#my fashionably late contribution to may the 4th

[the-strength-of-the-wolffe]

She was alone, something she was never meant to be.

[crypticsewerslut]

Chart Reading for @demonxluxrosez <3

Sorry it's not in order and its alot more than my normal readings I loved your chart and havent done one in awhile sorry if it's not accurate bestie i tried. Thought I'd mention the like "pov" is so messed up I switch between they and your, but whatever.

Immediately theres a lot of Scorpio energy (Aswell as Gemini but I'll get there) with a Scorpio rising, 8th house stellium, and a few Scorpio degrees. Starting off with your rising I'd say an oval face, nice jawline, and smaller eyes. Your eyes are probably a more prominent feature on your face even if you dont have a "fierce gaze" their still alluring. As they get older they tend to like more flashy clothes which I live for😌, good taste in fashion. I feel like Scorpio risings dont get enough credit for this but they're very loyal, they just have trust issues. No body talks about this but your noses are perfect istg. Idk if they're necessarily intimidating or mysterious but I do know that they go through some emotional turmoil 😀. INTUITIVE. But possessive, I'd love to be your friend but I could never date a Scorpio rising.

I really wanna talk about their Gemini Mercury, I love that placement. 1st of all 7th house mercury may lean towards younger partners (but they had said it was the opposite). You guys are so smart and yes book smart but also I associate you guys with someone who is very straight up, which my Sag Sun LOVES. In my experience you guys are typically more politically progressive or far left (love to hear it). They talk alot though, and your Gemini stellium probably enhances that. Even if their grades arent fantastic (I'm not saying they arent) your still so god damn smart. Expect miscommunication with this placement.

Cancer Mars, not familiar with it your the first person I met that has this placement tbh. In the case of fighting I'd say this is either overwhelming aggression and underlying manipulation/gaslighting we all got our toxic traits babe. It important to remember that cancers are moody. In the case of sex I've heard 2 things, they like to see their partner in pleasure and prefer being submissive or very aggressive and the opposite. But you do have alot of 8th house energy that well get into later, so you could definitely be into some things that arent vanilla even bdsm. As far as what house your Mars is in I've seen a post about deep penetration and thigh rubbing but idk🧍‍♀️

Aries Moon is such a fun placement and as a fellow fire moon I love this placement, as we tend to get along well. Most fire moons tend to have the same stubbornness and sense of humor that makes me LOVE to hang out with them. Anyways this isnt confirming anything but every Aries moon I've met had a case of mommy issues (felt✊) I'm not saying you have an awful relationship with your mom, it's just something I've picked up on. You guys arent necessarily determined though, I'm sure your sick of hearing it but theyll start something and put it off for months. Nobody talks about how sarcastic Aries moons are.

Gemini Venus, also never met someone with it. I'd say very social (debatable) and likeable. When looking for a partner they may prefer someone that they see not just as a s/o but also a friend. They also look for someone who's open sexually as Venus and lilith are in the 8th house.

Jupiter Virgo in the 10th house, luck career wise. So great reputation and job. Could have interest in more creative jobs musician, artist, etc. A more mature yk logical approach towards their career. In my experience people with this placement are the mom friend or act a lion maternal when something goes wrong in their friends life. Father figure had impossible standards and helped contribute to intense self esteem issues.

A Gemini Lilith in the 8th house, starting off with the house placement I'd say there are higher chances of them being into things like bdsm and I'm just gonna guess a top or a switch. Might hide a few things for fear of rejection. Psychoanalyzes people and uses it to their advantage.

Saturn Cancer 8th house. Its giving daddy issues 🤭. Anyways, showing vulnerability is something hard for you as you protect it. Could have pretty bad paranoia. Trust issues are something you may struggle with. You need emotional stability as you attract dangerous coping mechanisms. Father could be money oriented to the point that it causes your family harm or he acts possessive to show he cares but rather does it for control.

Uranus Pisces in the 4th, lack of stability in the home, I saw a tumblr saying this placement showed signs of moving around frequently in childhood so maybe a parent was in the military? Just a guess I doubt it. Could be rebellion against family or parents. Possible psychic instincts or strong intuition.

Chiron Capricorn 3rd house, has a hard time speaking out and specifically standing up to parental figures. Feels like they arent being heard. Give yourself credit for how much you've been through your not a failure. Ambitious.

Pluto Sagittarius in the 2nd house. Opinionated. Higher chance of getting braces. Enjoyed school and learning when they were younger. A strong want for financial success. Change is hard for you. May go through some time were you feel silenced bytbyoull overcoms it.

Neptune Aquarius in the 3rd house, I've seen a tumblr saying music helps you feel comfortable and focused. Often lightweights. Be careful as drugs seem to be connected to this placement, maybe a siblings with substance abuse or something. Interested in poet or likes writing poetry. Unorganized and is often late.

Body parts associated with health problems are

Bowels, stomachs, breasts, chest, reproductive system, blood, nose, arms, hands, lungs, and shoulders. You could experience pain in one of these or like reproductive system, not able to have kids.

Hopefully its accurate, sorry the point of view I used was messed up and it took longer then expected.

[ramblingrachell]

Have You Read This? The Election of 2020

Like many of us, I watched Hamilton on July 4th, 2020 – our nation’s birthday. I met the day with mixed emotions as the spirit and character of our nation as of late did not seem appropriate to celebrate.

As I watched the story about many of the nation’s founding fathers and first leaders unfold, I was struck by the parts of their personal trials and tribulations that went beyond their contribution to the nation. Hamilton was the first politician to be involved in a sex scandal; Layfette – an immigrant, unafraid to step in and become America’s favorite fighting Frenchmen; Washington – a slave owner willing to admit “it probable that I may have committed many errors;” Jefferson – gained wealth profiting from the work of slaves, one of which he fathered six children with after making her his mistress. Burr – the untried murderer of Alexander Hamilton, whom he killed while still holding office as the third Vice President of the United States. In short, a hot mess of moral contradictions. I have been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack ever since my first viewing on July 4th, and realized a number of lines in various songs could be strung together to reflect my perception (key word: my) of the current political climate. Over the last week or so, I finally sat down to string all of those poignant lines together (with a few liberties for relevant context), a lyrical short story I have dubbed, The Election of 2020 (seen further down, further down). The beauty of democracy that is reborn during election seasons is our ability to get a fresh start, gain new perspectives, correct past wrongs, and continually better this land of the free for generations to come. I saw a quote recently that described voting as not so much like trying to find the perfect partner for marriage, but rather like using a bus for public transport. Voting is a map of bus routes that you must choose from in order to get from point A to point B. There may not be one specific bus that is going to your exact destination, but that doesn’t mean you stay at home and give up on travel entirely. Voting is not about waiting for “the one” candidate who is absolutely perfect. Instead, you choose to get on the bus that gets you closest to where you want to be. I know and love many republicans and democrats that have used the privilege of voting to get us all closer to where we want the nation to be. To me, where we are right now does not seem to fit under either traditional party umbrella – no, it’s much more like an umbrella that has been turned inside out and torn apart by a calculated hurricane of divisive and selfish endeavors. Perhaps more than ever before, this is the time to reassess our voting bus routes that will get us from point A to point B. Are we moving from indifference to tolerance? Hate to love? Despair to hope? Chaos to consistency? Negligence to protection? Moreover, before you get on your bus of choice, remember the route is designed to get the whole of our nation where we want it to be. Not just for me and not just for you. For all of US – as in, all of the United States. We will never all agree, I know this, but in spite of these disagreements, I am reminded of the hope that comes from the story of Hamilton. Even 244 years into this nation’s story, despite many dramatic peaks and valleys, the journey to our shared, happily ever after epilogue lives on. It lives on in me, in you, and in every vote cast to get us where we want to be. Regardless of how your vote is cast, the courage to reexamine your route and get on that bus… well, that would be enough.

The Election of 2020

“America, you great unfinished symphony A place where even orphan immigrants Can leave their fingerprints and rise up We’re running out of time Eyes up Time's up Wise up He's not the choice I would have gone with History will prove him wrong Winning was easy for him Governing's harder Welcome, folks, to a dysfunctional administration! He stands only for himself It's what he does I can't apologize because it's true Have it all, lose it all The President is gonna bring the nation to the brink He’s the villain in our history Frankly, it's a little disquieting that so many are blind to this reality He doesn’t have an ounce of regret He accumulates debt, he accumulates power Yet in our hour of need, he forgets Ardently abuses his post It's hard to listen to him with a straight face Watching the tension grow He cannot be left alone to his devices Indecisive, from crisis to crisis Stay alive 'til this horror show is past We're gonna fly a lot of flags half-mast Chaos and bloodshed already haunt us How many died because he was inexperienced and ruinous? We're too fragile to start another fight Where do we draw the line? Someone oughta remind him We're running a real nation Him and his words, obsessed with his own legacy His sentences border on senseless And he is paranoid in every paragraph How they perceive him Let future historians wonder How he tore so much apart And watched it all burn I wish I could say what was happening in his brain He's not very forthcoming on any particular stances Ask him a question: he glances off, he obfuscates, he dances I will not equivocate on my opinion I didn't say anything that wasn't true His father's a scoundrel, and so, it seems, is this dude He is uniquely situated by virtue of his position Though 'virtue' is not a word I’d apply to this situation He seeks financial gain, straying from his sacred mission And the evidence suggests he’s engaged in speculation Why does he assume he’s the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude will be his doom He knows nothing of loyalty Smells like new money, dresses like fake royalty Desperate to rise above his station Everything he does betrays the ideals of our nation See how he lies Look at his eyes Follow the scent of his enterprise If we don't stop him, we aid and abet it Watching him grabbin' at power and kissin' it Somebody has to stand up to his mouth What do we stall for?  If we stand for nothing, what'll we fall for?

Be careful with that one He will do what it takes to survive No one knows who he is or what he does His pride will be the death of us all God, we hope he’s satisfied This man has poisoned our political pursuits Destroyed our reputation I can almost see the headline, his “career” is done Ya best go run back where ya come from! This dude is out! You ever see somebody ruin their own life? History obliterates In every picture it paints It paints him and all of his mistakes It's him against us, the world will never be the same He better get ready for the moment of adrenaline Try not to crack under the stress When he finally faces his opponent They’ve fought on like seventy-five different fronts He smacks others in the press and doesn’t print retractions We're breaking down like fractions But when all is said and all is done I have beliefs, he has none Gotta get us out of the mess he’s got us in There’s a reason no one trusts him No one knows what he believes I get no satisfaction witnessing his fits of passion The way he primps and preens and dresses like the pits of fashion Our poorest citizens, our farmers, live ration to ration As Wall Street robs 'em blind in search of chips to cash in He’s askin' for someone to bring him to task While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket But the sun comes up And the world still spins I hear wailing in the streets There is suffering too terrible to name This is not a moment, it's a movement Are we a nation of states? What's the state of our nation? The issue on the table: We are engaged in a battle for our nation's very soul I’m past patiently waitin'. Let’s passionately smash every expectation For the first time, I’m thinkin' past tomorrow. We're gonna rise up - time to take a shot This nation better rise up Raise a glass to freedom Something they can never take away No matter what he tells us Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now But we'll never be truly free Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me Seek out injustice in the world and correct it Life doesn't discriminate Between the sinners And the saints It takes and it takes and it takes And we keep living anyway We laugh and we cry And we break But can l be real for a second? For just a millisecond? We gotta make an all-out stand Get him out of power So he holds no office We are a powder keg about to explode We gotta stop 'em and rob 'em of his advantages Let's take a stand with the stamina God has granted us We pick and choose our battles and places to take a stand We will fight for this land Summon all the courage that’s required Be a part of the narrative The story they will write someday How we emerged victorious Leaving the battlefield waving Betsy Ross' flag higher No one has more resilience Let’s move under cover and move as one We have one shot to live another day Don’t throw away this shot We will fight up close, seize the moment and stay in it And so the American experiment begins again We bleed and fight for the next generation We'll make it right for them If we lay a strong enough foundation We'll pass it on to them, we'll give the world to them For a strong central democracy We may never all agree, but There's only one man and woman Who can give us a command so we can rise up Throwing verbal rocks at his mediocrities What do you stall for? What was it all for? We studied and we fought For the notion of a nation we now get to rebuild Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness We fought for these ideals; we shouldn't settle for less I don't pretend to know All the challenges we’re facing But this once, take a stand with pride This is not the time to stand to the side Stand with us in the land of the free To get the people that we need to lead We need the votes We need bold strokes When there’s skin in the game, stay in the game We don't get a win unless we play in the game We may get love for it We may get hate for it We get nothing if we wait for it I wanna build something that's gonna outlive me I dream of a brand new start I want real leaders that can save the day We won't be invisible We won't be denied If we get this right The nation can start to move on It outlives us when we’re gone We are the one thing in life we can control We are inimitable, true originals We can’t stand still Or lie in wait We don't wanna fight, but We won't apologize for doing what's right Together we can turn the tide If we manage to get this right They'll surrender by early light We have no control Who lives, who dies, who tells our story But I know that we can win I know that greatness lies within us But remember from here on in History has its eyes on me and History has its eyes on you”

(All Lyric Credits: Hamilton: An America Musical. Performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos  Phillipa Soo, and Original Cast Company. Atlantic Records, 2015.)

[kaiba-fangirl]

Fill in the questions/statement as if you are being interviewed for an article and you were your muse

Tag 10 people to do this meme, (repost, don’t reblog)

TAGGED BY: not @rogueprinceconsort =P & I know I’m not a RP blog, but I am a fanfic author so I still do the same kind of stuff, just everyone at once with chapters, so I’m sure ya won’t mind... idk itching to write Seto but his mind is all over the place in Ch7 of And You? (AO3/FFN), & I know I’ve missed a bunch of personal tags in the past, so, well, I’m here now. TAGGING: anyone 1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

“Seto Kaiba.”  (海馬 瀬人 Kaiba, Seto)

2. WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME?

He narrows his eyes, already suspicious. “Legally, that IS my real name.”

3. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU WERE CALLED THAT?

“I was born Seto,” he answers flatly, then smirks. “The Kaiba family name I earned for myself and my little brother at the age of 10, when Gozaburo agreed to adopt us thanks to my, superior negotiating skills.” [Seto after Egyptian Pharaoh Seth. Kaiba for, apparently, hippocampus/seahorse.]

4. ARE YOU SINGLE OR TAKEN? “Taken. Happily married to the number 1 female duelist, Mai Valentine. She’s now heading the new Fashion Tech and Merchandise Department at Kaiba Corp.” [but he’s also still looking >.>]

5. HAVE ANY ABILITIES OR POWERS? “Just bleeding edge technology development and superior dueling skills,” he shrugs smugly. [and hacking.] [You also accidentally activate latent magical powers every so often, dumbass. Sure he’s a genius. A genius that weaves techno-sorcery into everything & commands gods without even knowing it.] “Anything else you may have heard about magic or spirits or real monsters, is all just nonsense hocus pocus. It’s sensationalists trying to make our amazingly life-like holographic projections seem dangerous.”

6. STOP BEING A MARY SUE/GARY STU. “Heh, doesn’t that just mean born talented? You should be so lucky.”

7. WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOR? “Blue,” he chuckles childishly. “It was probably what first drew me to, you know, Blue-Eyes, when I was young.” [It’s not. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon was his magical monster of light ‘girlfriend’ in Ancient Egypt in a past life of his 3000 years ago.]

8. HOW ABOUT YOUR HAIR COLOR? “Chestnut.”

9. HAVE YOU ANY FAMILY MEMBERS? “Living, my little brother, Mokuba, and now my lovely wife.”

10. OH? WHAT ABOUT PETS? “No pets. I barely have time for having two people in my life now it seems, and that’s even with Mokuba off travelling.” [any pet energy is expended on more Blue-Eyes White Dragon themed everything]

11. THAT’S COOL I GUESS, NOW TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE. “You wanna see a REAL Gary Stu?! As in, there is no reason he should have made it this far?! Joey fuckin Wheeler. This loser stole his way into my tournament, then has the nerve to even challenge me for 3rd place as if that meant anything, and he still ends up 4th even?! How! He operates on pure luck, and leeching off his ‘friends!’ His deck is a mess, I mean have you even seen his lineup?!?!” [Well that would all be redacted. Now, since this is for an interviewer for a published article...] He calmly and thoughtfully looks off at a spot on the far wall behind the interviewer. He purses his lips and furrows his brow, genuinely distraught, drawing from a direct encounter. “I’m actually more concerned than ever about the state of refugees- whether they have that official label or not. Around the world. Especially the children. These children don’t know what’s going on, and people say they care about children, but they really don’t. They’re not thinking of those kids- of refugee kids. Of poor kids. Of orphans or abused kids. And the way these refugees are being treated, those kids are getting hit with all those things at once. Ya know, I- I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity to be adopted, in a strong first-world nation, but I know what it’s like, to know that the grown ups are just using you, not listening to you. You’re nothing to them; maybe pawns. Now, I’m doing all I can, as president of Kaiba Corp, but there is still only so much we can do. We’re not making tanks or any weapons at all anymore-” He chokes at the thought of a tank staring him down specifically, compared to the latest news. He clears his throat to manage. “Not since the day I took over. We may not be contributing to that military industrial complex anymore, but the state of refugees today is still just as bad if not worse. Now they’re using weapons outlawed by the Geneva Conventions, and in countries that pride themselves on freedom and opportunity. Pteh. It’s madness. It’s evil.” [...aaand that just became the cover story] [We’ll be back after after a short break.]

12. DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES/ACTIVITIES YOU LIKE DOING? “Besides dueling, uh, tinkering. Reading. Hacking into random databases I shouldn’t be in.”

13. EVER HURT ANYONE BEFORE? “Next question. Don’t even print that, or you’ll be hearing from my lawyers. And they don’t play so nice.” [By ‘lawyers’ I’m pretty sure he just means goons.]

14. EVER… KILLED ANYONE BEFORE? "No.” [Gozaburo.]

15. WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL ARE YOU? "Dragon.”

16. NAME YOUR WORST HABITS. "Tch, I wouldn’t have gotten to be president of a multi-billion-dollar corporation if I had bad habits.”  [That is literally his worst habit. Also how he got there is because of all his bad habits.] He chuckles at what he’s about to make fun of. “Then again, some people think that working too much is a bad habit.”

17. DO YOU LOOK UP TO ANYONE AT ALL? "How could I when I’m already on top?”

18. GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL? "Irrelevant.” He smiles menacingly. “Card games are more important anyway.” [Bi and trying to figure out how to tell his wife. Then again once he does that, the press will be easy. Possibly also grey ace or demi, since he does enjoy the physical aspects of being married & his crush.]

19. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL? “Graduated high school early and then went right back to work as CEO, at the time. I don’t have time to waste getting a piece of paper to validate my knowledge that I’m already putting to use at Kaiba Corp everyday. --but I certainly support everyone staying in school as long as they can. Kaiba Corp offers a free college tuition program for any employee, paid ahead of time, and schedules can be worked around class and homework time as needed.”

20. DO YOU EVER WANT TO MARRY AND HAVE KIDS ONE DAY? “I never thought I would want to marry, but I have always assumed I would want to adopt. Now I am married, and we both want to adopt. Someday. It needs to be when I can have time for them...” [and he’s wondering why you are supposed to only marry one person...]

21. DO YOU HAVE ANY FANBOYS/FANGIRLS? “Yeah,” he laughs, genuinely embarrassed at this level of pure idolization, “I find it endearing to see people dress up as Yugi and I at events.”

22. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF? “Losing my little brother.”

23. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY WEAR? “Full-length pants, tight fitting turtlenecks, boots, and a trenchcoat. More leather and straps and buckles, the better.”

24. DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE? “Of course. My little brother and my wife.” [and Joey]

25. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WET YOURSELF? [he just makes this face:]

[but possibly the last time he did hard drugs]

26. WHAT CLASS ARE YOU? (HIGH CLASS, MIDDLE CLASS, LOW CLASS) “Highest class.” He winks, for the spotlight.

27. HOW MANY FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE? “I don’t need ‘friends’ outside of my family.”

28. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PIE? “Finally, an intelligent question!” he laughs rudely. “My thoughts are that we should change the standard approximation for π to something closer to 3.16. That’s what I use in my calculations, and I find things just seem to work out better for me because of it.”

29. FAVORITE DRINK? “I’ve started drinking a lot more water, and I think that’s pretty much all I drink lately.”

30. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? “It’s comforting being in my office, knowing where I belong, knowing that with me there, everyone I love is safe, knowing how I got there, and being proud of all I’ve accomplished, but...” [sometimes anxiety about it being Gozaburo’s old office creeps into his mind like an evil spirit or ghost...] “But more than that, I enjoy the wild freedom of just taking my Blue-Eyes jet out with some good music playing.” [oh my various gods he will always be an emo teen at heart <3]

31. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SOMEONE? He scoffs. “Yes, I am genuinely interested in my wife. Mai is an amazing person. And- Ah, and, um, next question?” [and Joey!]

32. WHAT’S YOUR BRA CUP SIZE AND/OR HOW BIG IS YOUR WILLY? “What kind of magazine is this for, anyway?” he asks as an aside, then thinks up a ridiculous enough response. “Ever hear of Zorc? I’d say that’s roughly one-third the size of mine.” Under his breath, he scoffs in disgust. “Imbeciles.”

33. WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM IN THE LAKE OR THE OCEAN? “Er, a private pool, thanks. Too many paparazzi anyplace else, and I wouldn’t want to close off anything from the public.” [I hear there’s a river in Egypt he lives in though]

34. WHAT’S YOUR TYPE? “Independent. Strong. Great duelist. Someone who knows what it’s like at rock bottom, but still managed to claw their way to the top...” [he spaces out off to the side]

35. ANY FETISHES? *zoom out to room full of Blue-Eyes White Dragon themed EVERYTHING* “Nah.” [*insert Will Smith presenting his AO3 tags]

36. SEME OR UKE? TOP OR BOTTOM? DOMINANT OR SUBMISSIVE?

[Switch! But “And You?” is stuck at a T rating, sooo...]

37. CAMPING OR INDOORS? "The fuck- you’re giving me whiplash with these questions,” he mutters. “Camping sounds nice. Real camping. Mokuba and I used to build forts and play outside a lot. I should ask him if he wants to go on a camping trip when he gets back. I doubt- well, no, I think Mai would like that, too.” [And Joey can cook them “candy bars!”]

38. ARE YOU WANTING THE QUIZ TO END?

[southernmidwestgeek]

One thing about the willing to learn is that you can share knowledge no matter how late in life you become aware of true history. I'm just coming across this speech by Frederick Douglass. Some of my Brothers and Sisters may critize me for not knowing about this and others may feel that I'm constantly pushing this "Blackness" but as far as I'm concerned and can give a flying f*ck what you think of me at this time of my life.

I have had a couple of health scares and with the climate of our country with this of blatant racism and the lack of many of Black Americans who don't exercise their write to vote we are at a cross roads.

With this individual in the White House the covers have been pulled clean back to show the world how many White Americans...Conservatives and Liberals feel about PoC. When Obama was president I seen the hatred towards us... African-Americans and since 2016 I have changed in regards to this current administration and current GOP members in Congress. Someone a while back criticized me for my posts and said, "You've changed since trump has become president". I'm not going to lie it shook me and my feelings were hurt and it made me doubt myself just a little. But now realizing what is at stake if I lose some people I've known for years as friends or followers so be it.

Last night I had stress to two of our grandsons that's visiting how important it is not to make ANY certain moves if they're pulled over or approached by police. I know their parents have had "The Talk" with them and now my Queen and I had "The Talk" with them. We camp out Angels around all of our children and grandchildren but we also have taught them to use common sense as well.

The 4th of July means NOTHING to me. If I were wealthy I would take our children and grandchildren on cruises every year around this time as well as Columbus Day, Thanksgiving because this country has never come to the acknowledgement of how this country...even though we're born and raised here in America that we are natural born citizens and human beings.

DL Hughley says it's best, "...there isn't a crime hideous and heinous enough to make White America cry out when it comes to the murder of Black and Brown people in this country."

This article by Arielle Gray and Speech by Frederick Douglass makes me proud to be an African-American and let's me know our people has been and will continue to be "Young, Gifted, and Black".

We are a people of Innovators, high achievers of Academics, creator of style, fashion, music, Spoken Words. We are the HEAD and not the TAIL. I hope and pray with what is going on in this Nation has awaken my people Mind, Body, and Soul of their true Worth because we should never wait on White America to let us know how Beautiful of a race we are and how we have contributed to the United States of America.

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” - https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july/

As A Black American, I Don't Celebrate The Fourth Of July - https://www.wbur.org/artery/2019/07/03/black-american-fourth-of-july

[emmaharringtonamfi-blog]

Day 2 - Research articles on Ska

People may not realize this, but ska music originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ska music's influence ranges beyond ska bands. Without ska music, genres like reggae and rocksteady may not have come to be. The ska beat is heavily influenced by American R&B music and has grown into one of the most popular standalone musical genres. It is also one of the most distinct - famous ska bands are rarely confused as being from another genre. The best ska bands are some of the most popular in the world due to the eclectic sound and the diverse instruments used in shaping the music. Ska bands had a surge in popularity in the 1990s with albums like Sell Out (Reel Big Fish) and Super Rad! (The Aquabats) taking over the radio waves. This is the era where some of the best ska bands emerged and haven't let up since.

https://www.ranker.com/list/ska-bands-and-musicians/reference

Genres of music are seldom invented in someone's basement, generally they sort of fade into existence. Such is the case with ska, a genre of Jamaican music which comes from mento and calypso music, combined with American jazz and R&B, which could be heard on Jamaican radio coming from high-powered stations in New Orleans and Miami. Ska became popular in the early 1960s.

The Sound

Ska music was made for dancing. The music is upbeat, quick and exciting. Musically, it can be characterized with a drumbeat on the 2nd and 4th beats (in 4/4 time) and with the guitar hitting the 2nd, 3rd and 4th beats. Traditional ska bands generally featured bass, drums, guitars, keyboards and horns (with sax, trombone and trumpet being most common).

Coxsone Dodd

Clement "Coxsone" Dodd is one of the most important figures in ska history, though he was not a musician. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jamaica was about to receive its independence from Great Britain. Coxsone, a disc jockey, recognized the country's need for national pride and identity, and began recording popular bands in his now-legendary studio, Studio One. These records became wildly popular in Jamaica.

Rude Boys

The "rude boys" were a Jamaican subculture of the 1960s. Rude Boys were generally unemployed, impoverished Jamaican teens who were hired by sound system operators (mobile DJs) to crash each other's street dances. These interactions often led to further violence and the Rude Boys frequently formed feuding gangs. Fashionable clothing for rude boys was American gangster wear. The Rude Boy culture became a huge source for ska lyrics.

Skanking

Skanking is the style of dancing that goes along with ska music. It has remained popular among ska fans since the beginning, and it's a relatively easy dance to do. Basically, the legs do "the running man", bending the knees and running in place to the beat. The arms are bent at the elbows, with hands balled into fists, and punch outward, alternating with the feet (left foot, right hand, etc.).

Traditional Ska Musicians and Bands

Among the artists that made early ska so popular were Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, The Melodians and Toots & the Maytals. Many ska bands also later played reggae music, which came about later in the 1960s.  

Second-Wave Ska or "Two-Tone" Ska

Two-tone (or 2 Tone) ska is the second wave of ska music, created in England in the 1970s. In creating this genre, traditional ska was fused with the (then) brand new style of music known as punk rock. The name "2 Tone" refers to a record label that put out these records. The UK-based bands were often racially mixed, with black and white members.

Two-Tone Ska Musicians and Bands

Popular two-tone ska bands include The Specials, Bad Manners, The Higsons, The Beat and The Bodysnatchers.

Third-Wave Ska

Third-wave Ska refers to American ska bands that were influenced more by two-tone ska than by traditional ska music. These bands range in their sound from nearly traditional ska to mostly punk. In the early to mid-1990s, third-wave ska saw a major growth in popularity, with many bands having several chart-topping hits.

Third-Wave Ska Musicians and Bands

Among the most popular third-wave ska bands are The Toasters, Operation Ivy, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, Fishbone, Less Than Jake, Save Ferris, Sublime and The Aquabats.

https://www.thoughtco.com/ska-music-basics-3552840

Ska, Jamaica’s first indigenous urban pop style.

Pioneered by the operators of powerful mobile discos called sound systems, ska evolved in the late 1950s from an early Jamaican form of rhythm and blues that emulated American rhythm and blues, especially that produced in New Orleans, Louisiana. A new beat emerged that mixed the shuffling rhythm of American pianist Rosco Gordon with Caribbean folk influences, most notably the mambo of Cuba and the mento, a Jamaican dance music that provided the new music’s core rhythm. The boogie-woogie piano vamp characteristic of New Orleans-style rhythm and blues was simulated by a guitar chop on the offbeat and onomatopoeically became known as ska. The beat was made more locomotive by the horns, saxophones, trumpet, trombone, and piano that played the same riff on the offbeat. All the while the drums kept a 4/4 beat with bass drum accents on the second and fourth beats.

Because the history of Jamaican popular music is largely oral, contending claims of authorship were inevitable, but guitarist Ernie Ranglin’s claim that he invented the ska chop is generally regarded as plausible. Singers Derrick Morgan, Prince Buster, Toots Hibbert (of Toots and the Maytals), Justin Hinds, and the Dominoes became stars, but ska was primarily an instrumental music. Jamaica’s independence from British rule in 1962 left the country and ska in a celebratory mood. The music’s dominant exponents were a group of leading studio musicians—Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Dizzy Johnny Moore, Tommy McCook, Lester Sterling, Jackie Mittoo, Lloyd Brevette, Jah Jerry, and Lloyd Knibbs—and under McCook’s leadership they became known as the Skatalites in 1963, making several seminal recordings for leading producers and backing many prominent singers, as well as the fledgling Bob Marley and the Wailers. The Skatalites’ most distinctive musical presence was trombonist, composer, and arranger Drummond. A colourful figure who grappled with mental instability (he was institutionalized after murdering his girlfriend and died in confinement), Drummond was the central musician of the era, as essential to the development of ska as Marley was to reggae.

Ska has had several international waves. The first began in the early 1960s and is remembered for “My Boy Lollipop” by Millie Small, a Jamaican singer based in London, and for hits by Prince Buster and by Desmond Dekker and the Aces. In the 1970s ska was a significant influence on British pop culture, and so-called 2-Tone groups (whose name derived from both the suits they wore and their often integrated lineups) such as the Specials, Selector, and Madness brought punk and more pop into ska. Madness’s music crossed the Atlantic Ocean and contributed to the success of ska’s third wave of popularity, in the mid-1980s in the United States, where another British group, General Public, had hits. The music’s fourth wave came in the mid-1990s as American groups such as No Doubt, Sublime, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones brought ska into the mainstream of pop music, and ska pioneers such as the Skatalites and Derrick Morgan found a new audience.

https://www.britannica.com/art/ska

Ska story: the sound of angry young England 

By Stephen Rodrick

Sign up for our newsletters Subscribe

"Forget about punk. Forget about the new Mods marching to the beat of 'My Generation.' In the England of 1980, ska is the word." That's how Rolling Stone critic David Fricke began his March 23, 1980, article on ska, the latest music craze to sweep the U.K. A decade later, the record label most responsible for the ska revolution, 2-Tone Records, has commemorated the tenth anniversary of the ska phenomenon with The 2 Tone Story, a double album that highlights the best of the ska movement and leaves you wondering why the hypnotic music never became the word in America.

The ska of the late 70s and early 80s was a revival of and an elaboration on "rude boy" ska, a craze centered in Jamaica in the first half of the 1960s. Jamaica was in the midst of a cultural renaissance as the island nation achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1962, and its quest for an individual identity is quite evident in ska, a fusion of Jamaica's native folk music, known as Mento, with American R & B, which could be heard from New Orleans at night on the radio. The concoction was heavy on nasty jazz-tinged horns bouncing off a skittish calypso beat. The lyrics were mostly playful, but occasionally touched on the promise of home rule, as in the Skatalites' "Independent Anniversary Ska." By the mid-60s this original ska sound was evolving into the more controlled "rock-steady" sound and eventually into reggae.

Before that happened, however, Caribbean immigrants brought ska to England, where it attracted a cult following. The factory town of Coventry in the British Midlands was a hot spot for ska activity, as large numbers of blacks settled there to work in the British auto industry. By the late 70s, Coventry's fortunes mirrored Detroit's, with high unemployment and the attendant unrest. Musically, the good-time sound of ska was being introduced to the lyrical intensity and anger of the punk movement. Driving this movement was the Specials, led by Jerry Dammers, a white record-store clerk, who formed the multiracial band in 1978.

Not surprisingly, the Specials in their various incarnations form the centerpiece of The 2 Tone Story. 2-Tone is Dammers's label, but more important, Dammers's band led the way for the other ska bands throughout the movement.

The main irony of the Specials' songs, and in fact of the entire ska movement, was that lurking just beneath the "happy," infectious dance beat were often chilling stories of the racial divisiveness and economic deprivation that characterized the dawning of the Thatcher era. This is evident on their debut single, "Gangsters," released in July 1979. The steady backbeat of drummer John Bradbury and the bass of Horace Panter combine with Dammers's lilting keyboards to turn rock's traditional 4/4 beat inside out, providing an insistent dance groove. 

Meanwhile Terry Hall's anguished tenor sings a tale of tongue-in-cheek urban chaos that takes a swipe at the British record industry:

Why must you tape all my phone calls,

Are you planning a bootleg LP?

Said you've been threatened by gangsters,

Now it's you that's threatening me.

Can't fight corruption with conscience

They use nylon to commit crime

I dread to think what the future will bring

Living in a gangster town.

DON'T CALL ME SCARFACE!

A Catch 22 says if I sing the truth

they won't make me an overnight star.

Don't offer a cent for protection

They use nylon to commit crime

I dread to think what the future will bring

when we're living in a real gangster town.

Propelled by the success of "Gangsters" and a spirited cover of Robert Thompson's "Rudi, a Message to You" produced by Elvis Costello, the Specials released their long-playing debut in 1980. With Costello behind the board, The Specials represents ska's most notable achievement and one of the decade's finest pop albums of any kind. It includes the band's first two singles and 13 other songs ranging from the rambling lament of "Blank Expression" to the social satire on teenage pregnancy of "Too Much, Too Young." Both songs are featured on The 2 Tone Story, the latter in a live presentation culled from the 1981 album, Dance Craze. It proves these lads could play. While Hall sings disdainfully about ugly babies and the benefits of contraception, an angry blend of Lynval Golding and Roddy Byers's Stones-like guitars merges with the trademark ska beat provided by Bradbury and Panter. The resulting cascade of sound almost dares the audience to stay in their seats.

Unfortunately, the reign of the Specials as ska kings was short. Their second studio album, More Specials, was released late in 1980 amid rumors of internal strife, which the record confirms, lacking the joy and intensity of their debut. The 2 Tone Story features only one track from this album, the likable but inconsequential "International Jet Set."

Before disintegrating, though, the Specials managed to record perhaps their most noteworthy song. Released in June 1981 as riots raged in Brixton and Liverpool, "Ghost Town," presented in its 12-inch version on The 2 Tone Story, evoked a picture of a racially divided England coming apart at the seams. Driven by the eerie trombone playing of Rico, a Jamaican reggae veteran who played on a number of Specials songs and also recorded instrumental albums for 2-Tone, "Ghost Town" is that rare political song that perfectly captures the mood of the time; it gave the rioting rude boys of all racial and political persuasions reason to pause.

This town is coming like a Ghost Town

All the clubs are being closed down

This place is coming like a Ghost Town

Bands won't play no more,

Too much fighting on the dance floor.

Do you remember the good old days before the Ghost Town

We danced and sang and the music played in our boom town.

This town is coming like a Ghost Town

Why must the youths fight against themselves

Government leaving the youths on the shelf

No jobs to be found in this country

Can't go on no more

People getting angry.

For all intents and purposes, "Ghost Town" marked the end of the Specials. Hall, Golding, and vocalist Neville Staples split off to form the sporadically brilliant Fun Boy Three, then Hall basically went solo in 1985 with the Colourfield. Dammers vanished briefly from the music scene, becoming increasingly involved in antiapartheid politics (the Specials had participated in the Rock Against Racism movement in England of 1981 at Dammers's urging).

After a three-year absence, Dammers released In the Studio under the name of Special AKA with a number of ska veterans and original Specials drummer John Bradbury. While the album lacked the danceability of Specials music, it contained a number of compelling songs, such as the politically correct "War Crimes" and "Racist Friend" and the fiercely inspirational "Free Nelson Mandela," which brought Dammers worldwide acclaim among human rights activists. Produced once again by Costello and featuring him and a cast of other notables on backing vocals, the song immediately became the anthem for millions clamoring for the release of the long-imprisoned ANC leader. As writer Robin Denselow recounts in his outstanding book When the Music's Over: The Story of Political Pop, the song became hugely popular in Mandela's native land: "It must have been extraordinary for a white songwriter from Coventry, in the British Midlands, to turn on the television news and see demonstrators in Soweto singing his song." Extraordinary indeed.

Since the release of In the Studio, Dammers has been musically silent, with the exception of a song contributed to the Absolute Beginners sound track. He has been concentrating on political activities. He cofounded with Paul Weller and Billy Bragg the Red Wedge political movement in England, the banner under which British musicians united for the Labour Party in the 1987 elections. He also was instrumental in creating the pressure group Artists Against Apartheid (AAA) to educate performers about the evils of playing in South Africa. In that role he has wrangled with Paul Simon over his use of South African musicians on his Graceland album and also assisted in the organization of the July 11, 1988, Nelson Mandela 70th-birthday tribute at Wembley Stadium.

After the Specials, the most influential ska band was the Beat, formed in Birmingham. (They are known as the English Beat in the U.S. due to name similarity with an LA band.) The Beat's brilliance has been overshadowed by the commercial achievements of its alumni. Before Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger went on to moderate success as General Public, and before guitarists David Steele and Andy Cox found superstardom with Fine Young Cannibals, the Beat combined hard-edged guitars and power-pop melodies with Wakeling's quirky voice and Ranking Roger's "toasting"--ska's version of rapping--to create a sound unheard before or since. Their contributions to The 2 Tone Story include the stop-go dance number "Ranking Full Stop" and a live version of the dark "Mirror in the Bathroom," featuring the ska legend Saxa on saxophone.

The Beat went on to greater fame on the IRS label, recording three fine albums before their breakup in 1983. On their 1979 long-playing debut, Just Can't Stop It, which included their first two singles, the Beat continued ska's reputation for highly political dance music with songs like "Stand Down Margaret," a derisive ode to the prime minister that unfortunately is still relevant a decade later. (Costello did a version on his 1983 tour and Bragg sang a gruff cover during his 1986-'87 swing through the U.S.)

The Beat did well in the U.S. in the early years of the 80s, moving almost imperceptibly toward the commercial mainstream but without losing sight of their ska origins. Their final and finest album, 1982's Special Beat Service, was more pop than ska; the first tune on each side--"I Confess" and "Save It for Later"--opts for a rather conventional pop sound, the former being driven by dance-hall piano and the latter by straightforward rock guitar (witness Pete Townshend's acoustic cover of it). However, songs such as the organ-driven "Jeanette" and the joyful reggae-tinged "Ackee 1-2-3" betray the Beat's steady devotion to their 2-Tone roots.

The 2 Tone Story also contains some early work by one of Britain's most enjoyable pop exports of the 80s, the London band Madness. While the Specials and the Beat sought to achieve some level of ska authenticity through their multiracial makeup and their use of veterans such as Rico and Saxa, the six white boys who make up Madness have no such pretensions. Instead, they paid homage to the musical style they were appropriating in the selection of their name, which is the title of a hit by 60s ska star Prince Buster, and in the title of their first single, "The Prince," which appears along with a live version of "One Step Beyond" on The 2 Tone Story. Madness's sound on both these songs and on their debut album, One Step Beyond, produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (who would be involved with most of Madness's recordings and would produce some of Elvis Costello's best-sounding albums, most notably Punch the Clock), is a heady combination of ska with the rough-cut spontaneity of a drunken bar band. The self-described "nuttiness" of Madness has few points of comparison in recent pop history; closest perhaps is the LA ska band Fishbone, whose repertoire includes a version of the theme from the Fat Albert cartoon show.

Sadly, the all-white makeup of Madness attracted the undesirable attention of England's skinheads, racist working-class kids loosely affiliated with the fascist National Front movement. Trouble struck when Madness and the Specials toured together and the skinheads heaped racist epithets on the black members of the Specials. The concert made national headlines, and while Madness went to extremes to disassociate themselves from the skinheads, the event temporarily marred the harmonious feeling of the neo-ska movement and only underscored the incendiary racial situation in Thatcher's England.

Madness went on to score a number of British hits throughout the decade and managed even to liven up the U.S. charts with "Our House," a three-minute essay on British home life. The band became increasingly "serious" while attempting to maintain a shred of their earlier lunacy. Of their later albums, The Rise and Fall and Keep Moving are the most notable.

The rest of The 2 Tone Story contains songs from less influential but not necessarily less interesting bands. The Selecter, ska's prefab band, is featured on four tracks. The instrumental "The Selecter" was the B-side of the Specials' "Gangsters" single, recorded by Specials drummer Bradbury and Joel Davis, a friend of Dammers. After the song became a hit in its own right, Davis was obliged to put a band together and the result was the Selecter, which prominently featured chanteuse Pauline Black. They went on to record a number of catchy hits including "Three Minute Hero" and "Too Much Pressure," both featured on The 2 Tone Story. Also on the album are songs by ska girl group the Bodysnatchers, featuring the alluring vocals of Rhoda Dakar, who later resurfaced on the Special AKA album. The wild sound of Bad Manners, fronted by Buster Bloodvessel, is represented with their live version of "Lip Up, Fatty," a hilarious tribute to obesity driven by a crack three-piece horn section. Bad Manners' live shows were much more indicative of their ska talents than their recorded work, but they always gave Madness a run for the title of ska's silliest band.

The 2 Tone Story isn't a definitive commemoration of the ska movement. Rather, with the exception of the Specials, whose essential recordings are captured here, the album serves mostly as a teaser to get you skanking on down to the record store to check out the collections of the Beat, Madness, et al--a primer on one of the most compelling pop chapters of the last decade. Ska presented a triumphant symbol of integration and harmony to a nation in the throes of an ugly transformation characterized by racial and economic brutality. Whether you listen to it for its politics or purely for its irresistible rhythms, you'll likely be left wondering why America virtually ignored its enticing sound and instead chose the new romantic dreck of bands such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet to spearhead the 80s wave of the British invasion.

https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ska-story-the-sound-of-angry-young-england/Content?oid=875398

How Skinheads Transformed From Inclusive Youth Movement Into Racist Hate Group

By All That's Interesting

Published March 7, 2017

Updated April 4, 2017

Before linking with Neo-Nazism, skinhead culture started among young English and Jamaican working-class communities in 1960s London.

They just weren’t having it anymore. Sick of the hippie movement’s empty promises and the austerity that pervaded British government at the time, skinheads emerged in 1960s London and rallied around one thing: to wear their working-class status as a point of pride.

It was only a matter of time before radical right-wing politics buried that mission in favor of open racism and ultimately Neo-Nazism, however. In The Story of Skinhead, Don Letts — one of the original London skinheads — traces this story, and offers a sobering, uneasy tale of how easily racism can creep into working class politics.

The First Wave

The first wave of skinheads stood for one thing: embracing their blue collar status. Many self-identifying skinheads at the time either grew up poor in government housing projects or “uncool” in suburban row houses, and felt isolated from the hippie movement, whose members they believed embodied a middle class worldview — and one that didn’t address their unique concerns.

Changing immigration patterns also shaped the burgeoning culture. Around the time, Jamaican immigrants began to enter the U.K., and many of them lived side-by-side with the working-class English. This physical proximity offered a chance for sustained cultural exchange, and soon enough English kids latched on to Jamaican reggae and ska records. In a nod to the mod and rocker subcultures that preceded them, skinheads donned slick coats and loafers, buzzing their hair in a quest to become cool in their own right — and to disassociate themselves from the hippie movement.

Racism Creeps In

By 1970, the first generation of skinheads had begun to frighten their peers. Popular media exacerbated this fear, with Richard Allen’s 1970 cult classic novel Skinhead — about a a racist London skinhead obsessed with clothes, beer, soccer, and violence — serving as a prime example.

The second wave of skinheads didn’t take umbrage at this portrayal; instead, they began to reflect and project it — particularly the racism. Indeed, Skinhead became the de facto bible for skinheads outside London, where football fan clubs were quick to take the subculture — and its constitutive aesthetics — up.

It didn’t take long for political groups to attempt to use the growing subculture for their own gain. The far-right National Front Party saw in the skinheads a group of working-class males whose economic hardships may have made them particularly sympathetic to the party’s ethno-nationalist politics.

And thus, the party began to infiltrate the group. “We were trying to think about race wars,” said Joseph Pearce, a now repentant National Front member who wrote propaganda for the group throughout the 1980s, in The Story of Skinhead. “Our job was to basically disrupt the multicultural society, the multi-racial society, and make it unworkable.”

“[Our goal was to] make the various different groups hate each other to such a degree that they couldn’t live together,” Pearce added, “and when they couldn’t live together you end up with that ghettoized, radicalized society from which we hoped to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes.”

National Front would sell propagandistic magazines at soccer matches, where they knew they would reach a massive audience. It was an economical move: even if only one in ten attendees bought a magazine, that’s still 600 to 700 potential recruits.

In its efforts to recruit more party members, the party also took advantage of rural conditions in which many skinheads found themselves. One former skinhead featured in the The Story of Skinhead recalled that the National Front opened up the sole nightclub within dozens of miles of one rural community — and only allowed members to come inside. Those who wanted to dance had to listen to propaganda.

Over time, right-wing efforts to co-opt skinhead culture began to rot the latter from within. For example, Sham 69, one of the most successful punk bands in the 1970s and one with an unusually large skinhead following, stopped performing altogether after National Front-supporting white power skinheads rioted at a 1979 concert.

Barry “Bmore” George, a skinhead forced out due to racially-charged politics’ entry into and commandeering of the subculture, put it this way:

“I got asked a lot by people, about like well, you seem to know a bit about skinheads, I thought they were all racists… Depends on where you start reading your story. If you go right back and start your story right back at the beginning, and get yourself a good foundation of your knowledge of skinhead culture and where it was born from…You know what it was about. You can see where it was distorted. It did start off as one thing; now it’s branched to mean untold things.”

The end of the 1970s also saw the last flare of multicultural acceptance with 2 Tone music, which blended the 1960s-style ska with punk rock. And as that genre petered out, Oi! music began to pick up speed, combining the working-class skinhead ethos with punk rock energy.

Right-wing nationalists co-opted this genre from nearly the very beginning. Strength Thru Oi!, a famous compilation album of Oi! music, was — supposedly mistakenly — named after a Nazi slogan, and featured a neo-Nazi on the cover who would be convicted of attacking black youths at a train station that same year.

When that man was released from prison four years later, he would go on to provide security for a band called Skrewdriver. While it started off as a non-political Oi! band, over time it would grow close with various right-wing political groups and eventually become one of the most influential neo-Nazi rock bands in the world.

Music and violence became enmeshed, perhaps most saliently seen in the 1981 Southall riot. On the day it transpired, two busloads of skinheads headed to a concert located in Southall, a London suburb which at the time was home to a large Indian and Pakistani population.

Those skinheads found an Asian woman on the way to the concert and kicked her head in, smashing windows and vandalizing businesses as they proceeded. One 80-year-old retiree told The New York Times that the skinheads were, “running up and down asking where the Indians lived. It was not nice at all.”

Outraged, Indians and Pakistanis followed the skinheads to the pub where the concert took place. An all-out, racially-charged brawl took place soon after.

“The skinheads were wearing National Front gear, swastikas everywhere, and National Front written on their jackets,” a spokesman for the Southall Youth Association told The New York Times. “They sheltered behind the police barricades and threw stones at the crowd. Instead of arresting them, the police just pushed them back. It’s not surprising people started to retaliate.”

The Southall incident solidified skinheads’ perception as an openly racist and violent subculture, and the subsequent generations of the subculture — particularly those in U.S. prisons — have worked to ensure that the associations stick. As for the working-class ethos that propelled the subculture in the first place?

Its progenitors don’t think there’s any chance of getting that narrative back.

“Those ideologies have been sold to people that skinhead is associated with [fascism].” Jimmy Pursey, the lead singer of Sham 69, said. “It’s like a branding.”

https://allthatsinteresting.com/skinheads-history

Who Is “Rudy” in Ska Music?

It takes only a brief dip into the ocean of ska to realize that an overwhelming amount of songs make a reference to somebody named “Rudy”. So, who is this elusive character?

Back in the days of first wave Jamaican ska, frustrated youth in poorer areas of Kingston, Jamaica turned to petty crime. Known as “rude boys”, these youth sported aesthetics and attitudes inspired by American jazz musicians and gangster films, wearing suits and porkpie hats, and behaving rambunctiously and rebelliously.

Many of these rude boys were hired by soundsystems (organizations of disc jockeys, engineers, and MCs) to gatecrash their competitors’ street parties. Such disruptions became so commonplace that artists started addressing rude boys in their lyrics, often shortening the moniker to “rudy”.

A decade later, 2 Tone took the name and ran with it, with fans referring to themselves as “rude boys” or “rude girls”. The Specials’ famous tune “A Message To You, Rudy” references the popular subculture:

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/ska-music/

 The rude boy subculture arose from the poorer sections of Kingston, Jamaica, and was associated with violent discontented youths.[3] Along with ska and rocksteady music, many rude boys favored sharp suits, thin ties, and pork pie or Trilby hats, showing an influence of the fashions of American jazz musicians and soul music artists. American cowboy and gangster/outlaw films from that period were also influential factors in shaping the rude boy image.[4][5] In that time period, unemployed Jamaican youths sometimes found temporary employment from sound system operators to disrupt competitors' dances (leading to the term dancehall crasher).[6] The violence that sometimes occurred at dances and its association with the rude boy lifestyle gave rise to a slew of releases by artists who addressed the rude boys directly with lyrics that either promoted or rejected rude boy violence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rude_boy

 "The figure of the rude boy with his swagger and casual disrespect for the law harks back to older archetypes like the semi-mythical Stagger Lee character in black American folk blues, the bad man who seems invincible

 depict a collective of sharply dressed individuals, who exemplify an important yet undocumented subculture …

 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/may/24/rude-boys-jamaican-subculture-photography-exhibition

The Evolution Of Rude Boy Culture

October 12, 2013 By Douglas Smythe

 You’ve probably heard the term ‘rude boy’ brandished around quite a bit. In modern society the rude boy wears a tracksuit, a flat peak cap and listens to dirty stinking Grime music. However, there was a time when a rude boy wouldn’t be seen dead in a tracksuit. The original rude boy inhabited a smart and slick appearance, listened to Reggae, Rock-Steady and Ska music and shared beliefs surrounding politics and culture.

History Of The Name

Just like its Jamaican roots suggest the term ‘rude boy’ first came alight in 1950s Jamaica. It was a term that was commonly associated with adolescent criminals in the poorer sections of Jamaica, noticeably Kingston. Violence on the streets went hand in hand with the early rude boy, activities such as gate crashing rival sound systems became a familiar sight. The rude boy would aspire to dress in the latest street fashion which included razor sharp suits, thin ties and hats such as pork pies or trilbies. An image that was clearly inspired by American gangsters, Jazz musicians and Soul artists at the time; however it was the Jamaican sound of 60s Ska music that influenced the benchmark rude boy.

How Music Contributed

It was Ska music that helped to transform the negative connotations associated with the rude boy. Jamaican Ska musicians sought to speak to the youth about their violent tendencies and urged them to channel their culture’s attention towards a much more political motivation. The song ‘Message to You, Rudy’ by Dandy Livingstone in 1967 is a prime example of Ska musicians reaching out to the rude boy faction. This song would later be covered by British Ska group The Specials.

The origin of Ska music derived from Jamaican Reggae and Rocksteady, as well as being the hybrid child of Carribbean Mento, Calypso, American Jazz and Rhythm and Blues. However, music historians argue that Ska music takes up three noticeable periods: in the 1960s – Original Jamaican Ska music, in the late 70s – English 2 Tone Ska and in the 90’s the third wave of Ska – American Ska Punk.

Overseas Rudeboy

It wasn’t only in Jamaica where the rude boy could be found. In 1960’s Britain, the influx of Jamaican migrants into urban city dwellings helped expose Britain to the rude boy. Yet, it was in the late 70’s where rude boy culture became truly embraced and found a home within Britain. The British streets smelt aromas they’d never smelt before, laid eyes on new fashion trends and were blessed with the sounds of authentic Jamaican Ska, Reggae and Rocksteady. It was this introduction that sparked the infusion of British styles with Jamaican heritage. Trilby hats were still donned upon the head of the rude boy but Dr Marten’s boots and Fred Perry polo shirts were now the staple attire and uniform of the white British rude boy.

2 Tone Era

Ska formed its second wave sound in the 2 Tone era. 2 Tone grabbed elements from original Ska, Punk Rock, Rocksteady and Reggae to create a faster tempo style of music. Ska now had more edge and bite, including a huge influence from brass instruments. Groups such as The Specials helped to pave the way for the new sound, and more importantly they managed to unite black and white people when tensions were high within smaller racist skinhead cultures.

Similar to Jamaican Ska musicians, The Specials resonated with the British youth, showing sympathy and highlighting issues such as unemployment and racism. The Specials single ‘Ghost Town’ being the most notorious example. Madness also began to make the Ska sound a lot more popular. Madness threw both Ska and the rude boy image into a wider public domain with hits such as ‘One Step Beyond’ and ‘Our House’.

Modern Day Rudie

Rude boys have come a long way from the streets of Kingston. You’ll now hear the likes of Dexter or Fatboy in Eastenders calling everyone and anyone a ‘rude boy’. The term was maintained by Hip Hop and Grime musicians, and although a different style of music, there’s still a running theme to the rude boy. It may have been diluted and slightly tainted from its founding roots but the rude boy is still regarded as a working class member of society, living in inner cities and sharing a huge passion for music.

Read more: 

http://howtogrowamoustache.com/the-evolution-of-rude-boy-culture/#ixzz5c1fo36b8

Summary/Conclusion:

-Ska originates from 1950s Jamaica.

-It precedes reggae and the beat is heavily influenced by American R&B music.  It’s made for dancing. The music is upbeat, quick and exciting.

- The "rude boys" were a Jamaican subculture of the 1960s. Rude Boys were generally unemployed, impoverished Jamaican teens who were hired by sound system operators (mobile DJs) to crash each other's street dances. These interactions often led to further violence and the Rude Boys frequently formed feuding gangs. Fashionable clothing for rude boys was American gangster wear. The Rude Boy culture became a huge source for ska lyrics.

-In the 70s, Caribbean immigrants brought ska to England, where it attracted a cult following. The factory town of Coventry in the British Midlands was a hot spot for ska activity, as large numbers of blacks settled there to work in the British auto industry. Soon enough English kids latched on to Jamaican reggae and ska records. In a nod to the mod and rocker subcultures that preceded them, skinheads donned slick coats and loafers, buzzing their hair.

[cookwithjess]

Blog Post #4: Let's Talk About Ratatouille: the dish, not the movie.

Bonjour readers! Welcome to my 4th and final Blog Post.

Today I will be talking about French culture. Learning more about my roots and my family background, I found out that I am part French and I have a couple relatives living in Paris that my grandmother visits once every few years. I thought it would be exciting and fun to learn more about French culture while also learning the recipe for a famous dish called Ratatouille. Come along!

Origin:

Since the 17th century, France has been known to be a “center of high culture”. French culture has played a big role in shaping the world’s arts, cultures, sciences, and most of all being internationally recognized for its fashion, cuisine, art, and cinema. French culture was also historically shaped by Celtic, Roman, and Germanic cultures. As the largest Western European nation, France continues to be a powerhouse within the European continent. French ideas developed in the Enlightenment period, can all be seen as influencing present-day Western culture.

Connection to Class:

The French are known for their motto: "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”, which means Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Connecting this to class, this motto can have different definitions with a few back translations. Back translation is defined as the process of translating a phrase back to its original language. An example of this would be if we back translate the French motto, in English, it means “Freedom, Equality, and Fraternity”. Another thing connecting the French to class is their religious life.

Most French citizens consider themselves to be Christian. Catholicism played an important role in shaping French culture and was the state religion until 1789. In the French tradition, kings were even crowned within the Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral until 1825. Most of the remaining population today identifies as agnostic or atheist. However, there are also significant groups of Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist residents in modern France. The citizens in the French have a discrepancy in beliefs and have changed their belief from catholic to agnostic or atheist. As more people moved into France through time with the difference in religions and the lack thereof, religions like agnostic and atheist are becoming more predominant.

Yoga is gaining more popularity in France today. French citizens are not known for being passionate about exercise or fitness, but France has become a welcoming place for Yoga as a holistic practice, rather than a function of body manipulation or change. While Yoga is an ancient practice dating back thousands of years, French interest is more recent as they just adopted it in the 1960s, first based in India. As modern life expands and accelerates, Yoga is a touchstone for personal peace when everything else seems to speed up. Yoga in the French culture is typically done in groups at festivals and classes for people to come together as one.

The French immigrants coming to America is also a connection that can be made to this class. French chefs and restaurants bolstered the popularity of French cuisine and made the first yeast bread in North America while bringing technical farming skills all of which helped improve American rice and wines. America will always be different from French culture, but they were able to adapt and include the most beneficial parts of it including more effective farming. French culture does not just stay in one place, but rather it tries to spread its customs to other nations.

My Dish: Ratatouille

When we hear the word “Ratatouille”, many relate back to the Disney movie that came out in 2007, but it’s more than that. Ratatouille is a well-known vegetable stew from a region in France called Provence. It is a dish that contains eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic, and herbs all cooked in olive oil and tomato sauce. It may not sound like much but it is considered a healthy and filling dish. The word “ratatouille” originated from Occitan ratatolha in the late 18th century in French, meaning to “stir up”. There are multiple methods of making this dish, which causes a debate as to what is the right way of cooking this meal. You can cook the vegetables together, or cooked separately then combined them at the end. You can even add protein to this dish if you want to. Ratatouille is a balanced meal suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and easy to make for anyone wanting to try it. Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but you can combine it with pasta, rice, or other protein so it can be served as a main dish. When I was making this dish, I added rice to it and it was very appetizing.

Overall Reflection:

This Ratatouille dish was my favorite dish out of my 4 dishes. Finding the ingredients was easy and it turned out just like I imagined it would taste in the film Ratatouille. Doing my research on French culture was interesting and being half French I am excited to tell extended family all about what I have learned and even fix this dish for my other family members in the future. Cooking dishes for this class has been an amazing experience and I can’t wait to find more recipes from different cultures to make in the future.

Thanks for reading! See you soon.

Sources:

https://thegoodlifefrance.com/yoga-in-france/

https://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html

https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/french-culture-traditions/

https://www.frenchcountryfood.com/recipes/vegetarian/ratatouille.html

https://americansall.org/legacy-partner/french-americans-contributions-our-nation#:~:text=French%20Americans%20mainly%20disseminated%20information%20and%20acted%20as,skills%20that%20vastly%20improved%20American%20rice%20and%20wines.

https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/french-culture/french-culture-core-concepts

https://www.thedailymeal.com/what-is-ratatouille

https://78.media.tumblr.com/9312bbd8c12df5b3cd572199ac78ce39/tumblr_omsq8nqDxF1qdqw3ro3_r1_500.gif

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R0b92cd77aed00a7e5d0a1483511b9e62?rik=F2xcqOjRptz7uw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.badyogi.com%2fblog%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2018%2f11%2f34051846_911801859006058_4644739829039366144_o.jpg&ehk=D3SbIKeoWhGfUCkHLIHj30InP73wNB1jKusEjN0RUhc%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R20ed9ad1b5dedcd848293191595b19fc?rik=yVGXA7e7shDJKA&riu=http%3a%2f%2f1.bp.blogspot.com%2f-pvtXgeafeIM%2fUQgNer8SWeI%2fAAAAAAAAjq8%2fUc8kd039seU%2fs1600%2feiffil-tower-eiffel-paris-france-park-cities-269184.jpg&ehk=JNzB3Rs1WjNHbZIGh4YwvyCK4mtgTK47gmTCzsvKCEA%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw

[boom-revue-60]

Partners, lovers, artists

Carla Knight-Braun and Larry Braun were sculptors. She a figurative artist, he was an automotive artist. Together they ran a molding company which was a sure bet for sculptors in Loveland. If you could produce quality molds, that was one less expense for the bronze artist. While quality was a priority, the many artists who came to Loveland to cast their bronze works knew they could bring their waxes and clays to Loveland for the messy step of moldmaking. It was a good business in Loveland, the artists felt secure in the array of Loveland moldmakers and their skills. It was also a good business for a couple with children, working on their own art. Carla's signature piece, the Rice Gatherer"? was one of the first sculptures to be placed in Benson Park where the sculpture show happens each August. The portrait of an Asian woman dressed in traditional, everyday attire is stunning. Her clear porcelain skin, smooth as ice, with hands outsreched sitting atop the other, as if preparing for communion. The piece is beautifully crafted buy extolls a moment of peace and mystery we feel for the Asians. The model was Mari (?) a Japanese nationlal married to Bobby (Booby is how she pronounced his name) a genuine American. They lived next to the Braun's. I remember the small version and how fascinated I was by the small grains of sand laying in her palm. It reminded me of a sculpture my mother's friend had and I was fascintated by it for years. Hers was a ceramic or porcelain portrait of an Asian man sitting on the floor ona grass matt counting rice. Lois always had real rice displayed in a straw basket and piled on the low table. Carla's Mari held little bronze uncooked rice. Carla was a free spirit. She was goodlooking like Linda Ronstadt. Dark hair, a round face, cheeks and nose. Always pleasant to see her face. She had a fashion conscience daughter. During those days bluejeans ruled and Carla took hints from Ellie and not only wore great jeans but she taught me how to fold an old boot-cut jean's ankles to look like skinny jeans. When I knew Carla and Larry they had been married for years, and besides Ellie, Carla and Larry had a son, Aaron who was a year older than my son. Larry Braun was an automotive artist, meaning his art depicted vintage cars, race car drivers and vingettes of the car racing world. Because of Larry I was able to attend the ConCourse de Elegance at Pebble Beach. I will remember that as the show of shows. The art - paintings, posters, bronze sculptures and the cars themselves were proof that cars were a work of art. The show was set up on the 18th Hole of the Pebble Beach golf course surrounded by white tents, elegant antique cars from a Rolls to a Bentley to a Mazeratti. People strolled along the beach with the Pacific in the background wearing long flowing black dresses, straw hats, scarfs and carrying the makings of a picnic complete with blankets in tow, champagne, and caviar. At the Pebble Beach Club House Richard (?) lifesize golfer was placed on the patio also overlooing the greens and Pacific Ocean. The show will last a lifetime in my mind but for Larry Braun this was just one of many yearly automotive art shows. This was how he made his living. The artists attending the show, except for Larry, had in one capacity or another worked in the auto industry. Many had started off designing cars or worked in the art department drawing story boards, recreating on canvas historic car events such as the Grand Prie in France (?). Larry's art was a young boy's dream. To detail, the bronze had exquisite detailing in the tires, chrome work, running board and most stunning were the hood ornaments. I left Pebble Beach with the knowledge and love of automotive art. It a part of history documenting man's favorite past-time --- driving.

Clyde Aspivig and Carol Guzman. Both are well-known landscape painters. He was from Montana when he moved to Loveland. He was your typical married man, two children, and a wife. I had heard about Clyde through Steve Elliott, another former Bozeman man, M.D./painter who followed Clyde to Loveland. No idea where Clyde's studio was in the beginning. I ran into his wife at sports events and pre-school events. I heard her talking one day in the bleachers about her 'famous' husband. I recognized the name and listened. She was new to town but came with an in-place air of superiority. That's what I remember about my first encounter with the name Aspevigs other than Steve mentioning Clyde. At that time his work was already well-known and had already been selling for big bucks for several years. I eventually became familiar with his work. It was, and still it magnificent. His talent lay in spectacular panoramic landscapes of the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Tetons, rivers and the snow covered mountains of the Western United States. And, really. No one did it better. I knew he was a prominent artist when I learned he had traded a landscape for a brand new (big SUV). At the time these vehicles sold for around $70,000 +. No one in Loveland was doing that kind of 2-dimensional work. The church on Grant & 3rd had already been turned into a living/work space by a guy who blew into town to get catch the art wave. Solveig's daughter, Inga, connected with him for a short time. Then he disappeared. Clyde and Carol moved into the church. My curiosity was piqued. I never connected to Clyde's wife but when you hear that the church is owned by Clyde and he's with Carol Guzman, well, I was curious. I didn't know Carol but the story was Carol met Clyde at a workshop and the rest is history. She was lovely, lively and a dedicated artist, friendly and outgoing. Whereas, Clyde, was none of the above. That's when I became familiar with them as a painting couple. They spent their days painting. No lunch breaks. Energy bars and immersion in the canvases in front of them. Carol's work was not on the level of Clyde's. Meaning her work was looser, more feminine and colorful and while she was a highly professional and sucessful artist, her work did not sell anywhere in clyde's range. If they weren't in the studio they were out painting plein air. In the early 2000's (2002-3?) they sold the church and like Steve Elliott, went back to Montana. I saw them in the early days of the Coor's Western Art Show & Sale. Clyde was a featured artist. I believe he did the poster about 2003-4. Carol was also in the show (?) when I ran into to them. Clyde was a happy man being back in Montana and his life with Carol. She was always a happy, smiling person and seemed perfectly happy living in rural, cold, snowy, isolated Montana. (look up the latest on them). Lori Acott & Adam Schultz. I knew Adam when he worked at a metal chasing, base shop in Loveland. He was young. Like real young. But, he had a houseful of kiddos. I was shocked. I remember his wife. She was pretty, long blonde hair, healthy looking and a devoted mom and wife. This was in the 1990's. Next encounter, Adam is a real grown man, sculpting large female sculptures. His art had a distinct look about it. The women were large, large breasted, hefty legs and bulging thighs and stomachs. They were enchanting and interesting. He had another side to him. He was fascinated with fantasy creatures such as horses, eagles, bats. He was doing quite well. I saw him at art fairs in the Denver area. He was selling and his booth created an immense interest from art enthusiasists. By this time, mid to late 2000's, he shared a booth with Lori Acott. A sculptor I was familiar with but didn't know well. She had a connection to Loveland because of her bronze art. Adam & Lori always shared a booth. So I knew they were an item. These two together formed a professional artist bond that enhanced both their personal lives and careers. Today they live in Red Cliff(?) above Fort Collins, and not only live and work in their state of the art studio but together they formed a monument moving and installation company (name?). They did this because the two of them sell enough large bronzes that it was the most financial alternative. They are on the road (how many days a year?) constantly, delivering their works to cities, or traveling to shows all over the country. Together they travel to Europe for workshops and tours of historic foundries. They are a modern day art partnership. Their lives are intertwined with art, work, study, business and promotion. They do it all....together. George and Cammie Lundeen. Like the other three couples, art was the ligtening rod that brought them together. It happened that George and Cammie had very similar styles from the get-go. Both were hyper-realistic bronze sculptors. George was already well-known by the time Cammie Crabtree moved to Loveland. She followed Denny Haskew or he followed her. (find that out) Afterall, Loveland was booming at the time with sculptors opening studios, sculptors moving to town to work in the industry. I may be wrong but I remember Cammie working at the Lundeen Studios on 4th Street. She was already quite accomplished. Her animals were and still remain the most emotionally attached and thoroughly soulful of any sculptor, still, today. Her life size portrait of two work horses "Moudie &" was the first work I saw of hers and it went straight to Benson Park. (find out sequence). Pretty soon there was talk that Cammie and George were an item. Then they were married. Just like that they were starting and contributing to a dynasty. George and Cammie made and still make a compelling force together. George has slowed down due to an eyesight problem (melecural degenerative?). But Cammie did, can and does manipulate clay in a way that makes even bronze and a French brown patina look soft in her creatures that undoubtedly shows the love and connection Cammie has to four-legged animals. George and Cammie married. The Fourth Street studio had an apartment where George lived, then with Cammie. And, in a couple of years moved to the west side of Loveland in a pastoral setting on the banks of the Big Thompson River. There they built a large home with a state-of-the-art barn, corral, and training arena. Cammie raised and trained horses. Known as an animal whisperer-type she took her standard poodle everywhere who was, by the way, lovely and well mannered. They had two (three?) children (?) who grew up riding horses, playing in the river, sharing a bucolic life-style at the Lundeen compound where Mark and his wife Liz Zimmerman Lundeen (yes, the daughter of Bob Zimmerman, founder of Art Castings) also built a house and raised their three children. The Fourth Street Studios were solid Lundeens: George, Cammie, Mark, Bets Lundeen (wife of Nils Lundeen, brother and accountant for the studios). George and Cammie are still married. The children are grown and living in Colorado (?). Cammie sculpts at home where she can take care of her animals and sculpt throughout the day. Her gentle touch with the heart of an animal is evident. George has always been a sculptor of people. There is no competition because each digs into a block of clay with different visions. George creates detail perfect men and women with clothes, costumes (the clown), couples enjoying a moment together, a solitary girl on a swing. Ben Franklin to children on a park bench are bronzes seen around the world in office buildings, street corners, the White House, parks and stadiums. Stopping for a visit to the Lundeen Studios/Gallery can be confusing. On display is George's work, Cammie's, Bet's, Mark's and their cousin (?). There is a signature finish to each of their works, I believe it runs in the family. Smooth, golden brown patinas, with occasional color for emphasis like in Cammies animals, the just born Painted-horse colt getting his first day's walking legs. The Lundeen style is unmistakeable. Cammie and George together are a powerhouse-couple. Other than sharing the same name, studio, home, and patinas their art, in its individual form, is headed for the history books. (G&C - approx 600 words) (look up other famous artists couples for fodder and interest)

[soccerdrawings]

How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals

The end is near.

Amazon.com : Soccer Custom Medals, 8 8/8″ FX Gold Soccer . | 3 inch soccer medals The end of year, decade (be on the attending out for my best of decade picks abutting week), and CGB as we apperceive it.Nonetheless, let’s booty addition attending at the highlights of this accomplished fall. Aback my accustomed account column is alleged “Golden Medals”, let’s duke out some basic hardwares.GOLD - Cal Men’s Soccer defeats No.1 Washington 3-2 in SeattleUnfortunately, this bout was not on the Pac-12 Network to accord us a nice epitomize video. Nonetheless, aback a Cal aggregation takes bottomward the No.1 aggregation in the country in amazing fashion, it’s account actuality arbitrary afresh here.Washington Huskies alert went advanced by a goal, but the Bears would action back. After Gio Miglietti denticulate in the 26th minute for the Huskies, Cal alike in the 39th minute with a ambition by Simon Lekressner (assists to Francisco Perez and Alonzo Del Mundo). Huskies did booty a halftime advance with a ambition by Blade Bodily in the 39th minute.Cal’s arch scorer Tommy Williamson alike in the 63rd minute (assist afresh by Francisco Perez). Bears went advanced for acceptable in the 79th minute as Alonzo Del Mundo (assists to Christian Gomez and Simon Lekressner) denticulate the bold winner.It was a actual alley win for the affairs over a No.1 ranked aggregation in the country on the road. Noah Texter played the aboriginal bisected for the Bears while Drake Callender manned the net for the additional half. This win (and the abutting one) becoming Cal a atom in the NCAA postseason for 2019.SILVER - Cal Men’s Soccer defeats No.4 Stanford 1-0 at The FarmNovember 2019 angry out to be absolutely a memorable time for the Cal Men’s Soccer program. Golden Bears had yet addition big alley win to abutting the approved season, abashing battling Stanford.Tommy Williamson becoming a second-half amends and fabricated the about-face for the difference. Drake Callender fabricated 3 saves for the apple-pie sheet.BRONZE - Cal Women’s Soccer defeats No.4 USC 3-0Staying on the soccer pitch, Cal women’s soccer additionally had some memorable matches - assault both LA schools for the aboriginal time aback 1996. The added fun of the two came at home adjoin afresh 4th ranked USC Trojans.It was a complete Cal effort. Luca Deza denticulate in the aboriginal half. Paige Metayer and Emma Westin denticulate in the additional half. USC had a 16-10 bend in shots, but Cal apprentice Angelina Anderson was up for the challenge.

Express Medals Engraved 8 to 8 Packs Engraved Soccer .. | 3 inch soccer medals GOLD - Angelina Anderson - Cal Women’s SoccerEmily Boyd aloof rewrote the Cal women’s soccer almanac book afresh for a goalkeeper. Angelina Anderson may aloof do that additionally by the end of her career as a abeyant four year starter.Anderson became the aboriginal Pac-12 apprentice to becoming the Goalkeeper of the Year account for the conference. She is, understandably, additionally the Pac-12 Apprentice of the Year. Added recently, Topdrawersoccer called her their Civic Apprentice of the Year. She is additionally the civic coaches’ aces for 2nd aggregation All-American nationally.Angelina Anderson fabricated 86 saves while acceptance 15 goals in 21 matches this year. Those 86 saves is already the 2nd best in a division in affairs history. She had 9 abandoned apple-pie bedding (tied a Cal apprentice record) and accumulated on addition one.The approaching is ablaze for Andreson, although one would achievement that the Cal aegis in advanced of her would get alike bigger so she won’t face as abounding shots.SILVER - Mima Mirkovic - Cal VolleyballThe inferior standout is an important allotment of Cal Volleyball’s resurgent in the accomplished brace of years. Admitting alone actuality 5 bottom 10 inch alpine (which is almost abbreviate by Pac-12 volleyball standard), Mirkovic makes it up with her big comedy ability. Also a standout bank volleyball player, Mirkovic is abundant all circling alfresco hitter for the Bears acknowledge to her arresting adeptness - consistently announcement bifold chiffre kills to go with bifold chiffre digs.Mirkovic leads the aggregation with 325 kills, 3.28 annihilate per set. She is additional on the aggregation with 289 digs. Admitting missing some time late, Mirkovic has 13 double-doubles. Most importantly, with bigger comedy by her, Mirkovic is able to accession her hitting percentage. It has bigger from 0.227 to 0.242.There is no bigger affirmation for Mima Mirkovic’s accent than how the Bears looked like a altered aggregation after her. Unfortunately, those 4 missing matches end up costing Cal a postseason berth.BRONZE - Megan Rodgers - Cal Acreage HockeyAnother abundant Cal inferior is Megan Rodgers, who continues to be the Bears’ top scorer for the 3rd beeline year. After 17 and 13 goals in the accomplished two years, Rodgers added addition 13 goals to abide to move up aural the top 10 account for goals in Cal Acreage Hockey affairs history.43 goals through 3 seasons has Rodgers in 4th place. She should calmly become 2nd by casual 45 goals (shared by Lara Kruggel and Nora Feddersen) to aperture abaft the abundant Valentina Godfrid, 2019 Cal Hall of Fame inductee, and her 93 all time goals.

Large 8 inch Soccer Medals – 8 inch soccer medals - 3 inch soccer medals | 3 inch soccer medals 2019 absolutely saw a apathetic alpha for Rodgers in scoring goals but she best up the accountability in the boilerplate of the division to bout her absolute from aftermost year.GOLD - Drake Callender - Cal Men’s SoccerCal chief goalkeeper Drake Callender bankrupt his solid Golden Bear career with addition accustomed attack (52 saves, 1.22 ambition adjoin average, 3 abandoned shutouts, allotment of 3 added accumulated shutouts), actuality a big allotment of the program’s acknowledgment to the postseason this year. With a able adolescent chief babysitter Noah Texter in the mix, Callender did absence a bout and breach genitalia of added matches - thus, he alone becoming a Third-Team account in the region. Nonetheless, Callender should be an appulse pro babysitter to abide the continued band of Cal goalkeepers award success at the MLS and beyond.SILVER - Nikolaos Papanikolaou - Cal Men’s Water PoloThe Greek apprentice is attractive like the abutting Cal Men’s Water Polo abundant to appear through the program. Admitting a aggravating division for the aggregation in general, Papanikolaou was everywhere on the boxscores for the Golden Bears in his aboriginal season. Behind alone chief Safak Simsek (who alone advance by one added goal), “Papa” is additional on the aggregation with 51 goals to go with 10 assists. Papa additionally leads the aggregation with 23 steals and 72 aegis exclusions drawn. Understandably, admitting an all-embracing bottomward year for the program, Papanikolaou is the appointment (MPSF) Newcomer of the Year.BRONZE - Simon Lekressner - Cal Men’s SoccerIt’s accessible to discount defender’s contribution, decidedly aback it does not appearance up in the boxscore, but all the postseason accolades accept accustomed the chief defender’s able final attack as a Golden Bear. Furthermore, with an allurement to the MLS College Showcase, Lekressner may be on the fast clue to be addition MLS Bear produced by Cal arch drillmaster Kevin Grimes.For the season, Lekressner had a career best 5 goals area 2 were bold winners. He was additionally called the Pac-12’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s soccer.GOLD - Angelina Anderson - Cal Women’s SoccerI already called her the top changeable amateur of the season. The Pac-12 Apprentice of the Year is an accessible best as the best newcomer here.SILVER - Nikolaos Papanikolaou - Cal Men’s Water PoloAnother non-surprise choice. Papa is additionally the MPSF Newcomer of the Year. By the way, Cal Men’s Water Polo additionally had several added appulse newcomers who won some MPSF Newcomer of the Anniversary awards this year - apprentice babysitter Adrian Weinberg and alteration Jasmin Kolasinac (team best 26 assists admitting alone arena 17 matches). Added freshmen like Garrett Dunn (13 goals, 13 assists) and Sam Untrecht (16 goals, 9 assists) additionally fabricated impact. Golden Bears should animation aback abutting year (if the able accomplishment to the year did not argue you).

Amazon.com : Express Medals 8 inch Soccer Cleat 8nd Place .. | 3 inch soccer medals BRONZE - Mina Anglero - Cal Women’s Cantankerous CountryAnglero raced in the clue and acreage division aftermost year, but this was her aboriginal cantankerous country season. The Norway built-in was the top finisher for the Bears all division continued and aloof absent out on an alone anchorage at the NCAA Championships by agreement 22nd.She’s the abandoned Golden Bear to be called to the USTFCCCA All-Region team.GOLD - Cal VolleyballGolden Bears went 20-10, 10-10 in Pac-12 comedy beneath new arch drillmaster Sam Crosson. For the best part, Cal is afresh a top 25 ability affairs in 2019 admitting actuality snubbed by the NCAA alternative committee. Crosson was able to get a absurd chief seasons out of several players (Maddie Haynes, Bailee Huizenga, Savannah Rennie) who will all be absent forth with libero Emma Smith. However, Bears’ approaching should be ablaze with Mirkovic aback and the absurd boilerplate blocking brace of Preslie Anderson and Lauren Forte.SILVER - Cal Women’s SoccerShowing that the 2018 accident division was alone an aberration, Cal bounced aback with a 13-5-3, 5-3-3 in Pac-12 campaign.Golden Bears additionally managed to exhausted both UCLA and USC (both ranked in the top 10) this year and was actual aggressive in every bout except the 4-0 accident to Stanford, who went on to win addition civic championship this year.Besides accepting the top goalkeeper aback abutting year, Bears will additionally acknowledgment affluence of accomplished midfielders and top scorer in Emma Westin. The absolutely acceptable Cal arresting line, anchored by Emily Smith, will additionally mostly be back.BRONZE - Cal Men’s SoccerWith those two agitative wins over top-5 Stanford and Washington on the alley late, Cal Men’s Soccer both fabricated the NCAA postseason and this list. Nonetheless, you would adulation to see added bendability from this band that accomplished 8-7-3, 4-4-2 in Pac-12. Bears will accept to acquisition a new babysitter abutting year to alter Drake Callender, but you can calculation on arch drillmaster Kevin Grimes to accumulate on bearing approaching soccer pros.GO BEARS!

Amazon.com : Express Medals Large 8 inch Solid Metal 8st .. | 3 inch soccer medals How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals - 3 inch soccer medals | Delightful for you to my weblog, with this time period I am going to teach you about keyword. And after this, this can be the very first graphic:

Amazon.com : 8" Soccer Medals, Massive Rimz Soccer Gold .. | 3 inch soccer medals Why don't you consider picture previously mentioned? is usually that will incredible???. if you're more dedicated thus, I'l d explain to you some image once more below: So, if you like to acquire the outstanding graphics about (How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals), just click save link to store these pictures in your personal computer. They're ready for save, if you like and wish to get it, just click save badge in the post, and it'll be directly saved in your home computer.} As a final point in order to receive new and the recent image related to (How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals), please follow us on google plus or bookmark this website, we attempt our best to give you daily up-date with all new and fresh shots. We do hope you love staying here. For many updates and recent information about (How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals) images, please kindly follow us on twitter, path, Instagram and google plus, or you mark this page on bookmark section, We attempt to provide you with update regularly with all new and fresh images, enjoy your searching, and find the perfect for you. Here you are at our site, articleabove (How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals) published .  Today we are pleased to declare we have found an incrediblyinteresting topicto be pointed out, that is (How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals) Many individuals trying to find info about(How To Get People To Like 8 Inch Soccer Medals | 8 Inch Soccer Medals) and certainly one of them is you, is not it?

Express Medals 8 to 8 Packs - 8" Soccer 8st Place Gold Medal with Neck Ribbon Award XMDMY8 - 3 inch soccer medals | 3 inch soccer medals

Amazon.com : Express Medals 8 inch Soccer Team 8rd Place .. | 3 inch soccer medals Read the full article

[madewithonerib]

Did God Change the Sabbath?

In honor of Good Friday, & to demonstrate that things aren't always what they seem, I thought it apropos to entertain the question, "Did God change the Sabbath?"

Question of whether the Sabbath should be celebrated on Saturday or Sunday has been hotly debated for years, & in many cases, it's been debated in vain.

Seventh Day Adventists will fight tooth & nail for the belief that God never changed the Sabbath. Well, they are wrong.

God did change the Sabbath, & for this reason, we are not to celebrate our rest on Saturday. Now, before you "Sunday Sabbath" fans start to high-five each other, let me also make it clear - God did indeed change the Sabbath. But He did not change it to Sunday. For this reason, we are not to celebrate our rest on Sunday either!

No more do we need to bicker about what day the Sabbath is, because it isn't a day at all! Dear Reader, isn't that exciting?! How can this be?

We often only consider this question in terms of two choices: Sat or Sunday.

But I believe there is a third option, one that we almost never even consider, because we are too busy focusing on the wrong thing.

You see, I believe God changed the Sabbath from a day to a Person.

That's right: God changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Jesus Christ. Consider this:

Colossians 2:16-17 | Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.  

All of the Old Testament rituals & laws were a shadow of things to come!

In this manner, the calendar sabbath was just a sign which points to the real Sabbath - Christ. He is our rest, not from our 9-5 jobs & our household chores, but from our toil to release the burden of sin.

Now, if we go with the idea that God did change the Sabbath, not from Saturday to Sunday, but from Saturday to Jesus, then is it still possible to break the Commandment which says we must honor the Sabbath and keep it holy?

Absolutely! It's not that the 4th Commandment goes away, rather, it has merely been fulfilled. Jesus said He didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

In this sense, we break the Sabbath whenever we dishonor Christ. Anyone who fails to keep the Sabbath holy is violating a command to honor Jesus:

Matthew 11:28-29 | Come to Me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me; for I am gentle & humble in heart, & you will find rest for your souls.  

Jesus is inviting us to take rest in Him.

People who do not honor the new Sabbath - people who insist on working, working their way into heaven instead of entering into His rest - will find on Judgment Day the wrath of God kindled against them, no matter what day of the week they choose to "rest" or go to church.

No more do we need to bicker about what day the Sabbath is, because it isn't a day at all! It's not about a day of the week. It's all about the Lord!!

So why then do we meet on Sunday as a church?

We meet on the first day of the week to celebrate His resurrection.

It's not really a Sabbath at all, but a celebration!

Sunday is a weekly reminder of the glorious day that He rose from the grave & conquered death.

Our sins have been washed away. No more will we have to toil in an effort to keep the law, an impossible task! No, because He is risen, we can rest in Him.

This is why Sunday is referred to as "The Lord's Day" in Scripture.

Good news for all who put their faith & trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sin.

It's also good news as we honor God by keeping the Commandments, not in an effort to earn salvation, but as a means of repentance & an expression of gratitude to God for what He has done for us.

We don't have to worry that we are displeasing God if we are called into work on a Sunday, because we are not breaking the Sabbath. But if we should attempt to work our way to heaven, we are breaking the Sabbath:

And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:23)

As stated above, in God's kingdom, things aren't always what they seem! May you find your rest in Him this Holiest of Lord's Days: Resurrection Sunday.                     _____________________________________________________

Mt 24:20 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath?

I would say in reference to Matthew 24:20 that having to flee on a sabbath would simply mean that an added hardship would be present. I would imagine if I worked hard all week, and then flee on my day of rest, I would be lose that resting period, which would mean added hardship for my body. It would make things harder on me, just as if I had to flee during winter as opposed to a time when it was not so cold.

When Jesus said the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath, I believe he was referring to the calendar sabbath, because we were all made for the glory of the Sabbath called Christ. But it is probably a good idea to have a calendar sabbath anyway, because it is to our benefit to rest our physical bodies.                    _____________________________________________________ 

The Lord has been putting it on my heart lately that I'm not "resting" in Him. Oh sure, I trust Him rather than my works to save me, but if you could see into my soul, you would see very little rest there. I still worry and get upset far too easily.  I want to know this rest much more deeply.

Betsy, your comment reminded me of another side to this -- that we frequently forget to "rest" in Him when we are too busy to spend time with Him! (I am guilty of this for certain.) Jesus provided another example of how we might consider Him the real Sabbath when we look at the story of Mary and Martha. We don't want to be so busy that we forget to rest and delight in Him. I wish I had thought of that when I wrote this! Thanks for the reminder!                   _____________________________________________________

My dear friend we are on the same page...Hebrews says it all..and in fact we have one more sabbath left and that is when we enter into our eternal rest in heaven. (Hebrews 4)                  _____________________________________________________

Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, & thou be found a liar. Where has God said that the Sabbath day is not a day? Please note that the passage you've quoted (Colossians 2) specifically says that these things "ARE a shadow of THINGS TO COME." Paul wrote after Calvary and yet declared that these things ARE (present tense) a shadow of things to come (i.e. future). The greek agrees perfectly with this translation. The apostle never said they WERE a shadow of things to come.

>> This sufficiently exposes your error of interpretation here. QUOTE: "So why then do we meet on Sunday as a church? We meet on the first day of the week to celebrate His resurrection. Sunday is a weekly reminder of the glorious day that He rose from the grave & conquered death." There is no Scriptural support for your position here. Please give Bible chapter & verse to show that Sunday commemorates Christ's resurrection.

Observing Sunday in honour of His raising from the dead is simply a tradition of man that is contrary to the commandment of God. The truth is baptism, is how we identify with the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The exact phrase, 'The Lord's Day' is only mentioned once in Scripture. It is mentioned by John. Now, please consider the following. John calls the seventh day of the week the “Sabbath” in John 5:9-10, 16, 18; 7:22-23; 9:14, 16; 19:31. John calls Sunday the “first day of the week” in John 20:1, 19. Why would John then suddenly call Sunday "The Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10?

I'd like to offer the scriptures that s/he (?) asked for.

Hebrews 4:1-11 | The Believer’s Rest For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, ..., “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Hebrews 8:13 | When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete & growing old is ready to disappear.

The passage in Hebrews 4:11 especially appears to support what Ms. MFC has contributed to the conversation.

Now these scriptures do not directly state that God changed the Sabbath from a day to a Person, however we can infer this based on scriptures like this & the ones I provided in the original post.

Just as there are no scriptures deliberately making mention of the Trinity, we can infer the Trinity exists by juxtaposing several scriptures side by side.                 _____________________________________________________

Ms. Modest Fashion Cents said...

A hint to the "pray that your flight be not (in the winter or) on the Sabbath..." could have to do with what happened Friday. Just before Jesus died He said "It is finished." Because He had completed the atonement - He could rest on the sabbath.

Now if Jesus would have had to break the sabbath because His work wasn't completed - all His people would still be "in flight" (running from the wrath of God) on the sabbath (when they were suppose to have found their rest). Now the theological implications of this on salvation are huge. If Jesus hadn't finished his work before the sabbath set in - that would mean that all the redeemed would have been eternally lost. Jesus himself would have returned to the Father - simply on the basis of his own righteousness because the justice of God prevents Him from condemning a righteous man. Jesus would have returned empty handed though. So the admonition to pray that your flight be not on the sabbath was really a pleading for your redeption. Now the flight be not in winter thing. Earlier in the gospels Jesus had said look up for the feilds are ripe for harvest. The harvest comes just before the winter. Jesus was in the temple preaching until the Tuesday before the crucifixian. Here's where it gets interesting. Late that afternoon Jesus is sitting on the Mt. of Olives and says something to the effect that now is the time Satan is cast to the earth. (It's in the book of John - can't remember the verse off hand) In the book of Revelation - when Satan is cast down - he's bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit. That night Jesus goes to someone's house for dinner (think it's Simon the leper?) and some un-named woman pours oil over his head. He states that she's done this for his burial. This is Teusday night, most likely right after sundown. Exactly 3 24 hour periods later (Teusday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) Jesus is dead! There's your 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth. Notice Jesus is not in public anywhere. He's not preaching to anyone - the harvest of that covenant was over - this was "the winter". They weren't "fleeing in the winter" because Jesus was still physically there. He was still alive. Now the apostles fled when Jesus was arrested. Now my assumption is that those who had died - including John the Baptist and all to be redeemed that had died before him (Old Testament) who were awaiting enterance into heaven had "fled" too. They'd fled the wrath of God. This is what I think was the "great tribulation". They fled for fear that the atonement would not be completed and that they'd be eturnally lost. Now you get to the book of Revelation and immediatly after the lamb appears before the throne - to open the scrolls - so do all these people. And the passage states that these are those who've come out of (the) great tribulation. So now resurrection comes and you have a totally new covenant. The enacting of the new covenant actually happened at the point Jesus died - the proof of his victory being the resurrection. (that's another theological topic though). So anyways - the old has passed and Christ is the new testament sabbath. Remeber - if you wish to keep a portion of the old covenant than you are a debter to the whole law! Hows this jive with "new covanent law". What coudn't be fulfilled in the flesh because of the sin nature of men is now completed in the believer through the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. So intrinsic in the new covanant is the "moral law" of the old since the Holy Spirit as God can't break His own laws. This is why Paul admonishes the churches saying that if you are truely born again - one evidence should be that you are living a moral life. So, can you pick a day to rest - physically speaking - sure - it's a good idea. Is it mandatory like it was in the Old Testament - no. Again, all things are lawful for me but not all things are profitable. This is what grace is about - it truely brings you choices and a will that's freed enough from the bondage of sin to make those kinds of choices. Of course no one is perfectly freed from their fallen estate - but a believers relationship to sin is profoundly different after redemption.                 _____________________________________________________

Jennifer - I'm glad you "re-opened" this post for more comments. Because I got a couple of great Greek "monkey wrenches" to throw in here! LOL Before I pull out my "monkey wrenches" though, I want to comment on the question Elessar posed concerning Adam - What the Sabbath meant for Adam? Adam and the Sabbath: There are two opposing "schools" of theological thought that would address this question in different ways. For those who may be on more of an "Arminian" bent - they may approach this question with the assumption that God knew nothing about the fall at the point of creation. Of course (on the other hand) if one believes in the omniscience (sp?) of God - He'd have to know what was "coming down the pike". So, with God knowing the inevitibility of the fall; the question of Adam and the Sabbath becomes quite easy to answer. Even if Adam didn't understand what a "day of rest" was all about; it'd soon be painfully clear to him that he'd need rest. He'd need it in a way he'd never known before! He'd need redemption! I'd stated in my first post that the phrase "God rested on the seventh day" is actually in the future tense in the Hebrew. Couple that with the incidence of the Pharisees dismay at the disciples picking ears of corn on the Sabbath. Jesus's answer to them is that his Father has continued to work even unto this day; and so does he himself (Jesus). Now from a practical stand point we know that plants and animals still grow on Saturdays, the sun still shines, the rain still falls. Every living thing where within the "breath of life" is found does not cease to "labor" in that life just because it's Saturday. It's very obvious that God is "working" in the maintaining of this creation because if He wasn't - we would't be here writing in this blog. So there's the "simple" answer as to the question of Adam. Now for the "complicated" answer.               _____________________________________________________

Before Adam transgressed would he have needed a redeemer? Now, on the surface that question seems like it'd have a real simple "no brainer" answer. Does it really though? I'll post here some things from Genesis and the book of John, give you my own assesment and let ya'all make up your own minds on that question. In the very first verses of Genesis we have the earth being without form and void and darkness being upon the face of the deep. Now the phrase "darkness upon the face of the deep" is interesting because the "darkness" is "the with-holding of light" that's upon the face of "the abyss". When we take this over to the opening of John, we get a "definition" of what it means. At the commencement of creation "the Word" already existed. Here's where it gets interesting because the Greek actually says: "... and the Word continously existed superceeding god." The Watch Tower Society seriously butcher the meaning of this in their translation; but the King James doesn't really do it justice either. King Jimmy translates it "and the Word was God". King James translates an accurate meaning, although misses an important neuance. The Word was "the God" that superceeded a power that was already present. God had imposed His creation into this "darkness" that was upon the face of the deep. This power (or god) resisted "the light" and attempted to supress the light. This darkness is a perpetually destructive force that God proved His supiority over by creating life. In simple terms God labled it as "evil" (This is why Adam and Eve were confronted with the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. Evil already exited - creation was just ignorant of it before the fall.) Science calles this perpetualy destructive force enthropy. This is why the conception of life is so puzzling to science. The creation of new organizisms is completly contradictory to the law of enthropy! So, having Adam, Eve and the rest of creation suspended by God's sovereign power into this perpetually destructive force called evil - we can see why and how the fall was so very diabolical!               _____________________________________________________

Did Adam need a Redeemer before the fall?

From the judicial stand point - no. From the practical stand point - absolutely. Because Adam lacked all the "omni(s)" that God possesses; his requirement of a sacrifice was inevitable. The first "weak link" that rocked the whole created order was Eve. ("Satan" - what ever Satan constitues; I personally don't have an answer for, that I'm satisfied with. Traditionally, people have believed that he was a fallen angel; yet nothing in God's created order had "fallen" until Adam ate the fruit. So, what was Satan? I don't know. I'm not inclined to think he was a fallen angel - but that's a different topic altogether.) If we look real carefully at the text we see that Eve ate the fruit because she wanted the knowledge of good and evil. It never says that Eve wanted to be like God in the totality of who He was! No, it says she ate the fruit because it was "desireable to make one wise". Her intention was not evil. The way she went about trying to satisfy the hunger (pardon the pun) for that knowledge is what brought her into direct conflict with God. Adam on the other hand jumped into this mess with both feet. If he'd refused to eat the fruit and instead just went to God ("Houston, we got a problem!") God's answer would have still been - "You need a Sacrifice." (ie you need a Redeemer!) Adam and Eve were not created with a nature that could withstand the knowledge of good and evil without being corrupted by that knowledge. (They were not eternal.) In order to conquar this perpetually destructive darkness; God himself had to enter into it and overcome it's final outcome (death) with life. This is why Jesus had to physically rise from the dead! So here is what I believe was the reason for making mention of a day of rest back in Genisis. Again, we have a "day" really ending up being a Person! Now, the "Greek Monkey Wrenches" I mentioned earlier I'm going to put in another post. This one is already pretty long and my 'ol flesh is weak. (My eyes are blurring out looking at the computer screen and I'm falling asleep!) So, "I'll be back!" (Jennifer, I'm glad you re-opened the posting for this thread. It's a good topic. Made my brain work for it's supper tonight!)              _____________________________________________________

Brandon

said...

Jennifer, I appreciate that you consider the Sabbath a topic worth discussing. However, I would encourage you to continue studying the issue because your reasoning does not sufficiently justify your conclusion. As Elessar pointed out, the Sabbath was instituted before the Fall so it cannot foreshadow Redemption. Also, please note that Heb 4 makes it clear that we have not yet entered that rest. The entire passage in Hebrews is an exhortation to persevere. Thus it is not possible to say the weekly Sabbath is done away with because Christ is our rest, because the author of Hebrews is very emphatic that we have not entered the rest he is speaking of! God made a covenant of works with Adam, the reward of which was life everlasting. Adam had the hope that he would one day enter God's rest once he had fulfilled his probationary period of testing. The Sabbath was a weekly reminder of that rest, just as it is for us today. The difference is that Adam saw it as something he had to work for, we see it as something accomplished for us, thus the change in day because of the change in motivation. 1) It is a red herring to point to how "orthodox" Jews practice the Sabbath today. We do not look to them to interpret Scripture. Jesus corrected the Pharisees distortion of the Sabbath laws and we should learn from Him. is your pastor or minister a paid employee of your church? What do you think the Lord will say when every pastor or minister on earth has to give an account for what they’ve done? You need to calm your zeal a little. Have you read Matthew 12? Jesus explains that those who serve the Lord on the Sabbath by doing His work do not profane the Sabbath (priests/disciples). I do not take issue with your perspective on this. I just disagree because it is not congruent with the freedom and liberty we now have in Christ. The freedom we have in Christ is freedom to sin. Ms. MFC, I'm afraid your solution to what Elessar mentioned is insufficient. The shadows that Paul refers to in Col 2 were understood by true believers to be shadows pointing to something greater. From their inauguration they pointed to Christ and believers knew that. The weekly Sabbath could not point Adam to a redeemer that he did not know he needed. To say that God knew it would one day point to a Redeemer is to avoid the issue. Furthermore, it is clear that Paul is referring to the Sabbaths mentioned in Lev 23 that were added in addition to the weekly Sabbath. Any festival that God required Israelites to rest on was called a Sabbath.

June 15, 2009 at 6:13 PM

Brandon

said...

I'd stated in my first post that the phrase "God rested on the seventh day" is actually in the future tense in the Hebrew. Couple that with the incidence of the Pharisees dismay at the disciples picking ears of corn on the Sabbath. Jesus's answer to them is that his Father has continued to work even unto this day; and so does he himself (Jesus). Now from a practical stand point we know that plants and animals still grow on Saturdays, the sun still shines, the rain still falls. Every living thing where within the "breath of life" is found does not cease to "labor" in that life just because it's Saturday. It's very obvious that God is "working" in the maintaining of this creation because if He wasn't - we would't be here writing in this blog. Ms. MFC, I am not a Hebrew scholar, but I'm guessing you're not either. Can you please reference where you read that the Hebrew in Gen 2:2 is future tense? Why doesn't any translation reflect this? Why do they all say that He rested on the seventh day? Why don't they say He was going to rest on the seventh day? Furthermore, why does Ex 20 point Israelites back to God's rest as a motivation for their rest? As far as God continuing to work... again, you are simply ignoring what Gen 2:2 says. It says God rested. However, we need to understand what He rested from. Did He rest from all work? No, He rested from the work he had done (note the NET and NASB translation). He rested from the work of creation. This is important to remember as we rest from our work. We are not to rest from all work, but from the work we do the rest of the week. Your reference to Jesus saying the Father and He are working is in reference to Redemption. And Jesus does not offer that as an excuse for what He is doing (He was healing in John 10, not the wheat) because He did not need an excuse. Healing is lawful on the Sabbath. His comment was to hint towards His work of Redemption, just like when He says something greater than the temple is here. God rested from His work of Creation. Adam fell and then God began his work of Redemption. God completed His work of Redemption and so now we honor Him by resting on the day He rested from His work of Redemption.

June 15, 2009 at 6:24 PM

oops The freedom we have in Christ is [NOT] freedom to sin. June 15, 2009 at 6:40 PM

                    _____________________________________________________

Jennifer said...

Brandon, thank you so much for sharing your identity. I do consider it a courtesy to the rest of us participating in this conversation. (I want to ensure that we are discussing these issues with actual Christians and not being distracted by those who would just perpetuate discussions for the sake of creating discord.) And so I truly thank you. I appreciate your argument, and Elessar’s. However, I believe entirely that the creation process itself, and everything that was instituted before the fall is, in fact, indicative of Christ. Consider the fact that the earth was in a sense “buried” under water, but was brought forth on the third day. Is that a mere coincidence, or is that indicative of the work of Christ? Consider the fact that God created marriage before the fall. Was marriage created for the sake of marriage, or was it a foreshadowing of Christ? Consider Ephesians 5:27-28. Paul is discussing Christ’s model, then says we are to emulate our marriages after His example. God did not get the idea to betroth Himself to the church from the institution of marriage. On the contrary, He instituted marriage as a symbol of what was to come. Is it not equally possible that the day of rest is to signify our rest in Christ? I also appreciate your arguments concerning Hebrews 4 and Colossians 2. Yes, the work of God is not finished yet. There will come a day when we will rest from all we know here. However, I do believe that there is sufficient evidence that the rest has already come and is still yet to come. Using the marital example again, when two people are married, they often look forward to their future together. But this does not negate the fact that their future exists in a sense now, in the present. Corresponding to this, Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3 as “knowing God.” I have eternal life now, in the present. I will also enjoy eternal life in the future, when I stand in glory with God. So I don’t see my view as being inconsistent with the future tense of Hebrews 4 and Colossians 2. Again, I appreciate your comments, however I am not sure exactly what your goal is in participating in this discussion. My goal was not to inspire debate, but simply to encourage and inspire people to place an emphasis on Christ, rather than the symbols used in the Bible to foreshadow Him. I do not believe I’m in sin, or that I have embraced a false teaching. At the most, I believe I hold a different view than you. Is your intention to simply state an alternate view, or is it something more? I ask because you seem very passionate about this. I do not judge you for your view. However, I am inspired by my view because it truly has given me a deeper appreciation for all Christ has done, and the perfection of His plan, down to the smallest detail. To bring my sense of understanding of the Sabbath back to a mere day just seems to reduce my faith to a series of rules. Again, I observe my “Sabbath” on Sunday because I love God, and He says if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. This is why I personally continue to observe a Sabbath "day". However, I do not embrace any of those commandments as a vehicle by which I can achieve God’s favor. June 15, 2009 at 7:11 PM                     _____________________________________________________

Brandon said...

Jennifer, it may be your opinion that everything in creation was indicative of Christ, but you do not have Biblical warrant for such an assertion. Paul certainly has no such thing in mind. Every use of the term shadow in relation to Christ refers to the Mosaic Covenant. Furthermore, to suggest that everything in creation prior to the Fall was indicative of Christ robs the meaning of the shadows that God instituted in the Mosaic Covenant. Marriage is nowhere described as a shadow of Christ, including Eph 5. If it is your opinion that marriage is a shadow of Christ, then we should no longer marry because marriage is fulfilled in Christ, the substance of what marriage foreshadowed. A day of rest has always been meant to signify the rest we find in God. Saturday signifies our effort to work towards that rest. Sunday signifies Christ's accomplishment of that rest. However, I do believe that there is sufficient evidence that the rest has already come and is still yet to come. In the context of Hebrews, the entire point of the passage is an exhortation to persevere because we have not entered that rest. The author of Hebrews does not say we have rest now and we will also have rest later. He says we have not entered God's rest and we must persevere in our faith lest we fail to enter. To claim otherwise is to ignore what the passage says. Again, I appreciate your comments, however I am not sure exactly what your goal is in participating in this discussion. My goal was not to inspire debate, but simply to encourage and inspire people to place an emphasis on Christ, rather than the symbols used in the Bible to foreshadow Him. You inspired debate the moment you chose to say in public that my view of the Sabbath is incorrect. You are encouraging men and women to sin by teaching them to ignore the 4th commandment. I understand you believe you still observe it, but you are wrong. By failing to observe Sunday as a Sabbath to God by resting from our labor, we sin. If you do not wish to be challenged on this point, then you should consider not making posts that others will disagree with. I do not believe I’m in sin, or that I have embraced a false teaching. Which is why I took the time to show you the problems with your reasoning. I am exhorting you to change your mind on this matter. I apologize if I sound "gruff." It's just due to lack of time to more fully expand my thoughts. Please consider the sermon Elessar linked to above. However, I do not embrace any of those commandments as a vehicle by which I can achieve God’s favor. Jennifer, that's a red herring. Nobody is claiming to be justified by works. June 15, 2009 at 7:26 PM                    _____________________________________________________

Jennifer said...

Brandon, again I appreciate your willingness to care enough to bring these issues to my attention. I do not think you sound gruff. I did listen to the sermon Elessar posted (I would not have posted something I did not listen to. I want to know what my readers are being encouraged to listen to.) In spite of this, we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. It is not that I do not wish to be challenged. If that were the case, I would not be publishing your comments. I just do not really feel the need to go any deeper into this. Both sides of the issue have been raised. Rest assured your concerns have not only been heard, but will remain here for posterity for all who choose to visit this article in the future. Blessings!

June 15, 2009 at 8:34 PM                    _____________________________________________________ 

Ms. Modest Fashion Cents said...

Referance material I use: Word Study Series - THE COMPLETE WORD STUDY OLD & NEW TESTAMENT(seperate volumes) Printed by Zodhaiates AMG Publishers. I also use a King James Bible & a Strong's Concordance. Occasioally I check linguistic references on-line to see if the gramatical notations match the reference material I use. Note about gramatical notations - the Mood, Voice, & context of any given verse is often subject to the interpretation of the person translating. Their interpretation is ususally colored by what aspect of any given verse they may be focusing on. For example: in Greek - actions performed by God as related to man. If a translater is focusing on the human role in the interaction they will translate the verb as "passive voice". If they are focusing on God's role in the interaction than they will translate that same verb as "active voice". The outcome is the same though. Rule of thumb that I use is - if the translation of any difficult verse jives with the overall redemptive message of the Scriptures; than that is still a good translation - even taking into account the variance of the translaters and what they deem of the gramatical "bent" of particular words or phrases. We always have to keep in mind that translation of language is always subject to human interpretation; regardless of how highly schooled those humans may or may not be. We must keep in mind that Christ and the redemptive message are the centeral theme of all the Scripture. Any periphial (sp?) issues (cerimonial laws & commandments, historical events, prophecy, songs, proverbial statements ect) are some how a testimony of / related to that redemption. If we focus on that truth - it makes translation hard to mess up. This is where the Holy Spirit becomes an essential element in dealing with Scriptural translation. Humanity is incuriably religious in it's attempts to "make right" with God. Fallen humanity wants to think they bear the capacity to make themselves right with God; therefore they invent all sorts of religious schemes based on works. In response to this, God presented fallen humainity with His standards. This was the Old Testament. Within those standards was imbedded the message of redemption. The focus was never meant to be the standared - the focus was always meant to be redemption. The reason being, is that it's impossible to live up to God's standards - because we are not God. The very missing of the redemptive message is evidence that the translater was not working under the power of the Holy Spirit. Consequentally, a good translator doesn't necessiarly have to be highly schooled. This is what baffled the religious leaders conserning Jesus and the disciples. They probalby only had the equivalant of a sixth grade education.

June 17, 2009 at 11:50 AM

Ms. Modest Fashion Cents said...

Now as to the question of the translation "Rested on the seveth day..." being future tense. Hebrew is different than Greek. The language is constructed differently thus lending less ambiguity to the tense, mood and voice of the Hebrew words themselves. Hebrew has little characters that have specific meanings attached to them. This isn't necessiarly true with Greek. The reason is that Hebrew is a language of description that protrays an idea. Greek is a language of idea that protrays a description. English is also a language of idea that protrays a description. Example: when we say "He was angry" - we get a picture in our heads of what this angry person "looked like". Hebrew on the other hand - that same phrase "He was angry"; literally translated is "He had snorting nostrils". There is no actual gramatical character in Hebrew that denotes "future tense". What Hebrew does have is an "imperfect" tense. The "imperfect" tense is a countinous action that has a definate end in the context of an entire scheme of events. When that action becomes completed it becomes "perfect" tense. So where you have imperfect and perfect tense notation in the same phrase of a text this can be confusing to translation. Genesis 2:2 ....God ended his work....and rested .... - both of those words(ended and rested) are imperfect tense. What that means is that as a part of God's whole work that He would (come to) "rest" upon; there was an aspect of it that wasn't completed yet. "...ended His work which He had made.." Now the word "made" is perfect tense. He's completed the creation. That aspect of His work was finished, yet that doesn't imply that God's working was totaly "ended". Consequentlly if you tried to interpret that "rest" being in the imperfect tense as a continous event that never comes to an end (ie. the notion of having to continously observe a sabbath) - than you have a major theological problem. God would have never picked up His work again if He stayed in a state of continous rest. Now the next verse: "....blessed the seventh day.... because that in it He had rested from all his work which God created and made." Here is where attention to a little detail is imperitive or you'll miss the point God was trying to make about "resting". Notice the phrase "created and made." Two different Hebrew words - God didn't just put them there because He was being linguistically redundent. The word "created" is primarily translated chosen. It's a word that's in the absolute and it's also in the perfect tense. This particular word "Made" on the other hand is not in the perfect tense. It's a verbal noun that depicts a simple one time completed act. I.E. creation of the heavens and earth. So in essence what these two words are telling us is that there is more to God's "creation" than the physical universe. Here is where God links the act of redemption to the sabbath! The primary purpose of creating a sabbath day of rest was for Christ. He could "rest" on the day after the crucifixian because God had completed the entirity of His work. This is reflected in the portion of verse 3 "....because... had rested from...." Now that word "rested" is perfect tense, meaning that once he'd come to the end of that "rest" He was not going to rest any longer. There was no need to rest from His labor because there was no more labor to be labored upon. Now, my translation of this "rested on the sabbath" as future is because of the tense being both perfect and imperfect in the context of this single idea. It's very clear in these two verses that God is making a distiction between a tempoary rest and a permanant rest. If He wasn't the two verses would consistantly be either perfect or imperfect tense; not one of each.

June 17, 2009 at 1:11 PM

Ms. Modest Fashion Cents said...

Ok, now for my "monkey wrenches" that I promised earlier!!!! Did God change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? People claim there is no Scriptural evidence for the changing of the day - when actually there is! Matt 28:1, Lk 24:1, Jn 20:1 "In the end of the sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week..." (Matt) "Sabbath" and "first day of the week" are the same Greek word and in this passage, it is actually plural. The word is "sabbaton". So the literal rendering is actually: "At the end of the Sabbaths, as it began to dawn toward the first of the Sabbaths....." Another accurate rendering would also be "At the end of the weeks, as it began to dawn toward the first of the weeks..." Yes it is true that in Scripture there is no other Greek word for "week"; but there is also no other Greek word for Sabbath. (I'm sure though that the Greek language did have a seperate word for "week". We just don't see it rendered in the Scripture. Either way, you can't get away from the fact that there is a distinction made in the text as to a transition from one set of weeks to another set of weeks. Now the other "monkey wrench" - I'm warning ya - it's a big one!!! Mark 16:1 "and when the sabbath was passed...." This word "Sabbath" is singular and has a definate article. A definate article identifies a particular thing apart from others of it's kind. So this is "the Sabbath" or "this Sabbath". The word "passed" (this Sabbath being past..) is composed of two Greek words that mean "through the vehicle of" and "to declair". So we have: "And when the (this) Sabbath had been declaired through the vehicle of; Mary....brought sweet spices..." What or who had this Sabbath been declaired through the vehicle of? Jesus's rest from his work was a complete rest. You don't get anymore "doing no work" than being dead! He didn't even decompose - that's how "rested" he was! Ironically, the fact that Jesus's body didn't decompose; tells us something about what the real "no work" injunction of the Sabbath was. This is why it's impossible for any of us to keep Old Testament sabbath. You may think this analogy is a stretch; but the picture is profound. All "labor" that was contained in the "body" of the "sabbath" rested. Man and beast. The cells of his flesh labored not, nor did the bacteria or any other organism that may have been on or inside his body. To me that's very profound as to the message that redemption brings. It really and truely does bring a total rest to ALL of our labor!

June 17, 2009 at 2:11 PM

Puritan said...

Ms Modest wrote: "Another accurate rendering would also be "At the end of the weeks, as it began to dawn toward the first of the weeks..." No that would not be an accurate rendering. Greek (nor any other language) does not work like that. You can't just pick up a concordance, and pick which meaning you like best. The context determines the meaning. The example I use is, if I said "I took something back to the shop, but I was in the wrong queue, so I had to go back to the back of the queue, but then my back was hurting, so I went back home, I forgot my front door key, so I went in the back way, I put coat on the back of the chair and sat back down." Now I used several different meanings for the word back there. But each time you instantly knew which meaning of the word back I meant. You didn't have to think each time "I wonder which version of the word back he's using this time?" Because the context determines the meaning. It's the same in both Hebrew and Greek. So not a single person will have read that text how you would like it to read. Also yes I do think you are stretching it with Mark 16:1, it is simply saying, after the Sabbath day was over. Blessings.

June 19, 2009 at 6:14 PM

Ms. Modest Fashion Cents said...

Puritan If you have an interliniar bible - I suggest you go look this up. Here is the literal English rendering in the order of the Greek words: "After, But the sabbaths, at the dawning into the first of the sabbaths came Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary...." Now what do you think that means? The word is "Sabbaton" - it's translated "sabbath" in one phrase and "first day of the week" in the other - yet it's the same word and it's plural! As you can see by the verse it's-self. I didn't "do anything" to the language. You can even check it out on line if you want. God could have had whom ever penned the verse render it differently, if He so chose to. I'm sure in Konia Greek - they had a word for "week", and one for "day", and one for "first". In other passages they simply use the phrase "the next day" (which does not contain the word "sabbath": - but that's not how this was written. God must have had it written the way that it is for a reason! Your "back" / "back" argument works well for English because English is constructed that way - Greek is not. Modern English is composed of several different languages and the more you "throw in the pot" so to speak - the more you end up havig mulitiple words that have very similar meanings. New Testament Greek does not have as many words of neuance as Modern English does. New Testament Greek has a tendency to use the same words over and over again, or only a few variance of a meaning; (as compared to classic Greek or other more complex languages). I think the reason for this is because it would have to be translated over and over again and God already knew that. New Testament Greek is considered inferior to Classical Greek because it's so rudimentary. Now to answer your question about "weeks" as opposed to "end of the sabbath". The anchient Hebrew world measured weeks by the passing of Sabbaths. The fact that they did this makes "At the end of weeks as it dawned toward the first of weeks..." also an adiquate translation. "The end of sabbaths toward the beginning of sabbaths.." is still a better translation though. The New Testament language picks up on this idea by tacking on "sabbaths" as a new set of sabbaths starting on the first day of the week. If you were trying to stretch this verse to mean "toward the 7th day sabbath..." You'd have Jesus being resurrected a week following the crucifixian, since the dawning of the next 7th day sabbath would have been Friday at sundown.

June 24, 2009 at 11:26 PM

Ms. Modest Fashion Cents said...

Mark 16:1 "And passing the Sabbath, Mary the Magdelene...." The word "passing" is composed of two other Greek words. "Passing" - Strong's #1230 #1230 composed of #1223 - which is a prime preposition denoting the channel by which an act is committed. #1096 - a prolonged and middle form of a prime verb "to be" The middle voice is an action of someone who is acting upon their own will on behalf of their own self interest. "And through the channel of he who is caused to pass away the Sabbath, Mary the Magdelene..." If you break down this phrase - that's what you get. Yes, in the simplest form it's saying the sabbath is over; but it's saying a lot more than that as conserning how it came to be over and who caused that. This word sabbath is singular, the reason for that is that "the sabbath" was made specifically for Christ. So the sabbath that was created to "pass" at some point - passed when he rose from the dead. That's how it passed though the channel of him!

June 24, 2009 at 11:45 PM

Jennifer said...

Someone shared this article with me and it is absolutely amazing: http://www.soundofgrace.com/jgr/index076.htm Or Click here to visit. Very detailed, very humbly written, very exciting to read!!

September 9, 2009 at 10:34 AM

Brandon

said...

Jennifer, if you agree with John Reisinger and are going to promote his views on your blog, you need to remove "Reformed" from your blog's title.

September 9, 2009 at 12:19 PM

ADieL said...

God bless you brethren. I also have been studying what the Bible has to say about the Sabbath recently. I must say that it has been a very thrilling and joyful experience. I just have a question for Brandon. Do you believe that those of us who do not hold to a first day Sabbath but rather believe that the Sabbath was a shadow of things to come but the substance is of Christ... are lost? Are habitual impenitent first day Sabbath breakers (or who teach others so)... people like John MacArthur, Albert Mohler, Don Carson, Tim Conway etc... must repent or they will perish? Would you call such people to repentance and discipline them out of the church and not even eat with them if necessary? This would be my reaction to anyone who professes to be a Christian but is in direct violation of commandments 1 through 3 and 5 through 10. Is this your reaction to violators of the first day Sabbath doctrine? How do see this?

September 10, 2009 at 8:53 PM

Brandon said...

No I would not say they are lost. Their disobedience is not necessarily done in rebellion. But yes, I believe discipline is a legitimate step - though certainly taking into consideration the climate we live in, much grace should be extended in the learning process.

September 10, 2009 at 9:45 PM

ADieL said...

Hi brother, I agree that church discipline should be done biblically (lovingly, humbly, patiently, firmly, graciously)! Let me see if I understand what you are saying... You don't believe we are necessarily lost. However if we Christians who believe that Christ is the fulfillment of the Sabbath and that the first day Sabbath doctrine is unscriptural don't respond to church discipline with repentance, we can ultimately be excommunicated and regarded as a tax collector (a lost person who needs to be evangelized). Correct? Thanks.

September 11, 2009 at 8:08 AM

David said...

The verse you used of "Let no man judge you" was referring the laws contained in ordinances which was written by Moses in a book, that was against us and placed outside the ark. That is the Law that was nailed to the cross. God's Ten Commandment Laws as stated by David, "Will stand fast for ever and ever and are done in TRUTH and uprightness" We must worship Him in TRUTH! King David says again in Psalms 119 that "Thy Law IS THE TRUTH" The law contained in ordinances was the laws concerning meats and drinks and holy days such as Day of Pentacost, Feast of Tabernacles and so on. Those laws were "against us" and a "witness against us" until the seed should come who did fulfill them, which is why we don't have to sacrifice sheep in the back yard for forgiveness! There were 2 laws, Moses law (contained in ordinance) and the law of GOD (Royal law). Moses law was nailed to the cross, God's perfect law will stand fast forever! Rev 12:17 tells you who the true end time saints are, those who KEEP the commandment of God AND have the testimony of Jesus! Rev. 14 says "And this is the patience of the saints, here are they who KEEP the commandments of God AND the testimony of Jesus Christ." And lastly, Jesus Himself testified to who has the right to the tree of life in Rev 22:14-18 "BLESSED are they who KEEP the commandments that THEY may have right to the tree of life,....I JESUS have sent my angel to testify these things!!!!!" Salvation is more than a 30 sec prayer for forgiveness, Jesus said it Himself! We must accept the sacrifice of Jesus which allows us to recommit to the covenant of God and "Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" because "Faith without works is DEAD!" Why is it that you confirm that I should not murder, commit adultery and so on, but "Jesus" did away with the Sabbath commandment? God saw that His perfect law could not be attained so He has to send Jesus? Heb "We have not a high priest who cannot be sympathetic to our infirmities as HE HIMSELF was tempted in every area YET WITHOUT SIN!!!!" Jesus was our example that it can be done! You say, well He was God so that is why He could keep the laws? Would that verse make sense if that was the case? Would it have made any sense to tempt Him if it were impossible for Him to break the commandments of God? I suggest you stop teaching in direct defiance to God's word! I think it is funny that the Antichrist is call the "LAWLESS ONE" and the entire "christian" world claims that their "christ" did away with the law! Isaiah 8 "To the law AND to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because THERE IS NO LIGHT IN THEM!

September 26, 2009 at 2:40 PM

Jennifer said...

Nobody in this discussion is claiming that Jesus did away with the sabbath. Rather, the position held here is that Jesus IS the sabbath. Those of us who bow in allegiance to Christ are honoring the sabbath, because He is the sabbath. My goal is not to convince people of the joy of knowing Christ as our sabbath rest. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. I think we've said about all we can say on this topic, and for this reason, I am closing this discussion to further comments. It is not fruitful.

September 26, 2009 at 3:29 PM

[lunarheiress]

Miraculous Ladybug Love Square

Oh man so, this is gonna be a long post, just warning you now, and I'm doing this on mobile so I apologize if the formats a little wonky, but I just gotta get this out before I forget my reasoning. I'd like to start off with saying that anything here is up for debate, and if you think otherwise I'd be glad to hear out what you have to say. I've been thinking a lot lately about the love square, and why it even exists. I've also put a lot of thought into the different ships, the likelihood of their occurring, and the likelihood of their reasonably working out (I'll explain what I mean by that later on). Just so you know, I've also put some thought into my biases, so I'll put it out there that I don't seem to favor the two ships involving Ladybug (Ladynoir and Ladrien), and I honestly couldn't tell you if I'm just being grumpy about it or if it's because of the points below, so bear with me. I'll start off with why the square exists. It's mostly due to one person, that person being Adrien. I understand that we are not talking about four people (chat=adrien, ladybug=marinette). That being said, adrien's behavior does change significantly when he adopts the chat noir persona, or at least, he significantly toned down his behavior when at school. Which brings up an issue I have with our boy. I'm not really sure what his personality is, whether it is closer to chat adrien, or school adrien, or a mix of both, I couldn't tell you! But I have digressed. Anyways, there is an argument that marinette's behavior changes as well in his presence, but he has on multiple occasions observed her in her more natural element (which also contributes to things I have to say below). In conclusion, the many different dynamics are fueled in part by both adrien, and marinette, however I think the reason that the dynamics are so different is because Adrien's behavior changes so much. Now, onto the ships. First I'll rate them, 1-4 (one being the most likely, 4 being the least), for likelihood to occur, and likelihood to make sense. I'd like to add that while I have currently reached this conclusion, it can change depending on future content (though I'm sure that went without saying). Likelihood to Occur essentially means how likely it is that ships will occur (obviously) Now, likelihood to make sense is a bit harder to explain. Essentially, I'm saying that hypothetically, in terms of their characters, if they were to get together under that dynamic, would it make sense? (Hopefully I'll make more sense as I explain) Now, off to the ratings First off, let's start with Ladrien. In terms of likelihood to occur, at this point, regretfully it sits at number one, mostly because the writers have put so much focus on the attraction between Ladybug and adrien. (This one is a tad obvious though) As for likelihood to make sense, I'd have to put it 3rd. (Really it's tied for fourth with ladynoir, but it makes a little bit more sense, just a little). It one hundred percent makes sense for adrien. He loves Ladybug, very seriously as we've seen. However, when we reach Marinette, it is a problem, a very large problem. I don't see how this relationship could be anything but damaging to marinette's psyche. We've all seen instances where Marinette has... taken advantage of her powers to get something she wants, and I can see that happening on an impulse here. But after, I mean, how could it do anything but hurt? One of her main issues is that, she is Ladybug. Is she good enough? Is she brace enough? Etc. At this point, she has always been reassured that yes, she is Ladybug. But when it comes to this relationship, it would become painfully obvious that there must clearly be a difference between her and Ladybug. Something about the suit makes her worth liking in the eyes of her crush. However, I can't see how it would take long to dawn on her that she is missing that something when the suit is gone. That he sees her every day and he's not interested. And I just...don't see how that could work. 2nd, Ladynoir At a likelihood of occuring, I'd say 3rd. It would rank higher if we saw them spend more time together outside of battle, but it seems that hardly ever happens. Nevertheless, they are great friends, and perhaps Marinette could grow fonder of Chat noir, but only if something happens to turn her away from adrien(or at least shift her focus towards Chat). In terms of making sense, I'd put it 4th. One thing I neglected to mention when regarding ladrien was the masks. They could be in as much love as they want, but not know each others names or faces would eventually get in the way, and put even more strain on their relationship than it does now. Much like ladrien (and any ship involving the super identities) I can see an issue with self confidence arising. Wondering why the one they love can't seem to recognize or care for them when the mask isn't there. I don't see how that sort of situation couldn't eventually cause issues (though, more with marinette than with Adrien due to previously mentioned reasoning). Lastly, marinette is always rejecting his advances and trying to stay focused on the task at hand, for her, Ladybug seems to be mostly duty. So we'd have to see a major shift in her character just for it to even occur, much less make sense. Next, Marichat. As it stands, the likelihood of this occuring is probably 4th. These two each see eachother as good friends, and i can totally see them being friendly towards one another, hanging out and such, but we'd have to see a lot more development of their relationship to even narrow down whether or not it's likely. Now, as for making sense, this one is rated 2nd (odd, I know, bear with me). Mostly because this ship is with Marinette, and not Ladybug, as I previously explained. It would be hard with chat noir and the mask, but adrien's confidence in his hero persona seems to be a lot stronger than marinette's, so it may not be an issue as soon. Additionally, this ship is probably where Adrien could experience and grow fonder of Marinettes ladybug qualities (that he wouldn't typically see as his normal self). I also think that between the two of them, Adrien's affections are more flexible than Marinette's. While he does adore ladybug, he's quickly shown to be growing more and more attached to Marinette (plus, being constantly rejected by ladybug will have an effect on him eventually) As for Marinette, she could interpret her fun loving flirty partner as a playboy, which may cause issues as well, however I do think she would grow fonder of him over time. Especially since she is not "on duty" as ladybug. She also trusts him immensely. That being said, a lot of this is inferred, and would really depend on more interaction between them in the future. Lastly, we get to Adrienette. This ship rates 2nd on likelihood to occur, simply because they are both solidly aware of who the other is and art shown to have chemistry. Basically, there are no masks. They know where the other lives, they can meet their parents, they can go on dates and hang out all the time whenever wherever. As for making sense, this one is number one, mostly for the same reasons. There are no masks between them, and Marinette already adores Adrien, and Adrien seems more likely to grow fond of Marinette than she does to suddenly take a Romantic interest in Chat. They have many things they can easily bond over, and her being interested in fashion could contribute to earning Mr. Agreste's approval (not that it would matter much to them, but it would give the story a positive spin). So! That concludes my analysis (if you can call it that). I'm really not intending to bash and ships if it came across that way, this has just been bothering me for a while and I had to set my thoughts out. Thanks for reading!

[atraveluniverse-blog]

Final Project

It is characteristic of Morocco to promote the multifaceted purpose of space and products. Structuring these aspects to serve “a variety of different and important features or elements” is reflected in a long-lasting traditional component of Moroccan culture. 

The Hand of Fatima/Khamsa

This image was taken at the Abderrahman Slaoui Foundation Museum in Casablanca. It depicts the Hand of Fatima, or Khamsa, which was used by the original inhabitants of Morocco; the Imazighen. It can be traced back during the time B.C.E. This amulet, designed in the shape of an open right hand, is engraved with meticulous and detailed designs. As learned during Dr. Berkland’s lecture, art by the Imazighen was especially utilitarian. This piece, in particular, served two important roles to the Imazighen people. The first was as a piece of jewelry or home decoration. The Khamsa was welded from gold or, more commonly, jet or silver. In order to add colors, jewels were added or the hand was covered in paint. Not only did the Khamsa serve as adorned decoration, but was also a means of protection. Individuals would wear this design on jewelry or place it in their homes as a means of driving away evil spirits. The belief in the evil eye was constructed to understand the source of illness or unexplained death. In order to control the dangers from this evil spirit, the Khamsa, an open hand, would repel the evil eye from harming an individual or their household. It was commonly used by expecting mothers or households with a newborn. By creating a source of origin for illness or death, it allowed human beings to attempt to control it. This is what Howard Stein in his article, The Environmental Context, would classify as a society which believes they dominate over nature. Both facets of the Khamsa continues to be used today by both Muslim and Jewish Moroccans, persevering an original piece of Moroccan heritage.  

Rugs 

The image above depicts rugs inside of a Zawaya in Fez, Medina. Moroccan rugs can be traced back to the Imazighen. They hold both a practical and religious purpose. Due to the cold climate of the winter months, especially in the mountains, heavy rugs were fashioned to keep warm. Rugs continue to be used for this purpose in the clay buildings of the Medina, which are often even colder than the outside. Homes do not have heating, therefore, rugs are relied upon to help keep the inhabitants warm. Rugs are also used during prayer. As learned on the tour of the Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, part of the Islamic religion requires individuals to get on their hands and knees in prayer five times a day. Before prayer, individuals wash their hands and feet in order to present themselves clean before God. Cleanliness is maintained during the prayer by placing a rug between the filthy ground and the individual. In an Islamic Moroccan home, it is important to remember to remove one's shoes before stepping on a rug in order to keep it clean for prayers. 

Arabic Letters

While historians are unsure whether the Imazighen had a written language, it is suspected that the Arabic Alphabet was developed ca. 4th-century B.C.E.

This image was taken inside the home of my host during my stay in Fez. It is a framed verse from the Koran. The first use of the Arabic alphabet is a written form of communication, whether a religious verse or writing a paper for a class. Language is very important in Morocco because it allows access to information. If individuals can read they can better participate in the public sphere because they have gained a necessary understanding of how the world functions. This was portrayed in the book, Year of the Elephant, written by Leila Abouzeid. The main character, Zahra, joined a reading group, where women gathered to learn the written language. This was necessary to inform herself of current events, as she was a part of the rebellion against French colonization.

The second function of the Arabic alphabet serves as art. During the mid 11th century Ibn Abdullah as-Samin led a group to overpower the Imazighen and insert their own influence, including art. As learned during Dr. Wafa’s lecture, one prominent Islamic art form is calligraphy. Individuals study calligraphy for years to learn different forms and replicate it onto canvas or even architecture. In the image above, the top of the painting is a row of Arabic calligraphy. 

The Medina

The Medina, in Fez, is recognized as a cultural center of Morocco. Founded during the 9th century, the Medina is home to some of the oldest universities, Mosques, and Fonduks. The buildings are constructed close together, creating tight and narrow pathways. Many homes and shops are within walking distance. Morocco’s collectivist ideals contribute to the multifaceted purpose the Medina’s layout serves. The first function is that it readily allows neighbors to help one another. Living close to one another grants individuals the opportunity to easily seek help which, in turn, strengthens the bond within the in-group and perpetuates a stronger collectivist society. The second purpose is that the layout prompts socialization. Dialogue amongst familiar faces is encouraged as it is likely individuals will pass neighbors around the shops or clusters of homes. By having a close bond with the in-group it perpetuates the desire to care for one another which also strengthens the collectivist ideals of Morocco. Finally, the close layout of the Medina allows for accessibility to resources for every individual. For centuries, homes did not possess running water. Instead, public water fountains were placed throughout the Medina. By having structures built close together it allowed the collective society easy access to the public fountains. 

The Terrace    

Contrary to the majority of homes in the United States, Moroccans utilize the roof, or terrace, of their homes. The terrace serves two purposes. The first is additional space added to the home. It provides an open space for children play and it is an ideal area to dry laundry since most homes do not have a dryer. The second function of a terrace is a space for women to socialize. Before the 1940′s, when women were more strictly confined to the home, the roof provided a space for them to experience the outdoors. The tall walls around the edge make it challenging for outsiders to see in, while still allowing women a beautiful view and fresh air. Additionally, many homes are structured as an apartment complex where multiple families may share a roof. This strengthens the bond between women as they assist one another with laundry. 

Even today, despite the increase of freedom for women, Morocco remains a male-dominant society that has not yet reached a public sphere that equalizes gender. Therefore, women create spaces to prompt socialization and allow themselves to participate in collectivism. Because of this, the terrace continues to remain a vital aspect of the Moroccan home. Mernissi’s mother describes the terrace as one of the “most pleasurable aspects of harem life” (179).

Living Space

These images were taken in the traditional home of our host during our stay in Fez. Moroccans utilize living space by allowing rooms to serve a dual purpose. 

The first use for living room space is an area for eating. Meals are an important aspect of family life. They eat at least three meals a day, with tea times in between. As read about in Culture Smart - Morocco, the streets of the Medina don’t usually become crowded until 9:00am, which gives families opportunity to eat breakfast together (93). Individuals have a long lunch break, allowing them to go home for a meal to eat with their family (93).

The second function of the living room is an area to socialize. Because of the wheels at the bottom, the table can be moved out of the way. This allows additional room for children to play on the floor. Benches align the room, allowing for multiple guests to enjoy one another’s company. The benches are cushioned and allow for comfortable seating. This is ideal because Moroccans are known for their hospitality and often entertain in their homes.

The Hammam (see image below)

The Hammam is a bathhouse accessible to the public. They can be traced back to the late 8th century. Its purpose is twofold. First, it provides a space for individuals to clean themselves. Hammams were especially important during the earlier centuries when running water was not found in homes. There are separate washing areas for men and women, however, all children under the age of ten usually bathe with the women. Its second purpose is to create a social space. This mostly benefited women, who, before the 1940′s, were rarely allowed outside of the home. Weekly trips to the Hammam were one of their largest social events and they would spend hours together washing and talking. Food would sometimes be present as well. In her book, Dreams of Trespass, Fatima Marnessi’s mother described the hammam as another one of the “most pleasurable aspects of harem life” (179). The socialization aspect of the Hamman was largely perpetuated because women were restricted from interacting in any capacity in the public sphere. When they were allowed out of the home (to go to the hammam) they made the most of their time together.  

The Tagine

The Tagine, a common item found in the kitchen, can be traced back to the 8th century. It supports the practicality Moroccans maintain by serving two purposes. The first is as cookware. It has a round base with a cone-shaped lid to cover meets, vegetables, or fruits as they cook. Because the tagine is made of ceramic, it can be used in an oven or over the stove. 

Not only is the tagine used as cookware, but also to serve food. After the meal is finished, the tagine can be placed on the table, ready to feed the family. Additionally, many families eat straight from the tagine, as opposed to each having separate plates. This highlights the acceptability of different norms in a more individualistic society as opposed to collectivism. In America, each individual gets their own serving on their plate. However, in a collectivist leaning society, they are more willing to share with the group and eat from a singular dish of food. By serving a dual purpose as cookware and serving dish, the tagine is a practical kitchen piece.     

Cedar Wood

This is an image of cedar wood along the bottom of an ancient mosque in Fez, Medina. It carries both a practical and symbolic purpose. Because cedar wood is resistant to water it protects the walls of the mosque from damage during flooding. This is vital because the Medina lines right along the Fez River, which often rises to fill the walkways during storms. Additionally, it is resistant to insect damage. By placing cedar wood along the walls, the mosque will be preserved for centuries. The second purpose for placing cedar wood along the wall is a symbolic one. In Islam, the cedar tree is a symbol of life given by God. In the Koran, it references the provisions cedar trees provide, such as food and fuelwood. The Cedar is a gift from God and is associated with paradise: “Those on the right hand – happy shall be those on the right hand! They shall recline on couches raised on high in the shade of thornless sidrs and clusters of talh; amidst gushing waters and abundant fruits, unforbidden, never ending” - Sura 56:27-33.     

Public Water Fountains     

Public water fountains are placed all along the Medina. However, the idea of public access to water can be traced back to the Almoravid Dynasty (1061–1147) and still remain prevalent today. They serve a practical, social, and symbolic function. First, the water fountains are obviously a source of drinking water. Homes in Morocco did not always have running water and therefore these fountains were necessary. Moroccans believe everyone should have access to water and so these fountains continue to assist those who cannot afford to have indoor plumbing or those who live on the streets. This value is a reflection of the collectivist nature of their society. They promote the benefit of the group as opposed to individual “success”. Second, when the main source of water is out in the Medina it requires individuals to leave their home and this promotes socialization. The perpetuation of human interaction is characteristic of a collectivist society. Finally, water holds important symbolism in the Islamic religion. As learned during our tour of the Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, one significance of water is that it represents purity. Before prayer, individuals wash their hands and feet and can then present themselves before God. Additionally, it is a source of life. There is a verse in the Quran that says, “And God has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. God creates what He wills; for verily God has power over all things” (Quran, 24-45).

The Hanut

This is an image of a hanut next to SACAL in Fez, Medina. First and foremost the hanut serves as a marketplace. Here, one can purchase a variety of items, namely food, water, or cleaning supplies. These hanuts are located all across the Medina. Secondly, it prompts socialization. Because a counter blocks the customer from the items they wish to purchase, they must communicate with the hanut owner to ask for products. While the initial dialogue consists of asking for products and bargaining, it allows for the conversation to go further and the hanut owner becomes very familiar with the plans of his customers and their families. In America, a more individualistic society, individuals in the store simply grab the items they would like, purchase them, and then leave. Many grocery stores have even implemented self check out, completely removing the small amount of socialization a cashier provides. Because of the structure of the hanut, the owner becomes very familiar with those who dwell in the cluster of homes around his/her shop as well as their buying habits. This is beneficial because the he can easily detect when something is amiss. During our second Arabic language course, while we were studying in Fez, our teacher explained a scenario that had taken place were the hanut owner was able to assist the police in detaining a terrorist who was making bombs because he had observed a change in their buying habits.        

Cafe

When entering Fez, Medina, this is one of the first cafes one comes across. Cafes are very popular and found all along the Medina. Their first function is a place to eat and drink. This is a shared purpose of cafes across every culture. However, in the Medina they serve a second unique purpose; an observation point to view the public. Instead of placing the chairs around the tables, the chairs are set in a row facing the street. This way individuals can sit and watch passersby and the bustle of the Medina. Locals believe that if someone does not wish to interact with the public sphere, they should stay home, drink coffee, and socialize there. The cafes add a unique factor by encouraging observation of the region in which they live. This is different from America, where even in the public sphere, individuals detach from the world by constantly looking at their phones. Finally, cafes are used for socialization. Because women were rarely allowed in the public sphere before the 1940′s, cafes were, and continue to be, largely occupied by men. They gather to talk or play games.      

Shop Doors

This shop can be found in Fez, Medina. Shops here are small with large double doors, which during open hours have products hanging on them. The first purpose of shop doors is to close when the shop is no longer open. This protects the products overnight. The second purpose is to serve as a space to display products. These small shops are full of goods and to make the most of their space, the shopkeepers utilize the doors. Items on the door are important because this is the first exposure customers experience. If they are interested in any of these goods, they are more likely to then wander inside the shop and continue to look at the products. 

Poufs 

Poufs are items found in the homes of Moroccans. They hold a variety of usages. One of the main purposes is a chair. These cushions serve as comfortable seating around a table or in a social circle. The benefit to these, as opposed to the long benches usually found in living spaces, is that these are portable and can be carried from room to room, depending on the need. Second, poufs can also be used as a table where one can place decorations, do homework, or, in a small setting, eat around. Finally, poufs also provide a use for old worn out clothes and rags. When purchased, poufs come as a flat pouch of leather or woven material. In order to cushion them, individuals must stuff them will soft materials. In Moroccan culture, materials are rarely ever thrown away. This was supported in Mahi Benebine’s book, Welcome to Paradise, when it read, “in Africa people only throw something away when it’s good for absolutely nothing” (67). Therefore, poufs are beneficial because it serves as a space to store soft clothes that may not have had use otherwise.    

Contemporary Art

This is an image of contemporary art hanging in the Musee Mohammed 6th art Moderne & Contemporain in Rabat. Contemporary art became prevalent in Morocco after it was colonized by the French. They tore down the Islamic art schools and built their own. They also taught talented Moroccans the guidelines for contemporary European art. The first purpose of contemporary art is that it is a form to express abstract emotions or for the observer to feel an array of abstract emotions. The image, which appears vague in nature, allows each individual to interpret it to mean something valuable to them. Contemporary art does not align with collectivism as it encourages individual interpretation of emotions. However, a second function to contemporary art is forming; the rekindling of Islamic tradition. Islamic art typically portrayed geometric shapes, floral design, and/or calligraphy. In the image above, one can see the calligraphic letters inside the circle. By incorporating Islamic techniques in a contemporary setting, the artist is reminding the locals of their tradition and preserving their culture.  

From the original inhabitant of Morocco to contemporary art, the multifaceted usage of products and space is made evident. This communicates a unique aspect of Moroccan culture that reflects values of resourcefulness, practicality, and socialization.  

[alyssacawthorne-blog]

Australia Is actually Welcoming Migration.

Saint Agnes Basilica celebrates First Holy Communion Mass on Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00 pm. When our experts assist all of them create Mama a card for Mom's Time or choose them to choose a gift (which is coming from them, however obtained with our loan), we are actually showing our boys the invaluable lesson from recognizing females and our experts are telling our little girls (who commonly wind up marrying an individual like their papa) that they are worthy as well as need to be actually addressed as therefore. Very most significantly, our company are investing premium opportunity and also helping them to enjoy their mommy. If you perform choose to give a ring to your papa at that point search for out ahead of time what measurements he might be. If that is actually going to be an unpleasant surprise at that point one means to perform this is to take among his bands and also cut either a strand or a piece of paper as well as place this on the inside of the ring to obtain a dimension that way. The ping pong champ Jelena Dokic, that has actually gained 5 WTA Scenic tour labels and also reached a career-high position from 4th in 2002, spoke up lately in a meeting, regarding exactly how she was actually frequently beaten by her father during the course of tennis competitions.

William's papa was actually a prominent member from the area, valued for his philanthropic participations, sometimes contributed anonymously, both regionally and abroad in Ireland, especially during the Great Famine (Irish: an Gorta Mór) of 1845 to 1852. Father McLeod stepped to the fire door at the rear of the cooking area as well as ensured the locking bar remained in place -SMASH- an item of cutlery got into fragments on the floor responsible for him, but he didn't turn around to look since cool needle factors were spreading over the rear of his neck. The 2015 Miss World competition in Hollywood hit the headings due to the bizarre fashion where the hold, as a result of an obvious mix-up in the signal cards, offered royalty to the runner-up, Miss Colombia, prior to realizing that the victor was Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurzbach. I was actually a single parent for a variety of years ... heck, I still am and also my kid is currently 28 yrs aged ... this is a laborious for sure and the single moms and dad certainly never actually can deal with all the bases of 2 moms and dads.

The hardest factor I have actually ever carried sportportal-17.pt out in my lifestyle was to inform my 3 sons that their papa. was actually never getting home, that their daddy had spent cash money to have surgical procedure to earn himseld seem like a woman - breast enhancement, brow boost as well as cheek implants were his first surgical procedure.

As a result, the East location expanded 31% of our overall 2015 initial quarter property closing revenue, up from 24% in 2013 from overall home closing earnings, while our West location went down to 40% of our first region 2015 property closing profits from 47% in the first part from 2014 as that expanded at a slower speed - slower 8% speed. The day when the mom determined to conform the kid totally, Alain understood that his parental legal rights, and its own statute even of dad was due only to just one word - that from the mother, that carries out certainly not wait to denounce a variety of and also varied sexual activity massacres. Based on the 1963 Glenn Ford/Ronny Howard movie from the very same name, The Engagement from Eddie's Dad showcases Bill Bixby as Tom Corbett, the editor of Tomorrow journal, who's increasing his youthful child Eddie (Brandon Cruz).

[planxaccelerator-blog1]

Top Hiking Boots

Here are some amazing webpages temporary dog fence, knee compression sleeves, girls toddler bed. Hiking Boots

Strategies to Select the Best Hiking Boots

Why go to a lot of problems picking the best hiking boots? Because they are your Feet, yes your feet. If you are going hiking, that indicates many actions. Almost certainly the most important component of your body to keep strong during a hike will be your feet. In the event you cannot walk, you can’t get home.

Your boots are the foremost critical component which affects the enjoyment of hiking. For this reason you should select the very best hiking boots for your needs. If you have some boots which are not cozy or are created for the improper outdoor adventure, it may spoil the complete trip.

An additional factor to contemplate is the reality these boots are to final for a prolonged while, so don’t just get a boot because it’s discounted. Try out the best set of boots to suit your needs. Don’t skimp on your hiking boots. You could regret it when it’s too late and you are a lengthy way in your hike.

Deciding on the most suitable hiking boots for your feet can be complicated, however here’s some suggestions producing it easy.

Your Hiking Boot Purchasing Approach

Above all, you need to try out on the boots. I know this seems like a “duh” minute, nevertheless making an attempt it on in a shop and making certain their comfort is important for an satisfying hike. How can you inform if your boot is actually a excellent match?

Test boot types in the afternoon. Your foot normally swells all through the day. Carry your socks that you will be typically planning to use. Correct match depends on having the actual socks. Put the boots on and lace them snugly (but do not over fasten them so a lot that you’re hurting your hands, that is considerably too tight). Stand and try and raise your heel. Your heel ought to rise a highest of 1/8″. A lot of heel movement suggests too considerably friction. Tighten the laces plus locate a sound target to kick the toe of the boot into, like a submit or ground. Kick the object twice. If you find the toes slam into the front of the boot, subsequently the boots are not fitting effectively. On a steep downhill trek, the toes can get a beating plus it could cause difficulty with the toe nails or feet. The toes should push close to the front of the boot on the third or even 4th kick, but in no way slam. Numerous strategies you can look at in case your toes are crushed could be to adjust socks, re-lace the boots or perhaps test a distinct set of boots. A number of areas have a ramp you’ll be ready to stroll up and down on to support you decide if they are suitable. Make use of it. Trails are not flat, utilize the equipment while in the shop to acknowledge the ideal hiking boots for your feet. Assuming you have time (and you should have time for this distinct choice) walk about the keep. The additional time you can devote in the boots, the much better you will know if they match accurately. Before you purchase your boots, make certain you could return them. Some retailers are great with regards to enabling you to return them if you have only worn them inside and not had them for a lengthy period of time. Check out the return process before you depart. After you have purchased your boots, they have to be broken in. (Do not head directly out to a ten mile trail with new boots!) Place on the boots close to the property, consider swift walks around your community. When they appear to match nicely, you will be ready to use them on a easy day hike. The objective is to get the boots to kind to your feet. Funds Trying to keep Suggestion: If you’re money-conscience then attempt the boots on in the keep, choose one you really want and then acquire that identical fashion on the net for a great deal significantly less.

Care and Cleansing

Make sure that you align the tongue each and every time you place your boots on. This inhibits the tongue from sagging and developing wrinkles. Wrinkles in the tongue contribute to blisters and rubbing. Be sure you read through the care of the boots. Deal with them if required to make a water resistant seal. If they’re leather and they end up acquiring soaked, let them dry out gradually. Don’t set them in front of a fireplace, this could cause breaking of the leather. Open them up each night on the trail as properly as after a hike to enable them to air. Also, before placing them away until the up coming hike, clean them based mostly on the manufacturer’s recommendations. Get any grime off them to help prolong their lifestyle. This can be carried out employing a bristle brush. Care for the leather with saddle soap, allow them air dry and then put on a sealer or wax. When Buying the Greatest Hiking Boots For You, Hold These Issues in Thoughts:

Components utilized:

Leather: More powerful and water repellent. Heavier than synthetic. Normally meant for longer hikes having a full back pack. Synthetic: Lighter in bodyweight bodyweight than leather, however displays dress in more. Waterproof supplies: A number of boots offer you a waterproof membrane that’s connected to the inside of the boot. (such as Gore-Tex ‘) Hiking Fashion:

Day Hikes having a couple of containers of consuming water in a fanny pack. Over Night Hikes with a modest pack. Many Day Hikes with a 40 to 50 pound backpack. Boot Minimize:

Minimal Minimize: Very good for more degree terrain, shorter hikes. Not really a good deal of ankle assistance. Mid Height: Additional ankle assistance, can be used for restricted multi-day hikes making use of a lighter in excess weight pack. Substantial Cut: Traditionally the most rugged and sturdy boot. Wonderful for lengthy multi-day hikes with a heavy duty pack. Day Hike / Lower Reduce Boots

A Reduced Cut Boot would be the ideal hiking boot for day hikes. These could be used on a day time hike with level ground. You would have a small-scale day pack or even a fanny pack with a couple bottles of drinking water. Also, the trail shouldn’t have a great deal of gravel, since it could get in between your sock and the boot. These varieties of boots also can be water proof and are made of synthetic or synthetic/leather blend.

Extended Day or even Shorter Multi-Day Hike / Mid Cut Boots

The best hiking boots for a longer hike would be the mid minimize. Mid Cut is excellent for more demanding inclines and they’ve received more ankle assistance. The majority are water-proof and are accessible in synthetic or a synthetic/leather blend. They carry out a somewhat better job of maintaining out gravel and pebbles and will supply you with more stability on muddy trails. These boots have ample help for utilizing a lighter, little backpack.

Mountaineering or Lengthy Multi-Day Hike / Large Minimize Boots

Substantial Lower Boots have a tendency to be the very best hiking boots for the critical hiker. They come in Leather or Leather/synthetic mix. They’re a very powerful boot with a good deal of ankle assistance made to be worn making use of a weighty pack. They may also be used with crampons for snow. They are unquestionably developed for the most demanding terrain.

In addition: It is great to have the Excellent Hiking Boots, but what transpires when your laces break?

It’s important to have a spare pair of laces on the trail. The laces have to be produced for boots and not footwear. I would suggest a round alternatively of a flat style lace, these have a tendency to last longer. The help that laces provide is very crucial to a comfortable hike.

Every single hiking boot requirements a good boot insole. Insoles do wear out with time. Be sure that your insole continues providing you the right padding.

Bear in mind; safeguard your feet with the suitable hiking boots. They will appreciate you by the end of the day.

You can also check out some of my other websites at hike, best kids sleeping bag, camping gazebo.

[gotoocollectorheart-blog]

Know about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Overview Experts suggest that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects an estimated 8 percent of school-aged children, and about two-thirds of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to show signs of the disorder into adulthood. ADHD interferes with your ability to regulate motor activity (hyperactivity), control key behaviors (impulsivity) and focus on tasks (inattention). When the hyperactivity is not present, the condition is sometimes called attention deficit disorder (ADD), although the more accurate term is ADHD-inattentive type. By current estimates, more than two times as many boys as girls are affected by ADHD, but the ratio appears to become more even by adulthood. Overall, women and girls may exhibit fewer of the typical symptoms associated with ADHD in boys. For example, girls with ADHD are more likely to be reserved than hyperactive. They tend to be less defiant and more compliant than boys and men with the condition. Like boys and men with ADHD, however, women with the condition may have difficulty completing tasks and remaining organized. Instead of being tested for ADHD, they're often dismissed as flighty or spacey. Thus, because girls are less likely to disrupt class—the kind of behavior that often brings boys with the condition to medical professionals' attention—girls are less likely to get diagnosed with ADHD. Consequently, many girls and women do not get the help they need. Often, girls' self-esteem suffers as they encounter academic problems in school. They may have difficulty with interpersonal relationships as well as social challenges. These secondary difficulties may result in depression, anxiety disorders, problems sleeping, self-harmful (cutting) behaviors and/or abuse of alcohol or other substances. Furthermore, girls with ADHD are at greater risk for early pregnancy, promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. A recent study following girls for 10 years showed significantly higher risk for suicide attempts and self-injury compared to a comparison group. Once diagnosed, many women recall painful or difficult childhood experiences in school that were likely to have been linked to ADHD but attributed at the time to other causes, such as laziness or lack of ability. This misattribution can itself lead to significant damage to self-esteem and self-confidence, resulting in demoralization. Causes of ADHD Although no one knows for sure what causes ADHD, the condition does run in families, suggesting a strong genetic component. Children who have a parent with ADHD are at an increased risk for ADHD themselves. And twin and adoption studies confirm a high degree of genetic connection with this condition. For identical twins, there is a strong chance the other twin has it. Again, this "family resemblance" appears strongly related to genes rather than social factors. Many researchers around the world are now investigating various genes that may contribute to the development of ADHD in families. It is unlikely a single gene is responsible, but undoubtedly many genes, operating interactively with one another and with environmental risks. A smaller percentage of cases of ADHD are due to environmental or nongenetic biological risk factors, including premature birth, low birth weight; prenatal use of alcohol, tobacco and/or cocaine; and exposure to lead, which can alter brain development in the fetus. Infections and complications during pregnancy can also increase the chances that a baby will eventually develop ADHD in childhood. Additionally, some postnatal problems, such as chronic low levels of lead, recurrent ear infections or severe head trauma, can result in ADHD. For years, ADHD was thought to be a disruptive behavior disorder that most experts intuitively believed involved some brain abnormality. With the development of more sophisticated brain scanning techniques, it is now known that people with ADHD do have anatomical differences in their brains, as well as differences in the biochemical balance that controls everything from mood to impulses. Brain imaging studies show differences in ADHD brains in several areas: differences in dopamine receptors in specific areas of the brain differences in total brain volume and brain volume of specific areas of the brain differences in the brain networks that are used to solve specific tasks differences in the rate of maturation of frontal/prefrontal areas of the brain Children with ADHD show a pattern of delayed maturation of certain regions of the brain compared to their peers without the disorder. These regions of delayed development are involved with controlling motor behavior, impulse control and attention levels. The conclusion is that slower brain development is a characteristic of ADHD brains and may explain the delay in development of emotion/impulse control and organizational skills. Another biological component of ADHD has to do with levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Adults with ADHD who have never received any medication have lower amounts of receptors for the neurotransmitter dopamine in key subcortical regions linked to motivation and reward than do adults without the disorder. In fact, stimulant medications used in the treatment of ADHD help balance levels of dopamine, improving symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. ADHD is not caused by many environmental triggers commonly believed to be associated with the disorder, such as too much TV, food allergies, eating too much sugar, problematic home life, poor teaching or schools or permissive parenting. Still, it is essential to realize that the home environment and the school setting are extremely important in managing ADHD—and that ineffective parenting and educational settings can exacerbate the symptoms and lead to additional impairments. Diagnosis Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent chronic neurobiological disorder in children. Once thought to affect only children, it is now recognized as a disorder that most often continues into adulthood and presents unique issues for girls and women. Common symptoms of ADHD can include: failing to give close attention to details or making careless mistakes difficulty sustaining attention to tasks appearing not to listen when spoken to directly failing to follow instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting important things feeling restless or fidgeting talking excessively or blurting out answers before hearing the whole question ADHD is a serious diagnosis that can have a tremendous negative impact on your life, work and family. It may require long-term treatment with counseling and medication, so it's important that a health care professional carefully evaluate all symptoms to rule out other conditions that could cause similar symptoms or behaviors. For instance, stress can cause symptoms similar to those seen in ADHD, such as forgetfulness or feeling overwhelmed and disorganized. However, reactions to stress are usually temporary, subside when the stressful events pass, and are not present in a chronic fashion since childhood. Symptoms caused by ADHD are persistent, chronic and unchanging since childhood or early adolescence. The diagnosis itself, however, must be approached very carefully and shouldn't be done during a time-limited office visit with a pediatrician or other medical doctor. Improper treatment from misdiagnosis or failure to obtain treatment because of a missed ADHD diagnosis can both have significant, long-term consequences. To reach an ADHD diagnosis in children, health care professionals use diagnostic criteria published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV-TR) and consider information from other sources. For example, interviews with the patient, the patient's family and, in the case of children, information provided by caregivers and teachers who see the child regularly can provide a picture of the patient's behavior and learning styles. Diagnosing and treating adults is challenging. The diagnostic criteria, with their emphasis on school behavior and performance, are designed to make the diagnosis in children, not adults. Hyperactivity, for instance, tends to diminish by adulthood, although other symptoms, such as inattention, may appear worse because of mounting adult responsibilities. The following informal checklist further describes behaviors in adults that may be the result of ADHD. An individual having chronic problems since childhood with many of these symptoms may require further evaluation: I am constantly trying to get organized, but can never seem to get or stay there. I often feel that I talk too much or impulsively blurt things out. I often feel overwhelmed. I make impulsive purchases and decisions. I frequently misplace personal items. I start one thing but never finish it because I am distracted by something else. I am frequently late. I am a procrastinator. I often make careless errors and oversights during the day. I often pay bills late and have difficulty managing my money. There are three primary subtypes of ADHD: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive and combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive. The DSM-IV lists these other signs of ADHD, many of which apply to children in the classroom: Inattention Those who are inattentive find it difficult to keep their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. They may, however, give effortless, automatic attention to activities and things that are highly engaging, like video games. But they may have difficulty with deliberate focus, conscious attention on organizing and completing tasks, responses to repetitive materials or mastery of challenging information. Hyperactivity-impulsivity Hyperactivity: Those who are hyperactive always seem to be in motion and have trouble sitting still. They squirm in their seats or roam around the room. Or they might wiggle their feet, touch everything or noisily tap their pencils. They may be fidgety or try to do several things at once, bouncing around from one activity to the next. They report an internal sense of restlessness and the need to continually move around. Impulsivity: Those who are overly impulsive seem unable to curb or weigh their immediate reactions, thoughts and behaviors before acting. As a result, they may blurt out inappropriate comments or physically attempt something without thinking it through. This could apply to taking tests in school as well as participating in potentially dangerous behaviors. Their impulsivity also makes it hard for them to wait for things they want. This leads to poor frustration tolerance and temper outbursts. Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive or impulsive has an attention disorder. Nor does everyone with ADHD exhibit all behaviors associated with the disorder. It's important to realize that during certain stages of development, it may be normal for children to be inattentive, hyperactive or impulsive, and that these behaviors at these stages don't fit an ADHD profile. For example, preschoolers typically have lots of energy and run everywhere they go, but that doesn't mean they are hyperactive. And many teenagers go through a phase when they are messy, disorganized and reject authority. This phase doesn't necessarily persist as a lifelong problem with attention, organization and/or impulse control. Because everyone exhibits some of these behaviors at times, the DSM-IV contains very specific guidelines for determining when the behaviors indicate ADHD. Specific symptoms must appear early in life, before age seven, and continue for at least six months. In children, they must be much more frequent or severe than in others the same age. Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person's life, such as school, home, work or social settings. However, it's important to know that the inattentive type of ADHD may not be diagnosed until age nine or 10, the age when symptoms of inattention become noticeable and problematic because school demands have increased. So if your behavior or your child's doesn't impair work, friendships or other relationships, you probably won't be diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active at school but who functions well elsewhere. Health care professionals also consider the following questions during an assessment for ADHD: Are these behaviors excessive, long-term and pervasive? That is, do they occur more often in you or your child than in others the same age? Are they a continuous problem rather than a response to a temporary situation? Do the behaviors occur in several settings or only in one specific place? The health care professional pieces together a profile of behaviors, based on all available information, and then considers: Which ADHD-like behavior patterns listed in the DSM-IV are apparent? How often and in what situations? How long have they been going on? How old was the child/adult when the problem(s) started? Are the behaviors seriously interfering with school, friendships, activities or home life? Are there any other related problems? Is there a parent with ADHD symptoms? The answers to these questions help identify whether the hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention are significant and long-standing. If so, a diagnosis of ADHD may be made. Other conditions may occur with ADHD, making it more difficult to arrive at a clear diagnosis. Women and girls with ADHD, for example, are more prone to depression than men and boys with ADHD. A serious but treatable mental disorder, depression can disrupt all areas of your life, including mood, sleep, appetite, relationships, and the ability to think clearly. If you think you're suffering from depression, it's critical that you get a diagnosis and proper treatment. Left untreated, depression can be life-threatening, given the risk of suicide that accompanies the disorder. Anxiety is another common condition seen in those with ADHD. Some children with ADHD, for example, feel tremendous worry, tension or uneasiness, even when there's nothing to fear. Because the feelings are scarier, stronger and more frequent than normal fears, they can affect the child's thinking and behavior. Children with ADHD are also more likely to have achievement problems than children without the disorder, even if they don't have a full-blown learning disability. ADHD is not in itself a learning disability but learning disabilities commonly occur with ADHD. But because it can interfere with concentration and attention, it can make it doubly hard for a child to do well in school, creating lifelong frustrations. A very small number of people with ADHD have a rare disorder called Tourette syndrome. People with Tourette syndrome have tics and other involuntary movements like eye blinks or facial twitches they can't control. Some may grimace, shrug, sniff or bark out words. Fortunately, these behaviors can be controlled with medication. The effects of ADHD extend far beyond the classroom, often wreaking havoc on everything from educational budgets to sibling relationships. In 2005, the CDC reported that the educational cost of ADHD was about $36 billion to $52 billion annually. Children with ADHD use more mental health services, have more frequent emergency department visits and have higher rates of pedestrian, bicycle and driving accidents than children without ADHD. All of which places extreme stress on their parents. It doesn't matter if the child with ADHD is male or female; parenting either is equally stressful. Overall, mothers of children with ADHD report significantly higher levels of parenting stress than mothers of children with other chronic disorders, and they're more likely to become depressed. Parents of children with ADHD are also more likely to experience increased absenteeism and decline in productivity in the workforce than parents of children without the disorder. The annual cost to the economy in terms of lack of productivity, unemployment and related issues linked to ADHD is measurable in many billions of dollars. Of course, ADHD also places tremendous strain on relationships and places marriages at higher risk for divorce. Learning how to manage children with ADHD effectively and consistently is a major component of most treatment plans. Some research looks at the concept of executive function (EF). This involves the ability to organize, sequence a task, shift from task to task, prioritize, plan and anticipate, and hold information in your memory as you consider multiple factors when making a decision. Some researchers consider executive dysfunction inherent to ADHD, while others consider it a separate category as defined by neuropsychological test results. Children and adults with ADHD plus EF deficits show more academic and life impairments that those with ADHD without EF dysfunction. ADHD medication, although helpful for ADHD symptoms, has much less beneficial effect on EF symptoms. Skills-based therapies are more useful in these cases. Getting a Diagnosis Several types of health care professionals are qualified to diagnose and treat ADHD. For children: Child psychiatrists are physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating childhood mental and behavioral disorders. A psychiatrist can provide therapy and prescribe any necessary medications. Child psychologists are also qualified to diagnose and treat ADHD. They can provide therapy for the child and help the family develop ways to deal with the disorder. But psychologists are not medical doctors and must rely on physicians for medical exams and prescriptions. Neurologists, physicians who work with disorders of the brain and nervous system, can also diagnose ADHD and prescribe medicines. They will likely be involved with any brain imaging tests. But unlike psychiatrists and psychologists, neurologists usually do not provide therapy for the emotional/organizational aspects of the disorder. Family physicians receive training to provide continuing and comprehensive medical care, health maintenance and preventive services to patients of all ages. When it comes to ADHD, they can diagnose the condition, prescribe medications and, in some cases, provide counseling. Pediatricians are physicians who have specialized training in treating children's illnesses. Like family practitioners, pediatricians may or may not have specialty training in or experience with ADHD. Because ADHD is most prevalent in children, it is likely that a pediatrician will have experience in the ADHD screening process and can help rule out (or identify) medical conditions similar to behavior or learning patterns of ADHD. Pediatricians can also provide referrals to local ADHD specialists. Developmental and behavioral pediatricians specialize in behavior and development in children. Serving as a liaison with primary care physicians and other medical specialists, developmental and behavioral pediatricians serve as key members of a multidisciplinary team. They provide comprehensive developmental, medical and behavioral assessments; education for parents and professionals regarding various medical/developmental diagnoses; and medical management of ADHD and other neurobehavioral disorders. For adults: Psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists and primary care physicians may also diagnose and treat ADHD in adults. But not all health care professionals are trained and skilled in identifying or treating ADHD in adults. Within each specialty, individual health care professionals and mental health professionals differ in their knowledge of and experience with ADHD. So when selecting a health care professional, it's important to find someone with specific training and experience in diagnosing and treating the disorder and distinguishing coexisting psychiatric disorders. Treatment An effective treatment plan will help you cope with ADHD, whether you or your child is the one with the diagnosis. For adults, the treatment plan may include medication along with practical and emotional support. For children and adolescents, it may include providing an appropriate classroom setting and accommodations, as well as medication and helping parents understand and manage the child's behavior. Treatment for ADHD may involve medication, behavioral/psychological counseling, educational/workplace interventions or a combination. Three medications in the class of medications known as psychostimulants, or stimulants, seem to be the most effective in treating ADHD in both children and adults. These are: Methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Methylin, Daytrana). Methylphenidate is available in brand name and generic tablets,capsules and liquid. Daytrana is a methylphenidate transdermal patch approved for treating ADHD in children aged six to 12. Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin, Focalin XR) Dextroamphetamine-amphetamine mix (Adderall, Adderall XR). Dextroamphetamine(Dexedrine, Dextrostat, Concentra). Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) Stimulant medications, when used with medical supervision, are usually considered safe. Stimulants seldom make children with ADHD "high" when taken as prescribed. Because these medications are stimulants, there is no sedating effect. However, restlessness and fidgetiness may decline leaving the person feeling "calmer." Ultimately, the stimulants help children control their hyperactivity, inattention and other ADHD-related behaviors. Stimulant drugs are available in both short-, medium- and long-acting forms. The short-acting forms last for about four hours, medium-acting forms for about 6 hours and long-acting forms last 8 to 14 hours. Stimulants do carry the risk of abuse and addiction. However, abuse and dependence with ADHD stimulant medication are more likely with short-acting forms. To reduce chances of substance abuse, make sure you or your child is getting the right dose of stimulant medication at the needed time of the day. Do not put your child or adolescent in charge of his or her own medication. Keep medication locked in a childproof container at home. If a school time dose is needed, don't send supplies of medication to school with your child; instead, deliver medication to the school nurse or health office yourself. Although sudden deaths have occurred in children on stimulant medications, a recent extensive review of sudden death in children and adolescents on stimulant medication concluded that stimulant medication poses no increased risk for sudden death, cardiac arrest or stroke compared to children and adolescents not on these medication. Always review medication packaging information, and talk to your health care professional about this potential risk. Heart screening questions to assess any risk should be asked before starting any ADHD medication. Additionally, stimulant medications have been associated with a slightly reduced growth rate in some children, although the extent of this appears to be a half inch on average. Other potential side effects, such as weight loss, problems sleeping and tics, should be carefully weighed against the benefits before prescribing the medications. Preexisting tics may or may not worsen with stimulant medication. Most side effects can often be handled by reducing the dosage. Atomoxetine (Strattera). The first non-stimulant medication approved to treat ADHD, Strattera is classified as a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It works by blocking norepinephrine in the brain, thus leading to greater amounts in the synapse when the medication is used. Overall, Strattera has been shown to lead to significant improvements in individuals with ADHD, but the benefit may be less substantial than stimulants. Strattera has been linked to rare side effects that include liver problems as well as the increased risk of suicide, according to the FDA. Call your health care professional right away if you or your child experiences yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), unexplained flu-like symptoms or dark-colored urine, or if you or your child has thoughts of suicide or a sudden change in mood or behavior, especially at the beginning of treatment or after a change in dose. Strattera is not classified as a controlled substance like the other ADHD medications (i.e., the stimulants), although it is a prescription drug. Unlike stimulants, refills can be provided on prescriptions. Side effects include: decreased appetite, upset stomach, nausea or vomiting, and fatigue. In addition, some of the most common side effects in adults are problems sleeping, dry mouth, dizziness, problems urinating (more so in males) and sexual side effects. Other additional medications are sometimes used to treat the condition if stimulants don't work completely or if the ADHD occurs with another disorder. These medications are not approved for the treatment of ADHD, yet many have been shown effective in at least some studies. For example, clonidine (Catapres) and guanfacine (Tenex), medications normally used to treat hypertension, may be helpful in people with ADHD who have tics and/or insomnia as a result of ADHD medications or who experience aggression as part of their condition. Clonidine can be administered either by pill or skin patch and has different side effects than stimulants, including rash (from the patch), constipation,nervousness and sedation. Other medications not FDA-approved for ADHD but that may be prescribed include the antidepressants nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl) and bupropion (Wellbutrin). Antidepressants may temporarily increase risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in people up to age 24, according to the FDA. Short-term studies in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders showed an increased risk of suicidal thoughts in those taking antidepressants, during the initial weeks of treatment. Although this effect is rare, anyone considering the use of an antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the need for the drug. Also, health care professionals should observe their patients closely for any increased risk of suicide or unusual changes in behavior. Families and caregivers should also closely watch patients. Medication won't cure ADHD; it will just control the symptoms while you're taking the medication. For instance, stimulants have only immediate benefits, so once a dose wears off that day, the symptoms return. Also, although the medications may help you pay better attention to and complete your work, they can't increase your knowledge or improve your (or your child's) academic skills. As the expression goes, "Pills don't teach skills." The medications alone can't make you feel better about yourself or cope with problems. These issues require other kinds of treatment and support. Psychosocial Treatment Although ADHD primarily affects a person's behavior and cognition, the disorder has broad emotional repercussions. Scolding is the only attention some people with ADHD ever get while growing up. They may have few positive experiences to build their sense of worth and competence. Facing the daily frustrations that can come with having ADHD can make people fear that they are strange, abnormal, lazy or stupid. Often the cycle of frustration, blame and anger has gone on so long it becomes incorporated into one's self-concept. In such cases, mental health professionals can help adolescents and adults with ADHD develop new skills, attitudes and ways of relating to other people. Often successful treatment will help a person separate the disorder (ADHD) and its symptoms/impairments from the individual and their innate strengths and potential. In group counseling, people learn that they are not alone; other people with ADHD have similar experiences, and there are people who want to help. Support from group therapy can be complimented with individual therapy to address specific life issues. Very often, ADHD symptoms and inconsistent performance adversely affects personal relationships. Family and marital therapy with a professional aware of ADHD can be helpful in changing the communication pattern. Several types of therapy are available, with different therapists preferring different approaches. Knowing something about the various types of interventions makes it easier to choose a therapist. Psychotherapy works to help people with ADHD like and accept themselves despite their disorder. In psychotherapy, patients talk with the therapist about upsetting thoughts and feelings, explore self-defeating patterns of behavior and learn alternative ways to handle their emotions. As they talk, the therapist tries to help them understand how they can change. However, people dealing with ADHD usually want to gain control of their symptomatic behaviors more directly. The following interventions can provide that kind of help. Behavior therapy, used with children and adolescents, involves providing parents with education about ADHD, teaching them to use regular and consistent rewards and punishments with their children and coordinating efforts with teachers at school. Indeed, for children and adolescents, behavior therapy and medication are the only two evidence-based interventions that consistently lead to improvement in symptoms and impairments. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you work on immediate issues. Rather than helping you understand your feelings and actions, it supports you directly in changing your thoughts and behavior. The support might be practical assistance, like learning to think through tasks and organize work or changing a repetitive negative thought pattern. Cognitive therapies have not been found to be very helpful for children and adolescents, but for adults, results are promising. Social skills training helps children and adults learn new behaviors, specifically social behaviors. Impulsive behavior can be intrusive and abrasive in interactions. In social skills training, the therapist discusses and models appropriate behaviors and helps the patient practice the new behavior. It is essential that clear limits are set in the social skills groups; otherwise, children may model maladaptive behaviors from one another. Support groups connect people who have common concerns. Many adults with ADHD and parents of children with ADHD find it useful to join a local or national support group. Many groups deal with issues of children's disorders, and even ADHD specifically. Ineffective or unproven alternative treatments The following treatments have NOT been scientifically shown to be effective in treating people with ADHD: restricted diets (although recent studies from the United Kingdom do show small effects of certain food additives on hyperactive behavior) allergy treatments medicines to correct problems in the inner ear megavitamins chiropractic adjustment and bone realignment treatment for yeast infection eye training special colored glasses herbal supplements essential fatty acids yoga and meditation Neurofeedback, also known as biofeedback, is a promising intervention, not completely supported by definitive studies but with some recent investigations yielding support for improvements in attention and behavior. Be cautious about pursuing complementary and alternative treatments that are not supported by scientific research and/or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although single positive studies often receive media attention, it is important that such findings be replicated. Until sound, scientific testing shows a treatment to be effective, families risk spending time, money and hope on fads and false promises. Managing Your Life as an Adult with ADHD Here are some practical steps you can take to manage your life with ADHD from ADHD expert Kathleen Nadeau, PhD. Give yourself a break. High expectations are deeply ingrained in many women. Identify your strengths and perform those tasks. Identify your weakness and either find a compensatory skill or ask someone else to perform these tasks. Psychotherapy can help capitalize on strengths while limiting the impairments in areas of weakness. Educate your partner about ADHD and how it affects you. Your partner may be angry or resentful about a less-than-organized lifestyle. If your partner understands this as a disorder, he or she may be more understanding and accommodating. Reassign household responsibilities based on skill strength. Strategize how to make your life at home and work more accommodating. Try to create an "ADHD-friendly" environment in your home and work. If you can approach your ADHD with acceptance and good humor, tensions will decrease and you'll save more energy for the positive side of things. Simplify your life. Look for ways to reduce commitments so you're not always pressed for time. Learn how to better prioritize tasks to avoid overcommitment. Choose supportive friends. Many women describe friends or neighbors whose houses are immaculate, whose children are always clean, neat and well-behaved and who make them feel terrible by comparison. Try to avoid situations that lead you to impossible expectations and negative comparisons. Build a support group for yourself. For example, ask a friend who understands your condition to keep you company while completing a task that is always difficult for you. Build in daily breaks. This is essential when you have ADHD, especially if you're raising children. Make them routine so that you don't have to keep planning and juggling. For example, arrange for a regular babysitter several times a week. Eliminate and delegate. Look at things that you require of yourself at home or on the job. Can you eliminate some of these things? Can you hire someone to do some of them? Get help for premenstrual or menopausal symptoms. They may be severe in women with ADHD. Managing the destabilizing effects of your hormonal fluctuations is a critical part of managing your ADHD. Make lists and encourage other family members to list and record activities, responsibilities and events. Try to create a central family calendar with all activities for everyone to check. Online calendars may facilitate this. Avoid scattering information on multiple pieces of paper that can get lost. Create filing systems or organizational systems that work for you. Color coding folders is a fast visual way to identify what's in them. Set up autopay for bills, provided you have money and won't overdraw accounts. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed at home or at the office by mountains of paperwork: sort, file or discard. Prevention According to current medical research, there is no known way to prevent most ADHD. There are some pre and post-natal risk factors that can be addressed: avoid alcohol and tobacco when pregnant, avoid a premature birth if possible and avoid lead exposure to the child. Facts to Know It is estimated that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), also known as attention deficit disorder (ADD) when present without hyperactivity, affects 8 percent of U.S. school-aged children, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Follow-up studies of children with ADHD find that the vast majority will continue to suffer impairments through adolescence, and 60 percent through adulthood. Many girls and women suffer the effects of ADHD and do not get the help they need. Once diagnosed, many women recall painful or difficult childhood experiences in school that were likely caused by ADHD, but at the time were attributed to laziness or lack of ability. Low self-esteem is the outcome of chronic criticism and is common among women with ADHD. ADHD, once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is the most common psychiatric condition among children. More than two times as many boys as girls are affected in childhood; however, in adults it's almost equal proportions. ADHD can be mild, moderate or severe. An ADHD diagnosis is more difficult to identify in women and girls because they tend to be less hyperactive, less defiant and more compliant than boys (though this is not always the case). The absence of disruptive behavior can delay identification. ADHD has a very strong genetic component. Children who have a parent with ADHD or another mood or behavioral disorder are at an increased risk. Still, as with other conditions with a strong genetic liability, the quality of life and the provision of strong parenting and quality schooling can greatly influence any long-term outcomes. Like all chronic medical conditions, there are no cures for ADHD. Treatment for ADHD may involve medication, behavioral/psychological counseling, educational interventions or a combination. Medication can help to control the core symptoms: hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. But more often, there are other aspects of the problem that medication won't alleviate. Even though ADHD primarily affects a person's behavior and cognition, having the disorder has broad emotional repercussions. Currently, ADHD is a diagnosis made in people who demonstrate chronic and persistent symptoms across a number of settings. Although people identify with some of these symptoms at different times in their lives, ADHD is a disorder starting in childhood that usually persists into adulthood. Childhood onset (or early adolescence, in the case of the inattentive type) is the cornerstone of the diagnosis. There is no such disorder as "adult-onset ADHD," although some adults with this condition may not have been diagnosed as children. Key Q&A I have trouble focusing on tasks and often feel overwhelmed during times of extreme stress. Does this mean I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?Not necessarily. Stress can cause symptoms similar to ADHD, such as forgetfulness or feeling overwhelmed and disorganized. Reactions to stress are usually temporary and subside when stress subsides. These symptoms should not be confused with ADHD symptoms or behaviors, which are long lasting and persistent. Are bad parenting skills to blame for ADHD?No. ADHD is a complex neurobiological disorder that affects learning and behavior. Too much TV, poor home life, poor schools or teachers, food allergies or excess sugar do not cause ADHD. International research demonstrates the presence of ADHD in children regardless of culture and parenting. Still, how a family responds to their child's ADHD may go a long way in shaping the child's ultimate outcome. Biology is not destiny. Does ADHD only affect children? I think I recognize some symptoms in myself.No. Until recent years, adults were not thought to have ADHD, so many adults with ongoing symptoms have never been diagnosed. There has been a recent increased awareness of adult ADHD, however. About half of children with ADHD continue to have impairments through adulthood. The recent awareness of adult ADHD means that many people can finally be correctly diagnosed and treated. What causes ADHD?Scientists are not sure what causes ADHD, although genetic and neurobiological factors are clearly involved. Health care professionals stress that because there is no known cause, it is far more important for a woman and her family to move forward with treatment and identify ways to manage her lifestyle in areas affected by ADHD than to search for a cause. Can stimulant medications be abused?Although stimulant medications are recognized as a safe and effective treatment for ADHD when taken as prescribed, these medications, like many others, nonetheless do have the potential for abuse. Stimulant medication has been misused by people without ADHD. They take these medications to increase alertness and focus but also to gain a "high." Substance abuse and dependence does not develop in people who take their medications as prescribed. You should discuss the risks and benefits of stimulant medication with your health care professional. If you have a history of substance or alcohol abuse, this should be discussed with your physician to choose the right course of treatment and medication. My relationship with my husband has suffered because of my ADHD. Is there anything I can do?Yes. Because adult women often suffer for many years without help for their ADHD, their personal relationships can become strained. Health care professionals usually recommend counseling for women and their families, along with medication treatments. A therapist can assist you and your family in finding better ways to deal with your ADHD and reduce the frustration of the non-ADHD spouse/family member. Is ADHD a learning disorder?No. ADHD is a specific psychiatric disorder that can occur with a coexisting learning disorder. Learning disorders do not, in general, improve with medication. Intelligence and ADHD are separate entities. People with ADHD can have a broad range of IQs. Regardless of IQ, most ADHD individuals feel frustrated at not living up to their potential because of the impairments. Read the full article