We hear a lot about great leaders there are countless books and materials written about developing good leadership skills and abilities. But when it comes right down to it what is a leader? What qualities and characteristics are essential to the ability to lead? Is it the ability to have people do whatever you want? Like Hitler? Or the ability to find out what they want and to direct those individuals to a solution to their problem?
After thinking on this subject a bit and really looking at the motives driving me to be a leader I stumbled upon an interesting idea one which may or may not have occurred to you. My epiphany after a moment of reflection was this to become a great leader you must first become a great server. Others may have put this more eloquently in the past but this is how my mind grasped it.
The next car in my train of thought was obviously what does it mean to be a great server? It means communicating with individuals listening to what they say discovering their needs and then doing all in your power to assist them in meeting those needs. Be the ‘solution master’ A bully is one who always commands takes and coerces others. Conversely a true leader is one who really listens gives and helps. Individuals always take the advice of one who knows their needs and assists them in meeting those needs.
One of the best ways I have found to acquaint myself with individuals who have problems and provide solutions is volunteering. Volunteering is a word that can encompass many different activities and talents. Do you enjoy construction? Playing music? Baking? There’s an outlet for serving everywhere we turn no matter what your talent Every time we step out and serve we develop a more well rounded appreciation for others’ situations and build foundations for future leadership.
Needless to say a big part of my life at present is volunteering. I enjoy working once each week for several hours at our local Rescue Mission’s café. I serve customers in the Restoration Café a vocational training center for students in the Mission’s Life Recovery Program. This experience has opened my eyes to a group of people with a new set of issues that affect millions every day. I’m thankful for this opportunity as I am now much better equipped to understand and relate to this demographic of society.
We must be silent before we can listen.
We must listen before we can learn.
We must learn before we can prepare.
We must prepare before we can serve.
We must serve before we can lead.
William Arthur Ward
So get out of your comfort zone listen learn volunteer and discover what it means to become a true leader
Lately the Boho chic look has become widely known and popular due to it s bohemian rustic look that is also very modern and stylish. A lot of celebrities have taken on the Boho chic look themselves with flowing free long locks fringed clothes in brands such as Johnny Was and layering sheer blouses and skirts in blends of colors and patterns. How could you take on the Boho chic look on your own? With a number of straightforward choices of styles you will have the ability to pull off the look quite easily.
A layered appearance is an integral part of Boho chic clothing. This means looking for clothing pieces of different colors textures lengths prints and fits. Find a number of them that are tailored and some pieces that are more free flowing. This does not mean to just throw on any old things that will make you look like you just rolled out of bed and threw on mismatching items. Try to find a good balance between the layers and mix them up well together. Stick to colors of an earthy nature and avoid too many bright colors. As an example you ll find that the Johnny Was line of clothing is available in muted softened tones such as neutral colors as well as cream soft blues rose etc. You can throw in a darker accent color but be sure that it s done with a minor accessory that doesn t overdo it such as jewelry shoes or a headband in black red or turquoise.
Bohemian style clothing is known for being loose but if you aren t careful it s very easy to go overboard and end up looking as if you just rolled out of bed and sloppy. Browse the Johnny Was website to see samples of clothing and further search to see celebs and magazines who show you what Boho clothing should look like when it s actually worn. Because Boho chic is a blend of hippie and bohemian style clothing you will want to make sure you wear a couple of layered pieces of jewelry such as bold layered bangles or dangling earrings. The minimalist look is not the one to go for when trying for a bohemian look the more jewelry the more effective.
You should also ensure that your purse goes well with your new Boho style. Your bag should have a really soft look to it by way of supple suede leather or fabric with beads or embroidered designs. You can find these types of bags in many price ranges by looking online or at various boutiques or even thrift stores. Shoes are similar to purses in bohemian style. Visualize brown leather sandals slouchy boots and especially clogs or shoes with wooden soles.
To complete your Boho chic clothing and accessories you ll want to make sure that your hair and cosmetic choices fit your clothing. Bohemian style is simply not about perfectly styled hair as soft flowing and gentle is necessary. Leave your hair looking natural and if you choose to put your hair up leave some soft tendrils loose. Braids are really popular as are enhancements in the hair such as feathers or beads and wispy pieces framing the face. Makeup is natural and warm tones such as peach and bronze cheeks matched with nude colors for lips and taupe around the eyes are trendy choices for creating a final look. Eyebrows and nails ought to be natural and well groomed.
There are some white men who just love black women. But most of them are clueless about where to find them and how to approach them. With many Black women declaring openly how their ideal man is the Black man I think this has played such a big role in making white men shy away from Black women white men relationships because one may not be sure whether the Black girl he is interested in is into Black women white men dating or not. Some white men also go about looking for Black women in all the wrong places like bars and night clubs for example. To be honest this is not the best place to find Black women who really want to form meaningful relationships with white men. Besides people visit bars for various reasons besides looking for love the bar scene is just not targeted enough.
Wanna know where and how to find Black women that love white men? Then you better read on
First of all of you better get with the online dating program if you are seriously looking to get into Black women white men kind of dating. See online dating is now the big craze for everyone – even for most Black women. So if you are not doing your search for your black queen online then you are missing out on the women who have openly declared that they want to date White men. See with the bar you go there hoping to bump into a black woman who likes white men one that is single and looking. Online there already are thousands of black women who like white men women who are single looking and readily available.
See online dating is now considered the most essential avenue for Black women white men relationships. Its one of the simplest and most convenient ways of dating in the 21st century. All any white man who wants to date black women needs to do is register on a black white dating site and present himself with a killer profile that is attention grabbing with a good profile photo and one that states clearly his dating preference – finding a black queen.
All you have to be when chatting Black women online is to be respectful to her. As much as these women are known to be strong every woman needs to be spoilt and treated as a woman should – gently. So get online and be on the right track with your search for some Black women white men kind of loving.
It has already been pointed out by some historians like Godfrey Higgins Khwaja Neamat Ullah Gene Matlock and others that Jews are none other than Yadavas of India the tribe in which Krishna the Godly figure of Indians was born. This article attempts to provide some very strong piece of evidence to show that Jews are none other than Yadavas of India. This article attempts to show that the covenant with God of Abrahamic religions is nothing but an agreement among the Yadavas Jews that they are not going to worship any God other than Krishna. Abrahamic religions have covenant with Krishna of India
It is not just the covenant most aspects of the Jewish theology including all the important names of their God Yahweh the important names connected with them including the words Jews Hebrews Israel the original sin Sabbath the system of prophets the names of their scriptures and rabbis the song of songs and everything else can be unambiguously traced back to Krishna and Yadavas of India. Even the tomb of their founder Moses is present in Kashmir. Even though their scriptures talk about Egypt no Egyptian text ever found contains a single reference to Jews in Egypt. The only reason why their scriptures talk about Egypt is because their scriptures were intentionally modified by their prophets under instructions from Moses. This was done to save their faith. This article shall restrict the discussion to the covenant.
Some historians who identified Jews with Yadavas suggested that Yadavas migrated out from India after being displaced by a gigantic flood that destroyed their city of Dwarka. This flood is described in Indian scriptures. However I think they migrated from India after the great drought of 2200 BC a mighty three century drought that led to the drying up of Saraswati river in India. This drought is now universally recognized by geologists. The Jewish covenant originated at the time of this drought.
It has already been long pointed out by some historians that Abraham of Jews and Brahma of Hindus are too close by name to miss. Additionally Sarai is too close to Hindu goddess Saraswati the wife of Brahma and the connection cannot be missed. As per Hindu legends Saraswati is the daughter of Brahma because he has created her. And together with her he fathered the people of this world and created all living beings. So Brahma’s relationship with Saraswati is an incestual relationship. And the same is the case with Abraham and Sarai of the Abrahamic world. Sarai is the half sister of Abraham. In that sense his relation with her is an incest. And as in Hindu legends Abraham along with Sarai fathers a large number of nations across the world.
This relation between Brahma and Abraham Sarai and Saraswati has already been recognized by historians. And Mount Moriah itself is pointed out to be Mount Meru of the Hindus. We cannot miss the similarities. Despite such close connections being shown the similarity of two or three names does not break much ice one problem with these similarities is the causative factor. It can be argued both ways – that Jews have got influenced by Hindus or that Hindus got influenced by Jews. And as long as the argument stays at this deadlock it does not progress much in capturing public as well as scholarly imagination. So let me show that there is more resemblance than just two names here.
Abraham’s son Issac is none other Iswar aka Siva of the Hindus the similarity of names and the concept cannot be missed. In Hindu legends Iswar is the son of Brahma he is even called Brahmaputra meaning son of Brahma. And in Jewish legends Issac is the son of Abraham.
Rebeccah the wife of Issac is none other than Ambica the wife of Siva of the Hindus. Ambika Rebecca – the names are quite similar. Rebeccah of Jews is portrayed as a pleasing and benign woman. And just like in Jewish legend the Ambika of Hindus is actually a benign and pleasing goddess. Ambika Amba is the most popular name of the Saivite Goddess in the Gujarat region the place where the Yadavas used to stay in India at the time of Krishna.
The most revealing connection is that of Hagar the handmaiden of Sarai. This is nothing but the tributary of river Saraswati the river by name Ghaggar in India Ghaggar Hagar the resemblance is overwhelming. And the relations they have with Sarai Saraswati are quite revealing in themselves. Ghaggar is a tributary to river Saraswati and this relation of being tributary is being described as that of handmaiden. Saraswati is the mighty river and Ghaggar is small tributary to it. Similarly Sarai is the real mistress holding all the powers while Hagar is just handmaiden under her.
And what does the son Ishmael of Hagar signify? Ishmael is just a morphed form of Ishalay Isha + Alay meaning temple of Ishwar or Siva. Why would a temple of Siva be made the son of Hagar the tributary of Saraswati?
This entire covenant of Abraham is nothing but an agreement amongst Yadavas that henceforth they are not going to worship any god other than Krishna Yahweh. Krishna was born among Yadavas and lived in India about 5000 years ago. He declared himself to be the Supreme God. He told his followers to abandon every other form of worship and worship him and him alone. This statement of his to abandon all other Gods and forms of worship is present in Indian holy scripture Gita even today. After his death the Yadavas of India made an agreement among themselves that they are not going to worship any God other than Krishna. Having made such an agreement it was necessary to show that they have discarded other gods of Hinduism. Which all gods did they discard? They listed down the entire Hindu pantheon as the descendants of Abraham They are just symbolically representing the gods rejected as Abraham and his descendants in their scriptures. These gods named under Abraham are henceforth to be considered as humans and not as divine. And then they have woven all of their experiences in India after Krishna’s time into these legends with Abraham and others as central characters. So the experiences of Abraham and his descendants are nothing but symbolic allegories of all the difficulties faced by Yadavas during their time of stay in India after Krishna.
So the gods who are rejected by Yadavas are listed under the covenant as different characters. Who all have they rejected? They have rejected Brahma Abraham . They have rejected Saraswati Sarai they are no longer going to consider her as a goddess if anything she would be shown as a human woman who would be dependent on the grace of Yahweh Krishna as much as the Yadavas are. They have rejected Siva Issac . They are no longer going to worship him. They have rejected Ambika Siva’s wife Rebecca she would henceforth be considered as human. Siva is an important god of the Hindu pantheon his worship was strong in the Gujarat region. So it is likely that some Yadavas were reluctant to completely give up the worship of Siva. It might not be that they wanted to worship Siva alone but they probably wanted to continue worshipping the Hindu religious trinity of Brahma Vishnu Siva and the Vedic Gods they probably did not want to completely discard the worship of everyone especially Siva. Such Yadavas have been left in India on the banks of Hagar river.
Yadavas were traveling from Gujarat region along the banks of Saraswati river towards Kashmir in search of water. As the famine drew stronger it was necessary to find water and people just about migrated to any place where they thought that they could find water. Right from the next day of Krishna’s death they are likely to have had an agreement that they are no longer going to worship anyone other than Krishna. On their way to Kashmir it looks like they had a disagreement in this regard. Obviously the strongest of faiths can wither at the onslaughts of such dramatic famines of hundreds of years. And some Yadavas are likely to have lost faith in this new religion of theirs. They wanted to go back to the old Vedic religion where they worshipped all Vedic gods including Siva and mother goddesses. A disagreement arose and such Yadavas who wanted to go back to the pre Krishna religion were discarded. This separation probably took place on the banks of river Ghaggar near some Siva temple. So they have recorded it in their scriptures in the form of Hagar and Ishmael. Jews did not take these people along with them to Kashmir and later to Israel.
And then after they broke away from this faction the Yadavas then had a serious discussion amongst themselves about their religion. Once again they took oaths amongst themselves that henceforth they are not going to worship anyone else other than Krishna. In order to prove that they abide by this agreement it is likely that various measures were taken by the Yadavas. For example any idols of Siva or other gods had to be thrown away such other idols should not be kept with anyone. From then on no one would even utter the name of Siva and other gods. This has been symbolically represented in their scriptures when Isaac is taken to Mount Moriah and is offered as sacrifice to Yahweh. Mount Moriah is nothing but Mount Meru of Vishnu Krishna. Vishnu Krishna is believed by Vaishnavites to reside there. Abraham took Isaac there and offered him as sacrifice before he was stopped in the last minute. This is symbolic representation of the fact that in favor of Vishnu Krishna they would henceforth give up Issac Iswar Siva worship completely his worship is given up as a sacrifice unto in favor of Krishna. The sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Meru is an allegory that is representative of an agreement between the Yadavas whereby any small remnant of Siva worship is thenceforth given up by them completely and they would henceforth have nothing more to do with his worship.
They have rejected Brahma Saraswati Siva and Ambika Parvati. Who else did they reject? Obviously Siva’s sons Ganesh and Skanda have to be rejected. And they have been rejected. Issac’s sons Jacob and Esau are none other than Siva’s sons Ganesh and Skanda
Ganesh is many a times called Jaiganesh in the north. In fact people are named as Jaiganesh and this particular habit of prefixing jai is a peculiar habit of this deity alone. For other deity names they also append Sri along with Jai JaiSriram for example. Moreover no one is named as Jaisriram. However I have seen people being named as Jaiganesh. Jai means hail. They have done a lot of cutting the names right in the middle. For example we can see that the long name of Saraswati is cut right in the middle and only Sarai portion of it is retained. Similarly in Ishwar only Ish has been retained and a consonant has been suffixed to get Isaac. Similarly in Jaiganesh only Jaiga has been retained and a consonant has been added to it as suffix to make it Jagob or Jacob. Similarly Siva’s other son is named as Swamy. Not many are aware of it that Siva’s second son is named as Swamy. I once read an article of a Tamil scholar who claimed that the word Swamy originally belonged to Skanda. Later on it started being applied to all other gods. So for example Tirupati Balaji is called Venkateswara swami. After pointing out all of this the scholar claimed that this is indicative of the fact that Venkateswara Swamy and Skanda are one and the same and likewise all forms of worship are different manifestations of the same god he argued. Esau is none other than Swami again cut in half like other names Siva’s second son. In south India Ganesh is considered elder to Swami. However in north India he is considered to be younger Swami is considered as elder.
The resemblance between the characters is quite striking. In Hindu legends Swami is a warrior god he is fit and agile and served as the commander general of the armies of gods. This fits in with the description of Esau who is said to be an agile and able hunter. Obviously Jewish forefathers could not write that Esau is the chief of armies of gods because they wanted to consider Esau as human in their legends. The legend needed to be suitably modified to fit in the new realm. Similarly in Hindu legends Ganesh is a rotund personality who is no where near as agile or as able as his brother. However he is said to be high in intellect. This is quite similar to the description of Jacob. Jacob is not so able but is considered to be an intellect.
There are several legends that show that Ganesh and Swami Skanda fought with each other for various things. Ganesh’s original name is Vignesh lord of obstacles not Ganesh lord of ganas . How did he get this name? The legend runs as follows
Once Siva and Parvati decided to make one of their sons as the chief or lord of the ganas of Kailas warriors or attendants who accompany Siva and live along with him on Mount Kailas their heavenly abode . Considered to be an extremely important post both the brothers fight for the post. In order to break the deadlock it is declared that whoever goes around the world and comes back first would be made the lord of the ganas. Skanda immediately starts on his peacock and goes around the world at a fast pace and comes back in seven days. To his surprise however his brother Ganesh is happily seated munching sweets on Mount Kailas is declared as the winner of the contest and is given the title of Ganapati Ganesh or the lord of the ganas. How did he get the title? Simple. As per scriptures circulambulating around one’s parents seven times is considered equal to circulambulating the world. So after Skanda went away Ganesh promptly bowed down to his parents and ambulated around them seven times. That was it he won the contest Skanda felt cheated by this development and he goes away from Kailas to far away place in the south.
This legend has other variations. For example in another variation they were fighting for the two grand daughters of Brahma. Whoever wins the contest gets both their hands in marriage. In another variation something else. But all these legends carry the same framework. There is something to be gained for which Skanda leaves home and goes out. In his absence the less able Ganesh wins the booty through guile wisdom. And needless to say this is the same framework that was adopted for the fight of Jacob and Esau in the Jewish Bible. Abrahamic legacy is the booty to win to attain which the more able Esau goes out. In his absence Jacob wins the booty through guile wisdom. On his comeback Esau feels extremely cheated. In both cases it is about the title and legacy. Ganesh in Hindu legends becomes the lord of ganas whereas Jacob in Jewish legends gets the title of Israel and is bestowed with Abrahamic legacy. The legends of the Jewish bible have been appropriately modified to fit them with human beings. The legends of Hindus are obviously pertaining to godly figures. So they needed to be suitably modified so as to fit them and show them as legends about mortals. Some modifications were done here and there to fit the legend of godly figures into the legends of mortals. For example to justify the attainment of title by Jacob they have shown Esau as a bad figure otherwise it would be difficult to justify the guile with which Jacob had acted.
They have rejected Brahma Saraswati Siva Ambika Ganesh and Skanda. Who else? Well the Vedic gods. Even they need to be rejected and discarded. Obviously they would have taken a decision to discard all Vedic gods as well? And the answer to that is yes. They have rejected the Vedic gods as well
At the ripe old age of 137 years Abraham is said to have married another woman termed as concubine named Ketura. And he is said to have fathered six sons through her. And the names of these six sons along with their meanings are as follows
Let us start with Ketura. Ketura is none other than Hindu goddess Gayatri considered to be the mother of Vedas. Ketura Gayatri – the two names are very close phonetically. The most important Gayatri mantra hymn of the Hindus belongs to her it is in her name. She is considered to be the second wife of Brahma second to Saraswati in importance. And this nicely tallies with Ketura Abraham’s second wife.
And Gayatri being considered as the mother of Vedas the Vedic gods have been represented as her sons in the Jewish legends. The six sons of Abraham through Ketura are none other than the Vedic gods of India.
Showing the connection between the six sons and the Vedic gods requires some linguistic analysis it would not be possible to show the analysis here as it requires some development of the subject. Just to capture the results of the analysis Zimran is Devendra Zokshan is Daksha Medan is Marut Midian is Mithra Ishbak is Aswins and Shuah is Rudra. Aswins represent the twilight time in Vedas they represent the aspect of leaving the night and entering the day – this attribute of leaving has got associated as the meaning of Ishbak in Jewish scriptures. Mithra is the god of friendships and pacts so his name got associated with judgement in Jewish scriptures. Daksha was a hard and stubborn task master one who led to the death of his own daughter because of his stubbornness so his name got associated with hardness. Devendra is the most celebrated king of Indian scriptures so his name got associated with celebrated. Maruts are soldiers of Devendra’s army so this name got associated with contention and conflict in Bible. Siva is not the only Rudra there are other Rudras apart from him though he is the most prominent Rudra. As per Indian scripture Gita Siva is one among the eleven Rudras. So even though Siva was already mentioned earlier Rudra is once again mentioned here. Rudra means someone who is supremely angry and one who destroys. So his name got figuratively associated with ditch and humiliation.
One important thing to notice is that they have not listed elements of nature fire wind water .. and Sun and Moon in this list of six sons probably they considered these to be the manifestations of God on earth.
All six sons of Ketura are Vedic gods Since she is the mother of Vedas they have been listed as her sons. It is said that Abraham sent them to the east far away from his son Issac. This symbolically represents the fact that they had left the worship of these Vedic gods in the east in India. The Jews no longer wanted to have anything to do with these Vedic gods.
So you ve taken a liking to the wonderful world of fine cigars. Initially the aromas relaxation and fellowship pulled you in so you bought a few sticks. Of course your collection quickly grew and now you find yourself in a full on hobby a tasty hobby I might add. One thing you might not have anticipated from all this stogie madness is all the little things that go along with cigar smoking the humidor cutter and lighter just to name a few. And while there are just too many aspects of the cigar world to consider for this article I thought I might give a few pointers in the way of the all important cigar lighter possibly the most important cigar accessory you can own tied with the humidor of course .
First of all there are many ways to light a cigar some better than others and some you simply shouldn t try trust me I ve lit my stogies in ways I care not to mention . Now I m sure you ve heard this already but I m going to mention it anyways throw out that Bic lighter Cigars deserve more respect than that they have special needs… Kerosene and other oil based lighters Zippos should not be used for cigars as it taints the flavor of the cigar. Matches can be used to light up but avoid sulfur tips strike anywhere as they too will have a foul taste. Another downside to matches is you ll end up using half the box if you re going to get a proper light. Some will light cedar sticks called cedar spills and use these to light the cigar but most choose a butane torch lighter clean burning easy to carry and affordable for the most part… this is what you want.
What to look for
When making that vital decision of what lighter to purchase you ll notice right away there s a lot of options out there From the widely varying prices to size brand and more there are generally five factors I watch for.
Look size
You re going to be using this thing a lot I hope make sure it s something that catches you re eye. It should also be easy to fit in your pocket so don t get some ridiculous dragon shaped torch…
Ease of Use
Again you will be using this often a good lighter should be simple to fill open and light. Look for lighters that open and light simultaneously if you really want to avoid a hassle.
Flame Count
This is entirely up to the individual one flame will take longer to get the cigar started but works great for those fine touchups. Three flames will get you up and running with no questions asked. Like you might expect two flames is kind of like the best of both worlds in my opinion
Fuel Capacity
Something you might not think to look for a small fuel size can get rather annoying rather quick. A good lighter should be able to handle a table of cigar smokers no problem. On the other hand a lighter can get fairly bulky with a large fuel tank try to find a good balance.
Reliability
This is the most important factor for a good lighter. What s the point in a lighter that doesn t light? The best lighters light every time no exceptions. And while the top of the line lighters are generally the most reliable naturally a dependable lighter can be found at a decent price you just need to know where to look. Consequently a cheapy lighter is almost guaranteed to be unreliable avoid those great deal $5 lighters if you want something that will work when it should.
So what lighters are out there? What brands can we trust to deliver on all or most of these aforementioned traits? While I haven t tried em all who has? I ve been around long enough to get a good feel of which lighters are the real deal and which ones just… blow. In my opinion these are some of the best cigar lighters out there for your hard earned cash.
The Top 5 Affordable Cigar Lighters
5. Blazer Optimus
This is an interesting and unusual lighter in that there is actually a guillotine cigar cutter built in On the front of the Blazer Optimus is a magnetically held cutter that simply slides off and on. The blazer also has a nice lighting mechanism as the cover doubles as the striking button. On the downside the Optimus is a little bit bulky in size and doesn t feel as solid as others on this list loosing the guillotine cutter can also be an issue which compromises the look and feel be careful to keep this lighter in one piece.
4. Colibri Evoke
The Colibri Evoke is a single flame torch lighter made with style and class in mind. The Evoke is a slim metallic lighter that will fit into any pocket with ease. It has a flip top that feels very solid and smooth this also reflects the lighter s higher $55 price range. There is a viewing window on the side to gauge your butane and a punch cutter that opens from the bottom. This is a very solid and reliable lighter with features and price that may not be appreciated by the beginner.
3. Xikar Tech
This is your traveling lighter durable easy to operate and one huge butane reservoir The Xikar Tech is a single torch lighter that simply gets the job done. With a large flame adjustment wheel on the bottom no screwdriver and a clear body this thing makes it incredibly easy to manage that oh so precious butane. With a fair $30 price range this is a must have for the traveling aficionado.
2. Vector Vulcan
The Vulcan is a solid triple flame torch lighter. The thing I love about it is the lighting mechanism located on the side of the lighter simply squeeze the lighter and the top opens while giving a huge triple flame burst of heat The Vector Vulcan has a nice heavy weight in the hand feel as well as extras like a punch cutter at the bottom and an easy fuel gauge on the side. Be careful though as the triple flame uses triple the fuel something to keep in mind. At $50 the price feels a little steep try to find this lighter on sale you won t be disappointed.
