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jerasphealth · 3 years

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15 Weeks Pregnant: Body Changes, What to Eat & More

15 weeks is around the second trimester of the whole gestation period.

Body changes in the expectant mother’s body.

Weight gain-this is completely normal as the baby is going a lot more than the first trimester. Measure your weight regularly and it should be about 0.5 kg a week on average.

Enlargement of the rib cage around 2 to 3 inches to accommodate the widening of the lungs to carry more oxygen to the baby since the capacity increases.

Body pains and aches- unless they are unbearable this is completely normal. The uncomfortable pain may be a result of the growing belly that put excess pressure on the muscles and skeleton. All this to accommodate the growing fetus accompanied by the weakening of abdominal walls and increasing strain of muscles. In addition to that, hormonal levels are heightened (especially relaxin hormone) causing stretching of joints and ligaments in the body and this change correlates with back pain.

Nipples become darker and bumpier; the hormones cause the skin cell to produce more pigment. there also is the secretion of oily substance so that the nipples can become oily and soft during breastfeeding the secretion of this oil substance is due to the gland called Montgomery tubercles that are only visible during pregnancy. they are found around the nipples on the areola, they re-raised white bumps around the areola(the dark area surrounding the nipple, just like goosebumps).

Numbing, tingling Hands and feet- you’ve ever slept on your arm for a long time or sit on your leg and had that tingling feeling? That is the body’s way of telling you a particular area is not getting enough blood or you are compressing a nerve. However, this is just temporary during the second trimester and very common in the last trimester caused by carpal tunnel syndrome.

Sexual arousal(increased libido)- estrogen whose level rises during the second-trimester causes an increase of blood flow in the vulva and vagina lubrication hence heightened arousal and pleasure. The genital blood flow makes the clitoris hypersensitive. there is no harm in enjoying sex in this period is advised until the very late stages of your pregnancy.

Sensitive teeth and gums-it may be accompanied by bleeding gums especially during brushing teeth, it’s the pregnancy hormones making your gums swell hence likely to bleed. these same hormones make your sinuses to clog. If the symptoms of sinusitis are brutal seek medical help to get relieved.

Nose bleed; same thing hormonal changes cause a nose bleeds and if you are not losing a lot of blood do not be terrified as this is completely normal.

The good news is by this time nausea and vomiting symptoms are fading, unlike the first trimester, so the expectant mother is likely to get her appetite back. this is not a privilege for all women some women experience hyperemesis gravidarum which is an intense morning sickness accompanied by extreme vomiting and may require hospitalization, this may lead to complications like premature detachment of the placenta from the uterus(womb), which causes deprivation of the nutrients and oxygen to the baby. So go see the doctor!

Changes of the baby during 15 weeks of pregnancy’

From the size of kiwi fruit in week fourteen to the size of an orange or apple fascinating right? It is about 4.5 inches a nd weighs about 144 grams.

The outer part of the baby ears can be recognizable through the inner year continues to develop, hearing though not yet it's happening and you can start singing or read to that baby.

The skin is still translucent and vessels and skeleton can be seen, some bones like collar bone have already the development process through the bones from the hands and feet harden and become stronger this week.

Baby hair might appear on the scalp and eyebrows.

By 15 weeks the bay can make whole-body movements, their arms legs, stretch and breathing motions, they can go as far as sucking thumbs. When very still, focused and attentive some women can feel their baby moves as early as 15 weeks, they aren’t as strong as the “it kicked” during the 20- 22 weeks. these are first fetal movements and are known as “fluttering” and they are very subtle that some mothers don’t feel them at all.

FOOD A PREGNANT MOTHER IS ADVISED TO EAT AT 15 WEEKS A pregnant mother should consume a balanced diet to avoid pregnancy difficulties like high blood pressure, premature birth, preeclampsia (rise of blood pressure, swelling of face, hands, and feet. Although a balanced diet should be some nutrients are very essential including

Protein- this is essential for the growth of the abyss brain and other tissues to grow, it also helps the growth of the mother's uterus and breasts. for every 1kg of a mother, she should aim to eat 1.52g of protein every day. So if the expectant mother is 65 kg she should eat 98.8g of protein daily. The protein foods include lean meat(low-fat content), nuts, eggs (not undercooked to avoid the risk of salmonella), fish, and beans.

Iron; supplies oxygen to the baby and voids anemia and complications such as premature birth and pots Partum depression (feeling down after giving birth) is a mental health condition. The foods containing iron are meat (lean), green vegetables, groundnuts, cashew nuts, bread, cereal foods. Iron from animal products is absorbed way faster than that from plants. For those who are vegans foods rich in vitamin c like oranges are highly advisable

Fluids- pregnant women need to stay hydrated at all times (8-12glasses a day). Water is essential for the formation of amniotic fluid, carries nutrients and wastes to and fro respectively, produces extra blood, lack of water can cause premature labor, neural tube defects reduced milk production, and low amniotic fluid. Stay hydrated queens!

Calcium &folic acid- calcium helps to strengthen a baby's bones and teeth and improves its circulatory system. Folic acid prevents neural tube defects (birth defects of brain, spine, or spinal cord including spina bifida which is the failure of the baby’s spinal cord to develop properly and anencephaly which is a baby born with brain or incomplete skull and normally becomes stillborn or dies few hours after being born), reduces risks of premature labour.No expectant mother wants any of that to happen to her baby. So take these calcium foods which include dairy, eggs, sardines, and salmon (with bones), fruit juices and greens, and foods containing folic acid include oranges, grains, green vegetables, cereals, and legumes. The folic acid increment is available as one may not get enough from foods.

Vitamin D and fatty acids – like calcium vitamin d in building the baby’s bones and teeth.it is not present in many foods but can be obtained from the morning sun even though the body generates it's own vitamin D. Cereal and milk, egg yolk, beef liver, cheese 9 just to mention a few the supplements can be obtained especially fr those who live in polar regions. Fatty acids support the heart, brain, and eyes, prevent premature labor, increase birth weight, and reduces the risk of the mother falling into depression. Vegetable oils, fruits, nuts animal fats, are some of the sources of fatty acids.

N.B

Alcohol in the first trimester can cause the baby to have abnormal facial features however alcohol deprives growth and cause harm to the central nervous system, refrain from it at all costs!

Do not smoke

! It causes baby defects like the sudden death of infant syndrome or cleft lip or cleft palate( this is an opening on the baby's lip or in the roof of her mouth. Of course, it can be treated but if you can avoid it you should.

Working out is good as it helps reduces aches, bloating and constipation helps a woman to sleep better. It also helps one to have a normal delivery, without unnecessary complications. Avoid being idle unless strictly advised by the doctor to have a bed rest. Almost there queens, a new life is about to join yours!.

#pregnancy #mother

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pamphletstoinspire · 4 years

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Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost - Latin Calendar - 09/06/2020

by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1882

“And when He came nigh to the gates of the city, behold! a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.”–Luke 7.

by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1882

Christ, accompanied by a great multitude, approaches the city of Naim, and behold! the corpse of a youth was just borne out of the city gates, followed by a number of people, and his grief-stricken mother. It seemed an accidental meeting, and yet it was not so. Christ, the life, meets death, and again breathes life into the corpse. This unexpected meeting, especially as the dead body was that of a youth, reminds us of the certainty and proximity of death and of the uncertainty of life. It is ordained that all men shall die, as Holy Scripture assures and experience teaches us; and yet, how careless man is in this regard, and what little benefit he derives from meditating upon this truth. Nevertheless it is a truth which, when duly considered, will exert a most decided influence on our lives, and will urge us to arrange the affairs pertaining to our salvation.

Holy Scripture assures us even in the Old Testament: “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.” St. Paul speaks of this continual remembrance of death as “The answer of death within us.

How sincerely I wish that, with St. Paul, we may all feel the continual warning of approaching and certain death–the answer of death within us–and that we may not be seized with that forgetfulness of death, which is, alas! so common. Mary, patroness of a happy death, pray for us that we live in such manner, as to die, in your arms, the death of the blessed! I speak in the holy name of Jesus, to the greater honor of God!

When St. Anthony was lying on his death-bed, he was surrounded by hundreds of his spiritual sons, and they begged of him : “Holy father, you are about to leave us; advise us: which is the most influential, the powerful thought to animate one with great zeal in the service of God?” St Anthony replied: “Brethren, live every day as if it were to be the, last.”

With these words St. Anthony referred to the certainty and nearness of death, but at the same time also to the uncertainty as regards the time, the place, and the manner of death. Nothing else in this world is infallibly certain and sure. The wealthiest may become indigent; the most powerful may lose his crown ; the healthiest may be stricken with disease. Yes, even as regards the last judgment, and heaven and hell. No one knows with infallible certainty what shall be his portion forever; but one thing every one knows he must die.

A multitude followed the corpse of the youth. Every person who joined the procession must have thought within himself: I shall also one day be thus borne to my grave. But when? No one knows. This youth who is borne away as a corpse did certainly not imagine that he was to die before his aged mother.

He who constantly reflects upon what I have said, and lives as if every day were his last, needs no further incentive in order to lead a holy life. And why? This will appear evident when we reflect in what Christian perfection consists, and how the remembrance of certain and approaching death will influence us in this respect.

In the first place, Christian perfection requires a heart free from sin. Shun evil. Therefore a person must, above all things, be able candidly to put this question to his conscience: Am I in the state of mortal sin or not? But this must be done as candidly and earnestly as if we were certain to die the following moment and be judged.

And when a man has thus proven himself, his faith requires of him, that he reconcile himself to God by an entire and sincere confession. But nothing will better bring about this change than the remembrance of the certainty and proximity of death. If one confesses in such a manner, as he will wish to have done when the cold sweat of death stands upon his brow, he will confess well. And that our confessions may really be good and valid, let this truth urge us to the conscientious performance of this duty; do it well; you do not know whether you will ever again have another opportunity; it is, perhaps, your last confession.

“Father, this is probably your last confession,” thus St. Vincent de Paul was addressed by one of his spiritual sons. The saint replied: “Friend, for a number of years I have said to myself: This confession will, perhaps, be my last.”

But to reconcile ourselves to God is not our only obligation; the most important duty is, not to sin again, not to suffer a relapse. What causes a relapse? Fresh temptations. These temptations come to us in divers ways: We are tempted by the concupiscence of the flesh; the world tempts us by her allurements and pleasures; Satan tempts and endeavors to deceive us by investing forbidden objects with delusive charms and attractions. It is especially by means of the honors, possessions, and enjoyments of this life that the world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us. And, no doubt, these things, viewed in the light of the present, possess various charms, and can become snares and dangerous temptations.

But the vivid remembrance of the certain approach of death will nip all these temptations in the bud, and will render them powerless. For what are all worldly possessions, when viewed in the twilight of life's fading day? Dust! What are all the honors of this world? Vapor! What are all sensual enjoyments? Dross!

And even the satisfaction which man enjoys for a time in the possession of wealth, honors, and sensual pleasures will soon end in death.

If we listen to the voice of death within us, the power of temptation will be completely destroyed; because this remembrance of death is inseparably connected with the remembrance of that which is to come after death, and which will decide our eternal destiny. Therefore, the Apostle after saying: “It is appointed for all men once to die,” immediately adds: “And after this the judgment.”

How could man remain in the state of sin, if he constantly reflected upon the terrors of judgment, or how ever relapse into sin! The Memento mori–the remembrance that very soon death will usher you into eternity is the surest preventive against the evil of sin.

This constant remembrance of our end likewise effects the sanctification of our lives, and encourages us in our endeavors to attain Christian perfection; it urges us to accomplish the holy will of God perfectly, in all places and at all times; it puts us in mind of the value of time, and the necessity of making good use of the present; it encourages us not to lose a single moment in the great work of our salvation, nor to neglect the increase of our glory in heaven. But nothing can so clearly prove the inestimable value of time as death, the certainty and nearness of death!

“Time, thou art worth as much as God,” St. Chrysostom was wont to say ; ” for on every hour of time depends a crown for eternity; to win time, is to win God; to lose time, is to lose God.”

Death deprives us of this exceedingly precious gift; a gift for which the angels and saints of heaven envy us.

Now, that we live but once, this once will decide our eternity; this was a maxim of the saints. When once time has flown, it will never again return. We feel this most vividly when attending a death-bed, and considering the last breath which the dying person draws. Now he has expired now his eternal fate is sealed. Not another opportunity of performing a good deed, of increasing his heavenly joys.

I ask: Is there any thing which can urge us more to improve our time for the approaching eternity, than this certainty and proximity of death, this voice of death within us? Oh, that every case of death brought to our notice would remind us with renewed force of the certain approach of eternity!

You should do more; every evening whilst offering your prayers to God, reflect upon some particular circumstance of your death. Think of your last confession, of your last Holy Communion, of extreme unction; and of what you will experience when your soul takes leave of your body; think of your grave, of your appearance before the judgment seat of Christ.

Do this, and no doubt the advice of St. Anthony will not only prove beneficial to his religious sons, but also to you, for the sanctification of your whole life! Amen!

“And when he came nigh to the gates of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of a widow.”–Luke 7.

There is nothing more certain than death. Everything else is morally certain, possible, probable, as far as regards our future.

Last year we reflected upon the influence this consideration exercises upon our will; it causes us to form the resolution of living as true children of the Church, according to our vocation, to avoid sin, to practise virtue, and to make the best use of time. Even the longest life, how brief it is! and how near is death! How short is a year! Observe how quickly the moon waxes and wanes, and, after thirteen of these changes, a year has passed. And the life of man numbers but seventy or eighty years, and how few reach this age! the majority of those born into the world die as children, and many in the prime of life! The deceased of whom the Gospel of today makes mention is a youth.

You will die,–that is certain; and you will die soon,–this, too, is certain; but how and where you will die is uncertain, also the manner of your death. But it is not exactly so in reference to the moral condition of your soul; and its state, at the time of death, is of the utmost importance.

A proverb says: “As is life, such is death,” therefore, if you have lived indifferently, the troubled death bed of the tepid Christian awaits you; but if you have lived a zealous and holy life, then on your death-bed you will feel the consolation of the just.

Brethren, let us today reflect upon this contrast, and in our dying moments we shall not regret having done so, provided we profit by the light that the Holy Ghost will send to illumine our minds. Mary, our protectress in death, obtain for us, from your beloved Son, the consoling death of the just! I speak in the holy name of Jesus, to the greater honor of God!

What, in the first place, causes the lukewarm Christian sadness and affliction of mind on his death-bed, is inordinate attachment to the goods of this world. No doubt, all who lead an indifferent life will attach themselves more or less to the things of this world; but it is particularly the case with persons who have labored incessantly and under great difficulties to acquire temporal possessions, and who have anxiously provided for their comfort.

This country furnishes many instances of this kind. Many a one who came over from Europe at first settled in the backwoods; there he occupied a log-cabin, and by dint of labor cleared and cultivated the land. Then he erected a more comfortable dwelling, and gradually gained riches until finally he became affluent. Another commenced business in one of the larger cities, prospered, and became wealthy. But, lo! now death raps at his door, and he feels that he must die; he must take leave of all, and can not take even one penny with him!

No wonder that such a Christian, who, amid temporal cares, has abandoned the practices of devotion and of Christian zeal, sighs, with Agag, at the approach of death: “And dost thou part us thus, O bitter death?”

But how widely different the death of a child of the Church, who has led a fervent life, often thought of heaven, suffered, worked, and fought for it; who has already separated his heart from the transitory things of this world, and, on his death-bed, can joyfully exclaim, with David: “We enter with joy into heaven, to behold, to possess, and to enjoy the things of the Lord in the land of the living! ” Child of the Church, a similar death do I wish you. And what are the conditions? A zealous, truly Catholic life.

What furthermore renders the death-bed of the tepid Christian gloomy and fearful, is the inordinate attachment to blood relations. It is true there is a lawful, holy and sanctifying union among men, ties of relationship, friendship and virtue, and the heart must feel a pang at the moment of separation. But this sorrow will increase the merits of the dying Christian, because he resigns himself to the will of God; and, moreover, his sorrow is assuaged by the hope of a speedy reunion in heaven.

The lukewarm Christian experiences not this consolation; he feels only the grief of parting from those who are near and dear to him in this world. And again, how consoling for the fervent soul will be the thought: I take leave of my dearly loved ones on earth, but what an assembly waits to welcome me in heaven! I hope that very soon I shall be with Jesus and Mary, and all the angels and saints, with all my blessed friends and relations, who are anxiously looking forward to my entrance into the eternal joys. This thought gives comfort to the soul. A similar death do I wish you, my brethren; an active, Catholic, pious life will secure it for you.

The death-bed of a careless Christian is hemmed in with fear and anxiety, because the consolations of our holy religion have lost their power over him, and can not drive away the sadness of death. The tepid Christian may have confessed at times, but how? He felt no apprehension from his numerous relapses, and looked upon them as merely the result of human weakness. But now he becomes alarmed; were not these mortal sins into which he relapsed? Or, during life, he endeavored to persuade himself that he did not sin willfully; he did not consent. But now he fears that his confessions were not valid, because he did not express himself clearly as to this or that sin, or did not confess the number and circumstances, as he was obliged to do.

And what of his communions? Were they not, perhaps, unworthy, or sacrilegious communions? His preparations and thanksgivings were so short, so tepid, and, consequently, without effect. And now that he is to receive Holy Communion for the last time, his bodily sufferings will not permit him to dispose himself devoutly for the reception of the Blessed Sacrament as a preparation for his passage into eternity. He receives his last communion with fear and dread. But how unlike this is the death of him who, on this earth, has lived only for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, who has received Him again and again, and each time more worthily, and who now receives his Lord, Redeemer, and the Spouse of his heart as the viaticum to eternal life! The priest places the Sacred Host upon his tongue, as a pledge of his salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Such a reception of the Holy Eucharist on your death-bed, do I wish you; your life,–a zealous, devout, Catholic life will decide.

What renders the hour of death terrible to a luke warm Christian, is the fear of death itself, and that which follows it the corruption of the body in the grave. Yes, to a petted worldling, who knows nothing of penance and mortification in this life, and who has always pampered his body, and gratified his senses, how dreadful the thought: What shall become of me in my last agony, when the cold sweat of death oozes from every pore, when death shall stretch my limbs? What, when all that remains of me on earth lies moldering in the grave, and is food for worms? It is not surprising that such thoughts fill the soul of an indifferent Christian with fear and distress! But how different the situation, if the dying person is one who has practised, during life, interior and exterior mortification, and who tastes not the bitterness of death, and looks forward to a glorious resurrection! The pious Christian remembers that it is only his body that lies within the grave, and that he shall one day find it again transformed and glorious, and be reunited to it for a blissful eternity.

What finally renders the death-bed of a lukewarm Christian fearful, is the thought of the coming judgment. When a soul is about to leave this world in a tepid and sinful state, even if after a good confession it is reinstated in grace, what a terror, what a fright, must weigh upon it, when, disfigured by the leprosy of countless venial sins, it appears before Christ, not knowing whether these sins may not be mortal! And how the soul will tremble when Christ is about to utter the sentence which will decide its fate for eternity!

Oh, could it but again return to the body, to lead a better, holier life! but then it will be too late, too late! May God preserve you from such anguish!

On the other hand, what a consolation and joy when a devout soul departs this life; and, freed from every stain of sin by the Holy Sacrament of Penance, hastens to the arms of its Redeemer, and, without passing through purgatory, enters at once into the joys of the Lord.

Either the one death or the other will be yours, and your life will decide! May God grant that it will not have been a lukewarm and indifferent, but a holy and virtuous life. Then to you may be applied the words of Holy Writ: “Precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints!” Amen!

“And they that carried it stood still.”–Luke 7.

“And they that carried it stood still.” Christ approaches the corpse, but He does not restore the deceased to life as long as the pall-bearers move on. “They that carried it stood still,” probably at a sign given by our Lord.

There is something very striking in this circumstance, if we consider attentively the miracle which Christ wrought at the gates of Naim, in its moral signification. For the raising of the dead to life has reference to the miracle of the conversion from sin to the state of grace, a change from the death of the soul through sin, to the spiritual life through grace.

The four pall-bearers typify four causes of the sinner's impenitence. These are: the proximate occasion of sin; want of prayer; familiar intercourse with sinners; and inordinate longing after enjoyment!

Yes, these are the four spiritual pall-bearers of the soul dead in sin, and as long as these do not stand still, so long will the funeral procession move on; and there can be no thought of a true conversion and spiritual resurrection. And although at times the sinner may appear to be converted, still we can very soon perceive, that, in the sight of God, he is still a corpse!

Let us today take a glance at the four pall-bearers of the soul dead in sin. Mary, refuge of sinners, pray for us, that we may awaken from the death of sin! I speak in the holy name of Jesus, to the greater honor of God!

The first pall-bearer which carries the dead soul of a sinner to its grave, is the proximate occasion of sin! How indispensably necessary the avoidance of the proximate occasion of sin is for a true conversion, can be readily deduced from the earnest and solemn words of Christ: “If thy eye scandalize thee, tear it out and cast it from thee; and if thy hand or foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body go into hell.”

But, alas! how many deceive themselves in this respect, and imagine, if they but form the good resolution of not sinning again, it matters little whether they remain in the proximate occasion of sin; this, in their opinion, is no sin. But that is a delusion proceeding from their defective instruction. The remaining willfully in the occasion of sin, is already a sin; and if there is danger of mortal sins, the sin of remaining in the occasion becomes mortal; because to remain willfully therein, is to expose one's self willfully to sin, which is in itself an offense.

Experience verifies the warning of the Holy Ghost: “He who loveth danger, shall perish therein.” To remain in the occasion of sin, is like putting fire, if it be but a burning match, to straw, and then saying: I do not want the straw to burn. But it will burn nevertheless, and you will be the cause. This warning has reference especially to the lewd, to drunkards, and to those who are intimate with persons of loose morals.

The second cause of the sinner's remaining in the sleep of death,–the second pall-bearer of his soul, is the neglect of prayer and the Holy Sacraments. As a rule, persons commit grievous sins only after having first become careless in their prayers and in the reception of the Holy Sacraments. For these are the means of grace ordained by God, and these alone enable us to subdue temptations, and to practise virtue. There are many who sin continually, but at times they appear to be converted; and yet, how very soon they are again spiritual corpses! And why? They omit their morning and night prayers; do not attend divine service; neglect spiritual reading, and the reception of the Holy Sacraments.

We do not go too far in affirming: That all those who begin the day without prayer, who do not think of God during the day, and do not pray at night; who are careless in attending divine service, or do not go to church at all on Sundays and holidays; who are negligent in the reception of the Sacraments, all of these belong to the class of the spiritual dead. They may confess at times, and appear to do better; but until they begin earnestly to say their prayers, to attend divine service as is their duty, and do not receive the Holy Sacraments only at Easter time, but frequently during the course of the year, their conversion will not be a true one. They will very soon lead the old life of sin; nor will they improve in this respect, unless they perform the duties of their holy religion earnestly and fervently, and frequently approach the Holy Sacraments.

The third cause why sinners continue their life of sin–the third pall-bearer of the soul is, familiar intercourse with sinners, their society and company. With the wicked you will be wicked and remain so.

As long as a person does not avoid familiar intercourse with sinners, he will open his heart to numerous temptations, and the bad example of others will have a pernicious influence; upon him. The bad example of sinners may be compared to the diseases of the body. When one is near a sick person, or is obliged to wait on him, one is in great danger of becoming infected with the disease. Physicians who attend the sick, make their visits as brief as possible when the disease is contagious, and hurry away, lest they may become infected!

The same may be said of sinners, whose example proves contagious. Such sinners may justly be compared to lepers. From these you must flee, as Holy Scripture advises. This admonition is addressed particularly to young persons. If your conversion shall prove sincere and lasting, you must avoid familiar intercourse with sinners; otherwise you will soon recommence a life of sin.

The fourth bearer of the spiritual corpse is inordinate longing for enjoyments –the love of sensual, boisterous pleasure, such as balls, plays, and noctural amusements; the reading of bad books, and especially the excessive use of spirituous liquors. Woe to him who already, from his youth, becomes addicted to drink, to frequent gin-shops,–is and gradually becomes a confirmed sot!

Oh! how seldom it occurs that an habitual drunkard is truly converted, that he avoids every occasion of intemperance, and remains faithful to his good resolutions! How often such persons, who, perchance, are not addicted to any other vice, seem to amend and still they do not really change; they lead the same intemperate life! And how sad are the consequences, both for body and soul! They ruin their health, destroy their domestic peace, and are living in the greatest danger of dying unprepared.

Is there, perhaps, a sinner among us whom these four bearers are carrying? Oh! I wish I could today cause them to stand still. For only then will your conversion be sincere, and, by the mouth of the priest, Christ will bid you: “Rise!” and you will be restored to the life of grace.

This standing still reminds us, moreover, of another very important fact. If we wish to be justified in hoping that ours was a true conversion, we must be able to refer to some period of our life, and say: Since that confession–it was a general confession–I did not relapse!

Rejoice, if your conscience gives you this testimony; you are in the right state, and you will be prepared to appear before God, and you will live in Him eternally! Amen!

#15 sunday after pentecost

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edmund-pevensie-just-king · 4 years

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Heavy Weighs the Crown || Chapter : It Begins

Tag list (dm, respond to the taglist post, or send an ask to be added): @athomeinnarnia @broccocliche @ouatlovr @dialovesyellow @hopebaker @bluewillowmom @silentsongatdawn

Narnia tag list: @pevensie-trash @bessfrog @simply-ellas-stuff

Chapter warnings: Graphic depictions of torture, crying, self-hatred, and anxiety

Ship(s): None (yet ;) )

Writing Masterlist

Edmund was woken up by a harsh kick to the side. He wheezed and curled into a ball from the pain, hands twitching in their bonds as his instincts told him to hold them out protectively. Pietro laughs at the young king’s efforts and grabbed him by the hair, dragging him out of the room. Edmund yelped in pain and tried to twist out of the man’s grip, but that only served to increase his pain. Instead he gained his footing, walking quickly by Pietro’s side rather than being dragged. He knew what was coming. He didn’t need to put himself through more pain or harm than was necessary. Pietro’s father was waiting for them. Edmund was shoved towards him and grabbed like some kind of animal. His bound hands were forced above his head, and looped through a hook that protruded from a wooden beam in the ceiling. Edmund bared his teeth and tried to kick out at the two men, but it was all in vain. All it earned him was a stinging slap to the face and Pietro spitting at him in disgust. When they successfully hung him up, Edmund’s feet dangled a few inches from the floor. He clenched his fists, sucking in a breath as the strain made his already sore muscles begin to ache. His heart raced as Pietro circled him, eyeing him like he was a piece of meat.

“There are a few ways we can do this,” Pietro murmured. Edmund growled as the man came in front of him. He merely chuckled. “You could tell us what we want to know now, and we will let you go. You could also put up a bit of a fight, and we’d use some methods of...persuasion.” His eyes went from Edmund to a table in the corner of the room. Edmund didn’t have the stomach to make himself look. “Or,” Pietro continued, “You can keep your mouth shut and we’ll use you as entertainment for my men until we decide to dispose of your majesty. So what will it be, boy?” His voice dripped with false respect and reason.

“I’m not telling you anything,” Edmund hissed through his teeth, trying to keep the temor out of his voice. Pietro clicked his tongue and sauntered over to the table, taking his time observing its contents before finally picking his first tool. Edmund glanced behind himself and shuddered. Pietro had picked up a Cat ‘o Nine Tails, the kind that had rocks, blades, and other harmful objects knotted to the ends so when someone would strike a person with the whip, it would rip and tear at the skin, causing even more damage and pain.

“Here’s how this is going to work. Daniél will ask you a question. If we don’t like your answer, or if you don’t answer at all, we will use this on you. Each question will be repeated until you answer, and for each unsatisfactory answer or silence a lash will be added. I’m sure you don’t want that,” Pietro said with a smirk. Edmund said his jaw, staring straight ahead, just above Pietro’s father’s head. The older man rubbed his hands together, a wicked smile on his face.

“Let’s begin then, shall we? I’ll start simple, even you should know this. How many troops are located inside if Cair Paravel?” Daniél asked, clasping his hands behind his back and looking up at Edmund. Edmund closed his eyes, taking in deep, shaky breaths. Daniél clucked his tongue, shaking his head in disappointment. “*Iniziamo con dieci. Sembra ragionevole,” Daniél said with a nod to his son. Daniél stepped towards Edmund, grabbing his shirt and pulling a knife from his pocket. The color drained from Edmund’s face but he didn’t flinch, keeping his head down and concentrating on staring at the floor. He would not betray his family again, no matter what it cost him or how simple the questions seemed. They all would have the same consequence. Daniél lifted Edmund’s chin with the blade, digging the tip of the weapon into the young kings throat and making him flinch. The old man smirked, lightly tracing the knife down Edmund’s body and creating a light trail of blood in its wake. He then used to knife to cut off Edmund’s shirt, leaving the boy’s back exposed to Pietro. Wordlessly, Daniél took a strip of the destroyed garment and wrapped it around Edmund’s head as a makeshift blindfold. Edmund’s breathing hitched and he instinctively kicked out at the man in front of him, only to be punched swiftly in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs.

The first hit came out of nowhere. Edmund shouted, head snapping back as his entire body recoiled away from Pietro. There was a slight pause before Edmund’s back was struck again, the wicked devices tied to the ends of the whip ripping into Edmund’s pale, unmarked back. He tried to breath, but each strike from the whip sent another jolt of pain and Edmund screamed. There was so much pain he lost count. His knuckles were white as he clenched them into fists. He kicked out, trying to hit one of his tormentors, but was met with a harsh slap and another stroke of the whip.

“I will repeat the question again. How many troops are located inside Cair Paravel?” Daniél said, the location of his voice somewhere to Edmund’s right. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, his blindness causing his other senses to heighten. He jerked when a hand caressed his cheek; then his chin was grabbed harshly.

“What a stubborn boy you are. It seems like you haven’t learned your lesson,” Pietro purred, his breath brushing against Edmund’s neck and making him shudder. He stayed silent, gritting his teeth and refusing to speak another word. Pietro glared at Edmund and backhanded him, making his head whip to the side. “Foolish boy,” his hissed, snapping the whip against the floor. Edmund’s breathing hitched and he jerked instinctively. Pietro laughed, voice cold and devoid of any real humor. The beatings began again.

Edmund was gasping and shaking with pain, only able to let out a choked, pained whimper every time the whip struck his back. He couldn’t have answered any of their questions at this point even if he wanted to. That didn’t seem to stop the two men, however. They repeated the question over and over, whipping Edmund until his back had become shredded. Even then they didn’t stop. It could have been hours. It could have only been a few minutes.Edmund couldn’t even register their words any more, the edges of his vision swimming and everything sounding like a muffled shout. Each unanswered question led to more strikes from the whip, and Edmund was honestly surprised that he hadn’t lost consciousness.

“I think that’s enough, Pietro. The poor boy can barely keep his eyes open,” Edmund’s interrogator sneered, voice dripping with false sympathy. Edmund’s head hung low, his breathing shallow as his arms shook from the effort of holding all of his body weight. Daniél grabbed Edmund’s wrists, pulling the rope up over the hook before letting go and dropping Edmund to the ground. The boy groaned, a few tears rolling down his face as he curled up into a ball on the floor. They still hadn’t taken his blindfold off. Pietro grabbed Edmund by the hair and dragged him out of the room. Edmund, as pained as he would, could make no sound of protest or fight against the other man. His body was weak from loss of blood and having to dangle in the air with no support for so long. He was thrown to the ground, where he could only assume was his cell, and the blindfold was taken off.

“Matteo will come in a moment to tend to your wounds. Can’t have you dying on us on the first day,” Pietro sneered. He kicked Edmund in the side and spit in his face for good measure before leaving him, locking the door with a resounding clang. Edmund closed his eyes, tears leaking through his clenched eyelids. Oh, Aslan, why was this happening to him? Had the lion finally realized Edmund wasn’t worth it? Had he abandoned him after all? Edmund growled and shook his head rapidly. No. Aslan had not left him. He never would. Edmund could only hope that the great lion would soon come to his aid, or send someone to help him.

“I’m coming in,” Matteo said, opening the door and letting light flood in to the previously darkened room. Edmund squinted and sat up, but then immediately laying down again, his face draining of all color as pain shook him to the core. Matteo quickly knelt by Edmund’s side, who recoiled away from him.

“Stay away from me,” Edmund snapped, his pain and grief aiding him in regaining some of his defiance. Matteo set down the bowl in his hands and put up both hands in the air in a gesture of surrender.

“I am not here to harm you, King Edmund. It is as my father said. I’m here tend to your wounds.” A lump formed in Edmund’s throat as the other boy used his title. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. His tone was not mocking, but Edmund did not believe Matteo saw him for what he truly was. He saw him as his father and grandfather’s plaything. So, Edmund simply gave him a curt nod, carefully turning onto his stomach so his back was exposed. Matteo grimaced at the sight.

“This may hurt. Some of the marks have gone deep to the bone,” Matteo said after a moment of silence. Edmund closed his eyes and swallowed, nodding again. Matteo untied his hands and Edmund rubbed his wrists, casting him a grateful look. “Brace yourself.” Matteo dipped the cloth into the bowl and began to gently dab at the deep whip marks on Edmund’s back. The young king hissed with pain, clenching his jaw and struggling not to move. Matteo cleaned Edmund’s back until the blood was gone from it. The water in the bowl was a dark red from Edmund’s blood.

“Is that all?” Edmund asked. He was exhausted, in pain, and just wanted to get the little amount of sleep his captors would allow him. Matteo hesitated before nodding regretfully, pulling a bottle from his pocket and unscrewing it.

“This will prevent infection, but...it’s going to hurt. A lot,” Matteo said. Edmund took a deep breath.

“Go on then. We both know you don’t actually feel bad about any of this.” Matteo’s eyes blazed and he looked as if he were about to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. He carefully poured the contents of the bottle over Edmund’s back. Edmund gasped, his eyes shot open, and then he cried out in pain. The liquid, whatever it was, let off a foul odor as it reacted with the open wounds on Edmund’s back, eating away at any bacteria but putting the poor boy through excruciating pain in the process. Matteo had to forcefully pin Edmund to the ground so he wouldn’t hurt himself more than he already was. When it was finally over Edmund was breathing heavily, fresh tears of pain in his eyes and falling down his cheeks.

“Now bandages,” Matteo started, but Edmund moved away from him, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. Matteo’s eyes fell. “Please. I sincerely do not wish for any more harm to befall you than necessary. This will help you, and if my father sees the extent of your injuries he will wait until you are interrogated again,” he finished. Edmund scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“You think I’m stupid or something? You don’t care! Why the hell would you? You’re with them. You’re in on this-”

“I want nothing to do with this,” Matteo finally snapped, his eyes blazing. “My grandfather is a fool, and my father a greater fool still. Narnia is a great kingdom that they do not deserve. You and your siblings have made Narnia and the surrounding lands more prosperous than they have been in centuries. I do not want you hurt, nor do I want Narnia to fall into their hands.” His voice was sincere and passionate, and Edmund couldn’t help but feel guilty for his words. After all, what had Matteo really done except tend to him?

“I’m sorry,” Edmund murmured, closing his eyes and resting his cheek against the cool, damp floor below him. “I’ve been unfair. I just...this isn’t exactly my idea of a good time and all,” he said, sounding a bit sheepish. Matteo smiled ever so slightly, getting out gauze and beginning to do Edmund’s bandages. He had to sit up, and his face went white again from the pain.

“Do not apologize, your majesty. You had every right to be angry and skeptical of me. Now you know you do not have an enemy in me,” Matteo replied. Edmund raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing.

“Tell me one thing...Peter. Is he alright? He was in the clearing with me when your father’s men attacked,” Edmund said. He tried to keep his voice calm, but Matteo could hear the panicked edge in his voice. He put a reassuring hand on Edmund’s shoulder.

“Your brother is safe. My father and grandfather only wanted you. I suppose it was meant as a sort of torture for Peter as well...the bond that the two of you share is not exactly a secret,” Matteo said. Edmund relaxed when he heard Peter was safe in Narnia, but his heart ached at the thought of his brother’s suffering at his absence. He knew Peter would blame himself. He always did, for every little thing that went wrong. Something like this...it would tear Peter apart. Matteo seemed to sense Edmund’s distress. He sat beside him, pulling his knees up to his chest and sitting in silence for a moment.

“What do your father and grandfather want? Really? They said they wanted to invade the castle,” Edmund said quietly. He dreaded the answer.

“They want to take over. What else would they want? Their hearts hold nothing but greed and malice towards the citizens of Narnia. This is why you must not tell them anything, no matter what they do to you.” Edmund’s breathing hitched and he clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Matteo placed a hand on Edmund’s shoulder, making him flinch in surprise. “Not all hope is lost. Your brother may come after you and you will be rescued.” Edmund’s heart fell.

“Don’t be so sure of that. I may be in danger, but I am not a priority. Peter is the High King. if I am lost, Narnia will not suffer for it.” Matteo’s eyes softened.

“That’s not true. Narnia would be at a great loss without you to help rule,” Matteo said reassuringly. Edmund glanced at him for a moment before looking at the floor again. He stared at the dark, mildew crusted tiles.

“Thanks,” he whispered. Matteo nodded and then got to his feet.

“I must go now. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Try to get some sleep,” Matteo said, squeezing Edmund’s shoulder and walking out of the cell, the door once again slamming shut. Edmund’s world was once again plunged into darkness.

*iniziamo con dieci. sembra ragionevole (Italian) -Let’s start with ten. That seems reasonable.

29 notes · View notes

be100you · 4 years

Text

Vegan (Plant-based) diet

🌐👇: [FR] [IT] [PT]

By definition, a "Vegan diet" 🌱, also called a "Plant-based diet", is a regimen that deliberately includes no animal products and their derivatives, for example animal meat, milk, eggs, etc. 🐖🐄🐔

First, it is important to understand that when we are talking about a "diet" here, it is not a short-term plan to reach a goal, such as 📏 loosing weight or 💪 gaining muscles.

We refer to "diet" as simply the habitual nourishment of a person. It can follow a nutritional plan with the aim of improving a person's health by consciously choosing what and how much to eat of any given food in an intelligent and consistent way.

Let's not fall into the trap of thinking a vegan diet is healthy by definition. You can have a plant-based regimen where you eat only huge amounts of french fries 🍟 and big dark chocolate bars 🍫... But guess what? That's not healthy at all!

In this article we will discuss how to optimise a vegan diet, and what are the possible benefits of such a regimen in the short and long terms.

INDEX

Who can eat a plant-based diet?

— People with health conditions

— Athletes: amateurs and pros

Why a plant-based diet?

— Heart disease

— Cancer, Diabetes, and more

How can I eat plant-based?

— Nutrients

— Daily intakes

Vegan recipes

More whys...

— Environmental protection

— Human welfare

— Animal welfare

— Individual health

___

Who can eat a plant-based diet?

Who?

The short answer: everyone. 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️

The long answer:

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is the largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals, with more than 100000 credentialed practitioners, made an article stating “These diets [vegetarian and vegan] are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes”. [1]

But of course, as any other diet, to be healthy and adequate it must be correctly planned. 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️

People with health conditions

An important disclaimer: people with health or genetic conditions must pay special attention to their diet, since food has a fundamental impact in our health.

A short example: we find carotenoids in carrots, a preformed vitamin A that our bodies convert into a bio-available vitamin A in order to absorb it. But this conversion depends on your body health, like genetics, thyroid, zinc and iron intakes, etc.

So if you have a genetic or health condition causing vitamin A malabsorption, and you don’t eat enough vitamin A, you may start experiencing deficiency symptoms such as “night blindness” (problems distinguishing images in low levels of illumination), or your hand palms may become orangish.

To solve it, the best solution is to consume more foods with vitamin A. It is also a good idea to have the help of an up-to-date professional in the field of nutrition, who will surely be able to help you planning your diet.

The best way to find out if we have deficiencies is to periodically do blood tests, and to pay attention to body signals.

Athletes: amateurs and pros

Athletes need specially designed diets to optimise their performance in the sport they do, professionally or amateurly.

There are many athletes that are vegan. In the link below we see a a list with more than 100 vegan athletes from different sport fields, including football, bodybuilding, snowboarding...

⚽🏋🏂 www.GreatVeganAthletes.com/all-athletes

But what does science tell us about athletes?

The video below, with over 300 combined sources, compares athletic performance among people following an omnivorous diet and those following a vegetarian diet. The conclusion showed no major improvements in the short-term performance, meaning both groups of athletes following well-planned diets had similar results.

youtube

But as the studies showed, and the video reminds at the end (with some beautiful visual and sound effects 🤣)

Doesn’t matter how shred, if you’re dead 🔥 [dramatic emphasis here]

The video is referring to the long-term benefits of a plant-based diet, which we discuss in the next section.

If you are interested, we can give you a personal guidance in understanding the benefits described below, as well as designing your diet:

🍎🍊🥑🌽🍫🥜🥕

www.be100you.com/#nutrition

🍪🥬🍆🥝🥥🍍🍞

___

Why a plant-based diet?

Why?

The short answer: long-term health benefits. 💪

The long answer:

The videos below show evidences from articles published throughout decades of researches in medicine. Instead of citing the articles directly, we show you these videos to make your life easier, but you can still find all the articles in videos’ descriptions. We are not sponsored by them in any way.

One of the largest nonprofit healthcare plans in United States, the Kaiser Permanente, published “Nutritional Update for Physicians” (shown in the video below), in which they state “healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meat, dairy, eggs as well as all refined and processed foods”.

youtube

A review of reviews of studies (a big name that simply says it analyzed and condensed information from many different articles) showed that plant-based foods have far more often protective health effects, while animal-based foods have often harmful health effects. The summary of the review is available here:

youtube

Heart disease

A wholefood plant-based diet has even been shown to revert heart disease, literally unclogging arteries. The “wholefood” means it is based on foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible. The following videos compare many studies of the mediterranean and vegan diets:

Video 1 here: https://youtu.be/uVGpTLMN6w4

Video 2 below:

youtube

Cancer, Diabetes, and more

Many studies directly link animal products, like meat and cheese, to higer risks of diseases such as coronary heart disease (the number one killer in the world), breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and hypertension. A few sources are listed here:

Colon Cancer ▶️ https://youtu.be/KDRazSapYew

Diabetes ▶️ https://youtu.be/A4vqXj-uHxk

Heart Disease ▶️ https://youtu.be/LXigmGZk5FU

Hormones ▶️ https://youtu.be/lKngv7mL48s

Meat ▶️ https://youtu.be/xlNWQ8L7QoA

Cheese ▶️ https://youtu.be/3yvYFjIlOO4

Milk ▶️ https://youtu.be/rxnBDDqXSjk

And studies in the video below state that people eating less animal products (sometimes called “flexitarians”) tend to live longer:

youtube

Do not hesitate to research for yourself in order to better understand all the above claims. Before continuing, we must acknowledge that the above conclusions show many benefits of a vegan diet, but it is not a miraculous cure for everything. They may help many people live healthier and longer, including you, and if you consider it is worth a try we can help you adapt your diet to a plant-based one, just go to our website:

🍎🍊🥑🌽🍫🥜🥕

www.be100you.com/#nutrition

🍪🥬🍆🥝🥥🍍🍞

___

How can I eat plant-based?

A vegan diet can be optimised to give you all of the benefits shown above, and others still. Upgrading your diet to a wholefood plant-based one involves changing habits and adapting patterns we had learned in the past.

A lot of people have unconscious eating habits and don't actually thing about what they eat. They might simply abide to community traditions, follow their group behaviour, or give in to social norms.

Chosing to eat healthier is a decision that must be taken consciously, and using the best available sources of knowledge, so we can avoid short and long term problems.

Nutrients

Since our cultures and traditions are sometimes not good in providing us information on how to eat healthy, we must adapt and learn from professionals and trustworthy sources, therefore assuring we will not have problems related to our diet.

There is a list of recommendations for those eating a wholefood plant-based diet available in this link:

📝🌱 nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations (updated in 2019)

The recommendations goes over some major nutrients:

Vitamin B12: nutritionfacts.org/video/cheapest-source-of-vitamin-b12 The simplest solution: sumplement. This vitamin is made by bacteria, and since our food nowadays is really clean we will not find it in plants. Even animals raised in industrial farms must suplement because they also eat clean food;

Omega 3: nutritionfacts.org/video/should-vegans-take-dha-to-preserve-brain-function Some plants are rich in Omega 3s, specially linseeds (rich in ALA, more of its benefits: nutritionfacts.org/video/just-the-flax-maam). But since ALA conversion to EPA and DHA may be low, tif you experience deficiency you can get supplements (usually from seaweed oil) to increase your intake;

Calcium: nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-vs-cow-calcium-2 There are also plants with high amounts of calcium, such as collards, kale, broccoli raab (rapini), and even parsley. But many other foods also contain good quantities of calcium, such as squashes, broccoli, and green beans;

Protein: nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein It’s really not a problem at all, even if you are a bodybuilder you can still get all your proteins from plants - just choose the right food for you;

Fiber: nutritionfacts.org/video/is-the-fiber-theory-wrong In a wholefood plant-based diet it will be a non-existent problem. You will eat more fiber, and your digestive system will benefit from it - if you are constipated now, you are not alone: https://youtu.be/DhZFoinQpI0

Daily intakes

To help building your new plant-based diet there is also an idea worth a try: it’s called “Daily Dozen”, which is basically a list containing types of foods (and respective quantities) you should eat in a daily basis.

To check it out, go to nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist, or nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist-2

Another great tool we recommend using is Cronometer, which helps you calculate not only the intake of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins), but also you micronutrients (vitamins and minerals): cronometer.com

We can also help you adapt your diet to a plant-based one, just visit:

🍎🍊🥑🌽🍫🥜🥕

www.be100you.com/#nutrition

🍪🥬🍆🥝🥥🍍🍞

___

Vegan recipes

Below are some selected vegan recipes that you may enjoy. If you have suggestions, send us a message and we may include it here.

Sweet dishes

Chocolate Mousse: iaco.me/post/001

Chocolate Cake: iaco.me/post/001

3-min Cookies: iaco.me/go/cookie

Spelt Blueberry Pancakes: plantstrong.com/plant-strong-recipes/top-engine-2-recipes-spelt-blueberry-pancakes

Salty dishes

Lentil Oat Loaf: www.food.com/recipe/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really-33921

Macaroni & Not Cheese: plantstrong.com/plant-strong-recipes/top-engine-2-recipes-macaroni-not-cheese

Sweet Potato Lasagne: plantstrong.com/plant-strong-recipes/top-engine-2-recipes-raise-the-roof-sweet-potato-lasagna

Plant-strong Burgers: plantstrong.com/plant-strong-recipes/top-engine-2-recipes-plant-strong-burgers

We can also find some “ready-to-use” vegan meal plans here:

🥣🍓 veganhealth.org/meal-plans

Vegan diet: more whys...

Going vegan has positive impacts in other life areas. It includes a vastitude of other reasons, which have each one their respective benefits:

Environmental protection

A study[2-4] from 2018 showed that a vegan lifestyle have many environmental benefits. A documentary[5] from 2014 already showed the same. Some informations they stated:

It can reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73%;

Global farmland use could be reduced by 75% (an area equivalent to the size of the US, China, Australia and the EU combined);

Converting grass into [meat] is like converting coal to energy. It comes with an immense cost in emissions;

While meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, it uses the vast majority (83%) of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions;

The meat and dairy industry uses 33% of earth’s fresh water;

Animal agriculture is responsible for as much as 91% of Amazon destruction;

The water for the production of one hamburger is equivalent to showering for 2 months (3000 liters of water).

The 2014 documentary[5] shows many more environmental impacts, such as water usage and pollution, land usage and pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, land desertification, species extinction, forests destruction: cowspiracy.com

Human welfare

The logic here is simple: every time you move up in the “food chain”, you loose many of the food that was fed to the being below you. That is on of the reasons animal-based foods have a bigger environmental impact, and that is also one of the reasons many people in the planet do not have food to eat: because most food (grains in special) we produce go to feed the animals we will eat later.

In [6], Dr Walt Willett - professor of medicine at Harvard University - says “we could eliminate the worst cases of world hunger today with about 40 million tonnes of food – yet 760 million tonnes is fed to animals on farms every year”.

Animal welfare

Right now, we kill literally more than 150 billion animals per year[7]. To put it into perspective: if we killed one human for every other non-human animal we kill, there would be none (zero) humans left in less than 19 days.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

This 2 hours long documentary shows the reality of the animal-based foods industry: WatchDominion.com

Altough its content is hard to watch for some people, the shown precedures, utensils and machinery are perfectly legal and standards in the industry.

One probably “easier to digest” documentary is: hope-theproject.com/the-film/the-film

Earthlings is another film talking about ethics and speciesism in the way we treat most animals. A free “anniversary edition” is available here: NationEarth.com

Individual health

To finish this article, we cite a few more documentaries talking about the individual health benefits of a plant-based diets. If you are interested, you can go and binge-watch them all:

🙀 WhatTheHealthFilm.com

💪 GameChangersMovie.com

🍴 ForksOverKnives.com

___

Sources:

[1] “Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian Diets”, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.09.025

[2] www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html

[3] www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth

[4] www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/vegan-diet-better-environment

[5] www.cowspiracy.com/facts

[6] www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-would-world-look-if-everyone-went-vegan

[7] thevegancalculator.com/animal-slaughter/

#plantbased #plantpower #vegan #veganpower #veganmuscle #vegainz #vegains #vegetarian #nutritious #nutrition

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tillman · 5 years

Text

hi i ranked every single dark souls 1 character by who i think is the most kissable . its 79 characters all with a description of why theyre at the place theyre at with images for reference :-) its all under cut for u to enjoy.. thank u

this is all my opinion cus hehe im making the list but also im god so this is fact now .

counting down because u know what ! buildup is fun and i have to start off with everyones most favorite:

GWYN - 79

im kidding. fuck gwyn and everything he stands for. he wouldnt even be a good kisser he doesnt have FUCKING LIPS

SEATH - 78

oh you really wanna kiss the incel dragon who kidnaps ladies for his weird experiements?? yeah?? who are you, big hat logan?

EINGYI - 77

heres one i wont get hate for: this fucking asshole . die bastard . he cant even kiss his face is all infected and gross!

KAATHE - 76

he sucks.

SMOUGH - 75

not only is he too big to kiss! hes a cannibal!! hed eat you!!!! thats no kiss i want!

MANUS - 74

listen i know yall love daddies and all that but hes manipulative and not a nice person so id watch out. i GUESS hes kissable as he was a human before but def not a good kiss

BED OF CHAOS - 73

its just some vines that sometimes set on fire!! If it were still the witch of izalith she would be probally in the 20s as shes a good person who tried very hard to help the world but in this state... u cant even kiss her!

FRAMPT - 72

better than kaathe but the whole no lips and being a manipulative snake monster really throws me off and shoves him down at the bottom

FINA (GODDESS OF LOVE/BEAUTY (?)) - 71

(mentioned character - no image sorry :-( )

Listen as much as im all for love, this is love u dont want ! just trust me dont be lautrec dont do it you dont want to kiss fina listen to me. please dont kiss fina.

VINCE AND NICO - 70

way of the white members are NOTABLY unkissable but these guys. are just so boring. theyll be your white bread boyfriend as neil would say... bad kissers and bad people!

LAUTREC - 69

aw fuck wait can i make another character 69 he doesnt deserve it. anyways not only is he not over his ex (fina) hed probally gut you and steal your lunch money half way through the kiss anyways so whats the point . thats not how u treat a lover idiot

CENTIPEDE DEMON - 68

it eats your face and you die. next pleaaase

PETRUS - 67

another way of the white cleric. he at least starts off nice and he says fuck rich people but also he let that happen to rhea and i fucking hate his guts so no.

PALADIN LEEROY - 66

out of all the way of the white idiots hes the best in that he wears armor and seems cool but its the way of the white man. i cant get past that. sorry leeroy at least your armor is cool. he probably hasnt kissed someone in hundreds of years anyways

MOONLIGHT BUTTERFLY - 65

delicate ... but beautiful! i dunno how to smooch it but i def would if i could ! i dont think it can kiss back but, o well! we all have flaws

IRON GOLEM - 64

it cant kiss back but its COOL and can throw me like a javelin so like . yeehaw id smooch its little face place

UNDEAD MERCHANTS (BOTH) - 63

between moss and yulia i think they got enough on their plates! plus since theyre so hollowed, i dont think they have any lips to kiss back with!

INGWARD - 62

hes not like . bad persay but also i dont trust him after he helped with new londo. cool design tho. i wanna kiss that bird beak mask

JEREMIAH - 61

was a bullfrog, and never took off his crown long enough to kiss another person...... i feel like if he did though! oh boy!!!

Asylum Demon + Demon Firesage + Stray Demon - 60

more kissable than some bosses, but still not the greatest lips. good butts though on all of them.... so i guess thats fr u kinky people

SNUGGLY THE CROW - 59

(no image shes a crow)

please stop drawing her as an anime girl shes literally just a grow that likes warm things oh my god you freaks be nice to her

BIG HAT LOGAN - 58

hes hard to kiss around the hat! and on that note hes pretty much taken with his obsession with seath. good luck! hes nice though so better than most of this list so far

GAPING DRAGON - 57

ranked so high because past its giant underbelly of teeth and destruction is this very tiny head which i think is so funny i cant help but want to kiss its little snoot.... hehe baby

PRINCE RICARD - 56

oh now were actually getting into kissable range! ricard is a prince (maybe even of astora... kissability increase.) so his high ranking might get you some kissability points, but the hollowing is gonna lower that. 4/10 no kissable lips!

4 KINGS - 55

whats better than a prince..... a king... whats better than a king.................. 4 KINGS! just watch out for their overly anime spiky armor and the fact their in a never ending void nightmare but they do have faces so thats points above the rest!

SALAMAN - 54

(mentioned character only! sorry!)

hmmmm we dont learn much about him other than he was close with quelana and he was ............ hot! hes a pyromancer. being of the great swamp pushes him down a bit because he prolly smells like his name sake but u know what ! maybe hes cute! we cant be sure! hes in the running at least!

TAURUS DEMON - 53

hmm... bad lover.... good kisser................................................... the things i do for big beefy demon love.

GOUGH - 52

While you cant kiss gough cus all the sap in his helmet i cant bare to put him lower than he is hes just so sweet. a kiss on his helmet because i love him so much

NITO - 51

while he cant kiss back, nito deserves a kiss or two! plus he has a lot of hands so u can hold his hands and be hugged at the same time and u know what that might be just as good as a nice kiss. good on you nito!

STONE DRAGON - 50

again a non kisser........ damn beaks! the stone dragon does need a kiss though. they havent seen another living soul in years down in ash lake! so im giving them points on that alone.

VAMOS - 49

like the last two.... no lips! vamos though makes up for it in his charm and wit, and his exceptional skill in smithing! so even without lips to kiss, you still should kiss vamos! hes a good friend

ARIAMIS - 48

(mentioned !)

wow... a painter! and a skilled one at that! this man created the painted world used to keep priscilla safe and that is so noble it gives him points right off the bat! i feel like though, as an artist, he might be a bit weird about it. so watch out and be safe, but in the end, get free art and some free smooches out of him!

ELIZABETH - 47

thats my mom ... of course she gets a good cheek smooch for all her hard work keeping dusk safe!

DOMHNALL - 46

i love domhnall hes a good guy whos trying his best but also his mask is so fucking goofy i dunno if i can do it .

RICKERT - 45

as much as i think rickert would be a good kiss (hes smart, cute, and skilled!) he is trapped behind some bars willingly and probably wont let you in. i can dream though!

CEASLESS DISCHARGE - 44

if theres any boss that NEEDS a kiss its him. poor dude lost all his family and was turned into this laughing stock of a creature. youd probably burn your lips but .... please just be nice to him :-(

SHIVAS BODYGUARD - 43

ooo a strong yet silent type.... hes even cute under his mask! good kiss, but i feel like he might just care more about his actual job than a kiss ! hes dedicated !

CIARAN - 42

putting aside me knowing shed be a good kisser, i just understand she probably doesnt want a kiss right now, shes grieving over the loss of her friend and i respect her comfort. maybe a good pat on the shoulder and a cup of nice tea with her would be nice though!

PINWHEEL - 41

may seem like a weird choice to put a necromancer up so high on the list but.... honestly pinwheel needs some love. dude lost his whole family and in trying to revive them accidentally fused them to himself. while he might not be the best kisser, i honestly just wanna tell him everythings gonna be ok.

KIRK - 40

ok if you know me you KNOW how much it pains me to put kirk so low but. hes a busy guy! not only is he doing so much work to help out where he can with the fair lady, but you might just get pricked by his spiky armor while youre going in for the smooch! so, as much as he deserves a kiss for all his hard work, maybe pass until another time!

SIEGLINDE - 39

were getting there! she is just so strong... and so brave........ she may not even be undead! sieglinde is so strong and wonderful doing all that just to deliver a message to her unruly father, she deserves so many kisses! Shes got a lot on her plate though so please respect her......

BERENIKE - 38

(just mentioned!)

implied to be a huge strong knight who made it to even sens fortress! yes please !

BELL GARGOYLES - 37

hmmmmm,.......... if u can get past the whole lighting your face on fire, these are two loyal gargoyles! that seems pretty good to me!

BEATRICE - 36

a wonderful helpful witch friend! she is so nice to help you defeat flying bosses with her magic!! i love her so much! shes even cute to boot!

GIANT BLACKSMITH - 35

HE HELP ANYTIME................... I HAVE TO GIVE HIM A KISS FOR ALL HIS HARD WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LEGALLY I HAVE TO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RHEA - 34

putting aside my hatred of the way of white.... rhea really is just a babey.... shes adorable and kind and just wants everyone to be ok so im won over. maybe a little forehead smooch for being such a good person!

OSCAR - 33

oh oscar. a noble, heroic, and cute knight but in the end. would he be a good kisser........ i feel yes, but maybe not so much so! hes busy focusing on being a hero you know! hes a good friend and i cant help but fall in love with nice guys

THE FAIR LADY - 32

she deserves the entire world and all i can give her is my humanity and a kiss........... sobs. i wish i could do more to ease her pain but she is so strong and wonderful! please give her a nice smooch!

QUELANA - 31

i didnt wanna separate them ........ her wonderful sister! who even taught humans pyromancies! shes smart and nice, and honestly probably needs a kiss.

MILDRED - 30

uh my notes from last night are just

so yeah! thats mildred!

CRESTFALLEN MERCHANT - 29

hes sad as fuck but also... kinda handsome! he was a knight of berenike and made it almost all of the way through sens fortress showing how skilled he is! a strong man like this (inspired by maybe the best kisser in demons souls, boirr) has to be a good kiss!

SIEGMEYER - 28

hes going through a lot right now but... how could u not think siegmeyer is kissable. thats on you man. thats your own character flaw.

OSWALD - 27

ok this might be slightly controversial but i feel like oswald would be a good kisser. if you got past his slightly weird love for velka who well get to (thats just carimites (carimians? carimfolk???)) hes nice and kind and maybe the funkiest character in dark souls

KALAMEET - 26

another cant kiss you but.... kalameet is just so cool ! very shadow the hedgehog and u know what that is NOT a bad thing. you might have a rough time trying to get there, but..... aww whos a good dragon.....

DARKMOON KNIGHTESS - 25

alright the final stretch! the darkmoon knightess is the anor londo firekeeper, and a friend of gwyndolin! shes supposed to be “ugly and shit” (real quote. i would never lie to you) but her model is so cute! defiantly kissable as fuck!

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN - 24

GOFH ITS JUST A WIDDLE KITTEY CAT........... I GIVE IT A WIDDLE KISSEY ON ITS FOREHEAD AHOWHWWAWWW BABEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALVINA - 23

AWHAHWAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SHES H(FADOESAGVFOSDHFSO CUET EIFEDKC LKOFIE JS I LOVE YOU FJEADFIDASHCODEUFCUSFKSDHFKSUHFC

DUSK - 22

oh yes!! the princess of a lost land...... will you be her knight in shining armor.......... oh i just love her so much. shes sweet and nice and cute and deserves a kiss or two!! please be nice to my daughter!

SHIVA - 21

hottie with cool armor and a cooler sword. since they cut his whole sidequest i can with all certianty say YES he is super kissable and is probably a great kisser

QUELAAG - 20

IGNORIGN HER GIANT SPIDER LOWERBODY........... SHES JUST DOING THIS FOR HER SISTER SHE JUST WANTS TO HELP HER POOR SISTER WHOS IN PAIN HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE HER SO MUCH!! PLEASE KISS QUELAAG!

GRIGGS - 19

im putting griggs so high cus hes kissable in a factor unseen before...... baby factor. hes soft and nice and is just trying to find his dad! just tuck him into bed and kiss him goodnight! its what he deserves!

ARTORIAS - 18

everyone already KNOWS why artorias is a good kisser. hes nice, strong, brave, and most importantly. cool as FUCKING HELL ! HE DOES SICK ANIME FLIPS!! if you can look past the abyss slowly taking him over, youll find a good good boy who deserves a good kiss.

ANASTACIA - 17

the good firekeeper who we spend most of our time with in 1! YES of COURSE Shes kissable. she deserves SO MANY kisses for all of her hard work in keeping the firekeep shrine lit! good job anastacia im sorry lautrec is like that

VELKA GODDESS OF SIN - 16

(just mentioned!)

if her title alone doesnt bring you in, youll be pleased to know shes implied to help watch over priscilla (who well get to hold your horses) and keep the poor girl safe! a strong sense of justice and a love of crows, shes probably an amazing kiss if you can find her!

ANDRE - 15

were closing in on #1 and i just have to throw andre in here. hes so nice and strong! just . please kiss andre! he deserves some he does so much work!

PRISCILLA - 14

poor priscilla. called a monstrous crossbreed and has to hide in a painted world to stay safe from those who would hurt her. including the internet! leave her alone you freaks shes not your fetish fuel!!! she deserves a good kiss on the cheek and a hug for all she has to put up with

CRESTFALLEN WARRIOR - 13

its my list i get to put the crestfallen warrior where i want. and u know what? he would honestly be a good kiss. hes kind and helpful and never once wishes you harm, he just needs to be held tightly and kissed passionately and u know what. dont we all.

GWYNEVERE - 12

she is beautiful but .... 1 shes married and 2 shes not even real! whatever. her husband the flame god flann is at least.......... hot! haahgdaefshdfcdhswfe im so fucking funny

BLACK IRON TARKUS - 11

listen i see a big beefy dude i go “hey thats hot please kiss me” so of course tarkus is this high up hes the beefiest dude around.... right?? anyways all knights of berenike are kissable hes just the MOST kissable of the 3 named ones!

ORNSTEIN - 10

this dude kisses the son of gwyn you KNOW hes a good kiss. the golden lion armor just helps so much. we love you ornstein .....

HAVEL THE ROCK - 9

HERE HE IS ... THE BEEFIEST GUY AROUND ... this bitch uses a DRAGONS TOOTH as a huge club to bash people with if that isnt big dick energy i dont know what is. armor made of stone. heart made of gold. havel the rock please god kiss me passionately under the moonlight .

SIF - 8

oghfoghfohg puppey..................................... SMOOCHIE THE PUPPY>...........

NAMELESS KING (!?) - 7

(hes just mentioned in ds1!!)

I KNOW HES A DS3 BOSS BUT LISTEN TO ME THEY TALK ABOUT HIM SO MUCH IM ALLOWING THIS. he defected from his awful dads team to go help the DRAGONS!! thats so cool hes so kissable. would be more kissable if he wasnt kissing ornstein but thats ok . i respect them both.

MARVELOUS CHESTER - 6

this MAY just because i have a huge crush on him but also here are some good kissable things about him: his fasion, his voice that sounds like a purr, his laugh, his malice, his funny mask, him. thank you for your time.

GWYNDOLIN - 5

FINAL FIVE! heres gwyndolin. the most kissable of all of gwyns children for the sheer fact of how much work they put in to making sure people stay safe and happy. they are so kind and wonderful they deserve SO MANY kisses! good on you gwyndolin....

LAURENTIUS - 4

now heres a fun one! laurentius is one of the nicest guys u will EVER meet in any souls game. he genuinely cares about you, he loves and respects u even if u dont respect him or his skills, hes nice cute and above all: i love him . please kiss laurentius he is a nice guy who just wants the best for u..... dont be mean to him.....................

CAPRA DEMON - 3

the highest one that cant kiss back and thats for the capra demons SHEER HORNY ENERGIES. this is a demon you can fuck! thats it i have nothing else to say i just think the capra demon is funny

SOLAIRE - 2

do i seriously have to explain why solaire is so high up. not only is he nice and cares about you, hes handsome, passionate, and just a good fucking person. he is hands down one of the most kissable characters in any souls game ever! fuck yeah! go off you funky little lover boy!

and finally.

its patches.

#i made this entire list for a joke and u know what the 4 hours i spent on it for the build up was so fucking worth it i dont care #dark souls #soulsborne

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yarking · 6 years

Note

what’s the premise of your pet sim?

I’m going to be using vague terms because a lot of the terminology is being workshopped still, but essentially the player starts with/as (the player’s avatar is initially a single creature, but as they advance through the game they are given in a meta sense a group of creatures that they can switch between the perspective of, essentially playing “as” different characters) a single creature. (My goal is for this creature to be either generated by a personality-style test or by direct selection based on the player’s preferences, but depending on budgeting that might not be at lauch. Honestly you can assume that on a lot of the smaller and less consequential aspects of the game, but that’s just a example of what I’m not going to be including here). The creature meets and interacts with NPCs and other people’s characters using in-game mechanics (quests, gifting, daily written interacting with dialogue tree style conversations, as well as multiplayer events.) Without showing too much of my hand, these interactions open up the aesthetic and breeding aspect of the game. The aesthetic and breeding aspect of the game is designed around balancing the player having a cast of characters they can experiment with both story and design-wise, while also keeping players invested in each individual character. This is something that I’ve seen difficult to balance in the past as people straddle between pet sim and breeding sim, with the pet variety limiting the mutibility of a pet, while breeding sims leaning more towards pets being more disposable as players cycle through projects, new content and new pairs. Essentially, it rewards growing attached and exploring a character without locking a design in too hard. It is also designed to facilitate role play between players that doesn’t overly tax those who aren’t naturally social gamers while giving those who are mechanics to further that.

For story, the player begins as a member of a shipwrecked voyage, and early-game goals are to work to reach communal milestones to go from you and your crewmates being stranded on a beach with no resources and tools to being a stable colony. As the game progresses and the technology increases, the voyagers meet other established cities, explore the mysteries of their homeland’s past and royal conspericies and earn the respect and, with any luck, the aid of powerful new allies to gallop towards a revolutionary future.

I know that’s vague and a bit rough for an elevator pitch, but there is a reason it’s in early development, lol. That, and I don’t want to spoil all the spurprises, now do I?

The focus of my design from the ground up is accessibility and protection of the userbase (the number one priority is getting peope ABLE to play and for that experience to be safe). Font size adjustment, font changing for dyslexic or hard of sight players, disabling animation and sound, captioned images for screen readers. And on the social side, a robust and well-tested blocking system, message screening and tagging system for blacklisting terms without inhibiting the ability to play. The sort of things that SHOULD have been included in FR from its onset, instead of setting players up for seizures, block-dodging and trigger ~discourse~.

In my other post, I’ve seen a counter to what I’ve said be that FR is moving with the times by catering to the mobile users. To an extent, that is very true. I think that a site like FR should have considered mobile users from before launch since mobile gaming was already a major player by then, and by squashing one of the few aspects of the game with any sense of setting to it into something geared towards mobile players, you alienate those who want a desktop/laptop-based experience. Essentially, if they want to make their game mobile-friendly, make a mobile version. The site is still unplayable on mobile and the lukewarm way they’re trying to court both types of players is not doing justice to either.

I know going into this that I want to build a game that I’d want to play. And, plainly, I don’t like playing pet sims on my phone. Part of that is a lack of UI fit for mobile, and part of that is what experience I’m looking for in a mobile game vs a game like FR. I wouldn’t want to play FR on my phone, save perhaps a mobile version of the coliseum to grind. As a simple comparison, there is a difference between a console game and a handheld game. Differnet mechanics, different atmosphere, different feel, different investment. It’s a different ballgame. My sim’s target audience is content creating adults with time on their hands and photoshop/word/audacity minimized, and any mobile fuction is intended to be supplementary. Would casting a wider net and catering towards minors and mobile players mean a larger playerbase? Undoubtably. Would it be less fun for those who are my target audience? I think so. It’s a sacrifice to make, but.... yknow... I don’t ask call of duty to put in a fishing mini game just to make me happy.

#I love fishing mini games #Anonymous

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lupine-publishers-sjfn · 2 years

Text

Lupine Publishers | Structural Mapping of Beans (Cowpea) Marketers in Imo State, Nigeria

Lupine Publishers | Scholarly Journal of Food and Nutrition

Abstract

The study is on structural Mapping of beans (cowpea) marketers in Imo state, Nigeria. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select twenty- four (24) wholesalers and forty-two (42) retailers. Descriptive statistics, marketing margin analytical technique and Gini coefficient analytical technique were used to analyze the data collected. Results and Conclusion showed that majority of the beans traders were males, within the age range of 31-40 years, literate, married and have acquired marketing experience which ranges from 11-20 years. Beans’ marketing in the study area has two main channels, the major channel starts with the producers (beans farmer) to rural assembler, wholesalers, retailers and final consumer. The Gini coefficients for wholesalers and retailers were 0.663 and 0.656 respectively indicating inequality in the distribution of the traders. This also shows that the market structure for beans in the study area is imperfectly competitive.

Keywords: Structural; Organization; Beans (Cowpea); Marketers; Imo State

Introduction

Agriculture has been the backbone in the growth and development of many developing countries. It is a major sub-sector and has emerged to have a great importance in the development of economic sector of many developing countries including Nigeria. From the economic standpoint, according to [1] agricultural sub-sector has contributed profusely, constituting about 56.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) with 23% from crop production, employing about 70% labour force and providing over 80% of the food consumed in the country. The expansion of agriculture in Nigeria has greatly resulted to an increasing employment rate, foreign exchange rate and food security thereby elevating the standard of living of the populace [2]. Similarly, [3] also reported agriculture as a key driver to national survival, unemployment, food and foreign exchange earnings. However, the contribution of agriculture to Nigeria economy declined to 36.2% in [2] which was due to problem of flooding and other weather-related problems which adversely affected crop production and drastically brought down agricultural productivity in many part of the country [1,4]As a result, it is essential to resuscitate and heighten agricultural production in Nigeria specifically in the area of crop production to meet the appreciating demand for grains and leguminous crops and further ensure continual food supply to the growing population especially in the rural areas where income generation and livelihood heavily depend on agriculture, hence the ultimate goal of food security and sustainability can be attained. Beans (vigna unguiculata) are grains that are rich in protein source, consumed around the globe.it is a leguminous plant protein crop with protein content of 23%, rich in vitamins and minerals. According to [5] beans were introduced in the world mainly in the west and central Africa through slave trade and grow in tropical and sub-tropical area of the world [6]. It is cultivated in Nigeria mainly from its seed; [7] also reported that beans are essential staple food crop produced mainly for domestic consumption and animal feed. However; its role cannot be overemphasized. It is a cover crop commonly known for its capacity of improving and repairing soil fertility by converting atmospheric nitrogen through its root nodules to soil nitrogen which is in turn used up by plants.

This makes it able to strive well in poor and deteriorated soil. It is also intercropped with other crops such as maize, millet, sorghum in order to improve their yield. According to Muimui beans play a very important role in improving the livelihood of rural farmers by providing a source of income adding to its role to food and nutrition security. Market structure demonstrate the interrelated behavior of a market, such as the number and related strength of buyers and sellers, degree of freedom in determining the price, level and forms of competition, extent of product differentiation and ease of entry into and exit from market. The fundamental component of the structure conduct and performance (SCP) model described by [8] is the market structure. [9] also defined market structure as those features of the organization which seems to impact strategically the nature of competition and pricing within the market. [10] identified those factors considered to be of importance in determining the market structure of a product as the degree of product differentiation, the ease of entry and exit of the buyers and sellers into and out of the market and the status of knowledge about cost, price and market conditions among the participants in the market. The structure a market exhibits can be used to classify it based on the types of market structure that exist which includes perfect competition, monopolistic, oligopolistic and pure monopoly. Nigeria is currently the largest producers of beans in the world, yet, the demand for beans in Nigeria is running a domestic supply deficit of 518400 metric tons per year [11]. Moreover, expansion in beans production and marketing is hindered by inadequate research, poor information and record keeping which encourages weak production and distribution of beans in Nigeria. This is in line with [12] who reveals that Farmers usually accept lower prices for their products because of inadequate market information and capital to expand their beans production and access major markets for their produce. Beans marketing have a plethora of issues surrounding its prevalence, these necessitate the various research questions aimed to proffer solutions that can increase the organization of structure of beans marketing in Imo state Nigeria; the following research questions guided the study

a) What are the socioeconomic characteristics of beans marketers in Imo state?

b) What is the concentration of beans wholesalers and retailers in the study area?

c) What is the mapping of beans marketing channels in the study area? Therefore, this study aims at examining the structural mapping of beans marketers in the study area with the following specific objectives

a) Examine the socioeconomic characteristics of beans marketers in the study area.

b) Assess the organization of beans marketing in the study area through the channels

c) Ascertain the structural identity of beans marketing through the seller concentration.

Material and Methods

The study was conducted in Imo state, the state is situated in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. The state is divided into three agricultural zones which are Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri and consists of twenty-seven (27) local government areas [13] It lies within the latitude 40451N and 70151N and longitude 60501E and 70 251E with land area of about 5,100km2 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2014). It is bordered by Abia state on the East, River Niger and Delta state on the West, by Anambra State to the North and Rivers State to the South. It has an annual rainfall varying from 1,500mm to 2,200mm, an average annual temperature above 20oC and an annual relative humidity of 75% with humidity reaching 90% in rainy season. The estimated population is 4.8 million and the population density varies from 230-1,400 per square kilometer. The main occupation in Imo state is trading, civil service and agriculture [13]. The zonal main market was purposively selected due to relative high concentration of marketing activities and beans trade in these markets. These include owerri main market, orlu main market and okigwe main market.

From each zone, one rural LGA was randomly selected. In each of the rural LGAs, a major market was selected for the study, making it three (3) urban and three (3) rural markets to arrive at a total of six (6) markets. In each of the urban markets 6 beans wholesalers and 6 beans retailers were randomly selected. This gives 24 wholesalers and 24 retailers from the urban markets. From the rural markets, 6 retailers were randomly selected, giving 18 retailers on the whole. Therefore, this research was carried out using 24 wholesalers and 42 retailers (24 urban and 18 rural retailers) to give a total of 66 respondents for the study. Primary data was used for the study and it was obtained through the use of a structured questionnaire which was administered and retrieved from to 62 respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistic, marketing margin analytical technique and Gini analytical technique. Gini coefficient is used to determine the market concentration of sellers in the market. It can be computed using the formula: G.C = 1 -ΣXY

Where, G = Gini coefficient

X = Percentage share of each class of seller.

Y = Cumulative percentage of the sales

The Gini coefficient ranges from zero to one. A perfect equality in concentration (low) of sellers is expected if Gini coefficient tends toward zero, while perfect inequality in concentration (high) of sellers is expected, if Gini coefficient tends towards one. This was also used by [1].

Results and Conclusion

The result of socioeconomic characteristics presented in Table 1 above reveal that majority (72%) of the pooled beans traders were males, in the wholesaler category, 75% of the traders were male while 71% of the retailers were male and falls within the age range of 31-40 years which are referred to as economically active and usually self-motivated and innovative. The male involvement in beans marketing implies that beans marketing is vigorous and impose a lot of risks such as risk of travelling a long distance to the northern part in search of beans and as such may defer female participation in wholesale marketing considering their feminine nature and their significant role in home-keeping and child care. The response on their level of educational attainment shows that majority (67%) of the wholesaler, (60%) of the retailers and (62%) of the pooled beans traders has spent 7-12 years in school with the mean years of 12years and 11 years for wholesalers and retailers respectively. This implies that most of the bean’s traders are literate and are enlightened and can easily adopt innovative ideas that will enhance their performance and efficiency in carrying out their marketing activities. This is in line with the opinion of [14] that an educated marketer is in a better position for more investments and rational decisions for increased income than an uneducated one. The results in Table1 also revealed marketing experience of the beans marketers, it was indicated that about 42% of the wholesalers, 48% of the retailers and 45% of the pooled traders had been in beans marketing. The mean marketing experience was 8years and 9 years for wholesalers and retailers respectively. This implies that beans marketers have gained a rational knowledge in marketing which will enable them to manage their business more effectively while maximizing profit. The table showed that majority of the bean’s marketers were married, this could be attributed to the fact that married trader have more responsibility to cater for and also have free supply of family labor. The traders in the study area were found to belong to their trade/co-operative association, essence being to help them pool their resources together and purchase in bulk and also gain access to credit facilities to enable them to expand their businesses.

Marketing Channels for Beans

(Figure 1) Marketing Channels for Beans Marketing in the study area Pp= Purchase price, Sp= Selling Price, TMC = Total Marketing Cost, GM= Gross Margin, NM= Net Margin Source: Field Survey data, 2019. The result in the diagram above shows detailed marketing channels for beans. The first stage in the marketing channels starts with the major channel which is the producers (beans farmer) who sell to the rural assembler in the production area or in the local market [15]. The rural assembler then assemble the produce and sell to the wholesalers who normally comes from distant place to purchase the product, they normally purchase in large quantity from different rural assemblers and sell in small quantities to retailers who are normally traders, they are those retailers who sell to consumers and some of the local processors of moimoi and Akara. The minor channel is where the wholesalers sell their produce directly to consumers. This normally happened in the urban markets where beans processors directly purchase from the wholesalers as soon as they arrive from the Northern States where beans are purchased. The direct linkage between the producers and consumers is non-existent and not feasible because of the high market risks and financial requirement involved in purchasing it from the producers in the North.

Market concentration for beans marketers in the study area

In Table 2 (a), it was shown that total sales of the sampled wholesalers was 54.75 metric tons and only 25% of them (wholesalers) sold a total of 35.47 metric tons representing 64.78% of the total beans sold by the wholesalers in the area while the majority of the wholesalers (75%) sold only 19.29 metric tons (35.22%) of the total beans marketers. It shows that only few traders (in this case 25%) can significantly influence the beans wholesale trade. The Gini coefficient for wholesalers was 0.663 which is higher than 0.35 that illustrates market equality. This indicates level of inequality of 0.663 among the distribution of the wholesalers [16]. This implies that there is 66.3% inequality in size distribution of wholesalers’ concentration. Thus, the market is 66.3% less competitive (Imperfect). In other words there is low level of competition in the wholesale beans market; it was found that there are few marketers who engaged in wholesale marketing because of the large investment of capital required and the marketing risk associated with travelling, sourcing and assembling of beans from different markets of Northern States. These few wholesalers could influence supplies by increasing or decreasing the quantity marketed. In other words, few wholesalers’ share was significant part of volume of trade in the market such that it could affect the market price which would invariably lead to market imperfection. In Table 2(b), it was shown that total sales of the sampled retailer was 14.35 metric tons, only 4.76% of the retailer sold 28.30% (4.06 metric tons) of the beans marketed, 28.51% of the retailers sold 19.81% (2.84) of the beans marketed, 14.28% of the retailers sold 14.50% (2.08 metric tons) of the beans marketed and 7.14% of the retailers sold 11.92% (1.71 metric tons) of the beans marketed. The Gini coefficient for retailers was 0.656 which is higher than 0.35 that illustrates market equality. This indicates level of inequality of 0.656 among the distribution of the retailers. This implies that there is 65.6% inequality in size distribution of retailer’s concentration thus, the market is 65.6% less competitive (imperfect) [17].

Conclusion

From the findings, it could be deduced that beans marketing is male dominated having majority of them in wholesaling than in retailing and are still at their active age. The beans move from the producers through the local assemblers, wholesalers, retailers and then to the final consumers. The market structure of beans in the study area is imperfectly competitive; this is because the Gini coefficient of the wholesalers and retailers were 0.663 and 0.656 respectively which is categorized as imperfectly competitive of oligopolistic market. This could be due to high level of inequality in the distribution of the traders resulting from existing market barriers to free entry and exist to the market, High initial capital requirement, risks associated with wholesale marketing and market skills

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marketstreambiz · 3 years

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pamphletstoinspire · 3 years

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First Sunday of Advent - November 27, 2020 by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1877

A New ecclesiastical year! A new year of graces! The festivals of the Church are a spiritual tree, which yearly decks itself with new fruits, by the fresh commemoration of past great events and mysteries; a commemoration, which God blesses with special graces for every child of His Church. The Church, on every festival, prays as if the mystery which she commemorates had taken place that very day. In truth, as St. Augustine says, for God there is but one eternal day. But only those children of the Church gather these yearly fruits, who earnestly prepare themselves for the festival; and the more zealous their efforts, the more abundant their harvest. But just because the year commences with Advent, and because on a good beginning depends, in a great measure, the progress of a work, every Catholic should be anxious to celebrate this day, the first Sunday of Advent, in the spirit of the Church, in order to be animated with her spirit the whole year.

For this end I shall consider today with you the words of the Apostle: “The night is past, the day is at hand.” Mary, Mother of the promised Redeemer, give us thy maternal blessing! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

“The night is past, the day is at hand.” These words of the Apostle the Church today makes her own. The effects of sin are exemplified by the properties of the night.

At night one either does not see objects at all, or sees them indistinctly. Thus also man in the state of sin, either does not see things that concern his salvation, or he does not see them clearly.

At night one does not work; and the same happens in the state of sin. The sinner can gain nothing for eternal life, even should he zealously practice external works of devotion.

At night the beasts of the wilderness prowl in quest of their prey. In the sinner’s heart passions are rampant, and seek for their base gratification.

Night brings sleep to man. Not unlike is the effect of sin on the soul. Sleep, as the proverb says, is the brother of death. The man who sleeps, sees not, hears not, eats not, labors not. Were he to remain always in this condition, he would, in a certain sense, be dead. Not very different is the spiritual state of the sinner.

He sees not; he does not recognize, does not perceive the malice and heinousness of sin. On the contrary, he denies the wickedness of the most abominable sins, pretending that they are but natural weaknesses, or he even praises them as virtues. He calls pride, self-respect; avarice, economy; anger, enmity, and revenge, righteous self-defense; impure attachments, harmless love; fraud, prudence. He looks but seldom into his conscience, and excuses himself as best he can to others and to himself, saying, that he is not so bad, that others are still worse, that he yet hopes to be saved, that God is infinite goodness, forgetting that He is also infinite justice.

Regarding his duties as a Christian, he thinks that he has fulfilled them, because in the morning he makes the sign of the cross, says a few prayers in the evening, hears Mass on Sunday, unless an entertainment or some business, even of small importance, calls him elsewhere, goes to confession once a year through human respect, and receives Holy Communion without devotion or thanksgiving, and, perhaps, even without due preparation. This seems to him sufficient. He forgets that it is the duty of every Christian to strive after sanctity; such an aim he leaves to priests and religious, as something not intended for ordinary Christians. He sleeps.

The sinner hears not. Even should the Holy Ghost admonish him by inspirations, the tumult of temporal business and enjoyment makes him deaf to that voice.

He eats not. He partakes not of the bread of life in order to grow in the imitation of Christ, and endeavors not by the practice of virtue to multiply his treasures and merits for heaven. He sleeps, and dreams of a life far different from that in which he is really engaged. He dreams of a life of ease and comfort in this world, and lives without a thought of approaching eternity. It will be well for him if the threat of divine judgment rouses him from his sleep, and if he obeys the call of the Apostle: “Rise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee” (Eph. 5, 14)

As those who sleep dislike to be wakened, so the sinner dislikes all efforts to convert him, or rouse him from the sleep of sin. If he heeds the call of grace and returns, by a sincere conversion, to God, then he suddenly sees and recognizes the evil of his former state. The beauty of virtue reveals itself to him, and he becomes conscious of the necessity of fulfilling all his duties as a Christian. He listens now to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, and makes use of all the sources of grace in order to live like a child of God.

But that this condition may be lasting, and the conversion be a true one–the contrary of which happens only too often–the Apostle calls to us today: ” Cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light! By the expression: “Cast off,” the Apostle clearly points out the reason why so many presumed conversions are only deceptions. The sinner stops when only half way. He renounces for a time, and under certain circumstances, this or that sin; but no sooner, circumstances changing, do temptations regain their former strength, than he is the same sinner as of old. He renounces sin only partly, that is, he sins not so frequently, or for a time not at all. But he does not avoid new occasions of sin with sufficient care. He does not renounce sin entirely. He remains near it; and it is no wonder that we soon see verified in him the words: “And the last state of that man becometh worse than the first.” No; if our conversion is to be genuine, then we must follow the directions of the Apostle, and cast off the works of darkness. We must cast off not only sin, but also every occasion that leads to it, with that resolution of which Christ speaks to us when He says: “If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee;” that is, rather suffer temporal injury, rather sacrifice life itself, than commit sin or remain voluntarily in the occasion of doing evil.

But we must not be satisfied with practicing Christian virtues for a time, for the Apostle says: “Put on the armor of light;” which means that we must always and every-where practise those virtues which are required by our station in life, that we must put them on, so to say, like a robe for our soul. In this manner the works of light become at the same time weapons which help us to conquer as children of the Church militant.

Happy the souls who commence this Advent with an earnest will and renewed resolutions, and fulfill this twofold exhortation of the Apostle. They will gather rich fruits from the approaching festival of the Nativity, and they will continue to increase their store during the year they have so well commenced.

Let us begin the work of renovation at once; let us not put it off till the eve of Christmas, as our sluggish nature may suggest. Before the season of preparation is over, we shall have made considerable progress. God grant it! Amen!

“Brethren, it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep.”–Rom. 13, 11.

Again Advent, the time of grace, has arrived. As the life of nature demands the change of seasons that the earth be clothed anew with flowers and fruits, so also the spiritual life in the world of grace demands the renewed consideration of the mysteries of our redemption, as they are placed before our eyes in the order of salvation. These holy mysteries are imaged in the different periods of the year; and here again is verified the word of Holy Writ in praise of the divine wisdom of tint Creator: Who disposes all thing s sweetly, yet powerfully, and in wonderful harmony. It behooves us to co-operate with these dispositions of divine Providence, as Holy Church, our Mother, teaches us and demands of her children. The wish of the Church in regard to the celebration of Advent, is pointed out to us in today’s Epistle and Gospel. Let us meditate on their meaning that we may awake forever from the sleep of sin and its dreams. I said last year that the state of a sinner is a sleep. I say to you this year: The state of the sinner is a dream.

O Mary, conceived without sin, grant that we may during this Advent cleanse our hearts from every stain of evil! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

St. Paul in today s Epistle, illustrates the state of sin from the qualities of night. How? We considered this last year on the first Sunday of Advent. This year I assert that the life of a man in the state of sin, is a dream. To make this my assertion clear by a memorable example, listen to what happened in Belgium in the reign of Philip the Good.

The king, one day found lying in the street a poor man totally intoxicated. He gave orders to have him carried to the palace, to be clothed in new and splendid garments, and to be laid upon the royal bed. When the man awoke, sobered by his sleep, he could not understand his position, and wondered what had happened. He looked around, rubbed his eyes, and could not make out whether he was awake or dreaming. While in this state of astonishment, the servants and courtiers of the king came to him, and, following their master’s instructions, persuaded him that he was really king, and that his former miserable state had been only an illusion. Highly delighted at what he had heard, he passed the day in royal happiness. At night, after he had relapsed through excessive drink into a state of intoxication, the king had him dressed again in his rags, and laid in the street. When he awoke, he thought that only in his dreams he had enjoyed the pleasure of royalty.

Let us now make the application: Man is in a similar condition when asleep in sin. His life is a dream. Let us draw out the comparison, and we shall recognize and admit the truth of this assertion.

He who dreams believes that he is in a different state from that in which he really is. He thinks that he is awake, yet he is not. He thinks that he sees, and yet he does not see. He thinks that he hears, he even sometimes believes that he listens to music and joyful songs, and yet it is all false. He thinks that he eats and drinks, and he does not. He thinks that he speaks sensibly, and he does not speak at all. He thinks that he walks, and he is in bed. He thinks he is well, and perhaps he is sick, very sick. He thinks he is rich, whilst in truth he is poor. Not unlike is the condition of sinners, of whom it is said in the seventy-fifth Psalm: “They have slept their sleep and have found nothing in their hands.”

The pleasures of this world appear to the sinner as the highest attainable good. They seem to him capable of satisfying the longings of his heart. He thinks that he provides for the present and the future; and yet all is deception, vanity of vanities.

And what causes this deception? I answer: Dreams arise because during sleep our excited imagination is not guided by reason and reality. Imagination not guided by reason and faith, makes the life of the sinner a dream.

The dream varies, however, with the nature of the night in which the sinner sleeps. This night is threefold: The night of unbelief–of misbelieve–and of a dead belief.

The unbeliever sleeps in the night of paganism, and he dreams. The sun of faith has not yet risen for him, or else has set again. Hence his degradation, his deception. Instead of being moved by every object that strikes his senses to glorify the Creator, he worships creatures, he idolizes himself.

The misbeliever dreams in the night with which a false creed has obscured his mind. The sunlight of the infallible doctrine of the Church does not shine for him. He thinks that he belongs to the true Church of Christ, that, though voluntarily misbelieving, he will still be saved. He dreams.

The condition in which a child of the Church lives when he is in sin, also resembles a dream. The world has placed itself between him and the sun of faith, like a moon. If in nature an eclipse were lasting, the sun would lose all his power, all his influence over organic life. In the same manner I say: The sinner though a Catholic, dreams. He thinks that, because he is a Catholic and believes, he is on the right path to heaven; but he does not consider the words which St. James uses: “Thou believest. Thou dost well : the devils also believe and tremble. Show me thy faith without works, and I will show thee, by works, my faith” (2, 18). Do you hear, sinner? The faith which your life has dishonored, has become the millstone that draws you still deeper into the abyss of hell.

And how fast is the sleep in which these three kinds of sleepers dream away their lives! Be it the night of unbelief, misbelief, or dead belief, which fills their minds with illusions ; experience teaches how difficult it is to waken them. They like to dream, and resist an awakening. I have met many in my life who slept, and to all appearances dreamed, and it was impossible to rouse them. I called to them as loud as I could, I shook them with all my strength, it was all in vain. I held the light close to their eyes; they smiled in their dream; the light fell on their eyes, but did not open them, and they continued to sleep and to dream.

This is a picture of sinners held captive by the illusions of their state.

Truly it is difficult to convert heathens and unbelievers to the light of faith, if God does not force them, so to say, by a miracle, to recognize the truth. Notwithstanding the numberless miracles which Christ Himself, His apostles, and their followers have wrought in confirmation of the Gospel, entire nations are yet asleep, and after nineteen hundred years almost the half of mankind is still buried in the darkness of unbelief, and dream the strangest dreams.

The same may be said of Jews and heretics. For nineteen hundred years have the former awaited the rising of that Sun which during all these years has sent His beams upon their heads; they still dream of a coming Messiah.

There are heretics who for fifteen hundred years have been separated from the true Church, although every child that believes in Christ must recognize the Catholic Church, because she is the first, as she is the only true Church of Christ. The Lord Himself assures us that: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against her.”

But what shall we say of the blindness of those sinners who are children of the Church? How obstinately they dream in their sleep of sin! What is the cause? St. John answers this question when he says: “Men loved darkness rather than the light” (John 3, 19). Notwithstanding all that is told them and proved to them, they, perhaps, only smile like those who are fast asleep–blink with the eyes of the mind at the light of faith, but do not open them.

May the Lord have pity on them, and give them a love of truth, that they may open the eyes of their mind and save themselves before as the gospel of today threatens the trumpets of the last judgment sound, and they are forced to cry:

Oh, what madness! We have erred, and the light of truth was not within us. Woe to us! The night of despair which now hangs over us is not a dream, it shall last forever!

“Be you like to men who wait for their Lord.”–Luke 12, 36.

Our first parents in Paradise, and through them the entire human race, received the promise of the future Redeemer and Saviour. Four thousand years, however, passed before the Son of God entered the world, in the fullness of time, and accomplished, through His suffering and death, the work of redemption. The world had first to be prepared for His arrival; man had to feel and experience that by himself he is not able to know and serve God, or to regulate his life, as the relation of creature to the Creator demands.

But also in preparation for the second coming of Christ, as Judge of the living and the dead, man ought so to use his time of life, that on the last day he may be able to stand with confidence before the tribunal of his Saviour, and be found worthy to enjoy in His company the fruits of redemption in the kingdom of heaven.

The most necessary preparation for so happy an issue is a longing for His coming, together with solicitude to prepare our hearts for His reception, even in this life.

O Mary, Queen of the prophets, thou who didst unite in thy heart the longing of all the prophets, and who, of all human beings, wast best prepared to receive the Lord, obtain for us grace so to regulate our lives that, when Christ comes to judge the living and the dead, we may be ready! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” Thus complains the Evangelist. Alas! with how much reason! Notwithstanding the immeasurable wretchedness into which sin had precipitated us, and to redeem us from which Christ came upon earth, the words of the Evangelist were literally fulfilled: “And His own received Him not.” Bethlehem closed its doors against Him, at His birth; Jerusalem disowned Him and nailed Him to the cross. The hearts of the children of Israel, whom God had especially elected, and by the voice of the prophets again and again admonished, were, after four thousand years, not prepared to receive Him.

Neither did the heathen welcome with joy and gratitude the message of His coming. Only too soon did they arise with all the rage of persecutors against the Kingdom of Christ,–against His Holy Church.

All the apostles, whom the Lord sent over the entire world to preach the Gospel, suffered martyrdom. St. John, although not actually deprived of life, was thrown into a caldron of boiling oil, and was saved only by a miracle. Seventeen millions of martyrs shed their blood, before the Romans, as a people, confessed Christ. And how many nations exist, even today, who obstinately refuse to receive the message of salvation!

But, even among those who have had the happiness to become children of the Church through baptism, how many deserve the reproach: “And His own received Him not!” Not to speak of the many people who, by voluntary misbelief, separate themselves from the Church and exclude from their hearts the Lord whom they recognize as their Redeemer; let us particularly think of those who, while to all appearances they belong to the Church, yet, through sin, banish Christ from their hearts.

“The kingdom of God is within you,” says the Lord. Thus it should be. As Christ entered the world for the salvation of all mankind, so likewise He came to save each soul, and He, therefore, demands to be received by each one of us. This, however, is the case only when we remain in the state of sanctifying grace, and when we open our hearts to the inspirations of actual grace, to be enlightened and strengthened, that, in following Christ, we may fulfill the most holy will of God, and thus be saved through Christ.

Again and again the Lord’s voice invites each soul; He watches and knocks at the door of our heart, as Holy Writ teaches, and calls out to us: Open–let me enter into thy heart. Christ Himself says: We will come, the Father and I, and make thy heart our abode. This disposition, this care, this co-operation with the grace of the Lord, made the saints what they were.

But how much in this regard is amiss in those, who, though they call themselves children of Holy Church, banish by mortal sin the Lord from their hearts, and do not open them to the inspirations of grace, but listen only to the spirit of the world? Instead of preparing an abode for Christ, they prepare a dwelling for Satan.

And why is it, that so many, while they do not drive Christ by mortal sin from their hearts, yet do not prepare a worthy habitation for Him? Because they do not meditate earnestly and frequently upon the words of the angel to the apostles, on the day of our Lord’s ascension: “This Jesus shall so come again as you have seen Him going into heaven.”

Scripture mentions a twofold coming of Christ upon the earth. One as Redeemer, which, in the fullness of time, has already taken place; the other at the end of the world, when, as Judge, He will demand of every soul an account of the manner in which the graces of redemption have been employed. Hence we also speak of a twofold Advent. The first commenced in paradise with the promise of the Redeemer, and lasted till the Ascension; the second commenced with that day, and will last for each man in particular until death, when Christ will judge him, and for the whole human race together until the day of final reckoning.

Every one must, therefore, prepare himself in the time of Advent, so that when the Lord comes, he may be awake and ready. Hence the often repeated admonition of Christ and His Apostles: “Be prepared!”

But to know in what this preparation consists, we need only think of what we do when we prepare ourselves for the arrival of an expected guest.

We first consider the person who is to come, his dignity, his importance; he may be a king, an emperor, or, perhaps, even the Pope himself. The second thought is of the relationship in which we stand to him ; whether there are ties of love and friendship between us; whether he is a father, brother, friend, or benefactor from whom we have received all we possess, and to whom we owe the happiness of our life; whether he is a man on whose favor our entire future depends–a man to whom we are accountable, who holds in his hands our life, because he is the Judge who is to pass sentence upon us. How all this may be applied to Christ’s coming, is evident.

Jesus, whom we expect, is the King of kings, the Lord of hosts, to whom all power in heaven and upon earth is given. He is the Father who bestowed upon us the right to be children of God, the Brother who divides with us his heritage of glory, the Friend who gave his life for us, the Benefactor from whom we have every gift of body and soul for time and eternity; it is He who will be our Judge, and who will determine our future lot for all eternity. He who will be the Bridegroom of our souls, if He has dwelt in our hearts during our life here below.

With how much solicitude should we endeavor to employ our lives in such a manner that we may be prepared to receive Him with exultation when He comes!

While expecting some one we love, we carefully remove from our dwelling all that might be displeasing to him, and try to procure all that he likes and does him honor.

Applying this to the Advent of our life, I say: Cleanse your heart, especially in this holy season, from all stain of sin. Fill it with fragrant thoughts of longing love, and adorn it with precious jewels of virtue, in order that you may say with David: “My heart is prepared!” Come, O Jesus my Saviour! Amen! (6)

Adapted from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger

This Sunday, the first of the ecclesiastical year, is called, in the chronicles and charts of the middle ages, Ad te levavi Sunday, from the first words of the Introit (To Thee have I lifted up my soul…); or, Aspiciens a longe, from the first words of the one of the responsories of Matins (Looking from afar, I see the power of God coming…).

The Station is at St. Mary Major’s. The Stations, marked in the Roman Missal for certain days in the year, were formerly processions, in which the whole clergy and people of Rome went to some given church, and there celebrated the Office and Mass. This usage, which dates from the earliest period of the Roman Church, and of which St. Gregory the Great was but the restorer, continued to exist in some measure in later times, though with less solemnity and concourse of the people.

It is under the auspices of Mary—in the splendid basilica which possesses the Crib of Bethlehem, and is therefore called, in ancient documents Sancta Maria ad Praesepe—that the Roman Church recommences, each year, the Sacred Cycle. It would have been impossible to select a place more suitable than this for saluting the approach of the Divine Birth, which is to gladden Heaven and earth, and manifest the sublime portent of a Virgin Mother. Let us go in spirit to this august temple, and unite in the prayers which were, for so long a time, being offered up there, and which we will now explain.

In the night Office, the Church commences the reading of the Book of Isaias, who, of all the Prophets, has the most distinctly and explicitly foretold the Messias; and She continues this same Book until Christmas Day inclusively. Let us strive to enter into the teaching of the holy prophet, and let the eye of our faith affectionately recognize the promised Savior in the descriptions, sometimes consoling and sometimes terrifying, under which Isaias depicts Him.

The first words of the Church, in the still of midnight, are these: Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus. Come, let us adore our Lord and King, Who is about to come to us.

This first duty of adoration complied with, let us listen to the oracle of the prophet Isaias, delivered to us by the Holy Church:

The vision of Isaias, the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Juda and Jerusalem, in the days of Ozias, Joathan, Achaz, and Ezechias, kings of Juda. Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken: I have brought up children, and exalted them: but they have despised Me. The ox knoweth his Owner, and the ass his Master’s crib: but Israel hath not known Me, and My people hath not understood. Woe to the sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a wicked seed, ungracious children. They have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they are gone away backwards. For what shall I strike you any more, you that increase transgression? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is sad. From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein; wounds, and bruises, and swelling sores; they are not bound up, nor dressed, nor fomented with oil.

These words of the holy prophet, or rather of God Who speaks to us by the prophet, should make a deep impression on the children of the Church, at this opening of the holy period of Advent. Who could hear without trembling this voice of Our Lord, Who is despised and unknown, even at the very time when He is coming to visit His people? Lest men should be terrified at the splendor of His majesty, He divested Himself of it; and far from acknowledging the divine power of Him Who thus humbled Himself out of love for them, these men have refused even to know Him; and the crib where He lay after His birth, had, at first, but two dumb animals to honor or notice it (aside from His Mother and St. Joseph). Do you feel, Christians, how just are the complaints which your God here makes? And how your indifference for all His love is an insult? He calls Heaven and earth to witness; He utters anathema against the sinful nation, His ungrateful children. Let us honestly confess that we, too, have not known the value of our Jesus’ visit to us, and that we have but too faithfully imitated the obduracy of the Jews, who heeded not the bright light when it burst upon their darkness. In vain did the angels sing on that December night; in vain did shepherds receive and welcome the invitation to adore the Babe and know Him; in vain did the Magi come from the East, asking where they were to find the crib of the King that was born. At this last example, the city of Jerusalem was somewhat moved; but the astonishment was only for a moment, and the old indifference soon stifled the good tidings.

Thus it is, O Jesus, that Thou comest unto darkness, and darkness does not comprehend Thee. We beseech Thee, let our darkness comprehend the Light, and desire it. The day will come when Thou wilt disperse the spiritual and voluntary darkness of men by the awful light of Thy justice. Thy glory, O sovereign Judge, will be magnificent on that day, and we love to think upon Thy having it; but during these days of our life on earth, deliver us from Thy wrath. We are one great wound from the sole of the foot unto the top of the head; Thou knowest not where to strike: be then a Savior, O Jesus, in this Advent, for which we are now preparing. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is sad; come, and raise up this head which shame and vile passions bow down to the earth. Come, and comfort this heart oppressed with sin and fear. We confess it, our wounds are deep and sore; come, Thou good Samaritan, pour in Thy soothing oil and heal them.

The whole world is in expectation of its Redeemer; come, dear Jesus, show Thyself to it by granting it salvation. The Church, Thy Bride, is now commencing another year, and Her first word is to Thee, a word which She speaks in the anxious solicitude of a mother for the safety of her children; She cries out to Thee, saying, “Come!” No, we will go no farther in our journey through the desert of this life without Thee, O Jesus! Time is passing quickly away from us; our day is perhaps far spent, and the shades of our life’s night are fast coming on; arise, O divine Sun of justice. Come! guide our steps and save us from eternal death.

The Epistle is from St. Paul to the Romans, Ch. 13:

Brethren, know that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy: but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Savior, then, who is coming to us is the clothing which we are to put on over our spiritual nakedness. Here let us admire the goodness of God, Who, remembering that man hid himself after his sin, because he was naked, vouchsafes Himself to become man’s clothing, and to cover with the robe of His Divinity the misery of human nature. Let us, therefore, be on the watch for the day and the hour when He will come to us, and take precautions against the drowsiness which comes of custom and self-indulgence. The light will soon appear; may its first rays be witness of our innocence, or at least of our repentance. If our Savior is coming to put over our sins a covering which is to hide them forever, the least that we, on our part, can do, is to retain no further affection for those sins, else it will be said of us that we refused salvation. The last words of this Epistle are those which caught the eye of St. Augustine, when, after a long resistance to the grace which pressed him to give himself to God, he resolved to obey the voice which said to him: “Tolle, lege; take and read.” They decided his conversion; he immediately resolved to abandon the worldly life he had hitherto led, and to put on Christ Jesus. Let us begin this very day, and imitate this Saint. Let us long for that dear and glorious clothing with which the mercy of our heavenly Father is so soon to cover us; and let us say with the Church these touching words of the Gradual, which we cannot repeat too often during this time of the year:

None of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded, O Lord. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me: and teach me Thy paths. Alleluia, alleluia. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy: and grant us Thy salvation. Alleluia.

In the Gospel of today, taken from St. Luke, Ch. 21, Holy Church turns Her attention to the Second Coming of Christ:

At that time: Jesus said to His disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea, and of the waves; men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world: for the powers of the heavens shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption is at hand…

Thou art to come, then, O Jesus, in all the terror of the Last Judgment, and when men least expect Thee. In a few days Thou art coming to us to clothe our misery with the garment of Thy mercy; a garment of glory and immortality to us; but Thou art to come again on a future day, and in such dread majesty that men will wither away with fear. O our Savior! condemn us not on that day of the world’s destruction. Visit us now in Thy love and mercy; we are resolved to prepare our souls. We desire that Thou shouldst come and be born within us, so that when the convulsions of nature warn us of Thy coming to judge us, we may lift up our heads, as Thou biddest Thy faithful disciples do, who, when the rest of men shall tremble at the thunder of Thy judgment, will have confidence in Thee, because they have Thee in their hearts.

#first sunday of advent

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darwinforthewin · 3 years

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The “Golden damAge”

Generally, it was told to us that Marcos’ regime was the ‘Golden Age’ of the Philippine economy. During his time, the Philippines was the richest country in South East Asia. This was proven by the massive infrastructures that were built such as hotels, public roads and highways, art centers, hospitals, parks transportations, bridges, and more which provided jobs for the Filipinos. Basic commodities were also asserted to be significantly lower compared to their prices nowadays and the inflation rate was at the bottom; hence, the peso value was an all-time high. The country was peaceful and powerful when Marcos assumed presidency in the Philippines. All these beautiful and remarkable works of Marcos have inspired many Filipinos and influenced them into foolishly believing the notion of the “golden age.” In fact, this is what I had always been taught by the elementary books.

Little did I know that these so-called “remarkable” works of Marcos have a whole different story on the other side that I never got to learn back in the days. The film, “The Kingmaker”, is an eye-opener to everyone who seeks to find the true reality about what the Marcos family had done for the country. The film portrays the different perspectives of prominent people that witnessed and experienced the rule of Ferdinand Marcos during his time as the president and its comparison to what Imelda Marcos claimed to what had happened. Moreover, the documentary covered untold stories of people behind the “remarkable” projects that Marcos claimed to had contributed to the Philippine economy. These stories were never taught to us; nevertheless, these will change what we have always known inside out.

Since the Marcos era, it was evident that not only journalists, but also bureaucrats who are critical of the Marcos administration have been targeted with threats and blacklisting. People who attempt to go against the administration eventually were killed or arrested. Inevitably, this has resulted in hesitation over several years for both journalists and bureaucrats to disseminate the right information to the public concerning the said administration. Over the past years, we not able to obtain sufficient and grounded information about the Marcos family and this had led many Filipinos, especially the younger generations, to believe that the Marcos administration had a well-respected reputation. The Filipino journalist, Lauren Greenfield, who created the documentary certainly deserves recognition for what she has done. The documentary presented facts that may have offended some people in power. Without a doubt, it is conceivable that she gets the attention of many government officials; thus, she may become subject to conversions, threats, or even some allegations just like what normally happened to people who go against the administration. Even so, Lauren Greenfield exhibited the documentary in an objective manner covering the real situation of the country and its people amidst Marcos’ ruling in the face of the potential risks.

The documentary is focused on stories of prominent people, most especially Imelda Marcos, and their in-depth perspectives on different incidents in the Marcos’ regime. Surprisingly, Imelda Marcos agreed to be part of the documentary. There could be reasons as to why she willingly participated in the documentary. These reasons can be associated with her desire to restore their image and reputations to make it as clean as can be. It was observable in the documentary how Imelda Marcos treasures their lost influence and power as she recalls her days as the first lady of the Philippines. Besides, the manner Imelda Marcos stated her contributions for the country is toned in a way that is pleasant to the ears, meaning everything she said leans toward righteousness so as to aim at justifying her actions for the country. She did not mention any flaw of their governance when it was obvious that many Filipinos , especially during the Martial Law which lasted for 8 years, had been badly mutilated. Without a doubt, her reasons for participating in the documentary are reasons of her own, for her image, and her influence.

As the film progresses, Imelda Marcos continues to show good deeds and sincerity towards the poor by giving money and visiting her former projects. She mentions often her motherly way of taking care of the citizens. She says that there were no beggars across the streets of Manila and the city was peaceful back in time. She asserts the various projects she had developed which helped numerous Filipino people and the country in general. On the contrary, the people that were interviewed simultaneously said the complete opposite of Imelda’s actions for the country or one could say the dark truths behind the projects she built.

There were indeed huge projects that were built during their time; however, all those projects were built with inadequate efficiency. During their time, the Philippines had borrowed a large amount of money from several other countries. The country was in abundance of resources and this is what made the Philippines become a rich country in South East Asia. This means that all the infrastructures were meant to be built even better with the enormous resources the country possessed. Nonetheless, the resources were not used for the purpose they were given. For instance, one Philippine governor specifically mentioned in his interview that public highways were supposedly built with 6 to 8 inches of concrete. Instead, they were built with only 2 inches of concrete. Additionally, the Safari Park project that enticed the eyes of many Filipinos is not so enticing after all. The documentary showed that the project included the expulsion of thousands of villagers from their homes as well as the negligence in sustaining the imported animals. The Marcos administration built the park but they never bothered to take care of it.

These projects are just some of the many that contributed to our mentality of the “Golden Age.” Meanwhile, Imelda Marcos was reportedly purchasing billions and millions of properties and assets in the United States. It was mentioned in the film that she was impulsive with the acquisition of material things. Lastly, according to Mandrilla and Punongbayan (2016), the inflation rate during the Marcos era skyrocketed heavily in comparison with the previous inflation rates. A massive number of people had, in reality, lost their jobs. We lost two decades of development, the country borrowed too much quickly and work conditions deteriorated rapidly. Taking everything into account, all infrastructures during the time of Marcos were done out of mere crumbs, meaning we had the chance to build much better infrastructures and establishments, instead we were given the fragments. Not only that, but their projects were also done discreetly at the expense of other people.

This can only be deduced to a certain reality that alms are what was given to the country instead of pure wealth during this time. Even in the film, it was illustrated how Imelda Marcos takes care of the poor by giving 50 pesos or 1000 pesos which, in effect, makes the poor think as if she has actually a good heart. This goes the same with the situation of our country during the Marcos administration. The Marcoses may have constructed various projects and infrastructures that made the Filipinos praise them, but in reality, those projects were only fragments of what we could have had. Rather, the money went into their pockets; thus, our country has suffered from a significant debt up until now. Throughout the film, she remained to be pitiful towards the interviewer. With stating her sufferings, difficulties, and sacrifices in the politics, while knowing the sins of the Martial Law and her administration, one could honestly say that she was talking from an appeal to pity in order for people to believe that she is a kind individual with a good soul and a sincere effort to achieve the betterment of the country.

In the documentary, Sandro Marcos, son of Bongbong Marcos, makes an appearance alongside the campaign of his father. Similar to how Ferdinand Marcos brings his son to political ventures, Bongbong takes Sandro through his campaigns to increase Sandro’s interest and exposure in politics. This would only show the kind of strategy that the Marcoses perform to preserve their political power. Sandro’s exposure and involvement in his father’s political campaign is another way for the Marcoses to effortlessly promote their families and get the people to know them easily. The documentary portrayed how the Marcoses are starting to climb up the political ladder associated with Duterte’s support for the family. With Duterte’s administration, several government officials have been removed and replaced with pro-Marcos. Not only this, but some prominent people received charges from Duterte’s administration intending to disqualify them from their positions. Bongbong knew he had a small chance to win as the president which shifted his desire toward running for vice president instead. However, despite his electoral protest, Bongbong had lost the 2016 election. With this, Sandro’s future role in Philippine politics would only be directed to him picking up the trails of his father and continue his footsteps, all leading to preserve Marcoses' political power.

Overall, there are three takeaways about leadership and diplomatic relations I obtained from the film. First, government officials are not always what they seem. When you are in power, there are so many things that you can do and it is close to impossible that people seated in the government are always doing the right thing. Power can be tempting, most especially when so much money is in your hands. Once people get the power they long desired, their character inevitably changes, and sometimes it becomes too late for us to realize who they really are. Just like what Imelda Marcos gave emphasis on from the documentary, perception is real and the truth is not. Let us all do our research and spread what is truly important to other people.

Secondly, the choices one makes during elections is vital to the country and its citizens. We should always be extra careful deciding on who we give our votes for. Politicians can be very manipulative. They do not act or speak what they know would offend the people. They perform certain actions that are intended solely to get the hearts of the citizens. Sugar-coating is inevitable. Their words can play tricks on us, making us fall into the notion that they fit a government role. Nevertheless, hidden behind those words are dark agendas waiting to be seized and sometimes we do not see them because we choose not to. They know the kind of person Filipinos would love; thus, we should also know the kind of people that deserve a seat in the government.

Lastly, I have learned about the concept of instant gratification which I recognize as part of the toxic culture of the Filipinos. According to Noynoy Aquino, Filipinos love instant gratification wherein they believe that the problems of the country, to all intents and purposes, can be solved even in a short period to provide them the instant way to experience pleasure or fulfillment. Filipinos love shortcuts and that explains why President Rodrigo Duterte has gotten into the hearts of the many. When Duterte made a guarantee to eradicate drugs within six months, Filipinos immediately fell in love with his promises and gave up their trust. We should all be aware of this toxic culture predominantly driving our voting decisions because not only does this cause the Filipinos to choose undeserving people in the government, but this also affects even the different aspects of our lives, may it be at work, family, or our relationships with other people. Let us inform one another that some problems cannot always correlate with fast solutions; thus, promising a fast solution to a problem does not give assurance. Let us learn to reject this kind of culture and start looking beyond the horizon.

Looking back on my elementary days, I had always thought that Marcos’ regime was the most beautiful era of our country. The books had taught me to appreciate the legacies associated with Marcos' administration. Because of that, I had supported the family ever since and I even learned to admire them. But what the books never taught me is the exact opposite of what happened. It hurts me to realize that I commended the Marcos administration unknowingly considering the real impacts of their governance. I got blinded by the beautiful statements of the elementary books. What is more painful to realize is that I was not the only one who fell into deceit. Millions of people, most especially children, live inside the fiction of the Marcos administration. This is also shown in the documentary with how children reacted when asked about the Marcos era. This just goes to prove that we are still lacking the right information to teach and disseminate to other people even with the use of our childhood books. Misinformation is still prevalent and it gives rise to our wrong decisions and false mentality. Similar to my situation, when wrong facts are presented especially when we are still young and gullible, it eventually becomes the basis of our decisions and our kind of mindset as we grow. The documentary deserves to be considered as both historical and educational material for it provided us an opportunity to open our eyes to reality. This would encourage us to avoid being blinded by what is accepted by the elementary books. Ultimately, books are not everything. The documentary teaches us that we need to be open to exploring more facts and if possible, make our research to make an informed decision. Education plays an important role in our society. Those people with this privilege must educate those who are deprived of seeing reality. After all, this is our only way to help one another progress into the betterment.

Mandrilla, K., & Punongbayan, J. (2016, March 05). Marcos years marked 'golden age' of PH economy? Look at the data. Retrieved January 07, 2021, from https://www.rappler.com/voices/imho/marcos-economy-golden-age-philippines

#neveragaintomartiallaw

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