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John Smallwood: Eagles won't rest on their laurels
IT'S THE National Parity Football League, so the Eagles could lose to the depleted Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Perhaps more than any other fans, Birds Backers should know that just about anything could happen in this wacky season.
IT'S THE National Parity Football League, so the Eagles could lose to the depleted Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Perhaps more than any other fans, Birds Backers should know that just about anything could happen in this wacky season.
But if the Eagles were to fall, don't blame it on any lingering aftereffects from their euphoric and historic comeback victory over the New York Giants.
It would seem natural for the Eagles to still be crowing a bit after rallying for 28 points in the final 8 minutes Sunday to stun New York.
But, yesterday, the Birds got back to practice, and, for the most part, the locker room seemed as it always has following a game - win or lose.
"In the NFL, you get 1 or 2 days to celebrate a win, and then it's time to get focused on the next game," quarterback Michael Vick said. "I think [the New York win] is a game we learn from, we build from and put behind us and move forward.
"The most important game is the next game."
During a season in which it's been hard to make understatements about the Eagles, Vick might have made the biggest.
Win on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field and the Eagles not only will clinch the NFC East, but also stay in strong contention for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which includes a first-round bye.
It's a slim chance, but the Eagles could still get the No. 1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs if they win out, the Chicago Bears lose a game and the Atlanta Falcons lose twice.
The point is, the Eagles know too much is at stake to get caught with a hangover from a game that has no more significance in the big picture than any other.
"These guys know all that," coach Andy Reid said. "They need to not worry about that as much as they need to worry about getting ready and going through the process of playing the Vikings.
"You have a good football team that's coming in here, you respect them and then you prepare yourself to get ready to play the game and don't worry about anything else."
It's a testament to the mental toughness of a team no one could have foreseen, but these Eagles have proved to be distraction-proof since the second quarter of the first game, when quarterback Kevin Kolb went down with a concussion that dramatically altered the direction of the season.
Since Vick got the opportunity to show he could be much more than a backup, this team has been hit with a potential outside distraction at every turn. From quarterback controversies to injury to key performers to miraculous victories and a couple of bad losses, these players have yet to let something external keep them from refocusing on the next task at hand.
"I feel like we've been doing this all season," said rookie safety Kurt Coleman, who will make his first career start Sunday. "When we came off the Monday night game [against Washington, scoring 59 points], that was a high.
"But we had to get ready for the next week. It's almost every week it's a challenge to get up, because every game matters and counts.
"You can't really lull one week and then have a great week the next. You have to be consistent."
The week after Kolb got hurt, Vick led the Eagles to a victory over Detroit.
The week Vick shockingly was named the full-time starter, the Eagles beat Jacksonville.
The week after Vick got hurt against Washington, Kolb stepped back into the starter's role and beat San Francisco.
Coming off a terrible loss to Tennessee and then a bye week, Vick returned to carry the Birds past the Indianapolis Colts.
The week after blowing out the Redskins, the Eagles beat the Giants.
The week after a disappointing loss in Chicago, the Eagles beat Houston on a short week.
This week, in addition to the hoopla surrounding the "Miracle in the New Meadowlands," there is Christmas the day before they host Minnesota.
"It's important that we eliminate any distractions there might be with the holidays and then also media things, attention that you get when you come off a game like we did," Reid said.
"Our players are focused in. We had a good walk-through today and we'll continue to go through the process this week."
Letting go of what just happened to prepare for what comes next has not been an issue with this team. *
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The Board Board
Is your organization seeking board of trustee members? Are you an interested community member looking to serve on a board of directors? CNE aims to link those looking to serve with "the best fit organization" for them to get involved with. Remember board service is serious stuff! If you're thinking of serving, check out CNE's Are You Ready for Board Service worksheet.
CNE Member Organizations: Please send us a little information in an email to [email protected] Things to consider: what skills you are seeking from potential board members? Any positions or committee spots you are looking to fill? When are your meetings? Contact information must be included.
Seeking a position in the nonprofit sector? Visit our Job Board.
Nonprofit |
Details | Contact Information |
Colorado Springs Teen Court |
Colorado Springs Teen Court is seeking new board members to join an award-winning, 22-year-old nonprofit that works with the court system to provide first-time juvenile offenders with a second chance. We are recruiting volunteers with experience in fund raising or who are skilled in finding revenue streams for non-profit organizations. Having community networking skills and/or a passion for helping teens would be a plus. |
Bill Walsh at [email protected] to learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of our community's at-risk teens. |
Council of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO) - Colorado Springs |
Seeking multiple board members (previous nonprofit board or work experience preferred but not required). Looking for skills and passion in fundraising, relationship building, outreach, public policy. Board meets 4th Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm. |
Sara Poe, Assistant Director |
Senior Mobile Dental |
Senior Mobile Dental is currently seeking 2-3 new members with previous nonprofit, business, and/or board experience. Looking for skills and passion in: accounting, advocacy for underserved, Leadership presence & participation. No dental experience necessary. Meets quarterly or bi annually. We are award winning and nationally recognized for our innovative concepts. |
Michelle Vacha, Executive Director, [email protected] |
Bridge for Pelvic Pain |
Bridge for Pelvic Pain is a locally-based nonprofit with a Pikes Peak region, national and international presence. We believe in the power of grass roots movements to make a difference in the lives of people living with chronic pelvic pain conditions. As we grow our mission and reach our Board is expanding. We are seeking experienced Board members with backgrounds in finance, development and leadership (Board Chair). Board meets quarterly via web conference. |
Carin Willis, Founder and Board Chair, [email protected] |
Colorado Springs Food Rescue |
Colorado Springs Food Rescue is currently recruiting new board members to help guide our organization in its mission to build a more just and less wasteful food system. We are on the lookout for: food justice and health equity advocates with previous experience in the field, a board secretary with a propensity for attention to detail, an IT whiz for website, communications and marketing guidance, and non-profit governance experts with extensive past experience serving on boards. Spanish speaking a plus but not required. We meet second Wednesdays at 6:00pm monthly. |
Sanjay Roberts, Board Chair, |
Mile High Youth Corps Southern Front Range |
The MHYC-CS Advisory Council provides expertise and assists in cultivating relationships and resources and developing partnerships in the Southern Front Range region. We are seeking candidates with a passion for youth development and land conservation that have expertise in marketing, business, job readiness or environmental conservation. Advisory Council members meet bimonthly. |
Aimee Liotino, Regional Director, [email protected] |
HillSprings Academy |
We are a working board and seeking new board members that are passionate about education. Skills we wish to add: Finance Management, Business Accounting, Marketing, PR, Fundraising, Community Leadership & Outreach, Grant Writing, & Innovation. |
Stephanie Cullen, Board President, [email protected], |
Catamount Institute |
Seeking multiple board members with previous nonprofit board experience. Professional experience in fundraising, sales, and/or finance preferred. Also seeking teachers and/or school administrators. Board meets 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4PM. |
Christopher Aaby, Marketing & Communications Director, [email protected] 719-471-0910 ext. 106 |
Friends of Cheyenne Canon | Seeking Board Directors with skills specifically in Fundraising; Newsletter (both electronic and paper); Member Communication via social media; Member Recruitment. More information. |
Chris Beyer, Vice President, [email protected] |
High Plains Helping Hands |
Seeking board members with a passion to "help our neighbors in need" by using experience and gifting in fundraising, financial management, or community networking. Board meets third Thursday, 6-8PM. Please send resume. |
David Edson, Executive Director, [email protected] 719-495-3123 |
Homeward Pikes Peak |
Homeward Pikes Peak is looking to expand its board. We are specifically looking for individuals with finance, fundraising or public relations experience but all interested parties should contact us. |
Laura Fonner, MA, LPC, Executive Director [email protected] 719-306-5146 |
Interfaith Hospitality Network |
Seeking attorney or persons with legal experience in immediate future; seeking board members for general term. |
Joan Arnold, Nominating Committee Chair, [email protected] 719-339-0803 |
Launch High School |
Passionate about education? Launch High School is an innovative new charter school using the values, skills and spirit of "entrepreneurship" as a theme and vehicle to develop young talent and ambitions. We are in need of two or three true believers for our governing board with expertise in entrepreneurship, finance, real estate, law, grassroots support or social/political capital. We also welcome support and assistance in positions from committee chair to advisory board. We are now at the "launch" phase with exciting plans ready to be unfurled. |
Patrick Cush, President and Founder, [email protected] 719-237-5142 |
Nursing and Therapy Services of Colorado, Inc
Seeking members with previous experience on a nonprofit board; preferred expertise in accounting, finance, and the home healthcare environment. |
Penny Dokken, [email protected] 719-574-5562 ext 254 |
Seeking individuals with expertise in fundraising, HR, public relations, media and/or finance who are interested in nonprofit governance; please complete board application and send resume. |
Barb Buswell, Executive Director, [email protected] |
Safe Place for Pets |
Safe Place for Pets has a key volunteer role available. We are now accepting applications for a Development Chair. A couple hours of your time each week could make a huge difference for the pets and people we serve! Learn more. |
Dennis Bagenstos, Board President, [email protected] 719-359-0201 |
Tri-Lakes Cares |
Seeking board members with experience in Public Relations, legal and fundraising expertise. Board Meets: third Thursday of the months 3pm – 6pm |
Haley Chapin, Executive Director, 719-481-4864 |

subset: commoncrawl


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There are 100 Tanning Salons in Rhode Island, serving a population of 1,056,138 people in an area of 1,034 square miles. There is 1 Tanning Salon per 10,561 people, and 1 Tanning Salon per 10 square miles.
The state of Rhode Island is ranked 32nd in Tanning Salons per capita, and 2nd in Tanning Salons per square mile.


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Elysse Stitched Pant (32.5" Inseam)
Skimming the hips and thighs before falling into fit-and-flare leg, these work or leisure pants complement fitted tops, heeled mules and cropped jackets. Created from Lyssé's 4-way stretch Ponte Jacquard fabric and featuring a concealed patented waistband, the Elysse Stitched Pant showcases side leg inserts of Bronze Vegan Suede piping and a herringbone pattern. For an elevated look, showcase the Elysse Stitched Pant with our new Zora Fringe Suede Jacket.
- Lyssé Fit 360° Smoothing
- Lyssé concealed patented waistband
- Ponte jacquard, 80% polyester 20% rayon
- 32.5" Inseam
- 4-way stretch
- Skims hip and thigh; falls into fit-and-flare leg
- Model is 5'10", wearing size S


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TORONTO, ON – If you love fashion, being in front of the camera, and getting paid to shop, ShopThing is looking for you! The live shopping marketplace, headquartered in Toronto and New York, has launched a search for its next set of fashion-forward influencers to shop and showcase top luxury brands.
The ShopThing Shopper Search launched on Nov. 30 and ends Dec. 14.
"ShopThing Shoppers work with our partner stores such as Jimmy Choo, Saint Laurent, and more to host in-app live shopping events," explains Maggie Adhami-Boynton, Co-Founder & CEO of ShopThing. "[They] curate their own events to create an experience that connects with our users because they're speaking to the products and brands that they love."
The winner will receive either a trip to New York City or Miami, which includes a 2-night hotel stay and round-trip airfare, plus the chance to host their very own live shopping event!
Applicants have the opportunity to join the ShopThing community of influencers, attend exclusive industry events and travel nationwide, along with the potential for long-term collaborations.
Those interested in submitting a shopper application should apply on their website at shopthing.com/shoppersearch. The winner will be contacted by email and announced on their Instagram (@shopthinglive) on Dec. 19th.
About ShopThing
Founded in 2019, ShopThing is transforming the way people shop and sell through live video commerce alongside top-tier retail brands, the creator economy and 350,000+ customers across North America. Having taken APAC by storm and hailed the next evolution in e-commerce by industry analysts, ShopThing is bringing the $430 billion gig economy to North America with its unique and first-of-a-kind short video live shopping approach. In March 2021, ShopThing launched its Marketplace App to an unprecedented waitlist, the largest in North America's live shopping history. Even more impressively, ShopThing boasts the largest social commerce audience of any live shopping marketplace – globally.
Media Contact:
Contact Person: Alexia McKay
Email: email@example.com
ShopThing Contact:
Contact Person: Nicole Carrington
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Media Contact
Company Name: Otter Public Relations
Contact Person: Alexia McKay
Email: Send Email
Phone: 9735708428
Address:100 E Pine St
City: Orlando
State: FL
Country: United States
Website: www.otterpr.com


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Partners & Friends
You are here: » Denmark » Health & Care » For Men » Hair wax at made4men.dk
Buy your grooming products at made4men.dk. Biotherm, Zirh, Clarins, Clinique, ID Hair. We supply the best products for male grooming, and everything you need to know to buy the right products. Furthermore our Beauty Therapist is ready to give you answers to alle of your questions. Keywords: Veet, id voks, id hair, biotherm men Last edit: 27-04-2008 00:33:14 Category: Health & Care » For Men URL: http://www.made4men.dk Send to us: Edit/Correct/Upgrade this link


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write my assignment 4059
Obtain the most current SEC Form 10-K (annual financial report) from the Apple Corporation company's web site (Do not use the Annual Report that is sent to shareholders). Calculate and analyze the following ratios for your selected company for the last two years from the SEC Form 10-K:
– Current Ratio
– Inventory Turnover
Compare and contrast your company's ratios to industry and competitor standard ratios obtained from Yahoo Finance, Morningstar, or other Internet sources, and provide a detailed answer and analysis as to why your company's ratios are different than the competitor standard. Cite the source of the industry/competitor ratio information. Must show the figures from both companies on an excel.


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So, the Sacramento Kings, a team comprised mostly of young Black guys, need a new head coach and they want to hire 63-year-old George Karl, who has been coaching longer than anyone on the team has been playing.
Does not seem like a mix that will bring out the best in the team, especially when there are Black young candidates who can relate to the players . . . and who deserve a shot.
Karl has been a credible coach over his career, which started in 1984 and has spanned five teams. His .566 winning percentage suggests he was solid, but not an all-time great.
So, why the infatuation in bringing him on board and not a talented young mind who could relate to the players and to whom the players could relate?
Karl's impending hire reeks of the stuff we thought we had passed: white owners hiring retread white coaches because they're white.
There's nothing in what Karl has done that says he should be the choice for the Kings. His sometimes-abrasive style will go over like a Brillo pad with that young roster.
The best player, center DeMarcus Cousins, wants no part of Karl and his punitive brand of coaching. In one sense, maybe someone staying on Cousins' case would make him an even better player. The pervasive thought is that Cousins would go into a shell.
Jacques Vaughn, a young Black coach, just lost his job in Orlando for reasons beyond comprehension, actually. The Magic talent level is among the lowest in the league, and yet Vaughn was held responsible for the team's struggles?
Mark Jackson, who was superb with Golden State and unjustly fired, is available. He might not want the job, but Avery Johnson is out there, too. And Mike Brown—Black coaches who have a better chance at reaching the young talent.
But Sacramento's general manager Pete D'Allesandro seems hell bent on Karl.
Meanwhile, Cousins' management team would rather see almost anyone other than Karl, who has a tumultuous past with Cousins' representatives.
Cousins, the franchise player, has not expressed his position on Karl, but he has not been happy since Mark Malone was fired in December.
NBCSports.com's reports that the differences within Cousins' camp will stop the Kings from signing Karl, if he wants the job. That Karl is in such a position 31 years after his first NBA coaching job is not quite a slap in the face of young Black coaches who deserve another shot. . . but it's close.


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Looking for ways how to find out how many employees a company have? Then you are in the right place.
Knowing the number of employees at a certain company can be useful for many different reasons, such as mailing out holiday cards or conducting corporate marketing campaigns.
Others will have a policy in place that prohibits them from disclosing this information, but some will go ahead and do so.
You will get to know how to find out how many employees a company have just by going through this article.
Continue reading to know how to find out how many employees a company have.
How to Find Out How Many Employees a Company Have
Below are steps to take in other to know how many employees a company have.
Number One
Consult the website of the business. The amount of staff employed by a company is frequently displayed on the company's website.
Your answer can most likely be found under the "about us" tab. If there are many sites and you're searching for the total number, you may need to perform some arithmetic.
Number Two
Make a phone call to the business. Call the company and ask to talk with the department of human resources if you have a valid reason for having to know how many people work there.
Make clear that you're not interested in specifics about individual employees, which might appear fishy.
It's also possible to request a fax or email copy of the firm's annual report from the company itself, relying on the policy of the company in question.
Number Three
Get in touch with a member of the company's staff. Get an official count of the company's employees if you know someone or can reach out to someone you do.
A UPS driver, for example, is a good source of information if you know anyone working for a rival company or someone who frequently visits the place of business.
Number Four
Look at things from your perspective. It's possible to count the number of people entering and exiting an office building throughout the hours when it is open and closed if the company is small and in your area.
Number Five
A corporate database can be accessed via the web. Companies like Hoovers, Inc. maintain an up-to-date record of a variety of small and large organizations.
It's as simple as typing in the business name you're looking up and verifying that it's in the right place.
The outcomes of the search will show the company's contact information, as well as the number of individuals employed by the organization.
You can also contact your local chamber of commerce to see what options are available.
Community members are able to connect with local businesses and groups through chamber of commerce offices.
Employee count information is often requested when a business seeks for membership in a city or county's COC, such as the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce.
Number Six
Make use of social media. In order to keep on top of the latest trends, many organizations today are creating corporate profiles on social networking sites such as Linkedin and Facebook.
Search results will include contact information and the number of employees at each company when you enter the name of a business.
Finding Out How Many Full-Time Employees Your Company Has
To determine your eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, you must know the exact number of full-time employees (FTEs).
The Affordable Care Act's employer shared responsibility mandate, which compels businesses with 50 or more full-time equivalents (FTEs) to provide a specific level of health coverage to their employees and dependents, also relies on this information, which is why corporations need it.
It will also aid in determining the best way to assign employees to certain tasks in order to boost productivity across the board.
Finding Out How Many Full-Time Employees Your Company Has
Below are ways to find out how many full time employees your company has.
Employees Who Work Only During Specific Periods of Time
Unless they work for the company for a minimum of 120 days, seasonal employees are not considered full-time.
After working 60 days in the summer, students are counted even if they come back during breaks and work another 60 days during the same tax year.
When computing the amount of the health care tax credit at the end of the year, the firm can include premiums paid by the company on the student's insurance, but the employee will not be counted as full-time, thus these employees should be removed from the payroll count.
Watching the Clock
A full-time employee is one who works at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month, as defined by the Affordable Care Act.
If an employee has a fluctuating schedule, look back three to twelve months' worth of pay stubs to figure out their position.
A 90-day administrative term may also be included, although the combined periods cannot exceed 30 days after the employee's first anniversary of employment.
Workers who work 30 hours a week or more for at least six months during the measuring period should be counted as full-time for a future length of time.
Initial Periods of Measurement
Depending on when a company wishes to begin counting, the initial measuring period can be different.
On the first day of employment or shortly thereafter, such as following a probationary term, initial periods may begin. Stable time frames are provided by these first measurement intervals.
Keeping Track of the Number of Employees
It is recommended that companies take into account all employees who worked during the current tax year when determining how many full-time employees they have.
As a result, this covers individuals who were laid off during the tax year, those who were covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and those who did not enroll in any form of health care plan at all.
The most typical method for obtaining this information is to look at the company's annual payroll. The owner or single proprietor of a business should not be included in the count.
This article is well detailed on how to find out how many employees a company have and also Finding out how many full-time employees your company has. If you are interested to know the following then don't miss out on this article.


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Jakarta – The overall audit that Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan ordered last week for the whole upstream and downstream palm oil industry should pay special attention to the position of the estimated 2.7 million palm oil smallholders vis-a-vis big palm oil businesses.
One of the major issues is that the smallholders, who account for about 35 percent of the country's palm oil production, do not have any bargaining position at all against big companies which control all palm oil mills and which are the only buyers of smallholders' fresh fruit bunches (FFB).
When the government slapped a total export ban on palm oil products on April 28 through an erratic and emotionally charged policy, the prices of smallholders' FFB fell by almost 40 percent to Rp 2,000 (US$0.13) per kilogram even though the international prices of crude palm oil remained at their historical high of over US$1,600/ton.
The main reason for that price crash was that many palm oil mills stopped buying that basic material from smallholders because their storage tanks began to overflow. Even more than two weeks after the export ban was lifted on May 23 smallholders still got less than 35 percent of what their FFB fetched before the export ban.
Before the export ban was imposed on April 28, smallholders had enjoyed all-time high prices for their FFB because government regulations require FFB floor prices to be set monthly for each province by an FFB price-setting team consisting of representatives of the provincial plantation office, big companies and smallholders.
Another issue that auditors of the State Finance Comptroller (BPKP) should investigate is related to the implementation of the 2014 Plantation Law provisions that require major plantation companies to help empower smallholders through commercially viable partnerships, called Nucleus Estate and Smallholders (NES). The law specifically sets the target area for each NES program minimally equal to 20 percent of the total acreage of companies' plantations.
But farmer associations confirmed not many palm oil companies implemented the mandatory NES program due to the absence of regulations on the technical details for company-smallholder partnership contracts.
The third problem which BPKP auditors should probe is related to the snail's pace of the replanting of smallholders' plantations whose yield is very low or only half of big estates' productivity due to their old trees, the use of poor or fraudulent seedlings or lack of best farm practices.
When the government set up the Palm Oil Support Fund Agency (BPDPKS) in 2015 to collect windfall tax from palm oil exports, whenever their international prices hovered above $1,000/ton it pronounced that the bulk of the funds would be used to empower smallholders by replanting their estates with high-yield seedlings and to give them farm extension services to enable them to implement best farm practices.
But the blunt fact is only 5 percent of the almost $10 billion in funds cumulatively collected by BPDPKS by the end of 2021 reached smallholders, while more than 80 percent went to subsidizing biodiesel which is produced by big palm oil companies.
Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2022/06/12/empowering-smallholders.htm


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Where Can I Buy Tieks Shoes
Download - https://urlgoal.com/2tk7bO
They USED to offer a coupon code for 30% off. I once bought 3 pairs with the code, but I'm not paying $175 a piece. I'd love another pair, but I believe only a fool pays full price on anything these days. There are strong competitors out there now, so I'm spending my money elsewhere. Tieks are comfortable, but the brand needs to get over itself.
I really enjoyed your review of Tieks. As someone who travels a lot too, I have found them to be awesome travel shoes. I can get 3 pair of Tieks in the space of 3 regular shoes. I started with the intent of just getting a pair of matte black, but my collection has now grown to 6. Kepp on travelling and Tieking!
Thanks for the super helpful review. I do have a question am hoping you can answer. How do I know if you teaks are too big They are comfortable, do not slip off my heals but my big toe has pleanty of room away from the end of the shoe. I am typically a size 7.5 in flats but wear an 8 in running shoes to allow space for my toes on long runs. For this reason I chose the 8s in my tieks. I think I made the right choice but if I stare at my feet I can see they area little big. Am I in the right size Thank you, Rachael
Every flat I have ever owned I have had to toss due to them becoming stinky after awhile, especially the ones I wear to work all of the time. That is just what happens when you wear shoes with no socks. How do Tieks hold up the to this test Do you ever treat/clean the inside of the shoe to avoid them from becoming stinky
I bought a pair in black leather. It was (by far) the most I d ever paid for a pair of shoes. I wear a 7.5-8 and ordered them in 8. They hurt! The top of my big toe hits the top of the shoe. I have never worn them outside the house as I can t stand to have them on more than a few minutes. I don t think I could wear them with socks. I am also pleasantly surprised (and, honestly, shocked) that they replaced your pair after a year of wear. There are reviews all over the place saying they wouldn t replace theirs because they had been worn outside! I wonder whether they ve had a change of policy Anyone think I should try a size 9
Thank you, Valerie! This was an in-depth review on Tieks, and just what I needed to convince me to spend more than I have been comfortable spending on a shoe. But it really seems to be worth it in the long run. I have wasted more time running from store to store, trying on shoes, only to find I may be sacrificing appearance for comfort or sacrificing comfort for appearance. Tieks covers both beautifully!
Hello there, like do you ever get stinky feet because my girlfriend has smelly feet from these shoes this summer at school, she even trains in them. they blister her feet, and she takes them off at lunch and puts them into the trash compactor bin to see how dearing are people to get rid of them, well they did, got crushed, she got them out. she hates her smelly shoes Tieks. her mint green ones so cute on her I just love when I see her. I said why don`t you keep enjoying stinky smelly shoes and feet. well yes she said fine I will untill they brake aprt one day. I don`t mind my girlfriends smelly feet. so back to this I hope you don`t have smelly feet or shoes to, then you would trash compact them
My old Tieks flats were still comfortable and the soles and uppers intact, but they had some cosmetic issues (see cons below). I loved getting the shimmer back with my new shoes and they were comfortable straight out of the box.
The shoes come with a pouch to store them in and a nylon tote bag designed to carry your heels in after swapping into your Tieks at the end of the night. I use the tote bag to store my running shoes in my backpack.
You can cut a half-circle of moleskin that fits inside the toe box and stick it inside the shoe. This will stop the toes from showing through and also prevent extra wear in this area and prolong the life of the shoes.
Hmmmm, great question. I would not say that this shoe has great arch support. It is like wearing nothing, like being barefoot as you suggested. However, it would be great to have on hand at school when wearing dress shoes all day.
O.K. Tieks are lovely, the leather is amazing, the return policy excellent but the price is high for made in China. I am very bothered by how much is made in China anyway and even more so that so many companies are trying to hide it. I think Tieks can afford to have their shoes made elsewhere that has a better human rights track record and is at least somewhat democratic. Please speak out and if you have concern about country of manufacture being China let Tieks know.
That said, Tieks are also expensive. Depending on your current shoe budget, it may not be worth it to make the investment. But, if you have a job that requires you to stand for long periods of time and wearing athletic or orthopedic shoes is frowned upon, or you want a flat with bright colors and supportive soles, they might just be the shoe for you.
Ideally, your Tieks should fit comfortably around your foot without being too snug or feeling as though they might slip off. If your Tieks arrive and they feel way too tight or way too loose, contact customer service and request an exchange. Tieks has an amazing exchange policy and will ship you a second pair free of charge so you can compare the two sets of shoes to determine which pair is right for you. They also offer free returns so you can ship back one or both pairs after you reach a decision.
With so many comments about the variance in tightness, comfort and fit across different pairs of Tieks, you may be wondering why there is such a difference. It has everything to do with the way the leather (or fabric for vegan Tieks) is treated. Tieks currently has 17 different types of treated leather and fabric that they use for the upper portion of their shoes. Some are matte leather, others are burnished leather, some are metallic, others are painted. Each treatment creates a different texture and also affects the stiffness and durability of the shoe. The most common complaints about fit or wear often appear to be a trait of the specific type of leather used in a pair of Tieks.
It is worth noting that my other pairs of Tieks do hurt my feet after a particularly long day. Specifically, they put pressure on my big toe. I truly think this has more to do with me and my weird toes than the shoes themselves. But it is an issue for me and if your big toe sometimes hurts from too much shoe pressure, it might be an issue for you as well.
Even my beloved Lovestruck Tieks caused this pain the first time I wore them. I recall the day vividly because it was the day Rob and I got engaged. We were in Chicago and I was just excited to finally wear my new shoes. I had no idea he was going to propose that day (nor did I know how many miles we would end up walking). By the time we arrived back at our hotel (sporting my newest accessory), my big toes were both in a lot of pain and I had switch to sandals when we went out later that evening.
The thing about Tieks is that they are made from 100% Italian leather. And since leather is a natural material, they breathe much better than synthetic materials (which is what all of my bargain flats are made from). As a result, my feet tend to sweat less while wearing Tieks than while wearing many other flat dress shoes.
While my feet have sweat a lot in those shoes on multiple occasions (think of all the hot summer days in my classroom with minimal air conditioning), those are the only days I have been aware of a smell when I took my shoes off.
When I find a good pair of shoes to wear in the classroom, I usually wear them until they are destroyed. I recently threw away of synthetic black flats that my big toe eventually wore a hole into the top of. Other pairs have been discarded because I wore the rubber sole down so much, that the inner layers of the sole were revealed.
Tieks applies several different leather treatments to their shoes to create a variety of styles. Some of the treatments are easy to spot (like the patent leather, the matte leather, and the painted snake patterns.) There are a few styles available for purchase in the Boutiek that look like a basic matte leather pair of Tieks but are actually crafted with distressed leather. Those pairs are Clover Green, Cobalt Blue, Pacific Green, and Poppy. The Poppy style is a Tieks limited edition that women went wild for when it was released. And since the finish looks so much like the basic matte leather, many women were surprised to see that they looked worn out and came here for answers. I learned a lot from their discussions.
I have seen brides wear all types of bridal shoes: sandals, fancy flip flops, espadrilles, oxfords, and even ballet flats. So I thought I would share a pair of flats that I think make for the perfect bridal flats, and of course perfect honeymoon travel flat for after the wedding as well.
Now to be honest, Tieks are not for a bride on a budget. Unless you are the type of bride who simply must prioritize her wedding day shoe choice, in which case you will feel quite comfortable shelling out anywhere from $175-$345+ for these ballet flats.
I love receiving packages in the mail, even more so when a super cute and colorful box is involved. Opening a pair of Tieks from their fresh turquoise box is a lot like opening a Christmas gift. The rhinestone crusted flower on top together with hand written note was such a nice touch. Right away you can tell the shoes are high quality, and look and feel like they are made to last! They come with a compact pouch, which is designed to easily compress folded Tieks for travel and convenient larger tote to hold those bridal heels.
Overall, the flats are extremely comfortable and have a noticeable turquoise soles, perfect for footwear photo ops at your wedding. Tieks are easy to slip on and light weight, which makes them extremely easy to wear. I would definitely recommend these shoes for you and/or your bridal party to dance the night away on your special day! 59ce067264


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Introduction to podcasting and audio-based social media marketing.
Social Media Expert Giovanni Gallucci is a thought leader in social media and online buzz marketing. To find out about where heâ??s speaking or register for one of his social media workshops, â??The Social Media Workshopâ?, go to http://TheSocialMediaWorkshop.com or visit his social media marketing consulting site at http://gallucci.net for more information on his social marketing and search consulting practice.
Add Giovanni to your social network of choice at http://gallucci.net/social
The Social Media Workshop – This one day social media training workshop will train you to successfully utilize the new media marketing tools of bulletin boards, blogs, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media related websites in your online marketing efforts.
Find out more now! http://TheSocialMediaWorkshop.com
Licensed under a creative commons share-alike. Use freely but give attribution to Giovanni Gallucci, Social Media Ninja an…
Duration : 1 min
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Regularizations in Europe
The aim of the study is to provide a thorough mapping of practices relating to the regularization of third county national illegally resident in EU 27 member states, with comparative reflections on regularization practices elsewhere. In addition, the study investigates the relationship pf regularization practices to overall migration policy framework, including the diverse interlinkages between regularization policies, protection issues and refugee policies and also the role of regularization regarding the framework for legal migration. Moreover, the study examines potential options for policies on regularization on European level, incorporating Member States as well as other stakeholders§ view on possible instruments on the European level. The study was published by ICMPD.
Publication and other related documents can be found here.
15. 7. 09
Zdroj: icmpd.org


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Caught in a pickle and can't decide what dessert to serve up for Christmas? Fret not, Kimberly Schlapman's got you covered.
The Little Big Town member recently shared her mini cherry cheesecake recipe on Facebook alongside a video of her making it from scratch in her kitchen.
"A holiday favorite and perfect for entertaining," Kimberly wrote on Facebook. "I got a little crafty in the kitchen with this one, y'all!"
Kimberly's recipe requires ingredients such as frozen cherries, red wine, graham cracker crumbs and softened cream cheese.
"I thought that we could make some mini cheesecakes in little mason jars," Kimberly shared in her video. "I think the mason jar just makes it a little more festive. You can take them to a friend's house for a party."
You can check out the full recipe now on Kimberly's Facebook.
Dig into Kimberly Schlapman's mini cherry cheesecake
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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Legacy Academy of Jewish Education is more than a school. It is a community of parents, students, and teachers working together to help each child thrive.
Legacy focuses on three main ideas: meaningful learning, multi-age classrooms, and mastery based education. Our focus is centered on the Rebbes's words of the the importance of Character Education in a Chabad environment.
There are only 3 hours left to their fundraising campaign.
Please give generously.
We've made good progress but need your help to go further and reach our goal! This is critical for our program to continue to run as it is designed: small student to staff ratio, alternative curriculum and technology access, comfortable learning environments, opportunities for music, art, foreign language, PE, field trips etc. These are crucial parts of what allows students in our program to go beyond surviving school. This is what allows them to thrive! Thank you!
donate today at: https://givvrlive.com/legacyacademy/support2023
(All donations are tax deductible)
To see why they love Legacy check out the students' video:


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Personalized socks are a fun way to show off your personality or build brand awareness if you own a business. Sports teams can also order custom socks to show off their team spirit and match their uniforms.
No matter your reason for buying personalized socks, you may be wondering how to wear them and the best ways to take care of them.
People all over the world love custom socks, and that's because socks are something that we all need and wear daily. It doesn't matter your age, gender, or where you live. You probably wear socks every day or almost every day.
Personalized socks are appealing because you can choose your own design and make them look exactly how you want.
Custom socks can be fun, colorful, and quirky. But one of the biggest challenges that people face is figuring out how to wear them with their everyday outfits. It's not always easy to pair colorful socks with everyday outfits, but through trial and error, you'll find the best opportunities for wearing your socks.
Whether you're looking for custom men's socks or socks for women, you may struggle to find ways to incorporate them into your daily wardrobe.
So, how can you combine your custom socks into your daily outfits?
Custom socks can easily fit into your daily wardrobe as long as you choose the right colors and bottoms. Try out different combinations to see what works and what doesn't. You can also keep your current wardrobe in mind when designing your socks so that you choose designs and colors that match your existing clothing.
Like any other pair of socks, it's important to take good care of your personalized socks if you want them to last.
Custom socks in cotton are highly durable and easy to care for. You'll find that most personalized socks will be some blend of cotton, although you can find socks in other materials as well.
To extend the life of your socks, consider doing the following:
Avoid heat as much as possible because it can damage the material and the design itself.
If you must dry your socks in the dryer, make sure that you use the lowest heat setting. High heat will greatly increase the risk of damage.
Never use bleach, and make sure that you're washing in very cool water.
If you're looking for custom socks for cheap, you'll need to find the right manufacturer. You'll need to consider:
Finding a good custom sock manufacturer isn't necessarily easy, but it's not an impossible task either. The most important thing is to make sure the company:
Look for companies that offer professional design options. Their team can help you come up with a really great design that you'll love and enjoy showing off.
Personalized socks are fun to wear, and you can certainly incorporate them into your daily wardrobe. Finding the right bottoms and color combinations will make all the difference.


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The Pagan Origins of the Trinity
In order to understand the influence of paganism on the doctrine of the Trinity, we need to first understand the world into which Christianity was born and developed. The disciples, the first believers in Jesus, were Jews. In fact Christianity started out as a movement within Judaism. Like Jews since the time of Moses, these first believers kept the Sabbath, were circumcised and worshiped in the Temple: "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon." [Acts 3:1] The only thing that distinguished the early followers of Jesus from any other Jews was their belief in Jesus as the Messiah, that is, the one chosen by God who would redeem the Jewish people. Today, many Christian scholars agree that authors of the New Testament such as Matthew were Jewish believers in Jesus. The influence of Judaism on the New Testament is important because it helps us to correctly understand its message. The New Testament is full of terminology like "son of God." Such language is interpreted literally by Trinitarians to mean that Jesus is God the Son, but is this correct? What was the intention behind the Jewish writers of the New Testament when they used such language? What did these terms mean at the time of Jesus?
When we turn to the Old Testament we find that such language permeates its pages. For example, Moses calls God "Father": Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? [Deuteronomy 32:6] Angels are referred to as "sons of God": Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. [Job 1:6] The Old Testament even goes so far as to call Moses a god: "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." [Exodus 7:1] The Israelites are also referred to as "gods": "I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.'" [Psalm 82:6] What we can conclude is that such highly exalted language was commonplace and is intended figuratively; it is not a literal indication of divinity.
Even as late as the end of the first century, when the New Testament writers started penning their accounts of the life of Jesus, Jewish people were still using such language figuratively. In a conversation between Jesus and some Jewish teachers of the law, they say to Jesus: "…The only Father we have is God himself." [John 8:41] The Gospel of Luke calls Adam a son of God when it recounts the lineage of Jesus: "the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God." [Luke 3:38] Jesus even says that anyone who is makes peace is a child of God: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." [Matthew 5:9] If the New Testament writers understood such language to be a claim to divinity, then they would have used it exclusively in relation to Jesus. Clearly, it denotes a person that is righteous before God and nothing more.
So we can see that such language, in and of itself, does not denote the divinity of Jesus. So where did such ideas come from?
The turning point in history came when Christianity ceased being a small movement within Judaism and Gentiles (non-Jews) started to embrace the faith in large numbers. We need to look to the pagan world of the Gentiles in order to understand the mindset of the people that received the New Testament message. Since the time of Alexander the Great, Gentiles had been living in a Hellenistic (Greek) world. Their lands were dominated by Roman armies, with the Roman Empire being the superpower of the world at the time. The Roman Empire itself was heavily influenced by Hellenistic religion, philosophy and culture. Greek gods and goddesses like Zeus, Hermes and Aphrodite, as well as Roman gods and goddesses like Jupiter, Venus and Diana, dominated the landscape. There were temples, priesthoods, and feasts dedicated to the patron god or goddess of a city or region; statues to the deities dotted the forums of the cities. Even rulers themselves were frequently worshipped as gods.
Gentiles from such a polytheistic background would have naturally understood Christian preaching about the "son of God" in light of a Greek or Roman god having been begotten by another. We can see this mindset manifested in the New Testament. In the Book of Acts there is an incident where the Gentile crowds think that Paul is Zeus come among them when he heals a crippled man:
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.
The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. [Acts 14:11-13]
It is worthy of note that Paul and Barnabas did not take this opportunity to explain that it was not they but rather Jesus who was God come in human form. Such a clarification is what you would expect, if Trinitarian beliefs about Jesus are correct. Instead, they argued against such pagan beliefs and practices:
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
"Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. [Acts 14:14-15]
Here we see that the Greco-Roman peoples that Paul and Barnabas were preaching to were in the habit of taking humans for gods. Despite Paul protesting that he was not a god, the people persisted in their belief: "Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them." [Acts 14:18] From this example we can see that according to Christian history, it was a common practice for people to attribute divinity to other humans. In spite of Paul openly denying being a god, the people continued to worship and sacrifice to him. We can conclude that even if Jesus himself rejected being God at that time, the mindset of the people was such that they would still have found a way to deify him. This is not an isolated incident, as we read elsewhere that Gentiles believed Paul was a god because he survived a bite from a venomous snake:
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live."
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. [Acts:28:1-6]
With this background in mind, it's easy to see how Judaic phrases like "son of God" took on a different meaning when transported out of their Jewish monotheistic context into pagan Greco-Roman thought. The Trinity doctrine arose neither in a vacuum, nor strictly from the text of Scripture. It was the result of the influence of certain beliefs and attitudes that prevailed in and around the Church after the first century. The Church emerged in a Jewish and Greek world and so the primitive Church had to reconcile the notions they had inherited from Judaism with those they had derived from pagan mythology. In the words of the historian and Anglican bishop John Wand, "Jew and Greek had to meet in Christ" [1]
It's interesting to note that the Greco-Roman religions were filled with tales of gods procreating with human beings and begetting god-men. The belief that God could be incarnate, or that there were sons of God, were common and popular beliefs. For example, the chief god in the Greek pantheon, Zeus, visited the human woman Danae in the form of golden rain and fathered Perseus, a "god-man." In another tale Zeus is said to have come to the human woman Alcmena, disguised as her husband. Alcmena bore Hercules, another "god-man." Such tales bear a striking similarity to Trinitarian beliefs of God being begotten as a man. In fact, the early Christian apologist Justin Martyr, considered a saint in the Catholic Church, said the following in response to pagan criticisms that Christianity borrowed from their beliefs about the sons of God:
When we say that the Word, who is our teacher, Jesus Christ the first born of God, was produced without sexual union, and that he was crucified and died and rose again, and ascended to heaven, we propound nothing new or different from what you [pagans] believe regarding those whom you consider sons of Jupiter. [2]
According to ancient Roman myth, Jupiter was the king of all the gods. Here Justin Martyr is telling Roman pagans that what the Christians believe about Jesus being the son of God is nothing different than what they believe about the sons of the god Jupiter. That the Church Fathers' conception of the Trinity was a combination of Jewish monotheism and pagan polytheism can be seen in the testimony of Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth century bishop who is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. He also happens to be one of the great figures in the history of the philosophical formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity. He wrote:
For the truth passes in the mean between these two conceptions, destroying each heresy, and yet, accepting what is useful to it from each. The Jewish dogma is destroyed by the acceptance of the Word and by belief in the Spirit, while the polytheistic error of the Greek school is made to vanish by the unity of the nature abrogating this imagination of plurality. [3]
The Christian conception of God, argues Gregory of Nyssa, is neither purely the polytheism of the Greeks nor purely the monotheism of the Jews, but rather a combination of both.
Even the concept of God-men who were saviours of mankind was by no means exclusive to Jesus. Long before Jesus was born, it was not uncommon for military men and political rulers to be talked about as divine beings. More than that, they were even treated as divine beings: given temples, with priests, who would perform sacrifices in their honour, in the presence of statues of them. In Athens for example, Demetrios Poliorcetes (Demetrios the Conqueror of Cities, 337–283 BCE) was acclaimed as a divine being by hymn-writers because he liberated them from their Macedonian enemies:
How the greatest and dearest of the gods are present in our city! For the circumstances have brought together Demeter and Demetrios; she comes to celebrate the solemn mysteries of the Kore, while he is here full of joy, as befits the god, fair and laughing. His appearance is solemn, his friends all around him and he in their midst, as though they were stars and he the sun. Hail boy of the most powerful god Poseidon and Aphrodite! For other gods are either far away, or they do not have ears, or they do not exist, or do not take any notice of us, but you we can see present here, not made of wood or stone, but real. So we pray to you: first make peace, dearest; for you have the power… [4]
The Athenians gave Demetrios an arrival that was fit for a god, burning incense on altars and making offerings to their new deified king. It must be pointed out that as time passed by, he did some other things that the Athenians did not approve of, and as a consequence they revoked their adoration of him. It seems that in the days before Jesus, divinity could be stripped away from human beings just as easily as it was granted. Perhaps the best known examples of God-men are the divine honours bestowed upon the rulers of the Roman Empire, starting with Julius Caesar. We have an inscription dedicated to him in 49 BCE discovered in the city of Ephesus, which says this about him [5]:
Descendant of Ares and Aphrodite
The God who has become manifest
And universal savior of human life
So Julius Caesar was God manifest as man, the saviour of mankind. Sound familiar? Now prior to Julius Caesar, rulers in the city of Rome itself were not granted divine honours. But Caesar himself was – before he died, the senate approved the building of a temple for him, a cult statue, and a priest. Soon after his death, his adopted son and heir, Octavian, promoted the idea that at his death, Caesar had been taken up to heaven and been made a god to live with the gods. There was a good reason that Octavian wanted his adopted father to be declared a God. If his father was God, then what does that make him? This deification of Caesar set the precedent for what was to happen with the emperors, beginning with the first of them, Octavian himself, who became "Caesar Augustus" in 29 BCE. There is an inscription that survives from his lifetime found in the city of Halicarnassus (modern Turkey), which calls Augustus [6]:
…The native Zeus
and Savior of the human race
This is yet another example of a divine saviour of mankind. Now Octavian happened to also be the "son of God" by virtue of his divine father Julius Caesar. In fact Octavian became known as 'Divi filius' ("Son of the Divine One"). These, of course, are all titles widely used by Christians today to describe Jesus. We must realise that the early Church did not come up with these titles out of the blue, they are all things said of other men before they were said of Jesus. For early Christians, the idea was not that Jesus was the only person who was ever called such things, this is a misconception. The concept of a divine human being who was the saviour of mankind was a sort of template that was applied to people of great power and authority. We've seen that the history of paganism is littered with such examples, and Jesus was just another divine saviour in a long list of divine saviours that had preceded him.
Pre-Islamic Arabia was a dreadful place to live in. Slavery was an economic institution with male and female slaves being bought and sold like animals. Illiteracy was common among the Arabs, as were alcoholism and adultery. Those with power and money took advantage of the poor by charging extremely high interest on loans. Arabia was a male-dominated society; men could marry any number of women. When a man died, his son "inherited" all his wives except his own mother. Women had virtually no legal status, for example they had no right to possess property and had little to no inheritance rights. Female infanticide was widely practiced with daughters often being buried alive.
It was not only the rights of human beings that were violated, but also the rights of God. The Arabs were a highly idolatrous people. The idolatry of pre-Islamic Arabia seeped into every facet of day-to-day life. Idols adorned their places of worship. Today the Ka'aba, situated in Saudi Arabia and the holiest place of worship for Muslims, contains neither idols nor images. But before Islam, the pagan Arabs housed 360 different idols in the Ka'aba. Idols were their travel partners whenever they set out on a journey, for the Arabs were very superstitious and believed that they would provide protection in a land plagued by highway robbery and kidnapping. They were also the source of their livelihoods, so central was the Ka'aba to idolatry that pagans from all over Arabia would make pilgrimage there.
In just 23 years, Islam managed to completely reform not only the social ills of Arabian society, but also its idolatry, taking people away from the worship of carved images and stones to the worship of the One true God of Abraham. This is the testimony of Ja'far bin Abi Talib, who was a contemporary of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Here he informed the king of Abyssinia about the condition of his people and the positive change that Islam brought for them:
O King, we were an uncivilised people, worshipping idols, eating corpses, committing abominations, breaking natural ties, treating guests badly, and our strong devoured our weak. Thus we were until God sent us an apostle whose lineage, truth, trustworthiness, and clemency we know. He summoned us to acknowledge God's unity and to worship Him and to renounce the stones and images which we and our fathers formerly worshipped. He commanded us to speak the truth, be faithful to our engagements, mindful of the ties of kinship and kindly hospitality, and to refrain from crimes and bloodshed. He forbade us to commit abominations and to speak lies, and to devour the property of orphans, to vilify chaste women. He commanded us to worship God alone and not associate anything with Him, and he gave us orders about prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. We confessed his truth and believed in him, and we followed him in what he had brought from God, and we worshipped God without associating aught with Him. [7]
Just how did the Qur'an go about winning the hearts and minds of people, completely transforming every level of Arabian society in such a short space of time? The Qur'an takes into account the psychology of its audience, which is demonstrated in its use of language. In defining the relationship between God and mankind, the Qur'an avoids terms like "Father" when referring to God and "sons of God" when referring to human beings. Such language can be easily misunderstood, especially in the minds of those who come from a background of idolatry and are used to interpreting such language literally. There are even those who might take advantage of such ambiguous language in Scripture, by interpreting it in such a way as to try and justify idolatry. The Qur'an warns mankind against using ambiguity as the foundation for our beliefs:
It is He who has sent this Scripture down to you [Prophet]. Some of its verses are definite in meaning – these are the cornerstone of the Scripture – and others are ambiguous. The perverse at heart eagerly pursue the ambiguities in their attempt to make trouble and to pin down a specific meaning of their own [3:7]
The Qur'an confirms that those who believe that Jesus is the literal Son of God are imitating an ancient pagan concept: "The Christians said, 'The Messiah is the son of God': they said this with their own mouths, repeating what earlier disbelievers had said." [9:30] When the Qur'an defines the relationship between God and mankind, it instead uses terms like Creator when referring to God, and we as the creation. Such terms leave no room for confusion and clearly distinguish between what is God and what is not – everything else. Such careful use of language shows the wisdom of the Qur'an's author and the insight they have into the human condition. Our Creator knows the inner thoughts of man: "We created man – We know what his soul whispers to him: We are closer to him than his jugular vein." [50:16]
The foundations of Muslim belief were set during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad. The message given to Muhammad, the Qur'an, represents perfection in the way of life for human beings to live: "Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chosen as your religion Islam…" [5:3] If something has been perfected then it cannot be further improved, and so there is no need to send any additional messengers or messages to mankind.
As well as setting a solid theological foundation early on, the Qur'an and Sunnah (teachings and actions of Prophet Muhammad) expressly forbid believers from adding to the religion of Islam. The Qur'an warns mankind against inventing doctrine and claiming it is from God:
So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from God," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn. [2:70]
Likewise the Sunnah also warns mankind against tampering in the religion. Prophet Muhammad said: "Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell." [8]
When one studies history, you will find that Islamic monotheism, known as 'tawheed' in Arabic, has undergone no historical evolution in the nearly 1,500 years that have passed since the Qur'an was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad. Muslims hold to the same creed to this very day. All who have tried to introduce something new into the creed of Islam have been rejected purely on the basis that it was not taught by Prophet Muhammad. This is the standard that Muslim scholars have held to since the beginning of Islam. These strict standards have been built into the religion since its inception, preserving the purity of its teachings such as Tawheed.
It's important to note that like with any religion, various sects and innovations have sprung up throughout Islamic history. Prophet Muhammad himself foretold that this would be the case: "My nation will split into seventy-three sects, all of whom will be in Hell except one group – (those who follow) that which I and my companions follow" [9]. However, the key point is that thanks to the Sunnah, a Muslim alive today in the 21st century is able to avoid all innovations and stay upon the correct, pure understanding of Tawheed as it was understood by Prophet Muhammad and his companions in the 7th century.
Further Reading
To learn more about Jesus from both the Islamic and Christian perspective, please download your free copy of the book "Jesus: Man, Messenger, Messiah" from the Iera website (click on image below):
1 – John William Charles Wand. 1955. The Four Great Heresies, p. 39.
2 – Justin Martyr, The First Apology, Chapter 21.
3 – Dr. H Wolfson, The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, pp. 361 – 363.
4 – Angelos Chaniotis, The Ithyphallic Hymn for Demetrios Poliorcetes and Hellenistic Religious Mentality, p. 160.
5 – Iris Sulimani, Diodorus' Mythistory and the Pagan Mission: Historiography and Culture, p. 288.
6 – Hans-Josef Klauck, Religious Context of Early Christianity: A Guide To Graeco-Roman Religions, p. 296.
7 – The Life of Muhammad, A Translation of Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, translation by A. Guillaume, 2004, pp. 151 – 152.
8 – Sahih Bukhari, Hadith #1229.
9 – Tirmidhi, Hadith #2641.