#a very important point bth | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

morganaspendragonss · 3 years

Note

if your looking for a bth prompt what about used in sacrificial ritual where tk gets abducted on a run and carlos is the lead detective on this case of people getting murdered as sacrifices and they arrive in time to save tk but the ritual involved cutting limbs off and tk ends up losing a leg? perhaps w lots of fluff at the end? <3<3

anon, i cannot tell you how excited this prompt got me. i’d been toying with a very similar idea for weeks and this was the push i needed to actually write it - with certain modifications to fit your idea. (i promise it has a happy ending!)

i’m super proud of how this came out, and i hope you like it as much as i do!

@911lonestarangstweek day 7: Free choice!

Two months ago, TK vanished, snatched while out on his evening run. Carlos will do anything to get him back, even if that includes running himself into the ground.

ao3 | 4.9k | cw: kidnapping, depictions of violence, death and injury, forced amputation, career-ending injuries

It’s been two months.

Two whole months since TK left for his evening run with nothing but a shouted goodbye and a promise to be home soon.

Two months since Carlos hadn’t even turned around, because apparently the dishes were more important than his husband.

Two months since they found TK’s shattered phone and wallet, abandoned in the park next to a pool of blood.

Two months since Carlos’s world came crashing down around him.

He blames himself - how could he not? He’s been the lead detective on this case for months; he’s the one who’s so far failed to catch the guys who have mutilated and killed so many people, and now might do the same to his husband. More to the point, he’s the one who is supposed to protect TK, and it’s clear he’s resoundly failed in that department.

His captain had tried to take him off the case, once they’d found out that TK had become the latest victim. But Carlos had informed him in no uncertain terms that he was going to keep looking for his husband, even if he had to go above his head to do it.

They’d allowed him to keep the case, but Carlos knows he’s being watched. They think he’s having a breakdown and, the thing is, Carlos isn’t entirely sure they’re wrong.

He hasn’t slept in their bed since the night it happened, when he got woken up at two am to the sound of his ringtone blaring through the room.

“Reyes,” Mitchell had said, tone heavy. “I… Shit, Reyes. You gotta get here. There’s another one and I… I really didn’t want to be telling you this over the phone, but…”

She’d paused, and Carlos had sat bolt upright in bed, suddenly all too aware of the empty space next to him. And, in that moment, he’d known; even so, he’d still choked out a quiet, “No.”

“I’m sorry, Carlos. I truly am.”

He’s been living in a daze ever since, work and TK the only two things on his mind. He eats when he has to, barely sleeps, and never hangs out with their friends anymore, which he almost feels guilty for. They’re suffering too, Carlos knows this, but he can’t afford any distractions right now. If he were to be out somewhere and ends up missing the one chance he has to get TK back, he’d never forgive himself.

He’s just about to leave for another shift when there’s a loud, insistent knock at the door. Carlos rolls his eyes and goes to yank it open, about to tell whoever it is to leave him alone.

Only to come face-to-face with a very determined looking Grace Ryder.

“Grace,” he sighs, irritation dissipating. “Can this wait? I’ve got a -”

“I know you don’t have an official shift today, Carlos,” she interrupts, folding her arms. “Just like I know you’re working yourself to death, and I’m not going to stand for it anymore. You’re coming out with me, no arguments.”

Carlos shakes his head. “Grace… I can’t.”

“Oh, yes, you can.” She clicks her tongue, levelling him with an unimpressed stare. "You should be thanking me; Judd was planning on bringing the entire crew down here to stage a full intervention. Now, I managed to talk him out of that one, convinced him the last thing you need right now is a house full of people, but I will not hesitate to go back on that. So you've got two options. Either you go back upstairs and get changed and I'll take you out for coffee, just the two of us, or I'm gonna unleash my husband and the full force of the 126 on you. Choice is yours, Reyes."

He sighs, wearily meeting her eyes. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"No, sir, you are not."

Carlos closes his eyes and hangs his head, knowing just how stubborn Grace Ryder can be. “Alright,” he says, though his every nerve is screaming at him for it, “you win. Give me a minute.”

She smiles encouragingly at him. “I’ll be here.”

The coffee-shop Grace takes him to is mercifully empty, both of people and memories. He wonders if she did this on purpose, but figures it’s more a stroke of pure luck, his first in months. It’s a nice place; he’ll have to remember it for when - if - they get TK back.

Grace quickly returns with their drinks, placing a sandwich in front of Carlos, too. “Don’t even argue,” she warns. “I won’t hear it.”

Carlos forces a smile. “Thanks, Grace.”

They sit in silence for a while, Carlos keeping his gaze turned to the table, picking listlessly at the sandwich. He can feel Grace’s eyes on him, feel the tension in the air between them, and part of him wishes she’d just come out with it already.

The other part wants to run for the hills, but he’s pretty sure Grace would catch him before he got too far.

Eventually, she sighs, setting her mug down and leaning across the table. “Carlos, we miss you,” she says softly. “I know it’s tough, but you’ve barely spoken to any of us since it happened. We’re worried.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“No.” She shakes her head, voice still unbearably gentle. “You’ve been keeping yourself busy. There’s a difference. And that’s okay, up to a point, but you haven’t given yourself a break in two months and that is not okay. You know TK wouldn’t want you to be doing this.”

“You say that like he’s dead.”

Grace sucks in a sharp breath. “Sweetheart, you know that is not what I meant -”

“Maybe you’re right,” he cuts in, ignoring the pain in his chest as he finally looks up at Grace. “It’s been two months; you know as well as I do what survival rates are for missing persons, even in normal circumstances.” His breathing trembles and he squeezes his eyes shut, images of the bodies they’ve found so far flashing through his mind. His voice is barely a whisper when he speaks next. “You also know that the third month is usually when the bodies appear. We’re running out of time, Grace, and I don’t - I don’t know if I believe any more.”

“Carlos Strand-Reyes, I did not just hear you give up on that boy.”

He smiles humourlessly. “Not on him, Grace. On me.”

A long silence follows his words, though Carlos can feel the disappointment and worry rolling off Grace in waves. He should probably feel guilty for ruining a perfectly fine day, but he’s just so tired. He’ll do anything to have TK by his side again, but each day that passes is another day that TK slips further and further away from him, and it’s difficult to hold on to hope.

“I’m terrified,” Carlos admits quietly, tears pricking the back of his eyes. “Any day now they’re going to tell me they’ve found another body, and it’s going to be him, and I won’t be able to handle seeing him like that. You don’t know what they do to them, Grace, it’s - it’s -”

His breath hitches, and suddenly Grace is next to him, gathering him in her arms as he breaks down in sobs against her chest. She shushes him, running a gentle hand through his hair and, for a brief moment, she makes it easy to push away memories of sightless eyes and missing limbs and slit throats.

Grace holds him close, murmuring assurances Carlos doesn’t really hear, until he’s cried himself dry. Then, she pulls back, swiping her thumbs under his eyes, unshed tears shining in her own.

“You’ll get through this, Carlos,” she says, wobbly smile on her face. “No matter the outcome, we’ll all be here to help you get through this.”

Carlos nods, but, privately, he thinks she’s wrong. If TK dies, he’s not sure he’ll be able to find a way through that, no matter how many people are by his side. Because the only one he really, truly needs, won’t be there.

Carlos rubs his eyes, his vision blurring as he stares at crime scene photos, as he has been doing for the past however many hours. He must have gone through these thousands of times over the past eight months, and yet he’s still drawing a complete blank as to clues that could help them find the killers.

They’re always too careful, never leaving any DNA on scene, never caught on camera, never seen by witnesses. There’s not even much of a common denominator between the victims, aside from the fact that they’re all young - the oldest being 38 - and they were all alone when they were taken.

The only consistency in this entire thing is the bodies. Official cause of death is always a deep cut to the throat, accompanied by at least one limb being cut off when the victim was still alive, sometimes more. They never find the missing body parts, which bothers Carlos more than it probably should.

He rubs his eyes again, blinking hard to try and stay awake. He didn’t sleep well last night, which is nothing new, but the past two weeks have been exhausting. After Grace’s coffee outing, the 126 have been stopping by regularly, one or two at a time, to check up on him and make sure he’s doing okay. Carlos appreciates it, he does, but he doesn’t have the energy for it these days.

He’s so tired that he doesn’t notice Mitchell walking up to his desk before she’s standing right next to him, casting a shadow over his papers. Carlos looks up, and dread washes over him at the grim expression on her face, the tense set to her shoulders.

“We’ve got another one.”

Carlos makes a noise halfway between a choke and a sob. “A body?” he whispers, looking up at her fearfully.

“A disappearance,” Mitchell corrects, and Carlos doesn’t even feel guilty for the relief that floods him at that. “Industrial estate across town, one of the workers got nabbed when he went for a smoke. Same MO, no witnesses - it’s them.”

He nods, praying that Mitchell doesn’t notice the way his hands shake as he gathers up his papers. If she does, she doesn’t say anything, though he catches her exasperated head shake when he turns back to face her.

“Let’s go.”

The crime scene is, as always, pristine, and Carlos can’t help but be frustrated, even if this is what he’s come to expect. The case had been wearing on him even before TK was taken, but now it feels like every dead end is a spit in his face, like the universe is taunting him directly.

He’s about to wrap up the scene when a young officer comes barreling towards him.

“Detective!” he yells, panting. “Detective Reyes!”

Carlos stops, raising an eyebrow as the officer skids to a halt in front of him, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good,” he gasps. Straightening, he clears his throat, pointing across the street. “There’s a hidden speed camera over there.”

Carlos blinks. Of all the ground-breaking news he imagined might warrant such dramatics, speed cameras weren’t one of them.

The officer heaves a long-suffering sigh, which, under any other circumstances, might be amusing. “We’re not sure yet, but, looking at the angle, we think it covers the place the guy got taken from,” he explains, and Carlos’s eyes widen. “If it does, we might be able to get some ID, maybe even a license plate. I know they’ve always been careful not to get caught on camera before, but they might not have known about this one. It’s a chance, Detective.”

Carlos breathes out shakily, mind reeling from the officer’s words. It’s a chance. An honest-to-god chance. “Have we pulled footage yet?”

“Doing that now.” The officer grins boyishly, and Carlos feels a small smile tugging at his own lips. He can’t let himself get too invested in this; there’s every chance that it’ll turn into yet another false lead. And yet.

Something like hope lights up Carlos’s chest, and he dares, just for a second, to believe in it.

It works.

It fucking works.

They don’t have an ID - the killers are at least smart enough to cover their faces - but they do have a plate, which they’ve managed to track to a warehouse on the outskirts of town. Carlos taps the steering wheel of his cruiser anxiously; they’re parked in some trees just out of sight of the building, and he itches with the desire to jump out and go.

Every second they wait here is one more second in which TK is still with them, suffering, dying. He chews on his lip, then turns to Mitchell.

“We clear on the plan?”

She raises an eyebrow. “I am. Are you?”

“What -”

“I know what this means for you, Reyes,” she interrupts, not unkindly. “I know what might be waiting for you in there. Now, if it were up to me, you would be benched. It’s too personal, and you’re way too close to it. But, since it’s not, you’ve gotta promise me that your head is screwed on tight, you hear me? We’ve got a good plan, and it’ll work, but it’s only good so long as we are all following it. So, you tell me. Are we clear on the plan?”

Carlos swallows thickly, glancing back in the direction of the warehouse. Mitchell is right - he is too close to it, and he’d be thinking the same thing if the situation were in reverse. He just… He can’t fathom being anywhere but here right now.

He can do this; he knows he can.

He has to, for TK.

“Yes,” he says firmly, meeting her eyes. “We’ve got this.”

She nods. “Alright, then.” Her gaze shifts past him and she jerks her chin up. “There’s the signal. Let’s move out.”

It’s almost too easy, in the end. The suspects are woefully unprepared for an ambush, and Carlos doesn’t even need to fire his gun, which is always a good thing. They find the guy who was taken today in the same room as his kidnappers, a little worse for wear, but not too injured, all things considered.

Carlos wants to be happy about that, but he can’t. Not when TK is still nowhere in sight.

Mitchell takes over managing the scene and questioning the hostage. He’ll have to remember to buy something for her in thanks when this is all over; she’s been a rock over the past three months, often covering for Carlos with their supervisors when things became too much.

He glances around at the swarms of police and paramedics filling the warehouse, feeling oddly detached from it all. He’s itching to go looking for TK, but there’s only so far he can push things - though he’s being no help here, he has to maintain an appearance if he wants to not get fired.

That appearance being, the calm and collected detective, which is the furthest thing from what Carlos is right now.

His hands tap restlessly at his thighs, his senses dialled to eleven with anxiety, which only spikes when he sees an officer making her way towards him, a grim look on her face.

Please, god, no.

Carlos moves to meet her, but he’s not able to form the words for the question he needs to ask. Fortunately, she takes pity on him.

“We’ve found your husband, Detective,” she informs him.

Carlos swallows around the lump in his throat, trying to tamp down the fear. “Is he...?”

“Alive,” she says, and Carlos could cry with relief. “But he’s in bad shape. I’ve been told not to let you back there.”

He stares at her, dumbfounded. “I appreciate the concern, but my husband has been missing for nearly three months,” he says tightly. “It would not be a wise idea to keep me from him any longer.”

She hesitates, biting her lip uncertainly, but eventually relents under Carlos’s hard stare. “Alright. Follow me.”

Carlos is led down several corridors until they stop outside a door, guarded by two other officers. The woman who brought him has a whispered argument with them, but Carlos pushes past her to glare at them, his patience at an end now that he knows that TK is mere feet away from him.

“I told her to bring me here,” he says. “That man in there is my husband; I’m going in there one way or another.”

The two officers exchange a glance, then wearily sigh and nod, stepping to the side. Carlos doesn’t bother to thank them before rushing inside, coming up short at the sight of three paramedics crouched around a body on the ground. He can’t really see much of TK yet, but he feels frozen in place, his mind suddenly rebelling at the thought of having to witness what three months of captivity have done to him.

He shakes his head and wills his feet forward, feeling like he’s walking through treacle as he rounds to TK’s side. Bile rises in his throat and he can’t stop the gasp that escapes him when he finally catches sight of his husband - it’s worse than anything Carlos had imagined, and he’d imagined a lot.

TK’s completely naked; the paramedics have lain a sheet over his lower half, but it does little to hide his emaciated state, his entire body outlined with sharp corners where his skin seems almost shrink-wrapped to his bones. Carlos can count every one of TK’s ribs, and the hollow of his cheeks is deeply pronounced. His torso is discoloured from bruising and he’s horribly still and pale - Carlos would think he were dead if not for the barely there rise and fall of his chest.

That’s not the worst of it, though. Carlos’s eyes travel down TK’s body, cataloguing his injuries, before sticking on his left leg.

Or, rather, the space where his left leg used to be.

Carlos barely refrains from throwing up, his stomach turning at the bloody mess in front of him. This isn’t… In the back of his mind - in his nightmares - he’d known that this was a possibility, but he’d never prepared himself for actually seeing it. He doesn’t know if he could have prepared himself, even if he’d tried.

“Detective.”

He’s broken from his horrified staring by one of the paramedics, now standing in front of him. Strange - Carlos hadn’t noticed him moving.

He sighs, obviously disapproving of Carlos’s presence here, but his expression holds nothing but sympathy. “Your husband is lucky we got here when we did,” he says. “But I can’t make any promises, and he is nowhere near out of the woods yet. To be perfectly honest with you, Detective, it’s a miracle he’s still breathing right now. He’s severely dehydrated and suffering from starvation - it looks like his kidnappers were giving him just barely enough food and water for him to survive. I’m also worried about infection in his leg, plus there might be injuries we can’t see yet. We’ve done everything we can for him here, but we have to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. I’m assuming you’re going to ride with us?”

Carlos immediately nods. There’s no way he’s going to remain here, even if he knows he won’t be able to stay with TK when they get to the hospital. He trusts Mitchell to handle things, and he wouldn’t be of much use anyway, even more so than before. Not after everything he’s seen, everything he’s heard.

The paramedics get TK loaded on a gurney and Carlos follows them out, eyes locked on TK’s still form. He brushes a hand through TK’s limp hair, forcing back the tears burning in his eyes.

“Hold on, my love,” he whispers. “I’m here; you’re safe now.”

He hopes, somehow, that TK hears him.

“Oh my god.”

Carlos looks up from the bed at the sound of Owen’s voice. His father-in-law has a hand over his mouth, shock written all over his face at the sight of TK - what little that can be seen underneath all the bandages and machines he has hooked up to him. Carlos had done his best to prepare Owen for what he’d face when he arrived, but it had been an impossible task. He’d barely been able to get the words out, for one, but there was no explaining just how bad things are.

Nothing will ever be the same. Not that Carlos had ever expected that it would, but when (if, he reminds himself) TK wakes up, it will be to a completely different life than the one he had walked out of all those months ago.

The physical injuries alone would be bad enough - and, god, he’ll have to do so much at home to make it safe for TK - but he’s more worried about how this will have affected him in other ways. Carlos can’t imagine the level of trauma his husband has suffered, and he just prays that they can find a way to get through it.

Owen’s face crumples as he makes his way across the room, collapsing heavily in the chair on the other side of the bed. He reaches out as though to touch TK, but snatches his hands back just as quickly, expression stricken. “Oh my god,” he repeats.

Carlos lets him be for a few moments, allowing Owen to process what he’s seeing at his own pace. He turns away so that he can have some semblance of privacy, though he can’t ignore the soft sobs he hears. It’s almost as though they’re mourning TK, even though they now have proof he’s alive, which is more than can be said for the last three months.

Eventually, Owen sniffs, and turns to address Carlos. “Have they… What did the doctors say?”

“Nothing concrete,” Carlos answers, focusing his gaze back on TK. “If he makes it through the next few days, then they think he’ll have a chance, but that’s a big if, Owen. There was so much damage. His organs weren’t functioning properly, he has a head wound from when he was first taken that never really healed right, and his leg… It had become infected where his kidnappers cut it; they had to take some more in surgery to stop it from spreading any further.”

He tears his eyes from TK to meet Owen’s gaze, almost wishing he hadn’t when he sees his own pain and grief reflected back at him. “It’s bad, Owen,” he chokes out. “I don’t know… I don’t know what I’ll do if…”

He shakes his head, the words sticking in his throat. Not that he really needs to say them; they’re both thinking the same thing.

“The doctors probably told you, but they’re restricting visitors to two until he’s more stable,” Carlos continues, eyes dropping back to the bed. “I know the team will want to see him, but do you think you can hold them off for a while? Just for a couple of days, until we know more. I don’t want to keep them from him, but I just…” He trails off, guilt welling up in him even though he knows this is what’s best. “I know it’s a selfish thing to ask, but I think it’s for the best, for everyone.”

“I understand,” Owen says gently. “I’ll let them know. And… I’ll do my best to prepare them, for when they do come and visit.”

Carlos nods his thanks and the two lapse into silence, broken only by the hiss of the ventilator and the beeping of the heart monitor. Proof that TK’s still with them, but each noise sends another bolt of pain through Carlos’s heart.

He squeezes his eyes shut, finally allowing the tears to fall down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Owen,” he sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

Owen gasps. “What for?”

“I was supposed to protect him! This was my case, I’m the reason he got taken, the reason he might not make it. He could still die, and it’s all my fault!”

Carlos drops his head into his hands, chest heaving from the force of his sobbing. Distantly, he hears the scrape of a chair on linoleum, then Owen’s hands are on his shoulders, turning him into an embrace. Carlos falls into him, not caring about the almost childlike way he clings to his father-in-law.

“You found him, Carlos,” Owen whispers, rubbing circles on Carlos’s back. “You found him. Any chance he has at making it through is because of you. That’s what matters now; it’s the only thing that matters.”

It’s several more weeks before Carlos’s prayers are finally answered.

TK was declared stable some time ago, the doctors saying that, barring any unexpected complications, they should expect him to wake up. They hadn’t said anything about what the damage might be once he did wake, but Carlos hadn’t wanted to ask; at this point, he can’t focus on more than one thing at a time, else he knows he’ll fall apart.

He’s practically lived at the hospital since they brought TK in. He’s pretty sure Owen, his parents, and the 126 came up with a rota for making sure he wasn’t starving himself, because it was always someone different who attempted to pull him away from TK’s room for food or sleep in an actual bed. Carlos resisted as much as he thought he could get away with, but he’s not stupid. He knows he needs to keep his strength up if he’s going to be of any use once TK wakes up.

It happens early one morning, when the sun is just beginning to filter through the blinds. Carlos is already awake, keeping a vigilant watch over his husband, though he doesn’t quite believe it when TK’s eyelid twitches.

He holds his breath, waiting, and, just when he’s given it up as a trick of exhaustion, it happens again, both of his eyes cracking open this time.

“TK?” he breathes, half-rising from his chair. He reaches out and grabs TK’s hand, which moves - actually moves - in his, and tears spring to his eyes.

It takes a few more minutes before something like awareness creeps into TK’s face, his eyes fully opening for the first time in weeks. Carlos just sobs at the sight, drawing TK’s attention to him, at which point his expression turns to shock and disbelief.

TK’s mouth moves, but he can’t force out any words, causing panic to flash over his face and his breathing picks up. Carlos leans forward, squeezing his hand and stroking his cheek.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he says softly, reassuring him. “You’re okay, I promise, everything’s going to be okay. You’re in the hospital. I’m here, and you’re safe. God, TK, I swear I’m never going to let anything happen to you ever again, I swear it.”

TK shakes his head, still not understanding, so Carlos reaches to press the call button. He forces a smile for TK’s sake, though his mind is crowded with worries about what their next steps will be. It’s going to be a long time before they can even think about going home, he knows this, but everything is so uncertain now.

Carlos wants to believe that there can be some sort of normality in their future, but, right now, it seems like a distant dream.

Time passes.

He brings TK home.

It’s hard, so much harder than he thought, but they have a whole team of people willing to help out as much as they can. Paul and Grace often bring food, usually stopping to talk for a while afterwards. The others - most often Marjan and Judd - sometimes come by and take TK out in his wheelchair for a while, giving Carlos time and space to relax or tidy. Letting TK out of his sight was difficult at first, and he still gets anxious watching him disappear out the door, but he knows that the 126 would do anything to keep him safe.

He just has to trust them, which he does, implicitly so.

Owen’s also a frequent visitor to their house, staying overnight a time or two in the beginning. Carlos is grateful for it; he doesn’t know how he would have coped if not for Owen’s steady presence while they were still figuring out their new reality.

TK struggles a lot, even with simple things these days. The head wound caused brain damage, leading to migraines and he has problems with speech and carrying out tasks. It breaks Carlos’s heart to see him, but he forces himself to keep up a front, only letting the emotion out when he’s alone - or, rarely, with one of the 126.

He suspects TK knows anyway, but they don’t talk about it.

It’s a long few months of recovery, of pain and exhaustion and frustration. But it’s all worth it, because it means that TK is alive. It means that Carlos has him back, and they can work on getting better together.

It means that, one golden morning, Carlos wakes up to see TK’s beautiful green eyes already open, watching him intently. He reaches out to caress TK’s cheek, then leans in and presses a gentle kiss to his lips, lingering for a long moment.

And, when he pulls back, TK smiles.

And it feels like everything is going to be okay.

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rudindiacom · 2 years

Text

Picking the Best Spreader Beam or Beams for the Lift

This article assists you with choosing which spreader beam, or beams, you ought to decide for the lifting application or material taking care of challenge.

To start with, we should remind ourselves what the thing that matters is between a spreader beam and a lifting beam:

Lifting beam are regularly intended briefly versus spreader beams that fuse top gear and are intended for a compressive burden.

There are applications when both twisting and compressive powers are represented in the plan of the lifting gadget however in the overall utilization of a spreader beam versus a lifting beam, this assertion will be valid.

Utilizing a spreader beam

The direction in this article ought to be applied when the choice has been taken to utilize a spreader beam. As such, it has been noticed that there is sufficient headroom to fuse top gear. This most probable method (yet not dependably) that the lift is because of occur outside, or in a huge structure.

This is regularly considered to be uplifting news to lift-organizers and riggers in light of the fact that the soundness of a spreader beam is a consequence of taller headroom and a lower focus of gravity from the crane snare connection to the mark of the gathering (lifter and burden). The lifting beam, recall, has a solitary lifting point. Likewise, spreader beams are frequently lighter load for the heap.

While choosing a lifting gadget for enormous burdens, a rigger can likewise acquire extra limit utilizing a spreader beam versus a lifting beam because of the expanded dead heap of the lifting gadget, while considering the evaluated limit of the crane or derrick.

Beam determination — key variables

Length of burden

Shape/aspects of burden

Weight of burden

Focus of gravity of burden

Accessible pick focuses

Customizable spreader beams

There are a modest bunch of organizations internationally that make flexible spreader beams.

Caldwell as of late sent off the Dura-Mod Modular Spreader Beam, an adaptable, lightweight option in contrast to fixed and different point underneath the-connect answers for 170-ton limit. Every framework will comprise of a couple of end fittings and drop connections, and two upper and lower shackles to make the most brief conceivable design. From that point it is a straightforward instance of consolidating middle of the road spreader areas to accomplish the necessary range. The single longest part is just 20 ft.

Assuming that a four-point or rectangular spreader casing is needed for an application, you just need to eliminate the end fittings and add corner segments—the swaggers are something very similar. All Dura-Mod spreaders use standard shackles that are accessible from all significant makers. Caldwell indicates top sling lengths, while the heap decides lower fixing.

In a prior article, we examined important norms—basically ASME B30.20 and ASME BTH-1.

Did you had any idea about that you can involve different spreader beams in something many refer to as a falling apparatus? This is frequently the most ideal way to make an adaptable and even apparatus arrangement (see applications).

Late spreader beam applications

Single beam

A Caldwell spreader beam was tried to lift a heap that had two pick-focuses. Two chain slings were manipulated at 45-degree points from a crane snare to one or the flip side of the spreader beam. This is the thing that we alluded to above as the top apparatus. Underneath the snares of the beam, two further slings slipped straightforwardly descending at a 90-degree point to the beam spread to connect to the heap.

One-more than two

In another application, different spreader beams were bought for use with two portable cranes that finished a couple lift. The end client utilized a one-north of two spreader beam design to lift one finish of the boards for another construction. That implies that a beam was level under the crane snare, then, at that point, two beams were utilized at a 90-degree point underneath and at one or the flip side of that beam. We'll clarify:

Under the crane snare were two roundslings, associated at one or the flip side of a secluded spreader beam. Under, two roundslings associated through bow shackles to four other roundslings that slid to either finishes of a couple of secluded beams. Extra apparatus was required, including end units, swaggers, drop connections, and shackles. At the lower part of the falling apparatus, four wire rope slings associated with four pick focuses (lifting carries) on the boards (loads) through more bow shackles.

Underneath the snare of the subsequent crane, in the mean time, roundslings were associated with another measured beam. A couple of roundslings finished association with pick focuses at the opposite finish of the heap.

It sounds muddled, yet the hardware made it simple (see beneath).

One-north of two-more than four

In one last contextual investigation, a lift-plan nitty gritty additional falling apparatuses, again including spreader beams and gear, which demonstrated the most savvy choice. Here, for eight-point lifts, a one-more than two-north of four arrangement was utilized comprising of seven spreader beams at various levels. This sort of apparatus ended up being adaptable and even, the client revealed.

What amount will your spreader beam or falling apparatus cost?

It depends. In many examples, the family member and relative expense for a producer to make a lifting beam is in excess of a spreader beam without apparatus.

Lifting beam are ordinarily intended briefly versus spreader beams that consolidate top gear and are intended for a compressive burden.

#spreader beam #beam clamp #chain conveyor #chain slings #drag chain conveyor

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lovereign222-blog · 5 years

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Mastery Journal

Digital Leadership Portfolio

MARCH 26, 2019

HIREBOBBYVALENTINE

EDIT

Digital Leadership Portfolio

Sports Marketing & Sponsorship is my course I am currently working in, sponsorship is also a field in which I would like to find employment. The concepts behind this course should help me improve my skills and understanding in the field of sports sponsorships. It is important to be able to examine and research sports organizations and apply problem-solving techniques in order to create a successful brand activation. To become a successful sports marketer, you first have to understand the role of sports sponsorships and the media aspect of getting your sponsors content to your target audience. I want my sponsors to see a measurable accomplishment in the content I am distributing. I feel creating unique content for the sponsor will get the results I need. I also want to know what platforms are a good place to gain exposure for the brand. Creating sponsorship partnerships will be a huge improvement in brand activation for companies with a great product but need exposure. Connecting a sponsor’s logo with the MLB will pull those MLB fans into the sponsors brand as a way to continue loyalty to the MLB.

When I am researching sports organizations and potential sponsors, I keep in mind the type of marketing approach would be the most successful. My approach to marketing, promotions and sponsorship sales would be to gain knowledge about the sports organization and the sponsor and their product or service, I will then apply what I have learned to develop a sports marketing plan for the organization. I also have used the IEG Sponsorship report to access information about how a company operates on the inside when sponsoring sporting events. This bi-weekly publication provides detailed analyses of sponsorship packages. They also list requests for sponsorship proposals. Gathering information about potential sponsors is essential. I also use the Securities and Exchange Commission website to gather data on companies that are public on Wall St. and file annual reports with the SEC. In an article by (Abril, Sanchez, and Recio 2018) they claim, “The purpose of this research was to evaluate empirically, through a company’s stock price, its shareholders’ reaction to the announcement of official sports sponsorships in an international context over a 10-year period.”

Sponsorship accounts for a large part of the sports business industry. The global sports sponsorship market had an estimated value of over 46 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. According to Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), the sports sponsorship market is estimated to reach about 49 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. Sponsorship has recorded consistent growth over the last 20 years and consistently exceeds the growth of traditional marketing like advertising and sales promotions. Traditional media, such as newspapers, radio, and T.V. in North America alone is supposed to rise by 2.4% in 2019. It seems obvious corporations have recognized the value sponsorships add to their brand and business portfolio. Sponsorship is creating and sustaining endless jobs in many aspects of the sports industry.

There have been negative areas as well in the sports industry that should be noted to avoid meeting those issues with a sponsorship proposal. Due to recent growth in the sports sponsorship industry, there has also been increasing criticism from fans and the sports media. Some believe the overabundance of sponsorship presence in sporting events is distracting from the purity of the competition, are we attending events to learn about products and brands, or watch a competitive sports game? No doubt the presence of advertising in sports is taking away some of the time we would spend concentrating on the game. To overcome this issue sports marketers may want to inform the consumers and fans that sponsorships play an essential role in offsetting the cost of making the sports fans experience the most enjoyable. (M. Sussman 2015) This article sums it up this way, “It is not enough to just be a “proud sponsor.” Brands need to really tap into the spirit of the sport they are sponsoring and leverage the enthusiasm and loyalty of those sports fans”.

It is clear that professionals working in sports sponsorship today and in the future will have to fight consumer backlash by striking just the right balance between sport and commercialism, maintaining the integrity of competition while sustaining financial viability. So as a professional sports marketer we are not alienating the fun in creating dynamic content for a marketing campaign. Instead, we need to make the content age and gender appropriate with a theme that is cohesive with the sport and the sponsor. Red Bull has clearly aligned with car racing and has created Red Bull events that have proven very successful. (M. Sussman 2015) “Soccer has been consistently, rapidly gaining momentum among the 18- to 29-year-old segment, a key consumer target for Red Bull”.

I also really enjoy problem-solving that I use to develop new proposals. Each sponsorship proposal tier or level has its own formula for success and I have taken in account the many factors that will make my proposals sellable, building around a reasonable budget, precise timing, and reachable objectives. Sometimes we have to restructure a proposal to meet the sponsors budget because we cannot always rely on a sponsor with a huge bankroll. If we learn and understand the market we are proposing and how the fans react to each sports property differently, we can target an audience that will appreciate the sponsor and their brand.

We can target sports properties as well as audiences if we have the data and research to know what sports properties on the rise. For example, the Atlanta Braves who have their spring training at Walt Disney World, have built a new stadium that is amazing. They have a very unique fan base because of this new home. The population of Atlanta has many people who have relocated for job purposes and they like sports but have difficulty rooting for any other team than their home team. In Forbes valuation article (Forbes 2018) the franchise is measuring up, “The Braves first season in SunTrust Park was an unqualified success off the field with attendance up 24%, to 2.5 million, and revenue jumping into the top 10 in MLB”. With this data, a sports marketer can appeal to potential sponsors with numbers like this.

Sponsorship sales is also not an easy concept to fully understand, you need experience and with that will come success and failure. The benefits of sponsorship are often hard to determine and intangible and not something that is always easy or timely to complete. You have to make sacrifices sometimes to be a successful sports marketer. Two qualities or plus’s that I have found to be the most helpful are patience and persistence. Sponsorship deals take time to put together on a sports property’s desired timeline. And they can take much longer to bring it all together, and I am sure many deals fail if either party becomes impatient and cannot wait for a final draft but want the rough draft, some decide to stop pursuing a prospect because they are hard to deal with.

Key Points to Remember about Sports Sponsorship Sales:

Every deal has its own criteria for success, you can’t be to the firm in your approach and you have to do your research to know the needs of your client.

The greatest challenge is finding the right program for a client that fits their budget. Their hopes and expectations don’t always match their budget.

You have to learn the market for your sponsor’s product or service, that is one of the most important steps towards success.

The reason for the failure of people in sports sponsorship sales is usually because they have not prepared properly for the proposal or because they have not been persistent in creating the proposal that fits the sponsor’s needs.

The two most important practices a sports marketer needs are patience and persistence.

References

Sussman., M. (2015, September 29). Brands: How to Score with Sports Sponsorships. Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://adage.com/article/agency-viewpoint/score-sports-sponsorships/300524/

Oh, D. (2018, October 12). The Evolving Role of Sponsorship and How Properties Are Acting. Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://frntofficesport.com/role-sponsorship-properties-acting/

Atlanta Braves on the Forbes MLB Team Valuations List. (2018). Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/teams/atlanta-braves/#3a2dca3d3f2d

ABRIL, C.; SANCHEZ, J.; RECIO, T. How Does Wall Street React to Global Sports Sponsorship Announcements? An Analysis of the Effect On Sponsoring Companies’ Stock Market Prices. Journal of Advertising Research, [s. l.], v. 58, n. 3, p. 297–310, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2019, from http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=131652060&site=ehost-live

PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2018, October). Outlook for the sports market in North America through 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/tmt/library/sports-outlook-north-america.html

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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cryptnus-blog · 6 years

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The 9 Best Ethereum Wallets To Secure Your ETH

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/08/the-9-best-ethereum-wallets-to-secure-your-eth/

The 9 Best Ethereum Wallets To Secure Your ETH

Best Ethereum Wallets in 2018

As Ethereum, one of the world’s most famous cryptocurrencies and second largest by market capitalization, continues its development and expansion, it’s no wonder that more and more enthusiasts are looking to invest in the platform.

That said, if you’re planning on buying, trading, or holding ETH, then finding a secure wallet that perfectly suits your needs is important. If you are just starting out in the crypto world and Ethereum is your preferred cryptocurrency, then choosing the right wallet might be confusing as there are a lot of factors to consider, not to mention a large number of Ethereum-compatible wallets out there.

If you’re currently on the look-out for the best Ethereum wallets, then make sure you check out our list:

1. Ledger Nano S

The Ledger Nano S is almost ubiquitous among serious Ethereum traders, and for good reasons—it’s currently one of the best digital wallets. Ledger Nano S is a hardware wallet that offers support for Ethereum and all types of ERC-20 tokens, as well as other cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ripple, and Litecoin, to name a few) – all this at a very competitive price.

The main selling point of this wallet is the strong security it provides. Your cryptocurrencies are stored offline on the device. Ledger Nano S includes 2-factor authentication, secured PIN code, and recovery seed accessibility. Ledger Nano S also includes integrations with MyEtherWallet to send, receive, and store tokens. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

2. Trezor

Just like Ledger Nano S, Trezor is also a hardware wallet that supports storage of Ether and all types of ERC-20 tokens. Even though it was invented for holding Bitcoin, Trezor is now one of the most popular Ethereum wallets that can be used with the MyEtherWallet web interface. It offers support for Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BTH), Litecoin (LTC), Dash (DASH), Dogecoin (DOGE), Ethereum Classic (ETC), and many other cryptos.

It has advanced security features such as 2-factor authentication, SSH, as well as encryption via GPG. It’s light, compact, and it comes in 2 colors: white and black. It’s compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux.

3. KeepKey

KeepKey is a USB-enabled hardware wallet that boasts the same features as Ledger Nano S and Trezor. It’s the most expensive Ethereum hardware wallet from our list, probably due to its bigger screen. One of the major highlights of this wallet is its ability to generate private keys using a hardware-based random number generator. Just like the other two, it comes with support for some of the most popular OSes.

Source: https://www.keepkey.com

4. MyEtherWallet

If a bit more accessibility is what you want from your Ethereum wallets, then it doesn’t get much better than MyEtherWallet. It’s the most popular Ethereum web wallet and it lets you login on any device using just a username and a password. As mentioned before, it offers integration with hardware wallets like the three mentioned above. Other noteworthy features include support for smart contracts, ETH to BTC swap facility, as well as the possibility to store your Ethereum private keys on your computer, which offers better security when compared to other wallets of this type.

5. Mist

Mist is the official Ethereum desktop wallet, and it is designed to offer secure storage for all your ETH and all types of ERC-20 tokens. It’s quite easy to download, install, and set up on your computer and also very user-friendly, so operating it doesn’t require much technical knowledge. You are provided with the possibility of accessing both public and private keys as well as to perform transactions.

6. Exodus

Exodus is yet another multi-currency desktop wallet that’s a favorite among the Ethereum community. Some of the main advantages of Exodus are its attractive GUI (with clear-cut and beautiful pie charts for your portfolio), the built-in ShapeShift (useful for exchanging cryptocurrencies with next to no effort), and the fact that it supports dozens of popular cryptos such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash, and Zcash, and many more. Exodus is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. One of the main disadvantages of Exodus is the fact that it doesn’t support smart contracts.

7. MetaMask

MetaMask is another popular choice among Ethereum fans. MetaMask is a cross-browser extension that provides instant access to the Ethereum Network. It’s available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, as well as Brave. It allows you to store, receive and send Ether, as well as access dApps on the Ethereum ecosystem.

One of the main benefits of MetaMask is the fact that it can encrypt your passwords and store them on your computer, which can be later exported very easily. For an advanced user, the wallet might seem intuitive, but the truth of the matter is that due to its nature, MetaMask will require a bit of getting used to, especially in the case of novices.

Source: https://metamask.io/

8. Jaxx

Jaxx is mostly known due to its popularity among iOS and Android users. However, if you want a browser that will work on most of your devices, then Jaxx is definitely the way to go as it also offers support for Windows, macOS, Linux, and it comes in the form of a Chrome extension as well.

It’s a multi-chain wallet that offers support for some of the most popular cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Bitcoin, Dash, DAO, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, REP and more. It boasts a fairly user-friendly design, some very robust security features, and, best of all, it offers support for smart contracts.

Source: https://jaxx.io/

9. Guarda

Guarda is probably the lesser known wallet from our list but, just like Jaxx, it offers support for all the major OSes, desktop and mobile. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on mobile platform such as iOS and Android. It even comes in the form of a web wallet.

It supports all types of ERC-20 tokens, as well as Ethereum, Zcash, Ripple, Dash, and EOS.

Guarda is also known for a particular security feature namely it doesn’t store any client information, wallet data or private keys. In fact, the private key is stored in your device’s secure memory and deletes itself if you log out from the wallet.

Source: https://guarda.co/

Final words

Even though it might seem that there are lots of options, do keep in mind that the Ethereum ecosystem is still a relatively new concept. As blockchain technology progresses, so will Ethereum as a whole. There’s a good chance that the future will bring with it a new wave of wallets. Until that happens, though, we hope you’ll find here one that perfectly suits your needs. Choose wisely.

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paulckrueger · 6 years

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Cryptocurrencies…the digital evolution of money

Out of the ashes of the financial recession rose the decentralized digital age; cryptocurrencies are just one of the applications of this decentralization. In 2009, the first cryptocurrency, bitcoin, of the Bitcoin protocol was created by the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin uses Blockchain technology to securely verify transactions without having to rely on a trusted central authority. This cryptocurrency now holds a value of about $15,000 per coin, as of 8AM EST on 12/7/17, and is the topic du jour at every happy hour. By association, other lesser known cryptocurrencies, particularly Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Ripple (XRP) are also gaining traction. There is much skepticism around this subset of digital assets; however their adoption will ultimately prove or disprove their legitimacy.

In our initial analysis, we put cryptocurrencies (coins) into two groups: i) store of value, ii) token of utility. To be a store of value, the cryptocurrency must be able to retain purchasing power and be seen as a unit of currency that can be used to verify the transfer of funds. To be a token of utility, the coin is more so a unit of service used as a means of facilitation on a certain platform. Some coins exhibit both properties, but are primarily intended to be one or the other. Bitcoin is a store of value; however its popularity amongst online merchants has also made it the coin with the highest real world utility. On the other hand, Ethereum is a token of utility, and arguably has the highest utility potential of all cryptocurrencies. There are a plethora of teams developing Ethereum based platforms to create new disruptive technologies.

We should note that much of the price action in this space has been highly speculative; however we identify some parameters to consider when analyzing cryptocurrencies:

Store of value or token of utility – It is important to know exactly what purpose the coin serves

Total value of coins in circulation – If finite, then there is justification for higher prices at periods of high demand

Production/Mining – The costs of the required inputs can be looked at as the theoretical floor

Internal or external medium of exchange – Understanding its possible adoption outside of its community/framework

Price elasticity – Effects of higher prices on demand

Platform existence independent of the token – A platform that runs independent of its token raises questions around the utility of the token

Investor interest – General public perception and sentiment

Potential as a disruptive technology – This would feed into the value proposition and rate of broad based acceptance

With that in mind, we have identified five coins that have our attention: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, and Litecoin. These five coins make up around 84% of the cryptocurrency market.

Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BTH)

There are currently around 17 million bitcoins in circulation right now and there is a fixed cap of 21 million coins that will ever be in existence (in the current system). Bitcoin’s network is powered by miners, which are groups of individuals and companies that use computing power to process transactions in exchange for compensation in bitcoin (both from newly minted coins and from transaction fees). Transactions are recorded on a global database called the blockchain. Miners compete against each other to verify blocks of transactions by attempting to calculate a hash function output that is smaller than a target value by altering a parameter called the nonce.

Let’s consider how bitcoin actually works as a means of exchange for goods. Most people pay for their coffee using cash, credit card, or prepaid card and the sale transaction process takes only a few seconds. Paying for coffee with bitcoin is fundamentally different from those methods because there is no immediate mechanism to guarantee that there are enough funds in the purchaser’s account until the balance is actually deducted. Due to the lack of a trusted central authority, a bitcoin purchase is most similar to writing a check and waiting for it to clear before completing the transaction. The wait time to confirm a bitcoin transaction will vary but it generally takes around 10 minutes, which probably feels twice as long if waiting for your morning cup of coffee. In addition, bitcoin miners do not process transactions for free and so, a “small” incentive is needed: 150 satoshi per byte, with a typical transaction size being 200 bytes. This is equal to 0.0003 bitcoins (100,000,000 satoshi equals 1 bitcoin) or approximately $4.50 USD at current bitcoin valuations. It is very unlikely anyone would be willing to spend an extra $4.50 to buy cup of coffee. As such, we expect to see bitcoin’s prevalence in large transactions as opposed to day-to-day payments. Bitcoin’s rapid appreciation has actually impaired its usefulness as a means of exchange for many things.

In August 2017, Bitcoin underwent what could loosely be described as a dividend payment. As Bitcoin was gaining in popularity, the volume of transactions was increasing but the actual processing speeds were getting slower and slower. Disagreements between members of the Bitcoin community resulted in a “hard fork” and the creation of Bitcoin Cash, which prioritizes its usage as a transactional currency (lower transactional costs) versus as a digital store of value. Holders of bitcoin were given Bitcoin Cash tokens equal to the number of bitcoin tokens they owned. Given the philosophical divide which prompted its creation, Bitcoin Cash is relatively closer to a token of utility although issues remain with high transaction costs and processing time.

Ethereum (ETH)

Outlined in 2013 and launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum is a platform that enables smart contracts which replace legal contracts with code and also provides compensation to developers for creating and running decentralized applications. Ether is the cryptocurrency that drives the Ethereum platform. There is no set limit on the supply of ether and so it is inherently inflationary, and aims to be a token of utility rather than a store of value. Whereas Bitcoin is fully decentralized in the way of leadership (its founder remains anonymous), the Ethereum community generally follows Buterin and this allows the platform to implement systematic changes faster. The miners who support a more decentralized system approach have switched to another cryptocurrency called Ethereum Classic. Due to its focus on ease of use in applications, Ethereum has become the platform of choice for initial coin offerings and for many corporate blockchain initiatives.

Ripple (XRP)

Ripple is a foreign exchange platform created for instantaneous settlement between banks. This venture was launched in 2012 by former Bitcoin developers in an effort to improve and possibly disrupt the global remittance industry. Ripple is a network which makes use of the ripple token (XRP) to facilitate transactions. As such, we view XRP as a utility token, whose value will be dependent on its adoption and acceptance. Ripple, in effect, is very different from Bitcoin, Ethereum or Litecoin, and is solving for a totally different problem. XRP is not mined and the venture has set the maximum number of XRP in circulation to 100 billion coins. The Ripple network has already been adopted by a number of large banks, as they test its value proposition. Critics point to the Ripple networks independence, and its ability to function without XRP as a drawback. However the use of XRP is extremely advantageous in facilitating transactions amongst currencies that suffer from poor liquidity. Ripple hopes to complement other coins by bringing the space into “the mainstream world of finance” – Stephen Thoman, Senior Developer, Ripple Protocol.

Litecoin (LTC)

Litecoin is popularly called digital silver, where bitcoin is digital gold. This cryptocurrency was launched in 2011 by a former Google employee and was intended to be a cheaper, faster and more practical substitute to bitcoin. Its fast processing time makes it the practical solution for everyday transactional use. For instance, in the cup of coffee example earlier, the preferred method of payment would be via litecoin, as the transaction is validated within a minute or two, as opposed to upwards of 10 minutes with bitcoin. Also, it has much lower fees than Bitcoin, at about $0.30 per transaction vs Bitcoin’s $4.50.The Litecoin’s protocol lends itself to daily transactional use, thus most likely to be adopted if cryptocurrencies one day become a day-to-day medium of payment. Because litecoin is very similar to bitcoin, it has a higher correlation to bitcoin relative to other coins.

In our previous post Digital assets and the tokenization of commodities, we mentioned that the monthly return correlations of bitcoin over the past five year period against other traditional asset classes showed a weak relationship. Surprisingly, the correlation between bitcoin and gold was also slightly negative despite the fact that many consider gold to have similar store of value qualities. Bitcoin does correlate fairly highly with a few other coins, most notably litecoin, however it doesn’t show much correlation with ether and reduced correlation with ripple. It is important to note that the relationship between inter-cryptocurrency monthly returns in the future can change quickly especially given their short histories.

Bitcoin is currently all the rage, and although its actual utility as a means of purchasing goods has been impaired, its appreciation has certainly boosted its standing as a traded asset. By the same token, other coins have shown some great potential to disrupt the status quo. As there are well over 1,000 different cryptocurrencies in existence currently, we expect that when the space matures, only a handful of cryptocurrencies will capture the bulk of the cryptocurrency market cap. Look out for these alternative coins to start making bigger headlines… so at your next happy hour, you too can add to the conversation by bringing another coin into the mix.

The post Cryptocurrencies…the digital evolution of money appeared first on http://blog.jpmorganinstitutional.com/.

from Surety Bond Brokers? Business https://blog.jpmorganinstitutional.com/2017/12/cryptocurrencies-the-digital-evolution-of-money/

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realdealme · 7 years

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Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution - Professional Blog Post

The entertainment and music industry has gone through many changes in its history. All of it is due to technology and the way consumers use it. There was a time when, studio equipment was very expensive. A time where releasing your own project was only done by big time record labels. from vinyl to the eight tracks, cassette tapes to the compact disk, and todays media files and online streaming has reshaped the industry. This also goes for television and film, as they have also gone through much similar changes and is now a part of online streaming platforms.

Getting back to the music, anyone today can release and self-publish their own projects without spending as much money as major labels in the past. Music composers or beat makers, now can do what they love to do without hitting the lottery. Full length high quality music and video can be produced at a very low cost. If your budget is only five hundred dollars, then you’re in luck. You can purchase a complete studio with just that much. Even for someone getting into film, the quality even on point and shoot cameras, even smartphones can get the job done. In today’s industry, it is possible to produce at an even higher quality then costly high-end cameras more than ten years ago.

Now speaking of smartphones, which most of the world are using. These phones are capable of camera features that you would have never found in a camera before smartphones where popular. Just to think that you can shoot and record a video on your phone and then edit the content in its entirety, to achieve a finished legitimate product. As Sarah Miles stated in her article, “with such rapid adoption and transformation of these social media and photo sharing technologies, one wonders what photography will look like five or ten years from now” (Miles, 2016). Anyone who wants to get into music and film, the time is now, and a large majority of creative people have already as soon they realized the capability and features of devices used today.

Believe it or not, but smartphones have the core power to run core applications such as Digital Work Stations (DAW’s). Using the microphone already built in your phone, you can now record vocals, and compose music on these apps. According to research, Apple’s “GarageBand features a collection of fun Touch Instruments that sound great and make it easy for beginners or experienced musicians to play and record keyboards, guitars, drums, and basses in a wide variety of styles” (International Business, 2011). Now some of these apps may cost around ninety-nine cents, to even twenty dollars, depending on what your trying to accomplish, but there worth the price, especially since artist used to spend thousands to accomplish the same thing. the capabilities available are endless, to the point where mixing and even mastering can be done easily.

Because of the way people communicate around the world via Wi-Fi, and cellular phones, more equipment produced today has been made to carry the wireless capabilities. From studio keyboards to wireless cameras, users can create their content, and immediately share it to the world. Products such as, the Roland FA 06-08 music workstation, have such features as well as other products by Roland. It even has a feature where it can be controlled by your smartphone via compatible applications. This also includes playing whatever music you have on your iTunes playlist wirelessly through your synthesizer.

Even low end DLSR cameras from produced by Canon has wireless capabilities, such as the Rebel T6. A camera like this can upload directly to your smartphone, laptop or directly to your favorite social media platform like Facebook. But something to notice, although these types of cameras are made specifically to be used in photography or videography, smartphones are still catching up on features. If you’ve notice how big and heavy everything used to be compared to now. TV’s, computers, laptops, music equipment, and cellular phones seem to have been trimmed down to size. Everything feels so good in your hands and is more convenient than before.

One thing to recognize, is that cell phones are much smaller, but has become much more expensive. A good high-end phone can cost you eight-hundred dollars. However, this only because of what is put into the device as mentioned above, the capabilities are endless seems to only get better after every high-end device is introduce. According to research, ‘mobile phones have evolved from simple voice calling and texting devices to indispensable ‘smart’ devices providing a gamut of entertainment and management applications tools” (Attri, 2017). Also, the app development community has grown and more developers are coming up with new ideas every day. Whether its games, business tools, or social media apps, smartphones seem to be taking the world to new heights.

In today’s entertainment industry, independent artist and film makers have been taking over as of late. With the use of YouTube, and the ability to self-publish your creative content for a fee, and sometimes even free. Talented individuals have been utilizing all of this mentioned above to become successful stars. In this industry, “independent artists can leverage YouTube collaborations to promote their music and content to a global audience across multiple platforms” (PR, 2015). From the looks of it, almost anyone who is fully dedicated can become successful in their creative field. there’s not much that and average person in this world cannot do these days. What every you need to attempt to follow your dream is probably in your pocket. We now walk the earth with the tools to be successful but, knowing what to do with these tools is very important.

We now live in an age of information, which is mostly free, due to people around the world sharing their experiences. If you do your own research you can find out almost anything you are looking for. Today we have independent artist doing keeping up with fans like major artist. According to research, “TuneCore Social Pro allows them to maintain a strong social media strategy by pre-scheduling unlimited posts through a reliable partner, so they can concentrate on their music while staying in touch with fans and further expanding their audience base” (Canada, 2017). It is even possible to actually get closer to your favorite artist or celebrities, and actually knowing some of what they do on a daily basis. You may even be surprised that these celebrities actually watch the content on your YouTube channel. That old saying “It’s a small world, after all” has really lived up to its potential.

References:

Attri, R., Maheshwari, S., & Sharma, V. (2017). Customer Purchase Behavior for Smartphone Brands. IUP Journal of Brand Management, 14(2), 23-37.

Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/ehost/detail/detail?vid=20&sid=d7af7d5d-f4bf-4630-9f0c-5924b2b43e48%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=123727548&db=bth

Miles, S. C. (2016). The Best Camera to Have Is the ... Smartphone? Integrating iPhone and iPad Technology into the Photography Curriculum. Exposure (00988863), 49(2), 45-49.

Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/ehost/detail/detail?vid=89&sid=d7af7d5d-f4bf-4630-9f0c-5924b2b43e48%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=118321948&db=asu

International Business, T. (0011, February). Apple’s Music-Creating App GarageBand Available for iPhone, iPod Touch. International Business Times.

Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/ehost/detail/detail?vid=78&sid=d7af7d5d-f4bf-4630-9f0c-5924b2b43e48%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=8OGE.446260C7.305D7517&db=bwh

PR, N. (2015, May 13). TuneCore Partners with DanceOn To Create Innovative YouTube Collaboration Opportunities for Independent Artists. PR Newswire US.

Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/ehost/detail/detail?vid=50&sid=d7af7d5d-f4bf-4630-9f0c-5924b2b43e48%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=201505130800PR.NEWS.USPR.NY06699&db=bwh

Canada, N. (2017, April 27). TuneCore Revolutionizes Social Media Management for Independent Artists and Rolls Out Educational Resources. Canada Newswire.

Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/ehost/detail/detail?vid=48&sid=d7af7d5d-f4bf-4630-9f0c-5924b2b43e48%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=201704270900CANADANWCANADAPR.C2509&db=bwh

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janowbi · 7 years

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Then God said, “Kill.”

THEN GOD SAID, “KILL.”: A Christian Justification for the Slaughter of the Canaanites by Jose Manuel V. Obmerga BTh

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Abstract

I. Introduction.

II. In Light of the Ancient Near East Rhetoric.

III. In Light of the Attributes of God.

A. The Sovereign God.

B. The Just God.

1. The Depravity of the Canaanite Culture.

2. In God’s Time.

3. Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing?.

IV. In Light of the Bigger Picture.

V. Conclusion.

VI. Bibliography.

Bible Passage:

Thus Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.

- Joshua 10:40 (NASB)

ABSTRACT

This paper sought to defend and justify God’s command to slaughter the Canaanites found in Joshua 10:40. Through a careful examination of the language of the Ancient Near East and the scriptural clues that can be gleaned from the entire biblical conquest narrative, this paper showed that the obliteration language used by the writer of Joshua is most likely hyperbolic. This paper also demonstrated that the divine sanction is not incompatible with God’s perfect character by appealing to the divine attributes of sovereignty and justice and by looking at the incorrigible depravity of the Canaanites. This paper also attempted to interpret Joshua 10:40 in light of the biblical metanarrative - the outworking of God’s plan for universal redemption through the Israelites – to further strengthen the defense.

I. INTRODUCTION

In the beginning of the 21st Century, the world was welcomed by a horrendous act of terror in the name of religion – the attack on World Trade Center in New York. Since then, religious adherents, including Christians, have been receiving a barrage of aggressive criticisms, one being perpetrators of violence.[1] Some of these criticisms are being galvanized by the seemingly repugnant character of God revealed in some Old Testament passages, particularly those that talk about the Israelites’ taking of the Promised Land. This prompted prominent atheist Richard Dawkins to vituperatively describe the Judeo-Christian God as a “genocidal” maniac.[2] Theologian-turned-atheist Gerd Ludeman branded the divine command as “extremely offensive.”[3]

Undeniably, the rise of atheism and militant Islam has made the question of the Bible’s textual and moral authority loud in this postmodern culture. Christians may try to give excellent philosophical arguments for God’s existence but ultimately the challenge comes back to them - given the divine command to kill, can God’s moral portrait still be considered a positive one?

It is the purpose of this article to try to justify and defend God’s command to slaughter the Canaanites, focusing on one passage, Joshua 10:40, but interpreting it in light of the entire biblical metanarrative.

II. IN LIGHT OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST RHETORIC

Prima facie, Joshua 10:40 seems to describe a very harsh, literal and overly dramatic conquest, a picture of prodigious violence and blood. “Was this really sanctioned by the God I worship?,” a shocked and puzzled fresh convert may validly ask. However, a careful inspection of the entire biblical conquest narrative and the ancient Near East (ANE) military rhetoric can give light to this conundrum.

First, the Bible clearly shows that the process of taking the land would be a gradual one.

The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. – Deuteronomy 7:22

Also, if the Canaanites were completely obliterated in Joshua 10, why would one read warnings to the Israelites about intermarriage and forming treaties with them a few chapters later?

For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. – Joshua 23:12-13

Furthermore, the early chapters of Judges reveal that the conquest is far from complete. The Canaanites assumed to be “utterly destroyed” were still around when all was said and done.

Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the Negev and in the lowland. - Judges 1:9

So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers [a]did, or not.” So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua. – Judges 2:20-23

With these observations, Gordon McConville concluded that Joshua “is not offering a simple conquest model, but rather a mixed picture of success and failure, sudden victory and slow, compromising progress.”[4] The conquest was not a one-time-big-time event where the all-consuming Israelites descended upon Canaan and destroyed literally everything in its wake. Rather, it was a process of slow infiltration. Therefore, the phrases “left no survivor” and “utterly destroyed all who breathed” are clearly an exaggeration and ought not to be taken literally.

Now, one might accuse Joshua of being deceptive but is it? No. Paul Copan argued that the writer of Joshua used the language of conventional warfare rhetoric.[5] According to him, ANE military accounts readily used obliteration languages even when the event did not literally happen that way. As with other ANE warfare literatures, Joshua’s ostensible purpose is to demonstrate the magnitude of the military success.[6] In fact, this methodology is still in use today. A sports news anchor may report that the West Coast Eagles “completely slaughtered” the other football team. Surely, his/her watchers will not interpret the phrase as actually physically killing the opposing team. Rather, they understand that he/she is reporting an overwhelming victory. Similarly, the writer of Joshua utilized the language that his contemporaries would have understood as hyperbole.

Now, even if the exaggerated rhetoric explanation makes the emotional weight of the passage lighter, one would still be troubled enough to ask why the all-loving God would command such atrocity. The following section will deal with this question.

III. IN LIGHT OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

A. The Sovereign God

Fundamental to a right theologizing of Joshua 10:40 is the realization of the sovereignty of God over life. Since God is the author of life, He is the only one who has the right to take it. In fact, one tends to forget that God takes human lives every day. It is called death. Since humans cannot create life, they do not have the right to take it. Indeed, without the command of God (who determines objective moral values and duties), the Israelites would not have been justified to kill.[7]

B. The Just God

It is also important to highlight the fact that God judges evil. Precisely because He is good, loving and holy, He will not allow a perpetrator to go unpunished. Even if that perpetrator escaped human justice, divine justice will stand. God can bring judgment through natural disasters[8] or diseases[9] but He can also judge by means of war.

Having emphasized that God is just, it is timely to ask, “Did He act justly in His treatment of the Canaanites?”

1. The Depravity of the Canaanite Culture

A close examination of the Canaanite culture reveals that the Canaanites were far from innocent. Clay Jones argued that idolatry, incest, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality and even child sacrifice were rampantly promoted in Canaan.[10] Their idolatrous worldview heavily influenced their sinful practices for whatever their gods do, they do.[11] No wonder God sanctioned their extermination for this will not only protect His chosen people from being contaminated by their abominable practices[12] (supposedly) but also judge them for their wickedness. They already reached the point of no return - an irredeemable state of moral corruption.[13] They were ripe for divine judgment.[14]

2. In God’s Time

Did God deal with them impatiently? No. In fact, Scripture reveals that God had given them hundreds of years to repent.[15] During this waiting period, the Canaanites were given ample evidence of God’s power and greatness[16] but they still did not submit to His authority. The Old Testament does not reveal an impatient God but rather a merciful, loving and long-suffering God[17] who “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”[18] Judgment was His last resort and it is unfortunate that He had to come to that point with the Canaanites.

3. Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing?

Did God or the Israelites committed genocide or ethnic cleansing? Is Dawkins right to call them xenophobes?[19] No. Ethnic cleansing, by definition, is driven by racial hatred.[20] However, from the beginning, God promised Abraham that all the earth will be blessed through his offspring.[21] And then in Exodus, a “mixed multitude” left with Israel from Egypt.[22] In Numbers, Moses married a dark-skinned Ethiopian/Cushite.[23] In Leviticus, God commanded to show concern for non-Israelites.[24] The rules of war given in Deuteronomy required the Israelite army to grant a city an opportunity to surrender without bloodshed.[25] Also, whenever they attack a city, women and children should be spared and must be cared for.[26] Indeed, Rahab, a Gentile, and her family were spared from judgment[27] and even got included in Jesus’ genealogy.[28] Clearly, God and the Israelites were not racists! Also note that throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites were often on the receiving end of God’s judgment. The conquest was not an act of genocide stemming from arrogant ethnocentrism but rather an act of a just God who shows no partiality.[29]

Given the generous amount of time given for them to repent, the Canaanites’ absolutely hopeless decadence, and the serious threat they bring to thwart God’s grand plan of universal redemption, God definitely acted justly in commanding the purge.

IV. IN LIGHT OF THE BIGGER PICTURE

God’s overarching goal is to bring universal salvation through His chosen people. With this in mind, He was overly protective of the Israelites. His difficult command to kill and bring judgment to the Canaanites in order to protect His people and establish them as a nation was a unique situation that happened only within a limited time frame. In fact, Copan noted that post-Joshua (except 1 Samuel 15:3), all God-sanctioned battles were defensive[30] (some offensive battles took place but these were not commanded). Now that salvation is readily available to all nations through Jesus, Christians are now to follow Christ’s command to love their neighbors[31], including their enemies,[32] leaving judgment up to God when He returns the second and final time.[33]

V. CONCLUSION

It has been demonstrated that a simple face value reading of Joshua 10:40 is insufficient to correctly interpret its meaning. A careful consideration of the ANE warfare rhetoric is needed to understand the real gravity of the passage’s content. It is also crucial for 21st century readers to interpret it in light of the entire biblical metanarrative in order to have a deeper and, indeed, right understanding of why the sovereign God of love and justice did what He did.

“…Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” – Genesis 18:25

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chamberlain, Paul. Why People Don't Believe: Confronting Seven Challenges to Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2011

Copan, Paul. Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2011.

Copan, Paul. “Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites: Divinely-Mandated Genocide or Corporate Capital Punishment?.” Philosophia Christi Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009): 73 – 90.

Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

Fouts, David M. “A Defense of the Hyperbolic Interpretation of Large Numbers in the Old Testament.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40/3 (September 1997): 377 – 387.

Jones, Clay. “We Don’t Hate Sin So We Don’t Understand What Happened to the Canaanites: An Addendum to ‘Divine Genocide’ Arguments.” Philosophia Christi Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009): 53 – 72.

McConville, Gordon. “Joshua.” In The Oxford Bible Commentary, ed. John Barton and John Muddiman, 158 - 176. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Moreland, James Porter, and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003. Kindle Electronic Edition.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. “Ethnic Cleansing.” http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ethnic- cleansing?q=ethnic+cleansing [accessed August 20, 2015].

Rae, Scott B. Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 2009.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] For a detailed discussion of the various accusations being thrown at Christianity and at religion in general, see Paul Chamberlain, Why People Don't Believe: Confronting Seven Challenges to Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2011), 19 – 45.

[2] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006), 31.

[3] Gerd Ludemann quoted in Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2011), 158.

[4] Gordon McConville, “Joshua,” in The Oxford Bible Commentary, ed. John Barton and John Muddiman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 159.

[5] Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2011), 171.

[6] The same purpose has been defended by David Fouts on his interpretation of large numbers in the Old Testament. See David M. Fouts, “A Defense of the Hyperbolic Interpretation of Large Numbers in the Old Testament,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40/3 (September 1997): 377 – 387.

[7] For an in-depth philosophical defense of God’s goodness and the divine command theory, see J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), Kindle Electronic Edition: Chapter 26, p529 – 532.

[8] Numbers 16:30-34

[9] 2 Chronicles 26:19-20

[10] Clay Jones, “We Don’t Hate Sin So We Don’t Understand What Happened to the Canaanites: An Addendum to ‘Divine Genocide’ Arguments,” Philosophia Christi Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009): 55-66.

[11] Ibid, 57.

[12] Deuteronomy 12:29-31; Deuteronomy 20:16-18; Leviticus 18

[13] Paul Copan, “Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites: Divinely-Mandated Genocide or Corporate Capital Punishment?,” Philosophia Christi Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009): 76.

[14] Genesis 15:16

[15] Exodus 12:41

[16] Joshua 2:10-11, Joshua 9:9-10, Romans 1:19-20.

[17] Psalm 103:8; See also Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2-3.

[18] Ezekiel 33:11

[19] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006), 247.

[20] Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, “Ethnic Cleansing,” http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ethnic-cleansing?q=ethnic+cleansing [accessed August 20, 2015].

[21] Genesis 12:3

[22] Exodus 12:38

[23] Numbers 12:1

[24] Leviticus 19:34

[25] Deuteronomy 20:10

[26] Deuteronomy 20:14

[27] Joshua 6:23

[28] Matthew 1:5

[29] Romans 2:11

[30] Paul Copan, “Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites: Divinely-Mandated Genocide or Corporate Capital Punishment?,” Philosophia Christi Vol. 11, No. 1 (2009): 83.

[31] Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27

[32] Luke 6:27, Mark 11:25

[33] For a more thorough explanation of why Christians cannot use the conquest narratives to justify mass killing and war in the 21st Century, see Scott B. Rae, Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics, 3rd ed (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 2009), 304 – 305.

#apologetics

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