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Untill SCL POLAND 2014
Ervin Katona Wins SCL Croatia
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
Aryn Lockhart was ringside for SCL Croatia and called the action for IronMind.
Ervin Katona completes the 430kg yoke with four ladies along for the ride. Katona wins the MHP Strongman Champions League in Croatia to take back the leader shirt with a one point lead in the overall standings. IronMind® | ©Aryn Lockhart
Ervin Katona conquers the MHP/SCL Leader Shirt Again!
by Ayrn Lockhart// Strongman Rage
The roller coaster that is MHP Strongman Champions League was in full swing this weekend for stage eight in Split, Croatia. In the ongoing battle over the coveted leader shirt, the day was filled with head to head battles in another down-to-the-wire competition. Battling intense heat of 36 degrees over the course of six events, athletes struggled to stay hydrated and in top form for each event. Despite winning three of the six events, Martin Wildauer, took second for the day two points behind Ervin Katona. Katona won the competition without winning a single event, but placing consistently high. Katona's win places the leader shirt back in his hands by the narrowest of margins. He currently holds a one point lead in the overall standings.
"The events went very well for me today. In the last competition in Portugal, I had an injury and ripped the skin off my hands. This week, I am injury free and everything worked," stated Katona.The competition took place on the harbor RIVA in beautiful, downtown Split. With thousands of spectators, it was a picturesque backdrop for 11 world-class strength athletes. Split also saw the return of Krzysztof Radzikowski after a two-month absence due to a tricep injury. Despite his absence, he placed an impressive third overall for the day. He too is in the hunt for the leader shirt and plans to make significant ground in the remaining stages ahead. With a smile he stated, "There are still a lot of competitions left."
The first event for the day was the boat pull. Taking advantage of the perfect location, athletes pulled a boat towards the harbor challenged by both a thick and wet rope, hand over hand. The boat weighed 18,000 kg. Despite the wind and the waves of the sea, it worked out all well because of the perfect skills from Ilkka Kinnunen and Marcel Mostert who did do these events before in their competitions. Dainis Zagaris, who celebrated his birthday on competition day, started off on the right foot with a win in this event.
Event two was a 150kg log for reps. Two athletes were pitted against one another. In amazing form both Dainis Zagaris and Matjaž Belšak, tied for the win with seven reps.
The third event was the frame carry. Using the same frame from Serbia, the grip was particularly challenging leaving a few victims with torn hands and unable to finish the event. Martin Wildauer, however, moved with ease taking first with only 18.97 seconds.
The forward hold had a surprise winner with Simon Johnston taking the win with an amazing 45.88 seconds.
The fifth event was the 430kg yoke with four women on each side. Barreling down the 20m course, Martin Wildauer completed this event with an impressive 12.03 seconds running past the finish line to place the ladies down gently
The final event of the day was the car deadlift with 360kg. The Strongman Champions League has resulted in numerous down-to-the-wire competitions and Croatia was no different. Again down to the very last event, Martin Wildauer and Ervin Katona were head to head. Each athlete was carefully strategizing and reviewing results after each event. Wildauer known for this strength in deadlifts knew he needed the win, but he also needed Katona to place lower in the field. With a fist pump and the brotherhood of competition, they both set out to make their mark. The crowd was on the edge of their seats waiting to see who could emerge the winner. With the final whistle blown, it was Wildauer who won the event with eight reps, but Katona's six reps were enough to tie for third place and enough points to take the competition.
The next stage of the MHP Strongman Champions League is on 3 August in Poland. It's likely this roller coaster will not have an end until the finals in Malaysia 8 and 9 November. The athletes will take a week's rest and come back ready for battle. The heat is on and these athletes are in hot pursuit of the leader shirt.
To see more images from Croatia click here.
Final results:
1. Ervin Katona Serbia 53.5
2. Martin Wildauer Austria 51.5
3. Krzysztof Radzikowski Poland 48.5
4. Matjaž Belšak Slovenia 47
5. Dainis Zageris Latvia 42.5
6. Lauri Nami Estonia 37
7. Ole Martin Hansen Norway 34.5
8. Simon Johnston Wales 27.5
9. Milan Dotlic Croatia 16
10. Adin Arnaut Bosnia 11
11. Michael Vrilic Australia 8
Martin Wildauer Takes SCL Lead
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
SCL Portugal produced close battles and a change in overall positions as Martin Wildauer surged to the top of the list.
Martin Wildauer completes six reps in the overhead log event (140 kg). IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
Martin Wildauer is the new MHP Strongman Champions League Leader After Portugal
by Aryn Lockhart, Strongman Rage
This past weekend in Portugal resulted in a complete shift of the MHP Strongman Champions League leader board with Martin Wildauer (Austria) barely edging out Dainis Zageris (Latvia) for the win. Wildauer's win launched him from third place into the overall leader position. In the closest SCL to date, Zageris and Wildauer went head to head for each event. The intensity culminated with the two athletes pitted against one another for the tire flip as the deciding event. The competition was so intense and so close that they ended the competition with equal points after six events. With nail-biting anticipation, Wildauer claimed the win after the totals revealed he had won three events and Zageris had won only one.
The first three events were the front hold, 30 kg (66lb.), the 140kg (308lb.) log for reps and hand over hand bus pull with a slight uphill incline that allowed only two athletes to complete the event. With clear skies and perfect, tropical temperatures, the athletes battled through the first three events and then had a four-hour break coming back to complete the last three events in the evening.
"This was the most intense competition I have ever done," Martin Wildauer stated. "After the first three events, I was only in fourth place. At that point, my goal was to place within the top three." Wildauer continued, "The break was just what I needed. I rested and came back ready to go for the win."
The athletes returned to finish the final three events that evening. The car deadlift for reps (360kg - 792lb.), frame walk of (360kg- 792lb.) for 30 meters and the wheelflip. Wildauer came out in a fury winning all of the evening events.
"This has to be one of the closest competitions we've ever had," stated Marcel Mostert, Strongman Champions League director. "If Dainis Zageris would have been 0.7 seconds faster in the wheel flip, he would have won the competition. That's how close it was."
The current leader board has Martin Wildauer with 89 points after seven stages. Ervin Katona is still very much a contender with 83 points and Hafthor Bjornsson has 75 points. The chase is on and it's an all out war as these top athletes take a short and much needed break. The next stage of the MHP Strongman Champions League will take place on the 19th of July in Croatia.
Portugal final results:
1) Martin Wildauer - Austria 51(won 3 events)
2) Dainis Zageris - Latvia 51 (won 1 event)
3) Lauri Nami - Estonia 46
4) Ervin Katona - Serbia 45
5) Simon Johnston - Wales 36
6) Marcos Ferrrari - Brazil 31
7) Sergio Fernandez - Spain 24
8) Aderito Santos - Portugal 15
9) Luis Batista - Portugal 11
10) Tim Enersen - Norway 4
Rafal Kobyaz Wins SCL Latvia
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
The 2014 MHP Strongman Champions League season is in full swing and this past weekend, the action was in Latvia—where Rafal Kobyaz won.
Dainis Zageris repping out with the 380-kg deadlift, the final event at SCL Latvia. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
Staged in Olaines, about 25 km from Lativa, SCL director Ilkka Kinnunen said the weather was beautiful (25 C and sunny), perfect for the crowd of about 2000 that had gathered to watch the event which featured what Kinnenen called "6 very hard disciplines."
"Weight For Height started the competition," Kinnunen said. "There were two athletes who were fighting at the end. Austrian Martin Wildauer took the first place with success hight of 5.40m and Rafal Kobyaz was second.
"The next event Viking Press for reps, with165kg. Lithuanian Vidas Blekaitis did an easy12 reps to win the event. Three athletes were tied for second place with 9 reps.
"Third event: Powerstairs with 6 steps and 225kg, 250kg, 275kg. The winner was Dainis Zageris, who also broke the Latvian record in Powerstairs. The old one was hold by Raimonds Bergmanis. Rafal Kobyaz was second.
"The Duckwalk with 225kg and Barrel loading was next and Rafal Kobyaz won.
"The fifth event was the Giant Dumbbell: 95kg for reps. This was hard for many athletes. The winner with 5 reps was Vidas Blekaitis and Rafal Kobyaz. Dainis Zageris, with 4 reps, was next."
Having the Deadlift for reps with 380kg as the final event "pushed the athletes for a limit of their power," said Kinnunen. "Lot of no lifts was taking place, but strong deadlifters like Martin Wildauer and Dainis Zageris had successful lifts of 5 reps and Vidas Blekaitis and Rafal Kobyaz 4 reps.
"Once again, MHP SCL Thanks the Latvian organizer and their sponsors for a great competition. Next weekend the MHP SCL continues in Faro, Portugal, so stay tuned!"
Overall results:
1. RAFAL KOBYAZ 56,5p
2. Vidas Blekaitis 52p
3. Martin Wildauer 51p
4. Dainis Zageris 50,5p
5. Dizis Zarinis 45,5p
6. Ervin Katona 30p
7. Lauri Nami 27p
8. Aivars Smaukstelis 22p
9. Arto Niemi Nikkola 20p
10. Oskars Martunaz 10p
11. Kevin Larsen 7,5p
Hafthor Wins SCL Holland, Claims Leader Shirt
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson—three words that mean Wins in Strongman, as the Icelander took the title and the leader's shirt at the MHP Strongman Champions League–Holland this weekend. Aryn Lockart called the action for IronMind.
"The 'Mountain is on top, winning MHP Strongman Champions League Holland and claiming the SCL 'Leader' shirt," reported Aryn Lockart. IronMind® | photo by Strongman Rage
Hafthor Dominates SCL–Holland
by Aryn Lockhart
Strongman Rage
On Saturday in an intense battle at the fifth stage of the MHP Strongman Champions League in Holland, Thor Björnsson claimed the leader shirt from Ervin Katona. Katona has held the leader position since stage one in St. Martinque back in March. Holland was Thor's third consecutive win, tying Zydrunas Savickas for the most wins in a row. With perfect weather, the crowd was pumped to see 14 of the strongest men in the world battle through six events testing their ultimate strength.
"This really changes the game," stated Marcel Mostert, SCL Director. "The competition is fierce at the moment with Katona slipping to second place in the overall standings and Martin Wildauer close behind in third poised and ready to move up in the rankings."
The day started off with the truck pull. Pulling a 14 ton truck with nothing but a harness, athletes dug in. The best time was 40.99 seconds by Thor Björnsson.
The second event was the log with 150kg for reps. With a slightly uneven surface, the athletes went head to head struggling for each rep. The final results of this event ended with Mikkel Leicht from Sweden and Grzegorz Szymanski, the new polish future, completing six reps for the win.
The third event was the yoke weighing 420kg. Without the ability to adjust the height of the yoke, this made for a real challenge for the taller athletes. In typical strongman fashion, despite being competitors, Katona worked with Björnsson offering tips to help the giant. In an amazing display of speed and strength the winner of this event was Marius Lalas with 13,87 seconds. Close behind was Jarno Hams from Holland in second place with 14.51 sec.
Loading was the fourth event. Carrying two textile rolls and two kegs each weighing 100kg onto a platform, athletes battled head to head for the fastest time. Maneuvering the awkward rolls it was a race to the platform sprinting back and forth. The winner of this event was again Marius Lalas with 32.94 seconds.
The next event was the tire flip. Flipping a 420kg tire eight times, Björnson's size gave him a serious advantage taking this event with only 26.48 seconds.
The final event of the day was the atlas stones with weights of 140kg, 160kg, 170kg, and finishing with 180kg for varying heights. Again Thor was explosive completing this event in a mere 18.03 seconds over two full seconds ahead of Marius Lalas who's time was 20.76 seconds. In his second SCL, Lalas had an impressive showing placing fifth overall.
After an injury, Katona was unable to continue after the log. He plans to rest and recover for the next battle in Latvia. Krzysztof Radzikowski was on hand, but did not compete. He's currently recovering from his tricep surgery, but gaining strength by the day. He came to support Poland's representative, Grzegorz Szymanski, who took an impressive second for the day. Third place went to Alex Moonen from Holland.
The new future from Holland, Niels Gordijn, came in 6th place in this tough field. It was an impressive showing for his first international strongman competition.
For Jarno Hams, who placed7th with a minor injury, it was possibly the last Champions League competition in his career. He is training hard for his last fight, the Dutch nationals, which will be held on 12 July. Hams is seeking his 8th title in Holland which would be one more than Berend Veneberg, former strongman and European strongman from Holland with seven titles.
The battle for first overall within the MHP Strongman Champions League is heating up. The competitors are hungry as the season is in full swing. Competitions in Latvia the 28th of June and Portugal on the 4th of July are up next. It's an all out battle for the top spot so stay tuned as the action unfolds. You can find all the latest here on IronMind.
Images from SCL Holland can be found here:
MHP Strongman Champions League Holland final results:
1. THOR BJÖRNSSON—Iceland 74
2. GRZEGORZ SZYMANSKI—Poland 66.5
3. ALEX MOONEN—Holland 56.5
4. LAURI NAMI—Estonia 54.5
5. MARIUS LALAS—Lithuania 52.5
6. NIELS GORDIJN—Holland 51.5
7. JARNO HAMS—Holland 50
8. DAINIS ZAGERIS—Latvia 44
9. MARTIN WILDAUER—Austria 43.5
10. MICHAEL BLUMSTEIN—Germany 42
11. MIKKEL LEICHT—Denmark 38.5
12. FUAD HSAINIFOUAD HSAINI – Morocco 20
13. KEVIN LARSEN—Norway 17.5
14. ERVIN KATONA - Serbia 17 - Injured.
Hafthor Wins SCL Finland—Marius Lalas is Runner-up
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
"The second day of the MHP Strongman Champions League Finland started just like first with sunny weather and around 5,000 people was coming to watch who would be crowned as a Champion in Vaasa.
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson notched a win at SCL Finland this weekend. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
"The deadlift for reps with 350 kg opened the second day of competition. The bar was 2 cm lower than a normal bar, which of course made the lift even harder. There were three athletes sharing the first position with 8 reps: Marius Lalas, Rauno Heinla and J.F. Caron. Dainis Zageris and Martin Wildauer made 7 reps. After first event, Rauno Heinla took the overall lead.
"Next was the Forward Hold with 25 kg, back against the wall. The Finnish Viking Antti Mourujärvi showed that he is still one of the best in the event, doing time of 57.88 seconds. Lauri Nami was second with 55.75 seconds and third, the new future Finnish strongman star, 24-year old Arto Niemi Nikkola with 53.25 seconds. Rauno Heinla´s time of 41.17sec. put him in 11th position in the Forward Hold, changing the leader before the last event.
"The House Frame carry (350 kg, 18m) plus three IronMind sacks with 100 kg loaded to 125-cm platform, each carried a 5-m distance, was the last competition event in MHP SCL Vaasa.
T"hor Björnsson who was leading after the last events showed his Icelandic power as he won the final event in a time of 25.31 seconds. Marius Lalas gave Thor a good fight stopping the watch in time of 26.72seconds and third was Rauno Heinla, at 29.00 seconds.
Strongman Champions League thanks the City Of Vaasa their support and all the other sponsors, as well.
Overall points
1. Hafthor Björnsson 58p
2. Marius Lalas 55p
3. Rauno Heinla 53,5p
4. Martin Wildauer 52,5p
5. lauri Nami 49,5p
6. J.F. Caron 47,5p
7. Dainis Zageris 37,5p
8. Ervin Katona 32p
9. Arto Niemi Nikkola 27,5p
10. Antti Mourujärvi 26p
11. Kevin Larsen 17p
12. Patrick Odwyer 5p
"Next weekend: MHP SCL Holland," said Kinnunen.
Here's a guy to watch in the future: Marius Lalas, the younger brother of Vytautas. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
SCL Finland Features Top Lineup
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
The MHP Strongman Champions League comes to Vaasa, Finland next weekend, featuring a top lineup of professional strongman competitors.
Currently in the SCL leader's shirt, Ervin Katona is part of the field of top professional strongman competitors slated to compete in Finland this coming weekend. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
"Ervin Katona is leading at the moment, but Thor is coming strongly as he won the last competition in Serbia and is ready to challenge Ervin and others in Vaasa," SCL cofounder Ilkka Kinnunen told IronMind today.
Here's the official start list:
Thor Björnsson
Ervin Katona
Martin Wildauer
J.F. Caron
Lauri Nämi
Marius Lalas
Dainis Zageris
Kevin Larsen
Patrick Odwyer
Antti Mourujärvi
Jarno Kirselä
Arttu Parviainen
"The competition will start both days at noon, in the center of Vaasa, and here are the events.
First day: Saturday 14.6.
• YOKE RACE / FRAMEWALK MEDLEY - total of 40m, Yoke 420kg, Frame 330kg
• PRESSING MEDLEY - 150kg Log, 90kg Circus Dumbbel x2, 170kg Log
• BUS PULL - with Harness only
Second day: Sunday 15.6.
• DEADLIFT FOR REPS - 360kg
• FORWARD HOLD - 30kg
• HOUSE FRAME WALK /SACK LOADING MEDLEY: 350-kg House Frame, 110-kg sacks
"After Vaasa, MHP Strongman Champions League continues in Holland 21st of June and week after in Latvia 28th of June. Stay tune and look the results after competition to first to come up here in Ironmind News," said Kinnunen.
SCL–Serbia: Bjornsson Breaks Katona's Winning Streak
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
Ervin Katona continued to shine at his home contest, but this weekend there was one man he could not beat: Hafthor Julius Björnsson.
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson on the Frame Carry at the MHP Strongman Champions League–Serbia, where he motored to victory. IronMind® | Courtesy of Aryn Lockhart/Strongman Rage
THOR Wins MHP Strongman Champions League Serbia!
By Aryn Lockhart/Strongman Rage
On Saturday with cloudless skies, warm temperatures and over thousands of spectators, the stage was set for the third stop on the MHP Strongman Champions League series in Serbia. Hosted by Ervin Katona in Novi Sad, the competition consisted of six events: hand over hand, Viking press, frame carry, front hold, car deadlift, and loading. The crowd brought additional energy and intensity throughout the day cheering wildly as they witnessed a new world record in the Viking press and a head to head battle with Thor Björnsson edging ahead of Ervin Katona for the win.
Katona is known for organizing heavy events and started the day with hand over hand with a ten ton truck for 20 meters (65.6ft). What made this event particularly hard was the thick rope challenging athletes' grip strength. Thor was first to complete the event with 32.23 seconds. Daniel Wildt from Germany took second place with 37.5 seconds.
Event two was the Viking press with 165 kg (363lbs). This event brought tremendous excitement as the lightest and the smallest athlete, Björn Solvang from Norway, won the event and broke a new world record with an astounding 14 reps. The previous record of 13 reps was held by Katona.
The third event was the frame carry. With a weight of 360kg (792lbs), the grip from this particular frame left many athletes struggling to carry the frame even for a few short meters. Only three athletes were able to complete the entire 40 meter (131.2ft) course. Thor won this event using his long legs to his advantage completing the course in only 24.16 seconds.
The front hold was up next with 30kg (66lbs) in each hand. With his incredible shoulder strength, Katona won this event launching him into first place with only two events remaining.
The fifth event was the car deadlift with a weight of 360kg (792lbs). Martin Wildauer from Austria is often the favorite in this event, but was working through a minor back injury. As a result, Thor won the event with nine reps and Wildauer took second with eight.
The sixth and final event was loading three 120kg (264lb) sacks onto a platform. With lightning speed, Thor completed this event with only 19.78 seconds. He was over three seconds faster than Lauri Nami who came in second.
When the day was done and the dust settled, Björnsson took first place, Katona second, and Wilduaer third. "I was very happy with the competition," stated Katona. "The crowd was great and brought a lot energy." Katona still holds the leader shirt but his competition is fast approaching. With Wildauer taking second in Germany and now third in Serbia, his is right on Katona's heels.
The next event is in Finland on 14 and 15 June. To find all of the events visit www.strongmancl.com under Agenda. The FIBO from Germany will be televised on Eurosport 23 May and Serbia will hit Eurosport on 20 June. The competition is just starting to get warmed up!
Final Serbia Standings top 8
Thor Björnsson (Iceland) 63.5
Ervin Katona (Serbia) 60
Martin Wildauer (Austria) 55
Lauri Nami (Estonia) 46
Krzysztof Radzikowski (Poland) 42
Dainis Zageris (Latvia) 37.5
Björn Solvang (Norway) 35.5
Akos Nagy (Hungary) 33.5
Zydrunas Savickas Wins SCL Arnold Brazil—World Record in the Log Lift
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
Ilkka Kinnunen called the action from the Arnold Brazil for IronMind, where Zydrunas Savickas set a new world record in the Log Lift.
Zydrunas Savickas continued his domination of the Log Lift with this 223-kg success, for a new world record. IronMind® | Courtesy of SCL
"Big Z hits again, winning the MHP SCL 'Brutal Edition' at the Arnold Classic Brazil on Saturday. There were total of 3 heavy events and athlete list was tough. This was no fear in the Big Z. He won first 2 events and was 2nd in 3rd.
"The first event in competition was Log for Max. Excellent lifts from Thor, Burke who came equal 3rd with 190kg, 2nd Brian Shaw 192,5kg and winner Big Z with NEW WORLD RECORD 223kg!!!! The lift was so easy for Z, that it won't take long before he hits that 500 lb, no question about that.
"Second event Deadlift with 360kg for reps. Top 3 in this were Thor and Brian equal 9 reps and winner again Big Z with 10 reps. Big Z did all 10 reps in only 30 sec.
"The last event of the day Atlas Stones. 6 stones from 120-180kg. From top 3 Thor went first he hitted clock on time 22.69sec. That was 10 sec faster than anyone before Thor. Two athletes left Brian and Z. Brian put all his power in and what an amazing time 19,05 seconds !!!. Zydrunas needed at least time what puts him on 3rd, but he was ready and did 2nd fastest time 21.84sec.
"The competition and the EXPO itself was a big success total over 100.\,000 people in 3 days. The MHP SCL Arnold was televised by GLOBO TV which is the biggest channel in Brazil.
"Overall results:
6. MIKE BURKE ( back injury)
8. KRYZSTOF RADZIKOWSKI ( tricep injury)
9. DAINIS ZAGERIS ( bicep injury)
"On Saturday evening athletes had one more event between the Pro body-building and Pro Fitness. The Giant Dumbbell Challenge: 95kg Huge Dumbbell lifted from the ground in 75 seconds. The rule also is that if there is a tie, then the fastest time wins.
"From top results in Dumbbell Big Z did 10 reps coming 4th. Mike Burke with an excellent 12 reps raised him to 3rd place. Brian Shaw with 13 reps, but slower time (75 sec) got 2nd place and the winner also 13 reps but done in 72 sec. was the giant from Iceland, Thor Björnsson.
"Amazing finish for the 2014 Arnold Classic in Brazil. Next the MHP SCL continues the serie in Serbia 10th of May, so stay tuned," said Kinnunen.
MHP Strongman Champions League: Arnold Brazil
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
"The MHP Strongman Champions League will have a special 'Brutal Edition' in the Arnold Classic Brasil," Marcel Mostert told IronMind today.
MHP Strongman Champions League is headed to Brazil for a series of events. IronMind® | Image courtesy of SCL
"This strongman competition, on April 25–26, is a special edition, is not in the SCL series, but will be held under the auspices of SCL.
"Brutal events like the Dumbbell Press, Deadlift, Atlas stones and Log Lift for max will be done," said Mostert, who, along with Ilkka Kinnunen, will referee the event. "The prize ceremony will be done by Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself."
Start List
Zydrunas Savickas - Lithuania
Hafthor Bjornsson - Iceland
Krzyzstof Radzikowski - Poland
Ervin Katona - Serbia
Brian Shaw - USA
Dainis Zageris - Latvia
Lauri Nami - Estonia
Mike Burke - USA
Marcos Ferrari - Brazil
"It promises to be an awesome 'Brutal Edition,' with a lot of media coverage in Brazil. The MHP Strongman Champions League will be also perform in a few other big shows that week, with a combined viewership of 75 million in Brazil. The competition itself will be broadcast by Globo TV, the biggest channel in Brasil.
"Meantime, you can watch already the first stage MHP Strongman Champions League—Martinique at coming Friday 18 April at Eurosport, 19.00 hours CET," said Mostert.
FIBO: Another Win for Zydrunas Savickas
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
He's on a roll—coming off his big victory at the 2014 World's Strongest Man contest, Zydrunas Savickas won the MHP Strongman Champions League competition at FIBO, and Aryn Lockhart of Strongman Rage called the action for IronMind.
The Log Lift King, Zydrunas Savickas, doing his thing at the FIBO. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Strongman Rage
The Unstoppable Z
By Aryn Lockhart – Strongman Rage
Directly off of the Arnold's classic and WSM, Big Z (Zydrunas Savickas) did it again winning the FIBO in Cologne, Germany on 5 April 14. Fourteen athletes from 12 different countries battled through six events on the second stop in the MHP Strongman Champions League series. The competition boasted three WSM finalists in a field of top strongmen and the SCL Leader Ervin Katona.
The event was showcased during the FIBO, which is the largest international trade show for fitness in the world. The FIBO was sold out both Saturday and Sunday with over 80,000 visitors. The MHP Strongman Champions League competition was a highlight for FIBO Power. The events of the day included a 400kg (880lb) yoke for 40 meters; Giant Super log for maximum weight; 300kg (726lb) Frame carry for distance; 35kg (72.6lb) front hold; Atlas stones from 140kg – 180kg (308kg – 396lbs); 350kg (770lb) deadlift for reps.
Not only was this a battle to the last event, it was filled with close contests and Savickas breaking his own world record on the Giant Super Log. The FIBO hosts the world's largest log with a 46cm diameter. A traditional log is approximately 32cm. Savickas proceeded to amaze spectators with his record breaking 205kg (451lb) overhead lift with ease.
The final event took place on the main stage. The 350kg deadlift for reps would be the event to crown the FIBO Champion. Each event was down to the wire with only a fraction of points separating first and second place. In the end Savickas edged out Martin Wildauer to take the lead and the title. Wildauer did 10 reps, Savickas did 1 more for the win. Wildauer had an exceptional showing winning two of the six events.
Matjaž Belzak from Slovenia was the surprising newcomer in the MHP Strongman Champions League. As he placed fifth overall and lifted a 190 kg with the Giant Super Log , which was the previous record from Žydrūnas Savickas until that day. And this man is only 21 years old!
All of the action will be televised 23 May on Eurosport.
Final FIBO Standings
1. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania) 75.0
2. Martin Wildauer (Austria) 72.5
3. Ervin Katona (Serbia) 62.5
4. Eddie Hall (England) 61.0
5. Matjaž Belšak (Slovenia) 57.5
6. Krzysztof Radzikowski (Poland) 56.0
7. Alex Moonen (Netherlands) 46.5
8. Fuad Hsaini (Morocco) 40.0
9. Akos Nagy (Hungary) 38.5
10. Michael Blumstein (Germany) 29.5
11. Daniel Wildt (Germany) 25.0
12. Mike Koskowski (Germany) 17.0
13. Jonathon Kelly (N. Ireland) 15.5
14. Marco Ferrari (Brazil) 11.0
Ervin Katona Wins MHP SCL Martinique
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
The 2014 MHP Strongman Champions League opened on the Caribbean island Martinique this weekend, featuring eight competitors in seven events over two days, and Ilkka Kinnunen called the action for IronMind.
Ervin Katona opened the 2014 MHP Strongman Champions League season with a big win in Martinique. IronMind® | Image courtesy of SCL
MHP SCL Martinique: Ervin Katona Starts 2014 Season with a Victory - by Ilkka Kinnunen
First day ( Saturday). The competition started at 7 pm. A huge crowd of around 10,000 people was gathered around the venue to cheer the athletes.First event Truck Pull with harness and rope. 27 ton truck pulled 20m distance. Winner Ervin Katona.Second event: Log for reps 140 kg. Winner again Ervin Katona.Third event Forward Hold winner even with his triceps injury was Kryzstof Radzikowski.Fourth event and last for the first day: Deadlift for reps with 320 kg. Winner Didzis Zarinis (Latvia) with 11 reps.
Second day (Sunday): The competition started during the daytime at 1 pm, with very hot and sunny weather. Around 4,000 people came even though the weather was very hot. We did three disciplines. Started with Farmer's Walk (160 kg) and Powerstairs (220 kg) medley. Winner was Gerald Gschiel from Austria.Next was the Tire Flip: 8 flips with a 420-kg tire and Ervin Katona won. Last event was Truck Pull, arm over arm. 20-ton truck for 15 m. Winner again Gerald Gschiel.
The local organization Madina Side Barbell did an excellent job and for sure MHP SCL will return 2015 to Martinique.
Overall results:
1. Ervin Katona
2. Gerald Gschiel
3. Lauri Nämi
4. Krzyzstof Radzikowski
5. Didzis Zarinis
6. Gregor Stegnar
7. Etienne Smit
8. Ovind Rein
2014 SCL Season Opens in Martinique
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
It's the first of 16 stages set for their 2014 season as the MHP Strongman Champions League opens this coming weekend on Martinique, in the Caribbean.
The MHP Strongman Champions League kicks off its 2014 season in Martinique this coming weekend.
IronMind® | Image courtesy of SCL
"We will have a bit smaller field than normal," Marcel Mostert told IronMind today, "because some of the top athletes are preparing for the World's Strongest Man 2014, a week later. Still, it will be an excellent show for sure on this beautiful island, where we had 15.000 spectators in 2012 during the SCL Finals there.
"In a field with Krzysztof Radzikowski, Ervin Katona, Gregor Stegnar, Oyvind Rein (from Norway), Didzis Zarins, Etienne Smit , Lauri Nami, Gerald Gschiel (from Austria) and a few local Martinique athletes, it will still be a hard fight to crown the champion of the first stage from the MHP Strongman Champions League. Didzis Zarins is replacing Dainis Zageris from Latvia, because Dainis ripped off his bicep last week.
• Truck Pull
• Farmer's walk
• Tire Flip
• Deadlift (for reps)
• Log Lift
• Forward Hold
• Power stairs.
"It will be a fantastic event with a great location to kick of the MHP strongman Champions League season 2014.
Also, just released today on our website, is the highlights trailer 2013. You can check it on youtube as well, by clicking this link" said Mostert.
MHP Strongman Champions League Adds New Sponsors, Increases Competitions
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
"The MHP Strongman Champions League and Protekton Ltd signed an agreement to continue cooperating and sponsoring in season 2014 worldwide," Marcel Mostert reported to IronMind today.
SCL signed an agreement with Protekton Ltd: pictured (left to right) are Protekton owners, Jarek and Marek Tobi, and SCL cofounder, Ilkka Kinnunen. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
"Ilkka Kinnunen went to Estonia personally to sign up with the two directors from Protekton Ltd, Jarek and Marek Tobi.
"With this agreement, Protekton Ltd becomes the official sponsor of the Association of Professional Strongman in Estonia."Protekton Ltd specializes in the project-based manufacture and installation of steel building construction in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Russia and Germany.
"Competing this season are three of the best strongmen from Estonia: Lauri Nämi will begin his first competition in Martinique, Meelis Peil is also in very strong shape and will participate in future events and Rauno Heinla is ready to make his comeback from injury.
"We are very pleased that the agreement has been signed. It will give our athletes the opportunity to represent Estonia in biggest strongman league worldwide," said Marek Tobi, Production Manager of Protekton Ltd. "Estonia has strong athletes and the best way to prove it, is to have them in Strongman Champions League event," said Janek Tobi, Chairman of the Board of Association of Professional Strongman in Estonia.
"We are really thankful to Protekton Management that they have helped us to continue our long-time cooperation with the Strongman Champions League," Kinnunen said.
Mostert pointed out that expansion MHP Strongman Champions League in 2014 continues. "On the 2014 SCL calendar, another contest has been added: a special team event in Tallin, Estonia on October 18," he said.
"And besides Protekton as the official side sponsor, the MHP Strongman Champions League also signed up SPX Powerteam again and another newcomer called Strongman Rage.
"Strongman Rage produces and sells special clothes with unique logos. They will supply a lot of clothes for SCL and will start selling products on behalf of SCL in their webshop. They will produce special SCL clothing for us, special logos, fun articles etc. All sold by their webshop, beginning April 5 with the FIBO Germany.
MHP Strongman Champions League announces 2014 Calendar
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
"Our 7th season will have its kick off in Martinique, a beautiful sunny French island in the Caribbean islands," MHP Strongman Champions League (SCL) cofounder told IronMInd today.
Whether measured by prize money, number of competitors, locations or number of contests, MHP Strongman Champions League is the 800-lb. gorilla of strongman. IronMind® | Image courtesy of SCL
"Again it will be a very busy year for the MHP Strongman Champions League, where we will have 16 stages and a few other independent competitions. The calendar is not filled in totally yet, but we have the feeling that we are very full already.
"Most important, of course, will be our SCL series , and we are looking forward to seeing who will be the 7th world champion in SCL, after Zydrunas Savickas (2 times), Andrus Murumets, Terry Hollands , Ervin Katona and the latest world champion, Krzysztof Radzikowski from Poland.
"We have reserved more than a half million USD ($500,000) for flights, hotels and prize money in the 2014 season."The absolute top athletes around the world will compete with us, with space always for newcomers and new champions.
"Special events, new equipment and new venues will be seen, and all episodes will be televised and broadcast in 89 countries."All these ingredients together will guarantee absolutely the highest standard worldwide in our beloved strongman sport. "We wish everybody a fantastic strongman season," said Mostert.
Calendar 2014:
08 March SCL Martinique Martinique
05 April SCL Germany Germany
10 May SCL Serbia Serbia
--- May SCL China World Teams China
13 June SCL Finland Finland
21 June SCL Holland Holland
29 June SCL Latvia Latvia
04 July SCL Portugal Portugal
19 July SCL Croatia Croatia
03 Aug SCL Poland Poland
24 Aug SCL 105-kg Worlds Ukraine
30 Aug SCL Russia Russia
06 Sept. SCL Hungary Hungary
13 Sept SCL Turkey Turkey
05 Oct SCL Lithuania Lithuania
-- Oct SCL Aruba Aruba
01 Nov SCL Brazil Brazil
8/9 Nov SCL Malaysia Malaysia FINALS
For full details on SCL, please visit their official website.
Hafthor Opens 2014 with Guinness World Record
by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2014 IronMind
"Randy, I'm here in China with Mike Burke and Thor for the Guinness Records and for one other TV show," Ilkka Kinnunen reported to IronMind today.
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson wasted no time putting his name in the Guinness World Records book in 2014. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of SCL
"Last night we had the Keg Toss for height Guinness World Record attempt, and here is little story:
The season started early of this year for SCL and its athletes. Yesterday Thor Björnsson and Mike Burke were challengers on Guinness World Record TV show in China, trying to make new record in Keg Toss. The keg weighs 12.5 kg and record before the attempt was 7.40 m done by the German athletic.
"At each height the athletes had 3 tries. First the bar was put at 7.50 m. The record holder missed, but Mike and Thor cleared it easily. Next height was 7.70 m again Thor and Mike both cleared it easily. Then the bar put to 8 m. Thor made it with an unbelievable throw. Mike´s turn: Height was there, but just did not turn over and the same thing with his all 3 throws, so Thor take his first Guinness World Record in Keg Toss with 8 m!!!
"Today we will travel back to Shanghai for other TV show called Thank God You Are Here. This show is more like a talk show, but it is one of the most popular morning shows in China," said Kinnunen.


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The most powerful man in Pakistan is on the verge of being deposed. The US and Pakistan have a very tenuous relationship; while Pakistan receives a lot of US aid, and the two countries are ostensibly on good terms, much of the Pakistani population holds anti-American sentiments, and some accuse government contingents of covertly undermining American efforts in the country. General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is the head of the country's military, and is more pro-American than just about everybody in his ranks. Dissatisfaction among his underlings is brewing, and according to Pakistani sources, a coup is not entirely unlikely. If Kayani goes, expect US-Pakistan relations to get a lot icier. source
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Ludum Dare 22
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I was in… And now out….
Well, after only getting a non-constructive 40 minutes of dev time this weekend, and having only got some tiles, a map and a window working in a meagre 65 odd lines of code – I can say with some degree of certainty that I will have to miss out on my entry to LD23. Not a nice decision to make, but one I don't think I can avoid.
See you all for LD24 then
LD 23 – I'm in… I think
Well, this weekend is sort of busy for me – so I shall see if I can make an entry… Since I'm busy with the PGD challenge number 2, more bugs are fixed in my code than ever before so…. It does indeed look promising Especially with those killer themes!
Graphics: Gimp, Paint.NET
Audio: Sfxr, LMMS, audacity, sibelius (maybe)
Code: FreePascal Compiler, Prometheus(again… It gets better entry on entry and I'll upload the latest files to the SVN on sourceforge on friday afternoon), sdl_audio (maybe)
Misc: The ubuntu software centre and google… you never know – sometimes I miss something big when thinking about it -_-
Soitude 76 – Debriefing
So what went well?
-Library, the prometheus code re-write yielded far less bugs than any previous entry as well as no run-time dll-hells
-Game concept, keeping it simple as a major plus
-Learning, the games architecture is as close to quick 'n dirty as I'd care to get – but it worked
-Time management, everything finished with around 2 hours to spare – not 4 hours like LD20 or 3 minutes like LD21!
What went not so well:
-Lack of native prometheus audio support, the bindings for OpenAL are dodgy at best!
-PNG loader is [very] buggy… Luckily the TGA loader is outstanding!
-Hours 0-24 writing 50 lines of code due to being AFK almost the entire time!
On the whole I'd have to give Solitude-76 my 'best LD entry by me so far' award. It was much closer to the sweetspot than any other entry without compromising too much on any area… But then again, this is my biased opinion – only time and the ratings will tell!
Solitude 76 – Changes to the plan…
In order to add sound I've gone and thrown in the default Sdl_mixer and its all kicking nice…
About the game – its the future, the Soviet Union has just been nuked by the USA and they have bombers patrolling the area to thwart the move of dead hand…
However, dead hand will not activate: a single member of the former USSR survives deep under UVB-76: Kernel Kitten!
You must take control of Dead Hands resources and automated assembly machines that survived, build a defense and offense network to erradicate the american threat and take back the world – will you succeed?
Note: the background 'music' is a record sample of UVB-76 itself and the sounds were made with the aid of sfxr/bfxr… enjoy.
Warning: Fans of Wargames – the movie – I know its similar and its not accurate but hey, this is the soviet version. Cut down to fit inside an LD48!
LD22 – Cruising speed at last, more screenies!
Moving on some more
LD22 – First screenie… And making headway
LD22 – I'm in. Sort of.
So after some major rewrites of the prometheus library its almost done. I say almost – and its now t miunus 9 hours and here is what does not work… Yet.
- The XML handling system & TMX parsing system as a result.
- The OpenAL audio system.
- The FBO system for primitives and shaders.
- The WINAPI interface system for windows systems.
So, looking good I guess! On the other hand, mint 11 is still rocking my world – my new PC is minus a motherboard which is shipping its way to me and needs an OS installed… On to the good news: GIMP, Paint.Net, VMWare Player, Geany and the usual LMMS work!
Here we go!
Prometheus – infamity
Yes its mentioned yet again – anyone whom previously had a crack at building/running my games has always had trouble with the little library of mine: unmet dependencies, instability, high memory usage… The lot basically. But no more – LD22 is the third Ludum Dare this will be in and for those already agonizing over the prospect fret not: I've done a 95% re-write job. Thats a 45% lower memory footprint – zero, nicht, niet, yada, rien, null, nil, rei third perty dependencies – a 40% decrease in executeably size, direct interfacing with X11/WINAPI (although to be fair WINAPI support is still being written) as well as a 35% lower cpu usage for general rendering making it much more GPU limited.
TMX, PNG and TGA support remains key, the OpenAL implementation is now finally steaming ahead so oggs may come with my next entry and the particle engine is being re-written for much more oompf. A simple data record storage solution is done so no more folders full of config files (expect the one telling the app how to load/where to find the db). Nice.
And for the compilation? No more releases for X64 mint/ubuntu – its all going to be X86 code for windows & ubuntu for every release thanks to a few VMs. Finally – a game library that works.
Looks like it took 2 LDs and a few thousand lines of re-writes to get this all working, but now get your CPU's and OpenGL cards at the ready!
'Cyperspace' – A relic, RIP
Well, I've spend many hours after the compo attempting to understand why my entry was so unrelaible on the new links in the comments section. I have thus polled 12 people whome I know have various operating systems – we tried:
XP x86 Sp2, XP x86 SP3, Vista x64 Sp1, 7 Home Premium x64, 2 x Ultimate x64, 7 Ultimate x86, Ubuntu 10.10 x64, Ubuntu 11.04 x64 and x86, Windows Home Server 2011 (slowly)
All these are the English variants with the latest links in the comments – I don't know if anyone got it kicking – but I fail to see the problem. However, since then, the entire library has been scrapped and has been re-written with no dependencies at all – it runs on X11 and WinAPI from the ground up. Period. So next time, its faster performance and you aren't expected to have a GMA >950 (945SE sort of runs…) with a D3D/Gl capable OS – you just need WinAPI/X11.
PS: For those whose games I reviewed – I was generous
'Cyperspace' – fixed at last
As in the comment on the game page, the instability was caused by my french windows 7 copy that interprets a floating point of having a , (comma) and not a . (decimal point) which of course is the opposite for english windows. The result of feeding in the incorrect decimal separator is a memory access violation (or similar on different OSes)… Download links are below, it is quite unfinished but its there at last and I cannot say how much of a headache this was to fix.
Again, my sincerest gratitude to those that tried to run this so far. The linux build is still dodgy, so I recommend using WINE despite the sound issue remaining for the time being.
Page comment:
The bug related to foreign builds of Windows 7 (french) that interpreted floating point values as having a , not a . and this resulted in a crash in English windows as the reverse was true. This is SOLVED! (unless you have french windows)
The linux version (experimental) with some new dependency scripts can be found here:
This is a DIY release, compile it youself from the scripts please (sudo bash the dependency .sh files and then DO NOT sudo the compile script unless you want to either run some chowns or sudo ./LD21s later)
I again, apologize for the fiasco and will be writing to a few people as to why foreign versions of windows interpret floating point values differently to avoid this for all people (need to feed back to a german friend whose game only works on german windows. I now know why).
Again, my sincerest apologies for the delay.
'Cyperspace' – recent faff
Now I have had a swamp of build issues with this and such and such not running on yadida. This seems to be due to the variable way in which various windows builds interpret floating point values – they either want them as '0.3' or 0,3′
The builds WORK on windows 7 X64 (on two seperate machines albeit no sound), and the linux build WORKS on Ubuntu x64 with common sdl and opengl packages installed. Period. I understand Linux x64 is not popular and in that instance I am going to get a WINE version rolled out.
For those that have invested in FPC please do compile – the library code is very rushed and this is to be forseen as I've had a hell time getting thigs working. I am currently trawling through code on a windows 7 netbook trying to find what is affecting th windows users while also installing a 32 bit linux machine to run a test compile and dependency list.
I am sorry for those unable to rate so far, however this issue will be resolved soon and many resolutions in library craft have been pulled from this LD as was the case for the last LD also.
Thank you dually for your patience.


text:
It was a familiar story for Tottenham against an Albion side who have now gone 8 games without a win. Spurs, themselves, haven't won at home in the League since a fortuitous victory over Hull City at the end of October. Tottenham dominated possession, had the territorial advantage and had more than double the attempts on goal than their opponents but couldn't find a way through a well organised and committed defence and caused Ben Foster only occasional problems in the visitors' goal. Albion were dangerous on the break and actually had more shots on target, 4 to Spurs' 3 efforts.
Spurs showed their attacking intent from the start but the final pass just fell short or was cut out while efforts on goal were blocked or deflected out for a corner. When they did threaten inside the six yard box, near-misses again drifted past the post or were just off target.
Poor defensive cover needed Hugo Lloris to made a number of saves as Albion looked dangerous with quick breaks. Spurs were again caught out at a set-piece, as they were against West Ham, conceding at a free-kick two minutes after grabbing the lead with a splendid free-kick by Christian Eriksen,
Injuries and suspensions are hindering Tim Sherwood with a number of options for a starting place in the team, not available for selection.
Who performed best and deserves recognition for their efforts against Albion?
Vote on HotspurHQ's Poll:


text:
Sandra J. Bench, CMP, CTA has been appointed a Senior Sales Manager with the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau Announces (SACVB)where she has been for six years. A graduate of Western Michigan University, Sandy had a successful career as a meeting planner where she managed corporate meetings and incentive programs prior to joining the SACVB. Today, Sandy is a member of PCMA and past president of the Site Texas Chapter. She serves as Vice-Chairman of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo's hospitality Committee and is a Director for the San Antonio Livestock Exposition.
Leslie Johnson has been appointed director of sales and marketing for the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa and Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Johnson most recently was general manager of Timber Ridge.
For the second story in this five-part series, we explore how event technology impacts the attendee experience.
Asking for a raise is always awkward unless you are Olivia Pope, and let's face it, none of us are as comfortable as she is saying, "You can't afford me."
While we all have that one job searching website that we always go to when we're on the hunt for a job, try branching out and check out one of these websites.
While conventional wisdom says you should keep your résumé short and sweet, don't let all that editing lead to deleting these key pieces of information. Here are three items to include in your next draft.
35 East Wacker Drive
Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois
877.827.7262 (toll-free)
Fax: 312.423.7222
Attend & Learn
Be In the Know
Connect & Grow
PCMA Defined


text:
I sat in the grass to watch the sunset today. I've been doing this a lot lately. I think about how beauty exists in hidden spaces, angles, accidents of light, shifting between shadows, continually present in everything—even the mundane, even the grass, even the common asters. I've been trying to be more mindful of these spaces lately, to meditate through observation and wholehearted absorption—as if in prayer, in an act of devotion, awe, and wonder. It is calming. I sit very still and look for the light. It feels good simply to sit, feel the breeze, and watch the world swaying.
I look for openings in the leaves, vines, grasses, and trees—to glimpse the secret nonchalance of the world which occasionally breathes something absolutely exquisite. I feel as though I witness miracles all the time. I feel as though I've never seen so many colors, or smelled everything growing around me—that the world has reappeared to me as spectacle in watercolors and fragments. I can sit in a single place and it is as though all the variables of my environment (the wind, the light, the flowers, the insects, the temperature, the time of day, and the interconnectedness of these variables—what flowers open and close and at what time, the hour at which the insects feed or rest, the local vegetation and the wildlife it attracts, the temperature and light that affects flight activity or the way wings rest, the wind cascading through leaves and moving the light) oscillate through a kaleidoscope—all of which I have become more aware of from taking pictures. I feel as though holding a camera has allowed me to witness the world in an entirely new way—it has allowed me to pause, to have patience, and to feel grateful.
Several years ago, I once walked through this very same neighborhood scouting for beauty. I had come to hold this place in my mind as bleak and barren—I wanted to try and find something good in it, something that would allow me to reflect upon it fondly, with hope. I found nothing.
I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between then and now except that my observations have become far more passive—a yielding. I'm not attempting to impose any preconceived form of beauty upon my environment. The world creates far more beautiful scenes than I could ever manufacture. I appreciate the accidental nature of the things I see and the images I capture—that they aren't repeatable, that they're fleeting, that they're hopelessly imperfect both tangentially and as a result of my status as a beginner, and that I must be patient and quiet to witness them. I have always felt that to witness someone, or to witness the world, is an act of love or even worship. When you devote yourself to noticing details and nuance, when you observe and delight in what is casually overlooked, as though otherwise lost in distraction, and when you feel this gratitude for it, for simply having the opportunity to hold glimpses of it—that witnessing, that gratitude, is love, is a gift.
The things I'm seeing are entirely new to me—like gifts. When I go for walks, or when I sit in the grass, always with my camera in hand, it feels meditative; I feel absorbed in what I'm seeing. Annie Dillard wrote that "there is another kind of seeing that involves a letting go." When I go outside, I do not feel myself; I feel the world. And where I previously saw nothing, I now see everything. Potential seems evident everywhere—even in the most mundane and common. I try not to overlook anything. I look at the asters, I look at the bark on trees, I look through the gravel, through weeds, through swamps, and the more I look, the more I see. Things that at first appear ordinary, dull, or even morbid transform through angle and light.
Lately I have felt scared—I have felt that there is so little truth to be found, so few hard pillars of fact, and between them this vast space of interpretation and misunderstanding. Everything has felt so nebulous and ambiguous. This isn't a particularly revolutionary fear—the unknown is a constant, lurking in both minutiae and the infinite, but I have felt that I have lost confidence in the previous patterns I had naturally adapted to confront this dilemma. I have felt that I need to re-habituate myself to the world, relearn its signs, symbols, and subtleties and that from my current position, I know and can trust nothing—including my own perceptions, including my own methods of filling the gaps. That uncertain space has felt threatening and dark. I've thought about the way that each individual holds his or her own narrative, or narratives, and wondered how frequently our narratives actually overlap and communicate with each other. I've wondered if it is even truly possible to occupy the same moment with someone—or if we are too isolated, separated by worlds, to actually collapse that distance. I have suffered and struggled, feeling that truth is fragile, fickle, and unreliable—or that, instead, nonexistent, and the moments I have shared with others have been meaningless, more indicative of alienation than intimacy.
"Life is not only full of sound and fury. It also has butterflies, flowers, art." —Claude Simon
But when I sit like this, I feel less scared, and it seems possible to fill that space with beauty rather than fear. I watch the waltz between light and shadow, the movement, the secrets, the accidents, the miracles, and I see the metaphor between this spectacle and my own fears, the way in which emptiness and space are in fact required for beauty to exist at all. The trees and leaves are my pillars, casting light and bending shadow, the intrigue between ratio and proportion, balance and asymmetry, truth and lies, fact and imagination, all moving, all dancing. I tend to think of time and movement as forms of beauty and imperfection and that without imbalance or some degree of poverty, there is no room for variance, fluctuation, potential, or life. Socrates said that "the comic and the tragic lie inseparably close, like light and shadow." What terror and awe, but what wonder, what beauty, what possibility lay latent, unearthed through devotion, patience, and cultivation. I let go. I let the world show me.
I sat in the grass to watch the sunset today. I've been doing this a lot lately. I think about how beauty exists in hidden spaces, angles, accidents of light, shifting between shadows, continually present in everything—even the mundane, even the grass, even the common asters. I've been trying to be more mindful of these spaces lately, to meditate through observation and wholehearted absorption—as if in prayer, in an act of devotion, awe, and wonder. It is calming. I sit very still and look for the light. It feels good simply to sit, feel the breeze, and watch the world swaying.


text:
AWJ, Plus Extra Credit
Munson should know. She's attended the conference six times. "It's such a wonderfully presented, woman-focused meeting," Munson says of the preeminent health conference staged each year by Johns Hopkins Medicine. "You get 32 seminars to select from. Unfortunately, there's only time to attend four."
But like many other employees, Munson, who is a nutritionist in the Clinical Trials Unit, has discovered a double benefit in attending AWJ. Over the years, she's been able to earn continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain professional certification.
Collecting credits at the daylong conference in Baltimore is a relatively inexpensive and convenient alternative to attending out-of-town meetings that require time off work. The number of credit hours attendees can earn (usually between four and six) depends on the professional association. Last year Sandra Moore, radiography program director in the School of Medical Imaging, snapped up four. "I enjoyed the conference, and getting credits in the bargain was a real bonus."
This year some 1,000 women, most from the Baltimore-Washington area, are expected to attend A Woman's Journey. Catherine DeAngelis, former associate dean for academic affairs and the first female editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, will divulge her personal journey as plenary speaker. Neuroscientist Jonathan Pevsner, a noted expert on Leonardo da Vinci, will discuss the artist's brain studies.
Among the most popular seminars, judging from early registration returns, is "Mind-Body Healing," one that explores how meditation, relaxation and "cognitive restructuring" can result in positive change. Some, like "Making American Drugs Safer" and the stem-cell-related "Promise of Discovery," cover headline-grabbing topics. These and all the other seminars will be taught by Johns Hopkins faculty.
—Lydia Levis Bloch
CEUs are available to social workers, professional counselors, health educators, pharmacy techs, dietitians, nurses and radiologic technologists. AWJ's major corporate sponsors: American Cancer Society, American Radiology Services, Arthritis Foundation, CareFirst BlueCross/ BlueShield, JH Cosmetic Center, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Klinger Advanced Aesthetics and Wachovia Corp.


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Alpena Office Opening
Join us as we open OFA-MI's new office in Alpena! This office is going to be our hub for organizing the community around President Obama and other Democrats. Come on out to meet some of the most passionate people in the area - the folks that will feel like family by the time Election Day rolls around. See you there!
WHEN: Tuesday September 18, 6-8pm
WHERE: 2205 US 23 S, Suite 126 Alpena, MI


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Re: anchorage etiquette
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My wife had a little Honda " suitcase" gen. When on eco throtlle, and placed in the foot well of the cockpit of her Ranger 26, you could not hear it when sitting next to the boat in a dinghy. We would watch movies at night out on the anchorage off key west. I would Kayak over to visit her from my boat, which was generally anchored down wind of her, and would'nt know she had the thing on untill I popped my head up over her rail to climb a board.
They are unbeleiveably quiet...especially in the eco mode.....I have one. Whe people use the to power their air cons its full throttle and its not so much the noise.....its the fumes downwind which get me. When I go below I hear nothing of them.
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Jessica Jung, you're so sneaky. Poor Yuri had to pay for what you did.
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Back to today. Believe it or not I'm not very hungry today.
Today I'm working 2-10. I get a lot of running around at work so I don't go for a walk on the days I work. That doesn't mean I don't do anything though!
Today is my day to lift weights:
- Dumbell chest press 2 x 10 5 lb
- One armed dumbbell row 2 x 10 5 lb
- Bicep curl 2 x 10 5 lb
- Tricep extention 2 x 10 5lb
- Lateral raise 2 x 10 5 lb
- Squats x 20
- Front lunge
- Bicycle
- Superman x 10
Breakfast: protein pancake with banana, peanut butter and coconut. Almond breeze for coffee I should know better. I've tried a few times to make this protein pancake with cottage cheese and it always fall apart.
Lunch: 2 tortillas, very lean ham, light cheddar cheese slice, blueberries, cantaloupe and veggies
Dinner: 1 cup whole wheat macaroni, 1/2c tomato sauce, lean ground beef, taco seasoning
Snack: 2 mini coconut pineapple muffins
Points plus target: 26
Points plus used:26
Weekly points used:0
Weekly points balance:30
Activity points earned:2
Activity points balance:18
Steps so far:9819
Calories burned so far:2121
Water:9 cups


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Whether you're here for the fun of a football weekend at University of Tennessee, shop 'til you drop at Turkey Creek or bask on the Tennessee River, a host of excitement awaits at Hampton Inn & Suites® Knoxville-Turkey Creek/Farragut.
Take the whole gang to Knoxville Zoo to meet the red pandas. Or explore another great Knoxville tourism spot – the World's Fair Park area. It's abundant in greenery, tranquil streams, interactive fountains and more.
Nearby Volunteer Landing & Marina is the perfect setting for a riverboat dinner cruise. Hike and bike the trails, lakes and waterfalls of the Cumberland region, and discover the epic Cumberland Caverns, Tennessee's largest show cave. Take day trips Dollywood Theme Park, Splash Country and the Great Smokey Mountains.
Book your Knoxville vacation and enjoy our unique Southern welcome.
MI=Miles BLK=Block KM=Kilometers MT=Meters YD=Yards
Whatever the reason for your visit, we hope you'll enjoy these fun ways to relax and keep in shape.


text: quickhits breakingnews: Voters accept grant to build new Sandy Hook Elementary School NBC Connecticut: Residents of Newton, Conn., voted to accept a $50-million state grant to build a new Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday. Of the 5,000 votes, 4,506 voted to pass the referendum. Voters said the key to the new school would be to make it distinct from the previous one where the mass shooting took place. Students from Sandy Hook Elementary are currently attending classes in a repurposed school building. Photo: In this Dec. 17, 2012 file photo, stuffed animals and a sign calling for prayer sit at the base of a tree near the Newtown Village Cemetery in Newtown, Conn., after 26 people were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School. (AP) quickhits Source: breakingnews


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Nice belt, true to size and able to wear with lower cut style pants as well.
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Occupy L.A. Message Flag
Photo montage of a large make-shift American flag, spray painted with political messages, located on the lawn outside of the Los Angeles City Hall building.
All photos were taken on Sunday, October 9th, 2011 during CicLAvia.
This tumblelog is powered by Tumblr, and was designed by Bill Israel.


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5048 North Mango Avenue has a Walk Score of 66 out of 100. This location is Somewhat Walkable so some errands can be accomplished on foot.
5048 North Mango Avenue is a 12 minute walk from the UP-NW Union Pacific Northwest at the Jefferson Park stop.
This location is in the Jefferson Park neighborhood in Chicago. Nearby parks include Park 285, Gladstone Park and Jefferson Park.
Nearby schools include St Constance School, Prussing Elementary School and St Cornelius Elementary School.
The closest grocery stores are Ceres Food Group, Cerres Food Services and J's Vitamins & More.
Nearby coffee shops include Dunkin' Donuts, Chicago Police Department and Dunkin' Donuts. There are 23 restaurants within a 15 minute walk including Joe's Pizza, SUBWAY® Restaurants and Chinese Kitchen.
5048 North Mango Avenue is near Northeastern Illinois University, North Park University and St. Augustine College.
There are some bike lanes and the terrain is flat as a pancake. 5048 North Mango Avenue is bikeable, there is some bike infrastructure.


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Cheapest airfare from Mumbai to Udaipur in the next 30 days is Rs. 4304 for Air India flight on Nov. 17, 2014 + 3 more days.
Average airfare from Mumbai to Udaipur is Rs. 5332. There are many airlines which provide connecting flight from Mumbai to Udaipur like Spicejet, Jet Airways, Air India etc.
On weekends, airfare for Jetkonnect flight is between Rs. 4503 to Rs. 6655. Similarly airfare for Jet Airways flights is between Rs. 4503 to Rs. 7111
Jetlite S23193 Mumbai to Udaipur flight at 05:25, Jet Airways 9W2093 Mumbai to Udaipur flight at 05:25, Jetlite S23093 Mumbai to Udaipur flight at 05:25 etc.
Amchi Mumbai, as the locals in Mumbai call it is one of the busiest Indian cities. The city is tops the list in being the largest and the most populated Indian state. The city is a paradise for job seekers. Migratory people from different states and cities of India can be seen here. These migratory people have made this city multilingual, but still the local language Marathi is loved by everyone. Marathi, the state, Maharashtra's local language is a very sweet language and even the migratory people in the city pick up the language soon. The city relies on the local trains for their day to day conveyance. This huge city with nine districts is made small by these trains which connect every district together. The city is crowded and so are the roads here. The populations in this city are very enthusiastic and are ready for every event with equal enthusiasm. The city hosts many events including the Marathons and the cyclothons etc. Every festival in this city is celebrated by all keeping their religious differences away. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most loved festivals here. The entire city lights up in festivity with schools and colleges declaring holiday for this 10 day long festival. Tourists to visit this city must check Goibibo.com. Our airfare calendar gives you the best deals on direct flights from Mumbai city to Udaipur city and you can get flight tickets at the lowest rates. Tourists have a lot to explore in Mumbai and some of the famous must visit places include Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Byculla Zoo, Kanheri Caves etc.
Udaipur, the city with a Venetian look, stands in the beautiful and colorful Indian state of Rajasthan. The city has many monikers to its credit and some of the famous ones include Kashmir of Rajasthan and Venice of the East. The city is famed for its lakes and palaces. Udaipur can be seen as backdrop in many Hollywood and Bollywood movies. The city like any other city of the same state is very proud of its culture and heritage. One can get to see the traditional dress clad ladies and gents everywhere in this city. History of this city states that it was found by Maharana Uday Singh. The king who belonged to the Mewar clan of Rajputs gave this city those enviable palaces and forts. Tourists from different parts of the world visit this city by air. To plan your holiday in this city, visit Goibibo.com. You can use your free account on Goibibo.com to make your flight bookings online and print the tickets at the comfort of your home and at the time of your convenience. Goibibo.com has all the information on the domestic airport and our flight schedule will help you get best flights to Udaipur city from Mumbai city. Udaipur City Palace is a grand structure that every tourist in the city must make sure to visit. This palace is spread over acres and houses many small and big structures which are carved in detail. The palace and the area around it with Lake Pichola looks like a new bride late in evenings.
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|Our location guide for Ugljan provides some basic essentials for the more adventurous visitor. A simple location map is provided but also a detailed topography map that shows the location of the nearest places where you can surf, ski or mountain climb (if they are close by). Of course some of these will be at long distances from Ugljan and those far flung spots are provided on the 'nearest' tables. If you are traveling to other cities or towns near Ugljan you will also find weather forecasts for those locations below.
|Other places close to Ugljan:
|Place Name
|1–3 Day Summary
|4–6 Day Summary
|7–9 Day Summary
|61 km
|Mostly dry
|Moderate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Wed night
|Heavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon
|90 km
|Mostly dry
|Mostly dry
|Moderate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Thu night
|111 km
|Mostly dry
|Moderate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Wed night
|Heavy rain (total 46mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon
|144 km
|Mostly dry
|Heavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Wed night
|Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu morning
|145 km
|Mostly dry
|Mostly dry
|Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon
Outdoor Activities near Ugljan
If you are in Ugljan and would like to go mountain climbing, hiking, skiing or surfing, click below for detailed forecasts.
Tide times close to Ugljan:
|Closest tide times
|Zadar (Croatia)
|7 km SW
|Second closest tide times
|Sibenik (Croatia)
|61 km SE
|Third closest tide times
|Mali Losinj (Croatia)
|85 km WNW
|Fourth closest tide times
|Trogir (Croatia)
|98 km SE
Ski Resorts close to Ugljan:
|Closest ski resort
|Bjelolasica (Croatia)
|134 km NW
|Second closest ski resort
|Mrkonjic Grad (Bosnia Herzegovina)
|143 km ENE
|Third closest ski resort
|Vucici (Croatia)
|153 km N
|Fourth closest ski resort
|Kupres (Bosnia Herzegovina)
|159 km E
|Fifth closest ski resort
|Kozara (Bosnia Herzegovina)
|160 km NE
Mountains close to Ugljan:
|Closest mountain peak
|Vaganski vrh (Croatia)
|33 km NNE
|Second closest mountain peak
|Velebit (Croatia)
|49 km N
|Third closest mountain peak
|Veliki Kozjak (Croatia)
|80 km E
|Fourth closest mountain peak
|Dinara (Croatia)
|83 km E
|Fifth closest mountain peak
|Velika Kapela (Croatia)
|90 km N
Surf Beaches close to Ugljan:
|Closest surf break
|Sakarun (Croatia)
|38 km WSW
|Roads & Rivers:
| Display specific location
The above topographic map of Ugljan and the surrounding area has been derived from satellite mapping. The topographic data has been illuminated by a light source corresponding to the position of the sun at mid afternoon in summer. Major roads, railways rivers and other water features are derived from global GIS data.


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Principles of Collaboration
Instructor: Robert O. Briggs
This exam has several goals. First, its questions are crafted to give you a sense of how the concepts you have been learning may be useful to you in the field. The scenarios presented in the exam are drawn from real situations in real organizations, and the questions ask for the kinds of solutions needed by the people in those situations. Secondly, studying for the exam will give you an opportunity to solidify and perhaps integrate the many concepts you've learned by trying to apply them to challenging situations. Finally, of course, the exam will give me a reading on your mastery of the topics.
This document presents you with ten questions to guide your preparation. On exam day I will assign you four questions to answer during the exam period.
Scenario 1. The Council of Captains
A group of 9 senior executives must develop an annual budget for a large, newly-created manufacturing division. There are thousands of details that must be addressed in the budget. There will not be enough money to do everything the executives want, so they face some tough choices. In order to set their spending priorities, they must first create a strategic plan for the new division, establishing a mission statement, a vision statement, a set of 7 strategic objectives, and an action plan for the first year.
The executives think this work will take them week in an off-site retreat, but time is short. A junior management trainee, recently graduated from UNO's Collaboration Science program, suggests that, with the help of a professional facilitator, the executives may be able to complete the work in as little as two days, and produce a better plan and budget to boot. The executives draw a blank – they don't know what a facilitator is (One suggests it could be "…like, someone from California who eats organic sprouts and wears...