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ravenaveira · 4 years

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Just wanna clarify a few things after my long review/rant at the end for KH3 Re:Mind

My comments about the Sokai stuff I stand by, but I wanna be clear because I see Sokai shippers claiming antis complained about the lack of Sokai for it to be a believable relationship and now that Sokai has more moments we’re complaining about them shoving Sokai down our throats.

I cant speak for all antis on this, so I’ll be strictly speaking for myself on this issue and anyone else who feels similar to me. Warning it gets long again so be ready.

Yes Im one of those antis who complained about the lack of Sokai which made it underdeveloped and unbelievable, and yes I am also complaining about them now shoving Sokai down our throats.

Why? because Kingdom hearts is not a romance, and throughout every single game so far romance has taken a severe back seat and handled very subtely. For example Sora’s drawing in the cave of him giving Kairi the Paopu fruit, Riku teasing him about wanting to give one to Kairi, Sora saying hes always with her and promising to come back for her, Roxas calling Kairi ‘the girl he likes’ etc

All these moments were very short, subtle, and to the point. It was not a primary focus nor was it blatantly shoved in your face like

youtube

I mean in almost EVERY shot they were together Sora was holding her hand, which isnt something he usually does? keep in mind Sora and Kairi’s feelings have been known to eachother since KH2 and Sora still didnt behave the way he is now. He was always very awkward and uncomfortable/shy when it came to romance.

In KH2 Sora didnt hug Kairi, nor did he hold her hand, it was KAIRI who initiated the hug out of relief and happiness to see Sora again and that hes ok. Sora did not show the same sentiment and treated her like he always has, just casually walking up to her and just nonchalantly saying ‘You are different Kairi, but Im just glad your here’ as if she wasnt kidnapped and being held hostage this entire time. He should have showed the same concern for her as he did for Riku and Kairi for him but he did not, he just said that and then turned away and apologized.

But in KH3 Sora/Nomura pull a complete 180, Sora hugs Kairi to shield her from Terranort with his body instead of pulling out his keyblade and blocking his attack. Him hugging Kairi there was not only stupid, but it doesnt even defend her, Terranort will just kill Kairi AND him now. That was just a forced out of place Sokai moment for the sake of shoving a Sokai moment that was completely unnessecary and could of easily had the same impact by having Sora do the common sense thing and BLOCK with his keyblade like he did for Riku when they were in THE EXACT SAME SITUATION.

See the difference? good, then I need say no more.

This is only one of many situations where they would shoehorn in a Sokai moment that was completely out of place, didnt make any sense, or just forced in trying way too hard to convince you how much Sora cares for Kairi and how much they love and want to be together forever etc etc

Another example being when everybody ‘dies’ in the keyblade graveyard being swept away by heartless. Sora only loses his mind and breaks down emotionally after Kairi is the last one swept away, he then says the most inconsiderate line he could have ever said.

He says this while RIKU IS RIGHT THERE BESIDE HIM, even if you were arguing he was just speaking figuratively thats still no excuse, he was NOT alone but at that moment he just completely disregarded Riku as if his presence there was the same as being alone.

Not only that but seconds later he does one of the most out of character things for him.

Sora just WATCHES Riku risk his life holding back the heartless to protect him and Sora just WATCHES him fighting off this huge horde of heartless BY HIMSELF and not ONCE does Sora make ANY attempt to get up and help Riku despite knowing his life is at risk trying to hold them back alone.

Even if you wanna argue Sora was in shock, when has that ever stopped him before!? when have you EVER known Sora to just sit back and watch his friends put their lives in danger and NOT help them?

What makes this worse is thats not even the first time he does it, he sits back and watches AGAIN as Axel gets bodied right infront of him just to have him exhausted next to Kairi because you know, Sora’s never fought strong opponents and gotten right back up to protect his friends before.

Remember Terranort? Sora was overpowered by him and still made the effort to run over and hug Kairi to shield her from his attack, but Axel and Riku? nah just gonna chill and watch. This is BEYOND out of character for Sora.

When Axel told Sora to hurry and save Kairi, who was being held hostage by the organization and was in danger, Sora refused to leave him and stayed behind to help him fight. Sora chose helping Axel over Kairi, he put saving his enemy before his own friend/love interest.

When Neku betrayed him, Sora still helped and protected him when he was in danger

When Riku stole his keyblade and Donald and Goofy followed him and left Sora behind, yes Sora was discouraged but when he saw Beasts determination to save Belle no matter what, it encouraged Sora to do the same for the people he cared about

I could go on but you get my point, Sora saw Riku risking his life, literally dying and he did NOTHING, try to justify that all you want but that was incredibly out of character and was obviously put there to show how losing Kairi broke him.

I know your probably gonna argue it wasnt just Kairi it was everybody, and to that I say this, if it wasnt just about Kairi why didnt Sora snap when Ven and Axel got bodied? he froze for a few seconds but then snapped out of it thanks to Riku. After that everybody gets swept away, but the game made sure to put EXTRA emphasis, slow motion and all, to Kairi and Sora reaching out to eachother and then Kairi being swept away by the tide.

THATS when he snaps, if it truly werent just about Kairi they wouldnt have made sure to put emphasis on her being swept away, EVERYONE would have gotten the same treatment if it were truly their deaths also that made Sora fall apart. Im not saying he wasnt upset or heartbroken over them, Im pointing out how they made sure to single out Kairi as the most DEVASTATING loss out of all of them.

Yet again, he has Riku one of his closest bonds if not the closest right beside him yet he doesnt even acknowledge him? he says hes alone even though Rikus right there? you cannot justify that as anything other than downplaying Riku to boost Kairi up.

You do not see the other trios treated this way, every trio has equal focus for ALL of them and even the romantic hints for some of them [Roxas/Xion, Terra/Aqua, technically Namine/Repliku] have all been treated equally and did not feel forced or out of place but very natural and they still made sure to focus on the friendship bond between them overall.

Axel doesnt get played down in importance to Roxas just to boost Xion up, their friendship and bond with eachother are equally important to one another despite whatever ‘romance’ there might be. Same applies to Terra and Aqua, Ven is not played down in importance to them. As for Namine and Repliku they arent a trio but their romance was still handled well and it didnt overshadow their platonic bond or attempt to play down the real Riku or vice versa to boost the other, Namine was equally important to both of them.

So balancing romance and friendship CAN be done in their trio, but for some reason Nomura insists on pitting one against the other and playing down one over the other, in Sokai’s case thats Riku, which is an insult to his and Sora’s bond. The same way Sokai shippers felt the over-focus on Sorikus bond was a disservice to Sora and Kairi’s bond, its the same issue.

But lets get back to Re:mind because besides a few bad moments, overall KH3 was atleast passable with the Sokai nonsense. Then comes Re:Mind and oh boy...the damage control was strong in this one.

Again as I said earlier the Sokai moments in this game were very forced and out of place and in many ways out of character for Sora.

For starters the excessive hand holding, why? to convince us their a thing? but Sora suggests otherwise

Even after all the excessive hand holding, the hugs, the forced moments etc, in the end Sora still calls Kairi a friend. After aaaaall the forced Sokai bs they shoved down our throats Sora still friendzones her, which is it Nomura? you either want them together or you dont, stop playing games and pick a side already.

Dont get me wrong Im glad he hasnt made it official yet but after all this its like enough is enough, either follow through or cut this shit out and go back to being subtle like before.

Another huge insult was Sora constantly saying how his journey started with Kairi, since when? I remember Sora losing Kairi AND Riku that day not just her. I recall Sora not going back to Destiny Islands with Kairi BECAUSE he wanted to continue his journey to find Riku, but apparently in Re:mind it was just all about Kairi, nothing about his journey involved Riku no it was only Kairi that was his main motivation, gtf outta here man.

You can say something over and over but that doesnt make it true, Sora’s journey started with BOTH of them, lets stop playing down Riku’s importance to once again boost Kairi up.

That hug when Sora finally reunited with Kairi after restoring her was so obviously trying to make up for all the years of people complaining about Sora’s lack of reaction to Kairi in KH2 in comparison to Riku, so having him hold her for several seconds floating in the sky should rectify that right? you believe he cares about her now right? fuck off man. If your gonna do damage control than atleast dont make it so obvious that thats what your doing because then it comes off disingenuous, forced, and fake.

But my biggest issue is the ending where they really shoehorned Sokai where it didnt belong, literally stalking everyone else with the exception of returning Namines heart and Sora helping to reunite Chirithy with Ventus. But in Twilight town, why were Sora and Kairi there? they werent with Roxas but just sitting above them

Why were they at Mickeys castle? again their just in the background sight seeing.

These scenes were completely unnessecary and completely out of place and made the ending WORSE rather than better. Why? because these are Sora’s final hours ALIVE whether you argue only for a day or a couple days, in all of these ending scenes only one thing matters to Sora and thats Kairi.

Before we assumed everything that was shown all happened the same exact day and we didnt see Sora with any of them. But now we have confirmation Sora WAS there yet he only spent his last remaining time with Kairi in the background while quietly stalking everyone else? even if he didnt spend time with anyone else, he should have spent his last remaining time with Kairi AND Riku, after all hes his best friend and would like to spend what little time he may have with Sora too but we dont see any of that. Hell this contradicts Soras own danm words to Chirithy prior to this.

Instead of just shoehorning a bunch of Sokai in the background why not show the three of them FINALLY all together again like the old days? this is wtf Im talking about. We saw ALL the other trios together but the Destiny trio? hell naw fuck Riku lets have Sora spend all his remaining time with Kairi, thats the only one who REALLY matters here. After being separated from eachother constantly, now they finally have the chance to be together again and spend time together as friends and they DONT.

Instead Sora decides to take Kairi around the worlds hes visited, something he said he wanted to do with Riku as well, and just spend all his remaining time with her, even though in the base game before the final battle Sora was concerned why Riku was all alone and not spending time with them together. But here? nah fuck Riku. I remembered how important it is to share moments with friends only applied to Kairi.

So personally idc that theres more Sokai moments, my problem is the execution. It doesnt feel genuine, it feels forced and awkward and just doing damage control to pander to the rabid fanbase thats been screaming for this type of content for years, well congrats, you got it.

My problem is Kingdom Hearts was never about romance, it was always subtle and not shoved in your face, it felt natural and not forced and like there was atleast SOME heart behind it, but this? just felt hollow and forced.

Just stop, Im glad in the end Kairi just sleeps for a whole year and probably still will be sleeping when the next game comes out and the focus will shift to Riku and his search for Sora along with the other keyblade wielders doing their part as well.

So Im thankful it seems like we’re done with this crap and getting back to what ACTUALLY matters and what people really wanna see from this series.

Notice how nothing in either of my posts had to do with Soriku as a couple but about their bond as friends, enough said.

So dont try to twist this into just being about pairings because its not, its about what this series has always been about being forgotten for the sake of a fucking trash ship that nobody cares about besides rabid shippers and Sora’s bonds with his other friends being completely thrown out the fucking window to shorehorn in a bunch of unnessecary Sokai moments as a desperate attempt to convince people that these two love eachother which at this point if you have to try so hard to CONVINCE people of your pairing its obvious your doing a very shitty job at it.

Im done, this is my last long post about this for a while but I really needed to get that all out there since nobody else seems to be calling it out for what it is. My anger and frustration is still very fresh and it shows so I really need to stop talking about it because at this point? Re:Mind just ReMinded me why the Destiny trio is the worst out of them all, it is the most unbalanced and quite frankly feels more like Riku is a third wheel at this point and not even a part of the trio anymore. Before Kairi, it was always Sora and RIku yet hes the one whos being pushed aside and forgotten about in all this. That pisses me off.

So Im done with this topic, I need to cool off for the next couple of years till the next game comes out where hopefully Kairi stays asleep the entire time and NOT ruin another game.

#kh3 remind spoilers #kh3 #kingdom hearts 3 #anti-sokai #anti-kairi #FDB-kairi

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fuckblizzardbearlover · 4 years

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Why ppl who think the writers dont know exactly what they are doing with Sylvannas are dead, completely and utterly wrong: a Thread

from the official overview

“ The Broken Machine The machine of death is broken, and players entering the Shadowlands will find the realm of the dead in disarray. In the natural order of things, souls are sorted and sent on to an afterlife realm appropriate to the lives they lived, but now, but over the past few years, all souls who have perished—including the innocents slain at Teldrassil—are being funneled directly into the Maw. The Shadowlands are starving for anima even as the Maw continues to grow from the glut of fresh souls. Sylvanas has been seemingly perpetrating acts to bring about great amounts of death and destruction. In partnership with the Jailer, they have been working toward a common end for some time. “

so, i’m sure this will be one of the first things we learn in Bastion. or whereever.

emphasis mine.

past few years...BFA...Legion....ok thats a pair... So what if it is not exactly a few (3 ). Draenor sylvannas didnt have anything to do, But in MoP she didnt balk at causing death at Siege of Ogrimmar or Theramore and, in the Cataclysm she wiped out 3 cities. Catacylsm is the expasnion after wrath. After she died

From Sylvannas Windrunner: Edge of Night

“What did it matter if another corpse filled his vacant throne? Sylvanas Windrunner had her vengeance. The vision that had driven her and her people for years had finally been realized. And not a single fiber of her desiccated, animate corpse cared where the world went from here.It was over now. A part of her was surprised she was even still around, without his lingering presence always tugging at the back of her mind. She backed away from the throne and slowly turned to survey the cold gray world all around her. Her thoughts returned to that place of bliss, her half-remembered glimpse of what lay beyond. Home. It was time.

.............

She longed for it. A return to peace. The work she had begun in the forests of Silvermoon was finally complete with the death of Arthas. ,,,,,,,,,,,

...........

She could feel no cold, only a dull ache. She would feel nothing soon. She already felt her spirit reaching a place of calm for the first time in almost a decade. Her weight shifted toward the edge of the drop. She closed her eyes.

.......................

"There are so many!" he barked, falling silent as she raised a finger. "We have only two dozen rangers up there," he said, his voice now a whisper. "They cannot survive that!" Sylvanas didn't turn her gaze away from the dark mass of shambling corpses crushing its way closer to the river ford. It was the height of the Third War, and hours away from Silvermoon's fall at the hands of Arthas's army.

"They merely need to delay them as we fortify the Sunwell's defense," she answered, her tone measured.

"They will die!"

"They are arrows in the quiver," Sylvanas said. "They must be spent if we are to win this."

She was brash. Empty? No—a fighter. She had a warrior's heart.................

Before her waited a grotesque, quivering mass of corpses, their armor piecemeal, their bodies broken, the stench unimaginable. Their plaintive, desperate gazes reminded her suddenly of children. They disgusted her. But their need empowered her. "The Lich King falters. Your will is your own. Are you to be outcasts now in your own land? Or do we embrace the cruel cards fate has dealt us and retake our place in this world?"

.........

These poor people: peasants, farmers, priests, warriors, lords and nobles… they hadn't yet come to grips with what had happened to them. But for somebody—anybody—to assure them that they belongedsomewhere was electrifying.

--------------------------

Already he'd come to embrace his situation, referring to humans as if they were a separate race; she made a mental note to make use of him.

.........

"The humans will serve their purpose," she answered, her mind already calculating. "They believe they are liberating the city. Let them fight on our behalf and spend themselves for our gain. They are"—she stumbled upon an analogy she'd used before—"arrows in our quiver."

The heaving mass of undead clapped and coughed and hacked gleefully in assent. Sylvanas regarded the whole mob coldly. And so are you, she thought to herself. Arrows I will aim at Arthas's heart.

................................

No more would she be the vengeful leader of a mongrel race of rotted corpses. Her work was done, and her long-denied reward awaited her

...............

“"Your people will perish!" said the dark-haired Val'kyr.

.Sylvanas thought about her people. They had come far from their decimated origins, the yearning, confused mob of fresh corpses huddled about the ruins of Lordaeron's wrecked capital. The Forsaken were truly a nation now: a fetid, gore-caked, hideous mass of lifeless husks, skilled in combat, devastating with the arcane arts, and unhindered by fetters of morality. They had been honed into the perfect weapon. Her weapon. And they had struck the killing blow for which she had built them. She cared nothing for their fate."Let them perish!" Sylvanas cried. "I am finished with them!"“

........................

She saw only darkness.

And then she felt—truly felt, for the first time in a long while. She recoiled. In agony.

Here she was, her spirit once again feeling whole, only to feel it suffer. To feel once more, only to feel abject pain. Cold. Hopelessness.

Fear.

...................

There were others in the darkness. Things she didn't recognize, because nothing so terrible could exist in the world of the living. Claws tore at her, but she had no mouth with which to scream. Eyes looked at her, but she couldn't look back.

Regret.

She sensed a familiar presence. Recognized it. The taunting voice that had once held her in its grasp. Arthas? Arthas Menethil? Here? His essence rushed to her, desperate, then shrank away in horrified recognition. The boy who would be Lich King. Just a scared little blond child, reaping the aftermath of a lifetime of mistakes. If any part of Sylvanas's soul were not at that moment torn and tormented, she might have even felt—for the first time—the slightest glimmer of pity for him.

Now the others had her. Surrounded her. Gleeful, tormenting, tearing at her consciousness, delighting in her suffering.

Horror.

This was to be her eternity: the endless void, the dark, unknown realm of anguish.

....

"Sylvanas Windrunner, Dark Lady, queen of the Forsaken… you may walk with the living again through the sisterhood of the Val'kyr. As long as they live, so too shall you. Freedom, life… and power over death. This is our pact. Do you accept our gift?"

.....................

This was her only way out. But she didn't want to give her assent out of fear. She waited until she felt something more. A fellowship. A sisterhood. Sisters. Separate, they were all trapped. But together, they were free… and with them, she could postpone her fate.

.............................

"I was once like you, Garrosh," she answered, her voice quiet and steady, loud enough only for the warchief to hear. "Those who served me were tools. Arrows in my quiver.

......................

What he saw was a great black void, an infinite darkness. There was fear in those eyes, but also something else. Something that terrified even the great warchief.

"Garrosh Hellscream. I've walked the realms of the dead. I have seen the infinite dark. Nothing you say. Or do. Could possibly frighten me."

The army of undead that surrounded and protected the Dark Lady was still hers, body and soul. But they were no longer arrows in her quiver, not anymore. They were a bulwark against the infinite. They were to be used wisely, and no fool orc would squander them while she still walked the world of the living.

------------------------------------------------------

Now, look at the description for the Maw

“ This horrific prison houses the most vile and irredeemable souls in existence—ones deemed by the Arbiter to represent a threat to the Shadowlands if left free. Ruled by the enigmatic Jailer who none have ever seen—at least none have seen and lived to tell—the Maw inspires nightmares and legends even among the denizens of the Shadowlands. No one has ever escaped this vile place, and any foolish enough to venture there are never heard from again. “

-------------------------------------------------------

So This short story was written before cataclysm launched in 2010. NINE years ago.

So yes “dur Blizz are bad writers that made sylvannas do a 180 and become evil for no reason”

NO. This was the biggest piece of characerization Sylvannas ever got outside of warcraft 3 The Frozen Throne. it establishes that she was a cold person more than willing to treat living people as objects to satisfy the needs of their military and their people. It emphasised MULTIPLE times that i highlighted that she HATED and was disgusted by the forsaken. ANd i emphasised at least twice that She has been using patriotism and their need for someone to care about them as a way to MANIPULATE them. And that was how she was. SHe didnt care about any of them They were just a tool to be used to kill Arthas. and with him gone she was ready to die.

The problem was she was ready to die because she HAD ALREADY DIED. we learn with the SHadowlands that good souls go where they are treated well, and even strong souls are treated well. but Where to evil souls go? either the maw or to the vampire place. She had died and started to enter the good place, Bastion no doubt. as a good protector of the innocent. but Arthas pulled her out and made her a monster

BUT SINCE THEN she became even more of a monster. She let her people embrace hatred. she allowed slavery and torture of prisoners for the sake of destroying life. she thought of nothing but how to USE and ABUSE people in order to get vengence so SHE could get her REWARD.

She became a “most vile and irredeemable soul”. So when she died her soul went to the Maw where it suffered with dark evil souls like Arthas’

and did getting rescued by the valkyre fix her outlook? No . she still saw her people as nothing. but she knew the horrors she’d face if she died, and so she viewed her people as a BULWARK against that.

But whats REALLY interesting is that I think Ion wasnt being completely honest . The lore says that “No one has EVer escaped the Maw of Souls”... however we know that we will do so. And we know that No one has been there. so how can anyone KNOW that no one has escaped. What if they just kept it a secret.

What if the Jailer started to, for whatever reason, decide to take over the afterlife. whether it was personal ambition or seeing the rest as redundant. And he saw this elf soul ESCAPE him. the only one to ever do so. By that Valkyre taking her place. The Valkyre are allegedly created by the souls of hte denezins of bastion, the angel people. So between having a connection to the lich king, guardian of the connection to the Shadowlands, and the fact that they are denezins of the shadowlands.. or were... it makes sense they might have had the power to rescue a soul from the Maw.....with the added help of the soul taking her place.

I emphasised other parts to because i think its important. the Valkyre USED to be denizens of the shadowlands. but supposedly Changed by the lich king. The valkyre emphasised it WASNT just a bond of sisterhood but a bond of hte Valkyre. I think in order to save her from the maw they basically had to enchant sylvannas to magically register as a Valkyre, and thats how they ‘made the switch”. so to speak.

Now remember what happened in Legion? She got a special lantern from Helya, the original Valkyr, who is a master of Death, trapping souls and creating dimensions And who has reason to hate Odyn who has his own form of afterlife?

So it seems to me that Sylvannas gained the attention of the Jailer when she was the first one to escape. and the fact that she escaped by utilizing Valkyre magic, but she wasnt bound to the ethos of most of the denizens of bastion. I think shortly after her original death she was contacted by him, possibly through the valkyre and they started their pact.

Ion said that Sylvannas does not have a master, she’s doing things for herself. However that doesnt mean that, just cus the Jailer isnt controlling her doesnt mean he might not be manipulating her.

Jailer starts to usurp the souls. Sylvannas, afraid of going to the maw. begins rampant death, in order to kill enemies and create a massive army of forsaken to use against any force that would come for her. This rampant death gains the attention of those in the afterlife, including the Jailer who gets more souls do to it. somewhere between Cata and the start of legion he contacts her. When vol’jin is dying he uses his influence to get Vol’jin to name Sylvannas warchief.

She uses her new power to go wherever she wants, which she uses to find Helya, another god of death who has a unique power. Realm magic. using the Lantern, Sylvannas uses the valkyre to send it to the jailer who cuts off the other parts of the afterlife, making it so ALL souls go to the maw. then now that the world threat is over, and she doesnt have to worry about dying herself, she uses her position of power to sew as much death as possible to feed her ally. with the ultimate plan of them destroying the natural order of life and death. She gets to be free of him and lets those she deems worthy live free. all others get to be the Jailer’s victims. no more souls wasted on the ‘good’ after lives or regeneration. no more foolish living to ruin a perfect, deathless world.

its all coming together.

#sylvannas #long post #sylvannas windrunner #world of warcraft #world of warcraft spoilers #wow spoilers #wow #warcraft

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mastcomm · 4 years

Text

An Alzheimer’s Drug Trial Fails: ‘We Don’t Have Anything Now’

The study aimed to show that Alzheimer’s disease could be stopped if treatment began before symptoms emerged. The participants were the best candidates that scientists could find: still healthy, but with a rare genetic mutation that guaranteed they would develop dementia.

For five years, on average, the volunteers received monthly infusions or injections of one of two experimental drugs, along with annual blood tests, brain scans, spinal taps and cognitive tests.

Now, the verdict is in: The drugs did nothing to slow or stop cognitive decline in these subjects, dashing the hopes of scientists.

“I’m shocked,” said Dr. Randall Bateman, a neurologist at Washington University in St. Louis and principal investigator of the study. “It was really crushing.”

The results are a deep disappointment, scientists said — but not a knockout punch. The drugs did not work, but the problems may be fixable: perhaps the doses were too low, or they should have been given to patients much younger.

Few experts want to give up on the hypothesis that amyloid plaques in the brain are intimately involved in Alzheimer’s disease.

The data from this international study, called DIAN-TU, are still being analyzed and are to be presented on April 2 at scientific conferences in Vienna in April and in Amsterdam in July.

The trial was sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis, two drug companies that supplied the drugs — Eli Lilly and Roche, with a subsidiary, Genentech — the National Institutes of Health and philanthropies, including the Alzheimer’s Association.

The study was small, with only 194 participants: 52 taking a drug called gantenerumab, made by Roche, and an equal number trying solanezumab, made by Eli Lilly. Most of the subjects had no symptoms; a few were experiencing very mild early symptoms. About 40 family members served as a comparison group, and received no medication.

The volunteers carried gene mutations that cause an overproduction of amyloid, which accumulates in hard plaques in the brain. That is enough to always cause Alzheimer’s disease. The experimental drugs attacked amyloid, and scientists like Dr. Bateman had hoped they would prevent cognitive decline.

The participants in DIAN-TU were younger than the typical Alzheimer’s patients and did not yet have other brain abnormalities, like mini strokes. Success in this trial, it was hoped, would show that defeating Alzheimer’s was possible.

“This was a bold experiment driven by a deep unmet medical need in these patients,” said Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, chief scientific officer at Eli Lilly.

Now companies and academic researchers must confront a troubling question: Is it time to move past an emphasis on developing anti-amyloid drugs for Alzheimer’s disease?

Studies of anti-amyloid drugs in older people are still underway. Scientists are testing the drugs in another group similar to that in DIAN-TU: a large family in Colombia also carrying a gene mutation that leads to early Alzheimer’s.

But the studies of anti-amyloid drugs completed so far have repeatedly failed. Companies have spent billions of dollars on the drugs. Some, like Pfizer, have gotten out of the race altogether.

Many researchers say they are not yet ready to give up.

The disease, they note, always progresses in the same way: Amyloid accumulates in the brain and then a tangled, spaghetti-like protein, tau, appears and neurons die.

“Amyloid and tau define the disease. Bingo,” said Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “To not attack amyloid doesn’t make sense.”

Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, said it is not yet known how well the two experimental drugs in the study cleared subjects’ brains of amyloid. That will require further analysis.

But the institute has already awarded a grant for another study of people with rare genetic mutations. This time, treatment with anti-amyloid drugs will start even earlier — perhaps decades before they are expected to get symptoms.

Still, Dr. Hodes said, investigators must begin to look at other drug targets.

The Alzheimer’s drugs currently in Phase 3 trials — which are meant to show that a drug actually works — are predominantly anti-amyloid drugs. But the early-stage studies are focused on potential new methods for preventing and treating Alzheimer’s, Dr. Hodes said.

“Out of 46 pharmacological trials, 30 have targets other than amyloid,” he added. “We are well on our way to moving toward these other potential targets”

At Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Bateman is still absorbing the shock over the study’s failure, even though he knows the dismal history of Alzheimer’s studies.

“More than 300 failed trials — all right, what are the odds” that his might have succeeded, Dr. Bateman wondered. “Numerically, you have to say they are not good. But I really thought we had stacked the deck.”

His heart goes out to the participants who are destined to get this fatal disease. “Oh my God,” he said. “We don’t have anything now to treat these people.”

The investigators do not even have a quick way to notify participants of the results. The team needs approval from an institutional review board to send out notification letters, and that can take a while.

It is not feasible to call each participant, said Judy Martin Finch, a university spokeswoman. Instead, the university posted a news release on its website at midnight on Sunday.

Marty Reiswig, 41, a study participant who lives in Denver, learned of the results this morning while searching online and through a private Facebook group of people with rare genetic mutations leading to Alzheimer’s.

For five years, a nurse has been coming to the house to give him an infusion of solanezumab, and once a year he traveled to Washington University in St. Louis for extensive clinical and cognitive tests.

When he saw the news, he and his wife sat in stunned silence. The average age of onset for Alzheimer’s disease in his family is 47.

“We were so hopeful,” Mr. Reiswig said. “The devastating part of it for me is that I was really hoping this would change the world.”

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globlenet-blog · 7 years

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What Happens When A Terrorist Attacks A Trump Property?

https://clearwatergolfclub.com/what-happens-when-a-terrorist-attacks-a-trump-property/

What Happens When A Terrorist Attacks A Trump Property?

The Long Run Based On Trump

Mix-published from TomDispatch.com

Are you able to doubt which were inside a dystopian age, even when remained as four days from Jesse Trump entering the Oblong Office? Never within our lifetimes are we experienced such vivid previews of the items unfettered capitalism will probably mean within an ever more unequal country, since its form of 1% politics has elevated towards the pinnacle of power a bizarre millionaire and the basket of deplorables. Im referring, obviously, to not his supporters but to his picks for that greatest posts within the land. Included in this are a number of generals prepared to bring us right into a new set of crusades along with a crew of billionaires and multimillionaires ready to make America their own again.

Its already a stunningly depressing moment also it hasnt even begun. At the minimum, it calls upon average folks to increase towards the occasion. Which means mustering a dystopian imagination that suits the age in the future.

I probably have that youre as capable like me of making bleak scenarios for future years of the country (to not talk about the earth). But simply to obtain the ball moving around the eve from the holidays, allow me to provide you with a handful of my very own dystopian fantasies, centered on the possibility actions of President Jesse Trump.

There’s already a massive literature practically a library of writings on the unique president-elects potential conflicts of great interest. He is doing, in the end, own, or lease his name to, various towers, elite courses, clubs, hotels, condos, residences, and you never know what else in a minimum of 18 to 20 countries. That name of his, almost always in impressive gold lettering, soars to striking heights in foreign skies over the planet. Nowadays, actually, the Trump brand and it is conflicts are difficult to flee, from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Dubai to Scotland, India, and also the very heart of Manhattan Island. There, within my own hometown, at a price to local taxpayers much like me in excess of a million bucks each day, law enforcement are protecting him in a major way, as the Secret Service and also the military add their heft towards the growing armed camp in mid-Manhattan. They’re, obviously, protecting the Trump Tower the one out of which, in June 2015, to Neil Youngs Rockin within the Free World, he rode that escalator into the presidential campaign, promising to construct an excellent wall, lock-out all Mexican rapists, making America great again.

That tower on busy Fifth Avenue has become fronted by dump trucks full of sand (to assist safeguard the Republican presidential nominee from potentially explosive attacks) and, using the safety from the president and the family in your mind, the key Services are apparently thinking about renting out a few floors from the building at a price towards the American citizen of $3 million yearly, which may, obviously, go into the coffers of the Trump company. (Hey, no conflict of great interest there and have no idea mention the term kleptocracy!) All this will unquestionably make sure that New Yorks most Trump-worthy building, also known as the White-colored House North, is going to be stored reasonably protected from intruders, attackers, suicide bombers, and so on. But a lot of the imperial Trump brand all over the world might not be quite as lucky. Elsewhere, pads will normally be private hires, not government employees, and also the money readily available for any security plans will, consequently, be much more modest.

With rare exceptions, the attention from the media has centered on just one facet of Jesse Trumps conflict-of-interest issues (and they’re rampant), to not talk about his urge to duck what he may do about the subject, or dodge and weave to avoid a guaranteed news conference to go over them and also the role of his children in the presidency and the companies. The emphasis has generally been in the sorts of issues that would arise from the businessman having a branded name visiting power and benefiting from, or selection in line with the money to make from, his presidency. Media reports have generally zeroed in, for example, about how foreign leaders yet others might affect national policy by basically promising to enhance Trump or his children. They set of diplomats who feel obliged to remain at his new hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue just lower the road in the White-colored House or foreign heads of condition reaching out to him via his partners within their lands or Trump brand deals which are now going through in a variety of countries because of his election victory.

The main focus is nearly almost always regarding how to deal with a president who, not less than the following 4 years, could are in position to profit in your mind-boggling ways from his various functions at work (or just in the position he holds, even when he is doing nothing). Making no mistake, that issue might indeed edge Trumps presidency in to the truly dodgy, not saying paradigm breaking, with regards to a brief history from the White-colored House. But dont call that dystopian.

What couple of people (the key Service aside) are planning on may be the ways that conflicts of great interest could take in the new president by threatening to not enrich, but impoverish him (and the children). Mind lower that path and trust me youre instantly in dystopian territory.

Heres a predicament for you personally:

Its April 1, 2017. Jesse J. Trump has been around office for under 2 . 5 several weeks whenever a nattily outfitted businessman seems to enter Trump Towers Istanbul, which soars in to the skyline from the Turkish capital using the name from the new American president impressively done in gold letters atop certainly one of its towers. Once within the lobby, that man, a messenger in the Islamic Condition who managed to get with the complexs private security screening having a suicide vest shackled by his body, blows themself up, killing a doorman, a burglar screener, and numerous residents, while wounding twelve others.

Obviously, Ive never visited Trump Towers Istanbul, and so i dont figure out what safety measures have established yourself there in the middle of that already explosive capital, but because of the Trump projects scattered all over the world, you can pick your personal branded building, resort, or hotel. Which initial explosion would certainly be considered a start. Remember it only cost Osama bin Laden a reported $400,000 to stage the 9/11 attacks and lure the Plant administration into some trillion-dollar unsuccessful wars that will help spread terror movements over the Greater Middle East and Africa. So don’t for any second think the leadership of ISIS (or similar groups) wont see the benefits of delivering such messengers inexpensively to obtain underneath the oh-so-thin-skin from the new American president and embroil him in god knows what.

Picture this too: its 2018. China and also the U.S. are in loggerheads over the Taiwan strait, pressures and feelings are rising again in northern Africa, where ongoing American military assaults in Libya and Somalia only have elevated the pre-Trumpian chaos, plus the heartlands from the Middle East where, despite massive American bombing campaigns, ISIS, once more a guerilla group without territory, causes chaos. Additionally, in Afghanistan, 17 years after Americas second Afghan War started, the U.S.-backed government in Kabul is tottering when confronted with new Taliban, ISIS, and al-Qaeda offensives. Massive waves of immigrants all these unsettled lands still endanger an angry Europe, and everywhere anti-Americanism is rising, not inside a generalized sense, but focused in rage around the American president and the much-beloved brand.

Imagine too as it were growing demonstrations, protests, and so on, all targeted at various towers, clubs, resorts, and condominiums within the Trump stable. And think about precisely what a mixture of threatened terror attacks and roiling demonstrations, in addition to growing anger within the Trump name over the Islamic world and elsewhere, might mean towards the profitability from the presidents brand. Now, consider the Trump towers in Pune, India, or even the 75-story tower in Mumbai, or even the six-star luxury resort in Indonesia, or even the tower rising in Manilas Century City (each a higher-finish Trump-labeled project likely to come online soon and all sorts of, except Pune, at past sites of devastating terror bombings). What’s going to their proprietors do if prospective buyers, fearing for his or her comfort, health, or perhaps lives, start to flee? What goes on once the hotels cant maintain their rooms filled, the condominiums lose their bidders, and also the Trump brand all of a sudden starts to empty out?

There’s, obviously, no be certain that this type of factor may happen, however if you simply pause and think about the possibility, it is not difficult to imagine. Next, consider what you know about Jesse Trump, a guy inordinately happy with his logo and sensitive beyond belief. Now, attempt to imagine as well as in Trumpian terms were speaking in regards to a truly dystopian world here what American foreign policy might seem like if, among the fears of resort-goers, golfers, business types, and so on, that brand started to tank worldwide, if raising individuals giant gold letters over any city immediately ensured either mind-boggling problems or staggering security costs (and, at least, a existence of TSA-style lines for consumers).

IMG 1 TT

Indeed, if the Trump brand starts to go belly up, knowing what we do about the president-elect, we would be almost certain to see a foreign policy increasingly devoted to saving his brand and under those circumstances in the words of former Condition Department official Peter Van Buren what might fail?

Now, that is dystopian territory.

Assassin-in-Chief

Allow me to add another dystopian fantasy as to the clearly happens to be an endless string of these. As it were, lets consider the subject of presidential assassinations. With that I do not mean assassinated presidents like Lincoln subsequently, McKinley, or Kennedy. Things I are thinking about may be the modern presidential urge to assassinate others.

Since a minimum of Dwight Eisenhower, American presidents will be in the camp ground from the assassins. With Eisenhower, it had been the CIAs plot against Congolese Pm Patrice Lumumba with John Kennedy (and the brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy), it had been Cubas Fidel Castro with Richard Nixon (and the Secretary of Condition Henry Kissinger), it had been the killing of Chilean President Salvador Allende inside a U.S.-backed military coup, that was even the first 9/11 attack (September 11, 1973).

In 1976, within the wake of Watergate, President Gerald Ford would outlaw political murder by executive order, a ban reaffirmed by subsequent presidents (although Taxation did direct U.S. Air Pressure planes to explosive device Libyan autocrat Muammar Gaddafis home). Because this new century started, however, the sexiest high-tech killer around, the appropriately named Predator drone, could be equipped with Hellfire missiles and sent into action within the fight against terror, creating the potential of presidential assassinations on the scale nothing you’ve seen prior imagined. Its subsequent missions threatened to produce a Terminator form of the world.

In the behest of two presidents, George W. Plant and Obama, a number of such automatic assassins would enter in the past unique terrain as global hunter-killers outside official American war zones. They as well as their successors, Reaper drones (as with the Harsh Reaper), could be dispatched on mass murder sprees that haven’t yet finish which were largely organized within the White-colored House itself with different regularly updated, presidentially approved kill list.

In this manner, obama, his aides, and the advisors grew to become judge, jury, and executioner for terror suspects (though often enough any man, lady, or child who been nearby) midway all over the world. When I wrote in 2012, along the way, the commander-in-chief grew to become a lasting assassin-in-chief. Now, presidents were given the job of overseeing the removal of countless individuals other lands with a feeling of legality granted them in secret memos through the lawyers that belongs to them Justice Department. Discuss dystopian! George Orwell could have been awed.

So with regards to assassinations, i was already on dark terrain before Jesse Trump thought to ask running for president. But provide the man his due. Little observed by anybody, he might be developing the opportunity of a brand new type of presidential murder not in distant lands but the following in your own home. Begin with his outstanding tweeting skills and also the staggering 17.2 million supporters of whatever he tweets, including numerous people of whats nicely known as the alt-right. And trust me, thats one hell of the audience to awaken, something The Jesse has proven he can perform with alacrity.

In this way, you can already consider him as a type of Twitter hit man. Certainly, his capacity to lash in 140 figures isn’t any small factor. Lately, for example, he all of a sudden tweeted a critique of arms-maker Lockheed-Martin for creating probably the most costly weapons system ever, the F-35 fighter jet. (The F-35 program and price has run out of control. Vast amounts of dollars will be saved on military [along with other] purchases after The month of january 20th.) The companys stock value quickly required a $4 billion hit which, I have to admit, I discovered amusing, not dystopian.

Also, he appears to possess been inflammed with a Chicago Tribune column that centered on Boeing Chief executive officer Dennis Muilenburgs criticisms of his comments on worldwide trade and China, where that company does significant business. Muilenburg recommended, mildly enough, he back away in the 2016 anti-trade rhetoric and perceived threats to punish other nations with greater tariffs or charges. In reaction, The Jesse quickly took out after the organization, with the cancellation of the Boeing agreement for a brand new high-tech form of Air Pressure One, the presidents plane. (Boeing is creating a completely new 747 Air Pressure One for future presidents, but pricing is unmanageable, greater than $4 billion. Cancel order!) That companys stock similarly required a success.

But giant military-industrial corporations can, obviously, defend themselves. So no pity there. With regards to regular citizens, however, its another matter. Take Chuck Johnson, president of the Indiana U . s . Steelworkers local. He disputed Trump on the number of jobs obama-elect had lately saved at Carrier Corporation. Considerably less, he was adamant (quite precisely), than Trump claimed. That clearly bruised obama-elects giant but remarkably fragile ego. Before he understood what hit him, Johnson found themself the item of the Trumpian twitter barrage. (Chuck Johnson, who’s President of U . s . Steelworkers 1999, has been doing a dreadful job representing workers. No question companies flee country!) The following factor he understood, abusive and threatening calls were flowing in such things as were coming for you personally or, as Johnson described it, Nothing that states theyre gonna kill me, but, you realize, you best keep an eye on your children. We all know what vehicle you drive. Things along individuals lines.

Last year, an 18-year-old university student were built with a similar experience after you have up in a campaign event and telling Trump he wasn’t any friend to women. The candidate quickly continued the Twitter attack, labelling her arrogant, and subsequently factor she understood, because the Washington Publish described it, her phone started ringing with callers departing threatening messages which were frequently sexual anyway. Her Facebook and email inboxes full of similar messages. As her addresses circulated on social networking and her photo exhibited in the news, she fled the place to find hide.

About this basis, it is not hard to create a conjecture. Sooner or later in Trumps presidency, he’ll strike out by tweet in a private citizen (Sad!) who got under his skin. In reaction, some unhinged person in what could be regarded as his future alt-drone pressure will get a gun (which so much more is going to be a lot closer at hands within the NRA-ascendant chronilogical age of Trump). Then, within the fashion from the fellow who made the decision to self-investigate the pizza shop in Washington that thanks, fake news was said to be the middle of a Hillary Clinton child-sex-slave ring, he’ll go self-investigate personally and armed. In Pizzagate, the man, now under arrest, fired his assault rifle harmlessly for the reason that restaurant, whose owner had already received more than his share of abusive phone messages and dying threats. It’s very easy enough to assume, however, quite another consequence of this kind of event. For the reason that situation, Jesse Trump may have given murder by drone a brand new meaning. And really should which happen, what would be the effects from the first presidential Twitter hit job within our history?

Remember, obviously, that, because of George W. Plant and Obama, Trump can also get all individuals CIA drones for he desires to knock-off whoever he chooses in distant lands. But because a possible Twitter assassin, rousing his alt-drones towards the attack, he’d achieve quite a different type of American first.

A Note for The World

And thats simply to edge my way to return world of Jesse Trump, that is, obviously, going to become all of our universes. I believe that his will grow to be the screw-you presidency ever. And trust me, which will end up being dystopian beyond compare or will i mean beyond despair?

Go ahead and take most dystopian issue of: global warming. In recent days, Trump has mumbled sweet nothings towards the put together New You are able to Occasions staff, swearing that hes keeping an open mind with regards to the hyperlink between humanity along with a warming planet. Hes also sweet-talked Al Gore right in the middle of Trump Tower. (I’d a extended and incredibly productive session using the president-elect, stated Gore afterward. It had been a sincere look for regions of mutual understanding… I discovered it an very interesting conversation, and also to be ongoing.) Other things Jesse Trump might be, he’s, first of all, a salesman, meaning he understands how to make a sale and charm nearly anybody, if needed, and reality be damned.

If, however, you need to gauge his actual feelings about them, individuals outer borough sentiments of his youthful years as he obviously increased up feeling one-lower to New Yorks elite, then don’t pay focus on what hes saying and check out what hes doing. On global warming, its screw-you devastating completely and visual payback towards the many vegetables, liberals, and individuals simply concerned about the fate of the world for his or her grandchildren who didnt election for or support him.

The Protector lately did a rundown on his selections for both his transition team and key posts in the administration getting anything related to energy or even the warming from the planet. It found climate deniers and thus-known as skeptics everywhere. Actually, a minimum of nine senior people of his transition team, reported Oliver Milman of this paper, deny fundamental scientific knowning that the earth is warming because of the burning of carbon along with other human activity.

Combine this using the president-elects urge to produce American non-renewable fuels in ways nobody formerly has and you’ve got a note that couldnt be clearer or even more devastating for future years of the livable planet. Consider it as being so dystopian, so potentially publish-apocalyptic, it makes 1984 seem like a nursery tale.

The content couldnt be clearer. If I needed to place it in only five words, they’d be:

Trump to Earth: Drop Dead.

And indeed, happy holidays!

Tom Engelhardt is really a co-founding father of the American Empire Project and also the author of The U . s . States of Fear in addition to a good reputation for the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He’s a fellow from the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His latest book is Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World.

Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and come along on Facebook. Browse the newest Dispatch Book, John Feffers dystopian novel Splinterlands, in addition to Nick TursesNext Time Theyll Come to Count the Dead, and Tom Engelhardts latest book, Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World.

Find out more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dystopian-donald_us_585bd9b0e4b0eb5864854137

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katiezstorey93 · 7 years

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Women Are Scary (and Other Big Lies Modesty Culture Teaches Men)

“Thats the big lie: Keep them at a distance, lest you be snared. The result? Men who are scared to interact with half of the human population.”

ByJonathan Trotter

I am sad. I live in Southeast Asia, and theres a massage parlor a few blocks down the street. In fact, there are several.

$2.50 is what the sign reads. And then there are the KTVs (karaoke bars) with rows of plastic chairs holding property: young women in skimpy cocktail dresses waiting for clients. Several of them within a mile of my house. Ones called Dubai, ones called Las Vegas, and ones simply called J. I know the names because theyre on the main streets. Theyre not hidden.

I see it everywhere: men objectifying women.

Do you remember about a year ago when a list of users on the affair-facilitating website Ashley Madison got leaked? And right about the same time one of the famous Duggar kids was found to be involved in a shocking sex abuse scandal. Lately, it’s been the sexual impropriety of Anthony Weiner, and his wife publicly announcing that she was leaving him after he was once again caught sexting. Sadly, there will surely be something else soon.

My worlds collide.

I grew up under the same teachings as Josh Duggar. Same home school group. Same emphasis on modesty and purity.

But my parents werent all in. I was much more into it than they were, actually. As a young teenager, I was upset because my dad wouldnt sell his dental practice so we could move into the country to be more holy. I stopped listening to rock music and even left a Christian concert once out of my strong convictions.

My parents stayed.

My parents still took us to the (agh!) public pool, but when I decided that was too “dangerous” for me, I recused myself.

So, yes, I did grow up under the same teachings. Sort of. But because we had friends outside of the movement, and because my parents were very loving and too compromising, I was spared much of the devastation.

But many people weren’t spared. You see, there are lies modesty culture teaches men.

Also, I have daughters. And sons. I have a bunch of younger sisters. And brothers. I have a wife. That makes this all very, very personal.

Lie 1: Women Are Scary

Yes, you should treat them like sisters, but really, you should be terrified of them.

Thats the big lie: Keep them at a distance, lest you be snared.

The result? Men who are scared to interact with half of the human population. Men who must look at the dirt when a woman walks by instead of looking her in the eye. That cannot be right.

Many men grow up so scared of women they never develop healthy relationships with any of them; they dont actually get to know a girl as a co-equal member of the human race.

Lie 2: Men Have a Responsibility Not to Look (but Women Have More Responsibility Not to Be Looked At)

I grew up learning of the guys responsibility to not look, and thats great, but what I really heard A LOT about was the girls responsibility to not be looked at. Practically speaking, this is just really stupid. And its offensive, because its basically saying that guys cant help themselves, and we need women to save us from our own urges. Please, ladies, put this blanket on.

Seriously, men? Give it up and guard your own heart. Not. Her. Job. You cannot blame your lust on a woman. Ever. Period. If you fall into temptation, thats on you, man.

Furthermore, lets assume for a second that every Christian woman on the planet agrees to dress modestly (however you define it) in order to help you “stay pure.” What are you going to do about the rest, who dont follow those sorts of church rules and dont care about protecting your heart? The ones Jesus still calls you to love and serve?

Modesty culture shifts blame; Id like to shift it back.

Because I cant really imagine Jesus saying, Dont lust, but if shes really attractive to you, and shes not wearing much, then I totally get it. And really, if shes pretty and is walking in front of you, its not really all your fault. She doesnt follow me or care about you, but she should know better than to dress like that. Ill assign her some of your guilt. Carry on.

Lie 3: Dehumanizing Is OK

So much of modesty culture dehumanizes women.

It reduces their complexity and unique personhood to their sexuality. In an effort to guard sexuality, it actually makes it all about sexuality. In our strong reaction to the sexualization of our culture, weve done a pretty good job of turning people into sex objects. And many have lost the ability to have healthy, close relationships.

This type of thinking about modesty also causes us to judge people who dont live according oursometimes arbitrarystandards, and says that clothes determine who we can hang out with.

Jesus hung out with all sort of seemingly unlikely people: tax collectors, prostitutes, outcasts. How could He do that and stay pure? Wasnt He afraid His followers would follow His example and fall miserably into the abyss of sin? I dont think so.

In fact, I believe Jesus wasnt afraid because He saw their humanity. And He knew that their humanity desperately needed His divinity. To love people is to be with people. And people dont always follow “the rules” or dress “appropriately.”

If we cant figure out how to deal with that, were going to have a heck of a hard time sharing Jesus with folks who dont know Him and act like it.

And that just might be the saddest thing of all.

** This article originally appeared on trotters41.com.

About the Author: Jonathan has lived in Southeast Asia since 2012, where he serves as a pastoral counselor and helps lead an international church. He tweets @trotters41 and blogs at trotters41.com.