This post is part of a series of Queerty conversations with models, trainers, dancers, and, well, people who inspire us to stay in shape0r just sit on the couch ogling them instead.

Name:Matthew Shaffer, 41

City: Los Angeles. Ive had a fun little gypsy life. I was born in a small town in Colorado, but grew up in Southern California, just outside of Torrance.

Occupation: Performer, dancer, choreographer and author of Dancing Out of the Closet, a memoir of coming out on the wicked stage. I am also an educator at Studio School, a university in downtown Los Angeles Center Stages. Its the first of its kind in our country, where students earn a BFA while partaking in professionally performing and auditioning while in school.

Favorite Gym:I gave up gyms about four years ago and moved into a yoga studio. I was always punishing myself for what I wasnt, rather than rewarding myself for what I am. I actually go to Core Power, which is sort of like the Starbucks of yoga. Its great for when Im on the road. You always get a consistent practice.

Related:Stage star and trainer Sam Leicht, on how sports can build a bridge to queer acceptance

Favorite Work Out Song: Anything Annie Lennox, especially the Eurythmics. Pink, if Im feeling feisty. Queen, recently, because how could you not revisit such a beautiful group.

Recommended Work-Out Foods: I try eat more vegetables than anything else. Im not afraid of carbs, so Ill do a carbohydrate. I do high protein from beans and outside sources, but low meat intake. I try to stay away from meat on weekends and practice being vegetarian on weekdays. Ive found that in do that, instead of giving myself a cheat day it helps me find a consistent balance. I also gave up soda 11 years ago, and avoid dairy since that keeps weight on.

Best Workout Outfit: I like Lulu Lemon. I think their shorts are very well made for men, and last a long time. They have a built-in liner, and feel really tight and kind of remind me of biker shorts or jazz pants. On top, I go to Target and I buy tank tops.

How do you balance staying in shape and having fun? For me, the biggest battle in my life is that Im someone who believes in living in the moment, and I want to make sure I enjoy everything. For most of my 20s, I was in such a demanding field and had to look really good all the time, so I was constantly depriving myself. Now, I allow myself to indulge, but with that comes with the discipline of going to the yoga studio. If I have a day where Ive indulged too much, I might take an extra yoga class or pop into a spin class. That makes me feel good.

What about as a performer? Every day I keep a journal. I think that is especially important for anyone, but especially an artist because we are so emotional and can access that emotion very quickly, whether its good or bad. I read self-help books in perpetual cycles like [works by] Eckhart Tolle. If Im on my own, I write. It helps me stay mentally prepared. Thats how both of my books were born: the need to work through pain.

The book emphasizes your history of performance, coming out and how those correspond to highs and lows in your personal life. How did dance as a creative outlet prepare you for coming out? That was my favorite part of writing the book. When I set out to write it, that was the question I kept asking myself. Am I performer because I knew when I was three that I was gay and needed a way to channel it? Or was the fact that I liked to dance and act and perform just a catalyst to say Deal with this thing? Im not sure. I find it interesting that so many performing artists are gay. I dont want to stereotype, but it is interesting that so many writers, directors, costume designers, choreographers are LGBTQ. I also dont know if I ever could have come out without having the loving people that I was surrounded by in my dance company or on a set, because when youre on a break and you hear someone elses story, you think thats my story. It gives you a safe haven to talk about it out loud.

At times, you seem to lean into gay stereotypes in your book. For example, you ask the reader to think of you speaking with a gay lisp for emphasis, even though you dont have one. Do you think embracing a stereotype can empower you? I do. Look, were going to be stereotyped whether we like it or not. Thats not just actors or gay people, its everyone. I love that the generation beneath me is trying to break stereotypes, but at the end of the day, there have been tropes weve fit into. For me, the lispI did some research and that was one of the identifying ways it was safe for men in the 50s to find one another and be with each other. So yeah, part of being stereotyped is embracing the stereotype. As a performer, I learned to accept that because you get typecast. If I had to embrace it for my career, why cant I embrace it for my life?

How does dance prepare you for everyday life? I tell people if youre a dancer you can do anything. Dance is both a sport and an art. In order to fully execute the idea behind a story, you have to be physically at the top of your game. Youre versatile. And part of working in a studio is learning how to problem solve and when something doesnt work, finding a way out of it. I think that dance activates the mind and the body and the soul.

Tip for staying in shape:Love yourself and drink plenty of water. Stay active.

What do you keep on your nightstand? I keep a book Im reading, my journal, my phone and a bottle of water with a glass. Right now Im reading a book called Paris by Edward Rutherford.

Continue reading here:
Matt Shaffer on lisping and why part of being stereotyped is embracing the stereotype - Queerty

That enjoyment finds Matthews reborn in the gym as well, seeing the world of a fighter for the first time through the eyes of a parent.

Without consciously thinking about it, I just seem to push harder in training now. That sort of breaking point where you get tired and relax, its extended out further now. I dont know if its due to becoming a dad or not, but thats definitely happened since weve had the baby. If anything, its improved my drive, my motivation. And hopefully something I can take into the fight.

The fight he speaks of is Saturdays tilt against Swedens Rostem Akman, a fierce striker with only one professional loss on his record.

I think its a good fight just to get back on track, get back into the win column. Hes in the UFC for a reason, hes a tough guy. Is he the caliber of guy that Ive fought before? No. But in saying that, Im going in there as if Im fighting a world champion, like I always do. So, to me, hes the toughest guy in the world. Its a good fight, mentally. If they brought out a big-name guy, nerves might be racking up a little bit more. The goal for this one is just to get a nice, quick finish. Put the statement out that Im still here, still active, still getting wins.

Read more:
Motivation Easy To Find For Jake Matthews - The Official Website of the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Motivation is the key to everything

Published on: Sunday, October 06, 2019

By: James Sarda

If you are not motivated, you can be in the best school, have the best teachers and the best chemistry, physics and maths books and even the best computers but you will still not study.

It (motivation) can make you a totally different person and we all need it, he said, at the recent 37th Sharjah International Book Fair in the United Arab Emirates, the worlds third largest.

He said the needed motivation can come from a talk, through a book or through a discussion with friends and that whatever it is, one should find a way to keep oneself motivated.

Chetan has a knack for churning out stories that are turned into Bollywood movies.

The latest which is a romance-murder mystery set against the background of the Kashmiri conflict was his eighth and has already been slated for a movie.

Just like four others Five Point Someone that became the popular Hindi flick, 3 Idiots, The Three Mistakes of My Life, Half Girlfriend and 2 States.

He said there was a time when he even thought that motivation talks were nonsense and became a motivation speaker by accident when he put up something in his blog and a college invited him to speak to a group of students.

It was in his early days in the corporate sector and as a writer. He was nervous not knowing what to say to the students.

Before I knew it, that became a job for me. Then people started calling me and before I knew it, that became a job for me. I really saw the difference.

The other thing is positive thinking.

For everything that happens there is something good there, so trust that from above. Whatever happens in life happens for a reason, to make you a better person, etc. Have that faith, he said.

He also said that family and health is what matters most in life and should take precedence over everything, no matter who you are, how rich you are or how famous or successful you are.

This is what life is about. Everything else is illusion. Nothing really matters. Its like a gamesometimes its there. Sometimes its not there.

But if you have these basics right, nothing can touch you. It is a matter of time things will get better. But the core basics you must keep it right.

He also said reading is central to all these. Books are very important because they are the only things that stir your imagination. When you read a book, you will imagine.

Your brains activate and your imagination gets fired. Books are the only things that build concentration. Other things wont build your concentration power. Imagination, focus and concentration are very useful for a decent life.

He said this explains why well read people have a different personality. Therefore, books are always going to be important. Hence, to say that other things have taken the place of books is like saying lifts and escalators have come and there is no use for the stairs.

There will always be stairs, as there will always be books. He also says in his 15 years of writing, his focus has been on the younger set. He notes that too many youngsters today are addicted to phones, especially watching video content.

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His other concern about todays youths is that they tend to look at life passively and would pay for this mistake later. It is the same advice, he said, he gave to his kids.

The advice I gave my kids is that you can have a lot of fun from the ages of 15-20. I will not study, I will party, watch videos and post selfies all day. Do nothing but just party, party and party.

But you know what happens when you reach 40? The bill will come. Life will give you a bill. You will not have a good degree, no good job, no money in savings to buy a house, pay a hefty loan for 25 years and always stuck.

So from 30 to 80 you will suffer or you can have Plan B where you work hard from 15-30. Im not saying dont have fun but first just do your work. The priority changes work first, fun later. The first plan was fun first, work later.

You just make work first. Later be entitled to your fun. It is a good age to have fun. By age 30 you have a great job, a good education.

You have enough money to save and achieve whatever. So when you retire you can live with a lot of dignity. Your assets will be earning money, instead of having a lot of loans to pay.

So from 30-80 you can enjoy. Its up to you which plan you want to take, he said.

Another Indian who has made some impact in the literary world is Akil Sharma.

Unlike Chetan whose work relates to the Indian context, Akil experimented with both American and Indian crosscurrents in his works based on his experience of being an Indian immigrant in the United States.

He said he felt culturally isolated since ending up with his family in the US when he was eight. He didnt get much encouragement to read. In fact, his dads advice was to put something in a book if you want it to remain a secret because nobody reads.

Nevertheless, he ended up reading a lot to make up for being both unhappy and lonely. He would watch TV and have a book on standby to read when the commercials came.

When he began writing at 15, it was about white Americans although he did not know and certainly did not visit their homes.

I did not know what they ate or what they did, except that they must be very important, he said, and at some point started writing about Indians because of his background.

He found that where relationship was concerned, being American was so much different from being an Indian. Because in Indian societies women were traditionally viewed as a burden, he found his relationship with his dads brother was different from that with his mothers brother.

He found it hard to relate this to American audiences. I didnt know to communicate this, he said. He also related his experiences as a child in the US that convinced him that despite being an immigrant he was important when he pushed the buttons for the elevator when he was in it for the first time and it opened.

Another of his experiences assimilating into American society was that of seeing his mother crying when she abandoned the sari and wore pants in order to fit in and look like an American so as to stand the chance of landing a job.

All these things we can relate to like when we find ourselves unattractive. When I write, I feel like I have to draw from my own experiences.

There is no other way to communicate other than through things very specific to me. The more specific they are to me, the more universal they will be to you.

When I look at you, I will imagine who you are as a person. Im comparing my insights to your outsights, whereas when we are reading a book we can acpmpare our insights to other peoples insights.

Akil said for a book to work, it must be able to communicate these small things that are specific to me but are universal to humanity.

He said that as a writer, he is only doing part of the job. That he can write something but its the reader who actually brings the life into what he has written.

It is the reader who makes the book real. I only do part of the work, you do most of the rest.

Sharing some tips, he said he begins with an idea of what is important and urgent. I write for as long as I can and usually it dies if the idea is not converted into a story. I go back and start again.

So there are a lot of dead ends and I keep going back and forth and sometimes theres no solution.

Asked by Daily Express whether somebody can actually make a living writing books that people may never get to read, he said some can.

He said what makes it possible for him to write is that he is a teacher.

Continued here:
Motivation is the key to everything - Daily Express

Kiko HurtadoMARCA

A 5-1 defeat to Barcelona ultimately ended Julen Lopetegui's dream of being Real Madrid's coach, yet ahead of his return to the Camp Nou with Sevilla, the Spanish boss is only motivated by earning a victory for his new club, not thoughts of revenge.

Barcelona are in mixed form heading into the match, giving the Andalusian club hope of taking at least a point away from Catalonia and keeping touch with the two Madrid clubs in the title race.

"The only motivation I have is to play a great game with Sevilla, nothing more," Lopetegui told the press.

"I expect the best version of Barcelona, they are arriving from two very good performances.

"They are at a good level and we're sure to face a great team and there is no other way to look at it."

Lionel Messi's involvement in the match is still unclear, especially after he played 90 minutes against Inter in midweek, however Lopetegui is simply trying to focus on his own players in the build-up to the encounter.

"There will be those who will be available and those who won't be," Lopetegui explained. "I have nothing to add on the subject of Messi, it wouldn't be original

"I simply put the focus on our players, Barcelona are a great team and if Messi is involved, then logically they are better.

"The only thing we can do is improve ourselves, and give a great version of ourselves, that's why we're focusing our energy on."

Ansu Fati has been the star performer for the Blaugrana this term, despite being just 16 years old, and Lopetegui admitted he has been surprised by his level of play ahead of Sunday's meeting.

"I have been surprised by his performances when you see his age," Lopetegui added.

"It's not easy to perform at that high level when you're that young.

"Barcelona have a lot of great players and we have to be focused, balanced and with a clear imagine of how we want to play."

More here:
Lopetegui: The only motivation I have is to play a great game with Sevilla - MARCA.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs are taking more than just inspiration from their neighbors, the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, as they aim to capture the city's first Stanley Cupsince 1967; they're taking one of their basketballs as well.

Head coach Mike Babcock introduced the ball one of the in-game balls used by the Raptors in the NBA Finals last June as the Leafs' new 'player of the game' trophy to be awarded in the locker room after every win this season.

We believe in here its our time," Babcock told the locker room after the game."Thats what Ive been told by you guys. When I talked to you, I wrote it down over and over again guys talking about that."

For win number one, a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 2, Babcock granted Auston Matthews the ball forhis two-goal performancein the season opener.

"We want to hold the ball," Babcock said before congratulating Matthews and his teammates on a "hell of a start."

Matthews celebrated his intra-team award by dribbling through his legs at his stall in the locker room and rolling the ball around his arms, much to the rest of the room's delight.

The Leafsvisitthe Columbus Blue Jackets for their second game of the season. We'll see if another win grants Matthews the ball again or if another player steps up to the plate.

Link:
How the Toronto Maple Leafs are using Raptors basketball as motivation - Sporting News

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Before Joe Burrow was a Heisman favorite leading LSU to national championship contention, he was a struggling youngster unable to get on the field for Urban Meyer at Ohio State.

Meyer, a noted offensive guru, was harsh on his young protege. He hurled out insults as Burrow struggled to find his groove, including telling him he threw "like a girl."

"Yeah, coach Meyer when he gets a new quarterback there as a freshman, he kind of pokes and prods them to see what they can take and then if they can go out and execute while he's back there yelling at them so he kind of mimics environments you're going to see on the road so he wants to see if their quarterbacks can handle it so he would be back there yelling at me saying, 'You're a D-II quarterback, you can't throw' and just see if you can handle it as a quarterback," Burrow told reporters.

Of course, it appears Meyer's insults had some positive effect. Brody Miller of The Athletic previously reported on Meyer's insults, noting they motivated Burrow to find noted quarterback guruTom House, who helped the signal-caller improve his arm strength.

"It completely changed the way I threw the ball," Burrow said.

Blatant sexism aside, these motivational tactics are not exactly revolutionary. Football coaches tend to tread closer to insulting their players than coddling them, hoping to bring out the best from their players in a brutal sport.

While Meyer never got to see the fruits of his labor with Burrow, things are certainly paying off now. He's thrown for 1,520 yards and 17 touchdowns against two interceptions while emerging on the shortlist of players who could hoist the Heisman at the end of the season.

Continue reading here:
LSU's Joe Burrow Talks Urban Meyer Motivation Tactics, Said He Threw Like a Girl - Bleacher Report

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said his team doesnt use words like revenge. That might be true for this one rematch, but the Gophers certainly exited last years 55-31 beating at Illinois with new motivation. Theyre 7-1 since with a new defensive coordinator and undefeated in 2019. Prediction: Gophers 41, Illinois 38

THREE BIG STORY LINES

Tangible transfers

Illinois has six Power Five transfers, all starters. From quarterback Brandon Peters, a transfer from Michigan, to receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, a transfer from USC, to defensive end Oluwole Betiku Jr., also from USC, the Illini are a revamped team from last seasons iteration, which finished last in the Big Ten West.

High-scoring hopes

The Illini average 35.5 points per game. The Gophers average 34.8. Illinois posts an average of 380.3 offensive yards per game. The Gophers come in at 389.5. An offensive showdown will likely decide the winner.

Tackling turnaround

The Gophers missed plenty of tackles at Purdue last week, making wrapping up a priority in practice this week. Tackling was also their downfall at Illinois in 2018, so the Gophers will want to avoid reliving the past.

TWO KEY MATCHUPS

Illinois Reggie Corbin vs. Gophers Thomas Barber

The Illinois running back lit up the Gophers last season with 213 yards on 13 carries, plus two touchdowns. The Gophers linebacker made just one tackle in that game, despite amassing 229 throughout his career so far. Preventing Illinois from stacking up 430 rushing yards like last year is a Gophers imperative.

Illinois Oluwole Betiku Jr. vs. Gophers offensive line

The Illinois defensive end leads the nation in sacks (1.75) and tackles for loss (2.6) per game. The Gophers O-line made some adjustments last week, rotating guards and John Michael Schmitz in at center. But that unit has still played a part in allowing 11 sacks for a loss of 109 yards this season.

ONE STAT THAT MATTERS

1 possession, the margin by which the Gophers have won their four games this year. Theyre the first since 1985 to start a season that way, just the fifth in FBS history, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The record is six.

THE Gophers WILL WIN IF

they finish their tackles. They were winning at Purdue 28-10 at halftime this past Saturday. Then a series of defensive gaffes in the second half made it too close for comfort. The offense is thriving, especially through the air. The defense needs to follow suit.

Illinois WILL WIN IF

its pass defense improves. The Illini allow an average of 407.8 offensive yards a game, 261.8 of those from passing. The Gophers quarterback and receivers are only gaining power, so thats not an area to ignore.

Read the original post:
Gophers need only a memory to be motivated to play Illinois - Minneapolis Star Tribune

With the 2020 presidential election around the corner, Democratic presidential hopefuls and lawmakers have put forth bold proposals such as returning the top marginal income tax rate to 70 percent, levying wealth taxes as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed, or taxing the hell out of the wealthy as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio put it.

Others such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claim that capitalism is irredeemable and a system that allows billionaires to exist is immoral. Sanders recently declaredhe does not think billionaires should exist.

Warren went further when she told votersthey could attribute frustrations in their lives to the rich and powerful: Youve got things that are broken in your life; Ill tell you exactly why. Its because giant corporations, billionaires have seized our government. Watch here:

Many have also noticed the uptick in support for socialism among Democrats as well as the increasing popularity of candidates affiliating with the democratic socialist moniker.

Supporters often contend their motivation is compassion for the dispossessed, and they reason their tax proposals would protect democracy and raise revenue for social programs. With such a rhetorical focus on the rich and powerful, however, critics ask if the motivations are simply about compassion or whether envy and resentment also play a role?

For instance, in a famous exchange, former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded to a member of Parliament who lamented that income inequality had increased under her watch. Thatcher replied, All levels of income are better off [in 1990] than they were in 1979 but what the honorable member is saying is that hed rather the poor were poorer provided the rich were less rich.

Thus she implied his true motive was a desire to make the rich worse off rather than the poor better off. Watch here:

In a new study, I examine these two competing explanations and ask whether envy and resentment of the successful or compassion for the needy better explain support for socialism, raising taxes on the rich, redistribution, and the like. The analysis is based on the Cato 2019 Welfare, Work, and Wealth National Survey of 1,700 Americans.

Statistical tests reveal resentment of the successful has about twice the effect of compassion in predicting support for increasing top marginal tax rates, wealth redistribution, hostility to capitalism, and believing billionaires should not exist. Notably, however, compassion and resentment both equally predict support for socialism.

The survey asked respondents to answer a series of survey questions psychologists have developed to measure a persons level ofcompassion andenvy or resentment of the successful, respectively. These questions dont mention politics or even the rich specifically. For instance:

Americans answers to these questions were used to measure the extent to which compassion or envy predict their opinions about taxes, socialism, and capitalism.

Statistical tests (OLS regression)find that resentment against successful people is more influential than compassion in predicting a persons support for raising taxes on households earning more than $200,000 a year, raising top marginal tax rates to 70 percent, and redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor. (Full statistical results found here.)

This means people who agree that very successful people sometimes need to be brought down a peg or two even if theyve done nothing wrong were more likely to want to raise taxes on the rich than people who agree that I suffer from others sorrows.

In each of the charts below, the blue line (resentment) is steeper than the red line (compassion), which suggests resentment is a more powerful motivator. Nevertheless, compassion for the needy is also a statistically significant predictor as well.

This data implies that those who support tax increases on the rich and wealth redistribution may be motivated by resentment or compassion, but they are more likely to be motivated by resentment.

Next, I ran another series of statistical tests to investigate the motivations behind the following beliefs: 1) Its immoral for our system to allow the creation of billionaires, 2) billionaires threaten democracy, and 3) the distribution of wealth in the United States is unjust.

Again, the statistical tests find that resentment against successful people is more influential than compassion in predicting each of these three beliefs. In fact, not only is resentment more impactful, but compassionate people are significantly less likely to agree that its immoral for our system to allow people to become billionaires.

Furthermore, compassion is not significantly linked with the idea that billionaires threaten democracy. Compassion does contribute to concerns about the countrys wealth distribution, but resentment is more influential. This suggests that concerns about inequality may have more to do with antagonism toward the successful than they do with lifting up people in need.

Statistical tests find that resentment of the successful is more influential than compassion in predicting hostility toward capitalism. However, both compassion and resentment largely and significantly predict favorable views of socialism. In the charts below, the blue line (resentment) is steeper than the red line (compassion) in predicting hostility toward capitalism, but the blue and red lines look similar in predicting support for socialism.

This implies that its hard to know the motives of a person drawn to socialism. It may be compassion, resentment, or perhaps a little of both that motivates them. But a person hostile toward capitalism is much more likely to be motivated by resentment of the successful than compassion for the vulnerable.

These competing motives of compassion for the vulnerable and resentment of the successful may play a role in dividing the Democratic primary electorate approaching 2020. Analysis of survey data shows that resentment toward the successful significantly divides voters between the two leading Democratic presidential candidates: Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

Statistical tests find that people who expressed higher levels of resentment toward the successful for instance, those who agreed that its good to see very successful people fail occasionally, or very successful people sometimes need to be brought down a peg or two even if theyve done nothing wrong were much more likely to support Warren. Those who disagreed were more likely to support Biden.

Readers should keep in mind, however, that this survey data was collected in March 2019, before the Democratic debates this summer. Thus, voters may have shifted since then.

Surveys cannot read minds. But this data suggests support for socialism is likely the product of both compassion and resentment. On the other hand, support for wealth redistribution and hostility toward capitalism may have more to do with resentment of the successful than empathy for the poor.

That doesnt mean compassion doesnt matter; it may be the true motive for many people. But statistically speaking, resentment is more likely behind such opinions.

Emily Ekins is a research fellow at the Cato Institute. Her research focuses primarily on American politics, public opinion, political psychology, and social movements, with an emphasis in survey and quantitative methods.

Read more here:
Study: Top Motivation For Hating Capitalism Is Resentment - The Federalist

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin As long as she can remember, Polly Olsen, 29, said she has handed out heart-shaped cards on Valentines Day.

Basically since I could walk, me and my siblings would distribute them at nursing homes and hospitals, said Olsen. My mom would dress us up fancy and we would go hand them out. The handmade cards included a positive, handwritten message in the center, along with a Bible passage.

Olsen continued the tradition when she enrolled part-time at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in 2009. On Valentines Day 2018, after distributing about 30 cards on the NWTC campus, Olsen was stopped by a campus security officer after someone anonymously called the security office.

She was told that handing out the cards constituted soliciting and was in violation of the colleges public assembly policy. Olsen also was told that some people might find the Bible references on her cards offensive.

Olsen, through the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, filed a complaint against the college Sept. 4, 2018, claiming that the college was violating her First Amendment rights of free speech. On Sept. 13, 2019, a federal judge in Green Bay ruled that NWTC did infringe on Olsens right to free speech.

In his 14-page summary judgment, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William Griesbach stated that NWTC had no more right to prevent (Olsen) from handing out individual Valentines than it did to stop her from wishing each individual to have a good morning and a blessed day.'

In a statement, Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said he was thankful for Olsen stepping up to defend not only her own rights, but the rights of all students.

This case was very simple, said Esenberg. NWTC, through their public assembly policy, sought to restrain and contain the First Amendment rights of students. That is, and always has been, unconstitutional.

The colleges president, H. Jeffrey Rafn said in a statement: We fully support freedom of speech and we promote the respectful exchange of ideas. We also have a responsibility to protect the privacy of students and the integrity of the learning environment. The college will continue to ensure that it meets its legal obligations.

In an email to The Compass, Green Bays diocesan newspaper, Rafn said the colleges decision to prevent Olsen from distributing cards wasnt an attempt to obstruct her freedom of speech but said it came in response to her entering private areas of the campus to hand out her cards.

We did not have a concern until Polly went into back offices where, among other things, confidential information is handled, said Rafn. I am unaware of other circumstances where students freely went into back offices. It is commonly assumed in any business that customers would not freely walk around into back offices. Our students abide by this common courtesy, although we have since added this admonition in the student handbook.

In his summary decision, Griesbach said there was no evidence Olsen trespassed in restricted areas.

Although NWTC makes much of the fact that Olsen went into the General Studies office to give a Valentine to her friend Casandra, there is no evidence that this was a restricted area and it is undisputed that Olsen had a practice of visiting employees at NWTC who were friends for both personal and school-related reasons, the judge wrote.

In an interview, Olsen, who graduated from NWTC last May with a paralegal degree and law office administration certificate, told The Compass that she was first prohibited from distributing Valentine cards in 2014, the year she and another student formed an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter on campus.

When they stopped me and a couple of my friends from handing them out, they decided to go after my club, saying that we had disruptive members on campus, she said. They asked me to apologize for my Jesus loves you Valentines. I told them I would not do that.

Olsen calls the Valentine tradition my personal thing that I do every year. It became more personal on July 16, 2013, the day her mother, Debra, died from pancreatic cancer.

She said she makes 500 to 600 cards and distributes them with friends.

This spring Olsens case made national headlines when she was invited to the White House by President Donald Trump to attend a March 21 ceremony where he signed an executive order protecting free speech on college campuses.

What motivated me the most to not give up and not cower to the schools bullying was the fact that they wanted me to apologize for Jesus name, Olsen, who attends Jacobs Well Presbyterian Church in Green Bay, told The Compass.

I will not deny Jesus in any way, she said, so I guess, stand up for Jesus no matter what, would be what I would tell people. He uses little things to do big things, like change a law in our country with a Valentine.

Lucero is news and information manager for The Compass, newspaper of the Diocese of Green Bay.

Crux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesnt come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.

Read the original:
Woman says vow not to 'deny Jesus' was motivation in campus freedom fight - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

**Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Famer, Steve Carps returns to SinBin.vegas for the 2019-20 season. His weekly column publishes every Sunday during the Golden Knights season and is brought to you by the Jimmerson Law Firm.**

And so it begins.

Year Three of the Golden Knights, a franchise which has done some remarkable things in its brief existence begins tonight at T-Mobile Arena. Its a team that has a special relationship with its city and its fans. Its a group of players who are yearning for a return to the inaugural season, except with a different outcome this time around.

Cup in three is the mantra from the owner, from the fans, from the owners of this very website. They believe it with every fiber of their being that this is the year.

Of course, the owners, fans and website operators from the other 30 NHL teams are thinking the same thing. For some, its more fantasy than reality. But when its opening night and everyone is 0-0, why shouldnt every Ottawa Senators fan, every Anaheim Ducks fan, be at least a bit optimistic?

Here, its not about optimism. Its about expectations. And the bar has been set relatively high. Theres continuity and stability throughout the organization. Yes, some pieces are gone (Erik Haula, Colin Miller, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Nikita Gusev), but others appear ready to take their place (Cody Glass, Jimmy Schuldt, Valentin Zykov). And the core remains in place.

Go ahead and dissect the roster. Look hard enough, youll find flaws. Every team has em. You will also find enough talent and experience to handle any shortcomings.

Arent you glad Mark Stone didnt join Erik Karlsson in San Jose? Arent you pleased William Karlsson is going to be here for a long time? Arent you excited to see what Glass can do in an NHL game that counts?

And arent you glad nobody got popped for flunking a drug test and has to miss the first 20 games of the season?

Yes, its disappointing that Alex Tuch will once again miss opening night for the third straight year. But remember, its a long season. And as Marc-Andre Fleury proved in Year One, its all about April and beyond.

So what am I looking forward to with this team in Year Three? In no particular order:

* Watching Paul Stastny perform his magic with his passing.

* Seeing Stone come back in the defensive zone, pick an opponents pocket and head the other way in making his case for a Selke Trophy.

* Watching Cody Eakin win a big defensive zone faceoff late in a game with the Knights trying to protect a one-goal lead.

* Getting double digits of goal cellys from Ryan Reaves.

* Hearing Jonathan Marchessault tell it like it is in the dressing room totally unfiltered, win or lose.

* Seeing Max Pacioretty piss off the opposition.

* Having Brandon Pirri come back into the defensive end and break up a play and bring a smile to Gerard Gallants face for doing so.

* A power play that doesnt regularly go 0-4. Thats 0 for 4 (Sorry, an inside joke for media only).

* Watching Zykov stand up for himself when teams try to run him.

* Charting Glasss development. Ditto for Schuldt, Nic Hague and perhaps Zach Whitecloud once he gets healthy and assuming they get a chance to wear a Knights sweater instead of a Chicago Wolves jersey.

* Watching Tomas Nosek kill penalties, then explain in Czech afterward how he was so successful doing it.

* Hoping Reilly Smith hits the net more often than not.

* Talking Minnesota hockey with Nate Schmidt and about Saskatchewan with Brayden McNabb.

* Praying fellow cancer survivor Shea Theodore stays out of chemo or radiation forever.

* Hoping that if this is Deryk Engellands last year, he goes out with more than a Campbell Bowl.

* Expecting continued improvement from Jon Merrill.

* Having Tommy Cruz, the teams video coach, being right more than wrong when it comes to challenges, even though hes not allowed to speak to us about what he saw.

* Seeing Fleury ply his trade.

* Having an off-the-record conversation with George McPhee over a cup of coffee and just talking hockey (though on the record would be better).

* Ditto for Gallant, though Ill let him swap coffee for Coke Zero.

Yeah, thats a long list. But hey, its a long season. And crazy things happen over the course of 82 games, not to mention the playoffs.

Which brings me to tonight.

In light of the events of Sundays preseason finale, everyone is expecting a continuation of the buffoonery tonight. I dont think thats going to happen.

Why? A few reasons.

For starters, Evander Kanes not playing. The league tagged him with a three-game suspension for abuse of an official. It also means Kane doesnt play in the rematch Friday in San Jose. He starts a lot of the nonsense and his absence lowers the possibility that therell be a knucklehead move or three.

In addition, Joe Pavelski, who drew the five-minute major assessed to Eakin in Game 7 last year, is now in Dallas. The fans will have to find someone else to vent their anger toward (Hi, Erik Karlsson? Whats up Brent Burns?).

But the most compelling reason not to expect any cement head moments is this game counts in the standings. Sundays didnt mean squat. Theres two points up for grabs tonight and in case your math skills are rusty, the two points on October 2 count the same as the two points on April 6.

Whats more, this is a divisional game and the same will be the case Friday in San Jose. You dont want to lose games in your division, especially at home. So I expect the Knights to focus on hockey, not revenge.

Regardless of what they do tonight, it doesnt change the outcome of April 23 and Game 7. You dont have to move on, but the players do. Living in the past would be counterproductive to a team that has visions of a long postseason run. But feel free to use the hashtag #NotAMajor for as long as you want.

As I wrote for Gaming Today this morning, I believe the Knights could return to the Cup Final. A lot will depend on Fleury. Can they keep him healthy? Can they avoid overusing him? Can they come into the playoffs with momentum and in relative good overall health?

If there are more Yes answers than No, then well be talking to each other in June.

**Steve Carp is the author of Vegas Born The remarkable story of the Golden Knights. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarp56. All of Steve Carps work here on SinBin.vegas is presented to you by the Jimmerson Law Firm.For over twenty-five years, theJimmerson Law Firmhas been widely recognized as one of Las Vegass preeminent full-service law firms. Specializing in high stakes business, civil and family litigation, the Jimmerson Law Firm has an unparalleled track record of winning when it matters most. To reach the Jimmerson Law Firm, call(702) 388-7171 and tell them SinBin.vegas sent you.**

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