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Tasawwuf –- Walâyat –Muhaddathîyat
Tasawwufتصوٌف , walâyat ولائيتand muhaddathîyatمحدثٌيت are the states and ranks (marâtibمراتب ) of those people who are imbued with divine qualities. They tread on a path that is higher in rank than that of believers. Their station as knowers of Allâh is higher than that of many others. Nevertheless, they are all followers of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), and as followers, they cannot overtake the Leader. They cannot be conceived of as a comprehensive class or as a subclass of Prophets or apostles. They receive Divine Revelation, but not one of them can be called nabî or rasûl in the sense generally understood by the common Muslims.
Ibn Khaldûn wrote the following on tasawwuf تصوٌف "This knowledge is a branch of the sciences of Sacred Law that originated within the ummah. The path of such people had been the path of the early Muslim community and its notables, of the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh), of those who were taught by them, and of those who came after them" (Ibn Khaldûn, al-Muqaddima [n.d. reprint, Makkah: Dâr al-Bâz, original: 1397 AH / 1978 CE], 467). The ultimate goal in tasawwuf is the love of God and Divine Communication with Him. A Hadîth-i-Qudsî, as related by Imâm Bukhârî, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abû Bakr al-Baihaqî, and others, discloses the central reality of tasawwuf: "My servant keeps drawing nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And once I love him, I become his hearing, with which he hears, his sight, with which he sees, his hand, with which he seizes, and his foot, with which he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him" (Fath al-Bârî 11/340–341). The one who treads on the path of tasawwuf is an aspirant to spiritual development, who submits to the inner and the outer aspect of the Sunnah. He knows and understands the essence of worship and abandonment of the mundane life. He follows those who are models of God-Consciousness. They learn Islamic sciences of the Qur'ân and its exegesis, traditions (hadîth), and jurisprudence (fiqhفقه ). Their souls are connected through chains of divine scholars to the Holy Prophet (pbuh), who was sent to bring creation closer to their Lord.
Your direct relationship with your Maker and the cultivation of this relationship is tasawwuf. Ever since scholars began to speak about Sufism and tasawwuf, they have defined it in many different ways, and over time many misconceptions have arisen about Sufism and tasawwuf. Errant sûfîs as well some religious scholars think that tasawwuf is something beyond the Qur'ân and Sunnah, which is the practice of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). They have shunned the Qur'ân and Hadîth, and shunned the tasawwuf. Many self-proclaimed sûfîs deviated from the right path of tasawwuf, either because they misunderstood the message of the Holy Qur'ân or because they had worldly ambitions. They gathered simpleminded followers around them, transformed graves into places of worship, and made supplications to dead objects. They introduced dances, music, and other innovations to their followers. Those who think Sûfî philosophy is universal in nature, that Sufism is not something that belongs to any one religion, have erred. The schools of Sufism in Western countries, which attempt to instruct non-Muslims on following the Sûfî path, have nothing to do with tasawwuf. This type of "Sufism" is not true Sufism; it is outside the sphere of Qur'ânic teachings.
Sufism is the inner, or esoteric, dimension of Qur'ânic teachings, a dimension supported and complemented by the outward, or exoteric, practices of Islam. It is absolutely necessary to tread the path of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in order to be a true Sûfî, because Sufism is inoperative without "Muhammadan" affiliation. Sûfîs are servants of Allâh who have been clothed in intimacy with the Most High and who have embraced the concept of "ease after struggle (94:6)." They live secluded behind the curtain of intimacy with Allâh.
Jurist and Hadîth master Ibn Taymiyyah, in his Al-Risala al-Safadiyya, defended tasawwuf. His reverence for the group of such ʾauliyâʾ (Muslim Saints) as 'Abdul Qâdir al-Jilânî is also expressed in his Futûh al-Ghaib. Ibn Taymiyyah stressed that the primacy of the sharia forms the soundest tradition in tasawwuf, and to argue this point, he listed over a dozen early masters, as well his own masters al-Ansârî al-Harâwî, 'Abdul Qâdir al-Jilânî, and Hammad al-Dabbas: The upright among the followers of the path, he stated, were early auliyâ, such as Fudhayl ibn Iyâd, Ibrâhîm ibn Adham, Ma'ruf al-Karkhî, al-Sari al-Saqatî, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad, Shaikh Abû al-Bayân, and Khâhtim al-Auliyâʾ Ibn al-'Arabî. Imâm Abû Hâmid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazâlî narrated in his Al-Munqidh min al-Dalȃi'l: "I am convinced that the group of auliyâʾ is the only truthful group who follows the right path, displays best conduct, and surpasses all sages in their wisdom and insight. They derive all their overt or covert behaviour from the illumining guidance of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), the only guidance worth quest and pursuit." This is what defines the intent and path of Islam through the genuine submission of one's soul (nafs) to Allâh and His Commandments. Walâyat can be understood as maintaining a special friendship or relationship with Allâh. Walî means guardianship, friend, helper, ally, and Saint (walî is the singular of auliyâʾ). We read:
إِنَّ وَلِيِّيَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْكِتَابَ ۖ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّالِحِينَ
"Verily, My Protecting-Friend is Allâh, Who has revealed this perfect Book and He takes into (His) protection all the righteous." (7:196)
In other words, the walî is the person whose affairs Allâh, Glory be to Him, takes charge of. This person is not left at the mercy of others or of his own ego. You are told:
إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ
"Your real ally [walî] is only Allâh, and His Messenger, and those who believe, who observe Prayer and present the Zakât, and they bow down (in obedience to Allâh)" (5:55)
This shows that the friends (auliyâʾ) of Allâh are also the friends of the Messenger (pbuh) and the believers: Allâh is their walî, and they are Allâh's auliyâʾ. There is a two-sided relationship between them and Allâh. This does not mean that both sides are equal. Definitely, the friendship (walâyat) of Allâh with the believers is different from the walâyat of the believers with Allâh. One side is obeyed, and the other obeys; one side guides, and the other is guided. The walî takes the service and worship ('ibâdat) of Allâh into his care, and his service and worship flow without any disobedience or expectation of any reward. A walî is not necessarily from a particular Muslim school of thought. He may be Hanbalî, or Shaf'î, or Hanafî, or anyone else. For example, Shaikh 'Abdul Qâdir al-Jilânî was Hanbali, and Shaikh Mu'înuddîn Chishtî was Hanafî.
A Sûfî looks upon his own person with an eye that comprehends his smallness, and when any miraculous Divine Grace appears to him, he is afraid that it may be a test, and he is terrified of falling from where he is. The walî, on the other hand, knows his positions and his state with Allâh. To know the source and the reality of miraculous Divine Graces is a part of this awareness. A walî distinguishes these miraculous Divine Graces from other miracle-like events that might happen. He knows that these miraculous Divine Graces are from "the Truth" (al-Haqq) and that they are a true reality. Divine Knowledge, Divine Revelations, and Divine Words descend directly to him, and his supplications are accepted.
Muhaddathîn are those with whom Allâh converses more directly and frequently than with other believers. To this class belong the Friends of Allâh (auliyâʾ) and other Saints who have reached the station of walâyat. Among them are also the mujaddadîn, who are appointed by Allâh for the reformation of His religion. The station of muhaddathîyat محدثٌيت is the highest station a follower of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) can reach. He has the station and rank of a Prophet, but he cannot be conceived as Prophet or as a member of a subclass of Prophets. He is among the ones who have received their light from the Divine Light. Behold the Light of Allâh from the lamps of these holy Saints who have gone before. They are the signs and guide on the road of divine seekers. "While the thirsty seek water, water also seeks the thirsty" (Jalâl al-Dîn Rûmî).


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Steel Yankee dryer: Advantages, development and rapid acceptance
This section will mainly cover the Steel Yankee Dryer, which has been rapidly adopted by the industry over the past 15 years. This text also briefly covers some basic principles of sheet drying on a tissue machine. However, these principles will be covered in much more detail in a separate section entitled Drying: Yankee dryer & Air hood.
Basic principles of the Yankee
After pressing, on a conventional wet press machine, the tissue sheet is approximately 40-45% solids and the remaining water must be removed by using thermal energy to evaporate it. This is most often accomplished on a single large metal cylinder, the Yankee dryer, which can be up to 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter and serves to both carry the sheet as well as drying it until it has reached the dryness and strength required to get the final paper quality.
The Yankee is partially enclosed by a high-velocity impingement hood and, in modern conventional tissue machines, at least 50 to 60 % of drying effect typically comes from the cylinder side, while 40 to 50% comes from the hood side.
The heart of the machine
For several reasons, the Yankee dryer is often considered the heart of a tissue machine. This is due not only to the size of the cylinder, which can be enormous, but also the critical role it plays for:
• Supplying the energy needed for drying the wet web
• Transporting and supporting the sheet during the drying process
• Functioning as a roll in the hot-pressing operation
• Providing the base for the creping process, in conjunction with the doctor blade.
By the way, the origin of the name "Yankee" for this drying cylinder is a bit of a mystery. There are several theories about where it comes from but no definitive reason for this name has been firmly established, as far as we know.
Cast-iron was the standard for a century
For almost 200 years cast iron has been the material used for Yankee cylinders. Over the years, advances have been made in cast iron Yankees, such as improving material properties, strength, and heat conductivity, as well as enhancing the design by changing from a smooth inside shell to one with grooves and ribs.
Starting around 2000, Steel Yankee Dryers began to be introduced as a Tissue drying concept. Improvements in manufacturing methods, and especially in welding technology, made steel Yankee cylinders feasible. This offered new opportunities to papermakers which will be covered below.
Toscotec pioneered steel Yankee dryer, based on 40 years' experience
Toscotec, the paper machine producer in Lucca, Italy, is widely seen as the pioneer and driving force for development of the steel Yankee dryer (SYD) concept. Already in the 1960s, the company was producing steel drying cylinders for standard paper machines. In 1999, Toscotec started to design the first SYD based on emerging methods of engineering analysis and in 2000 the first steel Yankee, 2.5 m (8 feet) in diameter, was officially started in commercial operation on a tissue machine.
In 2013 the company launched its second-generation design, with a diameter of 22 feet, a width of 5.6 m and an operating speed of 2000 m/min. This is the largest diameter steel Yankee ever made so far and, it is claimed, the fastest ever using steam only as the heating source in the drying process.
Steel has many advantages
Steel offers the tissue maker numerous advantages in terms of safety, energy consumption, flexibility, investment costs, and weight.
Safety is of course a very important consideration for companies. Explosions on cast iron Yankee dryers unfortunately have sometimes occurred due to the material properties of cast iron. Thus the cylinder can explode if it is over pressurized, loaded with excessive load, or in case of an accident for other reasons. Steel, on the other hand, will have a better performance in the event that internal stresses exceed the allowable limits.
Since steel is a stronger material and has a modulus of elasticity which is considerably higher than cast iron, the pressure vessel safety codes allow for better design parameters on steel. The much higher allowable stresses for steel mean that the shell wall can be thinner, which gives the positive benefit of higher heat transfer. The shell root thickness on a SYD can be approximately 30% lower than a cast-iron shell.
Lower shell root thickness for steel means the resulting heat flow is higher through the cylinder. This gives a higher evaporation rate which can flexibly either be used: to increase the production rate at constant energy input or, when the machine speed is kept constant, to reduce the drying energy.
Higher heat transfer and lower energy costs
Cast iron and steel have essentially comparable thermal conductivities, so if the shell is 30% thinner, heat transfer increases accordingly with steel, giving greater drying efficiency. Since drying is accomplished by a combination of the Yankee and the hood, the increased heat exchange efficiency translates to over 15% increase in production capacity at constant energy input.
Another benefit of the reduced shell thickness and higher heat transfer is that lower steam pressure can be used for drying. In such a case, the same production rate can be reached using lower steam pressure.
Alternatively, the tissue machine can utilize more steam, and less hood contribution and electricity, to produce the same amount of paper. The result is lower total energy consumption. Depending on the cost ratio between the different energy sources, energy cost savings of up to 20% are possible in tissue machines with a SYD. The investment cost for steel Yankees are normally somewhat lower than for the cast iron variety, and the physical weight is 25 to 30% less as well.
Metalizing benefits
It should be mentioned that steel Yankee dryers are metalized prior to delivery because the steel itself is too soft for creping and the wear rates would be unacceptable. Metallization eliminates the need for re-grinding of the shell wall base metal, which on cast iron can eventually result in de-rating. Metallization is also a key reason that steel Yankees are far less prone to developing chatter problems.
In summary, steel Yankees have major advantages compared with cast iron in safety matters, and also in energy costs due to higher drying capability in the Yankee-to-Hood drying balance. Steel Yankees therefore offer potential energy cost savings, while also having a lower capital investment cost than cast iron. Although the SYD technology was pioneered by Toscotec, essentially all the major tissue machine suppliers have begun making steel Yankee dryers and offer them to the market today.
Internal view, Toscotec SYD

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"Too bad about Tommy," Jim said to his buddy, Al Fereer, seated next to him. "A real shame about losing his leg!"
"Yeah." Al returned. "And what about mine? He's got more left to work with than I do!"
Jim's head snapped around! He looked down and saw the totally empty left pants-leg, pinned tightly up, showing Al's left leg missing at the hip!
Why was Jim having so much trouble remembering?
It was becoming bizarre! Every player who was called to the stage was now an amputee! The stories of their accidents, of one's battle with gangrene from a stupid frat stunt, they all flashed through his mind. Each being a major shock as he noticed the disability, and each making sense as the background came back to him.
A continent away, school photographer Jeff Wallace shook his head. It was getting late. He had spent over three hours on this job... first scanning in shots of the jocks on his school's football team, then using his electronic retouching program to perform all manner of E Surgery! He saved the last of the bunch, and turned the computer off. He would upload his creations to his web page, "The Good Doctor's Clinic" tomorrow morning. It would be a hoot.


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Saturday 9 February 2019
Dozens Hurt After Powerful Earthquake Shakes Central Azerbaijan
Dozens of residents in Azerbaijan's central city of Samaxi and nearby villages are calling for help from medical personnel after a strong earthquake hit the area late on February 5.
The Battle Over Hadji Murad's Head
The skull of the legendary Caucasian warrior Hadji Murad -- who was beheaded by Russian troops in the 19th century -- is one step closer to being returned to his relatives in Daghestan, Russian officials say.
Graft Still Haunts Eastern Europe And Central Asia, Says Watchdog
More than two-thirds of the 180 countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 scored below 50 on its 0-100 scale.
Azerbaijan Drops New Charges Against Imprisoned Blogger Huseynov
Azerbaijani authorities have dropped a new criminal case opened against anticorruption blogger Mehman Huseynov, who is serving a two-year sentence in prison, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General's Office says.
Protest Rally In Baku Calls For Release Of Political Prisoners
Thousands of demonstrators gathered at a sanctioned protest rally in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on January 19 to demand that President Ilham Aliyev's government release Mehman Huseynov, a jailed anticorruption blogger, and other people they consider political prisoners.
Thousands Rally In Baku Calling For Release Of Political Prisoners
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Azerbaijani capital to call for the release of a jailed anticorruption blogger and other people they consider political prisoners.
European Parliament Calls For Release Of Prominent Azerbaijani Blogger
European lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the unconditional release of jailed Azerbaijani anticorruption blogger Mehman Huseynov.
HRW Chief Hails Rising Resistance To Autocracy In 'Dark Time' For Human Rights
While the world's autocrats and rights abusers often captured headlines last year, the defenders of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law also "gained strength," according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Kenneth Roth.
Azerbaijani Journalist Joins Hunger Strikers Demanding Blogger's Release
Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova has joined an ongoing hunger strike by a group of activists calling for the release of a jailed anticorruption blogger.
European Court Orders Baku To Pay Journalist $19,000 Over Blackmail Campaign
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Azerbaijan to pay almost 17,000 euros to investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova in connection with a blackmail campaign against her that included the online posting of a "sex video" filmed at her apartment without her knowledge.
Behind Bars: A Blogger's Fight In An Azerbaijani Jail
An Azerbaijani blogger was locked up after questioning President Ilham Aliyev's decision to make his wife vice president. Mehman Huseynov could now face years more in prison on charges of assaulting a prison officer.
Bodies Of Three Ukrainians Recovered After Ship Sinks In Black Sea
Turkish rescue teams say they have recovered the bodies of three Ukrainians who were killed when a cargo ship sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast.


A media campaign for talkRADIO will launch on the same day as the station – March 21st – and include an experimental live phone in a shopping centre.
The phone stunt, on March 24th, will be connected to the studio along with a video link for the presenters, allowing shoppers to have their say on-air.
And the adverts, devised by Mindshare, and executed by brand communications agency Lionhouse Creative, will include real time adaptive topics depending on the topics of the day. Mindshare's social listening team will work alongside talkRADIO's editorial team to identify which news stories are likely to trend on the day using two social listening tools, Spike & Mashable Velocity. As these stories are then discussed on air, opinions from the presenters will appear as headlines on large digital OOH sites across London from the day of launch, reaching up to 3.1m people.
These DOOH sites will be updated in real time throughout the day and as different presenters take to air, with the words in the speech bubble changing according to opinion, and the strapline also switching to reflect discussion around different stories.
A similar mechanic will appear in a series of ads in Metro's Talk section over a period of two weeks, with copy changing daily, echoing the DOOH creative and keeping as topical as possible.
Social media activity will include a 'tweet to complete' campaign, inviting the public to tweet their opinion to a particular headline with selected tweets turned into graphics that echo the overarching campaign creative.
talkRADIO launches on the 21st March and the weekday line-up includes Paul Ross, Sam Delaney, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Iain Lee and George Galloway, along with Eamonn Holmes, Martin Roberts and Penny Smith at weekends.


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Walsingham Cell
There is a Cell of The Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham at St John's church.
Local Cells of the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham offer pilgrims to Walsingham an opportunity to strengthen and renew the spiritual benefits of their pilgrimage.
Local Cells observe the feasts of the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) and the Assumption of Our Lady (August 15), together with the remembrance of the translation of the image of Our Lady of Walsingham from the Parish Church to the present Shrine in 1931 (October 15). On these days in the Cell will pray for the work of the Shrine, and to give thanks for its witness to the mystery of the incarnation.
Our Cell goes on pilgrimage to Walsingham twice a year and meets frequently to offer Mass for the Shrine and for the objects of the Society:
To honour Mary, the Mother of God and to deepen faith in the incarnation of Our Lord.
To promote devotion to Our Lady and pilgrimage to Walsingham.
To further, with the aid of Our Lady's prayers, the conversion of the nations and the re-union of Christendom.
To seek holiness of life through prayer, the scriptures and the sacraments.
To find out when our Cell meets to celebrate together please contact us.


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Q: Building SQL DDL statements: which patterns are appropriate? I had seen somewhere the builder pattern used to create DML SQL statements. I was wondering, which pattern(s) would be (more) appropriate for building SQL DDL statements.
I am thinking about simple program (DB tool, solely for self-education purposes), that would create (dynamically) simple SQL DDL statements. I am not sure which patterns should I consider.
The factory pattern allows me to decouple client code from concrete database provider classes library. I suppose it's a clear choice here (please correct me if I am wrong). The decorator pattern was my first choice for building sql statements, but after coding some examples and then reading this answer I am almost sure, I shouldn't be using decorator, as I am building objects and not decorating already created objects.
So.. which patterns should I consider and why are they good/better in this case?
Updated for clarification.

A: The "core" of your DB tool needs to represent the knowledge it possesses in a DB-independent form, and when the time comes a database-specific code takes over and translates that knowledge into DB-specific DDL.
You'll probably need some sort of dependency injection to accomplish that. The basic idea is this: the core of your application works with interfaces only and never knows anything beyond what is declared in these interfaces. At run-time, DB-specific objects implementing these interfaces are instantiated and "injected" into the core. Create than blindly "calls" them as it would any other set of objects implementing the same set of interfaces.
If another DB needs to be supported, juts make another set of classes that implement these interfaces and instantiate them in run-time.
Of course this is all just a theory. You'll find that there are many nuances between different database systems and I suspect it will be hard for you to represent all that in a completely generalized way...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The USA greenback fell by way of 30 paisa within the early hours of open marketplace business on Thursday.
Within the ultimate two days the greenback fell by way of 50 paisa and traded under Rs139 for the primary time in seven weeks. The greenback's downward slide comes after the central financial institution gained greenbacks from pleasant nations that helped its foreign currency echange reserves leap to a five-month prime.
The buck used to be buying and selling at Rs138.five at midday on Thursday. It had remained strong at or above Rs139 since December five when it used to be value Rs138.6.
The greenback had saved consumers and dealers on their ft ultimate yr as a result of volatility in its costs and hit its all-time ultimate prime of Rs140.three in November. Final yr, the greenback favored 27% in opposition to the rupee, witnessing two of its greatest ever unmarried day jumps within the quick span of one-and-a-half months.
Mavens characteristic the upward push in greenback charges to our depleting foreign currency echange reserves, which fell under $7 billion ultimate month. This degree isn't sustainable past two months of import bills. The dearth of greenbacks had saved the rupee below power for many of 2018.
Alternatively, the federal government used to be ready to safe again to again assist applications from Saudi Arabia and the UAE all over ultimate yr's visits by way of Top Minister Imran Khan to those pleasant nations. As Pakistan began receiving those loans, the greenback turned into strong however most commonly traded above Rs139. Simply ultimate week, Pakistan gained $1 billion every from the Saudi govt and the UAE, which driven its foreign currency echange reserves to a five-month prime of $eight.eight billion.


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Isla Saona is by far the #1 tourist attraction in the Dominican Republic with thousands people visiting daily. But for a more intimate and exclusive experience, enjoy a Private Yacht to Saona Island.
Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park and Reserve is a 1,500-acre private reserve owned and maintained by Punta Cana. There's a network of trails that leads to a dozen freshwater lagoons that provides habitat for an abundance of birds, reptiles, and other local flora and fauna.
Riding a Segway is FUN, and it's EASY! Now you can take a guided tour of Punta Cana on a Segway. It's fun for the whole family!


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Interpreting Iran's recent national elections
Mar 9, 2012 9:00 am by Craig Chamberlain | Social Sciences EditorExpert ViewpointsSocial Sciences
Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, a University of Illinois professor of history and of sociology, is the author of "Islam and Dissent in Postrevolutionary Iran."
Photo provided
On March 2, Iran held its first national election since the summer of 2009, when the mass protests that came to be called the Green Movement began in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, a University of Illinois professor of history and sociology and the author of "Islam and Dissent in Postrevolutionary Iran," was in Tehran during the early weeks of those protests and has followed developments since. He discussed the recent election, held in the shadow of rising international tensions over Iran's nuclear program, in an interview with News Bureau social sciences editor Craig Chamberlain.
Unlike some of the Arab Spring uprisings that began in the Middle East in 2011, the Green Movement was effectively shut down through arrests and the use of force. So, was it a failure?
I think of the Arab Spring as a moment of transcendence. By that I mean a moment in which Arab nations realized their own powers beyond the limitations and despite the brutalities that they had been subjected to by various tyrannical regimes. In that sense, I think the Arab Spring is more comparable to the Iranian revolution of 1979 rather than to the widespread protests after the 2009 presidential elections. It is true that the Arab Spring ended the reign of a number of dictatorships in the Middle East, but we need to a look at it as a beginning rather than an end of a democratic movement. For more than three decades now Iranians have been trying to define, contest, and transform the meaning and ideals of their revolution. I see the Green Movement as the latest manifestation of this trend. In that sense, I don't think of it as a failed movement.
What was at stake in the parliamentary election and what was the result for those in power - and for the opposition that urged citizens to boycott the vote?
Those who oppose the Islamic Republic as a matter of secular principle have always called the elections in Iran meaningless. But those who believe that the regime has the potential of reforming itself have invested in electoral politics as one of the means of democratic transformation. The reformists in Iran, those who led the Green Movement inside the country, for the first time declared that they would not participate in the election until their freedom of expression is guaranteed and all the political prisoners are released.
In the absence of the main reformist opposition, the March 2 election became primarily a scene of competition between two conservative factions, one endorsed directly by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the other a hodgepodge of the supporters of the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The biggest surprise, however, was the number of independent candidates who were elected to the parliament, taking at least 90 out of the 290 seats. Of course it is hard to know how conservative or reformist these independents will turn out to be.
Overall, the opposition could not muster enough support to expunge the significance of the election. The opposition questions the government's claim that 64 percent participated in the election. But their own numbers put the participation rate at over 50 percent, which is just about the average rate of participation of previous parliamentary elections.
In the ongoing tensions with the U.S. and the West, the Islamic Republic of Iran is often seen or portrayed as irrational, driven by ideology, with President Ahmadinejad often exhibit A. But you believe it's quite the opposite.
Yes, I do think that Ahmadinejad and other key decision-makers in Iran act rationally. That is to say that, rather than an ideological impetus, what motivates their actions is their national interests under the Islamic Republic. They carefully examine the consequences of their actions before committing themselves to any cause.
When Iranian strategists are portrayed as "crazy" it suggests that they act impetuously and without regard to the real consequences of their recklessness, even if that means their own annihilation. If you look at the history of Iran's foreign relations since 1979, however, it might surprise many people to see how the Islamic Republic, in practice, has followed very pragmatic policies in regional and international affairs.
To say that they act rationally does not mean that their policies are good or bad. It doesn't mean that their decisions are sound and just, or must be supported. But calling the leaders of the Islamic Republic crazy sounds to me like a reckless and irresponsible position in a part of the world that requires the most nuanced analysis and strategic thinking.
Why is the nuclear program so important to Iranians, across the political spectrum? And do you see any way past the current impasse?
This is very much related to the earlier question. In an interview last week, commenting on the Iranian nuclear program, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said that in his opinion "Iran is a rational actor." This most definitely marks a turn in the strategic thinking in the U.S.
The discussion about the Iranian nuclear program often centers on the question of capability rather than intention. In that sense, we can also understand better why there is so much enthusiasm and support for the nuclear enrichment capability among Iranians across a diverse political landscape. This is a major concern in Iran because some estimate that the Iranian oil reserves would dry up in 30 years or so. For a country that is primarily dependent on its oil production, this is a daunting prospect. It gives the advancement of nuclear technology a different kind of urgency.


See "The Laramie Project" Oct. 17, then hear Judy Shepard speak on the aftermath of her son's murder and how people can make their communities safer for everyone.
Judy Shepard, mother of the late Matthew Shepard, will lecture at the University of Alabama at Birmingham at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in UAB's Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. She will discuss her work as an anti-hate crimes activist.
The event, presented by the UAB Lecture Series, is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-8225 for more information.
Judy Shepard's life changed on Oct. 8, 1998, when her eldest son was brutally attacked because he was gay. On Oct. 12, Matthew Shepard died. While the Shepard family privately mourned, the tragedy spurred a spontaneous, unprecedented public outcry. Millions of people were galvanized by the attack, which focused the nation's attention on the growing epidemic of hate crimes. Vigils were held across America. The Shepard family received thousands of letters and emails of support.
In the aftermath of his death, Judy Shepard and her husband, Dennis, started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to help carry on Matthew Shepard's legacy by embracing the just causes their son had championed. This included working for gay and lesbian equality, and helping to prevent hate crimes. A play, and subsequent critically acclaimed HBO movie, "The Laramie Project," was written about Matthew Shepard and is performed each year at universities and theaters across the nation to draw attention to gay rights and the ending of hate crimes.
Judy Shepard has appeared in two Human Rights Campaign public service television spots, produced by the foundation, to curb anti-gay violence and promote a greater understanding of gay issues. She is actively involved with the advocacy organization Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and has appealed to school administrators to make schools safer for gay students. She now speaks to audiences nationwide about what they can do to make their communities safer for everyone, according to her biography.
Judy Shepard's visit will come on the heels of UAB's celebration of Out Week. The week will culminate with a free screening of the film "The Laramie Project" at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, in Heritage Hall, Room 102. Celebrate the life of Matthew Shepard in film, then participate in a discussion after the screening. For more information on the screening, call the UAB Office of Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs at 205-934-8225 or visit www.uab.edu/diversity.


The study was carried out through an international collaboration with researchers in the US, Germany, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland (the deCode company). Financing has been granted through funding from, among others, the Swedish Research Council, Neuro, the Swedish Brain Foundation, the European MS Foundation, Petrus and Augusta Hedlund Foundation, AFA Insurance, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Stockholm County Council, and AstraZeneca.
Publication: "DNA methylation as a mediator of HLA-DRB1*15:01 and a protective variant in multiple sclerosis". Lara Kular, Yun Liu, Sabrina Ruhrmann, Galina Zheleznyakova, Francesco Marabita, David Gomez-Cabrero, Tojo James, Ewoud Ewing, Magdalena Linden, Bartosz Gornikiewicz, Shahin Aeinehband, Pernilla Stridh, Jenny Link, Till F. M. Andlauer, Christiane Gasperi, Heinz Wiendl, Frauke Zipp, Ralf Gold, Björn Tackenberg, Frank Weber, Bernhard Hemmer, Konstantin Strauch, Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach, Rajesh Rawal, Ulf Schminke, Carsten O. Schmidt, Tim Kacprowski, Andre Franke, Matthias Laudes, Alexander T. Dilthey, Elisabeth G. Celius, Helle B. Sondergaard, Jesper Tegner, Hanne F. Harbo, Annette B. Oturai, Sigurgeir Olafsson, Hannes P. Eggertsson, Bjarni V. Halldorsson, Haukur Hjaltason, Elias Olafsson, Ingileif Jonsdottir, Kari Stefansson, Tomas Olsson, Fredrik Piehl, Tomas J. Ekstrom, Ingrid Kockum, Andrew P. Feinberg, and Maja Jagodic. Nature Communications, online 19 June 2018, doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04732-5.


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Like many other Southern cities and towns, Monroe emerged from the strife and destruction of the Civil War at an economic crossroads. Based predominately as an agricultural society, the region looked to the coming of the railroad to further expand its agrarian economy and open avenues for industrial trade. Finally, in 1874, Monroe was connected to the rail network with the completion of the Carolina Central Railway between Wilmington and Charlotte. The town immediately transformed into a major shipping point along the route by the transport of agricultural products and the receiving of manufactured goods. In addition, Monroe proved a strategic location between the seaport at Wilmington and a rapidly developing Charlotte to the west. In 1892, the completion of the Georgia, Carolina and Northern between Monroe and Atlanta opened the town as a gateway to the Deep South. As a result, the region increased in commercial and railroad prominence by virtue of this connection.
SAL Years
A 1922 Sanborn index map of Monroe with the areas surrounding the railroad. Not unlike numerous other cities in the Piedmont region, the textile industry was an economic cog in the region during most of the 1900s. Prominent on this map is the Seaboard Air Line yard and Lake Tonawanda at town center. The city limits have expanded substantially during the past 90 years.
Early era rail photos are numerous with crews posing with their steed. The photographer captured this group at Monroe with 4-6-0 #562 beneath the Church Street bridge. Image Monroe Miscellaneous History
Cotton was king at Monroe just as it was throughout the South into the 20th century. Bales populate the freight terminal for furtherance to regional cotton mills for processing into fabric. A substantial percentage of the economy centered on this crop and affiliated industries. Image Monroe Miscellaneous History
The 1900s began with the consolidation of these smaller lines into what became the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. At this time Monroe became a rail center in what was expanding into a considerably larger rail network. As the SAL reinforced its mainline to Atlanta and a branch extending beyond Charlotte to Rutherfordton, it also was completing a consolidated network extending south into Florida. Although the Seaboard Air Line eyed the Hamlet-Atlanta-Birmingham corridor with optimism, the primary focus was the lucrative market that was the Florida freight and passenger business.
The great era of the railroad postcard---circa 1910---picturing the Seaboard Air Line depot at Monroe. A century later, the structure remains quite similar in appearance. Image courtesy Union County Historic Page
An eastbound view (railroad north) that looks beyond the Monroe depot during the 1940s. The track in the foreground is the through mainline between Monroe and Abbeville, SC. At left is a train running southbound that appears to be diverging on the line to Charlotte. This may be Train #82, one of the Seaboard famed "Redball" freights that were high priority manifests. Winter photos of steam locomotives are a spectacle in lens work with the white condensate exhaust in the cold air.
The Church Street truss bridge spans the Monroe yard in the distance. This structure would be replaced by 1955 when the new Skyway Drive bridge was completed. Image courtesy Heritage Room Collection (Union County)
As Monroe developed in relation to the railroad, the early years continued to center on the transport of agricultural products. By the late 1800s, the textile industry was developing throughout the North Carolina Piedmont region with the area surrounding Charlotte developing the heaviest concentration. Cotton and coal were the raw materials in greatest quantity used by the industry in the transformation of the finished product. Although the number of mills and related business were not as numerous as the towns to the west, the textile industry presence in Monroe was a force during the first half of the 20th century.
As a mainline junction, Monroe was a strategic location not only on the route to Atlanta but also the regional area extending to Charlotte and western North Carolina. Its yard was a marshalling point for local industry and was complete with a turntable and five stall engine house during the steam era.
The Henderson Roller Mills very early in its history circa 1905. This business would expand during the passing years and become a dominant presence along the railroad in downtown Monroe. For many years, it generated carloads of milled grain for the Seaboard Air Line. Image courtesy Monroe Miscellaneous History
This circa 1950 aerial image of Monroe captures an era when the downtown rail front was still in bloom. The Henderson Roller Mills at left and the Church Street truss bridge dominate the scene. At upper right is the 1906 depot and at far right the spur that leads to the cotton mills near the Lake Tonawanda area. Although the rail yard remains today most of what is visible along the railroad in this image has passed into history. Image courtesy Heritage Room Collection (Union County)
During the SAL era, a number of high priority freights funneled through Monroe from Hamlet to points railroad south such as Charlotte and extending into the Deep South to Atlanta and Birmingham. These high priority freights known as "Redballs" in Seaboard nomenclature symbolized the classification that the railroad placed on them. Famed name trains such as Train #89, the Tar Heel (Richmond to Bostic) and Train #27, The Capital (Richmond to Birmingham) passed through Monroe on a daily basis.
Cotton Mills of Monroe
By the 1920s, there were several cotton mills operating within the inner circle at Monroe served by the SAL. Among these were the Jackson Mills, Bearskin Mills, Standard Cotton Mills, Monroe Mills, Everett Mills, and Icemorlee Mills. One associated shipper located adjacent to the Monroe rail yard was the Southern Cotton Oil Company. Notable non textile businesses were the Monroe Ice and Fuel located along the line to Charlotte and the Piedmont Buggy Company. The Henderson Roller Mill was also a presence along the downtown rail front.
The picture postcard glorified images great and small during the early 1900s. Today they are invaluable as references to an early period of history. Pictured here are Jackson Mills and the Piedmont Buggy Company during the formative years. Image courtesy Union County Historic Page
A Depression era view of Manetta Mills and Bearskin Mills in the distance circa 1937. Vantage point is virtually identical to postcard at left. Expansion has taken place since the time of Jackson Mills. Image courtesy Heritage Room Collection (Union County)
A band marches past the Icemorelee Cotton Mill in its heyday circa 1920s. This mill was served by the Seaboard Air Line located beyond the junction along the Charlotte line. Image collection of UNC Chapel Hill
Company mergers and consolidations are commonplace in the modern era but easily overlooked is the number that transpired in bygone years. The cotton mill scene at Monroe was no different. The Piedmont Buggy Company was gone by 1919 no doubt as a result of the escalating automobile industry and its building was acquired by Bearskin Mills. A unique name, no less, seemingly an anachronism in Piedmont North Carolina presumably named after nearby Bearskin Creek. Jackson Mills became Manetta Mills and no doubt there were others. These were all served by a railroad itself that would change names multiple times as a result of consolidations.
Buildings are more than bricks and mortar. This structure housed the Piedmont Buggy Company during the early 1900s and later became Bearskin Mills. The neighborhood was also the location of other mills and the adjacent Tonawanda Lake that thrived with activity in bygone years. Today it stands as a monument to yesteryear with lingering spirits and a century worth of tales that could be told. Dan Robie 2014
Beneath the mammoth water tower at Bearskin Mills. Rail siding was located at far end of building. Dan Robie 2014
No longer needed, a coal unloading ramp lies in ruins at the site that was originally the Standard Cotton Mills. Dan Robie 2014
Today, these cotton mills are a distant memory now relegated to the history of Monroe. All elements of the textile industry, whether the raw material or the finished product, are but a mere shadow of the prominent position they once held in the regional economy and Piedmont as a whole. Jobs and production gone forever to overseas markets.
SCL-Early CSX Years
America was still mired in the Iran Hostage Crisis and Ronald Reagan would be inaugurated three weeks later when this late afternoon photo was taken January 2, 1981. An unidentified Seaboard System northbound train from Abbeville, SC pulls into the Monroe yard for a crew change. Train is coming off the Atlanta line....Charlotte line diverges to the right. A solid EMD consist led by SD40-2 #8059 is the power. Image courtesy John Carr/CarrTracks
During the passenger train era, Monroe was a stop for Mail and Express Trains #3 and #4. Without question, the most famous train to call here was the Silver Comet inaugurated in 1947. As one of the SAL famous "Silver" series trains, it was the only one to traverse the line from Hamlet en route to Atlanta and Birmingham. The Silver Comet remained on the timetable long after many noted passenger trains across the country disappeared as the decline in rail travel accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s. After the Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line merged in 1967 forming the Seaboard Coast Line, the train continued as a truncated version until its demise in 1969. This was also the end of timetable passenger service on the route as Amtrak has never introduced a scheduled train on this corridor.
The Silver Comet was the premier passenger train through Monroe during the SAL era. Due to its schedule, both the eastbound and westbound trains passed during the night accounting for the scarcity of photos in the territory. Here is the train pictured at Birmingham, AL in August 1952.`Image Charles P. Harrington
Images of the Silver Comet are not as common as ones for its sister trains that ran between the Northeast and Florida. The reason for this is that the train (both north and south) traversed the Piedmont region during the night and the majority of existing photos are of it south near Atlanta.
Train #665 passes through Monroe with three units still in the black and gold of the SCL although by this date it was now the eve of CSX. The date is April 1986 and there are elements in this image that no longer exist aside from the locomotives. Across the yard is the lead to what was the cotton mill district and the yard tracks in the foreground the leads to former trackside shippers. Both no longer exist. Also of note is the north pier from the Church Street bridge inexplicably left in place. It remains so today. Image courtesy John Carr/CarrTracks
As to the future of passenger rail returning, the possibility exists although the infrastructure would require reinstatement. The State of North Carolina is proactively passenger rail and a train running between Charlotte and Wilmington could be considered feasible once CSXT improves the corridor between the two points and if facilities can be added at interim points. Certainly speculation at this point but the future will dictate if this becomes reality.
A sunset view of the junction in 1990. Monroe Sub to the left and Charlotte Sub to the right. Image Marcus Toomey
Former Seaboard Coast Line GP38-2 #2521 pauses during switching duties. A variety of fallen flag paint schemes to be seen on CSX during its early years. Image Marcus Toomey 1990
Early CSX years were defined by the hodgepodge of motive power in an array of predecessor paint. Ex-Family Lines C30-7 #7091 and a Santa Fe mate are paired in the Monroe yard. Image Marcus Toomey 1990
This GP40-2 is still B&O except for the number and ownership. The #6024 indicates it is now a CSX locomotive which is taking a turn as local power switching the Monroe area shippers. Image Marcus Toomey 1990
From the formation of the Seaboard Coast Line in 1967 to the creation of CSXT two decades later, the railroad witnessed decline with specific industries and continued expansion with others. As a general rule, business aligned with the textile industry continued to dissipate and other areas such as poultry expanded. The yard at Monroe remained busy although there were reductions in plant due to the loss of shippers and volume in the inner city area. During the Seaboard era Monroe remained as a crew change location between Hamlet and Greenwood and was also a TOFC (trailer on flat car) terminal. Long distance trains continued running south from Hamlet to points south and vice versa until traffic patterns were changed once CSXT came into existence.
The Monroe depot was showing signs of disrepair when this early 1980s photo from the Seaboard era was taken. It has since been refurbished with the pressed brick and Queen Anne architecture freshly renewed. Image courtesy Heritage Room Collection (Union County)
The "Piedmont Special", an Amtrak excursion from Monroe to Hamlet and back, idles in the Monroe yard during November 1998. Image courtesy Patrick Treadaway
It had been decades since this number of passengers congregated at the Monroe depot. "Piedmont Special" travelers de-boarding from the train. Image courtesy Patrick Treadaway 1998.
Monroe has witnessed a varied sort of motive power passing through town in regards to types and road names. Coal trains to and from the Charlotte line often ran with run through Clinchfield Railroad power assisting the Seaboard units. These trains were operated in conjunction with both railroads to ship Appalachian coal south and eventually, were consolidated into the Family Lines System. Once CSXT entered the scene, motive power from all of its predecessors passed through Monroe until the locomotives were either repainted or retired. Of course, this also held true virtually elsewhere on the CSXT network.
Contemporary Scene---CSXT
Custom map of Monroe in context to its location within the CSXT Florence Division. Although Hamlet is the regional hub, Monroe is a diverging point south and west to Bostic, NC and Greenwood, SC in addition to points beyond.
SD50-2 #8565 is on the point of Q468 picking up a cut of cars destined for Hamlet. Signal is "North End Monroe" which is also at the north end of the yard leads. Dan Robie 2014
A dead on east (railroad north) view of the Monroe Yard from 2009. Three different CSX paint schemes are represented on the power in this scene of yard power and Q667 running the main on its long trek to Atlanta. Note the patches of growth on the tracks as a result of grain seepage from the covered hoppers over a period of time. Dan Robie 2009
Local train F992, a Sunday variant of the daily F792, works a cut of cars at Monroe. SD40-2 #8082 and SD50-2 #8613 power the switching chores this evening. Dan Robie 2007
Under the present (2014) CSXT operation at Monroe, it is no longer a crew change point as it was during the Seaboard era but is a home for four turn based locals. The old depot is the reporting location for both the local crews and signal department that work the Monroe Subdivision and a section of the Charlotte Subdivision. Traffic in the yard is still heavy as in years past but the industries are mostly in the outlying areas of Monroe as opposed to town center. Until a few years ago, a yardmaster was located here but that position was eliminated. The orders for the crews are now either dispatched from Florence or assimilated by the local trainmaster. Power for these trains is typically SD40-2s and SD50-2s although any offering of General Electric AC or DC units can also be found.
In addition to the four locals, an average of fifteen scheduled trains pass through Monroe daily. Northbounds run towards Hamlet and southbounds run railroad south either towards Greenwood or Charlotte. An exception to this rule are the intermodal trains. Inbounds to Charlotte are classified northbound and outbounds run railroad south. There are extra movements that pass through town as well such grain, ethanol, and reroutes. The Charlotte Sub is also the "coal corridor" to and from the Appalachian coalfields and the route funnels this mode of traffic through Monroe.
Soft evening sun basks empty hopper train N304 running the auxiliary main through Monroe yard as it prepares to diverge onto the Charlotte Sub. A modern train in the literal sense with both new motive power and hopper cars. The bridge in the distance is Morgan Mill Road. Dan Robie 2009
F704 is tied down for the night after switching the poultry plants in the region. SD70MAC #4514 and an AC44CW represent large power used on the train but not at all an uncommon practice. A bad order well car from the intermodal terminal at Charlotte and a yellow temporary speed restriction sign are also visible. Dan Robie 2009
The Monroe Subdivision has been referred to as a bottleneck or a choke point because traffic has a propensity for converging here at any given time. As a single track mainline, the yard often is congested and the siding to the north at Marshville is utilized frequently. Likewise, the situation calls for the use of the passing siding south at Waxhaw to accommodate meets. Depending on traffic volume at a particular time, other passing sidings at Polkton and Catawba come into play as well. CSXT has targeted the Monroe Subdivision for improvements in its National Gateway Project for upgrading the rail corridor between Charlotte and Wilmington but with other higher volume lines above it on the list, the time frame is at least several years into the future when and if this becomes reality.
Q199 (now Q195) power has completed the run around of its train and will couple up to the opposite end. Green signal has it lined for departure to Atlanta. Dan Robie 2008
A smorgasbord of six axle EMDs fill the yard scene on trains F792 (left) and a late Q697 (right). Dan Robie 2011
Patriotism is the symbol of the evening as Old Glory is displayed from the Monroe depot. The late July scene captures Q614 with its long journey from New Orleans nearly completed. SD40-3 #4000 leads two other EMDs passing by en route to Hamlet. Dan Robie 2011
A question that is often asked is why no connecting track was installed from the Charlotte Sub to the Monroe Sub south of the junction thereby creating a wye. This dates to earlier times with the Seaboard Air Line. During that era, virtually all traffic moved east to and west from Hamlet and that was the dominant traffic pattern. Volumes were not high enough between Atlanta and Charlotte to install such a track and it has remained so to this day. Deviating from that pattern are the Q194/Q195 intermodal trains between Charlotte and Atlanta. With no wye, upon arrival at Monroe, the power on the trains must run around the train to continue onward. Although this action lengthens the run times and can contribute to congestion at Monroe, CSXT has opted to continue this practice rather than attempting to purchase right of way and outlaying the capital for constructing a connecting track.
An early morning image of the junction at Monroe looking south. Q468 from Charlotte is entering the yard and the track at left is the mainline to Greenwood and Atlanta. The layout is similar to the Seaboard era excepting for some demolished trackside structures, track realignment/reduction and the new signals. The connecting track at center is used as the arrival and departure track for the Q194/Q195 intermodal trains and Monroe-Greenwood F761/F762 runs. Dan Robie 2014
Q182 has diverged onto the Charlotte Sub at Monroe with GP38-2 #2808 on the point added as supplemental power due to a failure with one of the GEs. Known as the "Threads Express", these trains now run under symbols Q037/Q038/Q040 and are among the hottest trains on the CSXT network. Dan Robie 2010
Shippers such as the cotton mills and associated industries have long since vanished from the railroad at Monroe. Today, the area is known for poultry processing such as the Tyson and Purdue plants. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry is a large shipper as well as other small industries that dot the area in the CSXT scope of operations. As to the future, Monroe will remain a notable location along CSXT with the number of carloads and as a junction point for diverging lines.
Depot Interior
Modern day (2014) views from inside the 1906 Seaboard Air Line Railroad depot.
Interior of the Monroe depot that serves as the operations room for local train crews. In the distant past during the era of segregation, this was the waiting room for colored passengers. Dan Robie 2014
Interior view that captures working stations for conductors and a yardmaster desk. Railroad photos adorn the wall here. This was the white passenger waiting room in the era of segregation. Dan Robie 2014
My son Matt took this image of me at the yardmaster desk through the window. A neat effect with reflections but his dad looks about twenty years older than he really is. Matt Robie 2014
A view looking out the dispatcher window. Monroe Sub main is in foreground and the Charlotte Sub track peels off to right. Dan Robie 2014
The past can be stubborn about revealing its secrets. Areas of Monroe--just as with any location--are peppered with traces of yesteryear revealing clues to a bygone era. Some have been altered by the passage of time while others reveal a shadow of what once was.
This is the area at the northeast end of the Monroe yard where once the turntable and engine house were located during the SAL years. In later years, a TOFC (trailer on flat car) ramp was built at this site. Traces of neither remain. Dan Robie 2014
A Seaboard System trailer now used for storage is a lone reminder of a generation ago when TOFC was a line side business at Monroe. Dan Robie 2008
An old siding in the vicinity of Windsor Avenue that served multiple shippers located near the southeast region near the yard. Dan Robie 2014
Traces of siding runs along these buildings and another is in the pavement. This area is close to the Southern Cotton Oil Company and Henderson Roller Mills from old time Monroe. Dan Robie 2014
CarrTracks
Charles P. Harrington
The Heritage Room Collection (Union County)
Monroe Miscellaneous History
Marcus Toomey
Patrick Treadaway
UNC Library Chapel Hill
Union County Historical Page


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Moto Sumisura BMW K100
BMW's K100 Sports Tourer is a motorcycle that few people would consider when planning a custom build. Despite it's 1000cc, 4 cylinder motor delivering an impressive 90bhp and a top speed of close to a ton and a half, it's 240kg bulk make it somewhat of a behemoth. For Frank of Moto Sumisura…
BMW's K100 Sports Tourer is a motorcycle that few people would consider when planning a custom build. Despite it's 1000cc, 4 cylinder motor delivering an impressive 90bhp and a top speed of close to a ton and a half, it's 240kg bulk make it somewhat of a behemoth. For Frank of Moto Sumisura though the opportunity to modify this beast of a bike was a challenge he welcomed with open arms. Moto Sumisura has developed a knack for transforming BMW's less desirable models (such as the Moto Sumisura Tatanka BMW K75) into the kind of bikes you wish you held the keys to.
The 'Tatanka 100' was created with 2 basic goals, responsive handling and a refined finish. To do this the BMW was first going to need to go on a serious diet which began with the disposal of it's factory fairings and bodywork. With the K100's engine working as a stressed member there wasn't a lot of room for modification of the frame but Frank still managed to save some weight by slicing off the rear loop and welding on his own. Made from a lighter gauge steel it was designed to replace the entire tail section and accommodates the custom made, suede covered seat, the stop light and also secures the rear guard in place.
re·fined – Adjective
Elegant and cultured in appearance, manner, or taste.
It's a term your likely to hear when referring to the K100's 4 wheeled cousins but not often used in reference to motorcycles. So how did Frank go about creating his 'refined' Tatanka? Muted tones, clean lines and symmetrical forms. The original K100 tank and (trimmed) fenders were given a coat of satin, metallic green with silver detailing while the frame and rims were coated in a subtle metallic gun metal grey. Cables that couldn't be concealed were replaced with braided lines and routed in almost perfect symmetry of each other. Concealing less attractive areas of the bike was done using textured mesh rather than solid panels, keep the frame open to reduce the bulky bikes visual mass.
Further handling improvements were achieved by swapping the factory front end with higher performing inverted forks and 4 piston Nissin brakes. A SuperTrapp exhaust unlocks some more horses from the inline 4 and some fresh rubber readied it for the road. So, just as Frank had planned his K100 Tatanka is going to turn corners just as fast as it will be turning heads.
Moto Sumisura
Fond Memories – JOE'S BMW R100RT
Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator. For Joe Loss of Fremantle, Western Australia it started in his teenage years when his brother brought home a 1972 BMW R60/5. Since that day Joe…
Smith 001 – Woidwerk BMW R Nine T
Tucked away in the southeastern forests of Bavaria is the small town of Viechtach. If you look it up on Wikipedia you'll get one sentence that describes its most significant feature as…
Father's Son – Le Bouterollier BMW R60/7
Experiences from our youth can have a profound effect on what we do later in life. For Jean-Pierre, it was time spent with his father on their BMW R60/7. Despite pursuing a…


6.27.2018 - Spots and Dots & an UPDATE!
OMG... I decided that I would rally and have an update after all.... all the sets are $89, with one at $40. They're mighty pretty. Here's a sampling of the evidence... and there are a few more!!
We admire this beauty roaming the neighborhood... have you EVER seen a kitty like this - housecat size?? She lives by my folks and is seen frequently out and about just doing her thing.


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Erkin Toghrul oglu Gadirli (; born 13 May 1972), is an Azerbaijani lawyer, politician, deputy of the Azerbaijani National Assembly. He's one of the leading figures of the opposition Republican Alternative Party.

Early life
Erkin Gadirli was born on 13 May 1972, in Baku, the capital of the Azerbaijani SSR, which was then part of the Soviet Union. His name, which was very rare in Soviet era, was given by his grandfather. His parents divorced in 1976, and Gadirli had not contacted his father again. He received his education in Russian. In 1990, he graduated from the law faculty of Baku State University.

Career

Law
Gadirli worked as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law and International Relations of Baku State University from 1994 to 2006. At various times, he was as an expert for the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, as well as in different national and international projects and working groups. In 1998, he was a member of the Azerbaijani delegation to the UN Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of the International Criminal Court in Rome, Italy. Gadirli was nominated to the Board of the Azerbaijan Lawyers Forum in 2011.

Political
Gadirli co-founded the Republican Alternative (REAL) on 25 December 2008, as a social movement, and later as a political party. He served as the chairman of the Republican Alternative Movement until May 2014. He was relieved from his post for "contradicting the movement's basic principles and program documents." According to another board member, Natig Jafarli, he was fired for voicing several views on harsh authoritarianism. Gadirli's right to vote in the board and give interviews to the media about the party's activities was also restricted for three months. Gadirli himself stated that the decision was not "unexpected" for him, but expressed "deep concerns" over the decision.

İn October 2017, Erkin Gadirli stated that he would leave politics and return to law. Despite this, he participated in the snap Azerbaijani parliamentary elections in 2020 as an independent candidate as the REAL Party was not registered with the Ministry of Justice. He also submitted the information on his unemployment to the Central Election Committee before the elections. He was elected a deputy from Yasamal second constituency No. 16 with a majority of 34.4% of the votes. Gadirli was criticised by the Azerbaijani opposition for accepting the mandate and getting in the parliament. He was elected as a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building and the Parliamentary Committee on Defense, Security and Combating Corruption. He was also elected as head of the Azerbaijan–Ireland inter-parliamentary working group, and as member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. Since 4 August 2020, he is a member of the political committee of the Republican Alternative Party.

Political positions
Erkin Gadirli is in opposition to the government of the New Azerbaijan Party, which is ruling in Azerbaijan since 1993. Gadirli stated that he was not a democrat, but a supporter of right-wing authoritarianism. According to him, when the government changes in Azerbaijan, democracy will not be possible in the early years, and the reforms will need to be carried out in a right-wing authoritarian method, implementing "strict measures to regulate the political arena", and support "tough economic reforms in the market relations." He was therefore widely criticized within the party. Erkin Gadirli also spoke of the assassination of the Armenian political figures who committed the Khojaly massacre in 1992, where at least 200 and possibly as high as 613 ethnic Azerbaijani civilians were massacred by Armenian Armed Forces and the 366th CIS regiment, as an act of revenge, for which he was verbally warned by the leadership of the REAL Party. He also called Armenia an "organisation created by Russia," noting that Russia had "expelled the Azerbaijanis from their historical lands, and forcibly changed their names and language."

Gadirli identifies himself as a civic nationalist. He himself stated that he was not one of those people who "carried ethnic concepts into politics." According to him, the ethnic nationalism is "very dangerous in a multi-rooted society," calling it chauvinism and backwardness. Gadirli stated that the Russian nationalism had a detrimental effects on Azerbaijan. According to Gadirli, the potential rise of chauvinism in Azerbaijan in a reaction to the Russian, Armenian, Iranian and potentially Georgian ones, was not surprising, but unacceptable, saying that Azerbaijan should not be chauvinistic like its neighbours.

Gadirli supports the naming of the Azerbaijani language as Turkic and ethnic Azerbaijanis as Turks. Erkin Gadirli opposes the Turkification of the historical states that existed on the territory of modern-day Azerbaijan. He stated that "some people are afraid that we have emphasized that we came here later by calling ourselves Turks, thus giving the Armenians an argumentative advantage." Erkin Gadirli said that the Azerbaijanis were always Turks, but they had not always been here, and for him the Turkic migration to the region was not a problem at all, it had neither weaknesses, shortcomings or other unpleasant aspects. According to him, the Russian sector in Azerbaijan had very serious problems with the formation of a national prejudice in the education system.

Works
 Commentary on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1999; co-author).

References

1972 births
Lawyers from Baku
Politicians from Baku
Living people
Baku State University alumni
Members of the National Assembly (Azerbaijan)
Azerbaijani nationalists

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Purpose: To provide scholarship funds for a McLean County 4-H member enrolled in the Horse Program to assist them in pursuing a college/trade school education. Who Qualifies? Any McLean County 4-H member who is in their last year of 4-H eligibility and who is actively involved in 4-H Horse Program. Amount of Scholarship: The Horse Education Committee will offer one $500 scholarship, but reserves the right to offer additional scholarships should additional funds become available in future years. Funds will be paid directly to the educational institution, and shall ONLY be used for educational expenses. Scholarship Selection Committee: Shall consist of four members including the H.O.R.S.E. Education Committee Chair, H.O.R.S.E. Education Committee Secretary, Extension Office Representative, along with a representative from the Timeless Clovers. Should there be a conflict of interest, those with the conflict will not participate on the Selection Committee and a representative from the Extension Office will be asked to fill the vacancy. The Scholarship Committee will select the scholarship. The decision of the Scholarship Selection Committee shall be FINAL. How to Apply: Applicants must submit the official application form to the Scholarship Awards Committee by July 1 of each year. The scholarship is a one-time award, and students are not eligible to reapply and receive funding in successive years. Rules: Eligibility Guidelines: Any 4-H member enrolled in the McLean County 4-H Horse Program who is in their last year of 4-H eligibility and/or a senior in high school and who meet the following criteria: •	Application must be submitted to the McLean Count Extension Office by July 1st. •	Must have been accepted by or enrolled in an accredited community college, junior college, college, trade school or university. •	Must be a senior in high school, high school graduate or equivalent. •	Student must be considered a full-time student. •	Scholarships will be awarded upon proof of registration at an accredited community college, junior college, college, trade school or university. •	Scholarships must be disbursed to institution within one year of award. •	Must complete 5 hours of service to an approved 4-H related activity or to the H.O.R.S.E. Education Committee before July 1st. Contact Horse Director or H.O.R.S.E. Education Committee Chairperson for opportunities.
For County Awards, application is due to the Extension office by Friday, September 1 of every year.
For County awards (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) applications are due to the Extension office by September 1 every year.