text:
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"Hard bent the quill tip skittles and scurries across the page..."
A Christmas Story and Some Photos
Let me start this post with some Christmas Trivia (with answers) and then end with a few of my favorite photos from this year, most of which I haven't posted before:
What state was the first to recognize Christmas as a holiday?
What was the last state to recognize Christmas?
When was Christmas declared a national holiday?
What country is the home of eggnog?
Who was the first ghost to appear to Scrooge in A Christmas Carol?
What are the three ships of the song "I Saw Three Ships?"
What ornament is most often seen on the top of a Christmas tree?
The answer to that last trivia question is the Star, the Star of Wonder, the Star of Bethlehem. That, too, is the topic of this particular post. Let me examine that special Star in more detail.
For some background, the star we are talking about is the star that guided the Wisemen to the newborn King so they could present their gifts. The Wisemen were not Kings despite what the song "We three Kings" says. The wisemen were most likely Zoroastrian priests or astrologers (Magi) who were coming to honor the Christ child. It's a basic and ancient sky story where a heavenly event heralds some great event—for good or ill. And this is where we start getting in trouble in our understanding of the Star.
The problem is that to understand what the Star was we need to know when Jesus was born. Simple, you say, that was December 25th. Not so simple. The Gospel of St Matthew's is the only book in the bible to tell the Christmas story and that book doesn't mention the date. And for very good reasons. Years weren't even numbered until 525 AD. Jesus' birth is considered to be in the year 1 AD, but could be as early as 6 BC, and was most likely around the years of 3 or 2 BC. Dating Jesus' birth is based on what we know of others. The story is that Jesus was born "in the days of Herod the King." Herod died immediately after a lunar eclipse and shortly before Passover. These events favor the dates between 3 to 2 BC.
It's also unlikely that Jesus was born in December for several reasons. First, Jesus was born six months after his cousin John the Baptist who was born in March. This favors a September date for the birth of Jesus. From Matthew we also have the clue that shepherds watched their flocks in the fields by night. That wouldn't have happened in December, but would be likely in the other seasons. Finally, Mary and Joseph wouldn't have traveled in December. The census was usually taken at the end of summer.
German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler tried to explain the Star of Bethlehem in 1614, but he didn't have information about the correct date of Jesus' birth. Some of the explanations given by Kepler and others include comets, nova or supernova, astronomical conjunctions, and others. Each has its adherents and detractors.
Comets, a fuzzy star dragging a tail of light, is one of the more popular theories for the Star. They are visible for days, weeks, or even months which would have been necessary for the Magi to be able to follow for a long trip. The Chinese recorded what we now call Halley's Comet in 12 BC and again in 66 AD, but that is the closest record of a comet in that time period. And it's not really close enough.
The exploding star theory, nova or supernova, relies on the fact that nova can be seen for long periods of time, some even visible during the day. The Chinese recorded two objects in 5 and 4 BC. But scripture notes that Herod didn't say anything about a "star," but had to ask his Zoroaster priests (the Magi). That probably means the sign was one hidden from ordinary people, but recognizable to experts.
This brings us to Kepler's theory and one accepted by many: the conjunction theory. Kepler believed the Star could be explained as an alignment of planets or stars and planets. We had several of these conjunctions this year with Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn in various close alignments. Between May 19 and August 26, 3 BC, there were nine major conjunctions, mostly involving Venus and Jupiter. In June of 2 BC, Jupiter and Venus were in conjunction not far from Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation of Leo)—they may have actually seemed to merge into one bright star. As satisfying as the conjunction theory is, there is one more theory to consider.
The theory of Pious Fiction is particularly noteworthy. Matthew is the only gospel to mention the Star or the Magi. The Gospel of St John says that Jesus was from Galilee, not Bethlehem—we know him as Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus of Bethlehem. The Gospel of St Mark says the family lived in Nazareth and only traveled to Bethlehem for the census and then quickly returned to Nazareth. And finally, compelling to my scientific mind is that the Gospel of St Matthew's was written in about 66 AD which coincides with the spectacular appearance of Halley's Comet. Could it be that the writer decided that he needed a real "grabber" to begin his story?
Unless some indisputable archeological discovery is found to settle the question of the Christmas Star, it will remain a matter of faith and conjecture. Science can't completely explain it. History offers no concrete record. Religion offers only untestable miraculous apparition. And while Pious Fiction seems to hold more truth than other theories, it too is just a theory. We can't agree on the nature of the Star of Wonder, but the tale inspires millions every winter.
Trivia Answers:
1. Alabama 2. Oklahoma 3. 1870 4. England 5. Jacob )Marley 6. Camels of the Magi (camels are known as the "ships of the desert")
A few of my Favorite Photos and a set from a short trip to the Oregon coast this month:
Anne on Isle of Harris
Trying to get out of the sand at Isle of Harris GC.
Dreams of the Past
My only mussels...Portree, Isle of Skye.
Autumn Gords
Eagle's got to eat.
Horsetail Falls
Mirror Selfie
Hare today, gone tomorrow.
Bob and the Ptarmigan
True Scotsman
Scottish Finch
My mom at Easter. She passed in August.
Washington Sunset
A set of photos from a December trip to Depot Bay and Newport on the Oregon coast:
The bay near Old taft, Lincoln City.
Two views of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport.
Bay Blvd., Newport
With nephew Jon Hoiland at Rogue Ale House, Newport.
We enjoyed a Celtic Christmas concert by fiddler Geoffrey Castle and his band.
Singer was from Ireland.
Some nice storm waves near Depot Bay.
Posted by Bob Jones at 9:26 PM No comments:
Labels: christmas, eagles, hares, Isle of Harris, lighthouses, Newport, ptarmigan, Scotland, Star of Bethlehem, sunsets, waterfalls, waves
Scottish Villages and the Oregon Beach
Scotland Coastal Villages
In the far northeast corner of Scotland on the Morayshire coast north of Aberdeen, Anne and I visited two very interesting villages. We drove down to the village of Pennan which sits on a small bay with houses practically in the water,. Pennan is famous for its iconic red telephone box which was featured in the 1983 British comedy/drama Local Hero starring Burt Lancaster and Peter Regent, and directed by Bill Forsyth (who won the BAFTA for Best Director).
Pennan Village
The phone box was originally just a movie prop, but it became so famous BT had to install a working phone so people could call from the booth. The other village we visited is Crovie a little further west along the coast. There we couldn't drive down to the village because it is so tightly squeezed between the sea and the coastal cliffs that only residents are allowed to drive down to it. Both villages are so interesting that I looked into the history of each.
Pennan is an 18th century fishing village where most families had small boats and were dependent on the men catching fish and the wives and children selling to clients in the area.
In the last 50 years most of the native families have moved out and the houses are now let as holiday homes.
Except for the movie connection of Pennan, Crovie has the more interesting history.
Crovie is what is known as a Clearance Village.
Crave village
The Highland Clearances (Fuadach nan Gaidheal, the "expulsion of the Gael") was a forced displacement during the 18th and 19th centuries of small-scale farmers or crofters. The reasons for the Clearances were mostly economic. Lairds, Clan Chiefs, or large land owners could make more money raising sheep than leasing plots of land to small farmers. Also, the breakup of the clan system after the Battle of Culloden in 1745, the final battle of the last Jacobite uprising, contributed to the Clearances.
Clan Chiefs wanted to now be accepted into higher society and didn't feel the former obligation to clan members. A third factor in the later Clearances was the Great Potato Famine of 1846. With starvation and death came the opportunity to turn the land over to more modern agricultural practices--read that also as more profitable practices. A final contributor to the Clearances was that Lairds saw some profitability in relocating families to the seaside for harvesting kelp (at its peak between 1750 and 1815). At times, the Clearances became extremely brutal, especially in Sutherland in north central Scotland. There the Duke and Countess of Sutherland began the eviction (1811-1820) of 90 families in order to plant "turnips," raise sheep, invest in coal-pits and salt-pans, and increase herring fishing. People were physically thrown out of their homes and the homes were burned to insure residents wouldn't return.
Tenants were given due process, usually three months notice. But when they refused to leave the farms they had worked (some for more than 100 years) the evictions were enforced at gun point. Crovie is one of the Highland Clearance villages. Seeing it, one understands that no one particularly would choose to live there, except perhaps for a week at a time.
On another trip Anne and I visited one of the Highland Clearance villages in Sutherland. This is what I wrote in my journal after a visit to Badbea:
Our tee time at Wick GC was one o'clock which gave Anne and me plenty of time to visit the clearance village of Badbea (BAD-bay) on Scotland's east Caithness coast five miles north of Helmsdale. I'd seen the village listed on our map, but had no idea what we'd find there. In the lay-by on the A9 near Ousdale informative signage told us a little about the history of the village and gave a few insights into the lives of the families brought here.
The footpath is now more of a sheep trail--for about 100 yards we actually followed a sheep until she bolted off the path. We could be the only visitors this day or this week; the three-quarter mile trail was little visited. As we approached the precipitous Berriedale cliffs above the North Sea, the monument, built in 1939 by David Sutherland in memory of his father and the people of Badbea, signaled we had reached the village site.
At first the monument was all we noticed--that and the quiet.
Even the gulls seemed to sense the sadness in this site as they slid by in respectful silence. Then we noticed a few drystone walls and the outlines of stone longhouses and byres crofters from the straths of Ousdale, Langwell, Auchencraig, and Kildonan had built when they were evicted from their land and moved to the cliffside Badbea village. Sheep and politics had instigated the Highland Clearances and created places like Badbea, which started in 1792. Landowners like Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster evicted the crofters in preference to more profitable sheep. At its largest the village was home to 35 inhabitants, with the last leaving in 1911.
As we wandered about the site under dramatically darkening skies, we could hear in the wind the stories of families forced onto these windswept cliffs as they were uprooted from ancestral lands--lands cleared and farmed by hand, lands which for generations had given a meager, but adequate life. Stories about men of the land forced to seek livelihood on the herring or salmon boats. Stories of many, who not knowing the ways of the ocean, did not return from the sea. Stories of children and livestock having to be tethered to rocks or posts so they would not be swept over the cliffs to the sea below by the fierce winds. Stories of a people who for more than a hundred years adapted, lived, and at times even flourished, under horrendous conditions. It didn't take long before we too were hushed like the gulls by the stories that hung heavy on the wind.
It was a quiet walk back to the car and drive on to the Wick golf course. As we played that afternoon on the lovely Wick links, every breeze brought back the stark scene and stories of the Highland Clearance village of Badbea.
The Highland Clearances aren't a pretty part of Scottish history, but the Clearances are definitely interesting and give us insight into the harsh conditions crofters faced.
Photo Essay: The Oregon Coast in November
Rivers were running very full (Three Rivers near Hebo).
Even the cormorants were taking time to dry out.
Manzanita and Nehalem Bay from Rockwork Lookout.
Looking further south from Rockwork Lookout.
Cove Beach and Cape Falcon
Anne shopping in Cannon Beach for a new hat...the red one.
Lone figure sits contemplating the sea at Cannon Beach.
Sunset at Seaside
Seaside at night.
Gearhart GC is one of Oregon's oldest golf courses, and one of the best.
Sea stacks at Cannon Beach.
Not quite a full moon to end our journey.
Labels: Badbea, Crovie, Culloden, Highland Clearances, Local Hero, moon, Oregon coast, Pennan, Scotland, villages
Travels in Scotland: Part Four--Home Again, Home Again
We are now back at home in Canby; we are not yet in this time zone, though. It seems it's getting more difficult to adjust from jet lag—thankfully, we still have a couple of weeks before we switch the clocks out of DST. As wonderful as our travels are it is still nice to get home, though we already miss our Scottish family, the Cliffords (John, Jacky, Jonathan, and Ailsa).
Speaking of our trip, it is time to do a trip summary including a mention of the "Bests" of the trip. I'll also continue to showcase the best of my photos from the trip. To the summary:
We drove a little over 2000 miles in our rented Toyota Auris hybrid automatic.
Sitting in the glen in our nice Toyota Auris.
Except for some difficulty getting in and out of the driver's seat, the car was brilliant—easy to drive, enough power, and wonderful mileage. We got better than 50 miles to the gallon (best mileage of any car we've rented) and petrol costs were some of the lowest in years—we paid an average of about $6.00 a gallon.
This trip really was a golf trip. We played 21 rounds in 28 days on 17 different courses (4 were 9-hole courses and the rest 18-hole). Five of the courses were new to us and they will be included in Golf in Scotland: The Hidden Gems when I revise it this winter. Our favorite courses of the trip were Moray Old,
The 18th and the clubhouse at moray Old GC. John Murray's pro shop is to the left.
Peterhead, and St Fillans (where we're members). Of the courses new to us we really liked both Maverston
Anne tees off at Maverston GC near Elgin on the north coast.
and Inverurie.
Not all our time was spent on the courses. We managed to visit 29 various visitor attractions—7 were of nature (waterfalls, etc.),
Fall colors begin to show up along the River Tummel at the edge of the Highlands.
6 were historic harbours or villages,
Crovie Village--only residents can drive down to the village established during the Highland clearances.
5 were ancient sites,
Loaned of Davit stone circle was created about 4000 years ago and was probably used for astronomical and ritualistic purposes.
4 were religious,
Greyfriar's Kirkyard in Perth, central Scotland.
and the rest commercial. Some of our favorites from the trip were "old favorites" (the historic villages of Pennan and Crovie along the north coast, the small harbors of Collieston and Portsoy, and Perth's Branklyn Gardens) while others were new to us (downtown Glasgow which in 26 trips to Scotland we've spent very little time, and Glen Lednock only 12 miles from our home base in Crieff but which we had never visited).
Glen Lednock about five miles east of Comrie village is only 12 miles from our home base in Crieff, but this was the first time we'd ever driven up the glen.
And, of course, we ate well like on every trip. We did do plenty of cooking at home when we spent two weeks in self-catering (timeshare), but we also had lunches or dinners out about 25 times, mostly in tearooms or cafes (lunches), but we did eat dinners out in 8 restaurants and 4 pubs. Quite few of the eateries were new to us, with our favorites being The Three Kings Inn in Cullen, Bread Meats Bread in Glasgow,
Waiting for a table in Glasgow's Bread Meats Bread, from the right: Jonathan (who is now working at a resort in Costa Rico), Anne, Aisla (a freshman in a Glasgow uni), and Jacky Clifford.
and Hansen's Kitchen in Comrie.
Great sandwiches in Hansen's Kitchen in Comrie.
Our best meal, though, was at one of our all-time favorites, Anderson's in Boat of Garten
Andderson's in Boat of Garten (near Scotland's Cairngorm National Park) is an affordable fine dining restaurant only about 15 minutes from our timeshare condo in Aviemore.
(always outrageously good).
The final summary of the trip is the photographic summary—the rest of the good pictures from our fall 2015 trip to Scotland:
Anne tees off at Cullen GC (built in 1870) on the Morayshire coast. We stayed in a hotel across the road from the course and saw that the course was almost empty on Sunday morning. We couldn't resist.
Tomnavarie stone circle is high above Tarland GC. We had visited the circle on our very first Scotland trip.
The river runs through the area known as The Birks of Aberfeldy after a famous Robert Burns' poem.
In the area around Aviemore in the Highlands are lovely stands of birches.
Early morning fog and mists near Crieff.
The Buchan Ness Lighthouse was built in 1827 by Robert Stevenson, father of author Robert Louis Stevenson. You can now rent the light keeper's quarters for a self-catering vacation.
Hay tractor driving though the main road in front of our B&B in Crieff. they are super difficult to pass on the small Scottish roads.
The River Braan near Dunked.
Scottish robin singing to us as we put our golf clubs in the car at St Fillans GC.
These boats were put up for the season at Findhorn Bay.
Interested local in Glen Lednock.
Tiger Lily in Perth's Branklyn Gardens.
I never tire of photographing the packhorse bridge in the village of Cartridge.
Hieland Coo (aka. Highland Cow).
But then we had to go home. Our flights from Edinburgh to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Portland were good flights--on time, fairly comfortable, not too bumpy, a few decent movies.
Got a nice view of the Iceland coast on our flight.
And Fionabeg (our house's name meaning "little white" house in Gaelic) was waiting for us, already decked out in fall colors.
Fionabeg in Canby.
Labels: B&Bs, bridges, churches, Glasgow, golf, graves, Highland coos, lighthouses, Moray Old, Peterhead, pubs, restaurants, Scotland, St Fillans, stone circles, villages
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Travels in Scotland: Part Four--Home Again, Home A...


Aschi's Workshop is showing here wooden toys and models made from Aschi's Workshop Plans / Patterns.
Aschi welcomes everyone to distribute to this page with pictures from wooden toys made from Aschi's Workshop Plans and Pattern.
Aschi endeavours to make this to the largest page for home made wooden toys and models on the net.
Check out Aschi's Workshop Plans/ Patterns. Over 150 patterns and plans to choose from. FREE PLANS and FREE Workshop Tips... click here.
Kevin Kevin from the UK has sent pictures from models he built from Aschi's Workshop Plans. Kevin used the Plan #209 from Aschi's Workshop and converted the Road Tractor to an Skip Truck. Making Hydraulic Rams, Kevin used the FREE Workshop Tip #5 from Aschi's Workshop as guide. The plan for the BullBar is a FREE PLAN as well.
Pictures from Kevin's workshop. A lot of parts and wheels... we can expect to see more models in future. Kevin has built a number od trucks and trailers from Plans from Aschi's Workshop.
Brian Scammell from Canada is building toys and models from Aschi's Workshop Plans.
Aschi's Workshop has well over 150 plans on the web-page.
All easy to build, different sizes and styles. Check it out today.
Request your FREE PLANS today. and see for yourself.
I live in Sydney and the Suburb is Revesby. I have been retired now nearly three years and have used your excellent plans for a few years now. The train sets took a while to make and decided instead of making one set to make10 sets this was a challenge but all good. Ian Nylander.
Check out the Plan #199 from Aschi's Workshop.
The ideal Christmas Gift for everyone.
John Digby from Queensland, Australia has built the B-Double from Aschi's Workshop Plans. John has used the Plan #209 for the Tractor/ Prime mover and has made some alterations. For the Trailers John used Aschi's Plan #211 (flatbed trailers) and made his own design.
Aschi's Workshop has a number of exciting plans for Farm Models. Check it out and request your FREE FIRE TRUCK PLAN today.
Graham New from Poole Dorset UK has built this tractor from Aschi's Workshop Plan #138. Sergio Horzella from Chile has buit the Fire Truck and the Dozer from FREE PLANS from Aschi's Workshop.
Peter Reimann has built the MINI Series Toys from Aschi's Workshop Plans. Peter builts also big models from Aschi's Plans.
Doug House from Ocean Grove Mens Shed in Victoria, Australia has submitted pictures from his Work. All models made from Aschi's Workshop Plans.
j.j. from UK made a truck and trailer from Aschi's Workshop Plans.
Just thought i would say i have really enjoyed using your plans excellent and very easy to follow. I decided to make this tractor and trailer but doubled the actual measurements to make it a big truck.
Yes, it is possible to double all measurements and make a BIG truck from Aschi's Workshop Plans.
David: 'I used leopard wood on the grill, yello wood on the hood and seats. Seats are also rounded with grooves to give a tufted look. Also used paduauk, oak, walnut, maple, cherry, red cedar,ebony, mahogony and purple-heart.
Mike Branagan from the UK: Thanks for the Aschi's Workshop plans for the LandRover. Here are some pictures I took.
The LandRovers got built from Aschi's Workshop Plan #188.
Thomas Weigel from Schuby / Germany has built the trucks and trailer from Aschi's Workshop Plans. Thomas has used mainly plywood. Looks rather interesting. The Fire Truck on the trailer is a FREE PLAN from Aschi. Request your FREE PLANS today!
Bruce Bailey from Western Australia is making Hot Rod's from Aschi's Workshop Plan #121. The dark wood is WA Jarrah. Sergio Horzella from Chile has built the logging truck from Aschi's Workshop plan #209 and #214.Great job Segio! All plans from Aschi's Workshop are PDF files and get send as e-mail to all places in the world. Try it out and request your FREE PLAN today.
Klaus-Dieter Marotz from Hagen aTW, Germany has built this Western Australian Iron Ore Road Train from Aschi's Workshop Plans. Great job Klaus-Dieter.
Mike Podrebarac from Des Moines, Iowa: Hi Aschi, I used your Free Dozer plan along with plans #136 & #169 to build 3 sets of this tractor/low boy/dozer combination from poplar and aspen.
Mike: I copied the dozer modification originally submitted by Daniel from Townsville. Have you requestet your FREE DOZER PLAN from Aschi's Workshop ?
Chris Venter from Boksburg South Africa.: Peter, here are some of the trucks built from Aschi's Workshop Plans. Found plans very workable.
Chris has built a number of truck models from Aschi's Workshop Plans. The oldtimer series, the FREE Fire Truck plan and also the plan from the News Letter. Have you requestet the FREE Plan from Aschi's Workshop?
David Cohoon from Utah: Here are some pictures of the Heavy Dump Truck and the 3-axle Tab-trailer from Aschi's plan #204 and #206. On all my toys, I use many different woods to achieve colorful toys. I used zebra wood, yellow wood, padauk, oak, walnut, purple-heart, maple, cherry, red cedar, ebony, and mahogany. Note the routed edges and strips of walnut on inside of bed. I try to put a little of me into all the projects I build. Some I keep and/or give to my grandkids and others I give away.
Aschi's workshop Plan #204 and #206 is also awalable in a special offer as Plan #205 which includes the plan for this loader for FREE!!
Jeff Woodworker: Hello Aschi, I recently purchased a plan from you and as with all others I enjoyed every minute of making it. So much so I made two. One for my grandson and one for my step daughter's cancer benefit to be auctioned off.
Everyone ask me how and where I got the design.... So I send them to your website www.aschisworkshop.com Again thanx so much for your plans and yourefforts to design new ones.
Pekka Laasonen from Finland has built this Pole Truck with single axle Jeep.
Pekka has used Aschi's Workshop Plans #149 and #214 and has created an authentic logging truck from Finland.
Thomas Weigel has built the Aschi's Racer. A real fun project to make and to play with. Aschi's Workshop Plan #185 is a easy to build Fun Racer. here the complete plan in a small version. Purchase the Plan #185 from Aschi, is is only $4 US.
Thomas Weigel of Schuby, Germany is building toys for his 5 year old son.Thomas: "I started woodworking to make save and toxfree toys for my son".
Thomas likes Aschi's Workshop plans: "incredible easy to work". The Dozer and the Fire Truck are FREE PLANS, The Helicopter is from plan #186.
Peter Reimann from Ontario, Canada: I have included pics of my collection of aschi's models so far. It's been nothing but fun for an old gizer young at heart.
Peter Reimann is building this excellent models from Aschi's Workshop Plans. The Fire Truck is a FREE PLAN for you to test Aschi's Plans.
Charles R. Smith from Canada: I own a sawmill, which is my retirement vocation. My grandson, Tobias, has the initials TTB. He was named after my Norwegian grandfather, Tobias Nelson Bjorndahl (initials TNB), who immigrated to Canada in 1904 and started a farm machinery company which he called the 'TNB Machine Co.'.
I chose the red paint on the truck stakes to serve as a background for the white lettering. It is the colour red found on the Canadian flag. I look forward to starting on the next truck model in the coming days. I do think you have done a great job with your plans.
Graham New from Poole/ UK: ".... now back in making models..."
Graham is building model from Aschi's Workshop Plans.
The Old Style Tram from Aschi's Workshop in a easy to build model in Junior Scale and goes with all othe Junior models together. Check out over 150 plans from Aschi's Workshop and request your FREE PLANS today.
from Queensland Australia: Hi Guys. Well I have only been a user of your plans for a short time but enjoy the end product or should I say my grandson does.
Being a mechanic by trade in my working days and a frustrated carpenter by desire, I enjoy working with timber. I must admit I do put in a few alterations and added bits to try for realism.
That came through in the 'Road Tractor' for the Pulp wood Trailers where I made the radiator and bumper bar somewhat different but was happy with the results.
I find wheels, axles and other bits and pieces from Woodenjoys www.woodenjoys.net makes wheels easy and really authentic.


Like politics, the news cycle, weather and social media, programming literature festivals is a year-round activity, though thankfully more rewarding, and certainly much more wholesome. As we unveil the festival programme for 2019, we do so with a sense of excitement and anticipation, and await public response to this year's manifesto.
Whether they adopt the word book, writers, literature or ideas in their moniker, festivals that involve people sitting-and-talking-to-each-other-in-public are proving an enduring form of entertainment. What's the appeal? Well, perhaps because, as the ex-Southbank Centre supremo Jude Kelly once said to me, "there's nothing more interesting than two people having a conversation".
So who's talking at ILFDublin this year? Well, Roberto Calasso for one, a public intellectual in the great European tradition, whose new book attempts to define the era we're currently living through. After Romanticism, Modernism and Postmodernism, which "-ism" defines now? Calasso, who'll be discussing his writing with John Banville, argues that we live in a reality that we are still aren't able to grasp, in short, "the Unnamable Present".
If such existential discussions aren't necessarily your bag, don't worry. The pressure for festivals to evolve beyond the readings-and-discussion format is a hot topic right now, with the sheer portability of words allowing for a wide interpretation of what counts as a literary event. I remember reading with envy an excited tweet about an event at West Cork Literary Festival, which involved sailing out into the Atlantic with readings on a boat and thinking – great idea! – how do we replicate that in Dublin? Somehow chugging out from the Liffey past the Poolbeg chimneys didn't quite cut it; better to stay in the pub and read some Flann O'Brien (which is what we did instead).
Thankfully, at this year's festival you can experience the great outdoors in the company of Erling Kagge, a Norwegian explorer, writer and publisher who was the first person on Earth to reach the three poles – North, South and the summit of Everest – and who'll be leading a walk as part of our focus on Norwegian writers. Despite the unpredictable weather, Dublin in May is unlikely to offer such climactic extremes, and Kagge's walk looks set to be one of the healthier events at the festival this year, for both body and mind.
Formats aside, how else should a festival respond to Ezra Pound's Modernist battle cry to "make it new"? This year at the festival we launch Building Stories, working alongside the Irish Architecture Foundation and Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, to explore how buildings tell stories and how artists and architects reflect this in their practice. Taking this creative sidestep has been a breath of fresh air, allowing us to step off the new publication treadmill and experiment with new ideas.
As a programmer, my own love/hate relationship with Twitter seems endemic to the role (it's mostly love by the way). So many recommendations by people who I respect! So many "happy publication days"! So many people Instagramming their latest proof! How to keep up? While online recommendations have opened up some glorious new reading pathways, the competition to showcase the key books in any season – the hottest debuts and the prize-winners (of which there are more than ever) – grows ever more intense. Programming a festival today can sometimes feel like a literary arms race, and one that is increasingly being fought on an international scale.
More challenging, more "curatorial" if you like, is to take a step back and do a litmus test of what writing really matters in the now – "the unnamable present" to channel Calasso. But it's hard to nail the zeitgeist when you're living through it. Autofiction has had its moment in the sun, and the essay continues to gain currency, with important new books by Irish writers testament to its hybridity and generosity. And then there's the Graphic Novels Question which hangs over every festival programmer: to include or not to include? When Nick Drnaso was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Sabrina it wrongfooted the establishment, but the genre's place at the high table of literature remains uncertain.
The best festival programming might just eschew trends altogether, and make space for what the writer and critic Paul Morley champions, simply, as "the strange, the dark, and the beautiful". I first encountered the work of Norwegian-French writer Caroline Bergvall in 2014, when her work Drift toured the UK. Here was a poet working with audio text and sound art to tell the tragic story of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean – a story first reported by the group Forensic Architecture – long before it was picked up by mainstream news channels. Bergvall's piece reinterpreted the themes and language of the Old English elegy The Seafarer in reimagining this contemporary migrant story. This year she brings a new commission to ILFDublin: Conference (after Sweeney) blends live discussion and field recordings of migratory birds and takes as its starting point the Irish epic poem of mad King Sweeney (Buile Suibhne).
If such a work sounds like a strange and unsettling experience, my advice is simple: go experience it! One of the pleasures of my job is visiting other festivals, sitting back, relaxing and not worrying about whether the mics work or the books have been ordered. But what do I see? Too often I find myself opting for the familiar – a favourite novelist talking about their new book or a poet I've seen read many times before. Almost always, the cultural events that cut the deepest are the ones that take an artistic gamble, where some people walked out even, and where a sense of intrigue burned long after the final curtain.
This year at ILFDublin we're branching out, with new commissions and performative work, a more international programme and cross-artform partnerships. For those hardy perennials who visit the festival each year, my advice would be: try something different and let us know what you think. And for those visiting for the first time, there are lots of "ways in" for younger readers. Party in the Park, on the weekend of May 25th and 26th, offers an eclectic and family-friendly introduction, from story workshops to the Wrap-a-room Installation, and the brightest lights in children's literature will be landing in Dublin, including RJ Palacio, the multi-million selling author of Wonder, and the irrepressible Andy Stanton, author of the Mr Gum series, will read as part of our Tall Tales programme.
Whether a debutant or festival regular, one message applies to all: welcome!
Further programme highlights include: Paul Mason launches Clear Bright Future: a radical defence of the human being (May 20th); Naomi Wolf explores the hot topic of censorship (May 24th); How to be Invisible: A Celebration of Kate Bush (May 22nd); Fintan O'Toole dissects nationalism and identity in the age of Brexit (May 25th) and Emma Dabiri launches her book Don't Touch My Hair (May 26th).


text:
Pride Sunday: St. Alban's style
The Rev. Julie Wakelee-Lynch
Sunday, June 24, 2018, St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Albany, CA
Pride/St. Alban's/Proper 7
Readings: http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp7_RCL.html#ot3
In the midst of a world that feels overflowing with fear, distrust and dissembling, there's a lot of love in the air today. Saul and David's relationship was not exactly the inspiration for the psalm we sang together. But David and Jonathon were another story.
It's unclear how much time passed from this initial promise of love until Jonathon's death in battle, but it was a vow of faithfulness renewed multiple times, and Jonathan risked his life for love of David more than once. As the Pride festival continues in San Francisco and elsewhere this weekend, it is so beautiful to have our readings rooted in such a story of love. Love looks different in each setting, of course, but it always has these things in common: concern for the other, willingness to risk, and a sum greater than its parts.
The first recorded British martyr was a soldier in the Roman army who took in a priest fleeing persecution and, in return for lodgings, received the gift of faith. Many of the details about our Alban's life remain unknown. For instance, scholars have long said the year of his death was in the early 300s, but more recent studies point to the early 200s. Was he a Roman citizen? Or forcibly enlisted into the Roman army? We don't know. And, I don't think it really matters. What remains and is the singular focus of our patron saint's story is a conversion to self-giving love. Alban not only took in the man, he took in his teaching: learning about Jesus and God's limitless love. He may have been baptized by the priest—again, we don't know. And then, when his fellow soldiers came looking, he switched places and gave his life in place of his guest's. Having heard the teaching to lay down his life for another, he took it seriously and put his love of God and neighbor into action.
We often sing together a hymn that proclaims, "There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea" And we believe that. There is a high value on love and mercy here–I believe it is part of the very DNA of this congregation. We aren't flashy about it, we just live our love. It may take us to far-flung places, but mostly it is here, praying, making sandwiches and early morning breakfasts and writing letters and passing the peace and showing up for one another.
It struck me when I first interviewed here: how no one seemed scandalized at my marital status (divorced) or seemed concerned about a single mom being your rector (Maybe I was just so happy that I missed it, but I don't think so…)
But one thing that has consistently struck me, and I don't know if those of you who are regulars here have noticed it, or if it's just such a part of our natural welcome
that it didn't even bear noting, but excepting a small number of folks who've assisted short-term, every single clergy person who has been deacon or assisting priest at the altar here with me has been gay or lesbian.
I was welcomed here by The Rev. Barbara Hill, our beloved deacon, who died in 2015. I learned so much from Barbara about sacrificial love. I know her spirit remains with us.
One beautiful morning just a few months much later, the Rev. Michelle Meech, then a transitional deacon working at the seminary, came to church and, in her self-effacing way, asked if she might "hang out" here for a while, and her ordination to the priesthood took place in our sanctuary.
When I heard that my sometime spiritual advisor the Rev. Duane Sisson was retiring, I went out to Moraga to plead my case that he and Burt land here. I'm grateful they did!
It came time for Deacon Barbara to retire, and, fortunately for us, her wife, the Venerable Kathleen Van Sickle, brought her own beautiful charism as our deacon.
We raised up the Rev. Sara Cosca-Warfield to be a priest in the Church, and we are blessed that while she seeks what's next, she's often here at our pulpit and altar.And, worth noting: her wife, the Rev. Rachel Cosca-Warfield, is a pastor in the United Church of Christ.
The Rev. Will Scott and I have known each other for many years, and it's a gift to us that he asked to make St. Alban's his home base, too.
We've just been blessed for the past year by the loving ministry of Anna Rossi, soon, I hope, to become a candidate for ordination. The Rev. Reagan Humber, now serving as pastor of a congregation in Denver, worshipped and ministered here in the year or so leading up to his ordination. And the Rev. Jason Lucas, now a rector in Minnesota, served here while a transitional deacon.
Had the Church not (at long last) affirmed that when we proclaim that all are children of God, and meant ALL, including LGBTQ clergy and laity, imagine all the loving acts that would not have been welcomed, here, in this place: the visits to people at home and in the hospital, the beautiful sermons we would have missed, the works of feeding, the service of acolytes, altar guild members, vestry members and fiscal managers, lectors, ushers, flower-arrangers, Eucharistic ministers – there is literally no corner of ministry in this parish (lay or ordained) that has not been served by people who have otherwise been marginalized by both church and society for their sexual orientation.
In today's gospel, the disciples are out in the boat. The wind whips up and they are paralyzed with fear. These days don't feel too different in our society from what I imagine those men in the boat must have felt in their bodies. Jesus reminds them – and us – that love is stronger than fear, and has the power to work miracles. When we open wide the door to love, we follow in the footsteps of the self-giving love of Jonathan and David, of Alban, whose courage and faith imbue this place, and of so many who, whether in blessed memory or daily life make love tangible with courage, prophetic action, and service.
It's going to take a lot of this love to heal our world. So let's keep the door open wide, and not neglect the admonition from St. Paul: Now is the acceptable time. Now is the acceptable time for love made flesh in our words and deeds.
May the Holy Spirit, source of love and life, root us always in courageous love, and grow us ever more into a people of loving action.
Published by StAlbansChurch
We are a welcoming and joyful group of people who gather for worship and service, and we open our doors daily for a wide variety of community events. View all posts by StAlbansChurch
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Despite a huge cross over in the nutritional needs of men and women, men have certain unique needs that can be enhanced with specific herbs and nutrients. Here, I take a look at 5 of the most common herbs and nutrients.
Brain Boost: Herbs to help boost brain power include an Ayurvedic herb known as Bacopa. Bacopa has long been used as a 'brain tonic' to help enhance brain function. This amazing herb has been used for centuries. It works wonderfully in aid with other brain booster herbs such as Gingko – though check with a health professional that you're ok to take this before doing so.
Erectile dysfunction: The herb gingko has been used by many cultures for centuries. It is an incredibly well studied herb, and one that's used for a variety of reasons including anti-ageing and to help prevent against cognitive decline. When it comes to circulation, this little gift from Mother Nature packs one very powerful punch too! Circulation is incredibly important for mens erectile function. Good blood flow is critical to the microcirculation of mens reproductive organs, so if you suffer from any such problems, gingko is something you may wish to look further into. Just a word on this one (and on all herbal medicines for that matter!), gingko should never be taken with certain medications as it can cross react causing unwanted outcomes. For anyone on blood thinners, warfarin, aspirin and a list of other medications, you need to check in with a health professional such as a herbalist or naturopath before taking this one (or any other herbs).
Beer belly help: Cinnamon is a wonderful blood sugar balancer. Use this revered herb to help balance blood sugars and enhance insulin to ensure those extra few mouthfuls don't end up where you least want them! Just a word on cinnamon though – try to stay away from too much of the 'cassia' species of cinnamon. This one has been linked to some detrimental health effects, so try to ensure you are using mainly the 'Ceylon' species of cinnamon. As always, you get what you pay for, and Ceylon cinnamon is more expensive, but better for you. The 'cassia' species contains coumarins, which over time can be problematic in susceptible people. Cinnamon is available in a herbal picture form too, and is often found included in 'blood sugar balancing' formulations. Check the container to see which species it contains, if it doesn't say, my guess is that it'd be the cheaper cassia species and I'd look for something else.
Muscle power: Acetyl-n-carnitine helps to dump fats into the blood – so perfect to boost this nutrient prior to exercise to help you burn that excess fat off. This nutrient is present in red meat. Always ensure you get a good quality, grass fed piece of meat to avoid an overload of toxins primarily, but also importantly, that you get good levels of nutrients from ingesting it. It's been shown that grass fed, pasture grown cows contain a huge amount more beneficial nutrients including vitamins A and D, when compared with their conventionally farmed, factory produced cousins. Grass fed, pasture grown meats are also fed a natural diet, rather than one filled with inflammatory grains, decreasing the inflammatory load on your body. Inflammation is at the root of all chronic diseases, so it's a good idea to avoid it wherever possible. Acetyl-n-carnitine is also available in supplement form.
Stamina: Korean ginseng is another herb thats been used by many cultures for centuries. It helps to reduce the effects of physical stress, it's a brain tonic, a heart tonic and is a wonderful male tonic! It's not one to use in times of acute infections (e.g. colds and flu), it has a much better and potent effect when you are well. There aren't too many tonics I make for males that don't contain this one. It's like putting a little extra fuel into your tank!


Never Wither is a narrative game about color blindness. It tells the story of a 10-yeat-old kid being color blind after an accident, and he fights through 5 stages of grief.
Music Composer: Click here to listen to some music!


The 19-year-old, born and raised in Manhattan's Chinatown, was reportedly driven to suicide after months of racist bullying and abuse.
New details are emerging about the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, 19, who was found dead in a guard tower in Afghanistan last October. A military statement called the death "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound" to the head but new details released to the family on Wednesday included stories of violent hazing and racist bullying that may have led Chen to suicide.
The family learned of the new details – which they said were in the fullest account yet of what happened to their son – in a three-hour briefing on Wednesday with Army officials.
The family shared details the following day at a press conference in Chen's old neighborhood, New York City's Chinatown.
Hazing Ruled Not the Cause of Chinese-American Marine's Suicide ?


Abandoned chair with writing desk and cabinet.
Taken with the Lecia M7 with Zeiss 2/35 and Ilford HP5+. The light was very low and it was quite difficult to hold the camera steady while trying also to get the framing in a rather confined space.


text:
Tastings -- Published Aug. 22, 2012
Wine tastings scheduled this week.
Beverages and More
6393 N. Pacific Ave., Stockton
� Fri.: 4-7 p.m., North Coast Blue Star, Abita Purple Haze, Sam Adams cherry wheat, Ballast Point Wahoo wheat, Leinenkugel's Sunset wheat.
� Sat.: 1-4 p.m., Beringer KV meritage, 14 Hands cabernet sauvignon, Beaulieu Napa cabernet sauvignon, Craftwork cabernet sauvignon, Lillie's cabernet sauvignon, Trailhead cabernet sauvignon.
Borra Vineyards
1301 E. Armstrong Road, Lodi
� Daily: noon-5 p.m.
21 N. School St., Lodi
� Tue.-Thur.: 1 to 9 p.m.; Fri.: 1-11 p.m.; Sat.: 1-10 p.m.; Sun.: 1-5 p.m.
Harmony Wynelands
9291 E. Harney Lane, Lodi
� Mon.-Sat.: 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sun: 12:30-5 p.m.
Lodi Wine Cellars
112 W. Pine St., Lodi
� Wed.-Thur.: 3-9 p.m.; Fri.: 3 p.m.-midnight; Sat.: noon-midnight; Sun.: noon-4 p.m.
Lodi Wine & Visitor Center
2545 W. Turner Road
� Daily: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $5.
Oak Ridge Winery
6100 E. Highway 12, Lodi
� Daily: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Scott Harvey Tasting Room
79 Main St., Sutter Creek
� Thur.-Mon.: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sorelle Winery
9599 N. Highway 88, Stockton,
sorellewinery.com.
� Sat.-Sun.: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Van Ruiten Family Winery
340 W. Highway 12, Lodi
� Mon.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun.: noon-8 p.m.
Vino 100
2467 Naglee Road, Tracy
� Tue.-Thur.: 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Fri.: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun.: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Vybe Lounge
600 Longview Drive, Stockton
� Today: 6:30 p.m. $5; two wine tastes and appetizers.
Wine Wizards
2222 Grand Canal Blvd., Suite 3, Stockton
� Tue.-Thur.: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri.: 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Sat.: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Woodbridge Uncorked
18911 N. Lower Sacramento Road
� Wed., Thur.: 4-9 p.m.; Fri., Sun.: noon-8 p.m.; Sat.: noon-10 p.m.
© Copyright 2006-2019 GateHouse Media, LLC. All rights reserved • GateHouse A Life


Graduates of the Via Lingua Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (CTEFL) may be eligible to receive a tuition waiver of up to $5,000.00 in the Marlboro College MATESOL program. Marlboro's Via Lingua Certificate Fellowship builds on a shared commitment to lifelong learning as well as the mutual interest in enhancing the professional development of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The fellowship recognizes and validates the quality of teacher preparation in the Via Lingua certificate program and the desire of many of Via Lingua's participants to seek an advanced degree.
The Via Lingua mission—to develop global professionals who are thoughtful, creative and effective practitioners of teaching English as a Foreign Language—resonates with Marlboro's own approach to language learning. Via Lingua graduates are prepared with essential knowledge, competencies, and dispositions in the field. Student-centered learning reflects historical and contemporary knowledge, theory, cross-cultural awareness, and ongoing practice that meet the academic, professional, personal, and social needs of learners.
Successful completion of the Via Lingua certification program (CTEFL) will qualify applicants who have been accepted into the MATESOL program at Marlboro College to be considered for a tuition waiver of up to $5000. Via Lingua participants must provide a transcript as proof of Via Lingua certification, and an average grade of "B" or better must be earned in all coursework from the Via Lingua program in order to be eligible for the tuition waiver. The applicants must apply independently to the Marlboro MATESOL program and meet all admission requirements.


Security forces Thursday unearthed a militant hideout in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir and recovered material used in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs), police said.
A joint team of police and Army unearthed the hideout at Ramnagri in Shopian district following a specific tip off, a police official said.
He said incriminating material including explosives and other material used in making IEDs was recovered from the hideout.


text:
Marija Vučinović ist der Name folgender Personen:

* Marija Vučinović (Politikerin, 1958), montenegrinische Politikerin
 Marija Vučinović (Politikerin, 1974), kroatische Politikerin

Siehe auch:
 Marija Vučenović

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Think a minute…In 1998 an award winning movie called Life is Beautiful dramatically showed the power of humor.
In it a father gives his son a beautiful life of joy and laughter, even while they are suffering and starving in a Nazi concentration camp.
Each day the father did not know if it was their last, so he chose to see and show the funny side of everything to his son.
This was their secret weapon to fight against the horrible evil of the holocaust that tortured and murdered six million Jews.
Throughout each day the father made up jokes and games to keep laughter in his son's life…right up to the final moment the Nazi soldier took the father to his death!
But that is only if you allow the hard things of life ruin everything else.
We should never let anyone or anything steal our joy and sense of humor.
It is one of our most important survival skills in life.
A sense of humor can help us make sense of the seemingly senseless, painful things that happen to us.
It gives us a clearer, better perspective on our difficulties and disappointments.
Laughter and humor will make a big difference in your marriage and family, as well as your job and career.
Since you are on this journey of life, why not enjoy every day of it? Besides, the problem you have now may be a funny story you laugh about years from now.
Life is too short to let your daily pressures and problems steal your happiness.
So fight back and win with your weapon of humor and joy.
Remember, there are plenty of serious things in life without you taking yourself too seriously.
So if you cannot find anything to laugh about—laugh at yourself! If you can't, you probably won't be very happy or fun to live with.
Everyone dies, but not everyone really lives. Won't you ask your Creator to give you His real life and inner joy today?
Ask Jesus to forgive you for living your own way, and to take full charge of your heart and way of life every day.
Then no matter what problems you face, He will always help you to "laugh a little" and "live a lot".


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text:
Featuring Some Of The Best Clubs in London
If you are thinking about visiting the capital city of England, you are going to want to make sure you make time to visit some of the best nightclubs in London before you leave. For those who love clubbing and city nightlife, London offers a wide range of famous venues to explore, from multi-thousand-capacity mega clubs to hidden basements with exclusive entry requirements. Featured below are some of the top-rated clubs in the city:
XOYO, Shoreditch
Spanning two stories this club has made a name for itself by making sure it attracts top DJs. The infamous grime nights are somethings to look out for. While the playlists aren't pigeonholed, there's a weighting for disco and house. Residents include Flava D, Motor City Drum Ensemble and Ben UFO.
Ministry of Sound, Elephant & Castle
The Ministry of Sound opened in 1991 and it is somewhat of a mecca for dance fans. Over the years it has been superseded by larger competitors, but it's still a fun venue to visit. The sound system in the main room has won several awards and it is famous for showcasing house music to the world.
Bussey Building, Peckham
This nightclub spans four levels and has a warehouse style. In addition to offering clubbing nights, it operates during the day as an art, theatre and film hub. The nightclub plays everything from funk and soul to electro and techno to house. It attracts a diverse crowd and is a great location to dance the night away.
Phonox, Brixton
While this club only opened in 2015, it has quickly become a go-to venue in London. Many locals love it for its simplicity. There is just one room and a Funktion One sound system. The organizers behind the venue are also responsible for the Jazz Cafe and XOYO, so you can be sure they know how to offer a good night out. Rules are minimal, but photography is banned on the dance floor and no suits are allowed.
Printworks, Canada Water
This 5,000 max capacity venue spans a six thousand square meter space. It used to be a newspaper factory but has been redesigned into long narrow dancefloors. They regularly attract top DJs including Loco Dice, Seth Troxler, and The Martinez Brothers.
The Jazz Cafe, Camden
This venue is perhaps most famous for its live events, which attract leading artists from the hip-hop, jazz and soul scene. However, the club nights are also very good. The tightly packed dancefloor is surrounded by a restaurant-mezzanine area. Friday is a great night to visit if you want a random surprise, as programming loosens up. One week it could be Arabic funk and the next Turkish psych-disco.
Fabric, Farringdon
This club has airport-style security at the entrance, but once you're inside, you can get lost in the vast subterranean bowels of the building. There is no phone signal inside, but it regularly hosts some of the very best DJs on the international circuit. Residents Craig Richards and Terry Francis are nearly always around too.
There are dozens more clubs in London and Great Britain, so make sure you take time to do some research before you arrive in the city.
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text:
Делмар Тауншип () — селище () в США, в окрузі Тайога штату Пенсільванія. Населення —  осіб (2010).

Демографія

Згідно з переписом 2010 року, у селищі мешкало  осіб у  домогосподарствах у складі 848 родин. Було 1508 помешкань

Расовий склад населення:

До двох чи більше рас належало 0,7 %. Частка іспаномовних становила 1,0 % від усіх жителів.

За віковим діапазоном населення розподілялося таким чином: 21,5 % — особи молодші 18 років, 60,0 % — особи у віці 18—64 років, 18,5 % — особи у віці 65 років та старші. Медіана віку мешканця становила 47,1 року. На 100 осіб жіночої статі у селищі припадало 102,7 чоловіків;  на 100 жінок у віці від 18 років та старших — 103,1 чоловіків також старших 18 років.

Середній дохід на одне домашнє господарство  становив  доларів США (медіана — ), а середній дохід на одну сім'ю —  доларів (медіана — ). Медіана доходів становила  доларів для чоловіків та  долар для жінок. За межею бідності перебувало 10,0 % осіб, у тому числі 12,0 % дітей у віці до 18 років та 2,4 % осіб у віці 65 років та старших.

Цивільне працевлаштоване населення становило  особи. Основні галузі зайнятості: освіта, охорона здоров'я та соціальна допомога — 21,3 %, виробництво — 11,9 %, роздрібна торгівля — 11,4 %.

Примітки

Джерела

Селища Пенсільванії
Населені пункти округу Тайога (Пенсільванія)


Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? The Republic of Kalmykia is a federal subject of Russia. It is the only region in Europe where Buddhism is practiced by a plurality of the population. It has become well known as an international center for chess.
What is something about your city that only locals would know? All trees in Kalmykia are artificially planted.
Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city? The khurul "Zolotaja obitel' Buddy Shak'jamuni" is the biggest Buddhist temple in Europe. Chess City is a large complex devoted to chess. Kalmuk Steppe, or Kalmyk Steppe is a steppe of approximately 100,000 km², bordering the northwest Caspian Sea. The old khurul.


text:
Flora Fiction
A Creative Space
Volume Issue 4
Flora Ashe November 24, 2020 Short Stories
Hula Girl By Stuart Christianson
The little hula girl danced on the dashboard as the pickup truck bounced down the dirt track. The girls gleaming white smile and green grass dress appealed to John's sense of whimsy. As the pickup hit a rut, the adhesive loosened and the girl went tumbling down between his legs. He laughed as he reached down, then threw her out the window; the girl hit the ground and broke in two, her torso bouncing off into the bushes.
John reached the end of the track that demarcated his property and stopped – the hood jutting out onto the tarmacked road. Looking left, in the distance he could just make out the wooden hoarding that blocked his view of the Interstate. He wound down the window to listen to the sounds of the engines rushing by; the passengers almost oblivious to the once thriving town – just off the Exit ramp. Almost, but not entirely oblivious, because the hoarding boldly proclaimed in giant red writing – 'Last Gas for 100 Miles'.
He smiled to himself and put the truck back in to first gear and headed right, towards town. Crow Rock was a couple of miles down the road and he no longer noticed the empty fields; the dilapidated houses were just another blot of history – a remnant of a time before the Interstate. He glanced up at the rear-view mirror to make sure the coverings were still secured on the flatbed. He knew he'd tied it all down and put concrete bricks on the corners, but it was a habit that he'd picked up along the way and didn't feel like it was one he cared to break.
Up ahead on the right he saw the big neon sign that read Eddies Diner & Gas Station and took his foot off the gas to gently slow his speed, so as not to wear the brake pads. Just behind the diner was Eddies Wrecking Yard, stacked with the carcasses of cars, trucks, RVs, and motorbikes, in various states of rust. John pulled into his usual spot next to the Sheriffs cruiser and admired the sign that was in the window of the diner – 'We sell fuel and fuel'.
Don't need no college education to be clever with words, he'd proudly told Eddie as he'd handed him the hand painted sign a few years back. As he walked up to the door of the diner, he paid closer attention to it and noticed the sun had bleached some of the colour. A fly was buzzing between the glass and the sign, bouncing back and forth in a desperate attempt to find freedom. Lured into the diner by the promise of meat, it would eventually join the others on the windowsill covered by dust and grease.
John opened the door and was met by the smell of freshly baked pie. The sheriff sitting on a stool at the counter nursing a coffee, a piece of pie placed next to him – untouched. He slowly turned his head as John walked over to join him, 'Morning, John' the sheriff said quietly.
'Rough night?' John replied, picking up the fork that sat next to the pie and helping himself to a chunk. The sheriff stared at him, then pulled the plate away, snatched the fork from his hand and started eating it himself.
'Huntin' was the sheriffs reply, mumbling through a mouthful, crumbs dropping around him like dead flies. 'Eddie left you some fresh feed out back, he's breaking a car, so I'll help you load' he said before draining his coffee and standing up.
'Actually, I've got some pigs in the truck to unload' John said. The sheriff started walking towards the door and John took another chunk of pie before following him out.
They walked out of the diner to find a murder of crows fighting around the truck, a trotter had been pried out from the coverings and was being fought over on the ground. John kicked dirt at the birds, and they flew away; he left the trotter lying in the dirt as he lifted out the concrete slabs from the flatbed and unfurled the covering to reveal two pig carcases. They each hoisted a carcass on to their shoulders and John crouched down to pick up the trotter before following the sheriff around the side of the diner to the cool house out back.
They unlatched the door to the cool house and batted away the black cloud of flies that were circling the bags.
'They get heavier every year' John said after helping the sheriff load two big bags and a few smaller ones on to the back of the pickup.
'You're just getting older John' the sheriff said as John climbed back into the pickup to leave.
'Any reports?' John asked before he closed the door.
The sheriff shook his head and walked back towards the diner.
The trip back to the farm was quicker, John drove faster as the pigs had missed breakfast and would be stirring up some mischief. The sun was high in the sky now, so he reached for his cap and pulled it low. He turned left down the dirt track to the farm and soon he was reversing the truck up the incline that led right up to the pen fencing. As he thought, the squealing and hollering of the pigs could be heard for miles around.
There was no point unwrapping the feed as the pigs would eat clean through anything, so he unlatched the tailgate and rolled the plastic bags into the pen. He watched them devour the contents with a smile on his face, but then frowned and jumped down off the truck. He reached down into the dirt and removed the gold ring off a finger, before throwing the hand back in.
Satisfied, he strolled into the house and opened the jar that sat next to the door; he threw the ring in with the other pieces of gold and silver – then went into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and a slice of pie.
"When I was in nursery school and the teachers got tired, they'd sit me in front of the class and I'd make up stories – I've never stopped."—Stuart Christianson
Posted in Short Stories and tagged Fiction, short, short story, write, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink.
rebecca s revels	 on November 24, 2020 at 3:58 PM
While I sensed something amiss early in, I wasn't quite expecting that ending.
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Saint Elizabeth Academy
The old entrance to Saint Elizabeth Academy, in Saint Louis.
Posted by Mark S. Abeln at 3/30/2009 10:28:00 AM 5 comments
Labels: architecture, photos
More Spring Flowers at Shaw's Garden
MORE SPRING FLOWER photos, taken last Wednesday at the Missouri Botanical Garden, founded by Henry Shaw in 1859.
The Linnean House dates from 1882 and contains the garden's camellias.
Common hyacinth, Hyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Jacket' Liliaceae
Large-cupped daffodil, Narcissus 'Vega' Amaryllidaceae
Not a spring flower, but a nice orchid for sale in the gift shop.
Labels: nature, photos
Dennis Flavan, R.I.P.
Pray for the repose of the soul of Dennis Flavan, brother of a dear friend, and pray for the consolation of his friends and family.
Obituary.
Labels: people
Feast of the Annunciation
AVE GRATIA PLENA: Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus.
At Saint Bernard Church, in Albers, Illinois.
At the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis: Our Lady's Chapel.
At Mary, Queen of Peace, in Webster Groves, Missouri.
At the Saint Louis Art Museum.
At the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, in Belleville, Illinois.
Posted by Mark S. Abeln at 3/24/2009 11:48:00 PM 2 comments
Labels: churches, photos
Photos of Saint Mary's (Immaculate Conception) Church, in Brussels, Illinois
HERE ARE PHOTOS of Immaculate Conception (Saint Mary's) Church in the village of Brussels, Calhoun County, Illinois. It is about 39 miles by car and ferryboat northwest of downtown Saint Louis, Missouri.
This church dates from 1863 and replaced one built in 1847.
The town of Brussels is named after the hometown in Belgium of the church's first parish priest. Click here for more photos of Brussels.
Saint Mary's is one church among three that comprise Blessed Trinity parish in the south part of Calhoun County. According the diocesan directory, this combined parish has about 1097 parishioners in 433 families.
Brilliant gold mosaic is above the altar, along with the Lamb of God on the Book of Seven Seals from the Apocalypse.
On the front of the old high altar is the Last Supper: along with Jesus, the apostles John, Peter, and the betrayer Judas are clearly identifiable.
Statue of Saint Joseph. Stained glass window has the Christological symbols of an eagle and fish.
Stained glass window of the Holy Family.
Stained glass window of the Nativity and adoration of the shepherds.
On the molding around the ceiling are medallions of titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary as found in the Litany of Loreto. Shown here in composite are Tower of David (Canticle of Canticles 4:4); Seat of Wisdom; and Ark of the Covenant (compare 2 Samuel 6:9 and Luke 1:43).
Graves of parish pastors in the Catholic cemetery.
Brussels, Illinois 62013
UPDATE: This church was destroyed by fire, on Christmas Eve of 2011. More details can be found here.
Location: Brussels, Illinois
A Visit to Brussels, Illinois
THE VILLAGE OF Brussels, Illinois, is about 39 miles northwest of downtown Saint Louis by car and by boat. Located in the perfectly rural Calhoun County, this village of less than 200 souls nevertheless offers places to worship and to relieve your thirst.
Missouri recedes as the Golden Eagle ferryboat crosses the Mississippi River into Illinois.
Calhoun County is bound on the west and south by the Mississippi River, and on the east by the Illinois River; travel into the county is provided by ferryboats and by one bridge, far to the north.
The ferryboat and her passengers approach the village of Golden Eagle. This relative isolation helps make Calhoun County the most purely rural county in the State of Illinois, without any large urban centers.
The "Kingdom of Calhoun" is named after John C. Calhoun (1782-1850), a strong proponent of States' Rights and the South, who held a number of elected and appointed national offices. Calhoun County was organized in 1825, when its namesake was Vice President of the United States.
This section of Illinois was a part of the Military Tract, bounty lands set aside by the Federal government for the veterans of the War of 1812.
Approximately 2/3rds of Illinois was glaciated, and most of the state is very flat with thick glacial topsoil. However, this county was untouched by the most recent glaciers, and has rolling topography in the southern portion, as seen here, which is well-suited to farming and orchards. Further north in Calhoun county, the rugged Dividing Ridge separates the watersheds of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and tends to be forested.
Associated with the Lincoln Hills region of Missouri, this rugged region is geographically and culturally more like the Ozarks than the vast prairie which surrounds it to the north, east, and west.
Most of the State's peach crop comes from this county, which also has apple orchards. Vineyards are now becoming prominent, augmenting the regional wine production. In season, there are numerous roadside produce stands where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables.
Founded in 1847 as the Wittmond Trading Post, the current Wittmond Hotel in Brussels is known for its food and drink.
Originally settled in 1822, Brussels was named in 1847 after the city in Belgium, in honor of the hometown of the first parish priest, Fr. John Moliter. The village is mainly populated by descendants of German immigrants.
The Brussels Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Catholic cemetery.
The Brussels Village Jail, last used in 1952.
These photos were taken on March 6th, a warm day in late winter, before the spring flowers had emerged.
Saint Mary's (Immaculate Conception) Catholic Church, built in 1863. It is a part of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, on the north end of town.
Click here for a map of the region.
Labels: architecture, history, photos
Feast of Saint Benedict
IN THE OLD calendar, today is the feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia, Abbot, founder of Western monasticism and author of the Rule or Ordo of monastic living in community that bears his name.
As co-patron of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a Solemn High Mass is to be held in his honor at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory at 12:10 p.m. today.
Labels: faith
The Vernal Equinox
TODAY IS the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and so likewise is the first day of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This day is known as the "Vernal Equinox" — which comes from the Latin vernalis 'of the Spring' and aequinoctium, aequi- 'equal' + nox, nocti- 'night' — because on this day, everywhere in the world, the length of the night is approximately twelve hours in length (disregarding optical effects due to the atmosphere and the size of the sun's disk).
When the northern pole of the world points towards the sun, it is the warm seasons of the year in the northern hemisphere, and when it points away from the sun, it is the cold season; but today, and on the day of the Autumnal Equinox, the Earth's axis is in-between. The northern pole of the world is now turning back to the sun, lengthening the days in this hemisphere, and indeed this penitential season is called 'Lent' in English, from the Anglo-Saxon word lœnan, meaning 'to lengthen'.
Fittingly, since this is the beginning of the season of growth, we find that many ancient calendars set the Vernal Equinox as the New Year's Day. But the observation of the equinoxes goes back to remote antiquity, and I am always amazed at the astronomical accuracy often found among the ancients throughout the world.
The date of the Spring Equinox is nowadays somewhere between March 19th and the 21st, but traditionally it was observed on March 25th; this change was due to a poorly-implemented calendar reform, where leap-year days were mistakenly inserted for a while every three years instead of every four years. Julius Caesar was assassinated the year following his calendar reform, but Caesar Augustus corrected this error after 36 years, and dropped several leap year days.
Since religion is concerned with higher things such as first and final causes, while government tends to be concerned with opinions and appearances, the calendar traditionally is the domain of the priesthood. Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar by his authority as pontifex maximus, or head of the Roman religion, and his calendar is still in use by Orthodox Churches. Likewise the Gregorian Calendar we now use was promulgated by Pope Gregory XIII.
Designing a calendar is rather problematic. It is useful and fitting that a calendar synchronizes with the various natural cycles, such as the orbit of the Earth around the sun, the seasons, the lunar phases, and day and night. Calendars often incorporate weekly cycles used for market days, days of rest, and religious observances, including our seven-day week. The problem stems from the fact that these cycles are not numerically commensurate, in that a fixed number of months, weeks, and days cannot be precisely fit into a solar year or lunar month, and so a calendar has to be a compromise.
The Christian calendars synchronize with the seasons and do not observe the lunar cycle - the ancient Roman calendar originally had each month start with the New Moon, but that was quickly changed to fixed months. The Jewish calendar synchronizes with both the Moon and the seasons, but this requires an additional month inserted into the calendar periodically. The Islamic calendar is lunar but does not synchronize with the seasons. All three include the seven-day week, but the week does not have any particular association with months and years.
The cycle of the seasons do not match the orbit of the Earth around the sun, due to the phenomenon of the Procession of the Equinoxes. The ancient Egyptian calendar would start the New Year based on the rise of Sirius, the Dog star, and this would drift with time.
The Christian dating of Easter is related to the Vernal Equinox. The day of the Resurrection of our Lord occurred on the Sunday following Passover, and so ecclesiastical calculations of the day of Easter roughly approximates the Jewish calendar. However, early churchmen rather wanted the observance of the Resurrection to be held on the same day throughout the world instead of strictly following the Jewish calendar, which often varied by community, was otherwise somewhat unpredictable for future years, and was not under the authority of the Church. Logically, Easter is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox, which is in the Jewish month of Nisan; but our calculations are only approximate.
The English word 'Easter' comes from the pagan deity Ēostre; this was first observed by Saint Bede the Venerable, and the pagan custom had already died out at the time of his writing. However, the name of this Christian feast day in most other languages is derived from the Hebrew Pesach (פֶּסַח), or Passover, which is where we get the English word Paschaltide.
The Catholic love for places, seasons, and things often lead to accusations of paganism, but I think this attitude is perhaps due to our contemporary split between rationalism and spirituality. On the one hand, we have a scientific worldview of planetary orbits divorced from God, and on the other we have iconoclastic religion devoid of art and forgetful of history. Rather, the Church appreciates all of Creation, which was made very good, although it is fallen. Echos of this attitude may perhaps be found in the lyrics of Loreena McKennitt's lovely song The Mummers' Dance, where "the springtime of the year" is "the work of Our Lord's hand".
See also my post on the numbering of days in the Roman calendar.
Labels: history, science
Statue of Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, with the Mississippi River in the background, at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet.
Labels: faith, photos
Feast of Saint Joseph
TODAY WE HONOR Saint Joseph, humble tekton, spouse of the Virgin Mary, and foster-father of Jesus.
Statue of Joseph and the Christ Child at the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Patronage:
The dying
Against doubt and hesitation
Bursars
cabinetmakers
confectioners
expectant mothers
happy death
married people
New France
people who fight Communism
unborn children
and many others.
Spring Flowers at Shaw's Garden
PHOTOS TAKEN today, at the Missouri Botanical Garden, popularly known as Shaw's Garden.
Magnolia hybrid Magnoliaceae
Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Messel' Magnoliaceae
Pansy, Viola x wittrockiana 'Ultima Morpho' Violaceae
Rhododendron 'Floda' Ericaceae
Magnolia x soulangeana Magnoliaceae
Cyclamineus daffodil, Narcissus 'The Alliance' Amaryllidaceae
Double daffodil, Narcissus 'Full House' Amaryllidaceae
Star magnolia, Magnolia stellata 'Rosea' Magnoliaceae
Viola x wittrockiana 'Clear Sky Deep Orange'
Lobularia maritima 'Snow Crystals'
Primula 'Alejandra' Primulaceae
Split-corona daffodil, Narcissus 'Cassata' Amaryllidaceae
Kaufmanniana tulip, Tulipa 'Stresa' Liliaceae
Star magnolia, Magnolia stellata Magnoliaceae
Purple crocuses
The Shaw country home and former museum.
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Q: Usage of mvnvm vs mvn? I saw a friend using mvnvm for compiling their projects. What is the advantage of mvnvm over mvn, and what functionality does it provide?
I could find the website mvnvm.org, but I couldn't find much information beyond that.

A: I'm the author of mvnvm, its a script that will download and run the specified (or default) version of maven for your project.
The main benefits are:

*

*You can control the version of maven used for your project centrally in one place (store it with the project)

*You don't need every possible maven version installed on your build agents as mvnvm can be installed and manage whats needed

*If you contribute to a project only occasionally, then you don't need to worry about switching as the source of that project defines the maven version and you can be sure your building it correctly

*The version of maven used to build your release artifact is forever defined in the source, this makes reproducible builds more likely in the future.

Good luck!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


(91 x 56 x 19 mm) 3.8 x 2.2 x 0.9 in.
Wide: f/3.7 - f/8.0; Tele: f/4.2 - f/9.0 f/3.0 (W) / f/6.9 (T) - ??
Dual Shutter Releases (One button for still capture, one for movie record); i-Flash Intelligent Flash; Dual Shot Mode (takes 2 shots, one with flash, one without); Stamp It ( Add a little fun to your images by "stamping" a variety of fun designs to up to three detected faces in your shots!) Available in black, red or blue.


Move over little Dora, the Disney Makeover is going ADULT!
Disney World has been offering the opportunity for little ones to get the ultimate Disney makeover for years. They can be a prince, knight, pirate, mermaid or princess. The only catch was you had to be between 3 to 12 years old.
Announcing "Character Couture" makeover packages, now available at Walt Disney World! These makeovers involve intricate hairdos, elaborate eye makeup and a pop of color on the cheeks and lips. Wanna be a princess? Wanna be a villain? Maybe a Star Wars Jedi? Done. Done and Done!
Pricing depends on the age group and the level of makeup, but range from $50 to $120. There are many locations around the Walt Disney Resorts that offer these packages. I think it might be time for another trip to Florida. Now I just have to convince Hot Hubby.


text:
Actor guest of a female association
PRIZR EN - Anatolia News Agency
Actor Halil İbrahim Kalaycıoğlu plays Zülfikar Aga in 'Valley of the Wolves.' Screen grab.
Two actors from the popular Turkish TV series "Kurtlar Vadisi" (Valley of the Wolves) have arrived in Kosovo city of Prizren.
Kosovo was the setting of first episode of the action series in 2003. The leading character in the series, Polat Alemdar, acted by Necati Şaşmaz, played an intelligence officer training the soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
The TV series, which is highly popular in Kosovo, as well as in many other countries, is also being aired on Albanian channels, accompanied by Albanian subtitles.
Şaşmaz visited Kosovo last year along with other actors, and was warmly welcomed by thousands of people. The latest visitors to the country were actor Halil İbrahim Kalaycıoğlu, who plays the character Zülfikar Aga, and Nazmi Göçmen, who plays his bodyguard.
The actors were hosted by Mediha Jılta, the chairwoman of a female association in the country, and visited historic locations in Prizren.


Tess Holliday has made history with her appearance on the cover of Cosmo UK, and being a positive representation of a plus sized woman.
Tess Holliday, the plus size model who has made waves with her incredible representation of full figured women, has broken new boundaries with her appearance on the cover of Cosmopolitan UK. The cover story is being praised as a huge step forward for body positivity, with the plus sized community being excited about the representation involved with Tess' appearance.
Some big dummies are upset about the cover however, but Tess Holliday had the perfect response for weirdos like him. Piers, get out of here. Literally everyone hates you. Go on, shoo.
In any case, congratulations to the newest Cosmo girl, and congratulations to Cosmopolitan for even having her. She gave you the time of day Cosmopolitan, and you thank her for her time! Tess Holliday is an exciting figure, and we are absolutely psyched to see what she does next.
But what about you? What do you think of Tess Holliday's appearance on Cosmopolitan? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.


text:
Q: How to improve INSERT performance on a very large MySQL table I am working on a large MySQL database and I need to improve INSERT performance on a specific table. This one contains about 200 Millions rows and its structure is as follows:
(a little premise: I am not a database expert, so the code I've written could be based on wrong foundations. Please help me to understand my mistakes :) )
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS items (
    id INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
    key VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL,
    busy TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
    created_at DATETIME NOT NULL,
    updated_at DATETIME NOT NULL,

    PRIMARY KEY (id, name),
    UNIQUE KEY name_key_unique_key (name, key),
    INDEX name_index (name)
) ENGINE=MyISAM
PARTITION BY LINEAR KEY(name)
PARTITIONS 25;

Every day I receive many csv files in which each line is composed by the pair "name;key", so I have to parse these files (adding values created_at and updated_at for each row) and insert the values into my table. In this one, the combination of "name" and "key" MUST be UNIQUE, so I implemented the insert procedure as follows:
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE temp_items (
    id INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
    key VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL,
    busy TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
    created_at DATETIME NOT NULL,
    updated_at DATETIME NOT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (id)
    )
ENGINE=MyISAM;

LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE 'file_to_process.csv'
INTO TABLE temp_items
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '\"'
(name, key, created_at, updated_at);

INSERT INTO items (name, key, busy, created_at, updated_at)
(
    SELECT temp_items.name, temp_items.key, temp_items.busy, temp_items.created_at, temp_items.updated_at
    FROM temp_items
)
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE busy=1, updated_at=NOW();

DROP TEMPORARY TABLE temp_items;

The code just shown allows me to reach my goal but, to complete the execution, it employs about 48 hours, and this is a problem.
I think that this poor performance are caused by the fact that the script must check on a very large table (200 Millions rows) and for each insertion that the pair "name;key" is unique.
How can I improve the performance of my script?
Thanks to all in advance.

A: You can use the following methods to speed up inserts:

*

*If you are inserting many rows from the same client at the same time, use INSERT statements with multiple VALUES lists to insert several rows at a time. This is considerably faster (many times faster in some cases) than using separate single-row INSERT statements. If you are adding data to a nonempty table, you can tune the bulk_insert_buffer_size variable to make data insertion even faster.

*When loading a table from a text file, use LOAD DATA INFILE. This is usually 20 times faster than using INSERT statements.

*Take advantage of the fact that columns have default values. Insert values explicitly only when the value to be inserted differs from the default. This reduces the parsing that MySQL must do and improves the insert speed.
Reference: MySQL.com: 8.2.4.1 Optimizing INSERT Statements

A: Your linear key on name and the large indexes slows things down.
LINEAR KEY needs to be calculated every insert.
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/partitioning-linear-hash.html
can you show us some example data of file_to_process.csv maybe a better schema should be build.
Edit looked more closely
INSERT INTO items (name, key, busy, created_at, updated_at)
(
    SELECT temp_items.name, temp_items.key, temp_items.busy, temp_items.created_at, temp_items.updated_at
    FROM temp_items
)

this will proberly will create a disk temp table, this is very very slow so you should not use it to get more performance or maybe you should check some mysql config settings like tmp-table-size and max-heap-table-size maybe these are misconfigured.

A: There is a piece of documentation I would like to point out, Speed of INSERT Statements.

A: By thinking in java ;

*

*Divide the object list into the partitions and generate batch insert statement for each partition.

*Utilize CPU cores and available db connections efficiently, nice new java features can help to achieve parallelism easily(e.g.paralel, forkjoin) or you can create your custom thread pool optimized with number of CPU cores you have and feed your threads from centralized blocking queue in order to invoke batch insert prepared statements.

*Decrease the number of indexes on the target table if possible. If foreign key is not really needed, just drop it. Less indexes faster inserts.

*Avoid using Hibernate except CRUD operations, always write SQL for complex selects.

*Decrease number of joins in your query, instead forcing the DB, use java streams for filtering, aggregating and transformation.

*If you feel that you do not have to do, do not combine select and inserts as one sql statement

*Add rewriteBatchedStatements=true to your JDBC string, it will help to decrease TCP level communication between app and DB.

*Use @Transactional for the methods that carry out insert batch and write rollback methods yourself.

A: You could use
load data local infile ''
REPLACE
into table

etc...
The REPLACE ensure that any duplicate value is overwritten with the new values.
Add a SET updated_at=now() at the end and you're done.
There is no need for the temporary table.