Jose Aldo has no shortage of motivation heading into his fight against Marlon Chito Vera in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 17 on Saturday night.

The former featherweight champion may be on a career-worst three-fight losing streak, but they have come against notable names in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Despite starting 2019 off with a win over Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night: Assuncao vs. Moraes 2, Aldo came up short against Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision at UFC 237.

Aldo then moved on from the featherweight division and dropped down to bantamweight, but has yet to find success. He lost a controversial split decision to Marlon Moraes at UFC 245, but was still given a championship opportunity in his next fightat UFC 251 against Petr Yanwho would ultimately finish Aldo by strikes in the fifth round.

Although the back-to-back losses seemingly put Aldo in a must-win situation, the Brazilian remains unworried by the possibility of losing again. He also still has title aspirations in the bantamweight division in spite of those previous defeats.

Im not feeling any pressure because I always fight with great fighters, Aldo told reporters during his media day scrum on Thursday. I just keep training hard and preparing for my new opponent. Thats it. Im not feeling any pressure.

What keeps me motivated is the victory. Im training hard because I want to be a champion in my new division. Thats my motivator every day.

In the face of these losses, questions have come up regarding the future of the 34-year-old in the UFC and mixed martial arts in general. Aldo said that the answers to those questions are the furthest thing from his mind right now because he is solely focused on his upcoming opponent in Vera.

Vera recently returned to the win column with a technical knockout over fast-rising sensation Sean OMalley at UFC 252 earlier this year. From this performance alone, Aldo knows the kind of threat Vera poses, so he would rather spend his time thinking about what he needs to do to get a win right now as opposed to what the future holds.

I always keep my career step by step. Now I just think about Marlon Vera and after Marlon Vera, I can think of the future, but not right now. I just want to think and talk about Marlon Chito Vera.

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Jose Aldo motivated by becoming champion again ahead of UFC Vegas 17 with Marlon Vera - Bloody Elbow

Declan Murphy discusses the motivation behind the proPSMA study and the emerging history of PSMA PET/CT to challenge conventional imaging at the 2020 SUO Meeting.

Transcription:

So PSMA as a molecule has been of interest for many years really because we know that its overexpressed in aggressive cancer especially castration-resistant prostate cancer. But what weve only had in the past 5 or 6 years is imaging agents which are useful to identify this overexpression of PSMA. The real breakthrough came 6 or 7 years ago when some German groups created small molecule ligands that can be used in a PET scanner to identify PSMA in a really quite striking, sensitive and specific manner.

These compounds came out of Germany in 2012/2013 and in Australia we had developed a program already with widespread use of PSMA all around the country really from 2014 onwards. We were beginning to see these striking images and it became very apparent that PSMA PET/CT was an obvious challenger to conventional imaging for staging newly diagnosed prostate cancer and also recurrent prostate cancer and so on. So, in 2017 we set up a prospective randomized trial called the proPSMA trial to compare conventional imaging with PSMA PET/CT for staging newly diagnosed, high-risk or unfavorable intermediate risk prostate cancer.

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Declan Murphy on PSMA Molecules and the Motivation Behind the proPSMA Trial - Cancer Network

Feb 1, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; General overall view of NFL golden shield logo at the NFL Honors show at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Fisher appreciation should only grow after Chiefs 2020 season by Matt Conner

Former Chiefs quarterback Jordan Taamu signs with Detroit Lions by Matt Conner

When the National Football League and its Players Association reached a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement last March, one of the concessions from players was that the leagues owners would get to install a 17th regular season game on the schedule at some point in the next year to three yearsfrom 2021 to 2023that is, if they wanted.

You can rest assured that, yes, NFL owners want it. And they will install it sooner than later.

NFL owners are set to have some virtual meetings on Wednesday to discuss the 17th game idea along with other needs, including COVID-19 protocols, coaching diversity and more, according to Judy Battista. While no one is quite sure when an official vote will take place on the addition of another regular season game, it stands to reason that itwill happen and its only a matter of time. Wait, lets clarify that: its a matter of the shortest possible amount of time.

Its been noted that the 17th game inclusion in the collective bargaining agreement is merely an option for ownersone they do not necessarily have to exercise. However if you think a group of billionaires who have the chance to add another week of revenues from parking and concessions, media and merchandise, then youre an ostrich with your head in the sand.

Throughout the course of the day, owners might leak reports from their virtual meetings to the press about their concern for player safety and the rigors of the 17-game season, but just know these are businesspersons first and foremost. And like any other enterprise, any social benefit is the cherry on top. The primary concern is the almighty dollar.

Why would the players even budge on this issue? Well, they were able to secure significantly more money for themselves. There are more jobs than ever thanks to expanded rosters and practice squads. Minimum salaries were increased, and the players overall revenue share is higher as well. There are myriad other concessions on the part of owners, but much of that was in exchange for the task of playing 17 regular season games instead of 16.

It would be a major upset if it didnt happen as soon as next year.

You might hear that owners are waffling on the decision or trying to take other perspectives into account, but if the paperwork states that they can add another full week of regular season revenue to the books as soon as 2021, then every NFL owner is going to vote for that to happen. They arent going to delay a year of opportunity, and theycertainly arent going to decide against the option. Its exactly what they pushed so hard for.

There can be positives and negatives here for a 17-game season, especially if it gets rid of some preseason games on a permanent basis. But no matter what you believe about it, for better or worse, you can know its coming and its coming in a matter of months.

Continued here:
Money will lone motivating factor for NFL owners when it comes to schedule changes - Arrowhead Addict

Cassel: There's no doubt how the Pats will approach the final three weeks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Ive been in this position before where the playoffs are basically out of reach.It's frustrating knowing the season hasnt gone the way you wanted it to go.

But you still want to go out there and perform, because this is your profession. This is what you do for a living. And if you dont give full effort and dont go through the appropriate preparations for the game, youre going to get boat raced.

You dont want to get embarrassed. You have a lot of pride as players and as an organization, so the approach in those situations is the same.

Ive been on a few teams with guys who might've checked out late in the season, where theres just a certain frustration level andtheyve had disagreements with the coaching staff.

But the Patriots are rock solid. Theyve got great veteran leadership, whether its Devin McCourty or Cam Newton --who has been around for a long time --or the veterans on theoffensive line. They're all-in. They know that they have a job to do, and theyre going to do everything they can to finish strong.

I dont think Bill Belichick'sapproach will change either. I think hell put the guys out there who give him the best possibility to win. Thats just who he is: Hes a competitor.

And even though this season hasnt gone as planned, you can build momentum with a team for next season. We went 4-12 in my first year in Kansas City, but that last stretch of games was still important for us because we had some pieces together and we started to play better football at the end of the year. The next year, we came back and won 10 games and won the AFC West.

So, Bill isgoing to do everything he can to try to win these last three games.

Story continues

If that means playingJarrett Stidham because they think he gives them anopportunity to win games, then theyll do that. If not, then Cam will play for the rest of the season. But I dont think there will be a lot of dramatic changes.

Patriots Talk Podcast:The straight poop on why Jarrett Stidham isnt starting| Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

This isnt the preseason where youre trying to see if a guy can play. If somebody is in the building there, they understand their skill set. Theyre going to approach it the same way they do every week. Their sole purpose is to go all out to win.

I believe tanking is a myth. When people on the outside say, "Im so mad they won today because it hurt the teams opportunity for a better draft pick" ...players dont think of it that way. And I know coaches dont think of it that way, especially on bad teams.

Theyre fighting for their livelihood. Theyre fighting for their next job. Theyre fighting for their families. So, nobody who Ive been around, whether its coaches or players, has talked about tanking.

The Patriots'mission is to finish 9-7. Thats their goal. I guarantee Bill is also telling them, Look, we have three division opponents, and we play these guys twice every year.

Theres motivation in beating a division rival like the Dolphins or the Bills who are stillfighting for a playoff spot. There's motivation in letting them know, "Youhad a good season this year, but were going to come back stronger than ever. Remember were still the New England Patriots."

If you win the division, youre going to the playoffs. So, when you havethree division games left, you want to go out and beat the s--- out of those guys in your division.

If the Patriots win these three division games to finish9-7? I know everyone is used to winning 12 games around here, but thats a strong finish that would say a lot about the resilience of this team after the adversity its been through in 2020.

Excerpt from:
Here's what will motivate Patriots after playoff hopes are snuffed out - Yahoo Sports

Edmonton police say a 23-year-old Black woman wearing a hijab was attacked at the LRT station at Southgate Centre, which was the scene of a hate-motivated attack on two women wearing headscarves earlier this month.

Edmonton policeare investigating after a woman wearing a hijab was assaulted Tuesday at the Southgate LRT station the second high-profile attack in seven days against Muslim women wearing headscarves.

Both attacks were at Southgate Centre, a mall at 51st Avenue and 111th Street in south Edmonton. On Dec.8, two women wearing hijabs were assaulted in the parking lot.

Premier Jason Kenneycondemned the assault on Twitter,saying it is "completely unacceptable, it is revolting, it is un-Albertan."

Leela Sharon Aheer, minister of culture,Kaycee Madu,justice minister,Rajan Sawhney, minister of community and social services and the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Councilissued a jointstatement condemningthe incident.

Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson denounced theassaults as "heartbreaking" and said"the responsibility to condemn racially motivated behaviour falls on all of us."

A 32-year-old woman has beencharged with assault with a weapon in Tuesday's unprovoked attack at the mall's LRT station, police Chief Dale McFee said Wednesday.

McFeesaid the victima 23-year-old Black womanhad just entered the southeast doors of the Southgate LRT station around10:45 a.m. when she was accosted by a stranger.

The accused repeatedlytried to strike the victimin thehead with a shopping bag while yelling racially-motivated obscenities at her, McFee said.

The victim ran away while the attacker triedto "thwart her escape," McFee said.A transit peace officer at the scene intervened and called police.

The Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council received a letter from Edmonton police on Tuesday, confirming an investigation by the EPS hate crimes unit.

In the letter, which was obtained by CBC News, police said the attack "appears to be racially and hate-motivated."

Rene Ladouceur, 32, is charged with assault with a weapon and nine outstanding warrants for unrelated charges.

In a statement issued Wednesday, police said the EPS Hate Crimes and Violent Extremism Unit is also recommending that Section 718.2 of the Criminal Code of Canada be applied in this case, allowing the courts to consider increased sentencing when there is evidence the offence was motivated by hatred.

Police said the twoincidents at the Southgate Shopping Centre are not believed to be related.

McFeedenounced the latest attack and said police are working with the victim and her family.

"It's not something we ever want to see in our city," he said. "This will now proceed before the courts and hopefully we'll see this dealt with accordingly.

"These things will never will be acceptable and those who choose to do this to other members our community are going be held accountable."

Council presidentFaisal Khan Suri, president of theAlberta Muslim Public Affairs Council,said the council has also been in contact with the victim of Tuesday's attack, and her family.

"The suspect had swung at the individual," Suri said. "She kind of ducked out of the way, so she did not get hit. But there was ...one or two tries, attempts to assault the individual."

He said there has been a troubling rise in Islamophobia and racism in the city.

"They're being targeted by their identity, what they show," he said."These are hijab-wearing women whose identity is very visible, and what is happeningis happening out of hate."

In the Dec. 8 incident at SouthgateCentre, Edmonton police officers responded to an assault in progress in the parking lot around 3:40 p.m.

Officers were told that a man approached two Somali women wearing hijabs sitting in their vehicle and began yelling racially motivated obscenities at them.

Witnesses told police the man then punched the passenger-side window, shattering the glass. Fearing for her safety, the passenger ran from the vehicle and the man chased her, then pushed her to the ground and began assaulting her.

The second woman tried to help and was also shoved to the ground before bystanders intervened and stopped the attack.

Following an investigation by the Hate Crimes and Violent Extremism Unit, Richard Bradley Stevens, 41, was charged with two counts of assault and one count of mischief.

Police said the investigation into the Dec. 8 case is ongoing.

In a statement onFacebook on Tuesday, the Muslim affairs council thanked the Edmonton Police Service for its "prompt action" in the latest investigation and urged community members to be vigilant of their personal safety.

Edmonton's Muslim community is on edge, Suri said.

"These are a couple of utterly unprovoked incidences," he said. "Unequivocally horrendous and horrific for anyone to experience."

"There's definitely fear because this could be anyone's daughter, sister, mother."

On Twitter, Kenney said it is "frustrating to see another instance of hate-motivated violence" in Edmonton.

"As the legal process takes place, we hope to see justice swiftly rendered for the victim of this crime," the premier said.

During a news conference Wednesday, Ivesondescribedthe attacksas heartbreaking and unacceptable."I condemn these assaults in the strongest terms," he said.

The mayorsaid the city remains committed to improving commuter safetywith additionalsecurity officers,surveillance cameras and new crime reporting tools. However,he said low ridership during the pandemic has brought added challenges.

When the system was full, Iveson said, there was "natural accountability."

"In addition to all of the cameras, you'd have literally the eyes of Edmontonians on each other. And that does create a certain amount of accountability and compliance."

Iveson said the city will continue to work with community leaders in an attempt to confront racism in all its forms.

'It is heartbreaking because it is not my idea of Canada, and it is definitely not my idea of Edmonton. But that hatred does linger and festerin all communities and needs to be called out for what it is."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

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Woman in hijab assaulted in 2nd 'hate-motivated' attack in Edmonton this month - CBC.ca

December 14, 2020 08:03 ET | Source: Archway Publishing

photo-release

Scripts Among Her Glass Walls By Kyemma

OMAHA, Dec. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak, is the premise first-time author Kyemmas mystical book, Scripts Among Her Glass Walls, is focused on. Readers will be taken on a motivational and spiritual journey that will illustrate the beauty of self-realization of their ever-evolving souls. The passages within this devotional demonstrate the authors soul while inspiring the reader to find the voice within.

In the book, Kyemma honors her soul, which shines through the soulful stories she beautifully tells. She admires the experiences individuals have gone through, whether they are good or bad, and amplifies the lessons that can be learned. Those who have read the book will absorb how to love and embrace the person they were born to be by focusing on the souls eye that leads them to their peace. Kyemma influences readers to go on a self-reflecting journey that will lead them to a spiritual awakening they have been longing for.

I decided to write Scripts Among Her Glass Walls to help people who need a voice to be mindful that everything they are searching for is within, said Kyemma. I wanted to remind individuals that the journey through life is within. It's imperative that everyone is in tune with their own soul journey, letting them know that it is always important to honor your soul regardless of your past or present state of mind. For, the soul leads and the eye follows. We are never lost, and the journey of life is just beginning.

Kyemma strives to ensure individuals are motivated by what they love and lead from the heart because that is the start and endpoint of their lives. Readers will experience the many facets and dimensions that life has to offer through the souls eastern eye.

Scripts Among Her Glass Walls was written in various places, from New York to the heart of Nebraska. It was revised on multiple occasions to meet the authors soul calling. The book was completed in Shiraz, Iran, where it comprised a prelude of the second book. Her second book will be released by early 2022. All of Kyemmas books are written from her soul and lead from her eye. The eye is the heart. Each book reflects the love within the authors soul and allows readers to think beyond the cusp of mankinds ordainment.

Ultimately, Scripts Among Her Glass Walls is an ode to help, love and guide individuals into their divine truth that has always been within.

Scripts Among Her Glass WallsBy KyemmaISBN: 978-1-4808-5782-7 (softcover); 978-1-4808-5781-0 (eBook) Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & NobleAudiobook coming soon

About the AuthorKyemma shares her passion for helping and inspiring others, which is evident in her debut book, "Scripts Among Her Glass Walls." As an author, she shares the real answer to life, which is within the eye of soul. The eye is your heart, according to Kyemma. She has been writing since she was five years old. Kyemma has a background in marketing with a B.B.A. from Berkeley College and educational leadership with an M.Ed from Northcentral University, and has a passion for writing philosophical idioms. Kyemma lives and travels between The Middle East and Midwest. Kyemma plans to write more books, which flow from the eye of her soul. Her work consists of Eastern Philosophy and Mysticism to appease the soul; ready to take you on a journey of soul. A prelude of her second book, "Parables Of Her Soul," can be seen in "Scripts Among Her Glass Walls." Kyemma will wear designs by Persian Bahrain Designer Samar Murad; for the collection, Samar Murad Collezione. The designs align with Scripts Among Her Glass Walls.For more information refer to KYEMMA.

Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit http://www.archwaypublishing.com or call 888-242-5904.

The rest is here:
Author Celebrates Self-Realization and The Beauty of Souls in New Motivational Guidebook - GlobeNewswire

Valtteri Bottas took solace in beating his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton for just the fourth time this year in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but the Finn was more concerned that the winning Red Bull of Max Verstappen was surprisingly quick as Yas Marina, saying their form would provide extra motivation for the Silver Arrows over the winter.

As Hamilton returned for the season finale, Bottas outqualified him to start second on the grid, while pole-sitter Verstappen led every lap to win. The Red Bull's lead was 15.9 seconds at the finish line, with Bottas, Hamilton and Verstappen all pitting once on Lap 10 during the Safety Car period.

READ MORE: Dominant Verstappen comfortably holds off Mercedes to seal victory in Abu Dhabi season finale

I think Red Bull was too quick today. Surprisingly quick, began Bottas, who topped FP2 on Friday. We thought race pace would be pretty identical, but they could really control the race and fill the gap when needed. I was trying everything I could but couldnt keep up with them.

Obviously Ive had had much worse races this year, he added, so, you know, in this season it was one of the good ones for me.

Having waited for a podium since the mid-November Turkish Grand Prix after finishing eighth in both Bahrain races, Bottas took his 11th podium of the season in the finale.

At least it was nice and clean, the start was good and everything, so it could have been a worse way to end the season. And actually, if we think about the big picture, knowing this team, being beaten by Red Bull in the last race of the season, for sure it motivates us even more to work hard over the winter for next year, to try and make sure this doesnt happen again, he said.

READ MORE: 'I don't think I've ever been so blown' says Covid-hit Hamilton after finishing P3 in season finale

With P2, Bottas sealed second in the drivers standings by nine points over race winner Verstappen. Yet, the Finnish driver wasnt too thrilled with his standing in 2020.

As a driver, when you are in the best team overall this season, being second cant be that satisfying, but it is something to be able to contribute to the team this season, getting the fourth constructors title for me in the team, and seventh in a row for us.

Its better than being third, for sure.

And I guess I will get a small trophy to take home next week, and Im sure when Im old and grey I can look at this year, and [say] I was second but hopefully I will get a bigger trophy one day, he concluded.

Bottas signed a new deal to drive for Mercedes next season back in August, and will seek his first drivers championship having lost out to Hamilton for the last four seasons.

MUST-SEE: F1 drivers react to their hilarious 2020 pre-season predictions

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Red Bull's 'surprisingly quick' Abu Dhabi pace will provide motivation for Mercedes over winter, says Bottas - Formula 1 RSS UK

There are two ways to look at history. One way is to see it as a series of random occurrences. The other way is to view history through the lens of Kairos.

Why has Pope Francis been so willing to draw on the thoughts and words of a man whose radical ideas and actions so comprehensively contradict Catholic teaching?

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. (Matthew 2:1-2)

I believe in original sin, but theres nothing original about sin. Its deadly but dull.

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Some Motivation to Say the Liturgy of the Hours, Raising Your Children to Be Martyrs, and More! - National Catholic Register

In a recent survey, people who said social distancing and COVID-safety guidelines violated their personal freedoms responded more positively to these ideas when they felt a loved one might be at risk of severe illness.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the world, messaging focused on shaming or pressuring people to wear a mask or avoid crowds are backfiring.

An and colleagues surveyed 1,074 people across the US about their attitudes toward the coronavirus.

They discovered two distinct sets of attitudes toward social distancing: Positive beliefs that largely mirror public health messaging and negative beliefs, including the idea that social distancing violates individual rights and freedoms.

Concern about a loved one's risk of severe COVID-19 infection was tied to both higher positive attitudes and lower negative attitudes toward social distancing.

"When people think about what protective behaviors to follow, negative beliefs -- the perception of external control -- override positive beliefs. This means that simply repeating that people should follow public health guidelines is unlikely to be effective," explained study author Kenneth Resnicow in a paper published in the journal Patient Education and Counseling.

The data showed that when people consider being a protector for others, they approach risk differently.

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Fear of Losing Loved Ones Can Motivate People to Get COVID Vaccine - The Quint

NAZARETH, Pa. - The Blue Eagles never got the chance to hoist the state title last season, or even compete for one. That unfinished business is what has motivated the Nazareth girls' basketball team all offseason and now as it prepares for the 2020-21 campaign.

As the COVID-19 pandemic halted their push for state gold in the spring, it now has paused the current season, just one day after it officially began and before most local teams played a contest.

After the resumption of the season, Nazareth will look to its newcomers this winter to make contributions, such as Courtney Paulson, who is back from injury, and Marina Falzone, who transferred from Moravian Academy.

Those new additions with a strong foundation of returners such as Kelly Leszcynski and Talya Brugler has the team's sights set on another bid for state gold.

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Nazareth motivated by unfinished business | Sports | wfmz.com - 69News WFMZ-TV