Well, it finally happened: Instagram for Android has been updated and has been given a much cleaner looking UI. You'll no longer have to rely on third-party tweaks in order to get the same look and feel of the popular photo and video-sharing app.
According to the Instagram team, the update not only brings with it a UI overhaul for Android users, but also provides a faster and more responsive app. Profile screens will also load twice as fast and the app size itself has been cut in half.
Finally, the Android version of the app gets a much-needed overhaul. Initial tests on the updated app confirm what the Instagram team had posted: it is definitely much faster than it was before it was updated. And boy is it pretty to look at now.
Grab the update now from the Google Play Store.
Hey Yonus, seems to be an widespread issue that seems to be on the app side of things. Just googling your issue brings up a tons of people having the same problem, but unfortunately, no fix yet.


This barsoap is handmade with a natural blend of essential oils and the best ingredients straight from nature's pantry, extremely kind to even the most sensitive skin. Restorative "Irish moss" or wild Irish seaweed is harvested off the west coast of Ireland by the Talty Family. Together with energising Grapefruit it will wake your skin up smelling like a fresh Irish morning.


Google played a gamble when they decided to foray into the mobile operating system by purchasing Android about 5 years ago. However, 5 years down the line that gamble seems to have paid off, since reports suggest the Android will soon overtake RIM and iOS as the 2nd largest mobile in the world behind Symbian.
According to Gartner, Android will become the No. 2 worldwide mobile operating system in 2010 and will challenge Symbian for the largest mobile OS title by 2014. Currently Symbian has the highest markets share with 46.9% overall, however, that is set to drop to 40.1% in 2010.
Android on the other hand had only 3.9% market share in 2009, but that is set to leap to 17.7% in 2010 overtaking Apple's iOS which had 14.4% share last year, is set to rise to 17.5% because of several new introductions including the iPad and iPhone 4. Blackberry's RIM to is on a downswing with 19.9% share last year and 17.5% share predicted for this year.
Android phones have definitely hit the roof since last year. More than 200,000 Android devices are sold per day, this number is bound to rise, with several mobile manufacturers adopting the Android OS for their devices.
With the introduction of Android 2.2 Froyo and Android 3.0 aka Gingerbread, Google is all set to challenge the mighty Symbian who was at one point of time one of the best Mobile OS. Sadly Symbian has lost ground since then and has failed to make impressive changes to challenge the newer age mobile OS platforms.


Nasal surgery is used to improve or correct the appearance and/or function of the nose. When the results are ideal, the nose should look natural. The resulting nose should fit the face well and not appear obvious that surgery has been performed. There is a wide range of possible improvements, however the trend is to correct less rather than more. Rhinoplasty can be performed on teenagers and young adults with a nasal deformity they would like to change. Older adults with changes in the nose, due to loss of skin elasticity and gravity, can also have excellent results with rhinoplasty.


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Civil action may still be option in deadly New York bus accident
On behalf of Albert Buzzetti and Associates | Dec 15, 2012 | Mass Transit Accidents
Passengers on mass-transit vehicles understand there are risks involved in taking these modes of transportation. Yet people also have a right to assume that the vehicles will be operated cautiously and safely. If they fail to do so, and a bus injury or other type of mass transit injury occurs, more than one party could be held liable for any damages that result.
The driver of a tour bus carrying passengers to New York City was recently acquitted of manslaughter and negligent homicide charges stemming from an accident in which the bus struck a guardrail, rolled over and struck a signpost.
In all, 15 passengers were killed in the accident and nearly all of the surviving passengers suffered injuries, some of which were very serious. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the mass-transit accident was likely caused by driver fatigue and a lack of safety oversight by the driver's employer. The driver claimed that another vehicle cut him off, which caused him to swerve and hit the guardrail.
Busses, along with airplanes and subway trains, are aggregately known as common carriers. Operators of these vehicles have a special responsibility to all of their passengers and must exercise the highest degree of care. A failure to exercise such care may result in liability for operators of these vehicles, as well as their employers. Although the driver was cleared of criminal wrongdoing, the bus company and driver may still face civil action.
Through the theory of vicarious liability, an employer may be liable for an accident caused by its employee while operating a company vehicle. In this case, the company operating the bus may have not exercised enough oversight to ensure the driver was adequately rested before taking the wheel.
The surviving accident victims and the families of those who passed away will be forever changed by this accident. Between the emotional and financial toll of the crash, it may take many years for the families to recover without the proper support.
Bedbugs (4)
Business Transactions (4)
Mass Transit Accidents (12)
Breach of contract gets turned up to 11
What are my legal options if my apartment has bed bugs?
Road rage: How to spot the signs of an aggressive driver
Who can file for wrongful death in New Jersey?
What to do if your parent is suffering neglect in a nursing home
Englewood Cliffs Law Office467 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Englewood Cliffs Law Office Map P: 201-308-5313TF: 866-237-8202F: 201-816-3644
New York Law Office2 Penn Plaza
© 2019 Albert Buzzetti and Associates. All Rights Reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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#ISSS2016 USA [clear filter]
Systems Thinking and Wildland Fire Management
2724 A changing climate, expanding ex-urban residential development, and increasing pressures on ecosystem services raise global concerns over growing losses associated with wildland fires. New management paradigms acknowledge that fire is inevitable and often uncontrollable, and focus on living with fire rather than attempting to eliminate it from the landscape. A notable example from the U.S. is the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, which aims to bring multiple landowners and stakeholders together to achieve three broadly defined goals: resilient landscapes, fire-adapted human communities, and safe and effective response to fire. Implicit in the structure of these three goals is the nexus of three systems: the ecological system, the social system, and the fire management system, respectively. This systems-based structure reflects a perspective that contextualizes fire as a disturbance agent that influences and is in turn influenced by other agents and processes within a broader socio-ecological system. While the need for transformative system change is well-recognized, at least three central challenges remain: (1) the need to accept that how fires are managed is in many instances the limiting factor of system behaviour; (2) the need to improve our understanding of the characteristics and complexities of the fire management system itself; and (3) perhaps most fundamentally, the need to coherently apply systems analysis principles in order to improve system performance. In this presentation I will attempt to bridge these gaps by applying systems thinking to contemporary wildfire management issues in the U.S. One thread of the presentation will focus on synthesizing findings from various lines of fire-related research and identifying how collectively they reflect systemic flaws stemming from feedbacks, delays, bounded rationality, misaligned incentives, and other factors. Particular attention will be devoted to the "fire paradox," whereby a legacy of fire exclusion in fire-prone forests has led to hazardous accumulations of flammable vegetation such that future fires burn with higher intensity and are more resistant to control; today's "success" begets tomorrows failure. The second thread will outline a roadmap for redesigning the fire management system so that behaviour better aligns with purpose. This discussion will focus on recommended actions including breaking down institutional silos, investing in pre-fire assessment and planning, improving monitoring and performance evaluation, and adopting core risk management principles. Ideally this line of research will yield insights that can lead to meaningful systemic change and improved fire management outcomes.
Mag. Stefan Blachfellner
SIG Chair: Socio-Ecological Systems and Design, Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science
https://about.me/bstefan
David E Calkin
Christopher J Dunn
Matthew P Thompson
Monday July 25, 2016 1:30pm - 2:00pm
#ISSS2016 USA, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary III, Plenary IV, Connecting Human and Natural System(s) Research, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive, SIG Socio-Ecological Systems | Paper Presentation, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary III, Plenary IV, Connecting Human and Natural System(s) Research, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive, SIG Socio-Ecological Systems
Host Organization ISSS, University of Colorado
Plenary IV: Crisis Science; Anticipatory, Real-Time, and Preventive
Description: Adequate resilience and appropriate response (interventions) to crises and disasters and continuous improvement thereof is a growing global need and a social responsibility in view of the seemingly growing number of disasters endangering a growing number of people and even our civilization. Can we do a better job of anticipating, systemically understanding and mitigating the cycles of crisis and recovery by combining exploratory 'crisis science' with long-term 'sustainability science'? Can we unravel the antithesis of incompatible response systems and find new ways to integrate scientific, technological, cultural, ethical, political and economic influences? Preparedness must systemically consider the often emergent interplay of supporting and obstructing factors. Actual interventions (responses) must holistically evaluate the total situation and make decisions, unfortunately to be performed under high uncertainty, extreme stress and time pressure. Despite the often singularity of disasters we have to identify similarities and powerful abstraction in order to support scientific analysis and improved mitigation. A long range target could be an interdisciplinary 'Strategic Crisis Science'.
The panel of international experts will discuss these issues from their different backgrounds and national priorities with respect to preparedness and interventions. We will attempt to esablish common grounds and basic solutions.
Chair: Gerhard Chroust
Gerhard Chroust
Prof. Emeritus, Systems Engineering, Johannes Kepler Univ. Linz
Gerhard Chroust is an Austrian systems scientist, and Professor Emeritus for Systems Engineering and Automationat the Institute of System Sciences at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria. Chroust is an authority in the fields of formal programming languages and interdisciplinary... Read More →
Rick Dove
Paradigm Shift International, Inc. and Stevens Institute of Technology
Rick Dove is a leading researcher, practitioner, and educator of fundamental principles for agile enterprise, agile systems, and agile development processes. In 1991 he initiated the global interest in agility as co-PI on the seminal 21st Century Manufacturing Enterprise Strategy... Read More →
Nancy Maraboy
President and Founder, Indigenous Education Institute
Nancy C. Maryboy, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of the Indigenous Education Institute, a non profit organization with a mission of preserving, protecting and applying indigenous knowledge. She is also President of Wohali Productions, Inc., consulting in areas of indigenous science... Read More →
Roberto Poli
roberto.poli@unitn.it, University of Trento
Roberto Poli is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Trento (Italy). He graduated in Sociology (B.A., with honors) at the University of Trento (Italy) in 1980 and obtained a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) in 2001. Poli... Read More →
Jai (James) Syvitski
Professor / Director, International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, University of Colorado, INSTAAR
Professor James "Jai" Syvitski received doctorate degrees (Oceanography & Geological Science) from the University of British Columbia in 1978, where he developed a quantitative understanding of particle dynamics across the land-sea boundary. He held a variety of appointments within... Read More →
Tuesday July 26, 2016 10:29am - 10:30am
MATH 100* Math Academic Building, University of Colorado
#ISSS2016 USA, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive | Theme, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive
Gerhard Chroust: Expecting the Unexpected, Coping with Crisis
International Society for the Systems Sciences
#ISSS2016 USA, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive | Keynote, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive
Roberto Poli: Anticipatory Science – Science before the crisis
Jai (James) Syvitski: From politics to remote sensing: The Indus Flood of 2010 – unfolding of a disaster
The Pakistan flooding, July-November 2010, caused ~2000 fatalities, displaced 20,000,000 inhabitants for weeks to many months, and was 7.5 on a duration-area affected-intensity scale that compares flood magnitudes on a global basis. Exceptional damage was inflicted on crops and cropland and on agriculture support systems such as canals and levees. Total economic impact reached 43 billion USD; 4,500,000 mainly agricultural workers lost their employment for 2010-2011. The catastrophic flood was associated with unusually intense but not unprecedented rainfall in the upland catchment. Most damage was caused by multiple failures of irrigation system levees, and by barrage-related backwater effects that initiated failures and led to avulsions (sudden changes in flow location). The meteorological events did not cause the catastrophe. Instead, the lack of planned accommodation to the river's high sediment load set the stage for super-elevation of the Indus above the surrounding terrain, dangerous levee failures, and channel avulsions. The dynamics of this remarkable event demonstrate that planning for major flow diversions is a necessary component of effective flood control along this and other avulsion-prone rivers. This disaster will serve as an example to discuss the 'lessons learnt' for all stakeholders.
#ISSS2016 USA, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV | Keynote, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV
Plenary IV: Q & A
Tuesday July 26, 2016 11:50am - 12:15pm
#ISSS2016 USA, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive | Q&A, Day 2, Global Science and Assessment, Plenary IV, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive
Comparing the Current ISIS and the (Not Yet) Past Leninist States (USSR and Pre-1979 China)
2791 What our media named as terrorism today are perceived as revolution by some. What we call revolution in mainland China and Russia, are no less violent and cruel than terrorism too. This paper observes and identifies the roots, the triggering historic events, the similarities among the differences, of the two huge phenomena and their two driving ideologies, i.e. the Extreme Islamism and the Bloody Communism, that have deep influence to our time and our daily life. As one of our subject has been just fading away into history (not really) and another is still going on while this paper is being written, we highlight the similarities or even isomorph of these two violent social phenomena, raising a question behind such similarity – what are the driven forces that enable these phenomena to emerge, or, why on this planet a certain number of people are doomed to believe, engage, fight for, and victimized by such pathological ideologies?
Tuesday July 26, 2016 3:30pm - 4:00pm
#ISSS2016 USA, Day 2, Day 3, Global Science and Assessment, Cultural-Ethical-and-Economic-Wisdom, Plenary IV, Plenary VI, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive, Multi-Cultural Worldviews on Sustainability, SIG Systemic Approaches to Conflict and Crises | Paper Presentation, Day 2, Day 3, Global Science and Assessment, Cultural-Ethical-and-Economic-Wisdom, Plenary IV, Plenary VI, Crisis Science: Anticipatory-Real-Time-and-Preventive, Multi-Cultural Worldviews on Sustainability, SIG Systemic Approaches to Conflict and Crises


The 7th edition of readers' choice India's Best Awards were hosted by Travel + Leisure India & South Asia on the 12th of November at ITC Maurya in New Delhi. There were 58 sets of awards across different categories that ranged from the best country, emerging destination, cruise, business hotel, airport, destination spa, and honeymoon destinations in India and across the world. No one went away without an award or two, and all was well. There was even a category for Best Hotel for Women Travelers, which was shared by Roseate House, New Delhi and Hyatt Regency. This is a very important category, and the hotels need to be listed as such. Ranjita of Roseate House, New Delhi pointed out that they take special care of single women travelers, giving them rooms at their choice of floor, close to the elevator etc.
The online voting was conducted through their website (iba2018.travelandleisureindia.in) over a period of three months (August – October '18) during which time close to 2, 00,000 votes poured in. The event was attended by representatives from each of the winners, along with Opinion Leaders from various industries including travel, hospitality, automobile, aviation, Tourism boards, as well as several international dignitaries.


Having attended the committee session on the previous day, the participants were all geared up for an extensive discussion within their respective committees on Tuesday morning. Intense and moving stories based on participants' experiences were shared during the course of the early session in the respective committees.
After the coffee break, the participants reconvened in their committee rooms where the discussion resumed. Following the afternoon sessions, there was a special sitting of the Intra faith discussion organized under the moderation of the respective chairs. Divided into Muslim and Jewish groups, the attendees talked about their MJC experience so far and figured out about the issues and perspectives within their respective faiths that are prevalent in different cultures and societies. This was an attempt to understand the different levels of dialogue present within the Muslim and the Jewish societies and how it affects the overall environment in promoting tolerance and co-existence. Issues of sects and their role in ensuring a peaceful resolution and existence was the agenda put forward by the chairs and the participants responded to the call with diverse views.
Finally, the dinner was served and that marked the end of another intense day at the 7th Muslim Jewish Conference.


Ahh, Montenegro. My mom and I heard so many good things about this country, and because we were just hours away from it in neighboring Croatia, we took a day trip there. Being in the off season we didn't have many tour guide options, but we did manage to find a kind Dubrovnik native who owns a travel company to take us on a private tour for an unbelievable total of $115. While I had been confined to the picturesque confines of Dubrovnik for almost three weeks, entering Montenegro was a big change. It is clear that the region isn't as wealthy as Dubrovnik (heck, neither is Croatia for the most part). The scenery is gorgeous, and probably more so in the spring and summer, and there is a more "industrial" feel to the country. The people were of course very friendly, and the food was fresh and delicious.
Across the bay from Perast is the walled coastal town of Kotor. Also a part of the Region of Kotor World Heritage Site, this town was settled in ancient Roman times in the mid-100s (I feel like they are missing a zero, I'm not used to so much preserved history). Kotor has a rich history that is too dizzying to paraphrase here. While the urban area outside of the walls is unfortunately not-so-dizzying, once you pass through the gates you are transported to another world. The layout of the town is more organic than the old town in Dubrovnik, and Kotor has a greater mix of architecture (Venetian architecture is especially notable). One of Kotor's greatest attractions is hiking the city walls that snake along the steep mountains; it costs nothing but is not for the faint of heart. A climb to the top (hey, you have to burn off that creamy truffle risotto somehow) is rewarded with a spectacular view of the town, bay, and surrounding mountain range, with the exception of the massive cruise ship parked in the middle.
This was the last stop on our tour, and if our guide didn't walk us to the walled town's entrance himself, we probably would not have found it. Budva's old town (stari grad) is pretty old, like settled-in-the-5th-century-BC old. Unfortunately, it is almost swallowed up by new development outside the stone walls: modern apartment buildings, towering hotels, massive shopping malls. This area is known for its beaches and nightlife, so walking around the quiet little town was a welcome respite. Since the sun was going down and the tour was up, we didn't get to see as much of this area as I would have liked. Guess I'll just have to come back!


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In this state of extremes, it's impossible to resist the temptation to clock 100 miles per hour in your car along arrow-straight highways through the nothingness of some of the most barren landscapes in the United States. It's equally impossible to resist the temptation to crawl at 10 miles per hour along serpentine back roads through some of the most spectacular scenery in the United States. One of the largest and least-populated states in the country, Wyoming boasts an admirable diversity of things to see and do, from marveling at abundant wildlife to buying some quality cowboy boots made in America. These are my favorites.
#1 Spend a Week in Yellowstone National Park
Established in 1872 as the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone National Park simply cannot be surpassed in terms of the diversity of its abundant treasures. And you'll need a good week to really take in all of its 28,000 square miles. Five roads leading into the park all eventually merge with the figure-eight loop that will bring you to all of the park's gems. The Yellowstone River and long-vanished glaciers have carved one of the park's most stirring assets — its very own Grand Canyon, an incredible chasm that runs for 23 miles and plummets to a depth of up to 1,200 feet. Waterfalls such as the Upper and Lower Falls, Lewis Falls, and Gibbon Falls add dramatic accents to beguiling scenery. You're practically guaranteed to mingle with some of the park's denizens, including 67 species of mammals and 330 species of birds, from adorable chipmunks to thunderous herds of buffalo, and almost always with a bird of prey or two circling above you. I was most impressed by the park's geothermal areas — landscapes of bizarre formations and living geology that seem more appropriate to a sci-fi flick on another planet than a park in Wyoming. At West Thumb Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and Firehole Lake Drive, boiling pools, bubbling mudpots, fumaroles, travertine terraces, the world's largest concentration of geysers, and the third-largest hot spring in the world (where pigmented bacteria living on sheets of microorganisms in the mineral-rich water produce hyper-vibrant colors from one end of the spectrum to the other), left me in total awe of nature's forces. It was these fantastical features in particular that served as the original impetus to preserve the area in a national park that's simply unbeatable.
#2 Hike in Grand Teton National Park
Majestic mountains rise abruptly from Jackson Hole Valley in Grand Teton National Park. Unobstructed views of these staggering masses of granite and gneiss beckon you closer, and you'll relish the opportunity to surround yourself with so much magnificence. With more than 200 miles of hiking trails, Grand Teton makes that exceptionally easy to do, regardless of your fitness level. Trails range from half a mile to more than 30 miles and can gain in elevation anywhere from 10 to 5,000 feet, taking you up to the 10,000-foot mark. A couple of my favorites are the Taggart Lake Trail, which leads you to the shore of this unspoiled lake, with jagged, snow-topped mountains beautifully reflected in its pristine water, and the Jenny Lake Trail, which loops around the park's second-largest lake, with a depth of more than 400 feet. The unpaved Schwabacher Road brings you down to a gentle stretch of the Snake River where you'll enjoy fantastic views of the Teton Range while watching waterfowl floating around beaver dams. Trails to Jackson Lake reward you with the opportunity to stroll along the shore of the park's largest lake, dotted with sailboats and hemmed in by soaring mountains, including the 12,605-foot Mt. Moran, sometimes mysteriously enshrouded in fog and low clouds. And any path to Oxbow Bend, a slow-moving curve in the Snake River, encapsulates everything that makes this park so photogenic — gorgeous views of serrated mountains; abundant wildlife that ranges from giant moose to regal bald eagles to playful river otters; and reflections of the sizzling red, orange, and yellow colors of the riparian trees in the throes of autumn.
#3 Enjoy the View From the Top of Signal Mountain (Grand Teton National Park)
Hop in your car in late afternoon and drive up the five-mile switchback Signal Mountain Summit Road, cognizant of the mule and white-tail deer that will inevitably cross in front of you. The road climbs 800 feet to the summit of Signal Mountain (about 7,700 feet) and a vantage point that boasts a seemingly endless view of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole Valley. Absorb the spectacular panorama all around you and wait for the sunset/moonrise through pink clouds over Jackson Lake and the Snake River. Listen carefully for elk bugling, an eerie, high-pitched sound emitted by the males in search of mates, echoing in the valley. Befriend your fellow travelers who have gathered beside you — in my case, a gentleman from my neighborhood in New York who just happened to have a powerful telescope that he shared with me so that I could zoom in on two elk bulls in a very aggressive tussle.
#4 Ramble Around Old Faithful Inn (Yellowstone National Park)
I wouldn't want to stay here — far too many tourists streaming in and out and around the inn create human traffic jams all day long. Visiting Old Faithful Inn, however, is a different story. Constructed with locally obtained materials during the winter of 1903–04, this mammoth inn — the largest log structure in the world — runs nearly 700 feet in length, and parts of it reach seven stories high. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, the inn set the rustic-style standard for national park lodges that popped up in the early 1900s. Its steep pitched shingled roof, punctuated with dormer windows, and columns of logs that support the viewing deck above the main entrance, stacked atop one another and sharpened at the edges like pencils before a math test, give the inn a spiky appearance. Inside, a massive rhyolite fireplace in the center of the lobby dominates the cavernous space, reaching up to the ceiling 65 feet above and featuring a hand-crafted copper clock about two stories up. Around the chimney, four floors of balconies with lodgepole pine railings, accessed via log staircases with gnarled balusters, afford different vantage points to appreciate the grandeur of the space. You can try to score a rocking chair around the fireplace to take in the whirlwind of activity around you, or do what everyone who checks in here is going to do: watch the reliably punctual Old Faithful geyser erupt just steps from the inn itself.
#5 Admire the Works in the National Museum of Wildlife Art (Jackson)
In the highly unlikely event that you don't spot any wildlife roaming around the national parks you're here to visit, you can spend a couple of hours in the National Museum of Wildlife Art checking out some of what you've missed. Just a minute or two outside of Jackson, the rough stone museum, inspired by the ruins of Slains Castle in Scotland, blends naturally into the rocky outcrop opposite the National Elk Refuge. Wildlife sculptures line the three-quarter-mile trail leading to the museum's entrance. More than 5,000 catalogued items by over 550 artists, including Frederic Remington, John James Audubon, Ansel Adams, Goya, Picasso, and Rembrandt, are housed in the museum's 51,000 square feet. Their work covers a vast array of media — oil and watercolor paintings, bronze and marble sculptures, photography, pencil and charcoal sketches, and so on. And their subjects are even more expansive. Particularly striking are Chief, an arresting acrylic of a male bison staring directly at you as he emerges from a haze of snow, so lifelike that you could almost hear his breathing; the lovely and whimsical Tiger Observing Cranes; and Arctic Gyr Falcon, a watercolor whose subject seems to look at you and know exactly what you're thinking.
Five Runners-up
Watch Old Faithful erupt (Yellowstone National Park)
Bike the trail from Jackson all the way to the entrance of Grand Teton National Park
Search for fossils in Fossil Butte National Monument
Drive the scenic route through Targhee National Forest
Stroll around Menor's Ferry Historic District (Grand Teton National Park)
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Adrian Kleinbergen (born 1961) is a Canadian artist, born in Edmonton, Alberta.  Along with drawing and painting, he does jewelry design and manufacture, sculpture, caricature, writing, costuming, and even magic. He started in comics in 1987, penciling, inking and coloring Starstone and Darkewood for Aircel Publishing in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He contributed art work to the unpublished v3 of 'Genesis' a Role-Playing game in 1991. He ran his own publishing company, Ground Zero Graphics, which published The Shadowalker Chronicles in 1991 (Starstone, Darkewood, and The Shadowalker Chronicles were created and written by Gordon Derry of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Kleinbergen was the primary artist and a columnist for the national magic magazine, The Servante. He was one of the original artists for On Spec and a contributor to Neo-opsis magazines, doing both covers and interior art.

Kleinbergen has also worked as a professional comics inker for a variety of magazines and artists and has displayed and sold artwork in a number of venues and galleries.

As of 2018, he has written three novels (Return to the Great White Space, When Falls the Hammer, and Hammer and Fire) and is working on a fourth, called "Hammer and Shield."

External links

Bookstore of A. Kleinbergen http://www.blurb.ca/user/Frohickey?profile_preview=true
 A variety of sculpture art by A. Kleinbergen
 Kleinbergen's page on the Epilogue Science-fiction and Fantasy Art Website
 Kleinbergen's work on the Deviant Art Site.

1961 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian painters
Canadian male painters
21st-century Canadian painters
Artists from Edmonton
20th-century Canadian male artists
21st-century Canadian male artists

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Shoe shopping, who doesn't love it?
To help you on your way, here is This is Haarlem's top 5 of the best shoe stores. No big chains, only small boutiques with a distinct style and personal approach.
At FOOF you'll find mostly Spanish and Italian brands. Affordable, but made of high-quality materials. This store is complementary to the FOOF clothing store, two doors down the road. For now, they sell only women shoes but they will branch out and start selling children shoes as well in the near future.
Mies focuses on classic styles such as loafers and the perfect black pump, that are made in small Italian factories. I am a fan of their leather ballerina's that come in a rainbow of colors. Also in the collection: the best interpretations of more trendy styles. Good to know: shoes start at size 35.
This Amsterdam-based company is a classic shoe brand in the Netherlands. A bit more expensive, but worth every euro. Only real leather and suede, and always comfortable to walk in. Besides shoes, Fred de la Bretonière sells beautiful bags and purses that will last you a lifetime.
If you are looking for trendy shoes, go to ID Store. They might not have the biggest selection (besides shoes they sell clothes, books, interior accessories and stationary!), but the collection is always super on trend. Expect brands like Vagabond and Royal Republic.
This store might not look like a shoe store, but they sell the best footwear! From glittery flats from Anniel to classic sneakers from Superga and more dressy shoes from G.H. Bass. Some are very affordable, some a bit more expensive. I like OU because they bring brands to Haarlem that you can't find anywhere else in the city.


DIY Bubblegum Lip Scrub Recipe - Sugar, Darling?
I don't know about you, but my lips get awfully dry this time of year. I really haven't helped matters recently by being on a matte lipstick kick and wearing them nearly every day which can seriosuly deprive your lips of moisture to keep them plump and soft. To remedy this I wanted to grab myself some lip scrub but sadly the store I visited had run out of the flavour that I'd wanted. Never fear I thought, I'll just try making some myself!
Truth be told I actually like my version better and it was literally a fraction of the cost to make as I had all the ingredients in my store cupboard - if you don't have the necessary bits and bobs the whole lot shouldn't cost you much more than a single pot of the store bought stuff but you'll have enough ingredients to keep making it for a really long time!
It's a super simple put everything in a dish and stir situation and I used a little tin that I had originally held a lip balm which I had finished, so I just gave it a wash out. I thought the tin looked a little dull so I grabbed some little gems which are meant to be used as nail art details and stuck them on with a little craft glue. I think it looks ever so pretty and would make a perfect little present for someone!
Place the sugars, oil and honey into a small dish and mix until thoroughly comnbined - you only need a tiny drizzle of honey as its just to stick it all together a little better. When mixed add the flavoring and colouring and stir again until completey combined and then spoon into your tin.
To use take a small amount on your finger and rub it over your lips for about 30 seconds. Don't be too harsh now, you only want to remove the dead dry skin and let the oil soften your lips. Now either wipe the scrub off with a damp tissue or lick it off your lips - it's completely edible after all! Now you can either pop on some lip balm for extra softness or if you were using this to smooth your lips before applying a lipstick go ahead and add your chosen lip colour.


In this week's Abundance Insider: Noise-cancelling metamaterials, algorithms for early Alzheimer's diagnosis, and CRISPR's convergence with lab-grown meat.
What it is: Francisco J. Valero-Cuevas and his team at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have created a robotic leg capable of learning to walk without hard-coded data. Taking inspiration from how vertebrates learn to walk, the team exercised an algorithm with 5 minutes of random movement, allowing it to develop an internal map of how its outputs (applied force) relate to inputs (motors, joints and tendons). From there, the the artificial neural network (ANN) learned how to successfully propel a treadmill via reinforcement learning, achieving small results initially and achieving maximum results in just 24 attempts on average.
What it is: The New York Police Department has developed pattern-recognition software called Patternizr to compare crimes committed across its 77 precincts. The NYPD is the first U.S. police department to leverage such technology; traditionally, individual analysts rely on memory and manual research to make links between similar crimes in their respective precinct. The NYPD hopes Patternizr will efficiently identify potential crime patterns throughout the city, freeing up human analysts to focus on a smaller yet more valuable list of results.
What it is: With its new pilot program, NatWest has launched the U.K.'s first debit cards embedded with fingerprint recognition technology. Customers simply place their finger on a designated corner of the card to authorize a contactless payment — no PIN or signature needed. NatWest says retailers can accept these cards with existing technology.
What it is: Researchers at Boston University have mathematically designed a 3D acoustic metamaterial that can block up to _94 percent_ of noise flowing through it. Most dramatically, however, the 3D-printed structure reflects noise-producing vibrations without impeding the passage of light or airflow itself. Developed from computer simulations, the scientists' first donut-shaped prototype embeds a unique 3D helical pattern that helps to mute a grand majority of loudspeaker sounds traveling down a PVC pipe. However, the metamaterial is not limited solely to ring-shaped mufflers, capable of being loaded into large sound-blocking walls or versatile shapes.
What it is: Recent research shows that amyloid-beta, a peptide found in spinal fluid, gives an early indication of Alzheimer's disease. Accessing a patient's spinal fluid to analyze this peptide is highly invasive and expensive, but IBM researchers are demonetizing protein analysis via machine learning. They deployed algorithms to identify proteins in the blood that can help predict amyloid-beta in the spine. While many studies are investigating how to detect Alzheimer's via blood test, IBM's research is the first detection method to leverage ML. Critically, this model can also be used with other spinal fluid biomarkers to help identify their parallel biomarkers in the bloodstream.
Editors' Note: In last week's issue, one of our summaries incorrectly referenced a generative adversarial network (GAN) as a general adversarial network. We have updated the online versions of this article to correct the error.


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Home/Economy/Hakar calls for social dialogue within Sonatrach group, in order to achieve the established goals
Hakar calls for social dialogue within Sonatrach group, in order to achieve the established goals
The CEO of Sonatrach group, Toufik Hakar called yesterday, Saturday, in a message on the occasion of International Worker's' Day, for permanent social dialogue between management and employees in order to achieve the goals set by the group.
In this message, Hakar stressed that "relying on permanent social dialogue and the desire to continuously improve the professional and social gains of workers, will allow us to maintain an atmosphere of serenity and cooperation, which contributes to strengthening relations between management and employees and we can all focus on the same goal and work together to improve growth indicators to achieve the balanced development of Sonatrach ".
He added that "this constructive dynamic, in which all participate, is undoubtedly the best way to preserve our gains, and it is a common achievement that we must all value, invest on and benefit from in order to achieve the established goals of our company."
Hakar pointed out, in this context, that Sonatrach has, since its inception, worked continuously to modernize its systems and improve its social services for the benefit of its workers and employees, to whom it provided adequate working conditions at the level of all its sites in the north as well as in the south."
He stressed that "Sonatrach has put the management of its human resources at the top of the strategic axes of development," noting that it has developed, with its social partner, an integrated set of procedures and measures, notably specialized committees for workers, which undertake examining, studying and updating the regulatory provisions that require review, to preserve workers' rights and their professional and social gains.
The CEO of the group considered that "the celebration of International Workers' Day is mainly a tribute to all pioneers of labor struggle who committed themselves and fought to restore workers 'rights, relying in that on permanent dialogue and constructive consultation to preserve workers' rights and gains."
He also mentioned that Sonatrach is currently working on implementing a series of structural projects, in particular a project to modernize human resources management systems and an integrated information system, which "will allow us to move to a higher level in managing our various practical and procedural tools that will have a positive impact on work relations at the structural level in our group.
There are multiple innovations and decisive changes, Mr. Hakar went on to say, likely to "raise the effectiveness and profitability of our work, with the aim of achieving professionalism among our workers, each in their field of specialization and from their workplace and adapting project management methods and managing human resources".
He added that "this qualitative and decisive change we are working on implementing in order to tangibly improve and upgrade the management of Sonatrach, which allows providing all the capabilities and means necessary for our workers, to achieve the appropriate conditions for career development and operational efficiency in performing their tasks."
"The work environment in the group will gradually be defined by fundamental transformations that will allow Sonatrach to catch up with sustainability and efficiency." Underlining that this is capable of establishing good governance at all levels and enshrining the dynamic of development on the long term" the CEO added.
Thanks to the mobilization of all, "the prospects appear promising and depend mainly on the willingness of each of us to participate and commit to this process of change, so that Sonatrach can continue to develop and prosper."
The first official in Sonatrach also stressed that "our future depends exclusively on our ability to overcome the current challenges in our sector, which are good governance, the modernization of processes and methods of management, the improvement of administrative procedures, the rationalization of expenditures, the shortening of the time of achievement and the professionalization of our human resources."
Meanwhile, Hakar called on the workers of the group to be vigilant and cautious about the development of the Covid 19 pandemic, given that the recent figures "are not at all reassuring, and clearly indicate that the trend of the infected cases is on the rise in the short term, and this is mainly due to the lack of rigor and the non-compliance with preventive measures in our country, especially the correct wearing of protective masks, which, according to all specialists, remains the best protection against the risks of infection with the Coronavirus and its new and more dangerous mutated variants.
Arkab discusses with Saudi ambassador ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and mining
Towards implementing a strategy to develop investment in the green circular economy
Council of Ministers: Lifting obstacles for 679 investment projects out of a total of 877 projects
Council of Ministers: President of the Republic orders a new experience for Djendjen port road project


I am currently beginning a two year assignment under Mennonite Mission Network in Ecuador.
One of my responsibilities is to coordinate a program of theological education called Propaz, as well as serve as one of the teachers. This program offers leaders and potential leaders training in topics of Bible and theology with attention to an Anabaptist perspective on peace and nonviolence, as well as other topics essential for ministry and shalom-building. The program has two levels, one congregational and one at a university level.
My second major role includes pastoral responsibilities in the recently-created house church meeting in Calderon to the north of Quito. It has created space for Colombian refugees finding a new life in Ecuador to live and worship. The church has assisted a number of refugees with housing as they transition. Tatiana has been leading the Calderon group and together with Wendy, an MCCer from Colombia, we will provide leadership to the church. Finally, I may find additional work with the Quito Mennonite church, which has many ministries requiring ongoing support from church members. A principle ministry has been integrating Colombian refugees fleeing the the armed conflict of Colombia into a new community in Ecuador.
I am exited about this opportunity to learn from how the church in Ecuador is trying to live out the gospel. I previously lived in Honduras from 2006 to 2009 so this is a second major period in Latin America and in part will feel like coming home. Now that I have finished my three years at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, I feel this assignment is a good fit and will provide rich experience and learning from new relationships. I feel substantial support from many people, including my home congregation of West Union back in Iowa.
Many blessings to you as you begin your ministry term. Your blog is great!


text:
namespace chromecast {
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  // MediaPipelineBackend::AudioDecoder implementation:
  void SetDelegate(Delegate* delegate) override;
  MediaPipelineBackend::BufferStatus PushBuffer(
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  DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(AudioDecoderWrapper);
};

}  // namespace media
}  // namespace chromecast

#endif  // CHROMECAST_MEDIA_CMA_BACKEND_AUDIO_DECODER_WRAPPER_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Latin Artists Create an 'Arts of Resistance' Mural for ARTSMASH with VMF + MOA
by Gabriela Torres | Photo: Brandy Colton
At Vancouver Mural Festival, the art we feature is diverse in style and technique. In fact, genres often merge to create unified messages and blend various perspectives on issues both social and political.
This summer, two artist collectives of Latin cultural heritage collaborated to create a vibrant mural on Granville Island at new outdoor public art event called, "Artsmash." The mural was developed with the help of Laura Osorio, curator at UBC's Museum of Anthropology. The mural, along with an exhibit at MOA, introduces and brings awareness to many of the issues affecting people in Mexico and South America today.
Oaxacan Artists Spice Up Granville Island Wall
From Oaxaca Mexico to Vancouver B.C, we introduce Lapiztola, a group of artists whose name derives from the Spanish words "lapiz" meaning pencil, and "pistola" meaning pistol. The collective emerged as a response to Mexico's political revolution in 2006 when violence inflicted upon the Mexican people by the government resulted in the proliferation of street art opposing injustice.
Much of this art was created by Lapiztola who continue the tradition of using art to protest, denounce, and highlight issues that impact their country, city, and people today. Hence, their clever name which ultimately captures how artists give a voice to those unheard by blending art with politics in the name of social justice.
To create their installations, Lapiztola uses stencil and silkscreen printing. Not only do their visual protests reflect their own unique style, but function as an alternate way of bringing awareness to problems including disappearing children, drug lords, genetically modified corn, and more.
Photo: Alina Ilyasova / MOA
Peruvian Artists Bring Kené Design to Vancouver
Olinda and Silvia are Indigenous artists from the Peruvian Amazon's Ucayali River region. They belong to the Shipibo-Conibo diaspora, relocating to Lima Peru in the 1990s.
Both women began working as artists in 2016 and specialize in Kené, an ancestral, women-only, art form. Those who train in Kené learn to dream and see designs in their minds and transcribe the patterns they imagine onto the skin as tattoos, textiles, and other mediums. When a woman learns how to materialize these designs, her abilities are considered sacred.
Not only is the art form passed down from generation to generation, but it has cultural and mythological significance in Shipibo-Conibo culture. Its geometric designs resemble patterns and systems found in nature including snakeskin, constellations, the forest, and the Amazonian river. These strong ties to nature reflect people's relationship with all-powerful gods that sustain their communities and surrounding natural environments.
While Olinda and Silvia's designs can be seen on the walls of Lima Peru, their installation at the Museum of Anthropology and mural on Granville Island, is the their first ever international project. This opportunity has led to new possibilities for the artists who have been invited to paint and share their experiences in other parts of the world.
Painting Kene
The Merging of Forms: Collectives Collaborate on The Granville Island Mural
After getting to know each while working on The Arts of Resistance exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology, Lapiztola and Olinda and Silvia developed a close relationship. This allowed them to work with each other organically despite their different backgrounds. While painting they came together and merged their artistic styles and techniques for a common purpose: to resist discrimination and oppression against Indigenous populations in Mesoamerica and condemn the commercialization of Indigenous culture used as to attract tourists to the countries Indigenous populations call home.
The Granville Island Mural took approximately 5-6 hours to paint and transformed an otherwise blank canvas into a vivacious wall-scape. While the design was first conceptualized by Lapiztola and assisted by Olinda and Silvia, the mural captures the influence and style of both collectives. The mid section of the mural contains a stencil image of a little girl and on her left and right sides are Kené designs. This interesting combination of stencil and Kené demonstrates how adaptable the ancient art form can be. Though Kené is a traditional mode of expression, meant only for textiles and tattoos, it can transcribe itself onto new mediums in combination with modern art like Lapiztola's stencil work.
Photo: Sarah Race / MOA
Arts of Resistance
The Granville Island mural is an extension of the Museum of Anthropology exhibit at UBC. Here, the works of both artists are on display in two separate installations.
Lapiztola's Installation is called "The Defence of Maize" and is a series of stencils hanging from the ceiling with light projecting through them. The images depict a woman wearing Indigenous Mexican dress pointing a rifle at three scientists injecting a substance into a cob of maize. This image demonstrates two main ideas. The first, is that it guides museum guests through the process of how Lapiztola creates their artwork, showing them the many different layers typically used in their creations. The second, addresses Indigenous empowerment and defence of ancestral culture and knowledge in the face of new liberal policies that disturb and alter the maize economy of rural Mesoamerica. The piece comments on the moral wrongness of genetically modifying maize, an important source of food that holds cultural, metaphysical, and cosmological importance in Indigenous Mexican communities.
Olinda and Silvia painted a Kené mural over two-week span. The wall is filled with bright colours and kaleidoscope-like shapes. Divided into two sections, the first half of the mural portrays an all-powerful god named Rumi, while the second is an imagined map of the Amazon.
The MOA exhibit and Granville Island mural are extremely special because they were created while Olinda and Silvia sung and wore traditional clothing. While the singing allows them see the designs they want to paint and helps bring images forward, the wearing of traditional clothing highlights the importance of Indigenous culture and nonconformity to global fashion. These techniques demonstrate that art can be a sensory experience as well as a visual one and encourage individuals to have pride in their Indigenous heritage as something that must be respected, safeguarded, and unhidden.
David Vertesi October 23, 2018
Welcoming Donna to VMF!
Thanks Ellena! Interview with VMF's 2018 Kulus Program Coordinator


Yearly time series (2008–2014), provided by Statistics Iceland. It was last modified on 28 Aug 2015 at 11:09. It is tagged fyrirtæki, gjaldþrot, viðskipti.
Yearly time series (1993–2007), provided by Statistics Iceland. It was last modified on 1 Feb 2014 at 19:52. It is tagged fyrirtæki, gjaldþrot.
Yearly time series (1990–1999), provided by Statistics Iceland. It was last modified on 28 Aug 2015 at 11:09. It is tagged gjaldþrot, viðskipti, fyrirtæki.
Yearly time series (1908–1977), provided by Icelandic Historical Statistics (Hagskinna). It was last modified on 5 May 2014 at 17:39. It is tagged fólk, gjaldþrot.
Yearly time series (1993–2008), provided by Statistics Iceland. It was last modified on 1 Feb 2014 at 19:52. It is tagged gjaldþrot, einstaklingar, dómsmál.


Deeply rooted in Argentinean culture, tango has fascinated and captivated the world with its sexuality, power and beauty. It is this unique appeal that has drawn Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui to create m¡longa.
He now collaborates with an incredibly talented cast of Argentinean dancers and musicians to create a show that brings his own unique style to the tango.
Taking the idea of a milonga as its starting point, those social dance-evenings held in intimate late night bars in Buenos Aires, Cherkaoui draws on traditional influences and adds a contemporary twist. This is the first time that an international large-scale production about tango is directed by a non-Argentine artist, offering exciting opportunities to explore the traditional dance from another cultural perspective.
Cherkaoui's fascination for tango can be traced almost as far back as the beginnings of his career. He says: "What attracts me most about tango is the eternal embrace of the dancers. When a tango couple dances, we sense the hypnotic dialogue between two bodies connecting intuitively, merging into one. If there is such a thing as my style of dance, it is rooted in touch, in physical contact - and that is inherent in tango."
With guidance from tango superstar Nelida Rodriguez de Aure and featuring new music from Argentinean composer Fernando Marzan and Cherkaoui's long term collaborator Szymon Brzóska, video and set design by Eugenio Szwarcer, and costumes by renowned fashion designer Tim Van Steenbergen, m¡longa combines traditional Argentine aesthetics with state of the art technology. With a cast of 10 tango dancers from Buenos Aires, 2 contemporary dancers and a tango band of 5 musicians, this is a fascinating exploration of both traditional and contemporary tango for the 21st century.


text:
Home Forums > Verdure > Ulum al-Qur'an >
ancient qur'an fragments found in birmingham
Discussion in 'Ulum al-Qur'an' started by AbdalQadir, Dec 29, 2015.
Shaykh Asrar
Aqdas, Dec 23, 2021
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35151643
AbdalQadir, Dec 29, 2015
Unbeknown Senior Moderator
Aqdas said: ↑
Tom Holland says i
just read that news piece (didn't care to read it before) and all I can say is that it's just another specimen of yellow journalism, nothing worth a second look.
I like how most news items nowadays start with 'experts believe/say' this and that. So basically they just want us to swallow whole any rubbish they publish because some moron has an opinion about it...however implausible. I mean anyone who's read the Qur'an al-Kareem will laugh at the idea that it predated the Prophet (peace be upon him). Just shows their desperation. They couldn't find anything similar to Christianity's irrational trinity or the sketchy history of the gradual 'evolution' of their primary text so they're fuming and throwing all pretense of sanity to the winds, unable to contain their hatred for Islam.
We have our response ready:
Unbeknown, Sep 5, 2015
1. If a piece of paper is manufactured in 2015 and is not written on until 2050, carbon dating will show 2015 but won't account for the 35 years...
2. Tom Holland says it dates back to between AD 568 and 645. That's a 77 year window. The Quran was revealed between 610-632. Is that not within 568-645?!
Aqdas, Sep 5, 2015
Unbeknown likes this.
wow I didn't know there were so many 'embarrassments' to cover-up in carbon dating until I read this wiki.
some good info on carbon dating in this paper about dead sea scrolls: http://roberteisenman.com/articles/Redating_the_Radio_Carbon_Dating_of_the_DSS.pdf
abu Hasan, Sep 1, 2015
tom holland is a known islamophobe and a chronic liar.
don't waste any more time refuting the cheapo.
Harris786, Unbeknown and Nawazuddin like this.
that shakespeare wrote those works...or not is still a controversy; they probably think that our histories and documents are also as hypotheses-conjecture-induction-speculation laden as their own.
thousands of narrators, histories of each narrator, works by major narrators/scholars, testimonies of those who met them, saw them, heard them, narrated from them... all of this is fiction and unreliable to according to these fussaq, who are merely working on conjecture and hypotheses.
to muslims, i say: would anyone treat you with any respect if you told them: modern computers and internet were actually invented by muslim students in palestine and all these capitalists jews/christians appropriated these inventions and just to safeguard this secret (which is a global conspiracy) - they are trying to eliminate palestinians. imagine the reaction?
we treat their opinion concerning our histories and documents, with even more contempt.
look at the primary sources of ANY history - it will be just a handful of people if it not only a cicero or a hippocrates.
yet islamic history is narrations of thousands upon thousands of narrators. so if you just take bukhari or muslim, it is not just ONE book, but thousands of narrators - all known - and reports corroborated, compared, analysed; plausibility questioned - to the point that even if contemporaries narrate from each other, it is not taken for granted until it is proven that they had indeed met (even that their meeting is possible is questioned!) and they indeed have narrated from the other person.
and our gradation of reports is not just true/false, black/white. we have a nuanced gradation system the equivalent of which is not found in any civilisation.
not just the text, but we also have additional attributes to reports such as the manner in which it was conveyed. so if one gets a report, the manner in which it was conveyed is also known. did the narrator recite it? or did you read it in is presence? or did you find it written?
yet according to these cheap* historians and fussaq all of these people were either foolish, or ignorant or false and only 1400 years later, some immoral character has discovered the 'truth'.
*i don't care how 'respectable' that fasiq kazzab historian is in western mythology - to me he is unclean filth, whose opinion is fit to be discarded without a second thought. has anyone heard of accepting a kafir's opinion in diyaanaat? ridiculous.
Last edited by a moderator: Sep 1, 2015
Ghulam Ali, Harris786 and Aqdas like this.
Historian Tom Holland said evidence was mounting that traditional accounts of Islam's origins were unreliable or wrong.
it is us, muslims who invented the science of corroboration - no nation before us and after us has the elaborate and complex system of verifying and source-authentication.
yet this "historian" will teach us authentication. his own testimony will be rejected outright as he is a kafir which is the biggest fisq. he will die and be forgotten like the goldizhers and rest of the rotten orientalists and christian missionaries.
He said: "It destabilises, to put it mildly, the idea that we can know anything with certainty about how the Koran emerged.
gaddafi (or someone) theorised that shakespeare was an arab, shaykh zubayr - which is not as outlandish as this claim. they tried to prove grammar 'mistakes' in the qur'an etc. and expect that arabic scholars are as immature and incompetent as their own scholars? when it was rebutted roundly, they resort to all kinds of fake theories.
their entire history is based on accounts of one or two lechers with probably no character at all - and they so wisely propound theories etc. based on accounts of philanderers and crooks. the ignorant - juhala - probably expect our histories to be as shaky as their own.
"That in turn has implications for the historicity of Muhammad and the Companions (his followers)."
after the sun rises from the west.
Harris786 likes this.
As if carbon dating is conclusive evidence!
Carbon dating has many limitations and assumptions.
The clock was initially calibrated by dating objects of known age such as Egyptian mummies and bread from Pompeii; work that won Willard Libby the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. But even he "realized that there probably would be variation". (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-dating-gets-reset)
That would contradict most accounts of his life and legacy and may "radically alter the edifice of Islamic tradition".
yes, these fussaq expect us to take their word - these wine-drinking swine-eating lying, cheating, philandering fussaq - rather than the millions of true, pious, upright muslims from the saHabah's time!
dream on offspring of shayateen - and try all the schemes your grandmaster teaches you.
but the qur'an has remained and shall remain:
chisti-raza, Ghulam Ali, Harris786 and 1 other person like this.
Harris786 Veteran
Hmm .. What are these people up too....
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/new...koran-could-rewrite-9966936#ICID=FB-Birm-main
Harris786, Sep 1, 2015
Nawazuddin Veteran
Indeed the transmission of the Qur'an Shareef is mutawatir bil tabaqa; the highest form of transmitted knowledge. However, the argument of shaykh yaqubi sahib suffers from an inconsistency. Hazrat usman's compilation and the reports about it are ahaad so to rely on akhbar al-aahad to prove a mutawatir bil tabaqa does not make sense to me or perhaps someone can clarify for me.
Nawazuddin, Aug 2, 2015
Comment about the Birmingham Quran Manuscript
By Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Abul Huda al-Yaqoubi
Correction of the message of Shaykh Dr. Ayman Suwayd
The Holy Qur'an is proven authenticate by verbal narration of group of narrators who took it from the mouth of Prophet Salla Allah-u 'alayhi wasallam, and memorised it, not by writing and leaves.
Writing it down in the seven copies during the time of our master Uthman ibn 'Affān in seven copies was not for authentication, because authentication relied on memorisation, and mutawaatir, i.e. large group narration was the proof of its validity.
Some Sahabahs' Mus'hafs (and they are all trustworthy) had extra words which were rejected by consensus of the Sahaba and considered Tafsir, i.e. commentary, not Qur'an.
Therefore, we do not have any consideration for any leaves or parchments discovered from the first century even if written by a companion of the Prophet, if they have different or extra words. So, the question posed in Dr. Ayman's comment about "who wrote it" is irrelevant and has no impact on the authentication of the Holy Qur'an, even no matter who the writer is; because the Holy Qur'an was proven via mutawātir oral narration. So is the other question which he posed about, "Where did the writer copied it from"; it is irrelevant to the authenticity of the Holy Qur'an. SO, when the good doctor says, "Our System (rather he meant, our method, is based on who wrote and where from" is wrong. Our method for the authenticity of the Qur'an was based on Mutawātir oral narration.
It is upon this tawātur i.e. large group narration, the seven copies, which were ordered to be copied by Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, relied.
The seven copies were later on narrated by Mutawātir way and were considered source of the authentication of the various Qirā'āt, ie.e readings, of the Holy Qur'an. So, the condition of Mutawatir narration to prove any was later on replaced by finding the verse in one of the seven copies.
Finally, narration from books and papers is the weakest method of narration, it is called amongst the scholars of the methodology of hadith "Wijādah وجادة". It is not prove any Qur'an nor the soundness of any hadith.
There is a lot more to say but we tried to be brief in these remarks as it is important to draw the attention of Muslims around the world the main method of the authentication fo the Qur'an which Allah guaranteed is "Memorisation and oral narration" Not "Writing".
Sunni By Nature, Aug 2, 2015
for those interested in history of scripts, an interesting read.
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2749&context=theses
abu Hasan, Jul 28, 2015
though the hijazi script matches well-known MSs from the first century:
https://othmanabdullah.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/quranic-manuscript-hijazi-script/.
also some samples here:
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Text/Mss/samarqand.html
wAllahu a'alam
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saud...aim-of-oldest-quran--600640.html#.Vbd9uNyUdhh
AbdalQadir, Jul 28, 2015
they can't give up on their mischief making:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/22/oldest-quran-fragments-found-at-birmingham-university
The verses are incomplete, and believed to have been an aide memoire for an imam who already knew the Qur'an by heart, but the text is very close to the accepted authorised version.
David Thomas, professor of Christianity and Islam, and the Nadir Dinshaw professor of interreligious relations at the university, called the discovery "one of the most surprising secrets of the university's collections". He said it supported the view that the version of the Qur'an in use today had hardly changed from the earliest recorded version, and the Muslim belief that the text represented an exact record of the revelations delivered to the Prophet.
unless they are referring to the inclusion of diacritic marks and ayah numbers etc in the present copies.
Wadood Veteran
looking at these Qur'an Kareem fragments brings tears to my eyes. the whole of islamic history, i see it in front glaring as the sun in the sky
Wadood, Jul 27, 2015
sunni_porter Well-Known Member
but i wonder if someone can plant this to get good review and then produce "similar" leaves that could have anti-islamic writings, thereby creating confusion ("if you believed that, why reject this?").
A relevant and useful post from one of Shaykh Yaqoubi's* Facebook pages (full post can be found at the link below, I've copied a few points only below):
https://www.facebook.com/permalink....578834007&id=302237123133693&substory_index=0
"Therefore when a copy of the Quran reaches us like this truncated the way they found in Sana University or Birminghim University or any other place in the world; it doesnt shake us. I know that some orientalists have taken advantage of this to try and shake the beliefs of the Muslims in their holy book. They said a copy has been found which ages back to the first century etc and it is different from what the Muslims have today and this could review the status of the principles of Islam. None of what they said holds any value.
Our system is based on who wrote and from where. This is how we verify. We ask who wrote it so that we can be sure that he was righteous, protecting of his deen and upheld its rules. We ask from where did he copy so that we can be certain that it was copied from a reliable copy and not from the top his head or from an unreliable copy.
I wanted to draw your attention to this so that if the news reaches you on back of pamphlets or copies of Quran which are old and go back to prophetic times according examinations: if it agrees and matches what we already have as the Quran then we say welcome. However if it differs from what we have then the realiable is the Quran we have."
* Not sure if the message is Shaykh Yaqoubi's words itself or someone else's; also am somewhat aware of the issues surrounding the Shaykh, but thought the post is relevant and useful and should be shared
sunni_porter, Jul 27, 2015


[REPORT] Back to School: A Fresh New Beginning!
Robert Rauschenberg, a master of pop art, said, "Painting relates to both art and life. Neither can be made – I try to act in the gap.
[SPECIAL REPORTS] Good Bye, The Sookmyung Times!
[FORMAL ARTICLES] To Be Saengmin or Have to Be Saengmin?


But what would be the point of it all?
And slaps on my face "Later, we will see"?
A papier-mâché puppet of academic dye.
Of Lilliputs in Brobdingnag cloaks.
Could I have known that things would be thus?
Tattooed with love on eczema-tic necks?
Mine are the paws that pounce.
And speak as cats might purr.
With paydays that flutter and leave.
Thoughts that'll never be discreet.
Or poured over Eliot at midnight and more?
And burn into ashes of unholiest grain.
And spreads for us all, its bountiful shroud.
Sprinkled with mergers and shares and dates.
To weave into being my pocket full of dreams.
O, do not ask what they are!
And pickle them blind with fear.
Which others elsewhere have quickened into life!
That others might smell or speculate and sell.
I've smelt them out. I've smelt them out!
Nor do I dare to be Job reborn.
And hopes for a dose of rather good chance.
Judge me as you will, why should I care?
Ours are ships without shores.
This poem has a great momentum from start to finish. You ask some hard questions here!
Thank you for linking up with Real Toads today.
This poem tells a tale of sadness and regret. Lots going on here.
so much here. ... and now i can't look back as i comment, but there were some powerful lines.
the last two stanzas in particular.
I just read this AGAIN! It is such a beautifully written piece, overflfowing with human experience. I've come back to it several times now. So profound and introspective and sad.
I was reminded that we are never promised perpetual wonder and perfection, and so much relish those moments when we experience them and look for the lesson, for the Divine when wonder and perfection elude.
Thank you so much Kim.You know, the poem is very very close to my heart and I am delighted that it moved you so.what else can a poet ask for? thank you and keep reading.
Whoa! This is long,unusually long and very very beautiful. Good work Mr.Chakraborty! "Festooned in parti-coloured papers I lie/A papier-mâché puppet of academic dye." Durdanto lines.Bhishon bhalo laglo.
And this condition is exactly what they have been facing -- the common man of Laxman and Musaddi Lal of Office Office.This is what we are born in, uncertainities and question marks.
Glad to see you let them out and shine.
Greetings: Glad to discover your blog and your poetry talent is profound.
A free verse or a poem of your choice is welcome!
I found your poem featured on poetry blogroll. This is really beautiful!


Luke Donald admits he is feeling the effects of his jam-packed schedule ahead of the Canadian Open - but has still vowed to try and etch his name on the trophy as he struggles to rediscover top form.
Less than a week after the Open Championship ended, Donald will tee off at Glen Abbey on Thursday among a strong field including the likes of Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Brandt Snedeker and Hunter Mahan. Next week Donald heads for the World Golf Championship at Oak Hill, and from there the US PGA Championship.
With his schedule allowing no let up, it is conceivable Donald would not have made the journey to Oakville, Ontario this week as he did last year at Hamilton.
However a lot has changed for Donald in the last 12 months. Going into last year's tournament he was world No.1, whereas now he is struggling for form after carding an opening round of 80 at Muirfield before missing the cut.
But Glen Abbey provides Donald with a chance to iron out the kinks before Oak Hill, and add his name to an illustrious list of winners of an historic tournament that began life in 1904 that includes the likes of Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods.
"Ideally this tournament would be in a different slot," Donald said. "But I'm committed to my agreement with RBC and I'm committed to trying to make this championship as good as it can be, and I will be here trying my hardest.
"This is a National Open, the oldest tournament on the PGA Tour. There are some illustrious winners on that trophy, and I would love to add my name to them.
"It's always easy to be motivated. We're out here trying to win tournaments and that's motivation itself. But this time of year becomes mentally and physically quite draining.
"Obviously coming from the UK to here to a World Golf Championship to another major, it's not ideal to be playing four in a row with the PGA being the fourth and then have the run of FedExCup events.
"So it's tough. You've got to make sure you're efficient with your practice and take some days off when you can.
"It's about balancing your practice and making sure you are ready when Thursday comes.
"It's a tough balancing act. It's something I've had to deal with my whole career. I'm playing both Tours as well. But this year to try and make sure I'm fresh, I've probably played a couple of events less on my schedule than previous years."


The business breakfast guests were addressed by Mikrografija's Director, Boštjan Gaberc, who highlighted not only the benefits of greater information accessibility, but also the vulnerabilities that invariably accompany it. The reasons why information security is a necessity, along with the ways of achieving it, were presented by Marko Erjavec, Principal Auditor at Bureau Veritas Slovenija.
Together with Primož Kočar of Evpos, the participants were able to test disruptions to the business rhythm in an interesting and interactive way. Bringing both strengths and weaknesses to a company, eurythmics is certainly a change that requires adjustments. This was followed by presentations of procedures involved in document management, along with advantages of using a document management system. APS Plus, a joint venture of Mikrografija and the Post of Slovenia, presented the service of capturing incoming daily mail, which is already an established practice at larger post offices. All procedures take place prior to the usual start of business and the company receives all documents in the morning in the electronic mailbox or to an e-mail address.
The presentation also included the advantages of integrating document management services from the cloud and combining human resource management systems.


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A diet based on oat jelly - a miracle!
I tried on the advice of a friend before each meal drink a half cup of oatmeal jelly, which is prepared in a special way. And lo! First, were the problems with the stomach. Second, eat much less, respectively, the weight began to decline.
Really love persimmons and really need to lose weight. So am looking for a diet based on the products that are popular.
Cabbage Soup Diet - Some cons!
Diet on the principle of separation of power is very uncomfortable.
The best diet: lose everything quickly and does not harm your body!
Buckwheat diet - heavy, but the effect is.


text:
Information, Please!
Are we going to be seeing the Dead End Kids anytime soon?
By MariaLuv,
March 1, 2014 in Information, Please!
MariaLuv
I would really like to see these movies. I would also like to see the Bowery Boy's as well.
Anybody got any info?
slaytonf
If you know the titles of the films they are in, you can search the TCM Database. On the film's Database page, the air date, if there is one coming up in the next three months or so, will show up under the title, with an option to be sent a reminder. For example, They Made Me a Criminal:
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1399/They-Made-Me-a-Criminal/
TheVortex
Dear Jezebel38 and Others,
Later to-day on Turner Classic Movies there is going to be a Dead End Kids film as part of the John Garfield festival,"They Made Me A Criminal" directed by Mister Busby Berkeley with Mister Claude Rains interpreting a detective. The time in New York is at fifteen minutes past nine in the morning (9:15).
Ray Faiola
LocationEllenville, NY
What we probably WON'T see for a while are the Universal Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys pictures. These films were in syndication for most of the 60's and into the early 70's. The first film, LITTLE TOUGH GUY, is public domain and you can see it on youtube. It's a very good drama with comedic overtones. Pretty shocking finale.
One of the rarest and most unusual is CODE OF THE STREETS starring Harry Carey, Frankie Thomas and the Little Tough Guys (Hally Chester, Harris Berger, Billy Benedict and David Gorcey). Paul Fix plays Thomas' older brother and has a knockout monologue in a jail cell.
Just last week I got in an old WOR-TV print (I could tell by the square cue punches in the upper left hand corner of the frame) of CALL A MESSENGER, a 1939 Universal with Halop, Hall and the Little Tough Guys. Very nice little B with Robert Armstrong, Anne Nagel and Victor Jory.
The nice thing about the Universal entries is that they look far better than their meager B budgets would suggest. And they have terrific music by Skinner, Salter and Previn.
One of my favorites is HIT THE ROAD, with Barton MacLane, Gladys George and Shemp Howard. Very funny with MacLane a hood going straight taking in the gang.
There's also MOB TOWN, MUG TOWN, GIVE US WINGS, YOU'RE NOT SO TOUGH and KEEP 'EM SLUGGING with Bobby Jordan leading the gang. Two Little Tough Guys-only films were LITTLE TOUGH GUYS IN SOCIETY and NEWSBOYS HOME with Jackie Cooper.
Back in the 80's, MCA took out a full page ad in the Hollywood Reporter and Broadcasting Magazine promoting the package of Dead End Kids features. No Little Tough Guy-only titles. Don't know who picked them up - certainly wasn't any New York station.
The Universal Kids also made three serials - JUNIOR G-MEN, JUNIOR G-MEN OF THE AIR and SEA RAIDERS.


I work in an office where everyone considers my cubicle their front door to come into and do whatever they please. In fact, it is so great here that I even get to sit back and read City Weekly while listening to fellow co-workers gossip about the "hot topic" of the day. For example, today everyone is gossiping about the new iPad.
My point is, I have heard everyone here gripe and moan about inconsiderate bicyclists ["Future Dead People," Jan. 28, City Weekly]. My boyfriend and I have the same pet peeve as John Saltas. The funny thing is, I never had this problem until it was considered "hip" to ride bicycles instead of driving.
All these years, people just forgot about bicycles and how great they can be. So now, they are riding around town on bikes and they forget what it was like to drive.
It is especially irritating to hear people argue about how much better their bikes are than everyone else's. This seemed to be a major cause of fights during the Twilight concert series this past summer.
Like you said, what can you do? I choose to laugh at them, and tell them how ridiculous they are being, and I make it known when someone is being a jackass while riding his or her bike.
Thank you for the article. I got a real kick out of it.


text:
Art and Popular Culture
Morals, mores, and manners
Multiculturalism and Political Correctness
New 'Mr. Magoo' brings out the PC police
https://jeffjacoby.com/25513/new-mr-magoo-brings-out-the-pc-police
SO NOW even Mr. Magoo is politically incorrect. The hopelessly nearsighted old codger who serenely sidestepped one calamity after another in scores of old cartoons is about to be revived in a new Disney live-action movie, and the armies of the sensitive are on the march.
Last month, the National Federation of the Blind adopted a resolution slamming Magoo as offensive to the visually impaired. The federation's chairman berated Disney for thinking "it's funny to watch an ill-tempered and incompetent blind man stumble into things and misunderstand his surroundings."
Ah, but of course it is funny — in a cartoon. Just as it's funny to watch cartoon characters fall off cliffs, swallow dynamite, get run over by steamrollers, and stumble into beehives. Just as it's funny, for that matter, to watch Moe grab Larry's nose with a pair of pliers.
Rather than tell the National Federation of the Blind to lighten up and enjoy the show, however, the president of Walt Disney Pictures, David Vogel, offered a little sensitivity blather of his own. Magoo, he explained, is really an "intuitive" fellow who can "see what's going on" more clearly than others. "His visual limitation can impute poetic interpretation." Whatever that may mean, the myopia lobby isn't buying it.
A Virginia writer named Kathi Wolfe, who describes herself as legally blind, writes huffily in The Washington Post that "dusting off Magoo is as demeaning as bringing back Amos 'n' Andy would be for many African-Americans." Marie Cobb, a blind Baltimore woman, wails to an Associated Press reporter that "Mr. Magoo did a great deal of damage to my image of myself as a human being." What a pity no one ever told Cobb not to link her self-image to a cartoon.
You know this won't end with Mr. Magoo. No doubt it's just a matter of time before the eating-disorder activists demand a halt to "Popeye" reruns — after all, what's so amusing about Olive Oyl, a classic anorexic if ever there was one? And while Bugs Bunny may be OK, the Postal Service had better not think of putting Elmer Fudd on a postage stamp: The speech-impediment crowd would wesent any steweotype making light of the enunciation-challenged. (D-d-don't even th-th-think about about Porky Pig.)
After the Alliance for the Mentally Ill complained, Ross Perot apologized for using Patsy Cline's hit song "Crazy" as a theme song at his rallies.
Not that disability-PC is limited to cartoons, or to nearsightedness and speech defects.
Among the quickest to take offense are self-appointed advocates for the mentally diseased. "Murphy Brown" was blasted over an episode in which Corky speculates that her boss is late for work because "maybe a mental patient chopped him up in little pieces." The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of New York State denounced Ross Perot for using Patsy Cline's hit song "Crazy" as a theme song at his rallies and demanded that he apologize for comparing the federal deficit to "a crazy aunt we keep down in the basement." (Perot apologized.) In Narragansett, R.I., the Crazy Burger Cafe was condemned for the insensitivity of its menu, which features the Neurotic Burger, the Loco Burger, and the Just Plain Nuts Burger.
But here's a strange thing: The disability-esteem people haven't uttered a word about Michael Kennedy, who brushed off his alleged statutory rape of a 14-year-old as an addiction for which, he says, he will "continue to obtain the help I need."
Nor did the mental-illness lobby speak out against Janet Dailey, the romance novelist who admitted last week to plagiarizing the works of another author. "My essentially random and nonpervasive acts of copying," Dailey said, "are attributable to a psychological problem that I never even suspected I had. I have already begun treatment for the disorder."
What is the meaning of this silence? Are we supposed to be affronted by Mr. Magoo and the Just Plain Nuts Burger, but not by a plagiarist and a possible child seducer who blame their egregious behavior on phony disabilities? Which is more offensive — a cartoon and a hamburger, or blackguards who pretend to have a handicap when they get caught doing something shameful?
The PC preachers don't even object when murder is blamed on make-believe "disorders."
A few years back, Hubert Napier stabbed a woman to death on Roosevelt Island in New York — then told the jury he wasn't responsible because he has a multiple-personality disorder. Rashid Baz opened fire on a van crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, killing a 16-year-old rabbinical student — then claimed he couldn't be held responsible, since growing up in Lebanon gave him post-traumatic stress syndrome.
About cases like these, which are an insult to everyone who genuinely struggles with a mental handicap, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of New York has nothing to say. But let Ross Perot ask the band to play "Crazy," and the group leaps down his throat, demanding an apology for his callousness and lack of compassion.
It is hard to take seriously advocates who explode over nonexistent slights but make no protest in the face of gross and ugly slurs. Whose portrayal of disability is the more demeaning, Mr. Magoo's or Michael Kennedy's? Murphy Brown's or the Brooklyn Bridge murderer's? Maybe it's time the sensitivity thought police learned to distinguished the trivial from the urgent.
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Related Topics: Art and Popular Culture, Morals, mores, and manners, Multiculturalism and Political Correctness receive the latest by email: subscribe to jeff jacoby's free mailing list
The Israeli actress and the Egyptian queen
The ballpark is no place for the national anthem
Three cheers for cultural appropriation


Last few days have been kinda lax on the games, I lost my achevement streak on Friday so it took me till Sunday to actually get things going again. I decided to take on Goat Simulator as my next game and wow, the game is GARBAGE. Absolute garbage. Luckily so far the achievements have been pretty easy. I got about 200GS in about 20 minutes of work. I called it good after that, no need to bleed out the whole list in one night.
Most of the weekend, when I played games, was FIFA. Trying to get back in the swing of things for the September 22nd release of FIFA 16. Last year they let you bring your coins over from 15 to 16. So I am going to get back in the swing of things by giving myself a good head start to get the FUT achievements. Unfortunately my team isn't all that great, well I love my FUT as it is all US national players, but the ceiling is pretty low, as apposed to other paths like Spain, Germany, La Liga, Barclays, etc. The achievements always dictate my play though, if there isn't anything that requires a high rated team, no reason to spend the coin to get it.


A CAP-supported bill to keep taxpayer money from subsidizing abortion insurance coverage will be considered by the Arizona Senate in the next few days. Your senators need to hear from you on this issue!
Abortion should not be paid for with tax dollars, yet 41 out of 199 insurance plans available on Arizona's federally-run healthcare exchange are doing exactly that. What's more, last year, nearly 90% of those purchasing plans on the exchange got some sort of taxpayer-funded subsidy.
SB 1318 will ensure Arizonans are fully protected from having their tax dollars subsidize abortions by ensuring no plans offered on the exchange include elective abortion coverage.
As usual, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union want to force Arizonans to pay for abortions. That's why it's critical that you contact your elected officials today and ask them to vote YES on SB 1318!
SB 1318 also ensures abortion clinics are complying with Arizona law by requiring them to provide verification that they have admitting privileges at a hospital as prescribed by law.
Use these talking points to craft your message to legislators. Don't forget to add a custom Subject Line. It can be as simple as "Please Vote YES on SB 1318" or "Please Support SB 1318".
SB 1318 will ensure that taxpayer dollars are not funding abortion in Arizona. This bill simply clarifies a law already in place to guarantee that no tax dollars will fund abortion.
Seventeen other states have the same law as SB 1318. And a total of 23 other states have restricted the circumstances under which plans on their exchanges may provide abortions.
SB 1318 also ensures that compliance with current clinic regulations is followed. Allowing DHS to verify that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital as prescribed by law ensures the safety of the women walking into the clinic.
A woman's legal right to choose an abortion does not demand that taxpayers subsidize or pay for an abortion. SB 1318 does not restrict women from having an abortion but simply does not allow taxpayers to have to pay for that abortion procedure.
This entry was tagged Arizona Legislature, Life. Bookmark the permalink.


Rutejìmo balanced three heavy stone bowls on a plank as he navigated the twisted path leading up to the family cave. The morning sun seared his skin and it was already heating up the rock beneath his feet. In a few hours, it would be too hot to do anything besides rest in the cave.
He took a deep breath. When he inhaled the smells of roasted meat, eggs, and fresh-baked bread, his stomach twisted into a knot. His grandmother insisted he wait to eat with her instead of with the rest of the clan. He peered back over his shoulder to the eating area where Desòchu wolfed down food and joked with the others. He wanted to go back and listen to his brother's tales, but it would mean more punishments if he disobeyed his grandmother.
When he turned back, someone stood right in front of him. He lurched to a stop to avoid running into the broad-chested teenager. The bowls threatened to tilt over, and Rutejìmo swore as he struggled to keep them balanced on the wooden plank.
Rutejìmo tried to move away, but the clinking of the bowls on the plank halted his movement. He looked down at the steaming food with a sinking feeling. He couldn't fight Tsubàyo while carrying breakfast.
"I thought so," said Tsubàyo in a satisfied voice.
A glare darkened Tsubàyo's face. He stepped forward and swept his hand up.
Rutejìmo dodged Tsubàyo's attempt to knock over the bowls, but he stumbled into Karawàbi and tripped over the larger boy's outstretched foot. Rutejìmo dropped to his knee to avoid falling over the edge of the path, but the bowls slipped from the board and plummeted down the side of the valley.
"Sands!" Rutejìmo screamed as he flailed helplessly.
"Oops," said Tsubàyo in a sardonic tone.
The ground shook as a blast of wind blew and the flash of a bird raced past them. Rocks tore at Rutejìmo's side and face. Coughing, he managed to focus just as Desòchu caught the third bowl. The other two rested in his other hand. Wind eddied around Rutejìmo's older brother as he gracefully spun around to prevent the food from slipping.
Desòchu glanced up and then stepped forward. He disappeared in a cloud of dust, and a plume of wind streaked to the switchback at the end of the trail and up toward them.
Rutejìmo yanked his head around, hoping to see Desòchu racing, but his brother had already come to a halt in front of the three teenagers. A heartbeat later, wind blasted around them from the wake of his speed. Sand fell off the rescued bowls.
"And what are you three boys doing?" There was an easy smile on his face, but a hardness in his voice.
Rutejìmo looked up from the ground, still clutching the plank.
Tsubàyo tried to step away from Desòchu, but Rutejìmo's older brother followed him.
Desòchu casually reached out with one of the bowls.
Rutejìmo saw that he was handing it over and he held up his hand to take it.
As he spoke, Karawàbi stepped back and held up his hands.
As soon as Desòchu released Tsubàyo, the teenage boy broke away. He ran down the path toward the bottom of the valley with Karawàbi following. Rutejìmo followed him with his eyes, watching as they headed toward the eastern end of the valley where there were a few caves that the children used as hiding spots. Rutejìmo knew which one Tsubàyo favored. As soon as his grandmother allowed it, Rutejìmo planned on finishing their discussion in private.
Rutejìmo set aside his thoughts and glanced over to his brother.
Desòchu clasped his hands together and regarded Rutejìmo. He wasn't smiling anymore, but Rutejìmo didn't recognize his expression. Desòchu looked torn, as if he were struggling with something.


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