#veteran&039;s perspective

[townpostin]

Air Vice Marshal Backs Agniveer Scheme at Jamshedpur Meet

Retired Officer Highlights Long-Term Benefits for Nation and Youth Former Air Force leader addresses concerns, emphasizes scheme’s potential impact on national security and youth employment. JAMSHEDPUR – Retired Air Vice Marshal Sardar Harbans Parminder Singh, a Vir Chakra recipient, advocated for the Agniveer Yojna during a recent public address, citing its long-term benefits for India. The…

[pjstafford]

Last Saturday night I was at a David Duchovny concert in Vancouver.  The concert venue was at the Imperial - a great venue- but in a neighborhood that the Urban Dictionary says is the worst neighborhood in all of Canada and some homeless advocacy groups argue  is the poorest neighborhood in all of North America.  Many of us at the concert had traveled to Vancouver from across the globe and there was some fear and trepidation which I over heard from other concert goers about this neighborhood. I had worked as a homeless advocate and have been on the board of a homeless shelter in the 90′s in Albuquerque.  I want to share my viewpoints of my experience in the worst neighborhood in Canada from an X-File frame of view because what brought me to Vancouver on October 14 was, of course, to see David Duchovny in Vancouver where the X-files was and is being filmed during a week-end which included 1013 Friday.  How does homelessness and the X-file find a theme together?  That is outlined in the link to the video above.  

I guess one way to set the mood is to say that my friend and I were only spending a week-end in Vancouver, but many other David Duchovny fans had been in Vancouver a week and had been to many famous filming sites.  My friend and I were staying at a Ramada fairly near the venue.  We drove through the area at first looking for parking before deciding that the valet parking at the Ramada was the best choice.  As we drove by I said- looking at the homeless and the city streets and remembering the video above- “oh, my God, this is the neighborhood they shot “Home Again” in.”  I realize, of course, the complete insensitivity to the plight of homelessness to see it in such focused X-file terms, but it was my frame of mind at the time.  My friend and I did in fact look for the filming sites of “Home Again” as we walked around the neighborhood, but because it is from the last season which we have not yet seen hundreds of times (only dozens) we were unable to locate exact locations.  We did watch the episode again back in Seattle the night before I flew home.  

On Saturday morning we decided to walk to the Ovaltine Restaurant (the filming location of a scene in Jose Chung) and to go by the venue.  We found ourselves walking down what I now realize is the area considered the worst two blocks in at least Canada and possibly North America.  The poverty was clear- people living in tents on the street a few blocks away from some fine, upscale and beautiful neighborhoods.  We then went to the Ovaltine Restaurant, the venue, back to the hotel for an hour of two, back to the venue to stand in line (starting at noon), walked back through the neighborhood to gastown for a bite to eat and back to the venue to stand in line again, before taking a cab back to the hotel after the concert.  

I want to state fairly clearly that there was not one time I felt scared or fearful (although I would not walk back to the hotel in the evening because I am not foolish) and the only time I was asked for money was after leaving the venue after the concert.  As we walked down the blocks at 9 a.m on a Saturday morning, we were greeted with “Good morning Ladies” and comments that our coffee cups were pink.  When our way was blocked and I said “excuse me” people moved out of the way politely.  There was nothing unpleasant about that walk except for being confronted with the fact that poverty exists and people (human beings) live in horrific conditions day in and day out.  

As we stood in line for 6 hours to see a concert, there was an need on an occasion to use a restroom.  The coffee shop sometimes let you and sometimes said that it was just for customers so my friend and I started using the community center on the corner which was truly more of a homeless center.  Again, I was greeted, offered water and shown the restroom.  My friend found blood in one of the restrooms so we climbed the stairs to use one on the other floor.  There were food being served, there were disposable containers for needles, there were signs telling people where to go if they were overdosing.  People were being afforded respect and dignity.  I was impressed.  

Here are some statistics from “Addressing Homelessness in Metro Vancouver” a white paper published in February 2017.  

An estimated 80% of homeless people suffer a chronic health issue (45% suffer two or more health conditions concurrently)15 b. 44% of sheltered and 55% of unsheltered homeless have an addiction (2014)16 c. 33% of sheltered and 36% of unsheltered homeless suffer mental illness (2014)10 d. 30% of sheltered and 27% of unsheltered homeless have a physical disability (2014)1

As we stood in line several neighborhood people talked to us.  We actually had sandwiches we did not want to eat, but couldn’t find any person that wanted the sandwiches.  Again most neighborhood people were polite, courteous and curious about why so many of us were waiting in line in front of a concert venue 6 hours before the doors opened.  I laughed on and off for hours at a woman who said “what are you protesting?”  I told my friend that we were the laziest protesters ever - no signs, no marching, no chanting- worst protest ever.  At one point a women who appeared to be suffering from withdrawal of some time fell.  Other people in line offered her assistance but she could not focus on them enough to accept their help.  She was in her own world.  After a few minutes when I witnessed her getting her shaking under control and her checking her legs to see if she was hurt, i went up to her.  From her perspective I was a big brown blob walking up to her and I startled her.  I told her that when she was ready I was willing to help and she desperately reached for my hands.  I helped her up and she grasped a tree until she was ready to stand and walk on her own.  I offered her food.  She did not want it.  She never asked for money.  Never threatened me.  

The next morning I woke up thinking of that episode “Home again” and the point of the episode.  I wondered how many of us X-Files fans might have thought back to that episode that night having experienced these and other moments.  The point - people are not trash.  They are not disposable.  They are not to be discarded.  I can walk away from that neighborhood and I can avoid the similar downtown areas in Albuquerque, but the people and the problem still exist.  From my experience in Albuquerque I know the underlying issues of homelessness - mental health issues, substance abuse, traumatic brain injuries, lack of literacy, lack of job skills, disenfranchisement from society, family and friends having giving up on them.  I know that veterans make up a large percentage of our homeless population in America, I know that senior citizen homeless numbers rose drastically in 2008 and subsequent years when retirement savings were loss and, like Vancouver, native people are a higher percentage in the homeless population than in the general population.  We can look to our educational systems, our prisons systems, our health care services (especially for the mentally ill), our foster care systems and juvenile care systems and to our economy.  The reality is a whole lot of us who go through our lives as hard working, normal citizens are closer to homelessness than we would like to admit.  In the past year I had to borrow money from friends and move into a friends home because of unemployment and I actually consider myself a fairly successful human.  We are all just humans doing the best we can in our life with what we have.  Nothing could remind us more of that than having spent so much time in that area around people who despite their issues were polite and courteous to us. 

I know our fan groups are a socially conscious and caring group of people who donate to all kinds of causes - let David Duchovny issue a post asking people to donate to charities on his birthday and beautiful things happen.  The proceeds from this concert went to hurricane victim.  This is a fan group which organizes volunteer and donation events for charities in honor of Gillian Anderson’s and Scully’s birthday.  The holiday season is ahead of us .  I am especially asking something of every one who attended that concert and interacted that night with a person who lives on the street in the worst neighborhood of North America.  If you fall into this category, than this holiday season in honor of “Home Again” and the X-files they do something in your communities to alleviate the effects of homelessness, reduce the possibility of someone becoming homeless or end some of the underlying causes of homelessness - take blankets or socks to a shelter, donate to a literacy program, call your legislators and demand better services for addiction treatment.   Buy subways cards and pass them out whenever you see someone with a sign saying hungry.  

At the very least, the next time you are in a situation where you are going to interact with homeless individuals (perhaps because of a David Duchovny concert), please treat people with respect and kindness.  People are not trash.  They are not disposable.  I was reminded of this last Saturday.  

[reportfruit8-blog]

A look back at Ryan Arcidiacono's 2018-19 season

Ryan Arcidiacono before Bulls games in the United Center would stretch out and try to take it all in, and it had to be difficult and yet amazing to imagine at times for the long shot with the improving shot.

"I'd lay on the floor with about a minute or two left before we had to stand for the National Anthem and think how fortunate I am to be here in this organization and the opportunity and to play in the NBA," Arcidiacono said in an interview last week. "I've lived a very fortunate life and I've worked hard to get to this place. Not many people get here, I know that, and I have to cherish every opportunity I have."

Arcidiacono's accomplishment perhaps is not on the level of Tiger Woods' Master's golf tournament comeback, but it is an unexpected surprise, nonetheless.

Though a college star with the Villanova 2016 champions and Philadelphia native, the 6-3 Arcidiacono wasn't drafted by an NBA team and spent basically two years in the G-league before playing 81 games for the Bulls this season. That included back to back 22-point games early in the season and an average of 11.6 points on 39 percent three-point shooting in the last eight games with starter Kris Dunn out. Arcidiacono also finished third best in the NBA in assist/turnover ratio.

"People say stuff about you," the likable and always upbeat Arcidiacono said with a smile, "but I think given the opportunity they see I can play and that I have proved some doubters wrong and can play in this league and hopefully for a long time."

Arcidiacono doesn't know his NBA future yet since the Bulls can make him a qualifying offer to become a restricted free agent. But it seems certain after leading the team in the tough man categories the Bulls so much appreciate like games played and charges taken that Arcidiacono has earned himself a place in the NBA and also in the hearts of NBA fans.

"I've lived a very fortunate life and I've worked hard to get to this place. Not many people get here, I know that, and I have to cherish every opportunity I have." - Ryan Arcidiacono

It didn't seem that likely when Arcidiacono was passed over in the draft as a bit too slow and slender. He signed with the San Antonio Spurs for Summer League and played the season in the G-league in Austin. He had decided to play overseas after that, but there were issues with his contact and he ended up signing the Bulls' first two-way contract, spending most of the 2017-18 season in the G-league. He played briefly in 24 games for the Bulls, though primarily in Hoffman Estates where he could be found morning and night at workouts in the Sears Centre.

The work and commitment paid off as he started 32 games for the Bulls this season and worked his way up to third in assists and three-point shooting and leading in charges taken.

"I learned from a personal level I can play in this league and I can impact the games and I think I've taken pride in coming every day and working as hard as I can to be to be the best player I can be," Arcidiacono said. "I feel I was given a solid opportunity and took advantage of it. From a team standpoint, it's been tough because of all the injuries and the record, but we have a great group of young guys. I think it's been a positive year for me and a step in the right direction as a professional.

Ryan Arcidiacono shoots a big three against the San Antonio Spurs

"I'm more comfortable in games since the start of the season with the concepts we are trying to run and the coaching change, getting more and more comfortable with Jim (Boylen) at the helm and feel I played pretty solid the last couple of weeks of the season from a point guard perspective of being able to impact the game," Arcidiacono said. "That's what I try to do when I am out there."

Though Arcidiacono had those pair of 20-some scoring games early in the season amidst an avalanche of injuries that buried the season for the team, he takes pride primarily in the wins and whatever contribution he can make. That has included several instances of defending seven footers in the post and drawing changes by the veteran ruse of stepping back and drawing the offensive player into a traveling call. Arcidiacono is a 25-year-old with an old head.

"I've had games with two or three points where I was able to impact the game in a good way and did the little stuff to help us get a win. Not just the scoring," said Arcidiacono, "As I look back I try to write a little bit about each game, what I remember because there are so many games and what I learned and can learn going forward.

"The most encouraging and prideful I've been all year was that I even made the team," Arcidiacono admitted. "Before the season I didn't even know if I was going to make the team. But I worked my way into the lineup and impacted games and became someone who they can play in games and I can have a solid impact. I take great pride in that. I've been very fortunate with the situation and grateful for the opportunity that's been given to me. I found a home for this year and we'll see what happens.

"It's an accomplishment," Arcidiacono acknowledged, "but something I've been able to do my whole life is stay even keeled and level headed. I don't get too high on the highs and get too low on the lows. I think making the team was an expectation for me. I would have been disappointed if I were cut, but I'm also very grateful and do take great pride in being an NBA player and doing it my way. It hasn't been the easiest route there, but I am an NBA player and I feel as long as I continue to work hard it can happen and I can stick for a long time."

Arcidiacono headed back to Pennsylvania for a few days when the season ended, but he retains his apartment in Chicago and will be ready to get back to work.

"The most encouraging and prideful I've been all year was that I even made the team." - Ryan Arcidiacono

"You have to be very smart with summer workouts because basketball is such a grind and a long season, but I'll be in Chicago," Arcidiacono says. "I love Chicago in the summer time and then we'll figure things out.

"I think I had a solid year shooting the ball, up to 37, 38 percent (on threes)," he points out. "I started off great but need to be a little more consistent throughout the season. I went through a little slump, so I worked on a few moves here and there and being able to get to my spots, being a little more crafty around the rim. I feel I've taken steps in the right direction in finishing around the rim and looking at the basket and making plays for myself and not just my teammates. You have to keep working on little things. I was aggressive in practice and stuff, but my mindset is always to go out there and impact the game the best I can, stay aggressive and if I wanted to be on the floor I had to score a little myself.

"I really don't look ahead that much," Arcidiacono says. "I really try to focus on here and now because you never know where you are going to be next year, what is going to happen. You have to enjoy the process and the grind of getting better and seeing the improvements in the game. I know it might be a cliché of one day at a time, but I truly do take it one day at time and try to be the best player and person I can be."

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/features/look-back-ryan-arcidiaconos-2018-19-season

[cryptoquicknews-blog]

New Post has been published here https://is.gd/ZVyT8a

Confirmed: Coinbase Veteran Adam White Joins ICE's Crypto Platform Bakkt

This post was originally published here

The former head of institutional products at major U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase Adam White will be joining Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE) forthcoming platform Bakkt. According to a Medium post published today, October 15, White will be joining as chief operating officer (COO) this November.

The news confirms unofficial reports that had already been circulating last week. As previously reported, Adam White was Coinbase’s fifth-ever employee, joining in 2013 when the founders “were still working out of a one-bedroom apartment and Bitcoin was trading around $200,” and staying with the firm for five years as it grew to its current popularity.

In tandem with today’s Medium announcement, the new COO has spoken with Fortune about his reasons for making the move, saying he believes that ICE’s new venture will be the catalyst for those institutional investors that have been “waiting on the sidelines” to enter the crypto space. He is quoted as saying that:

“In 2017, I saw a big shift. The interest in Bitcoin and other currencies started changing from retail to the institutional side. But the level of infrastructure of the existing trading sites often didn’t meet their expectations.”

White went on to tell Fortune that he believes traditional banking giants have been waiting for crypto trading security standards to reach the mark of more traditional markets such as equities or bonds, claiming “that’s why I joined Bakkt.”

Fortune’s interview also covered White’s perspective on this year’s protracted crypto bear market, arguing that what matters is an increase in daily transactions for cryptocurrencies year-to-year, as well as new protocols for open source software developers.

As previously reported, ICE — the operator of 23 leading global exchanges including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) — unveiled its plans to create Bakkt, a “seamless” global ecosystem for digital assets, this August.

Today’s official post notes that the firm is focusing “on mitigating risk while creating opportunities for institutions,” outlining several details of its proposed “conservative market design,” and emphasizing that “commingling, leverage and rehypothecation” will not be features of its offering.

One of Bakkt’s most anticipated offerings include plans to offer a one-day physically delivered Bitcoin (BTC) contract, subject to pending approval from US regulators.

In late August, the firm had already emphasized it would not be support margin trading for its BTC contract, as reaffirmed today.

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New Post has been published here https://is.gd/ZVyT8a