text:
Counting Down on MSNBC's Keith Olbermann
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Keith Olbermann has found success on MSNBC as a prominent critic of the Bush presidency, which has led to questions about whether that cable news network is trying to lean left in hopes of winning more viewers.
NPR's David Folkenflik went to Rockefeller Center to find out more.
DAVID FOLKENFLIK: On MSNBC's "Countdown," anchor Keith Olbermann presents the world's news each night in bullet points.
(Soundbite of TV show, "Countdown")
Mr. KEITH OLBERMANN (Host): In our fifth story n the countdown - our fourth story tonight - our third story in the countdown...
FOLKENFLIK: So let's give Olbermann the countdown treatment.
Number five on the countdown of things you should know about Olbermann: unabashed, unashamed, liberal.
In Keith Olbermann's worldview, waterboarding is an unquestionably torture, and Vice President Dick Cheney is about two millimeters shy of purest evil.
Mr. OLBERMANN: We gave these people every benefit of the doubt possible. Our naturally contentious political arrangement in this country was silenced for well over a year after 9/11.
FOLKENFLIK: We're talking in his office a few hours before he goes to air and gets truly wound up.
Mr. OLBERMANN: We got hosed. We were manipulated. That trust that we put in these people they did not deserve.
FOLKENFLIK: "Countdown" started on March 31st, 2003, amid the invasion of Iraq. CBS News senior correspondent Jeff Greenfield has covered politics and media for years. He says as the war soured, Olbermann found his voice and a following.
Mr. JEFF GREENFIELD (CBS News): By becoming a full-throated, unapologetic opponent of all things Bushian, he served a market that wasn't being served.
FOLKENFLIK: Greenfield says it's much the way FOX News built up its audience by appealing to conservatives who felt the mainstream media overlooked their concerns.
Number four on the countdown: Olbermann's locked in to a death match with FOX's Bill O'Reilly on the air.
(Soundbite of TV show, "Countdown")
Mr. OLBERMANN: And as usual, Bill-O's King Lear act, in which he threatens somebody with terrible consequences and boycotts and plagues of locusts, has produced nothing tangible other than making the object of his impotent rage richer.
FOLKENFLIK: Off the air, Olbermann explains why he takes such delight in getting a rise out of a guy who draws three times the audience he does.
Mr. OLBERMANN: You punch upwards, not down. If I'm Bill O'Reilly, and Keith Olbermann attacks me or criticizes me or analyzes what I'm saying, my reaction is, who? His reaction is - ka-boom! And I have just been the beneficiary of that.
FOLKENFLIK: Olbermann's show has been cheering(ph) strong ratings gains this October against a year ago, but "The O'Reilly Factor" remains the top-rated cable news show, with an average audience of about 2.5 million people each night. What's more, FOX News argues Olbermann's ratings are tapering off. O'Reilly now avoids mentioning Olbermann by name on the air; he dismisses him this way on his radio show.
(Soundbite of "The Radio Factor")
Mr. BILL O'REILLY (Host): MSNBC's smear guy doing nothing.
FOLKENFLIK: And FOX News likewise declined to comment on the record for this story.
Now onto number three on the countdown: Everything Olbermann knows about the business he learned doing local sports, where he was allowed to telegraph his irreverence for what he was reporting on.
Mr. OLBERMANN: Here it is. Here's the news. Here's how stupid the news is. These parallel tracks have been sort of the summation of my career.
FOLKENFLIK: Olbermann was one of the key figures behind the success of ESPN's "SportsCenter," where he uttered the memorable line: That's a six to 43(ph) double play, if you're scoring at home, or even if you're alone.
Number two on the countdown: Olbermann's success doesn't mean that MSNBC is banking left. The channel's officials swear they're betting on his personality, not his beliefs.
Phil Griffin is the senior vice president at MSNBC.
Mr. PHIL GRIFFIN (Senior Vice President, MSNBC): People say what is our brand? I'll tell you what our brand is: Keith Olbermann is our brand; Chris Matthews is our brand. These are smart, well-informed people who have a real sense of history and can put things in context.
FOLKENFLIK: Clearly, the brand is evolving. Conservative Joe Scarborough is being moved to the morning to replace Don Imus; MSNBC opened unsuccessful talks with outspoken liberal comic Rosie O'Donnell; and as for MSNBC's other conservative talk show host, Tucker Carlson?
Is Tucker part of that brand?
Mr. GRIFFIN: He is right now.
FOLKENFLIK: In the number one story on the countdown: Well, let's bend the rules and put this in the form of a question. Can Olbermann's anti-Bush shtick survive past the Bush administration? After all, he ends his shows by saying...
Mr. OLBERMANN: That is "Countdown" for this - the 1,658th day since the declaration of mission accomplished in Iraq.
FOLKENFLIK: CBS's Jeff Greenfield, himself a veteran of the cable wars, says Olbermann will endure.
Mr. GREENFIELD: Did Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly survive the departure of Clinton? Once you build that kind of loyalty from an audience, they'll stick around.
FOLKENFLIK: And as we talk back in his office, Olbermann starts gathering steam as he considers the challenge ahead.
Mr. OLBERMANN: Hey, you know what? I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. This isn't right. You're not doing what you said you were going to do. You have not restored habeas corpus fully. We still have Gitmo. We're still in Iraq. We're not out fast enough. These are still going to be issues. They don't go away with George Bush.
FOLKENFLIK: And that is the Olbermann Countdown - for this the 347th day before the presidential election that will determine Olbermann's next obsession - other than Bill O'Reilly, of course.
David Folkenflik, NPR News, New York.
MONTAGNE: Want to hear more of what Keith Olbermann has to say? You can go to npr.org.
Copyright © 2007 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.


text:
- Jun 3, 2018
- 1 min
Digital Dugout launch party
We've launched our Digital Dugout - The exclusive section of the website where you can see raw, unedited interview clips and photos from the film. We're proud to include a clip of Minnie Miñoso thanking us for making the film as the first thing you'll see when you enter the dugout. We created this as a thank you for our kickstarter backers who are making the film a reality. If you backed us at the Relief Pitcher level or above you will get a password to the dugout. If you d

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A practice of white Manjushri composed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche at the request of Lama Ugyen Shenpen.
20 pp. [requires lung]
Practicing this text requires a lung or abhisheka. If you have received it, type "I have received the (name of lung/abhisheka) from (name of teacher) in (year)."
add (+$10.00)


text:
Booking Justine Cross
To book time with me please read this entire page and fill out the booking form.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY– Please email: firstname.lastname@example.com
INDIVIDUALS & COUPLES: Use the form on this page
COVID SAFETY: I am triple vaxxed (boosted) and ask that you show proof of the same.
*If you are not fully vaccinated, or wish to serve me online, please go to my Virtual Sessions Page for other options.
If you would like to connect with me online I prefer SextPanther where we can text, phone or cam.
I am generally available Monday – Saturday 10am-10pm. Sundays are my day off unless there is a hefty tribute along with a very good reason why I should reconsider. Same day appointments are possible but rarely granted – I am very busy and so is my dungeon.
Out of respect for my time, please read my Interests and Travel Plans BEFORE you contact me.
Los Angeles Location
I own and operate the best private dungeon in LA, Dungeon East in Downtown Los Angeles.
I am also available in other settings at my discretion. The selection process is based on your references and/or willingness to reimburse me for my travel time.
I typically book upscale hotels when I travel, but sometimes utilize dungeons as well.
My consulting rate is individually calculated.
I require a deposit for my time, and will tell you how to do this at the time when you book with me.
If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice, the full balance is due for our time together.
Meet and Greets
It is totally normal for you to feel nervous, especially if it is your first time. I do offer in-person consultations or meet and greets, such as meeting for a drink or coffee. It is $100 for 15 minutes of my time.
If you want to book a session, you must fill out my booking form to the right. All other media inquiries can use my email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you have my cell phone number, I only accept calls between 9am – 9pm in whatever time zone I am in. I will not accept blocked calls. I do not want you to text me unless we have sessioned before. My number does NOT work outside of the US. If you are in another country please use email instead.
To book time with Mistress Justine Cross please submit this form.
INDIVIDUALS: Please read this entire page and answer the questions below to book time with Mistress Justine Cross.
COUPLES: Yes, I welcome couples – thus two people must fill out this form separately.
My Wishlist
While not a requirement, I certainly love receiving gifts!
You can find most items on my Amazon Wishlist – I update it weekly. I also love Amazon gift cards.
Or you can be brave and pick up something that you think I may like:
Dresses: 4
Shoes: 8
Bras: 34A
Panties: Small
Custom latex: Jane Doe of Los Angeles – has my exact measurements and knows me well!
Send All Gifts to this Address:
Justine Cross
106 ½ Judge John Aiso St. #431
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Other Gifts I Enjoy Receiving:
- Fine wine – I particularly like Chenin Blanc and Rose
- Bulleit bourbon
- Fresh flowers, especially roses, but not Easter lilies because I am allergic
- Champagne – I love Moet and Veuve Cliquot.
**If I am traveling, please keep this in mind and purchase something light and small – thank you!


text:
Huntsman Corporation CEO Peter Huntsman on Q2 2020 Results – Earnings Call Urethane Highlights
Peter Huntsman
Thank you very much, Ivan. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us. Let's turn to Slides 3 and 4.
Adjusted EBITDA for our Polyurethanes division in the second quarter was $31 million versus $156 million a year ago. This is better than we had expected at the time of our last quarter earnings call, when we then shared that our second quarter volumes could be down in excess of 30% versus the prior year and that our adjusted EBITDA could be about breakeven. At that time, while China was in the early days of recovery, the April actual and May outlook for orders outside of China in our core sectors of automotive and construction were very weak. The second quarter decline in adjusted EBITDA versus the prior year was not surprisingly driven by expected sharply lower volumes as a result of the economic impact of COVID and lower margins due to an increasingly competitive environment in the component side of our urethanes business. MDI volumes in the quarter declined 15%, driven by declines in the Americas and Europe, which are only partially offset by growth due to recovery in China. While a higher and more stable differentiated margins continue to hold up well, the volumes in the differentiated end of our business fell as COVID-related shutdowns across the globe negatively impacted our key markets such as insulation, automotive and elastomers.
However, we experienced a notable inflection in adjusted EBITDA within the quarter. Our Polyurethanes adjusted EBITDA was negative in April, slightly positive in May, and greater than $20 million in June as mostly construction-related markets recovered better than we had anticipated in the Americas, largely led by our spray polyurethane foam insulation business. Additionally, the recovery in China continued to pace above our initial expectations, specifically in automotive and insulation. As we have shared before, we estimate that roughly half of our Polyurethane business is impacted by trends related to construction with our largest direct exposure being our insulation business, which makes up close to 40% of our total global Polyurethane segment. Demand for greater energy efficiency continues to grow globally driven by increasingly more stringent building codes around energy conservation, more widely adopted sustainability standards as well as government mandates and stimulus into energy efficiency.
Our portfolio is well positioned to benefit from this expected growth within the global insulation markets. Polyurethanes is a versatile world-class insulant [ph] that has an ability to achieve an R-value well in excess of nearly any commonly used competitive insulation material. Insulation is our single biggest market, and we expect it to be one of our highest growth markets over the coming years. In North America, our fastest-growing business is our relatively new spray polyurethane foam insulation business that we have recently rebranded to be Huntsman Building Solutions, a global leader in spray polyurethane foam insulation. Huntsman Building Solutions is the combination of our 2018 spray foam acquisition of Demilec and our early 2020 spray foam acquisition of Icynene-Lapolla.
Upon closing the Icynene acquisition this past February, we immediately began integrating the two businesses. The integration of the two businesses is ahead of plan, and we currently expect to exceed our initial synergy target of $15 million. We are now looking for annualized synergies of $20 million by the end of 2021. Huntsman Building products now captively consumes approximately 125 million pounds of polymeric MDI on an annualized basis. The benefit of which is not included within this $20 million synergy estimated amount. Although Huntsman Building Solutions sales in the second quarter were down versus last year due to the temporary impact of COVID-related shutdowns, we saw improved trends as the quarter progressed. And in June, we saw a slight growth over the prior year. Even with the COVID impact, this business contributed approximately $15 million of adjusted EBITDA in the quarter.
Despite the ongoing near-term economic challenges, we still expected that our Huntsman Building Solutions business will be operating at $100 million of EBITDA annualized when we exit 2021. This growth in adjusted EBITDA will be helped by synergies, but also more importantly, through organic growth, including market share gains from traditional insulation materials in North America and internationally. While our international growth efforts are still in the beginning stages in both Europe and Asia, we've seen some early success and positive EBITDA contributions globally. It is a remarkable eco-friendly product, especially when integrated with our TEROL polyols business, wherein we take the equivalent of one billion used PET bottles, otherwise wasted as feedstock and produce a polyester polyol that is blended with our MDI to produce the best insulation in the world. This is a very compelling, sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional insulation products. We look forward to updating you on the success of Huntsman Building Solutions over the coming years. We have seen improving trends within our North American composite wood products business, rebounding nicely from being significantly down in April to being down only single digits in June. During the quarter, we also saw improving trends in automotive. These trends significantly vary by region.
Asia is ahead of the pack, ending the quarter at levels largely flat year-over-year. While both are still meaningfully down year-over-year, within auto, we see a bit quicker recovery within the Americas over Europe. Within our elastomers business, global footwear continues to be significantly weaker than a year ago as it largely follows trends in global apparel.
While we remain optimistic about the long-term growth opportunities for our Polyurethanes business, several key markets in the near term are likely to remain challenging and make it difficult to meet last year's profitability. This ability remains obscure and depends on the ability of broad global economies to reopen and navigate the various geopolitical challenges currently being presented by this global pandemic. However, we do expect some benefit from lower benzene rolling through the third quarter. Assuming this and if economic activities remain somewhat consistent with the trends we have experienced in June and are seeing in July, and I emphasize this is an uncertain assumption, we could anticipate this business generating slightly above $100 million of EBITDA in the third quarter. Let's turn to Slides 5 and 6. Our Advanced Materials business reported adjusted EBITDA of $30 million, down from $55 million in last year's second quarter.
The decline in adjusted EBITDA was primarily driven by 31% lower volumes impacted most significantly by volumes being down in aerospace by 48% year-over-year. Globally, build rates in aerospace are practically halted instantaneously in response to the global impact of COVID-19. For the first time in over a century, the North American and European commercial aerospace industry came to a complete standstill. This singular event caused a rapid build in the inventory from the airlines on through the supply chain to suppliers like Huntsman. We anticipate that it may take many months to work through this inventory. Once that is complete, we will luckily be supplying an industry that will operate at materially reduced rate for perhaps the next few years. Our high-margin DIY business, largely in India, was also significantly impacted due to the extensive lockdown in the country of India. We anticipate a recovery of our DIY business once the Indian economy returns to more normalized levels.
Sean Douglas
Thank you, Peter. Turning now to Slide 9. As covered by Peter, volumes were sharply down year-over-year. We also saw continued pressures on polymeric MDI margins, which largely account for the decrease in variable margins year-over-year. Margins in our differentiated polyurethane and other businesses remained fairly stable. We benefited from fixed cost suppression to the tune of about $20 million to $25 million during the quarter. We also benefited from cost reductions year-over-year, near $10 million.
As shared on our previous quarter's earnings call in response to the global economic conditions, we reduced 2020 capital spending by approximately 30%. We still expect to spend approximately $175 million in total to construct MDI splitter at our Geismar, Louisiana site, that will provide us meaningfully more flexibility to further expand a mix of higher-margin differentiated products within our North American business. Related to this project, $15 million was spent last year, approximately $40 million was projected to be spend this year and the remainder will be spend in 2021 and the first half of 2022. This project is still on target for mid-2022. Relating to the gain on sale of our chemicals and intermediates business, earlier this year we have paid approximately $10 million of taxes year-to-date and expect to pay approximately $365 million more, all within the second half of this year.
Frank Mitsch
I will definitely go back on the ancestry tree. So we're looking at a nice improvement in Polyurethanes from $30 million EBITDA in 2Q to $100 million in 3Q and you gave some color in terms of the improvement in benzene sourcing and volumes. I was wondering if you could step through a little bit more on the ability to continue that trend in 4Q and beyond, how should we think about that recovery in Polyurethanes, the sustainability of that recovery?
Peter Huntsman
Yes. Let me just comment a little bit on the third. And as we start getting into the fourth quarter, my optimism will most likely get the better of me. But as I think about the third quarter, we ended June somewhere in the low 20s, let's say $23 million sort of EBITDA for the month. And if I kind of triple that for the third quarter, you are at about a $70 million run rate. And I'm assuming that the third quarter will remain kind of the equivalency of June. Typically, July is a little bit better month. August is typically a slower month as you have much of the European and the U.S. market take holiday during that time.
And then you see something of recovery in September. So I couple those seasonal trends with an idea that as I look at July, I think that we started July, probably from a sentimental point, stronger than we ended July. I think that there was a lot more enthusiasm going into early July. Markets were reopening. People were kind of going back to work and so forth. And then you saw this increase in the number of COVID cases. You saw shutdowns. And I think that affected consumer sentiment. So as I look at July, I kind of started the month a bit more optimistic than how I finished the month. And as I said in my comments, I really do think this is almost going to be a week-to-week sort of a battlement. I mean if we have a really strong announcement about vaccinations or something in the next week or so, I think you'll see a lot of consumer optimism all of a sudden flow into the market. But anyway, so I take that $23 million of June, I triple that in Q3, I kind of come to $70 million. I look at the benzene benefit of around $20 million, that brings me to $90 million and I think that over the third quarter, you're going to continue to see growth, and you're going to continue to see synergies, cost cutting coming about in Polyurethanes. I give that number probably around $10 million. So that's why I come up with $100 million. As I look in the overall fourth quarter, we won't have that $20 million of benefits coming from benzene. But I do think that you'll continue to see the momentum coming of insulation and a further recovery, particularly of footwear and some of the apparels.
Now, I based that purely on that's where my optimism may come in here. But I think that you'll see a more fulsome retail recovery by that point. Maybe you'll see something of elastomers coming back more aggressively, automobiles and so forth coming back more aggressively. And I'm hopeful in the fourth quarter that you'll continue to see the core business grow, but the synergies and the growth of that business ought to offset the benzene. And I would hope that we'll see a fourth quarter number that in MDI, at least, that will exceed where we were in the third quarter.
Frank Mitsch
That's very helpful, Peter. And if I could just follow-up geographically on the Polyurethanes business. How are you seeing the trends play out? You'd mentioned that you started to see growth in China. Can you talk about that segment on a geographic basis and the outlook?
Peter Huntsman
Yes. I think that as we look at that on a geographic basis, I mean, as we look at construction insulation, which I think is perhaps one of our better focused businesses on a prior year basis as we look at Q2, for Asia, we really we were up our prior year by about 12%. Europe, we're down by about 12%. In the Americas, down mid-single digits. And as I look at that going into the third quarter I've got Tony Hankins here, who's our divisional president. So I'm going to ask him for some of the sentiment as to what we see going into the third quarter when we look at that on a regional basis. But I'll just say that as we look about what I would say are some of our stronger areas and areas of concern when I look at year-over-year second quarter. The ACE in the footwear, that's our adhesive, coatings and elastomers, growth in China growth in China, both year-over-year and over prior quarter, but 30% to 40% down in the Americas, in Europe, which tells me a lot of that is footwear. And you're seeing shoes are one of those things that people typically don't buy online.
They want to go in, they want to be fitted, and they want to make sure they're buying something. And until you see retail recovery, I'm not sure that you're going to see a great deal of recovery in that area. That's why I say but it may be in the fourth quarter, latter part of the third quarter, but I think that there'll be a material recovery because in Asia, which is a month or two ahead of Europe and the U.S., we saw 42% growth over the prior quarter when it came to these similar applications. Composite wood, again, we're seeing a strong growth in the second quarter over the previous quarter in Asia and pretty much flat in Europe. The Americas where we have the majority of our composite wood was down about 20% year-over-year and over to the prior quarter. But again, we're seeing I think we're finishing the quarter much stronger. In automotive, it's I think we started the beginning of the second quarter in a very tough position, down to 60%, 70-some-odd percent. And we're ending the quarter, second quarter, and I think at a much better condition of being down 25% to 30%. So promising trends, but still some tough market conditions from a macro basis.
Tony, do you want to just comment on what we're seeing going into the third quarter?
Anthony Hankins
Yes. Thank you, Peter. Let me just come back to your first question around China, where we see two real bright spots for our business. One is automotive. And we've seen quite a significant recovery in automotive compared to quarter two quarter two and quarter three last year. The premium luxury brands seem to doing well. We supplied BMW, Audi and Mercedes in China. We recently won the seating contract for the new the new Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai. And as things stand at the moment, I would say that in quarter three, we're going to see 5% to 7% growth over the similar quarter last year. So automotive is doing well for us in China.
The other area is insulation and construction, where the Chinese governments are investing heavily in infrastructure to boost domestic demand. And again, the growth there over last year we're seeing is very positive. So China has really been a V-shaped recovery in that respect for our business. As we look into quarter 3, and right now, we have pretty good visibility to the end of August, September. Obviously, it's very difficult to call with things that are going on. But quarter three plays out the way we expect to do to now. On a macro level, I would say that compared to quarter three last year, Asia is going to be down about 7%. North America is going to be down 5% and Europe will be down 9%. So overall, we're projecting around about 7% down compared to quarter three last year, which is honestly, significantly better than I was expecting a couple of months ago. So real positive trends here, as Peter said, in automotive, in construction and insulation.
And our furniture business, mattresses have been selling like hotcakes in North America, particularly over Amazon and Internet sales, we've seen a very significant uptick in our viscoelastic foam business. So all in all, things are looking much better than we expected a couple of months ago.
Aleksey Yefremov
In your construction businesses, did June and July benefit from pent-up demand that accumulated during the shutdowns? And do you see activity for new projects maybe flattening out or declining going forward or remaining robust?
Peter Huntsman
I think that we're seeing a gradual recovery. I think that in construction, I wouldn't say that it is robust, but it is probably of all of our segments. And in spite of the opportunities we're seeing in spray foam and so forth, I just as we look at some of our areas like appliances and our footwear and ACE and so forth, those things are on retail, still struggling quite a bit. If you look at construction, a lot of the DIY materials are doing pretty good. And homebuilding is pretty good. And a lot of the nonresidential commercial buildings and so forth, I think these are really tough to project. And I think there's probably as you can well imagine, if you're if you're in the process of building an office building right now, you're probably putting the brakes on that. And you're probably wondering if you really want to be building office capacity. So in certain areas of construction, you're seeing, I think, much slower growth than you would in home construction.
Aleksey Yefremov
Understood. In your comments about benzene being a benefit in the third quarter and fading in the fourth quarter, is this conservative? Is it are you projecting kind of benzene prices to keep rising? What's kind of implied by that comment, and could there be perhaps upside to that outlook?
Peter Huntsman
Well, I wouldn't say that there's upside to that outlook. I think where we benefited, when we looked at benzene in the first quarter, we were looking at when you look at it on a quarterly basis, you'll see that there was a movement of around $1 and change. When you look at it on a monthly basis, there was some really severe volatility, especially when you look at it on a monthly basis by region, there was real severe volatility. And we learned in the 2008, '09 recession when we were stuck, frankly, with too much benzene at the beginning of some when the alarm bell started to sound. When the alarm bell sounded here in early part of the latter part of first quarter, we sold off our benzene inventories. You can see that the price is going to be falling. I think that we probably did a better job buying in the early part of the second quarter than we normally would have done.
And I think that we had an extraordinary opportunity during about a 30, 40-day period when benzene prices on a spot basis were significantly lower than in the first quarter and are significantly lower than today. So that and as we explained on our last call, that inexpensive benzene that we purchased in the second quarter would flow through our economics in the third quarter. Now as we look at benzene prices, as they made it through most of the second quarter now going into the third quarter, those prices are more right around $1.50 to $2 per gallon. I think that's what we'll be probably for the next quarter or so. And I'm not sure that we're going to have any more benefit than what the market would be calibrating for, if you will. So I would say that $20 million is really more of a onetime benefit.
Michael Sison
Glad to glad you all sound healthy. In terms of the sequential improvement in Polyurethanes EBITDA to $100 million from 30-ish in 2Q. Is that all volume? And did component MDI and polymeric system margins stay depressed sequentially in the third quarter?
Peter Huntsman
Yes. I think that this is largely as we've said, I think it's largely continuation of June going to the third quarter. I think that you might see some component price improvement in Europe, where we're trying to push for some price improvements. But you might also see some erosion elsewhere globally. But no, as we look at that $100 million, we're not expecting to see a big price improvement during the quarter. And should something happen, I would just remind you, typically, if we were to successfully announce an August price increase, it wouldn't really be falling to the bottom line until the third quarter anyway.
Michael Sison
Understood. And then maybe…
Peter Huntsman
Excuse me, fourth quarter. Yes, fourth quarter.
Michael Sison
Right. Could you maybe just give us your perspective of where profitability for Polyurethanes could get to once the volumes sort of return. And you've added a lot of businesses. It's a different business from five years ago. So what's the best way to think about and rebuilding some of the earnings power for that segment hopefully in a post COVID environment?
Peter Huntsman
Well, I think that as we look at that business, I'd like to think that this is a mid-teens sort of an EBITDA type of a business. And when we start getting into exactly what does that mean on a dollars basis, I think a lot of that probably will depend on where your EBITDA and sales and so forth are. But I'd like to think that as we go back, looking at our $200-plus million sort of quarters and adding in the benefits coming from the building solutions and so forth, I'd like to think that this should be at $225 million, $250 million sort of a run rate business during normal times, but I would just remind you that just seasonally, I mean, we talk about normal times, that still is going to be a fluid number.
Kevin McCarthy
Peter, I appreciate the details that you provided on Slide 4 with regard to several of the splits in the Polyurethanes business. I'm curious, can you speak to the forward-looking outlook for the insulation growth, in particular, and sort of compare and contrast what you expect there in residential versus some of the challenges you mentioned in non-res on the office side?
Peter Huntsman
Yes. I think that once we kind of see a greater return to normalization, we expect about a 7% growth rate taking place in insulation on average and that half of that is typically GDP driven and half of that's kind of replacement of other products. And so I think this is about what we've seen in the past, and we would expect this to be around those levels.
Jeffrey Zekauskas
Can you talk about operating rates in the global polyurethane market? And do you think that some of your competitors, I guess, Wanhua, in particular, has restrained production and maybe those production rates lift up. How do you see the balance between profitability and production by the different urethane producers?
Peter Huntsman
Yes. Let me just comment. As we think about capacity in the second quarter, I think that as you look at MDI capacity, as far as we can see, kind of what's published data out there, Europe is running at about 60% capacity, Americas is probably at about 70%, and Asia is probably about 70%. So globally seeing about 66%. As we look at the Huntsman numbers in July. So again, these are just our numbers, and they're just for the month of July. And I'll kind of give you some idea as to kind of I'm not sure, we're too dissimilar from the overall industry, perhaps with the exception of Asia. We see our European rates in July going at about 65%.
The Americas going at about 75%. And Asia is, for us, about 95%. We're moving as much as we can right now in China. As far as what Wanhua and other producers are doing, all I know is, Jeff, really probably what you know is what they're saying on their calls, and that is I think they're probably doing the same thing we are, which is matching production with demand. So I but I just frankly don't know what plans they would have or what plans they have at the present time.
Matthew Blair
Peter, I thought it was pretty interesting. Your Polyurethanes volumes as well as EBITDA margins held up better than your peers in Q2. What do you attribute that to? Is that just a function of your more integrated business model and focus on downstream applications?
Peter Huntsman
Well, I'd like to think that it's due to the competency of the senior management team of that division and Tony Hankins, but sorry, Tony, I can't. I think that look, I haven't tracked our competition probably as well as I should. I'd like to think that more and more over our last couple of quarters, we've kind of pointed out the fact that we compete more and more with downstream applications. And this transformation of moving downstream is not going to happen overnight or even over a quarter or even over a year, but rather gradually. And I think that as we look at our ability to take 120 million pounds during one of the worst recessions, economic calamities we've ever seen, and to be able to move that downstream, and we think about our total volume at three billion pounds of MDI, we're already moving kind of 2/3 of that downstream right now, so call it, 2-plus billion pounds moves downstream, which leaves us with kind of one billion pound of what I would consider to be the polymeric commodity grade materials.
And as we keep chipping away at that and trying to add value to that polymeric, that's not to say that all downstream is good, and it's not to say that all polymeric we want to get out of. There's some great downstream polymeric businesses that we want to stay in. But by and large, we need to stay focused on adding value to the pounds we produce. And I think it would be a real shame if we added if our strategy was, let's see how many pounds we can produce. And every year, we've got to add 5%, 10% more capacity tonnage. I think we have I think Huntsman still has a long, long way to go in adding margin on a per ton basis. That's why in the Americas where we have our project Patriot where we're not adding more tons to America, but we're adding more downstream capability, more downstream tons. So I think very clearly, over 2021, 2022, our objective is not necessarily going to be how we sell more pounds, but how we sell better pounds and how we upgrade those pounds.
And we'll incrementally expand our capacity as we can, and as we have opportunities to enter into new MDI capacities that don't tie up a lot of our cash, we'll look at those opportunities. I don't want to say we're averse to adding more pounds. But I think our focus needs to be on how do we add greater margin, greater consistency, greater reliability to the three billion pounds that we already have. And if we can get that three billion pounds operating consistently at 15% to 20% EBITDA market or EBITDA margin in the coming years, that will be a unique global franchise. They're not just sitting here saying that we produce more pounds, but rather the most profitable pounds. Sorry, long-winded answer.
Matthew Blair
No, it's great. Could you also touch on expectations for new global MDI capacity. Looks like Covestro's pushed back some projects and IHS is now showing some longwall projects also pushed back. Are you expecting any major MDI capacity to come online from now until the end of 2021?
Peter Huntsman
No. I'd just be shocked if somebody was trying to add tonnage in today's sort of market conditions. I think it would just be a colossal waste of shareholder money, but that's just my opinion.
Hassan Ahmed
Understood. Very helpful. And as a follow-up, sticking to the whole volume sort of theme, one of the earlier questions was around the volumes you guys saw in Polyurethanes, MDI, down 15% or so. And if I were to take a look at some of your western competitors, I think that number was closer to 25%. And I know you talked about being further downstream relative to your competitors and the like, but is it also fair to assume your Asia exposure, just because, obviously, you talked about operating rates in Asia being far stronger than they were in, call it, Europe or North America. So again, I'm just trying to get a measure. Of that 15% to 25% delta, I mean, how much of it came from differentiation? How much of it came from your geographic footprint?
Peter Huntsman
I think it's a good combination of both. And again, I look to our competitors with a great deal of admiration and respect. I in no means I'm pointing out differences here. I'm not pointing out being better or worse or anything else. But I think as we look at our Chinese centric Asian footprint, one of the things that we've tried to do with that Asian business is to focus on domestic Chinese consumption of MDI. That's harder than the export segment of MDI. That's getting hit very badly right now. But in order to service that domestic market, you've got to have Chinese customer service. You've got to have Chinese tech support, R&D, sales, marketing. You have to build a real business in China. And I think that over the years, we've been successful in doing that. And I think that right now, that's benefiting us. If you remember, in the fourth quarter of last year, not everybody was so excited about our Chinese exposure.
But right now, I think that it's quite good. I think that also that our HBS business, our building solutions business as we look at that business going forward, I think that we have a lot of opportunities there, not just to manage costs and synergies and so forth. But to take more pounds of our polymeric and pull that through. I think that the focus of that business is obviously going to be the North American growth opportunities that we have. That's the foundation of business, but I'm really excited that in the first quarter that we've moved that those that tonnage overseas into Asia and Europe, we saw a positive EBITDA, albeit, it was quite small. But later this year, we will be opening the polyester polyol facility in Taiwan, and that will facilitate further insulation growth and so throughout Greater Asia, and particularly China. So I think it really is a combination of construction, downstream in Asia.
And so I mean, as we look in the second quarter, China was up 14% from a year ago. And Greater Asia was down about the same amount. And so as you look at that, so Asia all in all was up about 8%, which kind of so yes, I think having that China centric profile and position, going all the way back to the days when Tony Hankins was, I think, the lone polyurethane employee in China at one point, of really building that out over the last 30 years now.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4361597-huntsman-corporation-hun-ceo-peter-huntsman-on-q2-2020-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single« Previous Post Next Post »


text:
300 Ultra HD DTH channels by 2023Tuesday, June 17th, 2014
Global Uptake of Ultra HD via DTH to Reach Nearly 300 Channels by 2023
- New NSR Report Forecasts Ultra HD to Grow Exponentially after 2015 DTH Debut
WILMINGTON, DE & LONDON, UK — Northern Sky Research (NSR)'s newly released Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 7th Edition finds that by 2023, nearly 300 Ultra HD TV channels will be broadcast globally by Direct to Home (DTH) operators, with Ultra HD present in every region worldwide within the next decade. This exceptional growth will occur following the introduction of the first Ultra HD channels into DTH subscriber homes by late 2015, where consumers will be able to get their hands – and eyes – onto this ground-breaking content for the first time.
Utilizing this technology as a key differentiator against terrestrial and IPTV competitors, DTH platforms will continue to expand Ultra HD offerings. NSR's DTH7 finds that leasing revenues for Ultra HD content will reach $125M by 2023, and during the period of 2013-2023, cumulative leasing revenues from Ultra HD will approach nearly $500M, despite today having no leasing revenue attributable to Ultra HD.
"Over 3.1 million Ultra HD TV sets were shipped in 2013, despite a lack of Ultra HD channels being broadcast yet, with the exception of a handful of demo channels, as well as some limited content via IPTV and YouTube", explains Alan Crisp, NSR Analyst and report co-author. This shows the pent up demand for Ultra HD, and helps support the "chicken-and-egg" phenomenon that occurs with any new technological standard.
While the majority of these channels will be broadcast in established regions such as North America and Western Europe, East Asia is also proving to be a frontrunner. By 2023 it is expected that several dozen Ultra HD channels will be broadcast in East Asia, and even today the excitement surrounding this new technology is palpable in countries such as Japan, South Korea, and China.
"Despite the perception that Ultra HD is solely a "developed market" phenomenon, we anticipate that developing regions such as greater China and South Asia will also contribute demand for Ultra HD content," explains Blaine Curcio, NSR Analyst and report co-author. With this global proliferation, content providers will find greater economies of scale in producing Ultra HD content. In fact, all signs point to Ultra HD picking up significant steam moving forward, on a truly global scale. Further, we believe that Ultra HD, unlike 3D TV, will be able to sustain momentum and consumer interest moving forward, and will ultimately win out as the new "latest and greatest" technological choice for consumers.
Latest News
- Allegro DVT and V-Nova collaborate to accelerate LCEVC deployment
- Paramount+ arrives in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
- Nordic streaming customers open to subscriptions with ads
- Frndly TV exceeds 700,000 subscribers
- Pixalate releases November 2022 CTV app spoofing report
- Pixalate releases Q3 2022 SSP market share rankings


text: Andrea Scarpino schrieb: > On 02/10/2009, Thomas Bächler <thomas at archlinux.org> wrote: >> We can't do much more I guess. At least the conflict should be there. > added conflicts to -3 and uploading they...I am opening a topic on forum. > The packages are still broken, because they all use a wrong manifest file. But I already wrote that in a previous mail, please look at your original patch and see which code you deleted, then wonder why this code was there in the first place, and then do it right. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: signature.asc Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 261 bytes Desc: OpenPGP digital signature URL: <http://mailman.archlinux.org/pipermail/arch-dev-public/attachments/20091002/1b470ae3/attachment.bin>


text:
Raising kids is hard. And raising kids who are next-level geniuses, is super hard. Well, Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson strive to manage that in their upcoming sitcom, 'Outmatched.' The live-action family comedy revolves around a proletariat husband and wife, who are struggling to parent their four kids, three of whom are official masterminds.
'Outmatched' has been created by Lon Zimmet, whose previous credits include 'LA to Vegas' and 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.' Jonathan Judge is donning the director's hat on the show. He is best known for 'Life in Pieces,' 'Young Sheldon' and 'The Cool Kids.'
Outmatched Cast: Who is in it?
Maggie Lawson and Jason Biggs are the regular parents, grappling over not-so-regular family issues. Jason Biggs plays the role of Mike, a dazed and confused classic father who works in the construction industry, and has no idea about raising kids, let alone 3 recognized geniuses. His notable works include 'Orange Is the New Black' and 'American Pie.'
Joining him is Maggie Lawson, who essays the character of Mike's wife Cay, who works as a pit manager in a local casino. An acerbic woman, Cay is not going to compromise in the pursuit of making her haughty children behave normally. She is best known for 'Lethal Weapon,' and 'Psych.'
They have four kids running around the house creating a ruckus. 'The Grinder' fame Connor Kalopsis enacts the character of the eldest Brian (16), a toffee-nosed quantum mechanics expert, who snubs his parents, the first chance he gets. 'Lost in Oz' actor Ashley Boettcher stars as Brian's sister Nicole (15), a ruthless language expert who can deceive her parents by pulling sneaky tricks, to get whatever she wants. Jack Stanton, known for 'The Mick' plays the 10-year-old brother Marc, an anti-social and eccentric, Beethoven in the making.
'Beautiful Boy' fame Oakley Bull steps into the role of Leila, the only kid who isn't and doesn't aspire to be a genius, and instead wants to be a waffle. Right. A Waffle. You get no points for guessing why shares a great rapport with her Mom and Dad.
The show also features 'The Good Cop' actor Tony Danza, who guest stars as the retired grandfather with a steamroller personality. 'Saturday Night Live' alum Finesse Mitchell stars as Mike's co-worker and close pal Irwin, an understanding, confident, funny and desirable former jock. He is married to a headstrong woman, Rita. Playing Rita, is 'My Wife and Kids' fame Tisha Campbell-Martin. Rita is a force to reckon with and wears the trousers in her marriage to Irwin.
Outmatched Plot: What is it About?
The show is centered around two working-class parents Mike and Cay from Atlanta City, whose main focus in life is to manage their four kids – Brian, Nicole, Marc and Leila. Sounds pretty relatable, right? Well, three out of their four offspring are certified geniuses. The rathe-ripe kids outmatch their parents in academic brilliance and IQ levels, making it difficult for the mother and father to bring them up in a conventional manner. The youngest Leila, is the only one, whose average intelligence matches the vibe of the parents.
Mike and Cay are doing their best to manage a normal state of affairs in their not-so-normal household, along with balancing their work-life, and also dealing with the unexpected twists and turns life throws at them. But it isn't always easy with the changing personalities of the kids. The condescending remarks and demands of the three children, often result in ego clashes which fills the two adults' conscience with a fear that they're terrible at parenting and are "ruining" their kids' future. Clearly not the case here.
There isn't a right way of raising kids. It is always a case of trial and error, especially when you're dealing with entitled kids who feel the world revolves around them, and think that they're always a step ahead of you. 'Outmatched' replicates the challenges parents face, in a light-hearted and fun way without distorting the transparency, in the process.
The show also tries to depict the basic norm of how good parenting can produce gems like climate activists, professionals, kids who go on to save the world; while highlighting the question of 'what could go wrong?' if a kid is not brought up right. With the pressure of perfection hanging on them 24/7, could Mike and Cay weather the storm? We'll know.
Outmatched Season 1 Release Date: When Will it Premiere?
'Outmatched' season 1 is all set to premiere on January 23, 2020. You can catch the show, every Thursday, at 8:30 pm ET on Fox.
In a conversation with Boston Herald, Maggie Lawson, who plays Cay, opened about why she chose the show. She said, "This is one of the first scripts I read during the last pilot season, and I was immediately like, 'I want to do this one.' I thought it was such a funny idea. And I read the 'LA to Vegas' pilot years ago, and I loved that script, so I knew this was going to be good."
Talking about how the show is relevant in today's world, Maggie further added, "This generation of kids doesn't know life without the Internet and the iPhone, and the show is called 'Outmatched' for a reason. We have kids who are so smart, they are outsmarting us (older people) all the time. That's how it is on the set, too. The kids will be talking about something and I'll say, 'Wait. What? What did you say? I don't even know what that means.' These kids not only play smart in the show, they're incredibly smart. And professional. And good. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of intimidating."
Outmatched Trailer
Check out the first-look of 'Outmatched' season 1!
Read More: Best Binge-Worthy Shows on Netflix


text:
Camp Rotary Weather Station Data
(Updated every 10 Minutes-Refresh page for most current data)
Latest South Field Barn Webcam Image
National Weather Service Radar Loop
Fire Weather Index (Fire Hazard)
Short term forecast Icon based on current weather (Updated Hourly)
National Weather Service Forecast for Temple Hill and surrounding area
Weather Graph for past 30 days
Click here for Archive Weather Data (Daily Weather by month)
Astronomic and Seasonal Information
Weather array
6250 Vantage Vue sensor platform consisting of wind speed, wind
direction, rain gauge, barometer, 2 temperature sensors and 2 humidity
- Our weather data is collected and posted using:
is provided for informational purposes only. During a weather
emergency, you should never make decisions based on internet data.
Link to old Video from Site Webcam


text:
ODA area
Adventure and Landscape Zone
Rich and deep nature of Shikoku moutains hold this peaceful village.
Odamiyama valley, known as the place to see spring green and autumn colors, is located in Shikoku Karst Prefectural Natural Park. Through spring to fall, you would enjoy hiking, fishing and playing in river water. And in the winter, you would have fun with skiing and snow shoeing. Mt. Kasatori, nearby Odamiyama is also great spot to hike. Easy access, recommend to all generations. The highest Mountain, Mt.Ishizuchi is viewable from the top! In June, mountain azalea will be in the bloom, spread its deep pink through mountain surface. Giant trees are another charm of Oda area. Some are more than 1000 years old, welcome us mysterious energy.
Breathe deeply in this beautiful nature created by rich mountains, symbolic trees and clear water.


text:
Rich Hill revealed another strange Dodgers decision from the World Series
"There's a rhythm, there's a flow to the game that the starting pitcher gets into and I don't know if the World Series is necessarily the time."
A new light was shined on one of the controversies of the World Series by Dodgers pitcher and Massachusetts native Rich Hill.
In Game 4, Hill pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, putting Los Angeles (at that point up 4-0) in a favorable position to tie the series at two games apiece. Yet after striking out Xander Bogaerts with a runner on first in the top of the seventh, he was taken out of the game by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
The Red Sox promptly rallied as Hill's teammates were unable to hold the lead, falling 9-6. Boston went on to win Game 5, clinching the 2018 World Series.
The decision by Roberts to take Hill out was heavily criticized after the loss, with even President Trump included among those who disagreed. Afterward, additional information emerged about Hill asking Roberts to "keep an eye on me" before heading out for the seventh.
And in a recent appearance on Rob Bradford's WEEI podcast, the Bradfo Sho, Hill revealed another strange fact: He didn't learn for sure that he would start Game 4 until hours beforehand.
"That morning," Hill explained, saying that the status of Game 4's starter was "up in the air" until then. It was part of a strategy that Roberts considered using to throw off the Red Sox lineup selection.
"The funny thing is about that Game 4 is that I wasn't even going to start that game," Hill said. "They were going to start a reliever. So I think that was where a lot of the confusion came in for, 'Well, we don't know who's starting for the Dodgers, and we can't set our lineup.'"
"And look for me, I'll do whatever it takes for the team to win," Hill explained. "That's who I am, that's who I have always been."
Still, the 38-year-old admitted that he had his doubts about the strategy, which Roberts ultimately didn't go with.
"I was not on board 100 percent at the time for coming out of the bullpen for the second inning as opposed to just starting the game," said Hill. "There's a rhythm, there's a flow to the game that the starting pitcher gets into and I don't know if the World Series is necessarily the time."
"And we're not talking about the regular season, we're talking about the World Series."
Even still, Hill explained that his circuitous career prepared him to deal with unpredictable circumstances.
"I think that is kind of the part you have to adjust as you get older," Hill said. "My wife and I have been all over the place playing. We've been to hell and back and we're here, so really being affected by pitching or starting or whatever in the World Series is really a minuscule thing compared to many things that are going on."


text:
They say Santa's always watching. This year, we've got our eyes on him. The Times put together this interactive Santa map so your family can get that quintessential holiday shot, and the kids can get their extensive Christmas list off their chest.
Here's the breakdown:
The fun kicks off on Friday, Dec. 7, where Santa will be at Memorial Wharf from 5 to 6 pm for the annual lighting of Edgartown Lighthouse. Pictures can be taken on the MVPhoto Bus. Stick around for caroling afterward. This is part of Christmas in Edgartown.
On Saturday, Dec. 8, head to the Oak Bluffs library any time between 12 and 2 pm for a photo with the big guy. Or, go back to Christmas in Edgartown. Kelley House is hosting a Santa shoot from 12 to 1 pm.
Wake up bright and early on Sunday, Dec. 9, and have breakfast with Santa at the Wharf in Edgartown, from 8 to 10:30 am. Kids can get their photos taken, and they'll get a gift. All proceeds from the breakfast go to the Jim Lamberts Memorial Scholarship for Island students. Part of Christmas in Edgartown.
Next on the Santa tour is also Sunday, Dec. 9. From 10 am to 12 pm, you can head to Vineyard Vines in Edgartown. Disclaimer: This is a nontraditional Santa. It has been described to me as a "Santa Whale." You'll have to see it to believe it.
The West Tisbury Fire Department hosts a Santa meet and greet from 1 to 3 pm. See him, talk to him, and maybe share a cookie or two with him, all provided by the West Tisbury Firefighters Civic Association.
The Tisbury Fire Station is also hosting a holiday afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 9. It will feature a giant stocking raffle, treat bags, and a visit from Santa. Starts at 1 pm, and is sponsored by the Tisbury Firefighters Association.
On Thursday, Dec. 13, bring a food pantry item to the PA Club, and get a free photo with Santa. This is part of their annual Holiday Bazaar from 3 to 7 pm. The event features local artists and food available for purchase.
The Island's next Santa sighting will be Saturday, Dec. 15, from 6 to 10 pm at the Ritz. The gathering is part of their annual Christmas party. A $5 suggested donation goes to the Island Food Pantry.
On Sunday, Dec. 16, the PA Club is hosting a Santa visit from 1 to 2:30 pm.
From 3 to 5 pm on Sunday, Dec. 16, Santa will be on the Black Dog Campus in Vineyard Haven. Head to the Tavern for photos, and afterward, you can enjoy caroling by the MVRHS Minnesingers, cookies, hot cocoa, storytelling, ornament-making, and a tree lighting.
The Edgartown library is bringing Santa over on Wednesday, Dec. 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. He'll have special gifts, and a book for each child to take home. There will be holiday crafts and hot chocolate and kettle corn. Free and open to all.
If we missed any Santas, email email@example.com, and we'll be sure to put him on the map. If you're reading this in print, visit mvtimes.com/2018/11/29/santa-claus-comin-town/ to interact with the Santa map online.


text:
..despite Google's web prowess, it and other search engines have a very limited view of what's out there. (Some researchers say that search engines only show about 1% of what's actually available online!).
Source: www.truthfinder.com
Deep Web, Dark Web, Hidden Web… synonyms for the data locked away beyond the reach of search engine crawlers. You have to find the site and dig in using the local tools. Despite a bit of fear mongering, this is a clever article with an interesting infographic.


text:
Gabriela Artigas
The Details
In the spirit of the Rising Collection, the Twin Tusk is the interplay of duality and balance, of seamlessness without beginning or end – a manifestation of the Artigas' sisters' spirit and partnership.
- 14k Yellow Gold
Shipping & Returns – Gabriela Artigas
"Every piece we design is intended to connect back to past pieces, every piece has a story."
Gabriela Artigas
Gabriela Artigas & Company is a jewelry line founded in 2008 by sisters Gabriela and Tere Artigas, Mexico City natives based in Los Angeles, California. Modern and forward-looking, the line ranges from delicately minimalist to boldly sculptural drawing inspiration from their heritage, familial background in architecture and design, and an enthusiasm for the arts. Designed and made in LA using conflict-free diamonds and stones, each collection is held to the highest standards and produced in limited quantities to ensure quality and authenticity. Each piece is personal with a soul intrinsic in its structure, and intended to be used every day and stand the test of time.


text:
Class Pass Pricing
Solo STRONG1 class pass$15
STRONGER pack5 class passes$50 ( $10 / class )
STRONGEST pack10 class passes$70 ( $7 / class ) best value
Class passes are non-transferable and non-refundable. Class passes expire 90 days from the purchase date.
How to Get Started
- Join Us Drop in at the venue, or sign up online — class begins promptly
- Try for Free Your first class is free — no committment — have fun and enjoy the workout
- Get Fit With Us Buy class passes to attend future classes, earn rewards and benefit local charities
Have an account? Log In
Attendance Rewards
May-October 2022
After attending any 8 classes during the months of May through October 2022, receive a coupon code for $10 off a future class pass purchase.
One-time only, per attendee. May not be combined with other offers. Coupon code expires 90 days from date of issue.
Refer-a-Friend Program
1st Class FREE + $5 Referral Bonus
Invite your partner, friend, relative, or co-worker (age 16+) to join you in class. Their first class is FREE!
Class Passes & Payments
How will I know how many class passes I have remaining?
Visit your account dashboard to see your current class pass balance.
Attendance is taken manually. If applicable, 1 class pass will be deducted from your available balance within 24 hours.
Can my class passes be used for the outdoor, indoor, and the online classes?
Yes, absolutely! 1 pass = 1 class
Do I have to use all of my class passes in one month?
No. You have 90 days to use your passes from the purchase date. When you attend a class, the oldest class pass on record will be deducted first.
Can I transfer or share my class passes with someone else?
Sorry, no transfers or sharing passes with others.
Do you see, or store, my credit card number?
No. Our payment processor, Stripe, handles all transaction details.
Stripe may present you the opportunity to save a payment method for future use. This is completely optional and is stored by Stripe; never by Because Fitness LLC or our Internet service providers.
Will my credit card be charged automatically when I run out of class passes?
No. Your credit card will only be charged when you choose to purchase more class passes.
Will I receive a receipt for my purchase?
Yes. A receipt will be emailed to you within a few minutes of purchase.
The sending address is firstname.lastname@example.com
Do you offer refunds?
All sales are final.


text:
Zonta's Rose Luncheon Jan. 26
Tickets are on sale for the Aberdeen Zonta Club's annual Rose Luncheon, which will take place at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 at the Ramada Inn, 2727 Sixth Ave. S.E.
The gathering will feature a luncheon, entertainment, a silent auction and door prizes. The tickets are $15. The cutoff date for ticket sales is Friday. To buy tickets, call Mary Davis at 605-226-0534.
The Rose Luncheon is one of the group's two major fundraisers each year. Every October the club members sell See's candy. That activity and the Rose Luncheon raise money for scholarships funded by the Zonta Club.
The Zonta Club of Aberdeen, a group of 19 executive women in business and the professions, was organized in 1953. Worldwide there are nearly 33,000 members in more than 1,200 Zonta Clubs in 68 countries and geographic areas. One of Zonta's main goals is to improve the legal, political, economic, educational and professional status of women around the world.
To help reach these goals, Zonta International corroborates with the UN, especially with United Nations Children's Fund United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other governmental agencies, according to a news release.
Zonta International has established Zonta International Strategies to Eradicate Violence Against Women, a program to develop agendas to eradicate violence against women, to improve educational opportunities, and to increase awareness of violence against women and children.
The Zonta Club of Aberdeen sponsors scholarships for local students at Northern State University and at Presentation College through endowment funds established at both colleges. These scholarships are for a nontraditional female student with financial need. Each year Zonta also sponsors a scholarship for Young Women in Public Affairs for high school students. Some of the recipients of these scholarships advance to area competition.
Zonta International established the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship program to encourage undergraduate women to enter careers and to seek leadership positions in business-related fields.
Zonta Club of Aberdeen co-sponsors Safety Town for kindergartners with the Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department. The group also provides financial support for Safe Harbor, the Salvation Army and other local charities benefiting women and children.
The Aberdeen Zonta Club meets every fourth Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Ramada Inn. Officers for 2012-2013 are: Jacki Omland, Aberdeen, president; Mary Davis, Aberdeen, vice president; Lavonne Miller, Aberdeen, treasurer, and Dorene Nelson, Groton, secretary. Board members are Gloria Smith, Catherine Clinton, Joyce Beckler, all of Aberdeen, and Heather Wells, Conde.


text:
Go to advanced search
Browse site by subjects
Basket totals
Refine this search by
International bestselling authorA spellbinding tale of friendship, love and loyalty.
In 1920, 17-year-old Maddie Bright gratefully accepts a job as a serving girl on the royal tour of Australia by Edward, Prince of Wales. Maddie's talents soon earn her the respect of Helen Burns, the prince's vivacious press secretary, and Rupert Waters, his most loyal man, and Maddie is in awe of Edward himself, the 'people's' prince.
What starts as a desire to help her family, devastated by the recent war, becomes for Maddie a chance to work on something that matters. When the unthinkable happens, it is swift and life changing.
Decades later, Maddie Bright is living in a ramshackle house in Paddington, Brisbane. She has Ed, her drunken and devoted neighbour, to talk to, the television news to shout at, and door-knocker religions to join. But when London journalist Victoria Byrd gets the sniff of a story that might lead to the true identity of a famously reclusive writer, Maddie's version of her own story may change.
'A thoughtful, multi-layered tale that probes the stories we tell ourselves about family and friendship, power and control. MacColl's writing deftly – yet gently – explores the nature of courage and kept me guessing to the very end.'Kirsty Manning


text: Watch Special Football Helmets: The Last Line of Defense? 3m 35s Every NFL player is required to wear a helmet, but the helmets of today are a far cry from the leather creations from decades ago. Reactions looks at everything that goes into a football helmet and how chemistry helps keep players safe.


text:
On October 3, I will be in Rome to participate in an international conference sponsored by the European Forum of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Christian Groups. The conference is planned to take place just prior to the general session of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, Oct. 5-19, because one of the major areas of discussion at the synod will be same-sex couples and the education of their children. In preparing to attend the conference, I asked a number of LGBT Catholics and their supporters what they hoped this synod would accomplish for themselves and future generations of LGBT Catholics.
Not surprisingly, none of them looked to the Synod for self-affirmation. Not the gay couple visiting me from Australia who worked for the institutional church, not the lesbian woman who had been in a religious community but was ultimately rejected because of her sexual orientation, not the gay man who had been heterosexually married for most of his life and came to know and accept his gay identity much later, not the mother who counts the Sunday collection in her parish and who loves her gay son, not the 24-year-old struggling to understand personal gender identity, not the lesbian politician who came to realize that she needed to hear Jesus' voice, not the hierarchy's voice, in discerning, "Can I be a good Catholic and a lesbian?"
Most LGBT Catholics have spent their lives working through negative and condemning messages from church leaders. They now feel they do not need approval or recognition because they have achieved a harmony and serenity that comes only with self-acceptance.
One middle-aged gay man said, "I have moved on to live my life as I must . . . . As a result of a long journey in conscience . . . I need to live my life in a healthy, honest way, with love, and a respect of the truth that is at my core in relationship to others. I am freed of the negative pronouncements of the past . . . . I know I must live what I discern to be true, regardless of what the bishops think."
Another sadly noted, "No doubt, Rome's position hindered me from becoming all that I had the potential to become," but happily added, "I have been blessed in so many, many other ways and I am at peace with who and what I am."
Another said, "I am too old now. I have no dreams of getting married or having children. But I am amazed and in awe of gay and lesbian couples who adopt children. What a selfless sacrifice to make."
LGBT Catholics would be delighted if the synod accepted same-sex marriages, but they are realistic enough to believe this will not happen. They are thinking of future generations. They hope that the children of same-sex unions will have access to all the rights and opportunities of any Catholic, whether sacramental or educational.
All the folks I spoke with expressed some hopes for the outcome of the synod, not for themselves, but for others – for those "most susceptible to harm," as one person said, for Catholics in the pew who grew up in a culture that said, "Father knows best," for gay and lesbian employees in Catholic institutions, for parents who learn that their children are gay or lesbian, for young folks who struggle with issues of self-worth because of their gender or sexual orientation feelings, for those who are wanting to grow in their spiritual journey with God but cannot reconcile statements of the official church with their own conscience.
The hopes of LGBT Catholics are crystallized in Marty Haugen's song, "All Are Welcome." They long for positive words from their church leaders, instead of hurtful messages of rejection. Some feel accepted in their own parish, but they know that acceptance of LGBT people in all parishes depends on sympathetic words from higher authorities.
LGBT Catholics hope that the synod will recognize the variety of families in the Christian community and include all kinds in its pastoral ministry. After all, if Joseph was not Jesus' biological father, the Holy Family was a non-traditional one. Families are all brought together by love, not biology.
I think of the non-traditional families I know: a father, his daughter and her female spouse who both tenderly nursed the father as he died peacefully at the couple's home; parents and grandparents who supported Isaac in his transition from a biological female to a biological male; two married men who are lovingly raising three orphans who were abandoned by their biological parents. These are all families because they are united by love.
Pope Francis, they believe, has a caring and welcoming instinct and sees that his flock is hurting. He has told his bishops to "smell like the sheep," to feel for their flock, and to care for them when they are in danger of being bullied or denied work or a place at the Eucharistic table just because of who they are. If the bishops are to "smell like the sheep," their response can only be "All are welcome."
[Sr. Jeannine Gramick is a Sister of Loretto who has been involved in a pastoral ministry for lesbian and gay Catholics since 1971. She co-founded New Ways Ministry and has been an Executive Coordinator of the National Coalition of American Nuns since 2003.]


text:
Spell & The Gypsy Collective Designs Wine FOLKTOWN MAXI SKIRT S. The item "Spell & The Gypsy Collective Designs Wine FOLKTOWN MAXI SKIRT S" is in sale since Friday, January 29, 2021. This item is in the category "Clothing, Shoes & Accessories\Women\Women's Clothing\Skirts". The seller is "ma_belle_boheme" and is located in Seattle, Washington.
This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, Australia, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Bahamas, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay.


text:
Elephant Sands is a unique campsite situated on an unfenced 16000 ha private conservancy bordering Botswana's reserves and game parks. Enjoy viewing the elephants at their natural waterhole right in front of the lodge.
Back to Tour
Acacia Africa uses cookies to ensure we give you the best experience on our website. Find out more about our cookie policy.
The pricing on this websites is the latest pricing and supersedes any pricing published in brochures, leaflets or any other advertised price.
Download our Booking Terms & Conditions
© 2022 Acacia Adventure Holidays LTD. Website by Wildweb
Acacia Data Policy


text:
This is Item #12631
Scale: 1/64
Release: October 2004
Edition Quantity: 3,000
This unique Freightliner Tanker would make a great addition to your collection.
With its detailed side pump panel and realistic rear light lenses, the
workmanship is exquisite. Collect this model with the Jacksonville ALF Pumper or
Freightliner Ambulance.
All Code 3 Fire
Trucks & Emergency Vehicles are:
Brand New
Mint in Dome
Never Opened


text:
Wall Street Journal Expat
China Dialogue
Deutsche Welle
The Globalist
N24 Online
Zeit Online
Ten Years FT Deutschland
Cross-cultural diaries
CopyrightAll text and images © copyright 2016 Sabine Muscat. All rights reserved.
Tag Archives: Kathryn Ruud
Ten Years FT Deutschland. Part 10 (a): Obama's America
Apart from the crazy campaign year of 2008 and my occasional exotic adventures in other parts of the country, I spent most of my time in Washington, DC. From my leisurely neighborhood in the city's newly gentrified North East, I … Continue reading
A Domestic War of Words
The political debate in the U.S. has become so toxic that Democrats and Republicans can find it hard to be in the same room together. Congress and the media play their part in dividing the public. Some Americans do not … Continue reading
Posted in Americana Tagged Kathryn Ruud, Stop Polarizing Talk Leave a comment


text:
Pastor Cris Rogers introduces the course and invites us to become apprentices and followers of Jesus Christ, submitting ourselves to the will of God.
Do you find there is a disconnect between Jesus' life and our own life? Cris Rogers looks at how we can allow the Word of God to shape our hearts.
Do you want to live out the life and ministry of Jesus in your everyday life? Cris Rogers encourages us that, as disciples, we can be equipped to do this.
What is the antidote to stubbornness? Cris Rogers looks at how the church can be a place where wounded people can come together for healing and be reconnected to God.


text:
Custom Woods Design, Inc is a family-owned business established in 1993. The first manufacturing site was located in a small residential garage. A few years later, Custom Woods Design, Inc has grown to a 10,000 ft² facility where the manufacture and business practices occur. It is now a leading business that prides itself on delivering high quality and affordable custom cabinetry for kitchens, baths, offices, entertainment centers, commercial designs, etc. This accomplishment was achieved by providing clients with professional attention to detail to meet their needs.
At Custom Woods Design, Inc, it is our craftsman that makes the difference. Our craftsman acquired 20+ years of experience in wood craftsmanship and other related construction practices. All wood products are crafted and manufactured by these talented men at our facility, utilizing modern equipments.
Our designer has the unique creativity and expertise to enhance a client's ideas/sketches, and consequently, delivery products that exceeds their expectations.
All of our team members are very attentive to details in designing, creativity, wood choices, finishing, installation, etc. to ensure that the product reaches it's high standard.
Our Mission
We offer high quality and originality to each piece of our finished products. We value our customer's request and ideas and will offer additional creative insights for enhancement. We honor the collaboration with our clients to ensure high quality product deliveries.
We believe in building long-term relationships with our clients and plan to serve their needs for many years to come.
- We specialize in the crafting of wood furniture for Kitchen and Bath, Entertainment Centers, Wine Cabinets, Desks and Bookshelves, Fireplace Mantels, and many other wood products that fits your lifestyle.
- We help design and decorate the premise for an exclusive interior for your comfort
- We provide a broad choice of exotic breeds of wood to fit your essence
- We manufacture any wooden decor of any complexity
- We offer professional customer service to ensure quality and customer satisfaction.
Please refer to our photo gallery and local show room for examples of our work.


text:
From the European festival circuit, Black Venus/Vénus Noire arrives at the New York Film Festival, still without a distributor here. Thats a shame, for this is engrossing cinema raised even higher by thirty-year-old Cuban-born Yahima Torrès wrenching début.
From Tunisian-French director and co-writer Abdellatif Kechiche, this based-on-a-true story is not depressing, for its art elevates, but still distressing in the extreme. Things have not changed from its 1815 Europe, as the same racism, sexism, exploitation, greed, and nationalistic manifest destiny hold sway two hundred years later, unsoftened by seconds of end-credit sidebar concession of human remains repatriated for burial amidst celebration.
The lead actress man can do very bad things puts it mildly. Two ludicrously liveried blacks hired to show her London can do little, while prostitute companions merely cluck concern when she falls on hard times in Paris. Scottish M.D. Alexander Dunlop (Jonathan Pienaar) sees clearly but values cash, artist-anthropologist Jean-Baptiste Berré (Michel Gionti) gives her sketches and kind eyes but toes the line for racist academy head Georges Cuvier (François Marthouret), and bourgeois Louis XVIII salons applaud the woman as even the females ogle, fondle and go off into their own orgies. Mankind is pictured as a sorry lot indeed, morally inferior to the apes to whom men of supposed science would link Hottentot Venus Saartjie Baartman.
This period piece is not weighted down with visual details of an era and thus can resonate with wider issues. Freed from those usual financial and time constraints, the crew uses small sets to project sweatbox low English pubs and sideshow galleries, a curled-wig courtroom, perfume-over-body-odor soirées across the Channel and chilly examination rooms. Far more interested in filming faces with the least make-up possible rather than sets and costumes, cinematographers Lubomir Bakchev and Sofian el Fani use the close-up as it should be, and rarely is, not as gimmick become habit but, employed heavily throughout, to contribute in imaging the hearts within.
No face, and no person, stands out as does Saartjies. Given the stage act she plays within the story, and the foreign tongues that surround her, she speaks little. But her features, and especially the hooded observant eyes, more than reveal her sorrow, hopes, disappointments and self-control and the human dignity that lifts her above the astonished or lascivious or greedy crowd.
Facts about the life are few and not all that certain in laconic replies to a journalist or a judge: born near Boer Cape Town about 1790; a slave or perhaps ill-paid servant to Pieter Caezar and then his brother Hendrick (Andre Jacobs); a white lover who abandons her after their child dies, and a voyage to England with Hendrick, who leaves his wife and child at home to seek their fortune exhibiting her as caged, chained, growling bushwoman in flesh-colored tights and headband and loincloth. Next to their sideshow stall is that of another caged being, a black bear, operated by Réaux (Olivier Gourmet), who will bring the heroine, her owner/boss/manager/partner, and his own girlfriend Jeanne (Elina Löwensohn) to Paris, soon take over the whole show, and pimp the two women as erotic spectacle.
How far Sarahs (as she is baptized, in another humiliation) participation is willing, how free or not she is, how much she is paid, is never quite cleared up, despite a High Court suit brought by the African Association -- the institution of slavery was in fact legal in England until 1833, abolished more for economic than moral concerns. She relies more and more on alcohol and occasionally balks at her degradation, but no physical coercion is shown.
Beyond her exotic origin and stage performance, a prisoner of others projections and expectations, Baartman was a famous object of curiosity, and of fantasy, due to enormous buttocks and labia majora. She will wiggle her behind, even allow customers to fondle it--one woman pokes it with an umbrella--but insists on keeping covered her genitals which, in unthinkable indignity, will later be shaved and pickled.
One shrinks from the womans continued humiliation by civilization and is repulsed by those who cause or contribute to it for one-hundred-fifty-nine minutes. It is a tribute to the actress and, indeed, to those who bring this story to the screen, that Baartmans soul emerges intact. She encompasses both the unknowable mystery and the inviolability of the individual in this import that inspires as it angers.
(Released in France by MK2 Diffusion; not rated by MPAA.)


text:
Danica Patrick remained patient, even though the process of finding a ride for the 2018 Daytona 500 took longer than she expected.
But her go-with-the-flow mentality paid off, and she's in a "perfect" situation with several elements of her final NASCAR race coming full circle from her early days in the sport.
"It's definitely a relief," Patrick told For The Win in a phone interview Wednesday. "There's a lot of layers to it, and if not for the time it took, they wouldn't have all developed."
Before walking away from the race track, Patrick will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet – the same number she raced with in her first XFINITY Series race in 2010 – for Premium Motorsports at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
She reunited with longtime partner GoDaddy – which is also sponsoring her in the Indy 500, the second part of her career finale dubbed the Danica Double. She said she's "getting fairly close" to securing a ride for the IndyCar Series race in May.
Patrick is also back with her crew chief from her XFINITY days, Tony Eury Jr. They worked together from 2010 to 2012 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team, JR Motorsports, and Eury is Earnhardt's cousin and was his crew chief for several years too.
When Patrick's team suggested the reunion to Eury, she said he didn't hesitate and told her, "'Whatever my girl needs.'"
In a release from GoDaddy, Eury said: "It wouldn't be just any opportunity that could coax me back to the pit box, working with Danica and GoDaddy again at Daytona is going to be fun – when you can do what you love and be in your element … well, I can tell you, it doesn't get any better."
With so many aspects of her racing past coming together for her final NASCAR race, Patrick said it "speaks volumes" about the character of those she's worked with over the years.
She said she's also comforted knowing there will be a familiar voice in her ear at an unpredictable race track like Daytona International Speedway. Parachuting in for one more Cup Series race, it's one less thing to worry about.
"(Eury is) one of the most critical elements of the picture to really make me feel confident about it and comfortable," Patrick said. "I'm only going to be there for 10 days, and it's nice when you don't have to learn new people, and it'll just be fun."
"When you're in a good mood and you have a good attitude, it spreads throughout the team, and there's no doubt that Tony and I will get along great and be laughing. And that's going to resonate through everyone, and so in a short amount of time, I think that's incredibly valuable."[jwplayer SMuT7UEB-t2dCqACG]


text:
On this Father's Day, we at Meditopia wanted to discuss a topic that we believe is more relevant than ever to fathers all over the world. In recent years and in many parts of the world, fathers have started to take on a bigger role in the management of the household and child-rearing responsibilities. With this transition, just as the expectations around the role of a mother have evolved, so have the expectations for fathers. Part of this change has involved an ever-growing expectation for fathers to be more emotionally involved, vulnerable, and open within their families and communities. Yet these expectations are met with many challenges we all must help to change.
On behalf of our brothers, sons, fathers, and friends, we need to acknowledge and work through the culture of shame that stunts men's ability to be more emotionally involved and vulnerable within their family structure.
In this article, we'll discuss some of the main sources of fear and shame men often experience and consider how this prevents them from being able to be more vulnerable, empathetic, compassionate, and loving.
These are the character traits that were shown to be most prominent in how men feel they must adhere to gender norms and expectations in society. This study done by Mahalik at Boston College highlights the different gender role norms and brings to light what we have all witnessed and even perhaps participated in throughout our lives. And just in case you were curious, the main character traits women generally feel obliged to follow were: be nice, thin, modest, and use all available resources for appearance. Strikes an uncomfortable nerve doesn't it?
Think about the men and boys in your life. Do you think that any of them feel the pressure to always remain emotionally stoic, no matter how fearful, heartbroken, or unsure they may feel? The whole family can fall apart, but the men and boys must stay strong, be tough, and guard their families from further distress and pain. They should be the all-knowing, all-fixing, 'hold-down-the-fort' handymen of the family. Sound familiar? That's because there's still a deep-seated expectation for men to never show weakness or uncertainty. And in a world where vulnerability is still often perceieved as weakness, we can then never expect men to prioritize reason over honor, authenticity over reputation, uncertainty over control, and integrity over status.
An on-going study by Dr. Brene Brown revealed that many men are feeling this expectation to be more emotionally vulnerable and open with their partners and family. Yet even in delivering on this expectation, they still don't feel safe to let their guard down. In several interviews there were comments like, "I pretend to be vulnerable, but I keep it under control," or "I give her enough to believe I'm being open because if I were totally truthful about how afraid or out of control I feel, she would judge me." Brown went further to reveal that most men and boys she interviewed didn't feel this way because of the pressure they got from their bosses, friends, coaches, or even colleagues. The resounding answer they gave when asked from whom they felt the most pressure to be strong, physically fit, financially sound, and secure was: women.
As I read through the comments made by several men, I was hit with a flood of instances in which I had witnessed the exact behaviors they were describing. But truthfully, I had always somewhat dismissed men's problems, comparing them to the mountain of injustices and challenges women face. Though as I continued to read Brown's Daring Greatly, I realized that not only is it narrow-minded and unfair to compare one person's shame and fears to another's. In this particular case, by trivializing the feelings and challenges men face, I was not only exacerbating the patriarchal system which limited my own interests, but avoiding a conversation that I as a woman so vehemently demanded on behalf of my gender group.
"Show me a woman who can sit with a man in real fear and vulnerability, and I will show you a woman who has done her own work around vulnerability and doesn't derive her status or power from that man."Brené Brown
Think about the instances when you've witnessed or participated in reinforcing these limiting gender norms. Making fun of a guy for having no sense of direction, assuming the guy in the group would know how to fix something, telling a teenage boy to toughen up, or telling our young men that they need to stay strong and not cry. All of these received signals and demands over a boy's life soon result in the men who become fathers feeling unable to be honest and authentic about how they're feeling, what they fear, and what they need from their partners and family. It's the same crippling pressure we as women can feel to be demure, attractive, nice, and agreeable. All of these expectations limit our potential not only as individuals but as a society.
Let us consider the kind of men we want our boys and young men to grow into. The fathers that they will be are the boys that we are molding and teaching today. Imagine a world where fathers felt safe to be vulnerable, emotionally open, and honest about their uncertainties and weaknesses without fear of being shamed for it. Imagine a world where women didn't feel uncomfortable or cower at the sight of a man showing vulnerability. Imagine a marriage, where you can go home and know that your vulnerability will be honored as courage and honesty, and that you'll find support.
Yes, it will take work, a lot of introspection, and uncomfortable conversations with our loved one, but I can think of no better way to start a new tradition of honesty and authenticity within our family structures.
As Brene Brown said, "show me a woman who can sit with a man in real fear and vulnerability, and I will show you a woman who has done her own work around vulnerability and doesn't derive her status or power from that man. You show me a man who can sit with a woman who's in real fear and vulnerability, and I'll show you a man who's done his own work around vulnerability and doesn't derive his power from being Oz, the all-knowing and all-fixing being."