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In 2007, an article appeared in Gabriel Said Reynold's 'The Qurʾān in its Historical Context' titled 'The Alexander Legend in the Qurʾān 18:83-102', authored by Kevin Van Bladel. This article has proven to be a substantial contribution to understanding the background of the Dhū-lQarnayn pericope in sūrat al-Kahf, or 'The Cave'. The primary thesis of Van Bladel's paper is that the story of Dhū-lQarnayn essentially depends on the 'Neṣḥānā d-Aleksandrūs', otherwise referred to as the "Syriac Legend of Alexander1" in contemporary scholarship.
The Syriac Legend dates approximately to 630 A.D2, and was brought to light by the orientalist E.A Wallis Budge in 1889, apparently being a work appended to the Syriac edition of Pseudo-Callisthenes. In his book titled "The History of Alexander the Great, being the Syriac version of Pseudo-Callisthenes," Budge provided a critical edition of the Legend with an accompanying English translation, drawing on 5 existing manuscripts3.
Van Bladel is apparently the first scholar who has paid attention to the relationship between the Qurʾānic Dhū-lQarnayn story and the Alexander Legend in recent times. His work is interesting, and he demonstrates that there certainly exists some relationship between these two texts. However, Van Bladel consistently lets his comparisons go too far and often misreads the source texts in trying to find points of commonality between the Qurʾān and the Legend. This, in turn, causes his thesis, that the Qurʾānic account is essentially derived from the Neṣḥānā, appear stronger than it actually is.
The purpose of this essay is to argue that the Syriac Legend is not the source text for the Qurʾānic story, and in doing so, is primarily intended as a reply to Van Bladel's paper. The structure of this essay is as follows. The first section analyse differences between the two texts at point where Van Bladel has in fact posited a similarity4, and discusses to what degree this difference is. At times this study will explore some tangential issues pertaining to the Legend that shall be relevant later, such as the precise geography of Alexander's travels. A subsection is devoted to paying closer attention to some linguistic similarities noticed by Van Bladel between the two texts.
The second part of this article shall comment on some of the reasons offered by Van Bladel and others for believing that the Qurʾān derives from the Legend. Subsequently, an alternative hypothesis shall be argued for on the basis of some novel arguments.
I shall attempt to refer to Budge's English translation of the Syriac Legend where possible5, taking recourse to the Syriac text only where relevant. In referencing the Qurʾān, the Sahih International translation will be referred to, unless a modification is deemed appropriate, or a linguistic point needs to be discussed. As this essay is largely interacting with Van Bladel's paper, it is assumed that readers are at least partially familiar with the arguments found therein.
A comparison of the narratives
The bulk of Van Bladel's comparisons between the two texts and his reasoning, where given, for positing similarities may be found on pp. 177- 182 of his article, and we shall consistently refer to it in this section.
Travel to the Fetid waters
The first precise correspondence between the Legend and the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative is the respective protagonists' travels to the "fetid waters". In the Legend, Alexander wishes to travel to the ends of the earth to see "upon what the heavens are fixed"6, and so he summons his officials, who inform him that this is impossible, given that the "Fetid Sea," or the "Okeyanos (Ocean), which surrounds all creation" would stop him, as it is fatal to all who touch it.
The corresponding section in the Qurʾānic account is Dhū-lQarnayn's initial west-ward travel7 to an ʿayn ḥamiʾa, variously "muddy", or "murky" spring. Strictly speaking, Van Bladel does not explicate this to be an exact similarity in the paper, though translates ḥamiʾa as "fetid" rather than the conventional "muddy", presumably in keeping with the Legend8. He also refers to the muddy spring as "fetid water" in his comparison9, so it is clear he considers this to be a similarity between the two tales.
It is obvious, however, that the Qurʾān omits the Okeyanos altogether. It is not entirely unreasonable to say that the Syriac saryā could be equivocated to the Arabic ḥamiʾa, but reading ʿayn, "spring", as the creation-encompassing Okeyanos is a difficult stretch to make. This fact seems to have been glossed over entirely, even though this omission by the Qurʾān is significant from a cosmological standpoint in particular. Even outside the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative, there is simply no creation-encompassing "Okeyanos" to be found in the Qurʾān, though both texts belong to Late Antiquity. Tabataba'i and Mirsadri observe that Qurʾānic cosmology simply precludes the idea of any sort of an earth "surrounded by waters" in the "biblical and Mesopotamian" sense10. As such, this omission of the Fetid Sea is quite possibly intentional11.
Furthermore, since the "fetid" nature of the water in the Legend is essentially bound to the fact that this water is the Okeyanos, that the Qurʾān deliberately avoids the Okeyanos indicates that one does not need to necessarily read ḥamiʾa as "fetid" in the same sense as the deadly waters of the Legend either. Thus, the conventional interpretation of "muddy spring" is certainly still plausible.
The cosmological differences go deeper. Why did Alexander wish to travel to the ends of the earth? We see the following passage in the Legend:
"As to the thing, my lord, which thy majesty desires to go and see, namely, upon what the heavens rest, and what surrounds the earth, the terrible seas which surround the earth will not give thee a passage12"
The cosmology of the Legend features heavens which are domed in shape. Contrarily, Tabataba'i and Mirsadri have produced fairly convincing evidence that the Qurʾān intends flat shaped heavens13, and so it follows that they would not meet the Earth at any one point. Furthermore, though the Qurʾān does mention supports for the heavens, they are said to be invisible (Q 13:2). This omission of the creation-encompassing waters in the Dhū-lQarnayn story makes complete sense – not only is this notion in itself absent from elsewhere in the Qurʾān, its absence implies that Dhū-lQarnayn's motivation to travel is not to find the place "upon which the heavens rest". This entirely undercuts the premise of the Legend.
The Direction of the Journeys
The first journey taken by Dhū-lQarnayn in the Qurʾān is towards the setting of the sun (maghrib al-shams), or the west. Van Bladel writes that "Alexander's journeys west and east match Q 18:85-91". Here, he has committed a major oversight and has not read the Legend carefully. The direction of Alexander's journey to the Fetid Sea is in fact towards the east, and not the west. The narration of details pertaining to Alexander's initial itinerary are as follows: After having consulted his officials in Alexandria14 and determining to satisfy his curiosities, he marched until he "came to mount Sinai," and then "crossed over to Meṣrên [Egypt]". There, he took seven thousand Egyptian metalworkers from the king Sarnāqōs15. After this stage, he finally set sail to the Fetid Sea, journeying for "four months and twelve days."
Where is this sea situated? The text does not provide an explicit answer, but after having reached the Fetid Sea and tested it with the lives of the convicts16, Alexander sets his sight "towards the west" to "the great Musas", or Mount Ararat17. Clearly, if Alexander were looking west-ward to Mount Ararat (located in modern day Armenia), the author envisioned him to have travelled east from Egypt to reach the Fetid Sea.
Confirmation of this is hinted in the length of Alexander and his troops' journey — "four months and twelve days". A similar tradition is recorded in the so-called Syriac Alexander Poem18, where it is stated that Alexander travelled to the Fetid Sea for "four months"19, paralleling the Legend. In the Poem, the Fetid Sea is towards India, and therefore to the east. Even if the Poem is a retelling of the Legend, it is a rather early one, post-dating the Legend by less than a decade. We may deduce that the four month journey was already associated with Alexander's travel to India to the audience, and therefore necessarily east-ward.
It follows then, that the Qurʾān is in opposition to the Legend here, and this difference extends to the next leg of Dhū-lQarnayn's journey. Under the impression that Alexander first headed west-ward, Van Bladel continues that Alexander later "follows the sun through its course to the east during the night"20. Naturally, if the Fetid Sea is east-ward, then Alexander must have travelled back to the west, and not east, to Mount Ararat, contra Van Bladel. Meanwhile, Dhū-lQarnayn, after having reached the muddy spring, journeys towards the east (maṭliʿ al-shams), where he meets a people whom God had not "given a shield" (Q 18:90).
It shall later prove worthwhile to pursue a tangent at this point. The Legend features an ambiguity concerning the initial location of Alexander. It is not clear why Alexander and his army, beginning in Alexandria, went forth to Mt. Sinai, then sailed to Egypt, apparently tracking backwards. Why would this be necessary? Czégledy21 remarks that "the author hardly realised that Alexandria was in Egypt," yet there is a more convincing explanation. It is probable that the author wished to place Alexander not in the Alexandria of Egypt, but Alexandria near Issus, which would have been familiar enough to the Syriac author, being a place of some import to Byzantine Christianity in late antiquity22 and geographically close to centres of Syriac Christianity such as Edessa. To assign cardinal directions to the Legend's journey, Alexander goes south to Mt. Sinai, then slightly west to Egypt, then vaguely east to the Fetid Sea, and then west or northwest to Armenia, and then finally west once more to his home. Van Bladel writes that Alexander "makes his journey west, then east, then north, then return south", which he takes to be an intentional symbol of the cross employed by the author of the Legend23. This seems extremely unlikely in light of the itinerary I have presented here24.
Punishing the "Wrong-doers"
After having reached the muddy spring to the west, Dhū-lQarnayn is prompted by God to either "punish" the natives of the land or treat them with "goodness" (Q 18:86). He declares in reply that "whoever has wronged, we shall punish them, then they shall return to their Lord, and He shall punish them with a terrible punishment. But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of Paradise, and we will speak to him from our command with ease (Q 18:87-88)".
Van Bladel believes this to be exactly identical to the Legend25, but it is not clear why. In the Legend, Alexander wishes to investigate whether the water is lethal just as his officials have warned him. To accomplish this, he decides it is best to test it with the lives of prisoners already condemned to death. These prisoners are not the natives of the land, but rather prisoners from his own army camp26. This is unambiguous: Alexander and his troops first "encamp", then Alexander requests prisoners from the governor who was in the "camp"27. The word Budge translates as "camp", mashrīta, also means a troop or retinue28.
The numerous differences are apparent. Dhū-lQarnayn deals with the natives of the land, and is apparently given a choice by God, perhaps as a test of his justice, on whom he ought to punish. His reply is a very typical maxim expressed in characteristic Qurʾānic language, where the "evildoers" are relegated to a "punishment", "adhāb", in this life and the hereafter (cf. Q 68:33). Contrarily, those who "believe and do good"29 shall receive a "good reward". This moral episode does not occur in the Legend, not the least because there are no natives present for Alexander to interact with. Van Bladel mistakes what the Legend is actually saying, and is under the impression that "Alexander asks the people there if they have any prisoners"30, but as just illustrated, both the context and language make it clear that the governor and the prisoners he speaks to are from his own army.
Further, the motives of Alexander and Dhū-lQarnayn are different in dealing with the "evil-doers31". Alexander intends to merely test the fatality of the fetid sea and investigate whether it is possible to traverse. Contrarily, Dhū-lQarnayn is concerned with general Qurʾānic justice relating to faith and the afterlife32.
The Heavenly Cords
Van Bladel's most original contribution in collecting the similarities between the Dhū-lQarnayn story and the Neṣḥānā is the heroes' travels through the so-called "heavenly cords", apparently conduits or pathways through the skies. Van Bladel has argued at length in another one of his essays33 that the variously mentioned sabab (ways) in Q 18:83-99 taken by Dhū-lQarnayn are in fact references to these heavenly paths. Van Bladel believes this detail to be a key similarity between the Qurʾān and the Alexander Legend34, as Dhū-lQarnayn's travel through the asbāb exactly match Alexander travelling through the "window of heaven (kawwteh da-šmayyâ)35" after having reached the Fetid Sea.
Unfortunately, there are serious flaws with Van Bladel's understanding of the Syriac text. Alexander simply does not enter the "window of heaven". The following is the Syriac critical text provided by Budge36, including vowel diacritics where supplied:
ܘܡܸܚܕܐ ܕܥܵܙܠ ܫܡܫܐ ܒܟܵܘܬܗ ܕܫܡܝܐ ܡܬܓܗܸܢ ܘܣܵܓܕ ܩܕܵܡ ܐܠܗܐ ܒܵܪܘܿܝܗ. ܘܪܵܕܹܐ ܘܢܵܚܹܬ ܟܠܗ ܠܠܝܐ ܒܗܘܿܢ ܒܫܡܝܐ. ܥܕܡܐ ܕܐܵܙܠ ܡܫܬܟܲܚ ܐܝܟܐ ܕܕܵܢܲܚ. ܘܚ݂ܙܐ ܐܠܟܣܢܕܪܘܿܣ ܒܝܬ ܡܥܲܪܵܒ̈ܲܝ ܫܡܫܐ. ܘܐܫܟܚ ܛܘܼܪܐ ܚܕ ܕܢܲܚܹܬ. ܘܫܡܗ ܡܘܼܣܵܣ ܪܒܿܐ. ܘܢܚܬܘ ܥܡܗ ܘܐܬܘ. ܘܢܦܼܩܘ ܠܩܠܵܘܕܝ݂ܼܵܐ
Below is the translation that Budge offers, and I have inserted square brackets indicating the verbs and participles employed, as this shall help comprehend the text more fully:
"And when the sun enters [participle] the window of heaven, he straightway bows down [participle] and makes obeisance [participle] before God his Creator; and he travels [participle] and descends [participle] the whole night through the heavens, until at length he finds [participle] himself where it rises.
And Alexander looked [perfect] towards the west, and he found [perfect] a mountain that descends [participle], and its name was 'The Great Musas'; and (the troops) descended it [perfect] and came out [perfect] upon Mount Klaudia"37
Van Bladel characterises this translation as "nonsensical", but does not labour to explain why. He instead offers the following translation38:
"And when the sun entered the window of heaven, he (Alexander) immediately bowed down and made obeisance before God his Creator, and he traveled and descended the whole night in the heavens, until at length he came and found himself where it (the sun) rises. He saw the land of the setting sun and found a mountain where he descended, named Great Mûsas, and they (the troops) descended and arrived with him. And they went forth to Mount Qlawdiyâ (Claudia)."
Van Bladel would this have us believe that the agent of the nightly travel is Alexander, and not the sun. However, this reading is so unnatural to the text, it is puzzling as to how he came to derive it. The Syriac gives no indication that there is a shift in the agent to Alexander after "when the sun enters the window of heaven…". Why ought we to believe that the text begins speaking of Alexander at this point when his name is not even mentioned? Van Bladel labours instead to supply this in parentheses in his translation. His reading becomes almost impossible when paying close attention to the verb forms and participles used in this passage. When speaking of the sun, the Syriac text consistently uses participles39 (denoting a repetitive or continuous action), rather than the perfect tense, which would seem more appropriate if the text were speaking of Alexander40. Where the passage describes Alexander's actions, it regularly and clearly employs the masculine perfect form of verb. Note that when the passage mentions the "Great Musas", there is an abrupt switch back to the participle form, implying that the mountain — and not Alexander and the troops — are being characterised as "descending". Budge's translation makes the most sense of this sensitive usage of the perfect and participle forms found in the Syriac passage41.
This ought to be enough to dispel any precise similarity between the Legend and the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative concerning how the two characters travelled, and it is not strictly necessary to examine Van Bladel's argument that the Qurʾānic story speaks of "heavenly cords". Nevertheless, some comments may be made, the first of which is that Van Bladel's interpreting "sabab" as "heavenly course" relies upon Alexander's heavenly travel in the Legend being the underlying source of Dhū-lQarnayn taking the heavenly asbāb. Since it has been shown that this is not even found in the Legend to begin with, the basis for its appearance in the Dhū-lQarnayn account becomes weaker, following Van Bladel's own logic. The second issue is that consistently reading "sabab" as "heavenly cord" is simply awkward even within Q 18:83-102, regardless of how the word is used elsewhere in the Qurʾān. Even if one grants Van Bladel's incorrect interpretation of the Legend and accepts that Alexander followed the path of the sun through its setting point, we should note that this would have to occur immediately after the killing of the prisoners. This would have to conform with Q 18:89, if the Qurʾān is indeed retelling the Legend. The recurrence of "atbaʿa sabab" therefore remains unexplained in Q 18:85 and Q 18:92, and by Van Bladel's own logic it would not be referring to a heavenly course because of the lack of parallels between these two Qurʾānic verses and the Legend itself. This raises a problem — these verses are identical to Q 18:89, so we are faced with an awkward reading where Dhū-lQarnayn "follows a sabab", meaning a generic terrestrial pathway in two places in the legend, but somehow where the exact phrase occurs in Q 18:89, the meaning is entirely anomalous in that Dhū-lQarnayn instead follows a "heavenly cord"42.
The Burning Sun
Dhū-lQarnayn, after reaching the muddy spring to the west, journeys to the opposite ends of the earth. There he meets a people whom God had "not given any cover" against the sun (Q 18:90). The Legend also speaks of a group of people who live close to the rising of the sun in the east43—
"The place of [the sun's] rising is over the sea, and the people who dwell there, when he is about to rise, flee away and hide themselves in the sea, that they be not burnt by his rays; and he passes through the midst of the heavens to the place where he enters the window of heaven; and wherever he passes there are terrible mountains, and those who dwell there have caves hollowed out in the rocks, and as soon as they see the sun passing [over them], men and birds flee away from before him and hide in the caves, for rocks are rent by his blazing heat and fall down, and whether they be men or beasts, as soon as the stones touch them they are consumed."
Van Bladel holds that "it is only this Syriac text that explains the meaning of Q 18:90, where the otherwise unknown eastern people who have no cover from the sun are mentioned"44. There are actually numerous differences in detail between the two episodes which complicates the issue. Dhū-lQarnayn actually meets these sun-stricken natives, while Alexander does not. In the Legend, they are spoken of in the context of the daily journey of the sun. It is the sun that comes to them, and not Alexander45.
One may draw further comparison, though admittedly at the risk of splitting hairs. Strictly speaking, the Qurʾānic people whom God "had not given a cover" from the sun does not quite exactly describe a people forced to escape to the sea to gain shelter from the sun's heat, as in the Legend. An unconventional shelter in the sea is shelter nonetheless. One could simply respond and say that this verse is a reasonable gloss of the Legend: taking shelter in the sea may as well just be not having a cover from the sun at all. But the Qurʾān does not even intend that these natives be "sea people" that have a sea to escape to: Dhū-lQarnayn encounters these natives after he has travelled away from the "muddy spring" which is the closest analogy to the eastern sea shore of the Legend, where the sun rises and in which the people must take shelter.
Additionally, in the Qurʾān, the people not having any cover from the sun lack it because God did not give them whatever is required to protect themselves46, the implication being that there potentially is some form of adequate protection that could be given – perhaps by way of construction material. This does not reflect the Neṣḥana precisely.
The Mountain People
The final portion of the Qurʾānic journey describes Dhū-lQarnayn's travel to a people between "two mountains" who could "barely understand speech". They request his protection from the Gog and Magog, asking to build a barrier in exchange for a levy (Q 18:93-94). He characteristically declines the fee, but informs them that he shall regardless build a barrier, and that they should aid him in its construction.
Van Bladel sees this as paralleling the Legend, where Alexander also builds a barrier. However, its commissioning diverges from the Qurʾān in its details. After hearing of the plight of the natives due to the devastation wrought by the Huns, Alexander then turns to his troops and commands that they build a door. The construction is then set in motion with the help of the brass and iron workers brought from Egypt earlier in the story47.
No mention is made of any offer of payment, unlike the Qurʾān. Witztum48 summarises this well, writing:
"The tribute and its rejection have no precedent in the Syriac Alexander Legend, but seem to reflect the common Quranic theme that prophets generally, and Muhammad especially, ask for no reward in return for their services. Interestingly, the only other occurrence of the word kharj in the Quran is with regard to the Prophet: 'Or do you ask them for any tribute (kharjan)? But the tribute of your Lord is better and He is the best of providers' (Q 23:72)"
While Van Bladel does not say that there is any sort of "tribute" to be found in the Legend, he does instead argue that, just like Dhū-lQarnayn, Alexander "asks the locals if they want a favor, and they answer that they would follow his command… together, they accomplish [building the barrier] with the help of the Egyptian metalworkers (2007a, p. 179)". But the Legend nowhere involves the natives in the building of the wall. Rather, it is his army that Alexander requests help from, and they agree to comply. This is very clear from the Syriac text49, which Budge has translated accurately.
Van Bladel has simply misread the details of these episodes, resulting in some exaggeration on his part. He further says that the presence of the Egyptian metalworkers in the Legend explains "Dhū-lQarnayn's ability to build a wall of iron and brass", yet the metalworkers, too, are omitted from the Qurʾān. That Dhū-lQarnayn co-operates with the natives in building the wall provides enough explanation as to how exactly he was able to accomplish the construction. Hence, we see him clearly commanding the natives to "bring [him] sheets of iron", among other instructions (Q 18:96). Were Van Bladel's assessment correct, these commands would not have been so explicitly directed at the native people.
At the risk of making some premature remarks, one notes an interesting trend throughout the Qurʾānic account. The natives of the various places that Dhū-lQarnayn visits are consistently more prominent in each episode relative to the corresponding nations discussed in the Alexander Legend. In the first travel of the journey, Dhū-lQarnayn is given the option to "punish" or "deal justly" with the natives, unlike the comparable account in the Legend, where no natives are mentioned at all. Alexander instead uses his own camp's prisoners to test the water. In the second segment of his journey, Dhū-lQarnayn actually meets the people with no protection from the sun, while in the Alexander Legend they are relegated to a passing comment on sun's path through the heavens. Finally, in this third episode, we see the natives threatened by Gog and Magog to be actively building the wall, while in the Legend, it is Alexander's own army.
Assuming that the Qurʾān is alluding to the Legend here, why would the natives replace Alexander's own army in the case of the punishment and barrier building episodes? One may say that the Qurʾānic account is attempting to simplify the story of the Legend. If Alexander's troops are not mentioned, then the story becomes simpler, with less parts to account for. But if this is the case, why the need for Dhū-lQarnayn to then request the natives for help in Q 18:95-96? Merely saying that Dhū-lQarnayn built the barrier after declining payment would be enough, and it would be assumed that someone helped him build it – presumably, his army, because of the allusion to the Legend. This would be a better simplification, if indeed the Legend is assumed to be filling in the gaps here.
This concludes the discussion on the key content-level similarities between the Qurʾān and the Syriac Legend, barring the prophecies of the respective protagonists after the building of the barrier. That episode in particular is especially significant in understanding the link between the two stories, and shall be discussed later.
Linguistic Similarities
Broadly speaking, the Arabic language of the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative is very much exclusive to it, with no singular words borrowed from the Syriac of the Legend50. Van Bladel does, however, draw two linguistic similarities pertaining to specific turns of phrase found in the Legend which apparently are also found in the Q 18:9951.
The first of these is where God, speaking of the nations beyond the wall, says that He shall "leave them on that day surging one upon another" (wa-taraknā baʿduhum yawmaʾidhin yamūju fī baʿdin), echoing the Legend where Alexander prophecies that "kingdoms will fall one upon another" (wa naplan malkwatha ḥda ʿal ḥda) after the great door has fallen. Van Bladel notes that the formula 'baʿduhum… fī baʿdin' in particular very closely accords with the Syriac 'ḥda ʿal ḥda', both meaning "one upon another".
The problem with Van Bladel's observation pertains to the textual transmission of the Legend. The Syriac phrase in question, with its wider context, occurs in Budge's critical edition as follows52:
ܢܐܬܝ̈ܢ ܡܠܟܘ̈ܬܐ ܡܢ ܣܘ̈ܦܝ ܫܡܝܐ ܕܗܘܢܝܐ ܘܕܦܪ̈ܣܝܐ ܘܕܛܝܝ̈ܐ. ܥܣܪܝܢ ܘܐܪܒܥ ܡܠܟܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܟܬܝ̈ܒܢ ܒܣܦܪܐ ܗܢܐ. ܘܢܦ̈ܠܢ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܚܕܐ ܥܠ ܚܕܐ. ܘܬܡܣܐ ܐܪܥܐ ܒܕܡܐ ܘܦܪܬܐ ܕܒܢܝܢܫܐ.
This is roughly understood to mean "the kingdoms of the Greeks and the Persians and the Arabs shall come from the ends of the heavens, [and] the 24 kingdoms that are written in this book. And the kingdoms shall fall one upon another. And the earth shall wasten in the blood and dung of men."
Crucially, Budge footnotes the passage with a textual comment, writing that in manuscripts A,B,D and E, temse (shall run) immediately follows naplan (shall fall). This means that from four of the five manuscripts that Budge drew from, the phrase 'ḥda ʿal ḥda', 'one upon another' does not occur. Thus, the above passage, according to the majority of the manuscripts, would read:
The kingdoms of the Greeks and the Persians and the Arabs shall come from the ends of the heavens, [and] the 24 kingdoms that are written in this book. And they shall fall. And the earth shall wasten in the blood and dung of men.
This is still a perfectly coherent reading, and one that does not share any formulas in common with Q 18:99. Unless Van Bladel can provide evidence that the reading of manuscript C is the original reading against the majority, the comparison drawn by him is brought to question.
The second example that Van Bladel supplies also pertains to the prophecy. In the Legend, Alexander prophesies that "the Lord will gather together the kings and their hosts"53, which according to Van Bladel finds a "nearly perfect match"54 in Q 18:99, where God says that "the horn shall be blown and We shall gather them together." However, in the Neṣḥānā this "gathering" refers to the assembly of the nations behind the gate before its destruction, while in the Qurʾān, the "gathering" comes about after God levels the wall55. In fact, Q 18:99, unlike the Legend, is speaking of the general gathering of the nations after the day of judgement signified by blowing of the horn (nufikha fī-ṣūr). This very exact combination is found commonly in the Qurʾān, such as in Q 36:51, "The horn shall be blown and they will rush out to their Lord from their graves" and Q 78:18, "The day the horn shall be blown, and you will come in multitudes."
This Qurʾānic formula is so regular that there is no need to derive it from the Legend, and the fact that it does not even occur in the same sequence in the Qurʾān as in the Legend makes Van Bladel's correspondence here simply unconvincing. This phrase could easily have come about organically in a Qurʾānic context, especially given the distinct order of the events that Q 18:99 describes.
There are various other similarities pertaining to terminology that Van Bladel finds in common between the two texts, such as the "fetid" nature of the water (previously discussed), and a possible correspondence between "dhikr" (remembrance) in Q 18:83 and the title given to the Legend, "Neṣḥānā" or "glorious deeds", though this seems rather tenuous, especially given that dhikr also elsewhere introduces a narrative in the Qurʾān (see Q 19:2)56. Van Bladel also mentions the concurrence on the materials of the respective barriers: "iron and brass"; though this could be used as evidence for linguistic dissimilarity, as shall be discussed.
The relationship between the two texts
Thus far, many of Van Bladel's examples of "exact" concordances between the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative and the Syriac Legend of Alexander have been brought under closer examination. There are differences between them, not just in the details, but also at a broader level. There is no denying that the two stories are very similar in places, but the results of the present inquiry forces a closer look at Van Bladel's position that the Qurʾān is essentially derived from the Legend.
The specific argument made by Van Bladel for placing the Neṣḥāna as the parent text of the Dhū-lQarnayn story hinges on the original purpose of the prophecy made by Alexander on the fall of the barrier and the subsequent invasion of the Huns. Van Bladel takes the prophecy to have been tailored specifically for the purposes of Heraclean propaganda57. The link between Alexander's prognostication on the fall of the gate and contemporary events is summarised by Van Bladel to be the following:
As already stated, in his final campaigns against the Persians, Alexander's former enemies, Heraclius actually did enlist the help of Inner Asian peoples, the Kök Türks, in his war against the Persians (626–7) – they are called variously in the sources Türks and Khazars, being perhaps Khazars under Kök Türk rule, though the specific tribal or ethnic identity of these invaders is a subject of very long debate – and afterward these Türks fiercely raided Caucasian Albania, Georgia, and Armenia until 630. One wonders whether Heraclius or his supporters promoted the idea that his Türk allies, summoned from the north, were the people of Gog and Magog come to punish the Persians. The Türk invasions are known from the Greek chronicle of Theophanes and in some detail from a compilatory seventh-century source used by the Armenian History of the Caucasian Albanians (Patmut'iwn Ałuanic') by Movses Dasxuranc'i.
The prophecy could thus be seen as specifically serving Heraclius's own geopolitical aims. The Huns, in the words of the Legend, were a "punishment" brought about by the "anger of God"58. The raiding of Persian lands by the Byzantine-allied Kök Türks would surely have been the intended fulfilment of the Legend's Alexandrian prophecy as Van Bladel succinctly explains. This does not, however, entail that this prophecy was specifically invented for the purposes of the Legend. It seems more likely that the Legend was tailoring preexisting oracular material, precisely because The Neṣḥānā portrays the breaking of the Huns through the wall as a catastrophe. It is not just the Persians that are troubled by their raids; it is prophesied that the Huns would "ravage the land of the Romans"59 as well. That the incursions of the Huns are so negatively portrayed in the Legend60 indicates that the author is adapting earlier apocalyptic material, else one would expect a far more positive portrayal of Heraclius' alliance with the Kok Türks – something more readily useful as propaganda.
Czégledy61 further mentions an earlier prophecy already in circulation in the 6th century. Tesei, making reference to Czégledy, writes that John of Ephesus (d. 586 ca.) "reports about a revelation (gelyānā) predicting the arrival of the Huns." Tesei concludes that "the possibility that in the middle of the 6th century the prophecy on the Huns was already set in the framework of the story of Alexander's wall is a concrete one." We may add that it is significant that the Qurʾānic prophecy expresses general apocalyptic motifs rather than propaganda specifically suited to the Byzantine state. Though it is possible the Qurʾān is modifying the prophecy of the Neṣḥānā to suit its own message, it is also possible that the Qurʾān is alluding to an earlier, more general apocalyptic prophecy already in existence, to which the author of the Legend has independently introduced an additional propagandistic layer.
In summary, the association of Alexander's prophecy with the construction of the iron gates in the Syriac Legend and the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative is not decisive evidence for the latter being dependent on the former. Tesei, however, provides a further argument to elaborate on Van Bladel's original thesis62. He posits that the original tradition underlying the Legend relates Alexander attempting to travel to Paradise, and not to the ends of the Earth. Tesei appeals to Van Bladel's explanation on this itinerary — the author of the Legend intends the travels of Alexander to resemble a cross, a veritable symbol of Christendom and possibly even prefiguring Heraclius' restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem63. Thus, to Tesei, because this conscious editorial choice is also found in the Qurʾān (where apparently Dhū-lQarnayn takes the same journey as Alexander in the Legend), this is evidence that the Qurʾān is dependent on the Neṣḥānā rather than some earlier form of the narrative where the protagonist presumably attempts to travel to paradise.
This argument is extremely problematic for reasons that should be clear at this point. I have already treated the issue of Alexander's actual itinerary according to the Legend in detail in this paper. To repeat — It is simply not the case that Alexander's travel forms any sort of "cross". In addition to this, the Qurʾānic journey is unlike the Legend's journey in its trajectory. These two reasons make it difficult to admit Tesei's argument.
What, then, is the precise relationship between the Legend and the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative? We shall argue that both these stories are utilising common traditions, rather than one text being dependent on the other. At least some of the force of evidence behind this hypothesis lies on the sheer number of differences between the two texts. These seem to have been completely ignored by Van Bladel and scholars in agreement with him. We have already discussed many of the points of divergence that Van Bladel has overlooked in the present paper, and yet many more may be found through any close reading of both texts congruently.
What is the exact nature of these differences, and how do they clarify the relationship between the Neṣḥānā and the Qurʾān? One may categorise them into two types. Let us suppose that the Qurʾān is indeed drawing on the Neṣḥānā. Thus, one category of difference is that which is brought about through the process of the Qurʾān consciously editing and curating the Neṣḥānā material in keeping with its own worldview. Obvious examples of this include significant differences between the cosmologies expressed by the two texts as discussed earlier. Since the Qurʾān does not feature dome shaped heavens or a creation-surrounding Fetid Sea, it would make sense that this be omitted from the Qurʾān in staying true to its own cosmological model. Another example would be the absence of the high christology featured in the Legend, which would no doubt be offensive to the Qurʾān's theological notions, and so it is to be excluded. The Qurʾānic author would also avoid the heavily laden Byzantine propaganda of a world-empire for obvious reasons.
The second category of differences is less straightforward, and cannot be explained as a conscious editing of the Neṣḥānā material. This category includes the trajectory of travel in the Legend and the Qurʾān being essentially reversed, the roles of Alexander's host being replaced by the locals in several places of the Dhū-lQarnayn story, and Dhū-lQarnayn meeting natives who could "scarcely understand a word", which finds no counterpart in the Legend. Minor differences in this category are also many, and examples of these include such as the fact that Dhū-lQarnayn actually meets the people with no protection from the sun while Alexander does not, and how the Qurʾān features a "barrier" or a "dam" while the Legend consistently uses "door" (tarʿā), the precise nature of the dilemma of the people exposed to the sun, and how the method of construction of this barrier in the Qurʾānic account does not actually find any counterpart in the Syriac legend64.
Doubtless, some of these differences are possibly the result of an oral transmission between the Legend and the Qurʾān, but it is difficult to attribute them wholly to this process. Can we really expect that essential details such as the actual direction of Alexander's travel be garbled in transmission before entering the Qurʾān, despite the travel of the fetid sea being so essential to premise of the Legend? Why does the Qurʾān replace the "gates" of the Legend with a generic "barrier", though these "gates" must have been understood by the audience to be some existing structure65? I do not believe this is decisive evidence, but it is certainly an obstacle against any theory that places the Legend as an antecedent to the Qurʾānic account. There is, however, further linguistic evidence which makes the matter easier to decide.
We have already addressed many of Van Bladel's arguments for a linguistic similarity between the two texts. While the examples he provides are essentially flawed, he is right in collecting possible linguistic similarities to determine the origins of Qurʾānic story. But what about linguistic dissimilarity? Can we provide a meaningful linguistic argument against a direct dependence of the Qurʾān on the Neṣḥānā? The answer is affirmative. As Arabic and Syriac are related languages sharing many cognates between them, one would expect some overlap in the language of the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative and the Legend. More precisely, if a Syriac word occurring in a specific context within the Legend has an Arabic cognate with the same meaning, one would expect the Arabic cognate to also occur in the corresponding context in the narrative of Q 18:83-99. For example, we notice that Alexander describes himself as being given "horns", qarne. This cognate is found in a similar context in the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative in the very name of the protagonist. One would expect that a small amount of linguistic similarity may come about in each text independently, especially if the overlapping cognates are commonly used in both languages66. On the other hand, a high frequency of shared cognates would indicate a direct relationship between the two texts, while an absence of such would be evidence against a direct relationship. It is the latter scenario that is exhibited when reading these two texts carefully.
In the construction of the gate, Alexander uses brass and iron. We see that the Syriac word for brass is nḥāshā, which would be the direct cognate to nuḥās (as in Q 55:35), yet here the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative employs qiṭr instead, though the appropriate cognate is already attested to elsewhere in the Qurʾān67. The Syriac text speaks of "mountains", ṭūre, when speaking of the final part of Alexander's journey, and then again when describing the local geography of the place where he builds his gates. This would accord with ṭūr (pl. aṭwār) as used in various verses of the Qurʾān, yet two uncommon words, saddayn and ṣadafayn, are instead employed in Q 18:93 and Q 18:96 respectively. The Qurʾān uses qawm for the various natives that Dhū-lQarnayn meets, though nās in the indefinite would have been close to the consistent usage of nāshā in the same context in the Legend68. The body of water featured in the Legend is the sea, yamā, a word whose cognate al-yamm occurs frequently in the Qurʾān, and it is surprising that instead ʿayn is opted for69. In the final prophecy of the end times, Alexander inscribes that the gate will finally be "destroyed", methgem, at the behest of God. Here the Qurʾān uses the phrase jaʿalahū dakkāʾ in place of various forms of the cognate roots h-j-m or h-d-m, such as hadamahū, or haddamahū (He shall destroy it), or that the barrier shall collapse (tahaddama, or inhajama). Finally, God is said to have "established" Dhū-lQarnayn (makkannā lahu), in the land. This does not have an exact counterpart to the Legend, though may be correlate with Alexander's address to God where he praises him as one who establishes (mqīm) kings, and exalting Alexander himself among them. The arabic verb qayyamnā, "we established" would have mirrored the Syriac text. Van Bladel draws a different parallel between Q 18:84 and the Legend, instead positing it to be connected to when Alexander prayed for "power", "ḥayla", but even here the Arabic ḥawla could have featured in the Qurʾān.
For a text so short, it is significant that we see as many as seven instances where the Dhū-lQarnayn narrative could have used a cognate matching the Syriac text but did not. This is in line with the general dissimilarity of language between the two texts, which even Van Bladel admits70. Zadeh71 rightly notes that there is "significant divergence" between the language of the Qurʾānic text and the Syriac Legend, and concludes that it is "rather tenuous to attempt to historicize the Quranic account using material that may have not been a direct intertext for the Quran".
The very close dating of the Qurʾān and the Neṣḥānā only compounds on the evidence presented here. A full study of the precise dating of sūrat al-Kahf, and perhaps even the pericope of Dhū-lQarnayn, may decide the matter entirely, though such research would probably require extensive stylometric analysis and study of Muslim tradition pertaining to the dating of this story as found in the Qurʾān. We should note that even Van Bladel accepts the dating to be a challenge, however believes his own arguments for the Qurʾān's dependence on the Nesḥānā to be so effective as to overcome this issue72.
The Syriac Legend of Alexander and the Qurʾānic account of Dhū-lQarnayn do not share a direct relationship between them, but instead independently draw upon a shared tradition found in the Late Antique Near East. Evidences against Van Bladel's thesis, that the Qurʾān is essentially retelling the Neṣḥānā, are several. Firstly, one sees that the Syriac account and the Qurʾānic one are different in many places, even pertaining to specific events, descriptions and turns of phrase that Van Bladel has previously posited as a similarity. These differences point against a direct Qurʾānic borrowing of the Neṣḥānā. Similarly, the language of the two texts provide additional reasons to believe that the two texts do not rely upon each other. Finally, the dating of the two texts make a direct dependence of one story upon the other especially difficult. These facts, in addition to the lack of demonstrative evidence provided by both Van Bladel's and Tesei's arguments for the Qurʾān drawing on the Syriac account, forces one to consider the possibility that the Qurʾān and the Neṣḥānā are independent witnesses to a common tradition.
Budge, E.A.T.W. ed., 1889. The History of Alexander the Great, being the Syriac version of the Pseudo-Callisthenes. The University Press.
Czégledy, K., 1957. The syriac legend Concerning alexander the great. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 7(2/3), pp.231-249.
Dumper, M., 2007. Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: a historical encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.
Kaegi, W.E, 2003. Heraclius, emperor of Byzantium. Cambridge University Press.
Kardaras, G., 2018. Byzantium and the Avars, 6th-9th c. AD: Political, diplomatic and cultural relations. Brill.
Monferrer-Sala, J.P., 2011. Chapter Three. Alexander The Great In The Syriac Literary Tradition. In A Companion to Alexander Literature in the Middle Ages (pp. 41-72). BRILL.
Reeves, J.C. ed., 2004. Bible and Qur'ān: Essays in scriptural intertextuality (Vol. 24). Brill.
Reinink, G.J, 2002. Heraclius, the New Alexander. Apocaliptic Prophecies during the Reign of Heraclius. The Reign of Heraclius (610-641). Crisis and Confrontation, III. Louven-Paris-Dudley: Peeters.
Smith, P. and Dictionary, R.C.S., 1903. J. Payne Smith. A Compendious Syriac Dictionary.
Stepanov, T., 2019. Waiting for the End of the World: European Dimensions, 950–1200. Brill.
Tabatabaʾi, M.A. and Mirsadri, S., 2016. The Qurʾānic Cosmology, as an Identity in Itself. Arabica, 63(3-4), pp.201-234.
Tesei, T., 2013. The Prophecy of Ḏū-l-Qarnayn (Q 18: 83-102) and the Origins of the Qur'ānic Corpus. Miscellanea Arabica, 2014, pp.273-290.
Tesei, T., 2015. Some Cosmological Notions from Late Antiquity in Q 18: 60–65: The Quran in Light of Its Cultural Context. Journal of American Oriental Society, 135(1), pp.19-32.
Van Bladel, K., 2007a. The Alexander Legend in the Qur'an 18: 83–102. In The Qur'an in its Historical Context (pp. 191-219). Routledge.
Van Bladel, K., 2007b. Heavenly cords and prophetic authority in the Quran and its Late Antique context. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 70(2), pp.223-246.
Van Donzel, E.J. and Schmidt, A., 2010. Gog and Magog in early eastern Christian and Islamic sources: Sallam's quest for Alexander's wall. Brill.
Witztum, Joseph Benzion. 2011. The Syriac Milieu of the Quran: The Recasting of Biblical Narratives. Doctoral dissertation, Princeton University.
Zadeh, T., 2015. Quranic studies and the literary turn. Journal of American Oriental Society, 135(2), pp.329-342.


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Illinois House close to voting on campaign finance reform
The Illinois House of Representatives is poised to vote as soon as today on a rewrite of the state's campaign finance law that would introduce contribution limits to a system that presently has none.
"It is a significant step forward for the state of Illinois," House Speaker Michael Madigan, the plan's House sponsor, told the Executive Committee on Friday.
Madigan and Gov. Pat Quinn, both Chicago Democrats, joined forces at the committee hearing to testify in support of House Bill 7. They called it landmark legislation, one in a series of reform-minded measures that lawmakers have crafted in the wake of the corruption scandal involving former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The committee voted 7-0 to send the bill to the House floor, though the panel's four Republicans expressed reservations about various aspects of the proposal. They voted "present."
The legislation won Senate approval on Thursday night. If at least 60 House members support the bill, as seems likely, it would go to Quinn. He has pledged to sign it into law.
But critics say the bill is full of loopholes, and it makes sure that legislative leaders keep their hold on power.
One of the biggest flaws, they say, is that the legislation imposes some caps on campaign contributions but fails to limit "in-kind" donations that legislative leaders' political committees provide to candidates. "In-kind" donations can take a variety of forms, such as printing for campaign brochures, postage, television commercials and staffers' pay.
Illinois' campaign finance law sets no limits on contributions, but the new measure would, starting in 2011. For example, a single-candidate committee could collect a maximum of $5,000 from individuals; $10,000 from a labor union, corporation or association; and $90,000 in fund transfers from a political committee.
Campaign committees that benefit multiple candidates, such as legislative caucus committees, could collect a maximum of $10,000 from an individual; $20,000 from a labor union, corporation or association; and $90,000 in fund transfers from a political committee.
Those figures are higher than what Quinn's Illinois Reform Commission recommended last month in its final report. The commission said Illinois should set limits that mirror federal election law -- $2,400 for individuals and $5,000 for political committees.
During House floor action Friday, House Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to force consideration of what they described as a tougher campaign-finance bill, House Bill 24.
Introduced early this year by Democratic Rep. Harry Osterman of Chicago, the bill would put caps on campaign contributions: $2,300 from individuals and $30,000 from legislative caucus committees, for example. It never got called for a vote.
"I think it's time to put up or shut up," said House GOP Leader Tom Cross. "Now you're either for reform, you're really for ethics change, or you're not."
The campaign-finance bill that Madigan and Quinn support "does nothing," Cross said. "That's a joke."
Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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A federal appeals panel Wednesday upheld the convictions and sentences of five Muslim men accused of planning to attack Fort Dix or other military bases, though it threw out a charge against one defendant.
The main issue was prosecutors' use of wiretaps obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a part of the Patriot Act aimed largely at gathering foreign intelligence.
The recordings were a major piece of a 2½-month trial for the five men, all Muslim immigrants who grew up in the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia.
The men — Mohamad Shnewer, Serdar Tatar, and brothers Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka — were arrested in May 2007. In 2008, a federal jury in Camden, N.J., convicted them of conspiring to kill U.S. military personnel at Fort Dix. All but Tatar are serving life terms.
Defense lawyers said it was unconstitutional to use the recordings in a domestic criminal case and that it may have been impossible to convict the men without the evidence.
But in a unanimous ruling written by Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, a three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed. The challenged search "was conducted in objectively reasonable reliance on a duly authorized statute," and therefore admissible at trial, Rendell wrote.
Another major issue came from an error that federal prosecutors acknowledged in January: Three of the men were convicted of attempted possession of firearms in furtherance of a crime, but the law in question does not have a provision that outlaws attempted possession.
In the case of that count against Dritan and Shain Duka, the judges said defense lawyers should have raised it before the trial judge. Since they didn't, the judges said, it should not be overturned. The judges also said that there was evidence at trial that the two actually possessed weapons.
But the case of Shnewer was different. The court ruled that there was no evidence he possessed the weapons. As a result, his weapons conviction was dismissed, along with the 30-year prison term that went with it.
He is still serving a life term.
Richard Sparaco, a lawyer for Tatar, said Wednesday that he would consult with his client but expected he would file an appeal. Rocco Cipparone, who represents Shnewer, said he would likely pursue an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on the parts of the conviction that were upheld.


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Three Ky. companies among 30 recipients of Trade & Industry Development's 2013 CiCi Awards
FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 14, 2013) – Trade & Industry Development, a leading magazine dedicated to site selection, has included three Kentucky companies, General Electric (GE), Berry Plastics and Amazon, in its 8th Annual CiCi (Corporate Investment & Community Impact) Awards. The projects are among the top 30 economic development projects in 2012 and were selected from hundreds submitted from across the country.
"These awards not only recognize the growth and success of these companies, but they also honor the Commonwealth and our ongoing commitment to economic development," said Gov. Beshear. "With Berry Plastics in Madisonville, GE in Louisville and Amazon in Winchester, these three distinct regions in Kentucky are showing their ability to earn national and international recognition."
The CiCi Awards, created in 2006, are a dual-awards program highlighting the largest corporate investments, as well as recognizing projects that may not involve large investments but make the most notable impact on communities. Numerous criteria are considered for the "Impact" division, including new jobs created, current jobs retained, unemployment figures, income level of the region and plant closings.
"It is with great pleasure that Trade & Industry Development magazine is able to bestow three CiCi Awards this year to companies that have announced major and impactful development projects in Kentucky during the year 2012," said Scott Swoger, publisher of Trade & Industry Development magazine. "It speaks volumes about the business climate in Kentucky that a leader of GE's stature has chosen the commonwealth to make one of the top 15 largest capital investments of the year in the state. And it is equally gratifying to recognize that two more high-profile companies, Amazon.com and Berry Plastics, have also chosen to invest in areas that will benefit from the jobs and state revenue they will generate."
GE continued its initiative to reverse decades of outsourcing, launching several new product lines at its Louisville Appliance Park in 2012, including the GeoSpring hybrid water heater and French door refrigerator. The projects are part of GE's commitment to invest $800 million in Louisville by 2014. The company has already created about 3,000 new jobs.
Berry Plastics Corporation reopened its Madisonville operation in 2012, investing $96 million in the plant and creating more than 400 full-time jobs. Earlier in the year, Berry had shuttered the facility, which had approximately 140 employees, due to a redistribution of production at its other manufacturing facilities. The company has more than 950 current employees in Kentucky at facilities in Franklin, Danville, Louisville and Bowling Green and reconfigured its Madisonville operation to increase the company's production capacity.
"Berry Plastics' decision to reopen its Madisonville, Kentucky, facility is a testament of the positive impact that can result by companies working as a team with their local communities," said Jon Rich, chairman and CEO of Berry Plastics. "We are extremely appreciative of the commonwealth of Kentucky, Hopkins County officials and the city of Madisonville for their joint support, which allowed us to reopen the facility, creating the opportunity for new jobs within the region and specifically the Madisonville community."
In May 2012, Amazon announced its decision to build a new 70,000-square-foot customer service facility in Winchester, creating more than 550 full-time and 600 seasonal and part-time jobs in the state by 2017. Amazon subsidiaries currently operate fulfillment centers in Louisville, Lexington, Campbellsville and Hebron, but the Winchester facility is Amazon's first customer service center in Kentucky.
"We are excited to be a member of the Winchester community," said Alex Krueger Amazon's site leader at the Winchester Customer Service Center. "Also, we're grateful to the elected officials and community leaders who have worked with us to make this site a reality."
For more on Trade & Industry Development's CiCi Awards, visit www.tradeandindustrydev.com.
Information on Kentucky's economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com.


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This is an EXPERIMENTAL thread for parents in assisting each other in home tuitioning their children in BAHASA MALAYSIA (or BAHASA MELAYU).
As the learning of a language is FLUID, there are no fixed rules or ideas as to how this thread will turn out We can share and exchange ideas, materials, recommendations, methodologies, exercises, past year papers etc ... on how we can improve the learning of BM for the kids.
Let me start by saying that I am not advocating to replace school lessons or private tuitions BUT to provide a forum and support group for parents who are considering extra home-tuitioning for their children.
In addition, I am also not a school teacher. I am just another parent who can read and write


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Sound – LOGO-16 Drums & Brass – short, sharp, tones- of the opening & ending.Tone magnificent for sound ending!
Using of this music possible in cinema when change the personnel (change frames), accent in advertisment, Simple logo sound for WEB-sites, videos etc.
Audio logo with brass section, some drums and bass. It's great for intros and you can use it for whatever other purpose you want.
Opening of the page of the site,signal announcement of the programs TV and radio, logo TV and radio, change pages about adventures, in & Out, start or Final, change, opening or closing the page in site, flash-design in PC.


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In 'Like Dreamers' a Paratrooper from the 1967 War Dives Into the Settler Movement
Yossi Klein Halevi's new book, "Like Dreamers," is about seven of the paratroopers who reunited Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. It is their story and Israel's story in the years that unfolded. In this excerpt, the first of two being published by the Forward, two of those paratroopers, Hanan Porat and Yoel Bin-Nun, future leaders of the settler movement, are mystfied in the months after the war by a victory that feels divinely ordained. They are both members of the Mercaz, a Jerusalem yeshiva run by Rabbi Yehudah Zvi Kook, known as the epicenter of religious Zionism. In those tumultuous days, Porat's attention turns to the restoration of the lost village of Kfar Etzion in the southern West Bank. Evacuated in 1936 after the Arab uprising, and then again in 1948, following a massacre of 157 of its residents, the village became a symbol of a return and reclamation of the land.
'Nu, dear friends," said Rabbi Zvi Yehudah Kook, "what should we study now?"
Several dozen students, many sitting on the floor, crowded into the rabbi's small salon. Tape remained on the windows, a wartime precaution against blasts.
Hanan Porat broke the silence. "Rabbeinu" — Our rabbi and master — he said, "hasn't the time come to study the laws of the Temple?"
For a religious Jew who prayed three times a day for the Temple to be rebuilt, that was not an unexpected question in the summer of 1967.
"Hanan," replied the rabbi enigmatically, "we will be learning the laws of war for many years to come."
"But the Temple Mount is in our hands!" protested Hanan.
"Hanan," he repeated, "we will be learning the laws of war for many years to come."
But Hanan is right! thought Yoel. This is the time! Any generation of believing Jews would have known how to read the signs. Redemption was the heart of Judaism: a holy people consecrated to a holy land, at its center a holy city and a holy mountain — a tactile sanctity, because redemption must happen in this world. And now, in six days of re-creation, all that had been broken, had been made whole. Surely even the most stubborn skeptics would now understand that God was in this story.
The Mercaz study hall filled with hundreds of celebrants. Rabbi Zvi Yehudah had summoned an "Assembly of Thanksgiving," and the yeshiva's dining room, which had accommodated the crowds for his Independence Day speech, was hardly adequate now. On the dais sat the president of Israel, Zalman Shazar. In the front row sat the novelist and Nobel laureate Shai Agnon.
Mercaz — "the center" — had finally fulfilled its ambitious name. From the beginning of the crisis, which Rabbi Zvi Yehudah had seemed to intuit in his Independence Day speech, to the war's astonishing culmination, when he was one of the first civilians at the Western Wall, Mercaz had been central to the greatest moment in Israel's history.
Mercaz felt vindicated in its most daring theological premise: that secular Zionism was a trustworthy repository of the redemptive process. The secular state that had tried to sever the people of Israel from the God of Israel had instead confirmed faith. For Mercaz, the kibbutznik paratroopers at the Wall were a revelation. Who could have imagined kibbutzniks praying at the symbol of piety and exile?
Rabbi Zvi Yehudah entered the study hall. Students held each other by the shoulders and danced before him. "Raise your heads, gates," they sang, "and admit the glorious King."
The rabbi spoke from a lectern draped with an Israeli flag. In covering a lectern that held holy books with the flag of secular Israel, Rabbi Zvi Yehudah was saying: This flag is no less holy than the velvet cloth covering the Torah ark behind me. On the wall hung a banner that read, "May the Temple be rebuilt, speedily in our time" — prayer turned into demand.
Voice strong, tone defiant, the rabbi warned the world not to interfere with God's plan and try to wrench the liberated lands from Israel's control. Not even the democratically elected government of Israel, he continued, had the right to withdraw from the territories — a warning aimed at the Labor-led national unity government, which declared its willingness to exchange territory for peace.
Hanan Porat approached the lectern. Broad-shouldered and powerfully handsome, with a wave of brown hair, he projected far beyond his short stature. Of the dozen paratroopers in Mercaz — who were holy, Rabbi Zvi Yehudah liked to say, only half joking, because they descended from heaven like the Torah at Sinai — the rabbi especially loved Hanan, heir of Kfar Etzion.
Hanan embodied the Mercaz synthesis of yeshiva student and sabra, spirit and matter. And now Hanan carried the additional aura of the Six-Day War's most heroic battle, Ammunition Hill, where paratroopers had fought face-to-face with Jordanian soldiers in the trenches. Hanan happened not to have actually fought in the trenches and had seen little fighting during the war, all of which Hanan acknowledged. Still, for young religious Zionists, Hanan was a hero.
In his permanently hoarse voice, Hanan read a poetic account of a journey he'd recently taken to Kfar Etzion, this time in the company of friends. A middle-aged man, one of the few survivors of the massacre, ran atop the bunker where the last of Kfar Etzion's defenders had died and began pounding with a pickax.
"It was as if he were trying to signal to someone down below. And a faint echo from the void seemed to respond: 'I am still alive, where are you, my friend? Respond, give me a sign!'"
The president of Israel stood and kissed Hanan on the forehead.
Hanan mailed out a questionnaire to the children of Kfar Etzion: Are you prepared to return? And if so, what kind of settlement should we create? A kibbutz or a noncommunal village? A community only for the Orthodox, or open to everyone?
A dozen friends affirmed their readiness to "go up" and settle. "I don't care what will be established there," one wrote. "Even if it will be a yeshiva, you can assign me the job of janitor."
But when they gathered together for a planning session, tensions emerged.
"What if the government doesn't agree to our return?" a friend asked Hanan.
"We go up anyway," Hanan replied. "Let's see them removing us!"
"We're returning home in memory of our parents," his friend countered. "If we go up without authority, we will desecrate their memory."
The deeper tension within the group was about whether the return to Kfar Etzion was a personal act of restoration or, as Hanan insisted, a national act with messianic implications. The resurrected Kfar Etzion, he told his friends, would be the first of many settlements in Judea and Samaria. They were blessed to be the avant-garde. And in restoring the wholeness of the Holy Land, the world would be healed, redeemed.
Listening to Hanan, one of his friends thought: He can only see the return in abstract terms because he's not an orphan like us.
They argued about whether the new Kfar Etzion should be a kibbutz like its predecessor. Hanan wasn't sure: a kibbutz, with its limited size and screening committee for applicants, would absorb at best a few hundred people, when the goal should be to attract thousands. A kibbutz, he said sarcastically, isn't a mitzvah from the Torah.
His friends, though, insisted on a kibbutz, and Hanan relented. It was, after all, poetic for the first West Bank settlement to be a kibbutz, a link between the movement that had helped found the state of Israel with the movement that was about to complete it.
'I need your help," Hanan said to Yoel over breakfast of white cheese and olives in the Mercaz dining room.
"When we return," he continued, "I want us to have a yeshiva. Kfar Etzion can't just be a place of physical renewal. There has to be a light emanating from it to the people of Israel."
"I'm with you, Hanan," said Yoel. "What do you need from me?" "I want you to come and teach." Yoel mentioned Hanan's offer to his fiancée. Esther Raab's father had been among those taken prisoner by the Jordanians in 1948 from a kibbutz near Kfar Etzion. "Returning to the Etzion Bloc," said Esther, "is the dream of my life."


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SERV SD (Statewide Emergency Registry of Volunteers)
Experiences such as 9-11, Hurricane Katrina and the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis have shown that many of our nation's medical professionals are willing to volunteer their services when a large-scale disaster occurs. During these times of extraordinary demand, hospitals and other health care providers need to depend upon the services that health volunteers can provide. However, utilizing these volunteers presents a major challenge to hospital, public health and emergency authorities. The federal Emergency System for the Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) was created to help eliminate problems encountered in utilizing medical and health care volunteers in complex emergency situations.
The ESAR-VHP program has awarded each state funding to create local systems for the advanced registration of medical and health care volunteers. Operating under the auspices of the South Dakota Department of Health, the Statewide Emergency Registry of Volunteers in South Dakota (SERV SD) coordinates the pre-registration of medical and health care professionals who may be willing to volunteer in the event of an emergency. The goal is to register qualified individuals, verify their respective credentials, and provide education and training in the area of disaster response. SERV SD will also create a database of medical and health care volunteers who can be mobilized immediately in response to an emergency.
The department understands and respects the sensitivity of the information provided on behalf of volunteers and has taken the following precautions to protect the information:
- Information provided is protected by an industry-standard firewall.
- An SSL certificate ensures secure transactions between Web servers and browsers.
- Authentication is required to access the system via user name and password.
- SERV SD will not provide your name and information to agencies without your permission
Register for SERV SD at https://volunteers.sd.gov
(watch the following training videos for instructions)
Participation in a deployment opportunity is optional. You may decide at the time a call is made to volunteer if you are willing and able to respond.
SERV SD is a state-owned-and-operated registry and will not provide your name and information to agencies without your permission. For additional information regarding the program or registration process, you may contact AJ Schaefbauer.


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Lost in Suburbia: The life of Riley
The puppies were each temporarily named for the colored ribbons tied loosely around their necks. There was Big Blue; a male, Peppy Pink; a female; and another male named Mellow Yellow. This sleepy fellow was the one the breeder decided was the right fit for us: A mellow puppy for a bustling household with two rambunctious little kids. But the mellowness seemed to wear off the minute the ribbon came off, and when we rechristened him Riley, a new personality emerged that was anything but mellow.
I truly believe God makes puppies so cute so you don't kill them when they destroy your house. In his first few weeks with us, Riley gnawed the legs off our kitchen table and the edges off our pantry cabinets. He refused to be housebroken and peed in every possible spot on every rug we owned. He broke through a dog-proof gate, ran through a wet cement subfloor, and then tracked the cement across the entire house. While I was still cleaning up bits of dried cement, he somehow found a ball of yarn from a hidden knitting bag, devoured the yarn and then had to have it surgically removed from his stomach.
Eventually he outgrew his puppy stage, was housebroken and even, reluctantly, learned to sit on command. But he never stopped reminding us that his favorite place was in the middle of everything, and if he couldn't be a part of our party, than he would make his own party. Whenever the kids would have friends over to swim, he would swim with them. When we played a family board game, he would sit next to us, or more typically, on the board game itself. When I would announce that it was time to go to school, he would be the first one in the car.
We kept thinking he would get mellower as he got older, but it never happened. He had no time for mellow. There were too many Frisbees to catch, too many squirrels to chase, too many people to meet. He had friends and fans everywhere … from the groomer to the pet store owner to his "other" mommy who cared for him when we went away. Even the teller at the bank drive-thru knew him by name and would give him a treat along with my money when we stopped by. It was hard to ignore him. Wherever he would go he would announce his arrival with a barrage of barks to let everyone know he was there. No matter where he went, as he walked in the door, a chorus of "Hey, Riley!" would always greet him. The old friends knew the exact spot just above his tail where he liked to be scratched. The new friends figured it out as he pushed his way between their legs and then stopped halfway through so he would be in perfect scratching position.
I knew he was friendly, to be sure, but I'd had my doubts about how smart he was. He failed puppy kindergarten, tripped up steps and would routinely run into the glass door leading to the backyard before stopping to see if it was actually open. But then I realized he was merely his own dog who didn't have time for rules like "stay" or closed doors that got in his way. When he heard the garage door go up at the end of the day, he knew Dad was home and he would go get the Frisbee and wait impatiently by the door. He knew the word "school" meant a ride in the car and "bath" was something to avoid at all costs. The day I came downstairs and saw him step on the peddle of the new garbage can to raise the lid so he could get a snack, I knew the dog might actually qualify for membership in Mensa.
A couple of months ago when we went to the vet for a routine physical, she asked me, "How old is Riley?"
"He's 10," I told her.
"Hey, you're almost an old man," she commented to him.
"Sssh," I said. "Don't say that. He doesn't know!"
Riley was young at heart and his own dog, right up until the end. It came suddenly and dramatically, but when it did come, it was clear that it was time. For 10 years he had called the shots, but now it was our turn to make the last call, and it was heartbreaking to do. But he left us with so many gifts and so many truly wonderful memories that we know the pain of losing him will mellow over time, even though the dog, thankfully, never did.
"Like" Lost in Suburbia on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LostinSuburbiaFanPage.


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Selena Gomez←Back
Selena Gomez spent years casting spells as the star of "The Wizards of Waverly Place" on Disney. And after taking a break from supernatural roles, the actress returns to those roots this week as a teen vampire in the new animated flick, "Hotel Transylvania."
And, she went into filming hoping she could dream up a new voice for the part, but was disappointed to find out that she would sound like herself in the family-friendly movie.
"No, I attempted [a voice] and failed," she told MTV News during theToronto International Film Festival, where she premiered the flick. "I tried when I got the script, I was like Oh maybe I can do something cool and different. And I ended up going in, and they were like No, we like your voice best. I was like Oh, all right."
However, despite showing off a pretty impressive Scottish accent during the interview, she confessed, "Well, I dont think I can [do any voices]. Thats the sad part."
Gomez joined the flick earlier this year; her role was originally intended for fellow former Disney star Miley Cyrus. In it, she plays Draculas (Adam Sandler) teenage daughter. The film imagines the famed vamp as a hotel owner who caters to other mystical folks. When the home away from home is discovered by a human boy, who also happens to fall for Gomezs Mavis, well it has Dracula freaking out a little bit.
It opens on Friday. It also stars Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Cee Lo Green and Jon Lovitz.
Check out the full article by Jocelyn Vena & interview clip at MTV.com
From selenagomez.com


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From Dreams To Reality…
"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." – Calvin Coolidge, Lawyer and 30th POTUS.
Passion is what feeds today's industry. Young aspiring pilots are aware of the grueling path ahead: costly flight lessons, years building hours, heavy competition, low entry pay, long work hours, mandatory retirement, constant training and evaluation, constant drug and alcohol testing, background checks, and huge liability. And yet, they are determined to power through.
All aviators say that passion and determination come from the fascination for the power of technology, the sense of freedom that comes with climbing up through an overcast to clear sky, the thrill of approaching the runway in total control, the jaw-dropping sunsets, and the wonders of the sceneries seen from above.
As for hard work, it starts at choosing the right course of action for your career as a pilot. Some questions must be answered before you proceed: what is your ultimate goal in aviation? Are you aiming at an airline or a corporate jet position? Do you want to buy an airplane or will you rent? Do you wish to travel or just fly locally? Will you be a part time or full time student? Will you need financial help?
If you are still sure that you want to make flying your profession, three possible roads lay ahead:
US Military
This option requires embracing the military lifestyle and shouldn't be solely based on your desire to become a pilot. You will need to become an officer first and then qualify for officer training school, and hope to be approved. This is an average of 5 to 10 commitment.
College Degree
While it is imperative for major airlines, and not mandatory for regionals, as a general rule you will have a rough time being considered without a degree. Bachelor of Science with emphasis in Aviation is preferred. This is the most common, but financially challenging path.
Flight Schools
Learning how to fly requires individualized instruction. Choosing a good flight school and instructor to begin working on your private pilot certificate – the very first step to wherever you wish to go in aviation – can be tricky as there are many available. You will find two categories: Part 61 and Part 141. While the first is more flexible for students, the latter is FAA certified, follows its guidance and inspections. For that reason, less flight time is required for each license:
- Private pilot license (minimum age: 16 years old) – required Part 61: 40 hours /required Part 141: 35 hours.
- Commercial pilot License (minimum age: 23 years old) – required Part 61: 250 hours/required Part 141: 190 hours.
If you want to fly as an airline pilot, you are required to have a minimum of 1,500 logged hours. The first step to get there is to work on you private pilot license and then move on to obtain:
Instrument Rating
Required Part 61: 40 flight hours + 50 Hours of cross country Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument conditions/ required Part 141: 35 flight hours.
Commercial Certificate
(*All pilots transporting passengers or cargo must get a commercial pilot's license with an instrument rating issued by the FAA) – required Part 61: 250 flight hours+100 hours PIC (Pilot in Command) + 50 hours cross country +10 hours of dual instruction in a complex aircraft/required Part 141: 190 flight hours.
When facing competition for a position in the industry, many candidates may opt for smaller regional airlines. There, they can accumulate experience on scheduled passenger-carrying flights into busy airports in all weather conditions.
But if the airline path is not your choice, with your commercial pilot's certificate in hand, other options are open to you: flight instructor, charter pilot, cargo pilot, test pilot, agricultural pilot or you can choose to go corporate.
A corporate pilot position – often at the end of fierce competition – is not your typical 9-to-5, regular schedule-job but it can also offer diversity, adventure, and decent average salaries. One can expect to become eventually Chief Pilot of a major flight department and then onto a Director of Operations for a flight Department.
Going To The Right Flight School
Good pilots are the product of good flight training. With an ever-threatening worldwide commercial airline pilot shortage, flight schools have becoming increasingly sought after. In the US, Florida is by far the most attractive place for flight training because of its clement weather and aviation friendly environment. In South Florida only, over 200 pilot training schools are welcoming a flow of international and domestic students looking for cheaper, faster and a more pleasant location to learn how to fly.
For those who know their goals and capabilities, finding THE best flight school based on your training needs is the next step.
In addition to the choice between the two categories, – Part 61 and Part 141- you will need to consider your available time, financing needs (Part 141 schools can qualify for a few reimbursed training) and location.
Once you have your short list of flight schools, here is what you should find in the one you will chose:
- Good school reputation on flight regulations and safety policies
- Years of operation in the business
- Good instructional staff, enrollment numbers, and credentials
- Reasonable number and types of aircraft used in the school's flight instruction program
- Spacious and pleasant facilities for ground school purposes
- Possibility of benefits as housing and financial aid
- Full airport services (instrument approaches and control towers)


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I stood at the end of a ridiculously grueling trail amid the red cliffs of Western Colorado. Around me, runners enjoyed various cold, locally brewed beers wrapped in neoprene sleeves emblazoned with a sketch of the mountain we'd just torn up and down and the words "I survived the Summit and Plummet." It was not yet 11 a.m.; we'd just finished one of the hardest five-mile runs in North America. We'd earned those beers. At least, that's what we told ourselves.
It's a common ritual among my running buddies. We run, then we drink. And we're not alone. The outfit that organized today's informal run often congregates at Grand Junction's Kannah Creek Brewing Company following its weekly trail runs. Paonia's Elegantly Attired Running Ladies, my women's group, meets every Friday evening for a run that finishes at Revolution Brewing. And then there's the famous Hash House Harriers, with chapters around the world, which calls itself a drinking club with a running problem. Among runners, coffee is perhaps the only beverage more popular than beer.
My friends and I often joke that we're carbo-loading when we split a six pack together, but once in a while I wake up groggy and wonder: Could my drinking habit be hurting my running?
Turns out the research on alcohol and exercise is as herky-jerky as our culture's attitude toward the bottle. Most early studies investigated alcohol's potential as a performance enhancer. It seems ridiculous now, but during the 1904 Olympic Marathon, U.S. gold medalist Thomas Hicks was given a mixture of brandy, strychnine, and egg whites in an effort to gain a competitive edge. Many coaches then believed alcohol boosted energy.
In more recent years, not surprisingly, that belief has been largely disproved. One study on sprint-and middle-distance runners, for example, found that at most distances the more alcohol the athletes had, the slower they ran. Still, another study on male cyclists found that drinking the equivalent of two shots of hard liquor one hour before exercising didn't give athletes any distinct advantages, nor did it significantly harm heart rate, blood pressure, or oxygen uptake. Even a hangover doesn't seem to diminish your aerobic capacity—it just makes you feel lousy, so you underperform. But at the same time, there's evidence to suggest that drinking after a workout might spoil recovery of muscle damage and reduce the amount of energy stored in muscles.
So what was all this conflicting information really telling me? Being a former scientist, I had my own theories about how drinking and running mix, and I couldn't resist putting them to the test. The nearby Colorado Mesa University had just opened the Monfort Family Human Performance Research Lab, a state-of-the-art exercise-science facility that seemed like the perfect venue to explore alcohol's effects on running performance. My friend Gig Leadbetter, Ph.D., coaches the school's cross-country team and is an exercise scientist at the Monfort Lab. He's also a home brewer and winemaker and, without any arm-twisting, agreed to put together a study for Runner's World.
He decided to test whether drinking beer immediately following a hard run would sap performance the next day. Since men and women metabolize alcohol differently, he opted to test both and look for gender differences as well—something previous studies didn't examine. Part one of the experiment—the Beer Run—was a 45-minute, early evening run at an intensity that would require tapping into muscle-fuel stores, immediately followed by a serving of beer. Part two—the Exhaustion Run—would take place the next morning and provide a measure of the recovery. On this run, volunteers would run at 80 percent of their max for as long as they could tolerate.
Researchers tested the volunteers twice, using two unnamed beers and without divulging their alcoholic content. In Round One some runners consumed regular alcoholic beer—Fat Tire Amber Ale—while others had a nonalcoholic beer, O'Doul's Amber. (In Round Two, the beer options were reversed.) One would expect runners to run out of gas faster the morning after their Fat Tire run than they did the morning after drinking the O'Doul's. Real beer might also make the Exhaustion Run feel more difficult. Finally, real beer might alter the amounts of fat and carbohydrates our muscles burned for fuel.
We'd recruited five men and five women—myself included—ranging in age from 29 to 43, all moderate drinkers (defined as drinking less than the recommended daily limits of two drinks per day for men, one for women) and who ran at least 35 miles per week. At the orientation a week before the first Beer Run, Leadbetter explained the study before serving us Fat Tire beers. He was trying to get us to about .07 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC), which is below the legal limit for driving under the influence. The hope was to simulate a "normal" amount of beer a runner might drink after a race or workout.
To figure out how many beers equaled "normal," Leadbetter started the orientation with the government's alcohol impairment chart, which estimates blood alcohol levels using body weight and alcohol percentages. Over the course of the next hour, everyone drank what the chart predicted would amount to .07 percent BAC. Because individual metabolism can vary, however, Leadbetter invited a couple of cops to give us Breathalyzer tests to ensure everyone got the right dose.
It's a good thing he called for backup. The chart proved right on the mark for some, but was way off for others. It correctly predicted, for example, that 29-year-old Daniel Rohr needed to drink three and a half beers to reach .07. However, it led Bryan Whitt, a muscular 149 pounds, to drink almost three Fat Tires. As Whitt strode to the front of the room and faced the cop for his moment of truth, he didn't seem at all impaired. But when he blew into the Breathalyzer, the number came up to .095 percent. The chart also wrongly limited a petite Cynthia Malleck to one 12-ounce beer, when she really needed almost two full bottles. By night's end, as volunteers met their designated drivers, Leadbetter and his team knew exactly how much to pour.
Everyone reconvened the following Friday evening for the first Beer Run. We ran on treadmills for 45 minutes at a pace that felt steady, like tempo, but not overly strenuous. Then we gathered on the patio behind the lab and drank cold beer (or the placebo) and devoured plates of pasta and tomato sauce (carbs!).
The next morning, volunteers returned to the lab for the first Exhaustion Run, a task as grueling as it sounds. After we ran at a fast clip for as long as possible, researchers measured our heart rates and metabolic factors, such as oxygen consumption and carbon-dioxide production. Every three minutes, they asked us to rate how hard we were working.
My legs ached from the beginning, but I was determined to tough it out to 20 minutes. The treadmill's timer was obscured, but by eyeballing a clock across the room, I could guesstimate my time. As I approached what I thought was 20 minutes, my will to continue faded and my perceived effort soared. My legs felt heavy and uncooperative, but was I truly exhausted? Well, no. My heart rate and breathing were fine. With Leadbetter and the other researchers cheering me on, I kept going until at 32 minutes and 23 seconds I finally called it quits.
I downed a bagel and orange juice from the breakfast buffet, and then went home to rest up for the next run. That evening, I hit the treadmill and the suds again. Though I'd spent the day napping, this second Beer Run felt harder than the first. By the time I stepped onto the treadmill for the second Exhaustion Run the next day, my legs and brain were shot. Still, I was determined to suffer as hard as I could in the name of science—this was no time to go soft. But I lasted only 27 minutes and 31 seconds, almost five minutes less than I had the day before.
Right after the second Exhaustion Run, I sat down with Leadbetter to review a few results. The first shock was personal: I had assumed my second Exhaustion Run was so poor because I had drunk the real beer the night before. Wrong! I had actually been served the placebo the previous evening. Surely my results were a fluke. Leadbetter sent all the data to Bob Pettitt, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and statistics expert at Minnesota State, Mankato.
The time differences between the beer and placebo Exhaustion Runs varied considerably from individual to individual. But when Pettitt averaged together the time differences between the two runs, they evened out to a big fat zero. Why? "The women did better after beer, but the men canceled it out by doing worse," says Leadbetter. The five women ran an average of 22 percent longer the morning after drinking Fat Tire, while the men ran 21 percent shorter.
Pettitt's analysis showed that this gender difference was statistically significant. However, "concluding gender differences based on 10 subjects is a big leap," he says. Leadbetter agrees, which is why he's spent recent months studying a larger group of runners. "Obviously, women use and metabolize fuel sources differently than men," says Leadbetter. "If we find the same effect in [later] studies, then it will be really exciting."
Ratings of perceived exertion, on the other hand, showed no significant difference between the trials, implying that the runs didn't feel any easier or harder after real beer versus placebo beer.
If moderate drinking has a negative impact on performance, it seems to be a modest one, says Leadbetter. But even without a definitive answer, the results offer some assurance to beer drinkers. For those who are running for pleasure, any effect is probably no big deal, he says. On the other hand, if beer turns out to help women and hurt men like this study implies, even a single percentage point difference could mean the difference between a merely solid run and a PR.
Afterward, I called some of the volunteers to get their takes on their results. Daniel Rohr ran about 13 percent longer the morning after drinking O'Doul's, but says he felt similar during both trials. "I actually slept better the night after I drank the alcohol," he says. A few weeks after the study, he competed in the Warrior Dash, a race that involved an obstacle course and free beer at the finish.
Trail runner Cynthia Malleck ran 44 percent longer on her real beer Exhaustion Run than she did after drinking the placebo, but she attributes the difference to fatigue. Malleck received the real beer the first day, and by the time the second Exhaustion Run came around, she was toast. "As I was getting on that treadmill, I thought, I have to do this again?"
But Karah Levely-Rinaldi received the real deal on the second trial and posted her longest run to exhaustion the next morning. She wasn't surprised she'd lasted 4.5 minutes longer after drinking the Fat Tire, compared with the O'Doul's. Last fall, she set a half-marathon PR (1:36) the morning after a three-margarita dinner. "Alcohol doesn't seem to have a negative impact on my performance," the mother of four says nonchalantly.
Larry Brede quit sooner on the run to exhaustion the morning after the Fat Tire, but he's not so sure it was because of the alcohol. (He had to drink four beers within the allotted hour to reach his BAC.) "I'd had a long day at work when I had the beer," he says. "I was overall more tired."
As for me, I wasn't ready to give up on my theory, so I decided to jump off the wagon for a month. In spite of my results, I was still pretty sure that without a drop of beer or wine, I'd run faster, sleep better, and maybe even lose some weight. Instead, my speed stayed the same, I still tossed and turned at night, and I didn't lose a pound. So much for the beer gut!
The outcome of my monthlong dry run didn't surprise Brede. A few years back, he gave up alcohol for four months while attempting to qualify for Boston. "I'd run a 3:28, and I needed to get under 3:10," he says. "I ended up running a 3:25, and I decided it wasn't worth it." Eight months later, after resuming his beer drinking, he ran a 3:08. "I believe drinking is pretty independent of how well you're trained and how well you're eating."
I agree. While I was disappointed to reap no benefits from giving up alcohol, the project proved that my drinking wasn't causing me harm. I'd answered my question, and that's worth celebrating.
See a slideshow of seven tasty postrun beers.


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Thousands of voters to be notified of registration fraud
Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office noticed irregularities
With just weeks until the presidential election, the task is daunting.
But Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher is about to have her office contact about 20,000 voters who might have been impacted by a registration-fraud effort.
WPBF ELECTION APP: Tour, Download Today!
Susan Bucher said her office staff discovered 106 possible irregularities when checking voter registration change forms submitted by a consulting company contracted by the Republican Party of Florida.
The RPOF's identification number was on the forms. Such a number is required by law of any third party helping a voter with registration information.
Now, Bucher wants to check all the information submitted by third-party registration organizations, and she's urging voters to check their own personal information. (Call 561-656-6200 or visit pbcelections.org.)
"We terminated the contract of (Strategic Allied Consulting)," Republican Party of Florida spokesman Brian Burgess said. "We then filed an election complaint with the Secretary of State's office, and later filed an amended complaint when we learned of additional problems outside of Palm Beach."
Strategic responded on its website: "Strategic took swift action and terminated the identified individual the same day that the alleged fraud was brought to Strategic's attention by Ms. Bucher's office."
The local Republican Party Chair said neither the RPOF nor the Republican National Committee is using the consulting company.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed it is investigating the matter.
Follow Cathleen O'Toole on Twitter at @cathleeenotoole.


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94 Seconds Quick-fire quiz games that tickle your brain Ideal for those moments of downtime — waiting in line, say, or for the phone to ring —
is a quick-fire quiz game that's good for tickling your gray matter without running the risk of getting bogged down in a game. Players use their minute and a half (and change) to fill in the blanks when given a first letter and a category. You're rewarded based on how original you are — for example, guessing "chameleon" instead of "cat" when asked for animals that start with "C" will get you a far better score. You can use a couple of quick cheats to get ahead in a round, but the best feeling is beating the clock with your own original answers. For iOS and Android devices. Moveline Take some of the stress out of moving U-Haul trucks are as common a sight along city sidewalks this time of year as daffodils. To make moves easier, try the
app, which helps you do everything from inventory the stuff at your old place to compare estimates on moves to set up your new one. App users can even FaceTime with Moveline representatives to get their inventories in order and can reach out with their questions at every stage of the move. Moving is always a headache, but with a little app help, Moveline can make it a little less stressful. Free, for iOS devices.


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