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(OSV News) — For Catholics who wrestle with mental health challenges, the mixed messages they often receive can do little to relieve the anguish they experience. Their fellow faithful — emphasizing spirituality — may counsel more intense prayer. Clinicians, meanwhile, may completely discount the therapeutic benefits of anything remotely religious.
“Everything is a demon, or everything is an electrical impulse. Both are false,” said Daniel Coleman, a missionary for Souls of the Christian Apostolate. SOCA, a Denver-based, lay-led movement seeks to engage Catholics in daily mental prayer — a practice of silent, intimate conversation with God.
“Yes, there are chemical reactions,” Coleman added. “And yes, there’s unseen agencies — but we have to be responsible.”
For the last four months, Coleman has focused almost solely upon an answer to that conundrum: The Divine Fulfillment free online conference titled “Transforming Mental Health Through Catholic Spirituality.”
For three days — Dec. 27-29 — viewers can access the one-of-a-kind event, which organizers describe as designed “to guide participants from feelings of emptiness to a state of divine fulfillment.” The conference unites experts in psychology and spiritual theology to explore the intersection of mental health and mental prayer, to focus on a “whole person” approach to healing.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, nearly one in five U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a surge in anxiety and depression symptoms among adults in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with anxiety increasing from 15.6% to 18.2%, and depression increasing from 18.5% to 21.4%, between 2019 and 2022. The most affected groups included adults 18-29 years old, those with less than a high school education, those with family incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level, and those living in rural areas.
In 2023, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, designed to inspire a nationwide conversation around the topic of mental health and to mobilize the Catholic Church to respond compassionately and effectively to the mental health crisis.
Coleman recalled a brainstorming session with Kevin Roerty, founder and CEO of SOCA, around the time of the USCCB’s announcement, that grew into the Divine Fulfillment Conference.
“We were having a conversation: ‘If we had a conference, what would we do? What would it be?’” remembered Coleman. “And (Kevin) thought for a long moment. He paused — and then he looked up and said, ‘Mental health and mental prayer.’ And when he said it, it resonated very deeply and it was like, ‘Yes, let’s do that.’”
According to a description provided by organizers, the conference will feature bishops, licensed mental health professionals, and veteran thought leaders, all of whom will “address some of the most pressing psychological and spiritual challenges facing Catholics today, including anxiety, depression, isolation and lack of purpose.”
Participants are promised “the opportunity to receive not only inspiration but also practical, faith-based tools to enhance their mental well-being and strengthen their connection to God.”
“For the last four months, I’ve interviewed now over 50 leaders in spirituality and mental health to provide a conference that gives generational impact,” Coleman said, “to really swing the needle on a very grave amount of suffering that many people are enduring quietly and in isolation, because of this shame and the stigma associated with mental illness and seeking help for it.”
Among the more than 40 experts featured are Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of Philadelphia and Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, co-chairs of the U.S. bishops’ mental health campaign; Bishop John P. Dolan of Phoenix, one of the most outspoken American prelates on the necessity of spiritual accompaniment for those suffering from mental illness; Father Timothy Gallagher, an Oblate of the Virgin Mary and a preeminent writer on Ignatian spiritual direction and discernment; Bob Schuchts, author and founder of the Tallahassee, Florida-based John Paul II Healing Center; Theresa Karminski Burke of Rachel’s Vineyard; and Paul Vitz, a professor at Divine Mercy University, a Catholic institution offering psychology and counseling graduate degrees.
“We’ve had several leaders — archbishops, bishops, priests — be very vulnerable,” said Coleman, “and talk about their own mental and emotional struggles due to traumas in childhood, or being diagnosed with mental illnesses, or having to take sabbatical from their positions as clerics because of the pressures of their positions and unresolved things from their past.”
Coleman emphasized, however, that the conference won’t simply be sharing and prayer.
“We’re not just feeding people spiritually — we’re also putting them in touch with equipment and resources that they themselves or the people around them can utilize to either directly receive help for mental illness,” he said, “or at least be put in contact with institutions and organizations and clinicians who can point them in the right direction.”
For Coleman and his colleagues, the need for engagement with mental health issues is not only obvious — it’s also urgent.
“It is a conversation,” said Coleman, “that needs to be had for the global church.”
Kimberley Heatherington writes for OSV News from Virginia.
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DETROIT (OSV News) — Nicole Duque, 23, has always desired to become a mother. She was born and raised in the United States, with…
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The 10 Most Entertaining War Movies, Ranked  Collider
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In a perfect world with no transfer portal or early NFL Draft entries, Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman would have a full complement of players at his disposal when the Wildcats take on Rutgers in the Rate Bowl.
Instead, Klieman is just thankful that a vast majority of his frontline players will still be available for Thursday’s 4:30 p.m. CT matchup against the Scarlet Knights at Chase Field in Phoenix.
“I think that’s the biggest thing is the players you’re able to retain and keep here,” said Klieman, who lost 15 players but only two starters to the portal since the regular season. “And credit to those kids, credit to their teammates.
“I told them after Iowa State (a 29-21 loss on Nov. 30) that we have a really good bunch of talented players, and if you stay, I think we can do collectively some special things. The core of our best players returned.”
Related:Kansas State football running back DJ Giddens to forgo senior season and enter NFL Draft
Related:Kansas State football reveals changes to depth chart ahead of Rate Bowl
More importantly, said junior nose tackle Damian Ilalio, those players who stuck around are fully invested.
“This game is the most important game of our lives because it’s the next one,” Ilalio said. We hammer that in to all the younger players. Even the older guys that are returning (next year) and even older guys that are leaving, it’s really important to cap their careers off with a win and send them out as winners.”
For super-senior offensive lineman Taylor Poitier, who started all 12 regular-season games at right guard, ending on a high note is a high priority.
“All the guys that I came in with, all the sixth-year guys, it’s just one last opportunity with each other,” said Poitier, who missed both the 2021 and ’22 seasons with knee injuries but came back as a key reserve last year before moving into the starting lineup. “We’re never going to get this back, and just leaving here with a W is a better thing than anything else.
“It’s just really exciting, just because of all the things we’ve been through throughout the whole year, it’s really going to shape us how we perform this bowl game.”
The Rate Bowl offers an opportunity for the Wildcats to bounce back from a horrible November in which they lost three of four games to finish the regular season at 8-4 after a 7-1 start. They face a Rutgers team (7-5) that won three of its last four.
“From the last game of the season to now, we have basically a new team,” said junior linebacker Desmond Purnell, who finished the season with 44 tackles, including nine for loss, with 3.5 sacks. “It’s going to help us propel into next year. And with a win like this, especially against a good Rutgers team from the Big Ten, it’s going to help us out in the 2025 season.”
While the Wildcats kept most of its lineup intact, it did lose three starters on offense in leading rusher DJ Giddens to the NFL Draft, while wide receiver Keagan Johnson and right tackle Carver Willis left via the portal. They also lost junior cornerback Jacob Parrish, who like Giddens, chose to forgo his senior season and declare for the draft.
“I’m excited that those core guys have stuck together as a team, and we’re excited,” Klieman said. “We’re going to play a lot of young kids on the 26th, but we’ve got a lot of returning veterans that have played a lot of football that are going to play. It’s going to be a big challenge.”
A challenge, yes, but the last thing the Wildcats want is to end the season on a sour note.
“Going into the offseason with a loss kind of sucks for a long time,” Ilalio said. “You don’t get that chance at redemption that you do during the season, so it’s really important for us to go out and take this seriously and go win this bowl game.”
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

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KULR Technology Stock Soars to All-Time High After $21M Bitcoin Purchase  Investopedia
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Commentary
Sitting on a budget surplus, lawmakers need to make some down-payments on these initiatives.
By Beth Fukumoto
December 25, 2024 · 5 min read
Beth Fukumoto
Sitting on a budget surplus, lawmakers need to make some down-payments on these initiatives.
Gov. Josh Green has released his proposed $21 billion two-year general fund budget, which offered a range of initiatives including public worker pay raises, climate change mitigation and housing programs.
Of course, the Legislature will also have priorities of its own, and like every year, neither will get everything they want. But, with a budget surplus, there’s a bit of room for negotiation.
So as the Legislature gears up for the coming session, I thought I’d put together my own wish list for priorities that would make a difference for Hawaiʻi’s residents.
As always, keep an eye on housing: The governor’s budget includes $50 million each year for the next two years to fund Kauhale tiny home developments. This initiative aims to build 30 sustainable, housing villages across the state by 2026, with a focus on providing both housing and supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
These villages are designed to address not only the housing crisis but also the broader issues of economic independence and community sustainability. In 2024, Hawaiʻi’s homeless Point-In-Time count recorded 6,389 people experiencing homelessness, which underscores the urgent need for more housing solutions like this one.
Also on the topic of housing: Thousands of affordable housing units are at risk of converting to market rates when their Low-Income Housing Tax Credit periods expire. A report from AARP Hawaiʻi warns that over 11,000 affordable units could be lost in the next 20 years. While the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation projects a smaller number, around 2,000 units, we can all agree that losing any affordable units is a step in the wrong direction.
To prevent this, the Legislature should fund a working group to really dive into the scope of the problem, figure out solutions like right-of-first-refusal policies, and explore ways to incentivize nonprofit organizations to take over ownership and ensure long-term affordability. While this won’t increase the number of affordable units, it would help us keep the ones we already have.
Now let’s talk about safety: Violent crime, especially in West Oʻahu, has been on the rise, and it’s clear that we need to do something about it. In September, West Oʻahu lawmakers emphasized public safety needs in their communities, calling for improvements such as better lighting, security cameras, and upgraded infrastructure in areas with rising crime.
West Oʻahu is most definitely on that list, but I’d love to see the Legislature create a statewide grant program tied to crime statistics to support similar efforts in other affected communities across Hawaiʻi.
How we respond to emergencies: The Lahaina fire tragedy in 2023 exposed critical gaps in Hawaiʻi’s emergency communication systems. Residents weren’t properly warned about the growing danger, and it’s clear that we need to modernize our alert systems to ensure we’re better prepared for future disasters.
In October, Attorney General Anne Lopez listed 10 ways to protect Hawaiʻi from wildfires, echoing the Lahaina fire report that highlighted the need for real-time alert systems and increasing coordination among agencies. This year’s budget should include funding to improve those systems as well as fulfill Green’s request to fund the new fire marshal office and finance firebreaks.
A serious breakdown of Hawaiʻi’s child welfare system: This is another immediate challenge that came to the forefront this year through the Malama Ohana Working Group. One of the group’s recommendations is to create a new state entity to support struggling families before they need to get involved with Child Welfare Services. Rather than an entirely new entity, the Legislature could consider funding a new initiative within the existing department focused on prevention.
The group also called for a new ombudsman’s office to investigate any serious incidents involving children in the system. As a start, the Legislature should consider directing and funding an initiative within the current Ombudsman’s Office to investigate deaths and injuries to children who have interacted with CWS.
Take child and adolescent mental health more seriously: This month, the Department of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division was awarded a much-needed $11.99 million federal grant to improve mental health services for children statewide. But the state needs to make its own investments too.
The Department of Education is asking for $1.7 million to continue funding two initiatives designed to address students’ growing mental health concerns. These include an electronic platform that integrates social-emotional surveys with a centralized database to track student academic performance, attendance, behavior, mental health and social-emotional needs, and a student mobile application aimed at providing guidance and support for managing mental health.
Of course, there are plenty of other issues that need attention too.
We still have a shortage of doctors. We’re constantly playing catch-up with our infrastructure needs. The Department of Agriculture could certainly use more funds to address invasive species, and we need to focus significantly more money on climate change mitigation.
But these six priorities seem like a good place to start. With the state sitting on a budget surplus, this is the time to both make targeted investments that will improve the lives of Hawaiʻi residents and add more to our rainy day fund. It won’t solve everything, but it’s a start.
By Blaze Lovell · December 26, 2024 · 7 min read
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None of these “solutions” will address these problems in a meaningful way. Let’s stick with basics. Fix permitting (DPP), and arrest and jail criminals. Solved. Stop with the studying and the planning and the non-action nonsense. This is simple.
rng_in_manoa · 14 hours ago
Folks may have forgotten Hawaii’s history of multiple member districts. Two Reps for a double size district and as many as 4 Senators. This meant voters were not forced to pick one party or ethnic group.. They could split their votes and candudates had to represent more than one demographic area. It forced candidates to listen to and serve a larger group with diverse needs. When we had this there was more civility, dialog, and less of an edge to the elections. Single member districts are easier to gerrymander and foster electoral meanness.
JimShon · 20 hours ago
I suggest a more concerted effort to counter infestations of coqui frogs (where they’re not yet firmly established), little fire ants, and especially coconut rhinoceros beetles.
tiredVoter · 1 day ago
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GUIYANG, China, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — To fully implement the spirit of “carrying forward China’s cultural heritage” and “promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture”, the 2024 Global Youth Design Contest on Chinese Characters Themed “Guiyang in Characters”, organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Guiyang Municipal Committee and hosted by www.huanqiu.com, has successfully concluded on Dec.16. The contest drew thousands of teenagers from both China and abroad, who used cultural empowerment and innovative designs of Chinese characters to narrate and promote Guiyang.
At the “Colorful Guizhou • Literary Plateau” Farming and Reading Event, 59 outstanding works from 26 countries, along with 21 representative pieces from various countries and regions, were showcased. According to the organizing committee of the Global Youth Design Contest on Chinese Characters, “This exhibition serves as both a lasting commemoration of the event and a report to all those who care about the inheritance and promotion of Guiyang and Chinese culture.”

In their submissions, the teenagers selected Chinese characters or phrases they believed best represented Guiyang and reimagined them through innovative designs. Outstanding designs incorporated Guiyang’s iconic architecture and cultural landmarks into Chinese characters to present the city’s urban landscape and historical culture. Some works spotlighted Guiyang’s distinctive cuisine, offering a glimpse into the vibrant and diverse local culinary culture. Some other designs drew inspiration from martial arts villages in Guizhou and featured dragon motifs to symbolize the depth and vitality of Guizhou culture.
Saison from Tajikistan was among the participants in this year’s Global Youth Design Contest on Chinese Characters. Speaking about his design of the Chinese characters, he shared that his design sought to merge the beauty of Chinese characters with the charm of Guiyang. “Guiyang is a captivating place, known for its beautiful scenery, delicious food, and diverse ethnic minorities. I tried to incorporate the beauty of Guiyang into my Chinese character design, hoping to convey the city’s charm and the wonders of Chinese characters through my work.”
The contest officially opened for submissions on September 30. In an effort to boost public engagement and participation, a “cheerleading campaign” was organized for shortlisted works from November 22 to 29. Following expert reviews, 80 outstanding works were ultimately selected for public exhibition.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/2024-global-youth-design-contest-on-chinese-characters-themed-guiyang-in-characters-successfully-concluded-302339310.html
SOURCE Huanqiu.com

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Musicians demand music labels drop their Internet Archive lawsuit  Yahoo! Voices
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With two tunnels dug on Snowdon Mountain at Killington ski resort in Vermont, skiers and snowboarders on the Great Northern trail go under another trail. With intersections with Great Northern all but eliminated skiers can finally do uninterrupted top-to-bottom cruising.
The new cabins for the K1 gondola have floor to ceiling windows and padded benches.
The main – and only base lodge at the Pico ski area in Vermont is pleasantly retro.
Inside Pico’s only lodge is the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum tucked in corner room of the upper floor. It’s loaded with old ski boots, old skis, clothing and lots of antique photos. Also in the museum are some original chairs and tables from bar. The chairs, made out of maple, have a carved maple leaf on the back of the chairs. The scratches and nicks on the ancient chairs and tables show decades of being kicked by ski boots.
There are classic mountain views at the Pico ski area in Vermont. From summit to base, it has a 1,967 vertical drop. The Forty-Niner trail from the summit is a nice intermediate turn that offers twists and turns.
The big buzz this ski season is the $25 million in improvements at Killington ski resort in Vermont.
By improvements, I mean a new “bubble lift,” new gondola cabins, the return of lift service at South Ridge and the most unusual – three tunnels carved underneath ski trails.
The Killington improvements are the kind of things founder Preston Smith, a Connecticut native, did since the ski area opened in 1958. Smith perfected and greatly expanded snow making, added new lifts and trails. He also connected several mountain peaks to create the largest ski resort in the East, now with 155 trails.
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In the late 1990s, Killington was purchased by The American Skiing Co. In the first years of running Killington, ASC added new gondolas and built the Grand Summit Hotel. As the company’s debts mounted, it used Killington as a cash cow to pay its bills. Improvements and investment in the mountain stopped.
In 2007, Powdr Corp. took over operation of Killington and its nearby sister mountain, Pico.
Since then, Powdr has focused on the mountain and improving the skier experience.
“While we are committed to staying core to our beastly advanced terrain, we are also putting the focus on our blue family-friendly terrain.” said Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington. “The investments we’re making will re-shape the guest experience for years to come. Uphill capacity increased to 48,000 per hour and the downhill enhancements will create more diverse terrain for all levels of skiers and riders.”
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And it definitely shows as I saw during a visit to Killington and Pico this week.
The tunnels: The coolest of all the improvements at The Beast. With two tunnels dug on Snowdon Mountain, skiers on the Great Northern trail go under another trail. With intersections with Great Northern all but eliminated skiers can finally do uninterrupted top-to-bottom cruising on intermediate trails, like Bunny Buster and Chute. Killington blows snow in the tunnels to make sure there’s a good surface. Another tunnel is at Skye Peak on the Snowshed Crossover trail under the Skyburst trail.
The Snowdon Six Express “bubble” lift: Another improvement that’s getting thumbs up. The smooth-running lift takes you to the top in 4.5 minutes, less than half the time that the older lift. The bubble is a blue-tinted shield that comes down in front of the lift to keep you warm on cold and windy days. The bubble comes up automatically as it nears the top.
South Ridge lift. This “new” is actually the old Snowdown lift that was moved to South Ridge. This area hasn’t had a lift since 2011. Those who remember the old 1977-era lift will be happy to learn the notorious sharp, jolting turn has been eliminated. Most of trails here are mostly blue with black diamond trails. The best time to ski this south-facing area is on blue bird days in the spring.
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Killington added a lift there as a way to move people to an often unused side of the resort, especially on weekend and the holidays.
Gondola cabins: The new cabins for the K1 gondola have floor -to-ceiling windows and padded benches. Because the new cabins don’t have outside slots for snowboards, boards have to be brought into the cabin. Although the same size as the older cabins, it seems a little tighter. Gone are the 1990 cabins with unique art outside. Killington called it an Art Show in the Sky. For years, it heated the cabins. In the corner heat came out, powered a kerosene-smelling fuel. This season, the cabins are kept in an enclosed heated “barn,” protected from Vermont’s extreme weather.
RFD cards. Traditional lift ticket on a wicket have been replaced with Radio Frequency ID cards. It’s a somewhat historic step for the ski area that invented the metal ticket wicket in the early Sixties. The card kept in your front pocket, sends a frequency to a row of gates that open once it confirms your ticket is valid. With no ticket checking by people, the line moves quickly. You can ID your tickets on your phone or on Killington’s web site. The ticket has a one-time $5 charge.
That pass for Killington is also good at Pico, which has its special kind of vibe that’s pleasantly retro.
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Sure, there haven’t been any no new lifts at this 82-year-old ski area in decades, but so what. On the ride up to the cloud-covered summit, I enjoyed the slow speed to listened to the wind whistle through the pine trees alongside the trail.
I remembered the old Killington saying in its early brochures: “There’s a world only alpine skiers know.”
Since there is no trail connecting Pico and Killington, you either have to drive or take a shuttle bus from the bottom of the Superstar trail. There is a work road that connects Pico to Killington’s Ram’s Head area, but it’s not open to skiing.
Visiting Pico is like a step back in time.
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It has one lodge that hasn’t changed in years. A massive stone fireplace – that still burns real wood – rises through three floors. The bottom floor has “The Sunshine Room” where people can bring their own food. The second floor has a large open room where the standard burgers and soup are sold.
The upper floor has a bar surrounded by antique skis and vintage wooden signs from ski clubs through the East, including the New Haven ski club. It’s one of the few places where you can get a hot buttered rum.
There’s also the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum tucked in corner room of the upper floor. It’s loaded with old ski boots, old skis, clothing and lots of antique photos. Also in the museum are some original chairs and tables from bar. The chairs, made out of maple, have a carved maple leaf on the back of the chairs. The scratches and nicks on the ancient chairs and tables show decades of being kicked by ski boots.
Pico’s 58 trails are 18 percent beginner 46 percent intermediate and 36 percent expert. Because it has just one base area, there’s no fear of getting lost.
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From summit to base, it has a 1,967 vertical drop. The Forty-Niner trail from the summit is a nice intermediate turn that offers twists and turns. On the first ride to the top, take a groomed trails first because conditions could be windblown near the top.
The view from the summit is tremendous because it’s dead center on the spine of the Green Mountains.
Lifts include two quads, two triples, two doubles and a 400-foot rope tow.
Rope tow? Something you rarely see at a ski resort today.
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Pico has legions of fans that would rather ski at Pico – once known as “The Friendly Mountain- instead of Killington.
Pico’s trails are long, often tame and others, like Giant Killer off the summit, downright wicked. Be sure to study a trail map so you don’t get surprised.
Locals are hoping Powdr doesn’t connect Killington with Pico with with a trail and lifts. It’s because they like it just fine.
If you’re planning to spend a few days at Killington, try to carve out a few hours to ski or ride at Pico.
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The two areas provide the right balance between the future, and the past.
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Phaser Lock Interactive, the VR studio behind Final Assault (2019) and Twisted Arrow (2017), announced the release date for Primal Hunt, its upcoming co-op dinosaur hunting game which pits you against a Jurassic Park’s worth of the mighty beasts.

Update (December 22nd, 2022): Primal Hunt is slated to arrive on Quest 2 and Pico headsets starting January 19th, 2023. The game is also targeting Vive Focus, however the studio hasn’t mentioned whether it’s launching concurrently on that headset.
Additionally, Phaser Lock threw out a new trailer which shows off some of its archery-based gameplay. The studio says that as you progress, dinosaurs become even more deadly with the inclusion of cybernetic implants, armor, and weapons such as machine guns, rocket launchers, and the lethal ion cannon—something that ought to up the ante as you encounter all of its different dinosaur species.

Original Article (September 7th, 2022): Called Primal Hunt, the cross-platform co-op game gives you a variety of armor and weapons as you track down and fight the deadliest creatures to have ever walked the Earth.
The game, which is inspired by the Turok series and TV show Westworld, is slated to land on Meta Quest 2, HTC Vive Focus, and Pico headsets sometime in early 2023.
The studio also released a short teaser video (below the article) and a few images, showing off what looks to be a bow-heavy hunting experience that features plenty of pushback from the native fauna.
There’s still much to learn about Primal Hunt. Here’s how Phaser Lock describes it on the game’s website:
Face the ferocity of a pack of Raptors, the strength and power of a Triceratops, and the terror of coming face to face with a 30-ft Tyrannosaurus Rex, all in VR!
With a variety of armor and weapons at your disposal, you are poised to become the ultimate hunter…if you can survive. As you master each challenge, your prey will also become more dangerous as they are outfitted with advanced cybernetic enhancements and weapons, including carbine machine guns, rocket launchers, and more!
The studio promises that more information is coming, and that’s there’s also the possibility of a closed beta coming at some point this year.
We’ll be keeping our eyes out for all things Primal Hunt as Phaser Lock promotes its first game in the past three years since it launched Final Assault out of Early Access of PC VR headsets in 2019.
This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.
For a moment I thought the headline was announcing a VR Vet game where you treat dinosaurs.
That actually sounds entertaining! Somebody get on that.
(The headline has changed since I wrote this. It was something like “VR Vet’s Dino Game…”)
That’s one hell of a confusing mouthful of a headline.
Can mojo vision contacts be attached to the bone making it impossible to remove without surgery
I’ve almost forgotten what good VR graphics look like. The dinosaur that marches up the corridor toward you in the old Oculus Dreamdeck is, to me, the blueprint for what we ought to expect in a VR dino game. Not these single-digit-poly mockups. The hardware limitations of Quest are largely insurmountable, but let’s hope the rot doesn’t extend to all Psvr2 games. There are already a worrying number of mobile conversions heading to the latter, but Sony’s hardware is capable of PC-grade VR, so let’s hope there’s enough interest to encourage devs to take the gamble. Let’s see some real dinos!
Worst graphics ever, lol – look like the Turok game made for PC in 1997.
Well yes, your phone is not required to run at 72 frame per second, not dropping a single frame, while tracking multiple bluetooth controllers.
That said, I think the Turok style is 100% intentional. They even cribbed the gradient fog!
You don’t understand – do let me explain, the new high-end phones have faster gpus than the old Adreno 650 (part of the XR2) in the Quest 2. The extremely poor capabilities of the standalone Quest 2 is an insult to VR.
Are you awere that the 1.2 tflops of the Adreno 650 are a mere of 3 (three) percent of the 36 tflops of a RTX 3090? So I’m running like 30 Quest 2s in parallel when I enter proper VR 😉 That’s something to consider.
Don’t defend the Quest 2 garbage – there’s nothing to defend. 2c.
and 2023 will bring the next generation of VR, with the Quest3 bumping up to 3 TFlops; now surpassing the Rift min spec. This should make for much better standalone VR titles.
Jesus …. I have a 30 TFlop RTX 3080, and I’m playing mostly Quest titles because graphics are only 1 part of the experience; another big part are the game mechanics. That’s where games like Hubris (your GOTY) falls short – great eye candy that makes your RTX card fan ramp up to 90%, but the actual gameplay falls short.
Lets celebrate GREAT GAMEPLAY.
Great gameplay gets so much better with great graphics – at least if you’re sick’n tired of the same low poly models.
what happened to you Rune ? You used to be a likeable user on the Oculus forums, that was good natured and respectful with your comments.
Now you’re just spewing toxicity left and right. Maybe too much time in r/ValveIndex and r/VirtualReality. Please get out of the bubble and go back to the old Rune that was likeable and valued real discussion.
Toxicity is just another way of saying that you don’t share the same thoughts. If ValveIndex makes him realize just how good VR can be, then that’s a good thing.
Unfortunatley, though, indie-graphics like these are what we have to get used to and be thankful of.

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Not only did Mila Kunis find love through her marriage with Ashton Kutcher, but she also found a new perspective on her Jewish identity.
While chatting with activist Noa Tishby about Hanukkah in a Thursday, December 26, YouTube video, the actress, 41, revealed that she credits Kutcher, 46, with making her feel “Jewish and proud.”
“[He’s Jewish] by choice. By choice? I was like, ‘Why would you choose this?’” she quipped before adding: “I fell in love with my religion because he explained it to me. The thing about being Jewish is it’s like a choose your adventure, where you can pick and choose things about it that resonate with you. And there’s no right or wrong way to be Jewish.”
While Kunis was born and raised Jewish in present-day Ukraine, Kutcher grew up Catholic but has been practicing Kabbalah (a form of Judaism focusing on Jewish mysticism) for several years. He even called Kabbalah “one of the essential ingredients” in his marriage to Demi Moore in a March 2008 interview with Harper’s Bazaar. (Kutcher and Moore, 62, were married from 2005 to 2013.)

“Every time we come up against a challenge, we turn to the tools we have learned and a solution follows,” Kutcher told the outlet. “Imagine waking up every day knowing with certainty that whatever obstacle you come up against, you will be able to navigate through it to the best possible outcome. That’s what our spiritual foundation provides.”
During Thursday’s interview, Kunis revealed that she was told “never” to talk about being Jewish during her childhood. “I think because I was in a country that didn’t allow for religion,” she explained. “I was raised culturally Jewish, so for me, it’s a culture.”
Kunis also quipped that she was “raised with a lot of guilt,” and that carried over into her adult life. “I think I have a fear of not having enough food. My fear of someone being hungry. Like, the worst thing my kids can say to me is, ‘I’m hungry,’” she stated. “Food fixes everything. You’re tired? Eat some food. You’re cranky? Eat some food. … It is just something that’s embedded in me.”
Kunis and Kutcher wed in 2015 and went on to welcome two kids — daughter Wyatt, 10, and son Dimitri, 8. While chatting with Tishby, 49, about the holiday season, Kunis said she “never lit Hanukkah candles until I had kids.”
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Now, Kunis is getting to experience new aspects of her culture through her and Kutcher’s children. “My kids very much identify with the religion aspect of it,” she said. “I was like, ‘OK, I guess we’ll do [Shabbat] and we’ll do the candles.’ There’s so much beautiful tradition in it.”
Kunis helped Tisby light candles for the second night of Hanukkah during Thursday’s video, and the pair even called Kutcher to clarify which way they should do so. “It’s right to left, babe,” he told Kunis over the phone. “You load them right to left, but you light them — you start with the center candle, so it’s like the anchor candle, and then you light them left to right.”
After successfully lighting the menorah, Tishby joked: “When in doubt about Judaism, call Ashton Kutcher, I guess.”
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