#beard getting james banned <33

[coachbeards]

beard having connections with the groundskeeper and bus driver at Richmond….trust me when i say he tells them both and every member of the security and everyone at the ticket counter to NOT let james tartt in. no matter what he says.

[hp-imagines-07]

hey bae <33

Ok so this is a request? I dont know if you do those mainly because I just found your account since I was banned from my last one and forgot your user :(

But anyways here's a request,

Soft sirius.

Yep, that's it. Soft sirius. So maybe the reader (fem!) is pregnant with their 1st child, and they've been trying for months since they got married (no smut please :D) and he just gets so excited (also, lily and James survived and harry too. Pete didn't betray :( ( I don't know if you don't like him but please make him and Remus and Marlene (obvi) the like 'cool' aunt and uncles! This is long I know but I saw a head canon that made me think of this :) ! If you decide not to - that's totally fine. !! But you also said about needing requests ? Or sending them, so I thought ' hm why not ? ' :))

But ....

Maybe as another request (angst) the reader can have a miscarriage?( where she looses her baby because James and lily died and petunia wouldn't give harry to them) sirius doesn't go to Azkaban,they find out it's peter but not in time to save them ( separate stories of course)

alright... two blurbs in one post... requests can be magic, can't they?

Blurb 1: Happiness and Pregnancy Sickness

Sirius Black x Fem!Reader

Universe: Harry Potter; The Marauders' era

Type: just fluff and funny... Marauders being happy :,)

Summary: The thing Sirius most loves is you and your child, while the thing you most hate is pregnancy sickness.

Request: YES|no

Prompt: xxx

Warnings: pregnancy sickness?

Song: xxx

Word Count: 440 (just a little blurb)

Posted: 24th of June 2021

A/N: thank you for this beautiful request, I've been wanting to write more blurbs so just drop some more requests any time!! and I also have no idea if 'Toad in the Hole' was a thing, but as I had no idea about which dish to put in the story, I had to google about "England Typical Food" lol

My Other Accounts: @imagines-07 (Principal Account) | @stit-imagines-07 (Stranger Things & IT) | @obx-imagines-07 (Outer Banks) | @sw-imagines-07 (Star Wars) | @mcu-imagines-07 (Marvel Comics Universe) | @cm-imagines-07 (Criminal Minds)

MY MASTERLIST

Your eyes trailed around Sirius' gorgeous being.

Many people would look at his dark clothes, long hair, to-be-shaved beard and harsh expression, and imagine a tough man. Not that he isn't tough but, most of the time he's just a... cuttie (as you'd call it).

And seeing him playing with little Harry is just the purest sigh your brain has ever registered - until now.

It's like the world around them doesn't matter as long as Sirius keep putting blocks above one another and Harry slaps his baby hand, making it all fall as they laugh.

For a second you felt your mind drifting to the image of Sirius holding your still unborn daughter and showing your friends how she would giggle with one of the stupid things he did.

Remus, Peter and Marlene would totally blow him off by showing how the 'cool' uncles and aunt would make your daughter laugh harder, while Lily would probably be too mesmerized with her god-daughter features and James would feel really proud of his best friend for having a happy family of his own.

The little smile on your face from the pure sight and thoughts was fastly replaced by a face of disgust as you smelled the scent of Marlene's classic 'Toad in the Hole'. In less than a second, your stomach started doing flips and you felt your mouth watering.

You got up the fastest you could with a 6-months pregnant belly from Lily and James' couch and Sirius (as he had felt the smell too) ran behind you to the bathroom, leaving a confused Harry behind.

As you threw up your breakfast and Sirius held your hair while caressing your back, Lily, Marlene, James, Peter and Remus stood in front of the open door looking at the bathroom with scared and confused expressions. It took around 23 seconds for Lily to remember the talk you two had had earlier about the foods that started to make you sick.

The redheaded's face was hit with realisation as she thought about your voice saying "Especially Toad in the Hole, just the smell makes me sick..." and it didn't take a blink for her to grab the dish from Marlene's hands and throw it in the trash can outside.

"Hey-!" The blond's protests were cut short with you and Sirius walking out of the bathroom.

"I take you didn't know about the sickness..." You said with a sour voice and looked straight at Marlene while Sirius had his arm around your waist.

She raised her arms in defence. "I had no idea!" Her voice was high pitched from confusion and you all laughed.

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

Blurb 2: All The Bad Things

Sirius Black x Fem!Reader

Universe: Harry Potter; The Marauders era

Type: full ANGSTTTT

Summary: When all the bad things hit you and Sirius, you can only have each other.

Request: YES|no

Prompt: xxx

Warnings: TW - death, miscarriage

Song: xxx

Word Count: 419

A/N: i tried to make this really sad, not sure if it worked but it's still kinda hard for me to describe sad scenes and feelings lol

Bad things happen when you aren't expecting them. Bad things stab you in the back. Bad things try to take you down.

And bad things can make it worst.

You were never one to believe in that kind of comments, you always thought that the people who said it was just passing through a sad time and they needed help.

But you never thought you could be the one to need help and agree with this kind of concepts…

You had always been the person to support others through their hard times like you did every day after the full moon with Remus, every time Sirius would get into a conflict with his family, every time James would show only to you how he was actually sad that the girl he loved wasn't interested in him…

And that's the exact reason why Sirius had no idea how to comfort you properly as you broke down just after walking inside your home.

Seeing you kneeled on the floor, with both your hands above the belly that once had a little baby growing in there, just made Sirius weak in the knees and realising that yes, it was happening to you.

His right foot closed the door behind him and Padfoot looked at you with tears welling in his eyes.

Your desperate hands tried to get under the layers of clothing you were wearing on a cold day and your eyes shut with tears streaming non-stopping down your face. With your trembling hands finally in touch with the bare skin of the slightly swollen bump, you didn't even care about the low temperature of your fingertips, all you tried was to feel your child.

As you started to realise that your son or daughter (they didn't live long enough for you to find out, even if you felt it was a girl) had actually died, broken and hopeless sobs ripped from the back of your throat.

Sirius fell on his weak knees beside you and held you to his chest while it moved frantically up and down because of his deep sobs and thick breaths.

Yours and Sirius' hands were resting on your now-empty uterus as you cried for Regulus, the betrayal of Peter, the death of Marlene, Dorcas, Lily and James, your god-son being taken away from you, the war and your miscarriage.

Your chests hurt with the pain of so many losses. And, you felt helpless, sadness hopeless, hurt.

But you weren't alone. Sirius was right there, right beside you, to go through all the bad things.

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

Taglist:

@cheapglitter @Weasleysmuch @potters-heart @writtenbypics @littlemaladaptivedaydreamer @dralf0yy @buff-bork @rd155 @seppys-return-to-madness @luciferedits @old-soul-young-mind @pxtrickhxckstettxr @sleep-i-ness @marauderswhisperer @liberty01 @gweaslvy @weasleytwins-41 @siriuslysirius07 @turtlepad @ilovewinter101 @monimillion @simonsbluee @smokey102 @aberette13 @yourbloodyqueen @loverboyreid @eeshea @susceptible-but-siriusexual @Weareloserstogether @queenofthepouges @gracielou0518 @lukedetails @kiwi-sloan @wonderful-writer @666cookies @kateriinabovos @mflufflion @zzzzzcakes @mysticalmalfoy @lostaurorax @brithedemonspawn @tinylumpiaa @milkshakelol @spookybooisa @sarcasticallywitty15 @Rue-123 @inglourious-imagines @simpforelliie @cruelsummer-s @novelist2 @nottherealslimshady @kimsescapefromreality

[chrissyglikesbooks]

88 Crazy Things You Probably Didn't Know About Australia

1. Australia is as wide as the distance between London to Moscow.

2. The biggest property in Australia is bigger than Belgium.

3. More than 85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast.

4. In 1880, Melbourne was the richest city in the world.

5. Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, earns $1 million every half hour, or $598 every second.

6. In 1892, a group of 200 Australians unhappy with the government tried to start an offshoot colony in Paraguay to be called 'New Australia'.

7. The first photos from the 1969 moon landing were beamed to the rest of the world from Honeysuckle Tracking Station, near Canberra.

8. Australia was the second country in the world to allow women to vote (New Zealand was first).

9. Each week, 70 tourists overstay their visas.

10. In 1856, stonemasons took action to ensure a standard of 8-hour working days, which then became recognised worldwide.

11. Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke set a world record for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Hawke later suggested that this was the reason for his great political success.

12. The world's oldest fossil, which is about 3.4 billion years old, was found in Australia.

13. Australia is very sparsely populated: The UK has 248.25 persons per square kilometre, while Australia has only 2.66 persons per square kilometre.

14. Australia's first police force was made up of the most well-behaved convicts.

15. Australia has the highest electricity prices in the world.

16. There were over one million feral camels in outback Australia, until the government launched the $19m Feral Camel Management Program, which aims to keep the pest problem under control.

17. Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia (mostly for meat production).

18. Qantas once powered an interstate flight with cooking oil.

19. Per capita, Australians spend more money on gambling than any other nation.

20. In 1832, 300 female convicts mooned the governor of Tasmania. It was said that in a "rare moment of collusion with the Convict women, the ladies in the Governor's party could not control their laughter."

21. Australia is home to the longest fence in the world. It is 5,614 km long, and was originally built to keep dingoes away from fertile land.

22. Australia was one of the founding members of the United Nations.

23. Melbourne is considered the sporting capital of the world, as it has more top level sport available for its citizens than anywhere else.

24. Before the arrival of humans, Australia was home to mega fauna: three metre tall kangaroos, seven metre long goannas, horse-sized ducks, and a marsupial lion the size of a leopard.

25. Kangaroos and emus cannot walk backward, one of the reasons that they're on the Australian coat of arms.

26. Speaking of, Australia is one of the only countries where we eat the animals on our coat of arms.

27. If you visited one new beach in Australia every day, it would take over 27 years to see them all.

28. Melbourne has the world's largest Greek population outside of Athens.

29. The Great Barrier Reef is the planet's largest living structure.

30. And it has it's own postbox!

31. The male platypus has strong enough venom to kill a small dog.

32. And when the platypus was first sent to England, it was believed the Australians had played a joke by sewing the bill of a duck onto a rat.

33. Before 1902, it was illegal to swim at the beach during the day.

34. A retired cavalry officer, Francis De Groot stole the show when the Sydney Harbour Bridge officially opened. Just as the Premier was about to cut the ribbon, De Groot charged forward on his horse and cut it himself, with his sword. The ribbon had to be retied, and De Groot was carted off to a mental hospital. He was later charged for the cost of one ribbon.

35. Australia has 3.3x more sheep than people.

36. Prime Minister Harold Holt went for a swim at Cheviot Beach, and was never seen again.

37. Australia's national anthem was 'God Save The King/Queen' until 1984.

38. Wombat poop is cube shaped! This helps it mark its territory.

39. European settlers in Australia drank more alcohol per capita than any other society in history.

40. The Australian Alps receive more snowfall than Switzerland.

41. A kangaroo is only one centimetre long when it is born.

42. Sir John Robertson, a five-time premier of NSW in the 1800s, began every morning with half a pint of rum. He said: "None of the men who in this country have left footprints behind them have been cold water men."

43. The Box jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than stonefish, sharks and crocodiles combined.

44. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.

45. The average Aussie drinks 96 litres of beer per year.

46. 63% of Australians are overweight.

47. Australia is ranked second on the Human Development Index (based on life expectancy, income and education).

48. In 2005, security guards at Canberra's Parliament House were banned from calling people 'mate'. It lasted one day.

49. In Australia, it is illegal to walk on the right-hand side of a footpath.

50. Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.

51. Aussie Rules footy was originally designed to help cricketers to keep fit in the off-season.

52. The name 'Kylie' came from an Aboriginal hunting stick, similar to the boomerang.

53. 91% of the country is covered by native vegetation.

54. The largest-ever victory in an international football match was when Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in 2001.

55. There are 60 designated wine regions in Australia.

56. Melbourne has been ranked the world's most liveable city for the past three years.

57. If all the sails of the Opera House roof were combined, they would create a perfect sphere. The architect was inspired while eating an orange.

58. Australia is home to 20% of the world's poker machines.

59. Half of these are found in New South Wales.

60. Moomba, Australia's largest free festival, held in Melbourne, means 'up your bum' in many Aboriginal languages.

61. No native Australian animals have hooves.

62. The performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the 2000 Olympics opening ceremony was actually a prerecording- of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

63. The wine cask (goon sack) is an Australian invention

64. So is the selfie.

65. Durack, Australia's biggest electorate, is larger in size than Mongolia.

66. The world's first compulsory seat belt law was put into place in Victoria in 1970.

67. Each year, Brisbane hosts the world championships of cockroach racing.

68. In 1932, the Australian military waged war on the emu population of Western Australia. Embarrassingly, they lost.

69. Canberra was created in 1908 as a compromise when Sydney and Melbourne both wanted to be the capital city.

70. A gay bar in Melbourne won the right to ban women from the premises, because they made the men uncomfortable.

71. In 1992, an Australian gambling syndicate bought almost all the number combinations in a Virginia lottery, and won. They turned a $5m purchase into a $27m win.

72. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable, meaning gum trees may explode if ignited, or in bushfires.

73. In 1975, Australia had a government shutdown, which ended with the Queen firing everyone and the government starting again.

74. A bearded Australian was removed from a darts match in the UK, after the audience started chanting 'Jesus!' at him, distracting the players.

75. There have been instances of wallabies getting high after breaking into opium crops, then running around and making what look like crop circles.

76. An Australian man once tried to sell New Zealand on eBay.

77. In 1940, two aircraft collided in midair, in NSW. Instead of crashing, the two planes became stuck together and made a safe landing.

78. The male lyrebird, which is native to Australia, can mimic the calls of over 20 other birds. If that's not impressive enough, he can also perfectly imitate the sound of a camera, chainsaw and car alarm.

79. Some shopping centres and restaurants play classical music in their car park to deter teenagers from loitering at night.

80. Despite sharing the same verbal language, Australian, British and American sign language are all completely different languages.

81. In 1979, debris from NASA's space station 'Skylab' crashed in Esperance, WA. The town then fined NASA $400 for littering.

82. There have been no deaths in Australia from a spider bite since 1979.

83. There currently a chlamydia outbreak among koala species, which has led to a 15% drop in koala populations.

84. In NSW, there is a coal fire beneath the ground which has been burning for 5,500 years.

85. An Australian election TV debate was rescheduled so it didn't conflict with the finale of reality cooking show Masterchef.

86. Chinese explorers travelled to Australia long before Europeans arrived. As early as the 1400s, sailors and fisherman came to Australia for sea-cucumbers and to trade with Indigenous peoples.

87. The first European to visit Australia was Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon, in 1606. More Dutch explorers visited the country over the next hundred years, plotting maps and naming it 'New Holland'.

88. Captain James Cook first landed on Australia's east coast in 1770. In 1788, the British returned with eleven ships to establish a penal colony. Within days of The First Fleet's arrival and the raising of the British flag, two French ships arrived, just too late to claim Australia for France.

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

CBD: A Information to Consuming and Ingesting Hashish at Eating places

http://tinyurl.com/y5uz8chf On a latest night on the James Beard Home in New York Metropolis, friends decked out in fantastic eating apparel gathered for an intimate ceremonial dinner. The James Beard Foundation had as soon as once more invited its members to take pleasure in cocktails, meals, and wine whereas mingling with the makers themselves. Nonetheless, what made this ceremonial dinner completely different was that the important thing speaking level— terpenes (extra on that later)—was one thing about which this group of seasoned foodies knew little or no. And what made it memorable was {that a} main voice within the culinary trade showcased how cooking with hashish can elevate delicacies even within the absence of a excessive. Although it takes loads of transferring components to assemble a restaurant, hashish has the uncommon alternative to create sweeping modifications throughout the complete hospitality trade. The incorporation of hashish merchandise into the eating room given its devoted fan base can have a critical financial influence on a restaurant’s backside line, to not point out influence the eating expertise. The Nationwide Restaurant Affiliation just lately launched a report discovering that nearly 77% of cooks surveyed selected drinks and meals infused with hashish and cannabidiol (CBD) as the highest two traits within the trade for 2019. Nonetheless, earlier than eating places and friends can formally embrace this plant with out concern of retribution, federal and state officers must agree on a plan—a course of that has confirmed so far to be extraordinarily advanced. The Legislation (As of At the moment) It’s unsettling to suppose the meal you might be consuming might have you ever getting into a plea by the tip of the evening, however the legality of consuming hashish is a subject of debate. The USA Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in accordance with the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) at the moment classifies marijuana—the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant hashish sativa—as an unlawful, Schedule 1 drug. Schedule 1 medication are categorized as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Although hashish is comprised of many alternative chemical compounds, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the one which has made the plant a supply of controversy due to its mind-altering properties. Due to this, federal and state governments have completely different legal guidelines concerning the usage of medical and leisure marijuana. Whereas marijuana is taken into account an unlawful substance by the federal authorities, states have handed legal guidelines which have legalized the drug for each medical and leisure use. At present, 11 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for leisure use, with 33 states legally approving marijuana for medical use. Hudson Hemp merchandise on the James Beard Home dinner. Courtesy of Timothy Murray Nonetheless, since federal regulation overrides state regulation, hashish consumption will not be with out private danger. Even in states like Maine which have legalized hashish for leisure use, there have been bans instituted by state well being departments on shops promoting meals made with CBD—one of many many non-psychoactive elements of hashish—resulting from well being considerations. Regardless of the conflicting viewpoints and rising pains, there seems to be progress in clearing up this grey space. The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill Act by the federal authorities legalized the manufacturing of hemp, a hashish varietal that has lower than 0.3% THC. The act additionally expanded hemp cultivation broadly exterior of academic pilot packages and permits for the switch of hemp-derived merchandise throughout state traces for business functions. Maybe most significantly, the brand new regulation doesn’t put a restriction on the sale, transportation, or possession of hemp made merchandise so long as they had been produced in accordance with the regulation. This mannequin offers a place to begin for farmers, distributors, and hospitality professionals to work collectively as a way to construct a meals system that’s fully in compliance with each state and federal regulation. Whereas we look ahead to the federal government to determine all of it out for hashish, we might as as nicely determine on what we’re having for dinner, which implies looking at what an precise menu would possibly appear like. Hashish Menu Communicate: Terpenes, Cannabinoids, Oils, and Dosage Whereas cooks and servers are not any stranger to explaining substances and preparation strategies to friends, including hashish to the menu will possible require further conversations. For Chef Holden Jagger, the chef behind the James Beard dinner “An Exploration of Terpenes,” that meant breaking issues right down to the molecular stage. “One of the best factor about terpenes is that each single bar and restaurant in America is already utilizing them and doesn’t even realize it,” says Rachel Burkons, Jagger’s sister and co-founder of the cannabis-focused hospitality group Altered Plates. “Terpenes are fragrant molecules which might be liable for taste and aroma in all kinds of fruits and botanicals, together with quite common substances. They’re additionally liable for the flavour and aromas of hashish, and mixed with a particular selection’s cannabinoid content material, can information the ‘expertise’ of a particular selection.” Altered Plates brother-sister staff Chef Holden Jagger and Rachel Burkons. Courtesy of Timothy Murray If terpenes assist appeal to the nostril and mouth, cannabinoids may be considered encouraging wholesome conduct for the physique. Analysis suggests cannabinoids work together with the human endocannabinoid system (ECS) and might set off numerous bodily responses in people, equivalent to a way of rest or decreased irritation. Nonetheless, they don’t make folks excessive, except they’re being activated by THC. Like different vegetation, there are many methods cooks can put together them, with among the hottest infusions coming in the best way of oils, butters, and honey. A cannabis-focused dinner may also embody the stems, seeds, and flowers from the plant as a way to present a full sensory expertise. It doesn’t matter what meals or drink you’re having fun with, portion measurement ought to come into play, and that particularly rings true when consuming edible hashish merchandise with THC, that are sometimes measured in milligrams. “The actual fact of the matter is that everybody’s endocannabinoid system is completely different,” Burkons explains. “What’s good for one individual could also be an excessive amount of for one more, and never do a factor for anyone else. However when friends don’t know but the place they land on that scale, or what kind of hashish expertise they like, the trade commonplace is “begin low, go sluggish.” Usually, individuals who ingest THC may not really feel the results till 45 minutes to an hour later, so there’s a major accountability on servers to elucidate all the essential data as a way to guarantee the protection of all friends. The place to Make a Reservation: Personal Dinners, Neighborhood Joints, and…Consumption Lounges? The authorized complexities of the hashish trade as they stand have made incorporating hashish into eating places troublesome. “Companies might really feel the pinch of restricted banking providers most acutely, as federal legal guidelines strongly discourage federally chartered establishments from offering important banking providers to anybody inside arms attain of a hashish plant, “ says Andrew Aamot, president and CEO of Colorado’s Sträva Craft Coffee, which makes a CBD-infused espresso that it distributes to eating places and cafes. Due to these constraints, hospitality professionals which might be concerned with hashish have chosen to pursue the non-public occasions route like Altered Plates, or accomplice with corporations that make cannabis-related merchandise as a way to showcase them at their workplace. Although cooks may not be truly making hashish dishes in their very own kitchens simply but, a number of eating places have given their friends a way of what is perhaps anticipated. Watermelon margarita with Azuca hemp infused syrup at Bubby’s. Courtesy of Alexander Stein At Bubby’s in New York Metropolis, proprietor Ron Silver discovered a approach to mix his ardour for hashish into his household pleasant eating room. Silver, founder and chief inventive officer of Azuca, makes use of a number of infused syrups in drinks at his eating places. Prime Chef alum Spike Mendelsohn has a line of CBD-beverages, PLNT, obtainable at his Springfield, Va.-based pad Vim & Victor. Naturally, friends have introduced with them loads of preconceived notions. “We’ve been serving CBD espresso in Colorado for 2 years, and it’s been a problem to coach our buyer base,” explains Blue Sparrow Coffee proprietor Jeffrey Knott. “We now have folks visiting our cafe daily from out of state and as quickly as we point out CBD espresso we get antagonistic reactions like, ‘Oh, I’ve to drive,’ or ‘My firm has common drug screenings.’” In an trade the place revenue relies on how shortly tables get turned, the logistical challenges of accommodating the invariable questions that come together with consuming hashish would possibly show to be extra time consuming than first anticipated. That’s the reason another answer has been mentioned by members of the hashish hospitality trade. Very like Prohibition unintentionally gave rise to speakeasies, the concept of devoted cannabis-friendly consumption lounges is interesting to some members of the group. Altered Plates is at the moment engaged on opening one of many Metropolis of West Hollywood’s onsite consumption lounges, slated to open in 2020. These lounges are anticipated to pave the best way for the true restaurant-level hashish eating experiences, however the Metropolis of West Hollywood has launched solely eight of those permits so far. Tips on how to Make the Most Out of Your Culinary Hashish Expertise The emotional and bodily expertise friends have whereas eating will finally decide the long-term success of culinary hashish ideas. Although some folks would possibly query the concept of consuming hashish in a public setting, attempting new meals and drinks within the firm of pals has all the time been a longstanding custom of eating out. Equally essential, individuals who don’t take pleasure in ingesting alcohol now have another possibility when socializing in public. “I’m fairly new to this, however I believe as a prepare dinner and a diner, I desire a gradual build-up of flavors and dose,” says Chef Nicole Rucker of Los Angeles’ Fiona Bakery. “To start out, I would like some scrumptious bread or excellent radishes slathered with or dipped in a THC and terpene butter so the development of the meal is front-loaded with the most important dose.” Gabe Kennedy, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and co-founder of Plant People, advises friends to strategy hashish as you would possibly a standard meal and depend on your instincts. “High quality is crucial as a result of hashish is a remediation plant and can suck up any impurities, heavy metals or toxins throughout the soil. Efficiency doesn’t equate to high quality,” Kennedy says. “You need the flowers to be visually constant, freed from mildew or mildew and to have an attractive aroma.” As companies and customers determine a approach to work collectively, maybe the best feeling of reduction is not going to come from CBD, however the thought we’re within the early phases of serving to excellent a delicacies for future generations to come back. In spite of everything, constructing a delicacies from the bottom up isn’t straightforward. Extra must-read tales from Fortune: —The weed industry’s biggest secret? What everybody will get paid —Jelly Stomach creator hopes CBD edibles might be his subsequent magic beans —CBD market could reach $16 billion by 2025 —Walgreens to clear shelf area for CBD products in 1500 stores —Hearken to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily Follow Fortune on Flipboard to remain up-to-date on the newest information and evaluation. Source link

[nishantwap]

Royal Wedding: Lip reader reveals Queen's advice to Prince Philip

New Post has been published on https://www.hsnews.us/royal-wedding-lip-reader-reveals-queens-advice-to-prince-philip/

Royal Wedding: Lip reader reveals Queen's advice to Prince Philip

Meghan couldn’t stop saying ‘Wow!’ and the words ‘amazing’ and ‘unbelievable’ were used on several occasions, reveals expert lip reader Terry Ruane ,who was watching TV footage of the proceedings. Here are some of the comments he observed being made…

As guests arrive…

A woman with Tom Parker Bowles is on her phone, saying: ‘I am not hungover today, so that’s really good.’

George Clooney greets James Corden, telling him: ‘You look great!’ Meanwhile, Amal Clooney is very chatty, variously saying: ‘Oh, how sweet’ and ‘How annoying’ – but it’s not clear what she’s referring to.

Harry’s uncle, Earl Spencer, chats with his wife about a friend who works in Africa.

Actor Idris Elba jokes about the venue, saying: ‘It’s not bad!’

As William and Harry walk towards the chapel, William indicates that either his shoes or trousers are ‘tight’.

Harry prompted Meghan before the newly-wedded couple shared a kiss on the chapel’s steps

In the chapel…

Princess Beatrice looks around, asking her father, Prince Andrew: ‘Where’s Mum?’, referring to Sarah, Duchess of York, who is seated diagonally across from them on the other side of the aisle.

The heavily pregnant Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne, tells her husband Mike she ‘needs the toilet’.

David Furnish, husband of Sir Elton John, comments on weddings, saying: ‘That’s the greatest thing about weddings, they’re supposed to be (beautiful?) but you have to…’ before the camera cuts away.

Harry nervously asks William: ‘Is she here?’ William replies ‘No, not yet. I don’t know actually.’ William then suggests they ought to stand up when Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, comes into the chapel. Harry quips that he wants to see Meghan and her dress ‘before my hair goes grey’.

At the altar…

As Prince Charles hands Meghan to Harry, the groom replies: ‘Thank you, Pa.’

Standing side by side, Harry and Meghan gaze at each other and the prince says: ‘You look amazing. I missed you.’

Harry checks she is OK as he lifts her veil over her head, asking: ‘All right?’

During the service…

At one point the Duchess of Cornwall appears to get lost in the order of service book, seeking help from the Duchess of Cambridge, who replies: ‘I don’t know.’

Leaving the chapel…

At the top of the steps, Meghan asks Harry: ‘Do we kiss?’ Harry replies with a discreet ‘Yeah’. The Queen tells Prince Philip: ‘Keep waving.’

Meghan’s mother turns to Charles and describes the service as ‘superb’.

Meghan appears to be overwhelmed by the size of the crowd, saying: ‘Wow! How busy! Unbelievable.’ Awed by the whole experience, she repeats the word ‘wow’.

At the end of the carriage ride, Meghan says: ‘So much FUN!’, putting her hand to her chest.

Finally, as the couple pass the last of the cheering crowds and into the private royal gardens, Harry says: ‘I’m ready for a drink now.’  

Princes Harry and William joked about Harry’s ‘tight trousers’ while they waited for the bride

Lipreaders have revealed Harry told his bride: ‘You look amazing – I missed you’ at the altar 

The royal bride replied ‘thank you’ before the couple said their wedding vows

Harry was meanwhile spotted telling his new wife he was ready for the reception as their carriage drew back into the grounds of Windsor Castle. 

As the horse-drawn carriage finished its climb up the Long Walk, Harry quipped: ‘I’m ready for a drink now.’

Meghan was obviously impressed by the crowds who had lined the streets, exclaiming ‘wow!’ as they emerged from the castle grounds.

They also swapped remarks about some of the signs being held by members of the public, with Harry commenting ‘huge’ at one point during the procession, and Meghan saying ‘how sweet’.

Lip-readers have also revealed how the groom was supported by his brother ahead of the ceremony. 

Harry, 33, said ‘I’m alright’ in a heart-warming exchange with his brother, 35, as they entered the church, but joked ‘my trousers are too tight’ as he complained his military uniform was on the small side. 

As they waited for the bridge to arrive, a nervous Harry asked his brother: ‘Is she here?’ Wills replied: ‘No not yet. I don’t know actually.’

The royal couple exchanged a few tender words with each other as the wedding service began

Meghan then arrived and, after entering the church with her flower girls and page boys, was walked up the aisle by Prince Charles, who stepped in at the last minute. 

Harry said: ‘Thanks Pa’, as Charles and Meghan arrived at the altar.

Meanwhile, a body language expert said Meghan ‘was the strength’ of her wedding ceremony and was constantly reassuring her new husband.

Despite the whole experience being completely new for Meghan, who today became the Duchess of Sussex, she did not display a single sign of anxiety or nervousness, body language expert Judi James said.

Ms James said Harry performed about 12 ‘nervous’ self-touching body checks, like pulling at his gloves and wringing his hands, within a few paces of getting out his car after arriving at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

However Meghan, the latest member of the royal family, maintained complete calm throughout the ceremony to ‘help Harry through it’.

Harry was also spotted telling his wife: ‘I’m ready for a drink’ as they entered the gates of Windsor Castle after their carriage procession

Ms James said: ‘Meghan was amazing. Walking up the aisle by herself, I looked for every smallest sign of suppressed anxiety and nervousness – there was absolutely nothing.

‘I think she probably saw it as her role to help Harry through it rather than the other way round. She sat with her hand over his for quite a bit of the service as though she was reassuring him.

‘To me, she was the strength when it came to the day and the actual performance.’ 

Both Princes wore the black and gold uniforms of the Blues and Royals, similar to Harry’s outfit for Wills’ wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011.  

The uniforms they wore were tailored at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row, with the Queen giving them permission to wear their Army uniforms to the ceremony. 

Harry has decided to sport a beard, despite speculation he would shave it off in line with Army rules that ban facial hair.

Prince Harry (left) arrived at his wedding to Meghan Markle with his brother and best man Prince William (right) to rapturous applause in Windsor this morning

But as the prince is no longer a serving member of the forces, he is allowed to break with convention. 

As Harry’s best man, Prince William will be responsible for handing over the rings, which were earlier revealed to be the work of Cleave and Company.   

Harry is returning the favour to his younger brother after acting as his best man seven years ago. 

Prince Harry will become the second Duke of Sussex when he and Meghan have walked down the aisle, with his new wife becoming the first ever Duchess of the county in History. 

Harry’s frockcoat is made from blue doeskin. It is single-breasted in style with a stand-up collar, complete with figured braiding of Regimental pattern.

The brothers walked by crowds outside the chapel as they both prepared for the ceremony

The uniform was cut and made by hand. The sleeve pattern is intricate in detail and took one person one week to complete.

The frockcoat is ranked to Major with large gold embroidered crowns.

The badge on the left chest is Pilots’ Wings attained whilst serving with the Army Air Corps for flying Apache helicopters. 

The four medal ribbons below the Wings are, from left to right: K.C.V.O., Afghanistan with rosette, The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The trousers, officially called ‘overalls’, are made from a blue and black wool barathea and are fastened by a leather strap and buckle underneath the boot. 

Both Princes (Harry left and Harry and William right) wore the black and gold uniforms of the Blues and Royals to the wedding in Windsor today 

The groom was pictured beaming with his brother and best man ahead of the ceremony

What did Harry and William wear? 

Both Prince Harry and Prince William wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, part of the Household Cavalry of the British Army.  

Her Majesty The Queen gave her permission for Prince Harry to get married in his uniform. They were both made by Dege & Skinner on Savile Row.  

Prince Harry

Prince Harry was dressed in the uniform of the Blues and Royals 

The frockcoat is made from blue doeskin. It is single-breasted in style with a stand-up collar, complete with figured braiding of Regimental pattern.

The uniform was cut and made by hand. 

The sleeve pattern is intricate in detail and took one person one week to complete.

The frockcoat is ranked to Major with large gold embroidered crowns.

The badge on the left chest is Pilots’ Wings attained whilst serving with the Army Air Corps for flying Apache helicopters. 

The four medal ribbons below the Wings are, from left to right: K.C.V.O., Afghanistan with rosette, The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The trousers, officially called ‘overalls’, are made from a blue and black wool barathea and are fastened by a leather strap and buckle underneath the boot. They would have traditionally been worn on horseback.

The hat is a Blues and Royals Forage Cap (No.1 Dress cap). There is a white buckskin waist belt with Regimental buckle and slings but no sword.

The Duke of Cambridge

Prince William wore the same uniform with the addition of the hold Aiguillette on his right shoulder 

Prince William wore the same uniform as the Groom, also to the Rank of Major.

The Wings are those attained flying helicopters whilst serving with the RAF, the two medals below from left to right are: Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Duke of Cambridge is also wearing the Garter Star.

As an Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke sported the EIIR cyphers on his shoulder straps along with a gold Aiguillette on his right shoulder.

Dege & Skinner

Dege & Skinner made the uniforms for Their Royal Highnesses when they were commissioned into the Blues and Royals, a moment captured on canvas by Nicky Philipps in her double portrait, which currently hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London. 

Source: Kensington Palace 

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[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Living in Raymond Pettibon’s America

Raymond Pettibon, “No Title (Having read Superman…)” (2003), pen and ink on paper, 30 1/4 x 22 1/2 in (76.8 x 57.2 cm) (courtesy David Zwirner, New York)

Somebody told me the other day to read Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale; I told them I already had. I keep seeing people tweet at William Gibson, shocked and frightened that the guy who predicted how we’d eventually overdose on technology seems surprised by how awful things have gotten. RoboCop, They Live, and all those other sci-fi movies from the ’80s that people used to call campy seem so damn relevant now. A friend recently joked that “Evil, racist Fox Mulder (Steve Bannon) is really in charge of the White House.” People keep comparing the current political situation to Harry Potter.

That last one I couldn’t have called, but all the other stuff unfortunately makes sense to me. It makes sense the way Raymond Pettibon’s work does. Walking through multiple floors of the New Museum, currently playing home to his first major survey exhibit in New York City, Raymond: Pettibon: A Pen of All Work, I couldn’t help but think about all those cultural threads coming together — all the art we spent our time reading or looking at before that makes up a canon summing up the here and now. We could call it “pre-dystopia” or something like that, though I’d rather leave the labeling to the critics.

Raymond Pettibon, “No Title (I mean alarmed)” (2013), ink and acrylic on paper, 30 x 22 1/2 in (76.2 x 57.2 cm), Collection Joseph and Kimberley Mimran (courtesy David Zwirner, New York)

What’s distinct about Pettibon is that he hasn’t spent his time drawing his ideas of what might be; his art has always explored how fucked up and strange the world already is. It’s essentially one long process of an artist trying to figure out this GIF of a dumpster fire we call America. If you’re just passing through the New Museum, unfamiliar with Pettibon maybe save a few album covers he drew, the message that shouldn’t be lost on you is this: things run deeper than we want to admit. Today’s disaster didn’t start with Trump or Obama, either of the Bushes or Reagan. Pettibon’s got drawings of president #45, sure, but on the fourth and possibly most striking floor of the exhibit, those drawings are in close proximity to images of other American presidents, plus Osama bin Laden, Lenin, Hitler, and other bad guys and horrible events from the 20th and 21st centuries. The whole show spans six presidents, 9/11, multiple wars, and a crossover into the weird and frightening, brave new world we’re living in. Looking over so much of his work in one place, it becomes clear how attuned Pettibon is to the fact that all leaders do bad things, and how that’s a big part of what got us into this current dystopia. We seem to finally be catching up to what Pettibon has been saying through his work — and, if you can transcribe it, his Twitter account — all along.

Installation view, Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work, 2017, at the New Museum, New York (photo by Maris Hutchinson / EPW Studio)

It might not look like there’s a message in the countless drawings tacked to the walls next to framed paintings and murals — here today on the New Museum’s walls, gone when the exhibit is finished — but there is. There’s a buildup as you climb the floors: drawings of Jesus early on, Black Flag and Sonic Youth record covers and flyers next, the baseball drawings that I find the most interesting, and then, finally, the fourth floor with the crowds of tourists, people who read about the show in the Times, students and punks in Cro-Mags shirts and denim jackets covered in patches, or the bearded and bespectacled hardcore kids all grown up and ushering their children around, many of them crowded around the image of one of our most iconic superheroes, his face looking a lot like Reagan’s as he gets decked, with the caption reading, “Do you see stars, Fascist Superman?” Some of them take pictures of the art because it seems to have extra-special significance right now — it’s part of that canon, one that I’m guessing Pettibon doesn’t want to be included in.

Installation view, Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work, 2017, at the New Museum, New York (photo by Maris Hutchinson / EPW Studio)

Raymond Pettibon, “No Title (Jesus)” (1979), ink on paper, 12 x 17 in (30.5 x 43.2 cm), Hauser & Wirth Collection, Switzerland (photo courtesy Archive Hauser & Wirth Collection, Switzerland)

Installation view, Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work, 2017, at the New Museum, New York (photo by Maris Hutchinson / EPW Studio)

A lot of these people probably know the artist because of his association with bands whose best records came out during a particularly fertile time for the American underground, but the theme running through Pettibon’s work is much more than rebellion. Whether he’s drawing cops, dictators, or American presidents, he’s telling us that people will abuse their power and that abuse will lead to untold horrors and the suffering of innocent people. But in Pettibon’s work — versus, say, George Orwell or Margaret Atwood — it’s not a parable or a possible future scenario. What’s frighteningly noticeable in 2017, more than ever before, is that Pettibon’s talking about the here and now. Things are terrifying and bad, they always have been, and they don’t look like they’re changing anytime soon.

Raymond Pettibon, “No Title (As a bookman…)” (2001), pen and ink on paper, 13 x 12 3/4 in (33 x 32.4 cm), Collection Alan Hergott and Curt Shepard

There’s more to it, though. The very literary work — with nods to authors from Henry James to Marcel Proust throughout — of the California-born Pettibon often echoes Joan Didion and Nathanael West, the grotesqueness of The Day of the Locust and plenty of “Dreamers of the Golden Dream.” It’s about these ideas we as a country once had, visions of “American exceptionalism” and how they rot from the inside out. His art contains flashes of the LSD burnouts in “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and glimpses of the wasted American youth from books like Bret Easton Ellis’s Less Than Zero. A specific strain of California culture is noticeable in his paintings of surfers and revolutionaries, telling stories of a beautiful but damaged place. Just like it has for all of those authors, for Pettibon, California and all of its failed promises represent America.

And yet, amid all the tyrants and criminals like Charles Manson, there are trains, surfers, Gumby, and Batman. There is the hippie with a gun saying, “Your money and your drugs, man,” above the slogan, “Legalize Heroin, Ban Hippies (and New Yorkers).” Pettibon draws what he knows, what he’s experienced, loved, hated, and feared. His art is about the American and human experience, the absurdity and weirdness of it all. He calls out man’s inhumanity and sheer stupidity, but when you peel away another layer, or stare at his work a little longer, you can also find bits of beauty and light. The hope that, however cruel this world can be, no matter how horrible people are, it’s not all terrible, because at least there are things to love and others to laugh at. Pettibon’s art, like any good novel that ages so well over time it’s able to fit into contemporary cultural conversations, might not have been made with a specific message in mind. Yet today especially, it sends one.

Raymond Pettibon, “No Title (Fight for freedom!)” (1981), pen and ink on paper, 11 x 8 1/2 in (27.9 x 21.6 cm), private collection (courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles)

Raymond: Pettibon: A Pen of All Work continues at the New Museum (235 Bowery, Lower East Side, Manhattan) through April 9.

The post Living in Raymond Pettibon’s America appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[viralhottopics]

I love Trump. Hes doing what he said. Presidents supporters keep the faith

Womens Marches and widespread criticism of the Muslim ban have not dented the loyalty of Trump voters

Cast-iron hooks, childrens vinyl records, classic food packages, tobacco baskets, vintage-style olive buckets and a rotary-dial telephone fill the shelves at James and Jess House of Goods. The antiques store opened two years ago, styling itself as rustic, hipster, chic with a twee strapline: Mostly old with a little new.

If the House of Goods was in Washington DC, it would be a decent demographic bet that its owners voted for Hillary Clinton. But it is 75 miles away in Washington County, which Donald Trump won handily. And while the capital city has been roiled by protests since Trump moved into the White House, from where James and Jess are sitting he is doing just fine.

I love Trump, James Zawatski said. I give him credit for doing what he said he was going to do; a lot of politicians dont. Im 47 and I never voted in my life but I did this year. We needed someone with a set of balls to do what needs to be done. Im tired of those liberals.

Trumps asteroid-like impact on Washington DC has caused bewilderment, consternation, disorientation, puzzlement and anger. Democratic politicians have been knocked off balance by a brash adversary while Republicans are struggling to adapt to an unpredictable ally. The media have rained criticism. Residents of DC where Clinton beat Trump by 90.9% of the vote to 4.1% express their mortification and fears. And last months Womens March on the capital was a dramatic statement of anti-Trump resistance.

But across the frontline of Americas increasingly tribal politics in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland, the perspective is turned on its head. Whereas critics see Trumps travel bans as un-American and sowing chaos at airports, supporters see him as keeping them safe; where critics see him blowing up foreign policy as he spars with Australia and slaps sanctions on Iran, supporters see him getting tough; where critics see him firing the acting attorney general and trampling on the constitution, supporters see him boldly smashing the old order. And where activists protest, columnists fulminate and millions recoil in fear of a world spinning towards catastrophe, supporters dismiss them as liberal cry babies and praise Trump as the first politician to keep his campaign promises. They see him not as a rampaging rhinoceros but a straight-talking strongman.

His plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border is one example of this worldview complementarity. I love immigrants, I love Mexicans, but theres a way to do it, theres a procedure, said Zawatski, himself descended from Italian immigrants. These people come and theyre entitled to more than me whos busting his ass seven days a week. Were a great country but were being taken advantage of.

Personally I wouldnt spend money on the wall. Id just shoot them as they come over. Then they wouldnt come.

Zawatski had little sympathy with the hundreds of thousands who took part in the Womens Marches, many of whom wore pink pussy hats and carried placards condemning Trump over his past boast about feeling able to grab women by the pussy. He does not merely turn a blind eye to Trumps misogyny but condones it: What man never grabbed a womans pussy? What man doesnt talk in the locker room about what he did to a woman the night before? Women do that too. Were all human. His wife, Jess, 35, agreed: Its a guy thing. I know James talks like that among guys. So I dont hold it against Trump.

The Womens March, she added, was the stupidest thing ever because some were saying theyre being treated unequally. Women can stand up and go after what they want. Men arent standing in the way.

James Zawatski in his shop. Photograph: Chet Strange for the Observer

As Zawatski, wearing tattoos on his arms and a T-shirt with the legend Tattooed and employed, spoke to the Observer, a man stole a decorative sphere off its stand (total price $79) from the pavement outside the store. Zawatski spotted him and raced outside, prompting the man to surrender the object without acrimony.

Technically this is the hood, he remarked. There are a lot of barber shops here that are not barber shops, if you know what I mean. Comparing himself to Trump, he added: I tell the police chief, Do your job. Just do it.

Hagerstown has a drugs problem and several closed-down shops and cafes stand empty. But it challenges and scrambles perceptions of the map seen as crucial to Trumps victory. It is neither the Republican-voting deep south nor the pivotal rust belt portrayed in his dark and divisive inaugural address as containing rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones under the rubric American carnage.

On the contrary, it sits in Maryland, which Clinton won with more than 60% of the vote. It is an almost pretty city of church spires and historic buildings, boasting a fine art museum, biking and hiking trails, theatres and a tourism office, replete with leaflets about the areas civil war heritage and Hagerstowns origins involving an 18th-century German immigrant. On Thursday, students could be seen pouring out of an arts school after class.

Washington Countys median household income is $56,477 (45,000), above average for the nation but well below the state average of $74,149. The county voted 64% for Trump, 31.6% for Clinton. It is a red county in a blue state or, as Clinton supporter Al Steinbach, a 64-year-old sales rep, vividly put it: I call Maryland the vagina map: right down the centre is blue; left and right is red. Welcome to divided America.

Steinbach, who is literally afraid of what Trump might do, reads the Washington Post daily and listens to National Public Radio. When I turn to Fox News and see what the other side are saying, Im appalled by the extreme side they are on.

In the past, it has been argued, communities would be bound together by local newspapers and radio stations, establishing at least some common ground; now, in the age of fragmented digital media, everyone with a phone is an island. Last Thursday, Anthony Kline, 38, a labourer, sat in a no-frills bar watching a new Facebook video made by a bearded, muscular man who claimed to be in Iraq.

The man, called Steven Gern, said he had asked local Iraqis what would happen if he took a walk in town and they had replied he would be snatched, tortured and beheaded on video. This being so, he claimed, why should he let Iraqis into his country? Kline, gripping the phone in his tattooed hand, said: This is as real as it gets.

Trump recently told the CIA that he is in a running war with the media. Kline, who awards the president eight marks out of 10 so far, said: Mainstream media news is definitely partial. They put on what they want you to hear or think. Most people are not educated enough and they take things at face value.

The chorus of liberal outrage that greets Trump daily not only falls on deaf ears among his supporters but appears to harden their view that he is taking on a privileged, self-centred elite. Reflecting on the Womens March that followed inauguration day, Kline said: Youve got a lot of mommys-liberal-baby snowflakes that are used to having their way. Its like your spoiled kid not used to being told no. Once you tell them no, they dont know how to react.

Across town, Marlon Michael, 50, still has a Trump make America great again banner outside his home, part of a duplex with vinyl walls and flagpole with the stars and stripes. The country was going downhill and the rest of the world didnt respect us any more, he said. Trump vowed to bring all that back just like the old days. And the verdict so far? Michaels answer would be unthinkable in swaths of Manhattan: Hes doing wonderful. Hes doing everything he said hes going to do and you cant ask for more than that from a politician.

Democrats, activists and media commentators have denounced Trumps executive order banning travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries, both for its bungled execution and its sinister intent. Chuck Schumer, Democratic minority leader in the Senate, said: There are tears running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight. Even Republican loyalists quailed.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found about 31% of people said the ban made them feel more safe, while 26% felt less safe. Another 33% said it would not make any difference and the rest said they did not know. But Trump voters like Michael, a former US marine who works in home construction, give it a full-throated endorsement. It should have been done eight or 12 years ago, or after 9/11, he said. For the past eight years weve had a president that was a little lighthearted towards the Muslims. We lock our doors so people dont create havoc in our homes; its the same with America. Were shutting our borders so people dont create havoc.

Christianne Smith in a Hagerstown coffee shop. Photograph: Chet Strange for the Observer

Michael, too, watches Fox News CNN has too much false bullshit thats not true and Trump calls them out on it and has little but contempt for the Womens March. Fucking stupid. For what? What more privileges do you want? Women have equal rights. Theyll still be fighting for it till the end of time. Wearing a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt with an image of fingers in an up yours sign, Michael gives Trump nine out of 10. My only complaint is that I wish he would stay off Twitter.

The election demonstrated that, despite Barack Obamas plea otherwise, there are blue states and red states in America. But there are also blue and red counties. One of the defining splits in the election was between voters with a college degree and those without: according to the FiveThirtyEight website, Clinton improved on Obamas 2012 performance in 48 of the countrys 50 most well educated counties, but lost ground relative to Obama in 47 of the 50 least educated counties critical to her defeat.

Trumps debut in the White House has done little to heal the rift, with each side viewing his policies, pronouncements and antics through a rival prism. Sitting in a coffee shop in Hagerstown, Christianne Smith, 20, an African American student, gave him a score of two out of 10. Hes unfit, inexperienced, he said. He doesnt have the best interests of the people in America. I dont understand how he became president. Maybe its because I didnt vote. So its my fault.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2lbMeKj

from I love Trump. Hes doing what he said. Presidents supporters keep the faith

[taowministries-blog]

IN ONE OF TWO DIRECTIONS

My sociology professor once made a profound statement which captivated my attention and would forever resonate in my heart and mind.

"All of our experiences create layers of our self."  -- Anonymous

Hey Christian, Do You Agree Or Disagree?

We live in a world of frenzied entertainment and countless choices. Our culture gives us so many varieties of food, movies, books, and activities to fill our lives with; it’s so easy to treat these choices as if they don’t matter, nonchalantly blowing time on a certain video game, conversation topic, or group of friends.

Furthermore, it’s become easy for us to detach our spiritual walk from these everyday choices. What I mean by this is, as American Christians (or even those of us abroad), we tend to live life like any other person. If we were to compare life choices of someone who claims to follow Christ and one who doesn’t, we may see a few differences: church attendance on Sunday, for example. But that’s only one or two hours, of the 168 hours in a week! That means church only takes up around 1% of their time!

The rest of their lives are generally similar. We all see the same blockbusters. We listen to the same music. We hang out with the same friend groups; who cares if they aren’t Godly influences? For many, our dating and purity standards are no different; so what if my significant other doesn’t love Jesus? For some, even our other habits – whether it be profane word choice, pornography, alcohol/drug usage, or impure media – is the same. And yet, Scripture speaks sharply against this.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  -- Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Why Is It That The Author Of Romans Urgently Warns Us Not To Conform To This World?

It’s because, as my Sociology teacher acknowledged in class today, every single one of our actions or reactions 1) reflect what’s inside of us, and 2) change what’s inside of us. We humans ignorantly imagine we’re impervious to the attractions of the world. But in reality, we are way more moldable than we’d like to think!

In the sermon “Walk by the Spirit: Make It A Habit” given at Christ Commission Fellowship, Pastor Peter Tan-Chi explains the life cycle of the parasite toxoplasma gondii, whose primary host is the cat. A host cat’s feces will get into the soil, along with the parasite. In this fashion, an unsuspecting rat usually becomes infected. It is here that T. gondii shows its cunning; the parasite, infiltrating the rat’s mind, controls it to gain a liking for cat urine. This is a fatal attraction, as when the rat approaches the cat urine, it is eaten. Thus, T. gondii enters the cat’s stomach again, and the cycle repeats. Did the rat ever know that it had been taken over by the parasite? Even up until death, it would never know the name – or even the existence – of what caused its fatal feline urine attraction. This may seem like a far-fetched comparison; like rats playing with dirt, if we humans keep playing with sin, we may one day find ourselves baited to urine (yuck) and eaten by a cat!

Isn’t This How Sin Works?

It twists our minds, attracting us to disgusting things. The fatal misconception we have is that sin exists in levels of sinfulness; it’s easy for us to avoid big sin, because it will affect us more. And it’s easier for us to compromise with, and sometimes flat-out ignore, the minor ones. But isn’t sin subtle and deadly in any shape and form? No matter how much of the T. gondii sin enters our life, it has the potential to completely pervert our mind without us even knowing it. When we break one, it’s as if we’ve broken them all! (James 2:10). To make matters worse, one sin can stumble so many others, and it spreads fast. We can become desensitized to worldliness, and lose our discernment; we can be unable to renew our mind, even unable to know the will of God! Going back to the previous example of friend groups, even this seemingly trivial choice brings dire consequences. Keep in mind that being attracted to the wrong crowd helped kill Samson (Judges 16), turned Lot’s wife to salt (Genesis 19:26), and really hurt many other Bible characters.

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'"  -- 1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)

My point isn’t to be lame, ban movies, or shun a certain group of friends. I enjoy movies, and many of them have examples of good – and not so good – examples, both of which we can learn from. Video games can be fun, especially when played with friends. And in fact, God wants us to “become all things” to relate to others; Christ cared for sinners, and we should be intentional about spreading the Gospel to them (1 Corinthians 9:22, Mark 2:17). The point is, we need to be very careful of our attitudes and connections towards certain things, and we must watch how they are affecting our spiritual walk with Christ.

But once again, many Christians make a common mistake here. It isn’t only doing bad things that we must watch out for; the good things that we should do, yet don’t, are way more sinister. These are called “sins of omission.” Here’s one example:

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."  -- Matthew 12:30 (ESV)

When Do We Gather With Christ?

The most obvious and essential ones I can think of are 1) prayer and 2) scripture. Looking at our lives, Christians, how many of us put these as our #1 priority in our hearts and schedules? I’ve heard it said that if we go to church and call ourselves followers of Christ, but don’t have prayerful or scriptural lives, we are kidding ourselves; we are playing a spiritual game and do not have the “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” like we mention so lightly. Requiring scripture and prayer isn’t legalism. It’s common sense. How can we have a deep relationship with someone we barely talk to, and only call when He has something that we want? Just like how we throw the title “best friend” around without meaning it, we also throw around the title “Lord and Savior” without meaning it. We may be gradually scattering abroad from Him – and even fighting against the man we call Lord – even now.

"The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."  -- C. S. Lewis

Whenever I hear this quote, it makes me shudder. Everything we’ve mentioned is easily minimized and deemed unimportant; however, it’s on this hidden battlefield that the Devil, the world, and our sinful nature wage war against the Spirit inside of us. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis illustrates the subtlety of the battle beautifully.

You see, it’s been said that “the Devil’s greatest lie is convincing people he doesn’t exist.” There is another lie that’s just as bad: the Devil has horns, is flaming red, has a pitchfork and tail, sits on your shoulder opposite a fluffy cute angel, suddenly pops onto TV screens to scare and possess people, has creepy powers, and sticks to what Hollywood says he is.

In reality, Scripture says that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Contrary to popular belief, Satan has the appearance of righteousness, but his actions are deceitful. Satan is not characterized by in-your-face evil. Satan is characterized by hiding behind a mask of mediocre goodness, fooling people as they slowly slip and slide down to hell. Did he not do this to Adam and Eve, fooling them with an appearance of serpentine wisdom?

But here’s a provoking thought: when we claim to be good, righteous Christians who are in a personal relationship with Christ, and yet our lifestyle choices look like just the opposite, are we acting any different than the demons? After all, this was the Pharisees’ fatal error too. These are the religious hypocrites that Jesus rebuked, saying “You are of your father the Devil… for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

"You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?"  -- James 2:19-20 (ESV)

Even James, the scriptural author and half-brother of Jesus, makes this comparison; even though it sounds completely controversial, it’s completely scriptural. Many of us reading this will object, saying “But wait! I have faith in Christ! You can’t judge me!” However, the Bible answers this directly.

"If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."  -- 1 John 1:6-10 (ESV)

With our sin nature, we can easily lie, deceive ourselves, and make Jesus look like a liar. No wonder people sometimes call Christians hypocritical. Let’s not fall into this trap! Evidently, we need to reevaluate what Christian-ness – or, rather, “Christ-like-ness” – looks like. We must represent our Savior better. The way to approach this, I believe, is nicely worded by iconic bearded wizard, Gandalf.

"Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness, and love."  -- Gandalf (The Hobbit)

Hey Christian! In Our Lives, God Has Not Called Us To Save The World. That’s Christ’s Job.

But then again, God has not called us to slack off and abuse the grace we’ve been given. Our mission is to live our lives – from the smaller tasks, to the bigger choices – constantly walking in the Spirit. From helping someone in a very small way to sharing Christ, the world is in dire need of people whose small deeds can “keep the darkness at bay.” Secular thought calls this “random acts of kindness.” For the Christian, however, they are not random; they exist so the world may see these good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). We are empowered to do this only in Jesus’ death and resurrection, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And if you’re reading this and feeling a little bummed out, it’s okay; we’re all in the same boat. It’s totally true that we are not saved by works, but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8)! All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), but if you surrender your whole life to Christ, you will be forgiven! When we fall, God is always willing to restore our relationship with Him. But instead of abusing this radical grace (Romans 6:1), it should drive us to live worthy of such a calling and gospel (Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 1:27). This means living for Christ in every single way possible!

In Conclusion

What my Sociology teacher said is true; all of our experiences affect us. There is no neutral ground. In the end, you can live life in one of two directions: running towards Christ, or running away from Him. You can give Him your all, or you can give him nothing. Which will you choose today?

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’"  -- Matthew 25:35-40 (ESV) "Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil."  -- Matthew 5:37 (ESV)

My prayer is that we would reevaluate our lives, choosing to make even our smallest choices righteous and above reproach. And from this integrity should flow a heart for others, like the one our Savior has for us.