#Life coaching for youth in Virginia

[genzandulifecoach]

Certified Life Coach Institute in Virginia - GenZandu

If you are looking for a Certified Life Coach Institute in Virginia that can help you get certified, the Genzandu Institute in Virginia is a great option. They offer a variety of courses that can help you become a certified life coach, and they have a team of experienced professionals who can help you every step of the way.

How to find your passion:

Sometimes when we find ourselves unable to find motivation it is because we are stuck in a cycle of doing things, we are not passionate about. Therefore, knowing your passion is so important in going about our daily lives because it inspires us to find purpose. 

Here are a few ways to identify your passion: 

Create a list of your interests. What do you catch yourself reading the most about? What topics do you get most excited about discussing with others? Putting this down in writing is a great first step

Next, ask those around you what they think lights you up the most. It is easy to overlook our most obvious interests and characteristics so asking around can help us gain some insight. 

Lastly, ask yourself what makes you happy? Chances are if you like exploring your city you are likely passionate about travel. 

As always keep an open mind. Finding your passion takes time so be patient with yourself and make sure you have and try to have a positive perspective.

Allowing yourself to make mistakes:

Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone understands the value of forgiving yourself when you do. I always tell my clients to try new difficult things because it’ll force them to make mistakes. By getting things wrong you gain new skills and can grow in ways that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Here are some tips to help give permission to yourself to make mistakes:

When you begin something new and unfamiliar, recognize that it will take you some time to get the hang of it. Identify what you are unsure of and figure out a way to move forward from there. 

Ask for help. Sometimes we can prevent mistakes simply by reaching out before it happens. Asking for help does not mean you are any less capable, rather it shows you are brave enough to seek out assistance. 

Don’t worry about comparing yourself to others' abilities. Instead, think about how you did better than you did the day before. We are never going to be great at everything and it is important to remember this when we slip up. 

Truly you can’t go wrong with making mistakes, the worst that can happen is to become memorable. 

How to overcome procrastination:

While many students are in the midst of finals season, I wanted to share some helpful tips on how to overcome procrastination. To begin, you must be organized and prioritize what it is you wish to accomplish. Break your tasks down into manageable pieces and focus on accomplishing them one at a time. When you are struggling with procrastination it is often because you are thinking about all there is to do. Instead, focus on moving forward rather than on how difficult it will be. 

On a deeper level, our mind postpones or puts off things because it is trying to protect us from feeling something unpleasant. For example, students often avoid homework because they think it is going to be difficult or boring. Being driven by this fear of not feeling good is what is preventing us from overcoming procrastination. My last tip for getting over procrastination is to ask yourself “why are you putting it off.” Listing out your reasons will help you develop more awareness about why and help you be less fearful or anxious about getting the job done. 

How to identify your priorities and stick to them:

The other day I posted about how to overcome procrastination and briefly mentioned that it is important to identify your priorities and stick to them. But as always this is easier said than done. I always tell my clients to first distinguish between what needs more attention vs less. Then I ask them how would you like to spend more time/how would you like to spend less time? What is most important to you right now? And lastly, if you could do anything right now without any limitations what would it be? 

Asking yourself these questions and then picking out what stands the most out to you will help you narrow down all that you feel you must accomplish. Pick one thing from that list that you have identified as the most important and finish it first. 

This exercise can greatly help you find your priorities and feel a little less overwhelmed.

Why Choose Genzandu

Genzandu Certified Life Coach Institute in Virginia. This is a premier education and training center for life coaches. Offering a variety of programs, GCLCI offers a unique and comprehensive approach to life coaching.

We believe that life coaching should be accessible to everyone, and our programs are designed to provide you with the tools and resources you need to become a life coach. Whether you’re new to coaching or you’re looking to take your career to the next level, GCLCI has the perfect program for you.

Our programs are comprehensive and well-rounded, and we offer a variety of courses that cover everything from self-awareness to goals.

In case you need more details visit: www.genzandu.com 

[likelycatherinemay]

Diary 4/?

"It is what it is."

What a magnificently nihilistic phrase. My history teacher used to say it all the time. He was a sour man to his bones, and I think that's why I liked him. He had no time for the nonsense that life has to offer. Skeptical to a fault, he would refuse to tolerate students who did not come to class with an attitude attuned to learning. He, like many teachers, was forced to teach classes removed from his passions.

I've never liked to people-watch. People (maniacs) have told me it's great to watch other people living their lives on a day-to-day basis. The routine, the relationships, thriving, and collapsing all in the view of their species. And you, solitary you, get to observe the rising and falling action of someone's intricate arc. For a moment, I understood that when I was in this class. There are seldom opportunities in life to find someone enthralled with where they stand, or at least, I've found very few individuals who have managed to find the exact geographic axis they need to stand on the planet. For 45 minutes every day for two years, I would watch my history teacher live in Elysium. It was like when you watch someone stick their hand out the window of the car on a hot summer's day. They were momentarily liberated from the circumstances of existence. Through the patterns of tragedy and oppression, there was an unmistakable and founded rage against the injustice of the world. It was passion and desire made manifest. Perhaps it is because I grew up in a family of teachers, but it had always appeared that teaching was an unforgiving and unrelenting battle with the brutal circumstances of life. The ultimate battle of groups in which solidarity should bind to a common cause pitted against one another. A profession where the best intentions are whittled down by underpay and desperation from overwork.

He just left his job. He's a principal now. It's easy to see why. Frankly, he ruled his class with an iron fist. There was no room for nonsense in his class as he taught a class about the Holocaust and AP Human Geography. That no-nonsense attitude extended to his coaching, where I was a subpar runner on the cross-country team. For the runners who struggled because of their friends, getting in shape, or both, we were there for the vibes. He loved the team in that same no-nonsense way. Particularly with the hooligans that were "athletes" in the most loose of terms. It would have been easy for us to be an afterthought for him, but when the barrage of bits finally broke through for a smile from the stone wall, we knew we had won a battle in the struggle against his nihilistic nature.

I've used that term to describe him many times. Nihilistic. And it seems perplexing to describe him as nihilistic. At some moments, he loved his team and teaching, but it was unmistakable. The coach and teacher I knew scraped the bitter edge of existence. When something goes minorly wrong, "It is what it is." When tragedy struck his life, "It is what it is." When tragedy struck the world, "It is what it is." It was an unspoken truth he had gone through a tumultuous period in his youth before becoming a teacher. Despite his trauma-laden upbringing, he loved to get sidetracked by a good story. I had met many people who were convinced half of his life was a fabrication, too fantastical, too worldly to have settled for small-town West Virginia. I don't know if I buy it all, my sisters certainly did not, but I could have listened to the sweetest lies for decades. Now, sitting here in college writing this, it has the distinct feeling of a story from a friend you haven't seen in years giving you a little piece of their life. That feeling has become painfully common in my life now, but when I think about those stories, they feel like he was reminding us to live a great and terrible life. Make as many mistakes as you can and come home and hug your mom. Hug her as many times as you can before you can't anymore.

One day, he brought the entire cross-country team into his classroom. For my high school, it was an unusually spacious class for a history teacher, a result of teaching more general education classes beyond his sermons in the classes I took. We packed in to hear his message, the typical mix of jesters and athletes in tow.

"For a long time, my life was it is what it is. KInda you live and you die and that's it." He paused for a moment.

"Then my wife told me," there were tears in his eyes now as he paused.

"we are having a kid." The words barely left his mouth before cheers erupted. Unconditional love was the reason why he told us, and unconditional love is what he received in return. I'm not so sure he conquered nihilism, not that finding a reason to live refutes it as an ideology. Frankly, I don't know if there is some substantial reason for it all. The stars and the universe would not be rewritten by a child. Really, I just hope he knows how much it meant to see someone we all loved overcome life. Overcome their circumstances. It makes me love being alive sometimes. The world has to be stupid and grand and beautiful sometimes, so please let it.

I haven't read my book (Babel if you haven't kept up, nonexistent reader). Awkward. I promise I will have an update soon, so please forgive me. College is evil.

If it helps, I was listening to "Maine" by Noah Kahan while I wrote this. Ooh, and "August" by flipturn. Some other stuff too, but I'm not going to go all the way down the list.

It felt weird writing this one. After not writing or reading for a while, my mind tends to get jumbled up and confused. My writing devolves into pattern and repetition. Nonetheless, I'll never forget that meeting with my coach and friends. It might as well be another lifetime now.

I hate nostalgia, it makes me yearn for things that were never truly real. On the contrary, sometimes it reminds of when things were intimately tangible.

"I am leaving West Virginia for a while

Don't know why but every time I cross that river

Lord, there's somethin' tears me up, makes me wild."

[thxnews]

DOD College World Series Umpire Selected

Linus Baker, the Defense Logistics Agency Cybersecurity Director, has been selected as one of the eight umpires for the prestigious NCAA College World Series starting June 14 in Omaha, Nebraska. This marks a significant milestone in Baker's two-decade-long umpiring career.  

Linus Baker, director of cybersecurity at the Defense Logistics Agency. Photo by DOD.  

Linus Baker's Journey to the College World Series

Linus Baker received the call he had been hoping for while umpiring at the Athletic Coast Conference men’s baseball tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. After 20 years as a college baseball umpire, he was informed of his selection for the College World Series by the NCAA umpire coordinator. - Umpiring Experience: - Over 20 years in college baseball - Seven years in the Athletic Coast Conference - Umpired 14 regionals and five super regionals   The Competitive Landscape The path to becoming a College World Series umpire is highly competitive, with over 3,000 umpires in Division I baseball vying for spots. Baker’s persistence and dedication have finally paid off. - Selection Process: - Only 96 umpires selected for NCAA post-season - Three of the eight umpires for this year’s CWS are amateurs like Baker  

Challenges and Dedication

The journey was not easy. Baker faced stiff competition, especially from ex-professional umpires with formal training. However, his passion and commitment to the sport kept him motivated. "When you have a passion for something, you go above and beyond to be good at it," said Baker, emphasizing the importance of staying fit both mentally and physically.  

USA - Defense Logistics Agency Police. Photo by SGT141. Wikimedia.   Balancing Dual Roles Baker’s professional life as the Cybersecurity Director at the Defense Logistics Agency parallels his umpiring career. Both roles require managing people, staying composed under pressure, and earning trust. - Professional Parallels: - Overseeing a team of 300 at DLA - Mastering baseball rules and managing on-field dynamics - Earning trust in both fields Attribute Cybersecurity Director Baseball Umpire Managing people Team of 300 Teams, coaches, and game situations Staying composed Cybersecurity threats On-field pressure Earning trust Leadership and expertise Poise and decision-making  

The Selection Process

The Division I baseball committee selects College World Series umpires based on evaluations and a formal nomination process. Baker’s dedication and performance over the years have finally been recognized. - Selection Criteria: - Evaluations from previous games - Formal nominations   Baker's Love for Baseball Baker’s love for baseball began at the age of five and continued through high school and college. He played throughout high school and during his years at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia. - Early Baseball Experience: - Started playing at age 5 - Played throughout high school - Played during college   Military Service and Umpiring Beginnings After college, Baker served four years in the Army as an intelligence analyst. His umpiring journey began in Virginia, where he responded to a local newspaper ad looking for umpires for youth baseball programs. - Military and Umpiring Start: - Served as an intelligence analyst at Fort Knox - Assistant baseball coach at Fort Knox Middle High School - Began umpiring in Virginia   In Conclusion Linus Baker’s selection as a College World Series umpire is a testament to his dedication, passion, and hard work. Balancing his role as the Cybersecurity Director at the Defense Logistics Agency with his love for baseball, Baker exemplifies commitment and excellence in both fields.   Sources: THX News, U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, NCAA. Read the full article

[stopdrunkdriving]

This Day in History: The Death of Elisabeth Elliot

New Post has been published on https://drunkdriving.co.za/this-day-in-history-the-death-of-elisabeth-elliot/

This Day in History: The Death of Elisabeth Elliot

This Day in History: The Death of Elisabeth Elliot

June 15, 2023

by:

Lucy S. R. Austen

This article is part of the This Day in History series.

Courage in Death

Elisabeth Elliot had never shied away from the thought of death and had emphasized strongly to her husband Lars that “if I ever came in and found her on the floor not to call 911, but just to wait. Valerie and I had agreed to follow this.”1 So when, in the small hours of the morning on Monday, June 15, 2015, Elliot apparently suffered a major stroke, that is what he did. He consulted an MD friend, who supported their decision not to seek treatment and gave them a sense of what to expect. Lars and the caretakers stayed with her and let her know they were there with gentle touch. Lars got Valerie on the phone and put it on speaker so Elliot could hear her daughter’s voice. At one point Elliot’s namesake, her granddaughter Elisabeth, was on the phone as well. For the next five hours they read to her, sang to her, prayed with her. Her breathing grew shallower and shorter. At 6:15 she opened her eyes, closed them again, smiled, and died. She was eighty-eight years old.

The stone had been thrown, had traced its arc through the air, had slipped quietly beneath the surface of the pond. It was gone, and only gently spreading ripples were left to mark its flight. Eulogies for Elliot appeared in publications from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to the Fredericksburg, Virginia, Free Lance-Star and the Washington, Pennsylvania, Observer-Reporter, from Christianity Today to the Biblical Recorder. The funeral took place a week later, at Gordon College, where Elliot had once been writer-in-residence. Lars told the story of his wife’s last hours on earth. Phil and Ginny were unable to attend because of their health, but Dave, Tom, and Jim shared memories of an older sister with a hilarious sense of humor, a curious mind, a formidable work ethic, and an active, giving love for her family and her God. Her body was buried at Hamilton Cemetery, not far from the house where she had lived for thirty years, with an uncut boulder of New England granite for a marker. It was engraved with her name, her birth and death dates, and these words from Isaiah 43 (KJV): “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.” A month later there was a memorial service in the chapel at Wheaton College, where Valerie, Pete DeVries, and several friends spoke of Elliot as a mother, mentor, writer, speaker, and friend who was indomitable, loving, truthful, and firmly anchored by trust in the goodness of God.

Some ripples from Elliot’s life are easily seen. Her 1958 Life magazine article about her time with the Waorani was read by 76 percent of American adults. Over the next half-century, her books (more than twenty-five of them, available in thirteen languages), articles, CDs and DVDs, daily devotionals, radio broadcasts, and newsletters reached countless people around the world. During her quiet decade, bits of her story continued to find their way into pastors’ sermon illustrations, football coaches’ pep talks, family conversations, and youth group breakout sessions. As the Internet became increasingly prominent, references to Elliot blossomed online, everywhere from blogs with only a handful of followers to platforms including First Things and Today’s Christian Woman. Anime bloggers reflected on her decision to live with the Waorani. Hip-hop artist Lecrae wrote a song, “Elisabeth’s Interlude,” thanking her because she “pointed me to Jesus.”2 Through her role in telling the best-known missionary story of the twentieth century, Elliot became one of the best-known Christians of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Clouded Vision

Other ripples are harder to observe. The very ubiquity and familiarity of the story that made Elliot famous have obscured much of her life. On the Sunday afternoon in January 1956 when her first husband died, Elisabeth Elliot had twenty-nine years of living behind her. She lived sixty years after that, fifty-three of them after leaving Ecuador. In the course of her life she saw the first nonstop transatlantic flight and the first flight to the moon, the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the World Trade Center. The personality, heredity, home environment, religious communities, national ethos, and global events that shaped her also shaped the mark she left on the world. Elliot had been developing a practical theology and teaching from it for years prior to publishing her first, best-known, book. In the decades that followed, she continued to revise her theology and to teach it, not only through her extensive published work but through her massive correspondence. Her books are still bought and read; many of her newsletters, speeches, and radio programs are still accessible online. Her influence in the lives of individuals and the life of the church is still unfolding.

And what of the stone itself? Elisabeth Elliot. Elisabeth Gren. Elisabeth Leitch. Betty Elliot. Betty Howard. Bets. Betty. Bet. Elisabeth Howard the Great. For eighty-eight years, five months, and six days, she breathed the air, ate and slept and woke, laughed and cried, worked and played, read and thought and wrote, taught and learned, was mistreated and cared for. She was by turns bold and uncertain, judgmental and understanding, rigid and flexible, ambitious and retiring, foolish and wise, kind and cruel, closedminded and curious, changeable and faithful, misleading and truthful, sentimental and realistic, traditional and unconventional. She was complicated, which is to say, human. The Sermon on the Mount makes clear that in God’s economy, the life and the work, the word and the deed, the intention and the outcome, the public teaching and the private thoughts, are inextricably intertwined, and human beings do not always know what weight to give to any of them. To call your brother a fool can consign you to hell, Jesus says, while a cup of cold water to a child can secure you an eternal reward (see Matt. 5:22; 10:42). Elliot had weaknesses and strengths, she got things right and she got things wrong, and she did not necessarily know which were which. Nor do we. We are too small to see very far.

Everlasting Arms

But there was never any hope for any of us in our ability to reach all the correct doctrinal propositions or to limit ourselves only to the lesser sins. The ripples from our lives matter deeply, but they are not everything. The core of reality lies in the character of God: We are loved with an everlasting love. We are held in the everlasting arms.

In her biography of R. Kenneth Strachan, Elliot wrote:

God alone can answer the question, Who was he? . . . The answer is beyond us. Here are the data we can deal with. There is much more that we do not know—some of it has been forgotten, some of it hidden, some of it lost— but we look at what we know. We grant that it is not a neat and satisfying picture—there are ironies, contradictions, inconsistencies, imponderables. . . . Will Kenneth Strachan have been welcomed home with a “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or will he simply have been welcomed home? The son who delights the father is not first commended for what he has done. He is loved, and Kenneth Strachan was sure of this one thing.3

She was describing the reality of the human condition. She was describing herself. For Elisabeth Elliot, the foundation of life was trust in the love of God. Not trust that she would live, as she told her family all those years ago as she set out for Tewæno, not trust that things would go well, but trust in who God is. If the great hope of her faith is true, then in the end, the rings spreading out across the surface of the pond, the air displaced by the stone as it flew, the stone itself, are all held in the heart of God, where mercy and justice are never in contradiction, and all things in heaven and earth will finally be made whole.

Notes:

Lars Gren, letter to contact list, July 6, 2015.

Lecrae, “Elisabeth’s Interlude,” So It Continues, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/. 2.

Elisabeth Elliot, Who Shall Ascend: The Life of R. Kenneth Strachan of Costa Rica (New York: Harper & Row, 1968), 160–61.

This article is adapted from Elisabeth Elliot: A Life by Lucy S. R. Austen.

Lucy S. R. Austen (BA, University of Washington) is a writer, editor, and teacher who has spent over a decade studying source materials on Elisabeth Elliot. She has served on the editorial staff of the Spring Hill Review, contributed to various publications, and developed two high school English textbooks on prominent Christian authors. S. R. Austen lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and children.

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Go to Source Author: Lucy S. R. Austen

The post This Day in History: The Death of Elisabeth Elliot first appeared on Koa Sinag.

[jaydemayo]

(Central Virginia Sport Performance The Podcast)

Season 4 Episode 14 Jonathan Dahuya- “How we communicate is the generator for success”

This week I’m so fired up to welcome Jonathan Dahuya to The Podcast for a unique conversation about how coaching has led him into other great professional endeavors. Jonathan was a Division I strength and conditioning coach who has made a professional pivot into real estate and provides some great insight into how the coaching world has transferred to the “real world”. Throughout the 30 minutes plus conversation, Jonathan and I get into:

1)    A voyage that led him to choose another vocation

2)    Skills that coaches develop that have “transfer” to the real world

3)    Where who you are and who the staff/admin you work with may have a different view of what that should be.

4)    The value of asking “what do you want me to accomplish?”

5)    Aspects of coaching that provided issues in his family life, thus driving the decision to change professions

6)    What drove him to his latest professional venture.

7)    How coaches should practice what they preach about embracing change when they get to a point where they need to make a change.

I really can’t thank Jonathan enough for sharing so much of his voyage in and out of the coaching world. It’s a transition that isn’t easy on anyone, but we all should always happy to see someone find a better way for themselves, in and out of coaching. His path hasn’t been an easy one for sure, but one that I hope helps others have a better understanding of where they are in their voyage, and maybe take a deep breath and assess where they are in theirs. I know I did. To keep up to date with all that he’s doing make sure you give him a follow on The Gram at @jonjay.dahuya. If you did enjoy the show please share this with a colleague. If you haven’t please subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a review, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Who is Jon Dahuya?

Jon Dahuya is a former Director of Sports Performance who took a leap away from the collegiate realm to craft a life abundant in love and enriching experiences for himself and his son.

With a decade-long dedication to pouring knowledge into the lives of young athletes and learning from fellow coaches and administrators, Jon brings a wealth of experience to the table. Beyond the sports arena, Jon has seamlessly transitioned into real estate, infusing his passion for growth and mentorship into every facet of his life. Jon continues to apply the coaching tools honed over the years to his real estate business, stays sharp as a coach by working with local youth athletes, and lends his expertise to coaching athletes associated with Fil-Nation Select & the Philippines Youth National Basketball teams.

[weshipyourride]

Meet Bikeflights Ambassador Sydney Wenger

Working a full-time career and racing mountain bikes at an elite level can be two conflicting endeavors, but Bikeflights Ambassador Sydney Wenger has found a way to make them complementary.

Sydney is a fifth grade teacher in the Roanoke, Virginia area, and she’s found a unique way to leverage her passion outside the classroom to enhance her effectiveness inside the classroom.

“I feel that being competitive in a sport helps me connect with my students in a way most teachers cannot,” said Sydney. “Many students at this age have high hopes for their futures, and I may be one of the only adults in their life who they know striving to be the best they can be or simply even following their passion.”

Sydney grew up in Ohio in a competitive cycling family, but was focused on swimming for much of her youth. Although she spent a significant amount of time immersed in the mountain bike race scene while both of her parents raced at a high level, it wasn’t until college that Sydney refocused her competitive aspirations on cycling.

“At this point, I had been swimming for 15 years and was burnt out,” she said. “When looking for colleges, I was originally going to be a dual sport athlete with cycling and swimming. Then, the cycling coach saw me ride and convinced me to just join the cycling team.”

Sydney competed in mountain biking for Union College in Kentucky, and later transferred to King University in Tennessee, giving her the opportunity to expand on her cycling disciplines into cyclocross and road racing. She graduated with a degree in Early Childhood education, but not before winning a national championship at USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals and earning first in her age group at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

In 2022, Sydney got the opportunity to race in the UCI World Cup at Snowshoe, West Virginia, competing in both the Olympic cross country and short track cross country, inspiring her to commit to UCI races across the US in 2023. Her plans to compete in five states made her a great fit for Bikeflights Ambassador program as she looked for ways to simply her travel logistics.

While she earned some prideworthy results in 2023, Sydney finds the most exciting thing about her cycling career is the opportunity to find new challenges and the opportunity to share those challenges with her students.

“After every race weekend, good or bad, I love going back on Monday and talking about how it went. They are always so happy and excited with what I have done, no matter how I placed.”

One such new challenge that was sure to be a great story for her students was the Garage Racing National Championships back in April, a unique race taking place in an underground parking garage in Arlington, Virginia.

“It was so much fun! Who can say they have ever been to a Garage Racing National Championships? I would say that considering I never race my road bike, I was pretty unprepared, but I did have a blast. I would love to go back next year!”

Despite having ridden her road bike exclusively on a stationary trainer during the previous two years, Sydney rolled through in fourth place.

But specific results are not the lesson Sydney brings back to her students with the stories of her race weekends.

“Even if I'm not winning races, I am still putting myself out there and showing them that you can do anything with hard work.”

[jayhorsestar]

re.miss 'dove pic, silver nails 'coach, and golden buckle on a black leather purse, sort of reply to 'mariaisabel pic of the gold ring and diamonds 'coco-chanel, vs the pink leather purse magnetic clasp and buckle logo in gold 'coco-chanel. ystdy, on a thursday. both are heavy pics. and several layers, and 'dove seemed even deeper. and w/ relay to PART 2 of 'Purple Hearts which might never be scheduled because apparently 'galitzine was trying negotiating like a jew, or an irish, and him from UK, not born in the USA (royalties eligible). and 'cameron was trying to say just like acting 'i need to have all sort of hashes onto my globally owned servers GSK Corp. London, playing UK fella w/ money. which 'dove added 'sometimes he just wasn't.. sort of smiling to sex affairs records of youth and past. so in view of JUNTAH jobs and retirement estimated shadow 60 yrs+ according to RO Law, sometimes cloth placed upon moto-bikes tyres keep those warm b4 racing, or cloth placed on horses back, keep them warm b4 races, or cloth placed on-top rocket engine bells to cover up against dusty railroad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (horizontal travel). or leather gloves worn when driving the GT car, or cloth placed onto USNAVY Virginia class USSN submarines when in dry-dock, or drawn sketches of cruises ship never mentioning the minus 3 and minus 4 decks, where deck zero is water level, the port pier level. so never revealing the five or four shaped propeller, and subs a seven type single shaft propeller. the more blades, the chiller the water, the more dense, the lesser speed, the more torque, thus Miami Cigarettes speed boats, usually three blades props only. that CLOTH could be a Luis Vuitton wine (champagne) bag. the way Luis Vuitton begun its journey. a branded wine bag for a region certified sparkling wine called Champagne. Hollywood Studios could not offer all its actors and writers the warranties of JUNTAH 401(k) jobs, w/ all the papertrail of a Labor chamber and hustle of unemployment aid. several indeed, yet not all. a NATION could not PROTECT art and movies and cinema and fantasies to such a fine degree as ALL artists would had been shadowed at JUNTAH for 60+ years of career, and to the minimum wage at California GDP. and mebbe was partly also a SECRET, in the past, not to reveal the ARMY of STUNT takers. those STUNT makers were definitely seen by JUNTAH just like FEMA and fighting fires in HAITI, or POLAND sending out to GREECE convoy of firefighting squads for forest fires (ie.2019-2020). Emmerich Liptak our old gardener friend of HH Hamburg now in Swiss, was doing such jobs back during late 70s early 80s, filming stunts at Buftea studios, Bucharest north. so becoming a MILLIONAIRE at HOLLYWOOD, should had always been seen as JUNTAH reserved its right to waive any claims over that ACTOR career, and allow so instead of an ESTIMATED shadow 60+ yrs scheme, the 'LET-GO, and fella choice over living his life as a COACH seat on a plane, or a BUSINESS class seat on same plane. from BANK interest paid, and perhaps added several forfeit cash from certain investment into trust funds, or assimilated 'commodities. even gambling and speculating, to a certain point of assuming risks. longer or shorter retirement happy life. that be the GOLD ring C-C of 'mariaisabel agains pink purse of European Union approach, which never seemed to say OK, I LET YOU DECIDE YOUR OWN LIFE. YOU WERE BORN FREE. and that be also 'dove cameron relay, only multi-layered, silver wedding, gold wedding, MTV cosmonaut vs Hollywood Oscar, coach nails vs gold buckle (his word, his tongue). m

[sry-chrlie]

a treatise on charlie north

Yeah, so I’m already dead on the inside, but I can still pretend. With my memories and photographs, I’ve learned to love the lie.

july 4th, 1999 - cancer ♋︎ 

Born on the fourth of July, Charlie has always been a firecracker - it’s not just a joke about his red hair. He’s a frat boy with a heart of gold; obnoxious, apathetic, and irreverent, but also loyal, emotional, and protective. 

likes: uppers, downers, scripts, driving fast, playing the keyboard, recklessness, breaking and entering, random hookups, hockey, late night phone calls, sad country music, expensive name brand clothing, indie movies, goofing off, general tomfoolery. dislikes: talking about feelings, being alone, processing his own thoughts, reading books, cleaning, debbie downers, the taste of gin, belligerent drunks, do not enter signs, the cops, authority, skunk weed

the north family, who live among gravewood’s elites

tw: mentions of domestic & child abuse

Talia North: A stay-at-home mother for most of Charlie’s life and now a budding jewelry maker, Talia is a native Samoan woman who moved to the United States with her parents in the 80s. She is quiet, traditional, and conservative, acting as the great mitigator of the North trio, often there to calm tempers but never making any decisive moves against her husband. She has an incredible ability to keep up appearances, acting the local social butterfly and smoothing over any concerns that her husband was ever a little too harsh on his son. Charlie’s relationship with her is affectionate but complicated.

Marshall North: One of West Virginia’s two state senators and Charlie’s father. A Republican on the conservative side of conservative, Marshall is a commanding presence in any room. During Charlie’s youth, he was both the local Scout master and hockey coach - always setting high expectations for his son, always hard on him when Charlie inevitably failed to live up to those expectations. He has been both physically and emotionally abusive for much of Charlie’s existence. Charlie has an on and off relationship with his father that is currently very off. 

if you knew Charlie in childhood, you knew...

A cub scout. A young hockey star. A rascal who jumped off too-high ledges, made a game out of everything, and constantly got into fights he knew he couldn’t win. He was an upstanding boy, the type of kid old ladies love, if not a bit too energetic. His treehouse was where the coolest kids in the neighborhood hung out every afternoon (see: The Troubadour and The Loose Cannon). 

Charlie was diagnosed with asthma at a young age, which was later on discovered to be an acute anxiety disorder, and has since been on medication to treat anxiety and panic attacks.

memorable moment: As a former ski resort destination, Gravewood has always been more into hockey than the average West Virginia town, and Charlie was their North star. With his father as his coach, he excelled in the junior league, skating circles around boys far older than him. One year, he was briefly recruited for the National Junior League, to play in a tournament in Minnesota. Representing the southern regional division, Charlie outshone his competition and brought home a gold trophy. It was the moment all of Gravewood knew this kid was going places.

if you knew Charlie as a teen, you knew...

The places Charlie was going were all downhill. After an “accident” during hockey practice when he was 14 (the details of which are fuzzy to other people but involve his father checking him into the side of the rink), Charlie was out of the game - physically, with an arm broken in two places, and mentally. The cub scout quickly vanished, replaced by a son constantly determined to rebel against his parents.

With a father always away in DC and a mother who turned a blind eye, it was easy. Teenage Charlie was a partier, always holding absolute bangers in the basement of his parents’ house. He was a generous host - anything you wanted, you could find at one of Charlie North’s parties; booze, drugs, a warm body... it was all there, every weekend, for the taking. 

Charlie quit every organization he’d been part of, avoided the ice rink, and no longer made an attempt in school. He was a chronic skipper, who would rather race his fancy Tesla down Gravewood’s back roads than show up for Math class. 

memorable moments: Charlie was once banned from the public pool for breaking in at night to have sex with his then girlfriend. He was briefly employed at The Afterlife theater, where the owner would let him play weird arthouse films on slow nights (viewed after a dose of acid), but got fired because he never actually did any work. He was often fond of sneaking into places he should not be; like Gigi’s Cabaret with his fake ID or the old fairgrounds that were abandoned in the dead of Winter.

if you knew Charlie in college, you knew...

A frat brother like any other. A mediocre hockey player. Charlie got into Duke University with the help of his father’s wealth, influence, and legacy... and the promise that he would play for the Duke Blue Devils. He put in the bare minimum amount of effort, coasting through college the same way he did through high school: partying and making many attempts to see how long one could black out before it became concerning to the people around them (the answer is still pending). 

tw: suicide, suicidal ideation

memorable moments: Charlie was nearly forced to take leave from school for making an attempt on his own life at a party. He got away with it by convincing school staff and a psychiatrist that he had gotten too high and thought what he was doing was a funny goof, which is still the story he tells if anyone questions the thick, jagged scar running down his wrist. 

if you knew Charlie a year ago, you knew...

A senatorial aide working on his father’s staff in DC. Despite his many attempts to sabotage his own life, Charlie was dragged by his father all the way to adulthood, into an existence that reflected the North patriarch’s perfectly. Charlie only worked there briefly before things inevitably blew up and Senator North’s PR people had to work overtime to bury the scandal of the father and son's nasty brawl. Charlie was fired and back in Gravewood, having finally exhausted his father’s desire for a legacy. 

Charlie now...

He lives in an expensive apartment building (as nice as it gets in Gravewood, at least), driving this year’s Tesla release and pretending everything is normal and okey-dokey. He is directionless, coasting through life the way he always has and battling the idea that it might be time to figure out who he actually is and who he wants to be. Unbeknownst to the Gravewood populace, he spends four nights a week hosting a local nighttime radio show where folks can call in and request songs or ask for advice from a DJ called ‘The Mothman’. 

connections;    aesthetic;    playlist;

[davidshawnsown]

MESSAGE IN HONOR OF THE 76TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE HISTORIC RAISING OF THE NATIONAL FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ATOP THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT SURIBACHI IN IWO JIMA

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America and Canada, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women, reservists and families of the entire United States Armed Forces and Canadian Armed Forces, and to all the uniformed military and civil security services of the Allied combatants of this conflict, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, agriculture, business, tourism and the press, and to all our people of the free world:

Today, the whole world remembers among others the arrival in 1778 of the great Prussian general Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben to the Continental Army quarters in Valley Forge, the beginning of the historic siege of The Alamo in 1836, and the anniversary of the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista, the 1905 formation of the Rotary Club, the beginning of the February Revolution and the formation of the Federal Communications Commission in 1917, the Miracle on Ice of 1980 and the attempted coup by several officers of the Spanish Civil Guard in the Cortes in 1981.

Today we join in the celebrations of the 51st anniversary since the declaration of the Republic of Guayana in 1970, the one hundredth and third  year  anniversary of the 1918 declaration of independence of the Republic of Estonia and the thirty-seventh year anniversary of the independence of Brunei Darussalam in 1984, as well as the 7th year anniversary of the closing of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games and the victory of the Ukrainian Euromaidan Revolution of 2014.

On this day in 1945 the Red Army and the Polish Armed Forces in the East ended the Nazi occupation of Poznan, the Philippine capital city of Manila was liberated from the Japanese despite its wartime damages and at the cost of so many lives, the Los Banos internment camp in the namesake town in Laguna Province was found and its POWs then liberated by a joint force of Filipino guerillas and American soldiers from the US Army’s 11th Airborne Division, and the RAF Bomber Command destroyed Pforzheim from the air.

Today marks 76 years since Easy Company, 2/506, 3BCT, 101ABN departed from Hagenau in northeastern Alsace, France, after weeks of helping its liberation and reinforcing its defenses against any remaining German resistance. Easy Company’s deployment in this part of France just miles from the Rhine was marked by times of sadness and joys among its men, most notably the return of Market Garden veteran David Webster and the promotion of some of its veteran officers.

And today, ladies and gentlemen, in these changing times in the long history of our planet and of all humankind,  together with the thousands of serving men and women of the United States Marine Corps, we celebrate 76 years since the historic moment that forever has been a part of the heritage of the Marine Corps and the long 245 year history of the United States of America: the diamond jubilee anniversary since the very day that the national flag of the United States of America was raised on the peak of  Mount Suribachi in the Japanese island of Iwo Jima.  What we are celebrating today is now in the clear light of the recent revelations of the United States Marine Corps which was made public on June 23 of 2016 and later on in 2019 thanks to efforts made by historians and history experts and resource persons concerned, ending years of speculation and mystery surrounding the events of this this battle that is, for all generations, part of the history of not just the Corps, but of the entire United States Armed Forces. It is a battle that deserves our profound remembrance and commemoration, and a historic moment that will be always remembered for all our generations.

The six Marine flag raisers of Iwo Jima,  Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporals Harold Keller and Harlon Brock, and Privates First Class Ira Hayes, Franklin R. Sousley and Harold Schultz, all of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division, all participants of the heroic landing and battle for the liberation of Iwo Jima from the military might of the Empire of Japan, are the very people that represented the hundreds of thousands of Marines of V Amphibious Corps who fought on that island together with their fellow servicemen of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and the National Guard Bureau. It was these six servicemen who represented the millions of Marines who fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations, as well as serving in Navy and Coast Guards vessels in all theaters of the war. It was they who represented the diversity of peoples from all walks of life and from ethnicities and nationalities who during the long war served as part of the victorious armed forces, resistance organizations and security forces of the Allied Powers. It was they who on this day 76 years ago, chosen by destiny to stand on behalf of millions of Americans, flew the flag of the nation on the summit of Mount Suribachi and became part of the long and cherished memories of a victory that will last forever. It was this flag raising that would be forever be immortalized in the 2005 movie Flags of our Fathers.

These six men, who came from different parts of the United States, were the ones who 76 years past raised our symbol of liberty and independence in the summit of Mount Suribachi, motivated by the foremost wishes of the then Secretary of the Navy, James Forestal, that the Iwo Jima campaign be symbolized by the flying of the national flag not just as symbol of the power and dignity of the Armed Forces and as proof of the American liberation of the island, but also to show the world that the United States Marine Corps has once more performed to the world its primary responsibilty of perfoming amphibious conventional and un-conventional warfare operations for the sake of the defense of the people and government of the United States, its foreign interests and business abroad and in defense of its overseas diaspora and the freedoms and liberties of millions all over the world. The historic flag raising that we remember today is just  part of a long history of faithful service of the branch of the Armed Forces to the nation and people of the United States from its beginnings in 1775 during the Revolutionary War under the authority of the Second Continental Congress to overseas operations today in Iraq and Afghanistan and in support of federal, state and regional authorities in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing vaccination program in the United States and it its military bases abroad. Once more it honors the memory of the heroes and martyrs of one of the greatest military operations in United States history, and the legacy of the heroic valor shown in this island has been forever immortalized in stone in the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, for over six and a half decades.

As we recall the flagraisers of Iwo Jima, we today recall the legacy they left to our country and people on this very day in our history as they threw open the doors of victory and peace that would in just a few months be upon the world with the victory over the Axis Powers, first in Europe and Northern Africa, and then in the Asia-Pacific.

We will never forget that these six Marines, whose contributions to the legacy of the defense and security of our nation were made on this day, were among those who were worthy to ensure the fierce physical and mental training required to be United States Marines and thus made themselves part of the long and distinguished history of this institution. In these changing times of our history, by our acts of remembrance and honor in memory of the events of the long battle for the liberation of Iwo Jima against the forces of the Empire of Japan, we never forget to remember the heroic actons done during the days of this great battle and most especially the six thousand American military servicemen who perished in this tiny island for the sake of the freedoms, dreams and aspirations not just of the people of the United States of America but also of all the millions of people of the free world. These Marines, together with those who served with them in V Amphibious Corps, are once more a reminder to the nation and the world of the patriotic and internationalist duties of the men and women of our armed forces, whether be active or reserve, together with the National Guard and the state defense forces and state naval forces, in the defense of the independence and liberty of millions all over the world and of both American and common international interests, and the responsibility of all Americans to help not just in national defense but in the building of national prosperity, security and safety, preservation of the country’s religions and cultures, safekeeping the enviroment and the sites of national importance, and becoming active in sports and recreation, as well as in spreading the values of our nation and people to millions all over the world.

The legacy left today by these men in scarlet and dark blue, which has become a part of our military historic and patriotic patrimony and heritage as a people and nation, and a eternal memory of the millions who fought and died in the Second World War, reminds us that as one people we owe a lot to the men and women of our Armed Forces and the National  Guard and their veterans in the defense of the ideals of freedom and independence of our country and its continued existence amongst the community of united and independent nations of the world.

Ladies and gentlemen and people of our free world: 

As one united people, in the midst of the worst pandemic in human history, it is with deep respect and gratitude, with humble respect and our deepest thanks not just to those who died but also to those who survived and our remaining veterans of this great battle living among us, as the whole world remembers and celebrates this very moment in our history and most of all in the history of the glorious United States Armed Forces, we, in remembrance of all the fallen and with profound thoughts of all who serve today in the armed forces and in our uniformed security and civil defense services, greet each other and the men and women of the United States Marine Corps as we celebrate together as one nation and one free world the seventy-sixth year anniversary of the historic raising of the national flag of the United States of America by these 6 brave Marines of the 5th Marine Division, risking even to lose their very own lives in the defense of their country and her people. The diamond legacy left by this historic act remains part of our long history and the patrimony of her Armed Forces, and thus is one of the greatest defining actions by the millions who served during those critical times of our history, those who are collectively called as our “greatest generation” of the armed forces, resistance organizations and our civilian security services. Only few remain living among the thousands who survived the battle and helped win one of the greatest operations in the military history of the United States, and today we thank these remaining living veterans of Iwo Jima, who 76 years ago helped bring forth the victory over the Empire of Japan in the Asia-Pacific, for their service to the nation and for their contributions to the victory won in this part of the world. To them, we owe our gratitude and pledge thus to honor the legacy they left behind in our history and to forever remain committed to fight just as they did long ago towards a better world.

May this great moment, which forever belongs in the annals of American military history, be for all generations a moment that will be forever a part of our history and sacred patrimony, and a part in the long 246-year history of the United States Marine Corps and the 74 years of the modern United States Armed Forces, truly a sacred and memorable moment of national pride that will be forever be remembered and never forgotten in our hearts for years and decades to come and in the hearts of all the people of the free world, and most of all of the American people, a memorable moment that will be treasured to our children. For this very immortal battle, one of many Allied victories in the Pacific Theater of Operations and one of the greatest military victories of the United States Armed Forces in this part of the world during the Second World War, shall be remembered as the one very battle that showed the world the bravery, courage and determination of the United States Marine for the defense of the American nation and all the free peoples of the world, and for the preservation of the values of freedom and liberty on which the United States was formed, thanks in part of the courage and gallantry shown by the US Marines in the early years of the nation that it helped to build. Today, as we honor this historic anniversary of such a great moment by these 6 Marines for our country and Corps, we once again recall the sacrifices made by the men and women of our Armed Forces in the victory won in this battle and many other combat operations in the Second World War in Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific, flying the flag that today was raised in triumph in the peak of Mount Suribachi and in all our installations and military bases, in the sacred cause of the defense of the republic and her people and the cause of independence and liberty of the peoples of the free world. Once more, we today reaffirm that no matter what the dangers this world might face, with the strength and determination of the thousands of servicemen and women in the Armed Forces and the National Guard Bureau, and the inspiration of our heroes of the past, we will overcome all trials and disasters, and forge onwards towards the goal of a better tomorrow for our future generations.

In closing, may the eternal memory of these brave 6 Marine flagbearers, who risked their futures and their lives for the sake of our liberty 76 years ago when they raised the very symbol of our freedom, sovereignity and independence, be honored all the more by our efforts by all of us today, the people of this great land together with the free peoples of the world, everyday and by the generations to come – the very eternal memory of them and of all the millions who fought in the Second World War who will never be forgotten and will be honored for all time, in very age, century upon century, for the peace of our world and for the future of humanity!

And may this historic moment live on the hearts of the millions of American people and forever remain a celebration worthy to be honored as forever a part of the history and patrimony not just of the United States Marine Corps and the United States Armed Forces, but also as a great moment in the history of our great independent homeland the United States of America!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE FALLEN OF THE BATTLE OF MANILA AND THE BOMBING OF PFORZHEIM!

LONG LIVE THE 37TH NATIONAL DAY OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, THE 51st ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUAYANA, AND THE 7th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLOSING OF THE SOCHI WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES AND THE VICTORY OF THE EUROMAIDAN REVOLUTION!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE 6 MARINES WHO ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY EXACTLY 76 YEARS AGO ON THIS VERY DAY IN OUR HISTORY, ATOP THE PEAK OF MOUNT SURIBACHI IN IWO JIMA, RISKING EVEN TO SUFFER DEATH BY ENEMY GUNFIRE, BAYONETS AND GRENADES, RAISED THE VERY SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY, OUR GLORIOUS NATIONAL FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

ETERNAL GLORY AND MEMORY TO THE HEROES, MARTYRS AND VETERANS OF THE GREAT BATTLE OF IWO JIMA, ONE OF THE GREATEST BATTLES EVER FOUGHT BY THE MEN OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE VETERANS, ALLIED HEROES AND FALLEN OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS, INVINCIBLE AND LEGENDARY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, ALWAYS FAITHFUL TILL THE END FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND OF THE FREE WORLD!

GLORY TO THE VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND HER UNIFORMED SERVICES!

AND FINALLY, GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DEFENDERS OF OUR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

 May our Almighty God bless our great country, the land of the free and the home of the brave, the first of the free republics of our modern world, our beloved, great and mighty United States of America!

Semper Fidelis! Oorah!

 1800h, February 23, 2021, the 245th year of the United States of America, the 246th year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 127th of the International Olympic Committee, the 125th of the Olympic Games, the 80th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 76th since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific and the 74th of the United States Armed Forces

 Semper Fortis

John Emmanuel Ramos

Makati City, Philippines

Grandson of Philippine Navy veteran PO2 Paterno Cueno, PN (Ret.)

 (Honor by Hans Zimmer) (Platoon Swims) (Rendering Honors)

[genzandulifecoach]

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[bunkershotgolf]

Little Linksters™ “Best Pee-Wee Golf Swing in the World” Video Contest Marks its 10th Year! Our Winners Are…In a contest year like no other, kids from across the world recorded and sent in their golf swings and boy did we get some great entries! Little Linksters™, LLC, The Little Linksters™ and the Association for Junior Golf Development rolled out the tenth installment of their Annual Best “Pee Wee” Golf Swing in the World Video Contest in the early part of this year, and had to, like all of us, endure the twists and turns of this year in the process.

After all of this, Little Linksters™ and the contest judges are pleased to present our winners! Under 3 Division… 1st Place- JACK CANTIN (Canada, 1 Year Old) 2nd Place- STEPHEN LIMPACH (Florida, USA 2 Years Old) T-3rd Place- RIAAN AYOOBI (Australia, 2.5 Years Old) T-3rd Place- NICHOLAS GOMEZ (Texas, USA, 2 Years Old)

3-4 Years… 1st Place- VAUGHN COLEMAN (South Carolina, USA, 4 Years Old) 2nd Place- PENNY ROACH (Canada, 4 Years Old) 3rd Place- SANIA BHAMBANI (California, USA, 4 Years Old)

5-6 Years… 1st Place- THANDAN KONGSIRI (Texas, USA, 5 Years Old) 2nd Place- BOND HOGAN (Australia, 5 Years Old) T-3rd Place- KEEGAN CARBRAY (Illinois, USA, 5 Years Old) T-3rd Place- CAMDEN GUYTON (Georgia, USA, 6 Years Old)

7-8 Years… 1st Place- CARERON AMEN (California, USA, 7 Years Old) 2nd Place- ABIGAIL THAMBIRAN (South Africa, 7 Years Old) 3rd Place- TREBOR MELENDEZ (New Jersey, USA, 7 Years Old)

9-10 Years… 1st Place- ERIC CHAVEZ (California, USA, 10 Years Old) 2nd Place- ALISON OH (Virginia, USA, 10 Years Old) T-3rd Place- JADEN SOONG (California, USA, 9 Years Old) T-3rd Place- OWEN FONG (Canada, 10 Years Old)

11-12 Years… 1st Place- ALEX ZHANG (Canada, 11 Years Old) 2nd Place- MACIE RASMUSSEN (Virginia, USA, 11 Years Old) 3rd Place- CONNOR BRYCE (Texas, USA, 12 Years Old)

WATCH THE WINNERS VIDEO PRESENTATION HERE: https://youtu.be/2kJGTjx2fWY

This was the tenth straight year Little Linksters™, LLC, along with the Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development (501c3) has hosted this kid-centric contest. Once again, this year, some very heavy hitters from the golf world joined the cause, including World Golf Hall of Fame members, Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam, and PGA Tour Star, Jordan Spieth. They will join a team of US and International based PGA and LPGA teaching professionals. The judges include, US Kids Golf Top 50 instructors Michelle Holmes, Zoe Allen from Ireland, and Tom Reid from the UK, as well as acclaimed Canadian Instructor, Jason Helman. They all will join the contest’s host, and Little Linksters founder, Brendon Elliott, who was named the PGA’s National Youth Player Development award winner in 2017.

This popular contest allows parents to upload a video to YouTube of their “Little Linksters” swing. Videos this year were submitted from January through the end of July and winners were crowned in four age groups—ranging from ages 3 to 12. Voting was conducted by a panel of industry veterans and experts. This is an inclusive contest, with fun at its center point, so all children, regardless of ability are always encouraged to submit their swings!

“In what has been an incredibly challenging year in many respects, we were determined to once again offer this opportunity to children and showcase to the golf world what the youngest among us can do with a golf club. This contest is primarily about fun and celebrating a game that is blind to age…kids as young as two years of age can love this game and we see that year in and year out.” explained PGA Professional Brendon Elliott, founder of Little Linksters™, LLC and Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development. “Over the years, we have been very humbled to have had such a recognized and esteemed celebrity panel of judges including Jordan Spieth, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Andrew “Beef” Johnston, Tony Jacklin, Annika Sorenstam, Hank Haney, Kelly Sheehan, Lexi Thompson, Jim McLean, Win McMurry, Paula Creamer, Nicole Weller, Chuck Evans, Brittany Lincicome, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Keegan Bradley, Mark Bradley, Allen Wronowski, Frank Nobilo, David Leadbetter, Michelle Wie and Holly Sonders.” added Elliott. 

This year’s contest saw just shy of 200 entries poured in from over 15 countries from around the world. Elliott, is a US Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Teacher (2010, ‘11 and ’12), a 2013 US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Teacher, a four- time NFPGA Junior Golf Leader award winner (2011-14), as well as a five-time Top 50 Growth of the Game Teacher as named by the Golf Range Association, was named the PGA of America’s National Youth Player Development award winner in 2017. More recently, Elliott was named a 2019 GRAA Top 50 Elite Status Growth of the Game Teacher and one of Orlando Family Magazine’s 2019 Men of the Year. Brendon leads the judging of the Best Pee Wee Swing contest each year. He was assisted by this year’s celebrity panel of judges. 

Taking part in the 2020 campaign were:

• Jack Nicklaus— World Golf Hall of Fame member and the man that holds the record for the most major championship titles in the men’s game. Known to many as the best male golfer of all time. Mr. Nicklaus is making his fourth appearance as a judge in the Best Pee Wee Swing Contest.

• Annika Sorenstam— Also a World Golf Hall of Fame member. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. She won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and she tops the LPGA's career money list with earnings of over $22 million. Annika is also making her fourth appearance as a judge.

• Jordan Spieth— Jordan is a three-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion. In April 2016, Time magazine named Spieth to its list of the "100 Most Influential People", noting that he "exemplifies everything that's great about sports." Spieth's first major win came in the 2015 Masters Tournament where he became the second youngest golfer (behind Tiger Woods) to win the Masters. He then won the 2015 U.S. Open with a score of 5-under-par. He was the youngest U.S. Open champion since amateur Bobby Jones in 1923. This will be Jordan’s third time as a judge in our contest.

• Michelle Holmes— One of the very brightest instructors in the junior golf instruction arena. A multiple award- winning teacher, Michelle is the owner of the Michelle Holmes School of Golf at Cahoon Plantation. Michelle serves the greater Williamsburg, Virginia Beach and Outer Banks area but has an ever-increasing influence around the world. This is her third straight year as a judge. Among her numerous awards, Michelle is a US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Instructor.

• Zoe Allen— Another of the very brightest up and comers in the junior golf instruction arena. A multiple award- winning teacher, Zoe is the owner of Zoe Allen Golf at Lurgan Golf Club in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Zoe won the distinction of being named a US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Instructor this past January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. This is her third year as a judge.

• Tom Reid— US Kids Top 50 Instructor, Tom Reid hails from the U.K. Tom is a former Touring Professional that has made a significant impact in the junior golf arena in Europe over the past few years. Formerly an instructor at the highly acclaimed Wentworth Club, Tom is now the senior teaching professional at Stoke Park Golf and Country Club. Tom is a lead in the Leadbetter Kids program, which is a youth program from the David Leadbetter Academy. • Jason Helman— Over the past 25+ years as a Golf Professional, Jason has made his mark in Canada as a top instructor and golf coach. His passion for the game, pride in his students, and their willingness to learn and develop as golfers or athletes so they can reach their highest pinnacle in the game are what drives him. He said, “All I want is for my students to succeed, whether they’re 5 years old or a tour professional.” Jason is the 2010 PGA of Canada National Teacher of the Year as well as the 2016 PGA of Canada Professional National Development Award Recipient.

The Little Linksters™ golf program in Central Florida was originally designed specifically for children ages 3 to 8 years old but has expanded in recent years to include ages up to 18 and children of all abilities. The introductory program is taught in a fun and interactive way, using both traditional and non-traditional instructional methods to ensure children’s first introduction to golf is FUN! The Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development, a 501c3 nonprofit in conjunction with AAU, is continuing to develop a national program that will enable teaching professionals from across the country to grow their business and the game of golf with a proven program that combines a child-friendly approach, a complete program curriculum, and uses items from some of the industry’s best training aid and junior golf equipment companies. One of the Association’s most prized projects, called G.O.A.L.S. (Golf Outreach Advances Life Skills) is specifically aimed at introducing children ages 3-12+ with special needs to the game of golf. In doing so, children will learn valuable life skills that will help them throughout their life. The Special Olympics of Central Florida is a proud partner of Little Linksters™ efforts with this program. Support of the G.O.A.L.S. program has also come from the Alliance for Accessible Golf as well as Jordan Spieth and the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation.

Little Linksters has added additional programming in 2020 that touches children ages 3-10 as well as 11-16 that are in economically challenged situations and that may have never had an opportunity such as those that Little Linksters™ offers, to play golf. “Golf is more than a game; it is a tool to teach young children so much more and we hope to use this tool to enhance the lives of as many children as possible explains Elliott, Little Linksters™ founder and Executive Director.

To help the nonprofit, Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development contact them at nonprofit@littlelinksters.com To donate go to Little Linksters™ go here: https://littlelinksters.com/donate/

To become a corporate sponsor, contact Executive Director Brendon R. Elliott, PGA at brendonelliott@pga.com

For more information about the “Best Pee-Wee Golf Swing in the World” Video Contest or the Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development, please visit www.littlelinksters.com or contact Brendon Elliott at BrendonElliott@pga.com or by phone at (321) 278-1612.

[houston-notlikethecity]

A Hockey Life by Matt Cullen

Part 1

One of the worst parts about growing up was having to make a malt.

Don’t get me wrong, the ingredients are pretty simple. And I loved drinking them. But if I had to make a malt, that meant one thing: I lost a hockey match on our outdoor rink.

My father, Terry, built an outdoor hockey rink in our backyard. Me and my two younger brothers, Mark and Joe, spent every spare minute we had on that ice. We’d come home from school, change and hit the rink. Every birthday party was on the rink. We hooked up lights onto the roof and would play until it was dark and all we could see were the bright Minnesota stars above.

All I’ve ever known in my life is hockey. My earliest childhood memories were on that rink in Virginia, Minnesota. That’s all I really wanted to do as a kid, was be on the rink and play with my brothers and friends. There was nothing better in life. I know it’s the same story for a lot of guys, but that’s how I fell in love with hockey.

If we weren’t spending our night in the backyard, we were usually attending one of my father’s high school games. From my youth until I was 10 years old, my father was the hockey coach for the Virginia Blue Devils. And I imagined myself being a Blue Devil one day. But when I was in the fourth grade he took over as coach of the Moorhead Spuds.

(I remember being so mad. I didn’t want to be a spud. I wanted to be a Blue Devil! They had such a cool logo. What even is a spud? A potato? We’re going to be potatoes? It’s so funny thinking back at how upset I was at the time).

I still remember going to watch my dad coach. My friends and I collected programs and would tear out the pages. If our team won the game we would count down the final seconds and throw those pages into the air like confetti and celebrate like we just won the Stanley Cup. In between periods my brothers and I would play mini sticks with the team doctor in the hallway.

When we got home there was always one final chore for the night. We shoveled off the outdoor rink and flooded the ice so that it would be nice and solid for the next day. On the nights before a big game or tournament Dad would bring out a bucket of hot water. It was like we were Zamboni-ing it. It felt like big time. The ice would be super smooth after. The stakes were high.

And those tournaments could get pretty intense. My father, my brothers and me would mix teams for a 2-on-2 matchup. The losing team had to make the winning team malts and serve them to the winners.

So if I was making the malts, it meant that I had lost. But if I had won, then the losing team had to make malts for me and my teammate. The only thing better than the sweet taste of victory was the sweet taste of drinking that malt.

Part 2

In Minnesota, high school hockey is king.

We didn’t have NHL on the Fly or ESPN Hockey. The NHL was another planet. To kids growing up in Minnesota in the 80s, playing for your high school team was the dream.

My favorite moments were when my dad would let me in the locker room. I was in awe of the high school players and wanted to be them one day. For me, it was the equivalent of my children being in the locker room with Sid and Geno.

To us Minnesota kids, high school hockey was the NHL. And playing for the state championship was our Stanley Cup.  

Every year my family would drive three-and-a-half hours south to the St. Paul Civic Center to watch the tournament, whether my dad’s team was in it or not. I remember it had clear boards and was filled with 15,000 people watching. It was the highlight of my whole year. It was like a holiday.

My best memories of my high school career at Moorhead was playing in that tournament. For a kid growing up around high school hockey, that was the ultimate. I played in the tournament during my sophomore, junior and senior years. Unfortunately, we never won the title, but we were runner-up twice and finished third the other year.

What sticks out most was my senior year. I was playing with my brother Mark and we had a good team. That year I started thinking that I was good enough to maybe play in college and maybe, someday, the NHL. We made the state tournament again that year. We faced Rochester in the semifinal and the game went into double overtime. I scored the game-winner to get us to the final, though we didn’t finish it off in the last game of the season.

Losing was tough. Obviously, I wanted to win. But I think losing in those games was good for me in the long run. Losing in the finals and never quite getting there, I felt like there was maybe more I had. I felt that this isn’t my big moment. There’s maybe more ahead. I don’t know why I thought that. I’m not sure where it came from. But going through my head during that defeat was that my big moment was still to come.

Part 3

I jumped over the boards at Maple Leaf Gardens and skated to the faceoff circle to square off against Hall-of-Famer Mats Sundin. It was October of 1997. Two years ago I was just a high school senior.

Now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, I was about to skate my first career shift in one of the NHL’s most historic venues. I lost the faceoff, a defensive zone draw. The Maple Leafs had a shot on net and the coach called me off the ice. It was a short shift, but I’ll never forget it.

Everything was so new to me. I was living in California on my own, the farthest I’ve ever been away from home. I was balancing all these new experiences from dry cleaning, being on the road and keeping up with an apartment. Not to mention learning how to play in the NHL.

Being a rookie in the league was a lot different back then. I was really quiet my first year, if you can believe that. We had an older group and the rookies were treated like rookies. We only spoke when spoken to. I came home from the rink one day and called my brother and I said ‘You won’t believe this, but I didn’t say one word at the rink the entire day. I was there for five hours, didn’t say one word to anybody.’

My welcome to the NHL moment happened on Day 1. Teemu Selanne walked into the room and took out his skates. He hadn’t skated the entire summer and his skates had rust on them. He threw them on and was the best player on the ice from the first day. I was thinking, 'This is crazy. This is a whole new level of hockey.’ I was on a line with Teemu that first year and he scored a career-high 52 goals - but believe me, it was no thanks to me.

I spent most of my four seasons in Anaheim skating alongside Teemu and Paul Kariya. And they taught me so much about the game.

Teemu was such a fun-loving, easy-going guy. He loved the game. He just played for fun and enjoyed it. Paul was super intense and serious, the ultimate pro. It was super cool to see both sides of them.

But the thing I learned the most that year was from Paul, who was also my roommate on the road during my time there. He taught me how to be a pro. He was super structured and detailed, trained like crazy. He showed me how much you have to commit, how much you had to put in to being a pro if you wanted to be good at it.

Paul would stretch every night before going to bed, so I started stretching every night. I think that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to stay healthy throughout my entire career and play until I was 42 years old. I stretched throughout my whole career.

Coming out of high school I was pretty green. I didn’t realize that in an 82-game season you should be working out. I didn’t do things like that.

I always think back to spots in my career and people that came across my path, I think it’s for a reason. I learned so much from Paul, who remains a close personal friend to this day. Without his guidance I don’t think my career would have gone where it did.

Part 4

My hockey career hit a crossroads in the summer of 2005. I was 28 years old and worried that my career might be coming to an end. My last year in Anaheim and the next year-and-a-half with Florida were unmemorable. Then the NHL lockout happened. I knew if I had another bad season, retirement might come earlier than I anticipated. You can fall off the map pretty quickly in the NHL.

Then came a dilemma. Two teams called me with a contract offer. One was my hometown team, the Minnesota Wild. The other call came from Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford.

Minnesota was my hometown and was offering more money. Carolina seemed a much better fit and I already had built a relationship with Peter Laviolette, who coached me with the U.S. at the World Championship.

The chance to come home to Minnesota seemed too good of a dream to pass up. Going to Carolina would require a huge risk and huge leap of faith. I talked with my wife Bridget and we prayed. Something told me to take the risk and go to Carolina.

We had an interesting group. There were some unknowns like Eric Staal, Justin Williams, Andrew Ladd, even myself. There were also some older, veteran guys like Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman, Rod Brind'Amour and Brett Hedican. We had Martin Gerber in goal and a rookie, Cam Ward, as the backup.

Sports Illustrated picked us to finish 30 out of 30 teams. But everything came together in a way that I never experienced. We got off to a great start and things just worked out. I scored 25 goals and had one of my best years. We finished second in the East and added guys like Mark Recchi and Doug Weight at the deadline.

We opened the playoffs against Montreal at home and lost the first two games. It was awful. I was thinking our great season was coming to an end. We switched goalies and Cam stepped in and he was lights out. He played unbelievable and won the Conn Smythe.

We beat Buffalo in Game 7 to get to the Stanley Cup Final and faced Edmonton, a Cinderella team that was an eighth seed in the West. We had a chance to win the Cup on home ice in Game 5, but lost in overtime. Then we went to Edmonton and got pounded.

Game 7 was back in Carolina. It was the most fun game I’ve ever played in. The crowd didn’t sit the entire game, they stood the whole time. It was intense. I hadn’t experienced that before. I was nearly 30 years old, but I felt like a little kid.

We battled and held on for a 3-1 win, and you can’t even believe it’s actually happening. After Aaron Ward handed me the Cup, I did a quick twirl. There was a sold-out crowd in the building, but when I looked up all I could see was the Minnesota stars and the hanging lights on that outdoor rink growing up.

All those games I played with my brothers and friends, pretending to be playing for the Stanley Cup, and there I was, holding this trophy high above my head and living that dream.

Our families joined us on the ice for the celebration. And I remember all those times when things didn’t work out. Not winning Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey as the best high school player (with all due respect to Erik Rasmussen, of course). Not getting drafted in the first round.

And I remembered that feeling of losing in the state final my senior year, when I believed that my big moment was still to come. And this was it. This was the big moment I was waiting for. We reached the pinnacle of the hockey world: Stanley Cup champions.

And no one will ever take that away from us.

But what I really took away from that group of guys was leadership. There were a lot of good leaders on that team, and they all weren’t wearing letters on their jerseys. You see it takes a large group of leaders on your team to win.

And for some of those older guys, this was their only and last chance to win a Cup. You see how fleeting your opportunity is for winning a championship. They fought so hard for it. They put so much into it. It was eye-opening to see how much it meant to them.

I know I’ve said it before, but really do believe everything happens for a reason. Instead of playing it safe, taking more money and playing in my home of Minnesota, I took a chance on Carolina. I went into that year thinking it could be my last one in the NHL. And I ended it by lifting the Stanley Cup.

Part 5

There are few things I loved more than coming home after a game and flooding my own outdoor rink. I would drive home, put on my warm clothes, fill a thermos with some wine and go outside and drink it while I flooded the rink.

By that time I was back in Minnesota, having signed a contract with the Wild. My chance to come back home came true after all. And it seemed like the perfect time to go home, play out those three years, retire a Wild and live in Minnesota.

By that time, I also had a family. Three young boys of my own: Brooks, Wyatt and Joey. And for the first time in my life, it was my job to build the rink in the backyard. I had never done it before, but it was so fun. I felt like I was my dad.

I wanted to give my boys all the things that I had growing up, except now I’m the old guy flooding the rink. They were still very young in those years. Joey had just been born a few months before (I actually watched him being born on Skype from my hotel room while I was playing with Ottawa in the playoffs against the Penguins).

When I skated on that outdoor rink, it was the first time I had done so since I left my home in Minnesota in 1997. I was just as excited as the kids to be on the outdoor rink. It was the coolest thing. It certainly brought back a lot of memories, but mostly I felt my life coming full circle.

That included sharing in the Cullen family tradition of attending the Minnesota high school tournament. We actually saw a young Jake Guentzel skating there for Hill Murray on that ice sheet. I definitely didn’t think I’d see him scoring 30, 40 goals in the NHL alongside Sidney Crosby one day. It’s funny how it works out.

But those three years in Minnesota, it was really about family. We spent holidays at home with my boys and the entire family. It was a really special experience getting to play at home. I really enjoyed it. It gave the kids the experience of growing up on the outdoor rink.

It was during that time in Minnesota that they started to really love the game. For me as a dad, that was the ultimate to be able to share it with them.

Part 6

The phone didn’t ring on July 1, 2015, the annual start to NHL free agency. I had just finished two great years in Nashville, but my future was still unclear. I still wanted to play even at 38 years old, but I was pretty sure that it was the end.

That day came and went without a call. Then the next day came and went. Then the next week. Then the next month. Even so I continued to train and keep myself ready just in case an opportunity came up. At least I would be in shape and could make a decision for myself. I didn’t want it made for me because I was out of shape.

One day in early August, the phone rang. It was Jim Rutherford.

Bridget was out for a run. When she got back, I said, 'You’ll never guess who just called.’ And she goes, 'Was it Jim?’ It was crazy. She just knew.

As usual with these decisions we talked for a while and prayed on it. But we felt like we kept getting these opportunities and it would be crazy not to jump on it and give it a try. We took that leap and went to Pittsburgh.

The rest speaks for itself. We won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the next two years, the first team to do so in two decades. It was a historical run.

I just pinch myself and think about how close it was to not happening. Those were probably the best years of my whole career and life with the Penguins. Going through all that with the boys and Bridget and that group of players, the whole organization, everything was perfect. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I certainly couldn’t have imagined it the way we started that first season, though. We had such a terrible start that nobody had any expectations. I remember my son Wyatt coming to me at Christmas and crying because we had dropped out of the playoff picture.

Then Mike Sullivan came and we made a bunch of changes. Things started rolling from there. It was a unique group. It was a special group. That first year everything came together, and we were having so much fun. We were like a machine, all the way to the Cup.

The second year it was the same group, but it was a totally different year. We had to really lean on each other the most that year. The expectations were high going in and it brought our group closer together. It was rewarding because we stuck together through so many ups and downs.

I’ll always have the Cups and those memories. But when I think back on those times what really stands out is watching my boys with those guys. A lot of the guys would come over to my house, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Sidney Crosby, Ian Cole, Marc-Andre Fleury, Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin. We’d all have a couple glasses of wine and the guys would play mini sticks with the boys (the most intense games were between the boys and Patric Hornqvist; I know you’re shocked).

That, for me, was the coolest thing ever to watch. It was like the boys were part of the family. They’d come in the locker room after practice trying to avoid doing homework. They’d steal gum. One time, Joey hid in Ian Cole’s change stall. He jumped out and scared the crap out of him.

Those are the memories I’ll treasure, probably more than anything. Just seeing them around the room every day. I know the boys will remember it forever.

Part 7

I’ve been in a constant state of almost-retirement for the last few years. But coming into this last season, I knew that no matter what it would be the end. Even if we had won the Cup I would have been done. Playing those last few years really gave me the clarity to know this was it.

It was an emotional time, but I knew it was coming. It just felt right and I was really at peace with everything when it was over.

I felt like it was only right to retire in Pittsburgh with everything that the organization had given me and done for me. I’m so happy I came back and finished my last year in Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t trade that last year for anything.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. More than anything I’m just so appreciative of everybody that helped me along the way. Looking back on it there are people that came into my life at the right time to lead me one way or teach me something. It’s not an easy thing to play for that long of a time. It takes so many people to step out of their way to help you, and I needed a lot of help!

And the friends I’ve made along the way, whether it was Eric Staal or Mike Fisher or Ryan Suter or Paul Kariya or the guys in Pittsburgh. There are just too many to name and I’m sorry if I left anyone out.

I just hope I had a positive impact with my teammates wherever I went. I tried to be the best teammate that I could be throughout my career, and be there for other people, try to be a good example.

But the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my 21 years and 1,500-plus games in the NHL is that you have to take a risk.

By my nature, that’s not me. I’m not a risk-taking guy. I think you’re given certain opportunities in life and if you’re willing to take a risk and throw yourself in all the way then special things can happen. For me, that was the case. We leaned on our faith a lot and took leaps of faith. Thank God we took those chances and opportunities where He was sending us.

I remember waking up in the middle of the night many times these last few years thinking, 'What am I doing? I’m 40 years old. I don’t think I can play another year in the NHL.’ After each time I signed the past few years I woke up in a cold sweat, not sure if I could still play.

Honestly, if I could play forever, I would. All I know is hockey. I’ve never done anything. I never wanted to do anything else. I don’t know anything else.

I may have skated my last shift, but I’m not hanging up my skates just yet. After all, there is a sheet of ice in Minnesota that needs to be flooded every night. That’s where you’ll find me, sipping my thermos. Maybe, even using the hot water to get the surface nice and smooth so the next day me and my three boys can have our own little intense 2-on-2 tournament with a malt on the line, skating in the open air, on the outdoor rink, under the hanging lights, under the Minnesota stars.

For me to be able to take them to the rink and play with them on the ice, as a dad, that’s as good as it gets. I couldn’t ask for more. That’s what I had as a kid and to be able to share it with my kids is my greatest joy.

It’s funny. When I was a kid, I used to hate making those malts. Nowadays, it’s not so bad.

[Whitney’s note - all images are from the original story. Please click through to the source, there’s also a video that goes along with this]

[a-marriedgames-universe-blog]

Why We Need Gaming News

Evidently not a day goes by with out studying of the grotesque horrors related to modern day life. As with films and TV in days passed by it will seem the standard Video Game has emerged as the nice terror influencing the youth of right this moment's fashionable British society.

20 years ago in the event you were to say the words online game to anyone it could conjure up pictures of fats moustache sporting Italian named plumbers making their way by means of a two-tone facet scrolling magical land to an infuriatingly repetitive 8-bit noticias gamessoundtrack. However if you utter the identical two phrases in 2009 you might be likely to be greeted with a gasps and sighs of disgust as the image of a hooded teen in a darkened room with a yr's supply of vitality drinks and crisps piled up beside them.

It appears very a lot that Video Games have change into the enemy of the 21st Century however given the contradictory nature of online game critics it is difficult to take this view severely, however that has not stopped passionate advocates of contemporary day video games doing their upmost in protest of this Our Blog new medium of violence. None maybe have finished extra for the trigger than Florida based mostly attorney Jack Thompson. Thompson has made it his mission over the past decade to rid the world of violent video video games and guarantee those who do slip by way of the new don't fall in to the palms of minors.

Mr. Thompson has a specific bee in his bonnet regarding one Edinburgh based mostly publisher Rockstar Games. Since the launch of Grand Theft Auto and the Creation of Rockstar video games in 1997 the world of video game critics rejoiced at this new 'scapegoat', the mix of on display violence and hands on recreation play led to issues that video video games could be conditioning youngsters in relation to extreme violence. The video games questionable graphics and soundtrack result in many claims being dismissed, because it was not believed a title with such graphics may have a serious influence on a minors mind.

This changed with the release of the PlayStation 2 in 2000 and Grand Theft Auto three the next yr, this for the primary time bought truly 3D gaming to users. It was with the release of GTA 3 that Jack Thompson's ears pricked up with nice consideration Married Games and it wasn't long earlier than he was at it again. In 2003 Dustin Lynch made an madness plea after being accused of homicide claiming he was 'obsessed' with the sport and been influenced by the sport's depiction of graphic violence.

The plea was retracted and his mother acknowledged that it had nothing to do with Video Games. As video video games have improved each graphically and by way of recreation play they have taken https://marriedgames.com.br/ on new roles in society and in recent times have seen a return to the family orientated leisure hub of yesteryear however can online game developers really declare complete innocence?

The Call of Responsibility sequence is without doubt one of the hottest and successful franchises in video game historical past and has even been adopted by the US army as a manner of coaching the US armies troopers in strategic fight so does this not implement the argument that video video games can indeed 'prepare' gamers Wikipedia Here in violent conditions? Well not precisely sure the advancements made in video games has made the level of realism unquestionably detailed however can it actually be argued that at the moment's youth are uneducated enough to battle to distinguish between actual life and quite a few coloured pixels on a tv display screen?

The contradictory nature I referred to earlier performs into this subject. Weight problems in recent times has change into a real hot subject within the USA and certainly Britain and what was being blamed? Sure, that is proper the time being spent in front of the small screen playing video games, so personally I discover it very troublesome to imagine these overweight avid gamers who apparently spend nothing wanting 'all' their time in front of the tv inflicting mayhem and dysfunction on the streets of this nation.

The online game ranking system ensures titles intended for adults usually are not offered to minors nevertheless it does not make sure that they will not be performed by such minors in some unspecified time in the future. An analogous ranking system is in place in the USA nonetheless it is not nearly as tight as that within the UK and mature titles have been bought to underage US kids.

Grand Theft Auto although a favourite for the prosecution just isn't the only franchise to be blamed, the Virginia Tech bloodbath in 2007 which saw the worst shootings of its form in fashionable history, Jack Thompson was fast to put the blame firmly at Social Profile the door of this exciting entertainment type after he acknowledged, killer Seung-Hui Cho was a fan of first person shooter counterstrike nevertheless it was later revealed by Cho's roommates that they had never even seen him taking part in the sport.

By no means the less the declare had great resonance here within the UK resulting in many retailers refusing to stock sure titles one in all which is another of Rockstar's titles 'Canis Canem Edit' originally generally known as bully which underwent a name change for the UK market due to strain on the publisher, despite the sport utterly advocating bullying. The bloodbath also contributed to the banning of the sequal to controversial Manhunt in the UK market.

As with mobile phones and their apparent hyperlinks to cancer much analysis has been executed in to the link between violence and video games, and it is not just violence that has been researched, oh no, it's also video video games obvious glamorization of intercourse, medicine and maybe even rock and roll'. And what is the conclusion? Nicely unsurprisingly research confirmed no significant hyperlink between video games and violent crimes, sexual assault or drug consumption. Nevertheless alcohol however might be immediately linked with the above however has this led to a world damning of alcohol? No. So what of our buddy Mr.

Thompson? What did he make of this analysis? Effectively, not much because it occurs nonetheless in a sign that video games are 'preventing again' in a very non violent approach after all he has since been barred by the state of Florida from filing any new circumstances as a result of improper conduct and abusing the system.

So nice news video games are off the hook, nicely if only it had been that straightforward. Critics will proceed to search for a simple excuse in justifying a teen's behaviour and when the white coat clad forensics transfer in they may nicely proceed to march previous the sawed off shot gun and the newest edition of shooting for beginners and march straight for the games room and the latest online game with an 18 certificates. However I ask these critics to contemplate this, the gangs or the games which got here first? In the meantime we await the most recent medium that may warp and destroy the minds of the children of the world abandoning logic, cause in favour of blaming the glamorous and evolving world of contemporary leisure.

Free online video games have got to be some of the extensive and helpful forms of leisure available on the Web. Web sites all around the world are providing free video games online with a whole bunch of mystery games on easy to use and family friendly web sites. Most web sites nowadays that offer some kind of entertainment or free online games will offer you a publication and give you a approach to keep updated on the most recent news, games, and leisure they've to supply to you.

Some video games will embrace the most well-liked characters that can continually preserve youngsters coming back for more. Mystery games with characters they love will keep them addicted to their free online video games. Some online gaming web sites will offer different types to ladies which are focused only for them in which they are going to enjoy essentially the most. There might be an in depth checklist of video games designed just for them.

Many games are contain using your expertise and require academic studying. Thriller games during which will educate you and make your gaming experience not only fun, however useful. A big free online gaming web site will offer an enormous number of free games for toddlers, kids, teens, and even adults. One of the vital common, best, and most up to date gaming web sites will offer you the power to enroll and can allow you to be interactive with all the things. Many web sites provide this neat means. If you end up provided the possibility to sign up, achieve this. It is possible for you to to touch upon games, write evaluations, message other members, and produce alongside your family and friends.

In the event you consistently end up searching for free online video games and might by no means find that one web site that provides you every part you want and need, search now more. Lately everybody has access to the Internet. Web sites are constantly being created, designed, and maintained. Remember there needs to be somebody to do that, however nonetheless there are hundreds of thousands of individuals on the earth and plenty of them enjoy being on-line.

The leisure by no means stops in the case of the online world. If you're tired of searching for the unique and weird sport, just cease. You're positive to seek out it when all you need to do is go online to your favorite search engine and easily sort in exactly what you need. There are such a lot of games as we speak that it would be inconceivable to not discover the mystery video games that you want to play essentially the most.

[davidshawnsown]

Message in honor of the 74th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Iwo Jima and the ultimate and final sacrifice of Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, USMC

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women, reservists and families of the entire United States Armed Forces, and to all the uniformed military and civil security services of the Allied combatants of this conflict, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, agriculture, business, tourism and the press, and to all our people of the free world:

As the whole world remembers among others the formation of the modern Mexican Army in 1913, the Russian emancipation reforms of 1861, and the death on this day of the great father of Bulgarian Independence, Vasil Levski, in 1873, as well as the 1879 invention of the phonograph  by Thomas Edison, the Enigma tornado outbreak of 1884, the commencement of the naval segment of the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915, the signing of the controversial Executive Order 9066 and the Bombing of Darwin, Australia, in 1942 the beginning of the Battle of Kasserine Pass in 1943 and on this day in 1985 the national premiere in the UK of the BBC’s premier primetime drama EastEnders, today, just as in past years, and in these changing times in our world of today, as one united people of the United States of America and of our free world, we mark on this very day the seventy fourth year anniversary of the beginning of the historic battle of Iwo Jima, which began on this day in 1945, and which would be one of the biggest battles ever to be fought by the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater of Operations of the Second World War, and one of the greatest in its history of over 244 years.

The historic battle whose beginning we honor today is the day in which one of the greatest heroes of our Marine Corps was killed in action. As the waves of Marines of the 5th Marine Division landed in the sands of Iwo Jima 74 years ago by the thousands under the leadership of General Holland Smith, commander of the V Amphibious Corps, among those who perished on that day was the hero of the historic battle of Guadalcanal, who previously served in the Philippines as a soldier of the United States Army and the first Marine NCO recipient of the Medal of Honor, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, who was killed by a mortar shot in the vicinity of the Japanese airfield in the island in the presence of his fellow Marines while performing clearing operations to remove enemy presence in the airfield. His ultimate sacrifice made him posthumously the first ever Marine to earn both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross in history for his service and determination in fulfilling at the cost of his life the fundamental mission of the Corps in ensuring the defense of the fatherland and the free peoples of the world through amphibious land, air and sea conventional and unconventional operations. (His immortal sacrifices will always be remembered as being featured in the 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, being played by no less than Jon Seda, together with actors Ben Esler and Dwight Braswell in the roles of the two men who fought with him in Iwo, Chuck Tatum and Steve Evanson, all from the same battalion – the 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, which was deployed as part of the division in that island.)

Gunny Basilone was one of the many Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen who on this very day of the opening salvo of the battle for the liberation of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perished in these sandy beaches, whose sacrifice helped America and her allies open the doors for the liberation of the Japanese home islands from the menace of imperialism, militarism and totalitarian governance. The deaths of thousands of these American soldiers of our Armed Forces in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters of Operations of the Second World War serve as a reminder of the importance of service in our armed forces for the fulfillment of its principal responsibilities to the nation and her people: the defense of our independence and territorial integrity, protection of national interests abroad and of global democracy and the sustainment of traditions and ideals of liberty fought by the first generations who waged the great Revolutionary War and other conflicts of the past. The heroic deaths of many of our men and women in the military in engagements at home and abroad in times of peace and war, together with the actions of assistance of our armed forces in response to natural and man-made disasters, thus, are proof of the strong bond of friendship of the armed forces of the Union not just with our people but with the peoples of the free nations of our world, especially our partners with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

As the great FADM Chester Nimitz had put it in his own words, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue” among the hundred thousand Marines of V Amphibious Corps who served there in this, one of the biggest combat operations that the United States Marine Corps undertook in the Second World War in the Pacific Theater of Operations and one of the biggest victories of the Allies in this part of the world. His words are forever recorded in the Arlington National Cemetery’s Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, the very monument made on the basis of the historic photograph of the Iwo Jima flag raising that today, after 65 years since its historic inauguration, proudly stands over the Arlington fields and the graves of so many Marines over the centuries who even at the cost of their lives, served faithfully always to their country and people, and honoring the 244 years of long and faithful service of the United States Marine to the people and government of the United States of America and to all the millions of people of the free world. In these changing times, by recalling what has happened 74 years ago which began on this very day, we never forget to remember the heroic actions done during the days of the Iwo Jima Campaign and most especially the thousands who perished in this tiny island for the sake of the freedoms, dreams and aspirations not just of the people of the United States of America but also of all the people of the free world. Indeed, a huge price was paid by the blood shed by these Marines and Navy Corpsmen, together with their fellow soldiers, sailors, Coast Guardsmen and airmen, in the victory won in this battle and in countless others throughout this long war, together with fellow soldiers, sailors and airmen from fellow armed forces of the combatant Allied countries.

The deaths of not only Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone but of the thousands of soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen in Iwo Jima and in all other battles of this war, including 3 of the 6 Marines of the division who raised the flag of our country in Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, and of the 12 Marines who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroic courage and bravery at the cost of their lives in Iwo Jima, are a constant reminder to millions of Americans of the patriotic, democratic and internationalist duties of our hundreds of thousands of men and women who are serving today in our Armed Forces, the National Guard and our state defense forces and naval militias, and who continue the fighting traditions of our grandfathers and grandmothers who fought in every conflict since the beginning of our nation, as well as in deployments abroad. The bravery, courage, audacity and fighting determination of our men and women in military service have had shown the world that the United States and her people, together with her loyal allies overseas, are prepared always to respond to the cries of help and suffering of the millions suffering under totalitarian and evil governments in the world as well as to victims of natural and man-made calamities as well as of global terrorism. Thus, we, the brave people of our great country, will forever and always remember the memory of these the fallen men and women of our armed forces who have fallen in the line of duty at home and abroad forever carrying the responsibility of being the guardians and defenders of our independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as of international democracy against false and evil ideologies. Their sacrifice and hard work serve as an inspiration for our people to make their contributions to the life and wellbeing of our people, the sustainment of our culture and the arts, the progress of our economy and the consolidation of our sporting traditions. For as a superpower country, with strong armed forces and stronger strides in all sectors of society, these cannot be possible without the struggles and hard work done by all our people, including those in the armed services and our first responders in our local communities.

Ladies and gentlemen, people of the United States of America and the people of our free world:

Today, as we honor the 74th year anniversary of the historic beginning of the battle of Iwo Jima and the death of one of the greatest heroes of our United States Marine Corps, we remember the brave sacrifices of the thousands of soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen of our Armed Forces who perished in the line of duty during the long battle for the liberation of Iwo Jima from the armed forces of the Empire of Japan, whose spirit of determination, courage, patriotism, bravery, audacity and friendship, with loyalty, obedience to the law and to authority and discipline in the midst of the field of battle, have paved the way for our victorious armed forces, together with those of our allies, to win the final victory over the Axis Powers in all theaters of the Second World War, including in the Pacific and East Asia. The heroic victory won in Iwo Jima as well as in other parts of the world during this turbulent time of our history is one worthy of being remembered by the generations of today and by the future generations, for it is important that we honor and commemorate the service of millions under the banner of our Armed Forces in the road towards the final victory over the Axis Powers, in order that we continue the heritage of defending our independence and liberty against all forms of domestic and international aggression.

As we think of the tens of reminding living veterans of the battle who live among us today, we once again make our commitment to ensure that for generation upon generation the sacrifices made by our armed forces in battles past and present for the defense of our nation and people and of our interest abroad as well as for the protection of our way of life and traditions will never be forgotten and sustained by the coming generations, who depend on the future generations of men and women who will be joining the ranks of our armed forces, who will continue the legendary traditions of the earlier generations of heroes – the struggle for the defense and protection of our country and people and for its continued existence as the beacon of hope and liberty in our world of today, especially of the men and women who today serve in the ranks of the United States Marine Corps.

In conclusion, as we remember the fallen of the great battle of Iwo Jima and forever remember the heroic campaign that opened the road to the victory in the Pacific, may we forever cherish the legacy they left behind to our nation and people, uphold their memory of service in the defense of our freedom and independence, and united under our great flag, march forward with our armed forces on the road on realizing our shared dreams of a better and brighter tomorrow for our generations to come!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF ONE OF THE GREAT HEROES OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, THE GREAT HERO OF THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL, GUNNERY SERGEANT JOHN BASILONE!

ETERNAL GLORY AND MEMORY TO THE HEROES, MARTYRS AND VETERANS OF THE GREAT BATTLE OF IWO JIMA!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE ALLIED HEROES AND FALLEN OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS!

LONG LIVE THE 74TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE HISTORIC BATTLE OF IWO JIMA!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS, INVINCIBLE AND LEGENDARY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, ALWAYS FAITHFUL TILL THE END FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND OF THE FREE WORLD!

GLORY TO THE VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND HER UNIFORMED MILITARY AND CIVIL SERVICES!

AND FINALLY, GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DEFENDERS OF OUR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

May our Almighty God bless our great country, the land of the free and the home of the brave, the first of the free republics of our modern world, our beloved, great and mighty United States of America! Semper Fidelis! Oorah!

2140h, February 19, 2019, the 243rd year of the United States of America, the 244th year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 125th of the International Olympic Committee, the 123rd of the Olympic Games, the 78th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 74th since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific and the 72nd of the United States Armed Forces

Semper Fortis John Emmanuel Ramos

Makati City, Philippines

Grandson of Philippine Navy veteran PO2 Paterno Cueno, PN (Ret.) 

(Honor by Hans Zimmer) (Platoon Swims) (Rendering Honors)