Why do superstitious beliefs rule your life? In the year 1847 Nick Joaquin wrote an unusual short story entitled “May Day Eve”. The story is a combination of horror and fiction. It’s a belief that on May one you can go in front of the mirror and ask who would be your partner in life. The mirror would show you his or her face but in case you made a mistake you will see a devil or a witch instead. They made wrong decisions because their basis is not real. We cannot base our lives on here say.

The story showed the consequences of making wrong decisions, because of superstitious beliefs. They let these beliefs lead them in making important decisions. They made wrong decisions because their basis is not real and this trapped them in marriage. In the story Donya Agueda bravely went in front of the mirror and started to chant believing she would see the face of her future husband on May one. She was startled when she saw Don Badoy’s face in the mirror. When Don Badoy saw her in front of the mirror he noticed how beautiful she was, and immediately fell in love with her. He pursued her and Donya Agueda agreed in marriage with him believing in the superstition on May one.

Life is always full of regrets, for we realize how important things are to us when it is gone. In “May Day Eve” Don Badoy regrets the past that he shared with Agueda his wife where they described each other as the devil and the witch after sharing a bad married life with each other. They were both not careful enough to mend their marriage. They were both blinded by hatred which brought them pain. They were not compatible they are very different from each other which has been the root of bitterness. Don Badoy wasn’t able to express how he really feels while Agueda never found out how much she really meant to Don Badoy really loved her and his love for her didn’t fade.

Life is short don’t let superstitious beliefs rule your life we make our own destiny. Say and do what you need to do, so we will not have regrets in the future. Regrets are idle; yet history is one long regret. Everything might have turned out so differently. Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.

Tattoos… Everyone has a different reaction to that word. It always got my attention. I think the first one I saw on a live person, was my cousins. I must have been 7 or 8 years old. He had a funny caricature of a devil on his arm with “born to raise hell” written over it. I was amazed by it and although it wasn’t until my mid 20’s when I christened my skin, I wanted one the second I saw that little devil.

Today, tattooing is far more accepted in society than it was back in the 60’s, still; there are people that frown upon the idea of marking your body with ink….forever. Whether it’s a religious issue, or their own personal preference, they can’t deny that the tattoo is almost as old as civilization itself.

The word tattoo is derived from the Tahitian word “tatu”, meaning to mark or to touch something. The earliest known tattooed person is the infamous “Iceman” found in 1991, in the Otzal Alps, located in Italy. Carbon dating proved that he had lived about 5,300 years ago. Fifty-eight tattoos were noted on his body!! Archaeologists think he was an important figure in his society. The tattoos were charcoal and water based.

Ancient cultures used tattoos to ward off sickness or bad luck. The Egyptians were the first to use needles to tattoo the body. Archaeologists exhuming tombs, have even found children’s dolls decorated with tattoos. Tattooing spread through Greece, and Arabia, and By 2000 BC., the tattoo had arrived in Asia.

The Japanese first used tattoos to identify criminals. Later it was transformed into an art form, producing some of the world’s most beautiful tattoos. The Yakuza (Japanese mafia) use their tattoos to intimidate their rivals. Japanese style of tattooing has influenced hundreds of artists today.

Polynesians have also contributed greatly to the art. Their instruments consist of sharpened pieces of bone, or ivory, tied to a stick. They “chisel” the ink into the skin by hitting the top of the instrument with a mallet type object. The tool might consist of one sharp object, or a whole row of objects, resembling a rake.

Members of certain tribes underwent grueling hours tattooing their bodies as a right of passage. Those tools are still used today, for those same rituals, but it is a dying art form, performed only by those preserving their culture. They also developed a facial tattoo called the “Moko”. This facial tattoo consisted of lines drawn about the face that would tell that persons life story.

Centuries ago in Europe, it was common to have family crests tattooed on the body, but when the Normans invaded in 1066, tattooing disappeared. 600 years later, a sailor named William Dempher, ran into Prince Giolo, known as the Painted Prince. He was brought from Polynesia to London, put on exhibition, and became a sensation.

In the 1700’s, on one of his many trips to the South Pacific, Captain Cook came across Oami,a heavily tattooed man, whom he also brought back to England. The English were amazed, and soon tattooing became a fad amongst the upper class. Still it would be another 100 years before tattooing would have an influence in America.

The first electric tattoo machine was invented by Samuel O’Rielly in 1891. It evolved from an electric pen that Thomas Edison had invented a few years earlier. This machine is very similar to the one used today. With this invention, it was very easy to obtain a tattoo, so the upper class gradually turned its back on the art, and by the 1900’s the glamour of being tattooed had lost its appeal. Tattoo artists found themselves working the seedy areas of neighborhoods, and tattooing went underground. Only by word of mouth could someone find a tattoo artist, or even see tattoo art. Tattooing became a secret society.

Once again, Samuel O’Rielly to the rescue. He moved from Boston to New York City and opened a tattoo shop in very popular Chatham Square, the Times Square of its day, and the birthplace of American style tattoos. There he met Charlie Wagner.

O’Rielly taught Wagner the art of tattoo until Sam’s death in 1908. Charlie then met Lew Alberts, a wallpaper designer. Alberts incorporated his designs into tattoo art, and started making flash designs. Tattooing flourished in Chatham Square for nearly 20 years, until the depression hit. The soul of tattooing then moved to Coney Island. Shops opened up wherever military bases seemed to be. Mostly sailors would get tattooed, and each tattoo brought a different story from a different place.

After the Second World War, tattoos were less popular. Their association with bikers, and jailbirds had a great impact on the decline of tattooing in American culture. An outbreak of hepatitis in the 1960’s brought tattooing to its knees. Needles weren’t being sterilized, and reports of blood poisoning flooded the newspapers. New York outlawed tattoos and shut down its shops in Coney Island. Tattooing moved to New Jersey, Philadelphia, and all the way to San Francisco.

Today, tattooing is legal again in New York, and just recently made legal in Massachusetts. Artists hold international conventions, where they display work, perform work, and give seminars on tattooing. Many have an art degree. Cleanliness is an unwritten rule in the business these days. Shops would not survive if the proprietors did not keep a clean place of business. Tattooing has once again reached the upper echelon of society. Movie stars, rock stars, and corporate executives now grace their bodies with tattoos. Every tattoo has a special meaning for the one who wears it. Whether it’s a tribute to a lover, or a child, mom or dad, a simple line or a detailed body suit, tattoos have made its mark in the history of the world.

R.Scott

The type of stronghold I am referring to are “negative strongholds of the mind.” A stronghold of the mind is a flawed thinking pattern based on “lies and deception”, or wrong “suggestions” that goes against the knowledge of God. Deception is the main ingredient that the (devil) our adversary uses as his primary weapon, and is a building block for negative strongholds to form in the mind. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV – it says:

3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

I verse-3 it states that we walk in the flesh (physical body), but in this case are physical bodies cannot help in this type of war, because the war is in the mind and can be pulled down with a mighty offensive weapon at our disposal, and that weapon is the Word of God which verse-4 presents. This is so important; we must truly obtain understanding and revelation of the written Word of God.

You must transform your carnal mindset into a spiritual mindset. In verse-5 it clearly states that “casting down imaginations” which means to (to throw off or away: thoughts or images) that go against the knowledge of God. One must capture the (negative thoughts, negative images, wrong suggestions that the devil) attempts to plant into your mind. This is down by speaking positive faith-filled words or the written Word of God.

What are 5 Strongholds that can hinder a Mindset Change?

1. Having a negative thought pattern or wrong thinking

2. Allowing your mind to form the wrong type of images or having a wrong imagination. This includes… an incorrect image in your mind of who God is, and how He (God) sees us

3. Having anger

4. A mentality of poverty and lack

5. Improper behavior

This is just a short list of various forms of strongholds (mindsets) that can hinder a mindset change. The truth dispels deceptions, lies, and the wrong type of fear. Jesus said that if you keep in His Word, which tears down strongholds, you will be free from the power of sin has over you – Read John 8:31-34 KJV. Christians and Non-Christians held in bondage due to strongholds are in danger of remain in bondage to strongholds unless address spiritually. You must remember that awareness is a key factor of this type of carnal mindset. You are where you are because of your mindset. The battle is truly in the mind, because the mind is the seat of your life!

Author: Burton h. Wolfe

ISBN: 1419619748

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com is honored to have as our guest, author, journalist and humorist, Burton h. Wolfe.

Burton is the author of The Hippies, Hitler and the Nazis, Pileup on Death Row, The Devil and Dr. Noxin, The Devil’s Avenger. He was considered by many to be the foremost investigative journalist on the West Coast of the USA.

Winner of many awards, Burton’s articles have appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines from San Francisco to Athens, Greece. He is also listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the West, Who’s Who in California, Dictionary of International Biography, Contemporary Authors, and Outstanding Intellectuals of the Twentieth Century.

Recently, Burton launched Lucifer’s Dictionary of the American Language, published by Wild West Publishing House.

Good day Burton and thanks for agreeing to participate in our interview.

Norm:

When did your passion for writing begin? What keeps you going?

Burton:

At age 12, in Washington, D.C., I decided I wanted to be a sports columnist like Shirley Povich of the Washington Post. I abandoned sports writing for literary, philosophical, social, and political writing midway through college. Somehow the desire to communicate through the printed word remains as I navigate through old age, though mentally I do not feel old. Motivation is a difficult psychological factor to fathom. My onetime dear friend, Earl Conrad, author of such landmark books as Scottsboro Boy, kept writing until his death, and his answer to the motivation factor was simply: “For me writing is a habit I can’t break.”

Norm:

Why did you feel compelled to write Lucifer’s Dictionary of the American Language?

Burton:

Over the years I have become more and more aggravated by the way Americans butcher the English language, by the way members of the media misuse terms, by the charlatanical ways in which corrupt persons in power desecrate noble words such as “democracy” which, coming from their mouths, is the equivalent of the word “love” emanating from the mouth of a whore.

Satirizing all of that, much in the way that Ambrose Bierce and H. L. Mencken did the same in a previous era, provided a release for me. Also, I have an extremely slim hope, undoubtedly quixotic, that if the book becomes popular members of the media will become more careful about the way they put words into print or sound them on the boob tube, and that at least those who read the book will begin to try using the English language, a beautiful language when it is used properly, in a more accurate and original way, understanding that just as you are what you eat, also you are as you speak.

Norm:

How long did it take you to compile all of the words contained in Lucifer’s Dictionary of the American Language? Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for your dictionary? How did you come up with your unique and sometimes hilarious definitions?

Burton:

I conceived the book around fifteen years ago. Every time I heard a word, term, or phrase used in the atrocious way English is butchered in the U.S., I would jot it down and provide a definition for it. There was no research, just observation, and with a few exceptions the definitions originated inside my restless brain. Where an exception occurs and I owe conception of the definition to someone else, even if I reformulated it, you will see an acknowledgment.

Norm:

Your dictionary has been compared to Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary. Could you tell our readers something about Bierce’s dictionary and did you pattern your dictionary after his? If not, what is the difference between the two?

Burton:

When Bierce lived in San Francisco, where I live now, he was a columnist for Hearst’s foundation stone newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner, and later he journalized in his own periodical. As he became angrier and angrier at the phoniness and hypocrisy and the social injustice he saw everywhere, he became ever more cynical and satirical in his approach to commentary. He was called “Bitter Bierce.” Out of his bitterness and cynicism, his Devil’s Dictionary emerged.

I have followed his method of employing satire to demolish standard applications to words that mean something entirely different from the way they are generally used, to provide the true meanings of them, and to add iconoclastic commentary; but our styles are of necessity very different. Bierce wrote toward the end of the Victorian era, and so much of his writing appears stuffy and even archaic. More importantly, most of the words I define either did not even exist in Bierce’s time or were used in ways that have been drastically changed. I can only imagine how much deviltry Bierce would have found in villainizing words such as downsize and outsource as they emerge from charlatanical business moguls and politicians. But such words did not exist in Bierce’s time on earth because the conditions that have generated them did not exist.

Norm:

Your dictionary has a broader mission than simply entertaining. Can you talk more about that mission and what you hope readers will take away from reading your dictionary?

Burton:

For me to believe there has been a “mission” in publishing Lucifer’s Dictionary, I would have to be a Don Quixote, or at least a Pollyanna. The most I can hope for is that readers emerge from a reading of the book with a determination to use the English language accurately and with originality instead of conforming to so-called “pop culture,” that the readers will recognize when members of the media and business and socio-political leaders are spouting claptrap, that the readers will take time to write letters to the media or even op-ed pieces to correct some of the widespread butchering of the language, and that maybe, just maybe, some of all of that will have some effect.

Norm:

You mention the game of Monopoly in your dictionary and it appears you have extensively researched the history of this popular board-game. Would you briefly inform our readers why Monopoly interested you and what did you discover?

Burton:

I became interested in the origin of the Monopoly game when a San Francisco State University economics professor, Ralph Anspach, produced a game called Anti-Monopoly and Parker Brothers sued him for infringing on its patent and copyright. As the result of newspaper and television publicity about the lawsuit, Anspach heard from individuals who had played the game in varying forms and under different titles long before Parker Brothers began manufacturing it and suing everyone who tried to produce the game or any similar game or any similar board under any other name.

Out of his research and what is known in law as the discovery process which occurs during a lawsuit, a long-buried story merged.

It turns out that a follower of Henry George’s single tax theory, Lizzie Maggie, produced the precursor of the Monopoly game in 1904 as “The Landlord’s Game.” Using it as an educational tool through the same kind of entertainment Monopoly provides, Lizzie roasted the greedy acquisition of more and more property by landlords, real estate moguls, the railroads, etc.

That was quite a different purpose than providing fun via the Monopoly game of today in acquiring more and more property until the game is won that way or, as Shelley Berman put it, until you experience the fun of wiping out your friends. As the game spread across the U.S. under different names, including the name “Monopoly,” traditionally the players fashioned their own boards and rules.

The purported “inventor” of the Monopoly game as produced by Parker Brothers, Charles Darrow, joined with his wife in a group, mostly Quakers, playing the game in the Philadelphia-Atlantic City area. The Quakers had collectively put together the same board with all the same names, and had created the same rules, as exist today in the Monopoly game produced commercially by Parker Brothers.

Darrow saw the potential for making a fortune from it, copied the board and the rules, and passed off the game to Parker Brothers as his own invention. When the top officers of Parker Brothers learned the truth, they told Darrow to keep his mouth shut and they would all earn a fortune from this game that was stolen by them; and so they have.

I put the whole story into print in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and other writers for other periodicals picked it up from there and summarized what I had written. This was typical of the kind of pioneering journalism I practiced in the 1960s and 1970s. It is also typical that even with the kind of exposé I generated, you cannot eradicate a lie once it becomes part of a culture.

There is a plaque at Broadway and Park Place in Atlantic City commemorating “Darrow’s invention” of the Monopoly game, and the mass periodicals – New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly – continue repeating the myth that Darrow invented the Monopoly game, which is the equivalent of saying he invented fire and the wheel; and no amount of letter writing and telephone calling by Anspach and myself, no amount of excoriating the media and Atlantic City government prostitutes, can induce them to eradicate the Big Lie and tell the truth for history.

This is why I define Monopoly in the way I have, and this is an example of why I define many words in the cynical style I have used, in Lucifer’s Dictionary.

Norm:

Can you tell us how you found representation for your book? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Burton:

I submitted the book to at least fifty literary agents, all but one of whom declined to try to market it. The agent who took it on gave up after a dozen rejections. Eventually I submitted the book to around 100 prospective publishers. Most rejected the book with the usual “not quite right for us.” Some of the editors, however, commented that they found the book to be as funny as it is truthful and even described it as “a great book.”

Some said they felt Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary had exhausted the potential market. Others offered no reason for not publishing the book. None would admit what I have always suspected: that the book is so controversial and pinches so many teats of so many of American society’s sacred cows that there was too much fear of boycotting or other repercussions. A program for authors offered by the BookSurge division of Amazon.com offered me a way to get the book into print in both online and quality paperback versions even while using the name of a small press I started and then abandoned in the 1970s: Wild West Publishing House.

Norm:

How would you describe the quality of journalism today?

Burton:

In some ways it is more accurate than that which existed in the days of so-called “yellow journalism.” But hundreds of the stories and ideas of most critical importance to humanity are being not only censored but also blocked from dissemination altogether, and the would-be authors of them are being blacklisted.

Terminology is being used in such a horrendously inaccurate manner that it amounts to nothing less than a form of brainwashing of the kind that George Orwell (Eric Blair) predicted in his definition of “newspeak” in 1984: words used in such a standard and commanding manner that they can have no meaning other than that which is provided by Big Brother and its cooperating media.

For example, the media universally refers to genocidal maniacs using themselves as weapons to kill and maim en masse as “suicide bombers.” That leaves them in the realm of martyrs for their cause. But “suicide” is an act of taking one’s own life, not an act of using oneself as a weapon to kill everyone who does not believe in an imam’s version of Islam.

There is another depressing way in which journalism in the U.S. today has deteriorated, become insipid: we have lost character writers such as Bierce, Mencken, Art Hoppe, Charles McCabe, Artemus Ward, Finely Peter Dunne (Mr. Dooley), Don Marquis (Archy and Mehitabel), or (however cornball) Will Rogers. There are no longer any flamboyant character writers in the newspapers, no longer any writers with guts. The only place you can find them is on the internet. I have a long essay about this on my web log, Wolfebites, [http://burtonhwolfe.blogspot.com].

Norm:

What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while putting together your dictionary? How did you overcome these challenges?

Burton:

The major challenges were to keep going in the face of rejection and to keep from allowing myself to slip from satire into tirades against all the cant and hypocrisy which exist. Belief in the value of my book made me determined to find a way to get it into print. My sense of humor, my ability to laugh at the foibles which can otherwise be depressing, rerouted me away from definitions that would emerge as tirades, kept me on the satire road. I was laughing all the way at what I wrote, and thus enjoying myself.

Norm:

What’s your advice to achieve success as a writer?

Burton:

Apply your butt to a seat in front of a typewriter or computer, or stand up with either machine mounted on a bookcase ala Ernest Hemingway who did that because of back problems, or lie down on a sofa and scribble on lined legal pads ala Truman Capote – but whichever method you choose, make sure you get to it part of each day or night, do not procrastinate, do not make excuses for not writing.

Even if you run into what is euphemistically called “writer’s block,” get into the writing position you have chosen and do nothing else for two or three hours, until you will write something out of sheer boredom from doing nothing at all. Either believe in the worth of your work or choose some other vocation or avocation.

Believing in it, send it out and keeping submitting it no matter how many rejections you get – unless you decide to self-publish. And forget about the supposed stigma against self-publishing. Some of the most renowned writers in the history of American literature began by self-publishing, and not just individuals identified as writers. Statesmen did so. Benjamin Franklin’s essays were self-published. And promote yourself, brag about yourself, pester anyone and everyone you can think of to pay attention to you. Follow the dictum of the longtime head of the coalminers’ union, John L. Lewis: “He who tooteth not his own horn, it shall not be tooted.”

Norm:

In the last few years or so have you seen any changes in the way publishers publish and/or distribute books? Are there any emerging trends developing?

Burton:

There are more and more mergers among the major houses, and more and more concentration of promotion on select books that are designated in advance to be the moneymakers, leaving the authors of the “lesser” books to do more and more of their promoting.

More and more the sales department of a publishing house is determining what will and will not be accepted for publication – with what seems to be a standard test: if the sales department does not envision sales of at least 30,000 copies of a book, forget it. More and more it becomes harder to find a major house that will look at a manuscript not submitted by an established literary agent. Fortunately, there are many small press publishers still available for non-agent submissions. When one of those publishers has some success, a major house has occasionally offered to make it a subdivision of its operation and help with distribution and promotion.

More and more the big discount distributors and sellers – Barnes and Noble is the major example – are taking the bulk of the market by offering discounts based on volume, and lesser distributors and booksellers cannot compete with that. More and more books are being remanded quickly and sold off at prices far less than the original cover price.

There is too much competition. An individual author has a dismally poor chance of making money on a given book. You have to be lucky as well as persistent with self-promotion. There is also an increasing trend for publishing houses to operate in the same way as vanity publishers: the author has to pay for printing and publicity. Prestigious publishing houses, especially those that produce books by scholars, are resorting to that method of operation out of financial necessity.

Norm:

Although you are not leaving us just yet, how do you want us to remember Burton h. Wolfe?

Burton:

As somebody who told the truth at all costs, bearing in mind my favorite quotation from George Orwell (Eric Blair): “There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” 1984

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and in particular to Lucifer’s Dictionary of the American Language?

Burton:

GET THE BOOK AND READ IT!

Thanks Burton once again for participating in our interview.

HISTORICAL

Early records tell of Spartan parents exposing their handicapped offspring to the elements to perish. Few other accounts are available, but by the Middle Ages the retarded were exploited as fools or jesters. The Protestant Reformation found the retarded suspected of being possessed with the devil. The common treatment was “to beat the devil out of them.”

Despite the poor treatment afforded the retarded, the churches of Europe from the thirteenth century on began to systematically provide asylums for the less fortunate members of society. No treatment or education was provided, but sanctuary was available from the cruel and competitive society.

Prior to 1800 the prevalent belief was that retardation was inherited and consequently not treatable. In 1800 Jean Itard, a French physician, began working with the “wild boy of Aveyron.” This boy, captured in the forests of Aveyron, was diagnosed as severely retarded. Itard believed that training and practice could reverse some of the effects of retardation. His efforts produced marked changes in the boy’s behavior. While the boy never achieved the ability to talk or live independently, this was the beginning of treatment and education for retarded persons.

In 1850 Edward Seguin, a student of Itard, arrived in the United States. Having expanded Itard’s work, Seguin opened residential schools for the retarded. His complex, systematic sequence of training made him recognized as an international leader in the field. By 1900 residential schools were established throughout the country. These schools were intended as training schools, dedicated to curing mental retardation. But cure did not occur, and the nature of these schools has radically changed. Rather than attempting a cure, they now emphasize the enhancement of social competence, personal adequacy, and occupational skills.

In 1912 Maria Montessori, a student of Seguin, opened her schools for training the retarded. She developed a system of self-teaching that trains through the senses. In 1914 Charles Scott Berry began a teacher training program in Lapeer, Michigan. Soon after, the first college course on mental retardation was offered at what is now Eastern Michigan University.

CURRENT TRENDS

The movement from viewing retardation as purely hereditary to purely environmental has led to a contemporary position that views it as usually the result of the interaction of both these factors. Treatment focuses on training in personal skills to help an individual reach the highest possible level attainable for the deficiency.

One important trend in recent work with the retarded has related to the concept of normalization or mainstreaming. This refers to the right of retarded individuals to participate in normal activities. Such activities include privacy, dignity, liberty, the right to engage in loving relationships, and marriage. Special classrooms, although designed to provide homogeneous groupings to enhance manageable training, specialized curricula that would be in line with the interest of the group, and special training needs for teachers, have often been seen as dumping grounds and discriminatory.

In 1965 the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided special programs of assistance to disadvantaged and handicapped children in the United States. In 1969, 14 regional instructional materials centers were developed to provide ready access to valid materials and information.

The provision of free public education for all mentally retarded citizens within the context of as natural an environment as feasible was mandated by passage of Public Law 94-142 and Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The presumption is that society is obligated to support efforts to integrate retarded individuals into the fabric of the community. Mainstreaming attempts to reduce the discriminatory aspect of being retarded.

The implications of these laws for education are drastic. Free education is provided, even if it means special schooling. The least restrictive environment allows a retarded person to study in regular schools if possible. It is necessary for public schools to make allowances for handicaps, with facilities for wheelchairs or other devices. These requirements have given retarded persons an opportunity for normal education and interaction in society. Special education is provided for the more severe cases where participation in regular classrooms is not possible. In both cases yearly plans specify what is to be taught. This reduces the possibility of ignoring the children and reverting to minimal training.

Likewise, more adequate living situations are provided. Rather than dumping children into institutions, it is mandated that more normal housing be provided. While institutionalization is necessary for some retarded persons, due to the severity of retardation or specific problems involved, these persons are to receive normal treatment as much as possible. Otherwise, group homes, foster homes, nursing homes, even support in one’s own home are provided. Residential facilities are designed to be as colorful, warm, and friendly as a typical home.

Where possible, vocational training is given. Providing a means of earning an income gives retarded persons a sense of achievement and worth. It enhances self-esteem to be in a work situation and accomplish a task.

Regular psychological assessments are also required. These occur naturally in normal schools, where academic advance is a primary means of assessment. Since retarded persons learn slower, more regular assessments are needed to verify the strengths, determine if there are other underlying problems, and provide direction for educational plans.

There is a classic book by Wallace Wattles, “The Science of Getting Rich” it mentions in two separate chapters the key to success is “thinking and acting in a certain way”.

What does that mean to you?

I initially opened this in book 2006 after watching the movie “The Secret” and finding out the woman (Rhonda Byrne) who created the book and movie started her path of personal growth after discovering Wallace Wattles. I came to hold this book with close regard, carrying it around often and reading it numerous times every year. This book was written in 1910 preceding Think and Grow Rich, and to my knowledge the first of its kind.

The book dictates the steps to acquiring wealth through a series of mental and physical concepts with the main one being doing things in the “certain way”. This statement caught my eye immediately and I asked myself, “What is this certain way”?

I’ll get back to that in a second.

When I am inspired by a thought I quickly move with faith down that path and look confidently for the next sign on the path. With that being said, I want to talk about another book that brought validity to my paradigm shift on The Science Of Getting Rich. I changed my perspective on the “certain way” statement, and a few days later I started a new book. The 2011 released book by Napoleon Hill, “Outwitting The Devil”.

If you are into personal growth and success you must acquire this book. Finish this article first. Among other things in the Hill text it is said the “drifter” is the biggest and easiest target of the devil. The drifter is described as the person who works hard not to think, the person who has no definite purpose and shies away from focus in any area. The space left open by the lack of concentration on improving life is said to be where the devil initially occupies and gains a foothold on that person’s life. It is a great and liberating book.

Okay, so let’s tie this all in. It is easy to initially think that doing things in a “certain way” means and calls upon a method, strategy, or step-by-step process. That is what I thought for years and it was a concept sufficient enough to bring me some success. Now I realize it may have been the use of other principles in the book, mainly the filling of space. This means one may become so big in value to a space that they by natural law have to advance to greater things. This is accomplished by leaving nothing undone in a situation.

After research and meditation and around 6 years of reading this text, I know realize doing things in a certain way more accurately fits into the whole direction and teachings of wattles by using the following definition

Certain>> free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure.

The funny thing is this is the first 4 of 5 meanings of the word however as I searched the Internet for blogs and write-ups on the topic, there are a lot of others that thought what I did about the meaning of certain way. I believe it may have been a lost in translation since the book is dated to just past the turn of the 20th Century. Doing things in a “certain way” means to move forward with faith holding in mind without doubt that what you seek to manifest in your life.

The truth is with faith the “size of a mustard seed” you can move mountains. You can jump on the fast track of reaching your goals. To do this you need focus, not only to receive your reward but also to avoid drifting into devilish procrastination. You also need to hold the faith that your thoughts will be manifested in your life in accordance to the faith you hold the space of their physical absence.

The human spirit consists of clashing entities constantly waging war with each other to gain control of the mind-body-human intellect versus animal emotion. This concept is part of the universal human experience. We are all familiar with the cartoon images of the little devil standing on a person’s left shoulder arguing with the small angel on the right. The devil urges the host to go for the instant gratification while the angel warns about the unintended consequences of the mischief. This conflict usually ends with one knocking the other off the shoulder and convincing the person to act or abstain depending upon whether good or evil won the day. The Kabbalah calls this the war between the “good and evil inclinations.” This is the world of opposites in which we live and have living within us.

Each of these conflicting spiritual factions is continuously using every means at its disposal to gain the upper hand. The evil inclination is an accomplished liar; which is why we humans are adept at rationalizing. With our evil inclinations, we can find a valid reason to justify anything that we want to do and argue convincingly that there is no other choice or that it’s harmless or acceptable “because everybody does it!” And the end result is to suffer unintended consequences that we could have avoided.

In effect, there are two types of realities from the human perspective: what happens and the story we make up about what happens, to fit the scenario with what we want in order to feed the bloated ego or avoid taking responsibility. Then we believe the embellished version as the truth of what happened and live inside the story.

This is the reason we mismanage our bodies and develop destructive unhealthy habits, such as smoking, overeating, sedentary living, habitual rage and the like; rationale giving way to rationalization and reality perception giving way to self-deception. Our “bad side” justifies our self-destructive behaviors; and it takes a huge amount of effort for the “good side” to overcome temptation.

By conquering the evil inclination, by changing bad habits and practices, and by getting closer to G-d, we can gain the upper hand and rid our bodies of the pain, sickness, mental and physical ailments that plague our lives.

This book is based on the Kabalistic work of Lubavitch Hassidism, the Tanya, (which means “teachings”) and how it can be applied to maintaining physical and mental health. The Tanya, through its discussions of the purpose of creation, the essence of G-d and the relationship between the Creator and mankind, demonstrates how everything that we are is a process of thought, speech and action. The Tanya teaches how to conquer the evil inclination to change the reality in which we live. By changing the destructive spiritual conversation we have with ourselves we can get rid of the habits that lead to a destructive lifestyle. The performance and accountability for healing and prevention rests with each of us. It’s simply a matter of acquiring the tools for transformation.

In this book Moshe provides many different anecdotes to demonstrate how the perpetual war of good and evil in many of his subjects led them down paths of inevitable destruction, leading to unhappiness, failure, poor health… and death. Every case illustrates how bad choices and interpretations have hurt the individual. He shows how changing the outlook we have on our lives, our surroundings and our relationship with our Creator and His creations leads to desirable results.

True “spiritual healing” is an understanding what you are in relation to your Creator, taking responsibility for your choices and changing those familiar ways of being that are the root causes of existing and potential health problems. He has provided a practical and philosophical approach to achieving health and happiness.

These pages will provide you the key to achieving better health by understanding our polarized existence. The first step toward healthier living begins with learning the distinction of truth versus falsehood and perception versus deception. You will use what you learn in these pages to tackle a wide array of destructive ailments and habits: including drug addiction, smoking, obesity, anger, depression, hate, jealousy and so forth.

Moshe’s vivid writing covering his many years in healthcare, coupled with his explanation of one of the greatest philosophical works of all time, the Tanya, will dramatically change your life.

Once I heard a preacher refer to satan as an unemployed cherub.

The statement I believe was intended as a put down.

At first blanch I get the concept, only last night though God brought a point to my attention regarding this statement that challenged me.

“The devil used to be called Lucifer ‘Lucifer‘ means ‘light bearer’ or ‘light bringer’ this was his name as an angel, he was literally the praise and worship leader/choir director of heaven and scripture tells us he was very beautiful. But when his heart sought to take Gods place he was cast out of heaven – sacked – fired, unemployed.

What’s significant though and this is the rub, unlike many of us his de-commissioning from the most highly esteemed employer and corporation in all of heaven and earth didn’t stop him working for himself.

In Sir Alan Sugar’s book ‘What you see is what you get’ he has a chapter titled “Whose going to pay you on Friday?” a question posed to him by his un-enterprising father. Sir Sugar explains in the chapter that this statement summed up his father’s mentality a mentality we may add which runs cross grain with the entrepreneurial mindset that has evidently characterised Sir Alan’s career.

Occupy till He comes!!

Unemployment can hit us like a ton of bricks, and if you’re facing that right now I empathise with your experience and the myriad emotions and conflicts you may be experiencing. The question I have though is; ‘are you occupying?’

Jesus told a parable of ‘a certain noble man’ paralleling Himself and His servants; The noble man in the parable commended His servants ‘Occupy till I come’ this exhortation is used as an instruction to us as believers regarding how we ought conduct our affairs while we await Christ’s return.

Clearly satan is doing just that! Being unemployed can be a supernatural opportunity to reflect and assess your individual life purpose, call and gifting; maybe Gods got more for you; if you employ yourself you can never be unemployed.

The devil finds work for idle hands

The thief (the devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV)

When you allow the depression of your unemployment to consume you, and you begin to look at your situation as one of having failed you create fertile ground in your heart and mind for the devil to assault your life and plant seeds of habits, mindsets, attitudes and responses that can prove destructive.

It’s so much more productive therefore to begin where you are, start or complete the project that work was always preventing you from accomplishing.

Think outside the box, do a skill assessment or personality test to review your internal drives.

You may be on the verge of a new adventure in the journey that is your life.

Don’t allow despondency and inadequacy to rob you of this opportunity, time itself is a precious commodity, and if used wisely when you have more of it than money, time can become the catalyst to the money you need as well as a lifestyle aligned and congruent with your highest potentials if you’ll seize the opportunity your current unemployment has presented to you.

The Islamic Prophet is mentioned in the Holy Bible of Christians.

Very first Question -Why is He mentioned in the Bible?

According to Islamic Beliefs, Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.A.W. is the greatest Beloved of God, the best from all creations. God Created Universe and everything for Him and gave Him might over all world. If you cling to Him, you cling to a rope which will never snap. If you deny Him, you are transgressor who burns in hell for always and forever i.e. for eternity. He is alone more beautiful than all other creations.

God loved Him more than everything, God made Him the king of all beings. All beings include all Prophets. All Prophets described Him including Jesus (PBUH). But later their scriptures were corrupted by particular Humans inspired by Devil (Never look at Christianity for Devil, Islam has a very fluent and broader concept of Devil, if you consult Christianity for devil, it will be nonsense for atheists). Still you can find some Predictions of Holy Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.A.W. in the old scriptures such as Bible, Vedas etc. As the Quran states:

“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him – it is those who will be the successful.”

(Al-Araf 7:157)

So if they believe in the same as you believe in, then they have been [rightly] guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension, and Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

(Al-Baqra 2:137)

Secondly and Most importantly, Where is He mentioned in the Bible

Jesus Christ is telling to His Followers

“I have yet many things to say onto you, but ye cannot bear them now, howbeit, when

HE the Spirit of Truth is come,

HE shall guide you into all truth for

HE shall not speak from HIMself and

HE shall say what He shall be told and

HE shall guide you into rest of the truth

HE shall glorify me”

(JHON 16:12-13)

Eight masculine pronouns like He’s introducing someone..

Christians say its the Holy Ghost. Now let me ask a simple question from them

“When did this spirit of truth come and WHAT THINGS HE TOLD YOU?”

Look at Book of Acts Ch 2, vs 1-47, a Spirit has come but no things new, not at all

When I tell Christians about this verse, they pose the following questions in attempts to defend their religion. Let me answer them.

1. Was Islamic Prophet S.A.W.A.W a Spirit?

Lets see the meaning of Spirit. According to oxford dictionary

“Spirit is the non-physical part of Human body; soul”

Now I say He wasn’t a spirit but He had a spirit. Simply, spirit of Truth is a symbolical word which mean spirit of Muhammad S.A.W.A.W.

The Bible also uses the word “Spirit” for other Humans in Gospel of Jhon 4:2-3.

2. Did He glorify Jesus P.BB.U.H?

Of course yes… He gloried whole universe, indeed whole universe was created for Him. From beginning to eternity, He’ll be glorifying all universe. In particular, He S.A.W.A.W glorified Jesus PBUH by letting Jesus PBUH be a part of His nation, the Muslims. When Jesus PBUH came to know about the virtues of the greatest and final nation, He, fell in extreme love of Prophet S.A.W.A.W, asked God to be a part of it. God answered His prayer and made Him a part of it. That is why He comes back…

3. Why can’t this verse be applied to disciples of Jesus, supposing they later met a spirit?

Because the word disciples is not present in the verse, if you still want to apply it to disciples then

* Apply all Bible to Disciples or

* Sow me word ‘disciples’ in the verse.

Ask me more about the verse, try to defend your religion, I’m ready to answer…

Does this Verse fit to Islamic Prophet S.A.W.A.W?

Of course yes.

1. “Many things.. He shall tell you all truth..”

There are many new things in Islam which are not in Christianity

2. “He shall not speak from himself”

now see the Quran 53:3 “He does not speak from Himself”

Bible speaks about Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.A.W in Deuteronomy 18:18

“The Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him… “

Christians claim its Jesus Christ but luckily, It doesn’t apply to Jesus (PBUH). This is being spoken by Moses (PBUH) and it is saying ‘like you’.

Now as simple as ever, was Moses (PBUH) like Jesus (PBUH)?

The only similarity in them was that both were Jews but there were many differences like

1. Moses was born naturally and Jesus was born of a virgin.

2. Moses (PBUH) was married, Jesus (PBUH) was unmarried.

3. Moses (PBUH) died a natural death where as Jesus (PBUH died unnaturally according to both Muslims and Christians.

4. Moses (PBUH) will not be raised alive while Jesus (PBUH) will be raised alive.

But Moses (PBUH) was like Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. How?

1. Both were born naturally.

2. Both were married.

3. Both left the world naturally.

4. Both will not be raised alive

Now it obvious that the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18 is no one but Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

Does it apply perfectly to Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.?

“I will put My words in his mouth”. This was a big issue during His life that Quran is being written by Himself or He is receiving revelations but there is no such thing in Jesus’ Life.

“He will tell them everything I command him.”. This implies He will perfectly teach everything which is parallel to last revelation to Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.A.W.

“This day I have Perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.”

(Quran 5:3)

Super Duper Note: Never misunderstand me I’m only 14.75

No! I am not going to bore you with a story every child in India can tell you. I want to ponder a little on the Indian cricketing fortunes before the actual win. I watched an interview of Imran Khan recently and he said that India’s win of 1983 was a higher achievement than his team’s (Pakistan) 1992 victory in Australia. The simple reason he gave was that the quality of opposition in 1983 was higher. This Khan is not someone who will praise an Indian achievement easily. This should give you some idea about the magnitude of this achievement. And how important this man Kapildev was to Indian cricket!

The way Indian cricket developed since the British Raj will give you an idea that they were basically docile cricketers who played on docile wickets against strong and aggressive opponents. The test record of India around independence is terrible and I believe they played not to win but to not lose too badly. I think Pataudi Jr with a positive head to head record was the first captain that sort of instilled a fighting spirit in the team and a desire to win. Not to say that there were no aggressive players in the Indian team. In fact, India’s first captain was C K Naidu who was a big guy and a big hitter. He flayed the MCC team in an innings of 153 in 2 hours that people still remember. He hit 11 sixes in the innings. He must have scared the living daylights out of the MCC bowlers. But winning in cricket consistently is not just about one man’s heroics. Those were different times and possibly it was a different scenario. The transition of Indian cricket team continued with Sunil Gavaskar who although not aggressive by nature was an excellent thinker of the game and took the Indian cricket forward with quality batsmanship and captainship.

In came Kapildev in 1979 and a world-class aggressive pace bowler and all-rounder arrived giving India the aggressive edge that it lacked. India played in the 1975 world cup but the only match they won was against East Africa. The next match they won was in 1978. Of course, there wasn’t much one-day cricket played those days. This was followed by another terrible world cup in 1979 where they failed to win a single match. But slowly with the support initially from Karsan Ghavari and Roger Binny onto Madanlal, Sandhu and Mohinder Amarnath Kapil found pace bowling partners. Not life threatening quick bowlers but accurate and they could swing the ball. Now in the 1983 world cup team, except Sandhu all these bowlers were all all-rounders; this was another plus. Kapil himself had several qualities. Apart from being a world-class all-rounder, he was a great motivator. And that unbelievable hitting ability which can be matched only with Vivian Richards from his generation I think. Different batsmen mind you and Kapil was less reliable as a batsman than Viv but, when he came off, very very effective indeed. This man, out of nowhere, when everyone was ridiculing the Indians, installed a belief in the team that they could win. And they actually started winning matches in the Prudential Cup 1983. That innings against Zimbabwe and the catch of Viv Richards in the final tells you that this man was awake and was game to the possibility of a world cup win when mere mortals would have given up.

He was supported wholeheartedly by the team in 1983. Boy, if the opponents had stepped into the Indian dressing rooms and, understood the good old Hindi, they would have realized who was going to win. The press and the opponents just kept thinking Indian victories on the road to finals were a fluke. Just about everyone in the team contributed to the team cause in one way or the other. This world cup win came against sides that were truly great such as West Indies and Australia. Other good teams such as Pakistan, England put their claim forward but there was no stopping the Kapil’s devils.

Like after every great victory the team had a lean period and Kapil lost captaincy as well. But the great man kept performing either with the bat or with the ball and sometimes both. There was a term for him in Indian cricket called “Dada” cricketer meaning he was like a big brother of the team. He could win matches from hapless situations just with his cricketing abilities alone. The way Kapil played his game, free of care and with just the goal in mind brought the team together to give the country its greatest sporting triumph till date!