My master-cleansing fast Journey #3

I have been looking forward to my third experience with master-cleanse. My last time I had this cleansing was winter 2013. So it has been almost 3 years I couldn’t do this cleansing as I was sick with my sciatica and I had to take contraceptive bills and other medical drugs. My body starts to change dramatically with these medications, like I gain weight, I was up and down and I had mild reactions outside of extreme weakness. My biggest problem was having a painful back problems and cramps caused by gas in the intestines. Fortunately, I am pushing my self to do it again as I am seeking from this cleansing to help me in my healing journey. I will explain what is master-cleanse as most of my friends and family wants to understand what does it mean and how it works! I know most of my beloved ones think I am crazy but what’s the point from this. I believe our bodies deserve to be healed and we should rid of our body toxins that could be loosened by this cleanse.
Here are some facts that I gathered from different resources what master-cleanse can do:
– Dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion that have formed in any part of the body.
– Cleanse the kidneys and the digestive system.
– Purify the glands and cells throughout the entire body.
– Eliminate all unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles.
– Relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries, and blood vessels.
– Build a healthy blood stream.
– Keep youth and elasticity regardless of our years.
My master cleansing is cosmopolitan of lemonade diet, Himalayan pink salt bath, and herbal laxative tea. The reason of having these healthy ingredients is to help us on easing our pains and to free our bodies from the toxic or the poison that we have from food, medication, and life style. For a fact, lemonade and organic maple syrup has a large variety of minerals and vitamins. These are the minerals are sodium; potassium; calcium; magnesium; manganese; iron; copper; chlorine and silicon. As well as, it included vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, nicotinic acid and pantothenic Acid.
The master-cleanse starts with salt-water bathing in the morning and on the evening with a herbal laxative tea. And during the day, drinks between six and twelve glasses of lemonade juice, which consisted of lemon, maple syrup in proper proportions, with a small amount of cayenne pepper. In my previous experience, I stayed on the master-cleanse for 10 days, during which I exercised yoga, jogged, worked, and felt stronger each day, as the cleanse proceeded. During the entire time I was never hungry.
The most important part of the cleanse is knowing how to come off of the fast, allowing the body to gradually adjust itself to handling solid food again. I will teach you how to do it where you break your fasting with drinking orange juice for 3 days and having vegetable broths. I remember, as my weight was stabilized at the start of this cleanse, I only lost about 2-3 kilos. People who are overweight will loose much more in this cleanse. Lets starts with my fasting journal:
Daily fasting Recipe (10 days):
– Water bath: 2 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt (or sea salt organic one not the iodized one) and 4 cup of warm water. Mix the water and the salt and drink it on a daily basis-only in the morning.
– Lemonade Juice (6-12 cups per day): 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (approx. 1/2 lemon), 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup,1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper) and one cup of water. In the room temperature, combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a jar glass jar. Shake it up and drink. Cold water may be used if preferred and use fresh (organic) lemons or limes only, never canned lemon or lime juice nor frozen lemonade or frozen juice.

My Journals:

First day 26 August, 2016: I woke up this morning and my cat Bulbula wants to play with me. It is always great to have her around especially when your beloved is away. She is a good companion and having her around is very helpful and healing. She needs me and I need her its perfect for both of us. I went to the kitchen to start with my fasting recipe. I was so excited to squeeze my lemons, play with the salt, pour my juice and drink. The joy of having the warm water with the salt is quite pleasant. Your mind starts wondering why am I having this salty taste in the morning. It is very refreshing but it will force you at the end to have stomach waves ache and you ended up going to the bathroom. After that it feels great, you see all the yellow liquid and poop is out. Your body starts to prepare for the cleansing which is great. After one hour, I had my mix yummy lemon juice and its taste so good. I am having it and it feels so good so far. I am looking forward for my day plan which is practicing and playing guitar, writing my journal, exercising yoga, and meeting my friends for a barbecue party but as you know I will not eat but it would be challenging not to taste the food and to smell the barbecue but believe me the results would be rewarded after I am done from my fasting.
That’s it for the day, it’s a lovely day and I am ready for the next day. Two quotes I would like to share on the power of fasting:
“If thou wouldst preserve a sound body, use fasting and walking; if a healthful soul, fasting and praying; walking exercises the body, praying exercises the soul, fasting cleanses both”. ~Francis Quarles
“Fasting is the first principle of medicine; fast and see the strength of the spirit reveal itself”. ~Rumi. Namaste everyone

Second day 27 August, 2016: My second day was interesting, I started with my meditation and scanning my body and it feels so light and I am flowing with the energy around. In Yogi life, we always encouraging to love ourselves and take care of our bodies because it deserve to heal and rest. So enjoy the moment of loving yourself and embrace it.
I had my bathing salt this morning then my herbal laxative tea. I forgot to mention that you may have your tea in the morning but mainly you need to have it before you sleep (see the photo). I have to admit that my trips to the bathroom were many that I can’t account it, and this showed that my body is starting to flush from the toxic. Please keep up into your mind that it’s normal to have stomach cramp/pain so do not worry about it as its part of the cleansing process. Later it will be less and less. Today I have 7 cups of my tasty lemon juice and it still keeps up my energy for the day. I managed to work on my computer for hours and I was impressed how I am completely focused. I also was talking to my partner and mother about my day experience, and I admit to them that its hard day today because it always hard to fast on the second and the third day but later it will be easier. I do appreciate their support and checking on me and for accepting for who am I. This is my theme for the day, accept people as they are and don’t ever think to change them. I also had the chance to meet one of my Tango students, who is from Palestine. We spoke for hours talking about the master cleansing experience, about the old days of teaching tango in Palestine, life back in Ramallah. I am so blessed with the people around me and having them around, it’s always good to have sportive system around! I was surprised this morning with two friends requests to do the master cleanse as they were reading my journal and they asked about it more so I offered to mentor them. This is a great change, and yes we should think to value their bodies! That’s it for the day, and ready for the third day.  Another quote to share: “There’s a hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness. We are lutes, no more, no less. If the sound box is stuffed full of anything, no music. If the brain and the belly are burning clean with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire. The fog clears, and a new energy makes you run up the steps in front of you….”~Rumi. Namaste

Third day 28 August, 2016: My third day was very easy! I did not feel hungry at all. Surprisingly the fasting helps you to sleep and woke up early so I am starting to get use to my fasting rhythm. The stomach pain was gone this morning; I only had to go to the bathroom 6 times until 12pm afterward it becomes normal. I recommend to start drinking early around 6am so you can let your body digest, then after an hour have your lemon Juice so you can let your body clean properly. And you will notice that you will not poop anymore on the third day only liquid will be out from both sides of your body, you know what I mean 😉 the side where you pee and other where you poop. When you want to take a bath during the fasting, I recommend you also to have a warm bath without using any chemical soap! The best is to use organic soap in order to let your body has a proper cleansing. Later I went to the work and all went well, two of my colleagues couldn’t believe that I am doing this fasting so I share with them my thoughts. They asked how would you survive without eating food. I told them fasting should be coming with determination as our mind deceived us. Surprisingly the body can survive without eating for a long period. Look to Ghandi journey on fasting, mother Teresa and others. So I picked my theme today is clearing your thought. Our mind is always deceiving us so we had fears and even it makes us weak. Remember fasting is important to free our mind from those negative thought. Anyhow, I made it for the third day and here I come for my fourth day (tomorrow).
“Fasting cures diseases, dries up bodily humors, puts demons to flight, gets rid of impure thoughts, makes the mind clearer and the heart purer, the body sanctified, and raises man to the throne of God.” ~Athenaeus of Naucratis
Namaste

Fourth day 29 August 2016: Folks I am still surviving and still enjoying the habit of fasting. Today I explore new territories of growth, which is enabling others to learn to grow. I am excited to share my fasting journals so others can learn from my experience. By taking on my fasting journal and publicly sharing it with friends and others, I can imagine that this will be a helpful resource to those who might be interested to try this cleanse for themselves in the future. So don’t hesitate to ask me. So my theme for the day is helping others to grow and to learn. During our fasting journey, we need to focus on our emotional purging what I mean with that when we fast from food our physical sensations including hunger and craving is becoming less and less by every day we fast. Our bodies deserve to fast because it will free us from our negative feelings (like depression, emptiness, etc.). My food is my lemonade juice and it becomes part of my body as a synonym for happiness/love, so it’s not surprising that a lot of our emotional get purified in our fasting as well. So I’m really quite sure with fasting journey your will feel more energized and more positive!
Ready for day 5 tomorrow and cannot wait to make it for the rest. And enjoy reading my quote for the day:
“Happy is he who has fasted in sincerity and truth! Happy he whose humbled heart has expanded in love!”~Alexandre Vinet (1797–1847). Namaste 

Fifth day 30 August 2016: Wow I am on my half marathon of fasting and it feels so great (feels like a victory). Today I want to focus on my journal on our body capacity to survive while we are fasting and how to take care of it. During reading my literature, I found out that our body has sufficient fat reserves to last us for 40 days, that’s amazing right! So whoever asked me how you could survive for 10 days believe me I will and I can! So now I will take you to another aspect of how to take care of our body while we are fasting, our bodies during the cleansing are in a healing mode. It’s burning away the waste in our fat cells. So please try to engage in any physical activity (walking for 15 mins) or normal routine will result in precious muscle being burned just to keep-up with your energy needs, since muscle is a more efficient fuel of energy than fat. Not only does this prevent the healing from taking place (burning of fat cells), we also waste precious muscle in the process. To experience the full benefits of a fast, we should also be resting as much as we can, and limit the more physically challenging aspects of our regular routine. I will be using my energy for brain work like writing my diaries and of course practicing my yoga. My theme for the day show your respect and love for your body.. Give your body a time to heal, be patient, and build up a good relationship with yourself, have a piece of mind and meditate and you will be in the balance mode. Yalla for the six day tomorrow … My fifth quote for the day “In a fast, the body tears down its defective parts and then builds anew when eating is resumed”. ~Herbert M. Shelton
Namaste everyone and my beloved

Six day 31 August 2016: I still feel super alert and energetic for my six day. I would like to highpoint today on the changes of my body organs: I feel in the state of heightened mental clarity, my sense of smell and taste is increasing, my breath is deeper now, my sinuses is clearer, and more whitening into my eyes. I also have high levels of my energy which means that my body begins to return to health. I am so blessed for this moment as this fasting is improving my mental and physical status, it feels like waves of spiritual transformation because our body is going through withdrawals and getting ready for the healing to begin. Remember to trust to your body and this is my theme for the day; trust your fasting and it will not let you down. When you do your cleansing for the first time, you will have other symptoms of the cleansing crisis like muscle aches, restless, tiredness and lack of motivation. You know why? Because the more toxic you have, the more symptoms you will experience. So don’t worry this is not a cause to discontinue your fast. Believe me it will pass, it is important to trust yourself and your body that the bad feelings are caused by toxins leaving the body and that you are getting healthy. A clean organ is a healthy organ. Once the cleansing crisis passes, your body will enter into a fasting peak. Embrace, trust and love your body. I love Rumi quotes as its inspired me to keep stronger “Fasting blinds the body in order to open the eyes of your soul”. ~Rumi. Namaste

Seventh day 1 September 2016 : I cannot believe that its already my seventh day, only left 3 days to break up my fasting. I am pretty excited about how the upcoming days are going to turn out. I weight my self this morning and I lost 2 kgs (54-52kg). Today I want to focus how to build a good relationship with our food. After being vegetarian and focusing on having more healthy smoothies, it made me see food in a whole new bright and made me realize how much I was using food as an emotional outlet. It also made me understand on a whole new level what it really feels to be hungry and require food, verse when it is just a desire to eat and fill out an emotion. I believe that processed foods and cooked foods include sugar, salt and seasonings in one way or another and they affect our sense of true hunger, which aggravates our emotional eating problems. So make an affirmative relationship with your food and value what are you eating. Study your food and learn how to make a healthy meal. While you are fasting, have a gratitude for your food and practice to reverse negative thoughts and re-programme your beliefs, behavior and actions. They can change the way you see the world and most definitely helped us improve our relationship with our bodies! Ready for my 8th day tomorrow.
“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself”. ~ Augustine of Hippo
Namaste

Eighth day 2 September 2016 : I am almost in the finale of my fasting journey. I love my life and my body and will treasure it and look after it for the rest of my life. My theme for the day is to love your body. Our bodies depending on us for the love and care in order to function and proceed with all its biochemical actions! It works so damn hard! I think it deserves our respect. I see my body as my baby so love your body, it can’t wait to love you back! This is why we should fast, to give a break for our body to rest and heal! Be determinant and appreciate your body. When we fast, it is ok to feel hungry because it’s an empty feeling in our stomach, but remember that you will be rewarded and the feeling would be nice after you break up your fasting and start eating food. Does the fasting all sound too easy? The truth in creating new habit like fasting is actually quite difficult but if we trained our body on this, it will be rewarded. If you struggle with the fasting, again, that is more than okay. Be kind to yourself and take your time. It will become second nature and in return you will have a healthy body. Please, give yourself permission to enjoy your fasting. Just give it some time. Namaste

I would like to share this beautiful poem by Rumi:

“There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.
We are lutes, no more, no less.

If the sound boxes stuffed full of anything, no music.
If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting,
every moment a new song comes out of the fire.
The fog clears, and new energy makes you run
up the steps in front of you.
Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry.

Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen.
When you’re full of food and drink,
Satan sits where your spirit should,
an ugly metal statue in place of the Kaaba.
When you fast, good habits gather
like friends who want to help.
Fasting is Solomon’s ring.

Don’t give into some illusion and lose your power,
but even if you have, if you’ve lost all will and control,
they come back when you fast,
like soldiers appearing out of the ground,
pennants flying above them.

A table descends to your tents, Jesus’ table.
Expect to see it, when you fast,
this tablespread with other food,
better than the broth of cabbages.” ~Molana (Rumi), Ghazal No. 1739

Ninth day 3 September 2016 : I am almost there with finishing my master-cleanse journey. With my lemonade diet, I am living normal life and still active; I have been even working so hard at my job and traveling to the refugee camps almost 3 days per week. I found out that I am able to do more harder work while I am on my lemonade diet than on my normal diet. After I have attained my last days of cleanse, now I will have a healthy body and it is fresh and free from the toxic. The cleanse also motivated me more to desire to fast for purely spiritual reasons, so I am hoping next year to do the 21 days fasting and Ramadan fasting. I also come up with new resolution which is adjusting my social life with this cleans. Its much better to just stay away from people that may give you a hard time or even frustrate you a lot. I like to take it really easy on my cleanse and even enjoy the time to slow down, rest, concentrate on my self, my health and my life. This is my theme for the day trust your own choices. It is great opportunities to see how much respect the people in your life have for your choices. Be around your family, beloved, and the people that are positive and supportive. Namaste.
“Fasting is as our sacrifice,
It is the life out of soul; let us sacrifice all our body,
Since the soul has arrived as guest.
When the carnal soul is in need,
The spirit goes into ascension;
When the gate of the prison is broken, the soul reaches the Beloved” ~ Rumi

Tenth day 4 September 2016: Namaste everyone, today is my last day to end up my fasting chapter, I am happy but sad at the same time. I am astonished with my body strength and power! One of the best signals of my completed cleansing is having a coated and fuzzy tongue and it is clear pink and clean, my skin is vibrant, my back is healed and I have less pain, and every organ in my body is fresh. I am so blessed for my master-cleansing journey as it teaches me every time something new, which is when you fast and see the strength of the spirit, it reveals itself! If you want to follow this cleanse, please be careful to read the entire instructions from my first day journal so that cleansing will be of the best benefit to you. And remember to prepare yourself mentally to follow in detail the entire directions and continue as long as is needed to make the necessary changes. Don’t hesitate to ask me, I have been mentoring so many friends and folks around the globe and they made it for the first time. I also would like to thank my friends and beloved family and partners for their support and checking on me every day. I love you all. My last beautiful quote to share “The light of the world will illuminate within you when you fast and purify yourself:. ~Mahatma Gandhi.

Now for breaking my fasting tomorrow: before I explained, please be absolutely sure you follow my directions very carefully to prepare your body for normal eating (our way). Do not over eat or eat too soon, serious problems (sickness) can occur if detailed directions are not followed. Below is the schedule for people who normally follow such a natural vegetarian food like me ☺:
– First and second day after the fasting: Take 8 cups of fresh orange juice during the day. The orange juice prepares the digestive system to properly digest and adapt regular food. Drink it slowly. If there has been any digestive difficulty prior to or during the change over, extra water may be taken with the orange juice.
– Third day after the fasting: Take orange juice in the morning. Raw fruit for lunch. Fruit or raw vegetable salad at night. You are now ready to eat normally.
For those who have usually lived with eating meat, milk, etc., it may be the best to change over as follows, gradually adopting the raw fruit, nut, and vegetable diet, some suggestions below to start with:
– First day: Take several 8 cups of fresh orange juice as desired during the day. Drink it slowly.
– Second day: Drink several 8 cups of orange juice during the day— with extra water, if needed. Some time during the afternoon, prepare a vegetable soup (no canned soup) as follows: Use several kinds of vegetables, perhaps one or two kinds of beans, potatoes, celery, carrots, green vegetable tops, onion, etc. Vegetable soup powders may be added for extra flavour. Chili, curry, cayenne (red pepper), tomatoes, green peppers, and zucchini may be included to good advantage. Brown rice may be used, but no meat or meat stock. Other spices may be added (delicately) for flavor. Use salt delicately as a limited amount of salt is necessary. Learn to enjoy the natural flavor of the vegetables. The less cooking the better. Have this soup for the evening meal using the broth mostly, although some of the vegetables may be eaten. But do not eat bread or crackers.
– Third day: Drink orange juice in the morning. At noon have more soup: enough may be made the night before and put in the refrigerator. For the evening meal eat whatever is desired in the form of vegetables, salads, or fruit. No meat, fish, or eggs; no bread, pastries, tea coffee, or milk as it will develop toxins throughout the body.
– Fourth Day: Normal eating may be resumed, but best health will be retained if the morning meal consists of our type of lemonade or fruit juice: and, of course, if a strictly fruit, vegetable, and nuts. If, after eating is resumed, distress or gas occurs, it is suggested that the lemonade diet be continued for several more days until the system is ready for food.

Namaste

Diaries in Amman

I asked this man for a permission to take a photo of his bike and he accepted it. This Gentleman rides his motorbike from Kuwait to Jordan. But what I like the most at his bike is the sticker below to the right stating the road is for everyone (cars and bikes) #right_to_drive #brilliant_key_message#Jo#Amman#diary_Monday

احتفلوا معنا باليوم العالمي للأحياء البرية

 

 هل تعلمون بان الجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة  قد اعلنت 3 مارس يوم احتفالي عالمي للأحياء البرية لزيادة الوعي حول الحيوانات والنباتات البرية في العالم. حيث أكدت الجمعية العامة في قرارتها على القيمة الجوهرية للحياة البرية و مساهماته المختلفة في التنمية المستدامة و رفاه الإنسان ، وضرورة التعرف على دور اتفاقية التجارة الدولية في الانواع المهددة بالانقراض من الحيوانات والنباتات البرية وذلك لضمان أن التجارة الدولية لا تهدد بقاء أنواع أخرى .كما يدعو القرار جميع دول أعضاء الأمم المتحدة والمنظمات التابعة لمنظومة الأمم المتحدة وغيرها من الجهات المعنية ( بما في ذلك المنظمات العالمية والإقليمية و دون الإقليمية  والمنظمات غير الحكومية والمجتمع المدني و الأفراد ) لمراقبة و رفع مستوى الوعي باليوم العالمي للأحياء البرية .[1]

وهل تعلمون ايضاً بإن جامعة الأمم المتحدة قد استضافت مؤتمراً لليوم العالمي للأحياء البرية بعنوان (مكافحة جرائم الحياة البرية) يوم 3 مارس عام 2014 في مقر جامعة الأمم المتحدة في طوكيو. وسوف يشمل المؤتمر سلسلة من حلقات النقاش مقدمة من قبل خبراء لعرض القضايا الراهنة ذات العلاقة والتطرق الى مواضيع وسياسات للحفاظ على الحياة البرية مثل :

• وضع السياسات المستندة إلى الأدلة في معالجة جرائم الاحياء البرية

• دور الأمم المتحدة في الحد من الأزمة البيئية ( في سياق الصيد غير المشروع )

• الدروس التي يمكن تعلمها من تجربة اليابان في مجال مكافحة جرائم الاحياء البرية

يوم 4 مارس ستعقد جلسة عامة لوضع خطة حول كيفية تحقيق تبادل المعلومات حول جرائم الاحياء البرية وخاصة في البلدان النامية. مع العلم بأن هذه الجلسة ستكون مفتوحة للجمهور عامة[2] ، ولكن المطلوب التسجيل المسبق ( قبل27 شباط). الرجاء الضغط على زر التسجيل أدناه للوصول إلى صفحة التسجيل عبر الإنترنت (http://unu-mc.org/civicrm/event/register?id=163&reset=1) .

فمن الضروري المشاركة كفلسطينين في هذا الاحتفال العالمي للتنويه بأسباب تراجع وتتدهور الحياة البرية في فلسطين أهمها ممارسات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي كانتشار المستوطنات الإسرائيلية و”جدار الفصل” والممارسات الخاطئة من قبل المواطنين الفلسطينين: مثل التمدد العمراني والرعي والصيد الجائر.فمن هذا المنطلق ارتأينا كمشجر جذور المشاركة في يوم 3 مارس اطلاق حملة من النشاطات التوعوية حول الحيوانات والنباتات البرية في فلسطين  هدفها رفع الوعي المجتمعي حول القضايا البيئية ودعوة  المجتمع للمساهمة في مستقبل أخضر لفلسطين.

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[1] https://www.facebook.com/WorldWildlifeDay/info  http://www.cites.org/eng/news/pr/2013/20131223_world-wildlife-day.php

[2] http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=8&ddlID=2898

جــمـــــــال مـــــــوســـــوعـــــة كـــلــــمــــــة مـــــشجـــــــر في لــــــغتـــــنـــــا الـــــعـــــربــــــــيـــــــة

 مشجر في الشعر العربي: تَبينت الدراسات الأدبية بأن العديد من الشعراء استخدموا كلمة مشجر في موشحاتهم الشعرية في القرن الحادي عشر والثاني عشر. فالمقصود بها تشجير أبيات الشعر وهو أن يُقَطِّع أحرف اسم ما على أوائل كل بيت من القصيدة ، فإذا جمعت هذه الأحرف خُرِجَ منها الاسم المراد . فأُدخلت في بيوت الشعر وصُورَوا الشعراء كلمات القصيدة بجذع الشجرة (بيت الاصل) ثم يفرعون من كلمات البيت أبياتاً أخرى ، فمن كل كلمة منه يتفرع بيت فيكتبونه بشكل خط عمودي على البيت الأصلي ، ثم في طرف البيت الآخر يصنعون نفس الشيء . ثم ينظمون بيتاً ثانياً أمام الكلمة الثانية ثم ثالثاً أمام الكلمة الثالثة من بيت الأصل ، وهكذا حتى نهاية التفريع في آخر كلمة من البيت الأصلي. [1] 

مشجر عند الصوفية:أطلقت الكتب الصوفية لفظ المشجر بالإنسان الكامل ذات العروق الجسمانية المتكاملة او بالشجرة الثابتة ممتدة فروعها الى السماء. فالكثير من العرب الفصحاء كابن عربي شبه المشجر  بــــــــ” شجرة الكون “، و” شجرة الوجود والبحر المورود “، و” الشجرة النعمانية “. وابن فتحون بـــــــــ”شجرة الحكمة” ولسان العرب “يقال بأن فلان من شجرة مباركة، أي من أصل مبارك .”[2]

مشجر في علم معرفة الانساب: يقصد بمشجر النَّسب توثيق الأفراد بيانياً ومن ثم الارتقاء بأنسابهم إلى أصولها مع ذكر تفرعات الأصول  حيث يذكر طبقةَ نسبٍ ما على صحيفة مرسومة على شكل شجرة نبات (فروع تمتد عن أصل ، وأصول تدلي بفروع). كما دّلت الابحاث الادبية بأن صفات نسابة المشجر يجب أن تتصف بحسن التخطيط للتشجير والذوق السليم في الرسم. [3]

كما استعمل هذا المصطلح عند أهل الطب في الزمن الحديث كمتابعة للافراد المصابون بأمراض الدم والوراثة مما يمكنهم من تتبّع ” الأنماط الجينية “. وتوجد مجالات كثيرة عندهم لاستخدامه، من أهمها : المجال الجنائي، ومجال إثبات النسب.[4]

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[1] http://www.philadelphia.edu.jo/almaktabah/book13/home/9/11-c8/58043—–1591مشجر

[2] http://alalamy.hooxs.com/t12653p1-topic

[3] http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=280572

[4] http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=280572

My Second Master Cleansing Journey

Day 1- In the morning at 6:45am, I woke up with a beautiful scene of sunrise through my bedroom window. I went to my kitchen to prepare my master cleanse recipes . Recipe1 (water bath) I had 4 cups of water mixed with 2 tsp Himalayan Salt( ordinary no iodized salt).. After 15mins, I went to the bathroom once and I didn’t have any cramps or waves of stomach pain. After 15 mins I went again to the bathroom and I did the big thing (u know what I mean ;)) . At 7:45am I started making my second lemonade master cleanse recipe: 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 tbsp organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper to taste (as much as possible), 1 cup water. The researches listed the best is to have 6-8 lemon cups per day (But you can have 12cups per day). This juice is really kill your hunger, if you don’t believe me, you should try it and you will see. My day at work run smoothly and I didn’t feel hungry, all I want is to have more and more of lemon juice. (It’s becoming my favorite habit to have this juice) . I went back home and did some cleaning, walked to the grocery store to buy more lemons, and water my plants. Then did some gentle yoga exercise and meditation. I felt more energetic and not weak…so far I don’t have any signs of hunger or headache.. Am just relaxing at my home and enjoying ending my first day and ready to have my night laxative tea .. Thanks for mama and my friends Samane and Natasa to check on me .. Habibatee am still alive and am looking forward for my second day tomorrow. Namaste

Day 2- After I took my night tea yesterday , I woke up at 4:45am and went to the bathroom then went to sleep .. At 6:45am, I woke up again and I sipped my new all-purpose drink (see pictures attached- and yes this my food for 10days- don’t be shocked ) .. My friends were worried that I might not performed well at my work. But really, this is a lot easier than I expected. I’m certainly a little aloof but, I can totally hold my end of a conversation just fine, and I have way more energy than I thought I would. Knowing the fact that I haven’t eaten solids in two days, and I’m not hungry. How weird is that? There is definitely something magical in my lemon juice. I had a really, really felt my head and my body are light and more more I felt focused. At 5:30pm, I walked toward my friend place and went together to the yoga class.. I was concerned if I did more yoga exercises , I will become weak, but honestly I felt having strength and I was able to be more flexible when I did the hatha yoga asanas, then my body was getting more and more lighter and I felt that am floating .. It’s 10:40pm and I just finished my seventh cup of the Drink. All in all, I feel great. Really great. I feel very in-tune with my body and observing/experiencing this process is kind of fun and ready to explore more. We shall see how it all plays out for the third day tomorrow. Namaste

Day 3 -Third day of cleanse, am still not feeling hungry and all seem normals so far … I went to Nablus today for a meeting and we drove for two hours, I felt sometimes nauseous but am not worried, this is called a healing crises and it will go away usually in a day or Two. Its all the toxins being removed from my tissuses and entering my bloodstream to be eliminated by my body. This will not deter me at all, am keeping trying it easy until these feelings pass and am drinking more water. Today, I am grateful to my friends Pamela, Agnes, and Taka to check on me. I got a funny message from my friend Taka saying “are you alive” …. Actually your caring guys all helped me to be more determenant and yes Takoushi am still alive and all is good and appreciate your caring. Off soon to meet my friends, and I cannot wait to welcome my fourth day tomorrow …. Sleep tights everyone ….. Namaste

Day-4
4 days, what does it imply?
When am living off or normal food
But when I live off the “juice of la terra firma”
I feel time stopping, just for ME

Knocking back for those who I lost
Cayenne burning a hole in my throat
My stomach feels so empty
and that pepper makes my tongue burn

I run to the bathroom 7 times a day,
And listening to my stomach waves
But then I feel a spiritual high
and helps me get through the lines

But to make my fasting beautiful
Is giving thanks to the universe,
To my beloved friends and family
And to the light of my sweetheart Malaki

So am carrying on my cleansing journey
Blessed living Life .. if I can do it you can do it..
Free your body and your mind will follow
Lets do this for a better tomorrow Day 5!

Day 5- Today is my half marathon of fasting, more 5 days to come, cannt wait! I woke up early and had 4 trips to the bathroom. I always feel thirsty, even though I am constantly drinking water and lemon. I pee pretty much octo-hourly. But seriously I still do not crave for food and there is no sign for hunger.
I had the most lovely day, most productive day off. Working from home and going to capoeira performance with my friend Samani. Since the show was an outdoor activity, we could not stay until the end because the weather was so cold and we couldn’t feel our hand. Then we decide to go to la vie cafe and another two friends joined us. What I enjoyed the most of this evening is the discussion topics that was raised by the girls, we talked about movies, trafficking, domestic violence, capitalism in ramallah, on on! ! Am at home now so warm and enjoying my night tea. Yalla 6 day !

Day 6 – It’s 5:30pm (ish), Feeling energized and awesome and incredibly good on this cleanse. I have been so internally thrilled these last few days and it’s almost comforting. Seriously though, I’ve been downright cheerful. And physically, I feel great as well. NO headache and my body aches are gone. I spent time this morning working on my organic herb ‘garden’ (mint, rosemary, Louisa, Basel, thyme). And it was really relaxing to work with the dirt and plant life, to smell the potting soil, and feel the sun beating into me, and to sing (chanting) . . . loudly. I think I was actually meditating all morning.
—Later— Today was really pleasant and peaceful, for most of the day. I worked and I spent the whole afternoon meeting to organize my tango classes for the upcoming year and arrange accommodation for my friends. Then I met mother and she looked at me and she told me “Wow, you look great and shiny. Your skin is all glowing and your eyes are sparkling.” I LOVE THIS CLEANSE!
But still overall, my good spirits persist and I love my lemon juice. I feel more optimistic than I have felt in a long time, and it must be related to this cleanse. The simplest things, like all of the Jasmine blooming in everyone’s yard when I walk, just bring me so much joy.
Soon movie night with my friends and ready for my 7th day. Namaste

Day 7 – Woke up this morning around 7pm and drink my smoothie salt, after 15 mins, I had waves of stomach pain which lead me to go the bathroom 4 times every 10mins …. But all is good, I only felt today cold … I think it would be the best to do the cleansing in summer time instead of winter time .. Because in summer it would be less cold and you can drink more water and juice… My tongue is still a little white-gooey, so I was obviously still detoxing.
One last thing I notice this morning when I went to the bathroom that I had the mucous that clogs our bodies. Studies stated that during the cleansing the mucous will be released through our nose, through our throat, and . . our the back, *ahem you know * and this happened with me 
At afternoon, I met mama and Baba to do some shopping and it was a productive day .. I bought more plants and finally got my chairs for my kitchen bar so finally I can use it to sit and work on my computer and have my future meals … Then we had a conversation about my fasting experience and my dad told me that my sister says Hi and she wants to check on my Roujeem (diet in English). I was kinda upset and told my dad to tell her that its not a diet and I heard some friends saying the same thing that am doing this to loose weight but its not … my goal from this cleansing is to clean my body from the toxic as well as to clear my thoughts and heal my self emotionally … But master cleansing its not only about loosing weight ….. Please remember this … it’s part of our healing process and believe me it will release your stress, calm you down, clean the negative energy, and unblock your chakras and on on …

Later, I went home and did some readings and checked my emails and worked on my new plants and had a nap. Tonight, am looking forward to meet my female friends at my house and work on our projects (Knitting, accessories, etc) …. Finally, am welcoming my 8th day tomorrow and before i finish my daily diary, I want to share this inspiring quote on Guidance “The dark thought, the same, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each guest has been sent as a guide from beyond” (Rumi) .. Namaste

Day 8- So today has been an experience. I woke up totally relaxed and all my aching is over especially the area around my shoulder and neck. I am not tired anymore and my heavy chest (emotions) is getting lighter and lighter. Also, my daily trips to the bathroom is still on and on  …
Afterward, I went to work and we had the first retreat day in Jerusalem … Around 2sh my colleagues had a lunch break and I had to join them … While I was watching my friends eating their food.. Surprisingly my stomach was fine and I did not feel hungry or the appetite to eat food… But I enjoyed the smelling of the food (moutabal, hummus, grilled vegetables, salad) … wow I cannot imagine that am strong and being able to resist the food …. Finally, my energy was up for the rest of the day! For now, I will spend my evening at home, do some work and listen to a blasting music. Wow, I do not believe that I have not put anything in for 8 days, still more 2 days and will break my fasting, cannot wait!!! Namaste

Day 9- Wow am almost there and tomorrow is my tenth day, and that is supposed to be my last day in master cleansing. I feel like am completely detoxed and my tongue is back to pink, so I’ll break the fast on my 11th day for sure and will have my orange juice. I feel ready to eat. There are things that I miss. Mostly though, I miss the act of eating and the ritual of it. What I miss the most is my mum yummy food and a good glass of organic soya milk. I also desperately miss big fat crunchy sweet un-peeled carrots. . . Hmm. But that’s about it. In all honesty, I don’t miss food nearly as much as I expected to. This distance has really given me the opportunity to examine my relationship to it, though. For now, for these next few days and weeks, it’s retraining my appetite to enjoy simple, natural flavors. It’s about being mindful of what I’m putting into my body, and why, and the impact of that action beyond my immediate understanding. Hunger is perception. Nourish your body and it will, in turn, nourish your mind. That is what I have learned from my Master Cleanse so far . Come to me my tenth day…. Namaste

Day 10- My Final Day is blossoming with my hunger achievements: victory, strength and determination. Am sad that am finishing up my fasting today but it’s time for me to go on with my healthy lifestyle so I can gain more energy to give more… And I really miss cooking. I would like to thank all my friends and family who step up next to me during the fasting and for your tremendous encouragement words to keep up strong in this journey. It really means to me a lot. One of the blessing thing that I want to carry on from this experience is to have faith in yourself and with your own well you can heal and release all the negative feelings especially sadness, sorrow, guiltiness, and blameless .. I am more optimistic now and am looking forward to finish up my year with the crown of positive universe and we could be the change that we want to be!
So today will finish my last lemonade juice and my laxative tea. Tomorrow morning (day 11) will have only orange juice 4-6 cups, it will help in digesting and to prepare the stomach for welcoming food. On day 12, will keep having my orange juice and at the evening will have my veggie soup (sweet potatoes with carrots) . I have to eat vegetable soup for another two days and will have in between raw fruit…afterward I can eat normally but will keep having my lemonade juice every morning…. It feels freedom now and I love you Malaki … Namaste everyone

Day 11- Oh what a day yesterday, I have to admit that it was the hardest day to stop fasting! It has been a challenging experience; I think I had a revolt of detox symptoms: feeling really cold, nausea, and hungry. So I drank 9 cups of orange juice in order to feel better. All those orange flavors were swimming together making magic in my mouth! It was a sensational experience and I savored every mouthful! I did read somewhere that when you start ingesting food again it loosens a wall of mucous plaque that is then finally released.
Later in the evening I felt better and more balanced. I went to my friend’s birthday but I was not able to dance much because I felt that my energy is low so I decided just to sit and watch people dancing. I went back home around midnight and wrote my gratitude journal: an amazingly supportive and loving mom, awesome friends, encouraging and powerful books, good music, dancing tango, and adventures and challenges in life. Cannot wait for my 12thday with more oranges and veggie soup. Namaste

Day 12- Today is my second day to break my fast!
I had to work until 4pm in Jerusalem then I went to the market in Ramallah and bought more oranges! Afterward I prepared a big jug of orange juice. I made a solution (as recommended) of ½ CUP of orange juice and ½ CUP of water, and drank it up. And . . . It was pretty climactic. It was the most delicious orange juice I have ever-tasted, the way you would think it would be after not tasting anything for 10 days.I was really excited to have my first meal today a veggie soup: a sweet potatoes and carrot soup made by mum. I could barely make it through the plate – I guess my tummy has really shrunk. But, it was delicious (Zaki/Tayyeb in Arabic). And it stayed in my belly alright. Just a little heads afterwards, I think because all the blood rushed to my stomach to investigate the strange goings-on.

Tomorrow will have the same orange juice and veggie soup (for lunch and dinner) then on Sunday will start eating normally! They said after breaking the fasting a week ahead it is better to avoid eating bread, biscuits, crackers, and drinking milk!

For now, I have new resolutions for the next year: continue doing yoga, practice relaxation and, meditation, start a gratitude journal, live simply, choose to surround myself with people who love and support me, and cleanse my body when it needs it.

Mmmm…. Honestly guys I cannot wait to start cooking again! I miss it ….

And finally, I highly recommend this cleanse to everyone! I cannot emphasize enough how powerful and enlightening it was for me. Trust me on this, the cleanse is not easy but it is very possible. One more thing! If you do decide to do this and you have any questions at all please let me know also you can read this document (attached) by Stanley Burroughs that I always recommend to follow on when you do your master cleansing. I am more than happy to help however I can, including being mental support. Namaste everyone

Palestinian Right is like other people rights (Health and Water)

Yesterday, I passed to three villages close to Nablus city: Bureen, Madama, and Assera. The three villages have access to one health clinic at Bureen village. This clinic delivered 80 patients each day and it opens two days per week. Bureen clinic does not have telephone line and ambulance, only basic primary health care is provided there.

One of the nurse stated that sometime we lack to medicine because the Ministry of Health (MoH)’s warehouse run out from the medicine supplies,  especially the ones for diabetes.  I was surprised by the community work at Bureen village, the Moukhtar (head of the village council ) stated that the council rent their place for wedding parties and save its budget to purchase medicine, beds, and water to the clinic …

Just was wondering what is the role of MoH!  Instead of spending money on buying a fancy car or a fancy desk for the new Minster or manager, the ministry could allocate budget to support this clinic … Per into mind that those villages are surrendered by two settlements and most of its residents have been attacked by the settlers..

Many of the villages residents are scared to go to the clinic for treatment because they might be attacked by settlers!  The location of these villages is very closed to the green road zone which is the most dangerous road that any Palestinian could be attacked in any minutes by the settlers!!! One of the fire department workers said, last week a settlers hit an old lady from Madama by his car and run away… The Fire man stated that he could not call an ambulance because the hospital is faraway so he moved her to his car to Bureen clinic …  

In addition, Madama village has poor infrastructure, especially access to water. There is no water systems there… I was shocked to be witness to this, the families and children go to the spring water to fill their small gallon water to bring it back home for drinking and cleaning .. I have been told that this water is not clean for drinking and cleaning .. Most of this water is mixed by the sewage and there is no good filtration system so what’s the role of the ministry of environment on this ,,, really shame!!

Spiritual Thought

Reiki and Yoga produces beautiful results, we only need be open to the many forms it takes. We need to understand that there are three core elements involved in healing; fear, trust, release.

When We learn to do our healing work fearlessly; trust it completely, and step out of the way by releasing all attachment to outcome, we open the door for miracles; we can do nothing wrong.
This is how we free Ourselves to heal and be healed. As Reiki and Yoga practitioners we think of Unconditional Love.

To produce the best possible results we must also Unconditionally Love Reiki. By allowing it to flow in its purest form and completely trusting it to do what is best, we truly serve in the highest possible way as instruments of Peace and Healing.

The impact of social capital on the human well-being: Refugees and immigrants (Books Review)

The phenomenon of transnational immigration at the United States is a complicated issue. Many of researchers start to acknowledge this subject by providing the framework for social, cultural, political and economic contexts. One of the assumptions characterizing migration: are that social ties are always supportive especially within the family and the supportive movement. The second is that social tie components (obligation, trustworthiness and norms) help in supporting network and reinforce the quality of these social ties. These processes have determined the importance of social networks and social interactions as resources for human well-being.

Thus my article highlights social kinship between immigrants inside the family and outside the layer of family. We are more interested with dealing the social capital and sociological factors which could improve the human behavior. Some of the questions that this paper will attempt to address are: What is the motivation for the immigrant to come to the United States? Would it be voluntary or enforced? What is the role of social capital in helping to create the human capital?

Assumption1: Although immigrants and refugees being discouraged and not supported by the law, organization and community. Their social ties are always supportive and strong especially within the family and the supportive movement.

Most of the literature show that most of immigrants in the United States learn how to migrate to the United States. One of the approaches is the interpersonal ties that link between non-immigrant and migrant through relations (family and friends) and through their adoptive community.

Menjivar (2000) studies the social networks by examining the way Salvadorans deal with their new societies in San Francisco. She also brings up many of these immigrants’ stories by interviewing 50 persons (either individually or from their community) and conducting a survey of 150 Salvadorans (pp. 15-16). Her findings bring the historical background of Salvadoran refugees in San Francisco, who were immigrants forced to leave because of a civilian war in their country.

During their journey, they also have traumatic experiences in California. One of the studies notice that most of Salvadoran children have post traumatic stress disorder which make it difficult for them to learn and to adopt the new American culture (Menjivar, 2000, p.269). Also, the newcomers to San Francisco were not welcomed and not being treated well by the law. The immigration law did not provide the best support, community organizations were lacking resources, and the labor market was slow/not active.

She also discusses how immigrants from Salvador use the supportive churches in what she calls a “solidarity group” – “those who are in the United States and also those who stay in Mexico” (Menjivar, 2000, p.73). She explains that most of these solidarity groups offered a variety of services such as shelter, food, clothing, counseling, employment and education (Menjivar, 2000, p.74).

In addition, Menjivar finds that most of the immigrants used their savings to cover the cost of the migration. Once the persons paid the coyote, half of their money should cover the cost of the trip before their arrival. Then the persons’ family who lives in the United States pay the rest of the money in order to guarantee their safe arrival (Menjivar, 2000, p.62). Overall, the social network bases share information that immigrants can explain to each other the situations of migration and of the economic benefits that occur if they decide to emigrate.

Menjivar’s analysis on network theory also has enriched other research areas especially in the area of British social anthropology (1950). They applied the method to correct the boundaries of structural-functionalist studies and explored how these networks among people affected their behavior (Menjivar, 2000, p.26). For example, the history of the sanctuary movement shows how these institutions act against the state law. This movement mostly helps Salvador immigrants by providing the appropriate support to fill their needs. Although, the literature does not highlight how these institutions assist un-profiling immigrants or what is the limitation for those who are being supported through their trip to the United States (Menjivar, 2000, p.7).

However, other migration studies started to analyze the relation between immigration and social capital. The researchers mostly provide the neoclassical economic theory as well as the Coleman paper that present the concept of “new institutional economic” within this theory (Coleman, 1988, p. S97). The implication of this theory helps in understanding the effects of social organization on the operating system and it emphasize the importance of the historical, socioeconomic, and micro-level sociological conditions. He illustrated that there are two particular forms of the social capital that can be facilitated by social structures and social kin.

Assumption 2: The aspect of the ties (reciprocity, expectation, seeking help and creating social capital as well as obligations and expectation, trustworthiness and norms) play a dynamic role in of the immigrants’ social networks and the quality of human well-being.

According to Coleman (1899), the closure between the immigrants and family can: develop the set of the immigrant’s obligations, sustain the norms to be connected, and produce social structure trustworthiness (p. S107).

Most of the immigrants who decide to migrate to the United States, obtain the related information subjects (visa, employment, etc.) from their relatives or friends. This process called “information channel” facilitates the maintenance of social kin. Also, he explains that social organizations such as voluntary members in the immigrant community can use different purposes in order to support these migrants even it is not their first objective.

Another powerful form of social capital is the effective norms that cause a reduction in the ability for innovation that may constrain deviant behavior or it may be useful for them as well (Coleman, p. S105). Similarly, Granovetter (1973) stated that strong ties can reduce the capacity for innovation and eliminate information (p. 1366). Both, weak ties and negative normative, or some networks strengthen social capital for their members/actors.

However, Coleman explains that the reciprocity depends on two components: the social environment of trustworthiness will be rewarded (repaid) and “the actual extent of obligations held. Social structures differ in both these dimensions, and actors within the same structure differ in the second (Coleman, 1988, p. S102).” These components’ advantages can include the networking of persons who rely on each other to complete certain obligations.

In contrast, Menjivar focuses on the dynamic of social networks which is mentioned in the second assumption. Her analysis considers different measurements (class, gender and generation position) within the Salvadoran migrants that play a key role in shaping the mobility of supporting networks. For example, female immigrants search of supporting community organizations to achieve their personal growth and for their families and children. This example illustrates how they can share with other actors that assist them to create the informal networks of support (Menjivar, 2000, p.192).

From Coleman perspective, families and outside the families with high human capital may nevertheless be low in social capital because within the family there is little period for social interaction either with the family or among families and other social institutions. He stated that family background is divided into three elements: “financial capital, human capital, and social capital (Coleman, 1988, p.S109).” The measurements for these elements (in order) are: family income, parents’ education and the relations between children and parents (and other family members).

He explains that human capital encourages children to access the individual’s human capital and rely on both the parents’ attention and their presence. “If the human capital possessed by parents is not complemented by social capital embodied in family relations, it is irrelevant to the child’s educational growth that the parent has a great deal, or a small amount, of human capital (Coleman, 1988, p. S110).” Moreover, social capital can be found in the relationships outside the home, between parents and in the parents’ relations with the organizations of the community.

Therefore, social capital as a public good has a good implication in creating the human capital, physical capital (private goods) and human capital. It permits the person who has the capital to benefit from it. Social capital requires investments of time on the part of people who will not collect the complete benefits of their investment. The withdrawal of major investors in social capital who exit to pursue other interests can have serious costs for the entire group. An action may have small costs for the individual, but much greater costs for the group as a whole (Coleman, 1899, p. S116-118). Coleman states that we should try to find ways to increase social capital, probably through the creation of some formal institutions.

This article illustrates two assumptions that explore the relationship between Salvador immigrants’ social networks in their community (Salvador or the United States). They consider the social capital components because it helps individuals and groups to empower the social kin and share resources among themselves.

The implications of social capital in the family and community help in creating the human capital. Also, it plays a key role in affecting the humans’ behavior and in amending the quality of people’s life. Indeed, the concept of social capital captures many researchers’ attention because it is an important tool to understand immigration and immigrant context.

Resources:

Coleman, J. (1988). “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital”. The American Journal of Sociology, Vol.94, S95-S120. University of Chicago. www.jstor.org/.

Granovetter, M.S. (1973). “The Strength of Weak Ties.” The American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360-1380. John Hopkins University.www.jstor.org/.

Menjivar, C. (2000). “Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks in America”. University of California Press, Ltd.: California and London.

Spring Diaries

March 4: While heading to my office in Jerusalem. I saw many of Palestinian farmers standing in front of the Jeep checkpoint to pass to the other side of Jerusalem in order to harvest their trees … It broke my heart to see them standing with their donkeys and taractour and waiting to enter, while they have thier deep dedication to work on their farm lands #Palestine #land #springdiaries

The clash within our families ecological systems (Books Review)

Each family in their own community has a different of physical characteristics, recourses and problems that may be different with other individual members of the family. The larger exo-systems and macro-systems provide additional conceptions that are related to the historical or cultural context that translate into larger societal values. Law, politics, programs, and values determine to a large extent the environment forces that will ultimately shape communities and the quality of life for families and for individuals. Generally, there are many of the ways that forces within the family systems (the neighborhood, school) clash with both the exo-system (legal system or health care system) and the macro-system (culture).

One of the ways to implement these clashes is the study between the Hmong Lee family and the American medical community (Fadiman, 1997). It shows how the Lee family has difficulties to cope with the American health system. For instance, when Lia Lee (the daughter who was diagnoses with epilepsy) transferred to the hospital. Although, the medical staffs do not offer the translation services for the Lees family, Lia’s seizures were increasingly severe. One of her physicians said, “it was so haunting. I started to have a nightmare that was going to happen, and I would be the one on call, and I could not stop it and she was going to die right before my eyes.” (p.118) In addition, the Lee family cares also about their daughter. They arrange animal sacrifices for her, and making traditional remedies from herbs. Later, the doctors blame Lia’s family because they refused to give her the prescribe medication; they were angry because they believed that the medication has side effects. Afterwards, Lia had a massive seizure dead which left her brain dead. In general, it show us how the Hmong history, eastern culture, spiritual beliefs, and moral ethics had a different prospective an conflict among the western culture. Furthermore, the socioeconomic status for the Lees family was not able to cover all the expenses for their daughter. If they were upper-middle class, they might have a better way of treatment and they might hire interpreter to facilitate the communication so they could help their daughter. Unfortunately, the health care system does not provide the appropriate services for the Lee family. As a result, this risk factor is the most tragedy experience that shows the discrimination toward immigration families such as Hmong in United States.

Gay and lesbian parenting has been powerful predicator that shape transaction within the environment and reinforce clashed within the level of ecosystems. For instance, Families like Mine examines the experience of growing up with LGBT parents.  The author Garner meets with many young adults who grew up in LBGT parents. For instance, Garner mentioned that many children who live with LGBT parents have difficulties to adjust with their schools. When the students find out that these young adults live with LGBT parents, they rejected them and don not want to be friends. She also stated that “I began to understand for myself that if people could not accept my family, I probably did not want to be friends with them.” (p. 120) In addition, Garner uses in chapter five the term “family-defining moments” (p. 123) for those times when kinship is or is not publicly acknowledged by extended family, neighbors, company policies or laws. Straight family privilege, institutionalized homophobia, and the validation that heterosexual families automatically receive and LGBT families do not all impact the lives of children of LGBT parents.

In her eight chapter Tourists at Home:  Straight Kids in Queer Culture, deals with how children who have grown up in the gay community maintain their connection with it as straight adults, and how they become more integrated into the straight community. “I think that it is hard for both the queer community and the straight community to know what to do with us, says Orson, who is heterosexual. What are we part of? Are we part of the queer community? Are we part of the straight community? I think that maybe it is a little easier for second generation people to feel welcomed into the community.”(p. 199)

Another question we have to ask ourselves, is the church accepting children of LGPT? We interview one of the lesbian who has two sons. She mentioned that her church do not accept her to enter the church to pray. She stated that some churches accept lesbian and gay to pray but it depends in the location and how far the neighborhood accepts it. The legal system shows many of discrimination against the gay and lesbian parent. They put some regulations that are hard to adopt a child. Beside, most of them cannot adopt because the socioeconomic status. Most of gay couples have enough income to adopt a child which is easier than Lesbian. In general, this book show us how is the family system of LGBT parent have a conflict with their neighborhood, school, and church and legal system.

However, the risk factor that surround the family environment might also have a clash and not to interact with other systems. For instance, poverty, poor school, lack of adequate housing, unemployment, crime, drugs, and violence in community create a negative expectation set and living becomes a daily struggler to maintain positive sense of self. One of the studies about divorce show custodial parents have clash between their work and children responsibilities. Hatherington and Stanley-Hagan (1999) stated that new custodial parents often feel overloaded and socially isolated because they have to balance between their own needs with work and childcare responsibilities. (p.134) Although, divorce may have a negative impact in family member, it also may help other members to become strong and face the life with more harmony and the chance to have a better personal growth, and well being. For instance, despite the financial worrier that mother is facing the challenging of divorce, after her divorce, she becomes stronger and greater independence. (p.135) Furthermore, the extra-familial factors such as neighborhood, schools, peer and the church have an impact on the relation to the adjustment of children in divorced families and which is also developing a great risk for developing the emotional, behavioral and cognitive problems.

Family and Community violence is one of the risk factor the might effect of the children well-being health. The Family and Child Experience Survey reported that17 percent children (age from three to five years old) who have witnessed to violent crime and domestic violence, and 3 percent were themselves victims (Knitze & Raver, 2002, p.11)typically, families who have less education, low-income status, less efficiency of English language are also called demographic risk factors. Similarly, parental psychological risks such as depression, substance abuse, parental abuse to the child, and homelessness. (Knitze & Raver, 2002, p. 10)

Specifically, this combination of various risk factors that children exposed to by the family or the community would create serious problems on the emotional, behavioral, social, cognitive, physical and academic achievement. If we look to the systems of the ecological perspective, we found out that firstly in micro-system children’s ecosystem primarily consists of the home environment. There is much that parents can do at home, such as, helping children to achieve success in school. Secondly, the micro-system that includes all of the settings and subsystems where the child lives or spends significant amounts of time. Thirdly, the exo-system subsystem beyond the immediate environment of the child that can indirectly influence the behavior of the child.

Finally, the macro-system that consists of the larger culture or society in which the exo-system and micro-system exist. For instance, the clashes between families and schools almost inevitably arise. When we look deeper into the structure of the systems themselves, we can readily discern the sources of these clashes. Knitze & Raver (2002) shows that teacher as a primary socialization group has the interests of the individual child at heart. The school, however, has primary responsibility for groups of children to develop their social and emotional skills. Sometimes it may not be possible to reconcile the needs of the school to provide group instruction with the demands of a family that something different be done for a particular child

In my personal experience, families who live under conflict areas might effect of their functioning and their children adjustment. For instance, racism, checkpoints, curfews, racial discrimination play an impact role on the families well being and their own health. When a woman who is experiencing an extremely stressful environment. She may be constantly tense, tired, and scared toward her family members. As a result, the families could not provide the protection for their children because the have clash with the military political systems.

In conclusion, family system ways might face different clashes of interaction between the various systems. Summarizing the mainly points of these ways are: Hmong family with their eastern culture vs. western culture and the American health system, lesbian and gay parenting vs. culture, community, church, and legal system. Family’s risk factors (divorce, violence, poverty, etc.) vs. educational system, social welfare and child care system. Indeed these ways that link with the family and school environment systems may clash with other ecosystems.

Resources:

Garner, A. (2004) Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell it Like it is. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Fadiman, A. (1997) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child. Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Hatherington, M., & Stanely-Hagan, M. (1999) The adjustment of children with divorced parents: A risk and resiliency perspective. J. Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 129-139.

Raver, C., & Knitzer, J. (2002) Promoting the emotional well-being of children and families. NY: Colombia University National Center for Children in Poverty.