إن الحمد لله إن أحمده ونستعينه نستغفر ونطوب إليه ونعود بالله نشوفوه أنفسنا ومن سيئة عمالنا يحبه الله لا فلا مفللا ومن يُفل فلا هادي له واشر ولا إله إلا الله وإحده لا شريك له واشر أن سيدنا محمدا عبده ورسوله يا أيها الذين أملوا تقولوا الله وقولوا قولا سدينا يصبح لكم عمالكم يصل لكم نوبكم ومن تري إلاه ورسوله فقلت فازا فوزا أعظما أما بعض فأن أصلق العديد ككب الله وخيرا هدي هدي محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم واشر الأمورة محدثاتها فكل محدثة تنضع وكل بداعة بلالة وكل بلالة في النار الحمد لله الحمد لله الذي أنزل على عبده كتابه ولم يجعل له إوجا الحمد لله الذي هدانا لهذا وما كنا بنا تدي أنه لا أنحدام الله الحمد لله رب العالمين أمام الله أمام العالم أمام الله الذي يساعدنا إلى هذا الطريق وليس ساعدنا ويساعدنا أمام الله الذي يساعد كتابه ولم يجعله أمامه ولم يجعله أمامه أمام الله شكرا ونحن ونفن كهان ميس ميس ي stamped وأمر لزيارة في هنية بسبب ما use the hands of humans, humans have brought the hands of humans have brought thus we get them a taste of the consequences of their deets in order that they may return الله تعالى منشناه عديد يلك لطبط لطبيع zit بما يريد أن تلعب ويرخ كما يلعب ويرخ كما تلعب ويرخ اurasست لذعانة بلا درسة ولا ادعانة ويتحب بل شباب سيكون مرحبا لتشارك لتشعر والنجاح بصحبات كما يجب أن يصعد بصحبات الوطف وين يحبوا حتى يبدو أن نفتح البحث في المدينة المستخدمة لأن مدينة المستخدمة كانت تخطأة المدينة المستخدمة ومشاكلة الأمر ولكن خطأة حيث اسمها من عهد المسجد التي أحبها الله فى هذا العالم elegant حسنًا means that exist in our societies one interpretation and the sea the towns villages you know I'm the the towns and في المنطقة المنطقة Why is that interesting? It's interesting because normally we conceive of the towns, the cities as the places of corruption and the countryside being isolated from the city being isolated from the dislocations that the city represents dislocation of traditional religion dislocation of traditional social structures as that not existing in the countryside therefore the corruption that those dislocations breed in the cities and the towns is absent from the countryside but now we see a common affliction the cities are afflicted with drug addiction and alcoholism as is the countryside in fact the countryside in terms of this recent opioid crisis is suffering even to greater expense than the city the cities are afflicted with pollution and now the countryside due to industrialized farming pesticide use poisoning the groundwater so we see the same ecological challenges that are facing the cities facing the countryside and so a lot of China is reminding us is reminding us that we will suffer from what we do we will suffer personally we will suffer societally and we will suffer globally for what we do and Allah says He will give us a taste in other words Allah سبحانه وتعالى will not destroy us in one fell swoop as happened to earlier people one of the manifestations of the mercy of our Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was to his enemies was that when they rebelled against him when they fought him when they rejected his mission Allah didn't destroy them in one fell swoop as He destroyed the people of Lod or the A'a or the Thamud or others when He turned the cities upside down or sent devastating winds the enemies of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم were given respite they were given time to repent they were given time to return to the path of right guidance they were given time to leave their enmity against the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and so we see his most bitter enemies such as عملي بلاً آس by Abu Sufyan or his wife Hind or others leaving their enmity to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and then themselves becoming believers this is from the mercy of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and so we see this reflecting reflected rather in this verse the يوفيخة بعضاً من العميم to them in order thus to give them a taste we allow them to experience something a portion of what they've done but we will not bring down upon them the full conceptness and so Allah تعالى is giving us a taste He's letting us see the harbingers of the full destruction that will come if we don't change our ways literally we see how our grief how our neglect of the stewardship that we should be exercising in this earth how it contributes to these devastating fires which is what we witnessed here a couple of weeks ago and literally we tasted the consequence of that as the smoke was filling our nostrils and our mouths and putting in the taste of it as the days wore on literally this is a wake up call for us this is a warning for us and so Allah He gives us respite in order that they will return to the path of guidance we as Muslims should be people who are exercising the prophetic responsibility of warning people as we celebrate the prophets and so Allah He will sell them during these days ربي القول we should be celebrating the fact that He was a witness إن أرسلناك شاك وسيراتهم ونيرا we should celebrate His witnessing and we ourselves should be a witness which is the responsibility our Lord has given us وكذلك دعناك أمته ووسط ويتقولوا شوهداء على الناس ويقون رصول عليكم شهيدا and this primarily speaking of our witnessing against other nations in the Asher witnessing that Allah indeed sent their messenger to them to guide them and they have been excused but there is a manifestation of that in the world we should be witnesses for truth and witnesses for justice شوهداء علي الله so there is a worldly manifestation so we should be witnesses as He was a witness ومبشرا and we should be givers of glad tidings but to truly and effectively give that message we ourselves have to be recipients of those glad tidings if you leave alcoholism if you leave drug addiction then you can have air peace such that you don't need those things you don't need alcohol you don't need opiates to deal with the pain of living you don't need these things and this isn't just something we talk about this is something we should bear witness to through our very being that this serenity the peace that they see within us the calm that they see within us convinces them that we're speaking the truth and this was the witness of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم He was a witness a living witness to what he called to ومبشرا glad tidings you can have a good life you can have a host of life you can have a productive life without these things when there are water if you don't return there are consequences if you continue down this path there are consequences far too many Muslims because we're not witnesses because we're not practicing what we're preaching and of course this isn't everybody it's not most of us than it dilutes the power of our communal message امتا مصطبا a balance middle community so we have a communal message we can be scattered individuals but we will not impact our society if your people say look at those Muslims not look at Ahmed how they were Ahmed Abdullah father Iza Ahmed law he is such a highest person such an honest person a person of so much integrity our strength and our contribution and our corrective effect in our society حتى الناس يقولون انظروا at those Muslims. They have so much integrity. They have such stern character. They are so honest in their dealings. They are a community that are afflictive with drug addiction and outlaw those Muslims don't drink. Those Muslims don't lie. Those Muslims, they're not affected by the things that are driving us crazy. That's when we will have an impact. And that's when the warning we give will be heeded. That's when the glad tidings that we offer will be accepted. We're dying in God's name. So we should be a community that is warning people. A community that is leading people. And it starts at the top. The scholars are the heirs of the prophets. As they say. The scholar slips the whole world follows. The whole world slips. This is a collective endeavor. But it's an endeavor we must challenge ourselves with. And one of the most important things for us to realize is that the sad that is threatening the existence of our nation that is threatening the existence of our world is not something we Muslims are responsible for. So why are we so ashamed of being proud or why are we so ashamed of saying we're Muslims and we have solutions? Are we responsible for this opiate crisis? We didn't create the conditions that drove people to the lengths of despair that are manifested in opium and other diseases, addiction and other diseases of despair. Alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide. We mentioned these earlier. A few weeks ago. We're not responsible for those conditions. So why are we so hesitant to say that perhaps we can address them. That's something that can lead or provide insight as to how we might surmount them. We're definitely not responsible for the resurgent racism that's tearing this country apart at the seas. It's been here from the beginning of the country before there was a significant Muslim population other than the enslaved African Muslims. So why are we as opposed to representing and presenting and being proud and calling people with their name in الله? Why are we following people in the things that are leading them to their destruction? Why are we so eager to jump on to the Titanic after it's hit the iceberg? We should be helping people to get off of that ship because we generally speaking we are not actualized to the depth of our souls what it means to be a follower of Muhammad if we actualize what it means to follow Muhammad إذا الله عليه وسلم everything we mean as a community الله will give to us starting with the confidence to proudly say I'm a Muslim ومن أحسنه بهوله من من داعي الله وعمل صالحة وقال إمني من المسلمين there be no hesitation there be no hesitation there be no hesitation to point out to people destructive things and there will be great hesitation to abandon نعنة نعجون in order to get their return it will go in fact to something of value that's been abandoned and again that has to start with us as Muslims the values the customs the traditions the way of seeing reality that our forebears have is something of tremendous value only when it's abandoned do we see what we see only when it's abandoned do we suffer from what we suffer as Muslims in our Muslim lands and many Muslims in these western lands نعنة نعجون it's not working so perhaps when there was greater stability when there was greater self-confidence when there was stronger faith when there was less hesitancy to jettison our religion look at the haste one person is a Muslim today and they read something or tweet and the tweet was so discombobulating tomorrow they're not even Muslim a prophet born against that and he taught us to protect ourselves against it why did he teach us to pray نعنة نعنة نعجون نعنة نعجون the one who can turn the heart in an instant confirm my heart in your religion نعنة نعجون when individuals are generally painting going back to that state of purity that existed before the sin نعنة نعجون societies going back to those values to those beliefs far too many Muslims want to be progressive I'm a progressive Muslim we know that means I'm a licentious Muslim I'm a Muslim that doesn't value the things of the past that gave us the strength the fortitude to live in this world and dignify human beings we need the actionary Muslims Muslims who want to go backwards because we see where this forward march is meeting us as in Allah الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلات والسلام على سيد الرشدين سيدنا محمد وراله وصحبه وصلات تسليم الكثيرا إن الله وملاقي كذلك يصادون على النبي يا عيوه الذين آنا وصدوا عليه وصدوا تسليم الله وصد وصد المبارك على سيدنا محمد وراله وصحبه وصحبه وصلاتهم الحمد لله وصلات والسلام على سيدنا محمد وعاله وصحبه وصحبه تسليم الكثيرا sometimes when people hear what you just heard the waitingness of it all can be overwhelming and indeed it can be if one endeavors to assume those responsibilities to carry that those loaves by themselves but Allah SWT has not enjoined upon us to assume that responsibility alone to carry those loaves alone Allah SWT has asked us to depute the affair unto Him to allow Him to carry the load to allow Him to bear the burden and to allow Him or not to be an obstacle within our realm of initiative and our realm of creation and our realm of choice to the ability to do what we have been enjoying to do then it's easy and where does that ease come from that ease comes from living the life and assuming the responsibilities that we assume to bear the loads that have been placed upon our shoulders with the remembrance of Allah in our hearts and that we think to be it is not the remembrance of Allah bringing comfort tranquility to the hearts so no matter what the world places upon us by the need of Allah no matter what challenges we are presented with no matter what obstacles we are in our course if we bear them and approach them and deal with them with a heart that's filled with the remembrance of Allah then we'll be at ease the vicissitudes of the day will not tear us apart they will not break us down they will not crush us وَلَا بِذِكْرِيْ لَهِطَنْ وَأَنْ وِالْقُلُوبِ we'll be people where do you find joy how do you find joy and all that's going on around us the news is so bad one reason the news is so bad is the means that convey the news to us are so bad if it bleeds it needs and once you're caught up in this cycle of sensation listen we need more blood to be interested there are good things happening in this world there are good things happening in your life there are good things happening in our communities and there are definitely challenging things but no matter what the challenge is if we reflect on the grace and mercy of Allah we're all here when we're all closed the rain didn't penetrate this roof we're not sitting in puddles we're buckets all over the place we're not sitting in mud we're sitting on carpets we came here in cars we're going home to refrigerators and cupboards that are filled with food we have good health when our health fails we have doctors and access the doctors if we find an energy a lagging we go up the street to Whole Foods and buy some vitamins or some Marika powder and our energy is restored we're surrounded by the blessings and the graces and the gifts of Allah and if we give thanks for those gifts كل بفضل الله و برحمته فبيداله لثل يفره و حير من ما يجمعون سيئن the grace of Allah and in His mercy and the greatest grace and mercy is Islam and the Prophet of Allah but in those beneath that that we enjoy every day in this time rejoice how do we not rejoice but we invert things we invert things and look at them through the wrong prism we look at them through the prism of the dunya we look at them from the prism of the final tool of the dunya as opposed to looking at them through the infinity of the after we look at them from the prism of man's shortcomings and man's imperfection humans humanity's shortcomings and humanity's imperfection as opposed to looking at them through the perfection of Allah SWT and understand that perfection is manifested in the wisdom and the decree of Allah SWT and what we might see being imperfect when we look at it from the prism of the imperfection of humans is as perfect as it can get when we look at it from the prism of the perfection of Allah SWT just involves a shift in perspective may Allah bless us to shift our perspective may Allah bless us to have hearts that are content and at ease and at rest may Allah SWT bless us to rejoice in the manifestation of His grace and His mercy that are visited upon us every second of our existence in this world may Allah SWT bless us to see ourselves as a source of a solution and not as part of a problem may Allah SWT bless us to do those actions and to entertain those thoughts that are a reflection of the teaching and the significance and the impact of our profit may Allah SWT may Allah SWT forgive the Muslims and the believers may Allah SWT may Allah SWT remind us may Allah SWT may Allah SWT remind us to proceed with the value of Allah's wishes and glad from his servants may Allah SWT may Allah SWT and bless us to become the�ultain of the world may Allah SWT forgive us may Allah SWT forgive us may Allah SWT Cut us out of this من خشات كابات عول به بيننا وبين معصيك ومن بعدي كابات بلغنا بها جنةك ومن يقين ما يهورن علينا مصرائب الدنيا وماتعنا بعمس بها ذنب أبسار بيأسناعنا وامسارنا وامسارنا وبواتنا ما حيتنا واجعله الوارث مننا واجعل فرم علينا منظوى لنا وامصرنا علينا عردانا وذا تجعلوا الصعيباتنا في ديننا وذا تجعلوا الدنيا أتبرهمنا وذا مبلغا أمنا ولا تصلت علينا بلنوبنا من لا يخافك ولا يرحمنا يا أرحم الراحم وعفو عنا ووفي لنا ورحمنا أنت بيودانا فأنصر على قبل كافرين اللهم فرج عن المسلمين في كل مكان اللهم فرج عن المسلمين في كل زمان اللهم فرج عن الخوانين المسلمين وعخواتنا المسلمات في كل بقعة في هذه الأرض اللهم من أراضي الخيرا بهذه الأمة المحمدية فا والفقر لكذا الخير ومن أراضي شر لحو المسلمين فخو أخذ عزيز المقتدير وجعل تتبيرهم تتبيرهم اللهم عليك بعداء الإسلام اللهم خفف عن هذه الأمة اللهم فرج عن آهابي الأمة اللهم أقن حروب هذه الأمة يا الله يا الله يا الله أنت مولانا فأنصرنا على القبل الكافرين سبحان ربك رب العزة عما يصيبون وسلام عن المسلم والحمد بناه رب العالمين وسل الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم أكمل سلاه يا حمدي


If you're an insurance agent who wants to consistently write 100 policies per month, 100 policies month after month after month, then pay close attention to this video because what I'll do here is I'll break down the exact metrics that you need to measure on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis in order to write 100 policies per month. This subject we can talk about for a full hour if we wanted to. But what I want to do is break it down into a quick two minute training and show you the exact numbers so that you can start implementing that right away. So the first metric that you need to track and measure on a daily basis is how many calls you do and you need to do 100 calls per day as a team. If you have two people working collectively 100 calls. But what I suggest is that every team member place 100 calls because you can have individual team members writing 100 policies per month. I have quite a few team members who use my sales training that write 100 policies per month and a lot of them when they first get started they make 100 calls and eventually that number goes down. But for starters 100 calls will equate to 10 answers meaning that you'll have 10 people answer the phone out of 100. So that's the first two metrics. Out of those 10 people you'll have eight people who will let you quote them. If you follow my sales training the six steps script the one call close you should be able to have at least at the very minimum eight people out of the 10 say sure give me a quote and you'll be able to get to the end of the call and ask for the sale. What I like to track is not just how many quotes the team members make but specifically how many asks for the sale you do because you can quote someone and never ask for the sale. What's the point of quoting someone if you don't ask for the sale? So the specific metric that I like to measure is how many times your team members are asking for the sale and that is eight per day. This right here is the most important metric of all of these that you need to measure on a daily weekly and monthly basis is how many times you're asking for the sale and just so we're on the same page if you ask the same prospect for the sale three times in one call that's considered one ask all right. So out of eight asks you should be able to write two new households get two new accounts. That's assuming that you close one out of four people and again if you're using this script the six step script to one call close and you're using the exact language that is written here then you should have a closing rate where you close one out of four people. If you're closing less than that then you're not following the script. So two households is what you'll write on a daily basis which equates to about five policies written. So when you bring on a new household with a husband and a wife on average new households have two and a half to three policies and the way we define a policy or this particular presentation is if you have two cars in a home that's three policies does that make sense? Okay so to recap 100 calls will equate to 10 answers which will equate to eight asks for the sales if you follow the script you'll close two households which will equate to five policies per day. Now there are five days in a week if we just multiply that by five days that's 25 policies for the week which is 100 for the month. Now this graph that I'm showing you has a lot of numbers and what I want to do is just point out the most important metric that you need to measure and I already said that's asks for the sale you need to measure that on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. The team members who I work with on a one-on-one basis the every week when we have a coaching call we review two numbers and that is how many asks for the sale you did and how many households you wrote. If a team member does not hit their goal for asks for the sale then I expect them to do at least 100 calls per day so I want every person to do eight asks for the sale but if they fail to do that then at the very minimum they need to make sure that they have 100 calls per day so writing 100 policies on a monthly basis is not difficult it's simple math you need to know your sales funnel and you need to have the right script that you use so this six step script to the one call close is what I personally used to write 150 policies per month that's 150 policies per month and I have a few students who have surpassed my numbers and they also write 150 policies per month and you can do the same if you have access to the script so here's what I want you to do if you want to write 100 policies per month using this script then book a call there's a link right below this video click on that answer a few questions about your agency and that you and I will get on the phone and I'll discuss and share with you exactly how the script works and how you can get access to it today so this isn't for everybody this is for agents who are really ambitious and who wants to write 100 policies per month so go ahead and click the link below this video book a call with me and I'll see you soon


Welcome back, it's the Business and Science and Plus TV Africa. While the Nigeria Employers Consultation Association NECA and its immediate reaction said local refining of crude oil remained the only way out for Nigeria, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, contended that the latest increase in the price of petrol would further impoverish the people. Now, checks indicated that each operator is allowed to change price based on its cost elements under the President's deregulation. It also shows that the dwindling value of the marriage has put pressure on fuel importers including NNPC, Ltd., as well as major and independent marketers. I have a public affairs analyst now joining me to discuss further and this I thank you for joining me, Mohammed Abdul-Lai. Good morning to you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, my judge. All right. Let's start this for you. Mohammed, let me get your candid opinion. In an interview just yesterday, the NNPC and the NMDAPRA attributed the current fuel price hike to factors of demand and supply, but in your opinion, do you think that is the true picture because if you look at things really, it's not as though they were like a new importation that was brought that actually made the price go up. I guess they were just speculating because of the forexam issue. How do you really react concerning that? Yes, thank you. I think it's not true. It is like you have mentioned in the report that to my own understanding, please, that it is due to the force of demand and supply. Because I remember just last week or less than two weeks ago, I remember same NNPC. NNPCL now issuing a report that the demand shortfall is amounted to more than 18 million liters shortfall. You know, since the increase, since the initial increase to five hundred and something, there has been about 18 million liters shortfall by Nigeria.  And in fact, I have that physical experience. I just came back. I mean, I was at the moment, but I just came back from traversing the north, namely Kaduna, Niger, Stadanabuja. I tell you, the cars were very, very few on the road. What you find predominantly on the roads were actually what you call Kekena Pepia. But private cars were very, very few. Even in the federal capital, I must tell you. So, in now, and even in Lagos, the traffic is somewhat reduced to the best of my knowledge. Since I arrived about a week ago. So, saying now that it's due to the cost of demand and supply, I don't think it's true. Because the same kind of PCL, two years ago, I can mention, mentioned that less than, at least, Nigeria are now consuming about less than 18 million shortfall. So, but having said that, I think what might result to the increase is not necessarily the demand and supply at the moment. It is necessarily the global rate for food, which we know because we don't defy. Yeah, in Nigeria, what is the major problem? Because we don't defy. So, whatever affects the food globally will adversely affect price in Nigeria, since it's been dilapidated. And that is just the kind of food. I know probably last week or so, or this week, what's called a buyer is sold for about $7,000 or $80 USD. So, the more it falls, the more likely, because we are just exporting food, the more likely that all price will be high here. And again, even when it's high, it's the same thing. Because we are just exporting and we are importing, refining food, all the factors involved will be the cost, cost, cost. For you as an importer, come on, you are looking for profit. You would want important things for $5,000 and then sell it for $4,000. It's not possible. The least you could sell is $6,000, $7,000, depending on your transportation, even within Nigeria. So, I don't think if you want my opinion that it is true that it is due to the cost of demand and supply. No, I think it is due to the process of defy that global food, the price of global food is falling or increasing, whichever it is, it will have the same problem in Nigeria if we don't defy locally. Alright, Abulai. The NLC seems to have a different idea of the entire situation. I watched an interview with the NLC president, Joe Agere. He said that NLPC mentioned that the independent marketers are now imported with five petroleum products into the country and they are no longer the sole importers. But the problem right now is that who are these importers? We don't really know and NLPC is not really telling us. Do you actually believe that the issue of sole importation has actually stopped by the NLPC? No, I don't think it is the issue of whether there is sole importation or so. But I don't really have an idea whether truly depending on the cost because seriously the information I have on the street is the fact that, for instance, even major marketers that used to sell probably one tanker per day or particularly in a week all over the country, maybe say in Lagos particularly where the demand is very high, they struggle to sell a tanker of 33,000 litres now in a month. So it is quite challenging. You won't get products that you know will sell or you will make a loss. So yes, it is very possible that there are independent marketers that are importing products. It is also possible that they are well-intended or because like I mentioned earlier, the demand is really low at the moment. In fact, with this major increase now, again with this new increase, the demand will be lower. So it means if you go into the procession, it is not that there is no fuel or there is no PMS, it is there. But in fact the demand for it is becoming scarce. The demand for it is becoming very worse. I don't want to think it is an issue of whether it is only NNPC, everybody is importing or you have no idea. I don't think that is the major issue. Because at the moment I know there is no scarcity anyway. Like I told you, why wasn't it not? It is all over the place. You just drive in and buy and you can count how many cars or vehicles or tricycles that goes into any fuel station to buy at any point in time. But the issue is that the product is available, but the power of purchase is no longer there. Well I guess it is just some simple economics. The higher the price, the lower the quantities he demanded as economics 101. But then again, let's look at possible situations out of, I mean possible solutions rather out of all of this because of time's sake. A school of thought believes that before the issue of deregulation and the subsidy removal, Nigerians were not actually suffering this much. A couple of the facts that now are allowed to float freely. Some people are saying that maybe we should go back to the days of bringing or maybe bringing back subsidy. Maybe that might just be a change of Nigerians and fortunes. Or do you agree with that postulation? Or in your own opinion, what should we be doing as we speak? No, my opinion please. I was never a component of the removal of subsidy. Like I've said on your show several times, I believe it's not a wise idea to cut off the head because of headache. It's never a wise idea. In fact, if we look at generally speaking in Nigeria, if you allow me to say this, everything seems to be luxury, which is shocking. Housing is luxury, transportation is luxury, work time is luxury, electricity is luxury. Everything you want to think of is supposed to be basic amenity, security. Everything seems to be luxurious. Food is luxury. So where on earth do you have such a thing except Nigeria? So the fact that government is subsidizing oil and the fact that we are in a multicultural economy is nothing too much for the government to do. And mind you, this is a simple fact. We have four refineries in Nigeria that are not refining a drop of oil. That is not an issue of subsidy, please. That is an issue of corruption and misplaced priority by the government since 8, 10, 20 years ago. That is why. You have people working all over these refineries and even in NNPCF before it was either commercialized or privatized whichever world they wanted to use, and they are being paid humongous salaries for doing almost nothing. That is also not the issue of subsidy. It is also not the issue of misplaced priority by the government. Over the years, we have people who have been paid for importing either less amount of PMS into the country. And so there are so many cases where even we declare that we have imported probably 30 or 60 million liters of PMS while they were not imported. But people got paid for it. That is also not the issue of subsidy. That is the issue of corruption. And who is supposed to tackle that? The government. What you are actually holding away from is corruption and it is not an issue of subsidy because like I mentioned earlier, everything is luxury in Nigeria. So it is not a harm. If one part, just one single part, there is only part it means to subsidize for Nigeria. Correct? For me, I was never a proponent of subsidy but it has come. How do we get out of it? Now, there are so many things not in place before this thing shockingly hit Nigeria. All right. Thank you so much, Mohammed. That's as much as we have time for. We do appreciate your thoughts for today. And of course, I'm sure you're actually re-echoing what most Nigerians are feeling right now. Mohammed Abdullah, a public affairs analyst, joined me to look at the issue of increasing the price of fuel. Thank you once again. Thank you very much. All right. As we go on the show, 2013, Nigeria will top the league of people with extreme poverty in the world who are taking DR Congo, India and Madagascar. It deliberate steps and not taking to stabilize the economy. That was the submission of Professor Stephen Deccan while delivering his keynote address at the meeting lunch of the State of Enterprise report, which held in Lagos. I'll leave you with details of that report and I'll see you again next time. I am Justin Akadene.  Bye for now. 10 plus low firm. The made in addition of the State of Enterprise report, 2022, brought together expert from the financial and professional services sector, FBS. The Yes or E report, a first of its kind, an annual industry publication, gives insight into Nigeria's FBS sector. They leave on his keynote address, a professor of economic policy at the University of Oxford, Stefan Deccan, stated that the financial and professional services industry is instrumental to driving any nation's economy. He noted that a Nigeria that thrives and is more stable with better economic policy will cause all businesses to flourish. Now, when you look at any country in the world, badly run or well run, relatively speaking, you know it can be a few thousand, can be a few hundred, can be a few dozen, group of people with power or influence that determine the direction of politics and the economics in a country. Olders say that if there is prosperity and no poverty, there will be peace. For them, the FBS industry is instrumental in driving the prosperity and economic development of Nigeria. We will ensure that together, in our practice as professional firms, we give Nigeria the very best that it deserves. And we will also ensure that the private sector under this umbrella comes together as a partner with other sectors for growth and development of our nation. There's clearly a need to change the narrative about Nigeria and we can't leave it alone to the public sector. The private sector also needs to take the initiative and give in the very critical role that the financial and professional services sector plays in economic development, as we have seen in other parts of the world. This is why the enterprise NGR was established. It's about realising that there's a bigger goal for all of us and therefore, engaging.  We think this kind of platform where there's hopefully a collective voice, a sort of unified voice can also have maybe a bigger impact. Managing Director of a Merchant Bank, Banjo Adigwungbe, emphasises the need for strong partnership between the business community and those with political powers. And we see the financial and professional services as a catalyst for economic development and growth. And the focus here is to provide a platform that can ensure that the financial and professional services sector in Nigeria can rank with that anywhere in the world and can also provide that catalyst and provide that platform to generate development and growth across all sectors of the economy. Just like other participants, Banjo hopes that if all chronicled in the report are adhered to, everyone stands to benefit from the ripple effects of economic development. 10 plus, low firm. The made-in addition of the State of Enterprise report, 2022, brought together experts from the financial and professional services sector, FBS. The YASSE report, a first of its kind, and Nanil Industry publication gives insight into Nigeria's FBS sector.


Wait, I can still catch him right going away. Oh my god. He literally was he was walking to the neighbor's house And we're like Darren's like saw him. He's like, oh, I hope that's my firehawk What else happened today, Dan as you get the scissors to open that just one Show a custom division. Yes, not the entire show Damn Hard to do that though. Okay. Well, I was like crying. What is it? Oh weird And what's this? And this is the breakfast bro. And a little bit much to send it in that stable-made switcheroo from DJ B Oh They got your stupid last name right, but they they get one thing wrong every time and this is unfortunately vip Yeah, I'm still filming Pretty overblown in the background here switch sides go to the other side better now there's a horse in the background What is that? Sunday and this was scheduled for Monday. Oh my gosh And this was also scheduled for Monday, but it's like six thirty. Yeah, six thirty seven. Yeah Nothing comes at six thirty. Why did it come at six thirty? It was just a white man with a random guy Yeah, not even close But then also today There's a stable mate that comes with this premier club here is a shrunk So Raven not only sculpted this she painted it And it's being made into a stable mate like that's like unheard of you know what that's a win for Canadian artists We're dominating this year If only Raven made a best contest Don't be flawed. I don't want to customize it. Yeah. No, that's a pretty one. You don't want to mess with that. It's wrapped really late Questionably the guy in the white van also wrapped it. Oh My god, he's ginormous actually hold it like you see so many pictures of these and then Chunky feet I'm so excited for Raven and he's also they made like a Raffle model out of him and it's that like the highest bid Today is too much finally here. He's not perfect He has some issues, so we'll see we talk about me other horse We'll see what I decided to do so cool His head is I think I think he's awesome I need to conga him and conga his stable mate friend Good day. Good day Can I eat? Yes Cooking with DJB, okay. Thank you so much for watching. Happy Briar Fest weekend. All right. I need to go eat


One of my pitches for why this is a important thing, a lot of people were moving away from Fedora mailing lists to basically using Gitforged trackers as their mailing lists for things. So we have people basically using GitHub, GitLab, Pagger, for their teams things, which is fine for a lot of things, but those aren't really very good. Like if things get big, there's no threading or anything like that, there's not moderation tools. They're not really meant for extended discussion, they're meant for tracking issues. And worse than that, let alone whether they're good or bad tools, they're scattered all over the place and there's a whole bunch of, like one of the people on the mailing list, the developer list are talking about how people moving, away from mailing lists which all come to your inbox to just score sites which are all in different places feels more scattered, but I think we were really already getting more scattered because


Hello and welcome to this presentation of the STM32 System Window Watchdog. It will cover the main features of this peripheral used to detect software faults. The Window Watchdog is used to detect the occurrence of software faults. The Window Watchdog has a programmable free running down counter that must be refreshed within a window period that guarantees proper software execution. If a problem occurs and the program time period expires, the Window Watchdog generates a system reset. The Window Watchdog can be programmed to detect abnormally late or early application behavior. Once enabled, it can only be disabled by a device reset. The Window Watchdog is best suited for applications required to react within an accurate timing window. This time window is configurable and can be adjusted according to various use cases. The Window Watchdog can be configured to start either by hardware or software via the option bytes. An early wake-up interrupt can be generated before a reset happens to perform a system recovery or manage certain actions before a system restart. When the Window Watchdog is activated, a reset can occur when the down counter value becomes less than 0x40 or when the down counter is reloaded outside the time window. An early wake-up interrupt can trigger any action when the down counter reaches 0x40. The EWI status register can be used to reload the down counter to avoid generating a reset or to manage system recovery and context backup operations. The PCLK clock from the RCC clock controller is used to clock the Watchdog peripheral. Bits T6 to 0 from the Watchdog control register count down until they roll over from 0x40 to 0x3F, which then generates a reset. Bits W6 to 0 from the Watchdog configuration register contain the window value. Bits T6 to 0 and W6 to 0 are compared in order to evaluate the time to refresh the down counter in the configurable window. If the down counter is reloaded too early or too late, the Window Watchdog will initiate a reset. This diagram illustrates how the Window Watchdog operates. When the 7-bit down counter T6 to 0 bits roll over from 0x40 to 0x3F, it initiates a reset when the T6-bit is cleared. This happens when the application software did not react within the expected time window. If the software reloads the counter while the counter is greater than the value stored in W6 to 0 bits, then a reset is generated. This happens when the application refreshes the counter too early. To prevent a Window Watchdog reset, the reload value T6 to 0 bits must be written while the counter value is lower than the time value window W6 to 0 bits located in the green area. To enable the Window Watchdog clock, set the WWDGEN bit in the RCC APB1ENR1 register. The Window Watchdog time base is pre-scaled from PCLK1 APB1, whose maximum frequency can go up to 80 MHz. This clock frequency is first pre-divided by 4096, and the Window Watchdog pre-scaler can divide it again by 1, 2, 4, or 8, as defined in the WWDG CFR register. The formula shown in this slide lets you determine the Watchdog timeout, which is derived from the PCLK1 period and the WWDG TB pre-scaler, as well as the selected Watchdog counter reload value. The minimum and maximum timeout values can be between 51.2 microseconds and 26.2 milliseconds. Once the Window Watchdog generates a reset, the status flag WWDG RSTF is set in the RCC CSR register, identifying the source of the reset. The early wake-up interrupt can be used for specific safety operations, or when data logging must be performed before the actual reset is generated. The EWI interrupt occurs whenever the down counter value reaches 0x40. It is enabled by setting the EWI bit in the WWDG CFR register. The EWI interrupt is cleared by writing 0 to the EWIF bit in the WWDG SR register. The Window Watchdog is active in run and sleep modes. It is not available in stop or standby modes. In sleep and low-power sleep modes, the Window Watchdog clock can be disabled by clock gating, by clearing the WWDG LPEN bit in the RCC APB1 LPENR register. When the microcontroller enters debug mode with the core halted, the Window Watchdog counter either continues to work normally or stops, depending on the DBG WWDG stop configuration bit in the DBG module. Thank you.


Welcome to Interfaith Ministries Summer Series, the dialogue project, vital conversations with our community. For over half a century, three Houston faith leaders have been joining their voices and influence in support of civil rights. Archbishop Joseph Firenza, Rabbi Samuel Karth and Reverend William Lawson found that when they stood together as a multi-faith trio, their presence and voice was more powerful than if any of them spoke out individually. The three friends joined forces in partnership with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston to present a virtual discussion on fighting for justice, equality and respect as part of Interfaith Ministries Summer 2020 Series, the dialogue project, vital conversations with our community. This vital one-hour conversation and moment of prayer on racism, civil rights and the struggle for a more just society aired Friday, June 19. And in that June 19th opening conversation, one of the key themes addressed was about our duties to others and our relationship with others. Rabbi Sam Karth noted, while I have my own story and my own identity, my own way of relating to God, I'm also part of the larger story that unites us all as children of God, and I needed to go beyond the confines of my own group. That was going to be an important part of my ministry. It was not enough to focus on the specific issues of my own community, but I needed to relate to the issues that bind us together. Near the end of the conversation, two questions were asked of the trio. How do you feel people of faith can help make this a lasting change? How can people of faith really step out right now and help us make this a change for good? And how would you advise the general public to be an ally for the cause of equal rights for black people and people of color? Today, the Vital Conversations series will explore this intersection of religion and faith, especially in the goals of countering racism and inequality. We welcome the Reverend Dr. Matt Russell and the Reverend Dr. Cleve Tinsley from Project Curate. Project Curate is a nonprofit social impact agency and consultancy that works with religious, academic, and community organizations to address and support collaborative responses to intersectional issues relating to racial justice and inequality. They do so through curriculum development, training and design, consulting and facilitation, research, community building and organizing, public events, and various multimedia interventions. Effective methods for community and civic engagement must be rooted in a vibrant and authentic community where creative and innovative strategies are encouraged and fostered. They seek to sustain and in some cases reconstitute bold and prophetic movements for social change with this conviction. Visit www.projectcurate.org or email info at projectcurate.org for more information. Reverend Dr. Cleve Tinsley IV is a scholar of religion and black studies. He earned his MA and PhD in religion from Rice University, where he concentrated in the study of African American religions. His research employs inter and anti-disciplinary theoretical and methodological approaches and efforts that explore the nature and meaning of black religious struggle and identity in light of the ever-evolving social complexities that shape religious formations and spirituality in the life of African Americans today. He's a visiting research fellow in the religion and public life program at Rice University, a committed community activist, organizer and ordained and often transgressive Baptist minister who holds master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has extensive experience as an organizer, institution builder, manager, and consultant for churches, community organizations, and educational nonprofit organizations across the country. The Reverend Dr. Matthew Russell is currently on staff at Chapelwood United Methodist Church, his co-founder of Iconoclast Artists, and his assistant professor of recovery ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to this, he was on faculty at Duke Divinity School as professor of theology and community development. In 2013, he completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge in their psychology and religion research group where he explored redemptive narratives and models of the church's ministry of reconciliation in urban settings. While there, he was a tutor at Cambridge Theological Federation and on staff at St. Edward's King and Martyr Congregation. He received his master of divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and completed his PhD at Texas Tech University in 2010. The Dialogue Project is an initiative of interfaith ministries for Greater Houston, Houston's oldest interfaith service organization with dialogue, collaboration and service, and the strength of shared beliefs as our mission. We carry our work out through four core programs, Meals on Wheels, Refugee Services, Volunteer Houston, and Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships. To learn more about our interfaith engagement work, email us today at IRCP at imgh.org and please support us at imgh.org slash donate slash IRCP. I'm the Rev. Gregory Hahn. I'm the director of interfaith relations and education and I will be your host today and that kind of concludes the opening for a and we'll get right into the conversation with Matt and Cleve. Cleve, let me start with you. And or again, the both of you. I'm wondering if the first question can be, can you tell us just a little bit more about project curate and how it came to be. I think more appropriate and probably should start with Matt, I can talk about how we sort of have transitioned. But Matthew Russell really was a brainchild of what's called project curate leasing name and it's earlier instantiation as it relates to prison pipeline a lot of issues with immigration, but also a key tie to how we've come together so I'll yield to him, but I want to say that he has an important part as it relates to the conversations about theology and tackling issues of inequality I think is important before I come in and talk more about it. Yeah. First of all, I just want to say what an honor it is to be here with with you and Greg and just in this conversation, both with you and with Cleve it's it's a joy so we find it to be a deep pleasure and honor to be here. So project curate really emerged out of an impetus for how as Houston was getting is getting larger and larger. How do we create bridges across divides. And so, when I returned to Houston I had been in Houston for a long time as a pastor left in my PhD came back, not not thinking I was going to be coming back to Houston but came back to Houston and in the midst of that was getting to know some folks at Rice University at the time particularly some folks that were working on the kinder report the area report and one of the things that they had begun to discuss internally was the fact that as Houston got larger. One of the issues that was happening is that they were going to have to figure out how to bridge divides across gaps across these kind of divisions and I felt like one as a local pastor that was really a particular call of the church. As it moves towards the world and love that it bridges divides. And so curate kind of came out of that impetus at the beginning there was a there was a lot of things happening with immigration migration and unaccompanied minors and all those things that we got involved with and we began to really collect and begin to be in relationship with a very diverse group of churches across the city. And in that place, begin to do kind of some co curriculum what would it look like if we came together from across the city and began to both understand whether there's neighborhoods understand the histories behind those neighborhoods what divided us and there's ways that we might collaborate out of that we did that for two or three years before I met cleave and that both that work got blown up and got deeper all in the same move. But in parallel cleave and some of the things that he was involved in running parallel although we did not meet each other until until an event happened within the city that necessitated that but I'll yield to cleave and let him talk about some of that as well. Super thanks Matt. So, so yeah I think what Matt what that leads up to was really July 2016 so four years ago really July 16 2016 churches across the city of Houston specifically, but really across the nation really began to become stirred by Fernando cost deal. Out in sterling Dallas police officers right there was again, uprisings or listen concerns about racial justice in this country and there was this need especially among religious communities to say there's a need for us to come together and do something differently. Here's where Matt. Really, I think yielded to something larger than him right I think he was attuned to that that moment as a spiritual moment and said, we need to do something differently yes. I think we've been doing some good things in the city. But we have seen to miss this and we need to make more room to make this happen. As Matt said, for about two years we've been working parallel to each other in the city I was involved in moving for black lives in Houston, Texas. I was leveraging my relationship with Rice University to sponsor certain symposiums about black social life and how to bring together activists and artists and scholars together to talk about the nature and meaning of black life in the United States. And when Alton Sterling came around. I also was a participant and a member of the United Methodist Church in Houston, as well as a minister in that city, and it came about they wanted to do this visual in the city. And that was interesting about it I had really not engaged theologically for about four or five years without really concerned my own studies, but at this visual. Matt was a part of the organizing team and he said, you know what we need to sit down and listen this time, and some kind of way. I was invited to kind of be an introductory speaker in that series to my relationship with other ministry night by trip. So that night happened and then from there Matt said hey. Listen, I've been thinking about where to go next, would you be interested in helping me think together we both really just went out and spend some time together one afternoon and thought about the possibilities and also the perils of that happening. What kind of risks would be involved for both of us to do that. And what outcome we really wanted. And from there, we kind of start making a transition, we both were open to both I think willing to be more palatable there and say, Hey, it's going to require some adjustments on my part for me. I'm not going to be willing to engage theoretically more robustly with the a lot of language, right. And he was like, Hey, I'm going to be willing to deconstruct some of the things that inhabit what I feel religious ideologies kind of been like habit in certain ways. So that's how we kind of began starting this project and it kind of evolved from there 2016 and since then we've just gone through a whole bunch of changes since we've been active and or an interested and watch what project curate for the last couple of years and one of the interesting things and one of the reasons I wanted to have you as dialogue partners is what you're kind of describing is very much an interior journey as much as an exterior journey as well that those those things are together. And here we are and with our summer series and vital conversations with our community coming in the wake of the death of George Floyd with that large kind of with with the three amigos and now this the second episode. And again, one of the things that was brought up is this notion of allyship and I wanted to spend some time with with y'all trying to unpack that word a little bit so the idea of allies has been talked about more and more it's probably been talked about for for many years but really I think through after after the death of George Floyd has even more entered into the public consciousness at a different level. To you what does that word mean to be an ally. And what would you say are the strengths and the weaknesses of that word right now as we talk about allyship. I yield to Matt to start about how he thinks about it I'm happy to talk about some of the weaknesses and possibilities of it. Yeah, so I think first of all being and I'll give a definition of always my understanding of that and then kind of we can, we can talk about some of the issues that I have with that as well but I think being an ally first begins with the recognition that there's a problem of racism, particularly not exclusively though the problem of anti black racism. And so to be a white ally, recognize the problem, educates oneself in the white community about that problem denounces the problem in all of its manifestations is committed to be a part of the solution and reading the culture the nation the community of racism anti black racism in particular. Now I have some some issues around that but that's how I would kind of get into that and define, define the work. I think, I think the term has both I think, effective possibilities and also meanings but also like, I want to acknowledge certain traditions of critique of the term as well so on the one hand. I think our life we would use these maritime analogies. The first one who's really willing to kind of get into the war with someone right willing to lose their lives side by side for a cause that may they may not have necessarily initiated right in the struggle for racial justice and equality issues of immigration and allies someone typically from, from a larger power group that decides to join alongside others in their struggle against that right now I raise issues of critique because I don't think there's one way to think about I think, you know, the strong criticism sides also not necessarily always helpful but I think the black feminist and also black radical critique against this. The critique is about why are we using this term black allies on this these are things especially that black women and queer folks have been doing for centuries and for ages and we have to like have ascribe them this term outline so there's a way in which the term ally can be taken on as some kind of badge of honor, especially by from folks in power, but I also think it's still a helpful way to think through some things now radical freedom movement prefer terms like comrades or co conspirators those who are willing to do things like that, but I still I still don't think you know, need to throw away the term I just think that needs to be more healthy conversation around what the implications are that time that term are for folks a lot of folks use the term ally as a way to get into getting some kind of cultural cash a from it. And so there's difference between the term and those who try to thickly live into what that might mean really ally ship means being willing to suffer loss for cars cause that may not be your own right. So that's how I think about the term a bit about it a bit more. Okay, also I think it relates to the process of decentering ones self within power to to stand in a place of social transformation with that so that transformation can be possible it's it's a, there's almost a prophetic summonsing to that space. And we can, as Cleave said I think, I think that's right on there's, we can talk about the language and parse those words but the, there's an event that happens in the name of those words that we're trying to get at that would say that it's important to move towards that, that space of decentering ones self particularly in positions of power to, to be converted by a social transformation, a social imagination that is rooted in a, an alternative way of being in the world of our social relationships ordered differently in the world. I think that's what stands at the, at the, at the center of that. Matt, could you say just a little more. Again, one of the reasons that I wanted to start with a conversation with with y'all is this this deep kind of theological conviction as well and, and words such as transformation. And could, could you say a little bit more about how are you using the term decentered because that's I think that's a really, really important concept in our often, I would argue narcissistic even solipsistic world in which we live. Sure. You know, Cleveland, I've talked about a lot about this together and it's been really helpful to, first of all, to be in a, in a, in a set of conversations of the last four years with both Cleveland community that were a part of really where I understand decentering to come from in my own tradition is this, this, this word canosis this word of self giving of giving up. There's a sense in which we are captivated by different ideas of power which really, I think in the end of the day are our security systems, and they are controlled systems. As you can see within the Christian tradition, this other move from domination, these domination systems to amicus systems where there is much more, it's, it's relationships are, are much more centered and so power from a white perspective or from a centering that is given up for an imagination of a world that is different is transformed is held differently within its, within its construction of relationship and I think we see that all the way throughout in the life of Jesus and then I think Paul picks that up and begins to deconstruct this kind of understanding of power all the way through. So the decentering for me really is a theological paradigm that centers within really the person of Jesus and this canosis is giving up of power for something for different world that's based in religion or based in relationship rather and this, this movement I see in the New Testament, where he says no longer do you call me Lord but you call me friends this movement away from that that alters everything this, this, but we're still deeply invested in domination systems. And I think that's why the decentering is such an important move that for me really is one of a process of discipleship and a deeply spiritual move at the center of it. Thank you. And again, I appreciate the time. I think talking about words, the words that we that we use are just so important and I think in this this time of social unrest and I think at least the way I see it more and more people willing to be involved in larger movements fighting racism. I think there's also this incredible need to understand more of the history and also to be very careful of the of the language that that we use. The other thing that that that you bring up is is this this notion of transformation and this notion of multi layeredness as well that that there's a lot that as well that's going on beyond a protest or a march that is part of this I think the social transformation that you all have been that have been talking about What do you see as the impediments to allyship when it comes to fighting racism in your in your experience over, you know, your years of ministry but particularly over the last four years. I mean, I think for me, impediments to be I think there is always. I think it's important that we're talking about the importance of doing one's homework as it relates to language, but also how to really orient oneself to any role that they take on right so really these terms ally is not something that we've been grappling and for the last four years, but we ourselves have had to think about what that means for us to be an ally, not just Matt being a white man and ally was black.  And so that's why how we tried to also engage in a kind of religious leadership. Was it mean for us to decenter ourselves as it relates to that. So, if folks have, who've been with us in during with us last four years might see that. Hey, Matt was doing this. So it was a Cleveland Matt doing some things and then it kind of stress even further than we had to further kind of decenter ourselves and our own leadership model and say, we got to make sure that we have other representation of those who are leading and we can't claim to be allies right for say our partners who are from other communities as well if we're not kind of also do the self critical work of ally ship to make sure it's at point on this. A lot of times folks use the term ally as a way of gaining cultural cash in and do some other things other self interest, and we just think that term is impediments are also some of the ways that it can, it can, I think make you grow in other words if we if you understand yourself properly as an ally, you also perceive that to be a call for you to grow and change and transform to really do this. You know Christ him, you know, Philippians chapter two right and empty oneself into a way of becoming that allows you to really be effective in the struggle for social change. And I think I ally also has to one of the impediments of allies, ally ship is those who might self describe themselves as allies might fall into the trap of thinking that they got it all together. Right. I for one have never identified myself as being an ally with any with any community. I would rather receive an invitation for them to kind of join me at work, and I am what they call me, but for me to take on that title. I think sometimes it's just another way of kind of engaging in this work in the more immediate stance of humility that allows to kind of be about that's very good. Yeah, thank you. Matt, do you have a do you want to add anything to that. You know, just maybe I think that's that's right I think labeling oneself as an ally, sometimes can be a bit problematic with particularly with the community I think it's the community that you're that in some ways you're adopted by that gets to name you. There's a naming that happens in that that I think that's important that you don't name yourself, but you either way you move the way you can port yourself within the work and in the relationships. The way that that happens is there's a naming process that I think is really important. I think some of the impediments to ally ship sometimes there can be a fickleness about the work and that's often in times like there. There can be this kind of great awakening, but then the way that whiteness often works or the way that power often works is that that it will, it will say how long do I have to hold myself this way before I can go back to normal. You know, and so there's a there's a fickleness in this and so I think that that the kind of ally ship the way we're using that word at least cleave and I are now has got to be rooted in an alternative word or maybe a companion word called solidarity. And I think it's got to be the movement from these performative kind of works to this often quieter deeper behind the scenes. Giving oneself to the work for decades. I think that's really important often allies focus on the interpersonal. And so there's a real need for friendship within that work and often that's just another way of centering whiteness in a way that you're acting like you're decentering it. And so, I think that what solidarity does within that movement is is deeply committed to dismantling structures within within within racism and within inequity. I think for me one of the things I'm hearing is that one of the deep concerns is this kind of work in anti racism and ally ship is open very much to self deception of thinking you're doing good work when you're really doing something that I think you're comfortable with. And so I think that notion of humility as well as vulnerability I think is another word that would come to mind. I think the other thing that you bring up is this notion of community that this is done something, an identity that is bestowed upon you by a community, which is a little antithetical sometimes to the individualism that we have been taught over the over over the decades if not the centuries of, of understanding our identity coming out of community kind of the, you know, because, because we are I am, instead of the because I am that that I helped to bring about the, I guess the other concerns that you that you bring up, especially in this day and age is watching the concerns about the commodification and the domestic, the domestic, the domestic, the domestic, the domestic, the domesticity of anti racism work. I'm sure you have as well as many people who are watching getting emails from different corporations staying corporation X stands with Black Lives Matter corporation Y stands against racism, as if they're trying to again this cashier commodifying what often I would think is is is is difficult work. I've, do you, is there anything in that kind of rambling that you want to pick up on it all before I go to the next next question. Yeah, so I have some thoughts about it on the one hand, I think it's, it's positive that, at least not in my lifetime, I've never seen as many people, persons and or, or their organizations recognize that there is a need to do something right here friendly and so even if folks are falling. They're falling forward as my friend Matt would often say right like you so my thing is like there's nothing you can do right anyway, if you're trying to be a ally you're going to part of being an ally or being someone who wants to see some type of change, meaning means not being afraid of messing up right so any corporation that makes a statement.  All this time are looking for is to follow up to the statement right we we appreciate the elegant words, but what persons are really looking to now is what substantive changes are you willing to make. As it relates to that we have project here a friends that have received numerous inquiries and many consulted opportunities around this moment after George Floyd. And what we say to folks who contact us is quite simple listen, we're happy you contacted and we're happy to engage you in conversation, what you need to decide before we go forward is, at what level, are you willing to go right. Are you trying to address it internally to begin having some conversations, or are you really trying to do some kind of policy changes to the way that you're comprised as a as a group. What you offer in programming all of these are different kinds of questions. And from my perspective I'm like I'm okay if you're okay with just acknowledging where you are and how far you're willing to go, because if you're willing to go all the way sometimes that may mean in the long run not right now while it's hot right it's okay. It's great right now to say black lives matter me it's okay for everybody to say that now. But a couple of months from now that may fade and Matthew that have been around where that has happened 2016 was really popular, but folks to be about racial justice. 2018 2020 or so, it wasn't so we lost a lot of money we lost a lot of opportunities, lost some friends all kind of stuff right now is how to get everybody loves us again for a little minute. Right. So the question becomes, how far you willing to take it. It's okay I mean release your statement but then be willing to stand up to the criticism to be held to the fire for following up for that that's something I would say is a follow up to whatever you want to say about it. And I would, I would just, you know, absolutely agree out. Let's just say if black lives matter, then, then they need to matter at the top of the organizational structure. And so it just doesn't matter. We're not after this the movement is just not after, let's kill less people. It's a restructuring of our social relationships as it relates to power and access to that to equity, and to fair housing and education and equity and food. All of these things are at the bottom of this. So the movement for black liberation is tied up in the movement for really the liberty movement of all of us, that I would say is within my own kind of Christian tradition is that the heart of this brown Jewish liberator that wasn't just handing out big max but was talking about the oppressive power of the empire. And so at some, at some form, some level this being able to say black lives matter is a creed innocence. And the same creed that if Jesus is Lord, then Caesar can't be Lord. And so there's a creed that is bound up in this that says there's an alternative power structure that must be opened up to the world. And I would want to root that in my own Christian tradition is in the in the person of Christ. That's a good segue into kind of the next set of questions. Again, the reason that I always value our conversations are that you're, you know, your community oriented, your your your theologians and pastors as well. So I know that the three of us as pastors come primarily a lot of a Christian context, but your but your but your view is much more capacious than just Christianity, both as as theologians but also as as scholars so thinking more about religion in general and I'll ask both of these questions because I guess they can be looked at as two sides of the coin. What is the role of religion or belief in fighting racism. And in your experience where does religion get in the way of effective anti racist work. Yeah, those are those are great questions and I think it's helpful to think about it too I mean I think as a so as a pragmatist thinker I always say religion is what it does right it's different in sort of community but essentially a religion at bottom just refers to the ties that bind right what is it that binds us as a community what shared solidarities and commitments we have and then how do we objectify those commitments create some ritual behaviors around them, some narratives that shape us all that kind of stuff. Here I'm speaking sociologically right right exactly about what it means right now we can have further conversation. So religion then sociologically speaking has some problems right whenever one begins to kind of have to address problems that lie outside of what that community might be comfortable thinking about it has what I call both a sinister and sincere side to it sincere side of religion is this right. It's about creating common bonds and unity. The sinister side of it tries to in the dangerous side of religion is that because it's so deeply held within these myths and narratives and traditions that are deeply personal to us right. We fail often time to disentangle our allegiances from the from the power arrangement that deeply kind of like make these things a bit so at it right so in a sense right, we want to unify and universalize everything. And so, especially for those of us in Abrahamic or Christian traditions or whatever we have a set a set of core tenants that we like to subscribe to certain rituals that we have that we say, we're all in this family together this happens so we ends up having to have more narrow conversations about issues of racial inequality sexual inequality all this kind of stuff is harder for us to do that why because we like to just quote from a meta narrative and say, no the real issue is we just not not right with our God or right with our tradition. If we can do that, we like to worry about this other stuff. What that fails to recognize however, is that all of our universal arrangements are regardless and not because they're human institutions they benefit some people the most. Right. There are always some folk at the type of our hierarchies, no matter how sincere we try to be. We have to engage in a constant work of saying, in what ways then is our religion as it has been constructed. Really done so in a way that benefits some over and against others and left we're willing to constantly do this self critical work of saying, you know what, historically we moved in this way but you know there's some ways that we can learn from how different movements are happening. And what what mad night our colleagues have recognized is that they're pretty much just two gaps that we we tend to feel that we have rich traditions where we're able to do what convene folks together like we're doing now. We've been given this liberty as it relates to cultural authority folks want to listen to what we want to say, but what we often fail as religious leaders is we don't go a step further and learn from what movements are happening and learn how to create newer tactics and strategies that don't that are not necessarily outside of our tradition they've always existed. We just not have always listened to how to better manipulate those for the times that are present right now. We've been so busy of trying to lay stakes to our own authority that we haven't been able to go back to our conversation about our life ship move ourselves out of the way. Right. How do we create room and then grow because the truth of the matter is the more room we create for others. It challenges me to become more mature to develop more as a leader, because I have to be stretched. I also grow when I place my authority in a misty authority of others and figure out how to make that work and be best for everybody else. Matt. Gosh, there's a lot there. It's you know it's it's it's why I often often quote my preaching professor Peter Gomes who said again, a surplus of virtues more dangerous than a surplus of vice because virtue is not constrained by the bounds of conscience. And see other reason I tell people I study religion because at a certain level I trust all of you all I study religion because I don't trust any of you all because of both those sincere and sinister sides of religion. Again, kind of to pick up on that again, at least what you've seen as both the how religion the religious impulse is both can can can further and also hinder anti racist work. I mean, I mean, when I think just of the etymology of religion is to bind to connect to it's a ligament right and so in some ways when religion is is acting within its own life force of impetus there's this this desire for these things that have been fractured to be to be bound to be healed to be connected. Right. And so partly the way that religion should be moving is to is to provide a prophetic utterance to that type of vision of the future together. When religion becomes a force as is clear as saying the sinister side of that where it's it's really about an institutional empowered or embodied empowerment of a particular group of people it it as we you know don't have to go back too far in history to say it just it creates it creates a genocide, you know, we're living in that type of religion gone bad in a sense in the wake of that. But then what we're experiencing I believe right now the justifications of slavery the justification of goods and services held in the hands of a few why there's many that suffer and poor. And so I think there's a call to that that that a new imagination that might be birthed out of religion that we have to be faithful to if we're going to to move forward in this. Yeah, I think that's the that's the, I think that's the side that oftentimes doesn't get talked about we often run into and those of us on this call especially interested. And this thing that often over which is the hopeful side of religion other than the nation. Yeah, the truth of the matter is to sincere and great thing about all of our traditions is the ability it has to inspire hope and bravery and patients across time and trials with all this stuff. I just think you're like, we in James said it doesn't seem like there's something wild in the universe we're at work at and we all have to whether we have our atheisms and whatever stuff is beautiful right so like their ways of Oh, if we look at our narratives look at all of our myths we look at the stuff is not only beautiful but inspires hope and so I think our communities. Oh, we shouldn't let go of that we shouldn't also allow our community to be critiqued so much that we don't say it now hold on a minute that it ain't all bad I mean we've done some good in history right yeah we're tied up with colonialism Euro Christianity you got some stuff going on with it but think about the creative side of the religious imagination right the way in which now we inspire people the way that we still continue to convene the way in which at bottom just like you were saying Reverend Han is like there are there are there are aspects of the religious consciousness that's not subject to the humanities and social sciences right there's a way of moving of being part of a larger cultural zeitgeist that can't be always accounted for neatly and just simply our secular humanist kind of movements right and so I think all these things can mail together as to reason why like I still remain hopeful as a cleric so to speak as well as a critical theory some things about these things because the truth of the matter is the great thing about the religious consciousness is that Matt and I are friends we're not just allies in this work together but there's something more meaningful and deep for us at least that makes this work worth the stringuous effort that we try to and that's a good way again another good segue into the next set of questions as we've been talking very importantly about some of the theoretical but as I think someone that said there's nothing more practical than a good theory into just some of your experiences and I'm seeing some of the questions coming through how do we break down barriers of racing class to build a people centered movement for fun for lasting transformation. What do you what do you all recommend to help educate people about this important message. What have you found to be effective.  You know I would say the root of that goes back to some of the things we were talking about earlier in in that for me and I could only tell you know my story and I'm sure that there's a thousand different ways of this kind of working itself out with really and strength is that being being grafted into work within this city of work I was already doing when I met cleave it broadened it and it deepened it because at some level because of where I was the framework in which I was born in really my paradigm could only see and in terms of like the jahari window there were things that I could not see until I was brought into relationship with another community so I was working deeply within the immigrant community mainly Latinx community deeply within prison reform and prison systems and when I was brought into relationship and all those dynamics were there but I was still operating out of more a paradigm of let's say reconciliation rather than solidarity right and there was a movement that I was still having that was moving towards kind of more service rather than justice where I was I was still invested in being a really good white person that was doing really good work and there is in a sense of giving up of in the movement being grafted in with this constructive work that cleave and I are part of now I think is important to do both deconstructive and then constructive work that we moved into now there is there's a sense in which coalition building and those relationships are now all bound up together the movement and the work is slow it's it's because it's non hierarchical there is you attend to these relationships in particular ways that are very important and because of that the work is is slow there is an honesty that is a part of that and an accountability that is a mutual really an exquisite mutual that's a part of that that I would I would suggest and I would found that within those collaborations was kind of collaborative work together is where I'm finding there to be a lot of juice for me because one I'm not alone. I'm grafted into a new set of histories that I'm learning and and it's confronting my own worldview constantly. Yeah, do you let me ask another kind of practical or more practically oriented question as well. What, like, let's say a church that's just as an example comes to you and this has probably happened saying we want as a community to be involved in anti racist work. What, what are church what can churches do maybe that we can spend some time on sort of the what what can be done, recognizing a lot of the conversation has been about a relationship and and transformation and solidarity. But what can what can communities do to to join into the work of anti racism. I think there are, you know, there are multiple ways to to do it. I mean, I mean, first it depends on the church that's asking, right. Public questions come into bear. Am I talking about a middle brown white church in the middle of the suburbs am I talking about lack of a Latinx church in an urban area. There are various ways that church who wants to be committed to work of inequality and against injustice can participate. So for instance, like you said beginner and in addition to thinking about these issues I also am a practitioners part of a church now that's trying to do the work not only of convening right, but doing the work of community building and organizing really really and that what we find is that when it comes to organizing for the sake of supporting and advocating for more vulnerable communities. A lot of churches don't know where to begin with that unless they're already one of those churches in those communities right. So one of the things that we're we're trying to do is those who are self selecting from our religious community who are interested in this kind of work. We teach them how to dwell with right to be that embodiment, whereas not about proselytizing is not about kind of got you in the end it's just really about learning about that community kind of being that requires that you establish some relationships of trust with these communities. But then more than that there are specific missions that you can have coming out of your church that explicitly is about organizing around these justice issues it requires that you build transformational leadership to do that and so their service way mad not do it as practitioner now mad at his church for instance, they're doing a bunch of programs around the issues where he just happens to be there. He can help them do that that way that mad not both as practitioners are involved in local context to make that work work, but our work through project curate to fill another gap so for instance you may not have either the capacity or the time as a pastor, or maybe the support in your congregation to really do a large program around it. But their organization like Lily Lily Foundation Lewisville who allows us to create a structure that folks can join a program we can kind of begin to talk about these issues and help them develop strategies to really be involved. Again, this is explicitly with racial justice and equality worth right so you have to be if you're concerned about issues of inclusion and equity and racial justice that's a particular kind of work and prophetic calling. That's different you got to recognize that every church may not be called to that work right. And so, and I think that's okay. There are ways that you still can participate a lot of people churches do social outreach, but the work of struggling for racial justice to work of struggling against issues of an equity and justice is a particular bit oftentimes depending on the charismatic figure who's leader of the pastor or the institutional authority behind that, but there are a variety of ways that folks can get in enlarge or small ways there's no one way to tackle it. But if you're interested, your folks are interested. I think there's a bunch of creative ways to kind of get involved. Okay, super. Other Matt, any other kind of best practices. Again, what I'm hearing is that there are best practices but a lot of those come out of the context of trust and community building and you've got to be in relationship. I'm wondering though, again, thinking about best practices at least in your experience for anti racist work. What are there some that seem to keep emerging that you want to build that that cleave has mentioned. You know, one of the things I particular the time that we're in right now, and I can speak to kind of my own context of being involved in white communities in a white church is that it's really important for the white church to do its own work for a lot of in a lot of ways that the the time that we're in is incumbent upon white folks to deconstruct this world that we have not had to that we have been able to live within and the question is is how far do are we committed to the work of transformation and the mutual flourishing of all people. And so I would say that that because of that there's an educational.  I think a lot of times what will end up happening is the white white folks will come to their black colleagues and ask them to educate them, you know, and that it's deeply problematic where I think this is the work that the white folks in terms of allies and using that word needs to turn towards each other, keep each other accountable do that work together and then move forward in that work. And so that's one of the best practices. Let me take a couple of questions I have two kind of closing aspirational questions to as we come into near three o'clock. It's a hard question because I used to think of myself not so long ago as a young person but I guess I'm not how. What do you recommend to help educate young people about this important message of anti racist, you know, of anti racism work. When you're thinking of that quote unquote next generation I don't even know if that's the right way to think about to talk about it but but that but there is a coming generation of young people in their 20s are in college or teenagers, thinking about when they take on that that next mantle of authority. And which they can have right now in so many ways of course what is what is your message to young people. Yeah, I'm not sure if I have a particular message for young people I think for me. I'm learning a lot from them. They're at the front lines of this stuff right now. I think Matt and I with we're honest we can explicitly say we were gen Xers right so we're, we learned a lot from the previous generation of millennials and you to see now on the page of Gen Z years on a line really taking these steps further what we can learn from them so there's two things I think from one week what we can learn from them are the tactics and strategies that are necessary for now right. The millennials and Gen Zers who out there leading these movements now have done something quite effective in the age of social media, especially with more coverage that they've done is they've created a more level playing a longer can one religious player extend up and speak for everybody right folks can now disagree with you, and now challenge your authority in ways that they couldn't prior to right. And so things about you know being not hierarchical things about collaboration things about consensus building, we're learning all these stuff now from the younger generation leaders. I think younger, younger folks can learn from us and generations who are older than us, as it relates to kind of institution building and some organizing strategy what it means to do that right because how to sustain movements for instance. So what we see oftentimes in young groups they have the passion and energy and the and the capacity, some of the most gifted folks I've met, and I learned from are from Gen Z and millennials, where I can see like some areas for improvement and is like how to sustain these things right, not to just pop up for a year or so here or six months or so here, but then not not continue. Madden eyes work has been figuring out models and ways to sustain that work and part of that admittedly comes from being caught up in a large and neoliberal capitalistic structure where madden I have had experiences learning how to do that right. That's the aspect I think we can both learn from each other on is how to then make our organizing work be more sustaining right and I think those were younger folks can learn from a whole range of activists and leaders out there like the three religious figures you had on before us in your last talk. But I also think we could be opening to learning together with the young folk on what's needed at this time for us to really be. Yeah, super. Yeah. I'm a little sorry. Lift a name, Adrian Marie Brown for instance, yeah, are really a young activists or millennial activists now that a lot of us have learned from merchant strategy. Hope that she has out now that persons are really doing amazing work, but she's not the only one there folk who are in Chicago leaders and activists who are doing amazing work right now. So it sounds like that we need to be in very input in a position of learning of not know in a not saying that we have all the answers. But what not letting that paralyze us from moving forward or Matt to use your term that that cleave used a falling forward as well. I would use is like mutual exchange right we got to place ourselves in social spaces that allow there for to be mutual exchange and that has been the problem I think for those of us who are clerics and part of religious institutions. We want to control the terms. We also want to control the kind of exchange we happen. And so yeah we want to have a conversation with folks who are out there doing radical work. We need to engage in this kind of nobody would disagree with that. But the terms on which we do that we would disagree. No, I'm not willing to speak outside of my own language community or to go to a different spaces and go to them to do this I want them to do it on my terms which you got to create and that's all the work we do around our curricula and cohort building and project curate is all about that. It's about loosening some of those strangles on being able to create mutual exchange from different communities. There's a, I want to throw this question out here I don't know if we did it's such a big one but maybe we could pick this up in another conversation often when we start talking about anti racism work in the church or in faith communities it gets quickly labeled as political. And how do we, how do we resist that using the language of the church or the language of theology I don't know if you've got a quick couple of minute kind of riff on that, or your own experiences with oh we don't talk about that we're separation of church and politics or that's going to that's going to be controversial. How can this be a theological I some ways a theological conversation, more than a political conversation or maybe the real quest answer is why are people seeing those as two different things. I would just say that within my, my own experience is that there's a tendency right now to, in some ways reduce things down to to a knob and I think that there is a pushback against some more complex thinking. And I think there's a complexity and the work that we're doing it doesn't mean that you have to be have a higher education to do this work, but to be able to hold multiple tensions together seems to be necessary and in this moment. And so, when we say political what we're usually saying is that we're usually talking about Democrat or Republican, you know, we're talking about, you know, this, this, these, these great divides and when, when I'm understanding the word political this kind of the, this, this, this movement of governance or philosophical kind of overlays that are for the benefit of the people and for the good of the whole and to the common good. There's a sense in which then religion you place that within that that core paradigm of love and service and self giving and equity and these things that we've been talking about today, then it does become political but it doesn't become this kind of left right up down. It becomes this this organizing principle that sits at the heart of one's community that says, whether that's Dr. King's work about the beloved community, that's the way that cleave has been describing kind of this mutual collaboration and these mutuality of relationships within that, but we're looking for an alternative way of relating to to each other and that will have, obviously will have political implications and social implications that any category that we can kind of put over that, because that's, that's what transformation is is about it will be for the transformation of the whole. Thank you. I've come on up here on near the top of the hour. Let me let me ask this final question it's an aspirational question. What, and I think it echoes a reflection from earlier in the call on our conversation. What, what gives you hope. What are you hopeful for at this moment. For me, I always describe it as, you know, my, as it relates to all my vocational aspirations and doings are really related to my commitment and service to my values right so for me really value community above and beyond. I mean, if you can find one or two really meaningful significant relationships that add meaning enrich your life and it's amazing and in this struggle I think for justice and equality. I think I found at bottom. The most sincere kinds of relationships and that I've had in my life that are deeply fulfilling to me right and so all I would say the work of racial equality and justice is hard. You also run into your people if you're committed to it right you run into those folks who really add significance and meaning to your life and ways that you never thought possible. I'm only child so when I was a younger, younger boy always wanted brothers and sisters right, and I can say over the last five or six years or so. Madden I have been able to run into a community of folk. Folks in fact I considered my siblings here in in Houston, Texas from my community, and Matt as well never thought I'd have a white brother but he is like a blood brother to me now right and five, six years ago you to ask me I would never thought that possible fact no one who knows me would have thought that would have been possible. And so I just, I just think you know my hope is the kind of running into like minded folk shows me that this is possible. If it can happen with a small collection of people. It's possible that can happen to a larger group of folks right. So my only goal is to put myself in social circles that it is happening and we're realizing that. And if we can keep on expanding that circle further and further. And hey, we may dial for maybe somebody else to kind of continue that work as well. Thanks. Matt, what gives you hope. I recently heard Willie Jennings say that hope is a discipline. It's a discipline and so I think they're particularly than the African American community within this work, because there is a lot of. There's a lot of discouragement there's a lot of things we're up against. Remember a couple years ago, Cleveland I sitting together and we, we really drawing on the strength of the civil rights movement some of the folks there. Remembering Vanu hammer and Ella Baker and Medgar Evers and just the way that they put themselves in to the struggle Ed King, you know, and the way that they paid the price for that. And I think that Cleave is right I would just underline that that the hope I have is not necessarily that the efforts that I'm going to put in are going to change anything that question I'm asking myself is, can I remain faithful. Cleave is in breaking bread with folks that know me that I can, I can break down with and, and that we can rise up with. And I think that that's the hope on finding to continue to do the work because the work is can be lonely. And also invigorating the work can can feel like that, or moving backwards, but I think what's moving me forwards is this collection of relationships that that really haven't grafted me in and adopted me. Super. Thank you. Thank you both of you thank you Matt and Cleave for your time. And again visit www.projectcurate.org for more information about their work here on our side email us at IRCP at imgh.org for more information and especially to receive information about our third episode in the summer series, which will focus on the next project and the fight for respect and justice. Visit imgh.org to support programs like the dialogue project, our faith in our city series and a host of other programs that seek to build respect via interreligious and intercultural engagement and education. We also have other summer programs including our dinner dialogue on August 11 and we'll be rolling out our fall program series in early August, much of which will be virtual. Dr. Matt Russell, Dr. Cleave Tinsley. Project curate thank you for your work and thanks for your time and for this conversation. I'm grateful to both of you. Thanks for having this man is a joy to be here thanks thanks until we see each other again be brave be kind find ways to engage and keep in touch. Thanks everyone and have a good day.