Giving Tuesdaywas created in 2012 as a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a global movement that inspires millions to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. On this year's Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, the trucking industry, with its history of charitable giving, answered the call by ensuring both industry workers and the less fortunate were taken care of on the giving holiday that precedes the holiday season.

Mack Trucks donated $100,000 to theASPCA(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)to create a matching fund for Giving Tuesday.

The effort kicks off Mack TrucksPartners for the Ridesocial media campaign that showcases how pets enrich their owners lives by joining them as partners for the ride of life. Mack truck owners and drivers are asked to post photos of their pets and their truck on social media channels using the hashtag#partnersfortheridewith alink to donate to the ASPCA.

A brand with a bulldog in its logo may seem like an obvious fit with the ASPCA, said Rich Million, Mack Trucks SVP of strategy and business development. The truth is many of our owners have animals, and they bring them on the road for companionship. We want to support organizations that are important to our customers and our employees. The ASPCA is a perfect example.

We cant think of a better day to announce our support of the ASPCA than Giving Tuesday, Million said. It is an internationally recognized day to encourage people to give back to their communities. This is one way for Mack to help an important cause that aligns with both our customers and corporate values.

The ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources.

Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to turn compassion into action, and the ASPCA is excited to be working with Mack Trucks to celebrate the human-animal bond and help vulnerable animals this holiday season, said Matthew Carroll, senior manager of cause partnerships and events, ASPCA.

Mack Trucks Director of Brand Management Jim Leon said, A lot of drivers count on pets to keep them company on the road. With Partners for the Ride, were doing our part to share all the good things that happen when you bring a pet into your life. We know the ASPCA is more than just pets and shelters. Theyre fixtures in the communities they serve. To be a part of their relocation efforts, community assistance, and disaster relief is something were proud to support.

Loves Travel Stopstook part inGiving Tuesdayby donating $25,000 toCASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Oklahoma County, a volunteer program that provides trained adults with opportunities to advocate for children who have been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse. This years Giving Tuesday donation recipient was voted on by Loves corporate employees in Oklahoma City.

We are honored to extend our Giving Tuesday donation to CASA of Oklahoma County, said Jenny Love Meyer, chief culture officer and EVP of Loves. The impact their organization has on children is so significant and truly stands out to our employees because we know the importance of fostering our youth.

Throughout the year, Loves and its corporate employees provide support to kids across Oklahoma City by tutoring, throwing parties for, and donating to Ridgeview Elementary School andPositive Tomorrows, Oklahomas school for children experiencing homelessness.

TheSt. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund(SCF) has partnered with theDriver SolutionsCDL training program to launch a holiday t-shirt promotion to aid truck drivers in need this holiday season.

The limited-edition Hammer Down 4 Truckers t-shirts will be available on theRoadWarriors community page for truckers,with 100% of the proceeds donated to the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.

The tri-blend shirt is produced in partnership with Scott Custom Apparel. The shirts will be available for purchase now through the end of the year and will be shipped at the conclusion of the fundraiser.

The mission of the RoadWarriors community is to bring drivers together in a positive and helpful atmosphere, so I cant think of another organization that embodies this same philosophy more than St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, said Derek McClain, digital marketing manager, Driver Solutions. As we were looking for ways to help truckers and their families this holiday season, we decided to be bold by proclaiming its time to Hammer Down 4 Truckers who do so much for us. And what better way to do that than through the creation of a t-shirt that brings everyone together, with all proceeds from sales going to St. Christopher Fund.

The SCF stated in a press release that it is the only national nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last year. The SCF also provides several free preventative health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including tobacco cessation, diabetes prevention, and flu, pneumonia, and shingles vaccines.

We are so grateful and excited to work with the team at Driver Solutions on this holiday promotion, said Shannon Currier, director of philanthropy at St. Christopher. The holiday season is a particularly tough time for drivers who are out there away from their families continuing to move our country. This is the perfect time of year to show them our appreciation and help raise funds to support those in need.

At RoadWarriors, we dont see this as just a one-time fundraiser. We see it as a proclamation that were kicking off a partnership with St. Christopher to continue giving back to the trucking community year-round, added McClain.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systemscollaborated with the Ohio education nonprofitEffective Leadership Academy (ELA)to welcome 18 Lorain County high school students to Bendixs new North American headquarters for an event highlighting opportunities in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and manufacturing.

During the visit, the high school juniors and seniors were taught the possibilities of careers in those fields and the paths for pursuing them professionally.

The ELA team provided a leadership curriculum for the first part of the program, followed by a panel discussion featuring Bendix professionals sharing their stories and answering questions. Students then toured the Bendix campus, which is home to 650 employees who oversee research, development, engineering, testing, administration, and marketing for the company.

ELA is an educational nonprofit that teams with schools and youth-serving community partners to provide students and educators with a curriculum for 21st-century skills development and reinforcement for social, emotional, and workforce development abilities.

Partnering with ELA is a perfect fit, said Maria Gutierrez, Bendix director of corporate responsibility and sustainability. We are proud to open our doors to local students and have the privilege of showing firsthand the wide variety of possibilities available to them in our common community. Its important for young people to hear diverse perspectives and voices and to see opportunity where they liveand not just in engineering, but in finance, supply chain and purchasing, human resources, and other fields where we aim to excel every day.

For the event, ELA partnered with the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce and local school districts to provide its leadership and workforce readiness program, called the Chamber Leadership Academy. Through the program, ELA works with local chambers of commerce, area municipalities, elected officials, and business leaders to turn a city into a classroom. Students receive ELAs hands-on, activity-based leadership curriculum for enhancing personal development.

Our visit to Bendix was a unique and enriching opportunity for students that met the programs mission of transforming our community into a classroom, said Flo Brett, ELA founder and executive director. The students are eager to learn of professional excellence and prospects in their own backyards. These experiences are only possible with valuable partnerships, and we are grateful to Bendix for opening its doors to these young people for a truly eye-opening day that broadened their scope of what they can achieve.

During the panel discussion, three Bendix professionals provided perspectives on their educational and professional paths: Esin Cubukcu, manager of materials testing and analysis; Mark Kromer, VP of air supply and drivetrain in North America; and Deborah Lindsey,scrum master.

Hearing from panelists, from many walks of life, is especially important as students consider their own futures, seek to build connections and mentors, and practice their soft skills, Brett said. The panelists stories were inspiring and heartwarmingand proved to be fertile ground for conversation for our student leaders.

The event at Bendix is part of a five-day ELA sequence hosted in a different location each day and anchored by different central themes. ELA has grown from partnering with three schools in 2008 to developing relationships with over 230 school/community organizations and impacting over 42,000 students.

Its said, You cant become what you cant see, Gutierrez said. Its vital to provide students and young leaders chances to be welcomed into different environments where they can see themselves thriving. It can open up their world.

This is the last week for fleets to nominate a driver to receive aTruckload Carriers Association (TCA) Professional Drivers of the Yearaward. The deadline to nominate is Dec. 7. Five drivers will win the award and a $20,000 cash prize for a total payout of $100,000.

TCA is searching for drivers with strong safety records who are role models and have inspiring stories for others in the industry. Each fleet can nominate up to five currently-employed drivers, although there can be only one winner per fleet. Winners will be announced atTCAs 2023 annual conventionin Orlando March 4-7.

Excerpt from:
Five Good Things: Giving Tuesday 2023 | FleetOwner - FleetOwner

Sponsored Article by Tatiana Grosso, Principal of The Irish School of Reflexology & Wellness.

The year is coming to an end and, as a Principal of the ISRW, I would like to thank all my students and the enthusiasm they bring to us. Term after term we meet wonderful human beings and start our Holistic Journey together. We keep each other company for a little while and then part ways towards new adventures. Our students are the reason why we love teaching our classes. The appreciation they demonstrate and the openness they have to take in new ideas is so rewarding. It is natural to stop at this time of the year and reflect on how the year has been and what has brought to us. Well, I cant think of anything but positive thoughts and memories we shared in the clauses and online, lots of support amongst all of us and same vision in life. It is so great when like-minded people meet, and feel they belong together and share same interests and beliefs.

Well, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!!

We are always evolving and growing so lets see which new incredible adventures the New Year will bring to all of us! I cant wait to be honest.

At the ISRW we have lots of new exciting courses beginning in the New Year to start your new path in the holistic field. The courses will be rewarding and interesting on many levels.

Read on for details on the following opportunities:

We are all looking for our vocation. Something that makes us want to get up every morning and do something not just for ourselves but for others too. Something that makes us enthusiastic about the day ahead and going to work.

This is a very rare thing to happen, says Tatiana Grosso, Principal of The Irish School of Reflexology & Wellness.

But I can say that opportunity came to me when I met my teacher Sr. Brega (one of the longest Reflexologists in Ireland and a pioneer of the amazing therapy that is Reflexology, here in Ireland). She was and still is my role model and my inspiration. I always looked up to her hoping that if I was half as good as her, I would have been an exceptional Reflexologist. With her wisdom, intuition and kindness she always encouraged me to use Reflexology to help people who were coming to me with health problems. She showed me how to be caring and nice to other people and by doing this, the good we do always comes back to us 10 times more. She always maintained Reflexology was the best therapy to have and I only trained in Reflexology. I never felt the need to study anything else as with the treatment S. Brega taught me I was (and still am) able to help patients struggling with sciatica, back pain, shoulder pain, digestive issues and much more. I always followed her teachings and never changed or added anything. That is how my journey in the Complementary therapies started. Now I want to give the same opportunity to my students who are looking to fulfil their potential and interests.

The ISRWs program is very diverse but at the same time all the classes complement each other ultimately providing a well-rounded holistic training and development for the students.

Based in Ballybofey, theISRW is now taking enrolments for new courses starting in March 2023.

Tatiana Grosso, Principal of the ISRW says: As a therapist (Reflexologist) I have often come across diet and food while treating my clients Holistically. Also the mental state and stress levels of my clients seem to play a crucial role in their journey to balance and health. Therefore teaching our Practitioners Diploma in Foot Reflexology, ITEC Level 3 Certificate in Diet and Nutrition, Meditation & Mindfulness Course and the Chakra Healing course give us so much pride in our programs and college. The level of the training we provide is very high thanks to our experienced and knowledgeable teachers!

Guiding our students into the fascinating realm of the Holistic world is such a privilege. Once people embark on this journey, the opportunities of development are endless and the ISRWs Courses are only the start. We have witnessed so many life changing opportunities and we are very proud of that.

For all of these reasons and more, we are so thrilled to be able to offer a wide range of excellent classes to our students adds Tatiana Grosso, Principal of the ISRW. The Courses we teach are outstanding on their own, but together they represent the perfect recipe for good health says Tatiana Grosso, Principal of the ISRW while describing how Reflexology, Diet, Chakras and Mindfulness complement each other.

Our Practitioners Diploma in foot Reflexology, Meditation and Mindfulness course, Chakra Healing course and Diet and Nutrition certificate combined, represent the balance we all should seek in our lives. That is why Im so excited to run those classes and my students appreciate the opportunity they have to choose among our options.

New Term March Donegal 2023 Venue: Jacksons Hotel Ballybofey

Starting 4th and 5th March 2023

Our Practitioners Diploma in Foot Reflexology consists of 150 Hours of tutoring in the classroom and 60 hours of practical work at home. The diploma is part-time (one weekend per month for 12 months), which means students will need to attend just one weekend per month. The course hours allow for plenty of practice during each weekend (no previous knowledge required). The school is affiliated with the NRRI (National Register of Reflexologists Ireland http://www.nationalreflexology.ie/) and fully Accredited. The NRRI is the Professional body all the Reflexologists must join when they want to practice.

At the end of the year, students will be awarded a Diploma in Traditional Foot Reflexology (recognised by all the major health insurance companies- VHI, Aviva, Laya ) and will be able to start your own practice, go to work in hospital, daycare centre, hospices, spas, and hotels.

A strong focus during the course of the year will be on the practical side of Reflexology. We will be teaching approaches to TREATMENT including the pressure, the location of the points and relevant techniques to be used. Our objective is that our students will be able to assist their own clients in addressing their health problems ( e.g. IBS, digestive system, trying to conceive or stress). Upon successful completion of the course, students will have the skillset and confidence to go into practice immediately. We will also be covering Maternity Reflexology, Infertility, kids, cancer, and introduction to hand Reflexology as well. Our treatment techniques, the original Eunice Inghams method, are what make us stand out from other schools. Our ambition is to treat pain and we do achieve that with our amazing techniques! That is what we teach our students! To be able to treat and relieve PAIN in their own patients.

I personally have spent years of training, learning as much as possible about Reflexology and of course practicing Reflexology. I graduated with Sr. Brega back in 2008. Then I went on and further studied Reflexology upgrading and fine tuning my techniques. I trained in RLD (Reflexology Lymph Drainage) with Sally Kay, Maternity reflexology, Treatment of pain -TOP I and TOP II with Kruchik Institute of Reflexology, Reading the Feet from A to Z with Kruchik Institute of Reflexology, Facial Reflexology with Ziggy Bergman just to name a few. I also run my own successful clinic in Malahide which helped me to build a very strong clinical experience with clients. And that very experience of practical work is what we teach in our classes.

The course is designed to enable students to develop the skill and in-depth knowledge required for effective treatment and evaluation of a client, by having good techniques, by taking good consultation notes and keeping accurate records; by using good listening skills and by an overall caring attitude; to help students gain confidence and experience through supervised work; to understand the holistic approach mental, physical, spiritual and social; and to become informed about the skills necessary to start up and manage a professional practice.

At the ISRW we are very proud of the standard of our teaching and the level of preparation that we provide. We are constantly getting great feedback about the effectiveness of the treatment that we teach, the syllabus and that makes us even more proud to be part of the ISRW.

The year is a great opportunity for the students to get to know new people but also themselves. We see it constantly in our students. They change throughout the year, they discover their true potential, meet new friends and settle in very well in the classroom.

The Diploma is:

> Easy to fit into your work schedule and run at weekends

> Based in an easily accessible location

> Fully accredited with the NRRI

> Designed to train professionals to start their own Reflexology business upon certification

Reflexology will open up so many opportunities for personal growth and development. And helping other people as a profession is so very rewarding.

Enrolment is open now for the new term in Donegal. To apply or for more information please visit http://www.isrw.ie or call Tatiana on 0862071065.

17th December 2022, taking place at the Base Enterprise Centre, Donegal

Hand Reflexology can be a stand-alone treatment or can be effectively used in conjunction with Traditional Foot Reflexology. There are thousands of nerve endings in the hands and feet. By stimulating these nerve endings with Reflexology Techniques, it is possible to ease pain, discomfort and improve health. Many people say they sleep better following a session of hand reflexology and this, in turn, increases healing potential. As hands are easy to access compared to the feet; it is often convenient to be able to offer, as an alternative to Foot Reflexology, HandReflexology instead.HandReflexologycan be used on kids/toddler and the elderly. Reflex points on thehandsare far more flexible andHandReflexologyis easier to do on yourself than footreflexology. Also, some people are not keen on having their feet touched, so they can gain incredible health benefits throughHandReflexologythat they would otherwise miss out on. Moreover,HandReflexology can be used in cases of contagious diseases such as verruca, Athletes Foot or broken bones in the feet.

During this one day course, you will be shown:

How to perform a fullhandReflexologytreatment

Target points for common ailments

Relaxation techniques for thehand

ThisHand ReflexologyCourseis recognised by the NRRI and will allow you to gain 100 CDP points to use towards your membership.

Find out more here: https://www.isrw.ie/hand-reflexology

25 & 26 February 2023 at The Base Enterprise Centre, Stranorlar

The Irish School of Reflexologys two-day Refresher Reflexology Workshop is designed to give the participant the confidence to go out and be the therapist that they started out to be. Our refresher course is perfect for the therapist who hasnt practiced their skill for a while or has perhaps had a set-back which affected their confidence!! This two day training will be fun and interactive with lots of practice and revision. If you want to create a practice I will teach you some simple business strategies that will helpto get your practice up and running or develop your existing one!!

This Refresher Course is recognised by the NRRI and will allow the participant to gain 200 CDP points to use towards her membership. Included in the price students will receive all the notes/foot charts/ etc. and their Certificate of attendance.

Over the course of the two days we will cover:

Book this course now at: https://www.isrw.ie/refresher

Our online programmes offer so much more than the standard online course. All of our lessons are live and interactive with each class adapted to suit the needs and learning styles of each individual student. Constant tutor support is available without going through any technical or complicated pathways. All our courses provide a way for students to learn, get to know each other and develop personally and professionally whether in the traditional classroom or online environment.

Our response from past pupils studying our Diet and Nutrition Certificate has been overwhelmingly positive, which is why the course is running for a fourth consecutive term. Some of our students have gone on to study nutrition at higher levels after studying with us, while others used the course to enhance the services they offer to clients. The course is challenging, interesting and enjoyable in equal measures. It is also a great way to start any holistic journey towards better self care and the care of clients.

See below to read about our online study options:

Beginning 2nd January delivered online over eight weeks.

Chakra is associated with yoga, meditation, spiritual beliefs and holistic health, but what exactly is the Chakra System? This course will help students to understand exactly what this energy system is all about where it came from, and what it represents. It runs live online for 8 weeks and classes are 2 hours in length. It is CPD accredited on completion of 1 case study. Tutor support is available throughout and all of our lessons are delivered in a relaxed and individualized fashion.

In this course, we examine the Chakra System from its ancient origins to its place in a modern approach to wellbeing. Students will learn about its ancient teachings and origins, about energy from a physical and metaphysical perspective, and about the chakra system itself. This course is all about balance and wellbeing using an ancient philosophy and framework.

Core course content:

Vedic philosophy and the 8 limbs of yoga

The concept and principles of energy, universal energy and connection

Energy channels, flow and balance

The 7 Chakra System with a comprehensive look at each of the 7 energy points.

Balance and alignment of the 7 chakras

The Chakra System as a modern framework for self-development

8 week Chakra Healing starts Monday 2nd January 7.30-9.30pm. Classes are online. Find out more: https://www.isrw.ie/chakrahealing

Beginning Tuesday 3rd January delivered online over 20 Classes (100 hours of tutoring)

Course hours: one evening per week (Tuesdays from 7-10pm) and one full Saturday per month only.

We had a great response and feedback from our past students attending our Diet and Nutrition Certificate and we cant wait to run it again! says Tatiana, Principal of the ISRW.

The diet and Nutrition for the Complementary Therapist Certificate offers those with a background in the healing therapies, or those considering entry to the disciplines of holistic health or nutrition, the opportunity to learn about the foundations of the human diet and how it impacts health and wellbeing.

Taught content includes; the basic biochemistry of digestion, anatomy and physiology of the digestive system and an insight into how it interacts with and impacts the rest of the body. You will be introduced to the biochemistry of calories and nutrients, learn about the nutritional content of common foods and navigate the endless debates and scientific research that exist in the field of nutrition. We will bring you the magic of the gut microbiome, examine diet and lifestyle from across the globe and present the most valid and reliable evidence available.

The course also provides a comprehensive insight into disorder, disease and food intolerances. You will learn about the impact of processing, environmental pollutants and industry on food and we will introduce you to some of the associated risks to human health.

Tatiana adds: l have seen how what we eat and Diet can make such a big difference in terms of giving the body the nutrients it needs to work better. There is so much we can do to improve how the body works when we look at what we eat and educating our clients is the first step towards better health. This Course is a very comprehensive class and what I love about it, is the Holistic Approach to health that it provides. We talk extensively about Plant based diets and compare all the different approaches to food and health so that we are informed when it comes to making our own food choices or recommending food to our clients! All the students and even myself, are glued to following the classes week after week!!

They say that we are what we eat, we are what we do and we are what we think. So keeping all this in mind: what we do needs to be healing, what we eat needs to be strengthening, what we think needs to be uplifting. People today are developing a new and responsible attitude to themselves, a new concept of sickness and health, and this in turn is leading them to preventative methods of healing therapies that gives them faith in themselves. We, as THERAPISTS, can support our clients in this journey by also recommending some changes to be addressed in their diet, if we have this skill added to our knowledge library.

This action-packed course is energetic, comprehensive and bursting with information. It does not simply deliver the standardised theory behind diet, nutrition and expert recommendations. Instead, students learn through self-reflection, discussion and debate. Together, we examine evidence and address the conflicts that are abundant in nutritional literature. We also apply our knowledge to practice and students are supported throughout. Like all of our courses, we laugh and interact a lot.

Our holistic approach extends from practice to learning and students are also taught how to develop their communication skills, self-confidence and the art of self-reflection. The human experience is at the heart of our approach to teaching, learning and working with clients. This course is ideally suited for those interested in how diet and lifestyle impact all aspects of human health, for those who wish to develop their skills as a holistic practitioner or for those who would simply like to gain a wealth of new information and engage in academic discussion in a positive learning environment.

This course can be a great chance for personal development and awareness also for people who are not from the sector to gain insight and knowledge about Nutrition and will open up great opportunities of development and progression in holistic health. It is going to be really interesting to learn how much the food we eat affects us and our wellbeing. We will also be learning more about the Enteric Nervous system, gut Health, and lots more.

Enrolment is open now at http://www.isrw.ie or call Tatiana on 0862071065.

2023 Start date TBC. Delivered over 12 weeks, one evening per week.

This beautiful course begins 5000 years ago and brings students on a fascinating journey of deep introspection, personal growth, and professional development. We examine the core principles of meditation from scientific, historical, cultural, and spiritual perspectives together, and learn in ways that foster self-confidence through self-reflection. Every week we discuss, practice, and debate the arts and science behind meditation techniques. We share knowledge, experiences, and views in a comfortable and respectful environment, we learn from each other, and we laugh a lot.

Joining this course will bring you a new set of tools that you can use to enhance your own life, the lives of your clients and your loved ones. You will meet new people from an eclectic array of backgrounds, gain a wealth of new knowledge and learn a variety of skills and techniques to find that deep inner sense of peace that exists inside all of us.

Mindfulness and meditation are exceptionally valuable tools for managing the toxic stress and anxiety that are pandemic in todays society. Despite originating in Eastern cultures, these practices continue to increase in popularity across the Western world because conventional approaches continue to fail and mental health continues to decline. The holistic approach to health recognises the importance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. On-going scientific and observational evidence heavily supports the benefits of both mindfulness and meditation on all these aspects of health and healing.

This course is designed to give the student a comprehensive insight into the concepts, principles and techniques that underpin mindfulness and meditation practices. It is ideal for those wishing to incorporate stress management techniques into their complementary therapy and holistic healing practices. The course is also applicable to students without a complementary therapy background, who have an interest in the subjects of mindfulness and meditation and would like to learn more about these self-management strategies in order to cope with stress in their own daily lives.

We all know the Holistic Approach is the way forward in all our dealings. I love Reflexology and I think it is the best therapy because it works on balancing hormones, it stimulates the nervous system, works on the digestive system (just to name a few benefits) and not many other therapies can do that so well. In the last year I have also appreciated Nutrition as a way of supporting the body with the right nutrients. However, Reflexology and diet only work to a certain extent. The last piece of the puzzle and possibly the most important, our mind, must be addressed and supported too if we want to reach balance and health that can last.

By the end of the course, the student will:

Enrolment is open for all the above courses atwww.isrw.ie or call Tatiana on 0862071065.

Delivered live online for 8 weeks. Start date TBC.

Course hours: One night a week for eight weeks online for two hours.

Stress is believed to cause 90% of all disease and this course looks at stress from a completely holistic perspective. It runs live online for 8 weeks and classes are 2 hours in length. It is CPD accredited on completion of 1 case study. Tutor support is available throughout and all of our lessons are delivered in a relaxed and enjoyable fashion.

During the course, students will learn about the physical cascade stress initiates within the human body. They will also understand how the physical is intricately linked to the non-physical dimensions of the whole person. As a practitioner, or an individual, the participants

will learn about the science and evidence supporting many natural ways to alleviate stress and promote wellbeing for themselves and/or their clients.

Core course content:

Visit link:
Make a new start in 2023 with the Irish School of Reflexology & Wellness - Donegal Daily

ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 20)

Love: The World

Mood: King of Wands

Career: Justice

This week, you may get to forge ahead on your own; so, you should give any choice you make lots of careful consideration. You might do excellent work at your job, making your superiors happy. You can also receive a raise or a promotion. In business, this week could be the week you finally close the profitable deal. In recognition of your efforts, you can expect nothing but congratulations and love from those closest to you. Your significant other may be extremely helpful and understanding as you work through your problems. You may lack energy and stamina this week due to your erratic work schedule. Maintain a healthy, protein- and nutrient-dense diet to keep your energy levels high. If you are a student, you may get a good and desired result of your choice.

Lucky Number: 6

Lucky Colour: Brown

TAURUS (Apr 21-May 20)

Love: Four of Cups

Mood: The Magician

Career: The Hanged Man

This week, your self-assurance can help you to accomplish all that you set out to do, earning you the respect of your peers and superiors. Gains on investments in stocks and other speculation forms are also likely. New, healthy changes are in the cards for you this week, and consulting a nutritionist can help you make the most of them. Finally, its crucial that you learn the strategies necessary to avoid pointless arguments and confrontations at home. You and your significant other may have some financial misunderstandings that could be resolved if you could avoid arguments about the subject. Students shouldnt doubt their own abilities this week despite others criticism. If social monotony gets to you, try mixing things up a bit.

Lucky Number: 2

Lucky Colour: Yellow

GEMINI (May 21-Jun 21)

Love: Eight of Cups

Mood: Six of Swords

Career: Three of Wands

Good vibes may accompany you this week. You may have a wonderful time of self-care and relaxation. Try to priorities your health. This week, your coworkers can appreciate your fresh perspective and innovative ideas. This week is going to be a healthy one for you. You may soon see the rewards of your past labours, which may include not only fame but also financial gain. Maintain a healthy diet and drink plenty of water. For you to have time to focus on yourself this week, its important to ensure that as family members remain on the same page as you. If you cannot devote much time to your partner this week, it could cause tension in your relationship. Gemini students may benefit from parental and academic guidance this week as they work toward their educational objectives.

Lucky Number: 15

Lucky Colour: Blue

CANCER (Jun 22-Jul 22)

Love: The Lovers

Mood: The Hanged Man

Career: Strength

This week, its important that you put your attention on the prize rather than your rivals. It can be a fun and challenging time at work this week. You can be the one to come out on top with a little effort and patience. Your past investments may not pay off in the way you hope they would. This may lead to a fund crunch. Understand that to meet your obligations to your loved ones, you must also schedule time for your family and personal development. Your relationship, which has been stuck at the same stage for a while, may also finally progress this week. This can be a good time to start attending yoga classes. By the end of this week, you should feel much better. Though it may take some effort on your part, you may ultimately succeed in your academic pursuits.

Lucky Number: 11

Lucky Colour: Orange

LEO (Jul 23-Aug 23)

Love: Knight of Wands

Mood: Three of Coins

Career: Devil

This week may be particularly challenging for you, as compared to others. Try to maintain a positive outlook because it may benefit your health and productivity. Take care of your mental and physical health. There are numerous benefits to practising meditation and yoga. You may find your family standing by your side in tough times and they may extend all the support you need. Due to dedicated efforts, you may be rewarded monetarily or with a promotion at work. A business venture conceived with the junior in mind could be a great learning opportunity. You and your significant other can have a wonderful time together. Students may be plagued by confusion and should consult experienced people for advice for career advice. You could visit a sacred site if you need some time to clear your head.

Lucky Number: 4

Lucky Colour: Sky Blue

VIRGO (Aug 24-Sept 23)

Love: Temperance

Mood: Two of Wands

Career: The Moon

This week could be more fruitful for putting plans into action. Set some long-term goals and figure out how you intend to go about accomplishing them. Working out new equations is possible at the workplace and may help you in prestigious projects. You should refrain from making any financially significant decisions this week because lady luck may not be on your side. Spending the time together would be fun for you and your significant other. Consider popping the question to a potential partner if youre currently single. As the weekend approaches, you may decide to lend a hand to loved ones. Students who wish to further their education by going to school in a foreign country may succeed. Incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine may bring you closer to your ideal body.

Lucky Number: 22

Lucky Colour: Red

LIBRA (Sept 24-Oct 23)

Love: Judgment

Mood: Magician

Career: Ten of Wands

This week, you may have a laser-like focus that may allow you to realise your goals. Youve worked hard to get where you are, so bask in the glory of your accomplishments. This is the week when everything in your business succeeds. You may see a change in your bank account that may brighten your whole week. This week, your significant other may surprise you with something they know youll enjoy. Family problems are best tackled by listening to wise elders and keeping a level head. Now is a great time to make your exercise routine a notch or two. Read the deed and title insurance policy carefully before buying a home to ensure no surprises. Students may succeed if they put in consistent effort in the right direction and get the ball rolling immediately.

Lucky Number: 5

Lucky Colour: Green

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22)

Love: Wheel of Fortune

Mood: Devil

Career: Two of Wands

You are likely to remain committed to your goals. However, you may want to take some action on a different path. Things financially might look up for you this week. You can count on much cooperation and support from your coworkers and business partners. You may have to make tough choices that may cause friction between you and your family. Remain tactful at all costs. However, you and your significant other can have a good time. The two of you should take a road trip together. You can inherit your familys property unexpectedly. You can stay healthy and fit through regular exercise and meditation. Students may get favourable results from their evaluation this week. Your efforts to improve your surroundings is likely to win you the respect of your peers.

Lucky Number: 8

Lucky Colour: White

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Love: Three of Swords

Mood: The Tower

Career: The Empress

The week promises to be a wonderful one. Your vibrant health and boundless vitality may make you the envy of your coworkers and the center of attention wherever you go this week. Successful proposals for new business endeavors and projects may be presented to your company. Make an effort to learn about your partner, pay

attention to your sweethearts wants and needs, and work hard to win back their trust. As a romantic gesture, you might decide to purchase a brand-new gadget or an expensive gift for your significant other. Youll bring plenty of joy and peace into the home with your sunny disposition. You can experiment with new fitness strategies, which may have significant benefits. It may be a great week for students who may be inspired to put in long hours and accomplish much.

Lucky Number: 17

Lucky Colour: Pink

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 21)

Love: The Hermit

Mood: The Magician

Career: Two of Coins

You may not be impressed by anything this week. However, the simple act of reconnecting with old pals can do wonders for your mood. You may also realise that the similarities between you and your partner are extensive, making you a good match. You have the analytical skills to make you an excellent fit for a high-stakes professional project or assignment. The influx of cash is expected to be substantial. You can put this money to good use by investing in things that bring you luck. Your input on family matters may be very helpful in keeping things calm and pleasant there. You may have been slacking off due to minor health issues. But this week, you may return to your old self and feel invigorated. To make the most of the favourable time, students should give 100% of their attention to their studies.

Lucky Number: 22

Lucky Colour: Purple

AQUARIUS (Jan 22-Feb 19)

Love: The Hermit

Mood: Two of Swords

Career: Two of Coins

Everything may go very well for you this week. Your dedication to your company may show in everything you do. You are likely to impress all with your courageous and admirable spirit on the professional front. Money-wise, you should be able to make sound decisions and increase your holdings. The household as a whole may appreciate the new additions and alterations. Loved ones are likely to bring you good news on the home front. Your romantic life is likely to be exciting. Youll feel loved, as your significant other may show you that you deserve much more appreciation and

love. Adjusting ones way of life can have a significant impact on health. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to begin their internship applications.

Lucky Number: 4

Lucky Colour: Sky Blue

PISCES (Feb 20-Mar 20)

Love: The Star

Mood: Five of Swords

Career: Three of Coins

This week brings fresh opportunities; seize them with both hands and make the most of the rewards they offer. Your superior teamwork this week can earn you high praise from your colleagues. This is a time when you can significantly boost your financial situation, so take advantage of everything that comes your way. You can take the next step in your love life this week because its a great time to do so. However, theres a chance youll have a fight with your sibling or kin about a family-related matter this week. Its best to avoid arguments if you value your serenity. Do something active to keep your body in shape. Changing your diet can help you regain your health quickly. Students need to stay out of disagreements to maintain good standing with their teachers and classmates.

Lucky Number: 11

Lucky Colour: Peach

Manisha Koushik has more than 12+ years of experience. She gives astrological advice related to career, health, finance, business, relationship and more. She is known to combine the principles of Vedic and Western astrology, Tarot, Numerology, Vastu and Fengshui. She has authored many books and is a popular face for astrology TV shows....view detail

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Weekly Tarot Card Readings: Tarot prediction for December 4 to December 10, 2022 - Hindustan Times

A possible Wednesday Season 2 will introduce a new foe for the macabre teen. In the Netflix series, the mystery of the Hyde and its master is revealed, but it is not the end of the grand puzzle. Wednesday Addams gets text messages from a new stalker with intentions of murder. With the mystery far from over, who could the new antagonist be? Wednesday Season 2 could further explore the MorngingSong cult and Biancas mother as the villain.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers forWednesday.]

Fans of the series may have gone above and beyond to sleuth out who the stalker could be. The photos Wednesday receives show her at two different moments with Tyler and Xavier. The first photo takes place in the local cafe with Wednesday reading and Tyler sitting across from her. The picture is from a scene in Wednesday Episode 5 where Tyler gives her a latte for her birthday.

But the surrounding scenes give no hint of who else in the cafe could be the stalker. The same is said about the photo of Wednesday with Xavier when he gives her an iPhone. There are no hints of who could be the stalker and the possible new villain for Wednesday Season 2.

RELATED: Wednesday Showrunners Have a Pretty Clear Runway of What Could Happen in Future Seasons

But there is a possibility that the new Big Bad for the second season might have already been revealed. Out of all the characters in the series, fans only get to meet Enids family and Biancas mother. While Enids story is to help further her confidence to wolf-out, Biancas possibly has another purpose.

In Wednesday Episode 5, the students families visit Nevermore. Bianca meets up with Xavier and exclaims her disinterest as her mother never shows up. But to her surprise, she does. Gabrielle is also a siren, but she has somewhat sinister intentions and reveals the reality of Biancas backstory.

Fans learn Biancas mother, Gabrielle is part of a church, better described by Bianca as a cult. But there is a mystery as Bianca is curious about how her mother found her. The cult is called MorningSong, and Gabrielle says they miss Bianca. Gabrielle describes MorningSong as a personal development movement that helps people control their lives.

Bianca believes otherwise and reveals she escaped and changed her name. The curious aspect is the mention of a man named Gideon. As Gabrielle utters his name, Bianca becomes angered, even more so when her mother reveals they are married.

The mystery to the cult thickens when Gabrielle tells her daughter that her siren song is drying up. Recruitment numbers are low, and people are asking questions. She threatens her daughter to return, or Nevermore will know how she sirened her way in. Bianca agrees under on condition.

RELATED: Wednesday: What Happened to Morticia and Gomez at Nevermore 25 Years Ago? And How It Ties Into the Storyline

The interaction and Gabrielles demeanor are a good basis for assuming she and MorningSong could be the villain for Wednesday Season 2. Introducing her and the cult could have been strategic, even more so when learning Lucas Walker joined MorningSong. Could it be that MorningSong is using its recruits to keep an eye on Wednesday?

But the question remains as to why they have their sights set on Wednesday in the first place. It might very well be that MorningSong is an entirely separate villain alongside Wednesdays stalker.

According to Digital Spy, the cast and Joy Sunday, who plays Bianca, teased the impact of sirens. In mythology, sirens can manipulate people into doing as they please. Fans learned in Wednesday that Xavier broke up with Bianca after discovering she used her siren song on him. Bianca later reveals to Wednesday at the RaveN that she is unsure how people really feel about her.

Bianca also uses her siren powers to make the Nevermore students leave the campus for their safety. A sirens powers are vital to MorningSong and its ability to control its followers.

As we see, her mum is mixed all the way up, and is already starting to spread the poison through the town that Biancas in, very easily. Even though her moms siren song is draining out if Bianca was part of that, it would be even bigger. So I think [Jericho] have a lot to be afraid of when it comes to Morning Song, explained Sunday.

Sunday described that they could be a big bad. But fans will have to wait and see if the Top 10 series for Netflix will get the green light for a second season.

RELATED: Wednesday: What Happened to Marilyn Thornhill After the Events of the Finale?

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'Wednesday' Season 2: Could the New Villain Be Bianca's Mother Gabrielle and the MorningSong Cult? - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

The demand is there for those who are ready to take the plunge to start their career as a counsellor, in this article we will go through the path to get you there. Picture by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Becoming a counsellor in Australia is not an easy process, but for those with empathy and a passion for helping others, it can be well worth it. There are many opportunities for those who want to help people through their personal and professional struggles.

The demand is there for those who are ready to take the plunge to start their career as a counsellor, in this article we will go through the path to get you there.

What does counselling involve?

Counselling can involve a variety of different things, depending on the person's needs. It can involve working with people to help them understand their thoughts and feelings and to come up with a plan to deal with whatever might be troubling them.

Counsellors work with individuals, couples, families and groups, and can provide support for a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, addiction, relationship problems and bullying.

Working as a counsellor can be very rewarding, as you are able to help people work through their problems and improve their lives. It can be challenging too, but with the right education and experience, you will be equipped to take on any challenge.

The process to become a counsellor in Australia

In order to become a counsellor in Australia, there are certain steps you need to take. While some steps are not mandatory they will help you develop your craft so you can start practising with confidence. The steps include studying, personal development and accreditation.

Get qualified

Firstly, you will need to gain qualifications related to counselling, either through an undergraduate degree or a postgraduate course like the Masters of Counselling online programs which are quite popular.

Many universities, TAFEs and private colleges offer courses that provide a good foundation for your career as a counsellor. The skills you're taught will help you develop not only from a theoretical perspective but will help you in the real world too.

It is also important to gain practical experience - many employers require applicants to have at least two years of relevant experience before applying for positions. Keep in mind while it's not a necessity it's becoming increasingly common for employers to ask for this experience.

Professional development

Once you have gained the necessary qualifications and experience, you should look to complete professional development activities such as workshops and seminars related to counselling topics. If you join a professional body in order to keep up to date with the latest developments and best practices, it will certainly help. They provide constant updates to courses and seminars so what you learn is relevant to the industry.

Accreditation

These bodies provide not only professional development but comprehensive support for practising counsellors. This will also ensure that you are practising ethically and professionally, and provide clients with peace of mind when they seek your services.

How to get started in your career as a counsellor

Once you have completed all the necessary steps, it's time to start your career as a counsellor. It can be helpful to begin by volunteering or working for organisations related to counselling, such as youth centres or mental health clinics.

This will give you valuable experience and help you build a good reputation with potential employers. It is also a good idea to network and attend events in your field, as this will make it easier to find job opportunities.

Once you have gained some experience, you can then start applying for permanent jobs or look into setting up your own private practice.

You may also want to consider specialising in certain areas of counselling, such as grief and loss, stress management or addiction recovery. It depends on your preference and previous experience as many of these categories can vary, so make sure you know what field works for you.

Becoming a counsellor in Australia can be challenging but ultimately very rewarding. With the right education and preparation, you can embark on a successful career helping people through their personal and professional struggles - and make a real difference in people's lives along the way.

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What is the process for becoming a counsellor in Australia? - Glen Innes Examiner

People come to big cities in search of better opportunities and with the idea of making life better. However, there is a cost one must be ready to pay in these big cities. And it could further up in near future. According to the Economist Intelligence Units (EIU) Worldwide Cost of Living Index for 2022, the average cost of living will rise 8.1% due to Russias war in Ukraine and the pandemics lingering effects.

Here are the 5 most expensive cities in the world:

Millions of tourists from around the world travel to New York each year. It is the most populated city in the US and is also referred to as The Big Apple." New York City is divided into five boroughs, each of which is associated with a different county in the state of New York: Brooklyn (Kings County), Manhattan (New York County), Queens (Queens County), the Bronx (Bronx County), and Staten Island (Richmond County).

Singapore is a small but thriving island nation with a lot to offer in terms of lifestyle amenities and personal development. Despite being a little red dot on the globe map, the nation is ideal for growing families and children in a joyful and secure atmosphere. The city-state is on number two on the list of most expensive cities in the world

The third place belongs to Tel Aviv. The fifth-most visited city in the Middle East and Africa is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coast. The city, which is well known for its culture, also has a lively nightlife.

Los Angeles and Hong Kong are the next two on the list. Los Angeles is a city in California, the United States, and is known for its iconic Hollywood sign and for being the official residence of many famous actors, whereas Hong Kong is a city and special administrative region of China, officially known as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. Additionally, it serves as the countrys hub for the film and television industries.

Zurich is Switzerlands financial capital and an upscale banking city. As a result, its no surprise that its frequently referred to as one of the worlds most expensive cities. Zurich is known for its opulent lifestyles, high-end shopping, and gourmet chocolates. Despite its high cost and extravagance, it is ranked as one of the best cities in the world to live in.

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New York to Singapore; 5 Most Expensive Cities In The World - News18

In brief OpenAI has released a new language model named ChatGPT this week, which is designed to mimic human conversations.

The model is based on the company's latest text-generation GPT-3.5 system released earlier this year. ChatGPT is more conversational than previous versions. It can ask users follow-up questions and refrain from responding to inappropriate inputs instead of just generating text.

Some examples show ChatGPT won't provide dangerous advice when prompted and can try to correct wrong statements. OpenAI believes the model should be safer to use since it was trained using human feedback. After giving examples of helpful responses to random prompts the data was then ranked in order from best to worst to guide a reinforcement learning system into rewarding ChatGPT for generating good outputs.

But people using the model have already proven how easy it is to bypass ChatGPT's safety measures. Many have demonstrated very simple phrases that can guide the system to generate content it isn't supposed to, such as instructing users how to bully people or make Molotov cocktails.

ChatGPT is, unfortunately, plagued by the same fundamental issues affecting all current language models: It doesn't know what it's talking about.

As a result, it will still generate false information and can sometimes decline to answer benign questions. If you have signed up for an OpenAI account, you can play with ChatGPT here.

Researchers at DeepMind have built a neural network capable of playing the two-player war game Stratego.

Stratego is more complicated to play for machines than previous games solved by DeepMind, like Chess or Go. The number of possible outcomes and moves to play are on the order of 10535 states, larger than Go's 10360, Nature reported.

The system, named DeepNash, claims to work by solving for the Nash equilibrium, a mathematical concept that describes how to reach the optimal solution between players in a non-cooperative game. DeepNash competed in an online Stratego tournament and was ranked third after 50 matches among all human players that played on the game platform Gravon since 2002.

"Our work shows that such a complex game as Stratego, involving imperfect information, does not require search techniques to solve it," says team member Karl Tuyls, a DeepMind researcher based in Paris. "This is a really big step forward in AI."

The hype in reinforcement learning has died down a little since the release of AlphaGo in 2017. Researchers believe teaching AI the skills to play games like Stratego are relevant for helping machines make decisions in the real world, we're told.

"At some point, the leading AI research labs need to get beyond recreational settings, and figure out how to measure scientific progress on the squishier real-world 'games' that we actually care about," Michael Wellman, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan, who was not directly involved in the study, commented.

The DoE is providing $4.3 million to fund 16 AI-focused projects related to high-energy physics research.

These projects [PDF] will be led by different universities across the US, and cover a wide range of research areas ranging from string theory, cosmology, to neural networks and particle accelerators. The total investment will be split over three years, with $1.3 million going out in the first year.

The DoE also recently announced a similar initiative awarding $6.4 million to AI R&D for three high-energy physics projects to be led by national laboratories. "AI and machine learning techniques in high energy physics are vitally important for advancing the field," said Gina Rameika, DOE Associate Director of Science for High Energy Physics, according to HPCwire.

"These awards represent new opportunities for university researchers that will enable the next discoveries in high energy physics."

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OpenAI tweaks ChatGPT to avoid dangerous AI information - The Register

Reinforcement learning is the closest thing to human learning. These techniques are the base of all solutions, starting from self-driving cars to surgeons being replaced by medical AI bots. It has become the main driver of emerging technologies and still has plenty to offer to the tech industry. Reinforcement learning applications in various industries are shaping the future of the AI. Here, we have mentioned the top 5 applications of reinforcement learning in real life.

Self-driving Cars Trajectory optimization, motion planning, dynamic pathing, controller optimization, and scenario-based learning policies for highways are examples of autonomous driving tasks where reinforcement learning could be used.

Healthcare Dynamic treatment regimens (DTRs) in chronic disease or critical care, automated medical diagnosis, and other general domains are applications of RL in healthcare. Reinforcement learning (RL) uses evaluative feedback and interaction experience with the outside world to enhance a persons capacity for behavioral decision-making.

News Recommendation Because user preferences change frequently, recommending news to users based on reviews and likes may become out of date quickly. The RL system can track the readers return behaviors using reinforcement learning.

Gaming One can go from scratch to pro level in a game such as AlphaGo zero by applying reinforcement learning. By delivering a reward signal that specifies high-level goals while allowing the game character to determine the best techniques, reinforcement learning can enable game producers to create considerably more nuanced game characters than traditional methods.

Marketing and Advertising The authors propose multi-agent reinforcement learning with real-time bidding where a clustering method is used to handle a large number of advertisers, and each cluster is assigned a strategic bidding agent.

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Top 5 Applications of Reinforcement Learning in Real-Life - Analytics Insight

For more than 30,000 years we have been the only art-making species on Earth, give or take the odd paint-throwing Neanderthal or chimpanzee. Art is the oldest and most spectacular triumph of human consciousness, from Lascaux to the Sistine Chapel. But a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) art software may be about to end that. It will whip you up a Picasso or a Turner in an instant, or apply their styles to any theme you picture, from Liz Truss dancing in a supermarket to a brawl in a 1970s disco.

Stable Diffusion and competitors such as DALL-E 2 go far beyond previous claims for AI art. Easily accessible online, and in that sense open to full public scrutiny, they create precise, rich, convincing images in response to a typed-in text for example a sad cat in a mountainous landscape in the style of Turner, or whatever combination of styles, keywords and subjects takes your fancy. Or you can ask more sidelong and existential questions, such as my request for a photograph of a human, which produced a bare-chested man who could be a museum exhibit of early homo sapiens except for his mysterious earphone-like cables. For the expert there are others: Ive been experimenting in Wombo Dream, Midjourney and Google Colab/Disco Diffusion, says the artist Mat Collishaw.

Until recently, I was deeply sceptical of the idea of AI art. I saw it as hype and casuistry, and with some cause: widely publicised efforts such as Ai-Da the robot artist obviously exaggerate the independence of the machine and play on our fascination with sentient artificial beings. But now the dream is coming true, at least in art. And art is surely one of the most inimitable expressions of the human mind.

Evangelists for so-called strong AI full artificial intelligence that will replicate and exceed the human mind are fond of making analogies with biological evolution. Over millions of years, mindless cells evolved the human brain; machines are now evolving much faster so why shouldnt they become sentient soon? The evolution of AI art seems to vindicate that. In 2018, the sale of an AI generated-painting called Portrait of Edmond de Belamy at Christies for $432,500 (360,000) was the latest thing in the field yet this portrait was crude in the extreme, a pixellated blur easy to dismiss as a pathetic computerised pastiche of Frans Hals. Four years on, the detail and nuance of images produced by the latest AI art generators have grown more impressive exponentially.

What does this mean for art? Is it the end of our run as the only art-making species? Or can humans and machines work together to create something wondrous? To find out, I challenged six outstanding human artists, including three Turner prize-winners, to experiment with AI.

Gilbert and George have been flirting with post-humanity ever since they painted their faces and hands silver, like robots, for their 1969 performance-art masterpiece The Singing Sculpture. Their merging of creative identities two people, but one artist has a similar futuristic radicalism. That extends to the authorship of the Pictures they have made since the 1970s in which they appear while operating the camera and editing its images in a deliberately unexpressive way: always sharp and bright. The panel of four portraits they have elicited from AI is called Gilbert and George by AI, but firmly credited to them as artists.

These images of Gilbert and George are like them, but not. They are clearly not photographs: instead, the software has painted them from the information it has, in several efforts with various eccentricities. At the top left, Gilbert Proesch looks as if hes in a 1960s film by Antonioni or Fellini: at bottom right, both men merge into the same grumpy caricature. In all the portraits, their eyes are cold and distant and odd. This is typical of what happens when you ask a machine to portray a human.

All existing AI art platforms, from the software that stunned Christies auction room in 2018 to the disconcertingly impressive Stable Diffusion, are types of neural network that excel at machine learning. Neural networks emulate the way neurons fire off each other in the human brain: they are capable of learning when fed with ever-vaster quantities of data. The power of machine learning is seen by some as an epochal breakthrough that makes AI creative and could soon lead to artificial consciousness if it hasnt already. This summer, Google sacked engineer Blake Lemoine after he claimed its LaMDA chatbot was starting to think for itself.

Others say these machines are only good at the job they have been taught: DeepMinds AlphaGo cant turn its skills to Scrabble or Cluedo and self-driving cars have big problems with unexpected situations outside their learning.

The trouble AI art has with depicting eyes, not to mention how many limbs or heads a human being possesses, may back up the sceptical view. The likes of DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion have been fed huge amounts of artistic and visual information yet dont have any knowledge of, say, anatomy. They dont realise this is a problem because they dont think.

Or do they?

Elizabeth Price takes on such issues in the sequence of 40 AI images she generated from text prompts. Instead of producing a finished artwork, she treated it as an experiment, sharing the results in an apparently casual way. Only when I flicked through the sequence like a slideshow did I see that it is as unsettling as her Turner prize-winning video The 1979 Woolworths Choir. Price engages with the AI as if it were indeed sentient, asking it questions rather than giving it commands, as she tries to get the software to reveal its true self. I quickly became fascinated by how it was putting images together; how that process differed from the human mind; what it knew; what it understood; and how much we could think of its dataset and search modes as a kind of cultural memory. Price says that if this is her artwork, its one that includes the questions she put: one of the limits of AI, she points out, is that it has an unsophisticated and conservative grasp of what art is.

She asks the AI: What do you understand about love for a parent; it produces a waxily real, warm yet ever so slightly creepy vision of an embracing family. Do you understand politics in the UK? elicits a shrill picture with devastating deliberate or accidental? satirical power in which hosts of shouting heads are juxtaposed with multiple union flags. What do you understand about racial identity leads to a photographic image of two Black children, one of whom holds up a photo of a Black girl as if she is a missing person. Its striking, says Price, that the software should assume racial identity means Blackness, as if whiteness were the non-racial norm.

Such apparent racism has become a problem with other AI applications such as facial recognition, and reflects the internet data the machines are fed. Price compares the intelligence she questioned to a collective unconscious. And it can throw up some seriously weird images as it trawls through digitally archived human memories. She types in the poet Emily Dickinsons lines about her own future grave: An Island in dishonored Grass / Whom none but Daisies know. In one text prompt the daisies become beetles, and the computer depicts them as giant shiny creatures in a verdant landscape.

Some combinations of words unleash the truly unexpected from AI art generators, while others result in something flat, or incoherent. It feels as if you are searching for the right key to the vast banks of imagery that exist on the internet. AI in its current state is quite literally an unconscious mind, full of memory, but unable to make sense of it. In the early 20th century, artists and poets inspired by Sigmund Freud sought to release images directly from the human unconscious. That was the surrealist revolution. Could the AI age be fertile ground for a new surrealism in which human artists pry open the digital unconscious?

Mat Collishaw and Polly Morgan work in a studio that seems to have its own subconscious. Its a converted pub in south London, a bit of a fortress from the outside, where on the ground floor Collishaw works coolly with computers and hi-tech toys including a 3D video screen. Collishaw is fascinated by the technology of the image, from early cameras and zoetropes to AI of which he is an early adopter. But downstairs in the pubs depths, he tells me, Morgan is busy amid guts and gore, skinning snakes for her taxidermy sculptures.

Not that Collishaws art is lacking in surrealism. His current experiments with AI start with 17th-century still life paintings of flowers. He feeds them into the software, then creates text prompts to add in insects. At first, the picture looks charmingly beautiful, then you start to notice more and more insects which then turn out to be flowers in disguise. Collishaw explains that it illustrates Pouyannian mimicry, when a flower imitates an insect to attract and exploit other insects which inadvertently propagate the flowers species.

It is a metaphor for AI itself for Collishaw is no techno-utopian. Like the flowers that imitate insects to trick them into propagating their pollen, the big tech corporations attract us with social media and internet searches so they can collect our data. This in turn fuels machine learning, which adds to the digital worlds glamour. Collishaws flowers are gorgeous yet deceptive.

When Morgan emerges from her bloody basement in her stained overalls, I suggest she, too, try out an AI artwork, and it arrives a few days later a taxidermy sculpture strangely transfigured. The snake in it has been cross-bred with concrete. It glistens monumentally beside a female hand whose nails are not just long, but doubled, in one of those creative slips AI can make with human anatomy. Morgan compares it to the surrealist photography of Man Ray its like a decadent remake of his portrait of Kiki of Montparnasse, her eyes closed in dreams, her hand on a carved mask. Except here, the dreamer is a disembodied hand and what it dreams of is an inorganic serpent.

Gillian Wearing uses the fantastical possibilities of AI to create a truly disconcerting image full of unease called Imagined Mask of Joan Crawford as Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. You start to laugh at the title, then stop when you realise that beneath this brutal and macabre parody of a human face, created by exploiting the inhumanity of AI portraits, is a suffering human being. This is very much a work of art by Wearing that happens to make use of AI: its the latest in a series of disconcerting and introspective works in which she has been exploring the nature of masks, and what they say about our public and private selves.

Using one of her own photographs, she has added the mask with DALL-E 2 AI so it seems to grow naturally out of her face, while being contoured to the shape of a skull all too visible under the skin. It uses the distortions that AI can create, yet within a portrait that is human and real. Wearing suggests mortality and madness in a vision of a face eaten away from inside. Its strange, spooky, funny yet like all her art it is also about the lumpen reality of being human. Even this mask morphing into two Hollywood legends is ultimately about plain sad facts. You get a sense of loneliness and anguish, crying from inside to outside, soul to soul.

So long as humans are involved, art will be all about us whatever the technology.

I asked Lindsey Mendick to try AI because she works in one of the oldest of all artistic media. Pottery was made in ice-age Europe, prehistoric China and every civilisation since. Mendick makes hilarious, lubricious ceramics that swarm with monsters and dirty jokes. What might an artist who is used to delving into wet clay make of an art form that requires you only to type a text prompt on your phone screen?

Turns out shes a natural. Typing her texts into Stable Diffusion, Mendick struck gold with the words Las Vegas, Cher and other celebrity names. She started by sending photo-style scenes of wild cavortings in a Las Vegas buffet. Then she added the term impressionist painting.

Thats how such contemporary masterpieces as Impressionist Painting of Cher and a Werewolf at a Buffet in Las Vegas and Impressionist Painting of Tom Cruise Feeling Sad Eating a Sandwich With a Werewolf in Las Vegas were born. In the funniest, most touching of her kitsch ultra-bright AI paintings of celebrities, a vulpine Leonardo DiCaprio shares a huge seafood platter with a werewolf. Man and monster break bread peacefully.

Like these collaborations between artist and machine, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Elizabeth Price: Underfoot is at the Hunterian, Glasgow until 13 April. Lindsey Mendick in Strange Clay is at the Hayward until 8 January. Mat Collishaws AI flowers will be at Kew in 2023 and The Gilbert and George Centre opens 2023.

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Incoherent, creepy and gorgeous: we asked six leading artists to make work using AI and here are the results - The Guardian

IF YOU WALK into a commercial gym these days, you're likely to see a bustling section filled with free weights, complete with lines of guys waiting for their turn for the most sought-after denominations of dumbbells. Look over to another section of the space, and you're just as likely to see a nearly empty area filled with fitness machines, without a single person who looks like they know what they're doing using the equipment. Since functional training has come into vogue, using machines has become verboten in many parts of the fitness community.

Now is far past the time to move on from that workout fallacy, say Mens Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., and Mathew Forzaglia, N.F.P.T., C.P.T., and allow for the machines to rise again.

Don't get confusedour two experts don't think that using barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells aren't essential for accomplishing your muscle growth and strength goals. However, it's time to stop overlooking the benefits of using fitness machines in your trainingwhich, prior to emergence of the functional fitness phenomenon, once held a prominent position in plenty of training regimens, from bodybuilding to sports performance training.

There was a point where you walked into a Gold's Gym. You walk into your sports club, and all use all machines and plenty of people are training on [machines], Samuel says. Then we had this whole functional fitness revolution, and suddenly, nobody's training on the machines. That section is untouched in your gym, and you're missing out when you're not getting on those machines.

Samuel and Forzaglia have some beef with the fitness machine hateso they're here to explain why you shouldn't accept the myths surrounding these training methods and how you can use machines to do more than just waste your time during your next workout.

One of the biggest knocks on using fitness machines is that you cant create adequate amounts of tension to help build muscle. This is just laziness. You're always in control of how much tension you create in your body as you're trainingsome exercises using free weights just rely on that tension more when you're performing them properly. Whether youre banging out reps on a Hammer Strength chest press or pulling through machines rows, its up to you to focus on activating your core or glutes throughout each movement.

Since most machines are fixed-movement devices (think lat pulldowns, leg extensions, etc.), pushing or pulling from Point A to B has been falsely labeled as not challenging enough, since you won't be forced to use your stabilizing muscles to shore up your form. This is, again, a you problem. If you've ever had to force a few final free-weight reps with trembling arms or other muscles, you probably know that you may be one slip or jerk away from a risk of injury. This is where machines can actually be a great finishing moves since you can still challenge yourself with heavier weight without the risk of fatigue sabotaging your work.

Quite honestly, functional training has devolved into a convoluted, confusing training term. Not every lift falls under these standards to be effective, but if youre pressing or pulling weight, no matter by machine or free weight, youre building strength you can apply in your life, albeit using different strategies, for down the road.

Heres where machines become especially useful. Instead of struggling or pushing to failure, the machines fixed movement patterns allows you to work longer sets or reps without the risk of dropping the weight. Most times, all it takes is a quick move of the pin up the weight stack to continue working the muscle for a few additional reps. In other words, the machine becomes your spotter.

What I love is that you're able to load up the weight and pile of reps and push you that's the key point love but that can you said machine actually can spot because essentially, Samuel says. When I'm on the burnout set on three dumbbell or barbell press and I have a spot behind me they're functioning like my machines techniques. The machine just does that for me.

Take a look at your gyms machine section. Youll notice certain models have may be equipped to challenge different ranges of motion or angles by the shift of a pin on the machines arms. Some lateral raise machines allow you to isolate the muscle from either top, mid-range or full range of motion, creating a different challenge to your muscles you cant always get effectively from free weights.

A fun way to challenge your training is by using machines in different ways. You can focus on the eccentric portion of presses, working under more load than you can press up, or focus on one limb at a time without balance entering the equation. Machines create a new and exciting challenge to mix things up a little bit in your routine while still allowing you to finish up your workout with intensity and without as great a risk of injury if you fail.

Learn which exercises you're better off avoiding by checking out our entire Overrated series here.

Jeff Tomko is a freelance fitness writer who has written for Muscle and Fitness, Men's Fitness, and Men's Health.

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Experts Explain Why You Should Use Fitness Machines for Workouts - Men's Health