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Registration open for USGL Lover Triad Convocation

A convocation of the Lover Triad of United States Grand Lodge will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, August 14-16 2020. Registration for the convocation is now open. See this site for more information.





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Malta - a Lilliput state with potentates separated from and above the people?


Memorial plaque
Memorial plaque
Malta is the smallest country among EU member states. It has only about 400000 inhabitants and the area is only 312 square kilometers. The Maltese people are very proud of their country and are very right to be so. During WW II the Maltese people were very courageous and it was then the Maltese people was rewarded S: t George’s cross 1942 by the king of England, which cross since 1943 is a symbol on the Maltese flag. The president of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt, has expressed his gratitude to the Maltese people, which can be seen on a memorial plaque on the wall of the predidential palace in Valletta. 
However, the majority of Maltese do not seem to travel a lot and therefore are rather ignorant about other countries. Malta is just a rock in the Mediterranean, but, of course, historically an important rock. Yet, you can hear Maltese people quite seriously say that Malta is the most beautiful country in the world. Of course, what is beautiful is a very subjective. Still, very few people, but the Maltese, would say that Malta is the most beautiful country in the world. I have also heard that the Maltese wines as well as its vegetables are the best in the world! There might be a few countries which would like to contest that. Maybe it is beacuse of this ignorance that the Maltese people accept the behaviour of their potentates.

The government, backed by its loudspeaker, The Times, does everything to give the impression to the Maltese people that Malta has an important role to play in EU and in the rest of the world. If prime minister Gonzi for instance travels to some conference abroad, the articles in The Times have headlines giving the impression that the other prime ministers were there just to listen to Mr. Gonzi. Malta also has a Head of State, a President with his own flag and a car with a special license plate. His wife is called Malta's first lady! Even the The Commissioner of Police has his own flag as well as the Archbishop. The corruption is widely spread. But there is of course a reason for all these cars and flags and mumbo jumbo; the government wants to give the people the impression that Malta has a bigger role to play in EU and in the world than it really has and therefore one also must have men in formal high positions with attributes. One must remember that Malta, although a sovereign state, is not bigger than a middlesized european town and ought to be be governed more in accordance with that and not like United States of America..



Archbishops BMW license plate
Gozo bishops Toyota license plate
The catholic faith is state religion in Malta. The archbishop as well as the bishop of Gozo has company cars, the latter a smaller one than the BMW that is archbishop Cremona's company car. Do not for a moment think that these cars have ordinary license plates. No way, they have plates of a silvery material in the shape of a bishop’s miter. If you do not believe me, look at the pictures. And, of course, the archbishop has a more expensive car than the Gozo bishop (The Observer wonders what Jesus would think of that!).To a foreigner from a more secular state this looks really ridiculous. Of course also the prime minister’s car have special plates. As far as the Head of the State, the President, is concerned, it is more understandable. He is, after all, a symbol. If the president and the prime minister want to attend a mass in Valletta they travel by these cars about 200 meters to the church. This is just window dressing. One could argue that they travel by car for security reasons; no way, anyone could go close to these potentates. All this is also a part of implementing the belief in people that Malta and its potentates are very important, separated from and above the people. They act like royalties more than the royalties in the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden.

President Abela's car and flag
To a foreigner all these attributes are kind of sweet and touching, except for the corruption. Malta is a Lilliput with its attributes similar to those in operettas. This is sweet, but, of course,  fulfills a not so honorable cause, namely to keep the people in a feeling that Malta is something it is not.




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High rate of teenage pregnancies in Malta

Malta has the highest number of teenage mothers in Europe relative to population. There is also a very high rate of sexually transmitted diseases in Malta among teenagers. One need not wonder why this is the case. Malta's schools provide no sex education at all. The church opposes any form of sex education and any form of use of contraceptives. Abortion does not exist as such except as a clause regulating the penalty for an abortion.  There is a tendencyAlpha that teenagers debut earlier with sex than before. One may ask whether Malta’s approach to sex education and contraceptives benefits to society. In today's Malta Times one can read that 32 children have been born in 2011 having mothers that are 16 years old or younger. Sure you can understand those who believe that sex is something for adults and preferably within marriage although it is a little bit old fashioned in today’s society. But that does not change the fact that unwanted children are born because of the attitude towards sex education, contraception and abortion and there is probably no method to prevent this from happen if you do not give teenagers sex education and thus tell them how to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. See also Teenage births once more of March 20







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The Book Of Eli If You Tolerate This

A lot of people didn't like this movie because of the religious overtones throughout the movie. I'm not one who's particularly religious but I thought this was a brillian movie and a welcome change to the post apocalyptic genre




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How Poor Bounce Rate Affects Your Sites Ranking And 10 Ways To Fix It

If you use some type of analytics to monitor your websites performance you’ve probably seen its bounce rate. So what is bounce rate exactly? It can be defined in a couple of different ways; it can either be an indicator to the number of visitors who view only one page of your site and leave. Or the number of visitors who leave your site after a short amount of time (usually only a couple of seconds)............




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Inspiration from Brooke Foss Westcott, Handwritten Letters, Elizabeth Gilbert, and More

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life. Please enjoy the archives of earlier collections of inspirational things. This month’s installment is heavily geared toward things that have inspired me to better writing, being a better parent, being a better husband, and keeping my head on straight during this most challenging of times. 1. Winnie […]

The post Inspiration from Brooke Foss Westcott, Handwritten Letters, Elizabeth Gilbert, and More appeared first on The Simple Dollar.




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Expiration Dates and What They Really Mean

Every few months, Sarah and I clean out our pantry and cupboards. We pull out absolutely every item in there, sort them into sensible groups, make sure everything in there is still good, and put the good items back in there in a sensible fashion. Usually, at the same time, we make a bunch of meal plans for the next few weeks to use up some of the items that have been there for a while. The thing is, you’ll […]

The post Expiration Dates and What They Really Mean appeared first on The Simple Dollar.




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This Easy Decorating Move Will Make Your Living Room Feel Bigger and Brighter

Fake the look of additional space by subtraction! READ MORE...




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A depiction of a section of “The Long Earth” as described in the sci-fi book by the same name by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, as if viewed through a crystal ball.

The “Long Earth” is a name given to a possibly infinite series of parallel worlds that are similar to Earth, which can be reached by using an inexpensive device called a “Stepper”. The “close” worlds are almost identical to “our” Earth (referred to as “Datum Earth”), while others differ in greater and greater details. Click...




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Velocity, mass, momentum and energy of an accelerated object in relativity

Analytical derivation of relativistic velocity, mass, momentum and kinetic energy of an accelerated object. For Special relativity the momentum of an object of rest mass m0 and velocity u is expressed by equation (1) which is infinite when u equals c. Is it physically meaningful that the momentum of an object becomes infinite while its...




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Restorative justice

Restorative Justice is a process of dialogue between two parties; in the context of criminal justice social work this will be a victim (or person harmed) and an offender (one who has caused harm).

Statutory criminal justice social work in Edinburgh is a service aimed at reducing reoffending and protecting the public through evidence based interventions. The development of a restorative justice service for those on statutory orders is a new and progressive approach to tackling reoffending.

In this episode Iriss.fm speaks to Ciara Webb, who is a practitioner involved the service and who has recently completed research on the topic of restorative justice in partnership with University of Edinburgh. She tells us more about the research and plans for practice.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Something Elated by Broke For Free




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Generations Working Together

On 8 February 2019, Michelle from Iriss had a conversation with Kate Samuels from Generations Working Together about the work it does to promote and support intergenerational practice.

She also chatted to Keith Mitchell and Natalie Stewart from Glasgow's Golden Generation; and Charlotte Craig from Impact Arts about their intergenerational work.

Generations Working Together is holding its annual conference on 6 March in Glasgow. You can book a place on their website.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes




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The Vision and Strategy for Social Services: progress report

Social Services in Scotland: a shared vision and strategy for 2015-2020 was launched on World Social Work Day in March 2015 by the Social Work Services Strategic Forum.

A progress report summarising the range of work which is underway to implement the strategy has now been published. While this is a five year strategy, it is clear that even at this early stage real progress is being made collectively by all parts of the sector.  

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People, who chairs the Strategic Forum, said:

read more




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Iriss and the Care Inspectorate explore risk and innovation

In 2015, Iriss launched a joint project with the Care Inspectorate to explore strategic innovation, resilience and risk in the context of the Care Inspectorate’s mandate of scrutiny and improvement.

The project has comprised of an internal staff survey with 108 responses, two workshops with 18 staff members, and has sought to engage the wider Care Inspectorate workforce through the findings. 

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Understanding, celebrating, sharing. Be part of it!

Iriss is working to raise the profile of the social services workforce by sharing practitioner experiences of working in care and support. We know that often, research about the social services workforce fails to reach those who work most closely with those supported by services, so we need your help to make sure that your voice is heard.

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Personal Outcomes Collaboration

The Personal Outcomes Collaboration is made up of several organisations working towards the development and implementation of a personal outcomes approach. This site has been developed to bring together a range of resources to support the development and implementation of a personal outcomes approach in health and social care, as well as other human services.




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A research agenda for respite care. Deliberations of an expert panel of researchers, advocates and funders

ARCH, the National Respite Network and Resource Center in the United States of America identified that evidence-based research on respite care has, to large extent, been lacking. Across ages, needs and settings, respite is based upon the premise that providing caregivers periodic relief from daily, ongoing caregiving responsibilities will directly benefit them in terms of their physical health, immediate and long-term psychological health, and social-emotional relationships with family members. These benefits are assumed to result in secondary benefits for care receivers and even larger societal benefits in the form of cost benefits or improved employee productivity. Some research studies point to the merits of these assumptions. However, evidence-based research supporting this premise - or going beyond it to demonstrate how to best provide respite care that results in maximum benefits - has not been available. This report presents the findings of an expert panel composed of academics, researchers, service providers, advocates, policymakers and administrators representing a range of age groups, disabilities and professional disciplines. Over a period of 18 months the panel explored the current status of respite research, proposed strategies to overcome barriers to research, and developed a plan to encourage rigorous research in key areas.





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Top Memes And Reactions To Last Night's Democratic Presidential Debate

Why do politics always make for the best meme material? We'll just let the politicians speak for themselves. 

In case you missed last night's democratic presidential debate, then we'll give you a little run down: Cory Booker accused Joe Biden of being high, Amy Klobuchar claimed she raised a crap-load of money from her ex-boyfriends, and Biden made an, uh, brain-dead comment about domestic violence. 

Scroll down to watch some of the highlights and view some of the internet's reactions!




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Roundup Of Democratic Debate Memes That Roast Last Night's Total Freak Show

Last night's democratic debate in Nevada got pretty damn spicy to say the least. So much so that many are calling it the most entertaining debate of the election cycle so far. Pete spoke Spanish, Warren (and every other candidate, for that matter) came out swinging against Bloomberg, and many, many other things that warranted a monumental cringe fest. 

So please enjoy the following roast-y memes from the night and you can watch a more in-depth recap of it here!




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Best Memes From Last Night's Audience-Free Democratic Debate

Last night Americans tuned in to watch the audience-free live democratic debate between remaining candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Topics of discussion included the Green New Deal, Donald Trump, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch the debate here to decide for yourself who won, and click here for more political memes!




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Welcome to Liberated Syndication

This default podcast has been automatically generated by the libsyn system. Feel free to delete it at any time. Welcome to Liberated Syndication, and happy casting




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#87: Trailer Talk Marathon




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Demobilizing buildings under construction, alteration or demolition during COVID-19 construction shutdown

  COVID-19 is having an immediate and drastic impact on the construction industry with job sites being abandoned and workers being furloughed. A byproduct of these unprecedented pandemic-related changes has been the demobilization of




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Collaboration and innovation will break down barriers to health and social care integration

Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, former chair of the Mental Health Act Commission, makes the case for a radical new report that offers practical solutions to breaking integration barriers.





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Integrating health and social care in Scotland

When: Wed Mar 2, 2016

Where: Edinburgh (TBC)
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: Delegates will discuss the ways in which the transition is impacting on the health and social care workforce, public health improvement and the third and independent sectors. Areas for discussion include: -Progress on the integration process - including case studies outlining integration in practice - and wider policy priorities beyond April 2016 - Integration and primary care - including discussion on the ways in which to tailor resources efficiently to meet local population needs - Next steps for public health improvement in Scotland and priorities for developing mental health services - Addressing barriers to the adoption of technology enabled care - Responding to challenges facing social care and assessment of the relationship between secondary and social care - Developing care standards in Scotland For further information, please visit the event website



  • http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#event

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13 Inspirational Life Lessons For Success

One of the greatest teachers around is life. Through life, we experience all kinds of things. But more importantly, these experiences come with very important, inspirational life lessons. The beauty of these life lessons though is that you do not need to experience all of them first hand. Many people have already gone through various [...]Read More...




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Trump Signs Executive Order Greenlighting 'Corporate Takeover Of Oceans'

Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday that environmentalists warned will accelerate the corporate exploitation of oceans by relaxing regulations on and streamlining the construction of industrial offshore aquaculture facilities, which critics deride as "floating factory farms" that pump pollution and diseases into public waters.

The Don't Cage Our Ocean Coalition, which was formed to oppose ocean industrial fish farming, said in a statement that Trump's Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth "mandates federal agencies to craft a program for rapid authorization of industrial offshore aquaculture facilities, which use giant floating cages to cultivate finfish, allowing toxic pollution to flow into open waters."

"The federal government should strengthen local food security during this health crisis by supporting sustainable seafood, rather than allowing corporations to pollute the ecosystems we depend on."
—Marianne Cufone, environmental attorney

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How To Celebrate The Pink Moon

Happy Tuesday, bunny! Tonight is a glorious Full Moon in Libra, known as the Pink Moon. Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of love and art, so it’s a delicious one to celebrate if you’re at all interested in cultivating more love or creativity in your life! I’m on the cusp of releasing my […]

The post How To Celebrate The Pink Moon appeared first on Gala Darling.




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100 Things To Be Grateful For Right Now

Life has not been cancelled. Babies are still being born, flowers are blooming, bees are floating around, people are falling in love, artists are making some of their most incredible work. Your existence is not OVER. The circumstances have changed, that’s all — and it won’t be like this forever. But in case you’ve been […]

The post 100 Things To Be Grateful For Right Now appeared first on Gala Darling.




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Plague Universe: Strategy RPG Bundle Is Now Available For Xbox

  Product Info: Developer: Arcade Distillery Publisher: Arcade Distillery Website: Plague Universe Twitter: @LucBernard / @ArcadeDistiller / @PlagueUniverse




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On This Day in Space! May 4, 2011: 1st official 'Star Wars' Day celebration

On May 4, 2011, the first organized "Star Wars" Day celebration happened in Toronto. See how it happened in our On This Day in Space video series!




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The Women of NFPA Celebrate National STEM/STEAM Day

National STEM/STEAM Day, celebrated November 8 this year, was established to help students recognize and advance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Females at NFPA working in STEM/STEAM roles celebrate this mission




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Transition in the Refrigeration Industry Will Have an Impact on Emergency Response

  The ongoing push toward sustainability of refrigeration systems requires the adoption of low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants to meet the shift in environmental regulations. In 2016, nearly 200 countries signed the Kigali Agreement, a




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How to celebrate Earth Day virtually in 2020

With social distancing in full force this Earth Day, the 50th anniversary of this environmental movement is certainly one for the history books. Just because you can’t go outside in large groups this year doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of inventive ways to celebrate Earth, though. The Earth Day 2020 theme is “climate action,” and while we aren’t able to come together physically this year, technology is presenting some unique opportunities to show your love for the Earth virtually.[...]




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15 ways to celebrate Earth Day 2020 at home

April 22, 2020 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. While every day is the perfect day to honor Mother Earth, Earth Day is an opportunity to implement a new sustainable practice, create something beautiful or protect limited resources. So while you are hunkered down during COVID-19, here are some activities you can do to celebrate Earth Day at home.[...]




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Dark Chalet in Utah will generate over 350% more energy than it needs

Los Angeles-based Tom Wiscombe Architecture will be putting the final touches on its “Dark Chalet” by October 2020. Located about an hour north of Salt Lake City on the slopes of Summit’s Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah, the mysterious, net-positive energy building will generate 364% more power than it needs thanks to an integrated commercial-grade solar panel system.[...]




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A contemporary German home celebrates energy-saving, seasonal living

Architecture firms Jurek Brüggen and KOSA architekten teamed up to design Haus am See — German for “House by the Lake” — a minimalist home crafted for seasonal living. Located on the highest point of Werder Island near the border of Germany and Poland, the contemporary residence has been deliberately stripped down to a restrained palette of exposed concrete and wood in striking contrast to its more ornate neighbors.[...]




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UNStudio installs new energy-generating facade for solar producer Hanwhas HQ

UNStudio has completed renovations of the Hanwha headquarters in Seoul — all without disrupting the building’s normal business operations. The impressive feat was achieved thanks to efficient and low-impact construction methods that the international design firm dubs “remodeling in place.” In addition to renovated interior spaces and a redesigned landscape, the Hanwha headquarters is now home to a completely new, energy-generating facade with integrated solar panels to express the company’s identity as an ambitious global leader in the solar panel industry. [...]




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10 ways to celebrate Mothers Day virtually in 2020

With the majority of the country continuing to observe social distancing and shelter-in-place laws, families are beginning to face a new normal of interacting for the holidays. Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, and while most of us won’t be able to see our moms in person this year, there are still ways to celebrate! A silver-lining? Choosing to celebrate from home, social distance-style, can be a win for the environment, too.[...]




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Penguin Classics Cover Generator

Which classic novel would you like to read? Penguin Books makes many classics cheaply available with its iconic covers. You can make your own cover with Nicholas Love's easy web tool.

You can see many funny results in this Twitter thread. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an urgent need to find photos of my co-workers.

-via Aelfred the Great




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Critical Security Patches Released for Magento, Adobe Illustrator and Bridge

It's not 'Patch Tuesday,' but software giant Adobe today released emergency updates for three of its widely used products that patch dozens of newly discovered critical vulnerabilities. The list of affected software includes Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Bridge, and Magento e-commerce platform, containing a total of 35 vulnerabilities where each one of them is affected with multiple critical




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Warning: Citrix ShareFile Flaw Could Let Attackers Steal Corporate Secrets

Since the past few weeks, software giant Citrix has privately been rolling out a critical software update to its enterprise customers that patches multiple security vulnerabilities affecting Citrix ShareFile content collaboration platform. The security advisory—about which The Hacker News learned from Dimitri van de Giessen, an ethical hacker and system engineer—is scheduled to be available




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FREE Lead Generation For Your Home Based Business - UK and Beyond

Would you agree that to win in Home based business you need a regular supply of leads? Would you also agree that the 'Quality' is also important? If you do not agree, then I wish you good luck with your business, this article is not for you!




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Laser Targeted Lead Generation, UK and Worldwide - 6 Hot Tips to Generate 100+ MLM Leads Online

Learn how to attract Laser Targeted leads for your primary MLM business. 6 Hot Tips that I use to grow my business and team.