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Hetepu (Peace)
Greetings Family, well continuing our conversation about writing your own story by developing a magical mindset like our Kamitic (Ancient Egyptian) ancestors and their descendants, the term mojo is recent years has once again surfaced and entered the mind of pop culture.
Contrary to popular belief, the term does not mean sexual prowess and it doesn't have anything to do with sex per se. It is an African American term believed to be a creolized form of the Yoruba word "mojuba," which means "Thank you."
There are other theories that exist about the origin of the word but I tend to accept the Yoruba mojuba one because as we have seen in past post. Our mind/Spirit is composed of a conscious, superconscious and subconscious. The conscious mind is the part of our being that we use to make choices and decisions. It is the part of us that we call "I" and for this reason is called our spiritual heart, soul or in the Kamitic language – the Ab. The superconscious is the omnipotent and omniscient part of our being. It is where our most brilliant of ideas come from. Its purpose is to provide us with perfect solutions to whatever troubles us, because it is the divine spark called the Ba. The subconscious is the part of our being responsible for governing all of our personal memories and our autonomous bodily functions (those functions that occur without us telling it to do so like our digestion, regulation of our heartbeat, assimilating of cells, etc.), because its' main purpose is to ensure that we physically survive. The thing is that our subconscious does such a wonderful job in maintaining that it doesn't want to change and that's where the problem begins.
Our subconscious (and superconscious) does not discriminate. It does not distinguish between right and wrong, left and right, past, present and future, etc. These are all concepts created to help us understand our universe, but the universe does not conform exactly to these concepts. This is the reason if you repeat long enough what you can't do something like learn mathematics. You will find that eventually you can't do mathematics. It doesn't mean that you can't do it ever. It is just that you put out in the Universe or told your Spirits you can't, and the Universe or your Spirits manifested what you wanted. Why? Because you are made in the image of Divine and the Universe/Spirits must conform to the will of the Men and Women of the Divine. This is why if you keep waiting for karma to catch up and divine retribution to be enacted, you will be waiting forever. It is time to move on Family.
Of course, every time this is stated someone asks this silly question, so the answer is "yes." If you as God Man or God Woman told the Sun to stop shining it would but what would be the purpose of doing that? Why destroy the Universe for something as silly as to prove to you that you have the power of God within you? That's why it doesn't…let's move on.
Anyway, most of the problems we have in our life are because our subconscious is so stuck in its habitual ways that it will fight every conscious decision to change presented. Say you want to lose weight. As soon as you say it, our subconscious has already given us at least six (or more) reasons/excuses not to do it, from being tired, not having time…you name it. You want to quit smoking cigarettes. Your subconscious has already made excuses for why you should keep smoking cigarettes from it tasting good and being cool looking, to being accepted by those in your social circle. It is this way with everything we try to do. Want to find a new love; your subconscious will fight you on changing your ways to do that. Want to make more money; your subconscious will fight you and convince you somehow that it can't be done because of all of those conditioned memories that you learned from your parents, family, friends and society.
This is the reason the Kamitic sages personified the subconscious and called it Set (Set-an or Satan). Set or Satan, the devil, is called the Great Adversary. It is not because he is the epitome of evil, but because he is there to make sure that what you say you want is REALLY what you want. And, when you realize that the devil is not some evil, red skinned, goat headed man running around with hoofed feet and pitchfork promising wealth if you sell him your soul, but is your lower self that is fighting you. You could think of Set basically as being your own fail switch.
You see, we want a lot of things but aren't you glad that most of these wishes never came true? Like, aren't you glad Sisters that you didn't hook up with that one guy because you learned later that even though he looked good. He was lazy, abusive and really immature. Or Brothers, aren't you glad you didn't hook up with that one lady because you learned that she had a lot of self – created drama, she wasn't supportive, and didn't know how to love and respect a decent man. This was all due to your Set opposing you and placing every obstacle he could find in your path. This is not to say that if it is easy, it is meant to be, but the purpose of opposition is to get us to overcome the impurities and shortcomings in our subconscious. By constantly having opposition towards a particular thing, it forces us to reevaluate what we want and redefine our thinking.
For instance, you get into a relationship and one of the individuals in the relationship doesn't like how the other manages their money. Set appears and an argument ensues, while he poses the question, "Are you sure you want to be with this individual?" If you decide no, then it is over, but if you decide "yes" then you will discover that it is a learning experience for both people involve. One individual has to learn how to manage their money, while the other has to learn how to teach or work with the other in overcoming this shortcoming. This is where "True Love" comes into the picture. It is having the patience and courage to work with another for the better despite their shortcomings.
I know what you are saying. Some of you are still wondering why bad things happen if we have a failsafe switch. It is because if we keep telling ourselves the same thing over and over again, it is assumed that apparently we have redefined our thinking and are certain of what we want. That means that your present situation is a reflection of the thoughts you focused upon in the past. I know some of you don't want to accept this and can't believe it, but it is true. Of course, no one deliberately dwells on negative thoughts. At least no one in his or her right mind. We do however complain about what we don't want and that is just as bad. Just recently, I witness a brother for the past two to three months complain about how he was tired of his wife. I mean every other day, it seemed like he was complaining. A couple of days would pass and he was fine, but shortly after he was back to complaining. On an average, he complained more about her then he did express his gratitude a month, so why in the world was he upset when he was served with divorce papers? It was because he he didn't want her to leave, he just wanted her to stop doing certain things. But, guess what? He didn't say that and the Universe/Spirits interpreted his constant complaining as he wanted his marriage to end. This is the reason you have to understand the Seven Codes of Maa and realize that Maa is not about following laws, but understanding how the Universe/Spirit works.
So, how is this done if our subconscious or Set is always going to oppose us?
Well, remember the part of our being that provides excellent solutions is called our superconscious or Ba. This is the divine spark meaning it is mysterious, abstract and irrational part of our being. Unlike our subconscious/Sahu, which is limited to our personal beliefs and experiences, the superconscious/Ba is unlimited, hence omnipotent and omniscient. This means if you want to get it to solve a problem for you, you need to hand your problem to it and trust that it will provide you with a perfect solution. This entails you not obsessing and worrying over the end results, which is the greatest way to destroy any prayer or wish from manifesting.
One of the ways of doing this is by expressing gratitude for the blessings you have. When you do this, it signals to the Universe or to Your Spirits (whichever you want to call it) that you are appreciative of the things you have and want more. Another way is to make a mojo and this is why I think it stems from the Yoruba word "mojuba" because when you make such a charm you are still expressing gratitude but trying to either attract more or repel what you do not desire, through symbolic gestures.
A mojo is spiritual medicine, which Westerners call a charm. Most African American mojos have their origin from the Kongo Angolan region. They symbolize the end result or the desired result and are composed of herbs, papers and personal items which link the individual with the desired objective. Now, lately everyone claims to be a hoodoo practitioner or a shaman because it is the faddish thing to do now. All of these people after taking a course are now calling themselves Papa, Doctor, Momma, Auntie, Miss Whatever. And, all of these people are claiming that in order to make a properly prepared mojo you have to use flannel, you have to use this herb, tie it a certain way, etc. which is just not true. These are basically people trying to get others to cosign their story in order to extort money from us. Back in the day, if someone was given a title Papa, Doctor, Momma, Auntie, etc. it is because they earned it. Meaning these individuals like most shamans had an ordeal they had to overcome. It was after overcoming the obstacle they were reborn and acquired a certain spiritual prowess in dealing with particular issues. Their success reflected in their life. Our ancestors left us our own hero's path or self – initiation road map as the Kongo Cross diagrammed as the Maa Aankh below.
In other words, I wouldn't talk to Joe Smo' about money issues and how to make a billion dollars from a $100. I would talk to Donald Trump or better yet, Warren Buffet because the proof is in the pudding. Well, the same was done back in the day in regards to spiritual matters and we need to get back to do things our way.
Now, when it comes to making mojos, no mojo is made the exact same way. They are all unique to the owner and the owner's need. For instance, what one woman needs to attract love may be rose petals, while another needs cinnamon, because these herbs symbolize the unique background and experiences of both individuals. This is why it is best you make your own by discerning which herbs, stone, items, oil, etc. symbolizes what you want.
Listen, I always refer back to what did our enslaved ancestors have. If our enslaved ancestors didn't have flannel, a particular herb, oil, etc. Or, if the moon wasn't waxing, full or waning, do you think that stopped them from making a mojo? I think not. They did whatever they needed to do and whatever worked to impress the idea upon the Spirit.
Alright, there are several ways of making these spiritual medicine bundles, but they should be small enough to fit inside the palm of your hand, no bigger. You can use the traditional red cloth or colored fabric to symbolize your goal – red for love, green for fertility/money, purple for power/success, black for absorption, white for wisdom/peace, brown for legal issues/justice, etc. But, if a particular symbol doesn't fit well in your scheme change it. For instance, I use light blue for legal issues because it is the color of the sky (air) for ethical issues, it is the color of most police uniforms, so therefore it is governed by Maat.
Write what you want on a piece of paper. This can be white paper, brown paper bag, etc. Old books use to say parchment because the old grimoires and Jewish texts stated this, but it is not necessary. This is done to help you to focus on what you really want.
Next find items that symbolize what you want. This can be herbs, stones, small icons, symbols, etc. whatever you feel like putting inside of your little bag. The reason Catholic prayer cards are so popular is because the image of the saint serves as an excellent symbol for a desired objective. Remember, the Spirit (superconscious/subconscious) doesn't distinguish right and wrong, between black, white, brown, red, etc. It imitates whatever it is programmed to do, which means if you took a Saint Michael prayer card and used it for protection. The Spirit following the symbols inside would understand what you mean.
Once the charm is complete, tie it up so that none of the content inside will fall out. This can knotted based upon whatever each number symbolizes, just follow your intuition. For instance, some people make three knots to symbolize the mind, body and spirit, or the father, son and holy ghost. I have even heard of knotting it nine times to resemble an umbilical chord, whatever you want. You are the creator of your own medicine, so no one is going to tell you what you are doing is wrong, and if they do who are they to tell you what works for you? Just because it is wrong based upon their learning, just means it is wrong in their eyes. We have to get out of doing things for other people's approval and accept that what is right is what works for us. I know it is ongoing process but you have to start somewhere, right?
When you are finish, bring your spiritual medicine or mojo to life. You can choose to pray over it using Psalms 23. You can clasp it tightly in between your hands, while sensing energy coming you and then breathe breath into it. You can smack it on its butt, to symbolize a baby taking its first breath. The choice is your God and Goddess.
Whatever you choose to do, after it is created you need to feed it. Feed it simply means giving it attention. The traditional way to feed a mojo also called a toby in the African American community is to give it a little whiskey or bless it with some favorite cologne, particular oil akin to its objective, or blessed olive oil. But, you can use anything. In the Afro-Caribbean culture they use rum and blow cigar smoke. Some even use incense and in Tibet and China, they use tea, honey and even milk. Again, it doesn't matter, because the choice is yours. Whatever you choose keep doing it and if you created your mojo on a Friday, it is best to feed it every Friday so that you don't forget. To feed it, all you need to do is follow your intuition, while telling it "Thank you for attracting (or repelling if that is what you are doing) your (goal)."
You should always treat your mojo with respect. Don't other people touch it, because the last thing you need is someone else's doubt. You got enough on your plate working through your own subconscious programming. The general rule of thumb is if you drop your mojo then the spirit leaves. This seems to be more out of respect and based upon the idea that if you think of your mojo as being a child, if it drops it is damaged. It is just a rule to ensure that you protect your medicine. Simply put don't drop it.
Now, how do I know this works? It is because when I first learned about mojos it was because I had got a copy of Robert Pelton's book The Complete of Book of Voodoo from a friend in Chicago, when I was in college. As I was photocopying it, I came across a page that had a torn out cigarette advertisement inside of it. When I asked my friend about it later, he told me that his grandmother would use images like this to help people overcome addictions. Did it work? Well, according to my friend, people kept coming to her for help, and the interesting thing is that I didn't even find this particular rite dealing with addictions in the book (so it wasn't about the book), which meant this lady conjured up this work (like a true shaman) out of her own Spirit to help this particular individual. In other words, she wrote her own Story. So the question is, will it work for you? Well, the answer is how strong are your beliefs in the Power of God within you?
Understand, the Universe or Your Spirits, will answer your request in several ways by either:
- Giving you exactly what you want, or.
- Giving you a close or near equivalent.
Remember that this is one way of impressing what we want on to our Spirit and the reason we do this is because our subconscious, which focuses solely on our physical survival doesn't want to change. To encourage change, we must use "allegorical speaking" hidden ways, like repeating declarations while falling asleep.
At is only during this time (alpha – theta state), that our being is receptive to change.
Hope that helps.


text: The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, starring Ralph Macchio, who was 22 years old during principal photography, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita and Elisabeth Shue. It is an underdog story in the mold of a previous success, Avildsen's 1976 film Rocky. It was a commercial success upon release, and garnered favorable critical acclaim, earning Morita an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting ... more on Wikipedia

subset: commoncrawl


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Egypt arrests 9 militants linked to Sinai attacks
EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian troops and security forces on Friday detained nine Islamic militants in northern Sinai believed to be behind a surprise attack last weekend that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers, a security official said.
It was the first reported arrest in connection with the attack, which took place last Sunday and which sparked a major Egyptian military operation in the Sinai Peninsula aimed at stamping out Islamic militant groups that have become bolder and grown in numbers since the ouster last year of Hosni Mubarak.
So far the effectiveness of the 4-day-old operation is not clear. Despite the influx of troops, militants have continued low-level attacks on Egyptian troops and security forces. One famous checkpoint on the road linking the Rafah border town with the city of el-Arish comes under attack almost daily. Officials say that militants open fire at night, engage in brief firefights then flee.
The country's longtime Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and recently-elected Islamist president Mohammed Morsi broke their dawn-to-dusk fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in a symbolic gesture with soldiers in northern Sinai on Friday.
The local Bedouin population is largely resentful of the central government over years of discrimination, marginalization and heavy-handed security sweeps under Mubarak, who ruled for nearly 30 years. Some have nonetheless helped the military, though many are fearful of risking their lives if they help security forces and provide tips on the militants — many of whom are Bedouins — after one tribal leader was shot dead two months ago for cooperating with the police.
Speaking to residents in Sinai, Morsi vowed that the Bedouin, who have long been neglected and eyed with suspicion by the government, would be given full rights.
"The sons of Sinai are a legitimate part of society," he said to a round of applause. "The people of Sinai are coordinating with the military and police to secure Sinai."
In Friday's early morning raid, troops stormed a house in the Bedouin desert town of Sheikh Zuweyid, close to the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip, catching the nine suspects while they were asleep. Among them was Selmi Zeyoud, who the official described as a "dangerous element" and a brother to a slain jihadist. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The official said the nine were suspected of involvement in last Sunday's assault, in which gunmen stormed an army checkpoint by the border between Gaza and Israel, killing the 16 soldiers as they broke their daily fast for the holy month of Ramadan with a sunset meal. The attackers then commandeered an armored vehicle, which they later used to storm across the border into Israel where they were hit by an Israeli airstrike that killed at least six militants.
Large swaths of northern Sinai have plunged into lawlessness following Mubarak's ouster, and weapons smuggled from Libya have found their way into militants' hands. The weapons and the security vacuum fueled the rise of al-Qaida-inspired militant groups which have staged several low-level cross-border attacks on Israel.
Security officials put the number of militants in northern Sinai at around 1,500 but some Bedouin tribal leaders say the figure is in the thousands.
The military has sent tanks and troops to the peninsula to combat the groups. However, witnesses say the offensive has been limited to a few raids on houses of suspected militants. The Al-Ahram newspaper and other state-run papers reported Friday that 60 "terrorists" have been killed in airstrikes. However, medical officials say no bodies have reached el-Arish's only hospital.
Officials said earlier that along with the offensive, Egypt is going after an elaborate network of underground tunnels used to smuggle weapons, militants and goods between Sinai and Gaza, the Palestinian enclave under a longtime Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Al-Ahram reported that 150 tunnels have been destroyed. Residents in the area said the tunnels targeted were not the most active ones.
The surprise weekend attack on soldiers has rattled the Egyptian government, the military council and the country's president, who fired the chief of intelligence and the governor of northern Sinai in an apparent attempt to defuse public discontent.


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A quick dip is cool for cats
COOLING off in the pool is not just for humans.
The Sumatran tigers at Australia Zoo have been battling the heat with regular swims this summer.
Tiger handler Giles Clark said they enjoyed swimming and lounging about in the shallow parts of the pool during the heat of the day.
"In the wild, they would find a river, stream or lake," he said.
Swimming makes up only a small part of a tiger's day.
The majority of it is taken up by rest.
"So by the time they've taken care of the grooming, eating and interacting with handlers, there's not a lot of time to do much else."
The tiger's swimming pool is the only one to have an underwater viewing area in the southern hemisphere.
Tigers are not the only ones keeping cool with a swim in the pool. Elephants, cassowaries and dingoes also enjoy regular dips.
On the other hand, Tasmanian devils and red pandas enjoy the comfort of air conditioned enclosures.
They will all be in need of some cooling down over the coming days.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast that the Coast is expected to have a maximum of 31 degrees today.
Tomorrow will be worst, with 33 degrees maximum. Sunday should only hit 30 degrees.
- Smallest of tigers; males weigh 120kg, females 90kg
- Wild population less than 400, making them critically endangered


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Can't decide on your favourite photo or want to upload more than one image for a single wallpaper order? Email your images to our studio team, along with your dimensions and any layout ideas and they'll be able to help you create your wallpaper for a small additional fee.
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Concerned that your photo or artwork isn't at the right resolution and may be poor quality? Rest assured, not only can you check your image's quality once it's uploaded, our studio team will also take a look at your order and notify you of any concerns regarding print quality.
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WASHINGTON – The curlicue letters of cursive handwriting, once considered a mainstay of American elementary education, have been slowly disappearing from classrooms for years. Now, with most states adopting new national standards that don't require such instruction, cursive could soon be eliminated at most public schools.
For many students, cursive is becoming as foreign as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. In college lecture halls, more students take notes on laptops and tablet computers than with pens and notepads. Responding to handwritten letters from grandparents in cursive is no longer necessary as they, too, learn how to use email, Facebook and Skype.
And educators, seeking to prepare students for a successful future in which computer and typing skills have usurped penmanship, are finding cursive's relevance waning, especially with leaner school budgets and curricula packed with standardized testing prep. So they're opting not to teach it anymore.
"It's seeing the writing on the wall," said Patricia Granada, principal at Eagle View Elementary in Fairfax County, Virginia. "Cursive is increasingly becoming obsolete."
Michael Hairston, president of the Fairfax Education Association, the largest teachers union in the county, called cursive "a dying art."
"Cursive writing is a traditional skill that has been replaced with technology," Hairston said. "Educators are having to make choices about what they teach with a limited amount of time and little or no flexibility. Much of their instructional time is consumed with teaching to a standardized test."
Since 2010, 45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core standards, which do not require cursive instruction but leave it up to the individual states and districts to decide whether they want to teach it. A report the same year by the Miami-Dade public school system found that cursive instruction has been slowly declining nationwide since the 1970s.
Proponents of cursive say that many of the country's historical documents were written in the fancy script, including the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. They say that future historians who lack the ability to read cursive might not be able to study original historical documents.
Steve Graham, an education professor at Arizona State University and one of the top U.S. experts on handwriting instruction, said he has heard every argument for and against cursive. "I have to tell you, I can't remember the last time I read the Constitution," Graham said. "The truth is that cursive writing is pretty much gone, except in the adult world for people in their 60s and 70s."
He said that today's teachers value typing more than handwriting and that by the 12th grade, about half of all papers are composed on computers.
"When you think about the world in the 1950s, everything was by hand. Paper and pencil," Graham said. "Right now, it's a hybrid world."
Graham said the argument for keeping cursive around centers more on tradition than practicality.
"What I typically hear for keeping cursive is how nice it is when you receive a beautifully cursive-written letter. It's like a work of art," Graham said. "It's pretty, but is that a reason for keeping something, given that we do less and less of those kinds of cards anymore?"
Deborah Spear, an academic therapist based in Great Falls, Virginia, said cursive writing is an integral part of her work with students who have dyslexia. Because all letters in cursive start on a base line, and because the pen moves fluidly from left to right, cursive is easier to learn for dyslexic students who have trouble forming words correctly.
"You will find people who say, 'Why teach cursive anymore because we have keyboarding,' " said Spear, who taught special education in Fairfax, Virginia, before starting her own business in 2009. "They'll say, 'Who cares if my kid can read Grandma's letters when Grandma is beginning to Skype anyway.' Yes, needing to read cursive is greatly diminishing in our society, but it's still very applicable as an instructional tool."
Several states have tried to resurrect cursive writing. California, Georgia and Massachusetts have laws mandating cursive instruction, and in March, legislators in Idaho passed a bill instructing the state Board of Education to include cursive in the curriculum.
Some experts contend that nice handwriting can lead to better grades in school. Laura Dinehart, an education professor at Florida International University, recently conducted a study that found that children with neater handwriting developed better reading and math skills than their chicken-scratch peers.
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We'd have to get SM's opinion I think, but I always assumed that they'd messed around a bit in the water, but then gone back to bed. Bella would've been in too much danger of drowning if they'd tried to have sex in the water IMO!browneyedgirl25 wrote: did they really make love in the water for the first time? i know the scene leaves off with them in the water but for some reason i always pictured it as ending up in the bedroom! haha pretty random to want to know this, but now i am curious!
1) Regarding the "honeymoon", did you expect the outcome to be different, that Bella would have been hurt much worse? Or less?
Actually, I kinda figured it would be something like this. I didn't think Edward would really hurt her, but obviously he had no experience (as a human) of how easy it is to get injured having sex...and I'd think it would be normal to get a bit carried away first time when they'd been together so long without going all the way.
2) In terms of Edward's reaction to hurting Bella during the night. . . Do you think he was justified in expressing his anxiety by "souring Bella's mood?"
Total Edward, lol....and he obviously hadn't considered this properly as he was a virgin himself. Being Edward, I don't see how he could/would react any other way.
3) Apparently Edward's extreme generosity is a learned behaviour. Do you think it is? And what is your opinion on that?
Seems to be a bit of a vege-vamp thing. Money doesn't mean much to any of the Cullens and they're all very intense in their love.
4) Edward confirmed that he will not make love to Bella until she is changed, did you expect he would falter in his promise to himself?
I figured Bella would get round that somehow...it's her honeymoon!


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Winter Savory - Where to find it?
Winter Savory - Where to find it?
Mar 27 2013, 01:55 PM
Post #1
Group: Members
Posts: 1
Joined: 27-March 13
Member No.: 33,757
Hello there!
I have been looking for a herb called Winter Savory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_savory) since returning from a New Zealand holiday.
The guy at Bunnings told me about an online retailer and how I would be guaranteed to find it, but no luck. The handful of other online retailers don't ship to WA. I have called a couple of nurseries but no luck either.
Surely there must be some Winter Savory in WA. Is there any around? Are there any private growers on this forum who would be willing to sell me a live plant?
Many thanks in advance!
o/ <-- little waving man to brighten up all your boring hump day emails for you.
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|Time is now: 28th November 2020 - 09:32 AM


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Cuckoo Clock
Cattle Drive 5.8507.01.C
New Model!
Colour: Walnut
Executions: Classic In stock - worldwide delivery
The cuckoo calls every half hour once and the number of the hours every full hour. This cuckoo clock has an exclusive life-like wooden handpainted cuckoo.
With certificate of authenticity from the Black Forest Clock Association (VdS). It has a mechanical extreme long-life rack strike movement. The 8 day running time movement need to be wind up once a week, that means you pull on the chains until the weights are up. It allows turning the hands left and right without endangering the mechanics of the movement. The music box is from the marketleader REUGE in switzerland. The size refers only to the clock, without pendulum and weights.
Wooden dial, wooden hands, wooden bird, and night shut off
2 years product warranty
|August Schwer
|Weight gross:
|11.5 kg
|49 cm/19.3 inch
|Happy wanderer and Edelweiss - The melodies change every hour between the Happy Wanderer and Edelweiss.
|Night shut off
|Manually - The clock can be silenced manually with a lever.
|Regula - The cuckoo clock has a mechanical REGULA movement from the marketleader SBS-FEINTECHNIK in the Black Forest/Germany.
The Company August Schwer was founded in 1885 from Mr. August Schwer. His clocks became well known in many regions of the world within a short time. So August Schwer started the production in series. In the year 2000 the company was taken over by Andy Winter. Mr. Winter has worked for many years at August Schwer and knows the company and ist products very well. In the following years Mr. Winter succeeded many times in the annual competition Cuckoo Clock of the Year. The cuckoo clocks from August Schwer are characterized by their affectionate decoration and high quality.


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Mini Hot Dogs 'n' Meatballs
Total TimePrep: 5 min. Cook: 3 hours
Makes8 cups
i agree it does help to read what the submitter writes and the directions. but i also agree it should have been put in the recipe about the party picks. i am a seasoned cook so i can read a recipe and guess what needs to be done. but for those that cant the whole directions are needed and just bcuz someone doesnt know how to do it dont mean someone needs to make such rude comments. some people in this world need to be more considerate but im also glad there are still nice sweet people in this world. WHAT U DO WITH THIS RECIPE FOR THOSE THAT DONT UNDERSTAND IT U PUT EVERYTHING IN THE CROCK POT AS DIRECTED THEN WHEN U SERVE IT U PUT A MEATBALL, PEPPERONI AND LITTLE SMOKIE ON A PARTY STICK ARRANGE IT ON A SERVING PLATTER. DO EACH ONE LIKE THAT :)
Made this for the first time for co-workers for a pot luck. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. The second time I made it I used a stick of pepperoni and cut thicker slices instead of using the bags of presliced. I liked it much better.
I made a really big batch of these, & everyone loved them!! We were having quite a few young children over that night so I didn't want to make them too hot, I used ketchup & garlic BBQ sauce. I got quite e few compliments! Everyone wanted to know where I got the recipe!
Yummy. Big hit with the guys and kids. I don't believe crab filled endive leaves would have been better for a super bowl party. I think this forum is to comment and give tweaks possibly on THIS recipe?
maybe someone should check my word choice on my previous comment, maybe the word should be inappropriate.
have not made this recipe yet. I think the comment left by Bleugerman was totally unappropriate and rude.
I made this for a Super Bowl snack, which was a hit. Unfortunately everyone had hit the store shelves before me, so there were no miniature hot dogs left. Instead, I cut up regular hot dogs into snack size bites. which worked well. I also added a cup of grape jelly to take the edge off the "spiceness" of the recipe, and left off the chili sauce all together. Everyone loved it!!
I haven't made this recipe but the ingredients sound good. I have to agree though that the recipe instructions are incomplete. When writing a recipe you have to assume that not everyone is an experienced cook. Now, I am an experienced cook and have written recipes myself, for my family. When a recipe is one where a bit of "construction" is needed, as the picture shows, then yes, instructions for that are needed. It might be obvious to some but if you placed the ingredients in the slow cooker as the instructions say, you would not get a dish that looks like the one shown in the photo. This is simply just a matter of mis-communication on the part of the recipe author and no reflection on their cooking skills. Thanks for sharing the recipe and it is one that I shall definitely be trying!
First, no one should get upset with someone if they do not understand the directions. That is why we have the comment sections. I also questioned if the recipe was incomplete, but tried it anyway. The appetizer was a hit the first time I made it; however, most would like for it to be hotter. I will add some more spice the next time I make.


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And now, today, I stumble across one of his newsletters from 2006 that wraps everything up on one nice little bow. I've had this particular letter for years and years, but had forgotten about it and just came across it again today. It focuses on "Developments in Asset Protection and Wealth Preservation", and it's classic Jay. It was clearly meant for non-specialist attorneys, CPA's and other professionals (who might refer Jay business) rather than the general public or specialist advisors. And it contains all the usual Adkisson elements--subtle and not-so-subtle contempt for the work of other specialist professionals and advisors, lots scare tactics, and loads and loads of hypocrisy and cynicism. So, with that introduction, let's dive right in.
Other than its title, the newsletter really doesn't get interesting until we get to page 5. To put page 5 in context, the reader should recall that Jay, who is not a tax attorney, has been highly and publicly critical of lawyers and other professionals (other than himself) for using captive insurance companies for income tax planning purposes, calling such arrangements "scams" and "tax shelters" and their advocates "promoters" and "shills" and "shysters". He has heaped particular scorn on captive arrangements that were established late in the year (presumably to meet some tax deadline), where the "promoters" advocated planning (in advance) for the eventual demise and unwinding of the captive on a tax-preferred basis, and/or where the amount of captive coverage (and therefore premium) was determined by reference to business needs (such as desired tax deduction, profitability targets, etc.) rather than purely the actuarially determined cost of the "needed" insurance coverage. See the links above for some actual Jay Adkisson quotes on these points.
So, imagine my surprise when I get to the top of page 5 of his 2006 newsletter and see the heading "PLAN NOW FOR YEAR-END TAXES" with the very first thing discussed thereafter being "831(b) CAPTIVE INSURANCE COMPANIES"! It's quite clear that Jay is marketing captives as a tax strategy, is it not? Oh, to be sure, he's sly enough to cover his tracks by throwing out a few "non-tax" reasons why people do captives right up front, but the tax angle is all too clear, isn't it? For instance, Jay (who is not a tax attorney) explains:
The 831(b) provision allows an insurance company to take in up to $1.2 million in premium income every year without the company being taxed on that income. Taking into account IRS requirements under Rev.Ruling 2005-40 and otherwise, this means that an 831(b) captive has the potential to transfer up to $1.2 million in premiums out of the operating companies (giving it a deduction for the premiums paid) and into the insurance company without any corresponding tax being paid.He even includes a caption under a diagram that reiterates the point, just to make sure it's not missed:
Up to $1.2 million in premiums are paid to the insurance company and deductible by the businesses – but the insurance company pays no corresponding taxes on those premium payments.But, that's not all. He also specifically advocates planning on the front end for the eventual tax-efficient unwinding of the captive down the road:
The real difficulty is in running the insurance company and internally managing taxes on the investment income, while also creating a game plan for later winding the insurance company down on a tax efficient basis if that need arises because of unforeseen economic problems, sale of the operating business, death of the owner, or changes in the Internal Revenue Code.And, he's apparently okay setting up captives late in the year to obtain the desired deduction (provided that he's the one who does the work, he doesn't say) since he warns of the tax deadline:
As a captive insurance company typically takes 60 to 90 days to get up and running, it is not a last-minute strategy where you can make a decision on December 31 and get a deduction for premiums paid. Typically, the steps to form a captive need to begin no later than October 15 for the company to be formed and licensed in time for premium payments to be made to it before year's end.So...let's see: We've got Jay (who is not a tax attorney) planning for tax-deductible premiums late in the tax year on the front-end and tax-favored distributions on the tail end. Sounds kinda like a tax-motivated transaction to me--and one that he'd mercilessly criticize if advocated by another. No?
Indeed. And just to drive the point home that others can't be trusted with such matters, he tells us:
Caution that the tax treatment of insurance companies is very complicated, and captive insurance companies are particularly so. Along this line, one must especially beware of the risk spreading and risk shifting requirements discussed in Rev.Ruling 2005-40 and other IRS notices. To become an 831(b) company requires that an election be affirmatively made by the company, much like making an S-corporation election. No election; no 831(b) treatment.And, just in case this "complexity" warning about other professionals and advisors was too subtle, Jay states his next warning a little more shamelessly:
A lot of insurance and tax planners have tried to move into selling 831(b) companies the last couple of years, by claiming experience in setting up and managing captives that they do not have. Some of these planners will take the fact that they have associated with an insurance manager who actually has, say, 10 years of experience and then claim to their clients that they themselves have 10 years of experience when they don't have any or little experience with captives. You may be one of their first cases, which is a dangerous thing. Between us, Chris and I have formed many dozens of captives over the last decade. The captive professionals we work with have formed many dozens more. Yet, it never ceases to amaze any of us that so many "bad" captives are being formed and badly run by others. Captives are a great tool when formed and managed correctly, but doing that is the catch.Why is Jay always so concerned about the quality of work of other professionals? Does he really think that they are that...incompetent? Perhaps, but I doubt it. I've always considered such snarky remarks to be primarily a shameless and unprofessional marketing ploy. But...I'm now convinced there's more to it than that.
Truth be told, Jay's issue with other "promoters" isn't really that they don't know what they are doing, but rather that they may know exactly what they are doing and are just too forthright about it! As we shall see, in Jay's mind effective tax and asset protection planning requires...well...to put it bluntly...deceit. And not just any deceit, but specifically deceit about one's motivations in engaging in the transactions to begin with. Unlike Jay, other advisors (many of whom are in fact tax attorneys) can't necessarily be trusted to be as...well...discrete as Jay.
Perhaps my calling Jay deceitful seems too harsh at this point? Keep reading. It won't.
The reader may also recall that Jay has been publicly critical of arrangements where the amount of captive insurance purchased by the operating entity is determined with consideration to any business factors other than the amount of insurance needed by the entity. Said another way, Jay has heaped scorn upon arrangements where the amount of insurance purchased was a function of some targeted premium amount rather than the premium being a function of some target insurance amount. He has stated that the former is evidence of a "sham" since, in such cases, the operating business's primary motivation wasn't obtaining insurance coverage but achieving some stated premium level to achieve a certain tax deduction or some other business objective. This argument is stupid in the extreme--after all, businesses don't have unlimited budgets and therefore often seek to obtain the best insurance coverages for a given, set premium, even in the third party insurance market. But that hasn't kept Jay from making the argument anyway.
So, once again, imagine my shock when I saw Jay explaining in this newsletter that using a captive to zero out profits is perfectly legitimate (at least the way he does it):
Another benefit of captive insurance is that the premium payments effectively deplete the assets of the business being underwritten. In other words, every dollar of premiums paid to the captive is a dollar that has been moved out of the business and thus away from creditors. A good captive arrangement can keep other businesses appearing as only a "break even" enterprise on paper, because the profits have been effectively shifted to the captive. Because the premium payments are "for value", it would be very difficult for a creditor to claim that such payments are fraudulent transfers.Color me gobsmacked! Obviously, when a captive is used in this way, it's going to be the desired amount of the asset transfer (i.e., the premium payment) that determines the amount of insurance purchased from the captive and not vice versa, right? When mere mortals attempt to do things this way, Jay labels them "shysters" and "shills" and "promoters", but it's perfectly legitimate when someone with Jay's...discretion...is involved. Or, so he'd have one believe.
To conclude this part on captives, I've finally figured Jay out. It's not that he thinks every other professional is incompetent. It's not that he doesn't do the exact same things as those he criticizes (he clearly does!). It's that he thinks others are too transparent and open as to their intentions! In Jay's mind, good planning requires deceit! Or maybe he'd prefer to say...discretion. Either way, in his mind it requires a subtleness and a cynicalness that not every advisor and professional has, hence his criticism of them. In Jay's world, its okay to engage in tax planning with captives, just don't admit to it publicly! In fact, deny, deny, deny, and criticize everyone else. It's okay to do captives at year-end for tax reasons, just don't advertise it to the end-user consumer for heaven's sake! It's okay to base captive premiums on business objectives rather than insurance needs, just don't make it obvious! In fact, hide it! I mean, admitting the truth to a few non-specialist advisors in a newsletter or a presentation to the Association of Advanced Life Underwriters is one thing. After all, these people might send you referrals! But don't admit it to the rest of the world, for heaven's sake! And certainly don't produce and consumer-oriented marketing pieces that transparently discuss the truth of such things. How... indiscreet!
Lest one think I'm being too harsh on Jay and I'm assuming too much, what if I were to tell you that Jay admits as much (and more) later in this very newsletter. You see, after talking about captives and some other things, Jay begins an analysis of some then-recent rulings regarding asset-protection planning. Asset protection planning, like the tax law, is one area where a client's motivation matters. Under the tax law it's okay to create a captive insurance company for non-tax business reasons, but if you're motivated too much by taxes you just might run afoul of the law and get in trouble with the IRS. Likewise, with asset protection planning, it's okay to transfer assets from one entity to another or one person for legitimate business or other reasons, but if you do so in order to avoid the claims of a creditor (such as by transferring assets to your spouse's name the day after you get sued), then you just might run afoul of the law again and get yourself in trouble. You see, in the tax world and the asset protection planning world, motivation matters.
This puts attorneys who practice in these areas in a difficult position. Ethically and legally, attorneys cannot assist a client in perpetrating a fraud (e.g., they cannot assist their client in lying about or disguising their true motivations) upon a court or governmental authority (or most anyone else for that matter). Most lawyers have no problem staying within legal and ethical bounds in this regard, and a few will quietly step beyond them from time to time. But almost none openly advocate that the lawyer should help facilitate the scam.
So, imagine my dismay when I came across these comments starting on page 10 of the above-linked newsletter:
As this case shows, the very fact that the clients engaged in transfers to protect assets from unforeseen future creditors had the practical effect of a sworn confession that they had the intent to fraudulently transfer assets as to all creditors who came later. You cannot allow your clients to make this confession, which means that you cannot allow them to admit that they engaged in planning for the purpose of defeating ANY creditors of any kind. This has significant practice implications:
● You should not have an engagement letter that says that a purpose for your planning is asset protection.
● You should not give your clients a memorandum that discusses the asset protective effects of what they are about to do.
● And you can't let your clients give affidavits or testify at depositions that the reason that they engaged in their planning was because of concerns of unknown future creditors. That doesn't work. If your clients so testify or the creditors gets possession of any documents that talks about asset protection, that will be evidence of actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors under UFTA, even if the creditor who does appear later was totally unforeseen.Even reading the above in the most favorable light, and making the best of assumptions about Jay's own motives (which is hard to do sometimes), it's difficult to escape the conclusion that what Jay is advocating here is nothing short of the lawyer becoming complicit in a fraud, and not just a fraud on the client's creditors but potentially upon future courts too. In fact, its future courts that seem to concern Jay most.
What could he be thinking? Jay, where are your ethics? Even absent them, where's that discretion that you're so famous for?
What else (but fraud) could Jay mean, after all, when he says "you cannot allow your clients to make this confession, which means that you cannot allow them to admit that they engaged in planning for the purpose of defeating ANY creditors of any kind." Could he make it any clearer that, in his mind, clients shouldn't admit that asset protection played ANY role in their planning? Even when it did? I don't think so. He doesn't say that it shouldn't play a role, only that they shouldn't admit that it did.
So, how would Jay have us prevent clients from admitting the truth if, in fact, they desire some asset protection planning? Does he recommend that we lawyers refuse to accept a client who approaches us about such matters since the client revealed his true motives right up front? No. Does he suggest that we should not permit the client to testify or be interrogated at all (i.e., that he/she should plead the 5th)? No, and that's not even a likely possibility since most fraudulent conveyance cases are not criminal in nature anyway and don't involve the possibility of criminal charges. That being the case, the client will likely be compelled to testify. Does he suggest that we resign as counsel when clients raise such issues and concerns? No.
So...what are we to do? Do tell, dear Jay, how are we supposed to do proper planning for our clients while preventing them from admitting the truth of their (and our?) motivation to a future creditor or court? What's your solution?
Well, your guidance on this really couldn't be any clearer: Help them lie, you say! In your world we attorneys should assist such clients by disguising the true nature of our engagement. We should even draft misleading engagement letters that don't mention asset protection planning at all. We should have only verbal discussions with our clients (e.g., you suggest that we give them no "memorandum") about "the asset protective aspects of what they are about to do". Why? So as to avoid creating any discoverable documents that would someday reveal the fraud. You go so far as to suggest that we should avoid the creation (or production?) of any documents whatsoever that even mention asset protection planning (which doesn't say much for your newsletter, but better to do as you say and not as you do, I suppose). If we do, then the client (and attorney?) can safely lie to the future creditor or court without fear of contradiction.
Do I have that about right, Jay?
Wow! I've heard you say lots of shameful, unethical, unprofessional and cynical things over the years, Jay, but these comments on asset protection planning in your own newsletter (which was meant for an audience of select professionals, I'm sure) really take the cake. And they give your prior comments and writings about captive insurance companies a whole new context. I completely understand now why you so publicly criticize some of the very captive planning techniques that you "discretely" advocate and implement in private.
And now, so does everyone else.


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Difference between revisions of "Early Islamic Cosmology"
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[[File:Blue-Marble-1972.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The 'Blue Marble' photograph of the Earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17 on their way to the moon in December 1972]]
[[File:Blue-Marble-1972.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The 'Blue Marble' photograph of the Earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17 on their way to the moon in December 1972]]
Revision as of 09:44, 29 December 2018
When critics point out that the Qur'anic Earth is flat, or that the author of the Qur'an believed that the sun sets in a muddy spring, and furthermore, that such verses encouraged the early Muslims to maintain false beliefs about the world, sometimes people claim in response that everyone knew that the Earth was round by the time of Muhammad. This article will dispel that assertion, and as such is complementary to discussions about Islamic cosmography.
It seems that despite the best efforts of apologetics websites, there is no known evidence for a round Earth belief among the earliest Muslims, which would surely be abundant if Muhammad had such knowledge, and plenty of evidence for belief in a flat Earth.
False claims that there was always a Muslim consensus for a round Earth
While many people in some regions had known for centuries that the Earth was round and not flat, the question is whether Muhammad and his nearby contemporaries in Arabia had this knowledge.
One Islamic fatwah website[1] (copied by others) quotes from scholars who lived hundreds of years after Muhammad in a failed attempt to show that there was always a Muslim consensus that the Earth is round. They are implying that the Qur'an does not reflect a very human lack of knowledge about the shape of the Earth.
ibn Taymiyyah
To do so, they first quote from a book by ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH/1328 CE), who in turn cites Abu'l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Ja'far ibn al Munadi as saying that the scholars from the second level of the companions of Imam Ahmad (d. 241 AH / 855 CE) – i.e. the early Hanbalis – said there was consensus among the scholars that both heaven and Earth are balls, the latter based on astronomical reasoning. This evidence is worthless, because from the 8th century CE the Muslims had access to Greek and Indian astronomical knowledge (see below), so of course Muslim scholars had this view. The term 'consensus' (ijma) was used in different ways by different scholars, but essentially meant the agreement of Muslim scholars, or ideally, also of the salaf (the first three generations of Muslims)[2]. In this case it is explicitly the scholars. As we read on, however, it is apparent that even this "consensus" for a round Earth was rather nebulous, and as already mentioned and will see again, those who did endorse a round Earth did so because they were educated people aware of the astronomical arguments.
They then quote ibn Taymiyyah again, who is answering a question about the shape of the heavens and Earth, this time citing Abu'l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Ja'far ibn al Munadi (again), Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE), and ibn Hazm (d. 456 AH / 1064 CE) as saying that there is a consensus that the heavens are round. Notice that despite the topic, he says the heavens, but nothing about the Earth. He says they provided evidence from the Qur'an, sunnah, and narrations from the companions (sahabah) and second generation.
Ibn Taymiyyah continues the passage[3] giving the supposed evidence for round heavens in the Qur'an, sunnah, and narrations from the early Muslims (not included by the Islamic fatwah website). In between, he argues that a round heavens and Earth is supported by what specialists on tafsir and language have said about certain words in the Qur'an.
It is the hadiths and companions that we are interested in for the purposes of this article (the Qur'an verses cited by ibn Taymiyyah are Quran 21:33, Quran 36:40, Quran 39:5, and Quran 67:5).
Narrations of the companions
The solitary piece of evidence that Ibn Taymiyyah can bring from the companions about round heavens is that ibn 'Abbas and others said regarding Quran 36:40 and the heavenly bodies swimming in a falak (rounded course):
fee falka, ka-falkati almighzalin a whirl (whorl), like the whirl of a spindle
See the comments and footnotes about falak in the article Geocentrism and the Quran (a whirl was a small wheel or hemisphere that span around a spindle[5]). Now given that the sun and moon appear both to arc across the sky, even to those who imagined the Earth was flat and the heavens a dome (or a sphere), such people would also imagine some path for them continuing beneath the Earth after they have set so they can return whence they came (as also in the hadith from Abu Dharr discussed later in this article). Indeed, this is precisely what we read from ibn 'Abbas as noted by ibn Kathir in his Tafsir for Quran 31:29. The sun runs in its falak (فَلَكهَا) in the sky / heaven (السَّمَاء) during the day, and when it sets it runs during the night (بِاللَّيْلِ - omitted from the translation) in its falak beneath the Earth:[4]
So the evidence from the companions presented by ibn Taymiyyah is not exactly much to go on regarding the shape of the heavens, and says nothing about the shape of the Earth.
Ibn Taymiyyah then mentions the hadith in Sunan Abu Dawud (graded weak) Sunan Abu Dawud 4726 (Dar-us-Salam Ref) in which Muhammad forms a dome with his fingers above his head when saying that Allah's throne is above the heavens. Ibn Taymiyyah's interpretation is that the throne is dome shaped.
The other hadith he mentions is in Sahih Bukhari, which says:
Ibn Taymiyyah then says that a middle only exists in a round thing. How any of this helps demonstrate that the heavens are spherical is a mystery.
Ibn Hazm
The Islamic fatwah website then quotes one of the three that ibn Taymiyyah cited, ibn Hazm, who said that there is sound evidence that the Earth is round, but the common people and some non-leading Muslim scholars thought otherwise, though none of the leading scholars denied that the Earth is round.
So firstly, uneducated people (as were Muhammad and the sahabah) thought the Earth to be flat even in ibn Hazm's day. Secondly, his statement provides no evidence that the earliest scholars actually said the Earth is round (just that leading scholars didn't say it was flat). It is clear that Ibn Hazm and the other followers of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal mentioned above believed in a round Earth for astronomical reasons, even if some of them attempted to find further backup from the Qur'an and sunnah.
Given that Ibn Taymiyyah cites these scholars, the narrations he then uses to support spherical heavens (when asked about the shape of both the heavens and Earth), were presumably the best they could come up with. If a consensus for a round Earth went back to Muhammad and the companions, surely the scholars could come up with better than this feeble evidence.
Even the already dubious claims of just a scholarly consensus are further undermined when we read Tafsir al-Jalalayn, which was written centuries later by two people who were not trying to massage the Qur'an to fit a round Earth reality. For Quran 88:20 we read the following:
For details on this word, sutihat, in verse 88:20, see this section of the flat Earth article.
The website goes on to quote from a 20th century book of fatwas, which claims that the Earth is egg shaped and also makes an argument using verse 39:5, both of which are debunked in the article Flat Earth and the Quran.
So to summarise, there seems to be no evidence available that the earliest Muslims believed the Earth is round. Instead, there is lots of evidence that they thought the Earth to be flat, as explained further below. But before we come to that, let's see what historians have to say about Arab astronomical knowledge.
Acquisition of Greek and Indian astronomical knowledge
Ptolemy's Almagest was translated into Arabic in the 8th century CE after the Qur'an was completed. Ptolemy recorded in book five of his AlMagest in the mid-2nd century CE the discovery of Hipparchus, and of Aristarchus before him, that the sun is much larger than the earth and much more distant than the moon, and the Aristotelian view that Earth was spherical and the heavens were celestial spheres.[6]
Professor Kevin Van Bladel says:
Earlier in the same paper, Van Bladel describes how Christian theologians in the region of Syria in the sixth century CE shared the view that the Earth was flat and the heaven, or series of heavens was like a dome or tent above the Earth, based on their reading of the Hebrew and New Testament scriptures. This was a rival view to that of the churchmen of Alexandria who supported the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic view of a spherical Earth surrounded by spinning celestial spheres. See the footnote below[8] for excerpts of that chapter, which he summarises by saying:
David A. King writes:
Hoskin and Gingerich say:
Flat Earth(s) in hadith collections
The next few sections are about evidence of a commonplace flat Earth belief among the earliest Muslims (it omits evidence from the Qur'an itself, as per the purpose of this article stated in the introduction).
Two easy ways to demonstrate that at least a large number of the earliest Muslims imagined the Earth to be flat are to look at hadiths and tafsirs. For the purposes of this article, it matters little whether the hadiths are authentic or not; either way they demonstrate beliefs of early Muslims.
This next hadith is on the same topic. It is graded daif (weak), but shows what some early Muslims (if not actually Muhammad) thought about the world:
The following hadith is graded Sahih by Dar-us-Salam (Hafiz Zubair 'Ali Za'i) and has a chain of narration graded as Sahih (authentic) by al-Albani. It is from Sunan Abu Dawud, book XXV - Kitab Al-Ahruf Wa Al-Qira'at (Book of Dialects and Readings Of The Qur'an):
Notice that it says, "from its rising place" (min matli'iha مَطْلِعِهَا ), and "from the place of your setting" (min maghribiki مِنْ مَغْرِبِكِ). The sun is commanded to go somewhere – it cannot be claimed that this is an idiomatic way of commanding the Earth to rotate, nor that the words mean the east and west here (despite mistranslations of similar hadiths), not least because the words al mashriq and al maghrib would have been used for that purpose and without the possessive suffixes. The words used in this hadith must refer to the sun's rising and setting places - it is pure nonsense to claim otherwise.
The following hadith, unless it is allegorised to death, clearly indicates a flat earth belief where night occurs at the same time for everyone on Earth:
Flat Earth in Tafsirs
The spring where the sun sets
In the tafsir of al-Tabari (b. 224 AH / 839 CE) for Quran 18:86, we see the following remarks about the nature of the spring into which the sun sets. The similar sounding words hami'ah (muddy) and hamiyah (hot) seem to have become confused at some point:
يَقُول تَعَالَى ذِكْره : { حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ } ذُو الْقَرْنَيْنِ { مَغْرِب الشَّمْس وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُب فِي عَيْن حَمِئَة } , فَاخْتَلَفَتْ الْقُرَّاء فِي قِرَاءَة ذَلِكَ , فَقَرَأَهُ بَعْض قُرَّاء الْمَدِينَة وَالْبَصْرَة : { فِي عَيْن حَمِئَة } بِمَعْنَى : أَنَّهَا تَغْرُب فِي عَيْن مَاء ذَات حَمْأَة , وَقَرَأَتْهُ جَمَاعَة مِنْ قُرَّاء الْمَدِينَة , وَعَامَّة قُرَّاء الْكُوفَة : " فِي عَيْن حَامِيَة " يَعْنِي أَنَّهَا تَغْرُب فِي عَيْن مَاء حَارَّة . وَاخْتَلَفَ أَهْل التَّأْوِيل فِي تَأْوِيلهمْ ذَلِكَ عَلَى نَحْو اِخْتِلَاف الْقُرَّاء فِي قِرَاءَته
The meaning of the Almighty's saying, 'Until he reached the place of the setting of the sun he found it set in a spring of murky water,' is as follows:When the Almighty says, 'Until he reached,' He is addressing Zul-Qarnain. Concerning the verse, 'the place of the setting of the sun he found it set in a spring of murky water,' the people differed on how to pronounce that verse. Some of the people of Madina and Basra read it as 'Hami'a spring,' meaning that the sun sets in a spring that contains mud. While a group of the people of Medina and the majority of the people of Kufa read it as, 'Hamiya spring' meaning that the sun sets in a spring of warm water. The people of commentary have differed on the meaning of this depending on the way they read the verse.
So he says of the Basra version:
"بـمعنى: أنها تغرب فـي عين ماء ذات حمأة"
"Meaning: that it sets in a spring of muddy water."
And of the people of Kufa reading hot spring:
"يعنـي أنها تغرب فـي عين ماء حارّة"
"It means that it sets in a spring of hot water"
He goes on to quote various opinions such as Ibn 'Abbas, that the sun sets in black mud:
قَالَ : كَانَ اِبْن عَبَّاس يَقْرَأ هَذَا الْحَرْف { فِي عَيْن حَمِئَة }
Muhammad bin 'Abd al-A'laa narrated and said: Marwan ibn Mu'awiya narrated from Warqa, he said: I heard Sa'id ibn Jubayr say: ibn 'Abbas read this letter "in a muddy spring"
وَيَقُول : حَمْأَة سَوْدَاء تَغْرُب فِيهَا الشَّمْس
and he said: the sun sets in black mud.
وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ : بَلْ هِيَ تَغِيب فِي عَيْن حَارَّةOthers said: it disappears (تَغِيب) in a hot spring.
From these comments and narrations in al-Tabari's tafsir, we can reasonably conclude that many, and perhaps all, of the earliest Muslims took verse 18:86 to mean that the sun actually sets in a spring and thus that the Earth is flat.
If the reader wishes to explore this sub-topic further, they can see how al-Tabari in his History of the Prophets and Kings, and al-Baydawi in his tafsir mention the opinion that the sun has 360 springs into which it can set, and the pre-Islamic Arab poems on the same topic in the article Dhu'l Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring.
The sky is a dome above the Earth
In his tafsir for Quran 2:22, al-Tabari includes narrations from some of the earliest Muslims about the sky being a dome or ceiling over the Earth:
Musa ibn Harun narrated and said that Amru ibn Hammad narrated and said that Asbath narrated from al-Suddi in the report mentioned, from Abu Malik, and from Abu Salih, from ibn 'Abbas and from Murrah, from ibn Masud and from people of the companions of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):"...and the sky a canopy..." The canopy of the sky over the earth is in the form of a dome, and it is a roof over the earth. And Bishr bin Mu'az narrated and said from Yazid from Sa'id from Qatada in the words of Allah "...and the sky a canopy..." He says he makes the sky your roof.
See also the English translation from J. Cooper's abridged translation of Tafsir al-Tabari[12]
Ibn Kathir in his tafsir for Quran 13:2 has yet more narrations of the sahabah and tabi'un (2nd generation) on this topic:
The Earth on the back of a whale
Al-Tabari's tafsir contains other indications of a common flat Earth belief. For example, regarding Quran 68:1, which mysteriously starts with the Arabic letter nun, he (and many other tafsirs) records that one of the interpretations among sahabah such as ibn 'Abbas was that the 'nun' is a whale on whose back the Earth is carried (other interpretations were that it was an inkwell, or a name of Allah). The evidence is extensively documented on other websites including narrations with sahih chains from the sahabah, so the interested reader is referred to them.[13][14][15]
Islamic apologists have failed to provide any evidence that Muhammad or the earliest Muslims knew that the Earth was round. In contrast, there is lots of evidence to show the early Muslims believing the Earth to be flat. The cited hadiths and tafsirs demonstrate early Muslim views, whether or not the chains of narration are accurate.
This evidence can be used as a foundation for other arguments concerning the flat Earth verses in the Qur'an: that they cause a justifiable suspicion that the author of the Qur'an was just as unaware as his nearby contemporaries about the shape of the Earth. It also supports the point that even if we supposed that its author was aware of a round Earth, it is a secondary major weakness for the Qur'an to use such language when it will inevitably encourage 7th century Muslims to maintain their false notion that the Earth is flat (and even some Muslims living many centuries later, such as al-Suyuti in his Tafsir al-Jalalyn, and ibn Kathir in his Tafsir[16]).
External links
- Answering Islam - The Seven Earths
- AnsweringIslamBlog.wordpress.com - Muhammad's Magical Mountain: One Whale of a Tail!
- Answering-Islam.com - The Quran and The Shape of the Earth
- Youtube.com Islam & the whale that carries the Earth on its back - Video by TheMaskedArab
- ↑ IslamQA.info - 118698: Consensus that the Earth is round
- ↑ http://www.sunnah.org/fiqh/ijma.htm
- ↑ For the full chapter in Arabic see Wikisource.org, and for someone's English translation for most of the relevant parts see Salafitalk forum
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 For the Arabic, see quran.al-islam.com
- ↑ الفَلَكُ falak - Lane's Lexicon Volume 1 page 2444. See also the previous page. Lane says that the falak was generally imagined as a celestial hemisphere by the Arabs, but also that the Arab astronomers applied the term to seven spheres for the sun, moon, and the five visible planets, rotating about the celestial pole. This must reflect the post-Qur'anic influence of Ptolemy, whose astronomical work was translated for the Arabs from the 8th century onwards.
- ↑ Toomer, G. J., Ptolemy and his Greek predecessors, In Astronomy Before the Telescope, Ed. Christopher Walker, p.86, London: British Museum Press, 1996
- ↑ Van Bladel, Kevin, "Heavenly cords and prophetic authority in the Qur'an and its Late Antique context", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 70:223-246, p.241, Cambridge University Press, 2007
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 ibid. pp.224-226. Here are some more excerpts:
Entering into the debate was John Philoponus, a Christian philosopher of sixth-century Alexandria, who wrote his commentary on Genesis to prove, against earlier, Antiochene, theologians like Theodore of Mopsuestia, that the scriptural account of creation described a spherical geocentric world in accord with the Ptolemaic cosmology. [...]
On the other hand, Cosmas Indicopleustes wrote his contentious Christian Topography in the 540s and 550s to prove that the spherical, geocentric world-picture of the erroneous, pagan Hellenes contradicted that of the Hebrew prophets. Cosmas was an Alexandrian with sympathies towards the Church of the East, who had travelled through the Red Sea to east Africa, Iran, and India, and who received instruction from the East Syrian churchman Mār Abā on the latter's visit to Egypt. His Christian topography has been shown to be aimed directly at John Philoponus and the Hellenic, spherical world-model he supported. [...] However, it is clear that Cosmas was going against the opinions of his educated though, as he saw it, misguided contemporaries in Alexandria.A number of Syrian churchmen, notably but not only the Easterners working in the tradition of Theodore of Mopsuestia, took the view of the sky as an edifice for granted. Narsai d. c. 503), the first head of the school of Nisibis, in his homilies on creation, described God's fashioning of the firmament of heaven in these terms: "Like a roof upon the top of the house he stretched out the firmament / that the house below, the domain of earth, might be complete". ayk taṭlîlâ l-baytâ da-l-tḥēt mtaḥ la-rqî῾â I d-nehwê mamlâ dûkkat ar῾â l-baytâ da-l῾el. Also "He finished building the heaven and earth as a spacious house" šaklel wa-bnâ šmayyâ w-ar῾â baytâ rwîḥâ. Jacob of Serugh (d. 521) wrote similarly on the shape of the world in his Hexaemeron homilies. A further witness to the discussion is a Syriac hymn, composed c. 543-554, describing a domed church in Edessa as a microcosm of the world, its dome being the counterpart of the sky. This is the earliest known text to make a church edifice to be a microcosm, and it shows that the debates over cosmology were meaningful to more than a small number of theologians.
- ↑ King, David A., "Islamic Astronomy", In Astronomy Before the Telescope, Ed. Christopher Walker, p.86, London: British Museum Press, 1996
- ↑ Hoskin, Michael and Gingerich, Owen, "Islamic Astronomy" in The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy, Ed. M. Hoskin, p.50-52, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999
- ↑ For the Arabic, see sunnah.com or #159: hadith.al-islam.com
- ↑ The commentary on the Qur'an, by Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Jarir al- Tabari ; being an abridged translation of Jami' al-bayan 'an ta'wil ay al-Qur'an, with an introduction and notes by J. Cooper, general editors, W.F. Madelung, A. Jones. Oxford University Press, 1987. p.164
- ↑ Youtube.com Islam & the whale that carries the Earth on its back - Video by TheMaskedArab
- ↑ AnsweringIslamBlog.wordpress.com - Muhammad's Magical Mountain: One Whale of a Tail!
- ↑ Answering-Islam.com - The Quran and The Shape of the Earth
- ↑ See also ibn Kathir's tafsir for verses 2:229, 21:32, 36:38, and 41:9-12, in all of which he says the heavens are a dome or roof or like the floors of a building over the Earth


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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
"Here we have a young man that fell deeply, in love," says Dr. Phil of admitted Te'o hoaxter Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.
The celebrity psychologist and television host goes on to describe his asking if Tuiasosopo is gay, who replied, according to Phil McGraw, "when you put it that way yes…I am confused."
Tuiasosopo turned to the on-screen psychologist at the request of his own psychiatrist, according to McGraw.
The interview airs in two parts beginning Thursday.


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Mainframe customers haven't always had much leverage to negotiate with Big Blue, but now may be the perfect time to strike a new contract with IBM.
"Negotiating with IBM when they're the only game in town is kind of like playing poker with someone who always gets two aces dealt to them," says Gartner analyst Mike Chuba.
But the economy and other factors have cut into IBM mainframe hardware revenue, and IBM's sales team may be feeling some anxiety. IBM System z mainframe revenue decreased 26% year-over-year in the third quarter, and dropped 39% in the second quarter.
"2009 has not been a kind year for the folks who sell System z hardware," Chuba says. "Right now, chances are your typical IBM [salesperson] is in serious danger of not making quota. They're looking to make whatever revenue they can this year. You're in good shape for negotiation."
Chuba led a broad discussion on the mainframe market during a session titled "How to get the most from your IBM mainframe investment" at this week's Gartner Data Center Conference in Las Vegas.
Customers on the fence about bringing in new capacity could end up with a "too good to be true" offer, Chuba said.
Other strategies for saving money include purchasing IBM's mainframe specialty engines – the IFL for Linux, zIIP for database workloads and zAAP for Java and XML. The functionality of these specialty engines is limited but they are priced at a fraction of IBM's general purpose mainframe processors.
A vendor called Neon has released software designed to reduce mainframe costs by moving additional workloads to the specialty processors. The software essentially extends the capabilities of zIIP and zAAP beyond IBM's stated intent, letting customers move workloads off more expensive general purpose processors, Chuba said.
However, IBM has reportedly warned customers that using Neon's software may violate customer agreements. Chuba advised customers to carefully review all contracts with lawyers. So far, Gartner has not been able to find any customers who have saved money by using Neon, but Chuba says "It's potentially very damaging to IBM if this were to take hold because suddenly you might be able to run 3,000 MIPS worth of work on a 1,000 MIPS machine with a bunch of specialty engines."
Overall mainframe capacity in the marketplace, as measured in MIPS (millions of instructions per second), is continuing to grow in part because large IBM customers are adding to existing investments, Chuba said. But the total number of customers is drifting downward for IBM's mainframe business.
According to a poll of the Gartner audience, the cost of IBM and third-party software, management perceptions that the mainframe is outdated, and an aging of the mainframe workforce are among the top inhibitors of mainframe growth. Price-performance of the general purpose mainframe processors is not exactly skyrocketing, with improvements of only about 10% seen each year over the past decade, Chuba said. IBM has accelerated price-performance of its specialty engines faster than its general purpose mainframes, he added.
While the economy has played a role in poor sales, some customers may also be delaying mainframe purchases until IBM unveils more details about the next version of the mainframe, expected sometime in 2010. If sales continue to stall, IBM could be forced to hasten the release of a successor to System z10, the current version of the mainframe, Chuba said.
"IBM can't afford for this to continue on into 2010 without taking possibly stronger actions to generate demand," Chuba said. "That may include timing of z/11. If you listen to IBM's public pronouncements they're steering you toward later in 2010 for general availability. How this plays out may shape whether they are pressured to move that product forward [more quickly]."
Customer options are limited in some ways at the moment, however, because IBM recently said it will stop marketing System z9 mainframes effective June 30, 2010. At that point, System z10 will be the only option for customers looking to add capacity.
The best deals from IBM right now may be the "System z Solution Edition," a series of seven integrated hardware, software and services packages.
"If you're going to go into a negotiation with IBM right now and want to get the best price, the first two words out of your mouth should be 'solution edition,'" Chuba said.


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Tigers commit six errors in sloppy loss to Halos
Cabrera hits 21st homer; Angels plate eight runs in fifth
DETROIT -- Unlike in April, Rick Porcello's rematch against the Angels did not end in the first inning. This was a long, drawn-out drubbing they put on him and the Tigers.
Once the Angels chased Porcello in the fifth inning, the damage looked similar, as did the defensive struggles behind him. And the Angels were just halfway done.
By the time Tuesday's 14-8 loss was final, four hours and three minutes after Porcello's first pitch, the Tigers had allowed their highest run total since July 2, 2011, and posted their first six-error game in 31 years. They also had their fourth loss in as many games to the Angels this year by a combined 36-12 margin.
Miguel Cabrera's 21st home run of the year for a brief lead was a distant memory, as was his brief staredown with C.J. Wilson.
"The weather was miserable," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, "and we had a miserable night."
Porcello, on the other hand, was struggling to figure out what happened -- not so much against the Angels as his last two starts.
"Tonight, there's definitely some things to be had, some things to learn from," Porcello said. "The past few starts, I've been getting beat with fastballs up in the strike zone, so obviously there's a little something that's off. I took a look at it when I came out of the game, and there are some adjustments that I need to make.
"The biggest thing, though, is mentally bear down with two strikes against those guys. A big inning starts with a couple hits, and those could have been easily avoided tonight."
This was supposed to be the chance for Porcello to avenge the first-inning drubbing the Angels handed him April 20 in Anaheim. Porcello suffered the misfortune that afternoon of three infield singles and three more ground balls before Mike Trout's grand slam on a hanging curveball chased him with two outs in the first.
Porcello went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his next nine starts after that outing, making it more of an anomaly in a potential breakout season, before the Orioles put up six runs in as many innings against him last Wednesday.
Porcello needed just nine pitches Tuesday to outlast his previous meeting with the Halos, retiring the side in order in the opening inning. A 31-pitch second inning, albeit a scoreless one, raised more concerns.
"The first time around this year, I think it was just a combination of a lot of freak things, and a couple of bad pitches," Porcello said. "But tonight was just me. I was off and it just happened to be against the same team. If I make good pitches, I'm getting those guys out for sure, but I just didn't make good pitches tonight."
The missing factor from Porcello's April outing with the Angels, besides a big out from his defense, was the curveball, a pitch that became more effective in the outings since. Time and again Tuesday, he tried to get that going, starting off several hitters with it the second and third trips through the batting order.
The results of those pitches were mixed. The results, overall, were anything but.
"The offspeed stuff wasn't as good as it has been and I've got to get back to getting the ball down in the zone," Porcello said. "That was the biggest thing, it's just elevated, leaving pitches out over the plate."
Six consecutive Angels hitters reached base safely in a 12-batter fifth. The only out in a 10-batter span that required three different pitchers was an Erick Aybar sacrifice fly.
Porcello threw strikes, except for an intentional walk to his final hitter, and the Angels sent them into the outfield. A 2-2 changeup to Albert Pujols went for the double that started it all. Fastballs to Mark Trumbo and Howie Kendrick went for singles. A curveball to Josh Hamilton ended up being his second hit on an 0-2 count in as many innings.
"Just a rough outing and a rough night, and that's one of those where you just turn the page," Leyland said.
Leyland pulled Porcello with the bases loaded and one out, handing the ball to Darin Downs with a 4-2 deficit. Downs had stranded nine consecutive runners since May 1. A Hank Conger bases-loaded walk, Aybar sac fly and J.B. Shuck RBI single later, all three runners were in, and the game was blown open.
"Downsie looked like he was a little dead-armed," Leyland said.
Porcello gave up seven runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings, bumping his damage against the Angels to 16 runs on 19 hits over five innings. He owns a 3.70 ERA against every other opponent this year.
The Tigers added three runs in the bottom of the inning against Wilson, two on a Victor Martinez two-out single after a Prince Fielder RBI double. By that point, the Tigers' best chance at avoiding a defeat was a rainout, and the storm that passed through wasn't heavy enough for that.
"We're just trying to get as many wins as we can," Wilson said. "That's really all there is to it. It's so deep in the season now. I don't care if we win in 16 innings and they're all unearned runs or whatever."
Not since Sept. 11, 1982, had the Tigers committed six errors in a game. Two errors went to Evan Reed, who followed his errant pickoff throw by missing first base on a grounder to Fielder, and Cabrera, who made two errant throws to first. The half-dozen miscues marked the highest total in the Majors since the Pirates committed seven errors Sept. 7, 2012, against the Cubs.
"We hit the ball and we did what we had to do, but they outscored us. This is baseball," Torii Hunter said. "We'll just chalk this up as a loss -- as a beatdown, actually -- and come back ready to go tomorrow."


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Saturday, April 26, 2014
Life Drawing and Magazine Article
Karl Gnass is now having one of his phenomenal seminars at the Studio, so here is one of the drawings I did the other day. Also, 'Drawing' magazine just came out with their spring 2014 issue which features an interesting article about artists who use ink, and as you'll see I was invited as well to show some of my work. The article is by Charley Parker.
Posted by Marcos Mateu at 10:04 PM No comments:
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Street sketches and Carl Potts seminar
here). Enjoy if you have the chance and are around beautiful NY!
Posted by Marcos Mateu at 9:16 PM 5 comments:
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Posted by Marcos Mateu at 5:05 AM 4 comments:
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You can use the Repository Loader example to perform two tasks:
Convert files to repository items
In order to run the Repository Loader example, follow these steps:
During application assembly, specify the following module so you can use the Repository Loader example:
Note: To avoid conflicts among database connection configurations, exclude from the application any other Oracle ATG Web Commerce demos, examples, or reference application modules that include the Repository Loader.
If you are running on Windows, set the
pathSeparatorproperty of the
/atg/rl-example/ExampleRepositorycomponent to backslash (
Note: if you set this property directly in a properties file rather than in the ACC, use this format:
After the application starts, navigate to the Repository Loader Administration, on this page:
hostname: the application server machine
port: the port your application server uses to listen for HTTP requests.
For example:
On the Repository Loader Admin page, click Create Job.
In the Create Job page:
Set Recurse to
Click Add Files
This loads the files from the root path into the ExampleRepository as repository items. The Repository Loader Administration should show the job as completed.
Export repository items to XML
You can use the Repository Loader example to evaluate output by exporting a repository item to XML. Navigate to this page:
This page takes a hard-coded repository item (user001) and outputs it as an XML file.
Examining the XML format generated for a given item descriptor can help you generate compliant XML, or write an XSL stylesheet for the Repository Loader to apply before processing a file's contents.