Its hard to get anything done with all of the push notifications pulling us into other directions. You can find something else to do or think about at any given moment. But maybe the distractions arent the problem. Maybe its your willingness to be distracted that needs to be examined.

Distractions are by-products of a problem, says Kyle Cease, author of I Hope I Screw This Up: How Falling In Love With Your Fears Can Change the World. Something outside of you is pulling you away from yourself or a goal. But the distraction is actually on the inside, and whats going on outside matches whats going on inside.

We invite distractions as a way to handle three internal struggles, says Cease.

Distractions can help you avoid something that makes you afraid, such as trying something new or achieving a big goal. Many of us stay in a place of fear because its a way to seek connection, says Cease. We get a lot of love for feeling doubtful and scared, he says. If you go to lunch with friend and you complain, now youre connecting through complaining. Eventually you may become scared to not complain because youd lose the feeling of love from that person.

Fear is an illusion that comes from looking at something youve never done. The nervous system isnt scared of doing specific things; its scared of things its never done before, says Cease. It believes anything could be death. Everything youve already done has proven itself to be safe.

If youre about to make a big presentation, for example, and your mind suddenly comes up with the idea, What if I throw up? youre creating an internal distraction to avoid dealing with your fear.

Immediately your ego shows up, saying Youre not going to throw up, helping you with problem it created in the first place, says Cease. Instead, look at that fear as a thought passing through. The problem isnt having the thought, its being resistant to the thought and feeling that you need to fix the thought.

Instead of creating distractions, embrace the fear, suggests Cease. Go into a new or uncomfortable situation saying, I hope I screw this up, or, What if I screw this up? And I love that.

Once you are okay with the problem, it goes away, he says. All of a sudden youre not enslaved to it. Resistance to the problem keeps it there.

At the time of this interview, Cease, whose speaking tourThe Limitation Gamehas been described as a cross between Jim Carrey and Eckhart Tolle, was preparing for a meeting with a television producer from Oprah Winfreys network. Im going into the meeting with the idea that Im okay with screwing up, he says. All of a sudden Im free of boundaries. I dont need that producers approval. I perform much better if Im okay with it going badly.

The feeling of not being good enough keeps you from pursuing goals, and seeking distractions could mean you have a lack of awareness of who you are. The first thing to do is to stop thinking youre incomplete, says Cease.

Every commercial shows this loser person who then flips the tab of a Budweiser and has bikini women surrounding him, he says. Youre not enough is a great starting point. We buy into it because we are horrified that we are enough. Society is built around constant improvement.

This sense of lacking is often formed in childhood. We grew up believing that who we are is what our parents think about us, says Cease. We tap-danced, performed, or whatever we had to do to get love, and we end up becoming characters, thinking that love comes from avoiding something or moving something or chasing something.

Approval has to come from self-connection. Believing that connection is something outside of yourself causes you to be disconnected, says Cease.

A big cause of stress is trying to control things that you cant, says Cease. You cant control politicians, for example, he says. You can control what you do. People pace around, using circumstances outside of themselves as excuses not to step into their own ambitions. There is a lie that things outside of you run you.

Distractions due to lack of control turn into excuses, blame, and credit. This outward thinking helps you avoid taking action and being vulnerable. Right now we live in a time where people are starting to see the BS in themselves and the world, says Cease. People can see through manipulation and strategies and marketing. The number-one thing theyre looking for is authenticity, and that takes vulnerability.

Letting go of what you cant control opens you up to opportunities. Who am I to say that things haveto go this way when there could be a lesson worth way more than the vision I had for myself? asks Cease.

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The Real Reason Why You're Easily Distracted Has Nothing To Do With Technology - Fast Company

Participants have to use theknowledge gainedfrom the course and make a submission for the project

TheAnita Borg Institute (ABI) India launched 2017Codeathon.infor women students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) from smaller cities across India. As a part of the event, participants have to use theknowledge gainedfrom the online course and make a submission for the project: Navigate the Mars Rover.

The project involves designing and implementing a solution that will apply a variety of shortest path algorithms to help the Mars Rover find the optimal path between the starting point and the destination marked by the user. The end user will have the ability to choose the algorithm to be used. This initiative is an online platform that offers the students an opportunity to enhance their coding skills while developing innovative solutions.

"Currently, the industry efforts in this area are concentrated in the six to eight metro cities. At times there is so much happening that the talent in these cities is spoilt for choices. There is a large pool of untapped talent in smaller cities that have a lot of knowledge, they need more exposure and confidence-building. 2017 Codethon.in aims to bridge this gap. The participation from colleges and students in the selected cities has been positive and we look forward to some great coding,said Geetha Kannan, MD, ABI India.

The event is being held in select engineering colleges in Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Mysore (Karnataka) and a few cities in Kerala. It will beconducted online from July and will go on until September 2017.Itwillalso offer all participants coaching and practical experience that will better prepare them students for exciting careers in technology.

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This online course aims to spread STEM education to women from small cities across India - EdexLive (press release) (blog)

Posted On August 2, 2017 By Mark White

A University of the Cumberlands online education program has recently been ranked among the top programs in the nation.

Teacher Certificate Degrees, a leading education resource, recently published its list of top-ranked online masters in education program rankings with the University of the Cumberlands placing seventh on the list.

UC has an average online tuition of $315 per online credit hour. About 12 percent of the programs faculty is tenured, and a 2.75 is the minimum GPA needed for acceptance.

UC ranks 92 on U.S. News Best Online Graduate Education Programs ranking.

Our ranking is designed to help those considering a career change into teaching understand and compare their options for hybrid and online masters-level teacher preparation programs for first-time educators. Our unique ranking uses markers of academic merit as well as metrics outlining the student experience to highlight quality as well as valueand differs from other lists in this space by focusing on programs that lead to certification, rather than professional development designed for teachers who are already credentialed, Teacher Certificate Degrees Associate Editor Laura McPherson said in a release.

Teacher Certification Degrees is a free resource for those looking to explore, start, or expand a career in education. Its editorial staff has written and published a wealth of information on how to become a teacher, including teacher certification, teaching degrees, teaching careers, related articles, news, and interviews.

Published by Project 8 Labs LLC, Teacher Certification Degrees was established in 2010 and is based in the Seattle metro area. It has been a Better Business Bureau accredited business since 2012.

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UC online education program recognized - The News Journal

OSAWATOMIE The Osawatomie USD 367 website is better than ever after several changes were made by assistant technology director Wes Duncan, who helped redesign and build the website at the behest of the district.

With a fresh new look and added features, the website is also cost-free, saving the district thousands of dollars.

We were with SABS, which was $4,000 or $5,000 a year, District Superintendent Gary French said. Its now free because Wes built it. Its a $4,000 to $5,000 savings on a website that is much, much better.

He said the changes have increased functionality of the website and has hopefully made it more user-friendly.

In addition to the new look and formatting, the website now features social media feeds from the districts Facebook and Twitter pages, which will allow the schools to provide information updates almost as soon as they happen.

French said theyve struggled, at times, with keeping the website updated in the past so hes excited about the new features.

Things happen at school every day, in every building, and we needed a way to get that out, he said.

Duncan designed the district website so that each of the school sites are linked to the school social networks of various administrative staff like Justin Burchett. Those networks are all school-related, not personal, French said.

While the information updates wont exactly be live, French said they would nearly be. He used sporting events as his example. Instead of having to wait on game scores, residents will be able to see the scores on the website via the Twitter or Facebook feed as the coaches or staff members post them.

Another plus is that photographs that are uploaded to the schools Facebook page will be visible via the Facebook feed on the website.

He said Duncan has done an excellent job with the website and commended him during Duncans presentation to the school board at the July meeting. Those who are interested in checking out the improved website can visit http://www.usd367.org.

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Osawatomie school website gets an upgrade - Miami County Republic

Welcome to Osho Ganga Dham situated in the pleasant natural area near river Ganga of Uttarakhand, some ten minutes by road from Laxman Jhulla and 15 minute drive from world famous Rishikesh.

This lush contemporary campus is a tropical oasis where nature and the 21st Century blend seamlessly, both withinand without. With its natural jungle pathways, beautiful rooms, it is the perfect setting to take time out for yourself.

This is a place where you can simply relax and where you can also enjoy the company of visitors of all ages from all over the world. You can choose if you want to do something, or if you just want to rest, meditate or just to be.

You can learn simple Osho Active Meditations, techniques specifically designed for the contemporary over-charged mind and stress-impacted body.

You may like to nourish your body-mind-soul with a stunning selection of individual sessions, like bodywork and massage, and longer workshops and courses all designed to help you become more aware of yourself or perhaps experiment by learning new life skills and acquiring tools to take home, that will help you remain relaxed even in the busiest of workaday environments.

The key to relaxation is awareness, being a keen observer of all that is going on both inside and around us this is the inner science, often also called meditation.

Above all this is a unique environment created through the awareness, humor, and celebration that each of us brings to the table.

Every year thousands of people visit this beautiful and comfortableAshram.A paradise where you can stay a long time or short time, within a low budget and very good food in the commune, with meditations being free. The atmosphere is really like a fairy tale. A paradise where all your emotional and spiritual needs are met. I can advise everybody to visit for a few days and walk around that beautiful garden where everybody is friendly.

Osho GangadhamJaanaki cottage,Lease No-52, Badrinath road, Brahmpuri,Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Contact No. +91-9258160729, +91-9149323698

Call Timing for Booking : 9am 6pm

Booking Number: +91-9258160729, +91-9149323698

E-mail: info@oshogangadham.org

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Osho Ganga Dham, Rishikesh, A place for meditation and ...

Biography

His thousands of hours of extemporaneous talks, spoken to people around the world over a twenty year period, were all recorded, often on video, tapes, CDs, DVDs and downloads that can be listened to anywhere by anyone, when, Osho says, that same silence will be there. The transcriptions of these talks are now published in hundreds of titles in dozens of languages.

In these talks, the human mind is put under the microscope as never before, analyzed to the smallest wrinkle. Mind as psychology, mind as emotion, mind as mind/body; mind as moralist, mind as belief; mind as religion, mind as history, mind as politics and social evolution all examined, studied, and integrated. Then graciously left behind in the essential quest for transcendence.

In the process Osho exposes hypocrisy and humbug wherever he sees it. As author Tom Robbins so eloquently puts it:

I recognize the emerald breeze when it rattles my shutters. And Osho is like a hard, sweet wind, circling the planet, blowing the beanies off of rabbis and popes, scattering the lies on the desks of the bureaucrats, stampeding the jackasses in the stables of the powerful, lifting the skirts of the pathologically prudish and tickling the spiritually dead back to life. Jesus had his parables, Buddha his sutras, Mohammed his fantasies of the Arabian night. Osho has something more appropriate for a species crippled by greed, fear, ignorance and superstition: he has cosmic comedy. What Osho is out to do, it seems to me, is pierce our disguises, shatter our illusions, cure our addictions and demonstrate the self-limiting and often tragic folly of taking ourselves too seriously. ~Tom Robbins

So what to say of Osho? The ultimate deconstructionist? A visionary who becomes the vision? Certainly a proposal to existence that it is everyones birthright to enjoy that same oceanic experience of true individuality. For that, Osho says, There is only one path, which goes inwards, where you will not find a single human being, where you will only find silence, peace.

A conclusion? There are no full stops in the Osho vision, but a helping hand towards understanding ourselves:

I would like to say to you: Science is the ultimate value. And there are only two kinds of sciences: one, objective science, that decides about the outside world; and two, subjective science, which up to now has been called religion. But it is better not to call it religion. It is better to call it the science of the inner, and to divide science into a science of the outer, and a science of the inner objective science and subjective science. But make it one solid whole, and science remains the ultimate value nothing is higher than that. ~Osho

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Osho - The Complete New Earth Records Collection

Santa Clara County Library District cardholders can now check out eBooks in Spanish.

The district has hundreds of titles in its virtual library that cardholders can access via Odilo, an eBook distribution service.

Odilo is based in Spain and distributes more than 100,000 titles of digital literature to libraries in a variety of languages, primarily Spanish. The collection features literature for all ages, including some best-sellers and old favorites.

We live in a wonderfully diverse community, said county librarian Nancy Howe in a press statement. While our libraries already have varied international collection of books, DVDs and CDs, we wanted to go above and beyond in the selection, availability and quality of Spanish literature and broadcasts currently found in our libraries.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of Santa Clara County residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English. Of the 1.9 million people living in the county, more than 19 percent speak Spanish in their homes.

Spanish eBooks can be downloaded from any device, such as computers, tablets, eBook readers and iOS or Android devices. Titles can be checked out for a three weeks before the file expires, thus eliminating late fees.

Lili Smith, the districts public communication specialist, said eBook checkout has been talked about for a long time, and librarians are available to help patrons with downloading and accessing the books. Instructions are also available in Spanish on the districts website.

The Santa Clara County Library District has more than 1.9 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, eBooks and online resources for card holders. The district serves patrons through two bookmobiles, an online library, seven community libraries and one branch library serving cities in the Santa Clara County.

Last year there were more than 270,000 library card holders and the district welcomed 3.3 million visitors who borrowed 9.1 million items.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2w6V55D.

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Santa Clara County library district offering eBooks in Spanish - The Mercury News

Schools may be the central place of learning for students throughout the academic year, Forsyth Countys libraries are a supplemental and often-used free resource for homework and study help, and now card-holders can take advantage of a new tutoring service.

Forsyth County Public Library launched Tutor.com, a free, web-based, on-demand resource that is accessible with a library card at any of the countys four libraries, at home or on a mobile device.

The service will be available daily from 4-11 p.m. and is targeted for all ages. It provides access to live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center, test preparation, practice quizzes and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in more than 40 subjects.

Tutor.com is offered at more than 2,000 public libraries across the country, and were proud to offer the service free of charge to students and adult learners in our community, said Anna Lyle, library director.

Academic tutoring

Students in kindergarten through their second year in college, as well as adult learners, can get one-on-one help with homework, test preparation and skills and concepts they are learning in class for math, science, writing, English, Spanish and social studies.

Tutor.com also provides assistance for using computer programs and preparing for entrance AP, ACT, SAT, GED and HiSET exams.

Writing reviews

Students and adults working on essays, book reports, short stories and college or scholarship application essays have two ways of getting reviewed: with live tutoring in an interactive, online classroom or through a 24/7 drop-off review service.

Practice quizzes and study resources

Anyone preparing for an end-of-chapter test, a final exam or standardized test can use practice quizzes to assess their knowledge on more than 100 areas in math, science and social studies.

The Skills Center Resource Library provides 24/7 access to thousands of educationally sound resources. Students can watch instructional videos, download practice worksheets, customize their own flashcards and get test-taking tips.

Help for job seekers

Those looking for a job at any level can use Tutor.com to work with professional job search coaches for help with exploring job options, online applications, resume writing and interview preparation.

They also have access to resume templates, cover letter samples, online job search tools and career advice in the Career Center.

Beyond offering daily homework help and test preparation for students, our patrons will find value in the additional services Tutor.com can provide for job seekers and for students who want to improve their ACT/SAT test scores without paying fees for private classes or tutors, Lyle said.

For more information, visit forsythpl.org.

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Forsyth libraries launch free online tutoring service - Forsyth County News Online

Summer Hours

Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Childrens Library

Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Special Hours

The Library will be closed on Friday, Aug. 18, for staff development.

Childrens Programs

Tuesday, Aug. 8: Bookworms (2nd and 3rd grades) Join our book group for 2nd and 3rd graders. The library will supply books and snacks! This month we will discuss books from your summer reading you choose. Register online! 3-3:45 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 10: Maker Camp Curious Creations (children grades 4 - 5) Join us on Thursdays and create with our new Makerspace materials. Each week will be a different theme using different materials. Learn what Strawbees, Makedos, Bristlebots and littleBits are. Register online the day of each program beginning at 8 a.m. This program is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.2:30-3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 10: Stuffed Animal Sleepover. Bring your favorite stuffed friend to the library for bedtime stories and a craft ... then tuck them in for a sleepover at the library. Return the next morning at 10:30 a.m. to retrieve your pet and watch a slideshow highlighting the antics of the sleepover! Register online beginning July 27. 6-7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 11: Stuffed Animal Sleepover Pet Pick up. Pick up your stuffed pet from last nights Stuffed Animal Sleepover and see a slideshow highlighting the antics of the sleepover! 10:30-11 a.m.

Friday, Aug. 11: Science of Honeybees (grades 3 - 8) Learn about bees and the sciencebehind them with Melrose Recycling Coordinator Sadie Brown and Rachael Bonoan, President of the Boston Area Beekeepers Association. The presentation includes hands on activities and information on how we can help the bee population which is essential to our ecosystem. Register online beginning Aug. 1. This program is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and administered by the MA Board of Library Commissioners.1-2 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 15: Basket & Blanket Concert - Vic & Sticks. The Family Resource Network and the Melrose PublicLibrary are collaborating to bring you a fantastic concert series. Pack your picnic basket, grab a blanket and join us on the library lawn fortonights concert. In case of rain, the show will be held at the Congregational Churchat 121 W. Foster St. (food is not allowed in the church) Sponsored by The Friends of Melrose Public Library. 6-6:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 16: Summer Reading Ice Cream Celebration (all children who signed up!) Participants in the childrens Summer Reading Club are invited to this delicious event outside on the library lawn. Rain date is Thursday, Aug. 17, at 2 p.m. 2-3 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 17: Snack Pack (4th & 5th grades) Bring your lunch for this summer Snack Pack! Calling all book lovers entering the 4th and 5th grades! You are invited to participate in the librarys monthly book discussion group.Ask at the Childrens Room desk for a copy of the book. No registration is necessary. 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 23: Egg Drop Competition (ages 5 - 15) Dont miss one of the most popular programs of the summer! This year we have changed the rules. You (or your team) must build your egg holder at the library using materials from our MakerSpace. Eggs will be dropped at 7 p.m. from the top floor window of the library. Register online beginning Aug. 1. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Teen Programs

Monday, Aug. 7: Yak, Snack and Read (grades 6 - 8) Our middle school book club! New members always welcome. Readers choice bring a book youve read over the summer and we can talk about what weve read! For teens and tweens entering grades 6-8 in the fall. 6-7 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 17: Teen Finale Party (grades 6 - 12) Cap off a great summer by celebrating with games, crafts, snacks, and prizes! For teens and tweens entering grades 6-12 in the Fall. Register online. 3-4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 23: Egg Drop Competition (ages 5 - 15) Dont miss one of the most popular programs of the summer! This year we have changed the rules. You (or your team) must build your egg holder at the library using materials from our MakerSpace. Eggs will be dropped at 7 p.m. from the top floor window of the library. Register online beginning Aug. 1. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Adult Programs

Monday, Aug. 7: Concert on the Lawn (for Adults) Knock on Wood. Join us on the library lawn for a high-energy acoustic folk-rock concert for adults. Knock on Wood featuring local duo Howie Newman and Joe Kessler will perform covers and originals! No registration required. Rain date is Monday, Aug. 21. 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 9: Adult Coloring Night Kindness Rocks. Get in touch with your inner child and spread a little kindness! In addition to our monthly coloring night, we are taking part inThe Kindness Rocks Project(www.thekindnessrocksproject.com). Bring your creativity and inspiration to share with others! Materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own! To reserve a seat, sign up online or speak with a library staff member. 7-8:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 16: Becoming Melrose - Scenery Unsurpassed: A Glimpse of Highland History. Registration required online or with library staff. With its stately homes high upon upland terrain, the Melrose Highlands were once called little Scotland for the similar landscape across the Atlantic. This and other interesting tidbits of information will be shared in this colorful evening lecture at the Melrose Public Library. Architectural historian Ryan D. Hayward will discuss many of the former residents that built the neighborhood we call home.Becoming Melrose: The Heritage of the City of Home this series is supported in part by the Melrose Public Library, Friends of the Melrose Public Library and by a grant from the Melrose Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. 7-9 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 17: Beach Blanket Book Club (for adults) The Melrose Public Library Book Discussion Group (for adults) will gather to discuss the books they have read on the beach (and anywhere else!) this summer. There will be prizes, refreshments and good conversation! 7:30-9 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 25: Red Scarf Book Club. This group is open to all and will meet the last Friday of each month in the librarys Upper Lobby. This months title is On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. 1-2:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 31: Popular Science Book Club. Take a journey through the latest scientific developments, expand your horizons and recognize how science impacts our world. Stop by the library to pick up this months selection, Time Travel: A History by James Gleick. 7-8:30 p.m.

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Coming up at the Melrose Library - Wicked Local Melrose

SAN MARINO, Calif. | Blue Boy isnt quite as blue as he once was and that isnt a good thing for one of the worlds most recognizable paintings.

To restore its luster, the 18th century masterpiece by British painter Thomas Gainsborough, featuring a British youth dressed nearly all in blue, will undergo a major, two-year restoration beginning next week.

Curators at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, said Thursday they want to revitalize its color and shore up its canvas.

The original colors now appear hazy and dull, and many of the details are obscured, Christina OConnell, senior paintings conservator at The Huntington, said in a statement.

Adhesive that binds the canvas to its lining is also failing, and some of the works paint is beginning to flake off.

Huntington officials plan to put the painting back on display in September 2018 for a year-long exhibition called Project Blue Boy. During that time, visitors can see the final phase of the restoration.

Steve Hindle, the institutions interim president, said the painting has been the most beloved work of art at The Huntington since it opened its doors in 1928.

It is with great pride that we launch this thoughtful and painstaking endeavor to study, restore and preserve Gainsboroughs masterpiece, he said.

Gainsborough painted the life-size, oil-on-canvas representation of a serious-looking youngster sometime in the 1760s. It was displayed publicly for the first time in 1770 and titled A Portrait of a Young Gentleman. By the end of the century it had acquired the name Blue Boy.

Gainsborough, who was noted for stunning landscapes and portraits, died in 1788. The identity of his subject for Blue Boy is unknown.

Railroad tycoon Henry Huntington, who founded the institution that bears his name, acquired the painting in 1921.

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Huntington Library launches 2-year restoration of 'Blue Boy' - Online Athens