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New law cleans up tattoo reputation
By Susan Abram | bysusanabram@gmail.com |
PUBLISHED: June 23, 2012 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: August 28, 2017 at 8:51 am
STUDIO CITY – The crew of artists and piercers at Studio City Tattoo lead a modern day pirate's life – sort of.
Hand-carved treasure chests and custom-made swords line the walls of the Ventura Boulevard parlor, where a sign written in Olde Tyme script warns customers that "A good tattoo is never cheap. A cheap tattoo is never good." | PHOTOS
But except for the swords, there are no other exposed blades or sharp objects. Instead of rum, they have plastic wrapped bottles of rubbing alcohol.
And beside the swashbuckling memorabilia are the newest tools of one of the oldest trades: high-end bottles of lilac, red, blue and black inks guarded in a stainless steel medicine cabinet, and advanced autoclaves that can nuke any microscopic germ.
"We've worked to have a high level of cleanliness for a long time," said owner Clay Clement. "It's good ethics and good business."
Clement said he and the other artists at Studio City Tattoo have been self regulating their health and safety practices for almost 20 years. But like many parlors in the San Fernando Valley and across Los Angeles, his tattoo and piercing business has never had to register with the state because it wasn't required.
That will change on July 1.
A new state law called the Safe Body Art Act that passed in October requires tattoo and piercing parlor owners to register with local governments, receive annual health and safety training, and agree to at least 25 other provisions. The law extends to anyone who works in the body modification business.
"Los Angeles County is one of the few counties that saw the importance of this back in 1999," said Terri Williams, assistant director for the environmental health division of the county's public health department.
Previously, only the 450 parlors within unincorporated communities had to apply for the registration and inspections, she said. The new law applies to all parlors in the county – including those in cities, such as Los Angeles.
Williams estimates there are 1,500 such businesses countywide. To handle the increase, Williams expects to hire at least five more people to staff the existing three-person "body art unit".
"Now that the bill has passed, the intent is for enforcement across the state," Williams said.
Authored by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, AB 300 goes further than existing requirements by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA. The new law requires a business to display its state license. All tattoo and piercing artists must follow rules on equipment sterilization and cleanliness. And anyone under 18 years old is prohibited from getting a tattoo – whether they have parental permission or not.
Of the 58 counties statewide, only six had some sort of regulations.
"The fact that there are so many tattoo parlors… I was shocked that there was no statewide regulation," said Ma, who learned she had Hepatitis B when she was 22 years old. She has since worked to promote hepatitis screenings, but AB 300 is another step toward prevention, she said. The bill also leaves room for city and counties to implement regulations at their own discretion, Ma said.
But the bill stops short of regulating businesses that pierce ears at mall kiosks, which some business owners deem unfair.
"Their equipment is a little different," Ma said of the mall ear piercers. "They use single-use needles. That's why we worked very closely with them."
Once the mark of a rebel or a scoundrel, elaborately designed tattoos now decorate the arms, legs and chests of doctors and lawyers, PTA moms and grandmothers.
A 2007 report from the Pew Research Center found that 40 percent of those ages 26 to 40 had a tattoo, while 22 percent had a body piercing other than to their ear.
Williams said the new bill wasn't in response to any noted local increases in bloodborne infections, such as hepatitis or HIV.
But Los Angeles' love of ink has also caused a drop in blood donations.
American Red Cross officials say people with tattoos can donate blood if their body art was done by a state-regulated parlor using sterile needles and ink that wasn't reused. If not, donors – including those who were inked up in unregulated states – must wait 12 months after receiving the tattoo before they give blood.
"This is a great move that will hopefully increase the number of people who can donate blood when we need it," said Nick Samaniego, a spokesman for the American Red Cross, Southern California Region.
"Tattoos have become so mainstream, that unfortunately it impacts the number of people who are eligible to give here in Los Angeles," Samaniego said. "We have to turn away a lot of people who have recent piercings and tattoos. This is one of the few instances that there's potential to grow the donor pool."
The bill was backed by public health departments, cities, and industry organizations such as the Association of Professional Piercers.
"We didn't write those laws, but we're trying to keep them reasonable and safe," said Mike Martin, president of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists.
"We were sponsors of it to teach regulators what to look for at tattoo shops," Martin said. "There are so many things on the bill that we're working to amend, such as requiring a sink at every station. That could be a plumbing nightmare."
But overall, tattoo artists say they are pleased with the statewide effort.
"I think it's the greatest thing," said Leo Martinis, who along with his wife Debbie, owns Think Ink Tattoos in Woodland Hills, which he opened 18 years ago.
Martinis said his business already was up to Cal/OSHA codes and beyond, but the additional regulations will hold all tattoo artists and piercers accountable. That may mean some businesses will go under.
"You'll see a lot of tattoo places close because if you're not already following rules, you're in big trouble," he said. "The best thing now is inspectors are going to come by and check."
Clement, the Studio City Tattoo owner who also authored a children's book, "Pirate Santa," said he has spent thousands of dollars to get his shop into tip-top safety conditions.
"Our service is tattoos, but we sell credibility," Clement said. "People need to feel safe."
On a recent morning, he showed visitors how artists use gloves, disinfecting wipes and plastic wrap to ensure a safe environment, as well as a one-way disposable system for needles, ink tubes, and razors.
Clement said some newer parlors may feel the economic pinch of complying with state laws, but the regulations also will cut down on what he calls the "kitchen magicians" – those who apply tattoos and charge less, because they skimp on safety equipment and quality.
"We're looking forward (to state regulations) because we're already there," Clement said. "You have to get a state license to cut hair. Why not in our industry?"
susan.abram@dailynews.com
818-713-3664 twitter.com/sabramla
Susan Abram
Susan Abram is a freelance writer who previously covered public health and L.A. County government for the Los Angeles Daily News.
Follow Susan Abram	@sabramLA


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COPPER-GOLD FEASIBILITY Canatuan sulphide project to recover 84M lb Cu
PHILIPPINES Calgary's TVI PACIFIC has completed the feasibility study for its Canatuan copper-gold sulphide proje...
TVI Pacific Inc
PHILIPPINES Calgary's TVI PACIFIC has completed the feasibility study for its Canatuan copper-gold sulphide project on the island of Mindanao. The company began mining raw gossan ore in 2004, and now hopes to recover metals from the sulphide portion of the deposit.
The study recommends a 1,300 tonnes/day production rate for 6.5 years. A total of 84.4 million lb of copper, 51,600 oz of gold, 3.0 million oz of silver and 21,400 tonnes of zinc would be recovered. Capital costs are estimated at US$23.3 million. Proven and probable sulphide reserves recoverable by open pit methods are 3.11 million tonnes averaging 1.55% Cu, 1.16% Zn, 0.84 g/t Au and 43.82 g/t Ag. The mill would be built with three circuits to treat high-copper, copper and high-zinc ores.
If TVI makes a positive decision for the sulphide project, major construction will begin by the end of 2006, with the mill reaching its 1,300 tonnes/day target in the second quarter of 2007.
Further details are available at www.TVIPacific.com in the news release dated May 26.
SAFETY WINNERS – Ryan Trophies awarded
MINING PEOPLE IN THE NEWS – Glencairn, Buffalo Gold, Minco, Northwestern

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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There is no quick relief in sight for thousands of former Corinthian College students seeking loan forgiveness in the wake of the for-profit giant's collapse.
The Obama administration said Thursday it will take several months before the government forgives the federal student loans of borrowers who believe they were defrauded by the career college chain. The timeline comes as former Corinthian students contemplate suing the government for collective debt relief rather than waiting for officials to sort through each individual claim.
"Creating a new system to handle thousands of claims will take a little time … we know borrowers and taxpayers are counting on us," said Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell on a call with reporters Thursday.
By law, students can apply to have their federal loans discharged if they can prove a school used illegal or deceptive tactics in violation of state law to persuade them to borrow money for college. The process, known as a "defense to repayment claim," has rarely been used and is widely considered to be complicated and difficult to navigate.
As it began receiving hundreds of claims from Corinthian students, the Education Department appointed an independent monitor in June to oversee and streamline the process. In his first report released Thursday, monitor Joseph A. Smith said the department has hired four attorneys to review and analyze state laws involved in the 4,140 claims received to date.
Smith said his team is reviewing claims where the "facts and law are clear," such as the ones from students who attended Corinthian's Heald Colleges in California, Hawaii and Oregon. Those schools were at the heart of a $30 million fine the Education Department levied against Corinthian in April for lying about job placement rates to students. And yet Smith said it could still take three months before the 1,992 claims tied to that case are resolved.
There is still no clear timetable for the other claims filed by students at Corinthian's Everest College, WyoTech or Heald schools not covered by the department's investigation.
Still, students in the 20 states, including Massachusetts and Illinois, that are investigating or suing Corinthian for deceptive sales practices may have an easier time proving their case. Smith said he is creating a process for state attorneys general to submit evidence unearthed in their investigations, so claims from those states can be grouped together to speed up the process.
While the government sorts through thousands of individual claims, a group of former Corinthian students are pressing for widespread student debt relief. In a ruling last week, a bankruptcy judge set aside more than $4 million from Corinthian's liquidated assets to help the students pursue loan discharges.
Money from the bankruptcy decision will first go to Corinthian students who requested refunds through the courts for classes they paid for right before the school closed its doors in April. But the remainder could be used to sue the Education Department to collectively discharge the federal loans of all former Corinthian students, said Scott Gautier of Robins Kaplan LLP, an attorney for the students.
"Given the fact that the Department of Education and attorneys general have already investigated and identified these deceptive practices, collective relief for students subjected to those practices should be given," he said.
Allegations and charges that Corinthian lied about the success of its programs ultimately led to the loss of its access to federal funding and bankruptcy. The company's implosion left thousands of students unsure of what to do with their debt or even where to complete their educations.
Under pressure from lawmakers and advocacy groups, the administration in June said anyone who had attended a Corinthian school as of June 20, 2014, could apply for what's known as a closed-school discharge of their federal loans. All other students were invited to file a claim if they could prove they were defrauded by their colleges.
In his report, Smith said 7,815 Corinthian students impacted by the school's closing have applied for loan forgiveness and 3,128 of those applications have been approved as of Aug. 21. Those resolved cases involved about $40 million in federal student loans.
Under Secretary Mitchell said the department has no idea how much it will ultimately cost to forgive the debt of all eligible borrowers, but noted that Corinthian students have borrowed about $3.2 billion in federal loans since 2010.


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NJPC Webpage
Last year (2018-19) our teams held menstrual awareness sessions with more than 400 adolescent girls and women in slums, shelter homes, government schools in Delhi/NCR alone (apart from similar ongoing menstrual hygiene work in rural India).
Last year (2018-19) our teams held menstrual awareness sessions with more than 400 adolescent girls and women in slums, shelter homes, government schools in Delhi/NCR alone (apart from similar ongoing menstrual hygiene work in rural India). Many of these young girls move to cities from villages.and end up in slums with little or no sanitation facilities.
I borrowed an undergarment from my daughter (when I got my periods) in the relief camp
Working with disaster-hit women across India, we know that after a disaster their menstrual challenges become more acute, humiliating, putting their well being and health at a big risk. Our team recently spoke about this to the Cyclone Fani hit women in Puri District of Odisha.
"I borrowed an undergarment from my daughter (when I got my periods) in the relief camp.
These voices must be heard..
In India, 1.8 Crore women with disability, more than 5 Crore women from tribal community, 6.5 Crore migrant women, 20+ lakh sex workers are missing their voices in addressing their challenges around menstruation.These voices must be heard.. Their menstrual challenges must come into the larger mapping of Menstrual Hygiene Management narrative.
To know more about Goonj's Not Just A Piece initiative,
FemmeCon women's health festival
Join us for a session on how Goonj builds community on menstrual health in cities and villages across India by Meenakshi Gupta, Co-Founder, Goonj and Sneha Dey Roy, Team Goonj at FemmeCon: Women's Health Festival |
7th December 2019, India International Centre Delhi, 10 am onwards. More details in the poster!
In Sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal's Alipurduar district
In Sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal's Alipurduar district, women are the major workforce comprising tea garden estates; they are the primary labor engaged in the process of cultivation and harvesting. While there is huge focus on production, women who toil the whole day, their menstrual hygiene and sanitation take a backseat on most cases.
Lack of menstrual health awareness and sanitation implies that women are more susceptible to infections and allergies.
The Story of Cloth and the Impact on the Environment..
The environmental disaster around menstruation right in our midst, in the cities. Allowing this same scenario to repeat itself in the villages, will be something all of us working on this issue, will have to be accountable for in times to come.
My Mother said so…!!
A nice breezy evening under the moon light with two torches. We were discussing about menstruation openly, frankly and loudly!!!!
I walked through the narrow lanes, climbed up the staircase and reached a small terrace in a slum where a lot of people involved in sex work live … There were no street lights but the big fat moon was shining above in its majesty.
Realities of menstruation and drought
"कोई कोई एक कपड़ा चार बार इस्तेमाल करे है, कोई दस बार." (some of us use one cloth 4 times while others use it 10 times). Another woman said, "माहवारी समस्या लगती है. अपनी समस्या किस्से कहे, अपने मर्द से भी नहीं कहे सकतें. जब कपड़ा गंधा भी मिल जाता है. धो कर सुखा लेते है माहवारी के लिए." (Menstruation seems like a problem.
Voices from the field; Tribal women speak up about NJPC & menses
"Even today at times of emergency while working in the field or when cloth is not available we use leaves from local Sal Trees." The women of Koi tribe, Sugapada village of Daringbadi block, Odisha recently spoke to Goonj about their challenges around menstruation. Popularly called the Kashmir of Odisha; the Daringbadi block is surrounded by valleys,
Smiling Rajasthani Women and Some Menstrual Stories
A group of women clad in the graceful traditional Rajasthani attire walked into Goonj's Delhi processing center, it was a sight to behold. Their simple yet elegant disposition effortlessly attracted us. These women had travelled all the way from Barmer, Rajasthan along with Care India team to see Goonj's work, especially our menstrual hygiene initiative NJPC,


But Swipe File is going to be a little different now. Instead of a weekly newsletter with five stories, I'm going to send a daily email with one story. I hope this provides a little boost each morning.
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I actually work better with a set schedule based on the routines and habits that I have established over the years. I enjoy rising early and having my exercise and devotional/meditation time before breakfast because it sets the tone for the entire day of productivity. Habits are part of everyone's life. We just need to make sure that they are positive and productive habits.
In our next two Wisdom Notes, we will explore the habit of habit formation. This may be very difficult for some because habit formation takes time and perseverance. Fortunately, there are some clear principles to form and maintain habits. There is a comprehensive path for setting habits in our lives, and if followed, we can form good habits, as we get rid of those that are bad.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to attend a trial where the defendant had shackles on his ankles and wrist, and it was very evident that it was difficult, very slow, and painful for him to walk. In the same way, if we have shackles of bad habits impacting our lives, it will hold us back, and we will never be able to fulfill our God-given potential until we are freed from these bad habits.
It is very important to realize that if we desire to rid ourselves of bad habits in any area of our lives that we must at the same time form new, positive habits, or we will just fall back into the same routine and never be free of the shackles that restrict us. Remember that one key law of life is that when we say "no" to one choice, we are automatically saying "yes" to another. This applies to habits also.
This reminds me of the story that Jesus told when the religious leaders of his day accused him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. As I read this passage from Luke [11:24]-26, where Jesus speaks of evicting demons from people, let's use the comparison of the demons being bad habits in our lives. Many times we do refer to our bad habits as our demons.
The same principles apply to our habits as to the literal demons that Jesus cast out during His early ministry.
One of the biggest obstructions that we encounter on our quest to good habit formation is that we visualize what the destination should be and we become overwhelmed to the point of paralysis, so we don't make the changes needed.
When we do get motivated to change, at first we think that we can take large steps and make great strides. The trail is rather smooth and flat, and we want to rush ahead. That is until we reach the steep slope and we have already expended our energy. Then we have nothing else to give when it becomes difficult, so we stop and the old habits come rushing back into our lives.
As we explore the fundamentals of habits, we will cover four key guidelines to form habits. If you can learn these four habits, you'll have the foundation to form pretty much any habit. Let's start with the first.
Let us look at a couple of practical examples.
Let's say you want to work out more, but you have a hard time forming the habit. Most people have this issue. From having to get dressed in order to go to the gym to actually go to the gym to the thought of a hard workout, your mind tends to put off the habit.
The solution is exceedingly simple. The first day just do 3 push-ups in the privacy of your home or walk/jog for just one minute. Make it so easy you can't say no. You may think, "Now, Guthrie, that is just plain ridiculous. Anyone can walk for a minute or do three push-ups." You will think that's too easy, and tell yourself that you have to do more than that.
Unfortunately, it's this mindset that causes people to fail at habits. We think we can do more, despite past evidence to the contrary, and so we aspire to greatness. We try to climb Everest before we've learned to walk.
Learn the fundamentals of habits before you try to do the advanced skills. If I could convince people of that, I could get millions to change their habits, be healthier, simplify, procrastinate less, and start creating amazing things.
Another common habit that too few people actually do is flossing their teeth daily. So, my advice is just flossing one tooth the first night. Of course, that seems so ridiculous you may laugh. But I'm totally serious. If you start out exceedingly small, you won't say no. You'll feel crazy if you don't do it. So, you'll actually do it! That's the point. Actually doing the habit is much more important than how much you do.
If you want to exercise, it's more important that you actually do the exercise on a regular basis rather than doing enough to get a benefit right away. Sure, maybe you need 30 minutes of exercise to see some fitness improvements, but try doing 30 minutes a day for two weeks without missing. See how far you get, if you haven't been exercising regularly. Then, if you don't succeed, try 1-2 minutes a day. See how far you get there.
If you can do two weeks of 1-2 minutes of exercise, you have a strong foundation for a habit. Add another week or two, and the habit is almost ingrained. Once the habit is strong, you can gradually add a few minutes each week. Soon you'll be doing 30 minutes on a regular basis even though you started out really small.
I regularly exercise for at least an hour every morning, including a HIIT training, pull-ups, push-ups and crunches…but I did not start with an hour of intense running, I worked up to it gradually. I also gradually added getting up a few minutes earlier to compensate for the extra time needed to run and exercise. One important factor in ensuring success is to prepare ahead of time. For instance, I lay out all of my exercise clothes the night before, so that I am ready to get dressed in them in the morning.
Want to start a good habit? Try the flossing habit. Try to floss every tooth every night, and see how far you get. You might succeed, but if you fail, try just one tooth per night and see how far you get. Your extent will vary, but on average most people get farther with a habit when they start small.
One glass of water a day. One extra vegetable. Three push-ups. One sentence of writing a day. Two minutes of meditation. This is how you start a habit that lasts. Start small and gradually build from there. Remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint.
As we implement the "Four Habits that Form Habits" in our lives, we are learning that habit formation is not that difficult, but how we approach it makes it difficult.
In this Wisdom Note, we continue our exploration of the trails of life that help us to understand how best to hike with a limp. I love life, and each day I endeavor to make the choice to live it in a rich and satisfying way. I realize that some days are more difficult to do so. Sometimes the rough and rugged trails that we have to navigate are difficult enough in themselves, but if we have to deal with a limp, or something that impedes us, it becomes challenging to take that next step.
In order to set the stage for the exploration of our trails this week, let's look at someone else from the Bible that had to overcome obstacles to carry on. In his 2nd letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul reveals a struggle that he had.
We see that Paul made the choice to accept his weakness, and even take pleasure in it. That brings us to Trail #5.
Trail #5 – You can choose.
While we don't generally choose to suffer, we can choose how we respond to it. Only in our co-operative surrender does God have the freedom to mold us in His likeness. We do not stand outside of our being created; there is a decision, a will, and a choice to be made.
If then we choose to be willing participants in the process that suffering takes us through, what can we discover?
If we choose to expect to find God in the dark and desolate trails of our suffering, will we discover that hope and meaning is found in the midst of our suffering?
How can we gain wisdom through suffering?
Frankl tells us just how vitally important our response to unavoidable suffering is when we choose to change ourselves when faced with suffering that we cannot change. This is when our suffering can become a tool in God's transforming work in our lives. For Christians, it is as we remind ourselves of the purposes of God in the midst of our suffering and take hold of the comfort that He never leaves us or forsakes us that we find meaning, hope, and endurance for our most difficult times.
Sometimes suffering comes from choices that we have made in our lives, and as much as possible, we need to correct our actions and attempt to reverse those choices. But, there are other times that suffering is completely outside of ourselves, and we need to choose to endure and allow the suffering to transform us into God's likeness.
Trail #6 – You are not alone.
Suffering will come, but you are not alone. Once we come to a place of knowing that God is with us, regardless of how we feel or what we're going through, we can also acknowledge our need for others.
When we are going through the hard things in life, it is tempting to withdraw from others and hunker down, but that works against us. We need to look for and ask for help from anyone who can support us in our hard seasons. This may be our doctor, our counselor, our immediate family, and it most certainly should include our church family.
Trail #7 – You aren't disqualified.
We need to remember that we're in good company. God has made a practice of using people that hike with a limp. If you think about it, they are all that are available to Him. No matter what our struggles are, none of us is disqualified from loving Him and serving Him and His people with whatever we can bring to Him.
Let's not be afraid of hiking with a limp. It's a reminder of our encounters with God and with the realities of life. Let's choose to embrace the transformative process that God uses in our hard times and grow deeper into being His people marked by humility and faith.
We have completed the 7 trails of hiking with a limp which were: perspective, planning, building, seasons, choice, togetherness, and qualification. This gives us what we need to know to carry on each day, even through struggles.
I had never had a broken bone, nor had any other significant issues with my body, but that all changed last year when I fell from a ladder while cutting a limb out of a tree with a chainsaw. Unfortunately, I landed on a cement walkway on my left hip, fracturing the femur bone below the hip socket. I was fortunate that the accident with a chainsaw was not significantly worse, and that those who were helping me were not injured either.
While the rehabilitation and healing was faster than most people experience, I am reminded nearly every moment of the day and most nights that my femur bone still has a rod from my hip to my knee and also two very large screws. There is pain, and at times a limp, that helps to remind me of the accident, but more importantly how God protected me from a much more serious outcome. Although after two years I may choose to have the inserts removed, I suspect that the pain, and possible limp, may remain for many years.
In this Wisdom Note, we will consider what it means to trek through life with a limp.
All of us go through trials and tribulations in life that can leave us with a limp that affects us throughout our lives. This can be a very humbling and refining process for us. From a figurative standpoint, ask yourself, "What has caused me to limp, and what have I learned from it?" Has this situation changed who you are? For me I will never combine a ladder and chainsaw in the same environment again.
At the end of Jacob's all-night struggle, God touched the socket of Jacob's hip and damaged it so that from that time forward Jacob always walked with a limp. This encounter with God changed him in other ways too. He got a new name and moved into a new phase of his life. He was now fit to lead a new nation that exists to this very day.
There is a remarkable quality that can come from the lives of people after they have wrestled with God or life's issues, and the resulting limp is a sign to themselves and to others that God has humbled them.
We have some pithy little statements that we throw about, like "When life sends you lemons, make lemonade." It makes tough times sound so easy, but life isn't always so simple. Lightweight phrases do little to recognize the challenges we wrestle with.
I was on the wrestling team in high school, so I understand firsthand how strenuous and difficult physical wrestling can be. It requires a lot of discipline to develop skill and agility, sacrifice to burn off fat, and determination to promote muscle growth, strength, and focus, which is required to become refined enough to be victorious.
Paula and I have also had to wrestle with life's issues in the form of business loss, financial downturns, the death of loved ones who were very close to us, moving for work, a granddaughter with leukemia, and my broken femur bone that we would have never chosen ourselves. All of these experiences and others have been a refining fire in our lives to burn off that which is impure so that the fine gold could become evident, and we realize that there may be other times of such trials in our future.
All of us experience seasons of wrestling, testing, discipline, and sifting, such as is described in the book of Hebrews 12:1-13. We may wrestle with health issues, financial stress, depression, relational difficulties, brokenness, failure, loss, grief, and desert-type seasons in our lives and spiritual journey. If we don't anticipate and expect it, we will be surprised and confused when it comes. For the next few days, we will travel on some key trails as we prepare ourselves for these seasons of life.
We begin with the first trail.
Trail #1 – Perspective is everything.
When we experience difficult seasons, it doesn't mean God isn't present or has stopped loving us. It doesn't necessarily mean we lack faith or have brought this upon ourselves through doing something wrong. Following Jesus doesn't exclude us from encountering pain and challenges in our lives. In fact, we are told in scripture to expect it.
A robust theology equips us with the knowledge and expectation that when pain comes, God walks with us through it.
These difficult realities are part of living in the now and not fully experiencing His kingdom. They are also a reminder of God's commitment to us as His children so that we grow up into Him. Our perspective is important because it affects how we respond to hard things.
Will we see these seasons as a reminder of God's lordship and loving activity in our lives that can lead us to greater intimacy with Him, or will we see it as evidence of His absence and lack of love, which leads to bitterness, fear, and isolation from Him and others?
Pain and suffering can help us put things in perspective, value what is truly valuable, and be transformative tools in God's hands.
We have barely scratched the surface of our trek that we embarked on this week, but that is the end of this trail.
In this Wisdom Note, we will continue our series about making wise decisions. As humans, most of us are resistant and hesitant to change as we are comfortable with the habits that we have formed over our lifetimes. Habits can be both good and bad. One good habit that we want to foster in our lives is that of making wise decisions.
Since it is our desire to make wise decisions in all that we do, our 10 waypoints on this wisdom trail will help us to choose wisdom instead of folly in our decision-making. So, let's continue this week and finish our wise decision-making trail with waypoints 7 through 10. Because of my faith walk, I will base our discussions of decision-making on Biblical principles.
7. Have I Honestly Considered the Warning Signs?
When we desire to make a particular decision, we tend to highlight the benefits and minimize the potential bad outcomes. Making wise decisions requires that we are honest with our advisors and ourselves. Take into consideration all the good advice that you have solicited. If those advisors have your best interest at heart, then their advice must be considered.
Remember that God's way is the best way. If there are warning signs, then no amount of justification will make the decision right. It is one thing to take a chance and quite another to be stupid. Sometimes that is a fine line.
8. Have I Considered the Possible Outcomes for My Course of Action?
When making decisions, especially major ones, it is best to make a list of all possible outcomes from this decision. Write them down, with potential benefits on one side and potential negatives on the other. Don't forget to take in lost opportunities that will result in a "side effect" of this decision. For instance, if the decision involves a monetary purchase, you need to consider what other items you will not be able to purchase because of this decision. No decision is made in a vacuum. If you are saying yes to one choice, by default you are saying no to something else.
Take into consideration all information that will be impacted by this decision. Don't rationalize your desires.
Assess the potential risks. There are negative potential outcomes for every decision made. "Yes" to this decision means "no" to another.
Have a contingency plan. If everything just went wrong based on the decision made, what are your plans that will allow you to survive?
9. Could This Decision Jeopardize My Integrity or Hinder My Witness for the Lord?
Never make a decision that has the potential to hurt your reputation, hinder your integrity, or destroy your character. There is nothing in life that is worth obtaining if it will tarnish who you are as a person, especially as a person of faith.
As with most principles of life, when it comes to making wise decisions, you need to remain balanced without going to extremes in your decision-making.
Make sure you do not make any decisions that would soil your reputation. Would you want this decision published on the front page of the newspaper or social media post?
Don't keep a record of wrongs committed by others, it will have a negative impact on the wise decisions that you need to make.
10. Is There A Better Option That Would Allow Me to Make A Greater Impact for God's Kingdom?
Don't assume that just because something is hard that it is not God's will.
Understand how God has uniquely gifted and resourced you.
We have explored the 10 waypoints that will help you to make wise decisions every day for every situation that you encounter. Next week we will learn the advantages of walking with a limp. Based on my experience this past year, I will have some practical advice.


A fabulous view over the St Lucie River.
Perfect your Golf, Tennis and Fitness with our G.O®s and top international coaches at the Club Med Academies.
Improve your swing on one of many great golf courses, including the Club's own 18-hole course.
Try the beach volleyball tuition or a novel "active wellness" experience.
On the east coast of Florida, Club Med Sandpiper stretches along the St Lucie River, with its lush vegetation.
Discover the Club Med Academies, where you can play tennis, golf or take fitness classes with pro coaches in amazing facilities to ensure you make good progress.
Ideal for families, Sandpiper proposes leisure activities for all ages, and the entire family will enjoy a memorable all-inclusive vacation.
Comfortable and elegant Club Room with a lounge area, dressing room and furnished terrace or balcony. Treat yourself to a spacious and elegant Club Room with a magnificent view over the St Lucie River from your terrace or balcony.
Our Deluxe Family accommodation enables parents with young children to gain maximum benefit from their holiday at Sandpiper Bay. The ideal location and specific facilities for children, a guarantee of happy holidays!
Golf concierge can organize play at recommended courses within 30 min of the resort & access to world-class private clubs.
Located in the centre of the Resort, with views over the St Lucie River on one side and the main swimming pool on the other, the restaurant welcomes the whole family for all their meals to discover our selection of international dishes. Part of the restaurant is reserved for adults.
Enjoy à la carte healthy dining options. Fresh juice, salads, wraps, light grill and full bar service. Every night our executive chef will propose various speciality dishes inspired by South Florida's local cuisine.
This new bar, located close to the theater and the pool, serves a cool and wide range of alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails (for children & adults) after a day of sports.
This lounge bar is designed specifically for teens and is open every day from 11am to 11pm.


Explanation of terms and expressions that are used within PDF Tools.
Do not hesitate to contact us if there is a topic you are missing.
Associates an object, for example a memo, a piece of music or a film, with a position on the page, or represents an opportunity to interact with the user with the help of mouse and keyboard.
Many PDF documents are designed in a way that does not allow the user to change them but to interact nonetheless through the use of form fields and checkboxes.
Distortion, or aliasing, may occur at the edges of an object depending on the image's resolution.
Anti-aliasing methods can be used to minimize this effect. The edges are smoothed out with adjusted color values via retroactive filtering.
A one-dimensional collection of sequential objects with implicit numbering starting at 0.
An ordered sequence of bytes. Images and fonts are examples of objects stored as binary data.
Either the keyword true or the keyword false.
A group of 8 binary digits (8 bit), which collectively can represent one of 256 different values. These 8 binary digits are used in a multitude of today's electronic devices.
The primary dictionary object that contains the direct or indirect references to all other objects in the document with the exception of the trailer which the catalog does not reference.
A byte whose value is usually interpreted as a symbol within a symbol set with 256 or fewer members. Character examples: 1, 2, a, b, A, &, etc.
Software application that is both a conforming reader and a conforming writer.
Software application that can read and edit a PDF file that conforms to a specification, for instance [ISO 32000] or [ISO 19005-1], and that is compliant with the requirements of a conforming reader.
Software application able to write PDF files that conform to a specification such as [ISO 32000] or [ISO 19005-1].
A datastream object whose data consists of a sequence of instructions that describe the graphic elements of a page.
Data structure containing the byte offset start for all of the file's indirect objects.
An associative table of object pairs; the first object is the object name and functions as the key, the second object is the value and can be any type of object, including another dictionary.
Any object that has not been made an indirect object.
An electronic representation of a page-oriented compilation of text, images and graphic data, as well as metadata that helps to identify, understand and display the data. Electronic documents can be reproduced on paper or displayed on screen without any significant loss of information.
or a CARRIAGE RETURN followed directly by a LINE FEED.
An optional component of a datastream specification that defines how datastream data should be decoded before it is used. Filter examples: Flate, DCT.
Identifies collections of graphics that can be glyphs or other graphic elements [ISO 15930-4].
A font file defines how glyphs are displayed. If a font file is contained in a PDF file then the associated font is embedded in the file.
If the font does not contain a complete character set but, for example, only the glyphs of the characters used in the document, the term used is subsetted font.
A special type of object representing a parameterized class, including mathematical formulae and sampled representations of arbitrary resolution.
A filter that can minimize image noise by smoothing or applying a soft-focus effect during the image editing process.
The uppermost element of a memory stack contains the parameters that control graphic representation. The graphic state contains information such as color, font, font size, current transformation matrix, etc.
Hinting is a method that improves the display quality of fonts by optimizing the outlines when displaying the characters.
Color profile compliant with the ICC specification [ISO 15076-1:2005].
An object designated by a positive integer object followed by a non-negative integer generation number followed by obj and ending with endobj.
Mathematical integer implemented so that 0 forms the center of the interval. The number can have one or more digits and an optional sign.
A method that controls the combination of pixel density and color depth in raster images during editing. Bilinear interpolation is an extension of linear interpolation for scaling and displaying textures in rendered images.
Variant of the PostScript Type 1 format, which allows for all conceivable display variations of a specific font. Other elements such as line thickness and proportions can be adjusted alongside the common specifications.
An atomic symbol uniquely defined by a sequence of characters beginning with a forward slash (/, U+002F), whereby the forward slash is not part of the name.
Similar to a dictionary that associates keys and values, whereby the keys in a name tree are strings and are ordered.
A singular object of type null, designated by the keyword null, whose type and value are different to every other object.
Similar to a dictionary that associates keys and values, whereby the keys in a number tree are strings and are ordered.
Either an integer object or a real object.
A basic data structure used to construct PDF files. An object can be of the following types: array, Boolean, dictionary, integer, null, real, datastream or string.
An object value that allows one object to be referenced with another. It has the form "<n> <m> R", where <n> is an indirect object number, <m> is its version number and R is the uppercase letter R.
A datastream containing a sequence of PDF objects.
Optical character recognition (optical character reader, OCR) is the mechanical or electronic conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into text, whether from a scanned document or a photo of a document.
Portable Document Format file format, defined in [ISO 32000].
Approximate mathematical real numbers but with limited range and precision and written as one or more digits with an optional sign and optional decimal point.
A specific array object that defines the position and bounding boxes on a page for various objects. It is represented as an array of 4 numbers designating the coordinate pairs of two diagonally opposed corners, usually in the form [bottom left X, Y, top right X, Y].
Associates resources with names, uses the objects in content datastreams with the resource objects themselves and organizes them in various categories (e.g. font, color space, pattern).
Consists of a dictionary followed by zero or more bytes parenthesized by the keywords stream and endstream.
Consists of a series of bytes (unsigned integer values ranging from 0 to 255). The bytes are not integer objects but are stored in a more compact form.
International standard assigning a unique value to every meaningful font character or text element. The Universal Character Set [ISO 10646] is practically equivalent to all extents and purposes.
Designates the PDF reference used to generate the document. The processing PDF software must support this version to guarantee correct processing. PDF versions range from 1.0 to 1.8 (as per 2009). PDF 1.4 corresponds to Acrobat 5, PDF 1.8 corresponds to Acrobat 9.
Designates the process of generating PDF content by importing and possibly converting files from the Internet or local files. The files can be imported in any format such as HTML, GIF, JPEG, text, and PDF.
Structured wrapper for serialized XML metadata that can be embedded in various file formats.