text:
11 Reasons Why Everyone Wants to Move to Texas
As many of you know, I was born in Canada but moved to the great State of Texas 26 years ago when I bought a controlling stake in U.S. Global Investors. As a "Tex-Can," I'm so proud of my adoptive state and grateful for all that it's done to help our company flourish.
As many of you know, I was born in Canada but moved to the great State of Texas 26 years ago when I bought a controlling stake in U.S. Global Investors. As a "Tex-Can," I'm so proud of my adoptive state and grateful for all that it's done to help our company flourish.
But you don't have to be a business owner to love and appreciate Texas. As you'll see, many people are moving to the Lone Star State to take advantage of its many employment opportunities, tax advantages and all-around greatness. Below are just 11 reasons why more and more people want to move to Texas!
1. Check out Our Mettle
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro now belongs to history, and by a very wide margin, American competitors walked away with the most medals: 121 altogether. Looking at gold medals, the U.S. still ranked first, with 46 won. But if we took away what Texas collected, the Land of the Free would have fallen to third place, behind the U.K. and China.
Houston was the winningest Texas city. Home to Olympic medalists Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, Kerron Clement and more, H-Town is now 10 gold medals richer.
2. Moneybags
Texas is competitive in more than just Olympic events, of course. The state has the second-largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the Union, following California. If it were its own country, Texas would clock in at number 12 in the world, snuggled in between Canada and Australia.
3. Tex-Can
If Texas were its own nation, in fact, its economy would be about the same size as Canada's.
4. This Is Oil Country
Another thing Texas has in common with Canada? Black gold. Barrelsful of it.
Last month, Oslo-based Rystad Energy shared a report that shows the U.S. as now having the world's largest reserve of recoverable oil, with 264 billion barrels in existing fields, unconventional shale and as-yet undiscovered areas. This is the first time such a report has moved the country ahead of both Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Were it not for the contributions of oil-rich Texas, however, this might not be the case. Thanks in large part to fracking in prolific fields such as the Eagle Ford Formation and Sprayberry Trend, the state leads all others in crude production, annually gushing out more than a third of total U.S. output.
You can see how the fracking boom helped propel the state into the same league as major OPEC nations Iraq, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
5. A Mighty Wind
Texas is more than oil, of course. The natural-resource-rich state is also known for its natural gas production (it leads the nation), coal, electricity (again, number one in the States) and renewable energy—specifically, wind energy.
Thanks to Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) and $33 billion in invested capital, Texas ranks first in the nation for installed wind capacity and the number of megawatts generated by wind. In 2015, close to 10 percent of the state's electricity production came from wind, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
With an estimated 17,000 Texans already employed in the state's wind energy industry, Texas is in the process of installing an additional 5,200 megawatts.
6. Men at Work
Speaking of employment, that's something else you can find a lot of in the Lone Star State. The oil industry might have taken a hit from falling crude prices, but the Texas economy has proven resilient. As you can see, the 2007-2008 global financial crisis had much less of an impact on state unemployment rates compared to other major countries and regions such as Canada, Australia, the European Union and United States.
7. All Roads Lead to Texas
Important to keeping business and commerce flowing, as well as helping commuters travel to and from their work, are roads. Texas has them in spades. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the state is connected by 313,596 miles of public road, the most of any state. With 18 numbered interstate highways, it also has more interstate miles than any other does.
If it were its own country, Texas would rank 13th by road network size, somewhere between Germany and Sweden.
At only $0.20 per gallon, the Texas gas tax is among the most reasonable in the nation. And because almost that entire amount goes to public transportation—$0.05 is devoted to public education—Texas has some of the best roads in the U.S.
While we're on the topic of transportation, Texas also boasts the most airports of any state—1,415, according to StateMaster. Two of the four major U.S. carriers, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, are headquartered in the Lone Star State.
8. No Income Tax
There are only seven states without an income tax, Texas among them. (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming round out the list.)
Neither does the state impose a corporate income tax, and last summer, Governor Gregg Abbott approved $4 billion in tax cuts for businesses and homeowners.
9. Gold Star State
Governor Abbott is also responsible for what will be a first in the United States. More than a year after he signed a law to repatriate $1 billion in Texas gold bullion from a private HSBC vault in New York, construction will soon begin on the Texas Bullion Depository. Such a state-run gold depository doesn't currently exist anywhere else in the U.S. It's hoped that it will help turn Texas into a "financial Mecca," in the words of one state senator.
10. Population Destination
Low taxes are one of the main appeals driving Texas' rapid population growth. According to the Census Bureau, five of the 11 fastest-growing U.S. cities by population can be found in Texas. Ranking number two in the nation is New Braunfels, a lovely town originally settled by Germans that lies midway between San Antonio and Austin.
Between July 2014 and July 2015, the Lone Star State added 490,036 new residents, the most of any state by a wide margin.
To put this in perspective, the number of new Texas arrivals alone between 2014 and 2015 exceeds the total populations of several countries, including Malta (population: 429,366, as of December 2014), Brunei (411,900, as of July 2014) and Iceland (336,060, as of June 2016).
11. Bet on Tech
It's not just people moving to Texas, though. Companies are as well—specifically tech companies, and, to get even more granular, Silicon Valley tech companies. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that, in recent years, more than $1 billion in taxable income has flowed from the Bay Area to Texas, as tech firms have sought not just lower taxes but also simpler regulation.
Indeed, the Lone Star State has emerged as a formidable tech hub to rival Silicon Valley. Employing more than 270,000 people, the state's tech industry supports firms ranging in size from hip Austin startups to massive Fortune 500 companies such as Dell, Texas Instruments and Rackspace Hosting (which just agreed to a $4.3 billion acquisition deal by private equity firm Apollo Global Management).
For the last three years, Texas has led the nation in high-tech exports—everything from semiconductors to communications equipment. Last year, in fact, the state's total sales amount exceeded California's by a whopping $6.3 billion.
No wonder so many people are choosing Texas as the place to hang their hat!
All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor. By clicking the link(s) above, you will be directed to a third-party website(s). U.S. Global Investors does not endorse all information supplied by this/these website(s) and is not responsible for its/their content.
Holdings may change daily. Holdings are reported as of the most recent quarter-end. The following securities mentioned in the article were held by one or more accounts managed by U.S. Global Investors as of 6/30/2016: American Airlines Inc., Southwest Airlines Co.
Latest ResourcesView All
March 24, 2023
Is This the End of the Petrodollar?Learn More
March 13, 2023


text:
Mesh routers are the latest technology upgrade for home Wi-Fi networks. Mesh networks have been used for years in large places where a secure network is critical, like military bases and businesses. (In such cases, the network is often isolated and not connected to the internet.) Now, residential wireless-internet users can optimize their home Wi-Fi with a form of mesh networking, too. Read more at Tom's Guides
There are many mesh Wi-Fi systems out there including Eero, Linksys Velop, Netgear Orbi, Google WiFi and many more.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Another May the 4th, another day of wishing scientists would hurry up and invent FTL propulsion already. But now, NASA has gone and given us the next best thing: a virtual trip to the center of the galaxy, stitched together from a stunning series of Hubble wide-field images.
In thirty seconds, you can take the dizzying 27,000 light year trek from Earth's lonely vantage in the galactic boondocks to the Milky Way's densely-packed core, where a million Suns are crammed into the volume of space between here and Alpha Centauri. At the center of our galaxy, stars swarm about the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, a bunch of giant fusion reactors popping off into abyss one by one.
It will leave you feeling very small and powerless, and also, wishing you had a control knob to enhance that damn black hole.
source: gizmodo.com by Maddie Stone


text:
Questions on Social Issues
In a society that stresses equality between men and women, why do most confessional Lutherans and other conservative churches choose to limit leadership and authority roles in congregations to men?
We do believe and teach that men and women enjoy equal status and importance before God. Both men and women were created in the perfect holiness of the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Although that was lost in the fall into sin when as both men and women we became equally sinful before God (Romans 3:23), yet in Christ's life, death, and resurrection for us God has restored to us our position as his justified and holy children (Romans 3:24). As far as our status and importance before him as dearly loved children and heirs of heaven, whether we are female or male makes absolutely no difference (Galatians 3:26-29).
However, Scripture is also clear that while we are equal in status and importance before him, God has not made us duplicates or clones of each other in how we carry out our various God-given callings. Already in the perfection of the Garden of Eden he assigned unique callings or roles to the man and the woman when God made her to be helper suitable for the man and created her right from the man (Genesis 2:18ff). God gave to the man the unique calling of being a loving head and to his wife the unique calling of being a loving helper to him. In the New Testament, the inspired Apostle Paul assures us that these unique callings were indeed found already in the perfection of Eden when he writes, "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Corinthians 11:3). Later Paul reminds us that what we read in Genesis 2 is indeed where this was established when he says, "For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman but woman for man" (1 Corinthians 11:8-9).
While man's headship is intended by God to be lived out in loving servant humility like Christ for us (Ephesians 5:25), yet headship also includes the God-given authority to lead (Hebrews 13:17). That is why one part of the unique calling of helper is to respect and yield (submit) to that leadership (Ephesians 5:22).
In the church, one of the places that those charged with leadership in our congregations exercise such authority is in the voters' assembly. There those charged with setting the direction of the congregation set that path in the debate and voting that takes place. Just as Paul reminds us that teaching the Word with authority is an expression of the headship principle (1 Timothy 2:12), so also it is an exercise of authority when the governing bodies of our congregations set the direction for that congregation.
Of course, wise heads know that God has given them helpers for a reason. The wisdom and insights, the questions and concerns of everyone in the congregation, men and women, are important. Especially when a woman may have no husband in her home, it is very important that the congregation look for ways to gain her input.
Does WELS stand out as different among other Lutheran church bodies in so honoring the principle of head and helper? Yes. But does that mean we are closed minded and old fashioned, or does that mean others have been more affected by the culture around them than they may know? The question is never what the culture demands, but what the Scriptures teach.
Why do some people say that homosexuality was not in God's plan for us, and that it's a sin. I ask this question because there are a lot of individuals, men and women, who say that they've always been attracted to the same sex since they were kids. If it is a sin as some have preached and stated, why would God allow that to happen if he knew us before he came to be as he states in Jeremiah 1:5?
We say that homosexuality is not in God's plan for us and that it is a sin because that is what the Bible says. Jeremiah 1:5 is about God knowing his plan to call Jeremiah as his prophet. It says nothing about God approving every one as they are. Sin has made people into something God never intended them to be. The following statement summarizes our view on homosexuality on the basis of the Bible.
The dispute over whether homosexuality is an inborn disposition or a free choice, the national debate over the legalization of same-sex marriages, the conflict that is rising in many denominations over the ordination of practicing homosexuals, and the sharp disagreement about the blessing of same sex marriages by the church are among the current issues that may lead people to ask, "What is WELS' stance on these issues?" WELS does not have an official statement on these issues, but our public teaching and practice is based on what the Bible teaches concerning homosexuality.
The best place to begin a discussion of the issue is with 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, because this passage emphasizes both the law and the gospel elements of addressing this issue.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
On the basis of this and other passages of Scripture we must draw the following conclusions about homosexuality.
Scripture declares that homosexuality is a sin, which is contrary to God's intention in creating man and woman. Sinful resistance to the revealed will of God is a factor in this sin. People may become slaves to this sin (Romans 1:18-31, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Many factors contribute to individual acts of sin: the sinful nature we are born with, the weaknesses of our bodies, evil influences in our environment, temptations and encouragement from other sinners, and our own sinful choice join together lead us into sin. All of these factors contribute to homosexual sin. The proportionate role of these various factors may very from case to case.
We must warn the impenitent that homosexuality, like all sins, excludes people from eternal life (1 Cor 6:9-10).
We are happy to assure the repentant who are struggling against this sin that they have complete forgiveness through the blood of Christ. When Christ died for all of the sins of the whole world, he gained forgiveness for homosexual deeds, for homosexual desires, and for the inborn sinful nature which produces these sins (1 Cor 6:11).
We should sympathize with all who are struggling against this sin, remembering that we too have "pet sins" which may have a strong hold on us. We warn against a "selective morality" which harshly condemns homosexuality or other sins which we observe in others while treating those sins which are present in our own lives more lightly (Mt 7:1-5). We should be impartial and unbiased in warning against all sins.
We all look forward to the resurrection of the body. Then all the weaknesses of body and soul which now lead us into sin will disappear forever. Then all of us will be able to serve God perfectly and purely in everything we do.
Note on Homosexuality as Innate or Chosen:
Some advocates of legal and religious tolerance of homosexuality claim that homosexuality has a genetic cause. Some reports claim that some homosexual men share a particular pattern in the X sex-chromosome which they received from their mother. Other researchers have claimed the existence of other types of biological similarities between homosexual men. These researchers acknowledge that their discovery cannot account for all homosexuality and may merely be associated with homosexuality rather than being a direct cause of it. Most researchers conclude that the origins of homosexuality are complex and varied and may never be fully understood.
How should we evaluate such claims in the light of the biblical teaching of sin? Is homosexuality a free choice or an inborn tendency?
Like many such either-or questions, this question poses a false dilemma. Every sin is both a choice of the will and the expression of an inborn tendency to sin. Our sinful will is guilty of consent whenever we sin in thought, word, or deed. As a result of our sinful nature we take pleasure in our sins and defend them. This universal tendency is apparent also in the efforts of gay rights activists to condone their homosexuality and to deny that anything is wrong with it.
Although the consent of our sinful will is present in every sin, it is also true that we are born as slaves of sin. We may also yield to a particular sin so often that we no longer control the sin, but the sin controls us. We may find ourselves yielding to sin even when we don't want to.
Sin infects both our body and our soul. The body we now have is not the perfect body which God created for Adam and Eve. It has been contaminated by the effects of sin. There is no reason to maintain that the specific effects of sin have been identical in each one of us or that we are all equally susceptible to every sin. Our individual degree of susceptibility to some specific sins may be due in part to differences in our bodies. Abuse of alcohol and a hot temper are just two examples of sins which may be affected by the chemistry of our bodies. Few would deny that the pressure to sexual sin is greater at 18 than it is at 8 or at 88 and that a primary reason for this is the changing chemistry of our bodies. It may well be that a person's susceptibility to homosexuality or to certain other sins depends in part on bodily differences.
Even though the weakness of our own body may be one factor which leads us to sin, God holds us responsible for all of our sins, even those sins which enslave us and those sins which we are not aware of. We need God's forgiveness even for those sinful desires which we resist and do not act upon. These desires too are sin. (Read Romans 7 for a treatment of slavery to sin).
Is it against God's plan for mothers to work outside the home? I am the mother of two children. I have been financially supporting our family since we have been married. My husband now has a pretty good job but makes about half of what I do. I always felt like God wanted me to stay home and take care of our children; however, I have never been able to do this. Is it okay for moms to work?
Neither you nor I will be able to find a Scripture passage that explicitly forbids mothers from working outside the home. This is an area of Christian freedom and one in which a person's conscience enters the picture as far as decision making is concerned.
What I can do is list some questions for you and your husband to consider. My purpose in putting these questions in front of you is not to steer you to any particular course of action but to help you answer the question: "Is it okay for moms to work?"
So, in regard to your employment and your husband's employment, is materialism an issue? Is income from your job needed or wanted? Is your income a matter of sustaining a standard of living you have become accustomed to but is not necessary? Are current and/or future family expenses driving your decision (e.g., children's educational costs)? How does your work impact your responsibilities as a mother and a wife? Do you think it's wrong for you to work outside the home?
The answers to those first five questions are important, but the answer to the last question is vitally important. Scripture explains (Romans 14) that if we set up a law in our mind, even if God has not, we need to follow that course of action. In this case, if a mom were to think that it is wrong to work outside the home, that person needs to follow the leading of her conscience.
Then again, another Christian could explain to that mom that there is no explicit scriptural prohibition of her working outside the home. The mom's thinking could then change, and the law she had established about outside employment would disappear—enabling her to do in good conscience what she had previously thought was wrong.
So, this is really is a matter for you and your husband to discuss, and for you to sort things out with your scripturally-tethered conscience. In all things we want to act with sure conviction, not in doubt (Romans 14).
I do commend you for being sensitive to your conscience and desirous of doing what God says in his Word. God bless your discussions—and your family.
Is abortion a sin?
The Holy Scriptures clearly teach that the living, yet unborn, are persons in the sight of God (Job 10:9-11, Psalm 139:13, Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 1:41-44) and are under the protection of his commandment against murder (Exodus 20:13, Matthew 5:21, Genesis 9:6).
Therefore, abortion is a sin unless it is medically necessary in order to save the life of the mother. But even when a medical abortion appears needed to preserve a mother's life, the Christian will always proceed with the intent to preserve all human life whenever possible.
It is the degenerating result of sin in our world that creates such dilemmas in our lives. But these challenges spur us to search God's Word and to make decisions consistent with his will. In the very sad circumstance of having to choose to preserve one life rather than lose two lives, the weight of Scripture's message telling us to protect life compels us to try to preserve both lives, or at least one life, whichever is possible.
All other reasons for abortion fail to reflect God's high regard for human life and our responsibility to protect it.
Since the majority of abortions currently performed show disregard for God's gift of life, we as Christians want to express concern and compassion for distressed, pregnant women by supporting the development of God-pleasing alternatives to abortion programs.
I am looking towards Alcoholics Anonymous to help overcome a drinking problem. What is your opinion on AA? Would it be beneficial for a Christian to go to this group or not? Thank you
As a church body, we have concerns about the religious aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). In step number 2 of The Twelve Steps, there is acknowledgement of a "Power greater than ourselves." Participants in AA are free to define who or what that Power is.
In step number 3 there is reference to "God as we understood him." Participants in AA are free to define God however they understand him.
Step number 11 uses the same wording: "God, as we understood him." Once again, participants in AA are free to understand God however they like.
As Christians, we know that is not like selecting an answer for a multiple choice question where all the choices are equally valid. In the Bible God explains clearly who he is. He is a Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AA certainly fails to provide clear testimony to the truth of God's Word. And while AA provides opportunities for Christians to state their beliefs, circumstances can be such where Christian witness is absent much more than present.
Joint prayer at AA meetings is another concern. Scripture directs us to refrain from activities like prayer when we are with others who do not share a common belief (Romans 16:17).
In light of all this, WELS members have been able to participate in AA by not taking part in joint prayer. In addition, they have recognized the concerns in the three steps mentioned previously and have not, by their words and actions, endorsed the idea that people may define God however they want.
No doubt you can see that we need to be cautious if we are considering utilizing AA. Unlike the Scouting movement or lodges that require participation in their religious elements, AA does not demand that Christians compromise their faith. They provide opportunities to do so, but Christians need to turn down those opportunities. If you utilize AA, it would be good to debrief with your pastor, as you can, to steer clear of any issues that might impact your faith negatively.
Finally, be aware that WLCFS-Christian Family Solutions is able to provide the services you need without the concerns of AA that have been mentioned. That would be my first recommendation to you. God bless your efforts in overcoming this issue in your life.
I have heard so much about vaccines. I am heading into the nursing field as I feel that is where i need to be. I personally believe that vaccines are a blessing because of all the issues we had beforehand. But I also respect others' decisions on the subject. So I would like to know your opinion and view on vaccines. No, I don't agree with some things and how vaccines were originally created and how some are made, but my opinion is that I would rather have my daughter and myself safe for vaccine preventable illnesses. Yes, I believe God can heal. I have my own stories about that. However, I believe vaccines are a blessing like I had stated before because we would be like we were years ago without them. So, what is your view on vaccines?
Can homosexuals go to heaven and are practicing Christians supposed to love them?
A distinction needs to be made in answering your question. "Homosexuals" can refer to Christians who struggle with temptation to engage in same-sex sins. These individuals recognize the sinfulness of thoughts and actions that run contrary to God's word that spells out that sexual relations are for men and women in marriage (Hebrews 13:4). They fight against those temptations. They confess their sins when they fall into temptation. They look to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins and strength to fight temptation better in the future.
In contrast to these individuals are "homosexuals" who deny, ignore and rationalize their same-sex sins. They see no need to confess sins in this regard. It is people with this impenitent attitude that the apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). You notice that it is not a particular sin that characterizes people as "wicked" and bars them from the kingdom of God. It is impenitence.
Are Christians supposed to love homosexuals? Yes. Christians are to love people no matter what their characterizing sin might be. Why? Because it is pretty loveless to recognize the spiritual danger people are in by their sins and impenitence, and say nothing. If we love people, we will have every reason to point them to God's law so they can recognize and confess their sins, and point them to God's gospel so they can enjoy forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus who came into the world "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).
Is there a simple answer for why many "mainline" Christian denominations, including the largest Lutheran body in this country, either remain silent or now actually officially teach morality contrary to Scripture, e.g., abortion can be tolerated, homosexual marriage? Assuming congregation members are aware of and understand what's being taught, are they truly Christians? What about the leadership?
Much can be attributed to a denial of the authority of Scripture. The clergy of the churches reflected in your question are trained in the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation. That method rejects the verbal inspiration of the Bible and opens the door for people to say that the Bible contains mistakes, inaccuracies and contradictions. That method rejects the idea that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the gospels that bear their names. That method leads people to look at Bible passages that are not popular today and say, "It would not be loving to take these words literally, so let's see how the Spirit of God might lead us to understand and apply these words differently in our day and age." You can see that it is people's wrong attitudes toward Scripture that lead to false doctrine and the approval of sinful actions.
You and I can judge actions—and we are to do that by lining up people's actions against God's word—but we cannot and dare not try to judge hearts. God alone knows whether or not there is saving faith in people's hearts.
What you and I can do is testify to others about God's Word: that all of it is true (John 17:17), that all of Scripture is inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) and that the words the human biblical authors wrote were the words they received from God (1 Corinthians 2:13).
With all the changes of how people dress throughout history and more recently within the last 50 years of how women dress more like men, what is the view of men dressing like women? Is it OK for women to dress like men as it appears it is socially acceptable in society and when attending church? Is it OK for men to dress like women? Didn't the men and women in biblical times dress similarly? This question is in regard to cross dressing only without being involved in homosexual activities.
In Deuteronomy 22:5 God had instructed Old Testament Israel: "A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this." The People's Bible Commentary on Deuteronomy provides a good explanation of that command and a response to your question.
"While this law might sound like a blanket prohibition against wearing any clothing ordinarily worn by the opposite sex, some commentators have seen a deeper meaning here. There was a connection between cross-dressing and some features of Canaanite fertility religion. Worship directed to Astarte, the twin sister of Baal, sometimes featured men masquerading in women's clothing and women appearing in men's clothing. Homosexuality was also associated with Baal worship.
"The New Testament contains no hard-and-fast regulations for the kind of clothing God wants his people to wear, but it does include general principles for people of all times. Peter told women, 'Your beauty should not come from outward adornment.' Such outward adornment will take various forms and styles in different cultures. 'Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight' (1 Peter 3:4). Paul urged women to 'dress modestly, with decency and propriety' (1 Timothy 2:9). Paul told the Corinthians that 'every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head' (1 Corinthians 11:4, 5). The details of the Corinthian custom aren't entirely clear to us, but God wants the customs among any group of people faithfully to reflect the roles he's designed for men and women.
"Styles change from one time and place to another; it's impossible to dictate a specific dress code for all the rest of human history. God wants men and women to appreciate the dignity of their own sex, instead of assuming the appearance or preferring the role of the opposite sex" (pp. 197-198).
To those thoughts I would add the reminder of what Christian freedom is all about. In areas of Christian freedom I am mindful of what is in the best interests of others and how my actions might negatively affect them. While Christian freedom means that I can pursue a course of action, Christian freedom also means I have the right not to do something.
In an age where homosexuality has gained acceptance among many, there is also more consideration for changing one's sex. What does the Bible say about such surgery and practices?
I would anticipate that in the future more will be written in our circles on this topic. At the present time, I can refer you to a report that addresses your question and related questions. The report is "Gender Identity Disorder or Gender Dysphoria in Christian Perspective," and was produced by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The report can certainly serve as a starting point in addressing your question. Of special note is the "Pastoral Care for Gender Identity Confusion" section in the report.
Your question highlights yet another situation and circumstance in our day and age to which Christians can apply God's law and gospel to all involved.
Gun ownership. To what extent might a believer in Christ defend himself against the physical threats to himself or his loved ones in this world today?
It is the "to what extent" phrase of your question that requires individual and conscientious application of biblical principles.
Some Christians look to Matthew 5:39 and Romans 12:17 as absolute directives not to resist physical threats. In their context though the verses advocate love toward others instead of seeking revenge.
Others look to sections of Scripture like Proverbs 24:11-12 and Luke 22:35-38 as the basis for defending oneself and one's family from physical threats. The second reference does inform us that the disciples were lightly armed. John 18:10-11 describes Peter's wrongful use of one of those weapons as he tried to interfere with the Lord's humble submission to his Father's will. The positive emphasis of the Fourth Commandment "to help and befriend [our neighbor] in every bodily need" can find application in defending oneself and one's family with a weapon.
But, again, it's the "to what extent" phrase that individual Christians will need to address. There are governmental laws controlling the purchase and usage of guns. There are legally-mandated gun-free zones and right to carry laws. Christians will seek to recognize and honor Fourth Commandment and Fifth Commandment principles and navigate through life showing love to God and others.
Is religious freedom vs. equality under the law as in the Kim Davis situation an issue whereby we must obey God rather than men, or is the believer subject to obey the law when elected to uphold the law?
The situation you are referencing is a good reminder of how challenging it can be when Christians live in two kingdoms: the church and the state. While God's word guides life in the church, natural law and human reason are to guide life in the state. Sometimes the state enacts laws that are contrary to natural law and human reason. What then? Is the state, the government, still God's servant (Romans 13)? Yes, but not a very faithful servant. God requires our respect of and obedience toward government officials not necessarily because they deserve respect and obedience by their actions but because governing authorities owe their existence to God, serving as his representatives.
Christians who want to serve in the state can do so—even when laws run contrary to God's word—by recognizing that the state operates on different principles than the church. Moses recognized that. As the leader of the church, he penned under inspiration of the Holy Spirit the establishment of marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:20-24). As the leader of the state, he wrote certificates of divorce (Matthew 19:3-9) that served to preserve order among Israelite society. A Christian judge might find himself in a similar situation: being in full agreement with the Bible's teachings of marriage and divorce (perhaps even taking part in a congregational vote on excommunication related to an unscriptural divorce), yet granting an unscriptural divorce in his court. Such actions on his part are not hypocritical; they reflect his involvement as a member of the two kingdoms of church and state that operate with different guiding principles.
In the situation you referenced, we are not talking about a judge issuing a final decree of divorce for unscriptural reasons but a county clerk refusing to issue marriage certificates to people whose union is not biblical. While same-sex marriage is ungodly, it is legal in our country. Christians who find themselves in a situation where they are legally bound to issue marriage certificates to people of the same sex can take the approach of Moses or the Christian judge mentioned above, or they may take a different approach because of reasons of conscience.
Here is where approaches will differ among Christians as they explore various options. One of the options available for the person cited in your question is to seek a different vocation where conscience would not be disturbed. Even though she was elected to her position, she is not forced to continue in her office against her will. It would be very understandable if she resigned for reasons of conscience. It would also be understandable if she followed a different course of action for reasons of conscience and suffered whatever consequences might follow.
The bottom line is that there is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer to the question you posed. Christians will prayerfully seek to determine how they can best serve and honor God as citizens of both kingdoms, recognizing the principles that guide each kingdom and applying them as faithfully as they can to their situations.


text:
"It has been my desire to create a new sound which people will want to hear over and over, a sound which they will be able to understand immediately and to which they will be unable to resist dancing – with or without partner" writes renowned Jazz guitarist Barney Kessel (1921–2004) himself in the liner notes of his album Bossa Nova, released in 1961 on Reprise Records. And rest assured that Kessel in tandem with arranger Bob Florence fulfills this desire time and again, whether it is fueled by his own needs or the craving of his fans. On Bossa Nova, though, this desire remains unfulfilled, but what may seem to you as a first tentative attempt of panning the album could not be farther from my endeavor.
The 12 renditions Kessel presents with his big band are indeed highly innovative in that they transform and reinvent classic material and pour it into the Bossa Nova mould. No particular style can escape Kessel, whether it is Blues, Mambo or piano arrangements in general, everything on this album is driven by the Bossa Nova rhythm, gorgeous brass blasts of the friendly and embracing kind and Kessel's work on the lead guitar. Strangely enough, it is his guitar work that remains unexpectedly pale compared to the furious brass rivers. What works well in trio or sextet form – especially so on his Exotica work of 1963 with the less than optimal title Contemporary Latin Rhythms – is not overly enjoyable here. Bossa Nova and Latin fans will not mind Kessel's weaker guitar, maybe even reversely see it as an added bonus in-between the interplay of the surfaces. However, his fans probably want to feast on the guitar God's riffs and eclectic patterns, and these are simply not good enough on this album. That said, I will write in greater detail about this perception in the final paragraph, so do not let these shadows distract you from the sunny side of this album, as there are enough gorgeous tidbits and intersections on board to even lure the Exotica fan.
The Bossa Nova subgenre or style can mean multitudinous things to many people, as stated in the opening paragraph. Barney Kessel and band decide to open the LP with punchy jumpiness: Cole Porter's Love For Sale comprises of a dialog between dirty saxes and gleaming trumpets of the euphoric kind. Kessel joins the fun with his guitar. The actual star besides the brass waves, however, is the organ played by Ray Johnson which is playing the backing chords, but occasionally plays parts of the main melody as well. Love For Sale is a joyful ditty in the given form, one that, in the end, cannot compete with one of my favorite interpretations out there by the Kokee Band led by Arthur Baum (off their LP Exotica 1970 from 1966). The same can be said about Eddie DeLange's String Of Pearls which decelerates the tempo, but interweaves sizzling-hot micro solos of Kessel's guitar which fill the blanks between the warm-hearted brass sections. A liminal Crime Jazz iniquity is perceptible due to the show tune stabs. Gorgeous organ spirals then reside in figurative poppy fields and function as the antipode.
While Barney Kessel's take on George Gershwin's song from the 1937 dance flick Shall We Dance, named They Can't Take That Away From Me, launches with deep tuba blasts, moves over to a rising theme of staccato glitz and is further ennobled by the band leader's Acid Jazz riffs plus its cool Bop organ droplets, the rendition of Ira Gershwin's Summertime has that city-strolling beat to it. Barney Kessel's guitar mediates between a Surf Rock tonality and a metropolitan concrete jungle scheme. The brass mettle is crunchy as usual, but it is the magnificent euphony of the brighter parts that enter the song like sunbursts which are the actual feat of the arrangement. A summer feeling is really encapsulated in there.
Up next is You Came A Long Way From St. Louis, originally written by John Benson Brooks, and it is here where Kessel and his big band capture the prohibition phase of the 30's with all the sleazy trumpets and sneaky trombones; these are then united with bandmate Ray Johnson's modern organ bubbles, dark guitar strings and a classic drum kit aorta. Side A closes with Kid Ory's 1926 gold standard Muskrat Ramble, a swinging big band piece that shows Kessel's true skills on the guitar, for the complex chords jump through many states and tone pitches. The melody is so convoluted that it becomes more memorable through its pattern than the actual melody, but the embracing show tune horns provide the missing link and make this designedly labyrinthine rendition a jovial one that is easier to consume.
Side B opens with Al Hoffman's and John Klenner's Heartaches, and huzzah, the Hammond B3 organ is finally featured big time, constantly surprising with a wonky cacophony and bachelor pad-compatible hooks. Kessel's guitar is definitely outshone here, the novelty of the organ flecks is simply too luring. It Ain't Necessarily So by brothers George and Ira Gershwin brings the first feeling of Latin mannerisms to the table, if only partly: an ascending hot-blooded horn motif is ennobled by Kessel's play on his signature instrument in a Space-Age way. The guitar is squeaking liquidly, the brass bursts evoke the heat of a night at a posh club with added slivers of futurism woven in. It is amazing how the helix of trumpets and trombones transforms the piano nucleus of this arrangement.
Whereas the interpretation of Bob Carlton's Jada tends more towards the complexion of a sun-soaked Mambo rather than a Bossa Nova physiognomy due to the convivial luminescence of the polyphonous brazen soundscape and Kessel's eminently gleeful guitar work, the following Sweet Georgia Brown by the trio of Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey and Maceo Pinkard is the properly Latinized inclusion on this album with short outbursts of lamenting trumpets and an admixed Dixieland-evoking presentation thrown in for good measure. The wild organ, the fast rhythm and the incessant tendency to a swinging clime make this an indifferent but excellent hybrid.
The take on Bob Nolan's Tumbling Tumbleweeds really takes the cake though, as the world-famous downwards spiraling six-note leitmotif is played by Kessel's coruscating guitar and placed in a swinging upbeat rhythm with a legato organ and partly lamenting brass layers. This style is only consequent, as Nolan's original already implies a mildly nosy and ranting scope that becomes unfortunately diluted during smarmy partner dance events in a big city hall of your choice. Notwithstanding this sad trend, the big band plays it differently enough to take a stand of some sort. Barney Kessel departs with Bye, Bye Blues bye… I mean by Bert Lown and Chauncey Gray. The tempo is again viewed through the Bossa Nova style guide. Why does it matter? Because Lown's original vision of a Blues is delicately mocked in two ways: firstly by the tempo, secondly by the mood. This is one of the sweetest and most swinging tunes of the whole album, with quirky organ melodies and a strong brass- and percussion-related injection of euphoria. Its afterglow reverberates when the LP has finished playing.
If you read the middle section of this review, the following conclusion might surprise you, but I tend to think the following about this work: Bossa Nova is a curious album by Barney Kessel's standards. Well, curious can again mean as many things to even more people than the Bossa Nova-related rules and references, so let me stress that, for a lead guitarist, Kessel is strangely underused on this brass-heavy record. It is one thing to let the band members shine, but another one for the guitar to have a low-level profile. Bossa Nova is a good album, lives up to its name and features many innovative renditions, or rather transformations. That this album is a well-known entry of Barney Kessel's oeuvre is probably the surprising revelation, i.e. that it is also Kessel who carved out the idea, not just Enoch Light (as on his 1962 work Big Band Bossa Nova) or Xavier Cugat (who delivered a similarly themed 1955 release Merengue! By Cugat!, among many others). Bossa Nova sure was a hot trend around '61 and '62.
Considering Kessel's much more intimate and playful works, the big band, while playing entirely fine and swinging, proves to be a burden, not for the listener, but Kessel himself whose talent cannot unfold in the eclectic yet harmonious way he is known for. If you are fond of Mr. Kessel, but shake your head about the theses I have just exposed as they mean anything to you and do not prevent you from enjoying a good big band setting, then by all means, go get this album! The Bossa Nova version of Tumbling Tumbleweeds, the oversaturated good mood (!) of Bye, Bye Blues as well as the cityscape of George Gershwin's hymn Summertime are perfect transition pieces and well arranged. It is just that Barney Kessel does hardly place a terrifically innovative guitar solo or riff among the warm-hearted and euphonious horn bursts. Latin fans who favor the mellow, friendly mood over both themes of doleful gloom and a standardized hot-blooded affection should check it out regardless.
Alternate front + backcover (1970)
Barney Kessel (guitar)
Ray Johnson (organ)
unknown Big Band
01. Love For Sale (Porter) 2.32
02. A String Of Pearls (Gray/DeLange) 2.47
03. They Can't Take That Away From Me (Gershwin) 2.42
04. Summer Time (Gershwin) 2.13
05. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis (Brooks/Russell) 2.50
06. Muscrat Ramble (Ory/Gilbert) 2.24
07. Heartaches (Klenner/Hoffman) 2.09
08. It Ain't Necessarily So (Gershwin) 2.32
09. Ja-Da (Carleton) 2.40
10. Sweet Georgia Brown (Casey/Bernie/Pinkard) 2.26
11. Tumbling Tumbleweeds (Nolan) 3.06
12. Bye Bye Blues (Lown/Gray/Bennett/Hamm) 2.23


text:
As a Finn, to visit the Russian border on the eve of the Trump-Putin meeting in Helsinki – only slide film can save you there!
No sooner did I start than I had to stop, blown away by the welded drain covers, the seagulls in place of people long gone. The city was in lockdown and police lingered at every corner, weighed down by the pounding sun.
The job review was underway, a kind of show-stopping performance or appraisal of how it had all gone so far. The blustering and condemnation of the free press. The self-obsessed meeting the self-obsessed. For a minute they swapped sides like a matryohska doll set swapping heads, swapping dialogue, the flags doubling over while the world laughed.
Fake news, fake smiles, fake announcements. Random translations. It's certain nothing will change. The autocratic oligarchs drive their capitalist juggernauts, plundering, filling coffers. One regime pats the other on the back, both sneering at the Middle East for having regimes. Oh, you were expecting administration? Fake term!
Out here, abandoned, the edge of the west affords a nostalgic look at a chrome–plated world long since forgotten. The rustic grey boards, cracked and weathered, cover broken houses. Spring arrives right after the snow melts. And trees, leafless, stand in solidarity with the scene.
Images and text by Jason Hermens


text:
State Supreme Court Dismisses ACLU Voting Suit
The State has dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union arguing voters affected by Tropical Storm Iselle should have had an opportunity to vote in the August primary election.
According to a press release issued Thursday, the ACLU argued, among other things, that the actions of the State and Hawai'i County following the storm infringed upon the people's right to vote.
(Read the story about the lawsuit filed Aug. 21 here)
The ACLU asked the Hawai'i Supreme Court to re-open the primary election to people who claimed to have been unable to vote.
According to the release, the Court concluded that it does not have the power or authority to grant the relief the ACLU sought and dismissed the complaint.
Kit Grant, ACLU of Hawai'i press secretary, issued the following statement in response to the decision:
"While our clients are disappointed that they will not be able to cast ballots in the primary election, the ACLU will continue its work to ensure that every person has an equal opportunity to vote – even when a natural disaster strikes – and we look forward to working with the Legislature to prevent these kinds of situations in the future."


text:
G. lamblia and H. pylori infections among mentally challenged individuals in rehabilitation centers in Alexandria, Egypt
Keywords:Giardia lamblia, Helicobacter pylori, Concomitant infection, Mentally challenged, Alexandria
Introduction: Concomitant infections with pathogens are common, particularly when there are shared modes of infection or when one pathogen promotes the other. Residence among closed-type care institutions may pose an additional risk of such infections. Mentally challenged patients in rehabilitation centers constitute one of the special needs groups exposed to parasitic infections, including giardiasis. Several studies reported concomitant infection with G. lamblia and H. pylori worldwide and in Egypt; however, the co-existence of these two pathogens among mentally challenged individuals remains unexplored. The present study aimed to study the prevalence and association between G. lamblia and H. pylori among mentally challenged patients in rehabilitation centers in Alexandria, Egypt.
Methodology: 200 individuals admitted to four mental rehabilitation centers in the period from June 2013 to January 2014, who guardians gave informed consent, were recruited. Stool samples were collected and subjected to trichrome stain for G. lamblia and to antigen detection for H. pylori.
Results: The overall prevalence rates of G. lamblia and H. pylori were 8.5% and 24.0%, respectively. Monoinfection rates were 5.5% for G. lamblia and 21.0% for H. pylori, while concomitant infection with both species was detected in only 3.0% of cases. However, individuals who were H. pylori-positive were about two times more likely to be infected with G. lamblia than those who were H. pylori-negative (12.5% vs. 7.2%).
Conclusions: Mentally challenged individuals in Alexandria harbouring H. pylori are about two times more likely to be exposed to G. lamblia. Large-scale studies are recommended to confirm this association.
How to Cite
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).


text:
So who's going to Las Vegas this weekend to get down to some electronic dance music? Actually, let's rephrase that: if you want to get down to EDM this weekend, you'd better be going to Vegas, because every artist you've ever heard of (and many you'll be hearing about soon) are all playing the 16th annual Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, starting tomorrow. And when we say "everyone," that's really not much of an exaggeration. Check out the just-released full set schedule and start your stage-hopping plans now!
*please note that we are in no way, shape or form EDM experts, nor do we claim or want to be. All opinions and suggestions are ours alone.
[all images and screencaps via electricdaisycarnival.com]


text:
Marine later found herself jobless and homeless – until Nobis Works put her back on productive path
By Chris Schroder
Tracey Jackson was a Marine with dreams of a career in medicine until she had an anaphylactic reaction that left her disabled, unable to work, and ultimately homeless. Tracey's Moment with Atlanta nonprofit Nobis Works not only got her off the streets, it set her life on a new path of success.
Prior to her Moment, Tracey served in the United States Marine Corps, was scheduled to serve in the Gulf War and received a series of medical injections in preparation. Ultimately, she did not get shipped overseas, so she planned to go to medical school and, in anticipation of that, began studying nursing.
During her rigorous nursing classes, Tracey experienced an anaphylactic reaction that sent her into seizures. The unanticipated and severe reaction changed the rest of her life. She isn't positive the shots she received in the Marines caused her reaction, but she knows of other soldiers who received the same shots and had similar debilitating symptoms.
Tracey's short-term memory was severely affected and she was no longer able to continue her nursing studies that she had hoped would propel her career. Even more disappointing, her marriage dissolved and she was forced to move away from her children. She soon lost her job and was unable to find other work to accommodate the disability she struggled to overcome. Eventually, Tracey became a homeless a veteran in Atlanta.
"I think many people always look at people being homeless because of drugs or something of that nature – it could be any situation and any person could be homeless at any second," she told us in our accompanying Moments HD video.
In 2006, the VA homeless program in Atlanta referred Tracey to Nobis Works. The meeting would change the path of Tracey's life – this time for the better.
"After a 10-minute interview they told me to go in the next room to fill out some paperwork," she said. "I said, 'For what?' and they said, 'For your job.' "
Tracey has been employed with Nobis Works for eight years since that day. She started out working in Nobis Works' contract with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) office and described the position as, "A simple job of just filing."
One day, while filing away papers according to states' numerical prefixes used in the office, she made an exciting self-discovery.
"I said, 'Oh 105, that's Georgia and 093, I think that's North Carolina.' And at that Moment, I realized my memory had come back."
The discovery eventually made Tracey eligible for other positions at Nobis Works and restored her confidence in her abilities – which mirrors what Nobis Works strives to offer all its employees with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
According to the Nobis Works website, the nonprofit has helped more than 24,000 individuals "find dignity and workplace success" since its founding in 1977. Named after the Atlanta Falcons first draft choice in 1966, Tommy Nobis, the organization helps individuals with disabilities enter or re-enter the workplace and gain the independence that is often sacrificed with a disability. The firm also contributes to the business community by providing highly productive workers that often handle tasks in which other employees quickly lose interest.
For Tracey – and many others – Nobis Works' greatest contribution isn't the computer or call center skills training for a job, it's the emotional support provided.
"They were there for me emotionally," Tracey said. "They were extremely supportive – any other employer would have fired you."
Today, Tracey works in the Environmental Protection Agency mailroom downtown where she processes "accountable mail" – mail that has to have a signature and is tracked from the time it enters the building until it reaches its designated recipient.
Tracey's thankfulness for her steady job has led her to reach out to others in difficult life circumstances. On Saturdays, Tracey volunteers with her church helping the homeless and shares her experience as evidence of her understanding, but also as a glimpse of hope. She's also back in touch with her family and involved with her children.
"I know that there is always hope for any and everyone – I know that without a doubt," she said. "When someone feels down and out, I tell them my experience, or sometimes they may have an experience way worse than mine, but I know there is hope and I can speak of something positive to help them."
"I look back and think I could be just like some of the people at the park that are unemployed and have a hopeless outlook on life," she said. "If it wasn't for that Moment in 2006 when I became employed with Nobis Works, my life would not be what it is now."
Next week in Moments: Bill Bolling, founder of Atlanta Community Food Bank, on the day he discovered the power of and need for food and service.
Video by Mehran Moin. Research and writing assistance by Bailee Bowman of Schroder PR.
Don't miss previous 2013 Moments: Jay Smith, Jennifer Johnson, David Geller, Cynthia Jones Parks, Lee Katz, Keegan Federal, Brandi Helvey, Alwyn Fredericks, George McKerrow, Wright Mitchell, Shawn Wilson, Bill Bolling, Tracey Jackson, Fran Tarkenton, Drey Mingo, Andy Cash, Fred Northup, Wendy Binns, Ann Curry, Bill Clarkson, Alicia Philipp, Dennis Creech, Meredith Leapley, Raymond King, Jerry Farber, Larry Gellerstedt, Sally Bethea, Ken Thrasher, Herb Nelson.
Don't miss previous Moments from 2012: Solon Patterson, Charles Ackerman, Santa Claus, Mark McDonald, Frank Skinner, Tom Murphy, Matt Arnett, Kasim Reed, Alana Shepherd, Charles Driebe, Hank Aaron, Kevin Rathbun, Larrie Del Martin, Mike Luckovich, Dan Matthews, Arthur Blank, Doug Hertz, Thomas Dimitroff, Jenny Levison, Brad Cunard, Joe Roberts, Plemon El-Amin, Bob Williams, Gary Price, John Dewberry, Bill Tush, Milton Little, Hope Arbery, Bo Jackson, Lisa Borders, Tom Key, Bob Voyles, Joyce Fownes, Joel Babbit, John Pruitt, Noel Khalil, Chuck Leavell, Bill Nigut, Eveylyn Winn-Dixon, Steve Nygren, Chris White, Josh Starks, Ryan Gravel, Shirley Franklin, Sam Massell and Clark Howard


text:
You are Here: Diamond Jewelry > Pendants > Diamond Pendants
From elegant celebrations to simply lounging after a long day, the diamond pendant resting close to your heart will always be your signature. Firenze Jewels has assembled a fine assortment of diamond pendants, diamond heart shaped pendants, diamond religious symbol pendants, diamond solitaire pendants, and many more tempting designs to punctuate your unique persona.
Diamond Pendants
View in stock items only.
Firenze Jewels features a fine collection of designer diamond pendants and pendant necklaces. Whether you are looking for exqusite diamond heart shaped pendants, diamond cross pendants, diamond solitaire pendants, or diamond pendant necklaces all encrusted in 18k white/yellow gold, platinum, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and other precious gemstones, Firenze Jewels invites you to contact a fine diamond jewelry specialist at 1-800-790-6980 or visit our showroom at 15 West 47th St #4 New York, NY 10036 right in the heart of the New York City Diamond District.


text:
We had a company event in July 26, 2014. We were looking for both, background music and/or music people could dance to if they were so inclined. We hired Jason and the "Q". They were perfect for our venue with the Jazz style of music that they played, and they sounded great! Aside from being entertaining and engaged with the audience, they are all awesome, talented musicians. I would highly recommend them, and would definitely hire them again.
Joan K. – Stillwater Minnesota
Corporate Party July 26, 2014
2 Comments
Mike Jones / Allison and Jason thank you so much for the honor of being you MC/DJ for your wedding cetalrebion! Your friends and family became my friends and family. You all mean the world to me. Thank you for being part of our wedding. Audrey and I would not have it any other way!


text:
The Red Door restaurant was in the Fremont Drug Company building which was moved to its present site, 3401 Evanston Avenue, in the year 2001. This original Fremont Drug Company building was built in 1895 at 3401 Fremont Avenue.
Founded in 1988, the Red Door restaurant closed on March 8, 2020. The costs of doing business, rent, etc., proved to be too much. The building is owned by Suzie Burke, a major landholder in Fremont.
This is the third blog post in the series about the Fremont Drug Company and its building, which I will continue to refer to as the Red Door, for the purposes of this article which was written before the restaurant closed. As of September 2020 another restaurant, Dreamland Bar & Diner, opened at this site.
The story of the Red Door building illustrates the historic heritage of the Fremont business district and the ups and downs of its economy through the impacts of events such as the construction of the ship canal, the construction of the Aurora Bridge, and the economic depression of the 1930s. As of this update in March 2020 the coronavirus epidemic has set off another economic recession in which more restaurants may close.
Fremont businesses and the ship canal
In 1911 the owners of the Fremont Drug Company at 3401 Fremont Avenue made the decision to move out of that building. They moved their business a few doors northward on the block, to 3423 which was almost to the corner of North 35th Street in the Fremont Building, also called the Fremont Hotel Building.
I have not found any news articles or other sources which gave the exact reasons why the Fremont Drug Company moved to another space on the same block. Reasons could have included a more fireproof site in the Fremont Building which had been newly rebuilt in 1903 after the previous structure had had a fire. Perhaps the storefront at 3423 was considered more visible, or the interior space was better.
I speculate that one main reason for the move of the Fremont Drug Company was the owners' concerns about disruptions which could be caused by construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The canal was to pass so closely through the Fremont neighborhood that businesses on the south side of North 34th Street had to be removed. The Fremont Drug Company building was on the north side of North 34th Street and ultimately did not have to be removed for canal construction.
There were also concerns about how street regrading would affect the building. The grade of Fremont Avenue had to be raised slightly to meet the higher elevation of the new Fremont Bridge.
Early photos of the original Fremont Drug Company building show steps up to its front door, and later photos showed the store as level with the street, after the regrading of Fremont Avenue. This was a slight modification in that the canal construction did not really harm this building, but the drugstore had already moved by that time, away from the corner of North 34th Street which seemed threatened by canal construction.
It was Fremont businessmen who were key instigators of the ship canal project, and ironically the canal construction negatively impacted the businesses of at least two of the men who had promoted the ship canal.
Capt. A.J. Goddard was co-owner of the Pacific Iron Foundry located on the Lake Union waterfront at the foot of Aurora Avenue in Fremont. Capt. Goddard served in the Washington State Legislature in 1895 and sponsored the bill which gave the authority to King County to begin identifying sites for the ship canal. Goddard also served on Seattle City Council in the years leading up to construction of the canal beginning in 1911. After all his civic involvement, the timeline and impact of the canal upon Goddard's iron foundry caused the business to close.
Another key Fremont businessman was Charles E. Remsberg, known as Judge Remsberg because he had been a Justice of the Peace in Fremont in the 1890s.
In addition to serving as an attorney, Remsberg was a real estate developer and founder of a bank in Fremont with co-owner Samuel P. Dixon. Remsberg was the owner of the Fremont Hotel building at 3419-3427 Fremont Avenue, and caused it to be rebuilt with fireproof materials after the fire of 1903.
Remsberg served eight years as a Port of Seattle Commissioner, overseeing the ship canal construction and improvements to the business environment on the downtown Seattle waterfront.
In 1904 Remsberg & Dixon founded a bank at 3414 Fremont Avenue. The bank failed in 1915 which may have been due in part to disruption of business because of the ship canal construction. For long periods of time during canal construction, the Fremont Bridge was closed until a new bridge could be built. Transit lines were cut off as well, and during this time it was difficult to get to the businesses at 34th & Fremont.
The Fremont Drug Company's former building in the years from 1911 to 1934
After the Fremont Drug Company moved out in 1911, their former building at 3401 Fremont Avenue was used by a variety of businesses. One was a branch office of Preston H. Carr Real Estate. In the background of this undated photo (below) from the Lough family, is the Carr Real Estate name above the door which had once said T. W. Lough, Fremont Drug Company.
Fremont and beer
During Capt. A.J. Goddard's term of service in the state legislature, it was proposed that the University of Washington move from its original site at Fourth & University Streets in downtown Seattle, out to its present site in northeast Seattle.
In 1895 at the state legislature, Capt. Goddard introduced a bill banning the sale of alcoholic beverages within a two-mile radius of the new University of Washington campus. This two-mile radius reached all the way to the Fremont neighborhood. For this reason there were no saloons or beer parlors in Fremont until after the repeal of Prohibition took effect in 1934. (Source: HistoryLink Essay #8940)
At the time of the 1934 restoration of legality of alcohol use, the Washington State Legislature reduced the "ban" area from two miles down to a one-mile radius around the University of Washington. Some taverns such as the Blue Moon at 712 NE 45th Street became quite famous for being located just steps outside of the ban-boundary.
The 1934 reduction of the alcohol ban-boundary to just one mile around the University of Washington, meant that Fremont got its first alcohol-serving taverns that year. These establishments proliferated as people sought to climb out of the economic depression years of the 1930s by opening small businesses such as cafes and taverns. Soon the building at 3401 Fremont Avenue had not just one, but two taverns operating with the Fremont Tavern at 3401 and the Dubliner at 3407. The position of the building at the prominent business corner of 34th & Fremont Avenue, seemed to lend a "tavern district" atmosphere to the neighborhood.
Fremont struggled during the 1930s
It can be debated whether or not the atmosphere of the Fremont business district deteriorated due to taverns which were established in 1934. During the economic depression of the 1930s there were many other difficulties which contributed to the decline of Fremont.
One definite negative impact upon the Fremont business environment was the 1932 construction of Highway 99/Aurora Avenue with its high bridge over the ship canal. Traffic was no longer routed through Fremont via the Fremont Bridge, and the bypassing of Fremont correlated with the decline of its storefront businesses.
An additional factor was the economic depression of the 1930s during which Fremont's two major businesses closed down: the Bryant Lumber Mill and McMullen Fuel Company. The lack of jobs in Fremont in the 1930s led to stagnation in the business environment.
During the 1930s businessman J.R. Burke acquired the vacant sites of the aforementioned industries. Burke also acquired the 3401 Fremont Avenue building among many other business investments in Fremont.
The Red Door
The Red Door was established in 1988 in place of the Fremont Tavern. With better economic conditions during the 1980s, the Red Door prospered.
In the year 2001 the building owner, Suzanne M. Burke, daughter of J.R. Burke, arranged to have the building moved over to 3401 Evanston Avenue, so that the Red Door could continue to operate at that site.
Preserved as the former Fremont Drug Company building, the Red Door still has the original pharmacists cabinetry, now used as the back bar. The Red Door closed in March 2020 and another restaurant, Dreamland Bar & Diner, opened in September 2020 and continues to use this original cabinetry.
After moving the Red Door building to 3401 Evanston in 2001, a new building was constructed at its former site at the northwest corner of 34th & Fremont. That building's anchor tenant is Starbucks Coffee.
Forever Blue Moon: the story of Seattle's most infamous tavern, by Walt Crowley, 1992. Seattle Public Library, 647.94097
Red Door Ale House/Dubliner Tavern Building, City of Seattle Landmark Nomination, September 2000. Seattle Municipal Archives, Series 5754-A5, Box 28, Folder 8.
"Washington State Legislature passes law prohibiting the sale of alcohol on the University of Washington campus in Seattle on March 19, 1895," HistoryLink Essay #8940 by Jennifer Ott, 2009.


text:
Authorities arrest suspect in Foltz burglary
Authorities have made an arrest in connection with the burglary of Jordan Foltz's home.
Deputies arrested 38-year-old Scott Davis, of Lennox, South Dakota.
He was arrested around 12:30 a.m Sunday on Interstate 80 in York County on suspicion of DUI.
Deputies found items in the vehicle believed to be from the home of Jordan Foltz, as well as stolen property from a construction company working in Greeley.
Davis is under arrest for possession of stolen property as well as the citation for suspicion of DUI.
Foltz is the brother of the late Nebraska punter Sam Foltz, who died in a car crash July 23.
Thieves broke into the home and car of Jordan Foltz in Greeley County Saturday while the family was at the first Huskers game of the season.
The Huskers honored Sam Foltz at the game.


text:
Foglini Federica
Degree in Geology 2001, Università di Bologna
Master in GIS and Remote Sensing, 2004, Greenwich University (London)
ISMAR CNR (Institute of Marine Science - National Research Council), Via P. Gobetti 101 Bologna (Italy)
Phone +39 051 6398872
Federica Foglini worked from 2001 to 2003 for the G.A.S. (Geological Assistance and Service) as marine geologist involved in the geophysical and multi beam data processing and interpretation and in geological mapping. Since 2005 she is a Technologist – GIS Manager at CNR ISMAR Bologna. Her main interests are focused in the implementation and management of Geodatabase containing geophysical and marine geological data and WebGIS design and implementation in the frame of European and National projects. She is the supervisor for the acquisition and processing of Multi Beam and geophysical data for ISMAR curies in the Adriatic basin.
- GIS manager - implementation and management of Geodatabase containing geophysical and geological data for the European projects HERMES/HERMIONE. (http://www.eu-hermione.net/)
- WEB GIS design and implementation for the HERMES/HERMIONE projects and for the Geological map of the Adriatic sea.
- Reference contact for the WebGIS of the Easter Mediterranean Sea for the HERMES/HERMIONE project.
- GIS Manager (Geodatabase design and implementation) for the Geological mapping of the Italian Sea (ISPRA, National Geological Service)
- Supervisor of Multi Beam data acquisition, processing for ISMAR cruises in the Adriatic sea for the HERMES/HERMIONE and MAGIC project.
- Member of the technical group for the acquisition and processing of Multi Beam data in the frame of MAGIC project.
She is co-author of international scientific papers and she wrote several technical reports about the implementation and design of Geodatabase and GIS mapping, Multi Beam and Single Beam bathymetry acquisition, processing and mapping of the Adriatic sea.
An updated list of his recent papers is available, when permitted, in open access
- B. De Mol, N. Querol, A.J. Davies, A. Schäfer, F. Foglini, G.Gonzales-Mirelis, K. Kopke, D. Dunne, I. Schewe, F. Trincardi, M. Canals 2009. HERMES-GIS: A Tool Connecting Scientists and Policymakers. Ocenography. Volume 22, Number 1. Special Issue on HERMES, pp145-153.
- Minisini D., Trincardi F., Asioli A., Canu M., Foglini F. 2007 Morphologic variability if exposed mass-transport deposits on the Eastern slope of Gela Basin (Sicily Channel). Basin Research. Volume 19, Issue 2 , pp 217-240
- Trincardi, F., Foglini, F., Verdicchio, G., Asioli, A., Correggiari A., Minisini, D., Piva, A., Remia, A., Ridente, D., Taviani, M. 2007. The impact of cascading currents on the Bari Canyon System, SW-Adriatic Margin (Central Mediterranean). Marine Geology, Volume 246, Issues 2-4, pp 208-230.
- Ridente D., Foglini F., Minisini D., Trincardi F., Verdicchio G. 2007. Shelf-edge erosion, sediment failure and inception of Bari Canyon on the South-Western Adriatic Margin (Central Mediterranean)". Marine Geology, Volume 246, Issues 2-4, pp 193-207.
- Turchetto M., Boldrin A., Langone L., Miserocchi S., Tesi T., Foglini F. 2007– Particle transport in the Bari canyon (southern Adriatic Sea). Marine Geology (Van Weering and Heussner, Eds.). Marine Geology,Volume 246, Issues 2-4, pp 231-247


text:
Mexico 2-1 Canada: Herrera fires El Tri into final with stoppage-time winner
Hector Herrera scored a dramatic winner in the ninth minute of stoppage time to send Mexico into the Gold Cup decider against the United States after a tense 2-1 semi-final victory over Canada in Houston.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder fired in a low strike from the edge of the box after substitute Rodolfo Pizarro's cutback, clinching the win on Thursday.
Mexico defender Carlos Salcedo had seen his second-half penalty saved as Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau came up with some big stops.
The reigning champions had taken the lead with an Orbelin Pineda penalty on the stroke of half-time, but Canada levelled from Tajon Buchanan with a low 57th-minute finish.
Mexico will now have a shot to claim a 12th Gold Cup title when they tackle six-time champions the United States in Sunday's decider. El Tri have won four of the past six Gold Cup titles and qualify for the final for the 14th time.
Two-time winners Canada were chasing their first appearance in a Gold Cup final since 2000 but miss out.
Canada forward Stephen Eustaquio fired over the bar early before Alistair Johnston desperately blocked off a Jesus Gallardo chance in the 27th minute.
Mexico won a penalty in first-half stoppage time following a VAR review on Doneil Henry's foul, with Pineda coolly sending Crepeau the wrong way.
New England Revolution forward Buchanan equalised 12 minutes into the second half, ghosting into the box and sliding a low shot past Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera.
Mexico then had a chance to reclaim the lead from the penalty spot after another VAR review, but Crepeau dived to his right to block Salcedo's effort.
Theo Corbeanu tested Talavera with a curling effort, before Crepeau made a point-blank save from a Mexico corner.
Mexico would find a way, with vice-captain Herrera's late winner.


text:
Phone: 702-622-1200
Las Vegas Carpet Cleaning Coupons CLICK HERE
Las Vegas tile and grout cleaning
Depending on the type of tile and grout you are cleaning in Las Vegas will help you decide which approach in taking to get the best results. Many people just attack the tile with one way of cleaning over and over again and wonder why they don't get the best results each time. Some times […]


text:
Over the past ten years the music industry has changed drastically. Record labels have lost substantial power in building, promoting, and sustaining artists' careers. There are millions of independent artists, in addition to the vast amount of professional musicians, located throughout the United States. This sizeable amount of artists has made it increasingly difficult for artists, their management, and record labels to reach potential consumers. The extremely aggressive nature of the music industry has created an elevated need for all aspiring and professional musicians to develop strategic competitive advantages. One method of creating this is through the utilization and interpretation of the data provided by analytics. Analytics helps artists obtain insights into their fans' and potential consumers' behavior. Therefore, the artists who possess the best consumer behavior data will have a greater understanding of their audience and will ultimately have greater potential to become market leaders in their respective genres.
Analytics, simply defined, is the collection and analysis of website user data to drive business decisions. Utilizing web analytics is a three-pronged process. It involves: (1) collecting statistical data from an artist's website (or social networking sites), (2) interpreting that data, and then (3) applying that data to formulate decisions (concerning content improvements, marketing and promotional efforts, and ultimately how to generate higher returns on investment).
The purpose of employing an analytics strategy is to gain a better definition of an artist's digital consumer base. Analytics helps reduce some of the guesswork that is undertaken when attempting to determine fans' behaviors. It tells the story of the who, what, where, when, and why of how an artist's following interacts with the artist's products (which are key factors in developing any effective marketing strategy). One of the major components when promoting and selling any type of product or service is knowing how consumers behave. Possessing a deeper understanding of the consumer helps to define what their needs and desires are (based on their personalities, lifestyles, socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds) and illustrates how these factors drive their purchasing decisions. Having a true understanding of an artist's consumers allows for marketing and promotional efforts to become more targeted and effective, which can help increase sales, and can drive consumer base growth.
Analytics provides in-depth statistical evidence about the visitors of the artist's digital properties. It supplies demographic and geographic information, as well as, displays data about how they accessed the site, which in turn provides further insight into their purchasing behavior. Analytics also provides visitor site usage data. It presents information regarding the average time they spent on the artist's website, how long after entering the site they left (bounce rate), and which pages on the site obtain the most traffic. Tracking analytics data also enables one to find errors (which shows issues that visitors experienced while utilizing the site), determine the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of adding new or additional content to the site, and displays which products have the highest conversion rates (visits/sales). It also allows for an extensive evaluation of whether or not the artist's digital properties are improving their overall business.
The interpretation of analytics data illustrates what factors drive fans' behavior, in addition to depicting how this knowledge can be used to benefit the artist's career. Monitoring data derived from analytics can help identify cross-promotional and selling opportunities and also helps one determine whether marketing and promotional efforts are (or aren't) working as anticipated.
The most commonly used analytics software is Google Analytics. It is installed on the artist's personal website and gathers all the data listed above. Facebook fan pages and MySpace artist pages also have analytics tools, which are built into the pages themselves. Facebook and MySpace's analytics tools are called "Insights" and "Artist Dashboard," respectively. Twitter, the third most popular social networking site does not have a dedicated Twitalytics (Twitter Analytics) program. However, there are three extremely useful Twitalytics web applications (TweetEffect, TweetStats, and Twitter Analyzer) that provide a wide range of data collected from the artist's Twitter followers.
Analytics is not a buzzword. In the music industry, it facilitates wiser decisions regarding the kinds of marketing, touring, and promotional efforts that should be undertaken, it helps with the determination of the appropriate campaign launch timing, in addition to aiding in the evaluation of the artist's product and service offerings (whether they should stay the same, be expanded upon, or be re-developed).
Major companies in the music industry (like TopSpin, The Orchard, Big Champagne, The Echo Nest, and Rock Dex) recognize the high value of analytical data, when it comes to assisting artists' careers, and consequently have implemented their own artist-centric and analytics assistance programs. These programs facilitate the proper utilization of the data, so that the artist can effectively increase and further develop the artist-fan relationship. Analytics is a serious market research strategy that can give an artist an immense competitive advantage over their peers. Analytics is a driving force behind all intelligent decisions made throughout the business world. It is because of this that all aspiring and professional musicians, who are interested in having an edge over their competition, should invest in an analytics campaign.
To view the version of this article that was published in ASCAP's Playback Magazine please click the following link: Published ASCAP Article in Playback Magazine.


text:
Textiles d' Ameublement
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2016
Place: Hôtel Drouot, Salle 16
9 rue Drouot, 75009 Paris, France
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/85b78gl
Time: 11:00 to 12:00, lots 1-112, resumes at 14:00
Online Catalog: http://tinyurl.com/z4dkred
Public Viewing: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 from 11:00 to 18:00
Auction by: Art Richelieu
01 42 24 80 76, firstname.lastname@example.com
Expert: Aymeric de Villelume, +33 (0) 1 56 28 04 12, +32 (0) 497 641 441
Notes: The laces in this auction run from lots 426 to 442, with some linens and scattered pieces later own. Take a look at:
Lots 548 and 549, a square and a rectangular shawl of Point de Gaze.
The rest is worth a quick look.
Drouot is an organization of auction houses throughout France, including their main facility, the Hôtel Drouot in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1852, Hôtel Drouot held a monopoly on French antiques auctions until legal reforms opened the way for international competition in 2000. The Gazette Drouot http://www.gazette-drouot.com/ lists upcoming auctions.
Bidding: Obviously you can come and bid in person. Phone bids can be requested no later than two days before the sale, and only for lots with a minimum estimate of 300 EUR.
Absentee must be received no later than two days before the sale, along with your bank information.
Online bidding: All bidders must first register with Drouot (before March 24, 11:30 for this sale). Go to https://www.drouotonline.com/creationdecompte to create an account.
You must also register to bid on a specific auction. Login at http://www.drouotonline.com/ for online auctions, or http://www.drouotlive.com/ for live auctions on the net.
There is a lot of instructional material at http://www.drouot.com/static/_drouot_guide_enchere.html?lang=en
Buyer's Premium: 25% TTC (toutes taxe comprises) – There is a minimum charge of 10 EUR (12 EUR with VAT).
Payment due: Cash, Visa, Wire Transfer or check (with two pieces of ID).


text:
The Nashville Predators played the Calgary Flames Tuesday night and boy was it a weird game. Former Capitals prospect Filip Forsberg scored a hat trick on Flames goalie Brian Elliott. Forsberg scored on all three of his second period shots, which gave him his third career hatty. We can hear all of you groaning from here.
But the real news was who Forsberg accomplished this feat in front of: country-music legend Billy Ray Cyrus.
According to The Tennessean's Adam Vingan, Cyrus and his fictitious band sang I Want My Mullet Back during the first intermission for a scene in a CMT sitcom.
At Nashville predator hockey game. Guest preforming is Billy Ray Cyrus. He wants his mullet back! #dontdoit!! pic.twitter.com/PQH9cBzlXb
— Tracyfl19 (@tracyfl09) February 22, 2017
And oh yeah, one more thing.
Billy Ray Cyrus is wearing a mullet wig. At least I think he is. You don't know with him. This is where I live.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) February 22, 2017
The man, the myth, the legend…Billy Ray Cyrus. pic.twitter.com/IH6VlxR3zG
— Erin Gardner (@gardner_erinn) February 22, 2017
Forsberg's second-period hat trick gave the Predators a 5-4 lead going into the third period, but Nashville would not win.
Mikael Backlund tied the game mid-way through the third. 43 seconds into overtime, the Flames' Mark Giordano scored the game-winning goal after banking a pass off Forsberg's skates into the net.
Because of this unfortunate bounce, I'm guessing Forsberg went home with an Achy Breaky Heart.
2/23 update: Forsberg did it again. He's scored hat tricks in consecutive games.
Russian Machine Never Breaks is not associated with the Washington Capitals; Monumental Sports, the NHL, or its properties. Not even a little bit.
All original content on russianmachineneverbreaks.com is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)– unless otherwise stated or superseded by another license. You are free to share, copy, and remix this content so long as it is attributed, done for noncommercial purposes, and done so under a license similar to this one.


text:
October 8, 2020
Q. We know we are all stressed, but how does it really affect your health?
A. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there are at least three different types of stress, all of which carry physical and mental health risks:
1. Routine stress related to the pressures of work, family and other daily responsibilities.
2. Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness.
3. Traumatic stress experienced in an event like a major accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster where one may be seriously hurt or in danger of being killed.
The NIMH tells us that while the individual responds to each of the types of stress in similar ways, different people may react in different ways. For example, some people experience mainly digestive symptoms, while others may have headaches, sleeplessness, depressed mood, anger and irritability. People under chronic stress are prone to more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu or common cold, and vaccines, such as the flu shot, are less effective for them. Over time, continued strain on your body from routine stress may lead to serious chronic health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety disorder, and other conditions, such as hormonal depletion, exhaustion, and adrenal fatigue.
Q. What types of ingredients are beneficial for stress relief? How do they work within the body?
A. Adaptogenic herbs – traditionally referred to as tonics or rejuvenators – have been used extensively in ancient healing practices. The term adaptogen was first coined by Dr. Nikolai Lazarev in 1947 to describe a plant that helps you adapt to stressful circumstances. Later, the widely accepted definition of an adaptogen came to be a plant that meets these three criteria:
1. Produces a nonspecific response; for instance, an increase in the power of resistance against multiple (physical, chemical or biological) stressors
2. Has a normalizing influence irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor. (This is the principle of a medicinal substance that is "two-directional")
3. Is innocuous and does not influence normal body functions more than required.
Adaptogenic herbal blends such as ashwagandha, Siberian eleuthero root, passion flower, rhodiola rosea, holy basil and lemon balm, plus amino acid derivatives like L-theanine help the body and mind adapt and cope with occasional stressors while promoting an overall sense of relaxation. While there are many mechanisms of action in which these ingredients work, we will focus on these primary methods:
Neurotransmitter Support: Ingredients such as ashwagandha and passion flower provide GABA-like activity [GABA or gamma-amino-butyric acid is one of several neurotransmitters, which are responsible for sending chemical signals in the brain] by binding to GABA receptors to inhibit nerve cells from over-firing to produce a calming effect. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is influential in the mediation of mood by inhibiting physiological responses to an anxiety-producing stimulus. Furthermore, L-theanine has been shown in research to increase the concentration and release of several neurotransmitters, including GABA, as well as serotonin and dopamine – both of which are also influential in the mediation of mood. Additionally, rhodiola rosea helps to inhibit the activity of enzymes responsible for monoamine degradation and facilitation of neurotransmitter support within the brain. Lastly, lemon balm extract has been clinically shown to inhibit the breakdown of dopamine in the brain as well as improve alertness and focus by reducing anxiety and modulating the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Adrenal Support: Ingredients such as Siberian eleuthero root have demonstrated efficacy in the research to support adrenal function when challenged by stress by decreasing adrenal hypertrophy and subsequent depletion of adrenal vitamin C levels. Ashwagandha also works to restore receptor sensitivity on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to the effects of cortisol and adrenal hormones. Furthermore, holy basil helps to decrease adrenal stress hormones, corticosterone in particular, which is involved in regulation of energy, immune reactions, and stress responses.
Q. What other attributes should I be looking for in a stress relief formula?
A. Whole food-based formulas that use sustainably harvested or wildcrafted herbal extracts and is vegan, free of most allergens (e.g., soybeans and wheat), non-GMO, kosher-certified are important for those who are looking for a truly natural solution to address issues like stress and relaxation. Additionally, formulas with scientifically relevant/meaningful quantities, like Bluebonnet's Targeted Choice® Stress Relief Vegetable Capsules, of each complementary ingredient supported by science to:
- – Serve as an adaptogen by helping the body cope with and/or revitalize from emotional and physical stress ♦
- – Improve cognitive performance and memory ♦
- – Promote overall balance in the body as it relates to managing stress ♦
- – Support an overall sense of relaxation ♦