forward through this pandemic, we will come out on the other side with a description of humanity at its best, touched by the divine spark, the greater good in us all. It is my prayer that we remain vigilant in caring for each other as we care for ourselves.

The Rev. Candace McKibben is an ordained minister who serves as the director of faith outreach at Big Bend Hospice and as pastor of Tallahassee Fellowship.

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The Golden Rule applies now, during the pandemic, more than ever | McKibben - Tallahassee Democrat

The Cabinet minister Michael Gove warns that if people are told to wear face masks during the pandemic they may behave in a cavalier way. Especially if they wear the mask in conjunction with big boots, flouncy shirts and enormous feathered hats.

I suggested recently that the golden rule of reporting this contagion is that if anything goes right, we praise the NHS but if anything goes wrong we blame the Government. So if Oxford University, which is funded by the Government, is successful in developing a Covid-19 vaccine to save the world, can the Government take any credit? If not, why not?

The Left wing of British politics loves to claim the moral high ground. And then along comes this little message from a Guardian reader, published on that newspaper's website to mark the birth of Boris's son: The bastard of No.10 has been usurped by b@st@rd b@by! Lovely people.

Great ironies of our age. Just as the cops start using hi-tech face-recognition cameras, everybody starts wearing masks.

With the obvious exception, that is, of the 30 idiots who posed, maskless and brainless, for photos of their outdoors lockdown-breaking drinking session in Lanarkshire. They still don't get it, do they? They don't understand that for as long as those images are on the internet, they will be recognised as potential plague spreaders who put other people at risk. Months or even years from now they may get a sudden punch on the nose or worse accompanied by words on the lines of: You're the sort of selfish **** who killed my wife. Will they understand it then?

One newspaper referred to the Lanarkshire loonies as revellers. This is an interesting journalistic term, usually used to describe drunks before they commit a criminal offence. Once they start smashing street lights, revellers are magically transmogrified into hooligans.

Meanwhile, more research, this time in Iceland, suggests that coronavirus was well established in Britain right at the start of the pandemic. This surely rings a bell with many people who recall a particularly nasty infection after Christmas with temperature, dry cough and painful chest. These accounts are what experts describe as anecdotal. But is anybody recording these anecdotes? Would we be surprised to learn that this contagion came to Britain long before the official start date at the end of January?

One of the unexpected consequences of lockdown is being confined to Chateau Rhodes with our grandchild, Ruben, who is now ten weeks old, just discovering how to smile and a constant delight. We take our turn in singing the lullabies and rocking him to sleep. This means that among all the other things you have to remember in these strange times (wash hands, use sanitiser, order food online, etc) are the words to The Dingle Dangle Scarecrow. He had a flippy-floppy hat. A Cavalier, I bet.

Link:

Peter Rhodes on cavalier behaviour, idiots unmasked - and when did this pandemic really start? - expressandstar.com

In 1878 the British composers Gilbert and Sullivan created one of their best comic operas,HMS Pinafore, a send-up of the Royal Navy that enjoyed great success.In one of the main scenes the civilian head of the Navy, Sir Joseph Porter, known as the First Lord of the Admiralty, explained how he had risen to such eminence bysinging

Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,If you want to rise to the top of the tree,If your soul isnt fettered to an office stool,Be careful to be guided by this golden rule.

Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,And you all may be rulers of the Queens Navee!

I know this production well, because I sang in it a very long time ago (in the part of the sailor Dick Deadeye, if you really want to know), and Ive always borne it in mind when various navies have been reported as being mismanaged by idiots who have stuck close to their desks and condescended to those who go to sea and actually command ships and sailors.

***

According to the 2019 US military manualDefense Support of Civil AuthoritiesThe mission of the Department of Defense in a pandemic is to preserve US combat capabilities and readiness and to support US government efforts to save lives, reduce human suffering, and slow the spread of infection.But these instructions came to nothing during the hideous farce in which the commanding officer of the US Navy aircraft carrierTheodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crozier, was summarilyrelieved of commandby the Navy Secretary.This all began when Crozier, aware of the threat of the pandemic and regretting that nobody in the senior echelons was doing anything constructive about it, sent a note to his superiors indicating that only a small number of sailors had been disembarked from his ship and that this was contrary to guidance concerning quarantine and social distancing.

Crozierwrotethat We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset our Sailors . . . Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board [the Roosevelt] is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care.

Like all good officers, Crozier put his subordinates first in his priorities First, your subordinates; then your ship; last, yourself.Its the same in almost every Military Service in the world, and if this leadership is discouraged then armed forces fall apart.It seems, however, that the Pentagon is indifferent to that outcome and is content to not only discourage good leadership but is prepared to destroy those who display it.

Never reluctant to become involved and to make an ever greater fool of himself, the President of the United States, the commander-in-chief of the armed services, butted in anddeclaredHe shouldnt be talking that way in a letter. I thought it was terrible what he did.

In the Pentagon at the time the Navy Secretary was Thomas Modly who had once been a navy helicopter pilot, but then, as the White Housetold us, went close to his desk and when selected by Trump was currently a Managing Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Government and Public Services sector and is the firms Global Government Defense Network Leader, where he is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of solutions for government defense clients worldwide. Prior to this, Mr. Modly served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Financial Management and as the first Executive Director of the Defense Business Board. He also has extensive private sector expertise as a corporate development and mergers and acquisition specialist.

And in an exhibition of vicious spite the gallant desk-bound merger-specialist Modly sacked Captain Crozier then flew at vast expense to Guam and addressed the ships company over the speaker system, trying to justify his action and insulting their former commanding officer to abackgroundof jeers, yells and catcalls from the crew.Hedeclaredthat Captain Crozier was too naive or too stupid to be in command of the aircraft carrier.

Which brings us back to the comic operaHMS Pinafore, when desk-bound Sir Joseph addresses a sailor named Ralph, saying. . . Now tell me dont be afraid how does your captain treat you, eh?

Ralph: A better captain dont walk the deck, your honor.

The entire ships crew: Aye Aye!

Sir Joseph: Good. I like to hear you speak well of your commanding officer; I daresay he dont deserve it, but still it does you credit.

It is sad that sometimes Art repeats itself as pathetic absurdity.

***

And one wonders what the sailors of US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf might think of their commander-in-chief whotweetedon April 22 that I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.Use of the phrase shoot down in relation to little patrol boats attracted derision, but is nevertheless a distinct threat that could easily lead to war with Iran, which seems to be what he wants.Asreportedby the Washington Post, the incident that took his ever-tweeting attention took place the previous week, when the US military said 11 small vessels belonging to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted dangerous and harassing approaches toward a fleet of American ships, including the USS Lewis B Puller, an expeditionary mobile base vessel, and the USS Paul Hamilton, a destroyer. In one case, an Iranian fast boat zipped by within 10 yards of a Coast Guard cutter.

It is doubtful if any US navy commanding officer would shoot down and destroy a little motor boat that zipped by his ship unless direct orders had been issued to the effect that the rules of engagement at sea had been altered to include such an eventuality. The Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquiststated that the president issued an important warning to the Iranians. What he was emphasizing is all of our ships retain the right of self-defense, and people need to be very careful in their interactions to understand the inherent right of self-defense, which is absolutely meaningless.The cavorting was indubitably childish and silly and offended against the accepted norms of courtesy at sea, which most navies take very seriously, but in no manner could it be regarded as hazarding US lives.

The absurdity of the Trump-Pentagon reaction to a few zooming motor boats is part of Washingtons concerted effort to bring Iran to its knees and encourage the population to rise up against the batty mullahs who run the country so badly.That this encouragement is involving the deaths of countless harmless Iranian civilians by denial of vital anti-pandemic assistance through vicious sanctions is neither here nor there : what matters in the Pentagon is the ascendancy of its war machine around the world.

The Pentagons fandangos are indicative of misdirected priorities, which themselves reveal a deep malaise among Washingtons supposedly best and brightest.But the malaise is not Covid-19:it comprises the diseases of ignorance, pettiness and malevolence which are the stock-in-trade of the commander-in-chief, who is sticking close to his desk and his golf courses, and making us all sea-sick.

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The White House and Pentagon are Making the World Seasick - CounterPunch

Coronavirus: Latest news | Community Resources | COVID-19 Information | Download our application | CBSN Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (Up News Info) Governor Tim Walz announced Friday that retail companies could reopen their doors this week with a caveat: They have to make deliveries or pickup options on the sidewalk.

That means about 10,000 Minnesota retailers can go back to work.

Primp Boutique has multiple locations in the Twin Cities and is reopening its doors for sidewalk pickup. Owner Wesley Uthus said clients will fill out an online form for what they want to order, and may even have the option to book a FaceTime appointment with a stylist.

"It was really a challenge," said Uthus. "Trying to figure out how we continue to deliver that experience and how we can do that on the sidewalk in a way that still feels personalized and still feels like Primp," he said.

Golden Rule Gallery at Excelsior offers personalized gift boxes for Mother's Day.

READ MORE: Retail businesses, including pet groomers, prepare for sidewalk service

"For us, it will only be me who works with my 4-year-old son," said owner Erin Duininck.

Customers can connect online to chat back and forth with the owner to design the perfect gift with what they have in store. Though difficult, she supports trade changes to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"I have to worry about the staff," said Duininck. "I have very vulnerable friends and family, so I don't deserve it."

Mall of America said select stores there will also have a sidewalk pickup. Orders would be collected in the north lot.

CONTACT US: Do you have a story about the COVID-19 pandemic to share with us? Please contact us here.

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Coronavirus in MN: 10,000 retailers can return to work Monday, but only on the sidewalk or at delivery Up News Info - Up News Info