Listen, I know that you have been waiting on the edge of your seat with bated breath for Taboo Tuesday topics to come back, and guess what? Today's your lucky day, guys. We're back! If you are familiar with my channel from a little while ago, we used to talk every Tuesday about taboo subjects, things that we don't normally talk about in society, about disability, and amputation, and mental health, and beyond, and we're back, baby! Bi-popular demand. Actually, it kind of was bi-popular demand. A number of people asked me about this, and then I asked you guys if you'd like to see it again, and there was a resounding yes. So this will not be back every Tuesday, but it will be back the majority of them. And today, we're going to start with, I think, what is probably a fairly controversial question, and one that different people will have different answers to, should you feel sorry for people who are disabled? For people with disabilities? I think it's the right way to say it. I am a person with a disability, so it's okay if I mess the term up. Someone asked me this in a recent video comment, and it really got me thinking. One of the most common comments that I receive is, oh my God, I feel so bad for you. I'm so sorry for you. And I have a few feelings about that, so let's dive in. But before we do that, I would love it if you would consider, at the end of this video, after you've actually, you know, heard some of my content, consider subscribing to this video. I am trying to beat my friend Aaron, life of Paulus, to 200,000 subscribers, before he gets to 250,000 subscribers, so that he has to take Brian and I out to dinner, help me win. I don't want to pay for his dinner. Not that we don't like him, his wife. I just, I mean, I'd rather have, I just want to win. I want to win, guys, so help me get there if you would like to. So let's talk about sympathy, empathy, and feeling sorry or bad for someone. Let me begin by saying, kind of like I said in the beginning, that this is simply my opinion. I think that everyone who is dealt with any kind of disability will have a different answer. Anyone who has ever had someone say to them, I feel, you know, so bad for you, or feel sorry for you, is probably going to have a different response. And this is just mine, from my perspective. What about fluffy cats? Should we feel sorry for fluffy cats who don't want to be held at the moment? So, should you feel sorry for people who are disabled or hurt or different or fill in the blank?  I am not going to tell anyone what they should or should not feel, but oftentimes, to me, the phrase is expressed, I feel so bad for you or I feel so sorry that you're in this situation. And I think that 99% of the time that's meant in an incredibly compassionate and kind way. But I think if we think about it a little further, at least for me, I run into this stumbling block in my mind, right? I don't think it's bad to feel sorry for someone. I don't think it's bad to feel bad for a situation that someone is in. I think oftentimes, being sympathetic is okay, and being empathetic is a million times better, but feeling sorry for someone and feeling bad are used interchangeably. We use those phrases in the same sentences. And when we're talking about someone who's struggling, who is grieving, who is dealing with a disability or something like that, who is different than you in some way, if we link the idea of feeling bad commonly with that, I think it increases the stigma around it. If you look at me missing a leg, if you look at me going through what I'm going through, and feel bad as in you feel negative emotions, if I look up synonyms for feeling sorry for someone, at McMillanDictionary.com, the synonyms for feeling sorry are apologetic, guilty, contrite, regretful, repentant, remorseful, penitent, or rueful. None of those are pleasant feelings, right? None of those are ever something that I want someone to feel looking at me, looking at my life or looking at the fact that I'm missing a leg or, you know, on another wavelength that I deal with some mental health issues. I don't want anyone to feel bad things within themselves. I think empathy is a beautiful thing if you want to understand someone or draw closer to them or sit with them in their pain, but simply feeling sorry or feeling bad for someone as an ending point, I think is maybe a tiny little bit dangerous. And on the scale of danger, I think it's pretty low. But like I said, I think it increases the way that we stigmatize people. I think it increases the way that we think of ourselves as different than someone else because if we're looking at someone in a rough situation and we feel negative things about that situation, we're kind of linking those things in our minds to negative things. If you look at an amputee and you feel bad, you feel apologetic or guilty or remorseful or penitent or anything like that, then at least subconsciously you're going to want to withdraw away from that, right? Like we don't generally want to get closer to those feelings that are uncomfortable for us. I think a secondary issue with just feeling sorry or feeling bad for someone is that there's no action attached to it. Not that there has to be, but there's no greater understanding. There's no conversation. There's no necessarily real compassion. There's just, oh, I feel sorry for what you're going through or I feel bad that you're experiencing that. There's no depth to it.  I'm a big fan of wanting to understand someone's life further if I don't have the same life experiences. If I just sit there and say, I'm sorry for you. That is a statement that distances me from them. And I do think that that's very different than saying, I'm really sorry for what you're going through. I'm sorry that you have to be experiencing this. I think those are good phrases to use because they are different phrases than I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry for who you are. I feel bad for this massive part of who you are. And when you say those things to someone else, I know I definitely have. Let's just get that out front. I've absolutely said, you know, I feel bad for you or I feel sorry for you. I think for me anyways, they're generally meant as something to either fill space in a conversation or to express that I care but I don't know how to say something but at the same time they also do distance me from the person or the situation that I'm talking about. For me, I've noticed a better thing and this is something that you, my community, have done for me is no specific thing. Like, I'll just use my own life as an example when I had to face a second amputation for me. Like, I'm really sorry that you have to go through a second surgery.    Like saying it's really impressive that you can fill in the blank or I think it's really neat that you can blank or blank, you know, they're just coming up with things to compliment someone on in their situation that is different to you without being patronizing. The best description of sympathy which is like, you know, I feel sorry for you versus empathy that I've ever heard is the idea of seeing someone down in a pit, right?  I feel sorry for you.  It made a lot of sense for me in my head when I heard it. Empathy is that connection. Sympathy, there's still that distance. So when it comes to the question, is it okay to feel sorry for someone who's disabled or struggling or different than you? Of course, it's okay to feel that way. Whatever you feel is okay. But when it comes to expressing it, I think that there are healthier ways to express what you are feeling about someone's situation than just saying I'm sorry for you or I feel bad for you. There are ways that you can be more specific. There are ways that you can acknowledge the actual struggle that someone is going through or you can ask questions or you can compliment them on specific things, which I think is astronomically more helpful, which actually builds, which actually connects and which I am personally a bigger fan of. Let me know what you guys think of Taboo Tuesday Returning. I am personally very excited about it. If you have any suggestions for upcoming videos on what I should cover, please let me know in the comment section down below. I would love to consider covering them for upcoming videos. You guys always come up with the best questions and I appreciate it. Thank you guys for listening. Make sure that you hit subscribe if you liked this video to help me beat my friend Erin. That's really the only reason why I want you to subscribe. We'll go with that. And a huge thank you to my patrons who made these videos possible. Thank you so much for your patronage and for supporting me. Thank you for spending a few minutes out of your day here with me, listening to me chat. You could be anywhere in the world doing anything. You chose to spend it with me. And I'm honored. Thank you guys. I love you. I'm thinking of you and I will see you in the next video. Bye, guys.


Welcome once again to another edition of the Red Brun and Williams real estate show I'm Shannon Deskins along with Jennifer Brown day, and I say once again But today that has more meaning than ever because we realized a few minutes ago. This is our 100th show It is which is absolutely crazy. I think we figured out we've been doing this over three years It's just nuts And I think it has done well because you say now some people when they list their homes with you guys They're like, hey, can we put this on the real estate show? So apparently we have some viewers out there I hope so I think we have a few and thank you all very much for watching it so that we can Continue doing the show and as with every show we've got five listings to talk about today And sometimes they're listing sometimes their auction opportunities Sometimes they are rental and lease opportunities, which we have one of those today So I know you guys try to make sure that you get everything out there that someone would be looking for Exactly, and we do a lot of different real estate. It's not just listing and selling So we want to make sure that we show everything that we're around Williams has to offer on our show All right Well, let's get started today The first one that we're gonna talk about is a listing out of paintsville It is this one is on Robin Court And if you're familiar with the paintsville area Robin Hill roads a fairly popular area right kind of outside of town But you're very very close right there to paintsville, right? It's like if you get to where the ball fields are in paintsville or like you're gonna go out route 40 It's not even two or three minutes. Yeah heading out toward the golf course true You're not even to the golf course yet This is gonna be right off to your left and again Robin Court is right off Robin Hill Road And this one is a listing that they've just reduced the price on and it is one of those perfect either Downsizing homes or a starter home for somebody looking for their first house This is gonna be one to look at and I love the picture of the outside that we have the first one that shows that yard It looks so clean and neat like Something you just want to move into Exactly, and that's what there's also a picture of that backyard that shows that back patio You can kind of see you know a little table and chairs out there enjoying the backyard 1231 on the square footage two bedrooms one bathroom But you've got plenty of parking you've got a one car carport and a one car garage and paintsville is an area that a lot of people Are attracted to these days. It's a growing town Mm-hmm a lot of times you're right off of us 23 So you're close to the Ashland Huntington area, but then on the other side you've got Pikeville Preston's bird This is a very popular area. It is and this again like we said is right off route 40 So the convenience is there you're very close to the schools very close to downtown paintsville Close to the golf course shopping all of that kind of stuff So this is one that really puts you in the area that you'd want to be in paintsfield And like we said two bedrooms one bathroom So you mentioned either a starter home for that that first home for a newlywed couple or you're an empty nester And you're like we don't need all this space and you're downsizing This is perfect for either one of those either one and now that they've got the price down where they've just reduced it It's gonna look even more appealing. Yeah, we're down to under one hundred thousand dollars for this one ninety nine five Now this is Jeremy Duncan's listing and he's out of the paintsfield office So let's give some contact information for him. Okay, you can call Jeremy at<PHONE_NUMBER> All right now Let's move on our next one to another property that's just been reduced We've talked about it before but this one is in downtown Pikeville It is this is in downtown Pikeville right on Myra Barnes Avenue And if you're familiar with that area in downtown Pikeville, it's a really nice Residential area still in the downtown area and it's just off Hambley Boulevard and a lot of people don't realize that this area is back There you've got two or three streets Between the Boulevard and the Pikeville pond that is a popular residential area for people who especially with the active lifestyle Absolutely, this is gonna be a great location not to mention. You're very close to University of Pikeville the medical center anything in downtown Pikeville shopping anything like that and then you know Talking about that active lifestyle and getting out and in the streets You see a lot of times in that area vehicles parked on the street But this one's rare and that you have off-street parking. Yes, you do You have an off-street parking that would allow probably three to four cars So plenty of parking and then of course you can park on the street if you needed more than that But in downtown having a driveway for three or four cars is a great amenity, especially during new billy days. Yes Now on the inside this one is spacious. We've got four bedrooms two bathrooms Over 2300 almost 2400 square feet that fourth bedroom is actually an add-on Could be a large family room or something like that, but makes a perfect master suite Right and this one the price has just been reduced So if you've looked at this one before and thought may have been just a little bit out of your price range Come back and take another look at this one because this is a motivated seller. I understand So they're gonna try to do everything they can to make this at home attractive for you Absolutely, and this is one that yes, they are motivated, but once you go in it I actually think you'll be pretty motivated to buy it. Yes, it's updated. They've taken care of it And it's got a lot of charm. Mm-hmm. That's one of those that it's not your typical house So you walk in a house and you've seen that house this one you have to see yes Absolutely, it's got a lot of charm a lot of wood detailing a lot of the original hardwoods that kind of stuff Now we mentioned that this price has just been reduced. So we're down to 205 So Jennifer for everything you're getting in this location. This is not a bad price It's not a bad price at all and they can call the pocket office for more information on this house Number<PHONE_NUMBER> all right now We're gonna transition from downtown living to living on the farm Literally we have a farm for sale next absolutely this one We've actually spoken about before also is on upper Blackberry Road in the ransom community and this is one You know on the outdoor lover So I see 130 acres and this old farmhouse and and of course I'm immediately drawn to it It's really been well maintained. So if you like the old farmhouse look This is something you should look at but just under 3,000 square feet above ground and then they have unfinished basement That's almost 1200 square feet and this is a an area that's got a lot of history Especially if you're familiar with you know the Hatfield McCoy feud I mean there are so many different things you could imagine doing with this house Absolutely, absolutely, and this is one that really could have the potential to be you know a bit of breakfast or Something like that for the trail system. This is something that you could make into not just a residential property Because you've got all the additional buildings on the property You have a lot of additional amenities that you could offer different people So you've got pasture land garden space to barns multiple storage buildings So you really have room to do whatever it is that you're trying to do in that I'm thinking atv I'm thinking hiking even horse trails and horse riding and things or maybe you just Escape the city life have that farm out in the country. This is perfect for you, and this is one that you personally have listed Uh-huh, so let's give your email address on this one the emails J. Brown at rbnw.com and the price on this one for everything 199 so that is is hard to be in itself for everything you're getting So the next one let's kind of move and transition same general area in the county, but this one's more toward Phelps Yes, this one is in the Phelps area, and if you're familiar with the Phelps intersection coming from the Kemper or Pikeville area You're gonna get to that intersection and take a left and this property will end up being on your right This is one it's again an older house built in 1950 But you can tell from the pictures that when it was built It was built top of the line and it really has a lot to offer because you have the main house But you also have a garage with an apartment over it So rental income or future mother-in-law suite Something along those lines allow this to also have a little bit of a income potential And this is a large lot as far as a building all you've got half an acre So you've got a nice size yard you've got this big home three bedrooms one bathroom on the outside You have that huge patio with that fireplace talk about great entertainment space I mean in that just picturesque and then on the inside you can also tell how spacious the rooms are Just because of the kitchen picture that we're showing so you have really nice space and Really good entertainment room, and you're showing the fireplace on the outside But I said we've also got a big fireplace on the inside and as cold It is has been lately a lot of people that don't have the fireplace are now thinking our next home We have to have a fireplace We've got one for you on the inside and the outside for this house Absolutely, and then they've also they've enclosed a front porch to make it as like a bonus room office space Fitness room anything like that You really have just so much potential and it's so convenient in that Phelps area If that's the area that you want to be in in Pike County And this one is Patty Hatfield's listing and she's out of your Pikeville office. She is so let's give that number Okay number in Pikeville's four three seven two three three three or you can call Patty on her cell phone<PHONE_NUMBER> Okay, now we're gonna end the show switching gears a little bit now We're gonna talk about some rental opportunities now This is the newest and most popular place for anyone in Pikeville to live who is looking to rent. Yes Yes, absolutely and red brown Williams property manages the Popville Commons So we're gonna kind of go over some of the details for that if you're coming in to Parkfield For school for a job anything like that. We highly recommend that you come over and look at the units It's just a great place to live and it's new. These are only a few years old And we waited a long time for these because I know that it was the big hype for a long time And I've been personally in some of these units and they are nice. Yes, they are very nice They include granite countertops. There's dishwashers in every unit along with the other appliances Plus washer and dryers in every unit, which is a huge plus Not having to carry your laundry up and downstairs to do, you know, like a community laundry room So we've really that's a popular amenity to have and we're not saying washer and dryer hookups We're saying the washer and dryer are already in these units. You don't have to worry about bringing that in Absolutely already there. So all your appliances including washer and dryer are ready ready for you And then something that really got me if I was looking the thing that would have sold this for me Is this new area that you've got on the bottom? Yes, the media area You've got the big screen TVs. You put the pool table all the games and just a general sitting area You want to all get your friends together and watch the big game and we've got one coming up really soon That's just a great place to gather. It really is and the community space media room that we've just opened Off also has our office managers office in it. So she is there Monday through Friday 9 to 5 There's somebody on site to show you units answer questions anything like that All of our tenants have access to that space with through a fob system So if you're a tenant there, you can come in get a cup of coffee watch the game study anything you want to do and Then we are fully prepared to open within the next couple weeks We have a workout exercise room all the equipments in we're just waiting on the final touches for the camera system That's going in but cardio free weights Circuit training machines while they're free for our tenants to use as an extra amenity And then you know in case you're not familiar with where pipe will commons is it's the newest area in pipe Well, it's been developed lately. It's where your restaurants are where your big shopping area is right off of Thompson Road So you've got all your shopping all of the newest and greatest that Pikeville has to offer as far as dining and then to Thompson Road You you're always seeing someone running or walking. It's an active lifestyle area, too You've got a river access there so you can take your canoe or your kayak up above town and float almost to your back door So everything that this pipe will commons has to offer is gonna be attractive absolutely anybody looking no matter what you're here in Pikeville for yes, absolutely. We do have units currently available one two and three bedrooms So if you're looking actively looking for a place to rent Please give us a call and and if somebody wanted to come in and look at the place I'm sure they can you can get a hold of your property manager and they can show them a unit Absolutely stop in the property management office anytime Monday through Friday 9 to 5 if that doesn't work Call the Pikeville office number the 437 to 333 set of an appointment and we'll get you in there And a lot of people are going wow They may have not realized everything that red-brown and Williams does So that's something definitely look at your website and everything you guys can do they can look at that, too And that's rbnw.com The home buying process can be stressful But the agents of red-brown and Williams want to assist you through the process an agent can assist from start to finish First start with what you can afford getting pre-approved for a mortgage is typically a quick process And we'll allow homebuyer to look at homes that are well within your means an agent can assist you with defining your wants and needs for your future home Keep in mind your wants and needs will probably change drastically as your home search moves forward Lastly work with your rbnw agent to navigate the current market to ensure your wants and needs Are manageable and to efficiently place smart and well thought-out offers on your home of interest Buying a home can be stressful But working with red-brown and Williams agents can help alleviate that stress and make your home buying process a positive experience Thank you for watching our show, and we hope you will join us again soon


Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Alhamdulillahirrahmanirrahim. Wa Salatu Wa Salam ala Sayyidil Mursaleen. Sayyidina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salam tasliman. Kathira. As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. This is Imam Zayi Shaker. And I'm here to talk to all of my wonderful brothers and sisters out there about the virtue of the days we are about to enter, which are the first 10 days of the Hijjah. And some of the things that we can do, most of us would not be going to Hajj anyway. The overwhelming majority of us would not be going to Hajj in any case. So the fact that foreigners are not allowed this year, wisely, I think, to make the Hajj doesn't affect what we should be doing. And what we should be doing, brothers and sisters, is taking advantage of the tremendous days that we are about to enter. Our prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, is related to have said on Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, in the days of the righteous, I love Allah, in the days of the righteous, I love Allah from these 10 days, that is, the 10 days of the Hijjah. They said, Ya Rasulallah, Walad jiharu fi sabi lilaa Qala, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, Walad jiharu fi sabi lilaa illa radulun khara jaa bimalihi wa nafsihi thumma lam yarjaa min dalika bishay. And so the prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, this hadith is found in the compilation of Imam Al-Bukhari and others. He says that there are no days as related by Ibn Abbas, there are no days of the year during which the righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala than these days. They said, oh messenger of Allah, not even jihad, struggling in the way of Allah, in a way that places your life in jeopardy.  In other words, he loses all of his wealth and he loses his life struggling in the way of Allah to defend the faith and the faithful. La ilaha illallah. So that tells you the virtue of these days, that the only action during these days that's better than saying la ilaha illallah, than saying Subhanallah, than saying la hawla wa la quwwata ila billah, than saying alhamdulillah.  So brothers and sisters, what does that tell us? It tells us that we should take advantage of this incredible opportunity that Allah Ta'ala is extending to us. Allah Ta'ala is extending to us an opportunity to engage in actions during this time. The reward is multiplied over and beyond the reward of anything other than the action of the man that we mentioned, la ilaha illallah. In fact, the hajj that many people undertake is described as being jihad. The prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasall, mentioned ni'ama al jihad and hajj. That hajj is the most excellent form of struggle in the way of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. So we should take advantage, brothers and sisters, we should fast during these days. These days are an incredible opportunity to earn immense reward for our fasting. We should recite the Quran during these days. We should try to do if we have an opportunity and many of us have more time than we normally have because we're still not commuting back and forth to work. Many of us are still working from home, rather. So that time can be spent with the book of Allah, az-wajal. We can engage in a rod and a car that normally we might not engage in anticipating the enhanced reward that's promised to us from Allah by the messenger of Allah, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasall. So we should take advantage of that. On the subject of jihad or struggle, we should note that as we prepare to enter into these days, that these days are described as having a reward or the action, rather, the action of these days are described as having the reward of a man who loses his life and all of his wealth defending the faith. Iroh, and then we have our Eid on the 10th day. Iroh Fitr is preceded during the last 10 days of Ramadan by Leila Tulaqadr and one of those nights, most predominantly, there are different opinions, but the strongest opinions is one of those nights and many scholars are pying that the most likely night is the 27th of the month. Leila Tulaqadr, which precedes Iroh Fitr, how is it described? Allah ta'ala mentioned in the Quran, Leila Tulaqadr yakhirum min alfi shahr, that the night of power is better than 1,000 months. Now is this just any 1,000 months? Our prophet, Salallah, is related that these 1,000 months, these 83 years are 83 years of a man who dons his armor, who puts on his armor, goes forth and defends the faith for 83 years and during those 83 years, while he's defending the faith, he's praying, he's fasting, he's remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Leila Tulaqadr is better than the worship of that man in that state. So note, brothers and sisters, Leila Tulaqadr Iroh Fitr is preceded by days whose actions are described as being better than the actions of a man who goes forth to defend the faith and he loses his life and his property. So doing Iroh Fitr is preceded by days because Leila Tulaqadr can be any of those last 10 days. So Iroh Fitr is preceded by days, the actions during which are described as a night's weather, the actions during which are described as being better than a man who dons his armor and goes forth to defend the faith for 83 years, approximately 1,000 months. So what does this tell us, brothers and sisters? Number one, it tells us that we have a generous Lord. We have a generous Lord and the Hajj is our humble, meager human attempt based on our limited and scanty human resources to go and acknowledge the great bounties and gifts of our Lord and to worship him at his sacred house. This is what we're endeavoring to do. It tells us that our Lord is generous. It tells us that our religion is a religion of struggle. Struggling the way of Allah should rightfully be the case. So the Hajj, which is a struggle is preceded by days which we should struggle in our religion. We have to understand this religion is not cheap. This religion being, it's the best thing that this dunya can give us. As Imam Ali mentioned, minna'im ad-dunya in yakthiaka l-islamu ni'matan. That from the blessings of the world, Islam suffices as a blessing. Islam suffices as a blessing. If we got gold, silver, diamonds, precious jewels, yachts and cars, whatever the world could give us and we didn't leave this world with Islam in our heart, we leave impoverished. But if we leave this world without the gold, the silver, the diamonds, the cars, the yachts, but we leave this world and la ilaha illallah, Muhammad or Rasulullah, there's no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. If that gold, that saying is firmly nestled into the depths of our hearts, we've left this world rich. We've left this world with everything we need to succeed in the Akhirah. And so these days are an opportunity for us to enrich ourselves, brothers and sisters. These are days where we should extol the greatness of towhi la ilaha illallah. This is the best, one of the best things we can say. Not because I want it to be so, but our prophet is related to, I've said, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, khayru ma quttuhu ana. Wa ma qaluhun nabiyyuna min ba'di. I'm in qabli, excuse me. The best thing that I've said, khayru ma quttuhu ana. The best thing that I've said. Wa qaluhun nabiyyuna min qabli and the best thing that the prophets who preceded me have said, la ilaha illallah, is la ilaha illallah. And these are days when we say la ilaha illallah, the reward is unimaginable. The reward is unimaginable. May Allah give us towfiq, may Allah give us taisir, may Allah give us qabul. These days also contain a day, the ninth day of this month, the day of Arfa, Yama Arfa. And this day, excuse me, fasting it involves the reward, or the expiation of this year, the current year, present year, and the coming year sin. Two years of atonement for our sins, for fasting one day. Again, this illustrates the generous and magnanimous nature of our Lord. And this is for sinners, it's for the pious who might slip into sin inadvertently. It's for the sinners who might consciously sin. It's a reminder that our Lord wants good for us. And so we should try everything in our power to be good to our Lord. Our Lord wants good for us. We should strive, we should endeavor, we should try to do everything in our power to be good to our Lord. And one of the ways that that goodness from us is expressed. And what does the Messenger of Allah say about this goodness? Inna allaha payibun walaya qabalu illa payibah. That Allah is good and pure and only accepts that which is good and pure. And one of the ways that we render ourselves good and pure brothers and sisters is with a good Niyah and with pious actions that are based upon those intentions or Niyah. Niyah meaning intention for those who might be unfamiliar with the Arabic term. So brothers and sisters, what are we waiting for? What are we waiting for? And just as in Ramadan before Ramadan we're encouraged to fast during the month of Sha'ban. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallamah was related to not to have not fast voluntarily in any month to the extent that he fasted during the month of Sha'ban. Why? To prepare himself for Ramadan. When Ramadan comes, we're already in fasting mode. And one of the wisdoms of fasting, the entirety of the first eight days if you will of those 10 is to prepare us for the ninth day. And so when Yom Al-Arafah comes, we are already in fasting mode. So it's easy for us to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity for our current years and our coming year sins to be expiated. La ilaha illallah, la ilaha illallah. This Yom Al-Arafah, this day of Arafah is a day it's related by our Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that there is no day of the year when more people are liberated from the hellfire than the day of Arafah. La ilaha illallah, la ilaha illallah. And this is the real liberation. You know, people are talking today about liberation in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, the tragic incident that happened in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then the uprising for racial justice and liberation of black lives and everything that you're all familiar with. But the true liberation, and this is something Muslims must remain cognizant of. We cannot abandon our faith, our teachings, our Akhira, and then instrumentalize Islam, making Islam an instrument that serves one purpose, racial or ethnic justice or liberation. So justice, of course, is an integral part of Islam. But if we don't first and foremost liberate our souls, liberate our minds, liberate our consciousness from our carnal appetites, lust and desires, from our greed, from the diseases that assail the heart and the soul, and we attain those other liberations. Yom al-Qiyama, those would definitely benefit us in the world, and we're not trying to dismiss the fact that this is also a part of Islam striving for worldly freedom and liberation. Kumu qawaminu bilqist, shuhadah alillah, be upright for justice, witnesses for Allah. So we have to be upright for justice. E'adinu wa aqarabul taqwa, be just, that's greater to God consciousness. This is part of our religion. But we have priorities, and our first and foremost priority is liberating ourselves from the hellfire and brothers and sisters, as we mentioned. On this day, Allah liberates more people from the hellfire than any other day of the year. And so what do we have to do? It's what, it's all into what? It's not all into our actions. Our actions are necessary, but not sufficient to use that language. Our actions are praying during these days and on that day. Our reciting the Qur'an during these days and on that day. Our fasting during these days and on that day, these days being the preceding days of the hijjah. All of those are necessary, but proficiency comes through the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. La niyaqolul ahadin, a'maluhu l-jannah. No one's action will enter them into a paradise. Wa la anta ya RasulAllah, not even you all messengers of Allah wa la ana illa ana ga na'iyya Allahi fi rahma bi fatnimu rahma. Not even me. Only if Allah envelops me in His grace and His mercy. So the grace and the mercy of Allah, that's where the sufficiency comes from. And so we have to expose ourselves through our actions to be recipients of the grace and mercy of Allah.  See good every moment that you spend on the service. We mentioned, ان الله طيب ولا يقبلوا إلى طيبة. Allah's good and pure and only accepts that which is good and pure. We have to be people of goodness. And so اطلوب الخير سيك good, سيك good دحركم كلها. Every moment you spend on the service. Brothers and sisters, don't waste your time with wickedness. Don't waste your time with evil. Don't waste your time retweeting garbage. Don't waste your time engaging in the rumors that are circulating. Don't waste your time finding the faults in others. When a law wants to destroy a person, this is something related by many of our spiritual sages, the akhavir of the past. When a law wants to destroy a person, he preoccupies that person with the faults of others and makes that person oblivious to their own faults. And so that person is so busy, they might even set up a website where they just pursue and document the faults of others. And they're so busy doing that, they never take the time to consider their own faults. And as a result, their life expires and their own faults have gone unaddressed. Their own sins have gone unrepented for and they end up in a bad situation. May Allah protect us from that. May Allah bless us to see our faults. May Allah bless us with honest people who appoint our faults out to us. May Allah give us the personal integrity to address those faults and to eliminate those faults so that we don't meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we're not payeb. Therefore we're not acceptable. And Allah payebun. Allah is good and pure. And only accepts that, which is good and pure.  We exposed ourselves through our doaa. We exposed ourselves through all of the righteous deeds that a believer might perform. And as we expose ourselves during these days the days the beginning days of the el hedja. And then on the day of Arafah, the breezes of Allah's mercy are blowing stronger during these days than any other days. And so the likelihood of one of those breezes touching us is greatly enhanced. And then the hadith goes on. And Allah certainly has gentle breezes of His mercy that He touches with whomsoever He desires from His servants. And then, as mentioned, I'm not sure if it's part of the narration or it was added by some of the commentators. I didn't have an opportunity to check, so I'll say it's mentioned. And whomever is touched by one of those gentle breezes of Allah's mercy experiences joy that's so profound they're never saddened for the rest of eternity. فَمَنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَائِدَ سَعَدَتَنْ لَا يَشْقَابَادَهَا أَبَدَهَا لَا الْحِلْ اللَّهُ Brothers and sisters, this is what life is all about. This is what life is all about. Because these breezes they're not confined to the wealthy nor the poor. They're not the exclusive providence or domain of the wealthy nor the poor. They're not blowing upon the black to the exclusion of the white or the white to the exclusion of the black. They're not blowing to the Arab to the exclusion of the Ajam, the non-Arab or the non-Arab to the exclusion of the Arab. They're blowing freely and any one of us be us rich or poor, be us black or white or anything in between, be we Arab or non-Arab. Any one of us has the power within ourselves to expose ourselves to one of those breezes of Allah's mercy. So we pray that during these days we're touched by one of those breezes. We pray that Allah SWT inspires us and gives us Tawfiq, creates in us the propensity to expose ourselves to those breezes and to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that are associated with these blessed days. In conclusion, I'd like to refer to one of the verses of Hajj in the Qur'an where Allah Ta'ala He mentions, أرجو بالله من الشيط عن الرجيمي بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وأدنمس الناس بالحج يطوك الرجالا وعلى قول دا بامر يتينا من كل فجن عميق. So I proclaim Allah is addressing Ibrahim AS وأدنف الناس بالحج. Proclaim the pilgrimage amongst humanity. There will come responding, walking, writing on every means of convenience from every deep and distant mountain pass. وأدنف الناس بالحج. It's related that when Ibrahim AS was given that command, he said to his Lord, he responded to his Lord that my voice cannot reach all of humanity. I'm in this valley surrounded by mountains. Even for my voice can't even penetrate the mountains that surround me. And this is part of our spiritual history, history, brothers and sisters. And our spiritual history is not confined to the laws of social science, anthropology and sociology, nor to the empirical scientific method. These are affairs of the rule. These are our affairs. All of that, the laws governing physical science, any social sciences we might observe or think we observe because people are very nuanced and complicated and social theories usually fail to capture that nuance and complication. But be that as it is. All of that is associated with this seeing world, this part of the creation that can indeed be empirically verified. But the affairs associated with many aspects of our religion are connected with the unseen world. And Hajj helps to keep the reality of the unseen world alive in our hearts. And as Muslims, when we become so overwhelmed by the seeing world, we can actually lose touch with the unseen world. But Allah reminds us the first specific aspect of our belief mentioned in the Quran is our belief in the unseen world. Alif, Lam, Meem. This is the scripture. There's no doubt concerning it. It is guidance for those mindful of their Lord. Those who believe in the unseen establish regular prayer and they spend from what we have bestowed upon them. The first belief mentioned in detail specified is belief in the unseen. This is a reminder for us. And so when Ibrahim, why do I say that?  So Ibrahim says, my voice can't reach them. And Allah, to Allah, responds, you make the call. That's what you've been ordered to do. We're advin, finnasi bil hajj. You make the call. I will call. I will allow your voice to reach them. And it's related that the mountains, they humble themselves. They fell low. They even themselves out. And so when Ibrahim made the call, his voice carried to every corner of the earth. And he said, that everyone heard the stones, the earth, The trees all heard the call, as well as everyone who has been decreed that they will make the pilgrimage to the Day of Regurrection, and they all responded, labbaik allahuma labbaik. We are coming, our Lord, Ya'o, our Lord, we are coming. We are responding, our Lord, we are responding, we are coming. And so, brothers and sisters, understand, when you make your intention for Hajj, when you realize the power of these days, you're not alone. You might be alone in your house because of this virus. You might be in one of those states or cities where the virus is spiraling out of control and you're locked down in your home and shelter-in-place orders are enforced, but you're not alone, brothers and sisters, because the trees, the stones, the earth, the birds, the animals, they're all saying labbaik allahuma labbaik with you. They're all joining you. They're all glorifying Allah with you, but we don't know their tessbih, as Allah informs us in the Qur'an. We are never alone, brothers and sisters. So as you deal with the isolation of this pandemic, as you deal with the stress of these days and the tension, understand, you're not going through this alone. And so, join the chorus of creation that is singing the praises of Allah along with you. Glorify Allah, Subhan Allah. Thank and praise Allah, Alhamdulillah. Extoll the oneness of Allah, and this is the Hajj. This is a great assembly of human beings coming together to extoll the greatness of Allah, but this is not just for the hujjaj, for the people who are not on Hajj. We make the tessbih, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah. There is no God, Allah is the greatest, there is no, Allah is the greatest, there is no God but Allah. And so, we are extolling the greatness of Allah, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, but we're not doing it alone. We're doing it with all of creation, we're doing it with all of creation. And when we understand that, brothers and sisters, we know the power of this religion and we know that our soul, the power, the potential rather that we have that's actualized when that potential joins the rest of creation and glorifying Allah and extolling the greatness of Allah, of submitting and humbling ourselves to Allah, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, as those mountains humbled themselves when Allah, Ta'ala, commanded them to do so so that the call of Ibrahim of Abraham could reach every single one of us. May Allah, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, give you ta'fiq, brothers and sisters, may Allah give you tessir, may Allah create in you the propensity for success, may Allah make things easy for you. All of our brothers and sisters struggling during this time, may Allah remove the anxiety and grief created by this pandemic, this virus. Oh, did I wash my hands when I came home? Was I, did I touch something that had the virus on it? Did I, did I, was I exposed when that person sneezed? Was it the common cold or did they have corona? Is it really carry aerosol and airborne, as they're saying now, because I was only 10 feet away, but they said it can go beyond six feet. Did it reach me? It's anxiety.  If it was an expanse, it wouldn't be small, but a small, shallow portion of water dissipates in the desert sun. Our grief, our worry and our anxiety will dissipate when the light of truth and the light of a thicker and the light of Quran and the light that's generated in our hearts from fasting reaches those griefs and those anxieties. They will dissipate as that shadow puddle of water dissipates in the advancing seat, heat and light of the desert sun. May Allah bless us to do the things that will dry up our anxiety and grief. May Allah bless us to take advantage of these days. Keep your tongues moist with the remembrance of Allah. Keep the words of Tauheed on your tongue, extoll the greatness of Allah. Keep the teqbir on your tongue, especially during the, uh, the from the, from the time of the morning of the. Eid until the end of the third day of tashreeq. That's four days in total. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Wa Lillahi l-hamd, all praise is due to Allah is the greatest. There's no God but Allah, all praise is due to Allah. This is Imam Zayshak here and praying that Allah blesses you during these days, inspires you, motivates you, uplifts you, causes you to rise up and worship him with fervor and enthusiasm that's born of love and that he blesses all of us with a very, very special Eid. Just as many of us, if not most of us, us, if not all of us, virtually saw that indeed, despite the circumstances, we had a very, very blessed Ramadan. This is Imam Zayshak here. Jazakum Allah khairan. May Allah bless all of you. As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.


When it comes to the topic of how to improve your life and how to really get into personal development, if you Google how to change your life in YouTube or search it on YouTube, you're going to get results that range from the crunchiest, new agey manifesting advice all the way down to the grind in the hustle of Gary V. But I think in this video, I thought I would share three very basic personal development principles that have made the biggest difference in my life.  Alex Hein here. So before we jump in, I've put together a free journaling worksheet right below this video, the first link there, that'll help you figure out how to get your life together and how to design your dream life going forward. So you can check it out right below this video. So the first insight that I think can help you is that personal development is always about the direction you're traveling in. Earl Nightingale, one of my favorite self-growth authors, says that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. So I like to think of this as the bedrock because progressive realization meaning you never reach personal development.  It's cyclical. And so because almost every up and every down in life is cyclical, your self-growth has to be continual. And then of a worthy ideal, meaning personal development is about getting better in the ways that matter to you. It may mean as material as getting fit or earning more money, or it may mean spiritual development where there is nothing externally changing on the outside. And that's purely about character and about the inner development. And again, because things are always in flux, your health could be great now, but in five years you're having a health crisis due to letting things go by. And your finances could be great now, but you made a few decisions or lack of decisions and now your finances are crap, or your relationship could be great now. And in five years from now, you could be divorced or broken up or single. So problems are always cyclical and the successes in life are also cyclical. So that's why daily rituals are so important for personal development. The second thing that I think can help you is that as terrible as it sounds, the day-to-day is often very unsexy. Whether it is that you want to be good at salsa dancing or you want to be great at soccer or a sport or great at piano or become a doctor, the day-to-day usually is not that special. You know, everyone has this fantasy of becoming this rock star, but the day-to-day life of that is playing music for hours and writing music for hours and then performing and the logistics of putting together events and concerts. And so we have this idea of what a rock star is and it's a very narrow snapshot of what it really is, right? We think that it's being on stage, playing guitar, thousands of adoring fans, tons of money, tons of fame. But that's probably literally 30%, 20%, 10%, 1% of a real rock star's life because the rest of it, especially what comes before the notoriety, is the day. And the day if you want to be a rock star is playing music and composing music, right? The day-to-day if you want to be an athlete is the boring training drills. If you want to be a football player, you're doing skill training. You're doing athletic training. You're doing all kinds of different training. I remember reading the book Peek by Anders Ericsson, the founder of the 10,000 hour rule. He said that the number one factor correlated with high performance for violinists and many kinds of highly trained professionals was solo practice. And it was always the thing they rated the least in terms of their personal happiness and personal enjoyment. So the day-to-day of getting better is often incredibly boring, but it is those rituals that you do day in and day out that make you exceptional at what you do.  The difference is that successful people and growth oriented people do it. And for me, the third most useful thing is to just pick one part of your life you're struggling with the most and hone in on that for your personal development. You know, for me, one of the areas was finances, because I've never taken a job for money. I always took them for passion or personal interest. And as a result, I never made much money. So for me, as I began to work on the habit of personal finance, one of the goals was to save enough money every year for a trip anywhere in the world. And one year, I think I was 25 or 26, I began doing an automated transfer of $100 from my checking account to a savings account. And I just created the savings account name, adventure capital. And this was a separate bank. So I couldn't see the transfers at all. One day I woke up and I think it was maybe two years later, two and a half years later, and I found out I had $2,600 in that account. And that summer, I wanted to take three weeks off after I quit my job and go with my girlfriend to Thailand and go, you know, island hopping on these catamarans. And I was shocked to see that the whole balance of the trip was basically already there in my savings. I like to think of where to get started as start with the area you're struggling and hurting the most and pick one habit that can probably improve your life and just make sure to do that daily. All right. So those are three things I think have helped me a lot with personal development, the free goal setting worksheet or the journaling worksheet rather in the description will also help you figure out how to get clarity on your life and what you want and how to make that happen. With them before you guys go, I have two other related videos on self growth right over here.


Hi, Megan and Leo. On a recent iOS today, Leo is expressing some concern about the impact of iCloud Photo Library on the storage of iOS devices. Well, I have a giant Photos Library, and I have put iCloud Photo Library on both my iPhone and my iPad, and it works spectacularly well to manage the storage that you have using those optimized images. Let me demonstrate with my example. Here we are looking at my Photos Library over on my MacBook Pro that has a 1TB internal drive. I have every single photograph I have ever taken with a digital camera dating back to, I think it's 2000, how far back do we go? 2001 or so. Anyway, let's do a get info on this library to see how big it actually is. It is 58,000 photos, which is more than a normal person should probably have. It includes 582 videos, and it's taking up 301GB on my MacBook Pro. Now let's switch over to my iPhone and see what I see there. Here is my iPhone, and you can see again that I have every single photo possible on this device. Here's all those same photos that you saw before going back to 2001 and beyond. Anyway, let's go take a look at my storage. And you can see it's only taking up 16.4GB on my iPhone 6. Notice that I have optimized iPhone storage. Now, we looked at the iPhone, so we saw around 16GB, let's see what the iPad is seeing. And you'll notice it's using 15.5GB. Not the same as the iPhone, but pretty close. Now of course most people don't have this ridiculous sized photo library, so I'm finding that most of my friends can fit under the 200GB plan, which is really actually reasonably priced. It's only if you have a giant photo library like I do that you might run into some serious cost. So Leo, I hope that lays your concerns about people using iCloud Photo Library and chewing up all of this storage on their portable devices.


I'm Lisa Joyner, and this is Cannabis Chronicles, a 10,000-year odyssey. And as you know, we have been learning all about cannabis, and that it was the fruit or fruit of the gods for 10,000 years in Asia and all over the world. And so for us here, we're just learning. We're just beginning to discover this plant that was used for medicine, for food, for religious practices, for everything that you can imagine, and then here comes Daryl Uncle Sam and just screws it all up, just unbelievable what they did by making it illegal. So now we are in the process of learning all of the wonderful things that cannabis can do from this plant that just grows. And so we on this show have been talking about this and learning from the people that really understand the plant and what it does. And today, one of my dear friends who really understands the plant, Theo Alexander, Theo, are you there? I'm here. How you doing, Washington? Thanks for having me. So you're on Maui today. I'm on Maui today. It's very beautiful, nice weather over here. Want to check out some properties. So what are you looking for? We're actually looking for some properties where some people are interested in actually growing the USDA certified hemp to get to the hemp market. So trying to help some guys with their licensed process and also giving them a good price out just as far as what they can do on their property. But yeah, this happens to be fun over here, you know, getting out to the upcountry, you know, and enjoying the beautiful weather. So that's a lovely... They're dealing with the problem though, talking about something really important. That is really wonderful to look for. But of course, you know, the climate is different on every island. And so what would grow very well on one island would probably grow something different. I think given the climate and the soil, the hemp that would grow on the big island, or some parts of the big island, and upcountry Maui and Moloka would be totally different because of the climate and the soil. And the soil, yeah. That much I know about growing any kind of plant and hemp doesn't need much water. So you don't have to worry about that. Right. But there's a lot of uses of the crops here. So how long from the time you put the seed in the ground until it's ready for harvest, how long is that? It depends on if you're growing indoors or outdoors or on the tops. On your... As hemp, outside in Maui, how long would that take? Would you get a... How many crops a year would you... It depends on your growing season here and why of course it's year-round. You could probably get maybe four hundredths out if you're really pushing every three months you can harvest. But of course, if you're indoors, you can do it every two weeks, having one section. Well... Yeah. No, no. Let's talk... I can't imagine growing hemp indoors but outside. Yes. Now, so you get the license from the Department of Agriculture who says you have to have 10 acres. Yes. The limit is 10 acres. Yes. And so, now that you plant the seed, then it grows, then you harvest, and what happens after the harvest? After the end, I believe they give you a certain timeframe of the license that you have to buy, buy. You have to have a buyer for your biomass or whatever you're going to do with your product after harvest. So, you have to identify the buyer before you... When you get the license, is that what you're talking about? Yes. You have to do so because, of course, hemp, it grows very fast three months ago, you know what I'm saying? Pretty quick. So, if you don't have someone set up already before you put seed in, it's going to be kind of hard to find someone to buy it if you're doing the acreage. I mean, sometimes it can run from several thousand to maybe a couple of million depending on what type of hemp you're growing. So, you do want to be in line with the buyer prior to even putting in a license because it's kind of a A to Z process. You want to be able to plant the seed after you get the license, but also have everything intact in the business process. It is a business process. It is. Your end goal is to sell the biomass. So, you're going to... Or process it. So, you're going to get the seed. Get the license. Do they give you the seed or where does the seed come from? You have two opportunities for the seed. You can go with what the UH pilot program has. I think they have maybe four veriles or cultivars of seed, including Yuma. I think some of it's coming from China. Some of it coming from here in Hawaii, but you can also apply or request seed from outside of Hawaii, outside of the state. The people who are bringing the genetic in, once the request is fulfilled, they can bring the genetic in through certain processes through the USDA, and it has to be a certified seed. Oh, yeah. So, okay. Now, we've got the seed in the ground and it's harvest time. Yes. So, you already identified your buyer, then the buyer takes it to a factory and it turns it into whatever product you want. Is that... Yes. That's correct. So, that you would identify the product you want at the time of the license. Yes. So, what we do with our console is when people are interested in getting the license, we're walking through the process first, get them familiar with the rules and regulations and the penalties as well, and then after that, we'll ask them what type of program do you want to run. Some people want to grow the hemp and process it all the way through to a finished product or a CBD product. Some people just want to grow just for the biomass. Some people want to grow for seed to supply other growers with the seed from Hawaii. So, it depends on what program you want to run, what you want to do with the end product. So, we just consult from that aspect, and once we discover those things, we walk into a business plan and we fulfill what the needs are and whatever the profitable situation where the profit is that the person is shooting towards, what the target market is, we'll try to manage from that point. So, if you wanted, you were talking about biofuel, so then I read that the military is interested in hemp as a biofuel. Sure. Would you have them as part of the, I guess what we're saying, some kind of secure statement from them, yes, we're going to buy your product at the end? Yes. I don't know. As far as DOD or the military or anything like that, I don't know exactly what their intention is, given it's a USDA commodity. I'm sure they're looking at some of the things, of course they have large amounts of acreage. They've closed down across the United States, can be utilized for this aspect, retools, so to say. I can't speak for them, but just as far as the biomass opportunity to have biofuel, I mean, if you refer to Henry Ford in the 1920s, he built this car with him, all the composites, and they ran on hemp fuel. So, yes, it is a very interesting opportunity to be able to grow biomass for biofuel at this point in time. I think a lot of energy companies are looking at that. Hawaii, I believe, is one of the ones that's looking at biofuel. Now, let's go back to the seeds. So, if you're using the plant for seed, then tell me, would it make sense to say Hawaiian, whatever? Would that sell around the world just because it is Hawaiian seed? I mean, the name is precious. The name is gold. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Most people do want a variety or cultivar from Hawaii, assuming that it comes with all the tropical goodness that other things come from, like our fruit. It's very sweet compared to other parts of the world, possibly. Yeah, just like with the cousin, you know what I'm saying, to cannabis. Right. When you think about Maui, Hawaii, and other strains that are grown here, and I made it pretty much famous across the United States and across the world. People come in here looking for those cultivars. So hemp is going to be much the same. If we're able to grow a seed crop here and able to export it to people who are interested in growing hemp, I'm sure there'll be a commodity that we can trade, you know, at a high value. So that's what we're intending to know. I'm really looking at operations where we can do seed crop. Seed crop, yeah. That makes sense to me. Yes. Yeah. And if you know how to do it. Now, I understand that Kentucky and North Carolina, once tobacco, which was for hundreds of years their big crop. Now that there's all of this anti-tobacco, that they are growing hemp that is just taken off. Yes, their programs are amazing. I mean, all the colleges and the USDA, you know, the state departments of ag are all involved. They're working in unison to make this opportunity for the next generation to build generational wealth. You know what I'm saying? Sustainability with farming again. And so in their high value that you're getting off the land per acre. It's attracting a lot of different people who are shutting down their past farming operations to renew their interest in hemp or the profitability that comes with it. I think it's a great thing. Carolina, they have a huge, I think they have one of the nation's largest processing plants right now. They also have a university in North Carolina. We had him on the show once. And when we first started talking about hemp, and year-round, of course they don't have a year-round crop like we would. But they are crowded. He said housewives, everybody is enrolled in the university. Yes.  We have the property. At one point in time colleges, you know, sending the better education to get a better job. You know, the parents, one of the kids who grew out and have a better life than they have, working the farm is very hard labor. Can be.  That's why it works so hard for that. Now, if the children have degrees, and the job market is not as what it should be, what they thought it would be, a lot of times they're looking at different ways to utilize a property if they still have it in the family name, if they haven't sold it yet. So hemp is renewing people's opportunity to return to their farmland or to their ag land and plant and be profitable and sustainable for the next generation. So it's giving people a very, very valuable opportunity to do this. You know, and that's why that's what brought my interest because I was one of the people who was sent to go to college, you know, and got my degree, got my master's degree, worked in healthcare for a long time. But, you know, jobs are not plentiful at the level of healthcare, at the corporate level. So one thing I wanted to do is find a way that I can be a better steward to the land. Because I grew up, you know, with farming and agriculture and horses and cattle and things like that there in Oklahoma. So it was only, you know, key for me to just do a whole 360 and bring that back to bear, which Oklahoma has done. We were leading industry and applications for hemp and cannabis as well. And so that just kind of piqued my interest. So I often go back and forth to Oklahoma to get better ideas of what we can do here in Hawaii, you know, and far as the legislation there, we have very good legislators in Congress as it's working together to make it profitable and make it sustainable. For instance, if you did want to get the canvas card there in Oklahoma, the 788 law, and it was you to do that.  That's one thing that Oklahoma's been very progressive on, because we have some gun owners and some gun lovers in Oklahoma, because there's a lot of hunters there. So, you know, having to give up your license or your gun, you know, it's just not culture that's set well with people.  Because look, if you start growing hemp or cannabis, you need to protect your property, you know. Oh, of course you do. So I mean, that's one thing that we did there in Oklahoma. But to the point, I believe that the hemp program is going to bring United States agriculture, the value of agriculture back to better. Well, I think, and we've talked about this before, that it can be an industry, a full-on industry, not just so that kids in school now can learn about A, growing, about being a scientist, about all of the products that can be made from hemp. 50,000 products that can be made. It seems to me that if the health department would get out of the way, and they are in the way, if the health department would get out of the way, it could be a game-changer where kids could grow into this industry and stay here instead of, like my sons all live and work someplace else. They went away to school and got married and that's it. And that's the same in so many families. So if the hemp industry, I mean, could be a real industry that kids could learn from the very beginning, science, engineering, product design, all of the things that would take it to be a real industry, then people could stay there. They could stay there. Let me bring up the health department. I mean, I don't want them to be involved. A lot of people want them to be involved. I think they put resources towards educating them. I'm just answering the questions that society or Hawaii people are asking, whether it be patient or a farmer, if we can get the USDA and DOH to kind of work together on their definitions and what the distinction is between CED medicines for health, agricultural health, you know what I'm saying, for profitability and use of ag land. I need to take a break. But when we come back, when 60 seconds and let's talk about the health department, and the problems with the health department, okay, we'll be right back. Don't go away. Aloha. I'm Wendy Lowe, and I'm coming to you every other Tuesday at 2 o'clock, live from Think Tech, Hawaii, and on our show, we talk about taking your health back. And what does that mean? It means mind, body, and soul. Anything you can do that makes your body healthier and happier is what we're going to be talking about, whether it's spiritual health, mental health, fascia health, beautiful smile health, whatever it means. Let's take healthy back. Aloha. Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, host of Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. My show is based on my book, also titled Beyond the Lines, and it's about creating a superior culture of excellence, leadership, and finding greatness. I interview guests who are successful in business, sports, and life, which is sure to inspire you in finding your greatness. Join me every Monday as we go Beyond the Lines at 11 a.m. Aloha. Aloha. I'm Marcia Joyner, and this is Cannabis Chronicles, and we're back. We're talking to Theo Alexander, who is today on Maui with some people looking at properties that are available to grow hemp. So Theo, are you still there? I am here. Okay. Now, last month, the Department of Health said that the legality in manufacturing and distribution of cannabis products in the state had resulted in a measure of public confusion, and I was thoroughly confused when they said that CBD wasn't legal. CBD products were not legal. Yes. In Hawaii. Yes. But they were legal in every other state, and now, all of a sudden, they put out this press release without any real thing to back it up, nothing to base it on. 50 states says it's legal. Now, and Janice Okubo, Department of Health Communications Director, said the Farm Bill, and I quote, the Farm Bill made hemp cultivation legal, but it retains the authority of the FDA over cannabis-derived products. Hemp is cannabis. That's what she said. Hemp is cannabis. Yes. I mean, I think everybody's doing their best to get their hands around this. When they have the opportunity to get out in front of it with education, PSAs, public service announcements, and other things they could have did when there was an expert in the state coming to the hemp conference and to the cannabis conferences to offer their expertise. I think they try to take advantage of it, but not speaking for them, but I think they could do a little better, put a little bit more resources towards their educational materials and also towards getting people with their right information. Patients are still asking what the difference between hemp to CBD and cannabis is. There's a lot of questions out there. Now, what I learned from you, hemp does not have the level of THC that medical cannabis has. Yes. The distinction, regardless of the USDA or FDA, cannabis is anything above 0.3% THC by dry weight. Anything below 0.3% THC by dry weight is considered USDA commodity or hemp. So there is a distinction because of the level of THC. There is a distinction, okay? So a lot of people don't understand that. They see the below 3% THC. They say that THC is cannabis anyway because it has a little bit of THC in it, which is not true. Look at the definition of what the USDA has put out. That's what we have to go on. The FDA, in my opinion, I think the FDA, what they want to regulate more is the synthetic market for CBD. What is this? Now, synthetic market as opposed to a real market? Synthetic meaning that the the candidates or the cannabinoid or the CBD is derived from a laboratory process. So it's a chemical process, that's why FDA designs your drugs. It's a chemical process as opposed to hemp-derived extractions, which is a botanical process, which is a natural plant medicine. It's a natural plant. So I think the trouble is oftentimes authorities that are legislating that are making a distinction between what I consider fake CBD or synthetic CBD in the market right now. It's kind of out of hand as far as how many people are manufacturing it, whether it be in their garage, whether it be in their kitchen. Some people are doing their writing above par when it comes to formulating the FDA standards and doing it inside a laboratory, things like that, but the danger with synthetics is yet to be known. We're going to see that with the induction of epidiolix, which is a primary drug that the FDA approved about a year ago. So we're going to see what kind of side effects it's going to impose on the public. We've already seen in some cases where people are getting sick and causing pudding control. They're having some adverse side effects with the medications they're already on by prescription. So we're going to see how that plays out, but my role that I would like to play with distinction between CBD hemp-derived and CBD synthetic-derived is to help the Department of Health and the USDA understand that you need to make the distinction for the public. You have an understanding, saying in the back office and talking to the FDA on a relationship basis or talking to the USDA on a relationship base, but the patients and the consumers don't have an opportunity. There's only literature put out. Sometimes that literature is questionable. As I said, when people talk about CBD, some of the headlines just say CBD. It doesn't distinguish whether that's very CBD, whether that's synthetic or whether that's hemp-derived or botanically-derived. And so that's what TAMO and many of us that are advocates for this potentially great market is to distinguish between what's harmful and what's safe. You know what I mean? Because National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization several different, well-accredited organizations that have been with us decades have said this is the safest medicine known to man, but they're talking about botanically-derived, not synthetic. Synthetic we don't know about. We're finding out that's the one that they need the regulation or the extended testing on. Of course, she still needs extended testing on the botanically-derived CBD, but I think it's less harmful. We've shown that through processing and through the use, utilization of it. This is why last year President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill and excluded CBD botanically-derived from the Schedule 1 list. You know, the cannabis is still on as far as CAC. Oh, I see. So, I mean, we just need a better understanding of what the difference is, and I think if they focused on that, they would cut down some of the confusion and some of the propaganda that's being put out. Yeah, and so if you have people making things in their kitchen, how would you know anything or not? There are tests that you can do. Steep Hill, you know, Dan is a really good friend, and he tested some of my product to make sure that it's below 3% to your seeing it was. And so the way they can distinguish, I would have to refer or defer to Steep Hill to ask what is the test that you can apply that would tell you if it's synthetic or botanical. I know there is a test that you can take it through. So, now, I'm not a baker. I'm the worst. But it seems what little I do know about baking is that once you create a product and you bake it, the temperature changes the molecule in the product. So if you're putting in CBD or THC in a product and you bake it, how do you know what you've got now because the chemicals and molecules have been changed? Well, when you heat it, it's going to decorb. So it's going to change from THCA or CBD to basic THC or CBD. I'm not a scientist when it comes to that, but I know that it will change the molecular structure to where it makes it more potent or it makes it more intoxicating or more cycle. Oh, okay. And so I know the health department has some contention with putting CBD in foods. Recently, there are some people who was issuing assist orders and a few locations that were using CBD and put it into food to help people at least sample or try it. It's kind of hard to get people to try things out of a bottle or a peel when they're already used to the opioid crisis or things that are coming from a description basis. Some people are fearful now. So it's best to try it from a nutrient point because that's what cannabis is. So that's what hemp-derived CBD. It's a nutrient. It's a high source of plant protein. Omega-3, 6, 9 fatty acids also. Other essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, they have all those wrapped up in this plant. And this is why it's such a good aid for chronic disease alleviation or any symptom alleviation. But when it comes to putting it in food, adult-generated products, things like that FDA has a ruling on. They will not allow that. They should make the distinction between CBD and botanically-derived CBD. Botanically-derived CBD is just like adding, it's the same thing as in any kind of fruit or vegetable that you want to put into a degree. We are really running out of time and there's so much to talk about. Now, Dr. Cliff Otto, who, you know, when he's been a guest on the show for as long as we've been on the air, and he is really working hard at having us commemorate the day is June 14th. June 14th when it will be 19 years since Governor Cayetano signed and made legal and we're still fighting. We're still fighting over the you know, as far as how we can better understand the plant and how we can make it. Yes. Especially patients who are suffering from chronic conditions, you know. Now, I'll probably talk to Dr. Otto here in the next day or so to discuss what he's doing for us. Yes. June 14th. June 14th. And so let us all remember that's just next week. It will be 19 years. Yes, and we're still the health department still didn't get it right. That's all right. We're going to give them more help. If they'll allow us to collaborate or give them some type of aid, even give us some funding. It makes the funding available for people to help out. There's a lot of intel from people here in Hawaii that help out. A lot of people are interested in better health choices when it comes to medications. I think they kind of reach out to the community and show up to some of the meetings that we're asking to do. Some of these meetings that are working groups are serious groups. This is how we got our cannabis legislation available for the people to be able to use. So I would hope that they have an open mind to what's happening with CBD instead of having a restrictive mind. I mean, it is a safe medicine for people to use. Well, Phil, as always, it's a pleasure talking with you and enjoy your time on Maui. And when you get back, let me know all about it. I want to hear every detail about your trip to Maui and the farms over there. Thank you again. Aloha. We'll see you next time.


Putin warned the West. Russia has weapons that can strike targets on your territory. Politicians in the West sought to weaken Russia from within, just like they did in Ukraine, but they failed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a state-of-the-nation address. They essentially would like to do to Russia exactly what they did to many other regions of the world, including Ukraine. Bring discord to our home and weaken us from within. But they miscalculated. The president said it is absolutely obvious today. Vladimir Putin has warned the West that Russia has weapons that can strike targets on your territory. Claiming allies have created a potential nuclear conflict which could lead to the destruction of civilization. In a state-of-the-nation address ahead of next month's election, Putin accused the US of wanting to ultimately defeat Russia and drag us into an arms race. Speaking to an audience of lawmakers and top officials which was televised live nationwide, Putin said Russia was defending its sovereignty and security and protecting our compatriots in Ukraine. The Russian president addressed his remarks specifically to nations which have hinted they could send their own troops to support Ukraine. Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out doing so saying nothing should be excluded. However, other countries including the UK, the US, and Germany warned against the move. They need to understand we too have weapons that can strike targets on their territory, Mr Putin said. He said Western rhetoric had threatened a conflict with the use of nuclear arms and consequently the destruction of civilization. NATO countries are stationed in Ukraine. Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said. She said that the mentioned military personnel are actively helping the armed forces of Ukraine. Zakharova added that the Ukrainian army is running out of weapons and personnel. Zakharova told that the West is preparing for a long-term conflict with Russia. She said that the security agreements between Western countries and Ukraine are an indication of this. This suggests that the West is not interested in a political diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis. According to her, even promises by French President Emmanuel Macron to send Western troops into Ukraine will not be enough to change the minds of the Ukrainian people who have started to wake up to the fact that they have been betrayed by the West. Zakharova suggested that Macron's statement was an attempt to send out a bright and powerful statement that would somehow inspire people in the ranks of the armed forces of Ukraine and in the ranks of Ukrainian citizens being driven to slaughter, that the West would help them. However, according to the spokeswoman, the French leader's statement has had the opposite effect, especially after a large number of NATO representatives publicly stated that they were in no way considering sending their own soldiers to fight for Ukraine. The signal was exactly the opposite. That they betrayed Ukraine and will continue to use it and betray it. She said, Russia recruiting Syrian mercenaries for meat assaults. Ukraine's military defense intelligence has reported on its telegram channel that Russia is recruiting mercenaries from Syria to bolster its military resources for the war in Ukraine, according to the Kiev Post. The recruitment of Syrians for the war indicates a deterioration in the morale and psychological state of the Russian occupation forces due to large-scale losses and the need to replenish them to further meat assaults. Ukraine's military defense intelligence reported initial training sessions, which focus on urban combat operations for the first group of mercenaries, estimated to be around 1,000 strong, are said to be underway in Syria near the city of Aleppo and the Kuwarez airfield. Following the completion of their training, the mercenaries are expected to be transported to Russia's Khmerim airbase in Syria before being transferred to Russian territory. Upon arrival, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Syrian recruits are granted Russian citizenship provided with Russian passports and subsequently drafted into the Russian arms assault units. The video footage, which is attached to Ukraine's military defense intelligence's report, showcased several Syrians holding Russian passports which were allegedly issued within five days. Intelligence sources have revealed that Moscow is enticing Syrian men, obviously facing dire circumstances in their own war-torn country through travel agencies. Initially, they are promised positions as security guards at oil refineries in Yakusha, only to be later enticed with offers of higher-paying jobs in Boratia. In the city of Ulan-Ude in the Borat Republic, these recruited men are expected to join the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, where they will be involved in combat operations against Ukraine.


Hi, I'm Dave Salser from BMC Software, and today we're going to show how to use the direct REST API integration capabilities in Innovation Suite to extend Helix Chatbot. When you're working with an Innovation Suite application, users interact with it various ways. The data is often stored locally with Innovation Suite. But if it's stored somewhere with a REST API availability in the back end, whether it's Remedy running with a REST API on ITSM or a special integration gateway you already have set up or a public internet API like AWS, you want to be able to get to it in a simple way. REST API is for that command line of the cloud. A full solution will often involve a mix of cloud-based services. And you need one way to get to them that doesn't involve complex setups and additional infrastructures. You need to be able to deal with complex data types, often defined as JSON. You want to extend your solution rather than modify it to make upgrades easy. And above all, you don't want to have to write code to do it. Let's take an example using BMC Chatbot. Let's say that you have a dialogue where users can ask for a time off. But you want it to take a different path if the user doesn't have any time off accrued. However, let's say the accruals are stored in JIRA, which is a public web service. You want to do this codelessly and have different paths depending on what happens. If you look in JIRA, you can see in this example that the accrual records are stored as JIRA tasks with a pair of labels. One that says PTO accrual and one that says the user's name. The description field is where the actual time off is accrued. You can see that this object has no time off accrued. So when Alan requests time off, the Chatbot will pull up this information using the JIRA integration and tell him he has two days accrued. And then it proceeds to the standard dialogue that was generated using our out-of-the-box wizard. So far, so good. However, remember that Amit had no time off accrued in his JIRA task. So in this case, the interaction will go differently. After Amit asks for time off, it will tell him you don't have any time off. You'd better speak to your manager. So how was this done? The design of the standard part of asking is the same for all conversations where you're requesting a service from Digital Workplace Catalog. In this case, we've extended it. The first step is to look at how the JIRA interface works. You will need to understand the JIRA, the REST API, as it's documented on the JIRA site, both the inputs, the parameters, and the resulting document returned by the REST API. Next, we'll create the necessary definitions in Innovation Studio. We'll put these in a helper library called REST integration. This way we can reuse our JIRA integration for other use cases if we decide to later on. First, we need to define the document structure that will be returned by the REST API. This is a new reusable object that's very handy in Process Designer for looking at individual parts of a response or something you send through an API. The API collection itself has a search API where we define the parameters that JIRA expects, as well as any headers, and we can define the document that we expect to get back. Our process to call it, it's very simple in this case. We're simply calling the search API and we define enough of the parameters that can be used in a flexible way. How many records to return, what the JIRA query is, that kind of thing. Now this becomes a reusable building block for any type of JIRA REST API integration that you might wanna do in Innovation Suite. Since that's a little cumbersome to use for this use case, we'll create another helper process. This one takes the two labels as inputs. It generates the query, it specifies, you only want one result back, and then it takes the result list and dereferences the first item in the list to return a single JIRA issue as its output. This will make it a lot easier for applications like Chatbot to get exactly one record back. Now we're gonna design the actual process that will be called by Chatbot. So we put this in another helper bundle called ChatHelper, could have been in the Chatbot bundle actually. We define the parameters that the Chatbot will need to know about. The input parameters such as the username and the source, that way we can track who is asking. And then we can return things like was it found? And we can return the accrual number itself. These will wind up being context variables on the Watson side so that the flow can use that information. We call our helper method, which will return the list object. Not shown here would be additional logic you could add to handle cases where there was nothing found. Now we can pull out the individual item we want from that response document, such as the accrual number. We can return those as output parameters. We can add some additional logic if we want to here, which I won't show in this video. Now comes the time when we need to customize the Watson conversation in Watson Assistant itself to use this. Note that the out of the box dialogue node handles the PTO intent. We can create another node above it in the list with the same intent. Essentially it intercepts the request for time off. We customize the JSON to include the binding to that special process we just created. We pass in the input parameters like username and source. And then we make sure the outputs of the process are mapped to context variables as well. We specify the fully qualified process name to call. And we specify that the chatbot should wait until the process concludes before returning the response to Watson Chatbot. How those context variables are used depends on the child nodes. The first one handles the case of no cruel found. And after displaying a message, it simply jumps to anything else I can help with. The second node will handle all the other cases where there isn't a cruel found. It displays the cruel context variable so the user knows how much they have accrued. And then it jumps into the standard time off dialogue which you don't have to touch. Integration service is still available for cases where you can't use the REST API or you want to do other capabilities such as go behind the corporate firewall. For pure REST API integration, however, it is no longer needed. To recap this, all applications built in innovation suite can use this capability now of integrating directly with REST APIs. There are new definition objects to support it. And applications can be extended by basically adding behavior to processes, records and views without customization or upgrade woes. Thanks so much for watching. And as always, please get more information from developers.bmc.com.