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NCCU lineman receives Allstate AFCA Good Works team award
Published on October 17, 2018 by Jalon Hill
After another tiring N.C. Central University football practice, offensive lineman Nick Leverett was looking forward to taking a shower and getting on with the rest of his day. Before he could do so, however, he was called back onto the field.
When, he returned to the field, the redshirt junior was surprised to be met by his friends, family and teammates as he was presented with the Allstate AFCA Good Works team award.
"I thought I had gotten in trouble at first," explained Leverett. "I turned around seen my mom, [I knew] it's got to be something huge, huge!"
For over 25 years, Allstate AFCA good works teams have honored college football players who have displayed tremendous character with charitable involved and good work in the community as well as their performance inside the classroom.
Out of more than 160 nominees nationwide, 22 collegiate student-athletes were selected and Leverett was one of the select few to win the Allstate AFCA award.
The two-time All-MEAC linemen has given back in so ways by collecting and donating food for the less fortunate, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, and speaking to local students about character to accumulate over 125 hours total.
Leverett has not only excelled on the field but in the classroom as well, having an overall GPA of 3.37 and graduating in just three years.
Head Coach Granville Eastman was proud and took the time to exalt Leverett's good example to push his fellow teammates to follow behind their captain's lead.
According to Eastman, Leverett is "taking advantage of every opportunity a student-athlete here has to offer" as well as "bettering himself and the surrounding community by doing these things".
In January, Leverett ,along with the 21 other selectees,will travel to New Orleans to participate in a community service. They will be recognized at halftime of the 2019 Sugar Bowl.
Tags: Allstate AFCA Good WorksfootballJalon HillNCCU footballnick leverettsports
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Jalon Hill
Jalon is a Mass Communications student at N.C. Central University in Durham, N.C.. He loves sports, especially football and basketball.
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I have been a bit absent from instagram, so many thanks for your patience. Quality over quantity right :) It is so good to have the extra time now and then to explore ideas with my portrait images. Often times I am out in my space, trying different techniques, setups, ideas to bring to a shoot in the future. Perfect practice makes perfect, so every day I'll try something, even though it's not posted up everywhere. When I have a certain subject in mind, the thoughts wonder to what suits that person, should there be certain elements to include, or just as important, are there elements that should be left out! That golden rule (four letter word) "KISS". but then rules are meant to broken also, so once you know what they are, then you can push the boundaries and get creative and think about the feeling you're looking for. So you wouldn't think photographing your spouse would be a stretch. We spend a lot of time together. hmmm. But it's like THE most important "client" you could ever have. How much do you want THOSE to be perfect?!! When the normally reluctant subject, which is totally understandable - what she sees is not what I see, says the words " I'd like to make some images, what can we do?" BOOM. We had a few days to get some ideas, and then rest just flowed with the time had. Maata's skin has a natural glow and almost copper colour, but we both like the black and white, a bit of drama, so even though I hand painted a special backdrop to match and it looks awesome, the black and white stands out. I can't stop looking at the images we created.@jenpangram This one image is very minimal, one speed light mounted in a homemade light sabre. @Joeedlman I am one lucky dude.
Outtake from my shoot with @sammoirsmith a couple months back.


A simple, compact structure shall clearly organise the functions and space situations.
With regard to the square facing east toward the Schmutzerhaus, the structure is a one-floor building, yet without restricting the impressive view of the surrounding mountains or overpowering the locale.
A corresponding difference in height and facade division illustrate the individual functions of the structure, and harmoniously integrate the building into the environment in accordance with the proportions of the surrounding structures.


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Persians: Apuleius of Madaura's defence against the charge of harmful Magian actions (ca. 158 CE)
Citation with stable link: Philip A. Harland, 'Persians: Apuleius of Madaura's defence against the charge of harmful Magian actions (ca. 158 CE),' Last modified January 23, 2023, http://philipharland.com/Blog/?p=12725.
Ancient author: Apuleius of Madaura in Numidia (mid-second century), Defence / Apologia (link to Latin text; link to full translation)
Comments: These portions of the defense speech by Apuleius of Madaura in Numidia (northern Africa) provide a glimpse into the ongoing popular (so to speak) interest in – and/or fear of – traditions and practices supposedly emanating from the East, in particular from Persia and its Magians / Magi (on which see Pliny's story of the dissemination of Magian skills at this link). It seems clear that the real issue lying behind the case is personal dislike for Apuleius on the part of relatives of the older woman Apuleius had married (Pudentilla) – married by means of Magian skill and potions, so the story goes.
Unfortunately, we do not know precisely the nuances of the accusations brought by Apuleius' accuser, Aemilianus (the brother of Pudentilla's deceased former husband). Nor do we know the Roman laws Aemilianus hoped to appeal to in order to win the case before the Roman proconsul of Africa around 158 CE. However, there is a possibility that the so-called "Cornelian Law against Murderers and Poisoners" (Lex Cornelia de sicariis et veneficiis), first put forward in 81 BCE by Sulla, but subsequently modified and supplemented in less than clear ways afterwards, may be among the factors. (On this, see Rives 2003, although I do not agree with Rives' methodological starting point of assuming the value of the etic category of "magic" to make sense of this material). As Rives explains, we know very little about modifications of this law beyond that the "poisoners" (venenficii) section began as a hindrance to harmful actions or murder by use of potions or medical materials. Then there are signs (though again not clear ones) that this was subsequently either modified or interpreted to apply to other attempts to harm someone by means other than poison, including malevolent sacrificial rites (mala sacrificia), at least as explained by the third century CE jurist Modestinus (in Digest 48.8.13). Most pertinent here is Quintillian's first century brief mention of debates about whether or not "the chants of Magians are equivalent to poisoning (an carmina magorum veneficiura)" (Institutes of Oratory 7.3.7 – link to work). The evidence is tantalizingly sparse.
Regardless of the nuances of the accusations and the strategy of the accuser, what is clear is that, as a defense strategy, Apuleius proposes that he is being charged with being a Magian (Magus) and of engaging in Magian harmful or evil actions (magicorum maleficiorum, on which also see the Suda lexicon's definitions of Magian terms at this link). Overall, Apuleius denies the charge of being a Magian (which was partly built on a misinterpretation of a letter to his wife, Pudentilla). But thankfully for our purposes, he also explains more about Magian knowledge and Magian practices in a way that directly highlights the Persian connection and is quite positive about Magian matters: "Do you hear, you who so rashly accuse the Magian skill itself? It is a skill acceptable to the immortal gods, full of all knowledge of worship and of prayer, full of piety and wisdom in things divine, full of honour and glory since the day when Zoroaster and Ahura Mazda [chief Iranian deity in Zoroaster's outlook] established it high-priestess of the powers of heaven." Both Plato and Pythagoras are presented as Greek philosophers who appreciated the value of Magian knowledge, and Apuleius concurs.
Moreover, Apuleius suggests that, even if he had done such things, that is no basis to bring charges against someone. Apuleius seems to enjoy demonstrating his significant knowlege about precisely Magian traditions from Persia, including, apparently, having read Pliny the Elder (as the list of historical Magians suggests – link). So Apuleius' speech gives us another view of Magian ways from a highly educated Latin writer who also self-identified as a native Numidian. But this writing also sketches a picture of circulating rumours, knowledge and worries about the dangers or excitements of foreign ways from the east in the populace more generally.
Works consulted: J.B. Rives, "Magic in Roman Law: The Reconstruction of a Crime," Classical Antiquity 22 (2003): 313–39 (link).
Source of translation: H.E. Butler, The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1909), adapted by Harland with particular attention to terms related to Magians and Magian practices. (Despite an otherwise lively translation, unfortunately Butler had lost the Persian and Magian background by modernizing or rather medievalizing concepts with use of the terms "black art" for magicorum maleficiorum – now Magian harmful actions or offences or similar – and "wizards" for Magi – now Magians).
[Introduction of the defence against accusations of Magian harmful actions]
1 For my part, Claudius Maximus [proconsul of Africa], and you, gentlemen who sit beside him on the bench, I regarded it as a foregone conclusion that Sicinius Aemilianus [brother of Aemilia Pudentilla's deceased husband and Apuleius' current wife] would for sheer lack of any real ground for accusation cram his indictment with mere vulgar abuse. For the old rascal is notorious for his unscrupulous audacity. Furthermore, Aemilianus launched forward on his task of bringing me to trial in your court before he had given a thought to the line his prosecution should pursue. Now while the most innocent of men may be the victim of false accusation, only the criminal can have his guilt brought home to him. It is this thought that gives me special confidence, but I have further ground for self-congratulation in the fact that I have you for my judge on an occasion when it is my privilege to have the opportunity of clearing philosophy of the aspersions cast upon her by the uninstructed and of proving my own innocence. Nevertheless, these false charges are on the face of them serious enough, and the suddenness with which they have been improvised makes them the more difficult to refute.
For you will remember that it is only four or five days since his advocates of intentional malice attacked me with slanderous accusations, and began to charge me with Magian harmful actions (magicorum maleficiorum) and with the murder of my step-son Pontianus [son of Pudentilla, Apuleius' current wife]. I was at the moment totally unprepared for such a charge, and was occupied in defending an action brought by the brothers Granius against my wife Pudentilla. I perceived that these charges were brought forward not so much in a serious spirit as to gratify my opponents' taste for unrestrained slander. I therefore straightway challenged them, not once only, but frequently and emphatically, to proceed with their accusation.
The result was that Aemilianus, perceiving that you, Maximus (not to speak of others) were strongly moved by what had occurred, and that his words had created a serious scandal, began to be alarmed and to seek for some safe refuge from the consequences of his rashness.
2 Therefore as soon as he was compelled to set his name to the indictment, he conveniently forgot Pontianus, his own brother's son, of whose death he had been continually accusing me only a few days previously. He made absolutely no mention of the death of his young kinsman. He abandoned this most serious charge, but – to avoid the appearance of having totally abandoned his mendacious accusations – he selected, as the sole support of his indictment, the false accusation of Magian activity (calumniam magiae), a charge with which it is easy to create a prejudice against the accused, but which it is hard to prove. . . . [omitted section in which Apuleius points to Aemilianus fear of making the accusation in person and undermines Aemilianus by pointing to other false legal actions].
[Apuleius as philosopher, not Magian]
3. . . For I am pleading not merely my own cause, but that of philosophy as well, philosophy, whose greatness is such that she resents even the slightest slur cast upon her perfection as though it were the most serious accusation. Knowing this, Aemilianus' advocates, only a short time ago, poured forth with all their usual loquacity a flood of drivelling accusations, many of which were specially invented for the purpose of tainting my character, while the remainder were such general charges as the uninstructed are in the habit of levelling at philosophers. It is true that we may regard these accusations as mere interested vapourings, bought at a price and uttered to prove their shamelessness worthy of its hire. . . . [omitted material].
[Accusation of performing Magian love incantations]
9 . . . Now what has it to do with Magian harmful actions if I write poems in praise of the boys of my friend Scribonius Laetus? Does the mere fact of my being a poet make me a Magian? Who ever heard any orator produce such likely ground for suspicion, such apt conjectures, such close-reasoned argument? "Apuleius has written verses!" If they are bad, that is something against him as a poet, but not as a philosopher. If they are good, why do you accuse him? "But they were frivolous verses of an erotic character." So that is the charge you bring against me? and it was a mere slip of the tongue when you indicted me for Magian harmful actions? . . . [material omitted].
[Apuleius' reference to his own ethnic background]
24 As to my birthplace, you assert that my writings prove it is located on the boundaries of Numidia and Gaetulia, for I publicly described myself as half Numidian, half Gaetulian in a discourse delivered in the presence of that most distinguished citizen Lollianus Avitus. I do not see that I have any more reason to be ashamed of that than had the elder Cyrus [king of Persia] for being of mixed descent, half Mede and half Persian.
A man's birthplace is of no importance, it is his character that matters. We must consider not in what part of the world, but with what purpose a person sets out to live life. Sellers of wine and cabbages are permitted to enhance the value of their wares by advertising the excellence of the soil from where they spring, as for instance with the wine of Thasos and the cabbages of Phlios. For those products of the soil are wonderfully improved in flavour by the fertility of the district which produces them, the moistness of the climate, the mildness of the winds, the warmth of the sun, and the richness of the soil. But in the case of man, the soul enters the tenement of the body from without. What, then, can such circumstances as these add to or take away from his virtues or his vices? Has there ever been a time or place in which a descent group (gens) has not produced a variety of intellects, although some descent groups seem more stupid and some wiser than others? The Scythians are the most stupid men, and yet the wise Anacharsis was a Scythian. The Athenians are shrewd, and yet the Athenian Meletides was a fool.
I say this not because I am ashamed of my country, since even in the time of Syphax we were a township. When he was conquered we were transferred by the gift of the Roman people to the dominion of king Masinissa, and finally as the result of a settlement of veteran soldiers, our second founders, we have become a colony of the highest distinction. In this same colony my father attained to the post of one of the two main civic magrisrates (duumvir) and became the foremost citizen of the place, after filling all the municipal offices of honour. I myself, immediately after my first entry into the municipal senate, succeeded to my father's position in the community and, as I hope, am in no ways a degenerate successor, but receive similar honour and respect for my maintenance of the dignity of my position. Why do I mention this? So that you, Aemilianus, may be less angry with me in future and may more readily pardon me for having been negligent enough not to select your "Attic" Zarath for my birthplace.
25 Are you not ashamed to produce such accusations with such violence before such a judge, to bring forward frivolous and self-contradictory accusations, and then in the same breath to blame me on both charges at once? Is it not a sheer contradiction to object to my wallet and staff on the ground of austerity, to my poems and mirror on the ground of undue levity; to accuse me of parsimony for having only one slave, and of extravagance in having three; and, to denounce me for my Greek eloquence and my barbarian birth? Awake from your sleep and remember that you are speaking before Claudius Maximus, a man of stern character, burdened with the business of the whole province. I say to stop bringing forward these empty slanders. Prove your indictment, prove that I am guilty of monstrous offences, forbidden crimes, and impious skills. Why is it that the strength of your speech lies in mere noise, while it is weak and flabby on facts?
[Magian activity: Reality and popular misunderstandings]
I will now deal with the actual charge of Magian activity (crimen magiae). You spared no violence in fanning the flame of hatred against me. But you have disappointed everyone's expectations by your old wives' tales, and the fire kindled by your accusations has burned itself away. I ask you, Maximus, have you ever seen fire spring up among the stubble, crackling sharply, blazing wide and spreading fast, but soon exhausting its flimsy fuel, dying fast away, leaving not even a frame behind? So they have kindled their accusation with abuse and fanned it with words, but it lacks the fuel of facts and, your verdict once given, is destined to leave not even a frame of slander behind. The whole of Aemilianus' slanderous accusation was centred in the charge of engaging in Magian activity. I should therefore like to ask his most learned advocates how, precisely, they would define a Magian (Magus)?
If what I read in a large number of authors is true, namely, that Magian is the Persian word for our "priest" (sacerdos), what is there criminal in being a priest and having appropriate learning, knowledge, and skill in all ceremonial law, sacred duties, and ritual obligation (religio), at least if Magian knowledge (magia, from Greek mageia) consists in what Plato presents in his description of the methods employed by the Persians in the education of their young princes? I remember the very words of that divine man. Let me recall them to your memory, Maximus:
"And when the boy reaches fourteen years he is taken over by the royal tutors, as they call them there. These are four men chosen as the most highly esteemed among the Persians of mature age, namely, the most wise one, the most just one, the most self-controlled one, (122a) and the most brave one. The first of these tutors teaches him Magian knowledge (mageia) of Zoroaster son of Ahura Mazda (Oromazes), the principal Zoroastrian deity], and that is the worship of the gods. He teaches him also what pertains to a king." [Pseudo-Plato, First Alkibiades 120-124 – link].
26 Do you hear, you who so rashly accuse the Magian skill itself? It is a skill acceptable to the immortal gods, full of all knowledge of worship and of prayer, full of piety and wisdom in things divine, full of honour and glory since the day when Zoroaster and Ahura Mazda established it high-priestess of the powers of heaven. No, it is one of the first elements of princely instruction, nor do they lightly admit any chance person to be a Magian, any more than they would admit him to be a king. Plato – if I may quote him again – in another passage dealing with a certain Zalmoxis, a Thracian by descent and also a master of this skill, has written that "enchantments (epōdai in Greek) are merely beautiful words" [Plato, Charmides 157A]. If that is so, why should I be forbidden to learn the fair words of Zalmoxis or the priestly knowledge of Zoroaster?
But if these accusers of mine, after the fashion of the common herd, define a Magian as one who by communion of speech with the immortal gods has power to do all the amazing things that he wants to through a strange power of incantation, I really wonder that they are not afraid to attack one whom they acknowledge to be so powerful. For it is impossible to guard against such a mysterious and divine power. Against other dangers we may take adequate precautions. Someone who summons a murderer before the judge comes into court with an escort of friends. Someone who denounces a poisoner is unusually careful as to what he eats. Someone who accuses a thief sets a guard over his possessions. But for the man who exposes a Magian, credited with such awful powers, to the danger of a capital sentence, how can escort or precaution or watchmen save him from unforeseen and inevitable disaster? Nothing can save him, and therefore the man who believes in the truth of such a charge as this is certainly the last person in the world who should bring such an accusation.
[Comparison with ignorant charges against philosophers]
27 But it is a common and general error of the uninitiated to bring the following accusations against philosophers. Some of them think that those who explore the origins and elements of material things disregard ritual obligation, and assert that philosophers deny the existence of the gods. Take, for instance, the cases of Anaxagoras, Leukippos, Demokritos, and Epicurus, and other natural philosophers. Others call those Magians who give unusual care to the investigation of the workings of providence and unusual devotion on their worship of the gods, as though, in fact, they knew how to perform everything that they know actually to be performed. So Epimenides, Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Ostanes were regarded as Magians, while a similar suspicion attached to the "purifications" of Empedokles, the "lower spirit (daimōn)" of Socrates and "the Good" of Plato. I congratulate myself therefore on being admitted to such distinguished company.
[Specific accusation of using fish in Magian activities in order to gain the love of Pudentilla]
I fear, however, Maximus, that you may regard the empty, ridiculous and childish fictions which my opponents have advanced in support of their case as serious charges merely because they have been put forward. "Why," says my accuser, "have you tried to get particular kinds of fish?" Why should a philosopher not be permitted to do for the satisfaction of his desire for knowledge what the over-eater is permitted to do for the satisfaction of his gluttony? "What," he asks, "induced a free woman [Pudentilla] to marry you after thirteen years of widowhood [previously married to the accuser's brother]?" As if it were not more remarkable that she should have remained a widow so long. "Why, before she married you, did she express certain opinions in a letter?" As if anyone should give the reasons for another person's private opinions. "But," he goes on, "although she was your senior in years, she did not despise your youth." Surely this simply serves to show that there was no need of Magian skill to induce a woman to marry a man, or a widow to wed a bachelor some years her junior.
[Accusations of suspicious Magian objects of veneration]
There are more charges equally frivolous. "Apuleius," he persists, "keeps a mysterious object in his house which he worships with veneration." As if it were not a worse offence to have nothing to worship at all. "A boy fell to the ground in Apuleius' presence." What if a young man or even an old man had fallen in my presence through a sudden stroke of disease or merely owing to the slipperiness of the ground? Do you really think to prove your charge of Magian activity by such arguments as these: the fall of a wretched boy, my marriage to my wife, my purchases of fish?
[Apuleius' detailed disassembly of the charges]
28 I should run but small risk if I were to content myself with what I have already said and begin my peroration. But since as a result of the length at which my accusers spoke, the water-clock still allows me plenty of time, let us, if there is no objection, consider the charges in detail. I will deny none of them, be they true or false. I will assume their truth, that this great crowd, which has gathered from all directions to hear this case, may clearly understand not only that no true incrimination can be brought against philosophers, but that not even any false charge can be fabricated against them, which — such is their confidence in their innocence – they will not be prepared to admit and to defend, even though it be in their power to deny it.
I will therefore begin by refuting their arguments, and will prove that they have nothing to do with Magian activity. Next I will show that even on the assumption of my being the most consummate Magian, I have never given cause or occasion for conviction of any evil practice. I will also deal with the lies with which they have endeavoured to arouse hostility against me, with their misquotation and misinterpretation of my wife's letters, and with my marriage with Pudentilla, whom, as I will proceed to prove, I married for love and not for money. This marriage of ours caused frightful annoyance and distress to Aemilianus. That is the source of all the anger, frenzy, and raving madness which he has shown in the conduct of this accusation. . . [omitted details of each of the activities that were twisted into Magian crimes, beginning with the purchase of different types of fish].
[Popular misunderstandings of Magian ways: Uselessness of fish and the example of Pythagoras]
31 You would have made out a far more plausible case by pretending that I made use of such things instead of fish, if only you had possessed the slightest erudition. For the belief in the use of these things is so widespread that you might have been believed. But of what use are fish save to be cooked and eaten at meals? In Magian activity they seem to me to be absolutely useless. I will tell you why I think so.
Many hold Pythagoras to have been a pupil of Zoroaster and, like him, to have been skilled in Magian knowledge. And yet it is recorded that once near Metaponton, on the shores of Italy, his home, which his influence had converted into a second Greece, he noticed certain fishermen draw up their net. He offered to buy whatever it might contain, and after depositing the price ordered all the fish caught in meshes of the net to be released and thrown back into the sea. He would certainly never have allowed them to slip from his possession had he known them to possess any valuable Magian properties. For being a man of peculiar learning, and a great admirer of the men of old, he remembered that Homer, a poet of manifold or, rather I should say, absolute knowledge of all that may be known, spoke of the power of all the drugs that earth produces, but made no mention of the sea, when speaking of a certain female diviner (saga), he wrote the line: "All drugs (pharmaka), that wide earth nourishes, she knew" [Homer, Iliad 11.741]. Similarly in another passage he says: "Earth the grain-giver / yields up to her its store of drugs, whereo / many be healing, mingled in the cup, / and many baneful" [Homer, Odyssey 4.229]. But never in the works of Homer did Proteus anoint his face nor Odysseus (Ulysses) his trench, nor Aiolos his windbags, nor Helen her mixing bowl, nor Circe her cup, nor Venus her girdle, with any charm drawn from the sea or its inhabitants. You alone within the memory of man have been found to sweep as it were by some convulsion of nature all the powers of herbs, roots, young shoots and small pebbles from their hilltops into the sea, and there confine them in the entrails of fish. And so whereas Magians at their rites used to call on Mercury the giver of oracles, Venus that lures the soul, the moon that knows the mystery of the night, and Trivia the mistress of the shades, you will transfer Neptune, with Salacia and Portumnus and all the company of Nereids from the cold tides of the sea to the burning tides of love.
32 I have given my reasons for refusing to believe that Magians and fish have anything to do with one another. But now, if it please you, we will assume with Aemilianus that fish are useful for Magian practices as well as for their usual purposes. But does that prove that whoever acquires fish is by default a Magian? On those lines it might be urged that whoever acquires a sloop is a pirate, whoever acquires a crowbar a burglar, whoever acquires a sword an assassin. . . [omitted material characterizing Aemilianus as uneducated and talking about the medicinal value of natural phenomena apart from Magian practice].
[False accusation of enchanting a boy as part of Magian rites]
42 Since I have sufficiently cleared up this business of the fish, listen to another of their inventions equally stupid, but much more extravagant and far more wicked. They themselves knew that their argument about the fish was futile and bound to fail. They realized, moreover, its strange absurdity (for who ever heard of fish being scaled and boned for Magian harmful actions?), they realized that it would be better for their fictions to deal with things of more common report, which have up till now been believed. And so they devised the following fiction which does at least fall within the limits of popular believability and rumour: They asserted that I had taken a boy apart to a secret location with a small altar and a lantern and only a few accomplices as witnesses, and there performed an incantation so that he fell in the very spot where I pronounced it, and on being awakened was found to be out of his mind. They did not dare to go any further with the lie. To complete their story they should have added that the boy uttered many prophecies.
For this we know is the prize of incantations, namely divination and prophecy. And this miracle in the case of boys is confirmed not only by vulgar opinion but by the authority of learned men. I remember reading various relations of the kind in the philosopher Varro, a writer of the highest learning and erudition, but there was the following story in particular. Inquiry was being made at Tralles by Magian means into the probable issue of the Mithridatic war, and a boy who was gazing at an image of Mercury reflected in a bowl of water foretold the future in a hundred and sixty lines of verse. He records also that Fabius, having lost five hundred denarii, came to consult Nigidius. By means of incantations, Nigidius inspired certain boys so that they were able to indicate to him where a pot containing a certain portion of the money had been hidden in the ground, and how the remainder had been dispersed, one denarius having found its way into the possession of Marcus Cato the philosopher. This coin Cato acknowledged he had received from a certain lackey as a contribution to the treasury of Apollo.
43 I have read this and the similar things concerning boys and Magian things in several authors, but I am in doubt whether to admit the truth of such stories or not. Nonetheless, I believe Plato when he asserts that there are certain divine powers holding a position and possessing a character midway between gods and men, and that all divination and the miracles of Magians are controlled by them. Moreover it is my own personal opinion that the human soul, especially when it is young and unsophisticated, may by the allurement of music or the soothing influence of sweet smells be lulled to sleep and banished into oblivion of its surroundings so that, as all consciousness of the body fades from the memory, it returns and is reduced to its primal nature, which is in truth immortal and divine; and thus, as it were in a kind of slumber, it may predict the future.
But however these things may be, if any faith is to be put in them, the prophetic boy must, as far as I can understand, be fair and unblemished in body, shrewd of wit and ready of speech, so that a worthy and fair shrine may be provided for the divine indwelling power (if indeed such a power does enter into the boy's body) or that the boy's mind when wakened may quickly apply itself to its inherent powers of divination, find them ready to its use and reproduce their promptings undulled and unimpaired by any loss of memory. For, as Pythagoras said, not every kind of wood is fit to be carved into the likeness of Mercury.
If that be so, tell me who was that healthy, unblemished, intelligent, handsome boy whom I deemed worthy of initiation into such mysteries by the power of my spells. As a matter of fact, Thallus, whom you nentioned, needs a doctor rather than a Magian. For the poor wretch is such a victim to epilepsy that he frequently has fits two or three times dailywithout the need for any incantations, and exhausts all his limbs with his convulsions. His face is ulcerous, his head bruised in front and behind, his eyes are dull, his nostrils distended, and his feet stumbling. He may claim to be the greatest of Magians in whose presence Thallus has remained for any considerable time upon his feet. For he is continually lying down, either a seizure or mere weariness causing him to collapse. . . [omitted material including reference to fourteen slaves as potential witnesses of the incantation that were not in fact called].
[Accusation of enchanting another woman]
48 You assert also that by promising to heal her I brought to my house a free woman who suffered from the same disease as Thallus; that she, too, fell senseless as a result of my incantations. It appears to me that you are accusing a wrestler, not a Magian, since you say that all who visited me had a fall. And yet Themison, who is a physician and who brought the woman for my inspection, denied, when you asked him, Maximus, that I had done anything to the woman other than ask her whether she heard noises in her ears, and if so, which ear suffered most. He added that she departed immediately after telling me that her right ear was most troubled in that way. . . . [omitted material demonstrating Apuleius' education in philosophy and medical theory, material about the accuser's ignorance, and material about the use of a supposed handkerchief].
[Pudentilla's letter sarcastically referring to Apuleius' Magian enchantment of her]
78 . . . But I am digressing. Pudentilla, seeing to her astonishment that her son had fallen lower than she could have deemed possible, went into the country and by way of rebuke wrote him the notorious letter, in which, according to my accusers, she confessed that my Magian practices had made her lose her reason and fall in love with me. And yet, Maximus, the day before yesterday at your command I took a copy of the letter in the presence of witnesses and of Pontianus' secretary. Aemilianus also was there and countersigned the copy. What is the result? In contradiction to my accusers' assertion everything is found to tell in my favour.
79 And yet, even if she had spoken somewhat strongly and had called me a Magian, it would be a reasonable explanation that she had, in defending her conduct to her son, preferred to allege compulsion on my part rather than her own inclination. Is Phaedra the only woman whom love has driven to write a lying letter? Is it not rather a device common to all women that, when they have begun to feel strong desire for anything of this kind, they should prefer to make themselves out the victims of compulsion? But even supposing she had genuinely regarded me as a Magian, would the mere fact of Pudentilla's writing to that effect be a reason for actually regarding me as a Magian? You, with all your arguments and your witnesses and your diffuse eloquence, have failed to prove me a Magian. Could she prove it with one word? A formal indictment, written and signed before a judge, is a far more weighty document than what is written in a private letter! Why don't you prove that I'm a Magian by my own deeds instead of having recourse to the mere words of another? . . . [omitted material].
82 The mother was rebuking her son because, after extolling me to her as a model of all the virtues, he now, at Rufinus' [father-in-law of Pontianus] instigation, asserted that I was a Magian. The actual words in the letter were as follows: "Apuleius is a Magian and has used Magian skills to make me love him! Come to me, then, while I am still in my senses." These words, which I have quoted in Greek, have been selected by Rufinus and separated from their context. He has taken them around as a confession on the part of Pudentilla, and, with Pontianus [her son] at his side all dissolved in tears, has shown them through all the market-place, allowing men only to read that portion which I have just cited and suppressing all that comes before and after. His excuse was that the rest of the letter was too disgusting to be shown; it was sufficient that publicity should be given to Pudentilla's confession as to my sorcery.
What was the result? Everyone thought it was probable enough. That very letter, which was written to clear my character, excited the most violent hatred against me amongst those who did not know the facts. This foul villain went rushing around in the midst of the market-place like any devotee of Bacchus [i.e. the god Dionysos]. Rufinus kept opening the letter and proclaiming, "Apuleius is a Magian! She herself describes her feelings and her sufferings! What more do you demand?" There was no one to take my part and reply, "Give us the whole letter, please! Let me see it all, let me read it from beginning to end. There are many things which, produced apart from their context, may seem open to a slanderous interpretation. Any speech may be attacked, if a passage depending for its sense on what has preceded be robbed of what went before, or if phrases be expunged at will from the place they logically occupy, or if what is written ironically be read out in such a tone as to make it seem a defamatory statement." With what justice this protest or words to that effect might have been uttered the actual order of the letter will show.
83 Now, Aemilianus, try to remember whether the following were not the words of which, together with myself, you took a copy in the presence of witnesses: "For since I desired to marry for the reasons of which I told you, you persuaded me to choose Apuleius in preference to all others, since you had a great admiration for him and were eager through me to become yet more intimate with him. But now that certain ill-natured persons have brought accusations against us and attempt to dissuade you, Apuleius has suddenly become a Magian and has bewitched me to love him! Come to me, then, while I am still in my senses." . . . 84 . . . Pudentilla, therefore, not only denied that I was a Magian, but denied the very existence of Magian things. [omitted remainder of letter discussion and subsequent refutation of the notion that Apuleius married an older woman for money].
[Supposed motive, with reference to Apuleius' knowledge about Magians]
90 . . . I come now to the very heart of the accusation, to the actual motive for the crime. I ask Rufinus and Aemilianus to answer me and tell me – even assuming that I am the most consummate Magian – what I had to gain by persuading Pudentilla to marry me by means of my love potions and my incantations. I am well aware that many persons, when accused of some crime or other, even if it has been shown that there was some real motive for the offence, have amply cleared themselves of guilt by this one line of defence: that the whole record of their lives renders the suspicion of such a crime incredible and that even though there may have been strong temptation to sin, the mere fact of the existence of the temptation should not be counted against them. We have no right to assume that everything that might have been done actually has been done. Circumstances may alter, the one true guide is a man's character, and the one sure indication that a charge should be rejected or believed is the fact that through all his life the accused has set his face towards vice or virtue as the case may be.
I might with the utmost justice put in such a plea for myself, but I waive my right in your favour, and think that I have made out but a poor case for myself, if I merely clear myself of all your charges, if I merely show that there exists not the slightest ground for suspecting me of Magian activities. Consider what confidence in my innocence and what contempt of you is implied by my conduct. If you can discover one trivial reason that might have led me to seek after Pudentilla for the sake of some personal advantage, if you can prove that I have made the very slightest profit out of my marriage, I am ready to be any Magian you please – the great Carmendas himself or Damigeron [cf. Tertullian, On the Soul 57.1] or Moses, or Jannes [perhaps drawning on Pliny the Elder at this link] or Apollobex or Dardanos himself or any Magian of note from the time of Zoroaster and Ostanes till now.
91 See, Maximus, what a disturbance they have raised, merely because I have mentioned a few Magians by name. What am I to do with men so stupid and uncivilized? Should I proceed to prove to you that I have come across these names and many more in the course of my study of distinguished authors in the public libraries? Or should I argue that the knowledge of the names of Magians is one thing, participation in their skill another, and that it is not tantamount to confessing a crime to have one's brain well stored with learning and a memory retentive of its erudition? Or shall I take what is far the best course and, relying on your learning, Maximus, and your perfect erudition, disdain to reply to the accusations of these stupid and uncultivated fellows? Yes, that is what I will do. I will not care a straw for what they may think. I will go on with the argument on which I had entered and will show that I had no motive for seducing Pudentilla into marriage by the use of love potions. . . [omitted sections].
[Conclusion of defence]
103 . . . If I have rebutted all their charges, word by word, if I have refuted all their slanders, if I am beyond reproach, not only as regards their accusations but also as regards their vulgar abuse, if I have done nothing to impair the honour of philosophy, which is dearer to me than my own safety, but on the contrary have smitten my adversary hip and thigh and vanquished him at all points, if all my contentions are true, I can await your estimate of my character with the same confidence with which I await the exercise of your power. For I regard it as less serious and less terrible to be condemned by the proconsul than to incur the disapproval of so good and so perfect a man [Maximus].
Posted in (02) Greek and Roman ethnographic perspectives and stereotypes on other peoples, ancient ethnography / ethnographic culture, Apuleius (Numidian / Gaetulian), ethnicity in the ancient world, Gaitulians / Gaetulians (in northern Africa), Numidians (in northern Africa), Persians / Iranians / Magians, Plato (Greek), Pythagoras (Greek) on January 19, 2023 by Philip A. Harland.
← Isaurians: Ammianus Marcellinus on their incursions and banditry (late fourth century CE) Assyrian wisdom: The Kyranides on a journey to learn from a foreign inscription (fourth century CE or earlier) →

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Home » Are Risperdal Lawsuits in Philadelphia Time-Barred?
Are Risperdal Lawsuits in Philadelphia Time-Barred?
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia has seen its fair share of Risperdal lawsuits, many with conflicting rulings and award amounts.
The latest Philadelphia lawsuit that was going to trial settled just shortly before the jury was supposed to hear the case.
In the first Philadelphia Risperdal case, a jury found for the plaintiff and awarded him a $2.5 million verdict after finding that his abnormal breast development was the result of him taking the drug for an off-label use.
In the second Philadelphia Risperdal case, the jury also found that the Risperdal manufacturers failed to warn the plaintiff about the risks associated with the drug, but they ultimately awarded no monetary damages to the plaintiff because they were not convinced that the plaintiff's breast development was the result of Risperdal use.
Now, 257 Risperdal cases in Philadelphia are being dismissed. According to the Pennsylvania state court judge, the cases were brought after the statute of limitations had already been reached, so they cannot be heard.
Essentially, the judge is saying that plaintiffs who took Risperdal and who experienced adverse effects in the 1990s should have linked them to the drug sooner than now when coverage of the effects have become more widespread.
Risperdal was originally approved by the United States Federal Drug Administration for use as an anti-psychotic medication. However, the lawsuits allege that its manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, encouraged doctors to prescribe the drug for off-label use.
Risperdal has been linked to the development of gynecomastia, or abnormal breast development in males. The majority of the cases involve boys and teenagers who were prescribed Risperdal to treat autism or attention deficit disorder.
The Risperdal label was not modified to include a warning about gynecomastia until October of 2006, and the lawsuits allege that the manufacturers knew or should have known about the drug's serious and often permanent side effects but that they still promoted the drug for off-label use.
The decision to dismiss these more than 250 cases still depends on the appellate court agreeing with the state judge's analysis, and there at least one thousand other similar cases that are still pending in Philadelphia.
Our Lawyers Can Help
Our dangerous drug attorneys can help if you or someone you care about was harmed by Risperdal. Lawsuits have been filed against the drug maker by both patients and their families seeking compensation for injuries caused by this dangerous drug. You may be entitled to a settlement.We do not charge any legal fees unless you receive a settlement and we pay all of the case costs. If your claim is not successful for any reason, you do not owe us anything. We put it all in writing for you.
Our No Fee Promise on Risperdal Cases
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Risperdal Lawsuit in Philadelphia Ends in Pre-Trial Settlement
Results of Second Philadelphia Risperdal Trial
Lawyers Argue Risperdal Victims Waited Too Long To File
Judge Chastises Johnson & Johnson in Risperdal Trial
Man With Gynecomastia May Get $500K Damage Award Increased in Risperdal Lawsuit


Home » Living Room » 30 Inch Wide Bookcase » 30 Inch Wide Bookcase #1 Picture Of Amish-crafted Plain Shaker Bookcases.
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So who spoiled the Antoninos' party?
by Edwin Espejo
Posted on 06/02/2013 10:54 PM | Updated 06/02/2013 11:07 PM
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Mayor-elect Ronnel Rivera's convincing win over re-electionist Darlene Magnolia Antonino-Custodio is one of Mindanao's biggest upsets. No less than two presidents who endorsed Darlene – Benigno Aquino III and Joseph Estrada – fell flat on their faces.
For 27 years, the Antoninos held sway in the city. Despite losing two elections within that span, they were never out of political power.
Theirs was a dominance many thought would never come to an end. They survived four Philippine presidents as local opposition. They had a brief honeymoon with one who did not finish his term. They were poised to finally enjoy a ball with Malacañang. Until Rivera spoiled the party.
Darlene belongs to the third generation of a political family whose paternal grandparents were once senators.
Darlene's father Adelbert Antonino was elected to the House of Representative in 1987 under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), representing the first district of South Cotabato. In 1988, Darlene's mother Lualhati failed in her bid to become mayor of General Santos, losing to then officer-in-charge Mayor Rosalita Nuñez.
In 1992, Adelbert would, in turn, defeat Nuñez in the mayoralty race. Lualhati also won the congressional seat vacated by Adelbert that year. In 1995, however, Adelbert lost to Nuñez. Lualhati, though, was re-elected in the same year and served her three consecutive 3-year term before yielding the position to then 27-year-old daughter Darlene.
Then Adelbert got his revenge in 1998, trouncing Nuñez. Adelbert however surprised many when he resigned in 2000 to make room for their understudy, Vice Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr, who won as mayor the following year. In 2010, Acharon and Darlene traded places after serving out their respective term limits.
The Antoninos are one of the enduring dynasties in this part of the region. Many have tried but failed to dismantle the formidable machinery Adelbert built through the years.
ENDING ANTONINOS' RULE. Ronnel Rivera, son of General Santos City's richest businessman, defeats re-electionist Darlene Antonino-Custodio in the mayoral race. Photo by Cocoy Sexcion
Until 41-year-old Ronnel Rivera – a childhood friend of Darlene, due to their fathers' previous friendship and business partnership – came along.
Ronnel is the second of the 6 Rivera siblings to become enamored with local politics. Eldest brother Ryan ran for city mayor but lost miserably in 2004. That unsuccessful bid strained the friendship between Adelbert and the Rivera patriarch Rudy, who probably the richest man in the city.
Ronnel started out as a city councilor, who topped the 2010 local elections despite running as an independent and after a failed try to land in the slate of the Antoninos. Three mayoral rivals of Darlene carried him to compensate for the Antonino snub.
But even early on, many saw his city council run as a prelude to capturing city hall. The buzz in 2010 was that Rivera outspent Darlene's 3 rivals combined.
His win coincided with the rise of Manny Pacquiao as political heavyweight in the region. Pacquiao also won in 2010, defeating Roy Chiongbian for the lone congressional district of nearby Sarangani. He ran for re-election unopposed this year.
Friends even before they won, Rivera and Pacquiao would form an alliance after their victories, creating Mindanao's richest political partnership, assets-wise.
Pacquiao, with a declared net worth of P1.7 billion, however still pales in comparison against the Riveras who own a bank aside from being the biggest tuna producer in the city. All told, the Riveras have at least 52 corporations spread all over the country and across the Pacific.
Together, they would topple the Antoninos.
Old money vs nouveau rich
AQUINO ALLY. General Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio is gunning for re-election, and has been endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III. Photo by Edwin Espejo
It was rumored that the Riveras spent at least P25 million in the 2004 failed mayoralty bid of Ryan. A former aide of the Antoninos then mockingly said that Ryan could have won if he had P50 million.
Ryan lost probably not because he did not spend enough. It was the well-entrenched machinery of his rival that did him in, and, not to mention, the Antonino's massive war chest.
The Antoninos are themselves rich – old rich – who made their fortunes in logging in the 1950s and 1960s. The Antoninos once ran and owned the Western Mindanao Lumber Co Inc. The late Gaudencio Antonino was chairman of the board ofdirectors of Industrial Mutual Fund Inc; Munoz Motors, Inc.; Apayao Mining andOil co., Inc.; and United Finance Corporation. He was also director of BataanPulp and Paper Mill Company, Reinsurance Company of the Orient MusicCorporation of the Philippines; Philippine Engineers Syndicate; and RicoFinance Corporation.
Adelbert also managed the defunct Mindanao Lumber Development Company in Kiamba, Sarangani, and was a major stockholder of RCBC before he divested his interest following his congressional win in 1987.
When the Adelbert side of the Antoninos joined local politics in General Santos and eventually dominated for more than two decades, they used their vast resources to fend off challenges and to topple rivals.
They essentially made elections here and about very expensive.
In the Riveras, together with Pacquiao, however, the Antoninos finally found their match.
No one is talking, but former city councilor Dominador Lagare told the local media here that the Riveras and Pacquiao probably spent P1 billion combined. That's probably overstated, but the electoral expenses of two new kids on the block could easily top the P300 million mark. An insider from the Antonino camp volunteered that Darlene spent at least P200 million in the last election.
Change that resonated
Rivera ran on the simplest platform of change, but his low-key approach of asking the voters to give somebody other than the Antoninos the chance to run the city eventually resonated.
The pestering power outages and the decrepit state of the city's lone government hospital become rallying issues for Rivera and his candidates. They reduced Darlene and her mother, Mindanao Development Authority chair Lualhati, to finger pointing – blaming Socoteco II for the power supply shortage and nearby Sarangani province for crowding the General Santos City District Hospital.
Read: In GenSan, power crisis for the Antoninos
Once impervious to propaganda and political attacks, they began to hurt.
Not even President Aquino's two visits to the city during the campaign former President Estrada's last-minute phone patch that effectively junked his local UNA line-up couldn't help Darlene.
Rivera, his running mate and re-electionist Vice Mayor Shirlyn Bañas, and 7 of his 12 elective city councilors won, giving Rivera complete control of city hall.
His own man
Rivera will have his hands full trying to become his own man. Two larger than life figures loom over him – his father and Manny Pacquiao.
Rudy Rivera, who is deferred to as "GM" in his group of companies and in the business community, once bitterly complained after being described as a "shrewd and ruthless businessman." He found it offensive.
Many have questioned his business style and ethics. He is said to have alienated many in the fishing industry who sees him as the tuna industry's version of early computer game Pacman.
Known to be a control freak, the Rivera patriarch may have been ticked off by insinuation that his being a tightwad would harm his son's candidacy. To prove his point, the GM, for the first time, appeared on stage and did what he never had done before – speak in the proclamation rally. For the GM, it was a point of no return.
GM effectively became Ronnel's campaign manager. How he will influence or let loose Ronnel when his son takes oath as city mayor is everybody's favorite watch in the city nowadays.
Then there is Pacquiao, who provided the mayor-elect the political party to launch his mayoralty bid. Ronnel will undoubtedly look to repay political debts to Pacquiao.
It was said that Pacquiao and the Riveras agreed to evenly split campaign expenses in the city as Rogelio Pacquiao also ran (but lost) for congressman. Insiders however said it became an all Rivera show midway through the campaign period and after Rudy took over the helm as CEO of Ronnel's bid.
A graduate at the San Carlos University in Cebu, Ronnel has shown his ability to be a good manager. He was recently nominated as Entrepeneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. He is the president of RD Shipyard, in addition to being the vice president for fishing operations of their flagship RD Fishing Corporation.
His company position enabled him to directly deal with their workers and he may need plenty of those experience in dealing with city hall employees and residents in the city.
Ronnel may also have to shake off some excess baggage, starting with friends who are not exactly the epitome of good character. He was once sued for rape and escaped death when he was shot by a jilted boyfriend of a woman he drove home from a popular bar.
All that may be behind him now, but he will have to be more circumspect as record of his youthful folly could haunt him one day.
The real task ahead of him now, however, is how to be different from the tenant of city hall that he evicted. – Rappler.com
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The launch of Adriaan Groenewald's book 'Seamless Leadership' on 22nd April at Exclusive Books in Hyde Park was well attended by about 80 guests. It was a special occasion with special guests in attendance to welcome a special book about the special seamless legacy of South African leadership, past and present. Advocate Thuli Madonsela, world renowned South African Public Protector, internationally respected as one of the most influential women in the world, was the guest speaker along with the author, Adriaan Groenewald.
Seamless leadership was the main theme of the evening and was addressed by both speakers as well as a warmly participating audience of leaders. In essence the term seamless leadership captures that brand of leadership that embodies impossibility thinking and doing. Both speakers spoke with passion of the remarkable heritage of seamless leadership of our country as embodied in the actions and values of those who helped to create the new South Africa, as well as many other exceptional achievements both past and present mentioned in the book.
To many of us all over the world Nelson Mandela leadership style embodies that kind of seamless impossibility thinking and doing. But the theme of the discussions was not just about one exceptional leader, but really about the essence of seamless leadership principles that has and can transform our society and arrest the many serious challenges we face.
Many of the serious and potential time bombs we face in our country are ironically stimulated by the growth pains of our modern democratic heritage. We recognise the mountains we are facing in the form of corruption, unemployment, crime, self-indulgence and broken families. However, as a society we are shackled by entitlement, fat cat and opposition mind-set syndromes. We are 'getting used' to the social challenges we are reminded of every day in our media and as a general rule we are caught up in our own daily challenges.
The one single factor that can swing us around and give us confidence to make the impossible happen is that of leadership, that kind of seamless leadership that is values and confidence driven.
The book Seamless Leadership, Advocate Thuli Madonsela as well as foremost leadership thinker, author and host of the Leadership Platform shows on CliffCentral, Adriaan Groenewald, spoke with passion that we can do it, we can embrace seamless leadership and we can move the mountains that stand in our way.
Our time bombs are simmering and we need to rise to the leadership challenge or suffer the dire consequences that we see in many other countries in Africa and in the Middle East for example.
Advocate Madonsela spoke about the misconception that leadership is about position. She made the telling comment that if we need the position to be leaders then we should not be in that position. This is a typical seamless leadership principle. She mentioned her concern that the assumption we have is that leaders called to high positions have transcended the personal challenges of being good people of character and values. That is not necessarily the case and that is so often the reason that many so-called leaders drift towards corruption and crime.
At Leadership Platform we advocate that all those who want to make a difference should ask the Big Question in all situations in life: 'How can I help move the situation in a positive direction?' We don't know if Advocate Madonsela asks this question consciously, but in reality her mind set towards her job and life is the embodiment of the Big Question. She does not consider herself as a 'great leader' yet she embodies the essence of seamless leadership that requires a humility and desire to learn and to serve all the time.
The launch occasion of the book Seamless Leadership deserves much more than this short article. It was an important, even historic event and we will follow up with additional reports about the contents of Advocate Madonsela's address as well as the comments of Adriaan Groenewald.
Our future in this country and in the world for that matter depends on what extent we embrace seamless leadership. It does not require the masses to make a difference. It is and always will be about the passion and character of a minority of seamless leaders who believe that the impossible is possible.


7:1 But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and spy out the land." And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Not all the people need go up; about two or three thousand men should go up and attack Ai. Since they are so few, do not make the whole people toil up there." 4 So about three thousand of the people went up there; and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.
13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 15:5-6 (NIV) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there such a thing for God's people as taking a "time out"? Is there such a thing as being so close to God that His people can take a "time out" in expressing love and inspiration to others?
Dr. Henry Ward Beecher did not take a "time out" during his lifetime. He was an American Congregationalist clergyman, prolific author, and well-known speaker. In 1847, he became the first pastor of the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. During his ministry, and writings, he emphasized fellowship and God's love.
In the book Streams In The Desert, Vol. Two, author Mrs. Charles E. Cowman recounted a story about Dr. Beecher. The story went like this: the last time he served in the pulpit was the Sunday evening service. Afterwards, he "lingered in the aisle and gazed around at the building he loved so well." When he turned to leave, "he saw two little newsboys who had wandered in for the services." Because of his "fondness for newsboys . . . He put an arm around each of the lads and talked with them, as they walked down the aisle and out of the church. . . ." Within a week, he suffered a stroke, and two days later, died in his sleep.
"Forty-one years afterwards, at a celebration in honor of the ministry of Henry Ward Beecher, one of the speakers, a distinguished minister, told the story of that evening in Plymouth Church, adding, "I was one of those newsboys." Throughout his life, the memory of the arm of Henry Ward Beecher about his shoulders had given him inspiration and strength. A great man had bestowed his friendship and fellowship.
The Book of Hebrews often emphasizes the importance of having fellowship and loving one another. It states: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another" for fellowship. A way a person shows love towards another person is by exhibiting genuine interest in them.
God's followers should not prop up their feet to take a spiritual time out. They are called to keep spiritually "fit as a fiddle." There are many blessings to share with fellow Christians, and others. In any given day, you cannot go wrong if you take advantage of the many godly opportunities offered to you to express His love and fellowship. Dr. Beecher did not take a "time out," and he did "glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He extended his love and friendship to the newsboys, and the life of one of the newsboys was strengthened and motivated.
Lord God, thank You for giving to us opportunities to express Your love. Help us to be aware of those opportunities. Amen.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Devotion written by Ann Brock.
Is there such a thing for God's people as taking a "time out"?
¡Este Dios es nuestro Dios eterno! ¡Él nos guiará para siempre!
Mi Jesús, quiero en este día reconocer que he estado dependiendo de las personas sin tenerte en cuenta a ti. Por error he puesto mi dependencia en otros y no te he dado tu lugar.
Quiero aprender a depender de ti únicamente, sabiendo que me amas, que eres fiel y que nunca cambias.
Gracias por las promesas que has dejado en la Biblia para mí. Ayúdame a creerlas y tomarlas para mí.
Señor, me comprometo a depender de ti y honrarte el resto de mis días.
Jesus is also the great light of the world (John 8:12). Those who believe in Him are brought out of darkness into His light (Colossians1:12-13) and in turn become lights also. In essence, they live the Beatitudes. What does light do?
A. It exposes dirt - If Christians live holy and righteous lives, it will show up the unrighteous deeds of others (Ephesians 5:8-14). An example is that people who take bribes feel very vulnerable if there are others that don't. Christians who work in government offices can, by their uprightness and integrity, diminish the amount of corruption just by their very presence and principles.
B. It lights up the way so that we do not stumble - If Christians walk by the principles of the Word of God, their lives take on a higher purpose and direction than that of self. This will not fail to attract the attention of a watching world. The world then is faced with a choice—to accept or reject such a model. To those who reject, that light becomes darkness. But for those who accept, that light illumines their lives and they will not make wrong choices.
C. It discourages works of darkness - More crimes are committed at night than in the daytime.
D. It dispels fear - When light shines, the phantoms of the night just fade away. People who are afraid of the dark prefer to sleep with the light on.
Light even enables discernment to be made—between friend and foe and between truth and counterfeit. It enables work to be done. Light enables plants to grow. Used in modern technology, it aids in telecommunications (fiber optics), helps to heal (lasers), and aids in publishing books.
The light of the gospel also blesses in so many ways. And Christians who walk in it can in turn help others by sharing the knowledge they have concerning life, death, sin, salvation, God, the devil, heaven and hell. For these are the issues that plague man on a wide scale and for which they are striving to find adequate answers. The light will be recognized, not just in words, but in "good deeds" which lead others to praise our Father in heaven.
In Kumasi, Ghana, African Enterprise has been organizing city-cleaning teams. Before an evangelistic campaign, Christians often ask government leaders if they can clean it up. Then they send out teams of people with makeshift straw brooms and pails of soapy water to scrub the city. Christian workers have cleaned hospitals, city parks, and government grounds before major outreaches to exemplify practical love.
RESPONSE: Today I am determined to shine for Jesus—the true light of the world!
PRAYER: Lord, I want my life to count for You and Your kingdom. Help me be a lighthouse for You.
Her name means: "The Lord Is Great"
Her character: Granddaughter of Omri, one of Israel's most idolatrous and evil kings, she was the daughter of Ahab and most likely of Jezebel as well. She was the only woman to rule over Judah. While Ahab and Jezebel spread Baal worship in the northern kingdom of Israel, Athaliah was busy promoting it a few years later in the southern kingdom of Judah. Controlled by her need for power, she murdered her own family members to secure it.
Her sorrow: That her attempt to destroy the royal line of Judah failed.
Her joy: That her ruthlessness paid off, at least for a time, making her the ruler of Judah.
Her character: A princess and the wife of the high priest, she was a courageous woman whose actions preserved the line of Judah, from which the Messiah would come.
Her sorrow: To have endured Athaliah's reign in Judah and to have suffered the loss of many of her nephews at the queen's hand.
Her joy: To have preserved the life of her brother's youngest son, Joash, so that he could become the rightful king of Judah.
Wicked queens are the stuff of fairy tales. Remember the snow queen in the tales of Hans Christian Andersen, or the evil queen in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Athaliah was at least as bad as her fairy-tale counterparts, a queen who chilled the hearts of God's people by murdering her own grandsons and promoting Baal worship in the southern kingdom of Judah, just as her parents, Ahab and Jezebel, had promoted it in the north.
Athaliah married the king of Judah, thereby cementing an alliance between the northern and southern kingdoms. But after a few years he died and was succeeded by Athaliah's son, Ahaziah. In just a few months, Jehu, Jezebel's nemesis, slaughtered the new king.
After Queen Athaliah's husband and son were killed, she must have felt vulnerable and isolated, doubly so since her father Ahab's line had also been destroyed in Israel. Her paranoia and lust for power formed a toxic mixture, moving her to murder her own son's children to secure Judah's throne for herself. Indeed she may even have gloated that she, Baal's emissary, had snuffed out Judah's royal heirs, making it impossible for God to fulfill his promise of a future Messiah from David's line in the tribe of Judah.
For a few years, from about 841-835 bc, Athaliah reigned in Judah, promoting Baal worship and leading the people further and further from God. But right under her nose a conspiracy was brewing. Unknown to her, one of her grandsons still lived. Her own stepdaughter, Jehosheba, had hidden the infant, Joash, before the queen could murder him along with Ahaziah's other sons. Married to the high priest, Jehosheba risked her life by tucking the royal heir away in the temple for six years. Then, when the boy turned seven, her husband arranged a coup, crowning young Joash king.
As soon as Athaliah caught wind of the plot, she rushed to the temple, tearing her robes and screaming, "Treason! Treason!" But like her mother, Jezebel, before her, no one paid the slightest attention. Instead, Queen Athaliah was promptly seized and executed just outside the temple. As soon as the queen was dispatched, the people of Judah celebrated by destroying the temple of Baal along with its chief priest.
While the comparisons between Athaliah and Jezebel are all too obvious, their story reminds us of another that took place seven hundred years before. Egypt's Pharaoh, determined to destroy God's people, had ordered every male baby drowned in the Nile River. Like Pharaoh, hoodwinked by one of his own children (his daughter saved Moses and raised him as her own), Athaliah was fooled by her stepdaughter, Jehosheba. Once again a woman's courage and compassion helped to subvert evil and keep the promise alive.
God always wins. That's a pretty simplistic way of saying it, but it's true nonetheless. Even when people like Athaliah try to stomp out an entire family and put an end to God's plan for redemption, when people like the priests of Baal lead others to worship idols instead of the true God, God will always triumph in the end. The negative forces of our culture make us wonder where we're headed as a people. Many of our leaders show little integrity or morality, and dishonesty is overlooked in the workplace. Kindness is often the exception rather than the rule. But don't despair. This is not a battle God plans to lose. In the end, he will prevail!
Wicked queens are the stuff of fairy tales.
You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
A beekeeper once told author F.B. Meyer how some of the young bees are nurtured to ensure their healthy development. The queen lays each egg in a six-sided cell, which is filled with enough pollen and honey to nourish the egg until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. The top is then sealed with a capsule of wax.
When the food is gone, it is time for the tiny creature to be released. The wax is so hard to penetrate that the bee can make only a very narrow opening. It is so narrow that in the agony of exit, the bee rubs off the membrane that encases its wings. When it finally does emerge, it is able to fly.
The man telling the story said that a moth once got into the hive and devoured the wax capsules. As a result, the young bees crawled out without any effort or trouble. But they could not fly.
When a crisis hits or a pit seems to swallow me whole, I want out - fast! I look for the nearest exit that will allow the easiest escape. But sometimes the easy way out or the simplest solution is not God's plan.
God loves me enough to teach me that the purpose of the pit is to purify and then to restore. God is in the restoration business. He is not interested in my comfort as much as He is committed to my character. And sometimes it takes an excruciating struggle to emerge with a lesson that can only be learned in the darkness. Some things simply cannot be learned in the light. It is through the struggle of the trial - the journey out of the pit of darkness that the very best part of us takes flight.
Two of my favorite words in the Bible are "But God." Those two words create an eternal backdrop that changes everything.
Everything looks different when God comes.
Everything is made right by His presence.
Every problem is resolved when God is factored into the equation.
To survive and succeed in life, we must refuse to fix our gaze on the "little things" that are meant to divert God's purpose. If we really want to become a strong warrior, our glance must be on the circumstances of life and ourgaze must be on Him. When we instill that spiritual discipline as a reality, life becomes the joy God meant it to be.
Stress will give way to peace.
Doubt will give way to faith.
Fear will give way to trust.
Darkness will give way to light.
Defeat will give way to victory.
Does that mean we will float through each day without facing trials, defeats, enemies or impossibilities? No – it simply means that the backdrop against which we view those dark moments will be replaced with the truth that God is enough.
When the stress of life threatens and it seems you can't go on, rest in the truth that the same God who called you will provide everything you need to accomplish His purpose in your life.
Father, forgive me for not trusting You to deliver me from the trials and pits in life. Please help me learn the truth each crisis holds, and then empower me to apply that truth. In the midst of my pain, give me the strength to choose the right response – the choice to be bitter or better, the choice to praise You even when I don't want to, the choice to trust You, knowing the pain is for my good. I love You, Lord.
In your own words, record what this verse means to you. What treasures have you discovered in the hard times? What riches of truth has God given you in the midst of your pain? In what ways have these riches and treasures impacted your life?
Mary's book, Hope in the Midst of Depression, is a tool you can use to overcome the dark times of life. Based on Psalm 40:1-3, this book will help you discover the treasures and truths God has for you in each trial you face. Check it out!
A beekeeper once told author F.B. Meyer how some of the young bees are nurtured to ensure their healthy development.
In 1860, Edward Spencer was a ministerial student.
He was also an excellent swimmer who joined the Evanston, Illinois, life-saving squad. Spencer's skills were called upon when a ship was wrecked in a Lake Michigan storm. When dawn came, many people from the boat could be seen in the icy waters. Numbed by the cold, they clutched anything that would stop them from going under.
Spencer swam out and brought a poor soul to safety. Then he went out again, and again, and again. He lost count of the number of times he ventured into the frigid water. Each trip was grueling, exhausting. Still, his exhaustion was set aside when he spotted a lady holding onto a piece of board and calling for help.
Spencer's friends told him that he shouldn't go out -- that nobody would think the worse of him for staying safely on shore. But he went, and he brought the lady back.
His mission completed, Spencer was taken to the hospital, where he drifted in and out of consciousness. Each time he came to, he asked, "How many did I save?"
Then Spencer asked one more question: "Did I do my best?"
You tell me, had he done his best? I think I know your answer. You would say, "Absolutely, Ed did well."
May I tell you that Ed Spencer recovered, but only partially.
His health, ever after, was permanently affected by what he had done. When he died, some years later, it was noted at the funeral service that not a single person Spencer had saved ever thanked him. Not one. No one stopped by to see him or sent him a letter saying, "You have done this well."
Theirs is a mistake I would not have you duplicate.
Many of us cannot remember a time when we didn't know Jesus or when He wasn't our Savior. Because of that, it is quite easy to take Him for granted and act as if the sacrifice He made with His life, suffering, death, and resurrection was something we have deserved.
Actually, we deserved nothing but eternal punishment for our dark misdeeds.
In spite of what we deserved, the Lord Jesus entered this world to seek and save the lost. In that He was like Spencer, but their stories do separate. While he could never have imagined how his life would be stripped of all vitality, Jesus knew what His fate was going to be. And although nobody thanked Ed Spencer for His sacrifice, nobody crucified him like they did Jesus.
Which takes me to the point of this devotion: let us give thanks to the Savior for the sacrifice He gave so freely to save us.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the human race is frequently ungrateful. While a baby has to be taught to say, "Thank you," he doesn't need to be instructed on how to be selfish and think of himself. Grant we may gladly and willingly thank the Savior whose life became our ransom. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Si confesamos nuestros pecados, él es fiel y justo para perdonar nuestros pecados y limpiarnos de toda maldad.
Clementina, una niña de 10 años de Nueva York, no sólo gusta de la música clásica y desde los 4 años el violín, sino que también es empresaria.
Un invierno pasado ella y su padre hicieron todos los planes, y en cuanto el tiempo lo permitió, se pusieron a vender limonada en un parque cerca de su casa. En 20 minutos ya habían vendido 10 vasos de limonada y la mayoría de las galletas de chocolate que habían hecho.
Pero la alegría les duró poco, pues de pronto aparecieron tres agentes del Departamento de Parques y les pidieron que les mostraran el permiso para vender, a lo que el padre contestó que no tenían ningún permiso.
Como resultado, los agentes no sólo les cerraron el stand, sino que además les dieron una multa de $50.
Docenas de personas se pusieron furiosas. Hasta yo me puse furioso cuando leía esa noticia. Pero luego leí una aclaración del Comisionado del Departamento que decía que la multa iba a ser dejada de lado, que los agentes en cuestión iban a ser re-entrenados en las reglas y que a él personalmente le encantaría tomar un vaso de la limonada de Clementina.
No quedan dudas que el Comisionado sabe bien que una confesión puede cambiar las cosas. En este caso, su confesión cambió lo que podría haber sido una pesadilla de relaciones públicas en una muestra sincera de buena voluntad de parte del Departamento de Parques.
Lamentablemente, son muchos los que tienen demasiado orgullo para seguir ese ejemplo y se niegan a pedir perdón a otras personas y a confesar sus pecados a Dios. Incluso llegan a creer que el Señor no tiene ningún derecho a esperar que hagan una confesión.
¡Qué equivocados están! El Señor conoce la gravedad de nuestros pecados, y por eso es que envió a su Hijo a vivir, morir, y resucitar, para quitarnos de encima los pecados. Cuando ignoramos el pecado, ignoramos el sacrificio de Cristo.
Por otro lado, cuando confesamos nuestros pecados, admitimos la intensidad de nuestra necesidad y la inmensidad de la gracia de Dios. Razón por la cual hoy, en nuestra oración, nos confesamos.
ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, ten misericordia de mí, pecador. Perdóname por todo lo que he hecho mal y por todas las veces que he hecho algo malo. Te doy gracias por el sacrificio del Salvador y te pido que aceptes mi alegría por lo malo que ya no hago. Ayúdame a vivir éste, y cada día de mi vida, en agradecimiento por lo que Jesucristo hizo por mí. En su nombre. Amén.
Ehe er aus der Tür herausrannte, um zur Schule zu gehen, fragte ich meinen Sohn, ob er sich die Zähne geputzt hätte. Als ich erneut fragte, erinnerte ich ihn daran, wie wichtig es ist, die Wahrheit zu sagen. Ungerührt, trotz meiner Ermahnung, erklärte er mir halb im Spaß, was ich wirklich bräuchte, wäre eine Sicherheitskamera im Bad. Dann könnte ich es selbst überprüfen, ob er sich die Zähne geputzt hätte, und er käme nicht in die Versuchung zu lügen.
Während die Anwesenheit einer Sicherheitskamera uns helfen könnte, uns an die Regeln zu halten, gibt es immer noch Plätze, an denen uns niemand bemerkt oder sieht. Auch wenn wir einer Sicherheitskamera ausweichen können, täuschen wir uns selbst, wenn wir denken, dass wir somit auch außerhalb Gottes Blickes sind.
Gott fragt, "Meinst du, dass sich jemand so heimlich verbergen könne, dass ich ihn nicht sehe?" (Jeremia 23,24). In seiner Frage steckt sowohl eine Ermutigung als auch eine Warnung.
Die Warnung lautet, dass wir uns vor Gott nicht verstecken können. Wir können nicht vor ihm weglaufen oder ihn täuschen. Alles, was wir tun, ist sichtbar für ihn.
Die Ermutigung ist, dass es keinen Ort auf Erden oder im Himmel gibt, wo wir außerhalb der wachsamen Fürsorge unseres himmlischen Vaters sind. Selbst wenn wir uns alleine fühlen, so ist Gott bei uns. Egal, wo wir heute hingehen, möge uns die Gewissheit dieser Wahrheit ermutigen, seinem Wort gegenüber Gehorsam zu üben und Trost zu empfangen—er wacht über uns.
Herr Jesus, danke, dass es keinen Ort gibt, an den ich gehen könnte, der außerhalb deines liebevollen Blickes liegt. In dem Wissen, dass du mich siehst, hilf mir, dich mit meinen Worten und Taten zu ehren.
Wir sind nie außerhalb der sorgsamen Fürsorge unseres himmlischen Vaters.


text:
namespace ArmyOfCreatures.Tests.Console.Commands
{
    using ArmyOfCreatures.Console.Commands;
    using ArmyOfCreatures.Logic.Battles;

    using Moq;
    using NUnit.Framework;

    [TestFixture]
    public class AddCommandTests
    {
        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldThrowArgumentNullException_WhenIBattleManagerParameterIsNull()
        {
            IBattleManager mockBattleManager = null;
            var arguments = new string[] { };

            var addCommand = new AddCommand();

            Assert.That(() => addCommand.ProcessCommand(mockBattleManager, arguments),
                Throws.ArgumentNullException.With.Message.Contains("battleManager"));
        }

        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldThrowArgumentNullException_WhenArgumentsParameterIsNull()
        {
            var mockBattleManager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();
            string[] arguments = null;

            var addCommand = new AddCommand();

            Assert.That(() => addCommand.ProcessCommand(mockBattleManager.Object, arguments),
                Throws.ArgumentNullException.With.Message.Contains("arguments"));
        }

        [TestCase()]
        [TestCase("first")]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldThrowArgumentException_WhenArgumentsParameterLengthIsLessThanTwo(params string[] arguments)
        {
            var mockBattleManager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();

            var addCommand = new AddCommand();

            Assert.That(() => addCommand.ProcessCommand(mockBattleManager.Object, arguments),
                Throws.ArgumentException.With.Message.Contains("Invalid number of arguments for add command"));
        }

        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldAccessIBattleManagerAddCreature_WhenInputParametersAreValid()
        {
            var mockBattleManager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();
            var arguments = new[] { "10", "AncientBehemoth(1)" };
            var creatureIdentifier = CreatureIdentifier.CreatureIdentifierFromString("AncientBehemoth(1)");

            var addCommand = new AddCommand();
            addCommand.ProcessCommand(mockBattleManager.Object, arguments);

            mockBattleManager.Verify(mock => mock.AddCreatures(It.IsAny<CreatureIdentifier>(), 10), Times.Once());
        }

        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldAccessIBattleManagerAddCreatureWithCorrectCreatureIdentifier_WhenInputParametersAreValid()
        {
            var mockBattleManager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();
            var arguments = new[] { "10", "AncientBehemoth(1)" };
            var creatureIdentifier = CreatureIdentifier.CreatureIdentifierFromString("AncientBehemoth(1)");

            var addCommand = new AddCommand();
            addCommand.ProcessCommand(mockBattleManager.Object, arguments);

            mockBattleManager.Verify(
                mock => mock.AddCreatures(
                    It.Is<CreatureIdentifier>(ci => ci.CreatureType == "AncientBehemoth" && ci.ArmyNumber == 1), 10),
                    Times.Once());
        }

        //ProcessCommand should throw ArgumentNullException,
        //when the "IBattleManager battleManager" is null.
        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldThrowArgumentNullException_WhenIBattleManagerBattleManagerIsNull()
        {
            IBattleManager manager = null;
            string[] arguments = null;

            var command = new AddCommand();

            Assert.That(() => command.ProcessCommand(manager, arguments),
                Throws.ArgumentNullException.With.Message.Contains("battleManager"));
        }

        //ProcessCommand should throw ArgumentNullException,
        //when the "params string[] arguments" is null.
        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldThrowArgumentNullException_WhenStringArrayArgumentsParameterIsNull()
        {
            var manager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();
            string[] arguments = null;

            var command = new AddCommand();

            Assert.That(() => command.ProcessCommand(manager.Object, arguments),
                Throws.ArgumentNullException.With.Message.Contains("arguments"));
        }

        //ProcessCommand should throw ArgumentNullException,
        //when the number of "params string[] arguments" is invalid(lower than 2).
        [TestCase()]
        [TestCase("arg1")]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldThrowArgumentException_WhenStringArrayArgumentsParameterHasLenghtLessThanTwo(params string[] arguments)
        {
            var manager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();

            var command = new AddCommand();

            Assert.That(() => command.ProcessCommand(manager.Object, arguments),
                Throws.ArgumentException.With.Message.Contains("Invalid number of arguments for add command"));
        }

        //ProcessCommand should call IBattleManager.AddCreatures(),
        //when the command is parsed successfully.
        [Test]
        public void ProcessCommand_ShouldCallIBattleManagerAddCreatures_WhenCommandIsParsedSuccessfully()
        {
            var manager = new Mock<IBattleManager>();
            var arguments = new[] { "10", "creature(1)" };

            var command = new AddCommand();
            command.ProcessCommand(manager.Object, arguments);

            manager.Verify(mock => mock.AddCreatures(
                It.Is<CreatureIdentifier>(ci => ci.CreatureType == "creature" && ci.ArmyNumber == 1),
                It.Is<int>(i => i == 10)),
                Times.Once());
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub