text:
Ramadan Motivations 12 – Always be Grateful
Channel: Ali Albarghouthi
Series: Ali Albarghouthi - Ramadan Motivations
Smith das and Imani Come on amateur like you know what i got
a stone to start.
Now Smith now he would hamdulillah that was sidama and honestly early he was so happy you SLM
we praise Him span on what the eila as he deserves to be praised and we send salon so now upon His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa early he was in them. We ask Allah azza wa jal to purify our attentions, and guide our deeds so that they are accepted and blessed who asked him subhana wa tada to continue to bless us and protect us to protect us from the evil that is on the outside and the evil that lurks within us the evil of ourselves the evil of our bad desires, the evil of our own sins, we ask Allah to protect us from that last panel with the either to make the month of Ramadan a junuh a protection from us for us protection for from our desires from our sins from the Shaitaan
and from Hellfire I mean, may Allah xojo or hamara haneen accept Ramadan for us and
make it a blessing to Ramadan where we draw nearer to him subhana wa tada and we learn some of the lessons of Ramadan we implement them. And we carry that further into
the Thai days and nights after Ramadan amin we send Salaam Salaam Salaam, upon the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and upon those who followed him and those who follow them till the Day of Judgment, we ask Allah to make us among those who follow him. I meet
hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen todays Hadith is about what
it's about being grateful.
Let's hear the heavy first and then it shall extract the maximum benefit that we can from it.
He says some Allah How do you sell them? in Allah Allah Allah Allah The any adequate and accurate if a mother who
were Shabbat Shabbat have a mother who Allah
is imported by Muslim he said some allottee was in them that Allah azzawajal is well pleased with someone, when they eat something, yeah, could UTLA eat something, it's a meal, just one.
And he might do it. And he praises him and thanks him for it.
And he drinks something and he praises him and thanks him for it says Alhamdulillah for him.
So here, Allah's river happiness, pleasure with someone is tied to how the person reacts to the netmeds of Allah zoji to something as simple as eating that meal, and feeling grateful enough, and thankful enough and appreciative that they say Alhamdulillah and it's not just simply Alhamdulillah with tongue, but it's 100 allow with your body Alhamdulillah with your heart you know that God comes from inside Alhamdulillah that after you finish you say and how did it know that Allah gave me this Alhamdulillah I was able to enjoy it that Allah blessed with this Alhamdulillah and in the Hadith, it does not say that that meal was a sumptuous meal, that that meal was a heavy meal. It just says
UCLA, whatever that may be, whether you are eating like they used to eat a lot of times at that time of the profits of a lot he was hitting them simply dates and water
like dates or their time was food. Like for us today for many of us today. In fact in the world maybe today I don't think anyone consumes dates as food anymore. But at that time in Medina and other places they twist considered food. So the messenger so the levada he was sitting on a show would say, would spend the span of a month or two months
and they would not light a fire in their home, indicating that there was nothing to cook. There is no hot meal, there's nothing to cook. So they asked What is it then that you ate? They said in the Mahal, so then they will eat just dates and water. So what dates what was a mean? So even if that meal was simply what just to consume dates, and then drink water after and that was it, even that would qualify and it actually would need gratitude.
So this
How did Subhan Allah Subhana Allah I mean directs us to something that I think is absent from our minds, which is not to look for the Nemo of Allah azza wa jal wherever we find it, even in the small things, not to look at the other side where we said we could have more we could have better I deserve more, I deserve better look at the always the negative side of what is our whatever is happening to us, whatever we are consuming, and then decide that this is insufficient, this is incomplete. And so become ungrateful with everything that we have. This is too high, this is too cold This is too salty. This is to to have things, I'm not denying that there are things that we
like and things that we hate, things we like to eat and things we don't like to eat things we like in life and things that we do not like in our lives. We don't not denying any of these things like today, tomorrow and the day after, there'll be things that you encounter in your life that you simply dislike, they don't go according to your plan. And of course, this thing is not thing that you're going to appreciate so much, but there is a different lens, there's a different eye that you can look at your life with, and decide that yes, despite everything that is that I'm gonna that is happening. I'm still going to thank Allah zuiden why, for the following, a even these things could
be lost.
So look at your meal, if thought today Allahu Allah, maybe your meal with talk today is a pleasurable meal.
And maybe your meal if thought today is something that is very simple, I want you to look at your meal for if thought today, the thing that's going to come in few hours or the thing if you're in another part of the world, today is still some time to come until you consume it, it doesn't matter. Look at it. Consider now if it is this pleasurable, sumptuous, you know, meal.
Are we going to remember at the end of it to say this has come from Allah.
Not always not not only thank the chair that thank the chef. Of course thank the one who had made it me Do I mean Allah azza wa jal bless those who are making our food, may Allah reward them for that. And if and I remind anyone who's making food insha Allah had the good intention in your heart that you also are doing this to please Allah. Yes, I'm feeding my kids I feeding my spouse, I'm feeding my parents. But I'm also doing this because this is pleasing to Allah so that Allah reward you for this deed as you are cooking and cutting and simmering and all of this Allah reward you for it. So remember this in sha Allah.
But it's not only thanking the human being who has done this, now if your meal is a great meal, are you going to look at it and say, if not, for Allah, I would not be able to consume this.
If not for Allah, I would not be able to digest it and enjoy it.
If not, for Allah, this would not be something that would be pleasing.
So I'd hamdulillah for this. It's not that my mind, my strength, my intelligence, my hard work that brought this it's only Allah zildjian the one who had gave me the muscles, the brains, the one who had made me the money, the owner gave me the ability to exit from my home to buy this thing in combat. So panela piece of meat that you eat, and you don't see how many people were involved in making this possible on your table. Not only the one who prepared it, who raised it, who maintained it, who slaughtered it, who as skinned it, who cut it, who processed it who transported it. So many people are involved in bringing this to your plate and you only see it in front of you you only see
it in the grocery store. You don't see the name of Allah as total that the chain of names of Allah that extend beyond from the animal and then beyond the animal who made it to fetta to me that disease free Subhanallah If not, you wouldn't be able to eat it.
So really you need to say and hamdulillah that this you know, great meal in front of me was not possible without Allah xuejun and even if it is simple, even if you were to consume like the messenger sallallahu audio or send them in front of you today The only thing I'm going to have is dates and water, not milk, not buttermilk, not anything less dates, and water to teach yourself to say Alhamdulillah for this Alhamdulillah with a happy heart. That is even the small things that happened. You say first of all, I could even have lost this. Even this would not have been possible without Allah xuejun I may not have had the ability to be able to find and afford this and be able
to enjoy it.
And hamdulillah that I can pick this up put it in my mouth tasted enjoy this digested it
My body benefits from it, and it's all from Allah zildjian. So without him, this could not have been facilitated, and hamdulillah with this system be able to find even in the little things that we have
the name of Allah,
that first this could not have been happened without Allah. Second, Allah scented,
Allah scented for you and me
to say a lot hamdulillah that you sent this, to look always at the other side of what we consider to be hardship
decreased provisions just to look at the other side and say, but Allah is providing and Allah is helping and Allah is guiding and this is from Allah, and you have to be happy with Allah has his origin, you have to thank him for this NEMA. Because when you thank him over what is little, the little gets blessed and becomes plenty, plenty in your own eyes. But also Fenty as Allah blesses it, we were asked the plenty, when it is rejected, looked down on becomes small,
not only small in your own eyes definitely does but small also in the bonica. So Allah as the audience of how Allah could give you a lot of food could be a lot on your plate, but within gratitude in your heart, because simply you're not happy with your life, not happy with Allah has given you not happy with the Ramadan not happy with this not happy with that you look at it, and you can taste it, you can smell it, you hate this blessing of Allah that He had given to you. So in fact, we had made this NEMA the opposite, something to be hated and despised. And it's all about attitude. And it's all about gratitude. So if the plenty you cannot think it turns into what a curse
turns into something to be despised, whereas Allah gives you a little bit, and you decide, I have to change my perspective in life, I can keep complaining about everything. I can't keep looking down upon everything that Allah gives to me, even if it's a little bit, Isn't it enough that Allah had given me something? Can I say Alhamdulillah for this, don't I want Allah xojo to be happy with me, I look at it also, in a different way. I do a little bit
in terms of Salah in terms of giving Zakah in terms of Vicar in terms of Oran, I just give a little bit to Allah. And I see a lot except from me, be happy with me, overlook my mistakes, and my shortcomings take this little bit that I've done. So I do the little of the littlest of things. And I want a lot to be happy with me. Yet if a light gives me something little I declare that I'm unhappy, and I deserve more. So I'm unhappy with Allah, but I'm asking them to be happy with me. How does that work?
How does that work? If I want a lot to be happy with the little things that I do, shouldn't I be happy with Allah when he gives me whatever he gives to me
when he decides hit, take this, here is a gift.
Your neighbors have had a line in the Hadith the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, if says, Do not look down on a gift that a neighbor gives to you, even if he gives you or she gives you the hope of an animal,
right, the foot of an animal hardly with any meat on it even that appreciate that. So a pre be appreciated with human beings. If you receive a gift, you look at what is this thing? What am I going to do with this? If you treat it like that, then do you really deserve to receive that gift. Whereas if you look at it, and you say at least they remembered me, at least they gave me something, this is their power, this is what they can afford. I appreciate that they tried, I appreciate the thought. If you do this, then they will like them because of it. And Allah will bless what you have. And you will feel better on the inside.
But it's only not not only about feeling better on the inside, it's also about what Allah will be happy with you. So when you're sitting to eat this very simple thing, and in your heart, you say 100 in that Allah made it possible.
Allah gave me the health to be able to enjoy it to be able to taste it. Allah made possible so that now I am not hungry and held good enough for this NEMA and you eat it and you rise from your table, happy with Allah. And you do this after you eat. You do this after you drink. You fill your heart with contentment. Allah looks at you and he's happy with you.
Just for consuming this food and just for saying both
saying and hamdulillah which is both what praising and thanking Allah and handling down on Bella
Al Hamdulillah for this Alhamdulillah with that, so let this hadith be a motivation insha Allah for us,
that let us say, Alhamdulillah for what Allah has given us, whether it is something that we've planned for, or not the thing that we have been asking for, or something different.
If Allah decides, this is what I'm giving to you, this is what I'm feeding you, let us say, Alhamdulillah and let us look at all the things that deserve to be thanked Alhamdulillah for my health,
Alhamdulillah for my parents, and hamdulillah for my spouse, Alhamdulillah for my children Alhamdulillah for my small or big house Alhamdulillah for my old or new car Alhamdulillah for my good or even bad neighbors and hamdulillah I've had the level a roof over my head, and handed in love for security and handed in love with this, count your numbers and say Alhamdulillah and bring the pleasure of Allah into your life and the life of your family and into your heart. May Allah azzawajal allow us to be those who eat and say 111 their hearts and drink and say it hamdulillah from their hearts and receive Allah's bounties and say and handle in their from their hearts. And
may Allah is evident when we do this put contentment into our hearts into our lives. And our allies origin make us happy with you. And we ask you that we make be happy with you as Allah as dogen says, Allah The Allahu
Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with them. It is two sides of an equation are two sides of the same coins. You want a lot to be happy with you. You need to be happy with Allah s origin. And if you are happy with Allah, Allah will be happy with you. It cannot be that you are unhappy with him. And you're asking to be happy with you. allies of Judah has more reasons for us to be happy with him, then reasons for him to be happy with us. So if he wants you want him to be pleased with you, at least we take this step to say and I am pleased with Allah zoji bellami
insha Allah. So let's look at a couple of questions that we have here. What is the ruling on eating animals with claws and what type of claws is a talam? So if you have animals that have close to them, meaning ferocious animals, then you don't consume those animals. You're not going to eat a lion, you're gonna I'm not gonna eat a tiger or your leopard. You don't eat cats, you know, eat dogs, whereas you have animals that don't don't consume other animals typically, right?
They don't have.
So for instance,
cows, chicken,
goats, stuff like that, right? So those are the animals that you consume. kulu dinarobin, Mina, Mina Siva, so if an animal is a ferocious animals, it has
words escapes me right? Right now.
Nam insha Allah. So anyway, if the animal consumes other animals, typically that's not an animal and all that you would eat, right? Whereas if it's an animal
that is not typically that's the animal that you consume, right? So if you have spec,
now, who has retractable claws, what animal has retractable claws?
So shall I just I'm trying to think of a phrase in my head. inshallah, once it comes, I'll come back to your question.
It's just, it's just, it's escaped me. So how am I can jump. Let me just answer the next question. Maybe insha. Allah, we'll come back to your question, Shawn, should be should we be grateful for the illness that Allah azzawajal gives us? So what does that mean? And that's a good question. Insha Allah so if you become ill, whether it's an illness like a passing illness, like Cuba, you have a fever, you have a cold or you have the flu, or a more serious thing, but it could be treated, or there's another thing that cannot be treated or we don't have an idea of how to be treated. Do we become satisfied and happy and as you said, grateful for that or not. Now, on the one hand, if Allah
xojo grants, you have a space to change something
about your condition. Then Allah zoodle also allows you to do your best to change that condition of yours, so you're sick, and there's medicine that you can take to treat your illness does not mean that you shouldn't take your medicine to cure yourself. We say no medicate yourself. It is recommended.
Meditate, medicate yourself. It is recommended. So if I like gives you the space
To change your reality that is may not be
to your liking. But Allah gives you this space, meaning you are at this point pure poor. At this point, you don't have a job, does that mean that I should be happy with being out of work and not seek employment? We say no, if Allah gives you a space to seek employment, and you can find it, go ahead and seek it. Okay? But, okay, if Allah zildjian gives you that space and you keep trying, and it doesn't work,
why it's not working, while you're still sick? Should I be grateful for it? We say that is a good, that is a good position and stance to take with affliction, if you remember we had this series long series on etickets Islamic etiquettes we said that with affliction what is right what is an obligation on all of us is to be patient
is to be patient. That's if it happens, and I'm sick at this time and I'm trying to medicate myself and heal myself. And it's taken a while or it's not happening immediately. But while I'm sick, it's it's an obligation on me to be patient not to say things and do things that upset Allah xuejun Do I have to be grateful we say this is a recommended station. Yes, even gratitude that Allah azza wa jal had sent this illness, that I'm out of work that at this particular time, hold on, I'm trying to change this, but at this particular time, I'm poor, but it is for my own good that Allah gave this and there is benefit in it. So yes, be grateful even for that, that is a recommended station. So
even to say Alhamdulillah for this, right? Even to say Alhamdulillah, that Allah gave me this, it will fill your mind filled your heart and fill your body with gratitude, which is calmness, that Allah chose this. And he wants this for me at this time. So rather than being in agony, and then agitation over why this is happening, I can't stand this, this is so difficult. Rather than this, you actually absorb it by saying that Allah wants this, and Alhamdulillah for this, I'm going to try to change it. And as soon as Allah allows this, he will allow me to change it. But as soon as, but as long as I'm experiencing all of this Alhamdulillah for it, yes, gratitude greatly helps during
times of affliction, even with illness, even with loss. Right? And humbling. So this is a good question in sha Allah. And it's important to distinguish between what changing our reality and being contented with it. They are they are they there they go hand in hand. But it doesn't mean that I have, I'm contented with this reality that I'm not trying to change it, that we look at it that yes, Allah decreed this at this moment. But if Allah allows changing it, then Allah may also want and like that I would change it lower.
The first question, I feel that my batteries are hollow and doesn't have any weight in them. Second, is when any chef says that he will get this much reward against worship, how they calculated, said, the third question is is about taraweeh at home, especially if a person is living alone. Here inshallah so three questions from you, I feel that my battery is hollow, and doesn't have any weight in them. So first of all, in sha Allah, if you have a feeling that the bat is hollow and empty, I would say that it is a good feeling, excuse you feel now that there is something that is missing in them. And it's a good feeling when we look at ourselves in our event, and we find that there is
something lacking and we demand more from ourselves. It's really good. So first of all, thank Allah for the fact that you performing any better. Second of all, even if they're a better feels empty et CIE, at least it's fulfilling an obligation.
So one is inshallah to also appreciate this, even if I perform my salah and after my Salah, I was you know, my mind was elsewhere throughout the saga. At least I should say that my bad that this Salah, fulfill that obligation, never stop just because I feel very bad is empty. Man now
your heart is asking you can you do better? Because this is not satisfactory on its own.
And this is where we begin to what ask Allah.
So this is what I want from you. Ask Allah, Allah asked him in your Sunnah he or Allah, I feel my data is empty. I feel my heart is not into it. I feel I'm not getting a lot from it. Yet Allah give me more from my bed. Allow me to gain benefits from it better to be present in it for it to have meaning and
My life, for it to have an impact on my heart and soul and body. Keep making this up and be present while you're praying, struggle with yourself when you want to give sadaqa as a care struggle so that you would have an intention. I'm doing this for Allah and then do give it when you're starting to create are we house yourself before you want to pray? Why?
Why? So this answer most of your third question, why am I praying? Just simply because I'm repeating movements and words? Why am I praying? there is forgiveness and a lot in it. I'm lazy, but I'll do it for Allah. Allahu Akbar. This is a conversation you have with yourself before you do any deed Why is this privately in your heart? Why is this pause before you're about that and ask this question Okay.
And then perform the Sega
and you will feel more insha Allah and in it will you feel that your mind is wandering bring it back? Yeah, allow my mind in wandering assist me so bring it back. So this is what we can do in sha Allah to enhance our a better then the more that you do this and he also by the way, read more or learn more or listen to some lectures about the secrets of the Sadat my secrets of masala meaning what the objectives of the Sunnah, the benefits of the Sadat why were bow in one good prostrating, what are the benefits that are in it? What are the rewards that are in it, this will help you in sha Allah, remember, and appreciate the parts of the event that you're performing, then you will feel
insha Allah that they are helping and benefiting, but don't give up. It's a great thing that you have felt that there was something missing. But if you let that go and you surrender, that feeling, it becomes dangerous because he gave up on the a panda, no, this is us consider that a message from Allah that hey, so and so. Now you need more from it to try to do more from it. Right? So in sha Allah, I hope you can Sharla that helps says when there was some people say that you will get this much and that much from your Eva How did they get that? It depends on who's talking and what embedded they're talking about. So if it comes from the Quran, if it comes from the sooner
hamdulillah This is acceptable. If it has no basis don't you don't accept it.
So if we say in fasting Allah rewards you for for it without account without measurement. This is based on a headache
Illa song for in the Holy One Zb except for fasting. Except it's for me and I will reward it because he says in the Hadith, every action is multiplied 10 times to 700 times except for fasting. It is for me. That means fasting is multiplied more than 700 times.
So this means insha Allah these calculations if they come based on Quran and Sunnah, and this is listened to the speaker,
how they're calculating, and they're basically on Koran and soon Al Hamdulillah If not, then don't accept it. Right? And then just listen to the speaker they mentioned the evidence and hamdulillah and they don't mention the evidence maybe later on private message or you do your own research or as somebody else so and so said I will get these many good deeds when I do this. Where does this come from? Is it from the prophets a lot he was sending them or were and then maybe on Sharla we are praying Tara we Hello? Yeah, you probably thought we had them. That's fine insha Allah just like to create in Gemma if you're living alone, Allahu Akbar, why don't you start crying it alone to like as
toorak as torok as toorak as to the you know, you create this easy inshallah to like as salaam to like I said, then another tool UK has set out to like I said, and we did eight, then you do your winter and winter you do to like us salah and then one Raka and then seven. That's it.
So this is a thin shell, right? So I hope inshallah, that that is easy, right? And I know it's not
as easy when you're alone to Prater away. But remember, also when it's more difficult, Allah rewards you even more. So it's easier to create in Jamal and there are a lot of people around you right in the masjid. But when it's not available, and you have to pray it alone, and you decide to pray it alone, and it's harder, your reward is even high.
So appreciate that as well. And hamdulillah right.
reciting the dying person to make it easy his death is allowed.
The Hadith about it is weak. The Hadith about it is weak, right. So the Hadith or the best
thing to do when you're near a day
person on dying person rather is to remind them of La ilaha illAllah Muhammadan rasul Allah. So that will be the last thing that they say, as the sole exits, so that you can see, you know, as you're next to them that either Illallah Muhammadan rasul Allah so that they will repeat it, if they are experiencing some anxiety to remind them of the hammer and mercy of Allah xuejun you're heading you're coming closer to Allah, the Most Merciful, the most generous, the one who will receive you beaten and now as the origin you know, with,
with forgiveness.
So remind them of the run of Allah, so they be here helpful Allah, and also remind them also repent from all sin, know that you're coming close to Allah as the origin. So be that positive influence and that reminder next to them reciting the Quran just to make the sort of exit easier, that Hadith about it is weak. So this is I'm not going to say, absolutely don't do it. But also when you're doing it, don't think you're doing as soon. But if you're finding that the person that next to you is experiencing some pain and agony, and you simply want to recite some poron go ahead and do it. But don't think that it's as soon as so kinda like maybe it will help. Maybe it will help but don't
specify a particular surah as I said, because this is not it's not as soon right on lower.
Explain seeking knowledge and its obligations in Islam. This is of course writing, I like to write, let's say insha Allah, it's it's a it's a, it's a, it's mandated, it's prescribed that we seek knowledge that we learn our religion.
So part of learning Islam is an obligation on each one of us, we have to know the difference between halal and haram we have to know how to pray, how to fast how to give Zakat, how to perform obrah what are the obligations on is when you get married, are intimate with your spouse what is halal about this and what is haram? You have to learn this when you're raising your children what is hideout about this and what is haram? How to this is an obligation so there is a basic obligation in Islam that each one of us has to learn
the virtue of this it takes a while right we cannot explain that they will need inshallah a separate occasion and lecture on its own
a lot of magnetic rica or Chicago has neighbor the tick this helped me a lot
helped me a lot to finish the last okay we need to see it in the tissue All right. So this was helped me a lot a lot of my knee and I think recover should recover his name rather than just up on low heel for reminding us so this draft from the messenger Sullivan He will send them a lot of magnetic rica Allah helped me to remember you were the one shrieker to thank you and ego first name balletic to worship you well, so this is your I was recommended by the prophets Allah audio is setting them to while say this at the end of the Sunnah. So before you say your Salah, after you finish your dish I heard you say this job. Also you can say it after your cinema either in sha Allah
is fine. Allah Homer in the either the creek our Chicago office nearly burned I think he said to Mohan Do not let go of this
meaning keep always remembering and saying this. Don't let go of it. Allah Indiana victory go Where should he go? Or who's nearby that the key Allah assists me to remember you at the thank you and to worship you? Well, because of course without Allah xherdan you can thank you won't remember to thank him or to thank him well, you will be able to remember Allah zildjian and pray and you are in there that would be lacking without Allah assisting you. So remember this, as as it was said here, it helped a lot. So May Allah allow us to remember this throughout because it can help us a lot. And remember it is recommendation from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says on the last checkout
wizard do you make dua or do you make it in all the like, Ah
no, this is you're talking about the minute so the last leg of wit right so let's say for instance, you're praying your widow three
right three like ass. Okay, you will only do the minute at the last one all you praying or Witter as wonder Can you only do your note at the last record
and your note could be before the record or after the record and you will raise your hands and you will see alarm at any female and her date. What if any female athlete what they wondered if he meant or when they you will say this. You can add other drug to it if you wish. That's it. That's the art of Qunu and it's not a must by the way. It's not
A must, you can say it or you could leave it. You could say it and you could leave it your window is complete, right? Your financial
Can I teach my husband the knowledge I know of the dean, or he has to seek it professionally? No, you can teach it to them.
You can teach it to them, they don't have to write, you know, a Daniel anesthetic effect. If you guide someone to a good deed, it'd be as if you have done it. So when you teach it to your children,
it'd be as if you've done it, if you teach it to your husband, it'd be as if you've done it, right. So absolutely, positively teach it to your wife, teach it to your children, teach it to your parents, they don't have to seek it on their own, No, in fact, have a private solo sitting them said, belly of who I knew what to convey from me even in a fire, when you speak into the Sahaba meaning that they became all of them the messengers of the messenger sallallahu and he was sitting down. So you consider yourself also the messenger of the messenger of the messenger of the prophets of Allah you are setting them all for short. You are the messenger of the messengers of Allah How do
you it was in each one of you by the way,
if you hear a hadith from him like the hadith of today, you convey it You're the messenger of the messenger So hey, so consider the honor right? Consider the honor you're a chain you say I heard from so and so who heard from so and so who read in this book who had written from so and so that the prophets a lot of you're part of a chain that links you to Mohammed Salah lie to you and he was sending them so you know your link to Mohammed Salah your sin. So now teach, teach in sha Allah teach?
How about if he is stubborn? Well, what can I do with that right and he cannot be helped, what help is offered by scholars and you see the person is going to end up deviant to teach you try your best to make up if he's not going to take it from you than from somebody else. You forward him election. Forward him an article write for them a scholar that he may like, to sometimes it's true, it's sometimes it's hard for them to listen to us. Your parents don't want to listen to you teaching your teaching, you know, from their kids, teaching them something, they may not want it, but they can listen to another senior scholar. So I will give them that. So do that inshallah be be clever about
it and creative. They may not listen to me, but a book, they could read this book, but not listen to me. So be a little bit so if they're not receptive, when it comes from from you find another way insha Allah And don't forget to always keep making.
Keep making the art for them, that Allah soften their hearts and open their hearts so that they could accept it.
Just keep making it.
Can you start talking to your husband or wife for no query reason? Or not responding to him or her text messages? This is related to somebody? Okay, so we're going to assume always, it's related to someone, it's not about you.
Why are you stopping talking to them or not responding to their messages, and that there's no clear reason. So of course, right, this is not good manners. If you just want to give yourself a little bit of space, just a little bit of space, and they're not gonna take it as you're being rude or not fulfilling their rights.
Maybe it's okay, just you need a little bit of space. Okay, this recollect, to just feel better just to respond better. Sometimes, if you're
not feeling very well, you're angry, agitated, and you're gonna respond at this moment, you just give yourself a little bit of space before you text back a little bit of space before you respond. But just simply give them the silent treatment, and there is no reason you got to investigate why you're why you're doing this, why you feel yourself that you have to do this. What is it about you, right, so you're going through some things, maybe it is important for you to talk to someone about it, including them, I'm going through some difficult time at this moment, I just need a little bit of space, let them know that there is a reason because you simply give them the silent treatment
that you turn away from them. That creates gaps between you and them. And so they may start responding in the same way. What do you need something from them, they turn away from you? Well, this is how you react when I want you. So now this is the way I'm reacting when you want me. So let's try to investigate in sha Allah why this is happening? As a lot of searching for support and insight. Yeah, Allah helped me with this. Allow me to see why it's happening. improve my character. Let's ask Allah for this also in Ramadan, y'all improve my character and talk to them to see why they're why this is happening. By the way, guys, I mean, I apologize if this is going over. As long
as you hear I'm here but also the same time I want to see that I did not become a burden or too long.
For you, so I'm just really answering questions insha Allah so what that the lecture itself in about inshallah 15 minutes it's done but all the rest is just questions
can you reset so that in fact he has a new app
or another surah
solid In fact, he has a BA in it, he did a lot of stuff. So if you feel like it's not as soon as By the way, if you feel from time to time, right, that you just want to begin your day with salt and Fatiha because it already has to do and it has the praise of Allah in it and what have you. So from time to time you want to do this go ahead and Sharla if you feel from time to time you want to have a surah in it. You just especially if that sort of phrases Allah or that either the praise Allah because it's part of their manners have to praise Allah first. See, I want to do that through a surah right and then go into your diet later is fine in show but just keep in mind and Sharla This
is a choice that we're making. It's not we don't advance it as soon as we don't have asuna from our profits all of a sudden that you begin it with an Fatiha you begin it with a surah because we don't also want to make this what a difficult a bad for people when you want to make da recite this sort of first and then you decide this is at first and then because di is also easy you can just simply say he or Allah for all Brielle press v to use a lot he was sent them and then Nikita right so it could be something that is very easy right? Well yeah compatible if you're consistent.
According to a shake, so and so we're not allowed to perform at home. That makes me so confused Just now you said aloud. He said not to whom we follow thank you for your patience. No, no, no problem at all in sha Allah so it doesn't matter who said in sha Allah. So now to tarawih maybe you did not understand from the shape right.
You are absolutely allowed to pray to Allah we had home. So maybe you did not understand from the shape right. You're absolutely are up to pre tala. We had to him I don't know of a scholar who had said, You're not allowed to pray to her. We had home. No, he may have said it is better. To pray, tell. Are we in the masjid?
That I agree right away a second?
Yes, amen. Amen. I'm in her menstrual period she can recite for us. And we answered this and how they did lie yesterday. So you can go back to it? And shall if you want more detail yesterday, but we did answer this and how did I yesterday that if you're on your period, you can recite for on it handling that write that? So I'm glad that I saw this. But we did answer it yesterday. So yes, the scholars you know, no, no, there's some disagreements with the scholar, is it better to create than domestic or not? So some scholars say it's absolutely better to create in domestic rather than at home. Some scholars will say it depends on whether you've memorized the origin or not. Sometimes
it's better at home than domestic. But
or don't follow the online Torah we had home. So maybe you have said may have said that. So address this in sha Allah. So but the scholars are known. I'm not aware of a scholar who said don't pray to Allah we had home alone. I'm not aware of anybody. So maybe you did not understand him. Right? The brother he was saved. Maybe he said, Don't follow Ted, are we online? If you're alone at home? So maybe he has said that? That would be absolutely right. So you turn on something online, they're praying turn away, you're far away from them at home, and you're just following? That's not allowed.
So I think maybe we have maybe corrected your understanding in terms of what the sheriff have said. If you are aware of where he had said and go back to it. The episode is recorded online, it's probably his go back to it. Just listen to it. And just make sure what he had said, right.
Okay, so this one was, what is this connected to? He knows everything in his own thinking. But it's telling you I've changed man, if you want to stay or leave,
I am changed men, meaning I will not change or have a change man if you want or Lee meaning that you're telling me this is what I'm connecting to. We are giving them advice you say that I know everything. Right? That is I know I know everything I don't need anybody to tell me. And I'm this is what I am if you want it stay or if you don't want it to leave. So it means that he doesn't need teaching. He needs a lot of changes heart. This is what it means. Right? So this is what you ask Allah Allah changing.
Yeah, let's change them and you be patient with him. Now the extent of what he's doing or not doing that you need to insha Allah to discuss with someone.
Right? So maybe you know what he's doing is so bad or maybe it's not so bad. So you need to discuss this with someone, but he doesn't need teaching or not teaching from your side. What he needs is for Allah to change his heart. So this is your task right now. At night, in your Salah. Last part of the night, put it in your doggie Allah change my husband, change my wife, open your heart, make it soft. This is your this is your task now. May Allah make it easy? And may Allah did say me May Allah azza wa jal if we have someone in our lives, who is not responding to our reminders, and is not responding to Allah and His Messenger, so a lot of you I do send them we rely on him are human, we
asked you now collectively, y'all want to change their hearts and bring them closer to you soften their hearts, and bring them closer to your messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and renew amen in their hearts and renewed up one random point in their lives me. So this is a data for you and everybody who has anyone like that in their last meal like set me get a self help sister help. and nonprofit organizations online, we're only men are involved, just with texting and emailing. and phone calls without FaceTime is this harder? As long as not in that you're not alone with another man?
As long as you're not alone with another email, whether it is physically or online.
So if that's the case, insha Allah, you're not alone with them, then you're fine. If you find yourself eventually because of this volunteer work, let's say or you know, you're paid, it's paid work. You find yourself alone without another mean.
Physically, in an office space, right? So you're alone with them, or online. Okay? Now with customers, I don't mean with customers, right? But I need because a customer you call them and it's just a conversation where it's just a minute or two and you hang out. But I mean, you're working with someone. And for an extended exchange, you're alone with them online texting and texting back or on the phone talking to them and they were talking to you about if that was happening you need to distance yourself from that type of work because prolonged interaction with a person from the opposite sex could lead to developing feelings for them or them for you. And then that opens the
door of fitna, even though it is what simply online you don't know. And the shaitaan is always in the middle to tell you hey, he likes you or she likes you.
So insha Allah
Okay, so for
one question, I owe you this question sha Allah tomorrow, so I'll ask you inshallah, this question because as I said, that phrase has escaped me. So I'm sure a lot I will answer your question in sha Allah tomorrow. May Allah azza wa jal help us in sha Allah to follow his religion to love his book, to love the son of his messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, you ask him subhana wa Taala to keep us close to him at all times, that we love what Allah loves, and then we hate what Allah hates. But Allah hates yellow asks you that we love you more than we love anything else or anyone else and we love your messenger sallallahu I knew you were at he was sending them more than we even our love our
love our own selves and our children and our parents was your brand I mean two plus four hold on for us. Bless our Salah plus our fasting plus our pour on fill our days and nights of Ramadan with a bad and things that are pleasing to you and distance us in Ramadan and after from things that are displeasing to you. We ask that you purify our intention and correct our deeds. forgive our sins grant us a sincere repentance from all sin. Elevate us in Jannah protect us from Hellfire, free us from your punishment and from Johanna ami subhanak alumna we're behind the shadow under either hailed as the funeral guide to what they have done in the helping IRA mean we'll see you tomorrow in
sha Allah as salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh


There are few brands of e juices that rule the market, in fact, dominate the whole empire of E-Cigarettes. The E Juice market is abundant of brands but vapers rely only on those who are notoriously known to offer high-grade premium juice that delivers once in a lifetime experience.
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Author's Bio: The author is an avid writer. The article is about the factors that helps a vaping company turn into a brand.


text:
1924 Melvin 2014
Melvin Thompson
January 1, 1924 — April 1, 2014
THOMPSON, Rev. Melvin Lowell of Franklin, TN went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Tuesday, April 1, 2014; he was 89. A native of Sikeston, MO he was preceded in death by his parents, W.H. and Sinah St. Clair Thompson. Rev. Thompson is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Dorothy Thompson; sons, Rev. L. Alan (Martha) Thompson of Gallatin, TN and Mel (Cheryl) Thompson of Franklin, TN; grandchildren, Blake (Tanya) Thompson, Chris (Kayla) Thompson and Lisa (Brad) Lawrence; great-grandchildren, Blake Andrew Thompson, Rylee Thompson, Marley Lawrence, Reiger Lawrence and Emry Thompson; sisters, Maxine Shell and Aileen Fudge both of Memphis, TN. Bro. Thompson served as pastor in the Church of the Nazarene for 38 years; pastoring in, TN, TX, IN, and OH. He attended Trevecca University and served the church far beyond his local congregation. Rev. Thompson was a pastor who operated on principle and integrity and served with unquestionable ethics. All who knew him considered him a selfless servant of Jesus Christ. After his retirement Bro. Thompson continued to serve the Church of the Nazarene as interim pastor in several churches. Over the years he loved sports, fishing, gardening and laughing at the great-grandchildren. Among other interest he enjoyed raising feeder calves. His son Alan, stated that his dad had a great mind and could always out reason his sons. "He was our hero and always will be." Rev. Thompson was an Army veteran serving in WWII. Funeral services and a celebration of Rev. Thompson's life will begin on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 7PM Gateway Community Church of the Nazarene, 584 Franklin Rd., Franklin, TN with Dr. Talmadge Johnson, Dr. Gary Allen Henecke and Rev. James Lunsford officiating. Visitation begins a 3PM. Interment will be private. Lasting tributes to the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. 17001 Prairie Star Parkway. Ste. 100 Lenexa, KS 66720. Online tributes madisonfuneralhome.net MADISON FUNERAL HOME, (615)868-9020.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Melvin Thompson, please visit our flower store.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Technology has made it exceedingly simple for people on different continents, in different time zones, and of different cultures to communicate today like they're in the same room, but the barrier of languages ..
Here is the scenario. You are posted to a new city temporarily. People of the city speaks different languages. As your posting is temporary, you usually survive with help of co-workers or any collage friends ..


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Arthur Lowe Autograph Signed Photo - Dad's Army
Arthur Lowe Autograph Signed Photo - vintage red ink autograph of comic actor Arthur Lowe on a superb postcard size black and white photo mounted with an additional image. Signed images of Arthur Lowe in the role of Captain Mainwaring are extremely difficult to find and highly sought after by Dad's Army collectors
Signed photo measures 5.5 x 3.5 inches. Double mounted in cream and black to an overall size of 16 x 12 inches
Arnold Ridley Autograph Signed Display - Dad's Army
Arnold Ridley Autograph Signed Display - rare blue ink autograph of Arnold Ridley who is best known for playing the role of Private Godfrey in the classic BBC television comedy Dad's Army. Arnold Ridley's signature is one of the most difficult to obtain for Dad's Army collectors
Bill Pertwee Autograph Signed Display - Dad's Army
Bill Pertwee Autograph Signed Display - blue ink autograph of Bill Pertwee who is best known for playing the role of ARP Warden Hodges in the classic BBC television comedy Dad's Army
Ian Lavender Autograph Signed Display - Dad's Army
Ian Lavender Autograph Signed Display - black ink autograph of Ian Lavender who is best known for playing the role of Private Frank Pike in the classic BBC television comedy Dad's Army


text:
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS...
11/1 - November membership meeting
December- no membership meeting
NOTE: The membership meeting will feature Nick Belmonte...scout for the Chicago Cubs. Also board elections.
SEASONS COME AND SEASONS GO
To proclaim that this has been a nerve shattering year for the Chicago Cubs is an understatement. It was to be a year of hope. The friendly confines were supposed to shake with the return of full occupancy.
But when things changed and our heroes began exiting, a storm of emptiness hit and things never improved. Hopefully, the dark clouds will vanish with the 2022 season.
It has been a long and hard history for the men in blue. It has been and continues to be an opera where the fat lady has sung only once in 2016. We need to fix that.
So here is a question for you. How long to you think it will take to win another series? Let us hear from you!
DON'T FORGET TO LOOK FOR THE RED WORD
Hi. This is Clark the bear, your ever faithful non-pants wearing mascot. (Hey...at least I have shoes. It gets messy in the Ocala state park.)
Anyway, I'm here to remind you to search for a word printed in red somewhere in this newsletter. Write it down and bring it to our next membership meeting in November.
You could be a winner!
Good luck to you.
AN IMPORTANT UPCOMING ELECTION
by Don Mulder
Cubs World is organized as a Florida not-for-profit corporation.
It's required to annually identify it's officers, abide by the laws
of the State of Florida and operate in accord with it's Bylaws.
The Cubs World Bylaws are available for review on it's website.
The Officers and Directors are defined in the Bylaws along with
their roles, general means of selection and terms of office.
The Board has declared the following offices open for election in November, 2021:
Position Current Officer Term
President Donald Mulder 2 years
Secretary Barb Beil 2 years
At-Large Dan Marx 1 year
At-Large Cindi Bellovary 1 year
At-Large VACANT 1 year
Anyone Club Member in good standing can self-nominate or
be nominated by another member with the candidate's approval.
A simple statement of qualification and interest will be required.
All nominations are to be forwarded to the club Secretary.
The election will be held during the November Member Meeting.
Please take a few moments to examine the biographies of the fine individuals who appear on the ballot. One of the most enjoyable things about membership meetings is that we get to socialize with fellow members not only about the Cubs, but our lives.
It's been stated before that our members are quite interesting and skilled in many areas. Cubs World is blessed with having an array of fascinating Villagers!
DON MULDER (President)
Mulder was instrumental in starting the club in 2018. He was chosen by the Organizing Committee to be its first President, and reelected twice by the membership. His early work in telecom R&D led to market development roles in large companies and international consulting.
Don grew up in West Michigan as an American League Tiger fan, but could capture WGN radio in the attic where he listened to those strange National League Cubs. Teaching in a Chicago area college after retirement delayed his full-time move to The Villages; but he's been a full-time Villager for over 10 years now.
He's been married to Carole for 55 years, and enjoy their three children "up north" where they are busily raising eight grand children and one great-grandchild.
BARB BEIL (Secretary)
I was born and raised in Chicago a couple of miles away from Wrigley Field. Growing up I remember my mom in front of our black & white TV ironing and watching the Cubs game. We also spent many Ladies Days at the game.
My mother's love of the game has turned both me and my sister in to life-long Cub fans.
My early career was as a Manager at Jewel Food Stores for over 20 years. My second career was with the City of Park Ridge, the majority of time as Administrative Assistant to the Finance Director.
In 1980 my late husband and I purchased a home in Park Ridge and lived there until I moved to the Villages in 2015. I have one son who is married and lives in Boise, Idaho. I am Charter Member of the club.
DAN MARX (At Large)
As a cofounder, Cubs World has been my passion since the beginning . I have been an at large director the whole time, and have been part of every meeting , event, game watch, golf match, and board meeting that I have been available for. I love watching its incredible progress and increase in new members. I will continue to offer fresh new ideas for the continued growth of our club.
CINDY BELLOVARY (At large)
I am a Charter Member of Cubs World. My husband Dave and I moved to Pine Ridge 4 1/2 years ago from Valparaiso Indiana. We have been married for 37 years, and are both avid Cubs' fans, as well as our two sons and 4 grandchildren. I created the centerpieces for the tables for our meetings, and am also the Cubs World Librarian.
OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING RE-CAP...
BESTSELLING AUTHOR PETER GOLENBOCK AN ENTERTAINING SPEAKER AT MEMBERSHIP MEETING
by Dan Marx
Cubs World members had a well renowned author and journalist as their guest speaker for their October membership meeting. Peter Golenbock, who lives in nearby St. Petersburg came with his wife see what Cubs World was all about, and in the process make us smarter.
We feature his book, Wrigleyville , in our library . This a book that Don Mulder has read, and has said that he learned more about the Cubs and baseball than any other book that he has read. Other than Wrigleyville, Golenbock collaborated with Sparky Lyle to write The Bronx Zoo, which Sports Illustrated called one of the best 100 sports books of all time.
Peter gave us a great history of baseball as he read about Albert Spaulding's monumental importance to baseball's crude beginnings and how he helped to organize the leagues. From becoming not just the best pitcher in baseball , but probably the best player in baseball as he won 47 games one year. He went on to manage teams, become an executive in baseball, and operate the largest sporting goods company in the country.
Afterwards, Peter answered questions ranging all the way from Billy Martin to Harry Carey.
Before that, Jim Gulesarian started the evening with Let's Play Too. He guided us through the top 20 nicknames of Cubs, and also went over the important October happenings through the history of the Cubs.
BLEACHER BUM REPORT
by Jack Hebron
Well, this 2021 Cubs season has come to and end. I have a feeling many of you feel like I do. Good bye and good riddance! I cannot think of anything in my lifetime that can compare to what happened when all of our favorite players were traded away for young future talent. And lets not forget they also traded away their best relievers in Greg Kimbrel and Ryan Tepera to the White Sox.
There are also some good players on the current roster to consider bringing back. The Cubs had some positives this season and the emergence of certain players is one of them. These are three players that the Cubs absolutely need to bring back next season if they can:
Wilson Contreras in the one player we should really concentrate on. After the 2022 season he can become a free agent and sign anywhere. Let's get him unde contract!
Frank Schwindel became Anything Rizzo's replacement. He had a great finish to the season. This 29 year old rookie did everything the Cubs asked him to do.
The third player is Patrick Wisdom. He too is 29 year old rookie who bounced around waiting for his shot. When it finally came he sure did his thing! Hitting 28 home runs as a rookie broke the old record held by Kris Bryant.
The 2022 season will be totally different for Cub fans. Lot of new names will be on the field. The three players I think that will have the most success are outfielder Brennan Davis, LHP Brailyn Marquez and my longshot pick is RHP Caleb Kilian who many feel could be our next Kerry Wood.
Winter is coming but not for us. Because were in Florida! Won't be long before we hear "Play Ball" again!
CUBS WORLD LIBRARY HAS MANY TREASURES
Whenever Cubs World has a membership meeting, you will see some long tables set up displaying a library of titles about baseball and the Chicago Cubs. Some of our members are under the false impression that these fascinating volumes are for sale. THEY ARE NOT! The ARE however available to members to simply check out and enjoy!
Our collection has some of the most sought after titles to those who celebrate the Cubs. They are lovingly organized and presented by our official librarian, Cindy Bellovary , who brings her skills as an actual working librarian to our club.
Please stop by the table and peruse the titles. Cindy is always willing to recommend a book for you. During some membership meetings, she will also favor everyone with a special book report.
By the way, contributions are welcomed!
CHICAGO CUBS SCOUT WILL SPEAK AT NOVEMBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Have you ever wondered who is one of the people responsible for finding the incredible talent the Cubs have discovered in the 21st century? Wonder no more! We have had a super scout for the last 22 years who has signed over 1400 players to MLB contracts. His name is Nick Belmonte and he will be our featured speaker at our membership meeting Monday at Colony Cottage Recreation Center , November 1st.
Nick is a very well rounded baseball man. He has been an ESPN broadcaster. He has been a college star with UF, and still holds their record for the most stolen bases in a season (42). And, he has been a Pioneer League manager with the Salt Lake trappers guiding them to to 3 consecutive 1st place finishes. Because of his excellent scouting work for the Cubs, he received a World Series ring from Theo Epstein in 2017.
I think we're all going to be interested in what tipped him off to all of this talent that made them homegrown stars . As Pat Piper would say " get your pencils and notepads ready" for all of your questions.
All details regarding the November meeting are available in the event flyer.
IF YOU BUILD IT, HE WILL BUY IT!
Frank Thomas is a very savvy business man. (Having met him at an airport luggage carousel and witnessing his gerth, I would not describe him as being otherwise.)
The "BIG HURT" , along with some other investors, have purchased an interest in the FIELD OF DREAMS. They have plans to make it a major attraction for the future. As chairman of the board, Frank has every intention of making events more assessable to the general public.
This is not only great news for Dyersville, Iowa, but also for baseball fans across the country. With such a depressing season for the Cubs, 2022 should be very special because the Chicago Cubs are scheduled to play the Cincinnati Reds on the field of dreams come August 11th.
This event will also be made special because Frank has been vocal in the past about his respect for the Cubs. In fact, he has acknowledged in an interview that Chicago will always be a Cubs team.
Hopefully, by mid summer of next year, the Cubs will be on a definite and solid track to the post season and a World Series win! That would make this event even more special. However, we all know in our hearts that Wrigley will always be the REAL field of dreams.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR THE CUBBIES?
Cubs World Chatter presents an interesting video which predicts that the future for the men in blue is actually bright! After such a dark season, we need all the light we can get.
Let us know if you agree with what this video suggests. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
click here
SAVING WRIGLEY
Gather around and make some popcorn! Get comfortable and enjoy a film entitled, SAVING WRIGLEY FIELD....
HOW A HUNDRED YEAR OLD BALL PARK WAS PRESERVED FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
WEST RIDING INTO THE SUNSET
People either love him or hate him. In either case, Joe West will go down in baseball history.
Joe has overseen 5,376 games. He has thrown out close to 190 players, coaches and managers. As a matter of fact, he might've tossed a few fans out of the stands from time to time. Said West, "That's not a lot in 44 years."
Ball players who have observed West through the years proclaim that he can be vindictive. The next day he would be friendly and approachable. In either scenario, Joe believes that he has never missed a call.
I suppose as robots take over, we would be able to re-run some of his calls and digitally measure how accurate they were. This is where I get off the train of so-called progress.
I cannot stand anything that drives the human element out of the great game of baseball. The whole fun comes into light when fans sit around decades after a controversial play or call is made and debate the issue until they are blue in the face!
Joe West has been the impetus for many such tales through the years and as a result, deserves a place in the pages of baseball history.
It is hard to believe that November will soon be here and the rush to the holidays will begin. Has this year moved along quickly or what?
Just remember that the CUBS WORLD NEWSLETTER will be here for you throughout the off season. We have lots to share.
However, please keep in mind that we invite contributions from our members. Perhaps, you might put together a story about how the Cubs have touched your life. Or...if you're artistically inclined...draw something for us! There are quite a few talented people in our midst.
 See you next month. GO CUBBIES!


in 1685, the vast vicariate of Brazil was divided into the vicariates of Rio de Janeiro and Bahia-Pernambuco. These in turn became provinces in 1720. Some of the houses of the Bahia-Pernambuco Province embraced the Stricter Observance and these in 1744 were constituted a Province with the title "Pernambuco".
In the nineteenth century Latin America adopted the policy of suppression of religious Orders pursued in Europe and by the end of the century in all of Brazil only a few ageing friars remained in a handful of houses. In 1886 the Vicar Provincial of Pernambuco reported to the Prior General that the surviving members of the Province were all in one convent, Recife; the other four houses were in the hands of secular priests. In 1894, the newly restored Province of Spain undertook the renewal of the Order in Brazil. When this task proved to be beyond its resources, the Province of The Netherlands took over the Rio de Janeiro Province; Betica assumed the care of Bahia and Arago-Valentina that of Pernambuco. Eventually the remnant of the Bahia Province was absorbed into that of Rio de Janeiro, but by 1949 Pernambuco had sufficiently revived to be given once more the status of a Province.
At present the Province of Pernambuco has about 70 religious working in Brazil and Mozambique.


Ok, so for starters - I'm clearly going to be biased in saying Mollie has the best name ever. There I said it. Moving on, Mollie and Connor are so freaking adorable I literally don't know where to start when describing their session.
First things first, we arrive to Mt Falcon for their Colorado engagement session with these stunning mountains in the background - then I make them climb through probably 2+ feet of snow to get to this spot - third, they willingly lick each others faces. Do it for the gram people (that's instagram for you hipsters).
If you're looking for some Colorado or Denver engagement photo inspiration, you've found it.
I spent an afternoon with Kate, with Kate Killoran Consulting and Alicia with Doterra for a female branding session of lifestyle headshot photos. RiNo is such a great area to take headshots in Denver, with an eclectic background and easy places to walk to - it's one of my favorite Denver photo locations!
This years Holiday Mini Sessions took place at the well known Red Rocks Amphitheater and the trails surrounding it. I am so lucky to have such a versatile state with amazing backdrops like this for family sessions in Colorado! The best part about Red Rocks is that it stays beautiful year round!
Winter weddings in Colorado are really freaking amazing, not only was the weather GORGEOUS at this wedding at The Barn at Raccoon Creek but so was the bride Haylee and her groom Minkyu. Featuring scarlet and navy tones, this Denver barn Wedding was a blast to observe. From beautiful hair details to the last bits of light in a winter sunset, this whole day blew me away.
Thank you for bringing me along on your biggest adventure, and congratulations you two! It was an amazing day!!


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Opening Statements served
This afternoon Opening Statements were served on the Program Officer in relation to the Public Examination Process of the Local Plan Revised Submission Development Management Plan 2014.
The electronic documents have also been emailed out this afternoon before 5:00pm.
The Trust Chairman has learnt that no documentation can be entered to the hearings unless it has been seen by all parties in a statement.
There are two more deadlines for submissions left.
The Trust Chairman prepares statements to be dispatched to the Program Officer
THE TRUST CHAIRMAN PREPARES STATEMENTS TO BE DISPATCHED TO THE PROGRAM OFFICER.
The Trust has been busy over the last month spending over 150 hours preparing statements for the Public Examination by the Inspector. These statements are set to be sent out next week .
The Trust and Charity Award the author of the Revised Development Plan a D-
THE TRUST AND CHARITY AWARD THE AUTHOR OF THE REVISED DEVELOPMENT PLAN A FAIL D-
PLEASE TRY HARDER!
The members have been working hard in an attempt to wade through these document and associated documents trying hard to see if the document could in any way be seen as sound. They have not been able to do this and have asked Mrs Lynette Duncan Head Planner to place their documents into the Council document base. Her response was:
"I have passed your request for the additional documents to be added to the Core Documents List on to the Council . I shall let you know if there is any problem with these requests. If there is then you will have to add the document to your own submissions where applicable and appropriate."
We understood the Inspector wanted our input and help to understand the situation, why would there be a problem with these documents which have been in the public domain on our sites?
A man professing to be the Land Agent Threatened verbally Criminal Damage
A trust member reported to the Trust that a man one of two doing Criminal Damage to the Public Pathway in Speckled Wood said that he was the Land Agent. He also said his intention was to damage property not owned by him . According to the Trust member the Police were called.
There has also been some concern raised over the tub with toxic label on it. The matter has been reported as a breach in planning regulations.
Serious Concerns of Revised Development Plan Soundness have been sent to the Inspectors Department
SERIOUS CONCERNS OVER THE REVISED DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN SOUNDNESS HAVE BEEN AIRED WITH THE INSPECTORS DEPARTMENT.
Today a large email was shared with the Planning Inspectors Department , The MP and the Press regarding the Soundness of the Development Management Plan Document which is currently with the Inspectors Office.
The Trust has been given 3 hours tomorrow to detail problems with the way the Development Management Plan has been procedurally undertook. The Trust has written to everyone to say that this is not possible as there is to much material and that the Inspectors Department has already enough material to decide it is not sound. The Trust has been told that the Public and other organizations have until the end of this month to put a statement into the Inspectors office this needs to be copped electronically and in triplicate one which must be an open leaf copy. This puts this process out of reach of the Public and not democratic.
More Rubbish has been removed from Speckled Wood
MORE RUBBISH HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM SPECKLED WOOD.
Some more of the rubbish was recycled from Speckled Wood yesterday. The Trust want to thank the local companies that helped with this. You are brilliant :). There is still more rubbish to come out of Speckled Wood and this is brilliant news that these companies are all helping. Thank you so much. The Trust and Charity have been working with the Police to remove potential areas from the Woodland under their guidance. This has improved parts of the Woodland already.
The Trust Chairman prepares statements to be dispa...
The Trust and Charity Award the author of the Revi...
A man professing to be the Land Agent Threatened v...
Serious Concerns of Revised Development Plan Sound...


text:
Q: add rows to group in df I have a data.frame with varying numbers of rows per person. If a person has less than 4 rows I would like to give them 4 rows. I would like the extra rows to be a replicate of the the last row per person e.g., Tom below.
I know how to repeat rows by using this code:
dff <- df[rep(1:nrow(df), each=4), ]

But the problem here is that I have no argument for only replicating rows for IDs which occur less than 4 times.
I've tried this:
dff <- ifelse(length(df$noms < 4),
              df[rep(1:nrow(df), each=4), ], df) ##doesn't work

I think I could use do.call(rbind, ...) but again, I can't manage to integrate my argument into the code.
Here is something I've tried:
df <- ifelse(length(df$noms<4),
             do.call(rbind, by(df, df$noms, rbind, 1:nrow(df))),
             df) ## doesn't work

And also I have not managed to include an argument for how many repeats to do.
   noms fruits apple orange kiwi all_comb comb
1  mary  apple     1      0    0        1    1
2  mary  grape     0      0    0        0    1
3  mary orange     0      1    0        0    1
4  mary  apple     1      0    0        1    1
5  john banana     0      0    0        0    1
6  john  apple     1      0    0        1    1
7  john  apple     1      0    0        1    1
8  john  apple     1      0    0        1    1
9  lucy   kiwi     0      0    1        0    1
10 lucy orange     0      1    0        0    1
11 lucy  apple     1      0    0        1    1
12 lucy  berry     0      0    0        0    1
13  tom orange     0      1    0        0    1

Desired output
   noms fruits apple orange kiwi all_comb comb
1  mary  apple     1      0    0        1    1
2  mary  grape     0      0    0        0    1
3  mary orange     0      1    0        0    1
4  mary  apple     1      0    0        1    1
5  john banana     0      0    0        0    1
6  john  apple     1      0    0        1    1
7  john  apple     1      0    0        1    1
8  john  apple     1      0    0        1    1
9  lucy   kiwi     0      0    1        0    1
10 lucy orange     0      1    0        0    1
11 lucy  apple     1      0    0        1    1
12 lucy  berry     0      0    0        0    1
13  tom orange     0      1    0        0    1
14  tom orange     0      1    0        0    1
15  tom orange     0      1    0        0    1
16  tom orange     0      1    0        0    1

Here are some reproducible data:
noms <- as.character(c('mary', 'mary','mary','mary','john','john','john',
                       'john','lucy','lucy','lucy','lucy', 'tom'))
fruits <- as.character(c('apple','grape','orange','apple','banana',
                         'apple','apple','apple','kiwi','orange',
                         'apple','berry', 'orange'))
df <- data.frame(noms,fruits)

A: You're on the right track with ifelse. Try the following:
noms <- as.character(c('mary', 'mary','mary','mary','john','john','john',
                       'john','lucy','lucy','lucy','lucy', 'tom'))
fruits <- as.character(c('apple','grape','orange','apple','banana',
                         'apple','apple','apple','kiwi','orange',
                         'apple','berry', 'orange'))
df <- data.frame(noms,fruits)

x <- with(df, ave(rep(1, nrow(df)), noms, FUN = length))
df[rep(rownames(df), ifelse(x >= 4, 1, 4)), ]
#      noms fruits
# 1    mary  apple
# 2    mary  grape
# 3    mary orange
# 4    mary  apple
# 5    john banana
# 6    john  apple
# 7    john  apple
# 8    john  apple
# 9    lucy   kiwi
# 10   lucy orange
# 11   lucy  apple
# 12   lucy  berry
# 13    tom orange
# 13.1  tom orange
# 13.2  tom orange
# 13.3  tom orange

A: using code from a previous question; ddply to split and add rows to each group
here is the answer
first, create a variable called numbers in df
df$numbers<-ave(df$noms,df$noms, FUN=seq_along)

then manipulate code given in previous answer:
AddRows <- function(df) {
  new_numbers <- seq(from = min(df$numbers), to = 4)
  new_numbers <- new_numbers[new_numbers != 0]    ##probably don't need this line
  noms <- rep(unique(df$noms), length(new_numbers))

  return(data.frame(df, new_numbers))
}

ddply(df, .(noms), AddRows)

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text:
Thom and a fat boy share a humiliation...
Published Date	Thom Acee
Revenge of the Nerd
We all remember those first few puppy loves we felt…
The head spinning, the clammy hands, the having your mind constantly on that special someone…
The terror of knowing you have something HUGE to tell them yet knowing there is no way you could ever get it out to them.
Some of us just manage enough courage to go and spit out a few poorly thought out phrases; the nerves between the two palpable to all. Others shrink off to the corners- their shyness and insecurities outweighing their desire.
Then there are those who feel that such a moment in time warrants the status of "Dare to be Great" and rise up to meet it… With many of them flaming out in the most spectacular of ways.
And now thanks to some heartless cunt out there, we get to see an epic one.
Check out this video of a smartly dressed fat boy who figured nothing will express the feelings from deep within his heart quite like the lyrical virtuosity of Bryan Adams:
I would love to enjoy this with all of you fine people but I can't...
I can't do it because when I was in the eighth grade, I did this exact same thing.
And not just the exact same thing "I used music to try and express my feelings of love for a girl through song"… Anyone who has ever made a mix tape fo r a girl before has tried this bit.
By the same thing I mean I sang this exact same song to a girl in a creepy manner.
Not the video concept, as I grew up in an analog era where wonders like YouTube didn't exist.
(And thank the god of confused teenage boys there wasn't… this poor fucker is never going to be allowed to forget this…)
But instead, being a sad boy with nowhere near the confidence to speak to women in a way that didn't stink of twisted desperation growing up in a pre-computer world, I did it all on the answering machine.
Everything I do...
It was the fall of my eighth grade year. There was this chick I had been crushing on for about a year; a young brunette named Stephanie V. But sadly, while she thought I was talented writer and a funny boy, she perfered spending time experimenting with those early sexual feelings with my friend and school cocksman, Danny A.
And so it stayed, with them being all snugglie and lovey- the quintessential school couple- while I stewed and watched from the wings.
But in the showers I took at night before bed, a different story was being told... and not the filthy one that one might think a lovelorn teenage boy would be putting together in those showers. In there I concocted this fantasy that I would one day be able to express my true feelings to her in song form and those feelings- communicated so perfectly in its combination of music, prose, and feeling- would turn her heart and mind, ushering in a new era of everything going right, love being felt, and finally... baby boy having himself a big day in the sun.
(It is important to note that it was around this time that I also had my first flirtations with marijuana and that perhaps these delusions were merely the gnarled thoughts of a rookie smoker with a weak head.)
Anyway, the songs rotated in that shower- GnR' s "don't Cry" being the most prevalent.
But then this song came out... "Everything I do"... it was perfect... a romantic song that said everything i wanted her to know.
For weeks I would belt that tune out in the shower, so much so my parents thought I was really into it and bought me the cd for Xmas.
But the fantasy never got passed there; existing only in that magical time following my late night marijuana experimentation; the warm water droplets pretecting me from the shame and embarrassment i should have felt from such flights of fancy... until one lucky night at a party being thrown by Ashley G., the skanky chick (if by skanky we mean had boobs before the rest of the women) of the class, where she decided it was her turn to turn Danny's head and gave him a handy damn near in front of the whole class. (It was the gossip of the school up until what happens next).
This public humiliation was devastating to Stephanie. But to me it was Christmas and Fourth of July at once.
My chance had finally arrived.
She was hurt, vulnerable, and needing to hear words of devotion now more than ever.
This was my time...
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Chaos Spawn warscroll from the 2nd video has an ability to add one of the 4 Chaos names as Keyword even Slaanesh!!!
I think Slaanesh is still part of the lore. If they wanted to ditch the 4th Chaos God, they would have done. The fact (s)he is imprisoned shouldn't make much difference, really - "imprisoned god" is totally a motif for a lot of things.
The lads from dakkadakka seem to be on top of things.
Besides having amazing artwork and campaign maps, the next book seems to expand on fluff where Sigmar was leading the early tribes of the mortal realms against chaos. Also seems to show just how he lost his hammer.
Right then, first, it appears that forge world have released their warscrolls for chaos dwarves.
Secondly, I saw upon the Lustria site the rumor of law of war rules by GW that help balance the game for more competitive minds.
There is supposedly such ruleset up on Warseer but I don't know how legitimate it is so I refrained from posting it. Best to wait for the official update.
Got a look at the new chaos champion model, have to say it's the first model released for AoS so far that I think I would buy.
I really don't think the law of war thing is legit. It uses a lot of language and ideas inconsistent with what GW has been releasing. It also doesn't work very well so maybe it is, I dunno.
Oh, sorry I haven't read that thread.
Anyway got the new Realmgate wars book, Quest for Ghal Maraz, will add some stuff from it soon of some things shown that might come.
That's great! Can't wait to hear what's in it.
Cheers! Any human information in it?
Damn it, why!? I just want to know what things look like GW! Nice to hear beastmen getting a nod. They are always a faction I fear are on the verge of being cut off.
Looking at some of the released images, it mentions the hosts of Sigmar's city (can't remember name) being unleashed. The hosts are all the Olde World races or descendants of the civilisations of the Age of Myth. In fact all the races are mentioned in fighting in parts of the Realm Gate Wars but other than that nothing else. Just a big tease really.
GW is like a Hippo in the river, it may have thick skin (it's secrecy policies that tick the fans off) but that's because the swarms of piranhas keep trying to take bites out of it.
So this will be Sigmar's personal attachee?
Sigmar needs to stop loaning his hammer to everyone; isn't that how we got here? Then again, maybe it's just a good excuse to play the Quest scenarios again ... "If the Celestant-Prime is killed, immediately go back and play the Quest games again to get the hammer back."
That's a shame, it really looked like Sigmar was going to wreck face on the battlefield again. I wonder why he decided to leave the fighting to his servant instead? I can only guess that he knew the struggle is long from over and the reforging of the Eternals is more important for the war effort.
No doubt the new model is going to be epic.
Thanks for the info, StealthKnightSteg.
The new model IS epic - I have seen pics on the FB group.
They don't want you to be able to kill Sigmar most likely. Though who knows, you might see a model for him in a later campaign.
Edit: I saw the model. I can see what they were going for but they just didn't get there. He looks fat, the pose lets him down tremendously. The hammer isn't the centrepiece either, which it should be. I get the shape of the wings and whatnot, but they could have preserved that and still had a much better pose of the body.
I can't imagine them doing a "Sigmar" figure, or for that matter a figure for any of the other deities. Although this is GW. If they did that, it would certainly confirm a "High" fantasy direction has been taken.
At least some of the deities are the Incarnates.
pictures from the fb group, also was the hammer Ghal Maraz ever a focal point, sculpt wise?
Yeah just fat, and that lightning belt is gross. The silhouette of the model is a good concept, but the details and execution are poor.
The Hammer was not the focal point of previous minis, because they were characters with names and backgrounds - they were heroes. This figure just appears to be a creature fashioned simply to carry the hammer. It's the weapon of a god, the guy carrying it doesn't even have a face. Disappointing.
There's a lightining bolt there as part fo the figure? Hmmm ... it is currently eluding my eyes. And as for no face, it has the same face as all the rest of the Stormcast figures, yet that isn't surprising given the overall tone of the Stormcast figures. Not much inspiration for me, yet that isn't surprising either, oh well.
Onward Olde World soldiers ... back to such a fantasy land I suppose.


anyone have this combo to test with? I replaced my broken DC with a sega sports DC but there's something wrong with the A/V port (the toro cable will not go all the way in like it would on a white dreamcast). Because it does not fit all the way in, I get either a green screen, 524i resolution or sometimes 1431i resolution. I cannot get 524p at all.
I have this setup. The Toro AV cable does need more force to insert than the stock composite AV cable, and it's possible that the AV port on your Sega Sports DC has suffered far fewer insertions than your old one.
Make sure the port is clear of debris, perhaps get in there with an isopropyl-alcohol-dipped toothbrush (obviously disconnect the power and discharge the PSU with the power button before brushing, and let dry before reconnecting power), then try again.
I had to chip off some stuff inside the a/v port that I did not see earlier. I am getting video now.
though it is driving me somewhat nuts, I was sure through SCART I was achieving 480p (or 524p) on my old dreamcast. On this one I cannot and I am only seeing 524i. If I switch to VGA I can see my ossc reporting 524p but I get no signal.
Do you have another DC to try the Toro with?
I had similar issues with my Hanzo until it stopped working altogether.
BeharBros sent me a new connector FOC and that solved the problem.
Typical Dreamcast SCART cables won't get you 480p, because the Dreamcast only outputs 480p in RGBHV, and SCART is built around RGBS; you'd need a custom/aftermarket cable with a mode switch and an inline sync combiner, or a BeharBros Toro, to get 480p over SCART.
How are you connecting your Toro to your OSSC (I'm assuming it's an OSSC)? VGA? SCART? And what input/mode on the OSSC are you selecting?
The dreamcast is going to a toro box, which is going from SCART to a bandridge (which goes to the OSSC). The OSSC is on AV1. Right now I can't remember what the mode says but it's 100% the first AV1 option.
That simplifies things. The SCART output on the Toro always outputs RGBS. Since you're getting sync, I expect the OSSC is on the correct input (AV1-RGBS).
Since you're getting an image through the Toro when the mode switch is set to 480i, it sounds like everything from the SCART cable downstream is fine, as is the connection between the console and the Toro.
If you then flip the mode switch to 480p and restart the console, and that results in sync but no image, I would think that either the console or Toro is at fault.
If you have the budget for one of the cheap, garbage VGA cables (quality doesn't matter; just needs to work), you can use that to test 480p from the black DC--if you get an image, then the console is fine and the Toro is faulty; otherwise the console is faulty and the Toro might be faulty.
Alternatively, if your old DC still powers on and shows its home menu, you can use that to test the Toro. Set the Toro for 480p, hook it to the old console, and power it on--if you get an image, then the Toro is fine.
There's nothing special or different about the Sega Sports model Dreamcast. It's the same as a white Dreamcast.
It works fine. No difference in using a White Dreamcast.
Here's my Sports Edition connected to a PVM using the Toro.
I found a VGA cable in my closet. Using it on the Toro to my OSSC I can see my dreamcast in 480p on AV3 RGBHV.
I was certain that I achieved 480p before through SCART, but maybe I was just imagining this? I saw it before but maybe it was on my CRT before I had the ossc.
Does Toro -> SCART -> OSSC not support 480p at all then?
And what a world of difference 480px2 makes on the DC.
It does support 480p through SCART, that's pretty much the main point of the Toro.
I'm assuming you tried it but do you have the switch on the Toro in the right position?
"RGB/VGA switch to select the 15khz RGB mode or the 31khz VGA mode"
It supporting 31khz over scart is the whole point of the device. The little cable that connects the Toro to the Dreamcast is also a common break point. They are stupid sensitive. If I so much as give it a funny look I lose audio in the right channel.
I don't get a signal when I flip to VGA (when viewing AV1 which is my scart connection). Only when I have it on RGB. So at this moment I can only get 480p through vga.
Well there is your problem. Dreamcast won't output 480p via RGB. You need to choose VGA on the Toro and it will send that signal through the scart cable. AV1 on your OSSC should see it as RGBS 31khz. If the OSSC isn't getting the signal make sure you test the connection directly, without the switch.
my bad but I think I wasn't clear enough. The ossc on AV1 reports 524p/31khz on AV1. It's just that I get no image on my TV. This is what I meant by no signal earlier.
That's interesting. OSSC reports the signal but won't display it. If the Toro was to blame you'd think the OSSC wouldn't confirm the signal. Have you tried the Toro on another Dreamcast? Also did the standard resetting your OSSC settings to default? It shouldn't be a problem with the black sports edition. That's a really popular color.
I hope you get it going. If it's the port I 'd wonder if someone took it apart before. I've certainly gotten a lot of ebay purchases that were someones amateur repair attempt and then just thrown back together. People who try and pass those off are real jerks.
Yes, please do that; that's what I was suggesting on VGP. You just need the console to boot to the home screen to verify that the Toro is working.
And don't forget that you can mod your old Dreamcast with a GDEMU; won't be able to play your disc games, but it'll be quieter and games will load a little quicker.
same thing happens with my old dreamcast..
but with the VGA solution I am using now, I think I am happy. I can stick to AV3 using vga on the toro.
Don't forget that you'll need to change the 480p in sampler setting to DTV 480p to get the correct aspect ratio from the Dreamcast.
Bucko over at VGP makes a pretty good argument for using Scart. No benefit if you're only playing 480p games.
1 – Dreamcast games running in 240p and 480i will benefit from the low-pass filter available on the AV1 input but not available on AV3. 480p games will not be affected either way.
2 – AV1 is set to automatically default to 480p rather than 640×480. 480p is the correct setting for Dreamcast (though you should also change the advanced timings as per the wiki for best results).
3 – Interlace running on AV3 works, but it's kind of a hack and it can cause problems, no such problems on AV1.
4 – The timings for H&V sync seem a little strict on AV3 and some users have complained this causes image drop outs (this is a theory as I've not been able to replicate it personally).


Math is not my strong suit. Far from it, in fact. Until just recently, I never had any real interest in pursuing it any further than schooling requirements; it was just one of those places where I lacked the motivation to give my best.
And yet, I know what an important subject it is, despite its difficulty. It's an underlying factor in everything we do. Our education, our careers, and our futures have — and will — always involve some general knowledge of mathematics.
This reasoning — and a sudden lapse of judgment brought on by impending exams — resulted in a questionable decision on my part. Sometime in April, nearing the end of middle school, Mr. Fitz [Gib Fitzpatrick], my algebra teacher, sent out an email to the eighth grade. It was one of those informational poster downloads about a summer math camp, Girls Talk Math. The program was for high schoolers, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (seven hours!), on UNC's campus, for two weeks. Girls only, if you couldn't figure that out from its title. Such a camp demanded a lot of time out of our limited summers, but I applied anyway. I was curious about the concept of only girls working together to solve high-level math problems — it was intriguing.
So I applied, was accepted, decided to attend, etc., etc.
I found myself surrounded by 40 other high school girls. The plan was to split us all into groups of five. Each group would work on a college-level problem set, script and record a podcast about a famous female mathematician, and build a couple presentations for social media … in teams.
I wouldn't be lying if I said I was a team player, but usually I do prefer independent work; no messy feelings, or tensions, or people being irritating. Maybe that was another reason I applied, to work on my teamwork skills.
To be fair, Katrine and Francesca (the awesome directors of Girls Talk Math), worked hard to put everyone in groups that would suit their interests. Groups were arranged into eight fields of mathematics: RSA Encryption Cryptography, Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Computational Dynamics, Network Sciences, Knot Theory, Classification of Surfaces, Special Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. Lots of big words. By the end of camp, I had working definitions for … most of them.
I signed myself up for RSA Encryption. You know: code-encrypting, code-breaking, code development. All the big internet secrets in the world? Yeah, the RSA Encryption Algorithm is the formula behind hiding all that important stuff. That's the simple definition.
All that aside, the purpose behind writing this article was to bring attention to the teamwork and relationships between the campers at Girls Talk Math. There are always people who are completely infatuated with the idea of summer camp — the people who have a gazillion best friends at said summer camp, who know all the counselors by name, who can recount every individual moment that took place over just a couple of weeks. It's impressive, actually. I, myself, am not one of those people. Summer camp can be fun and interesting, but I'm, more or less, introverted. I keep to myself, prefer only a few close friends as company, and don't go out of my way to introduce myself to new people.
First day at math camp, I knew absolutely no one. Zero. Nada. There were no DA classmates, no friends, no acquaintances. Such an environment doesn't really bode well for a girl who doesn't like strangers and is already nervous because she doesn't particularly love math.
This is where I found myself. You have to remember, there were 40 girls in this room. Which means we had to do some activities before separating into our respective problem set groups. These activities were mainly name games, little introductions and such.
And then we got to bungee jump Barbies. You read that right. Using a very large amount of rubber bands, groups of girls had to … drop and suspend Barbies without having them touch the ground. It was during this time that I met several kind-of-strange, extraordinary girls. Eleanor and Olivia were among them. Two people I had never met in my life, both people who liked math quite a lot more than I did — we ended up bonding over dropping a Barbie off a bridge. When the counselors thought of this activity, I doubt they realized that it would end up standing for the metaphorical death of female stereotypes.
Eleanor and Olivia went on to introduce me to Denna and McKenna, who then introduced me to XT, Catherine and Tori. A whole network of friends resulted from a math camp. Not only did I find friends in these people, but I learned things about them: their interests in math, how they could all love it so overwhelmingly, why they worked so hard at it. I learned that they wanted their educations, their careers, their futures to revolve around complicated mathematics. It was probably one of the strangest times of my life; to have conversations with people who wanted to pursue something that was recognized by many people my age as unnecessary and difficult, who wanted to make differences in such an impressive area of expertise. As cliché as it sounds, it was an angle I had never actually looked at before.
And so these unique and spontaneous friendships, triggered by Barbies and rubber bands, evolved into something deeper. Not to sound even more cliché (I have absolutely no other way to word this, I promise), but it opened my eyes to new challenges — opportunities emerging from this initially scary idea of math. I didn't come out of this camp as a new breed of math genius, but I was no longer terrified by the idea of formulas, equations and numbers. While the personal relationships were the overarching reasons behind my change of heart, the camp itself was crucial to it all. I'm glad I could participate in it, maybe even a bit proud that I forced myself to attend, and I would recommend it to anyone interested — and not interested. I mean, really, what do you have to lose?
I didn't want this conclusion to be generic when I wrote it, to sound like every other "this changed my life" article. In the end, this program was — is — a stepping stone. We hear enough every day about how we have to change the role of women in the present world — through math, and science, and technology. But you don't always get to be a part of that change. You don't always get to witness the stepping stones that women are climbing today to revise current "stereotypes." Girls Talk Math, the entire experience, seeing the girls who want to learn math, apply themselves to it, and the people striving to help them — represents a metaphorical death for the "Barbie" stereotypes we are trying so hard to break away from.
Above all, thank you to Mr. Fitz for sharing Girls Talk Math with me in the first place, and giving me the opportunity to attend the program.
The Girls Talk Math blog: https://girlstalkmath.com.


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Гилман има више значења:
 Гилман (Ајова)
 Гилман (Илиноис)
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