Live Music

• Jim Lamb, Mill Top Tavern, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Smokin' Joe Schauer, Tradewinds Lounge, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Chase Fouraker, Pierre's Pub, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Reggie Starrett, Mill Top Tavern, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• David Watt Besley, Hurricane Grill & Wings, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Vinny Jacobs, Guy Harvey Resort, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Gary Douglas Campbell, O.C. White's Seafood, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• Josh Ford, DJ's Clam Shack, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
• Jolie, Cortesse's Bistro, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Vegas Gray, Pierre's Pub, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
• Lonesome Bert's Thick and Thin String Band, Old Coast Ales, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Grapes of Roth, Music and Art by the Sea 2024, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Wednesday Pier Farmers Market

• The Wednesday Pier Farmers Market at the St. Johns County Pier offers fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, and local arts and crafts every week**.** With a number of different vendors, visitors can find a variety of unique, quality goods. Each item is handcrafted by these dedicated artists, and the food is locally grown and handpicked.
• This beachside farmers market makes for a great outing on Wednesday mornings. Visitors can browse the huge selection of locally grown goods and then afterward take a stroll along scenic St. Augustine Beach. Farmers markets boost the local economy by giving local merchants an outlet to sell their wares. They also benefit the community by offering fresh, local, seasonal foods.
• Admission: FREE
• When: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. every Wednesday
• Where: St. Johns County Pier Park is located at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier at 350 A1A Beach Blvd in St. Augustine Beach, Florida 32080

Improv Night at Colonial Oak Music Park

• Trained comedy professionals dive headfirst into any challenge the audience throws at them in this unscripted, interactive comedy experience held each Wednesday at Colonial Oak Music Park in Historic Downtown.
• Suitable for the whole family, the show is always clean and never mean. Staged by First Coast Comedy, Improv Night features comedians trained by actor and comedian, Alex Grindeland, and veteran improv comedian, David Bogan.
• Admission: There is no set price, and ticket donations of $10.00 to $25.00 are appreciated. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on the day of the show, for this general admission seating event.
• When: 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays through 2024
• Where: The Colonial Oak Music Park is located at 21 St. George St. in Historic Downtown.

Trivia Night 2 locations

• BACK 40 A1A - SAINT AUGUSTINE BEACH, FL 6101 A1A S Unit 111, St. Augustine, FL 32080 (904) 429-9906 ​Trivia EVERY Wednesday @ 6:30 PM! Hosted by: Ryan
• or
• TACO LIBRE - SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL 2600 N Ponce De Leon Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32086 (904) 679-5279 ​Trivia EVERY Wednesday @ 7 PM! Hosted by: Mike

I am unable to post the sources because they are getting flagged as spam since they are all similar in name. So please visit this site for the list.
Written out urls here tinyurl.com/yjkw32kd

For future events please visit the Discord.

https://discord.gg/NG4eZSWAgR

Live Music

• Jim Lamb, Mill Top Tavern, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Smokin' Joe Schauer, Tradewinds Lounge, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Chase Fouraker, Pierre's Pub, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Reggie Starrett, Mill Top Tavern, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• David Watt Besley, Hurricane Grill & Wings, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Vinny Jacobs, Guy Harvey Resort, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Gary Douglas Campbell, O.C. White's Seafood, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• Josh Ford, DJ's Clam Shack, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
• Jolie, Cortesse's Bistro, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Vegas Gray, Pierre's Pub, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
• Lonesome Bert's Thick and Thin String Band, Old Coast Ales, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Grapes of Roth, Music and Art by the Sea 2024, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Wednesday Pier Farmers Market

• The Wednesday Pier Farmers Market at the St. Johns County Pier offers fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, and local arts and crafts every week**.** With a number of different vendors, visitors can find a variety of unique, quality goods. Each item is handcrafted by these dedicated artists, and the food is locally grown and handpicked.
• This beachside farmers market makes for a great outing on Wednesday mornings. Visitors can browse the huge selection of locally grown goods and then afterward take a stroll along scenic St. Augustine Beach. Farmers markets boost the local economy by giving local merchants an outlet to sell their wares. They also benefit the community by offering fresh, local, seasonal foods.
• Admission: FREE
• When: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. every Wednesday
• Where: St. Johns County Pier Park is located at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier at 350 A1A Beach Blvd in St. Augustine Beach, Florida 32080

Improv Night at Colonial Oak Music Park

• Trained comedy professionals dive headfirst into any challenge the audience throws at them in this unscripted, interactive comedy experience held each Wednesday at Colonial Oak Music Park in Historic Downtown.
• Suitable for the whole family, the show is always clean and never mean. Staged by First Coast Comedy, Improv Night features comedians trained by actor and comedian, Alex Grindeland, and veteran improv comedian, David Bogan.
• Admission: There is no set price, and ticket donations of $10.00 to $25.00 are appreciated. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on the day of the show, for this general admission seating event.
• When: 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays through 2024
• Where: The Colonial Oak Music Park is located at 21 St. George St. in Historic Downtown.

Trivia Night 2 locations

• BACK 40 A1A - SAINT AUGUSTINE BEACH, FL 6101 A1A S Unit 111, St. Augustine, FL 32080 (904) 429-9906 ​Trivia EVERY Wednesday @ 6:30 PM! Hosted by: Ryan
• or
• TACO LIBRE - SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL 2600 N Ponce De Leon Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32086 (904) 679-5279 ​Trivia EVERY Wednesday @ 7 PM! Hosted by: Mike

I am unable to post the sources because they are getting flagged as spam since they are all similar in name. So please visit this site for the list.
Written out urls here tinyurl.com/yjkw32kd

For future events please visit the Discord.

https://discord.gg/NG4eZSWAgR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUOUAr-WvFk
1:37 - Traits of a Narcissist
A narcissist has an insatiable need for admiration, affirmation, and validation, all of which are their drug of narcissistic supply. They believe themselves to be superior and grandiose, they're arrogant, they lack empathy, they're exploitative, they have unreasonable demands of people. These are all traits that are opposite from the traits of Jesus Christ and yet a religious context is often the most optimal place for a narcissist to freely practice their narcissism while appearing virtuous or pious. So I'm going to share with you 10 insights into why narcissists love religion and how they use it to serve their own purposes.
2:22 - Why It's Important to Understand Why Narcissists Love Religion
It's important to understand these things because Jesus warns his followers to beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Hopefully these 10 insights will help you hack into whether or not you're dealing with a true follower or true shepherd or minister of Christ or a narcissist who is posing as one of these roles instead of being there to serve.
2:51 - #1 - The Abundance of Narcissistic Supply to be Had
The first reason why narcissists love religion is because of the abundance of narcissistic supply that could be had. It's a reality there is so much narcissistic supply to be had in religious settings. And narcissistic supply, as I mentioned before, is the praise, admiration, validation, honor, sense of significance that a narcissist is addicted to in order to regulate their negative emotions. So a religious context provides an easy platform for a narcissist because they could get access to a stage or a pulpit or a mic or some means to exert influence where they can gain all of that admiration and praise or a sense of superiority where they can present themselves as godly or pious individuals or chosen by God or specially anointed, all of this to gain validation and attention from people. And like I mentioned all of these things are a drug that a narcissist is addicted to and it is what actually feeds them, more than actually being in a relationship with God but to the pure all things are pure so there are many people in church and religious contexts who are honest good-hearted who believe the best about others and so they can be gullible to the narcissists around them who have disguised themselves as pious people for the sake of getting narcissistic supply and this is truly an evil because a narcissist pursuit of narcissistic supply comes at the cost of destroying and stepping on other people without any regard for their welfare.
4:32 - #2 - The Allure of Control and Power
The second reason why narcissists love religion is because of the alert of control and power. Religion offers a structure of beliefs and practices that can be manipulated by narcissists to exert control over others. For example a narcissist may twist and distort doctrines and scriptures to justify their authority and demand obedience from followers they could create God in their own image, which a lot of them do rather than follow and conform themselves to the God of the Bible. This kind of control feeds into the narcissist need for domination and power and it can get to a dangerous point where religious narcissist replaces God with themselves where they subtly over time position themselves as intermediaries between individuals and God. A narcissist might manipulate followers into believing that they alone possess the ability to interpret God's will or to speak on his behalf a narcissist does this whether consciously or unconsciously to elevate themselves to a divine status in the eyes of their followers and they may never say that they are doing this outright because no person would ever accept a human saying that you have to worship them like a god but a narcissist will certainly have structures and systems in place to make this a reality. And a follower or member of that religious context might not even realize what is happening until one day they notice that this narcissist has taken on an increasingly central role in their life and is dictating their decisions and their behaviors as if they were the ultimate authority. If you notice that you might be in a spiritual environment like this or someone you love might be and you're wondering if there's spiritual abuse going on or if it's a cult I put together a checklist to help you assess that situation and you can get access to it by clicking on the link in the description box below it's a really good tool to help you identify if the religious context you're in is toxic or has turned into a cult.
6:47 - #3 - Camouflage for Manipulation
The third reason why narcissists love religion is because it serves as a camouflage for manipulation. Religious contexts serve as a perfect camouflage for narcissist to disguise their true intentions these are places where it's easy for narcissists to cloak their behaviors and demands in spiritual language where they can manipulate and exploit others while appearing righteous and virtuous at the same time. And what better setup could there be for a covert narcissist who can continue acting narcissistic while appearing like a saint in the process there's no other place except churches and ministries and religious environments.
7:29 - #4 - Their ability to exploit certain teachings for personal gain
The fourth reason why narcissists are drawn to religion is because of their ability to exploit certain teachings for personal gain. Many religious communities emphasize principles like forgiveness, redemption, giving a second chance, reconciling, turning the other cheek, submitting to authority, and narcissists exploit these teachings extensively. They may present themselves as repentant as enlightened or they could be demanding forgiveness and reconciliation from others while refusing to cultivate Christ-like virtues within themselves so all this manipulation allows them to continue exploiting others behind this facade of being Godly.
8:15 - #5 - It allows them to Idolize their Self-Image
The fifth reason why narcissists love religion is because it allows them to idolize their self-image. Narcissists often have an inflated sense of self-importance and believe that they are special or unique so religion can offer a platform to reinforce this idealized self-image where they can portray themselves as chosen by God or having special spiritual gifts or insights or anointing.
8:44 - #6 - The Lack of Accountability
The sixth reason why narcissists love religion is because of the lack of accountability. Some denominations or churches or contacts might have more accountability than others but narcissist tend to gravitate towards those religious contexts that don't have much or have very little. Many religious narcissists exploit religious settings because they perceive them to be environments where their behaviors are less likely to be questioned or challenged so this lack of accountability allows them to continue their manipulative tactics without being questioned or challenged.
9:23 - #7 - It Gives Them a Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card from Having to Self-Reflect
The seventh reason why narcissists love religion is because it gives them a get out of jail free card from having to self-reflect. Narcissists typically struggle with self-awareness and introspection so religion offers a way for them to avoid confronting their own wounds or trauma or shortcomings by focusing on outward religious performance or acquiring religious knowledge, all this outward stuff that they can focus on. It's like Jesus saying to the Pharisees they're like these whitewashed tombs; they look beautiful and nice on the outside but inside they're full of dead man's bones. The attraction to religion allows a narcissist to spiritually bypass themselves where they can use all kinds of spiritual language like it's all washed by the blood or things like that to avoid dealing with deeper unresolved trauma within themselves and getting healed from it because there is power in Christ for healing but you have to do the work.
10:26 - #8 - Entitled and Exploit People in those Contexts
The eighth reason why narcissists love religion is is because it's easy for them to be entitled and to exploit people in these contexts in religious settings. Narcissists may feel entitled to special treatment or privileges due to their perceived spiritual status they might exploit others trust and vulnerability for their own personal gain and control. Narcissists may expect people to serve them, like a slave, free of charge. For instance, because they believe that they have a God-like status or they might expect people to hand their wealth over to them or neglect their own families in order to put the narcissist first all in the name of God.
11:09 - #9 - They Can Create a God in Their Own Image
The ninth reason why narcissists love religion is because they can create a God in their own image. Narcissists are not interested in cultivating Godly virtues within themselves as I mentioned before they would rather project their own traits onto God viewing him as judgmental, angry, or traits that resonate more with their narcissistic personality, more than who God actually is. And this kind of behavior allows narcissists to maintain a sense of superiority and justification for their actions.
11:43 - #10 - The Facade of Moral Superiority
The 10th reason why narcissist love religion is the facade of moral superiority religion provides narcissists with this platform to project a false sense of being moral or virtuous or Godly. And they can create this facade by practicing all the religious rituals and portray themselves in a certain way in front of people like this upstanding citizen, but in reality they could be practicing all kinds of dark deeds in private without people knowing hiding their true intentions all with this mask of piety and so that can serve very well for many narcissists and to enable them to continue their dark practices in secret while people are believing that they are this Godly pious person and that is actually a very hypocritical way to live and Jesus actually condemned these kinds of practices because that is what the religious leaders were doing in Biblical times but many narcissists gravitate towards religious settings in order to be able to continue living out this hypocritical lifestyle.
So understanding why narcissists are drawn to religion is really important in order to recognize and address the manipulation that can happen in churches and ministries while many churches and ministries promote cultivating Christ-like qualities. Sadly those same places attract narcissist to them because of opportunities it presents for control and admiration and validation but hopefully by being aware of these dynamics we can hopefully discern between genuine spiritual leaders and those who are using religion to drive their own ego-driven motives. Remember Jesus warned against the false prophets so hopefully by applying these insights we can navigate relationships in churches and ministries and operate with God's wisdom and discernment where we can be as shrewd as a snake and as innocent as a dove.
*Thanks to u/Jdub20202 for the video recommendation.

A new edition of my previous category. All answers are a word or a phrase that are used in English, but which are actually borrowed from French.
200 – It’s the name given to the violent overthrow of an existing government, just like what happened in Gabon and in Niger in 2023.
400 – Whether your hotel is in Paris or in London, you could expect to see this person at the reception to greet you and help you with your luggage.
600 – This kind of dead-end street which literally means “bottom of the bag” is nicer to car drivers, since its circular end allows to turn their car more easily.
800 – Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct and Nicole Kidman in To Die For both played this type of female character known for their ability to charm their lovers, often leading them to their death.
1000 – Nobel laureate Albert Camus and fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent were both examples of this ethno-cultural group of French people born in Algeria before the country’s independence in 1962.

Koby future progression in the marines
First I would like to say that in my opinion the marines can’t do anything or pose a threat to anyone at the moment. People are saying the marines will fight the world government but I can’t see them posing a threat.
Right now the world government have the seraphim, the mother flame which is hinted at being the fuel for Uranus, the holy knights which only interact when it’s absolutely needed. They didn’t even react when saint charlos got beat up twice. The 5 elders and anyone who is pro celestial dragon and those fodder knights at maryjoa.
Whilst the marines have one conflicted admiral being kizaru, akainu, greenbull, fujitora and not worthy of mentioning as of 1115 vice admirals and other marines.
There are also powerful forces such as cross guild, strawhats, Blackbeard pirates, red haired pirates and the revolutionaries.
The marines alone aren’t beating any of these forces. I can’t see the marines beating strawhats, obvious reasons, failed against blackbeards crew and even lost Garp (can’t see them doing another rescue arc atleast by themselves), shanks crew is a force the marines do not want to mess with and they shown that at wano and marineford, I can’t see the marines winning against Crossguild without the strawhats involvement due to mihawk being apart of it.
Now this brings me to the title of this post, Koby progressing in the marines. Koby realistically has no chance of ranking from captain to even vice admiral if these people are all the endgame people left around. Koby is apart of sword but he also has the hero title so just like Blackbeard said he wouldn’t get fired just because he got captured. But being part of sword might also slow down progress as they could be fired at any moment (that’s just an idea tho).
The fact Koby got the hero title during the timeskip, I believe that the next progression after being a hero would be becoming a vigilante. And to be fair Koby did join sword which is basically a vigilante corps as they are people who are marines but can fight whoever they want. I believe Koby will stay in the marines but still board the strawhats ship. This will allow him to fight stronger opponents whilst doing his marine duties such as making arrests. This would therefore make him a true vigilante.
Koby future opponents, out of all the people I mentioned Koby would have a reason to meet/fight them.
First Blackbeard pirates, Koby has history with them easily, I believe Koby will fight Kuzan, it would show koby has reached the strength of an admiral and it will be like how luffy defeated kaido showing his strength. Both of garps disciples, it would be kinda like a garp vs kuzan rematch but garp(Koby in this scenario) would not be distracted by the other blackbeard pirates as the strawhats would be dealing with them. Like i said before the Marines are not going alone like last time as they lost Garp, sword’s strongest force.
Next Crossguild, I can’t see the marines winning against Crossguild due to one reason being mihawk. Crossguild are the marines biggest threat but because mihawk is zoros endgame opponent I cant see Crossguild losing to the marines if Zoro is not even in attendance. This means that Koby/marines would need to team up with the strawhats at one point to take them down as Zoro vs mihawk is destined to happen. Koby meeting Alvida again would be good to see, I also saw somewhere that ussop would get his final bounty by defeating buggy.
Then red haired pirates crew, this is the crew that saved Koby from akainu. I believe Koby has some respect towards the red haired pirates. The same kinda respect that he has towards luffy. This means luffy and Koby both have ties toward shanks in a way. So unless the strawhats battle the red haired, I can’t really see Koby fighting.
The strawhats, as we can see on egghead the marines can’t do nothing to them with luffy toying with an admiral.
The last endgame opponent for the marines/koby would be the world government, I believe Koby will fight warcury the god of justice and change how the justice of the marines and the world in general with it being honest/true justice. Warcury also has a strong body, so Koby vs him will test and improve the strength of his fist. Koby will be able to address kuzan and warcury flaws with their justice and succeed as Garps pupil and the best way to do is to join the strawhats.
Currently the marines justice right now is called absolute justice and most base marines follow it. Once the world government is defeated I believe Koby will reform the marines with his justice being honest/true justice which means something on the lines of the marines use their own judgement to judge who is the true enemy is. This type of justice would also reduce stuff like racism within the marines and government.
After the marines after reformed, fujitora would become the next fleet admiral as akainu justice would be rejected and he would probably be kicked out due to killing multiple allies. Koby, maybe smoker and someone else would become the new admirals following the new justice created in the marines.
About helmeppo, helmeppp father was captain before being taken in. Morgan was a follower of absolute justice, whilst helmeppo will be a follower of honest/true justice. Koby will board the strawhats as helmeppo becomes captain, therefore Koby entrust his ship and crew to helmeppo who takes his place for the time being. This will also mirror the first meeting as Koby stopped being a pirate and joined the marines branch which was under captain morgan. Then Koby will join pirates whilst leaving his team in a captain helmeppo control. Helmeppo progressing to the same rank as his father would be a good thing to see.
Before anyone starts saying Koby is luffy garp, let me remind u that Koby hasn’t even met luffy post timeskip or even chased him. Everytime bro has met luffy he has been one punched. Smoker fills that role more than Koby as he has been chasing since lougetown and even got the Garp team up during punk hazard. Garp saying Koby is the future of marines would also come true as like i said before Koby will change the justice within the marines. Random thought but prince gus will also be an admiral as he is Koby marine rival.
In conclusion, Koby must board the strawhats ship or he has no hope of progressing within the marines and getting stronger. I can’t see how Koby will progress without fighting alongside the strawhats.

Koby future progression in the marines
First I would like to say that in my opinion the marines can’t do anything or pose a threat to anyone at the moment. People are saying the marines will fight the world government but I can’t see them posing a threat.
Right now the world government have the seraphim, the mother flame which is hinted at being the fuel for Uranus, the holy knights which only interact when it’s absolutely needed. They didn’t even react when saint charlos got beat up twice. The 5 elders and anyone who is pro celestial dragon and those fodder knights at maryjoa.
Whilst the marines have one conflicted admiral being kizaru, akainu, greenbull, fujitora and not worthy of mentioning as of 1115 vice admirals and other marines.
There are also powerful forces such as cross guild, strawhats, Blackbeard pirates, red haired pirates and the revolutionaries.
The marines alone aren’t beating any of these forces. I can’t see the marines beating strawhats, obvious reasons, failed against blackbeards crew and even lost Garp (can’t see them doing another rescue arc atleast by themselves), shanks crew is a force the marines do not want to mess with and they shown that at wano and marineford, I can’t see the marines winning against Crossguild without the strawhats involvement due to mihawk being apart of it.
Now this brings me to the title of this post, Koby progressing in the marines. Koby realistically has no chance of ranking from captain to even vice admiral if these people are all the endgame people left around. Koby is apart of sword but he also has the hero title so just like Blackbeard said he wouldn’t get fired just because he got captured. But being part of sword might also slow down progress as they could be fired at any moment (that’s just an idea tho).
The fact Koby got the hero title during the timeskip, I believe that the next progression after being a hero would be becoming a vigilante. And to be fair Koby did join sword which is basically a vigilante corps as they are people who are marines but can fight whoever they want. I believe Koby will stay in the marines but still board the strawhats ship. This will allow him to fight stronger opponents whilst doing his marine duties such as making arrests. This would therefore make him a true vigilante.
Koby future opponents, out of all the people I mentioned Koby would have a reason to meet/fight them.
First Blackbeard pirates, Koby has history with them easily, I believe Koby will fight Kuzan, it would show koby has reached the strength of an admiral and it will be like how luffy defeated kaido showing his strength. Both of garps disciples, it would be kinda like a garp vs kuzan rematch but garp(Koby in this scenario) would not be distracted by the other blackbeard pirates as the strawhats would be dealing with them. Like i said before the Marines are not going alone like last time as they lost Garp, sword’s strongest force.
Next Crossguild, I can’t see the marines winning against Crossguild due to one reason being mihawk. Crossguild are the marines biggest threat but because mihawk is zoros endgame opponent I cant see Crossguild losing to the marines if Zoro is not even in attendance. This means that Koby/marines would need to team up with the strawhats at one point to take them down as Zoro vs mihawk is destined to happen. Koby meeting Alvida again would be good to see, I also saw somewhere that ussop would get his final bounty by defeating buggy.
Then red haired pirates crew, this is the crew that saved Koby from akainu. I believe Koby has some respect towards the red haired pirates. The same kinda respect that he has towards luffy. This means luffy and Koby both have ties toward shanks in a way. So unless the strawhats battle the red haired, I can’t really see Koby fighting.
The strawhats, as we can see on egghead the marines can’t do nothing to them with luffy toying with an admiral.
The last endgame opponent for the marines/koby would be the world government, I believe Koby will fight warcury the god of justice and change how the justice of the marines and the world in general with it being honest/true justice. Warcury also has a strong body, so Koby vs him will test and improve the strength of his fist. Koby will be able to address kuzan and warcury flaws with their justice and succeed as Garps pupil and the best way to do is to join the strawhats.
Currently the marines justice right now is called absolute justice and most base marines follow it. Once the world government is defeated I believe Koby will reform the marines with his justice being honest/true justice which means something on the lines of the marines use their own judgement to judge who is the true enemy is. This type of justice would also reduce stuff like racism within the marines and government.
After the marines after reformed, fujitora would become the next fleet admiral as akainu justice would be rejected and he would probably be kicked out due to killing multiple allies. Koby, maybe smoker and someone else would become the new admirals following the new justice created in the marines.
About helmeppo, helmeppp father was captain before being taken in. Morgan was a follower of absolute justice, whilst helmeppo will be a follower of honest/true justice. Koby will board the strawhats as helmeppo becomes captain, therefore Koby entrust his ship and crew to helmeppo who takes his place for the time being. This will also mirror the first meeting as Koby stopped being a pirate and joined the marines branch which was under captain morgan. Then Koby will join pirates whilst leaving his team in a captain helmeppo control. Helmeppo progressing to the same rank as his father would be a good thing to see.
Before anyone starts saying Koby is luffy garp, let me remind u that Koby hasn’t even met luffy post timeskip or even chased him. Everytime bro has met luffy he has been one punched. Smoker fills that role more than Koby as he has been chasing since lougetown and even got the Garp team up during punk hazard. Garp saying Koby is the future of marines would also come true as like i said before Koby will change the justice within the marines. Random thought but prince gus will also be an admiral as he is Koby marine rival.
In conclusion, Koby must board the strawhats ship or he has no hope of progressing within the marines and getting stronger. I can’t see how Koby will progress without fighting alongside the strawhats.

A few questions from a convert about praying to saints

1. the OG Baltimore Catechism says we can pray to the saints for their "prayers and help" I understand their prayers but what exactly does it mean for them to "help" us? I thought their prayers was the help.
   
2. If I say " St. Michael help me be charitable toward Susie Shirloffskins today" is that really saying "Dear God, through St. Michael, help me be charitable to Susie today"?
   
3. Can someone reaffirm my lingering fear that by asking a saint for prayers and help I am taking away glory from God? I know I'm not, I just have slight doubts.
   

DAY: May 27 2024
5-27-2024

THE CASE FOR OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTATION TO LOWER AGGRESSION

People who regularly eat fish or take fish oil supplements are getting omega-3 fatty acids, which play a critical role in brain function. Research has long shown a basis in the brain for aggressive and violent behavior, and that poor nutrition is a risk factor for behavior problems. Penn neurocriminologist Adrian Raine has for years been studying whether omega-3 supplementation could therefore reduce aggressive behavior, publishing five randomized controlled trials from different countries. He found significant effects but wanted to know whether these findings extended beyond his laboratory.
5-27-2024

WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVES TO OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY AND ARE THEY SAFE?

With summer around the corner, telehealth outlets and medical spas are going into hyperdrive advertising the sale of semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Recent shortages of the brand-name drugs have opened the door to copycat versions that, while legal, also raise some concerns for consumers, says Kelly Ann Barnes, Northeastern professor of pharmacy law. The copycat drugs are made by specialized pharmacies known as compounding pharmacies, which are allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make off-label
5-27-2024

FIVE BASIC HABITS MAY HOLD THE KEY TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

Professor Nick Titov’s professional goal is to make himself redundant. he wants to empower more people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression to understand what they can do each day to care for their mental health. As part of this mission, Professor Titov and his team developed The Big 5, an evidence-based program encouraging five broad types of activities that are strongly linked with good mental health when performed regularly. Everyone’s
5-27-2024

COVID-19 FORECASTING TOOL ALLOWED HOSPITAL TO MANAGE PATIENT CAPACITY, RESOURCES AMID PANDEMIC’S THIRD WAVE

During the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the health-care system’s capacity was stretched and hospitals across Canada relied on each other to share resources and provide care. Experts from
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION AS A POSSIBLE ASPECT OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME PATHOLOGY

The peripubertal DHT-induced mouse model is a non-obese but insulin-resistant model of PCOS. a) Experimental design. b) Fat mass. c) Insulin levels at baseline and 15 min following glucose administration. d) Blood glucose levels during oGTT. e) HOMA-IR, calculated from fasted glucose and insulin levels. f) Glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c). A new study shows that hyperandrogenism—a key characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—affects immune cell populations in reproductive, metabolic and immunological tissues in a PCOS-like mouse model. These findings are of great importance as
5-27-2024

RESEARCH IDENTIFIES BRAIN NETWORK LINK TO STUTTERING

Common acquired neurogenic stuttering network. Common areas that were sensitive and specific across both neurogenic stuttering cohorts. Amy = amygdala; ASt = amygdalostriatal transition area; Cl = claustrum; Pall = Pallidum; Put = putamen. A new study published in the journal Brain has identified a specific brain network hub that plays a key role in stuttering. The research, by Te Whare W?nanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury (UC) Associate Professor Catherine Theys, examines two different types of stuttering—developmental and acquired—to show a clear neural
5-27-2024

THYROID DISEASE ISN’T THE END FOR YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS, REPORT FINDS

How employers behave toward workers experiencing thyroid dysfunction could play a critical part in addressing the UK’s labor market challenges. With long-term sickness on the rise in the UK, researchers at the University of Aberdeen Business School have marked World Thyroid Day (May 25) by releasing new findings which, for the first time, explore the relationship between employer sympathy and the labor market prospects of people with thyroid conditions. One in 20 people in the UK have a thyroid problem, with a significant majority of sufferers being women. Posing serious
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS HIGH-INCOME EARNERS AT LOWER RISK OF DYING FROM STROKE

High-income earners have a 32% lower risk of dying after a stroke compared to low-income earners. The equivalent for high education is 26% lower risk. The differences in stroke survival linked to socioeconomics are striking, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg.
5-27-2024

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COULD ALLEVIATE LONELINESS, SAYS EXPERT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology could offer companionship to lonely people amid an international epidemic of loneliness, says a robotics expert. Tony Prescott, a professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues in his new book “The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence” that “relationships with AIs could support people” with forms of social interaction. Loneliness has been found to seriously impair human health, and Professor Prescott makes a case that advances in AI technology could offer a partial solution. He argues that people can spiral into loneliness, becoming
5-27-2024

ALZHEIMER’S REPORT HIGHLIGHTS IMMENSE CAREGIVER BURDEN—AND POTENTIAL WAYS FORWARD

Some 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, and about 11 million provide unpaid care for them. Dementia caregiving can present unique challenges, including financial burdens and time constraints, as well as health complications. A report this year from the Alzheimer’s Association demonstrates the true cost of caregiving for those with the disease and calls to establish dementia care navigation throughout the U.S. to lift this burden. Not only is the estimated value of unpaid care near $14 billion in Pennsylvania alone, the report also revealed emotional and physical tolls. Nearly
5-27-2024

US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION APPROVES ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS SYSTEM

An artificial pancreas developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge has been granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by individuals with type 1 diabetes aged 2 and older, including during pregnancy. This means that even more people living with the disease will be able to use this life-changing app. For the first time, the FDA authorized the use of the artificial pancreas system in pregnancy. CamAPS FX, produced by Cambridge spinout company CamDiab, is an Android app that can
5-27-2024

RESEARCH SAYS POMEGRANATES COULD OFFER A SOLUTION TO FATTY LIVER DISEASE

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) are investigating the effects ellagic acid, an antioxidant found in some fruits and vegetables, could have on halting and potentially reversing the damage caused by fatty liver disease. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the physiological manifestation of obesity in the liver. The prevalence of NAFLD has increased from 25.24% in 2015 to 29.38% in 2021, and this condition now accounts for 45.8% of all cases of chronic-liver-disease-related deaths worldwide. There currently exists no treatment for the long-term management of NAFLD; however, dietary interventions
5-27-2024

MAGIC MUSHROOMS MAY ONE DAY TREAT ANOREXIA, BUT NOT JUST YET

Anorexia nervosa is a severe mental health disorder where people fear weight gain. Those with the disorder have distorted body image and hold rigid beliefs their body is too big. They typically manage this through restricted eating, leading to the serious medical consequences of malnutrition. Anorexia has one of the highest death rates of any mental illness. Yet there are currently no effective drug treatments and the outcomes of psychotherapy (talk therapy) are poor. So we’re desperately in need of new and improved treatments. Psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms,
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS FEEDING INFANTS PEANUT PRODUCTS PROTECTS AGAINST ALLERGY INTO ADOLESCENCE

Feeding children peanuts regularly from infancy to age five reduced the rate of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71%, even after many years when the children ate or avoided peanut as desired. The new findings provide conclusive evidence that introducing peanuts into babies’ diets early will achieve long-term prevention of peanut allergy. Lead investigator Professor Gideon Lack from King’s College London said, “Decades of advice to avoid peanuts has made parents fearful of introducing peanuts at an early age. The evidence is clear that early introduction of peanut in infancy
5-27-2024

EATING MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MAY LEAD TO OPTIMAL SLEEP DURATION

Good health depends on a healthy diet and sufficient exercise and sleep. There are clear associations among these components; for example, good nutrition provides energy for exercise, and many people report that getting enough exercise is important to their ability to get enough sleep. So how might nutrition affect sleep? A new study looks at the connection between fruit and vegetable intake and sleep duration.
5-27-2024

MONITORING THE H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA, BIRD FLU, OUTBREAK

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to actively monitor the ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, also known as bird flu, and says that the public health risk remains low. Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says scientists and public health officials have known about avian influenza for decades. “What’s different today is that since 2020, we’re seeing the largest outbreak of avian influenza among wild birds, poultry and backyard bird flocks,” he says. “The virus has also been found in certain
5-27-2024

INTERNATIONAL STUDY REVEALS SURPRISING TWIST IN HOW DIABETES DRUGS HELP THE HEART

A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial has revealed surprising new insights into how SGLT2 inhibitor drugs, originally developed for diabetes, benefit patients with heart failure. Contrary to common assumptions, these drugs may improve cardiac outcomes and heart health without acting as diuretics. Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands, often leading to fluid
5-27-2024

FIRST SEIZURE CLINICS REDUCE THE NEED FOR FUTURE HEALTH CARE, RESEARCHERS FIND

Clinics specializing in first seizures reduce the need for patients to present at emergency departments or be admitted to hospital later, Monash University-led research has found. Timely attendance, particularly within 14 days of the seizure, was associated with reduced subsequent all-cause emergency presentations and all-cause hospital admission. Later hospital admissions were reduced by about 25%. First author Dr. Yingtong Li, an adjunct
5-27-2024

CELL-TARGETING TECHNOLOGY CAN ISOLATE NEURONAL SUBPOPULATIONS AND LINK THEM TO BEHAVIORAL STATES

As gene sequencing technologies become more powerful, our understanding of cellular diversity has grown in parallel. This led scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to
5-27-2024

WATCH OUT FOR THESE HIGH HEAT DANGER SIGNS

Climate change is pushing daytime summer temperatures higher for longer periods of time, and that can spell real danger for folks who work outside, like gardeners and landscapers. Protecting yourself in the heat and knowing the warning signs of heat-related illness is crucial, said Chris Enroth, horticulture educator at University of Illinois Extension. He should know: It happened to him. “When I was working as a landscaper, we had to sod a large backyard during a day when the temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,” Enroth said. “We were hustling
5-27-2024

STAY SAFE FROM THE SUN AND THAT BACKYARD GRILL THIS MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day means firing up that backyard grill for the season, hopefully under warm, sunny skies. You can be sure to enjoy the day without hazards by taking a few simple precautions, said Dr. Mike Ren, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Watch out for rising heat and humidity If Memorial day is a scorcher, hydration is key, Ren said. “A good rule of thumb is to drink water regularly throughout the day, aiming for 12 or more cups; when in
5-27-2024

HAD A JOINT REPLACED? STUDY SUGGESTS INFECTION RISK MAY RISE AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY

If you’re one of the millions of Americans walking around with a new knee or hip, your odds for an infection in that joint rise if you ever have to undergo cancer chemotherapy, researchers report. “Given the number of people of receiving total joint replacements each year, as well as the cost both physically, emotionally and financially for those who develop an infection and may need subsequent treatment, we need to understand what factors may increase the risk for postoperative infections,” said study author Dr. Janet Conway. She’s an orthopedic
5-27-2024

ANTIHYPERTENSIVES LINKED TO ECZEMATOUS DERMATITIS IN SENIORS, STUDY FINDS

Antihypertensive drugs are associated with an increased risk for eczematous dermatitis in older adults, and the effect sizes are largest for diuretics and calcium channel blockers, whether antihypertensive drug use is associated with eczematous dermatitis in a longitudinal cohort study of individuals aged 60 years and older without eczematous dermatitis at baseline. The researchers found that the overall prevalence of eczematous dermatitis was 6.7% among 1,561,358
5-27-2024

RESEARCH INDICATES KIDNEYS FROM DECEASED DONORS WHO WERE ON DIALYSIS ARE SUBOPTIMAL

Receipt of a kidney from a deceased donor who underwent dialysis is associated with an increased incidence of delayed graft function, compared outcomes of transplant recipients who received kidneys from deceased donors who underwent dialysis prior to kidney donation versus recipients of kidneys from deceased donors who did not undergo dialysis in a retrospective cohort study using data from 58 U.S. organ procurement organizations. Among the donors with
5-27-2024

NEW THERAPY PROVEN EFFECTIVE AGAINST REJECTION IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is one of the most common causes of kidney transplant failure. To date, however, no treatment has proven effective in combating this complication in the long term. As part of an international and multidisciplinary clinical study led by Georg Böhmig and Katharina Mayer, Clinical Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine III at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, a new therapeutic principle in transplant medicine has been found to be both safe and highly effective. The results were recently published in the New England Journal
5-27-2024

SHARJAH UNIVERSITY PATENTS APPLICATION FOR DISTANCE COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS

Smart Identification of Health Status based on QR Code and User Health Data. Credit: author’s own creation The University of Sharjah has been granted a patent for inventing a smart gadget with the ability to filter user information that will allow doctors to diagnose COVID-19 and other ailments from a distance. The patent, granted by United States Patent and Trademark Office on 1 August 2023, comprises “a display unit, a color code detection unit, an image filter, an optical character recognition unit, a code detection unit and an elimination unit,”
5-27-2024

STUDY REVEALS WHERE DELAYS ARE WORST

When it comes to responding to a stroke, speed is a crucial factor; the longer it takes for someone experiencing a stroke to get to a hospital, the worse the outcome will be. Yet across the United States, delays to treatment can be significant. A Yale study uncovers new insights into factors associated with treatment delays and where in the United States patients are more likely to experience slower responses. The findings, which were published May 24 in the journal Stroke, highlight where interventions should

NEW STUDY SHOWS HEAT WAVES INCREASE RISK OF PRETERM, EARLY-TERM BIRTH

The increased frequency and intensity of heat waves due to climate change puts women at a higher risk of experiencing preterm and early-term labor—jeopardizing the health and well-being of their babies. An analysis of 53 million births that occurred in the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas during the 25-year period 1993–2017, showed
5-27-2024

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES, EARPLUGS AND EARMUFFS—DO THEY REALLY HELP NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE?

Noise can make it hard to concentrate, especially for people who are extra sensitive to it. Neurodivergent people (such as those who are autistic or have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder—ADHD) can experience different sensory sensitivities. Their nervous system may process information differently when they are exposed to sensory experiences such as bright lights, loud noise, strong smells or busy environments. Decreased sound tolerance is estimated to affect up to 70% of autistic people and is described in three ways: hyperacusis (perceiving everyday sounds as loud or painful), misophonia (an aversion to
5-27-2024

MASSACHUSETTS SHELLS OUT NEARLY $400,000 FOR VACCINE RECORD CHECKS IN STATE-RUN SHELTERS

State officials have pumped nearly $400,000 into a program to review the vaccine records of families entering the emergency shelter system, including migrants from other countries who may have foreign documentation, according to the Healey administration. Officials at Boston-based John Snow, Inc., which has long worked with the state, have been contracted to review immunization documents. Since January, more than 1,200 children in state-run shelters have had their records checked, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, or HHS. Vaccine record checks have occurred since September 2023
5-27-2024

LAWSUIT ACCUSES FLORIDA’S PALM BEACH COUNTY HOSPITAL NETWORK OF SHARING PATIENTS’ PRIVATE DATA

The Palm Beach Health Network has become the latest health provider accused of illegally sharing identities and private health information of its patients with the social media company Meta, owner of Facebook. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach says the health network’s websites share code with Meta that enables patients to be targeted with advertising on Facebook based on “highly sensitive personal information” they share. It names as defendants the Palm Beach Health Network Physicians Group, doing business as Palm Beach Health Network, and
5-27-2024

CAN THE PLACEMENT OF DENTAL IMPLANTS IN HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS BE DONE BEFORE RADIATION THERAPY?

Globally, head and neck cancer accounts for 5% of all cancer types, with a mortality rate of 50%. However, in the Nordic countries, head and neck cancer accounts for only 2.6% of all cancers, with a mortality rate of just 30%. But more survivors mean that many must live with extensive damage and side effects
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISK OF CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS OUTBREAKS IN NEW ZEALAND

More cryptosporidiosis outbreaks could be on the cards for Aotearoa New Zealand as extreme rainfall events become more frequent, causing higher levels of the diarrhea-causing parasite to be washed into waterways, public health researchers warn. The researchers studied clusters of cryptosporidium outbreaks around the country between 1997 and 2015 and found 13 coincided with severe weather events. Their research is published in the journal Epidemiology & Infection. It is the first study to compare clusters of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis to severe weather events in Aotearoa.
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS EVALUATE IMPACT OF NEW FILM’S MESSAGE ON CHILDREN’S AND ADULTS’ BODY IMAGE, SELF-COMPASSION

Unrealistic expectations about what our bodies should look like—whether from the media, friends or family—make adults and children of all ages more vulnerable to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and other mental health challenges. In a new study published in Body Image, Flinders University experts assessing the program’s usefulness in classrooms highlight the potential for the film “Embrace Kids,” directed by 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, to achieve large-scale improvements in body image
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS INCREASED SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AMONG ADOLESCENTS EXPOSED TO EARLY PHASE OF WAR IN UKRAINE

Data Collection in the War-Affected Donetsk Region and Non-War Kirovograd Region. A new study carried out by a multinational research group showed high levels of suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescents, which were strongly associated with wartime traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. Dr. Sanju Silwal from the Research Center for Child Psychiatry in the University of Turku, Finland, one of the lead authors, says that the study was conducted in two regions that
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS SIGNIFICANT DISPARITIES IN THE DELIVERY OF CANCER-RELATED CARE

It’s important to ensure that care provided at US hospitals that predominantly serve Black and Hispanic populations is as high-quality as the care provided at other US hospitals. New research reveals significant disparities in the delivery of cancer-related care at minority serving hospitals (MSHs) compared with non-MSHs, however. The findings are published in Cancer. For the study, investigators analyzed information from the National Cancer Database (which accrues approximately 70% of US cancer diagnoses) to identify patients eligible for definitive treatment for breast, prostate, non-small cell lung, and colon cancers between
5-27-2024

WHO SEEKS $7 BN WITH FUND-RAISING REVAMP

The World Health Organization launched Sunday a new financing mechanism that aims to raise $7 billion of funds that can be deployed more quickly and flexibly. The UN agency has traditionally relied on commitments from its 194 member states, but often these are apportioned to specific projects with several conditions attached, including deadlines that can prove too short. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said commitment increases would contribute $4 billion to the agency’s budget of $11.1 billion over the four years through 2028. “The Investment Round aims to mobilize the
5-27-2024

SECOND PERSON DIES OF CHOLERA ON FRENCH ISLAND OF MAYOTTE

Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae. Credit: Wikipedia A 62-year-old woman has died of cholera in Mayotte, bringing to two the death toll from the epidemic on the French island in the Indian Ocean, health authorities said on Sunday. The woman died on Saturday at her home in Mamoudzou, the capital, the ARS health authority said in a statement. “Response teams went to the scene to disinfect the home and take care of the deceased’s family and friends”, the statement added. In May, the disease claimed its first life
5-27-2024

ALTERING CELLULAR INTERACTIONS AROUND AMYLOID PLAQUES MAY OFFER NOVEL ALZHEIMER’S TREATMENT STRATEGIES

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have made a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease research by identifying a novel way to potentially slow down or even halt disease progression. The study, which focuses on the role of reactive astrocytes and the plexin-B1 protein in Alzheimer’s pathophysiology, provides crucial insights into brain
5-27-2024

BRAIN DAMAGE STUDY REVEALS PART OF THE BRAIN NECESSARY FOR HELPING OTHERS

Our willingness to help others is governed by a specific brain region pinpointed by researchers in a study of patients with brain damage to that region. Learning about where in the brain “helping” decisions are made is important for understanding how people might be motivated to tackle large global challenges, such as climate change, infectious disease and international conflict. It is also essential for finding new approaches to treating disorders of social interactions. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham
5-27-2024

IMPROVING AI LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS HELPS THEM BETTER ALIGN WITH HUMAN BRAIN ACTIVITY

NSP as a computational account of discourse comprehension. (A) Humans integrate words and sentences to achieve a full understanding of discourse. In LLMs, the NSP task proposed by BERT can serve as a computational account of human discourse comprehension. (B) Illustration of the MLM task. (C) Illustration of the NSP task and its relevance to the Mason and Just model. (D) Illustration of Mason and Just’s neurocognitive model of discourse processing. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn7744 With generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transforming the social interaction landscape in recent years,
5-27-2024

STUDY EXAMINES METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING OF BREAST CANCER TUMORS DURING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists have made significant strides in understanding the complex interplay between the immune system and cancer metabolism in breast cancer treatment. The research
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS EXAMINE EVIDENCE FOR A NOVEL NEURONAL MECHANISM DRIVING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

An international team of clinicians and neuroscientists have published a new perspective on the process of neurodegeneration. Their findings review evidence for a mechanism upstream of amyloid including the key neurochemical driving this process. The paper, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, focuses on a selective group of neurons (“the isodendritic core”). These cells have a different provenance from neurons in the rest of the brain and have previously been identified as primarily
The research, by a team from Finland’s University of Helsinki, National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Turku University of Applied Sciences, is published in
5-27-2024

WHO CHIEF URGES COUNTRIES TO QUICKLY SEAL PANDEMIC DEAL

WHO countries have spent two years seeking an agreement on tackling pandemics. The World Health Organization chief on Monday urged countries to nail down a landmark global agreement on handling of future pandemics after they missed a hard deadline. Scarred by COVID-19—which killed millions, shredded economies and crippled health systems—nations have spent two years trying to forge binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Negotiators failed to clinch a deal ahead of this week’s World Health Assembly—the annual gathering of WHO’s 194 member states—the deadline for concluding the talks.
5-27-2024

STUDY DEMONSTRATES HOW GUT MICROBES PROCESS STEROIDS—USING FLATULENCE

It turns out flatulence can serve a purpose beyond being uncomfortable or funny: Gas released by some gut bacteria stimulates other gut bacteria to produce a hormone involved in pregnancy and in an FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression, according to new research led by Harvard Medical School scientists. The work shows how gut bacteria can produce new hormones from steroids in bile and, in doing so, act like an endocrine organ. This research adds to the growing list of ways gut microbiota may influence human
5-27-2024

PHYSICAL FRAILTY MAY PUT PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK OF DEPRESSION, STUDY FINDS

Individuals who meet at least one of the criteria for physical frailty are at higher risk of also developing depression, a new Yale study finds. The findings—which also include insights into the specific inflammatory molecules and changes in brain structure that could underlie this association between frailty and depression—point to a need for routine assessment of physical frailty in clinical practice, researchers said. The study was published May 23 in Nature Communications. In clinical settings, physical
5-27-2024

RESEARCH TEAM RESOLVES STRUCTURE OF CRUCIAL ENZYME FOR THE FIRST TIME

For the first time, a team co-led by CHU Sainte-Justine researcher and professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal, Alexey Pshezhetsky has succeeded in resolving the unique structure of the HGSNAT enzyme, a deficiency of which causes Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare pediatric disease affecting the central nervous system. Through collaboration with a team from Shanghai University, the structure of this enzyme and the mechanism of its function were revealed using high-performance

British farms can grow cheap food — but at what cost?
By Jeremy Clarkson (The Sunday Times, May 26)
Quite rightly there’s been a lot of brouhaha and gnashing of teeth about the Welsh government’s weed-friendly farming policy. But the problem isn’t confined to Wales. Almost every government in the civilised world seems determined to ethnically cleanse farmers from the countryside. And it’s hard to see why.
Oh sure, they all say that farming makes a lot of carbon dioxides and that they have net zero targets to meet, but obviously that’s not the reason. Because what’s the point of keeping the global temperature down if there’s nothing to eat?
So if climate change isn’t the driver, why, all across Europe and America and Australia, is life being made so wilfully and unnecessarily hard for the people who feed us? And why in England did the number of farms fall from 132,400 in 2005 to just 104,000 in 2015? Well, bear with me on this one, but it’s necessary at this point to talk about my recent weekend city break in Copenhagen.
I’ve always said that if I were forced for some reason to leave the UK and I needed to live and work somewhere else, I’d go to Copenhagen. You eat dinner at a sensible time, not four in the morning, you’re never distracted by the beach, and you can have conversations with a van driver about how the krone is controlled by the European Central Bank. I know because I did. Here I spend most of my van-based conversations trying to explain what “fragile” means.
Everywhere you go in Copenhagen there are attractive people having lunch in attractive restaurants before going back to the office to design some more attractive chairs. They put their solar farms between the motorway and the railway line, and all around the canals and docks there are no unsightly railings. If you fall in, you just get out again. And if you can’t swim, well, that’s your own silly fault.
And then there’s the business of getting about, which is done on a bicycle. Unlike here, though, no one wears a helmet or that idiotic Stasi stormtrooper combination of black tights and black shorts. Cycling is not some BLT+, pro-Hamas, kick-out-the-Tories political movement. It’s just something you do to get about, because even the crappiest little car is about a million pounds. And there are no hills.
I love pootling about on a bicycle there, stopping for a cup of coffee and a pastry, or to look in a little shop that sells nothing but lampshades made from thinly sliced ash. If Carlsberg did cities, they’d look like this.
But even here, amid all the loveliness, we find the awful Lawrence Stroll plague of Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Chanel, Bulgari, Gucci and all those other multinational emporiums for the terminally dreadful, which now dominate every city centre, high-end Caribbean resort and airport terminal in the world. Terry Wogan once said he’d like to machinegun everyone on Henman Hill. I feel the same way when I’m presented with a branch of Boss.
I’m told that these fashion, luggage and sunglasses shops are everywhere because they are the only ones that can afford city centre rents and I’m sure that’s true. So that’s good for the city, the landlords and stupid people in white trousers who think it’s OK to spend £850 on a pair of shoes because it says Prada on the instep.
It’s not what we want, of course. We want interesting shops full of interesting things and interesting people, and we think it’s silly to spend £850 on a pair of shoes. But lots of little shops all selling different things? That’s too difficult to organise. It’s much easier to call some twat on a yacht and ask him to send over a light dusting of Hilfiger and a spot of Saint Laurent.
Which brings me back to farming. I’m sitting here now on top of a hill in the Cotswolds and I can see four other farms, all run by farmers who do things their own way. There’s a chap not too far away who produces eggs in mobile hen houses. There’s a lady who’s passionate about organic produce. Then there’s my neighbour who seems to be persevering with oil-seed rape, and down in the valley there’s a brother and sister rearing pigs. It’s all small and higgledy-piggledy and charming. And it’s comforting to know that 90 per cent of Britain’s remaining farms are family owned. But if you stand back and look at the land as a business, you’d have to say, “Er, hang on a minute. This makes no sense at all.”
So I find myself wondering. Is this really what’s going on behind the scenes? Has the agricultural equivalent of Lawrence Stroll had a quiet word with the government: “Look, if you can get these pesky family farmers to sod off, I’ll buy the countryside, put in a bit of rewilding to keep the nutters happy and then use economies of scale to make all the food we need at a nice price.”
Think about it. My tractor is currently sitting in the yard because there’s nothing for it to do. But if I owned all the land from the south coast to the Wash it’d be working 24/7. Tomorrow I could send it to Hertfordshire to uproot hedges and pull down copses to make bigger, more economically viable fields, and the day after it would be in Dorset sprinkling some nitrogen on the barley.
It would all be a model of just-in-time efficiency and hydroponic tomatoes, and soon all of Europe’s farmland would be in the hands of four or five multinationals who could use freebies and dodgy handshakes to get government ministers to pass whatever legislation the shareholders wanted.
Under the present system farmers can’t really get governments to do anything as there are too many of us and we all have different needs. It’d be like asking a classroom of kids what they want for Christmas and expecting them all to say the same thing. There’s always going to be one that wants peace and love and another who wants a subscription to Pornhub. And a Ferrari.
If the multinationals move in that would all be solved. Plus, it would be good for the global economy, good for investors and food prices will probably fall. And to make it all even more palatable fields will be full of signs saying “Monsanto Inc. Growing sustainably for hard-working families in the community”. I think for certain the world’s governments have this utopian vision in their heads. Which is why their policies are so skewed against farmers and the present system. They’d much rather have five guys who speak their language and have pit passes at the Monaco Grand Prix every year than five thousand who come into town once a blue moon to spray government buildings with their disgusting manure.
You may think they have a point. You may like the idea of cheaper food, but do you want to wave goodbye to the hedgerows and the copses? And do you want the British countryside to be owned and run by a private equity outfit in Chicago? Or let me put it to you another way: do you want a hydroponic Tommy Hilfiger tomato? Because I don’t.
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Forget Eton, Keir will be too busy with racist chairs
With the loudest voices in Labour yelling about slavery, microbes and gender, Sir Starmer won’t have the chance to be radical
By Jeremy Clarkson (The Sunday Times, May 26)
The Conservative Party’s biggest problem is that it’s no longer the Conservative Party. And that’s because it’s been listening and taking inspiration from people who are talking, not those who aren’t. And I have some evidence to suggest that this doesn’t really work.
Many years ago, when Top Gear was a swashbuckling festival of tyre smoke and innuendo that came into your living room every Sunday evening like a drunken uncle, I just sort of did what felt right every week. But then I started consulting a small but very keen fan site in America to see what they were saying. And what they were mostly saying is that they wanted more cars and less cocking about.
This meant, when it was time to start preparing the following week’s show, their views would be front and centre in my head. My gut would tell me to do one thing, but these faceless uberfans would be telling me to do something else. And I found myself more and more doing that.
It was ridiculous. We were making a show for a weekly audience of 350 million people, but I was shaping it to keep maybe 25 American car nuts happy. I dreaded their displeasure on a Sunday night, and I’d do anything to avoid it. And that brings me back to the Conservative Party.
I can’t remember how many MPs they’ve got left now and there’s no point looking it up because by the time you read this, another one will have crossed the floor or been tied up by “bad people” or divulged secret information to keep blackmailers happy or said something Islamophobic or taken drugs or invited someone to “go back to Bahrain”. The list is endless, but whatever the number is, I’m willing to bet that every single one of them signed up because they wanted to be a tub-thumping Thatcherite iron person.
But you can’t be Mrs Thatcher now because then you’d be labelled “far right”. And that’s the same as being Hitler. Better, if you want a quiet life, to be a mouse. A Liberal Democrat. A cyclist. With one eye on hard-working families in the community and the other on River to the Sea sustainable diversity. So that’s what the Conservative MPs did. They listened to the people who were speaking and never thought to think about the views of those who weren’t. And now they are screwed. Bud Lite busted. Done. Rishi’s kids are probably already down for schools in America.
This means that in a few weeks, we will have a Labour government and many of my Tory friends find this a bit scary. They worry about the future of private education and things like a wealth tax and how well we’ll fare on the world stage when most of the people in government actively hate Britain.
I’m not worried though, because while Sir Starmer has made all sorts of left-wing noises over the years, he’s not going to be able to do anything profound because he’s going to be surrounded by the people who’ve been doing all the talking these last few years. And what they’re going to be talking to him about, most of all, is penises.
Penises will be our saviour. He may be sitting there thinking about how he can alter capital gains tax or abolish Eton, but it’s going to be hard to put any of his plans into action — because every five minutes, someone’s going to run in and say they’ve seen a willy in the ladies’. And he’s going to have to break off to deal with that.
And while he’s in the ladies’, asking Big John if he wouldn’t mind maybe using the gents’ in future, someone else is going to call him and say that there’s been some misgendering in the gatehouse which means he’ll have to miss his five o’clock about sustainable development in the birthing people space.
The next day, he’s going to really want to get a grip on the non-dom issue, but at 7am he’ll get an email from someone who’s “reaching out” to say that the antique chairs used in the Cabinet Office were probably made by slaves and that to display solidarity with Palestine, the chairs should come from Gaza. This will have to be discussed in a meeting where it’ll turn out that all the chairs in Gaza are broken, which will cause the whole room to descend into a frenzied and frothing attack on Israel. The non-doms, as a result, will be able to breathe easy.
And then it’ll be lunch and Sir Keir, being a vegetablist, will order a salad. But just as he’s about to savour that first mouthful, someone with sustainable armpit hair — but possibly no penis — will lean over and ask if he understands how many beetles and microbes had to be killed before that salad could be grown. So then there will be a debate about what food can be eaten by hard-working members of the cabinet’s vegetarian community and it’ll be decided that it’d be best if, in future, everyone got their sustenance from licking the pot plants.
Foreign leaders will be calling him but he’ll be prevented from taking the calls because one of the components in his phone was made in Tel Aviv; nor will he be able to talk to the Treasury about a mansion tax because this would involve maths, and maths — as we’ve learnt — is racist.
Meanwhile, outside the corridors of power, the doctors will continue to go to work, the nurses will still get paid, the garden centres will continue to be open, the supermarkets will continue to sell food and car showrooms will still be able to provide you with a new set of wheels. It’ll all be normal.
Because the penis people who’ve been talking and talking and talking these last few years will still be talking and talking and talking. Only now they won’t be outside the building. They’ll be inside — which means, mercifully, we won’t be able to hear them as they busy themselves with the endless task of achieving absolutely nothing at all.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And here's an excerpt from the Sun column:
Three years ago, when my farm was being battered over the head by planners at West Oxfordshire District Council, I became so desperate that I went to London to see the minister in charge of this sort of thing: Michael Gove.
I explained the problem. Farmers were being told by central government to diversify if they wanted to stay in business. But if they tried, they were stopped by the planners in local government.
Gove pulled all the right faces and made all the right noises and I left knowing full well nothing would come of it.
But blow me down with a feather, it did. And this week farmers were told they could turn their disused barns into gyms or workshops or even houses without the need for planning permission.
That’s great news for everyone in the business. Except me. Because to help win the battle to keep my farm shop, I gave up the rights to convert my barn.
I think that’s called taking one for the team.
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Clarkson's columns are regularly collected as books. You can buy them from his boss or your local bookshop.
P.S. Apologies for the delay in posting this week's columns. I was traveling on Monday (Memorial Day, a holiday in the US).

Hi all, just for a little context I grew up LDS and served a mission but have since left the LDS Church. One of the major reasons for this was I just don't understand how LDS people understand John 17:3 where Christ says the Father is "the Only True God".
1. I've heard people suggest that the father is "our only true God", but I don't think that makes sense because Christ is called "my/their God" (John 20:28 or 2 Nephi 10:3)
2. People I talk to have suggested that the Godhead is like an organization of three people, but it doesn't make sense that Christ would call the Father the Only True God if they both made up God together. This would mean the Father is essentially 1/3rd of God.
3. I had someone tell me the Father is the original God and that Jesus and the Spirit get their divinity from him. This doesn't really make sense though either because this isn't how we talk about anything else. For example, even though Karl Benz's car was the first automobile, we don't say that it is the "Only True" automobile.
4. The only other suggestion I've seen is from FAIR Latter-Day Saints. In the example, Gregory of Nyssa, an early Church Father, proposes that the bible only says there is one God because it wants to prevent Idolatry. Basically, even though the bible says there is "one" God, it really means there are three Gods, but it says one to prevent Idolatry. I feel like this could apply to anything though. For example, we could say that Jesus was actually a woman, and the only reason the bible refers to Jesus as a man is to clarify he is Jehovah, which uses male pronouns in the Old Testament. In my view, it makes it so that any scripture could mean anything we want it to as long as we have a plausible explanation for why the natural meaning of the text is wrong.
I know it may seem confrontational to voice questions about the LDS Church's doctrine, but please don't ban me or delete my comment. If I am wrong, just let me be reproved by the light of truth.
John 3: 20-21
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Here’s part 4 and the finale of my posts on forgery in the New Testament. Today I’m looking at the letters of James and Jude. These letters seem to be written under the names of Jesus’ brothers, mentioned in Mark 6:4. But were they really by them?
First off is the letter of James, which has some pretty terrific teachings. For example:
“What use is it, my brothers, if a person says he has faith but has no works? Is faith able to save him? If a brother or sister is naked and has no daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and be filled,” without giving them what their bodies need, what use is that? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:14-17)
Many scholars have noticed that James seems to be opposing Paul at several points. For example, in Galatians Paul writes:
“We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ; so we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because no one will be justified by works of the law…. Thus Abraham “believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” You see therefore that those who have faith are the children of Abraham.” (Galatians 2:16; 3:6-7)
The author of James says:
“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one? You do well: even the demons believe, and they shudder. But do you wish to know, O shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works and faith was completed by the works. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” And he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” (James 2:18-24)
Both James and Paul cite Genesis 15:6 to make their point. Interestingly enough, the letter of James seems to be challenging a misunderstanding of what Paul means by “works of the law,” a misunderstanding that also occurs in Ephesians. When Paul talks about works of the law, he means following Jewish customs- observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, etc. He doesn’t mean not working to help other people. However, later followers thought that was what he meant and so James writes to counter that view.
So, could James the brother of Jesus have written this? For one, the James of the letter doesn’t claim to be that James but it certainly seems like he wants the reader to believe so, as James was a major figure in the early Jerusalem church. It was accepted into the canon because the early church believed James the brother of Jesus wrote it. But did he?
For one, the letter of James was written in Greek, while James himself was a lower class peasant from Galilee. If he had learned to read, it would’ve been in Hebrew, and he probably didn’t write. He would’ve spoken Aramaic. We also know from Galatians that James was particularly concerned with followers of Jesus keeping Jewish law, and he and Paul had disagreements about it. Those concerns are completely absent from the letter, which is strange if the writer is countering Paul’s views on things.
Next up we have Jude. One of the brothers of Jesus mentioned in Mark 6:4, Jude claims to be written by “Jude, the brother of James.” This is a more clear cut claim of authorship by a brother of Jesus. This book is written in opposition to false teachers in the early Christian community:
“Beloved, …I found it necessary to write to you in order to exhort you to struggle for the faith that was delivered to the saints once and for all. For some people have secretly snuck in who were written about long ago as being subject to this condemnation. They are unholy people who corrupt the grace of our God, changing it into licentiousness, denying our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude:3-4)
While this passage certainly is relavent to certain Christians today, could it be written by Jude, the brother of Jesus? Probably not. We don’t know too much about Jude’s position in the early Church, or if he came to believe in Jesus as his brother James did. But the reasons for him not writing this are similar to James- he simply probably could not write and if he could it would not be in highly effective Greek. The author also speaks of “remembering the predictions of the apostles” (Jude:17) as if he is living after their time.
So that concludes this series! I’m hoping to post on more on what I’ve learned from studying the Bible if anyone is interested!

Hi everyone, i'm here to share my experience with SCJ, how i got into their teaching, and how i came to a realization that it is a cult. It might be quite a long story but I'm trying to share also what i thought to be false teachings.
In the year 2023, i met someone online from South Korea and we chatted quite a lot. From our chat, we both found out that we are Christians. It's always a pleasure to make a new Christian friend, that's what i thought.
One day, he invited me to a webinar by the name Zion Mission Academy Center about "how to understand God's will" or something like that. I attended the webinar and i found that their message is biblical. The main message of the webinar is more or less "understanding God's will is to read and study the Bible". Sounds biblical, right?
At the end of the webinar, we were handed a form of interest to be a part of their Bible study. Hungry to understand God's word, i signed up for the study. Before the class began, i had several online meetings with one of the members for a quick introduction and a snippet of the lesson.
The lesson is split into 3 levels: elementary, intermediate, and revelation study. The elementary-level lesson is learning about parables and figurative language found in the Bible. The study will increase until revelation study where we will dissect and understand the meaning of the Book of Revelation. We can admit that the Book of Revelation is so difficult (probably impossible) to understand without the help of Holy Spirit. The promise of this class to finally understand the Book of Revelation really captured my attention.
Before the first class, i googled to learn about them. I found an article about Shincheonji, but since i have no knowledge about them i ended up not reading about them in detail and just shrug it off. It was probably my fault for not doing a comprehensive research/search.
Then came the beginning of the class. I am in an online class with several other people (students). I thought that some of the first classes were biblical. For example, the eras in the Bible, prophecy and fulfillment about Jesus in His 1st coming, the meaning of the seed on 4 soils parable, the meaning of some figurative languages/words, etc. Everything sounds biblical.
The first suspicion i noticed was when we learned from Hebrew 5:12-14 about milk and solid food. According to the teacheinstructor, milk is history and moral instruction in the Bible, while solid food is the Bible's prophecy and fulfillment. We were told that we have to eat solid food, that is to understand the Bible's prophecy and fulfillment. This explanation made me question because in the Bible, this is talking about righteousness and distinguishing good from evil, not about having to understand prophecy and fulfillment. But i thought maybe this is another figurative meaning, so i shook off my suspicion and moved on with it.
The second suspicion happened when we learned about the figurative meaning of fire. I expect Holy Spirit to be mentioned as i believe in the Holy Spirit fire as mentioned in Acts 2:3-4. But they never mentioned anything about Holy Spirit. Why do they take out one important (most important if i say myself) element of the fire, that is the Holy Spirit?
Then third suspicion arose when we learned about the event of Betrayal, Destroyer, and Salvation (BDS) in the Bible. They taught us that before Jesus came to save the world, a witness had to come beforehand (in this case John the Baptist) to prepare the way. This event will repeat again in Jesus' 2nd coming. That i can agree with. They explained that Jesus' word is the word of life for salvation, i can agree with that as well.
But then, they explained the sequential event of BDS and how they portrayed John the Baptist (JTB) as the betrayer of Jesus. I'm not a theologist or an expert, but this fact itches me. Why do they portray JTB as the perpetratobetrayer of Jesus. For example, they quoted from Matthew 9:14 that JTB accused Jesus of not keeping the fast. I thought of myself that this is JTB's disciple asking Jesus about fasting, not the JTB himself doubting/accusing Jesus. Why not Judas Iscariot as the blatant betrayer, but instead JTB? That's a big question. But i never asked them about it and continued on with the lesson.
The fourth suspicion was when the teacher explained about holy spirit. It's not the Holy Spirit, God's triune who will become one with us and in Him we can do God's work, but instead they introduce it as holy spirit(s) like archangels or saints. This was very troubling for me. Why they didn't mention or call the Holy Spirit? Do they believe in the Holy Spirit? I believe strongly that Holy Spirit is the one who's dwelling inside us as believers.
The fifth suspicion is when they teach how to gain salvation in the current era. In order to gain salvation, we need to understand the Book of Revelation. How to understand it? By learning it and hearing the testimony from the "New John" or someone who "overcomes", or in other word someone who receives the scroll and can testify the meaning of the Book of Revelation. Only then we can run from the world (that's run by Satan) to Mount Zion or New Heaven New Earth. Although i don't quite understand about Mount Zion that is stated in the Book of Revelation, it bothers me so much that salvation in this era is gained from hearing the testimony of someone who "overcomes", not by believing in Jesus.
The sixth and the most suspicious for me is the lesson of the realization of the BDS event. This is when i started to strongly doubt their teaching and organization. The teacher taught that the BDS event had occurred, especially the Betrayer and Destroyer part. It went back to South Korea's history of a church called The Tabernacle Temple. The teacher explained that this event was the event that BDS came to a realization. At the end of the lesson, i was fully skeptical. Many questions came to my mind about this event and the church itself. It's just so hard to believe that this event could be the trigger of the BDS (if supposedly BDS is even true).
I raised this concern to one of the members but in the end the answer i was given was "it will be explained later in the revelation study/level". The answer was so ambiguous and raised a further question as to why they don't answer that immediately.
Equipped with my suspicion, i googled Zion Mission Academy Center and found out that they're the educational outreach arm of Shincheonji (SCJ). Because of the accumulated suspicions, i read about SCJ in detail now. I was perplexed about what should i do next after knowing about SCJ. But i knew that i had to make a courageous move to leave, otherwise their teachings would be ingrained into me and wasting my time 3 times a week in their study.
The purpose of sharing my story is to sound an alarm to people out there who are currently studying under SCJ (or whatever organization name is under SCJ) and prospective/potential students of SCJ. I'm a born-again Christian and i found some of their teachings derailed from God's word, especially the teachings i mentioned above. Knowing about SCJ being a cult (all over the internet) confirms my suspicion that they're to be avoided.
To close my sharing, it is up to you to believe my story or not. Ask and pray to God in Jesus' name if in case you're doubting about my story or SCJ. I'm open to be rebuked, but i can say that their teaching doesn't sit right with my Christian belief.
One thing important to mention, we can't distribute the material of the class and have to be careful not to spread what we've learned. Why so secretive? Doesn't the word of God (Gospel) need to be spread to the edge of the world?
God bless you in the name of Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I (17F) used to have a very good relationship with my mom (45F) and she was honestly a saint in my eyes that always protected me, but these past few years she’s made a lot of bad decisions that eventually led to me unwillingly moving across the country because we were in an unsafe environment back home.
For some context, my parents are divorced and I don’t talk to my dad at all, and after they divorced when I was only a baby, I lived with my mom and she didn’t date for 11 years, So it was just me and her for the majority of my childhood. Until she met my stepdad (46M) and they were engaged within a year of dating, and got married soon after, me and my stepdad had a good relationship and he was by no means perfect, but he was a decent guy. After they had been together for around 3 years, their relationship was falling apart for a multitude of reasons and it was clear that they would be getting a divorce. But instead of divorcing amicably like normal people, my mom decided to cheat on him with Paul (44M). They were seeing each other for months and me and my mom even went to stay with him for a week when my stepdad got Covid (we are both immune compromised and had to be careful) so she had already betrayed her husband by cheating on him and then abandoning him when he was sick, but whatever. I eventually figured out that she was having an affair with Paul and I tried to help her so that my stepdad never found out and they could divorce, but he found out about the affair before we could do that. So he kicked us out and we were forced to go live with Paul and his roommate. I never liked Paul from the beginning because only pieces of shit sleep with married women, but for some reason he was obsessed with me and even told me multiple times that he loved me like his own daughter. He was nice for a few months and then he became verbally abusive towards us and then, physically abusivel. I remember when I got my first debit card when I turned 16 and I was going to go out with friends so I could make my first purchase something fun and memorable, but instead I spent it on a brace because Phil broke my mom’s fingers. The abuse only got worse to the point where we were terrified of him and my mom was sleeping with a knife under her pillow, it was around that time when both me and my mom started self harming and cutting ourselves, then I became extremely suicidal and was put on an involuntary psychiatric hold. There were two times me and mom moved away because Paul kicked us out but it was only temporary because she always went back to him, then finally we got away for good and we were homeless and living in a hotel for quite some time. My mom was arrested multiple times because Paul had called the police and claimed that she was abusing him and me and when she went to court we knew that if they decided to arrest her there I would be put into the system, so I was sent to live with my moms older brother across the country that I had only met once.
Now I’m living with my uncle (45M) and we quickly became extremely close and bonded a lot over this past year and I think of him as my real dad and one of my closest friends. He was the one who opened my eyes to my mom’s stupidity and when I told him about my childhood, he showed me that it wasn’t as good as I thought and he has been showing me how good my life can be and he continues to do that. My uncle is not married and has no children or family out here so he also spoils me rotten and all of his attention is focused on me. He helps me with my depression and anxiety and my chronic illnesses. And out here I have stability, my own room, a car, a good school, and plenty of emotional support, I’ve decided that I want to stay out here permanently. My mom and my uncle don’t get along well and she thinks I should live with her because she believes he is not a good person, but her new apartment is far from where we used to live and my life would be completely uprooted for the third time and I don’t want that, and I think I would just be miserable out there with her because every time I’ve been happy about anything or accomplished something, she always shits on it and ruins my mood. She has told me that me moving in with her is a done deal and that she knows what’s good for me even though I’ve told her multiple times I don’t want to move back in with her she refuses to listen and makes me feel like crap every time we talk about it. Lately I’ve been ignoring her calls and texts and just going quiet when she talks about moving because I’m having a hard time standing up for myself and putting my foot down because at the end of the day, she’s my mom and I love her. I’ve been putting her down a lot in this post but she was a really good mom when I was little and protected me a lot she’s just made some bad choices and I think she can get her life back on track she’s just not really making an effort to do it right now. I won’t cut her off and go no contact I just don’t really want to live with her, am I making the right choice? How do I tell her?

so, there was another post written about cassie this morning. it looks like it was intended for a discussion in regards to why people love or hate cassie, especially with regard to the morality of her actions. that thread is now locked (and I cant see why, the comments that are there aren't spicy). However, I i spent a fair few minutes to write out this description on why I think at least some of the Cassie hate is unjustified. so i thought i would share anyway.
From the start Cassia has been one of, if not, the best characters in the series. I think what's really made Cassie come into her own is the fact that she is such a major driver of events. Yes Nephis drove things on the FS. she's a force of nature. but that's part of the difference. the other major drivers of events are largely forces of nature. its the nightmare spell. its history. its the gods and daemons. ...and then there's Saint Cassia.
Cassie from the very beginning was a character designed to pull on our heart strings. She's blind and defenseless. She's used to illustrate just how low Sunny's chances are assessed for surviving the first nightmare. She also interjects a bit of humanity as they have their moment before the solstice. especially the way it shows that the practicality forced upon those dealing with a reality that includes the spell must accept. Sunny and Cassie are both expected to die in short order so people don't befriend them to save themselves from the upcoming pain of their loss.
Then on the FS the three link up and Cassie is clearly dead weight. So, in a lot of ways, is sunny. At least to start. As sunny trains and learns to fight it becomes clear he is no longer dead weight, and sunny applies that same pragmatism that everyone else has. I shouldn't have to guide and protect this weakling, as doing so might get me killed too. Shockingly the piece of wood that is Nephis shows more humanity here than nearly any of the other characters we'd seen so far.
Cassie overhears this exchange, and while we're not aware at the time, it clearly makes an impression. As someone who is just starting understand their visions, what they mean, and how they can impact fate there is a learning curve for her. Just like the other two. Eventually she applies that same pragmatism. If she can only save one of her friends she'll save the stronger one. the one that wouldn't have cut her loose to die on her own.
By the time they've reached the city and started building their rebel encampment shes probably started questioning the choice. but its too late. you cant unsay things any more than you can un-bang your Ex. While her actions are entirely reasonable within the context, the author does a really good job of insulating the reader from this. They build up the betrayal, and ensure that the MC's inner monologue decries her actions as immoral and unfair. The juxtaposition of her actions being vile, and Sunnys own which are essentially the same being treated as justified is an exquisite hypocrisy.
Song of the Fallen is broken by her failings. She sees how she acted rashly and that her end goal while well intentioned has damaged relationships and will be something she never really recovers from. Not only has she sacrificed one of the two people she is closest and most dedicated to, but its only the one that she sacrificed who returns. once again digging in the point that for humanity to succeed one needs to protect the weak and the others around you, not just yourself.
she dedicates her life from this moment on, for years without fail, to ensure everything is lined up just right in order to provide sunny the choice she stole from him. How many died or had their lives shifted in countless ways to ensure that those 7 people entered the nightmare together? how many thousands of iterations of that nightmare occurred before Sunny and them escaped? How much more has to happen after the nightmare just so in order for the re-entry to the tomb, that will finally provide Sunny with the choice he never had?
You can despise Cassie for having made a flinch reaction when she was 16, you were spoon-fed that opinion after all. But her actions don't ride the line of morality any more closely than our main protagonist. Indeed, they are arguably much better justified and ethically sound than many of the MC's actions are. In the long run, I think we will see public sentiment about Cassie change again into appreciation after the second tomb of Ariel arc.

I am not OP. That is u/metalslug53 who posted to BoomersBeingFools
TW: racism, slurs, sexism, verbal abuse and possible ageism
Original Post May 20th, 2024
I went into my local Walmart tonight for a quick grocery trip to pick up some stuff I was low on. Quick in and out trip, 15 minutes at most. Sad to say it didn't end up being a fast trip because when I arrived at checkout, I was stuck behind a Boomer who wanted to cause a scene.
The guy in front of me was with his wife, who were arguing loudly about God knows what. They had a substantial amount of stuff on the belt, including a few large bottles of various alcohols. When the Boomer scanned his way back to the bottles of alcohol, he froze and began searching around for an associate, who I presume he wanted to come and scan his ID.
The problem was that he didn't scan any of the bottles. He just locked up and stared directly at a girl who was busy at the monitor for the Self-Checkout registers the next aisle over. After about 30 - 45 seconds of not scanning anything, he loudly shouted "Excuse me" in his most condescending tone, followed by "Can you come and scan my fucking ID please?!"
His tactic worked, as the employee in question immediately whipped around and walked over. He was doing that typical arms-crossed bullshit, looking like everything was a giant inconvenience, and I will note, homie still hadn't scanned a single bottle of alcohol yet.
When this young woman was in speaking range, the Boomer began to lay into her. "It makes me real sick to see workers just standing around when they're on the clock doing nothing when people like me have schedules to keep. Can you do your fucking job please and scan my ID?"
"Excuse me?" she responded.
"You fucking heard me. Get off your goddamn phone and scan my card so I can get the hell out of here."
Now, I would like to note a few things about this interaction up to this point. First, this individual was still in a work outfit...a mechanic's onesie for a local mom-and-pop tire company that I won't name here, but one in which I know the owner pretty well. He's a family friend. Second, he was still wearing his name tag (Eric, somehow I hope you're competent enough to find your way here so you can see this story). Because of this, I knew how to address him.
Eventually he asks the cashier very rudely if she's going to scan his ID and she flat out tells him "No, I don't think so. Not after how you've treated me. You can talk with my manager." Good for her. She gets on a walkie and calls for a manager to come to the register the Boomer was towering over and briskly walked off towards the Customer Service counter at the front of the store. The Boomer starts loudly hollering about how this is all bullshit and he's just expressing his First Amendment rights.
It was at this point where I actually found some balls and decided to give my opinion, unsolicited, just so this guy could get an outside perspective on how much of a jackass he was being. "Excuse me, but the First Amendment doesn't protect you from looking like a douche bag to random strangers in Walmart when you treat other people like shit." The guy wheeled around and locked eyes with me. "What did you just say to me?" I just smirked and said "Oh, hard of hearing are we? I'm pretty sure you heard what I said."
The guy visibly shook on the spot. "This isn't any of your fuckin' business, so butt out!"
"I disagree. When I see someone acting like an asshole for no good reason, I make it a point to speak up. You seem to think that by stating that you have a First Amendment right means you can say whatever the hell you want without consequence, but that isn't how it works, sir. First Amendment protects you from government overreach for speaking your mind, but it doesn't protect you from the consequences you face from others for your words or your opinions."
"That's besides the point. I'm sick and fucking tired of these minorities doing nothing and getting a paycheck for it." He responded, rather loudly and unaware that there were quite a few people staring at this point. Hooray. Racism has entered the chat.
The manager showed up, and he starts in on how he scanned his alcohol and that the associate in question was VERY rude to him and refused to serve him. He started stating that she told him he wouldn't get help because he was white when I interjected again.
"Ma'am, that is NOT what happened. This gentleman didn't even scan any of his alcohol and immediately started shouting down at your employee, just for the sake of being upset. He was rude, unpleasant, and even made unnecessary racial comments."
He wheeled around at me again and yelled "Shut the fuck up and mind your business!" before going on the tirade again. Something something lazy workers, something something First Amendment and speaking his mind.
"You know, this is very unfair of you." I started again. "You've put that poor girl in an unwinnable situation. Now that you've raised this untrue complaint, her manager is going to have to have words with her even though she hasn't done anything wrong. Does that sound fair to you, Eric?" I don't think he realized he was still in uniform, because he looked at me puzzled at how I knew his name. "How would YOU feel if someone came into your place of business and told John a bunch of bullshit about how YOU were treating them unfairly when you knew perfectly well that it was a lie? Or even better, how would your boss react if he knew you were acting like this WHILE STILL IN UNIFORM with his place of business plastered all over your chest?" When he heard me say the name of his boss, he stopped cold. "Yes Eric. I know John VERY well, and I think I might be paying him a visit tomorrow. That is unless you decide to apologize to that girl for being a lying prick instead."
The guy then became very rushed and suddenly in a colossal hurry. He muttered something about people not minding their own business, to which I replied with "I'm just eXpReSsInG mY FiRSt AmEnDmENt RiGHts!" Spongebob sarcastic voice and all. He scanned one of the bottles and had the manager scan his ID. His wife started in about how I better not show up to his office tomorrow...something directed at me, but I wasn't paying her any attention and brushed her off. I was just staring at Eric and watching him bag.
Eventually, he got all of his stuff put in his basket and he marched out, but he didn't apologize to the manager or the employee and gave me a hearty "Go fuck yourself, asshole!" as he flipped me off. I scanned my groceries and paid for my merchandise, but man was I smiling from ear to ear.
Afterwards, I made it a point to go and speak with the manager and the employee in the Customer Service center. As expected, the manager was having a conversation with the employee about that customer, and she thanked me for speaking up. I've worked retail before, so I know what it's like having to deal with assholes like Eric. It'd be a cold day in hell before I let a Boomer bully an employee then weasel his way into a victim role with management. Not on my fucking watch.
So now my next play is to show up to this tire shop tomorrow. I really hope Eric is there. I hope he's the opener. I'm going to walk in and just smile at him. Ask to see his manager. Then I think I'm going to go in and just weave the NICEST story about how he treated the employees at Walmart, so much so that I was compelled to stop in and tell his boss that he has a real winner on his hands, and that I'm a customer for life now.
Maybe that way, he might get a message. MAYBE, he will realize that I could have started a whole shitstorm for him, but I chose not to, because unlike him, I'm not a fucking dickhead.
tl;dr *(For the upset Boomers in this thread who don't like reading, it seems): Boomer got big mad for no reason and berated a Walmart employee while he himself was wearing his work uniform. I'll be paying his boss, a family friend, a visit tomorrow to discuss his employee's behavior while still representing his place of work.
Update May 21st, 2024
Proof I was here. (As I stated in the first thread, I will not be disclosing this location to any of you. Took as neutral of a photo as I could. If you live here, MAYBE you'll recognize it. Take it for what it is, I guess.)
Link to part one.
Before we begin, let me start by saying WOW, simply because when I passed out last night, I was hovering around ~350 upvotes and had a steady trickle of interaction with people. I was doing my best to respond to the comments as they came in. Then, when I woke up this morning, ya'll...I had over 1500 messages in my inbox and the thread has fucktupled in upvotes, just overnight. I'm so sorry if I didn't respond to you...it was a fool's errand to try and get to everyone.
I also want to address specifically a small handful of you...the ones I was certain would show up in the comments to basically call me a liar or say my story was fabricated. Some of the reasons you gave were pretty telling. My favorite was when someone said something along the lines of "This is too well-written to be true." What a world we live in where clear dictation automatically disqualifies a recounting of events from being accurate. I'll admit that it read closer to a novel than anything else, but that's just how I dictate I guess.
Anyways, onto the update.
I arrived at the tire shop just a hair after 8:00am. There was one gentleman in line at the counter when I arrived, but he was already being assisted by one of the associates manning the register. I took a look around and peeked my head in the back office area where I knew John typically worked when he wasn't being pulled into a bay.
John wasn't there.
As I walked towards the sitting area, I happened to ask an employee who was walking by if he knew when John would be in today. He told me John usually arrives a bit before 9:00am when he worked mornings, so I should just chill for a bit. I didn't have anything pressing to attend to today, so I did just that.
As I moved towards a seat, I happened to glance outside at the working bays and noticed my ol' buddy Eric, who was currently walking towards the main building. When he saw me, I watched as his head drooped down and I could visibly see him mutter the word "Fuck" under his breath. He stopped for just a second, shook his head, and continued walking towards the building.
When he came inside, he set a packet with what I presume was a customer order on the counter and said something to the clerk at the register. He hesitated for a moment and walked over to where I was sitting. As he approached, I greeted him with "Morning, Eric." and smiled. He just stood over me for a moment before he took a chair across the coffee table that was sitting in front of me.
Wonder what his next move was?
Honestly, I didn't expect it, but the dude opened with "I owe you an apology."
Color me shocked, I guess.
Now, you see...at this point about a billion things began to run around in my head. MOSTLY, for some reason, the things that ran most prominently through my mind were all the calls for bloodshed that popped up in the last thread. All the claims that Boomers can never learn and the only language they knew was bullying, which were thrown at me like mortars practically every step I took. Ya'll were bloodthristy last night and still were this morning, convinced that this gentleman was a drunkard asshat, but do drunk asshats apologize after doing something wrong?
Back to the story.
He continued on, saying that he didn't just owe ME an apology, but also the cashier he yelled at last night, and how he had actually planned on returning to Walmart on his lunch break to see if she was working so he could apologize to her as well. In his words "I've been dealing with a lot of personal shit in my life recently including the loss of a loved one, and I took that out on ya'll last night and it wasn't right."
Right about this time is when I noticed that John had arrived. He walked in through the door behind where Eric and I were sitting and walked straight into the back area I checked before. We will get to that later.
Guys, I honestly had no idea what to do. On one hand yes, this dude was a raging douchebag to that girl last night, but this felt genuine. I mentioned several times in the first thread that I didn't want to react hastily and this is exactly why. Had I gone in there and thrown a colossal fit and started a shitstorm, I don't know if this would have ended the same.
Anyways, I don't wish to grandstand things further. The guy apologized, I stood up and shook his hand, and I simply told him "Be good to people for no reason, man. Kindness is free and isn't a sign of weakness." We chatted a bit and had a bit of a revelation that Eric and I have a distant connection neither of us really knew about. I won't disclose what or how we knew each other for personal reasons.
Then John came out of the back office.
He recognized me and gave me a hug. Asked what I was in for. I basically told him that I ran into Eric at the store last night and wanted to check in on him and get an update on an issue he was having there.
That's when John said "Yeah, Eric I need to talk to you about that. I had a lady call me about something that happened at Walmart you were involved in."
Oh shit. I'm guessing either the manager or the cashier called John after what happened last night. I guess the ball isn't in my court any longer.
Eric gave a deep sigh and basically told John "I was a shithead to a cashier last night because I was in a hurry. I wasn't thinking and it wasn't right. I'm gonna make it right at lunch time. I hope she's working today." John then said something I didn't catch and him and Eric walked into the back room.
That's it. End of story. I took a scrap from a notebook, jotted down my "proof" and snapped a photo, then jumped in my car and left.
I certainly hope that this brings you guys whatever closure you were looking for. I'm certain some of you aren't going to be happy with how this turned out, given how many pitchforks I saw last night. But after all this, all I can say is to not be so hasty when jumping to conclusions. People are people, ya'll. You can't really be sure what someone is going through before you jump to judgment. Some folks don't know how to ask for forgiveness or don't know how to take responsibility for their actions, but some folks can. I'm glad this resolved itself the way it did. John knows what happened and knows that it happened with his business on full display, so he can now CHOOSE how HE reacts with that information. I got the closure I needed, and I hope the cashier does too. Time will tell in that regard, I suppose.
Be good to each other.
EDIT: I'm present in the comments, trying to interact with as many of you as I can. But comments are coming in so fast I can't keep up. Sorry!
EDIT 2: Still getting a tidal wave of comments. The inbox is filling up rapidly. I am now turning off notifications and calling it a day. Thanks for all the input! Lots of love!
EDIT 3: Inbox replies disabled, but I'm still surfing comments. It's wild to me that SO MANY PEOPLE are upset that this didn't play out the way they hoped. Guys, I'm not saying Eric is a saint here. I'm not saying what he did was excusable. But I absolutely refuse to try and add any more suffering to the situation than has already been dealt. Some of you want me to return and get this guy fired. Some of you want me to post his info online. None of this will be happening. I consider this story done and there will be no further interjection on my part. I know some of you won't like that response (hell, some of you have already taken to insinuating that I'm excusing racism in the comments. Big yikes, guys.), but this is where things end with me.
Reflect on your own feelings after reading this. A whole lot of you are still angry. But a whole lot of you are happy with how things played out. I'm personally glad where things end. Whether or not that makes me a fool, naive, or an idiot is your opinion to have I guess, but I can walk away from this knowing that my presence extracted an apology. That's good enough for me.
Keep being kind. It's genuinely a real-life superpower. The universe rewards kindness in kind.
I am not the original poster. Please don't contact or comment on linked posts

[ Notice: Not my article. Link: https://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2024/05/when-did-jesus-begin-his-symbolic-1000.html ]
When did Jesus begin his symbolic 1,000 year Reign?
Please consider the scriptures to follow. Let's first read two; John 18:

33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?' 36 Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from this source.' 37 Pilate therefore said to him, 'Are You a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is on the side of the truth, listens to My voice.'

Jesus explained to Pilate that Christ's dominion, authority, and power was one of Truth. All who side with divine truth, have Jesus as their king, and it is his voice that they heed, serve, and obey. For those who love divine truth; Christ is their lord, master, and king (Col.3:24). Matt.21:

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them.' 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 'Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.'

It would seem that Jesus had a royal dominion in the first century. Do we have further scriptures to confirm this? Please combine the three main scriptures to follow, to see the truth. SCRIPTURE #1: Luke 22:

69 Hereafter the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the power of God.

(confirmed by Stephen at Acts 7:55; Eph.1:22-23) [Jesus was placed at the right hand of God in the first century.]
Christ's reign was over the Christian congregation, not over Satan's world governments (1John5:19; Luke 4:5-6; John 18:36; 6:15). His kingdom over other kings (Rev.19:16) does not rest on anything of this world. (John 18:36; Heb.9:11; 8:2; 1Cor.3:16; Eph.2:20-22). (1Pet.3:22; Matt.28:18) The "kings of the earth" (Rev.16:14-16NET) are anointed (Rev.1:5-6NKJV) who are brought into spiritual battle with one another. The faithful, true prophet against the unfaithful, false prophet and its beast organization.(Rev.16:13; 13:11; 19:20; 17:14; 11:3)(1Cor.11:18-19; Mal.3:18; Matt.13:30; 24:6,8; Rev.12:1-2,7; John 16:21-22). (https://Who-are-gods-angels.html) (https://pearl-laborpains.blogspot.com) (https://pearl-kingsofearth.blogspot.com)
That false prophet imbues the sea-beast that serves him, with an image of being directed by holy spirit (Rev.13:11-12,14-15) (What does it mean to "give breath"? see John 20:22) - (https://who-is-false-prophet-who-gives-breath.html) By his conquering the world and its ruler; Christ set his followers free from the deceptive power of Satan, by his overpowering that first enemy, and binding the Devil's deceptive power and influence against Christ's faithful disciples. (John14:30; 16:33; Eph.4:8; Col.1:13; Luke10:17-20; Eph.4:8; Isa.49:24-25; Mark3:27; Rev.20:1-3; 3:21; Eph.2:6; 1John5:4; Luke10:20) From Luke 22:69, we now know that Jesus sat at God's right hand in the first century; Let's see why. SCRIPTURE #2: Psalm 110:

1. The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.

As God's right hand man, Jesus would be used and empowered by God to subdue enemies of truth and light. According to Psalm 110:2, that authority and power of Jesus would be extended through members of Zion, the 144,000 belonging to New Jerusalem (see Rev.14:1; Isa.2:3 c).During each of their lifetimes, those members of Zion would battle against Satanic lies.(Rev.19:11-14; 17:14; 2Cor.10:3-5; 6:7; Eph.6:10-12,13-15,16-17; 5:11; Ps.110:1-2; Rev.14:1) Thus far, due to Luke 22:69 and Psalm 110:1-2; we have established that since the first century Jesus has been at God's right hand. During his position there, Christ's enemies are being subdued beneath his feet. For our final main scripture, let's learn what Jesus is doing while his enemies are being subdued under his feet. SCRIPTURE #3: 1Cor.15:

25 For He ~must reign~ until He has put all enemies under His feet.

[Review of main scriptures: (Luke 22:69; Ps.110:1; 1Cor.15:25)]
Again scripture confirms that Jesus is reigning over his congregation, until through them (Ps.110:2; Rev.2:27NIV; 12:5; Eph.2:6; Rev.3:21), all enemies against his Kingdom of Truth, are subdued beneath the feet of Christ.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 5:11 Have nothing to do with the worthless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them
2Cor.10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
1John5:4 For whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that has conquered the world—our faith.

Why is the era of Christ's reign, important to the prophecies in Revelation? Because it clarifies when his symbolic 1000 year kingdom takes place, as well as when it ends. Satan is then released (Rev.20:7-8; 12:17) and the Great spiritual Tribulation is ignited against the remnant of the woman's seed. Satan's release invokes a successful attack on the camp of the holy ones through the Great Tribulation (Rev.12:17; 13:7; 20:7-9*; Luke 21:20; Rev.11:3,5*) (Rev.12:1-4; Matt.24:7-8) (meaning of signs: https://pearl-sign.blogspot.com). *(https://fire-from-heaven.html). That Satanic assault is expressed in multiple parables, a flood to drown the woman/mother covenant of life (Rev.12:15; Gal.4:24,26; Dan.9:26; 11:32) (https://earth-swallows-satans-river.html) a war with the beast that results in the saints being conquered (Rev.13:7,10; Col.2:8; Luke 21:24; Dan.11:33) a trampling of the courtyard of God's temple (Rev.11:2; Dan.8:10; Rev.12:4)(Dan.12:3; Phil.2:15) (https://who-are-fallen-stars-of-rev12:4.html) a man of lawlessness taking his throne of power amid God's temple (2Thess.2:3-4; Dan.8:11-12,24; 11:36-37,38-39; 12:7) and an abomination/disgusting thing, standing in the holy place/where it does not belong (Matt.24:15; Mark 13:14; Dan.11:31). All these are various parables about the same events contained in prophecy.
How can we ever recognize these cardinal events of the Great spiritual Tribulation upon God's anointed people,(1Pet.2:9-10,5; 1Cor.3:16; 2Thess.2:4; Luke 21:24; Dan.8:13; 12:7; Isa.63:18), if the timeline we mistakenly believe regarding the 1000 year reign of Christ, will prevent it? Have you caught sight of the abomination of desolation? (Mark 13:14; 2Chron.23:6; Eze.44:6-7,8-9; Rev.13:15) (https://should-jw-elders-replace-gods-anointed?.html) (https://trample-how-does-it-happen?.html) (Search result) ~More information~: (https://the-greatest-tribulation-What-Why.html) - (https://when-are-enemies-of-jesus-subdued.html) (https://trample-how-does-it-happen?.html) (https://pearl-disgustingthing.blogspot.com) If any question remains, please use the contact form in the right-side column and I will address your need.

Ciao everyone. The head mod of saint meghan markle tried to have us taken down. I also filed a report on her and begged for reddit not to. Reddit wrote me back and said everything is fine.
She said to me our sub breaks their rules, I thought about it and I realized she can't go too far with that.
I am so sorry if you are irritated about the twitter thing- we can use that as a back up to talk if we do get shut down. Lol would others be able to post on one twitter anyway? I used it once for like 30 seconds years ago and it was so mean I haven't gone back.
I'm not too worried now, I wasn't sure if I should tell you. I know you guys won't go after her so I decided to share Xx

The top post right now is a prime example. The person talking about how we have normalized our windows being smashed. In the comments OP and I discussed and Florida was brought up. I linked some sources comparing crime rates and OP ended up mad and talking about illegal immigrants committing crimes that Florida has to deal with and we don’t. I then linked multiple sources showing that illegal immigrants commit crimes at half the rate of native born citizens. After receiving downvotes OP didn’t respond and deleted their comments.
But my point here is this blatant ignorance is shown all through that post. That whole post is just OP not so subtly just wanting to bash a political party and refusing to address it outsides of emotions.
I would assume most of the people have travelled to other major cities. Personally I have yet to travel or read about one where homelessness and crime weren’t major issues. I was recently in Jacksonville and there were plenty of homeless and three separate shootings near the beach within an hour. Saint Paul Minnesota looked better but I was there in December 2022 and it was too cold for anyone to really be outside so hard to judge.
We can do way better. The crime here is out of control and homelessness as well. This isn’t due solely to local politics. No major city in America has implemented policies to end this. For that matter not has any smaller Republican controlled towns. They may not have the crimes you get with large populations but they have similar rates of child sex crimes, drunk driving, domestic abuse, and yes tons of meth. You can’t escape these problems by pretending your party has a solution. Only way we make any progress on these issues is bi-partisanship, which means we are fucked.

There has been a lot of talk about jury instructions in the hush money trial. I thought that a mix of satire and fact would help clarify. Share your thoughts.
Satirical Jury Instructions
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, welcome to the most exciting civic duty you'll ever experience. Today, you're here to decide whether the defendant is guilty of that riveting crime known as falsifying business records. Let's break this down into some entertaining legal jargon, shall we?
Elements of the Crime
To convict our esteemed defendant of this fascinating crime, the prosecution must prove each of the following elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

1. Act of Falsification: The defendant scribbled some creative fiction in the business records of an enterprise. This isn't a bestselling novel, folks, it's supposed to be a ledger.
2. Intent: The defendant aimed to deceive, which is a fancy way of saying they weren't just practicing their calligraphy.
3. Knowledge: The defendant knew that the entry was as false as a three-dollar bill.

Definitions

• Business Records: Those boring documents that businesses keep to make sure they know where their money goes. Think of them as the diary of a very dull person.
• False Entry: An entry that is untrue, misleading, or would make an accountant weep.
• Intent to Defraud: The intent to pull the wool over someone’s eyes and laugh all the way to the bank.

Evidence Consideration
You must consider only the evidence presented in this courtroom. This includes witness testimony, exhibits, and anything the lawyers managed to sneak past the judge. Remember, gossip from the break room doesn't count.
Reasonable Doubt
The prosecution must prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This isn't "kind of guilty" or "probably guilty." It's "guilty, guilty, guilty!" If you’re still thinking, “Well, maybe…” then you must acquit.
Verdict
Your verdict must be unanimous, meaning you all have to agree. Deliberate nicely with each other, avoid any fistfights, and make sure you reach a collective decision based on the evidence and the law. If you need a break to watch some daytime TV, let us know.
Final Instructions
Remember, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This isn't like social media where everyone is guilty until proven innocent. The prosecution has the entire burden of proving the defendant’s guilt. The defendant doesn't have to prove they're as innocent as a saint.
So, enjoy your time deliberating. Think of it as a group project where everyone actually has to participate. And please, don’t make your decision based on who brought the best snacks.

Morality is not that which has been told to you for centuries. All the religions have exploited the idea of morality. They have been teaching in different ways, but the basic foundation is the same: unless you become moral, ethical, you cannot become religious.
By morality they mean that you have to be truthful, you have to be honest, you have to be charitable, you have to be compassionate, you have to be nonviolent. In one word, all these great values have first to be present in you, only then you can move towards being religious.
This whole concept is upside down. Unless you are religious you cannot be moral.
Religion comes first, morality is only a by-product. If you make the by-product into the goal of human character, you will create such a troubled, miserable humanity - and for such a good cause. You are bringing the cart before the bullocks - neither the bullocks can move, nor the cart can move; both are stuck.
How can a man be truthful if he does not know what truth is? How can a man be honest if he does not know even who he is? How can a man be compassionate if he does not know the source of love within himself? From where will he get the compassion? All that he can do in the name of morality is to become a hypocrite, a pretender. And there is nothing more ugly than to be a hypocrite. He can pretend, he can try hard, but everything will remain superficial and skin-deep. Just scratch him a little bit, and you will find all the animal instincts fully alive, ready to take revenge whenever they can get the opportunity.
Putting morality before religion is one of the greatest crimes that religions have committed against humanity.
The very idea brings a repressed human being. And a repressed human being is sick, psychologically split, constantly in a fight with himself, trying to do things which he does not want to do.
Morality should be very relaxed and easy - just like your shadow; you don't have to drag it with you, it simply comes on its own. But this has not happened; what has happened is a psychologically sick humanity. Everybody is tense, because whatever you are doing there is a conflict about whether it is right or wrong. Your nature goes in one direction, your conditioning goes just in the opposite direction, and a house divided cannot stand for long. So everybody is somehow pulling himself together; otherwise the danger is always there, just by your side, of having a nervous breakdown.
Morality cannot be taught at all. Morality should come on its own accord. You have to experience your own being. As you become more and more silent, serene, calm and quiet, as you start understanding you own consciousness, as your inner being becomes more and more centered, your actions will reflect morality. It will not be something that you decide to do, it will be something as natural as roses on a rose bush. It is not that the rose bush is doing great austerities, and fasting, and praying to God, and disciplining itself according to the ten commandments; the rose bush is doing nothing. The rose bush has just to be healthy, nourished, and the flowers will come in their own time, with great beauty, effortlessly.
A morality that comes with effort is immoral. A morality that comes without effort is the only morality there is.
It is morality that has created so many problems for humanity - about everything. They have given you ready-made ideas about what is right, what is wrong. In life, ready-made ideas don't work, because life goes on changing, just like a river - taking new turns, moving into new territories... from the mountains to the valleys, from the valleys to the plains, from the plains to the ocean.
Heraclitus is right when he says, "You cannot step in the same river twice," because it is always flowing. The second time you step in, it is different water. I agree with Heraclitus so much that I say unto you, you cannot step in the same river even once - because when your feet are touching its surface, the water underneath is flowing; as your feet are going deeper, the water on the surface is flowing; and by the time you have touched the bottom, so much water has gone... it is not the same water, that your step can not be said to be entering into the same river.
Life is just like the river - a flux. And you are all carrying fixed dogmas. You always find yourself unfit, because if you follow your dogmas, you have to go against life; if you follow life, you have to go against your dogmas.
Morality should be spontaneous. You should be conscious and alert, and respond to every situation with absolute consciousness. Then whatever you do is right. It is not a question of actions being right or wrong, it is a question of consciousness - whether you are doing it consciously or unconsciously like a robot.
Your consciousness should grow higher, deeper, to the point when there is no unconsciousness inside you; you have become a pillar of light. In this light, in this clarity, to do anything wrong becomes impossible. It is not that you have to avoid doing it; even if you want to do it, you cannot. And in this consciousness, whatsoever you do becomes a blessing.
Your action out of consciousness is moral, out of unconsciousness is immoral... it may be the same action.
A man who is so alert can only be moral. He cannot harm anybody, he cannot steal, he cannot be unkind, cruel; he will be naturally loving and compassionate.
There are many devices, many ways and methods of meditation to create awareness, to wake up your sleeping intuition. And once it is awake, then there is no need to tell you what is good, what is moral, what is bad, what is immoral; your awareness will be decisive on its own. And it will be spontaneous, fresh and young, and always to the point, because all principles become dead. And if you try to fit your life according to principles, you also become dead.
That's what has happened to Christians, to Hindus, to Mohammedans, to Jainas, to all the people around the world - they are living according to dead principles. And those dead principles don't fit with the reality - they cannot fit. Only a spontaneous consciousness.... The difference is something like this: you have a photograph of yourself of the last year, or maybe of your childhood, and if you don't know that it is your picture of your childhood, you may not even recognize it - because you have changed so much. That picture is dead, it is not growing; you are growing.
Morality is like photographs. Religion is like a mirror. If a child is facing it, it reflects the child; if an old man is facing it, it reflects the old man. It is always spontaneous, in the moment, responding to reality. A conscious human being is just like a mirror - he reflects reality and responds accordingly.
His response is moral.
So the whole emphasis should change from action to awareness.
And if more and more people can become aware, the world will be a totally different place. A man of awareness will not go to war. Although religious scriptures say that to sacrifice yourself for your nation, for your religion is virtuous, a man of consciousness cannot follow that dead idea. To him, the nation itself is an immoral idea, because it divides humanity - and war is certainly immoral. You may find good names, good words - sometimes it is religion, sometimes it is political ideology, sometimes it is Christianity, sometimes it is communism - good ideas, but the reality is turning human beings into butchers.
You are killing people whom you have never even met. And you know perfectly well that just as you have left a wife behind, crying, who will be waiting for you, just as you have left your old mother and father back at home, hoping that their son comes back alive, just as you have left small children...
the man you are killing has also a wife, has also children, has also an old father and mother. And he has done no harm to you; neither have you done any harm to him.
If the world becomes a little more conscious, soldiers will throw away their arms and hug each other, sit down together under a tree and gossip. The politicians cannot force all the armies to kill, to murder. Neither can the popes, the religious leaders convince anybody that for God's sake you have to kill. Strange... because God has created everybody. Whomsoever you are killing, you are killing God's creation. If it is true that God created the world, then there should be no war - it is one family; there should be no nations.
These are immoral things: the nations, the religions, anything that discriminates against people and creates conflict.
A man of awareness will not be greedy, because he will be able to see that his greed will create poverty; and the people who will be starving and dying through poverty are his brothers and sisters.
It does not matter whether they live in Ethiopia or in India; it does not matter whether their skin is white or black.
Authentic morality is a by-product of consciousness. And the art of consciousness is religion. There is no Hindu religion, there is no Christian religion, there is no Mohammedan religion; there is only one religion, and that is the religion of consciousness - becoming so aware, so enlightened and awakened, that you have eyes to see clearly and can respond according to that clarity.
A man of consciousness cannot be deceived by words. Mohammedans say that if you die in a religious war... how can there be a religious war? War is basically irreligious. But Christians, Mohammedans, and all other religions say that if you die in a religious war, your reward will be great in the other world. For this immoral act of killing people, you will be rewarded. But beautiful words "religious war", cover it up.
A man of awareness sees deeply and penetratingly through your words. Neither your God can deceive him, nor your holy books can deceive him, nor your nations, nor your politicians. He lives according to his consciousness. He has an individuality, a very crystal clear individuality - a pure mirror, unclouded by anything, with no dust covering it.
But for thousands of years just mere words, and sometimes such stupid, trivial causes, have been killing people. Christianity in the middle ages burnt thousands of women. They created a fiction - the fiction of the devil. There is no devil. There is no God! But people have lived in unconsciousness, and whatsoever the leaders, the so-called saints, go on saying, people have been told to believe: if you don't believe you will suffer in hell; if you believe you will be rewarded.
People's intelligence has been destroyed. They have been kept retarded. Otherwise it would be impossible to burn thousands of living women for a strange reason - that these women are having sexual intercourse with the devil.
All the religions have been playing with words, and have not allowed man to be intelligent enough to see through the words. They have created a jungle of words and theologies and dogmas and creeds and cults. And poor man is simply carrying the whole load of it in the name of morality.
Never bother about morality. The only concern for a sincere seeker is awareness, more consciousness. And your consciousness will take care of all your acts. Without any effort, your acts will become moral - just like flowers without any act, without any effort they will blossom around you.
Morality is nothing but a conscious man's life style.