'Reversible treatments'

Whether you’re looking for the best feats for Shadowheart or your own custom-made Cleric‚ you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get right to it — here are the best Cleric feats in Baldur’s Gate 3. Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Cleric feats War Caster – You gain an Advantage on Saving Throws to maintain Concentration on a spell. You can also use a reaction to cast Shocking Grasp at a target moving out of melee range. Shield Master – You gain a plus two bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws while wielding a shield. If a spell forces you to make a Dexterity Saving Throw‚ you can use a reaction to shield yourself and diminish the effect’s damage. On a failed Saving Throw‚ you only take half damage. No damage is taken on a successful Saving Throw. Spell Sniper – You learn a cantrip‚ and the number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking with a spell is reduced by one. Magic Initiate: Cleric – Learn two Cleric Cantrips an...

Christmas Miracle: Women's Catholic College Reverses Trans Admission Decision

An incredibly rare‚ fully articulated dinosaur embryo has been found inside a fossilized egg that had been collecting dust for over a decade in the storage room of a museum in China. Thought to be between 66 and 72 million years old‚ the unborn specimen reveals an incredible link between dinosaurs and modern birds.Belonging to a group of feathered‚ toothless theropods known as oviraptorosaurs‚ the unhatched creature is estimated to be about 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) long‚ and marks the first discovery of a dinosaur embryo displaying a posture that is typical of present-day bird embryos. Shortly before hatching‚ modern birds engage in a series of maneuvers known as tucking‚ which involves curving the body and bringing the head down under the wing‚ yet the evolutionary origins of this behavior have until now remained unknown.The oviraptorosaur embryo known as Baby Yingliang.Image credit: Xing et al.‚ 2021Reporting their discovery in a 2021 paper‚ the study authors explain that their specimen – nicknamed Baby Yingliang – was found with its head “ventral to the body‚ with the feet on either side‚ and the back curled along the blunt pole of the egg.” Such a posture‚ they say‚ is “previously unrecognized in a non-avian dinosaur‚ but reminiscent of a late-stage modern bird embryo.”Tucking is thought to play a vital role in the hatching process of birds‚ and those that fail to adopt this position are much less likely to survive their escape from the egg. That Baby Yingliang appears to have adopted the same pose suggests that the phenomenon may have first evolved among the ancient theropod ancestors of modern birds.“This little prenatal dinosaur looks just like a baby bird curled in its egg‚ which is yet more evidence that many features characteristic of today’s birds first evolved in their dinosaur ancestors‚” study author Professor Steve Brusatte said in a statement‚ reacting to this fascinating discovery.Housed at the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum‚ Baby Yingliang is among the most complete dinosaur embryos ever found‚ allowing researchers a rare look at an intact baby theropod. However‚ because it is the only specimen of its kind‚ the study authors admit that no firm conclusions about the nature of dinosaur embryos can be drawn from their observations and that more fossils like this will need to be studied before any hypotheses can be confirmed.Nevertheless‚ they conclude that “this new exceptional fossil embryo hints that some early developmental behaviors (tucking) often considered as uniquely avian may be rooted more deeply in the theropod lineage.”The study is published in iScience.An earlier version of this article was published in December 2021.

Have you planned out your holiday gift giving yet? If you’re anything like me‚ you might be waiting until the last minute. But whether every single present is already wrapped and ready‚ or you’ll hit the shops on Christmas Eve‚ giving gifts is a curious but central part of being human.While researching my new book‚ “So Much Stuff‚” on how humanity has come to depend on tools and technology over the last 3 million years‚ I became fascinated by the purpose of giving things away. Why would people simply hand over something precious or valuable when they could use it themselves?To me as an anthropologist‚ this is an especially powerful question because giving gifts likely has ancient roots. And gifts can be found in every known culture around the world.So‚ what explains the power of the present?Undoubtedly‚ gifts serve lots of purposes. Some psychologists have observed a “warm glow” – an intrinsic delight – that’s associated with giving presents. Theologians have noted how gifting is a way to express moral values‚ such as love‚ kindness and gratitude‚ in Catholicism‚ Buddhism and Islam. And philosophers ranging from Seneca to Friedrich Nietzsche regarded gifting as the best demonstration of selflessness. It’s little wonder that gifts are a central part of Hanukkah‚ Christmas‚ Kwanzaa and other winter holidays – and that some people may even be tempted to regard Black Friday‚ the opening of the year-end shopping season‚ as a holiday in itself.But of all the explanations for why people give gifts‚ the one I find most convincing was offered in 1925 by a French anthropologist named Marcel Mauss.Giving‚ receiving‚ reciprocatingLike many anthropologists‚ Mauss was puzzled by societies in which gifts were extravagantly given away.For example‚ along the northwest coast of Canada and the United States‚ Indigenous peoples conduct potlatch ceremonies. In these dayslong feasts‚ hosts give away immense amounts of property. Consider a famous potlatch in 1921‚ held by a clan leader of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation in Canada who gave community members 400 sacks of flour‚ heaps of blankets‚ sewing machines‚ furniture‚ canoes‚ gas-powered boats and even pool tables.In a now-famous essay titled “The Gift‚” originally published almost a century ago‚ Mauss sees potlaches as an extreme form of gifting. Yet‚ he suggests this behavior is totally recognizable in most every human society: We give things away even when keeping them for ourselves would seem to make much more economic and evolutionary sense.Mauss observed that gifts create three separate but inextricably related actions. Gifts are given‚ received and reciprocated.The first act of giving establishes the virtues of the gift giver. They express their generosity‚ kindness and honor.The act of receiving the gift‚ in turn‚ shows a person’s willingness to be honored. This is a way for the receiver to show their own generosity‚ that they are willing to accept what was offered to them.The third component of gift giving is reciprocity‚ returning in kind what was first given. Essentially‚ the person who received the gift is now expected – implicitly or explicitly – to give a gift back to the original giver.But then‚ of course‚ once the first person gets something back‚ they must return yet another gift to the person who received the original gift. In this way‚ gifting becomes an endless loop of giving and receiving‚ giving and receiving.This last step – reciprocity – is what makes gifts unique. Unlike buying something at a store‚ in which the exchange ends when money is traded for goods‚ giving gifts builds and sustains relationships. This relationship between the gift giver and receiver is bound up with morality. Gifting is an expression of fairness because each present is generally of equal or greater value than what was last given. And gifting is an expression of respect because it shows a willingness to honor the other person.In these ways‚ gifting tethers people together. It keeps people connected in an infinite cycle of mutual obligations.Giving better giftsAre modern-day consumers unknowingly embodying Mauss’ theory a little too well? After all‚ many people today suffer not from the lack of gifts‚ but from an overabundance.Gallup reports that the average American holiday shopper estimates they’ll spend US$975 on presents in 2023‚ the highest amount since this survey began in 1999.And many gifts are simply thrown out. In the 2019 holiday season‚ it was estimated that more than $15 billion of gifts purchased by Americans were unwanted‚ with 4% going directly to the landfill. This year‚ holiday spending is expected to increase in the U.K.‚ Canada‚ Japan and elsewhere.Modern-day gifting practices may be the source of both awe and anger. On the one hand‚ by giving presents you are engaging in an ancient behavior that makes us human by growing and sustaining our relationships. On the other hand‚ it seems as if some societies might be using the holiday season as an excuse to simply consume more and more.Mauss’ ideas do not promote runaway consumerism. On the contrary‚ his explanations of gifts suggest that the more meaningful and personal the present‚ the greater the respect and honor being shown. A truly thoughtful gift is far less likely to end up in a dump. And vintage‚ upcycled‚ handmade goods – or a personalized experience such as a food tour or hot air balloon ride – might even be more valued than an expensive item mass-produced on the other side of the world‚ shipped across oceans and packaged in plastic.Quality gifts can speak to your values and more meaningfully sustain your relationships.Chip Colwell‚ Associate Research Professor of Anthropology‚ University of Colorado DenverThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Most of the anti-Trump media have endorsed the argument of leftist New York University professor Jay Rosen that "horse race" coverage of the 2024 election is trivial and should be shelved in favor of full-blown panic about the stakes of a second term for President Trump. In other words‚ the media must engage in incessant fear-mongering about democracy dying in darkness if Republicans win. As polls often show Biden behind Trump now‚ Associated Press media reporter David Bauder recently promoted this Rosen thesis and the recent issue of The Atlantic dedicated to scaring everyone into voting for Biden. “The stakes are high‚” said David Halbfinger‚ politics editor at The New York Times. “We saw on Jan. 6 of 2021‚ when we cover politics‚ we don’t just cover elections. We cover democracy now. Everybody has to take their jobs seriously‚ and it’s good to see that everybody is.” Voting Republican is anti-democracy. Democrats and democracy are the same.  Halbfinger said. Journalists have learned — or should learn — to take seriously what the former president says while campaigning. “The skeptics who might have consoled themselves about the first term of Trump‚ saying that he’s too incompetent to get things done‚ they can’t console themselves by saying Trump and his people don’t know what they’re doing this time‚” he said. “They’ve learned a lot and they’re preparing.” Bauder noted Rosen and former Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan‚ who hosts the podcast “American Crisis: Can Journalism Save Democracy?”‚ have repeatedly urged for more of this democracy-in-danger coverage. Journalists should report “with far more vigor — and repetition — than they do about Biden being 80 years old‚” Sullivan wrote last month in a column for The Guardian. Thankfully‚ Bauder balanced the story a little‚ and let conservatives like me respond:  Jordan Boyd said in the Federalist last week that corporate media was trying to “gaslight Americans” and are leading a coordinated effort to paint a potential 2024 Trump victory as the beginning of a cruel and unyielding dictatorship. There’s a “whole new level of panic” in the media about polls that have shown Trump matching up well against President Joe Biden‚ said Tim Graham‚ director of media analysis at the conservative watchdog group Media Research Center. “There’s a frustration with‚ ‘Why can’t we destroy this guy?’” Graham said. “I think everyone figured that 91 indictments would do the trick and it did the opposite.” Then Bauder expressed the big concern on the Left‚ that conservatives won't be talked out of voting Republican: The question remains whether the new reporting will be noticed by people who rely mostly on conservative media. “I’m just not sure it’s sinking in to the public in general‚” said Sullivan‚ incoming executive director of a journalism ethics center at Columbia University. “There’s a lot of people who understand there’s a threat to democracy that comes with a second Trump presidency and there are a lot of people who continue to think that it’s a normal presidential contest. I don’t think that’s the case.”

SUNDAY SERMON The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.  Psalm 87:2 Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- Most updated at bottom. https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/ Stats   https://ccoutreach87.com/stats-4-21/ Roy’s report Exposed!- Mike Bickle- 12-23-23 [Yesterday] https://youtu.be/9_pLdRSxme0?si=Es3PFWMnInG6S0Bn https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u8z6rg5amc929wsh41g44/12-23-23-Roy-s-report-exposed-Mike-Bickle-IHOPKC-12-23-23.mp4?rlkey=b1aoq8lyuedto02j51fzij3mk&dl=0 12-23-23 Roy's report exposed! Mike Bickle- IHOPKC- 12-23-23.mp4 Sunday sermon videos- https://youtu.be/VCYa-UpvoBg https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhGp3cOcaS83DF9UY https://www.dropbox.com/s/ku0cfw0jdr1xc35/12-31-17%20Sunday%20sermon.mp4?dl=0 Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun…

The holiday season has certain entertainment staples it just wouldn’t be the holidays without. Among them: Rudolph‚ Frosty‚ the Grinch … and Ralphie. The wide-eyed child who literally dreams of finding a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree — despite the famous warning “You’ll shoot your eye out” — spends a lot of time […]

Roasted Brussels sprouts are great‚ but a crispy crust made with butter‚ Parmesan‚ and savory spices takes them over the top.