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Living Word
I Shot An Arrow In the Air
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Ro 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. 13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
Ro 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Having just accused the Law of arousing passions that bear fruit to death, Paul quickly comes to the defense of the law.
Is the Law sin? By strict definition, sin is missing the mark. Is the Law missing the mark that God has set before us? Is the Law missing Gods will? Certainly not! On the contrary the Law points us or aims us toward the target of Gods perfection. Toward Gods will.
Something very interesting about the Torah as it relates to this law, the Law of Moses. The Torah is considered to be the law of Moses. It is the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible written by Moses. The word Torah is derived from the Hebrew word yarah (yaw raw) This word has the connotation of aiming or controlling, like an archer aiming an arrow.
So the law of Moses, the writings of Moses which include the ten commandments, serve as an aimer, they aim us toward perfection. What could be sinful or missing the mark about that? Nothing except as we consider our thoughts, words, and deeds, we realize that we continually fall short of Gods target of perfection.
Is it the laws fault? No! Its our fault because even though we are aimed correctly by the law, we dont have enough strength in our own flesh to pull the bowstring back far enough to hit the mark, we will always fall short. All have sinned and what?.....fallen short of the glory of God.
Paul continues:
On the contrary, I would not have known sin (missing the target) except through the law. ( for without aiming properly, the target will never be in sight!)
Mankind is a bit like the Longfellow poem,
I shot the arrow in the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where;
Longfellow shot his arrow without a target, therefore sin or missing the mark would not be an issue. Theres a whole world out there that has lost sight of the target, and sin is no longer an issue.
Unfortunately there is a large portion of the church which has lost sight of the target, and sin is no longer an issue. And one of the purposes of preaching the Law is to bring the target back into the picture.
One thing we try to do here at Living Word is bring the target back into the picture by using the law to point you in the right direction of the target. And listen up now, we dont do it, so that you become a better shot. You cant become a better shot! Get that through your head! The reason we preach the law is to show you how awful your marksmanship really is.
And dont think you can go through your life like Longfellow shooting arrows aimlessly, because where they land....matters. And just because the world is shooting its arrows into a field with no target in sight, doesnt mean that there isnt a target.
Its there, it is Gods perfection, and the law helps bring it into view. One of the problems though in bringing it into view is that our flesh thinks we can hit it. Indeed, we want to hit it, its a challenge! Some of you here today are still trying to hit the target in your own strength, and youre miserable and frustrated, and God cant do a thing with you until you are ready to stop trying..
The Law cannot attain perfection for you. It can only aim you, in the direction of right living, and it can only show you how far short of the target you consistently fall. Perfection comes only as we respond to the Gospel and yield our lives to the Master Archer Jesus Christ, who never missed....bullseye every time!.
Paul then gives us a glimpse into his own sinful life to illustrate this truth. As a Pharisee, he thought he was doing well with his bow and arrow. Oh my he was good at the letter of the Law.
Php 3:4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. (Hey if anyone couldve hit the target, it wouldve been Paul) If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, (and we might add always comes up short) but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Yes he was quite the outward believer, but then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and although we arent given the details, the Holy Spirit evidently showed Paul an arrow that was consistently missing the mark, Thou shalt not covet!
For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."
You know, all the other commandments can appear to be kept from outside appearances. But the coveting commandments deal with the true condition of our heart. Actually the rich young ruler spoken of in the Bible had something in common with Paul. He too struggled with covetousness.
Remember? He came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.
Mt 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"
And Jesus replied, if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
What? What was Jesus doing here? Why didnt He answer, you must put all your eggs into one basket! You must put your faith in Me? Why didnt He give him the Gospel? Because the man had to first see his need. And if Jesus answer seems puzzling, listen to the mans response!
18 He said to Him, "Which ones?"
What, are we allowed to pick and choose? Isnt that a crazy question? Which ones are the important ones? Which ones are the ones that God is going to look at when the final judgement comes around?
But isnt that just like us? So many have the idea that God is just going to judge us on the biggies. And so we think we are safe as long as we havent killed anyone or stolen from anybody.
How wouldve you responded to that man? I wouldve likely said something like....well all of them you silly! But Jesus, realizes that this man must still see his need, lists them off.
Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Jesus concentrates on the Second Table of the Law and mentions them all except, Thou shalt not covet.
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. Boring bullseye after bullseye after bullseye. What do I still lack?"
The answer implies, is that all there is to it! No problem, and the answer also implies an unsettledness in this mans soul, there must be something more, what is it Jesus?
21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Bingo! Jesus brings up the mans covetousness, without actually saying thou shalt not covet. He is trying to get the man to see that his bullseye is missing a few arrows.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (NKJV)
Jesus revealed the true condition of this mans heart and this man was not willing to let it go. He was willing to take his chances with 9 out of ten hits on the target....even though eternal life demands complete perfection! Thats what Jesus meant when He said keep the commandments! Be perfect!
Listen to the mans question again. What must
to inherit eternal life? Jesus answered the question perfectly, because as long as you think it is something
have to do then
must keep the commandments. The better question would be, How can I inherit eternal life, and Jesus would respond, by putting your eggs in My basket, putting your trust in Me alone because I have kept the commandments perfectly in your stead.
In Pauls case the coveting and lust showed up in another way. The way that is best explained by James:
Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (NKJV)
Paul had an unhealthy lust for persecution. He had an unhealthy zeal for the Pharisaic way of life, and this unhealthy lust led him to the unhealthy pursuit of the church of Jesus Christ. And when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, he forced Paul to examine this unhealthy pursuit.
He asked, Why do you persecute me? And the Holy Spirit used that question to cause Paul to examine the true condition of his heart. For the first time, he saw his motivation for going after Christians, and it was a direct violation of the commandment against covetousness. It was lust! Lust that ultimately led to the sin of murder. Paul finally saw his need for a Savior!
He may have been able to say that he outwardly kept the commandments, and that his persecution of the church was justifiable homicide by the letter of the Law, but when the Holy Spirit revealed his true motivation, he was broken and ready to listen to Jesus.
8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
The prohibition against coveting and lusting was a starting point for Pauls sin, and it produced all manner of evil desires in his heart. The Christians just gave him the opportunity to express his lust.
The forbidden fruit gave Eve opportunity, the promise of a big payday gave Balaam the opportunity, the beautiful Bathsheeba gave David the opportunity. All these opportunities would not matter without the law, because without the law, sin is dead, out of the picture. Out of sight of the aimer.
Had these objects not been presented, the evil desires of the heart might have slumbered, and never have been called forth. But the fruit for Eve, the money for Balaam, and the sensual passion for David all brought forth sin. The rich young ruler would not have known he was lusting until Jesus put his wealth before him.
No one really knows how wicked their heart is, until some object is presented that calls them forth into a conscious decision to sin.
Oh that terrible law, giving us an opportunity to rebel! How I hate it because I can no longer claim ignorance, for the target is in sight. I hate it because it is impossible to keep it in my strength. I hate it because my members seem to go out of their way to find ways to disobey it. I hate it because it screams at me......you are a sinner! You keep falling short you wimp!
But I love it for that very same reason. For by seeing my sin, by seeing how hopeless it is to obey it perfectly, I must turn elsewhere for help! My help is in the name of the Lord! Oh where would I be without Christ! This Law that works death in my members no longer has power over me because I have turned to Jesus
9 I was alive once without the law, (Paul says, folks, I was doing just fine as long as I was adhering to the letter of the law, but you see, the letter of the Law is not Gods target! But when the
of the law hit Paul) but when the commandment (the spirit of the law) came, sin revived and I died.
So how are you doing? You were probably doing pretty well until you came to this church. You were alive without the law, shooting arrows in the air, where they land you knew not where, nor did you care. But since coming here, the target of Gods perfection has been brought into view.
Yet even in this church we must be careful to not preach the letter of the law, we need to preach the spirit of the law. And when the spirit of the law is preached, not one of us should be left standing. We all should realize that our arrows are falling short of the mark.
10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.
And the letter of the law, which you thought would bring you life because it was easy to keep outwardly, you have come to find out only brings death. All have sinned, (missed the mark) and the wages of sin is death!
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
Lust for forbidden fruit is awakened by the command against it, and it deceives us, it makes us think that we are missing something in life, but when tasted, we see that what we have missed is the target of Gods perfection. Our arrow falls short and it kills us because lack of perfection condemns each one of us to hell.
12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Dont blame the Law. Dont blame Gods commandments. All His Law is holy, all His commandments are just and good. The culprit is our disobedience, our responding to the lust of our flesh. The forbidden fruit, money, or sensual passion, and our refusal to turn the bow over to Jesus when the mark is set before us, this is the culprit.
13 Has then what is good (Gods Law and commands) become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, (show how short our arrows are falling) was producing death in me through what is good, (through the law) so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. (Missing the mark will become more and more evident)
Where are YOU in all of this? Maybe you think youre doing pretty well with your bow and arrow. Hey, Im closer to the target than HE is or SHE is! Or THEY are! Look God! See how close my arrows are to the target!
Sorry my friend, close doesnt count! Close doesnt count except in horseshoes, hand grenades and atomic bombs. Doing better than others doesnt count. Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect!
Why dont you just be quiet pastor and hand me another arrow, and let me give it another shot. Im going to keep trying this until I get it right! Im going to obey the Law in my own strength, wont God be proud of me when He notices my efforts?
And Jesus said:
Joh 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (NKJV)
Without Me, you cant hit the broadside of a barn!
What commandment, what part of the Law of God is finally going to convince you of that fact?
Will it be Thou shalt have no other gods before Me? IS that the one that is keeping you from eternal life? If you say you have no other gods before God, why arent you spending time in His Word on a daily basis? Why arent you trusting in Him and His promises as you go through this life?
Will it be, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain? Oh, I let a little cuss word slip out every now and then, but its not that big of a deal. Oh really, then why does God say that He wont hold you guiltless when you curse? (Ex. 20:7) Just one swear word and you have missed the mark!
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. So youre in church every Sunday...good, but how are you at resting on this day?
Honor the father and mother. - Young people, every time you are disrespectful or disobedient to your parents, your arrow falls short. And every time we adult children cease to honor or forgive our parents or treat them with respect, we fall short.
Thou shalt not kill. - Just hating someone or speaking an unkind word about them constitutes murder in the spirit of the Law!
Thou shalt not commit adultery. - Just looking at a woman with lust constitutes adultery.
Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not lie, Thou shalt not covet, are you running out of arrows yet?
Do you really want to keep trying?
Dont listen to the devil. He is happy to keep handing you arrows. Start listening to the Spirit of God who says, Jesus is the only one who has the strength to pull the bowstring back far enough to hit the target.
You must allow Him to come alongside and pull the bowstring back. Use His perfect, holy and good Law to aim you in the right direction, but then trust Him for the perfect score. Believe me, on the last Day there will only be one arrow in the target and that will belong to Jesus.
Only those who are found in Christ, grafted onto that arrow, will be granted the perfect score. Learn from the rich young ruler. Even though Jesus showed him where his arrows were falling short, he refused to do what was necessary for eternal life.
He refused to admit that his arrows were falling short, that he had a problem with covetousness, and he refused to follow Jesus. That is, he refuse to attach himself to Jesus. He refused to allow Jesus to be his perfect score.
What must you and I do to inherit eternal life? We must keep the commandments. We must hit the bullseye every single time. I hope and pray that today will be a wake up call for you. I hope you will take a walk down to the target and see how you are doing.
Those arrows that you see along the way are not someone elses my proud friend...they are yours. Fess up to that fact and dont go back to the starting line to try again, rather fall on your knees right where you are and plead to the perfect archer, Have mercy on me, a sinner. From now on Lord, You pull the arrow back, Im tired of falling short, I admit I cant do it in my own strength.
Jesus, save me, from my self. Amen.


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LOS ANGELES — X Industry Jobs has announced its plans to roll out a new, interactive website in mid-January.
The new site will have several features not seen before on XIJ's site.
One new feature, the Anonymous Resume Builder, allows those seeking a job to build an online "anonymous resume." The ARB uses a series of questions to glean useful information about the candidate without revealing their identity. These resumes will then be searchable on the site by prospective employers.
"This is a great feature for those that are looking for work, but need to keep it confidential," a release stated.
Additionally, there will be a feature that allows users to send their resumes via LinkedIn.
Alongside the new resume capabilities, X Industry Jobs will also start accepting advertisers to the website starting in January.
X Industry Jobs will have a table at the upcoming XBIZ 360 event series, from Jan. 13-16. There the team will be doing live demonstrations of the new website.
For more info, visit XIndustryJobs.info.
Email sent. If you wish to send to another person, click here.

subset: commoncrawl


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USA Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorities visited our company and they exchanged information about current wheat production, consumption, import and market expectations. Furthermore the importance of Samsun port in Turkey grain import was evaluated.
The effects on wheat flour export market of Turkey's strategic position and geopolitic risks happening on our South border and at this point impression to millers in Black Sea Region was discussed.
All production processes are made up according to standards and controlled by related foundations.
Our production is certified by Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Industry of Turkey.


text:
Similar to MAC-F but incorporating control units or tie rod system.
Expansion joints expand in length when under pressure. The force created by this pressure is designated as Pressure thrust.
Where the pipe supports and anchors are not designed to absorb this force, tie rods across the joint must be incorporated.
Tie rods are designed to take the full pressure thrust and tie rods supports are integrated in the flanges (retaining rings) so there is no thrust on counter flanges.
A control unit assembly is a system of 2 or more control rods placed across the expansion joint from flange to flange to set the maximum allowable expansion/contraction of the expansion joint and will absorb the pressure thrust.
Recommended on most applications to prevent damage due to excessive pipe movements, each rod incorporates double nuts on each end to keep the expansion joint from over elongating and spherical washers to allow lateral, angular and some angular movements.


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About Indian Hills
Academic Success For Every StudentFollowing are quotes from Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers. What he says about the "superiority" of Asian education makes sense: There's nothing wrong with American education; there's just not enough time spent on it. He says that Koreans spend 220 days in school, and Japanese spend 243, compared with our 180. But not at Indian Hills. With our schedule, students have 240 days of math and English a year – more than Korea, and almost as much as Japan.
"An enormous amount of time is spent talking about reducing class size, rewriting curricula, buying every student a shiny new laptop, and increasing school funding – all of which assumes that there is something fundamentally wrong with the job schools are doing. But . . . Schools work. The only problem with school, for the kids who aren't achieving, is that there isn't enough of it" (259).
"The school year in the United States is, on average, 180 days long. The South Korean school year is 220 days long. The Japanese school year is 243 days long" (260).


text: Ok, so.. 1. how often do you think there will be updates? 2. will there be updates for the Wii itself and games or just updates for the Wii? 3. by default, the Wii updates save directly to the Wii's internal memory...correct? 4. Can updates be saved to an SD card? With those questions in mind I also was wondering...what will happen when the Wii's internal memory is full? does that mean we cant get updates anymore, therefore perhaps not be able to play a agme that requires an update?.. ...I just really hope theres a way of managing the Wii's internal update memory, because 3-4 years down the line there will probably be enough updates to flood the console's memory.. Thoughts on this?


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Common Injuries Archives - Lucas Massage Therapy
Is the sports injury acute or chronic?
Is the sports injury acute or chronic?
Regardless of where the injury occurs within the body, or the seriousness of the injury, sports injuries are commonly classified in one of two ways: acute or chronic.
Acute injuries
These refer to sports injuries that occur in an instant. Common examples of acute injuries are bone fractures, muscle and tendon strains, ligament sprains and contusions. Acute injuries usually result in pain, swelling, tenderness, weakness and the inability to use or place wight on the injured area.
Chronic injuries
These refer to sports injuries that occur over an extended period of time and are sometimes called overuse injuries. Common examples of chronic injuries are tendinitis, bursitis and stress fractures. Chronic injuries, like acute injuries, also result in pain, swelling, tenderness, weakness and the inability to use or place weight on the injured area.
How are sports injuries classified?
As well as classifying a sports injury as acute or chronic, sports injuries are also classified according to their severity. Injuries are graded into one of three classifications: mild, moderate or severe.
A mild sports injury will result in minimal pain and swelling. It will not adversely affect sporting performance and the affected area is neither tender to touch nor deformed in any way.
A moderate sports injury will result in some pain and swelling. It will have a limiting affect on sporting performance and the affected area will be mildly tender to touch. Some discolouration at injury site may also be present.
A severe sports injury will result in increased pain and swelling. It will not only affect sporting performance but will also affect normal daily activities. The injury site is usually very tender to touch, and discolouration and deformity are common.
Wrist sprain
Wrist sprain
Wrist sprains injury to the ligaments of the wrist. Such sprains are a common occurrence when the hand is extended to break a fall. Ligaments are necessary for stabilisation of the hand and control of motion. Wrist sprains vary from moderate to severe, with the latter involving complete tearing of the ligaments and instability of the associated joint. The injury is common in athletes engaged in football, basketball, skiing, snowboarding , rollerblading and a variety of other sports in which the hands are vulnerable .
The eight carpal bones of the wrist are connected via complex ligaments – fibrous bands of connective tissue. Ligaments also connect the bones of the wrist with the radius and ulna and the metacarpal bones of the hand. The smooth coordination of these bones required for fine hand movement is impaired when one or more ligaments are injured.
Cause of injury
Engaging in sports where falls are common: in-line skating , snowboarding , cycling, soccer, football, baseball and volleyball. Lack of protective equipment, including wrist guards. Muscle weakness or atrophy.
Signs and symptoms
Pain with movement of the wrist. Burning or tingling feeling at the wrist. Bruising or discolouration of the skin.
Complications if left unattended
Moderate to severe wrist sprains left untreated can lead to ongoing deficit of movement and strength in the wrist as well as developing arthritis at the region of the injury.
Immediate treatment
RICER regimen immediately following injury. Immobilization of injured wrist to restrict movement.
Rehabilitation and prevention
Flexibility and range of motion exercises may be encouraged by a physical therapist, following initial recovery of the ligament. Should the ligament be torn completely, or if fracture accompanies the sprain, surgery may be required. Use of protective guards for wrists and concentration on balance during sport may help to avoid this injury.
Long-term prognosis
Most wrist sprains undergo full recovery given proper initial care and necessary healing time.
Lower back pain treatment Watford
Sudden, irregular motion, repetitive stress or excessive load on the ligaments associated with the spine can cause a sprain or tearing of the ligaments. The resulting injury, which affects athletes in a broad variety of sports, produces pain and varying degrees of immobility.
Cause of injury
Lifting beyond normal capacity. Sudden torsion of the spine, including a fall during skiing or other sport. Unprepared movement involving the back.
Signs and symptoms
Pain and stiffness. Difficulty bending over and pain when straightening the back. Tenderness and inflammation.
Complications if left unattended
A sprain to the ligaments will generally force the athlete to rest the injury and allow healing time due to pain and stiffness precluding normal activity. Should activity be continued before adequate healing, further tearing of the ligaments and lasting ligament injury may result. A mild ligament sprain can become acutely painful and incapacitating if ignored.
Immediate treatment
RICER regimen immediately following injury. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Rehabilitation and prevention
In the case of mild to moderate ligament sprain, a few days rest should allow a return to most non-athletic daily activity. This should be undertaken to re-establish flexibility in the spine and avoid atrophy. Strengthening exercises for the back should not be undertaken until full recovery. Warm-ups and stretching prior to sports, good posture and attention to proper technique can help avoid this injury.
Long-term prognosis
Less than 5% of back injuries require surgery, and surgery is rarely warranted for ligament sprain, although 6-8 weeks of recovery are often required, sometimes longer, should the sprain be serious. Failure to allow complete healing will increase the risk of re-injury.
Do you have pain in your lower back?
Ever had a back massage? If you are one of the millions of back pain sufferers, you might want to consider sports & remedial massage to help relieve your pain. Here are benefits of massage.
There are many applications and benefits to Sports and Deep Tissue massage. It can be used for:
- stripping out tight muscles
- loosening restricted joins
- warming up and stimulating the body before a competition
- improving recovery between training and competition
- restoring energy when fatigued
- treating strained muscles and strained ligaments
- helping to keep minor injury from becoming a more serious problem
- breaking up adhesions
- releasing tight connective tissues
- improving lymphatic circulation
- increasing blood circulation
- reducing swelling
- toning muscles
- muscle balancing
- treating postural deviations
- relieving pain
- deactivating trigger points
- treating orthopaedic and arthritic conditions
- enhancing body awareness
- reducing stress and anxiety
- providing psychological boost
- helping to keep the athlete in peak condition
- improving performance generally
- injury prevention
- general relaxation
- increasing well-being
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Elbow fracture
An elbow fracture is a break involving any of the three arm bones that work together to form the elbow joint. Such fractures may occur as the result of a blunt force striking the elbow during athletics or from a fall onto the elbow. The injury is common to many sports, particularly contact sports such as football. Fractures may be classified as distal humeral fractures, radial fractures and ulnar fractures. Fractures of the radial head are the most common.
Cause of injury
Falling directly onto the elbow. Direct trauma to the elbow. Severe torsion of the elbow beyond its normal range of motion.
Signs and symptoms
Swelling and pain in the region of the elbow. Deformity of the elbow due to bone fracture. Loss of arm mobility.
Complications if left unattended
Without treatment, fractured bones of the elbow can fail to heal properly, and at times fuse in misalignment. This can lead to long term deficit in range of motion and strength, increased vulnerability to re-injury and deformity of the joint.
Immediate treatment
Apply ice immediately to the swollen area. Immobilize the arm in a splint or sling before seeking emergency help.
Rehabilitation and prevention
Elbow fractures occur from sudden, accidental trauma and are often difficult to prevent. Avoiding athletics at periods of extreme fatigue and protection of the elbow with padding during athletics are both prudent.
Additionally, consuming calcium and performing bone strengthening exercises may help avoid fractures.
Long-term prognosis
Long-term prospects for elbow fractures vary depending on the nature and severity of the fracture as well as the age and medical history of the injured athlete. Infections, stiffening of the elbow joint, arthritis, non-union or malunion of bone are possible. In the case of less severe elbow fractures, full recovery may be expected , though the healing process often requires several months.
Meniscus Tear
Tearing of the menisci can occur with forceful twisting of the knee or may accompany other injuries such as ligament sprains. An 'unhappy triad' is when a blow to the lateral side of the knee causes tearing of the medial collateral ligament, the anterior cruciate ligament and the menisci. This is often seen in sports that require a planting of the foot to quickly change direction. The medial meniscus is injured much more frequently than the lateral meniscus, mainly due to it being more securely attached to the tibia and, therefore, less mobile.
Cause of injury
Forceful twisting of the knee joint, most commonly seen when the knee is also bent. May accompany ligament strains as well.
Signs and symptoms
Pain in the knee joint. Swelling. Catching or locking in the joint.
Complications if left unattended
A meniscal tear can cause premature wear on the cartilage at the ends of the bones and under the patella. This can lead to arthritic conditions and a fluid build-up in the knee joint. Loose pieces of cartilage and jagged edges of a damaged meniscus and can cause catching and locking.
Immediate treatment
RICER. Anti-inflammatory medication.
Rehabilitation and prevention
When recovering from a meniscal tear it is important to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee to prevent the injury from happening again. Strong quadriceps and hamstring again. Strong quadriceps and hamstrings help support the knee and prevent the twisting that might cause a tear. The muscles should be stretched regularly as well since tight muscles can also cause problems in the knee. After surgical repair of a meniscus tear weight bearing should be encouraged as tolerable, but as with any restart of activity should be done gradually.
Long-term prognosis
A tear to a meniscus usually requires arthroscopic surgery to repair. The surgery requires removal of the torn edges of the meniscus but leaves the main body of the meniscus intact. Therefore, most meniscus tears heal fully with no long-term limitations.
Back Pain & Bulging Disc
Back Pain & Bulging Disc
A Bulging disc is one that has extended outward beyond its normal boundary due to various forms of degeneration. Should the disc impinge on the ligaments connecting the vertebrae or on nerves of the spine, pain results. A bulging disc may also result when the nucleus pulpous pushes outward. Disc bulges may be asymptomatic, only appearing on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
Cause of injury
Age-related wear and degeneration. Stretching of ligaments connecting vertebrae. Successive strains from improper weight training.
Signs and symptoms
Back pain radiating to the legs (lumbar discs). Back pain radiating to the shoulders (cervical discs). Numbness, tingling or pain in the buttocks, back, upper or lower limb.
Complications if left unattended
A bulging disc may not cause symptoms and may not be diagnosed without a medical scan. As a disc bulges more over time, however, it may begin to impinge on nerves and cause pain. Sudden stress to the discs, as during abrupt movements or weightlifting, can cause rupture or herniation of the disc, a more painful condition requiring rest and rehabilitation.
Immediate treatment
Cessation of activity stressing the spinal discs. Rest and alternating ice and heat to reduce inflammation and pain.
Rehabilitation and prevention
Bulging disc often occur as a natural consequence of the ageing process, though in some cases they are a precursor to disc herniation or rupture. Bulging disc are an example of contained injury while herniated disc are considered injury while herniated discs are considered unconfined. Minimizing undue stress on the back may help avoid this injury.
Long-term prognosis
More severely bulging disc may in time rupture, causing the inner material to extrude into the spinal canal. In less severe cases, rest and ice are generally sufficient to restore pain free mobility to the athlete.
The good news is that sports & remedial massage can be very beneficial in treating bulging or herniated disc symptoms. The type of remedial massage treatment will depend on the severity of the disc issue. In summary, the benefits of remedial massage for the treatment of herniated discs are:
- decrease in pain and muscle spasms;
- increased range of motion of the joints; and
- the prevention of ongoing disc degeneration by restoring normal pelvic and spinal alignment.
Golfer's elbow massage Watford
Golfer's elbow, also known as medical epicondylitis, is a form of tendinitis similar to tennis elbow. Golfing is one of many sources of the affliction, which can result from any activity leading to overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm. While the painful sensation at the elbow is similar to tennis elbow, in the case of golfer's elbow the pain and inflammation occur at the inside (or medial side) of the joint.
The medial epicondyle is a bony prominence on the inside of the elbow. It is the insertion point for muscles used to bend the wrist downward. Forceful, repetitive bending of the fingers and wrist can lead to small ruptures of the muscle and tendon in this area. While the golfing swing produces a tightening in the flexor muscles and tendons they can lead to medial epicondylitis, other activities can produce the same injury.
Golfer's Elbow massage Watford
Sport's massage therapy has been shown to be effective in the short and long-term management of Golfer's Elbow. Aims to achieve a:
Reduction of elbow pain.
Facilitation of tissue repair.
Restoration of normal joint range of motion and function.
Restoration of normal muscle length, strength and movement patterns.
Normalisation of your upper limb neurodynamics.
Normalisation of cervical joint function.
Case of injury
Sudden trauma or blow to the elbow. Repetitive stress to the flexor muscles and tendons of the forearm. Repeated stress placed on the arm during the acceleration phase of the throwing motion. Underlying health issues including neck problems, rheumatism, arthritis or gout.
Signs and symptoms
Tenderness and pain at the medial epicondyle, which worsens when the wrist is flexed. Pain resulting from lifting or grasping objects. Difficulty extending the forearm.
Complications if left unattended
Golfer's elbow, while generally alleviated by proper rest, can cause increasing pain and unpleasantness if the stressful activity continues. The condition rarely requires surgery and responds well to proper rehabilitation. Should surgery be required, scar tissue is removed from the elbow where the tendons attach.
Immediate treatment
Avoidance of the elbow. RICER regimen for 48-72 hours following the injury. Use of anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.
Rehabilitation and prevention
In the case of golfing, the affliction can be reduced in severity or prevented altogether through attention to proper technique and attention to overuse. Golfer's elbow is more prevalent early in the golf season, when muscles and tendons are not yet sufficiently conditioned. Rehabilitation generally involves avoiding the painful activity for a period. Use of analgesics for pain and anti-inflammatory drugs help reduce symptoms. After healing, resistive exercises may be undertaken to improve strength.
Long-term prognosis
Those suffering from golfer's elbow generally make a full recovery without surgery or advanced medical care, provided the injured elbow is afforded proper rest from the stressful activity.
Tendinitis of the adductor muscles
Inflammation in the adductor muscle tendons or tendon sheaths due to overuse can cause pain in the groin area. Sprinting, football, hurdling and horse riding can all cause overuse in these muscles. Unresolved injuries such as groin strain can also lead to tendinitis.
The adductor muscles include the pectinous, adductor longs, adductor braves, gracilis and adductor Magnus and the tendons any of these may become inflamed. The pain is similar to a groin strain but onset is gradual and chronic in nature.
Cause of injury
Repetitive stress to the adductor muscles. Previous injury such as groin strain. Tight gluteal muscles.
Signs and symptoms
Pain in the groin area. Pain when bringing the legs together against resistance. Pain when running, especially sprinting.
Complications if left unattended
If left unattended, tendinitis of the adductor muscles can lead to imbalance and injury to the other muscles of the hip joint. It can also result in a tear of one or more of the adductor muscles.
Immediate treatment
Ice and rest from activities that cause pain. Anti-inflammatory medication. Then heat and massage to promote blood flow and healing.
Rehabilitation and prevention
Rehabilitation for tendinitis of the adductors starts with gradual reintroduction into activity with stretching and strengthening exercises for the affected muscles. Use heat packs on the affected area before exercise at first, then continue with good warm-up activities to make sure the muscles are ready for activity. Strengthening the adductors and stretching the opposing abductors will help prevent this injury from recurring. Rehabilitating all groin pulls and other hip injuries completely will also prevent problems with the adductors.
Long-term problems are seldom seen with tendinitis of the adductor muscles after treatment. If pain and limited mobility in the hip persists, additional help may be required from a sports medicine specialist.
Achilles tendon strain massage Watford
Achilles tendon strains can be very painful and require significant healing time. An injury to this tendon can be debilitating because of its involvement in walking and even balance during weight bearing. Explosive activities that involve pushing against resistance such as rugby and weight training, contribute greatly to this injury.
The strain can be graded on scale from 1 to 3:
Grade 1 strain: Stretching or minor tear of less than 25% of tendon.
Grade 2 strain: 25-75% tearing of the tendon fibres.
Grade 3 strain 75-100% rupture of the tendon fibres.
Cause of injury
Abrupt, forceful contraction of the calf muscles, especially when the muscle and tendon are either cold or inflexible. Excessive force applied to the foot forcing the ankle upward into dorsiflexion.
Signs and symptoms
Pain in the Achilles tendon, from mild discomfort in grade 1 strains to severe, debilitating pain in grade 3 strains. Swelling and tenderness. Pain when rising on the toes. Inability to bend the ankle. Stiffness in the calf and heel area after resting.
Complications if left unattended
A minor tear may become a complete rupture if left unattended. Bursitis and tendinitis may develop from the inflamed tendon rubbing over the heel.
Immediate treatment
RICER. Anti-inflamatory medication. Then heat and massage to promote blood flow and healing. Immobilization and medical help for grade 3 strains.
Rehabilitation and prevention
Rest is important and a gradual return to activity must be undertaken. Stretching and strengthening the calf muscles is important to rehabilitation and to prevent recurrence. Warming-up the calf muscles properly before all activities, especially those involving forceful contractions such as sprinting, is essential to prevent strains.
Long-term prognosis
Due to the lower blood supply in tendons, they take longer to heal than the muscle, but with rest and rehabilitation the Achilles tendon can return to normal function. Severe ruptures usually require surgical repair.
Knee ligament sprain
Medial collateral ligament sprains are usually caused by force applied to the outside of the knee joint as in a tackle in football. Force applied to the outside of the knee causes the inside of the knee to open, stretching the medial collateral ligament. The extent of the stretch determines whether the ligament simply stretches, tears partially or completely tears.
Cause of injury
Force applied to the outside of the knee joint.
Signs and symptoms
Pain over the medial portion of the knee. Swelling and tenderness. Instability in the knee and pain on weightbearing.
Complications if left unattended
The ligament, in rare cases, may repair itself but if left unattended could lead to a more severe sprain. The pain and instability in the knee may not resolve. Continued activity on the injured knee could lead to injuries in the other ligaments due to the instability.
Immediate treatment
RICER. Immobilization. Anti-inflammatory medication.
Rehabilitation and prevention
Depending on the severity of the sprain, simple rest and gradual introduction back into activity may be enough. For more severe sprains, braces may be needed during the strengthening phase of rehabilitation and the early portion of the return to activity. The most severe sprains may require extended immobilization and rest from the activity. As range of motion and strength begin to return, stationary bikes and other equipment may be used. Ensuring adequate strength in the thigh muscles and conditioning before starting any activity that is susceptible to trauma to the knee will help prevent these types of injuries.
Long-term prognosis
The ligament will usually heal with no limitations, although in some cases there is residual looseness in the medial part of the knee. Very rarely, surgery is required to repair the ligaments. Meniscal tearing may also result in a severe sprain that may require surgical repair.


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BDS Faculty
Lisa Ainsworth
Lisa is the third and fourth grade language arts teacher at BDS. She is married to Chris, and together they have four children. Lisa is passionate about an integrated, literature-based curriculum where children are excited to question and explore the world around them. Her goal is to ignite a yearning for knowledge within each of her students and help them build the confidence and skills they need to continuously seek more.
Misty Bass
Misty is the third and fourth grade math and science teacher at BDS. She is married to Tim Bass. They have two wonderful children, Drake and Darbi. Misty has over sixteen years of teaching experience. Misty was a 2013 MAIS Elementary Teacher of the Year nominee. She believes children learn best when they are motivated to learn by seeing the importance of the information presented. She hopes that by fully engaging children in the learning process, she can promote a passion for life-long learning.
Joy Breland
Joy is new to BDS this year. She will be teaching Kindergarten Language Arts and Reading. She and her husband, Joe, have three children, Leslie, Mikell Thomas, and Will. Joy has been in public education for 27 years at Columbia Primary. For the past 15 years she taught kindergarten. She believes every child is special and unique and each have a distinct way of acquiring knowledge. She is excited to be a part of shaping the children's knowledge through love, challenging experiences, and extraordinary learning.
Erin Fryfogle
Erin teaches secondary science and mathematics courses. She is wife to Brantley and mom to Gracen, who is a first grader here at BDS. Erin attended the Mississippi School for Math and Science where her love for non-conventional grade-school education began. Erin is a member of the Mississippi Science Teachers Association, National Science Teachers Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Amy Greer
Amy is a first year teacher. She will be teaching first grade math and science. Amy is member of Mississippi Professional Educators. She believes that student's learn best when they use their strengths to guide their learning. She plans to guide students to love learning with passion and love.
Jami Holles
Jami Holles teaches 5th grade math and Transition to Algebra at BDS. She is married to Toby Holles and has 2 children, Riley and Brody. Jami was an English Resource teacher and taught English to 4th graders in Namibia, Africa for one year before teaching elementary school in Northern Virginia for 9 years. This is her third year teaching at BDS. Jami believes in inspiring her students to love learning. She believes in creating a challenging and supportive classroom environment where all of her students can become confident, passionate learners. Jami appreciates that teaching at BDS gives her the freedom to be creative and inspiring in her teaching, and she works to help each of her students reach their highest potential every day.
Lisa Holliman
Lisa Holliman teaches 5th grade reading and 7th grade media studies at BDS. She is also the conceptual coordinator. She is married to her best friend and coteacher, Trent Holliman. Together they have one son, Rafferty. This is Lisa's eighth year with BDS. She has a passion for teaching reading in a way that makes her students fall in love with books. She believes that learning should be authentic and hands-on and that students should be fostered to cultivate their own learning.
Trent Holliman
Trent Holliman is a science, social studies, and conceptual teacher at BDS. He is married to his best friend and coteacher, Lisa Holliman and they have a wonderful little boy, Rafferty. This is Trent's seventh year of teaching, and he works with the students in grades 5th and up. Although he enjoys learning about all there is to know, his passion rests with science. Trent views the entirety of his life as a training session for his teaching profession. Trent fully understands the importance of continuing one's education outside the walls of educational institutions.
Shelley Jackson
Shelley is excited to be a part of BDS and to be teaching first grade. She is married to Lamar Jackson, and they have a 2 year old daughter, Florence Anne. This is Shelley's fifth year of teaching. She has taught first grade for the past four years at Purvis Lower Elementary School. She believes that by empowering students and using authentic and diverse instruction her students will be successful learners. She plans to give her students many meaningful and challenging experiences in first grade that will build their knowledge, friendships, and love for learning.
Jennifer Matherne
Jennifer is new to BDS, and will teach Kindergarten Math and Science. She and her husband Blake of 23 years are raising two daughters, Hannah and Emily, who are currently enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi. She has taught K-6 and children with special needs. Jennifer has been recognized for her outstanding teaching, including "Teacher of the Year" at Pitre Elementary for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 school years, as well as Thames Elementary and Hattiesburg Public School District "District Teacher of the Year" during the 2010-2011 school year. Jennifer is an active member of St. Fabian Catholic Church and a board member for The Arc of Southeast Mississippi. She believes that children learn through love, support, and discovery in an embracing classroom.
Josh Moore
Josh specializes in history, religion, and philosophy. He says he has traveled physically, mentally, and spiritually far in his life. He traveled physically far by going to China, Thailand, and Cambodia. He traveled mentally far by having to be independent from a young age. Lastly, he has traveled spiritually far by the Grace of God. He enjoys traveling, eating in new places, and engaging in outdoor activities. His teaching philosophy is not to funnel information into students' heads, but to teach them how to obtain information on their own. This gives students the ability to be life long learners that know how to navigate the body of knowledge available to the world.
Summer Smith
Summer Smith is the second grade teacher at Benedict Day School. She is married to Chris Smith, and they have a nine year old daughter, Cooper. Together they enjoy watching her grow and seeing the world through her eyes. She also teaches fourth grade math. She has been an educator for 14 years including 3 years as an Interventionist in the Columbia School District. Summer was honored with being selected as Teacher of the Year while at Columbia Elementary School. She is a member of Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE). Summer believes that teaching is a lifelong learning process, and that every child is a unique and special individual. She further believes that her role as a teacher is to develop the tools students need to become independent, successful, lifelong learners. She has a love and appreciation for the arts. Summer has had extensive training in ballet and still enjoys being involved in the world of dance. Summer appreciates that BDS includes and nurtures the arts in their curriculum.


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Egg Float Test
By Nelly Dean
Wonder if those egg are fresh? Try the Egg Float test!
1. I just laid this lovely egg. It doesn't get any fresher than this!
2. I laid this egg a few weeks ago. It's still good, but you may want to eat it soon.
3. This egg is starting to get old. You can still eat it, but it won't be fresh.
4. This egg is really old and has probably gone bad. I wouldn't eat it if I were you!
Thanks for reading!


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Chalton Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition of Byzantia Harlow: Duplicate (No one will drink the water of your well if you yourself do not drink it).
The exhibition uses the metaphor of sustenance from an impure source to question what is genuine and what is artificial – whether truth really matters when both can give pleasure. Can a contaminated source of water be purified enough to maintain life through rituals involving stolen gestures? The mirrored movements an attempt to cleanse the well's contents via transubstantiation.
The exhibition presents a video work documenting a performance in Lithuania. Harlow worked with Lithuanian dancer, Ruta Butkus, to create a rhythmic, ritualistic performance generated by hand gestures observed in public spaces with props and costume made by Harlow.


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I am a Drexel University graduate and have been living on the Main Line for over 35 years. I am educated, knowledgeable experienced in marketing, advertising sales condos and home builders for over 25 years.
Homebuyers have my wealth of market knowledge and negotiation skills and are guided to the proper services necessary to complete a successful transaction. I have an acute ability to evaluate a property's value and price, assist in the preparations necessary for sale and provide all the cutting-edge real estate marketing tools available. I am a licensed Real Estate agent and a member of National Association for Realtors. I am knowledgeable and leverage my marketing client services well. I am known for outstanding client servicing, 24/7 availability, high tech marketing skills person touches and a skilled negotiator with my clients best interest at heart. I am a savvy Real Estate professional who utilizes marketing and new innovative technology to help client's make the best decisions in buying and selling their home. I love yoga and believe that it helps maintain a strong balance in my life. I am very compassionate to my clients needs from start to the finish and make buying or selling a home as stress-free process as possible. I provide innovative marketing resources to help you with your real estate transactions whether it's buying or selling a new home.


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Frequently Asked Questions
We try to anticipate questions you might have about our massage therapy service and provide the answers here. If you need additional information send email to email@example.com
Question: Do I need to make an appointment?
Answer: Generally speaking, yes. However, there are times that we are able to accommodate clients that walk-in without an appointment. Most often, because of our full staff of therapists, you can make your appointment for the same day you call.
Question: What is your cancellation policy?
Answer: Appointments can be cancelled the day before without charge. Same day cancellations & no-shows will be charged a $25 reservation fee. If you need to cancel please call 615-892-9704. You can call anytime of the day and leave a voicemail. No emails please. Due to our cancellation policy a credit card is needed to reserve your appointment but you can have the option to checkout with cash after the appointment.
Please arrive at least ten minutes before your scheduled appointment in order to assure a full massage session.
Question: What takes place during a massage?
Answer: First, the client will complete an intake form and health history. The client will also read our intention and sign an informed consent. Second, the therapist will complete an interview with the client. This time allows us to review the intake form, discuss medical conditions, find out what the expectations of the client and what they are looking for in a massage and lastly, how they want to feel after the massage. Then the therapist will explain what all will take place during the massage. Third, the therapist will leave the room while the client undresses "to their level of comfort" and gets situated on the massage table, covered by the sheet.
NOTE: Tennessee licensed massage therapists are required to obtain current health history, written informed consent and to provide draping in a manner that ensures safety, comfort and privacy of the client.
During a Donelson Massage Center massage session (typically a full body massage) we work the back, shoulders, hips/glutes, legs…then the client turns over on the table, under the sheet, and then we work the front of the legs, feet, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, head and face. We undrape only the area we are working. Our intake forms go over any area our clients do not feel comfortable being touched and we will avoid these areas.
Question: Can I choose my own therapist?
Answer: Yes, you can choose your therapist but you may have to wait for an appointment depending on the therapists' schedule, availability and popularity. But if you need an appointment today, we can find an opening on someone's schedule. You can also request your preference in male or female therapist. Our philosophy at Donelson Massage Center is to help you find your fit with the therapist and treatment style that best serves you. You can choose to change therapists at anytime during your treatment plan, establish a primary therapist and/or utilize each therapist at different points in time during your relationship to Donelson Massage Center. We understand the need for consistency, change and spontaneity and we can be all of those things to you and more. We want you to feel welcome to try any of us at Donelson Massage Center.


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Extraordinary events are happening with alarming frequency in the Pennsylvania town of Centralia, prime location of James Finney Boylan's wildly amusing first novel.
A child's daydream of receiving a birthday pony is interrupted when a rabbit wrapped in an Angora sweater is hurled through her bedroom window. A near-naked mime's unorthodox performance in front of a hogtied audience of one is unexpectedly capped by a first-time parachutist's scene-stealing entrance. The town's supplies of hand tools and household appliances are being depleted by a burglar known as the Outsider, who makes his getaways on a hardware-laden burro. A hairy cellar-dwelling caretaker constructs a personal philosophy involving the existential differences among several brands of chewing gum.
What is it about Centralia that engenders such odd occurences and strange behavior? Is it the carbon monoxide that's a constant presence in the air, residual pollutant of an underground-mine fire that's been burning beneath the city's ground for 22 years?
An eerie sight indeed is Centralia, with columns of smoke rising perpetually from holes in the earth. It's a virtual ghost town, a place of boarded-up dwellings and abandoned public buildings. All but a handful of houses have been bought by the Department of the Interior. Its few visitors are greeted by a sick-humor sign that reads, "CENTRALIA: MINE FIRE IS OUR FUTURE."


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The pace of married life seems to suit former NASCAR Cup champion Brad Keselowski and his bride, the former Paige White.
The Keselowskis, who met in September 2013, tied the knot last Friday. They have a daughter, Scarlett, who will be 2 in May.
Keselowski posted this update from the honeymoon, noting that he soon he'll go from 2 horsepower on the beach to 750 horsepower on the track.
Off-season training regimen comes to a end...@PaigeKeselowski has me training with 2 hp today on honeymoon— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 15, 2017
750hp Friday @DISupdates pic.twitter.com/viehEdsHyZ
Last weekend, the couple posted this touching video in which Keselowski, 33, said he'll never forget the day he first laid eyes upon his future wife. He recalled thinking "dear God, if I could only meet someone like that someday."
Last night will live on forever, an amazing night w/my bride @PaigeKeselowski & our family/friends!https://t.co/UY2rcSMJwh— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 11, 2017
The Keselowskis posted more tweets to show they were having fun.
wedding silliness w/ @paigekeselowski pic.twitter.com/mbB93mfLOX— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 12, 2017
One of my favorite photos. Warming up with the boys... pic.twitter.com/JOPav9zpTC— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 11, 2017
Island time #whatdayisit pic.twitter.com/81EWWH5Zom— Paige (@PaigeKeselowski) February 15, 2017
Thank you all for the kindness this past week! Here's to a safe and great race season !— Paige (@PaigeKeselowski) February 16, 2017
Ps: Don't mind my silly hubby and brother pic.twitter.com/4UVTkzmjFJ
Before the wedding, Keselowski's racing buddies – including drivers Ty Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt DiBenedetto, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Michael McDowell – offered advice on married life in a video from NBC.
Clint Bowyer couldn't help but get in a tongue-in-cheek reprimand of Keselowski for going all out with the engagement proposal.
"He does this big elaborate thing and makes us all look bad. Thanks, Brad," chided Bowyer.
"Happy wife, happy life."— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) February 9, 2017
See what other advice @NASCAR drivers had to offer @keselowski when NASCAR America returns Monday at 6 PM! pic.twitter.com/vYWO4Es5MB
Keselowski is the third NASCAR Cup driver to get married in the offseason, joining Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch.
The 2017 NASCAR Cup season gets underway at Daytona International Speedway this weekend with Daytona 500 qualifying on Sunday afternoon.
Keseslowski's last trip to Daytona International Speedway turned out pretty well, by the way. He won the 2016 Coke Zero 400 back in July, the 100th Cup win for Team Penske and his 20th win in 250 career starts.
So, it's understandable Keseslowski is eager to see what happens in the 2017 Daytona 500 – the first points race of the Cup season – a week from Sunday.
Quick honeymoon fly over.— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 12, 2017
Cya Thursday @DISupdates #TheClashIsBack #Daytona500
I CANT WAIT! pic.twitter.com/RJ3cnHrgXt


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If you know my niece and nephew you know they are a perfect mix of sweet, carefree, sassy, gentle, intelligent, thoughtful, opinionated, sensitive, creative, funny, and OH SO adorable. I have told my sister this many times before.. But I hope that I will one day have kids as awesome as hers AND hope I can be as awesome of a mom as she is.
Being on the other side of the world from your niece and nephew sucks. Adults and teenagers even understand why you are leaving, what are you are doing, etc.. But explaining to your 3 and 7 year old niece and nephew why you're moving to a different country doesn't really work. That's why every waking second I got to spend with them this summer and before I left was AMAZING. And by amazing I mean perfect. I got to really get to know them, watch them grow, play with them, take them places, have sleepovers, see them WEEKLY, spend summer days planning different activities, and most of all just have them in my presence.
On the other hand.. Now that I'm away again it is back to having to miss the small things.. Which in my opinion, are the things that mean the most. For example last year I got to go to Cole's kindergarten (super freaking adorable) Christmas play/concert. I literally bawled my eyes out (am I my mothers daughter or what?) but it was wonderful. These are the things I hate having to miss out on but have to focus on the plays, games, sleepovers, and birthday parties I will get to go to in the future. {Side note: when I told Cole I cried during his show because that's how much I loved it.. He looked and me and said "seriously Jay Jay" which just so happens to be his new phrase because he's getting into that youareembarrasingmepleasestop phase and likes to say that to me often when I am being silly... When did he get so old?!}
Here are some of my favorite pictures that we took this summer/the past few months that I would like to share. They are the cutest kids on the planet! Love you Cole and Max!
They love their "Na" like crazy!
At one of our sleepovers this summer, Max decided she was going to fall asleep on me not next to me.. Which was totally fine by me because I will take any extra cuddles I can get!
Being her silly self!
Attitude; not so much.
I love this picture of Cole. I also LOVE the memories we made this day. We went to the Magic House in St. Louis which is SO much fun! It is massive and has so much to offer for children of all ages. We literally spent all day there and didn't even get to see every single exhibit or part of the house. I highly recommend it, especially for kids this age!
Cole for President!
We spent atleast 30 minutes at this section of the Magic House.. So fun!
Another trip.. This time to the Science Center in St. Louis to go to the IMAX and see the Lemurs! We loved it!
Max trying to creep into our pic :)
Nap time in my room with Max is one of my favorite things. Why? Because she does anything in her power to try to not fall asleep.. Which includes; talking about any and EVERYTHING, playing with my hair, asking me a million questions, watching Katy Perry music videos.. Etc etc. and then it always ends up with some cuddles when she finally knocks out.
Happy Weekend folks! Xoxo


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Cast of Company in act one.
Cast of A Little Night Music in act two.
Opera Theatre Cabaret presents In the "Company" of Stephen Sondheim
Lamont Opera Theatre staff member Martha Yordy arranged musical highlights from two musicals by the incomparable Stephen Sondheim to create In the "Company" of Stephen Sondheim, a review in two acts. With performances of musical highlights from Company and A Little Night Music, the cabaret sold out both performances in the Newman Center's Byron Theater.


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Travel Stress Relief
Travel Stress Relief
Stress…what a nasty word. We HATE stress! It ages us, gives us grey hair and wrinkles, and hardens our arteries. It keeps us from sleeping and enjoying life. We talk less, we gripe and complain more.
But stress is everywhere – deadlines at work, school projects, laundry, bills, dentist visits, vet visit, oil changes, and so on seemingly forever. Even wonderful life experiences can create stress – weddings, moves for job promotions, and college graduations. So many things to do and so little time.
Stress is literally killing us.
The American Heart Association has this to say about stress,
"When stress is excessive, it can contribute to everything from high blood pressure, also called hypertension, to asthma to ulcers to irritable bowel syndrome ," said Ernesto L. Schiffrin, M.D., Ph.D., physician-in-chief at Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital…"
"Maybe this sounds a little overdramatic, but unfortunately the reality is that excessive, untreated stress can actually kill you."
You can take a breather from the world! You can relax and let the stress roll away – on vacation! Extend YOUR life by years – literally and take a BREAK. Teach your children that self care is important. Show them you can put away your work for a break and savor your family.
It is time for new beginnings! A fresh start! Time to turn over a new leaf!
Travel is the pefect antidote for the stress that kills families.
Travel Stress Relief- Travel gives us time to talk.
Day to day our conversations are short snip its of "How was your day?" – which often gets nothing more than a snarled, "FINE." or "The same as always, mom." from a teenager. Otherwise we discuss the day to day family workings, "Who made this mess?" and "Is your homework done?" and "I have no idea where your _______ is…" and "I am NOT the maid!" and so on.
During the usual day to day of work and school and extra curricular activities we don't have time to really, really talk. Take time over long holiday dinners to ask deeper things and learn more about each other. The days are long but the years are short and your kids are growing up. They'll be gone one day…soak them up now and learn all you can!
Travel Stress Relief – Time to snuggle.
Everyone has their 'love language' and receives love in their own way. Some kids love to talk and desperately want you to listen. Others literally want you to snuggle. No matter each person's individual love language, healthy humans NEED touch.
According to Psychology Today, scientific research shows touch can give us these benefits:
- Decreased violence
- Trust between Individuals.
- Increased Health
- Ability to work as a stronger team
- Increased learning
- Increased overall well being
Who doesn't want all of THAT for their children??? So, pat your child – and yourself on the back and head off into the sunset for a vacation. During that vacation, snuggle while you wait on your restaurant table to be ready, snuggle while you read a bedtime story, hold hands while you walk down the street.
Travel Stress Relief – Time to strengthen the bonds that make us family.
Use the extra – stress free and work free time you have on vacation to do the things that strong families do!
- Talk to each other.
- Spend time together
- Be their BIGGEST fan.
Travel Stress Relief – Time to explore!
Exploration increases curiosity in whatever it is you want to see! Science also says that in particular, exploring outside, gives specific benefits to our mental state of mind. Improve YOUR child's state of mind – and your own by heading outside! The perfect vacation has a little of both inside and outside exploration!
Travel Stress Relief – Time to try new things.
Zip-lining wouldn't have been on my agenda this day without the chickadees' encouragement! After this great experience we tried it again! Read about our Zip Lining Experience as an excursion from a Disney Cruise.
Travel Stress Relief – Time to learn new things
Learning new things is something that kids are really used to..the younger the child the more likely absolutely everything around them is new! Kids are happy and curious to try new things. Sometimes older kids, especially those of the grouchy teen ages, need a little nudge to try something new. You can pat yourself on the back and give yourself a gold star in parenting when you give your child the opportunity to try new things.
Teach them the life skills you get from trying new things!
To try new things you need to be brave!
Trying new things opens new doors to liking something new!
Keep intellectually stimulated and stay away from boredom – at any age!
Grow by expanding your comfort zone.
We learned how soap is made during a visit to Canada. You never know what you'll learn when you travel!
Travel Stress Relief – Time to rejuvenate!
Rejuvenate on vacation. Get some extra rest. Spend a few minutes each day stretching! Look out the window and admire the view and breath deeply. Stare deeply at your family and feel gratitude for them.
As a matter of fact, "Our relationships with others are the greatest determinant of our happiness." Make your entire family happier by spending time together and building a relationship to build up your whole family!
Travel Stress Relief – But what about the stress of planning the adventure?
It is easy to get overwhelmed when planning a trip. There is SOOO much information online. Recently I just glazed over trying to choose the right ferry vs cruise for our upcoming trip to Greece. I had so many times in my head – I had to take a break! For some, like me, this sort of research is like a puzzle I need to put together without a picture to go by! Some people love hard puzzles like that and for others…it just gives them a headache.
If you travel planning gives you a headache then hire help! Investing in your vacation will make it EVEN better.
Travel Concierge Assistance
My website has all the tips and how-to's you need for stress free planning!
Travel with an Infant can be done!
No worries about the electronics ban on flight! Kids' Activities
Choose the BEST hotel for your family adventure!
Travel Stress Relief – Invest time in your family.
Don't you find yourself rushing around? Hurrying to the vet, to the grocery store, to buy a gift for a birthday party? Barely pausing to drop one child at dance before rushing to drop the other at baseball practice? I know I do! Sometimes I meet myself coming and going.
STOP the madness for a few days on vacation. During your vacation you are all together….all in the same place…with time. Time for talking, for laughing for each other. Reconnect. Invest in this special time together because time marches on. The kids grow up and leave. Savor the time you have together.
Your family knows you better than anyone else….and loves you anyway. 😉
Travel can improve the health of your entire family! Read more about heart disease protection in these related posts.
Don't Die from Heart Disease! Protect Yourself and Your Family with Vacations and Holidays
Benefit Your Health with Vacations
The Educational Tourist is a TOP Family Travel Blog!
Happy Travels,
Natalie, The Educational Tourist


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LiamDVD - 2000
From the critics
Community Activity
CommentAdd a Comment
A good movie with multiple social issues of Liverpool in the 1930-s. It is well presented through a stuttering seven year old boy (great acting) and his collapsing family as a result of unemployment. Desperation turning to fascism and religious dogma is well illustrated.
I enjoyed watching the good performance of the seven years old little boy, he was so true and cute. Great acting, Liam !
Here we have another fine script by Jimmy McGovern coupled with understated directing by Steven Frears. The result is a compelling portrait of working-class Liverpool in the 1930s seen through the eyes of a boy and his sister. Hell-fire religion and hatred of 'the other' are the script's targets, but Frears never allows the film to become preachy, and that is what makes it all the more powerful. The conclusion will make you gasp. Don't miss this one.
I watched the whole thing, I can't say that I liked it or that I hated it. It was different from all the movies I have seen. The daughter though, broke my heart.
Life in the pre-war, depression era in Liverpool as seen by a 7-year old boy. Great acting by the little actor. Apparently this is the directorial debut by British director Stephen Frears. The film also exposed the hard-core, fanatic Catholicism prevailing at that time. An interesting watch once you get used to the accent.
Very powerful film, highly recommend it!! The northern Brit accents are quite strong, but luckily there are subtitles, plus dialogue doesn't play a huge role - enjoy the fantastic acting by the young actors!
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Sexual Content: A brief scene of total frontal nudity of the mother. Non-sexual in nature.
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Police Find Man Dead, Wife Shot In Summerfield
Police Find Man Dead, Wife Shot In Summerfield
Police are investigating a fatal shooting in Summerfield on Saturday night.
Investigators said officers were called to a home in the 100 block of Hunters Glenn in response to a report of gunshots shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday.
Police found Tara Stratton Marshall, 40, shot in the lower body and arm. Her husband, Gerald Scott Marshall, 42, was shot in the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives said the shooting was under investigation.
Tara Marshall was taken to an area hospital and was in surgery Friday night, police said.


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Re: Seneca Marcy 1814
In reply to:
Re: Seneca Marcy 1814
My great-great-great-grandfather married Sarah (Sallie) Marcy "from a prominent New York family" in 1861. She was from Ohio County, Indiana, but had been born in Ohio (probably Athens area.) The marriage may have occurred in Warsaw, Gallatin Co., KY.That's all I know.
Do you have any Marcys that went from New York to Ohio to Indiana/Kentucky?Thanks.


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20/07/2018 · The BACnet Testing Laboratories (BTL) have confirmed that our zenon software complies with the criteria of the BACnet st ...
18/06/2018 · From June 13th to 14th we invited our global partner companies to Vienna for an interactive discussion on the possible a ...
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We are an innovation leader for industrial automation software and have been ensuring the success of our customers with visionary innovations for the last decades. Customers particularly value our reliability and solution oriented cooperation. As a dynamic and independent company, we are committed solely to the success of our customers and can react quickly and flexibly. Our subsidiaries and distributors represent zenon around the world and provide local sales and support services. We work with the COPA-DATA Partner Community members as solution provider for your complete automation. Our product family zenon is in use in many industry leading companies. It includes solutions for HMI, SCADA, Dynamic Production Reporting and integrated PLC Systems. With highlights such as Multi-Touch at the HMI, we reinforce our claim to bring perfect usability and ergonomics to your plant.
As a universally deployable product family, zenon ensures simple, secure and independent automation for many companies worldwide. The HMI/SCADA software offers an integrated overall solution from the sensor to the ERP. Your machines can be operated quickly and safely with zenon as HMI – even with Multi-Touch. As Process Control System, zenon ensures optimal visualization, supervision and control even in complex networks. As integrated PLC System, zenon communicates with any hardware. zenon Analyzer ensures extensive reporting in real time, which automatically processes all relevant data from automation and IT into individually configurable reports. zenon can be integrated into your Energy Management System; it meets the requirements of the ISO 50001:2011 standard and simplifies the way to ISO 50001 certification. The zenon product family can easily be integrated into existing structures as platform-independent SCADA solution. Wizards like the WinCC Converter allow for a simple transfer from other systems.
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text: Get noticed everywhere you go in the Men's Puma Basket Classic Denim Slip-On Shoes. Allover good looks ensure these sneakers make a splash, while the denim upper provides a premium look and elevates the style of the shoe. The rubber outsole provides and traction and durability. Low-key and comfortable, this casual sneaker keeps things easy going yet stylish. Be seen in the Puma Basket Classic Denim Slip-On Shoes.


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Product Description
- 129. The Swooping Descent of the Dark Emissary! The Propagation of Malice
- 130. The Invisible Enemy! Hitsugaya's Merciless Decision
- 131. Rangiku's Tears, the Sorrowful Parting of Brother and Sister
- 132. Hitsugaya, Karin and Soccer Ball
- 133. Ikkaku's Hot-Blooded Kendo Tale
- 134. The Beautiful Patissier, Yumichika!
- 135. Kon is Deceived! Rangiku on the Lookout..
- 136. Civil War in Hueco Mondo! Ulquiorra's death
- 137. The Malicious Battle, Aizen's Trap
- 138. Hueco Mondo moves again! Hitsugaya vs. Yammy
- 139. Ichigo vs. Grimmjow, the 11-second battle
- 140. Ulquiorra's Scheme, the Moment when the Sun Sets
- 141. Goodbye..., Kurosaki
- 142. Strict Order! The Forbidden Rescue of Inoue Orihime
- 143. Grimmjow's Revival
- 144. Ishida・Sado, the quickening of a new power
- 145. The Espada Gathers! Aizen's royal assembly
- 146. The Name is Nel! The appearance of the strange arrancar
- 147. The Forest of Menos! The Search for the Missing Rukia
- 148. Ashido, the Shinigami who came from the Past
- 149. Through the Crumbling Forest, a Million Menos
- 150. Oath! Back Here Alive Again
- 151. The Raging Storm! Encounter with the Dancing Arrancar
- 152. Ichigo Strikes Back! This is my Bankai
- 153. The Devilish Research! Szayel Aporro's Plan
- 154. Rukia and Kaien, the Sorrowful Reunion
- 155. Rukia Retaliates! Release the Desperate Kidou
- 156. Ishida & Pesshe, the United Attack of Friendship?
- 157. Ishida's Trump Card, Seele Schneider
- 158. Right Arm of the Giant, Left Arm of the Devil
- 159. Sado Yasutora dies! Orihime's Tears
- 160. Testament, Your Heart is Right Here...
- 161. The Cruel Arrancar, Ulquiorra's Provocation
- 162. Syazel Aporro Laughs, the Net Trapping Renji is Complete
- 163. Shinigami and Quincy, the Battle with Madness
Kurosaki Ichigo is not a regular 15 year old, because he has always had the ability to see spirits and ghosts. One day, a female Shinigami (God of Death) named Kuchiki Rukia appears before him, hunting for an evil spirit. But during the confrontation, the Shinigami's powers are transfered to Ichigo. Thus begins the adventures of Ichigo and Rukia and their mission to herd Hollows (fallen spirits).
Bleach: Box Set 4 Episodes:
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|Action, Drama
|Superpower, Supernatural
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The majority of business and IT executives do not trust current investments in data analytics and do not believe their organizations are getting insights needed to drive business decisions.
That is the finding of a new study by TDWI entitled "Reducing Inefficiency and Increasing the Value of Analytics and Business Intelligence." Only 11 percent of respondents said that they were very satisfied with their companies' investments in data and analytics projects to meet strategic goals for enabling data-driven decision-making or actionable customer intelligence.
Conducted in February 2018, TDWI requested that analytics, business intelligence and data professionals provide information related to the data access, master data management, governance and stewardship practices at their organizations. The survey was sponsored by Datawatch, and collected responses from 263 business and IT executives and managers from various industries.
The survey reveals the shortcomings of many organizations in the areas of data management and governance, and the resulting business impact of poor data quality, lack of confidence and absence of collaboration.
"Data is the lifeblood for critical business activities including risk evaluation, customer engagement, business performance management, regulatory requirements and more," noted David Stodder, senior director of TDWI Research for business intelligence. "When business users cannot access governed data, share it and collaborate on analytical outcomes, they are left feeling frustrated and ineffective. Business users need to move beyond spreadsheets and inefficient data preparation practices to a team-based intelligent analytical approach that enables smarter data stewardship."
Key findings from the survey include:
- Spreadsheets continue to be the preferred method for analytics. Eighty-nine percent of respondents state that they input data into spreadsheets for analysis, yet 81 percent are concerned about data quality and consistency when using these files.
- The majority of those surveyed (65 percent) say that users and analysts can create analytical dashboards with self-service applications; however, only 44 percent can find or access relevant data for the reports.
- One in five (20 percent) responded that individuals can find trusted data sources without IT support, and only 18 percent can track data lineage to a source, which leads to a decay in analytical confidence.
- Inefficiency related to data preparation tasks for analytics continues to be an issue with nearly half reporting (48 percent) that users are spending at least 61 percent of their time on finding and preparing data.
- Tribal knowledge about data use and sharing sources is conducted in less formal, governed formats, including email (48 percent), word-of-mouth suggestions (45 percent) and internal and external networks (25 and 5 percent respectively). Few organizations (5 percent) are using data marketplaces for collecting this knowledge and curating trusted data sources.
- Fifty percent of respondents stated that their organizations do not have a formal data governance strategy, which directly impacts how data usage is tracked for a complete data lineage. This lineage is key to increasing trust in data; yet nearly two in five (38 percent) are only somewhat confident about the lineage of the data used in reports and analytics, and 18 percent report no confidence.
- Data stewardship and sharing insights is essential to increasing trust in data, assisting in enforcing data governance policies and expanding collaboration across the enterprise, still only 36 percent of respondents find that data stewards are helping with the selection of data sets. Additionally, a small amount (22 percent) indicate they share feedback or rate the analytical outcomes shared across the company.
"While organizations can collect data easily, it is the application of this data to a defined business strategy that is harder to implement," the study concluded. "A complete data intelligence strategy enables business users to master data access and governance while improving team collaboration, which is essential for achieving value from data and analytic projects and enabling trust in the analytical outcomes."
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text:
Book Review: The Taqwacores (Michael Muhammad Knight)
Michael Muhammad Knight's 'The Taqwacores' is a novel of unusual provenance. Originally photocopied and distributed in mosque car parks, it has since spawned a punk subculture based on the fictional taqwacore it portrayed and, if the blurb is to be believed, has been "confiscated in Malaysia, taught in numerous colleges and universities and cited as an influence in the American Muslim woman-led prayer movement." Not bad for what is, on one level, just a tale of drop-out punks and counter-culture philosophy.
But really, 'The Taqwacores' is so much more than this.
The novel is written from the perspective of Yusef, who is something of an outsider in the punk house where he lives, deep in run-down Buffalo. He shares the house with several other Muslim punks, all with their unique takes on Islam. Umar is straightedge, and more of a religious hardliner than his housemates. He is festooned in halal tattoos: a black X on each hand; star and crescent on one forearm; salalaho alayhe wa salaam, the name of Muhammad, on the other; across his neck, in green, 2:219. Rabeya, the sole female occupant of the house, wears a burqa, and has never been seen by most of her friends. She is also an ardent feminist and a fan of Propagandhi.
Fasiq is a stoner or hashishiyyun and, aside from Yusef, is perhaps the most quiet and reclusive member of the household. He can often be found on the roof of the house, Quran and joint in hand. His usual companion is Jehangir, who tells drunken tales of the taqwacores out West and punk Islamic philosophy to anyone who'll listen.
All four, and many others who drop in and out of the house, observe their religion. They make wudhu, the ritual of cleanliness required for prayer, in bathroom and kitchen sinks. Old pizza boxes in the living room stand in for prayer mats. A hole smashed into the wall marks qiblah, the direction of Mecca. Jehangir plays the call to prayer, adhan, on his electric guitar, the familiar melody reaching out from the rooftop. Every Friday afternoon Islamic kids, punks and drop-outs gather at the house for jumaa, congregational prayer. Before the evening some depart, others arrive, and partying ensues.
'The Taqwacores' is a process of exploration as much as a story. Nominally it follows the lives of the residents of the house and their friends, culminating in Jehangir's dream to bring the taqwacore bands of the West over to Buffalo for a massive gig. More than this, though, it grapples with the questions asked and the problems faced by those caught up in the collision between youth and contemporary American life, their religious upbringing and the more conservative or traditional teachings of Islam. This alone is nothing new, but the collision between punk and Islam is unique.
Four figures are central to this exploration. Yusef is a mostly neutral figure. His parents are wealthy and middle-class, and he has a future thanks to his degree in engineering. He faces his own personal issues and does grow over the course of the novel, particularly sexually, but where Islam is concerned he is often torn between mutual respect for Jehangir and Umar. These two, although nominally friends, occupy somewhat antithetical positions.
Jehangir drinks, smokes and fucks. He is a tragic romantic, in love with life and with the possibilities it offers. He believes in a new Islam, an open and inclusive one. As he concludes a prayer he leads:
"Allah's too big and open for my deen to be small and closed. Does that make me a kufr? I say Allahu Akbar. If that's not good enough then fuck Islam, you can have it. Imam Husain said, 'he who has no religion, let him at least be free in his present life.' So there you go. Now let's pray."
At parties, Umar stands at the back of the room, arms crossed, looking pissed-off. Yusef thinks he likes to be seen as the pissed-off tough guy, but also thinks, by contrast with his other friends, "Umar, he was Muslim. But he didn't look it." Umar refuses to allow beer and drugs in his truck. Later he is also suspicious of Muzammil, a sarcastic young Muslim, because of his homosexuality. He often speaks of the good old days, when the house began:
"When Mustafa lived here", he says, "it never could have looked like this."
"Back when Mustafa lived here", Rabeya shoots back, "I could never sit in the living room."
Rabeya is the fourth of the novel's key figures. Together with her friend Fatima, they explore what it means to be female, feminist and Muslim. Rabeya is intolerant of intolerance. She is well aware of the threats faced by women, whether from their religion or from the wider society in which they live. Yet she still observes:
"There is a cool Islam out there, Yusef. You just have to find it. You have to sift through all the other stuff, but it's there."
The central conflict of the novel is the clash between these different takes on Islam. One side of this is represented by Jehangir, Rabeya, Fasiq, Muzammil, their friends, and later the taqwacore bands, who know that in many different ways they are outsiders to Islam, but have developed their own philosophies on the subject. The contrasting perspective is provided by Umar, Yusef's own doubts about his religion, the occasional appearance or mention of parents and traditional imams (leaders of the prayer; possibly the closest Islam has to religious leaders), and towards the end of the book the ultra-fundamentalist band Bilal's Boulder.
The conflict and philosophies of the novel are more simply defined as inclusiveness versus exclusiveness. Umar, Bilal's Boulder, and the more traditional values they espouse, reject what they see as characteristic of kufr (an unbeliever or atheist), be it homosexuality, drink, drugs, sex, failure to observe certain traditions, and so on. They demand a specific adherence to Islamic teachings.
By contrast, the philosophy exemplified by Jehangir is one that offers a place to everyone. Not everyone agrees – Rabeya stops short of Jehangir's idealistic beliefs, Yusef often doubts whether they are all really Muslim – but as Jehangir himself says:
"[T]he whole point of taqwacore is that Islam can take any shape you want it to. If we deny a band their spot because we don't like their attitudes or their interpretation, then we're no better than all the Conformist Chickenshit imams out there."
And this, ultimately, is what the novel is about. It is about punk, and it is about what punk means to these people – to all of them. It is about finding one's place in the world, and whether it is better to accept or reject the differences of others.
'The Taqwacores' is a beautiful and intelligent novel, and vital reading for anyone who seeks to understand what both punk and religion can mean.


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